CHAPTER 13

The carriage came to a halt in front of the hospital, waking Raoul, who had dozed off during the trip. He rubbed at his eyes then reached into his pocket for his timepiece. Looking down at the pocket-watch in his hand, he smiled. "Right on time," he thought as he deposited the watch back into its place.

"We've arrived, Monsieur Vicomte." Francois held the door to the carriage open, as Raoul stepped out.

He made his way to the front desk and asked the nurse if he could speak with Dr. Necosi.

"Let me check for you, Monsieur," the nurse suggested.

She went down the hall to the doctor's office door, knocked, and opened the door slightly. "Dr. Necosi, le Vicomte de Chagny is here to speak with you about Mademoiselle Giry's release."

Dr. Necosi waved his hand to her as he finished writing in Meg's patient file. "Thank you, Marie. Please send him in."

Raoul watched as the nurse approached him.

"He is free to speak with you, Monsieur Vicomte. He awaits your presence in his office," she confirmed.

Raoul bowed and she smiled at him as he made his way down the hall.

"Dr. Necosi," Raoul announced as he entered, extending a handshake to the doctor.

Dr. Necosi stood up from his desk chair, reaching to oblige the Vicomte. "Ah, Monsieur Vicomte. Good to see you again! Please, have a seat," he gestured.

Raoul smiled, "Merci."

"A nurse is with Mademoiselle Giry now, preparing her for her departure. I was just finishing up her chart before you arrived. She will be given medication to take only if needed, if at all. The injury to her head was not as bad as we had come to believe and she's a strong, healthy young lady. I do suggest she keep off her feet for long periods of time, at least for the next week. Do you think that will be a problem, Monsieur Vicomte?" the doctor asked.

"Not at all, Dr. Necosi. Her mother is her ballet teacher, so it shouldn't be a problem. I'll see to it that she gets plenty of rest." Raoul answered.

"Very good then!" The doctor stood up from his chair and made his way to the young Vicomte as Raoul stood up from his chair. The doctor patted his back. "Come. Let's not keep Mademoiselle Giry waiting. I'll see the both of you out along with her release papers." Dr. Necosi held open his office door and motioned for Raoul to exit.

Meg sat on the side of her bed with a small bag of her belongings in her lap. She was dressed and ready to go home. She waited in anxiety. "Any moment he will be coming through that door," she thought to herself and continued, "I'm so silly. I shouldn't be acting this way. Raoul is a friend…" she trailed on this thought and added, "but a very handsome one!" Her cheeks flushed a slight pink as she smiled.

Just then, the door opened and Dr. Necosi came in.

Her smile almost faded until she noticed a well-dressed Raoul coming in behind the doctor.

"Mademoiselle Giry! I see you are ready to go home," the doctor stated.

Raoul walked over to Meg and she offered him her hand. He kissed it and smiled up at her. "Shall we go, Mademoiselle?"

Meg got up from the bed and answered Raoul with excitement. "Oui, Monsieur! I am quite ready!" Her face beamed at Raoul and then she turned in the doctor's direction. "Oh, forgive me, Dr. Necosi. I just wish to sleep in my own bed," she grinned.

"I understand, Mademoiselle," the doctor replied nonchalantly. "Please see to it that Madame Giry gets these, Monsieur." The doctor held out Meg's release forms.

"Certainly," Raoul replied, taking the forms.

The three of them walked out of the hospital room and down the hall. Opening the front door, they were greeted by Madame Giry.

Sensing the tension, the doctor politely excused himself. "My apologies, but I must get back to my rounds now." Dr. Necosi bowed and calmly made his way back to his office.

"Oh, Maman! I forgot to send word to you that Ra- umm Monsieur Vicomte was escorting me home." Meg was embarrassed. She had been caught up in her daydreaming of the handsome Vicomte that it completely slipped her mind.

Raoul tried to recover, "Please, Madame. I apologize. I should have sent a messenger to you on Meg's behalf." He took Madame Giry's hand and kissed it.

"Do not feel the need to take responsibility for my daughter's actions, Monsieur Vicomte. She is very capable of sending word to me on her own." Madame Giry glanced at her daughter in disappointment. "Come, Megan. We're going home." She reached for her daughter's arm as Meg frowned.

Knowing that there was no way to win, Raoul gestured, "S'il vous plaît, Madame, Mademoiselle. Allow me to offer my carriage. It's the least I can do."

Meg looked at her mother with tender eyes.

Hesitantly, Madame Giry accepted. "Merci, Monsieur Vicomte," she said curtly.

Raoul handed Meg's release forms to Madame Giry before addressing his driver. "Francois, take Madame and Mademoiselle Giry wherever they wish."

"And what of you, Monsieur Vicomte?" Francois asked confused.

"There is some business I can attend to, which is not too far from here. The walk will do me good, Francois. Don't worry. You can wait for me at the Café de Laine when you are done," Raoul finished.

"Very well then, Monsieur Vicomte." Francois opened the carriage door and offered his hand to Madame Giry as she stepped inside.

Meg looked at the carriage and then to Raoul. She caught him off guard as she embraced him tightly. "Thank you for everything, Raoul!" she spoke low enough for only him to hear.

"Will you still be able to come for dinner, little Meg?" He asked in a whisper.

"I'll try. I must fix this mess with Maman first. I'll send word if I'm able!" Meg gave him a chaste kiss on his cheek before releasing him and climbing into the carriage.

Raoul stood there watching, as the carriage made its way down the cobblestone street. He lifted his gloved hand to his right cheek. "Well, I certainly was not expecting that!" He said to himself, surprised. He turned on his heel and proceeded down the street, toward his destination.

Author's Note
To all my regular readers who have been here since the beginning. Thanks so much for your continued support! I'm glad everyone is enjoying Raoul and Meg. It can be challenging for me at times, but these two really deserve each other. They're just both two sweet for their own good. -smiles- I wish to extend a special thanks to my two newest readers: Erik's Chris and DragonheartRAB. I'm so glad you two are enjoying my first fic.