It was nine months after Meg and Raphael had moved in to their new house when Meg had a surprise for Raphael – she was pregnant with their first child. Raphael helped Meg in any way so that she wouldn't hurt herself or the baby growing inside her.
"Raphael, I think it's time," Meg croaked one rainy afternoon. Raphael put the book he was reading down and went to Meg's side. He helped her onto the couch in a corner of the room. Lifting up her skirts, he went to deliver the baby himself. Meg screamed in pain as a bolt of lightning lit up the sky. She was starting to sweat as she continued to push her baby into the world.
"The baby's almost out. I need you to push one more time," Raphael told Meg. Meg closed her eyes shut and pushed as hard as she could. Two minutes later, she heard screaming coming from Raphael's arms.
"You have a beautiful baby girl!" Raphael told Meg, handing her the screaming infant. Meg held her new baby to her breast and looked at Raphael. Together, they had created this wonderful little miracle.
"What are we going to name her?" Raphael asked, taking his daughter's clenched fist in his hand.
"How about Christine, after my mother?" Meg suggested, handing the baby to the wet nurse who was standing nearby.
"Christine, I love that name," Raphael said, kissing the top of Meg's head. The wet nurse handed little Christine back to her mother so that she could nurse.
"I'll send word out to all of our friends and family," Raphael announced, taking Christine in his arms. She stared up at him with kind blue eyes.
An hour later, all of Meg and Raphael's family and friends were gathered around Meg, who was still sitting on the couch. Little Christine was being passed from one person to the next, everyone making a huge fuss over her, even Cosette.
"What did you name her?" Raoul asked, holding his new granddaughter in his arms.
"Christine, after mother," Meg told him, beaming at her husband.
"She's so beautiful," Raoul said, hugging his granddaughter close to him. Meg smiled when Christine let out a little yawn.
"She's tired," Madame Giry said as Raoul handed Christine to her. As she was placed in her grandmother's arms, Christine began to fuss and cry. Madame Giry tried to comfort her with a lullaby, but that only made Christine cry harder. Madame Giry handed Christine back to Meg, who soothed the crying infant.
"Maybe we should go," Monsieur Rayer said, guiding Raoul and Cosette out of the house.
"Thank you for coming," Meg and Raphael said in unison. As everyone left, Meg put Christine to her breast so that she could nurse again.
"She's so beautiful," Raphael whispered in complete awe.
"I know. I wish my mother was alive to see her," Meg whispered back, tears coming to her eyes. Raphael smiled and kissed her tears away.
"May I hold her?" he asked, looking longingly at Christine.
"Of course you can. You helped make her," Meg told him, laughing as she gently pulled Christine away from her breast. Meg showed him how to hold her so that Raphael wouldn't drop her. Raphael made a cradle with his arms as Meg placed Christine in the cradle. Christine yawned and stretched as Raphael gently rocked her back and forth.
"You're so good with her," Meg commented as Raphael walked around the room with his daughter.
"I know. I bet you were cute when you were a newborn," Raphael whispered. Meg smiled and nodded her head.
"Oh, she's fussing. Here you go," Raphael quickly, carefully and quietly made his way towards Meg.
"How about you soothe her? Just tell her everything's all right," Meg told him, putting her arms out so that she could catch her baby.
"Um, okay. Shh, little Christine. It's okay, daddy's here," Raphael soothed her. Instantly, Christine went back to sleep.
"You're such a miracle worker," Meg said, kissing Raphael's lips.
"I know," Raphael told her as he pulled away.
"We better get some sleep. I'm tired with all that . . ." Meg's head fell back against the couch and she instantly went to sleep. Raphael didn't want her to hurt her neck, so he gently lifted both mother and baby in his arms and put them in the rocking chair that was nearby. He then put a blanket over Meg's lap and put little Christine in her bassinet nearby. Yawning, he took his shoes off and fell asleep on the couch, not wanting to leave Meg's side for a minute.
As Meg slept, she had a very strange dream. It started with an eerie tune and a music box with a figure of a monkey in Persian robes playing the cymbals. A brown haired, blue-eyed girl around the age of ten was looking at the music box as it played the tune. As the tinkling came to her ears, the girl began to sing in the most beautiful voice."Wishing you were somehow here again
Wishing you were somehow near
Sometimes it seemed if I just dreamed
Somehow you would be here.
Wishing I could hear your voice again,
Knowing I never would
Dreaming of you won't help me to do
All that you dreamed I could."
Suddenly, there was a voice from above that Meg had heard before in her childhood.
"Wandering child, so lost, so helpless
Yearning for my guidance."
The young girl looked around and was suddenly grabbed around the waist and pulled upward, towards the rafters and a man wearing black clothes and a white mask that seemed too familiar to Meg.
"No! Christine wait!" Meg called out, but it was too late. . .
Meg woke with a start and breathing hard. Taking in a deep breath, she looked around the room. Raphael was sleeping on the couch, his back to her and little Christine was asleep in her bassinet near the chair where Meg lay sleeping.
"It was just a stupid nightmare," Meg told herself, going back to sleep.
"Meg, are you okay?" Raphael asked, pushing himself up from the couch and walking over to Meg.
"I'm fine, darling," Meg told him, kissing his cheek.
"You were talking in your sleep," Raphael informed her, kissing her forehead.
"I was?" Meg inquired.
"You were saying, 'No! Christine wait!'" Raphael said, kneeling beside her and holding her in his arms. Meg hugged him as Raphael kissed the back of her neck.
"Are you ready to sleep in your own bed?" Raphael asked. Meg nodded as Raphael carried her to the bedroom that they shared. Putting Meg under the covers, Raphael went to get little Christine from the other room and put the bassinet near the side of the bed where Meg was. Raphael carefully undressed Meg and put her in her nightdress. After he did that, he removed his shirt and climbed in next to his sleeping wife, rubbing her back as she slept.
"Let me be
Your shelter,
Let me
Be your light.
You're safe:
No-one will find you
Your fears are
Far behind you," Raphael sang gently. Meg smiled as she turned over on her back, facing her husband.
"I love you," Raphael told her, sliding his hands up her nightdress.
"I love you, too," Meg croaked, closing her eyes as Raphael's hands went over her well-rounded breasts. He gently squeezed one of them and quickly pulled his hand away.
"What did you do?" Meg asked.
"Nothing," Raphael answered innocently. Without warning, Christine began crying. Meg swung her legs over the bed and went to comfort the crying baby. Meg bounced her baby up and down as she nursed, humming a little lullaby.
Two minutes later, Meg was lying beside Raphael, this time, she was on her side and Raphael was right next to her. She turned over onto her other side, smiling sleepily at Raphael. Raphael returned the smile and kissed her neck, working his way up to her cheek. Meg closed her eyes as her husband gently kissed her lips and slid himself on top of her.
"Breakfast is ready!" the wet nurse called, poking her head into the bedroom. Raphael and Meg went out to the kitchen area and sat down upon the chairs that circled the kitchen table.
"I fear that Christine isn't doing too well," Meg croaked, taking Raphael's hand in hers.
"What makes you say that?" Raphael asked as the wet nurse pored coffee into the mugs placed in front of Meg and Raphael.
"Well, she's not crying as much and she's not drinking as much milk as she should," Meg told him, taking a sip of her coffee.
"I'll send a message to the physician after we eat," Raphael said, kissing Meg's cheek.
It was after breakfast and the physician was examining both Meg and Christine. Raphael held Christine in his arms as the physician finished up with Meg. As Meg stood next to Raphael, the physician motioned for Raphael to hand Christine to him.
"How old is she?" he asked, taking a stethoscope out of his medical bag.
"She's two days old," Meg answered, clinging onto Raphael's arm. Raphael put his arm around her and hugged her close to him.
"I'm sorry to say, but I don't think she'll live much longer. She has the beginning symptoms of influenza. I'll give her about two to three days to live," the physician told the young couple, handing their baby back to Meg. Meg's eyes welled up with tears as she looked at her sleeping infant.
"Isn't there an antidote or something you can do?" Raphael asked as the physician mounted his horse.
"Sorry, lad. There's not much I can do for your baby," the physician said, turning his horse around and heeled it into a canter. Raphael drew in a deep breath and headed back into the house, not wanting to face Meg right now, but he had to, sooner or later. He found the wet nurse bathing Christine in the large tub.
"Where's Meg?" Raphael asked the wet nurse.
"She's in the bedroom, crying," the nurse answered, pouring water on Christine.
Raphael slowly walked to the bedroom and gently knocked on the door. When Meg didn't answer, Raphael slowly let himself into the room. He saw Meg sprawled across the bed, lying on her stomach, sobbing into the pillow. He rushed to her and took her in his strong arms. He felt tears come to his eyes as he gently rocked Meg back and forth.
"Shh, Meg. It's okay, I'm here and I will never leave you," Raphael soothed, kissing the top of Meg's head. Meg let out a few heart-wrenching sobs and stared into Raphael's face. Her beautiful face was streaked with tears and her blue eyes were red and puffy from crying.
"Sir, Madame, I have some sad news, your baby just died," the wet nurse announced, bringing in the wet and limp body to Raphael and Meg. Meg buried her face in Raphael's chest and began sobbing again. Raphael cried as well, taking Christine's body from the wet nurse. The one thing the both of them loved was now gone from their lives forever and there was nothing they could do to bring her back.