Disclaimer: I do not own Erik, daroga, or other references of Leroux's novel. They belong to the author that created them.

Chapter Summary: In this chapter, William could die from his gunshot wound and a fight reopens old wounds from the past. The Phantom is not as bullet as everyone thought. One more chapter left after this! Enjoy!

Author's Note: HEY EVERYONE! I am very sorry for the long wait (15-16 days) Anyhow, I hope this chapter makes up for it. GUESS WHAT EVERYBODY? This is the SECOND to LAST chapter of Part one of my story! That means Part Two will be here soon and more drama will occur. Tell me what I can do to make this story better! I heart feedback. Btw, I am currently searching for colleges, so updates may be less frequent than weekly. I am sad because I have to trim my nails…can't have long nails and play piano…But piano is important to me. I have played for almost ten years.

Please try to ignore grammar and punctuation mistakes…for I am a little under the weather. Also, I need to clear up something. Stacy is NOT based off me, for I am a lot tougher and I speak my mind a lot more than she does. With that said, please review! They make my day! (For all your information, I DID finish reading Wuthering Heights…I just haven't answered the questions)

--William, the Phantom's appearance is based off Charles Dance version (not the attitude—William is violent and not soft) He has a full face black mask and the eyes of the version of Charles Dance…golden hair like his and jaw set like him, too. His body type also is version of Charles Dance…that's how I envisioned him…SO think Charles Dance and Erik attitude…that's my William

Chapter 19- Better to have Been Loved

The wound on William's arm bled excessively, leaving William to become very lethargic. Tearing the sleeve off my shirt, I wrapped and tightened it around the wound. The blood pour from his arm slightly tapered off.

After William made sure that no one followed us, he pulled the car into a long driveway through a wooded area to a beautiful cabin home, surrounded by trees…isolated.

Leaning on me for support, William and I slowly made our way to the wooden structure. Physically exhausted, William collapsed on the leather couch. His erratic breathing and pain-induced glaze over his eyes filled me with trepidation. He grasped my hand.

"Stacy, if I had only taken care of…myself better…had been a better man…a better husband…" His words began to become incoherent as he drifted off to sleep.

He shook himself out of it and whispered to me before sleeping again, "You have to operate, Stacy!"

I knew, then, I had to do it. 'Lord, help me,' I prayed for his strength. I had to operate on his left arm to get the bullet out of his tissue; otherwise, the bullet would become toxic to his blood…if he did not die from blood-loss first.

Waking him so he could tell me, I inquired, "My love, stay with me. Where is the first-aid kit?"

Pointing towards the kitchen, he weakly replied, "First top cabinet on the left."

Running to the cabinet, I found some bandages, tapes, cotton, hydrogen peroxide, needles, thread, scissors, and an assortment of antibiotics. With further search, I found some numbing anesthesia. It would not eliminate his pain, but it would alleviate a majority of it.

William was still sleeping heavily when I returned with the medical supplies. Pulling off his coat jacket and shirt, I gazed at his upper torso for a moment. His broad chest and muscled arms and toned abs made him very much sensually desirable. However, the paleness and the scars from his past were deep and ugly. Shaking my head, I set myself to the task.

The wound on his arm made me almost faint, but his need for me gave me strength. The injury was about three inches deep and about an inch wide. There was bruising with a deep blue hue around it. That is usually found with gunshot victims. I noticed then that the skin was a raw red and swollen with impending infection.

Making sure that William was as comfortable as can be, I grasped the bottle of antiseptic after I put on latex gloves. Taking a deep breath, I began. Pouring the antiseptic on the wound, I washed off the bacteria with a soft cloth.

William stirred slightly, moaning with pain. I heated the knife on a candle enough to use it. As soon as the burning tip touched his skin, he violently knocked me away. Falling on my back, I heard the knife clatter over in the corner of the room.

I gazed at William, wondering what to do. He sat up erect as his eyes darted around the room. Blood began to come out of the wound. His eyes finally settled on me as I sat in shock on the floor.

"Oh, Stacy, I am so sorry."

Smiling slightly, I propped myself back on my feet and walked over to sit next to him. Smoothing the hair back on his head, I clutched his hands and earnestly spoke, "William, I must do this…I cannot bear to have you die on me. I can't lose you again."

Nodding solemnly, he positioned himself down on his back and fell into a feverish sleep. Pressing some anesthesia on the area, I tried once more with another heated knife. Beads of sweat trickled down my forehead as I jabbed the knife into the hole. It scraped against the small pieces of metal.

What I greatly feared had happened. A shotgun bullet hit his arm. The bullet from the gun had disintegrated into small pieces in the tissue. With a pair of tweezers, I began, meticulously, to pull the shards out of the wound out. Once I double-checked to see I had gotten all the pieces out as best I could, I commenced to close the wound.

In my mind, I thanked my grandmother for teaching me how to stitch. Grabbing the sterilized needle and thread after cleaning the bloodied wound, I paused as I took deep breaths to regain my composure. I took the two flaps of skin and gently stuck the needle through.

A hiss of pain filled my ears as I realized William was awake, and his eyes were watching me intensely.

I smiled and whispered, "I'm almost done, my love."

He nodded tersely; obviously, he was still lethargic after losing some blood. In and out amidst his moans and hisses of pain, I worked the needle and string through. When I cut the string, I pressed some antibiotic cream on it and bandaged his arm, so I could prevent further infection.

"Do you want some pain killer, darling?"

"No, I just want to rest."

"Then, you sleep. Do I need to do anything while you are asleep?"

"I want you to relax and when I am better, tell me everything that happened during my absence. Thank-you, Stacy. You saved my life. Now go change your clothes; you have my blood all over you."

He then closed his eyes. My fingers massaged his shoulders before I took off his black mask. He did not stir, and I knew he was fast asleep. Before I left, I whispered close to his ear, "I love you, William. Please do not leave me. I am terrified of being alone."

My muscles ached as soon as I stood up. I realized that I had William's dried blood all over me. After I took a soothing bath, I dressed myself in a black women's suit and walked to the living room. To my surprise, William was missing.

Panic filled me until I felt his arms encircle me. "You are an amazing person, Stacy. I love you."

Turning around in his protective embrace, I buried myself into him, chastising with, "You should be in bed!"

His eyes glinted with mischief, "Then, you come with me!"

Shaking my head, I sat him down on the couch. I kneeled at his feet and rested my chin on his knee. He gazed at me with utter adoration.

"Will we be together from now on, William?"

I noticed a flash of a memory pass through his eyes before he answered, "Yes."

Somehow, the way he uttered the word, it unnerved me a great deal. I felt sad by the way his contorted face sagged. I finally could see the brown grotesque scars he accumulated from his tortured beatings. The black around his golden eyes showed itself prominently that he was exhausted. The paleness from lack of blood caused the blue and red veins to stand out more noticeably.

When William abruptly shifted, I understood I had been staring at him. "William, I am sorry."

He nodded but the hurtful anger etched on his face was evident. I was in a trance as he paced back and forth in front of the hearth. His completely graceful walk and strides captivated me, as well as his voice.

"Do I disgust you, Stacy?" His direct question snapped me out of it.

"What, of course not, no! If I was disgusted by you, then I would not have fought like heck to get you back!"

His golden hair twitched as he snorted, indignantly. With a derisive chuckle, he spoke again, "You'd rather have a man like Michael, wouldn't you?" he's rich and handsome, and I am hideously deformed."

When he turned around to face me, I slapped him hard on the face.

"How dare you assume I love Michael? How dare you think I am so shallow! It's always been you, William! It will always be you! Why are you letting your insecurities push me away? I want to love you!"

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. William pulled me close to him and he whispered as the knocks got louder, "If they have guns, no matter what happens to me, stay out of the way."

With a swift motion, William opened the door, and my heart stopped. I heard two deep voices as William conversed casually in his native tongue. Able to breathe, I covered my eyes and sat down with a sigh of relief.

Consequently, two large animals with wet tongues attacked me. My dogs, Shadow and Willow, arrived. I lay back down with to two goofy animals. Eventually I fell asleep with the dogs in my arms.

I awoke the next morning when the sunlight crept through my room. The dogs were gone and I stretched myself. Making my way to the kitchen to fix my breakfast, I opened the cupboard and a note with William's handwriting on it fell out.

Stacy,

I left you a dress to wear tonight. We will have a romantic evening. Be sure to stay in the cabin. I went to take care of business. I should be back around six o' clock tonight. Do not answer the door. The dogs are in the other bedroom. Until I see you again this evening, I love you, my linka.

All my love, William Addams

Author's Note: Awwww, he left her a romantic note. Okay guys, how was that? I hope you like all the medical and crime scene investigation innuendos. I hope to work in that type of field. On another note, the next chapter will complete PART ONE! --YAY! Does a flip in the air and pops back…Ouch…--

Please leave a review! It makes my day. Next chapter title- The Truth Hurts Where Love is Concerned-- Yeh, I try to make titles interesting to keep you all reading. I notice the more hits I get if the chapter titles are more interesting. Until another update, I bid you all adieu. Thank-you for letting me have 51 reviews. IT makes me SMILE and giddy!

The show COPS rocks…ahem…anyways, I have to go now and finish my questions…for Wuthering Heights…well…I will finish it by Monday. I am so a procrastinator.

P.S. I AM SO SORRY FOR THE EXTRA LONG AUTHOR'S NOTES. I like it when I hear from the author of a fic, so I want you to hear from me!

© Copyright 2005