Amber- I promised, your grand entrence. Oh, I changed your eye colour, just because...
Little Lotte- sorry for the short chapter, but here's another one. Love Ya, My Angel Of Music!
Chapter 16
Meg sat curled up, her head in her knees, her tears wetting her skirt, as Murtagh and I walked into Madame Giry's room. Madame Giry laid in the bed in the center of the room, an old, rather plump doctor was tending to her. Meg looked up to see who had entered. Her normally enchanting face was stained with tears, her makeup running down her weary pale skin. I collapsed down beside her, holding her in my arms, wiping away her tears in comfort.
"It's alright Little Meg." I kissed the top of her blond hair,
"I'm here for you."
"Thank you." she sniffled out.
"What happened?" I couldn't help but inquire, after all, Madame Giry has been like a mother to me since I came to live in the opera house. She raised her head to lock eyes with Murtagh.
"Well, she walked in, she walked in, and I was, well, we where..." She couldn't find the words. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Murtagh's face turn crimson red, as he finished for her.
"She saw the two of us, getting to know each other." He put it, but I knew what he was trying to hide.
"And how well, might I ask?" If it was possible, his face got redder, as he ran his hand through his hair nervously. Exactly what I thought.
"She didn't take it well. She started yelling." Meg continued.
"She told me he wasn't good enough, that people wouldn't except him, because of his leg, that I was throwing my life away." The tears flowed harder from her crystal blue eyes. She wiped a tear from her eye, as Murtagh joined us on the floor, taking her out of my arms, into his.
"Shhhh..." He tried to stop her, but she continued.
"She said something, weird I guess. I have never heard her say something in that tone before. She said, Don't break his heart, you will never regret it."
My heart weeps for her. She told about him, the secret she guarded from Meg, she told her, and Meg has no idea.
"She just collapsed, she grabbed at her chest, wincing in pain, and just fell." She clung to Murtagh's shirt, letting her tears saturate the thin fabric.
"It's all my fault." She whimpered.
"Shhhh..." Murtagh softly stoked her hair, clinging to her tighter.
"No, it isn't. You can't blame yourself." Just as he spoke, the door of the room burst open, a young women entered, carrying a small basket. Her short, chopped chocolate hair was tied back with a vibrant piece of orange cloth, that matched her haphazard flashy attire, gypsy attire. she couldn't have been more than fifteen years of age. She hurried over to the bed side, handing something over to the plump doctor.
He took what ever the item was, crushed it up in some sort of bowl, along with some herbs. He took the mixture, and poured it into the limp form of Madame Giry.
The young girl came over to us, handing a small package to Little Meg.
"Here, this will help calm you down." Meg nodded her head, and opened it, to find a large chunk of chocolate sitting in the paper.
"Thank you." She began to nibble on the sweet. You young girl faced me, her brilliant green eyes staring into mine.
"It is great to see you here to comfort her, she needs it."
"Of course I came, she is like a sister to me." I looked back over at Madame Giry. The doctor was beginning to pack up his things.
"What's wrong with her?" The girl sighed, and shook her head.
"I don't know, the doctor just sent me to collect some herbs for her. All I know is it has something to do with her heart." As she spoke, the doctor approached us, a grim look upon his face.
"The Madame has suffered a minor heart attack." Our faces turned paler than the moon.
A heart attack? Not our Madame Giry, she is too strong of something like that.
"She will recover, if she is cared for properly. Roxanne will tend to her needs." He motioned towards the young girl.
"She is wonderful nurse, she will take good care of the Madame." He bowed his head slightly.
"Pardon me mademoiselles, but I must be off."
"Thank you Messieur." I bowed my head, as Murtagh showed the good doctor out.
Roxanne left us, grabbing the empty pitcher of water that sat on the nightstand to the right of the bed, and exited down the hall.
"They have all left." I called out into the hallway, knowing Erik laid hidden in the shadows. Murtagh and Meg turned to me, with queer looks upon their faces, obviously they didn't notice his presence. Erik slipped into the room silently, finding his way over to the bed.
"Is she alright?" A single tear streamed down his cheek. I approached him, wrapping my arms around his torso, resting my head against his back left shoulder.
"She will be." I could feel the relief flood his body as the tension fled from his muscles. I lead him back over to Murtagh and Meg, who had taken each other up into their arms. Erik raised his brow at the two's friendly nature, but didn't inquire.
Meg retold the event to him, as she had done for me. He tried his best to hide his emotions from them, which I think he was successful, but he couldn't hide them from me, My poor Erik.
His heart is breaking, he might as well of had the heart attack, with this news. Indirectly He knew Madame Giry was telling their daughter about the mistake she had made, so many years ago. After she finished her story, her eyes looked past the two of us, widening in horror.
Roxanne had returned with the full pitcher.
"Erik, Don't turn around." I warned. He would have to walk right past her to leave.
Oh why must she be a gypsy? Of all the things. As if Erik's haunting past wasn't enough, he has to be in the presence of someone who belongs to those wretched people, who did those terrible things to him. Forcing him into a freak show, keeping him in a cage as a child, like a monster. It is they who are the monsters.
Meg watched her intensely, waiting for a moment Erik could slip back into the shadows.
Meg bit her lip and cursed.
"She's coming over here." Erik buried his face against my hair, hiding his mask. he clung his hand to mine, squeezing it in fright of being discovered.
"Young Giry, The Madame has awoken, and she wishes for your presence." Meg nodded, and followed Roxanne to the bed. Madame said something to Roxanne, who then left the room, causing Erik's painful grip to loosen.
Madame whispered something into her daughter's ear, but we were to far to hear her words, but her expression told the tale. Madame Giry looked up at Erik, a tear streaming down her face, while Meg's face showed shock. Madame whispered one more thing to her, then gentle pushed her away from the bed. She slowly approached Erik.
"Erik?" She looked back at her mother, tears streaming down her face.
"Is it true?" She paused, unable to find the words.
"Mother said... She said..." She couldn't finish. Hope filled Erik's eyes, as he looked over at Madame Giry, Joy over filling her eyes as well. She looked between the two of them, trying to rationalize what was going on in her mind.
"Meg," Erik was also having trouble finding the words. Both seemed to stand there in shock.
"Go on Little Meg." I pushed her practically into him. She took a step back, locking her eyes with his.
"You can't be... I mean... you young... and her... you can't be..." She stuttered out.
"You can't be my... my... my father?" Erik bit his lip, nodding his head in agreement.
"Meg." I pushed her once again. She turned to me, a questioning look upon her face.
"How can you be taking this so well?" She questioned me.
"I already knew Meg." Her jaw dropped at my statement.
"Believe me, I wept when I found out. And ever time I saw you, and wanted to tell you."
"Why didn't you?"
"how am I supposed to go up to my best friend and tell them the love of my life, my husband to be is their father? Not to mention it wasn't my place to tell you" Pushing her forward once again, this time almost directly into him, she finally embraced him. His eyes twinkled as he held his daughter in his arms, something he has waited twenty long years to do.