Hey! I've been really busy this summer, but I finally got around to updating. This is one of my longer chapters, so please R&R. I'll try to update soon, but I don't know if I'll be able to, I have a lot of stuff I need to do… a lot of BORING stuff, but I still gotta do it… oh well, hope you like this chapter!
Chapter 13: The Hospital
The carriage bounced up and down along the bumpy cobblestone road.
Raoul cried out in pain from his place in the carriage. Madame Giry ignored him and continued to stare out the window, lost in her own thoughts.
"Monsieur de Chagny, will you please stop that infernal whining?" Madame Giry turned and shouted at the whimpering man.
"You wouldn't be saying that if someone had stabbed you in the chest!" he said, his voice rattling as he gasped for breath.
"You should be grateful. I didn't need to save your sorry ass back there." She replied very calmly, "Christine would've watched you die, and you know and I both know it!"
"Why you little…" Raoul mumbled somewhat surprised at how direct she was.
"Choose your words carefully, Vicomte, we wouldn't want you to have to die before you were to reach the hospital."
Raoul let out a strangled gasp.
"Remember this, Vicomte, if you ever hurt Christine, Meg, Erik, Elizabeth, or their second child, I will have your head. Do not doubt that for a moment." Madame Giry said, staring at Raoul directly in the eye.
The carriage stopped, and Madame Giry stepped out and waited impatiently as Raoul all but fell out, still clutching his chest.
Madame Giry led him into the hospital, and waited until Raoul was finished with the doctor.
Later, he came back out, shirtless, with a long line of stitches near the center of his chest.
"Come Monsieur, we should be getting back." Madame Giry was not in a good mood, and Raoul was apparently not having a good day.
Swiftly, Madame Giry turned to face Raoul. "Monsieur de Chagny, I want you to understand that if anyone, and I mean anyone finds out about the events that occurred tonight, I will not hesitate to kill you. And you can be sure it will be a very slow and painful death."
Raoul just stared at Madame Giry for a moment. She was getting old, but the fierce look in her eyes could have brought even the strongest men to their knees.
"Do you understand?" she demanded in a harsh, dark tone.
Raoul opened his mouth to speak, but no words would come out. Only a quiet strangled noise. He feared her, more than anyone, Raoul, the great Vicomte de Chagny, feared Madame Giry, the old ballet mistress. It showed just how weak he had become.
He nodded.
Most of the remainder of the carriage ride was silent. Madame Giry was gazing out the window, and Raoul was thinking about what Madame Giry had said earlier.
"Remember this, Vicomte, if you ever hurt Christine, Meg, Erik, Elizabeth, or their second child, I will have your head."
"Wait! Second child?" Raoul thought to himself.
"Madame Giry, earlier, what did you mean when you said Christine and Erik's second child?" he asked timidly, not wanting to anger the woman again.
"Christine is pregnant. The other night, she… she did not go to stay with Meg overnight." Madame Giry replied, not even turning her head from the window.
"Oh, I see…" Raoul's voice trailed off.
The carriage bounced up and hit the ground hard after running into a rather large stone. Raoul shouted out in pain, and started whimpering softly.
After a few minutes, Madame Giry turned to Raoul and shouted, "Monsieur de Chagny, will you desist?"
"Sorry." He muttered in a very insincere voice.
"Oh, and Vicomte, you will be signing the divorce papers when we return. Christine will be moving in with Erik."
Raoul and Madame Giry returned to the opera house. It was late, about three or four in the morning. They walked down the hall to Christine's room.
Madame Giry led Raoul down the dark hallway leading towards Erik's home.
A few minutes later, they arrived. Elizabeth was in her room, asleep, and Erik was playing piano. Christine stood behind Erik, singing as he played.
Angel I hear you,
Speak, I listen
Stay by my side,
Guide me,
Angel my soul was weak,
Forgive me,
Enter at last,
Master…
She stopped abruptly, "Erik, I'll be right back." she said, not noticing Raoul and Madame Giry walking into the room.
"Evening… uh… morning sickness?" Erik asked, glancing down at his watch.
"Actually no, that'll be around seven… I just really want some chocolate." Christine said giggling.
"Mmmm… chocolate sounds really good right now. I'll go with you." Erik stood from the piano bench and picked up Christine. She giggled happily and kissed him on the cheek.
Erik turned around, still holding Christine, and saw Raoul. Erik's smile faded and Christine's giggling ceased. Erik gently lowered Christine to the floor.
"Raoul, I assume you're here to sign the divorce papers." She said gravely.
"I'll be right back." Erik said before kissing Christine on the cheek and quickly leaving the room.
Madame Giry pulled some papers out of a folder she was holding, and handed them to Christine. The three of them walked over to a small table in the corner with four chairs around it. They sat down, and Christine and Raoul began to sign a series of papers, finalizing their divorce.
All of a sudden Erik walked back into the room carrying a tray with an assortment of chocolates.
"Chocolate!" Christine exclaimed. Erik merely smiled and sat down at the table. Christine quickly grabbed a piece of chocolate and shoved it in her mouth. She glanced over and noticed Raoul staring at her, obviously amazed at how fast she could inhale chocolate.
"What?" she said after swallowing, "Pregnant women need chocolate!" she paused for a moment. Christine did not know that Madame Giry had already explained everything about Erik and her to Raoul, and as much as she despised him, Christine didn't want Raoul to find out this way. "Oh, damn." She muttered.
"It's all right, Christine. I already explained. I hope you don't mind." Madame Giry said quickly.
"Oh, okay. It's fine, I'm just not very good at explaining things." She said with a giggle.
TBC…