A billowing landscape wiped its way across her vision. The sky was deep red, it shone and spun hypnotically. She felt herself being drawn towards it she was lifting herself to the heavens; she felt her toes leave the hard, rocky ground beneath her.
In an instant the red sky was gone and she found herself encased in blackness. She screamed of complete and utter terror, for she could no longer see her hand if she held it right in front of her eyes. She screamed louder, praying that someone would come and save her, praying that she could see the face of the man who had always saved her. But his face did not appear. She was alone and she became more and more aware of that with every moment that passed. Her screaming ceased to exist as sobs overtook her entire body. She stood encased in complete blackness. She had no knowledge of where she was, why she was there, or how she was ever going to escape from it.
Escape from her.
An odd sensation pulled from her navel. She felt as though she were free falling from the sky. If she was actually falling she couldn't say, for more blackness filed her eyes no matter were she looked. She screamed as her whole body felt as though it were beginning to unravel. Her breathing was labored, her heart was pounding and she had no idea if or when she was going to hit the ground.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Raoul paced outside the door to his own bedroom. His hands were wringing behind his back and he chewed on his lip distractedly.
They've been in there forever! he thought desperately to himself.
For at that moment his darling Christine was in there with a doctor and his young apprentice. The driver of the carriage had immediately summoned them at Raoul's yells. Raoul let the driver carry Christine up the stairs when they arrived at the house. He dared not trust his strength to do it. For what if he dropped her? He could never forgive himself for such a thing.
What happened after that however, was a blur of many emotions.
"Monsieur de Chagny?"
Raoul whipped his head around to face the man in front of him. His hair was a dull gray and his eyes were tired and weary, behind him stood a young boy that couldn't have been more then 19. He had bright striking blue eyes and dark black hair.
"Are you the doctor?"
The old man nodded briskly. "Where is she?" he asked, his voice oozing with the prospect of business.
Raoul muttered an incoercible sentence that was a combination of "up here" "this way" "in the bedroom" and "thank goodness you're here", and turned to run up the stairs.
Noticing his hasty state, the doctor quickened his pace.
Raoul swung the bedroom door open and fought back tears as he saw his wife lying motionless in the bed.
The doctor immediately knelt before her and placed a hand to her forehead. "What happened to her?"
Raoul shrugged his shoulders, his eyes never leaving his wife's form "I...I don't know...she just...she collapsed and I didn't know what to do. Is she ok? Will she be alright?"
The doctor turned and studied Raoul quietly. He reminded him vaguely of a young boy, asking if his parents were going to be ok. He had done many of those house calls, they never ended pleasantly. He only prayed that the same thing wouldn't happen tonight.
"I'm going to have to ask you to wait outside."
Raoul nodded quickly and slipped out the door, not wanting to interfere with the doctor's work.
That had been more that an hour ago.
"Please..." he whispered under his breath "Please let her be ok," Raoul let his eyes close and his head rest of the wall "Please god, let her be ok."
"Monsieur de Chagny?"
Raoul whipped his head around to the doorway to find the young apprentice staring back at him.
"Is she ok?" he asked quickly "Can I see her?"
"She's alive," he said walking towards her "But..."
Raoul felt his happiness dwindle as the boy let his words wander. His heart froze within his chest.
"But...But what?"
The boy sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Perhaps I'm not the one that should tell you this."
Raoul's eyes widened "Tell me what?" he asked, trying to keep his voice even.
"That you're wife is alive, but all is not well."
The old doctor appeared behind the young boy and Raoul diverted her attention to him. "What's wrong? What's wrong with her!" he demanded, his voice rising hysterically.
"Monsieur de Changy...I have some bad news..."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Christine lay on her back in the large bed. Her eyes were fixed upon the ceiling as she thought fiercely about breathing.
It was a funny thing. Never before in her life had she ever had to actually think about breathing, it was a natural thing that the body did automatically. But yet, now each breath was a battle. She had to think about the motion of breathing in, she had to concentrate as she exhaled, and she had to remember to repeat the process over and over again.
Her chest still ached with the reminiscence of the stabbing pain that had streaked through it in the carriage. But she tried not to think about her aching chest, she didn't want the pain to intensify.
Christine turned her head to face the closed door that led to the hallway. She could just vaguely make out the hushed voices of the doctor and Raoul. Oh how she wanted to see her husband! She needed his reassurance and his loving embrace. She couldn't even begin to express how it would soothe her.
The doctor hadn't stopped to explain anything to her about her condition, or why the pain had been inflicted upon her. He had merely smiled and muttered a small "I'll be right back, dear" and left the room. Christine was used to being brushed off as such, however, women usually were. She had no doubts in her mind that the only person he was meaning to tell was Raoul, for he was the man.
She had no business knowing such things.
Even if they were about her own well being.
Christine sighed and turned her attention back to the ceiling, concentrating on breathing once more.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Raoul tried desperately to fight back his shocked tears as he listened to the doctor plunge on through his diagnosis. He couldn't speak, he couldn't make a sound, and he could hardly breathe. He felt his entire world shatter around him, the entire world built with false hopes and dreams, and most of all false happiness. There was no more pretending. They were only left with the cold hard truth and Raoul could hardly bear it.
The doctor finished speaking and Raoul cast his gaze to the floor. He struggled for words, only to feel hot tears streaming down his cheeks. His soul was too numb to realize that the tears belonged to him.
"D...Does she know?" he managed to stutter out finally.
The doctor shook his head slowly "I'll tell her now if you..."
"N...N...No," stuttered Raoul between soft sobs "I'll do it."
The doctor nodded and watched Raoul wipe his tear strained face with the back of his hand and approach the door with utmost respect.
Raoul took a deep breath and opened the door.
Christine turned her eyes towards him as the door creaked open and Raoul felt his heart ache as his eyes wandered over her skeletal form. He hadn't noticed how incredibly thin she was on a day to day basis. He wanted to rush over to her and crush her body to his own. He wanted to cry freely with her and talk her to her, to kiss her, to love her...to have her. But he just stood there.
"Christine..." he started softly, his voice breaking before he could continue.
Christine gazed upon his blood shot eyes and felt something inside her shut down. The door closed quietly behind him and Christine watched as he knelt before her and took her hands in his own.
"Oh Christine...I...I love you..." he began, not daring himself to go on. He needed to be strong, he couldn't cry.
"Raoul..." she whispered softly, running her fingers through his mop of blonde hair.
"I talked to the doctor he said that you...that you're..."
"What Raoul?"
Raoul raised his eyes upon her and fought back a choked sob.
"That you're...dying."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Christine's heart was filled with shock as she heard him utter those words.
That you're dying
She didn't know why she was so shocked however. She knew that in the back of her mind that that was what was happening to her. She could see it from the way the doctor had talked to her and looked at her, how their voices had been so hushed and saddened on the other side of the doorway, and Raoul's eyes, bloodshot from tears had only confirmed what she felt she already knew.
Raoul couldn't help but yet a sob overtake his body. He wept before her and pressed a kiss to her hand. After his lips became unattached from her hand he pressed his face against it.
Christine's eyes stared blankly at the wall on the other side of Raoul.
She was dying.
It was something that she couldn't even begin to understand. It boggled her very mind, she couldn't even think about...dying. It scared her, it scared her immensely.
"It'll be ok Raoul," she muttered robotically under her breath, whenever Raoul broke down she would automatically mutter words of reassurance.
She was stilled in that moment in time. With nothing but Raoul's muffled sobs to accompany her.
