I do not own any of the characters from The Phantom of the Opera, although I do rather enjoy borrowing them from time to time.

A/N Yea! We have a three-day weekend coming up and then school starts. But my baby is going to Kindergarten:o(Oh I am feeling so old now!) Anywho back to our story. Thanks for the great reviews, also thanks for taking the time to read my new story. I am very happy that you seem to be intrigued by that idea as well. Here is the next chapter. Enjoy!

Author – ToryD

Beta – MJMod (Everyone please Thank MJ for her less than 24 hour edit on this chapter! Thanks MJ, you are amazing! Hey MJ, did you ever see the South Park movie where the U.S. and Canada go to war over Terrance and Phillip?)

Choices

Chapter 22

Sitting in her paper gown, Christine watched with an irritated look upon her face as her husband monopolized Dr. Mesamore's attention.

"And how much sleep is she suppose to be getting each night Dr. Mesamore?" Erik asked.

Smiling at the inquisitiveness of her patient's husband, Dr. Mesamore realized that this was going to be a long nine months for more than just Christine. "Please call me Debra," she said with a soft smile. "Christine will more than likely need a little more sleep than she is used too, at least seven hours, preferably eight. Don't be surprised to see Christine sleep quite a bit more in the first and third trimester. Mother's to be tend to get overly tired during those months."

Frowning Erik knew that Christine usually only banked about six hours a night. "I will make sure that she gets the eight hours you recommend." He said with a firm authoritative tone.

Christine's jaw fell open at his highhandedness.

Erik turned to Nadir, who was busily writing notes on the question and answer section. "Erik, don't forget the questions about the chocolate." Nadir reminded his boss.

"Right!" Erik said as he turned his attention back to the good doctor. "Christine tends to eat a lot of chocolate," he said in a low voice as though it were a capital crime. "Is that harmful to the baby?"

Crossing her arms in front of her chest, Christine let a deep sigh of anger escape her clenched teeth in a hurried hiss. You just wait until I get you home Erik Desmond! She thought to herself as she tried to reign in the thoughts of bodily assault that were currently tempting her angry mind.

"In moderation I think a little chocolate will be fine." She said as she gave Christine a sympathetic smile.

There was a discreet knock on the door before a nurse wearing a cheerful scrub uniform entered the room with Christine's test results. "Here you go Doctor."

"Thank you Laura," Debra said as she took the lab work and read the results. Frowning she saw what she had suspected when she spoke with Mr. Desmond over the phone.

Erik felt as though the whole world was crashing down upon his shoulders as he watched the Doctor's reaction to the lab work. "What is it?" He asked as clutched the arm of the chair he was sitting in.

Debra looked up into the worried green eyes of one of the richest men in the world and knew that she had better tread lightly with this daddy to be. "Christine is a little anemic." She said with a slight frown.

Erik paled at the diagnosis.

Debra turned her attention to her patient. "Christine have you been taking the prenatal vitamins that I prescribed for you?"

'Well…" Christine gave her doctor a sheepish look.

Erik raked a trembling hand through his thick hair as he tried to calm his fears. "What vitamins?" He asked interrupting Christine.

"Prenatal vitamins, they are specially formulated to give both Christine and the baby the extra boost they need to stay healthy." Debra informed the group. "And I suspect from the result of the lab work that Christine hasn't been taking them as prescribed." She said as she turned her best stern physician's face towards the guilty looking Christine.

Christine felt all eyes within the room upon her. Looking around the room, she saw a multitude of expressions, the majority of them not at all understanding. She saw the accusatory eyes of her doctor, the frustrated look on her husband's face, and the concerned look in Nadir's dark eyes. As she looked into the only non-judging eyes in the room, Nurse Laura, she burst into tears as the emotions of the day overtook her.

Erik jumped out of his seat as his wife started to cry. Standing frozen in place, he felt utterly helpless as both Doctor and Nurse rushed to comfort his sobbing wife.

Laura hid a smile as she put her arm around Christine. "Don't upset yourself; everything is going to be fine." She said in a soothing tone.

Debra patted Christine's knee. "Laura is right Christine; everything is going to be fine. Come August you will have a healthy baby in your arms." Debra knew that it was time to lay some ground rules for Erik. "Mr. Desmond, if you and your assistant would care to wait outside." She said in a voice that would brook no arguments from either man.

"But…" Erik said feebly as he tried to get Christine to look up at him.

"Laura if you will please show Mr. Desmond and Mr. Kahn to the waiting room." She requested from her nurse.

Laura, who was used to the intrusive husbands, was still a little surprised that this husband had brought a personal assistant. "This way gentlemen." She said as she held the door wide for their exit.

"Christine," Erik called in a pleading voice as he was gently escorted out of the examining room.

Debra turned her attention back to her patient. "Now that we have them out of the way we can discuss how you have been feeling."

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Thirty minutes later a smiling Christine emerged from the examining room with a plastic bag containing several hard candies.

Erik stopped his pacing and rushed to her side. "Christine, is everything alright?"

Looking up into his concerned face she almost relented and forgave him his bullying tactics. Almost. "Yes, the baby and I are fine." She said in a somewhat standoffish tone.

Swallowing past the lump in his throat, he looked to Debra for reassurance. "Debra, is she really ok?"

"I'm sorry Mr. Desmond, but with the doctor patient confidentiality, I'm afraid I can't disclose any information on my patient's condition unless specifically allowed by Christine."

Erik turned apologetic eyes to his wife. "Christine," he said in a soft voice.

Looking up into the remorseful face of her husband Christine decided since it was Christmas Eve that she would forgive her overbearing husband. "I'm fine Erik. Dr. Mesamore has prescribed some medication to help me with the morning sickness." She informed her intent husband. Smiling the first smile she had given him since this morning, she held up the bag of candy. "She has also given me these."

Taking the bag from her hand Erik was surprised to see a variety of lemon hard candies. "Why are they all lemon?" He asked.

Debra smiled at Erik. "The sour taste actually helps combat the nausea that pregnancy produces."

Turning to Nadir Erik issued an order. "Nadir, make sure you get every type of lemon candy available. I want them at the house when we return."

Taking out his blackberry, Nadir proceeded to call in some favors in order to get the aforementioned candy on Christmas Eve.

Debra's eyebrows shot up at the strange event that just occurred within her elegantly decorated waiting room.

Christine seeing her doctor's surprise merely shook her head at her husband's audacity. "Thank you for seeing me today, I know that we have dragged you away from your family." She said with an apology in her eyes.

"That is what I am here for. Don't ever hesitate to call me when you have a concern. I would give you my private unlisted home number, but I do believe that your husband has it already." She said as she turned her sharp eyes on Erik's guilty looking visage.

Outraged Christine turned on her husband, "Erik Desmond! I want to know how you got Dr. Mesamore's private number!" She demanded as she pinned him with her angry unrelenting stare.

"Well, I asked Nadir to find it for me." He said in an uncomfortable voice.

Nadir, totally oblivious to the undercurrents, turned with his successful news on the great lemon candy hunt. "I've got the five top candy companies flying several cases of their lemon candies to JFK." He said proudly.

Christine turned her accusatory eyes on Erik's Assistant. "And how was it that you came by Dr. Mesamore's unlisted home number?"

Nadir looked at his boss for some guidance. "Uh…a little birdie told me?" He said hopefully.

"NOW YOU TWO LISTEN UP AND LISTEN UP GOOD! BECAUSE I AM ONLY SAYING THIS ONCE. DON'T MESS WITH THE PREGNANT WOMAN!" She hissed through her clenched teeth.

Nadir and Erik both looked as if they were ten years old and being called on the carpet for putting a lizard in the teacher's desk. "Yes, Christine." Nadir said in a low voice.

"I'm sorry." Erik said as he looked to the floor.

Laura stood at the door trying to hold in her laughter at the antics of the trio before her. Oh boy, were they in for nine months of fun. She thought to herself as she bid them a Merry Christmas.

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Christine tried to hide her yawn from her always-watchful husband as she made her way towards the five-star restaurant's restroom. She was adamant that Erik would not cut short their first evening out in over three months just because she was a little tired. Smiling to herself, she was amazed at the changes that had occurred over the last several weeks. After Erik had finally calmed down and relaxed with the knowledge of the upcoming birth of their child; he had actually proven to be a thoughtful and caring husband. He made sure that she had everything she could possibly want. Whether it be the lemon jolly rancher candies that saved her from the sudden onslaught of nausea, or extra thick chocolate malt with a fully loaded Nathan's hotdog that her cravings had deemed so necessary. He was always there to make sure that she had all that she desired. The only blight on their happiness was Cara Johnson. Why that woman could not just accept the fact that Erik had moved on from their former arrangement, she just couldn't fathom. Pushing the unwelcome thought aside, Christine decided that she had other more pressing ideas to entertain, like seducing her husband. Erik had been treating her as if she was a porcelain doll since he had discovered the news of her pregnancy. But not tonight, she promised herself as she adjusted her low cut red satin dress before the floor to ceiling mirrors within the elegant ladies room. "Oh no, my dear husband, tonight you will be completely at my mercy." She said in a low voice as she took out her lipstick.

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Cara quickly made her way to the door that had just shut behind Christine. How long she had waited to have just an opportunity as this to begin her carefully calculated plan. Pushing open the door, she was relieved to see that only she and Christine occupied the room. "Hello Christine." She said with a menacing gleam alighting her eyes.

Christine tried to hide the instant tensing of her body at the sound of Cara's cold voice. "Ms. Johnson." She replied in a carefully adopted dry tone.

"Where have you and Erik been hiding for the last few months?" Cara asked as she took the seat next to Christine's and unlatched her designer evening bag. "It's like the two of you have just dropped out of the face of the earth. I mean really Christine, one would think that you are afraid to let Erik out in fear that he might find something to tempt him."

"I must say Ms. Johnson that I am very flattered that you are so enthralled with Erik and my social calendar's." Christine retorted with a short accompanying laugh.

"Well I wouldn't say your calendar Christine." Cara responded with a tight little smile.

Bitch, Christine thought to herself. "I'm afraid you will just have to get used to seeing less of the Desmond's for a while." Christine said in a cryptic tone.

Knowing exactly where Christine was leading Cara decided to take advantage of her knowledge. "Oh and why would that be?" She asked, taking the bait.

Turning to face her apparent foe, Christine let a radiantly happy smile grace her face. Placing a protective hand on her small bump, she let Cara have it right between the eyes. "Erik and I are expecting our first child in August."

"Oh well then, congratulations are in order." Cara said with a forced smile. "So that is how you managed to get Erik to marry you. I should have tried that one."

Christine wanted to smack that smug smile right off of Cara's face. "Well I guess it would have proven a little difficult for you to pull off Ms. Johnson." She said in a quiet hushed tone.

"And why would you think that Christine?" Cara asked.

"Why you know Erik." She said as she replaced her lipstick in her bag. "He is just so cautious. I mean he would never have taken a chance of getting a sexually transmitted disease. I am sure that he must have always protected himself against his experienced partners." Christine watched in satisfaction as two twin slashes of red began to stain Cara's cheeks.

Frowning Cara gave Christine a once over. "You had better be careful Christine." She advised in a friendly tone. "I fear that you may be gaining a little too much weight." She said as she shook her head. "It's really not fair that some women seem to only carry the weight in their stomachs whereas some….well I'm sure you know what I mean." She said as she turned back to her reflection in the mirror.

"Since you are so concerned you will be happy to know that I just had a check up today and I am at a perfect weight for a seventeen week pregnant woman." Christine countered.

"That's wonderful news. I'm sure Erik must be ecstatic." Cara said as she rose from her chair.

"Yes we couldn't be happier." Christine said as she rose from her seated position also.

"Well be sure and offer Erik my congratulations." Cara said as they made their way back to their respective tables. "Oh never mind. I'm just being so silly. I'll tell him myself, when he and I meet up in London next week." Cara informed Christine with a pure look of triumph in her expression. "Don't you worry about your husband Christine. I'll make sure he has everything he needs while he is on his business trip." With her last parting shot still hanging in the air, Cara walked away from the now tearful Christine.

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A/N Just a little real life – Lemon Jolly Rancher candies saved me during both of my pregnancies. I don't know why but they were the only things that could ward off my morning sickness. Ok, let Cara have it in your reviews. I will be taking turns updating chapters of the two stories so next up will be chapter 2 of Erik's Vengeance then I will get back to Cara and her evil ways. Just wait until you see what she does next! Let me know what you think in the reviews.