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 Hello, and yes this is the chapter that will answer your question regarding Christine's baby. So without further ado, lets continue…

B/N

Author – ToryD

Beta – MJMod (give hugs and send warm thoughts to our Authoress, she's having writer's block)

Choices

Chapter 29

"There's a hundred dollar tip for you if you keep up with them," Raoul advised the taxi driver as they followed the racing ambulance through the busy city streets.

"You got it!" the driver responded as he put his foot to the floor.

Colleen was thrown back against the seat by the force of the speed increase. Glancing to her left she saw that Raoul was terrified for their friend. "Raoul," she called as she reached out to place her hand gently on his forearm.

Raoul turned to his fiancée, "What if she dies?" he asked in a broken voice.

Frowning in concern, Colleen tried to ease his fears for his oldest friend. "She is young and in good health, honey."

"I should have known that something was wrong, she looked so pale two days ago." He said more to himself than to the concerned woman at his side.

Knowing that there was nothing that she could say to chase away the look of fear on his handsome face, Colleen merely threaded her hand through his, knowing that whatever happened they would face it together.

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Christine felt as though someone was ripping apart her insides as she emerged from a long dark place. Moaning softly she turned her head from side to side.

"Patty, she's coming around!" The ambulance attendant called out to his partner.

"What's her name?" Patty asked as she took her patient's blood pressure again.

"Uh, Christine." John said as he looked at his paperwork.

"Christine!" Patty called in a sharp voice causing Christine to moan in response. "Christine, I want you to open your eyes now."

Christine heard the request from some strange woman. With great effort, she opened her eyes to see a blond woman with kind blue eyes.

Patty smiled at her patient. "Christine, my name is Patty and we are taking you to the hospital. Now I need you to answer a few questions for me, can you do that?" Patty asked in much the way a kindergarten teacher would ask a young student.

"My baby! Please help my baby." Christine cried weakly in a voice that sounded so strange to her own ears.

"We are going to do everything we can to help you and your baby, Christine. But first I need you to answer some questions for me." Patty said with a comforting tone.

"Ok," Christine replied as tears of fear began to fill her eyes.

"Good," Patty said as she administered a second shot to her patient's IV. "Who is your doctor?"

Closing her eyes against the harsh light from the overhead lamp, Christine responded to the young woman's question. "Dr. Mesamore."

"John, call ahead and alert the Doctor." Patty instructed. "How far along are you Christine?" Patty asked her next question.

"Only thirty-three weeks." Christine said as tears began to roll down her cheeks.

"Stay with me Christine," Patty ordered in a calm, commanding manner. "Together we are going to make sure that your baby is going to be fine."

Nodding her head Christine was grateful for the confidence of the woman attendant.

"Are you allergic to any medications?" Patty asked as she felt for Christine's pulse.

"No," Christine said in a shaky voice.

"We're almost there Christine; do you want us to call anyone for you?" Patty asked as she made several notations on her clipboard.

Christine closed her eyes against the pain Patty's question evoked. "No," she said sadly, as she hardened her heart against the love that still cried out for Erik.

Patty frowned down at her patient, "Are you sure?" she asked as she had rarely seen a patient refuse the offer to contact a loved one.

"I'm sure, there is no one anymore. Only my baby and I." she said in a sad voice that had Patty looking down at her in concern.

Christine cried out as she felt a sharp, tearing pain rip across her abdomen, "Oh God!"

"Ok, Christine." She said as she grasped her patient's hand in support. "Just relax and breathe deeply with me." Patty said as she demonstrated the breathing technique she wanted Christine to mimic. "That's it Christine, deep breaths in and let it slowly slide out."

Christine felt as though she was floating as her eyes began to close.

"Christine! Stay with me! Christine," Patty called to her patient as she faded into unconsciousness. "David, were losing her!" she yelled to the driver. "Get us there now!"

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Debra held her cell phone to her ear as she ran through the hospital parking lot. "Mr. Khan, this is Debra Mesamore, Christine is being brought into emergency. Please inform Mr. Desmond and have him meet me at the fourth floor nurses' station. I need him to sign some consent forms." She said in a breathless voice.

"Is Christine ok?" Nadir asked anxiously as he motioned for Reggie to get Erik.

"I'm sorry I don't have time to discuss her condition, I just arrived at the hospital and I need to get to Christine." Debra said as she reached the door.

"Ok, we will be there in ten minutes. City General, correct?" Nadir asked for confirmation.

"Yes, fourth floor. Hurry Mr. Khan, I need to have those forms before I can perform the C-section." Debra said as she disconnected the call.

Erik came rushing from his private office. "Where is she?" he asked in a forceful tone.

"She is at City General; we need to get there now so you can sign a consent form." Nadir informed Erik of his conversation. "Reggie, call down and make sure that there is a cab waiting." Nadir instructed not wanting to wait for Erik's chauffeur to bring around the car.

Erik felt his heart stop in fear. "A consent form for what Nadir?" he asked with a worried expression on his half-masked face.

"Dr. Mesamore mentioned a C-section. Lets just get there Erik," Nadir said hurriedly as he pushed Erik towards the executive office doors.

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Rushing towards the operating room, Debra assessed the situation with one look. "Give me the bullet!" she called in an authoritative manner.

"Patient Christine Desmond, age 25, thirty three weeks gestation. Blood pressure 70 over 60 and falling. Pulse thready at 60, pulse ox shallow at 20. Baby's heart rate was strong upon arrival but is starting to exhibit signs of distress. She's received four units of o-neg and has lost two liters in the last ten minutes." The senior resident reported with such efficiency that Debra took a mental note to compliment him later.

"I want to cut in five minutes," Debra ordered as she began to scrub in with the aid of her favorite surgical nurse. "Heather, please ask someone to check on the status of Mrs. Desmond's husband. Make sure that those consent forms are ready for him to sign the minute he arrives."

"Yes Doctor," Heather said as she tied the doctor's scrub gown around her slim waist.

Debra began the tedious procedure of scrubbing in while keeping a careful watch on the monitor that showed the baby's erratic heart rate. Taking a deep breath, she silently prayed to herself for a miracle. A miracle that would spare two lives this day.

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Erik sat staring unblinkingly at the diamond-encrusted band that he had place on Christine's finger seven months ago. Running his finger over the sparkling white diamonds, he pictured Christine lying all alone as she fought for her life and the life of their child. Swallowing hard past the lump in his throat, he tried to bank down the fear that was threatening to drive him mad. Standing up abruptly, he crossed to the sparsely staffed nurses' station. "What is taking so long? She has been in surgery for over three hours! Why doesn't someone tell me what's going on!" he yelled loudly with a look of desperation in his eyes.

Francine looked up at the famous half-masked business tycoon with a look of sympathy, "I'm sorry Mr. Desmond, I will call in to see if I can get an update for you." She said in a soft, gentle tone as she picked up the phone.

Erik sighed deeply as he waited for the nurse to connect with the operating room. Looking back at the crowded waiting room, he was somewhat reassured that the room was filled with all the people Christine loved most in the world. Marie had arrived with Reggie shortly after his own arrival. And Meg, dressed in one of her famous clashing colored outfits, had arrived about an hour ago and taken on her self-appointed duty to ensure that everyone had an unending supply of the hospital's weak-tasting coffee at their disposal. He even felt a small measure of comfort that Raoul Cagney was present with his fiancée.

Trying to keep her face as expressionless as possible, Francine listened to the dire information being related to her from the OR tech. "Yes, I'll tell Mr. Desmond that Dr. Mesamore will be out shortly. Thank you," she said as she hung up the phone. "Mr. Desmond, they have finished Mrs. Desmond's surgery and Dr. Mesamore will be here in a few minutes to talk with you." Francine informed Erik.

"Thank you nurse." Erik replied automatically. Walking over to Marie and Nadir, he related the new he had just received. "They have finished with the surgery."

Marie stood and looked up into Erik's haunted eyes. "Erik, did they say anything else?" she asked anxiously.

"No, only that Dr. Mesamore will be out to give us an update on Christine's condition soon." He said with a nervous sigh.

Nadir put the disgusting coffee that Meg had so kindly given him on the side table. "Did they say anything about the baby?" he asked with a tense expression on his dark face.

"No," Erik replied in a choked whisper that revealed the depth of his fear for his wife and child.

"Erik," Dr. Mesamore, still dressed in her surgical scrubs called from the doorway.

Erik felt a shiver of dread race down his spine at the sound of his name on the lips of the woman who in a few short moments would change his life immeasurably. Turning, he looked towards the grim faced Doctor. "How is Christine?" he asked in a rush of words.

Debra looked about the crowded waiting room and felt the need to obtain some privacy for the news she was about to deliver. "Please come with me Erik." She said in a tone that betrayed her exhaustion.

"Dr. Mesamore, please just tell me how my wife is!" he demanded as he lost the little bit of control that had held him in check these last few hours.

Sighing, Debra looked about the room at the anxious faces and closed the door softly behind her. "Let's sit down Erik," she instructed as she indicated the empty chairs to her left.

Erik took the chair she offered in an attempt to hurry her into revealing the condition of his wife and child.

Once Erik took his seat, Debra sat at his side. "Christine delivered your daughter by C-section about three hours ago." Debra said as she watched the emotions play across Erik's half-masked face.

Nodding his head, Erik willed her to continue.

"The baby had a little bit of difficulty breathing at first, but they were able to resuscitate her and she is now breathing on her own. She is in the NICU on the tenth floor." Debra watched as tears filled Erik's eyes at the news of his daughter's birth. "The pediatrician in charge of her care will discuss her condition with you shortly," Debra said in a calm commanding tone. Placing her hand gently upon his forearm reassuringly, she continued with her update. "She is beautiful, Erik. She will have to remain in the hospital for a few weeks for her lungs to fully develop, but baring any unforeseen complications, she will grow up to be a strong and healthy child."

Erik felt as if he had been granted the greatest gift. Through his tears, he smiled gratefully at the doctor who had saved his baby's life. "Thank you Dr." He said with a relief that stung at Debra's heart, as she knew that she now had to advise him of Christine's dire condition.

"Erik," she called to him. "I need to talk with you about Christine." She said in an overly calm voice.

Closing his eyes, he tried to block out the look of concern on Debra's face. "Is she all right?" he asked in a tortured whisper that testified to the overwhelming fear that had enclosed all around him.

Debra paused as she looked at his grief-stricken features. "Christine experience several complications during her pregnancy. She instructed me not to discuss the extent of her condition with you the last time she was hospitalized."

Erik looked up sharply into Debra's eyes as she revealed Christine's secrets. "What do you mean by "extent of her condition', Doctor." He asked in a emotion-filled tone.

Taking a deep breath, Debra started to explain the details of Christine's condition. "Christine had an abnormal amount of blood vessels attached to her womb. We do not know the reason behind this; it may be hereditary as her mother's history reflected a similar affliction. When Christine was admitted to the hospital two weeks ago, she had lost a lot of blood; this was due to the rupture of one of the blood vessels. We were able to treat her with medication at that time. Unfortunately, this time we had to perform a C-section. Erik, do you understand everything that I've just said?" Debra asked as she watched him closely for his reaction.

"Yes, please continue," Erik said quietly.

Nodding Debra began again. "Once we had the baby delivered we could see the extent of Christine bleeding. We had to perform a hysterectomy in an attempt to stop the bleeding."

Erik drew in a sharp breath at the thought of Christine's pain when she learned that she would be unable to have any more children. "All right, when can I see her?" he said in a defeated voice.

"Erik," Debra paused as she tried to gather her courage. "Even though we were able to perform the hysterectomy and stop the bleeding, Christine had lost an enormous amount of blood. With so much blood loss," she said in a sad resigned voice. "I'm afraid that there was only so much that we could do medically."

Erik's heart clenched at the information Dr. Mesamore was relating. Looking down in his hand, he saw that he still held Christine's wedding band. Clutching it tightly within his grip he took a shuddering breath as he gathered the courage to face his most dreaded fear. With tears of sorrow in his eyes, he looked up and asked the one question he feared most. "Is she dead?"

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A/N I've only gotten a few punishment suggestions for Cara. I will need them for the chapter after the next one. Please let your creative minds free and dream up something really dreadful for the evil home wrecking Cara. Sorry for the cliffhanger, but hey everyone…it's the last one in this story! Let me know what you think in the reviews.