Erik was certain he'd had a momentary lapse in sanity. Seriously, what the hell was he thinking? He was going to show up on Monday, never having seen this woman before in his life, with half a face and do what? She wouldn't say yes. He couldn't let her. It was an insane idea.

But it was the best way he could help her. Women weren't taken care of by men just out of the goodness of their hearts. If he provided for her without making her his wife, he had enough of a name in the music business that people would talk. He wanted to help her break into the industry, but he couldn't if rumors were swirling around. He didn't want people to assume they had some sort of… arrangement.

If she married him, she could live in his home, drive his car, spend his money, and no one would spare them a second glance. No one had to know that they barely knew each other. That he'd proposed without ever laying eyes on her.

After giving him a few hours to calm down, Meg timidly poked her head into his room and found him on the floor, his forehead still against the vent. She helped him back into the bed and stood his machine up, trying to turn it on. When the screen remained black, she wheeled it towards the door. "I'll get you a new one…"

Erik shook his head, rising to his feet. "I'm leaving."

"You can't leave. Dr. Leroux said you can leave on Friday, and that's only if your levels are high enough and they won't be without your IV."

"You cannot make me stay." He placed his hand on his chest, winded from just standing up.

"Mr. Mulheim, please. I must insist." She placed her hand over his and his attention snapped to her face. She met his eyes without fear.

"How can you bear to look at it?"

"I'm a nurse… I've seen worse."

He sank back onto the thin mattress, his eyes never leaving hers. His shoulders sagged and he felt all the fight drain from his body. He let her return with a new machine, let her hook him up to it, and closed his eyes against the steady "beep… beep".

He laid back, staring at the ceiling, wondering what Christine was doing at that very moment. Probably planning a funeral. Was she thinking about his proposal?

Without her song, the room felt too quiet and lifeless. He tried not to give Meg any trouble, afraid she'd try to prevent him from leaving on Friday. His numbers were high enough and she had no choice but to release him without complaint.

She helped him into some ill fitting clothes and he would have questioned where they came from but it didn't matter. They were covering his broken body and that was enough. He just wanted to get out of there. At his request, she rebandaged his face, but after he promised to change them when he got home.

Meg wheeled him to the door and waited for a cab with him. "I… I wanted to give you my number." She handed him a slip of paper. "Just in case… if you need anything…"

Erik nodded, taking it from her. "Thank you…"

The cab came and, after opening the door for him, she helped him inside. He felt ridiculous leaving the hospital in a gown and a large jacket she'd found in the lost and found, but his clothes had been bloody and cut away by the medics who'd fought so hard to keep him alive. It wasn't as if he had someone who could go to his home and fetch him a clean set. He'd realized he didn't even have Christine's number.

All he knew was her name. If she chose not to show up to dinner, he'd never be able to find her. It was very likely he'd never see her again.

The cab pulled up to his house and left him in the driveway. He retrieved the hide-a-key; his keys were presumably in his now-totaled car. The house was dark but he was greeted by Ayesha, who rubbed affectionately against his leg. He limped inside and closed the door, realizing the light in the kitchen was on. He crept towards it as quietly as he could, peering around the corner.

"Erik!"

Erik sighed, recognizing the man cooking at the stove.

"Nadir, what the hell are you doing here?"

"Your phone's been off for over a week. You never go that long without plugging it in."

He wanted to be annoyed by his presence but the thought that someone had noticed him missing from the world brought a small amount of comfort.

"I was in the hospital." he grumbled.

"I can see that." He eyed the hospital gown. "If you want to go get dressed, dinner will be ready in about twenty minutes. I didn't realize you'd be joining us but I think there's more than enough."

"Us?"

Ayesha hopped onto the counter and rubbed against Nadir's arm. "We wouldn't exclude this pretty lady, would we?"

She purred and Erik narrowed his eyes, muttering, "traitor."

He turned and slowly made his way up the stairs, using the wall for support.

He was winded by the time he made it to the top. It took him a minute to catch his breath and getting dressed was no easy feat either. He was exhausted by the time he sat down for dinner.

"So what happened?" Nadir asked as nonchalantly as he could while dishing some pasta onto Erik's plate.

"Car accident." Erik mumbled, poking at his food.

"Your fault? Or the other driver?"

"I'm not sure. Probably mine. I looked away for a second and… crash."

"What happened to the other driver?" Nadir sat across from him with his own plate of food.

Erik shrugged in response, finally taking a bite.

"Aren't… aren't you curious? What if they died?"

"So what if they did?" Erik sat his fork down. "What would you have me do? Feel guilty over someone I don't know, who may have been the one at fault?"

"How can you not even be the least bit curious? If it were me-"

"But it's not," Erik interrupted. "I don't want to talk about this anymore."

Nadir sighed but let the subject drop. He knew it was useless to try and force Erik to talk about something when he didn't want to.

"Do you want me to stay here tonight? Do you need help with… that?" He gestured to Erik and his many bandages.

Erik was thoughtful for a moment. "No, I think I can manage. But there is something you can do for me."

"What's that?" Nadir rose with an empty plate, going for seconds.

"Help me find a mask." Erik stared down at his food, spearing a noodle with his fork. "The nurse said I can't keep the bandages on. But I can't walk around like this either."

"Can I see? It would help me look for the right mask." Nadir was dying to see but he hadn't known how to bring it up. He was concerned about the extent of Erik's injuries. He knew him well enough to know he would downplay them and reject help.

"No. No, trust me, you do not want to see. It needs to cover the entire right side of my face. That is all you need to know." He dropped the fork once more, unable to find his appetite.

"I'll see what I can find." Nadir sat back down but Erik rose.

"Don't mind the dishes, I'll see to them in the morning. I'm going to bed." He knew Nadir would do the dishes anyway but he still needed to say it. He made what felt like an incredibly long journey to his bedroom and collapsed into bed.

Nadir returned in the morning and strode into Erik's bedroom with far too much energy, handing Erik a tote bag and a coffee from Starbucks. "I brought you several to try. I'll make breakfast." He didn't even have to ask if Erik had eaten; he knew he hadn't. He disappeared downstairs and Erik slowly climbed out of bed.

After removing his bandages, he dumped the masks onto the bed. The first he tried on was a full black mask. He kind of liked the look, but it was too… intimidating. He certainly couldn't wear it to dinner with Christine. He wouldn't be able to eat!

The next was a black bandit mask. He knew it wouldn't work but he tried it on anyway. It barely covered any of his scars.

The third was the winner. A hard, white half mask that covered exactly what he needed it to cover. It was perfect.

He finally discarded the hospital gown and put on some real clothes, feeling like a human for the first time in weeks. Sure, his body was still healing; it hurt to curl his fingers or grip things with any amount of strength and he walked with a limp. The bandages on his arms and torso would need to be changed soon too. But in that moment, standing upright, dressed and masked, he felt a little better.

Nadir looked up from the stove as Erik stepped into the kitchen. "Nice mask. It suits you. How long do you plan to wear it?"

"Probably forever." Erik sank into a chair, stretching out his bad leg with a grimace.

"Is it really that bad?"

"Yes." Erik wouldn't say anything more on the topic.

Erik insisted that he didn't need Nadir to keep checking in on him. He could tell the old man was hesitant to leave him on his own but Erik didn't want to deal with Nadir if he came home on Monday with Christine. He knew Nadir would be opposed, and maybe rightfully so, but he didn't want to hear it.

He was eager for Monday yet he was dreading Monday. It finally rolled around and he arrived at the restaurant with clammy hands and butterflies in his stomach. Slowly, he scanned the other diners.

Erik didn't know how he knew, but when he spotted a young brunette with her head down as she looked over a menu, he just knew it was Christine. Her hair was wild and curly and she looked up with rich, chocolatey eyes that met his and held his gaze. Yes, he just knew.

He'd had the good sense to bring a cane with him and he walked to her table, hoping he looked more confident than he felt. "Christine?"

She nodded, staring up at him, and he sank into the seat across from her. "You came…"

She gave him a weak smile. "I told you I would."

That voice! It was even lovelier in person. His heart thumped wildly in his chest.

"Have you considered my offer?" Dinner be damned, he needed to know.

She looked down at the table and he worried that maybe he'd gotten down to business too quickly. This had to be hard for her. She'd just lost her father, and here he was trying to talk a grieving daughter into marrying a stranger. His hands shook as he picked up a menu. Maybe they could just pretend he hadn't said that and order food instead.

"Yes."

His head snapped up. She was watching him, meeting his eyes once more. She took a deep breath, while he felt like he could barely breathe. His heart pounded so hard he was certain she could hear it.

The time had come for her to tell him he was insane. That there was no way in hell she was going to marry a stranger and he was a creep for even asking. She'd probably want a restraining order. God, what had he done?

He was so caught up in his thoughts that when she finally spoke, he didn't hear her. Or at least, he didn't hear her correctly.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" He gripped the menu so painfully tight his knuckles turned white.

"I will marry you."