The Package

Chapter 5

Athos led Christine to Aramis' quarters. A tense silence ruled between them.

Athos followed her into the room. She marched to the window and spun suddenly, fire and anger blazing from her eyes.

"I should have known something like this would happen. How could you let this happen?" she said angrily. "I trusted you."

She shook slightly from her exhaustion and her anger as she rounded on Athos again.

"What if he doesn't wake up from this? The fever set in quickly...he lost so much blood...what if an infection set in? How could you? How could you?!"

Athos was taken aback by the hurt, fear and anger in her voice.

"Christine –" he began.

"You told me you'd look after him," she said, as tears began falling from her eyes. "He promised he'd come back to me," she said desperately, her arms subconsciously wrapping themselves around her stomach again. She turned away from him and sobbed.

Athos' eyes widened. Cautiously, he stepped forward and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Does he know?" he asked softly as he turned her to face him. She shuddered slightly in his hands.

"Have you told him?" he asked again, placing his hand over hers where they defensively shielded her stomach. She paled and looked up into the concerned eyes of her oldest friend and shook her head, anger melting into fear.

"No. I had planned to tell him when you returned," she whispered as her tears continued to fall. Athos pulled her into an embrace and she wept on his shoulder. As her tears stilled he lifted her chin so she looked at him.

"Aramis will be fine. He will pull through this," he said in a voice that brooked no question. She swallowed thickly but gave no answer.

"When was the last time you ate something?" he asked.

She shook her head. She couldn't remember.

He turned to the door and calling to a cadet walking by, he instructed him to bring some bread and warm broth to the room immediately. Turning back to Christine he led her to the bed. He sat with her as she ate.

Her face was flushed and her eyes were wide, like an animal caught in a snare.

"I'm scared Athos," she finally mumbled as he took her bowl from her.

"About this?" he asked.

"About doing this without him. About losing him," she said.

Athos grasped her hand. "You will never be alone Christine. Never. I promise you," said Athos, his eyes blazing with his vow. "Aramis will come through this. He's been through worse. He will pull through." The fire in his eyes relit the one in hers.

"Rest now," he said as he stood from the bed.

"Athos," she said softly, looking to him so much like the young girl he remembered from his childhood, "Please don't leave me."

"Never," he promised again as he settled himself in a chair.

oOo

It was a few hours later when a pounding on the door startled Christine and Athos awake.

They looked at each other, dread passing between their eyes.

Christine leapt from the bed as Athos yanked the door open. D'Artagnan stood gasping in the doorway; his face was pale and lines of strain creased his young features.

"His fever's spiked suddenly," he panted as Christine pushed past him and sprinted for the infirmary.

She burst through the door and bee-lined for where Aramis lay. He was seizing violently. Porthos was doing his best to quell Aramis' flailing legs, assisted by Treville, while Etienne struggled to keep his arms and shoulders at bay. Athos surged into the room and to help Etienne. She stood at the edge of the bed and watched as his body fought against itself.

"When did this happen?!" shouted Athos over the struggle.

"Just now!" replied Etienne. "He was growing warmer. The fever wouldn't break. I was just about to send for you when he started seizing!" The musketeers struggled to restrain their friend and Christine could only watch horror struck.

He stilled suddenly and Christine felt her heart drop out of her chest.

"No," she said and she pushed Etienne out of the way.

Her hand went to Aramis' throat and she dropped her face before his, desperate to feel his breath on her cheek and to confirm that he had signs of life. His pulse was barely discernible.

"No," she said again as fiery, angry tears fell once more from her eyes as she cupped his face. "Aramis! Aramis!" she called, "Wake up! Wake up mi tesoro, wake up!"

Her hands gripped his shirt and she shook him slightly as though to rouse him. "You promised me. You promised you'd come back to me," she pleaded.

His breathing lessened and his chest seemed to still. Panic gripped her.

"Fight!" she said as she shook him again, her voice growing hoarse and desperate.

"Fight! I know you. You are so much stronger than this. Please, fight. Please. You can't…You can't leave me like this Aramis. Not now…" she said, her voice trailing off as her tears overcame her.

He lay so still it was as though he had been carved from stone, his still ashen complexion adding to the image. Her hand pressed upon his neck as though she were pulling his pulse into being. Her eyes were wide and panicked as Aramis continued to lie still. She had one hand clasping his shirt while the other combed through his hair.

Her eyes swept the room where the others stood petrified. Angrily she wiped the tears from her eyes.

She kissed him and waited, her eyes staring determinedly at his face for even the slightest reaction.

He did not move.

Desperately she kissed him again.

Still, his body lay motionless.

"No," she begged, "Please Aramis, please my love, please. Don't do this…You can't…You're going to be a father Aramis! You're going to be a father! We're going to be a family. You can't leave us. Please…" She buried her face in his chest. The other men stood back, silently watching and overcome by her grief.

An eternity passed; her shoulders heaved as she sobbed on his chest.

Slowly, the hand of the prone marksman twitched.

Athos grabbed Porthos to stop him from reacting as they focused on the movement of his hand with bated breath.

His eyelashes fluttered as he slowly raised them to half-mast where he gazed upon the top of his wife's head as she sobbed. His lips turned up ever so slightly and he raised his hand so it embedded itself in her hair.

At the touch she shot up and stared into his eyes. Her mouth fell open.

"Mi tesora," he rasped.

Her hands cupped his face and she kissed him through her tears. He smiled as she pulled away, his thumb wiping the tears from her cheek.

"I'm sorry I'm late," he murmured hoarsely. She huffed a laugh wiping tears from her eyes as she took deep calming breaths of relief.

He looked around him to take in the other worried faces surrounding him. Treville stood supporting D'Artagnan, relief evident on both faces. Porthos had retaken his seat, a mix of shock and joy on his face. Etienne stood at Pothos' side. Athos stood at the foot of the bed, his arms crossed, a guarded emotion on his faced that promised some sort of a lecture.

"Of all the stupid, irresponsible things you have done – " Porthos began.

"This is far from the worst," Aramis said with a minute grin that caused Athos and Treville to scowl.

"Aramis," Treville said sharply, lowering D'Artagnan to a chair at the bedside, "You had no right to risk your life as you did. Your life is no longer your own," he said sternly.

Aramis gulped guiltily as he looked at Christine and took her hand. "But Captain, I had no choice. None of the others would have been able to stitch the wound."

"They still should have been told. You could have been a liability to the whole group. And with someone taking care of you for once, it may have prevented you from losing so much blood." Aramis dropped his head, guilt winning over him.

"I'll have to see if you've torn my stitches in all your thrashing," Etienne said quietly, a small smile playing on his lips.

"Aramis," said Athos, as Christine helped him sit up, supporting his back with pillows and helping him to drink some water, "What do you remember?" he asked, his eyes briefly darting to Christine, her hands instinctively going to her stomach again.

Aramis frowned, his brow furrowing. "We were attacked…in the woods. D'Artagnan fell. Porthos…Porthos shouted. I was going to him. There was a man, thought he was dead, he stabbed me...I remember riding. I needed to get back to Paris...I need to come back to you. I promised…" he said softly and he kissed the inside of Christine's wrist.

"Is that all?" Athos asked again.

Aramis frowned again, trying to recall anything else. "I'm not sure. I heard some voices…there was shouting…I heard you calling me," he said to Christine. "You told me to fight. You said I have to come back to you…You said…you said…you said…"

His eyes bulged suddenly as he stared up at his wife. "You said I was going to be a father..." he whispered.

Christine beamed at him and nodded, tears once more falling silently down her cheeks, this time of joy.

Aramis' face erupted in glee. He pulled Christine onto the bed with him. His hands embracing her head as he touched his brow to hers. He kissed her mouth as his own tears fell.

"We're going to have a baby?" he asked her breathlessly, placing a hand on her stomach where their child was developing.

"Yes," she said with a laugh, her smile matching his as he kissed her again.

ooooooooooooooooooo

A/N: Sorry this took so long to post, but I hope it was worth the anticipation! Thank you again for continuing to read this story. I'll try to get a new instalment up soon!