A/N: Hello again, everyone! I am back with a short chapter, but I hope you'll like it. I hope you're not too angry with me for not updating sooner. I seem to go through spurts of writing here lately, so I apologize for the long delay. Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter!

Chapter Sixty-Two

Another week had passed and Christine's illness hadn't worsened...nor had it gotten better. She was expecting a visit from Meg and Madame Giry in the afternoon, and she dragged herself out of bed and wrapped a robe around her, feeling queasy. She made her way to the kitchen where she found Erik at the table dressed in his trousers and a white shirt, casually open at the neck. He was, as usual, reading his Bible.

"Morning," she said groggily, plopping down in the chair next to him.

He smiled and leaned in to peck her on the lips. "Good morning, mon amour. Coffee?"

She shook her head. "No. Even with cream and sugar I still can't stand the taste of it. But I do love the smell." Her stomach lurched. "Usually, anyway."

Erik frowned. "What's wrong? Feeling sick again?"

"Yes. It seems to come and go. I'm not sure...perhaps I should see a doctor."

"That would be a good idea," he nodded, furrowing his brows in concern. "Perhaps we should risk a trip into town this morning."

"Yes...I think we'd better go. I want to be back here before two o'clock."

"Ah, that's right. Monique and little Giry are to visit, aren't they? I suppose we should be getting dressed then."

"Wait," she said, placing her hand upon his. "You haven't read to me yet...and I've grown accustomed to our time here every morning. Besides, you know how I hate to see doctors...they make me so nervous. Please...pray for me?"

He smiled reassuringly and inched his chair closer to hers, placing his arm around her shoulders. "Of course." He kissed her temple before he proceeded to pray and then finish the passage he was reading aloud. "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You," he read, from the book of Isaiah. "I think we should stop there. It's a good one for us to think on, isn't it?" She nodded, and he smiled. "Let's get ready to go."

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Christine was silent for much of the ride into town. She couldn't escape the niggling thought in the back of her mind that something was wrong. Erik noticed her demeanor, and he immediately knew the cause.

"Mon ange, you shouldn't worry. Everything is going to be fine. You'll see."

He spoke with such confidence that she had to smile. She exhaled slowly, in an effort to relax. "You won't leave me alone with the doctor, will you?" she asked him anxiously.

"Of course not! Not unless...you would feel more comfortable."

"No. I want you there."

"Then I'll be there the whole time."

At last, they reached a nondescript building with no flowers, no signs of life at all. It was the type of building that one would easily overlook, due to its blandness. Christine hadn't seen the place before, and she looked at her husband strangely when he stopped the carriage out in front. "Here we are."

"Where are we?"

Erik smiled a little. "Doctor Farzin isn't your typical doctor. He's...well, he's the kind of doctor that I trust to examine my wife. And myself."

Christine stared at him, surprised. "I thought you always treated yourself, Erik! You've been to a doctor?"

"Yes. He was a doctor in his home country. The Daroga recommended him to me once when I was very ill from the dampness of the cellars, and he gave me a remedy that cured me."

"Oh. Goodness, I had no idea you were so sick."

"Of course you didn't. I was an angel, remember? Angels don't fall ill," he said with a wink.

Erik pulled the hood of his cloak up so that his face was almost completely obscured. He stepped out of the carriage and extended his hand for Christine as she descended. Placing his hand on the small of her back, he guided her up the walkway and into the main door of the old building.

It smelled musty inside, and it stung Christine's nostrils. She made a face, but Erik didn't seem to notice. At last, they came to a door at the end of a long hallway, and he knocked in a strange rhythm. They waited for what seemed like several minutes before they heard shuffling at the door and the click of a lock. The door opened just a crack, and a dark eye peered out. "Who is it?"

"We are here to see Monsieur Farzin. Is he here?"

"Who wants to know?"

Erik sighed and pushed back the hood of his cloak slightly to give the dark eye a better look at him. There was a gasp, then the door closed quickly.

He turned to Christine. "Perhaps he no longer lives here. We should go. Now."

The words were no sooner out of his mouth than the door was flung open and before them stood a very serious looking, olive-skinned man with silver hair. He was small in stature, and peered up at them over his oval-rimmed glasses. "Erik?"

"Doctor."

"It has been...years! What brings you here today?"

"My wife."

"Your...wife?"

"May we come in?"

"Oh—of course." The man was clearly astonished, as his eyes darted from Erik to Christine several times before finally settling on Christine's face. "Madame," he said, "you have been ill?"

"Y-yes."

"For how long?"

She frowned. "Oh, I suppose for a couple of weeks now. It just won't go away."

He shrugged and eyed her strangely. "Of course it won't."

"What?"

"What?" Erik echoed.

The older man studied them very seriously before his lips curved into a slight smile. "I'm afraid you will likely be sick for at least another month...perhaps two."

"Two months?" Christine asked, mouth agape. "What on earth--"

"Doctor, perhaps you should explain. How could you know this? You haven't even examined her!" Erik spat.

Doctor Farzin motioned to the settee, and they seated themselves. He continued. "I will examine her. But first, you must know that a woman in her condition often experiences such things...nausea, vomiting, aversion to certain odors..."

"How--" Christine stuttered, wide-eyed. "How do you know these things? I didn't tell you that I--"

"You don't have to tell me, Madame. I have seen many women with your condition."

"Her condition?" Erik pressed. He could feel the perspiration beading on his forehead.

"Of course. She is with child."

For Erik, time seemed to stand still in that moment. Everything around him seemed a blur except for the face of the woman he loved more than life itself. He stared at her, wide-eyed, mouth agape, as he tried to think of a proper response to such...shocking news. Then, the moment seemed to unfold in slow motion. He heard Christine gasp, and a look of surprise came upon her young face, followed swiftly by elation, and then by something he wasn't sure of. Fear? And then she met his eyes. The light of joy that was present there nearly caused his breath to escape him, as her hand instinctively flew to her stomach.

"Erik," he vaguely heard her say, as he watched her lips forming the sounds. "A baby." There were tears in her eyes now, and Erik felt himself leaning toward her. Unaware of anything else but her at that instant, he pressed a tender, yet passionate kiss upon her full mouth.

"Our baby," he whispered as he pulled away, his voice quivering. "Oh, dear God, you have been good to us." And he suddenly realized that he was crying, too.

They were startled when Doctor Farzin gently cleared his throat. "Would you like me to examine your wife now, Erik?" He paused. "Erik?"

Erik blinked. "Hmm?" He tore his bleary eyes away from Christine to glance at the doctor. "Oh...yes, of course. Please." How could I not have known this before? he wondered to himself. He had been around a handful of pregnant women during his time with the gypsies, and was once familiar with the signs of pregnancy. I've been so blind and foolish to think that this might never be, he realized. I had always believed that I might pass on this deformity to my children...but now that I know the truth...that isn't even possible, is it? He marveled at the fact that his mind hadn't made the proper conclusions until that moment. I am capable of fathering a child...I have fathered a child...with my wife...my Christine. It was almost too much for him to fathom. He couldn't tear his eyes away from her angelic face. Through our love, God has created a new life. His heart was so full that he thought it might burst. As he gazed at his wife, he was suddenly aware that he wanted...no...needed to be near her.

"Please, Doctor...as quickly as you can," he urged, as Christine questioned him with her eyes. He gave her a slight smile and a lift of his visible eyebrow, and she blushed as she fought back her own smile.

Oh. "Yes, doctor. We...have someplace else that we need to be...very soon," she echoed Erik's sentiment, her eyes twinkling with mischief.

It seemed like hours before Doctor Farzin had finished. "Alright, from all estimates, and from the information you have given me, it appears that you are eight to nine weeks pregnant, Madame. For morning nausea, please try to eat some crackers or bread to settle your stomach before rising from bed. I'm afraid I can do nothing to stop the odors in the air, however," he chuckled. "It shouldn't last much longer. Only until your fourth or fifth month, I would presume. Any questions?"

They had no idea where to begin with their questions, so they simply shook their heads in unison. "We have to be going now," Erik said abruptly, handing the small man several francs. "For your services."

"And my silence," Doctor Farzin smiled knowingly.

"Naturally," Erik replied casually. "Thank you, Doctor."

"Erik," the doctor added quickly, "please...bring your wife back to see me in one month. Unless...you will be securing another physician to deliver your child at a later time."

Erik hadn't even thought that far ahead. "No, Doctor. I mean...no, you will be our physician. We will return in a month."

Before the carriage door had closed upon them, Erik's arms were about his wife's waist and he was kissing her as if he were starving. "Let's go home," he whispered, his eyes green and passionate. "I love you so much, my wife...the mother of our child."

Christine smiled, her eyes brimming with tears. "I love you...Angel."

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A/N: Okay, so no huge surprise, right? LOL But I hope that you enjoyed it nonetheless. Please click that little review button and let me know what you think. :)