The Phantom Within

Erik's eyes:

I looked on in horror as Gabrielle writhed on the floor, nearly mindless with pain and despite all attempts I made to force her to lie still, she could not do so. She had stopped responding to my words moments ago, and a blind panic had overtaken my thoughts. I was completely dumbfounded and had no clue as to what I should do to end her terrifying ordeal.

Only minutes before, she had blatantly asked me to operate on her and although I had studied a decent amount in science and health, the thought of performing a somewhat experimental surgery on my own wife was insane. I decided that even through her agony, I would have to make her see that a doctor was needed here.

"Gabrielle, I cannot do this…" I said, evenly, trying to get through to her. "You aren't thinking clearly through the pain…you must understand that I have to go and retrieve a surgeon…"

Her eyes snapped open, boring into mine like flaming torches, as she panted heavily. "Erik! I need you to do it…I will not have a doctor in this house…I do not want to have to undergo a surgery without you by my side…you looking on in hiding, will not be good enough for me…so you must do it…" she shrieked and arched her back in pain before calming slightly for a moment. "there is no other option…" she whispered, suddenly looking exhausted as her eyelids drooped.

"But Gabrielle…if something goes wrong…I mean…I could kill you …I'm not educated well enough…I could never live with myself if I accidentally caused your death…"

"You are a bloody genius, Erik! Now PLEASE! Whatever you are going to do, do it!" I could see the pain taking her farther away from me as her eyes began to roll up in her head.

I clenched her hand tightly, "Gabrielle!…No, Gabrielle…stay with me…wake up Gabby…Look at me…open your eyes…!" Her eyes opened slightly, revealing only a slit of sky blue, laced with a silver tint. There was no doubting the complete agony she was in. "Oh, God…alright…I must call for some assistance though….hang on just a bit longer my love!" I got up, and found her hand still clasped onto mine. It didn't take much to shake her grip off and that made me uneasy. Her diminishing strength was definitely not a good sign. In all honesty, from what I knew of broken ribs, it didn't seem right that she was in as much pain as she was. Something else must be wrong as well…oh lord!

I fled down the hall as quickly as my legs would carry me and threw open the closet door where I had medical supplies stashed away. I grabbed a few of each item I needed and then made my way slightly farther down the hallway and kicked the bedroom door open there. I watched as Michael quickly scurried out of his bed and squinted at me through the darkness of the room.

"Monsieur Erik!…May I help you sir?"

I gasped in breath, to compose myself then spoke, "My wife is injured and in a great amount of pain…I cannot treat her without your help."

"By all means…I am in your service!"

I nodded to him, to show my appreciation and turned to lead him to our bedroom. I could hear his footsteps following directly on my heals and I made a mental note to have a heartfelt talk with him after Gabrielle was well again. He needed to know how much I appreciated his allegiance.

We were back with Gabrielle in a matter of moments. In my absence, she had stopped moving and had grown extremely pale. I stilled beside her, my hand trembling uncontrollably as I reached out to touch her flesh. It was somewhat cold to the touch, but her eyes opened as my skin came into contact with hers. I let out a nervous breath at seeing her look into my eyes. She somehow manage to lift her hand towards my face. I quickly grabbed it and held it next to my face, certain that's what she wanted. I felt her fingertips curl around the mask weakly and pull it off. I dropped her hand immediately, staring at her in astonishment. She lowered her shaking hand and held my mask flush against her chest, clinging onto it as if it were life itself. I smiled down at her for a moment before I turned apprehensively towards the boy.

I watched as a shocked expression overtook his features, all color draining from his face, as he looked upon my uncovered face for the first time. I cringed slightly at his reaction, noting that Gabrielle and Angelique's reactions had been the only ones so far that hadn't been of complete terror.

I felt something inside of me shift, remembering the days when in the absence of my mask I had done terrible, unforgivable things. Now, I could never do such a thing again, and all credit for that miracle belonged solely to Gabrielle. I quickly turned my attention back to her, remembering her quickly failing health.

"Michael…We must find a safe and clean place for me to…to…to do this…"

His voice shook somewhat as he asked, "What exactly do you plan to do, Monsieur?"

"I must remove the rib…and make sure it has not ruptured anything else, which, at this point, I suspect it might have…"

"But Sir! That means you'd have to perform surgery.." He said, the fear in his voice making me increasingly angry.

"Indeed…"

"Are you able to do that?"

"She seems to think I am, though I have my doubts…but there is no other choice …though, God knows, I wish there was…"

"Are you saying you have never been a true doctor…?"

"Unfortunately, that is exactly what I am saying…"

He looked stricken. "But…her life is at stake!"

My face was an inch from his in only a second. "Do you think I do not know that?" I hissed harshly, ignoring his desperate attempts to put space between his face and my own. I calmed somewhat and continued, "I have studied health and science…but that is all it was…reading…All I know is that I have to help her soon, or who knows what may happen to her!" I said, fighting back the tears that threatened to flood my vision.

"We cannot do this alone…" He rasped, still shaken by my sudden outburst.

"I will not ask any of my girls to aid in this matter…it must be just us…"

"What about Monsieur Raoul?"

"What about him?" I asked through clenched teeth. I was beginning to think that it was a bad idea to ask for his help.

"Should I not go and fetch him, Sir?"

"What good is he to me? It was he who caused this injury if you need to know…"

"Sir…I do know…I watched helplessly as he struck her across the head, sending her tumbling to the floor…and then when he kicked her, I felt my insides lurch…but it was as he was making to harm Angelique that I could not hold myself back any longer…but no matter…if he is somewhat sober, he may be of assistance…you have to admit that another pair of hands could be helpful, if you are going to go through with this…"

"He…kicked…her?" I stuttered, closing my eyes in an attempt to block the horrific image that was playing out in my mind.

"Yes, Sir…" he said, his voice turning somber.

I looked back at Gabrielle and stroked her cheek a moment before leaning in and leaving a light kiss on her mouth. "I love you so much…stay with me…I will help you…but whatever you do, do not lose faith in me…I will get you through this…" I stood, bending at the waist to carefully lift her into my arms.

"Fine…if you must, go find Raoul…he should be out in the barn…unless he has awoken already…I suppose it is more convenient to check his room first…then meet me in the kitchen."

"The KITCHEN, Sir?"

"Yes…we will have to use the dining table…"

"The table, Sir?"

"Is there another option? My wife's life may be on the line…I could care less right now about any material items within this house…," I hissed.

The boy nodded curtly and scurried away quickly, as I began to carry Gabrielle down the flights of stairs. She began to stir slightly, moaning from the jolty movements my uneven steps caused.

"I'm sorry my love…it's alright, you will not have to deal with the pain much longer….just stay

with me…"

"Erik?" My name was frozen within the air, a moan upon her lips.

"Yes, love…you will be alright…" I said as I finally reached the last stair. She moaned again, this time now that she was somewhat conscious, the returning pain made her voice sound desperate. The sound made everything within me, sink to my feet.

Suddenly I found myself standing in front of the dining room table. Surprised by the sudden realization that her surgery was drawing nearer, I staggered back from it slightly, before composing myself and taking a bold step towards it. I set her down gently and she curled herself up onto her side, whimper as tears ran down her cheeks. I placed a hand on her shoulder and gently tried to coax her into laying on her back. She obeyed but her eyes opened and locked onto mine as she did so. I felt my knees weaken at the sight of her like this. I had seen her injured from being beaten before, but that was different. Those wounds were bruises upon her flesh, and her soul. This injury came, literally, from within her and there was little chance of it healing with time only. I began to set out all the items I would need as I softly assured her that she would be alright.

I picked up a small bottle and held it tightly in my hand as I stared at it. My heart felt like a dead weight in my chest as I attempted to pour some of the amber liquid into a cup. My hand shook slightly, and I took a deep breath in an attempt to counter it as I held the cup to her lips, urging her to drink it. She did so without hesitation, proving how much faith she did have in me. It took a few minutes for the to take effect and in the last moment before she lost consciousness, I kissed her on the lips.

I sighed and lifted her chemise up to a point just below her chest to examine the area. Her skin was a nasty black and blue color that spread across the entire span of her stomach. I felt along it with the tips of my fingers, testing for any abnormalities. The sensation of her skin beneath my fingers never failed to distract me, so I quickly pulled my hand off of her. My stomach was in one massive knot as I took out the scalpels from the medical kit I had grabbed in the cupboard. The blades shone in the light and I had to quickly set them down before they made me ill.

Michael arrived shortly after, towing a seemingly sober Raoul.

"What is going on here?" Raoul asked, extremely distressed by the sight of Gabrielle unconscious on the kitchen table. I saw Michael motioning to Raoul, attempting to tell him not to ask about it.

"You know, Raoul…I really wish I knew…but since I was not there to witness her receiving the injury, I cannot be sure what is truly the matter…though, had I been there, the injury would have been prevented…"

"What in the hell are you rambling on about," he practically yelled at my turned back.

I spun around and grabbed hold of his shirt collar pulling his face close to my own, unmasked one. I allowed my hatred to seep into my voice as I spoke in a low, dangerous tone. "Use that tone with me one more time, and I will give you something to complain about! When you were drunk the other night, you not only hit Gabrielle, but you kicked her as well…I think you broke a rib…and quite frankly I will be surprised if the bone hasn't ruptured something inside of her…SO! You are here to aid with the surgery…You will not question me…you will not comment on my actions…you will not even speak unless instructed to…ARE WE CLEAR?"

Raoul nodded his head furiously as I shoved him back from me.

"Alright…both of you come with me, quickly!" I led them to the kitchen where I instructed them to wash their hands. My heart was beating rapidly as I too ran my hands underneath the hot water. Not wasting any time, I rushed back to Gabrielle and put on a pair of rubber gloves. I threw two other pairs at the apprehensive men behind me. I took a deep breath, drawing the strength of the Phantom within me to the forefront. It was obvious that Michael and Raoul weren't going to be my support. I allowed myself to fall into the comforting persona of the Phantom once more, shutting out all others, and focusing on the task at hand. I only hoped that both his strength and mine would be strong enough to get me through this! Failing was not an option!