He opened his eyes groggily. The room was hazy, his eyes heavy as he attempted to lift his head but could not. The ceiling above him deep mahogany, beveled edge wood, crown molding, carved cornices. He blinked several times trying to estimate his present surroundings. The curtains to his right fluttered slightly, the sheer white gauze dancing as the warm breeze entered and left the room.
He breathed in just slightly stopping as the pain in his left side grabbed him sharply. He moved his hand to the source, feeling a large white bandage wrapped tightly about his middle. He ran his hand up his chest, to his neck and finally his face. His mask was not there, and although he could feel no other garments on his body, save the bare essentials. It was in the end, the absence of his mask that made him feel naked.
Erik tried in vain to draw his right arm up off the bed but felt so weak that he soon abandoned the venture. The warm breeze wafted in again, raising the curtains halfway up into the air before they fluttered back down to be drawn up firmly to the window. The sensation of the traveling breeze was a treat to his skin. He sensed it was a warm day outside, turning his head he could see the bright sun shining beyond the overhang of the roof. He could hear the slap of water meeting the shore, and he knew in an instant where he was….he was home. It was not a dream, he was not…. dead.
His heart leapt, he needed to know, so much information escaped him. He needed desperately to know what happened, where was Christine, Nadir, Madame Giry, Meg? He tried to call out but his throat was parched, his voice so faint from lack of use that it squeaked like a newborn's faint cry. He lay back down, resigning himself to the fact that his stirring would have to be discovered, not announced.
He laid a good length of time, taking in his first conscious thoughts, being keenly aware that he had no idea even what month it was. He marveled at the fluttering of the curtains, the sounds of the sea. The world was very much alive, and he was still in it.
His head turned sharply when he heard the chatter of women in the hall outside. "I'll stop to swab his mouth, and then I'll join you in the garden for lemonade." The voice was distinct, he knew it well, he smiled to himself. Surely she would not be there unless the others were with her.
Madame Giry made her way into the room, a small bowl of cold water in her hand. She was humming to herself. Erik blinked as he realized she was in a summer dress, short sleeves, a springy pale yellow. She moved to the table next to his bed, wringing the towel over the bowl she dipped one end into the water and turned to Erik. His wide eyes greeted her, a faint smile on his face. She lurched backward bumping the table knocking its contents to the floor. She gasped, putting one hand over her mouth.
Erik heard a shuffle in the hall. "Are you alright?" A faint voice called pushing open the door. There she was. His Christine, dressed in a pale peach dress he'd not seen before. She looked down at the broken bowl on the floor, water splattered around soaking the hem of Madame Giry's dress.
"What happened? Did it slip out of your…" Christine's eyes traveled quickly from Madame Giry to Erik, her breath catching as she let her eyes travel from his mid section, terrified to look, fearing what she might see. He'd hung so close to death, for so long, she shuddered as she looked up at his face.
Her eyes met his, wide blue-green pools drawing her to him. She rushed to his side, weeping before she ever reached it. She wanted to throw herself into his arms but could not for fear of harming him, so she laid her head gently on his chest stroking his face. "Erik….my dear sweet Erik…you've come back to us…."
Erik could feel the tears welling in his eyes as they brimmed and spilled over running down his cheeks. He slowly brought his hand up to rest it on Christine's head as she lay sobbing on his chest. Madame Giry stood to one side, crying discretely as she watched her friend and her "daughter" rejoice in their reunion. She came along side, kissing Christine on the cheek, and Erik on the forehead. "I'll fetch the doctor now that he's awake….you two have much to catch up on." She smiled at Christine nodding as if to encourage her, and then left the room, closing the door quietly behind her.
Christine lifted her head, raising her hands to Erik's face, pushing his hair back from his forehead. "My dear sweet husband….we thought we'd lost you forever….." Erik tried to speak but his mouth was so dry that nothing came out though he went through the motions. Christine smiled at him. "Now that you are awake, we can let you drink something instead of dipping this rag for you."
She put her hand behind his head lifting it slightly, putting her glass of lemonade to his lips. The stinging tartness made his saliva glands ache as they came to life, he winced. Christine smiled saying "perhaps this is too strong to start out with, let me fetch you a glass of…" Christine rose to leave the room, but Erik reached out and grabbed her hand. She turned around, the pleasure of his touch had not been forgotten. It had been a bittersweet memory until now. She returned to his side, pressing a gentle kiss on his lips.
"Chri..st..ine…" the low guttural tone of Erik's voice startled even him. She smiled, kissing both cheeks, resting her hand on his forehead. "You feel so cool now, I am glad….you were so sick Erik…so very sick." Her voice filled with concern, and yet relief. "Chri…stine, what happened….are you alright…Meg…Nadir..where is…" Christine raised her fingers to Erik's lips to hush him.
"All in good time my sweet Erik….all in good time. I will tell you briefly what happened, but more detail will be talked about when you are feeling better. Nadir is safe. He has struggled to forgive himself for firing his gun without proper position. Joseph is dead. He was a lecherous thief –in fact it was he that the man in the woods had been following The man you watched will walk again, although with a hobble as Claire shot his leg clean through and it is now a fare inch shorter than his other."
Erik's head was throbbing already…some of the memories of that morning starting to flood back in, broken bits of events tying up loose ends. "Meg, Madame Giry, and I have stayed with you as we had planned. Meg is now in Paris visiting friends…in part to help delay their return." Erik looked up at Christine, and then at the fluttering curtains, "it is warmer outside….what month is…how long have I…." Christine smoothed her hand on his cheek, pulling the white sheet up just under his chest before answering.
"It is the latter part of April." Erik flinched as the information registered. "I've been sleeping for two months!" Erik took in a heavy breath, a feeling of weakness, incompetence, vulnerability, seizing him. He attempted to raise himself from the bed, but Christine quickly, gently, pressed him back down. "You have been healing well, probably much better because you were not awake trying to overexert yourself as you do now!" she said half chastising him as he lay back down. "You need to rest, to regain your strength….there will be much time to get things in order. For now you need to concentrate on getting better yourself before…" Christine stopped abruptly, a wide smile crossing her face.
Erik looked up at her curiously "before what?" Christine took his hand in hers, lovingly coming up to kiss him tenderly on the lips. She guided his other hand down her chest to her abdomen, pressing his palm against it. Erik blinked rapidly, looking up at Christine, whose tear filled eyes and wide smile confirmed what his mind raced to take in. Erik looked pleading into her eyes as she nodded her head up and down, tears running down her cheeks and dropping to his chest. Next to the moment that Christine had become his in marriage, his heart had never swelled as much as it did now…it was overflowing with enough love and joy for a hundred men.
He grasped Christine's hand, ignoring the pain that jabbed sharply in his shoulder and pulled her down into an embrace. He kissed her forehead, each cheek, her lips, her chin, any skin that got within an inch of him was caressed by his lips. She sat down next to him, holding both of his hands.
"Erik, I am so excited, I know that it is early on now, but thankfully the nausea and fainting spells have passed. I am feeling quite well…even more so now that you are awake to share this with me. Other than Madame Giry and the doctor who has been treating you, no others know….I wanted you to know first!" She smiled and continued. "The morning the physician confirmed it, I came in and whispered in your ear, not knowing if you heard me." Erik smiled back at her, some of his hazy dreams starting to make sense now. He'd had so many, they all seemed to blend together, smearing themselves into one large surreal blur. He'd heard Christine's voice, images of playing with children on the beach…..
"Christine, my dear Christine….." he raised her hand to his lips kissing it tenderly. "Oh how I long to hold you in my arms!" Christine smiled at him "all in good time….we have to get you on your feet first my dear…Nadir has an excellent physician who has been looking after you. He'd stayed with us the first three weeks until he felt you were out of the woods. Now he visits twice a week, in fact he is due this very afternoon. He's been quite busy here now with two patients!"
Christine smiled at Erik. "Hmmmm, let me see….." she looked down at the bed, and then walked around to the other side. "I'm not sure but let me see…" she carefully tugged off the white sheet that was covering Erick. She pushed down on the bed next to where Erik lay and seeing no pain in his face, she gently turned him over to his back, using his shoulders to guide him. She climbed on the bed slowly coming to rest next to him. Slipping her head under his arm, laying it on her shoulder, she gently put her head on the far right hand side of his chest, being careful to put as little pressure on him as possible.
Erik's eyes welled, tears spilling over as he tightened his arm around Christine's shoulder. He could feel Christine's wet tears on his chest as he pulled her close to him, turning his head to press a kiss on her forehead. His left side hurt, and he could tell his muscles had lost some of their tone from lack of use, but he didn't care…SHE was in his arms.
Christine rose up slightly kissing him on the lips before she slipped out from beneath his arm, and came to rest next to him so their eyes could meet. She lay on her side winding her arms around his right arm, turning his palm just slightly so he could rest his hand on her stomach. He smiled at her as she propped herself up slightly so that he didn't have to strain to look at her. He moved his hand around gently on her stomach, sending a shudder up her back…even now…after all of this….his touch still moved her.
"Erik….I love you….this blessing that I now carry will bring us much joy…it is the hope for our future….the blending of our pasts….the melding of our souls…." Erik smiled at her, a curious smile. "Does this sound familiar to you?" Christine said playfully. Erik smiled again "yes, I am wondering…" Christine smiled at him, reaching over pushing his dark locks away from his forehead, "I had little else to do while I sat next to your side so many nights. I'd found this large stack of bundled music in your trunk as I searched for things for you. I've read them all, some many times over…they are so beautiful Erik…so very beautiful….Nadir has a lovely piano that he had brought here to your…our home and he's teaching me how to play!"
Erik could hardly believe what he was hearing. All without his supervision this group of people had blended, and from the sounds of things, bonded. Yes, things weren't always in his control…. "I read to you every night. Sometimes you'd struggle, depending on what I read, sometimes you'd lay silently still. When I'd play music for you on the violin, it seemed to calm you the most, and I dare say it did the same for me."
Christine smiled at Erik, moving her fingers over his hair, caressing his brow, tracing the length of his jaw. The fluid motion of her hand was like liquid honey to him, sweet and intoxicating. In those moments as she lay next to him talking about his music, he running his hand gently over her stomach, the husband and wife were reunited, a family was forged anew.
There was a light rap at the door before Madame Giry opened it. She came in closing it behind her, smiling at the both of them. "I had figured I would find you there!" she said to Christine.
"And just how are we feeling now Erik?" she said focusing on him. Erik turned his head slightly to look at his friend "I feel like I am on a cloud, sweet dew nourishing my inner most being." Madame Giry smiled at Erik and glanced to Christine who nodded at her. "I see that you've received the news of your great blessing!" Erik smiled at her, gently smoothing his hand on Christine's stomach again. "If this is a dream, I shan't wish to wake from it!" Erik said, making the others who'd watched over him day and night laugh with delight.
The voices filling that room were so different from those that had over the past two months. Days filled with bathing, battling, encouraging. Nights filled with prayers, singing, reading. Yet all of those combined, while done in love, stood lacking the joy that this special time now owned.