Erik woke up next to Chirstine and thought for sure he was dreaming. Sunlight played gently across her features, her mouth curved into a content smile as she snuggled deeper into his side. Erik swallowed a moan, because he remembered all too well the events of the previous night and the pain he had been in.
Tentatively, he flexed his torn leg.
His gasp of pain disturbed Christine. She blinked slowly, rubbed her eyes and smiled at him. His pain disappeared at her sunny smile.
"Oh, Erik. You really are here."
"Christine," he breathed. "Oh, Christine...Dammit!"
Christine jumped at his curse. "What have I done?" she demanded, rolling off him and sitting up to see him better.
"It's not you," he gritted out through his clenching jaw. "I did this myself."
Understanding dawned on her, as she took in his negligible clothing and his still oozing gash. "I'll call the doctor."
She hopped nimbly out of bed, and Erik envied her the easy mobility. She wrapped a dressing gown around her before padding down the stairs. Erik groaned at the thought of those stairs. It had taken what felt like an eternity to get himself up those stairs last night. He groaned again, as his leg began to throb. The pain increased by the second as he waited for Christine to return. He fought the tears that threatened as he lay waiting. He didn't want Christine to see him cry again.
Christine meanwhile, was downstairs, cleaning up the mess she'd made the night before. Her hurry to get Erik to her bedroom and to safety had prevented her from properly caring for the trap door, and she couldn't let the doctor see that. Nor could he see the path of blood leading up the stairs. It was too grusome to remain in anycase. She hadn't realized how badly he had been bleeding. Her breathing hitched as she scrubbed, quickly doing away with the evidence of her darling's advent.
Once finished, she dashed back up the stairs to her budoir, quickly changing from her evening clothes into the same black dress she'd worn to her father's grave that day...
Christine shook herself from remembering and turned, but before she could leave the room, she heard Erik moaning.
He was moaning her name. The desire to run to him and help him nearly overwhelmed her, but she needed to get to the doctor. So she ran down the stairs and out the door, forgetting to lock it behind her in her haste. The doctor was only a few shops down, and she banged heartily on his door until he opened up and followed her back to the Mask Maker's shop.
"Please Dr. Musine, he may be dying. He's lost so much blood," she panted, tripping up the stairs to her darling Erik.
Dr. Musine followed at more sedate pace, until he saw the patient. "Good God! That man needs a hospital, not a doctor! He needs a transfusion, he's hallucinating, he's probably infected...what possesssed you to wait until now to call me?"
"I--I'm sorry, but you never come to the door in the night, and he was so tired, so I let him sleep..."
"Miss, this is not entirely your fault. That wound has been there for at least two, maybe even seven days. He's been over using it and not properly covering it. And he's obviously not even checked with a doctor to see what needs to be done. It's completely untreated."
"Doctor, he can't go to a hospital, it took me ages to get him up here! You'll just have to do what you can. I'll donate my blood if you need it!" Christine felt herself beginning to crumble. She was about to burst into tears. Oh, it was her fault, the doctor didn't know, it was her fault, she had left him and now he was dying...
"Christine..."
"Erik!" she gasped. The doctor raised an eyebrow, but allowed her to run to her beloved's side. "I'm here, darling..."
"Christine, don't leave me..."
"Never, darling, never. I'm here."
"Miss, this is no time for confessions. Move aside. I need to see that leg." The doctor pushed Christine aside and bent over Erik, then turned to Christine. "Young woman, I hope you have a good stomach for gore. You're going to have to be my nurse."
A/N--Sorry this took so long. I had E/C Writers block and had to work on something else. And besides, I hadn't planned on a multi-chapter story, but due to overwhelming calls for more, here I am, posting again. (JenwhoRocks gives a crosseyeed look at her stunning collection of male movie star pictures and continues typing) Anyway, if you really do like this and aren't just making things up, tell me. And btw, let me know how you like the doctor. I'm not sure if I like this version of him. He may change later on. Or I may write him out of my fic. Ah, the power...