Chapter 7

Hospital room… July 24

It was the night before leaving the hospital, and I was so happy and nervous about that fact that it was hard to fall asleep. That wasn't unusual, though. I really hadn't gotten good sleep in over a week.

I resigned to laying there and silently count to 1000. Maybe that would tire me.

At one point, I glanced at the clock and found it to be 2:00 am. This 'no sleep' thing was really getting to be ridiculous. I was beginning to resemble a raccoon under the eyes, and it didn't thrill me at all.

I must have fallen asleep at some point, though, because, next thing I knew, I had woken up. Well, I didn't open my eyes, but I was conscious, and I knew exactly why.

There was someone in the room. I instantly tensed up and prayed it was only a nurse. Whoever it was suddenly took hold of my right wrist, the one without the cast, very gently. I was aware it was the wrist that held my ID wristband, and my breathing quickened. Then, just as suddenly as he took hold of it, he dropped it sensing I wasn't asleep, and, before I could scream, he covered my mouth and whispered, "I will not hurt you, Christine."

I opened my eyes and slapped his gloved hand away before backing away as far as I could on the bed, which was very little. I whispered, "Who in the hell are you?" I have no idea why I chose to whisper. My mind was telling me to scream, but my heart told me to hold on.

"My name is Nadir."

Nadir? What kind of name is that? I reached over and turned on a lamp to get a better view of him.

"I would prefer it to be dark," he said uneasily.

I glared at the intruder. He had dark skin, black hair, and dark brown eyes. Clearly, he wasn't from this country, but he did know how to dress like he was. "I don't give a damn what you want!" I hissed. "Why are you here?"

"Business," he promptly replied.

"'Business'? I'm your business?" I paused before becoming quite angry. "Get out," I quietly demanded.

"He said you were temperamental," Nadir mumbled.

"Who said that?" He quickly turned to leave, but there was no way I would allow that. Not yet. I climbed out of the hospital bed and blocked the door, thankful that I was no longer hooked to an IV. The man didn't even try to get by. He just stood there looking defenseless.

It had to look like an odd scene to any bystander. Me, a skinny eighteen year old girl in a hospital gown making it so that a man more than twice my age couldn't escape. He was so weak! It was unbelievable! I felt my own power rise.

"Who were you talking about?" When he didn't answer immediately, I yelled, "Tell me!" and he cringed.

"Look, Mademoiselle, my presence here is really none of your concern. I am here on business."

"So, who sent you if this is 'business'?" He still didn't answer! I quickly glanced at the clock and noticed it was 4:30 am. "What in the hell could you want with me at 4:30 in the morning? And, don't even think of saying it 'is really none of my concern'. It's my hospital room! Tell me or I'll scream!" When he still didn't say anything, I opened my mouth to scream, but he quickly reached out to cover it with his gloved hand. Such an act reminded me too much of my rape, and I slapped the hand away.

"Alright, I will tell you… I was told not to bring any attention to myself, so I cannot allow you to scream..." I glared at him impatiently. "Alright, my name is Nadir Kahn. I came here to find information about you."

"Are you a police man?"

"I used to be, but no, not now."

My brow furrowed. "Then, why would you want information on me?"

"It- I-"

"Come on. Tell me," I pressed.

"I cannot," he simply said with fear in his voice.

"Well, you'd better, or you're going to be in a hell of a lot of trouble!"

"Alright! … Ms. Daae, do you remember being taken to this hospital?"

"Yeah.."

"Do you remember the man who brought you here?"

I gasped. "Yes! You- you know him?" I was shaking with anticipation.

"Yes, I know him."

"Well, why are you here? 'Information about me' isn't enough of an answer, and I'm getting sick of having an intruder in here."

"Erik sent me!" He spit it out quickly and frantically.

"Erik? Who's Erik?"

Nadir sighed. "Christine, Erik is the man who brought you here."

"His name's Erik? Well, why would he send you to see me?"

"I was sent to check on your condition. It is not everyday that he has visitors and is forced to drive them to the hospital."

"Well, that's stupid to send you. And, at 4:30 in the morning? Why couldn't he just come and see for himself? Or, better yet, why couldn't he just call?"

"I did call. They told me you were doing well and gave me your room number."

"You wanted my room number?"

"My, you ask so many questions."

"Your fault," I blamed.

"You were not supposed to wake up! This was supposed to be a short, quiet errand."

"Well, it didn't turn out that way! You should know that, after all I've been through, sleep wouldn't come easily for me, and, when it does come, it doesn't last for long."

"Oh."

"Nadir, why did he want you to come here? You knew my condition already, so… Why did he send you here at 4:30 in the morning?" I was now feeling nervous. The whole situation was just so weird…

He sighed again. "You see, on the way to the hospital when he dropped you off, he heard you sing. He was intrigued. See, he's a fine musician. When he sees potential, he becomes a bit eccentric."

"And, you just go along with it?" I was really freaked out by now.

"I work with him."

"So, like, your 'job' revolves around me," I sarcastically stated.

He laughed. "No, not quite. I guess you could say, you are a project."

"A project?" He nodded. "I don't want to be a 'project'! I just want to get the hell away from this place and all of this shit!"

He looked astonished by my choice of words. "Look, I am sorry to cause trouble… It wasn't supposed to be this way." He then mumbled, "Erik will have my neck.."

"It's like you're his servant, not his partner." His eyes seemed to sadden at that. "Why do you need information about me?"

"Well… Erik just wants to know more about the stranger he took to the hospital."

I knew he wasn't telling the truth, and I wasn't going to buy it. "I think you're lying, Nadir. What about what you were saying about my singing? And, what about me being a 'project'?"

"You are clever," he pointed out with a small smile. "Alright, he just wants to know more about you and your voice. He really thought you were good. He is interested in learning more for future reference."

"'Future reference'? Why would he want more to do with me in the future? I have to admit, I wanted to find out more about him eventually. I mean, I haven't even seen his face! How do I know he isn't the one who kidnapped me?"

"Do not mention the mask." He looked around suspiciously, like he was expecting someone else to be listening. "He didn't kidnap you. He would never do something that like."

"Or, you're just covering up for him.."

"Please, Christine, believe me-"

"'Believe' you? Don't even talk to me about trust!"

"Fine. But, do you honestly think he kidnapped, raped, and tried to kill you?"

I paused and thought about that. I remembered the way this Erik was and sighed. "I- I just don't know. I don't know anything anymore. My life was easy before all this. I want to go back to that, but I can't!" Tears welled up in my eyes. "I'll never go back to that… and you're not making it any easier!"

I noticed him glance at the clock before saying, "Well, I believe it is time for me to take my leave so that I do not cause more problems."

I wiped my wet eyes with one hand and stepped away from the door. Right before he was able to get out, however, I sighed and said, "Wait. Um, what, in particular, does he want to know about me?"

Nadir opened the door allowing the hall's light to flood in. "Everything…" He then turned, softly shut the door, and hurried away.

I walked towards my hospital bed in numb shock trying to take in all that just happened. Everything… The guy, Erik, wants to know everything… And, if I hadn't woken up, Nadir would have gathered all of that information without my knowledge or consent. The only term I could think of to classify such an act as that was 'identity rape', and I felt sick.

I collapsed on the bed, laid my head upon the mattress, and stared up at the ceiling.

I felt so trapped. All of these people feeling like they could do anything they pleased with me- first my kidnapper, then doctors, and now this. Two mysterious men whom I know absolutely nothing about think they can just come into my life unseen and become freaking stalkers! One who won't show his face, or himself for that matter, and another who is nothing more than his puppet! I certainly had a knack for getting myself into bad situations.

Then, another thought came to me… What if the police find this 'Erik'? Surely they're looking for a man fitting Erik's description! Then, if they arrest him, they may not have the right person! And, the real kidnapper would still be running loose, God knows where. But, can I really trust Nadir when he claims that Erik didn't kidnap me?

I finally resigned myself to the solution- I have to find Erik. It's the only way I would be able to know for sure who he really is.

"Yes," I decided. I will find him once things settle down.. probably a while after I get out of here.

The thought of getting out of the hospital calmed my racing mind, and I fell into one of the deepest sleeps I've had in over a week.