Thanks for the reviews everyone :) you just don't know how much they help keep me going. Here's a chapter in Erik's point of view…it was hard to write because Erik is basically clueless about what's going on as opposed to moi, the creator of this story. Bwahahaha. I know what is going to happen in the end but I have no idea how I'll get there or when.

Anywho! You won't have to listen to me anymore, just read this chapter and an 8th one will be up soon….(and y'all know how soon MY soon is :P)

I don't own POTO or anything except the plot okie? Disclaim, disclaim, disclaim…

There's nothing more important in my life than this moment right here. Erik thought as he held Christine in his strong arms. Her scent was intoxicating and he could've died and gone to heaven by the sweet and familiar aroma tickling his senses. Erik breathed her in, never wanting the moment to end.

Silently Christine whispered of pain and emotions made Erik's head spin as she leaned her head against his chest. Misperceiving all of Christine's actions, Erik thought that the pain Christine was feeling was from not being close enough and he carefully slid his right hand to Christine's lower back. Already breathing heavily, Christine inwardly gasped at the feeling of his hand.

Not being able to control primal reaction, Erik's blood raced into a place that felt tighter with each pump of blood from his body. His mind was in an exquisite high and he was doing all that he can and mustering up strength to keep him from losing his dignity in front of Christine who was simply at a loss for words.

"Erik,"

Her voice was music to his ears and right now, it was playing the right melody. Hearing his name pour out of her mouth in such a sensual way almost caused Erik to release himself right then and there. Instead, he took Christine's chin in between his fingers and dared her to look in his eyes. He knew that he must have looked almost terrifying with the intensity of his gaze upon her and the incandescent glow of green emanating from his stare.

Erik's current feeling only heightened at the look of wanton, need, and—was it love that was in those perfectly hazel brown eyes? Erik wanted to kiss the furrow in Christine's brow. Well, he wanted to kiss every part of the woman he was so desperately falling in love for.

Not wanting to ruin the moment, he closed his eyes and leaned in closer to Christine's face. He could feel her heart beat racing and it only surged him on. Their heavy breathing against each others lips was causing moisture to form just like it did the last time they almost kissed. Erik prayed that she wouldn't shy away from him this time. He was really beginning to trust another person and something in that moment told him that his mask was the last thing on Christine's mind.

Then Christine did something unexpected. Being the little vixen that she was, she darted her small tongue out, grazing his bottom lip. This surprised Erik who fumbled for a reason for her action. But overcome with a roller coaster of feelings, Erik almost broke his neck diving in for Christine's lips.

It was the single most amazing thing he had ever tasted in his life and he wanted nothing more than her soft lips against his own. Emotion flood through Erik and he could almost cry at the intense feeling that was exploding in his body. Erik began to move his lips against Christine's but hers remained unmoving. He was beginning to think that reality had struck her and she realized she was kissing an ugly, deformed man. Feeling terrible, Erik was about to pull back when suddenly he felt her soft lips begin to massage his own. Erik's head was spinning and he couldn't get enough.

To add to the already perfect moment, Christine snaked her arms around Erik's neck to get a better angle at his mouth. He groaned in response and continued to lovingly massage Christine's lips and occasionally darting out his tongue to explore her wonderfully delicious mouth. As he did so, he deftly touched her cheek and moved his hand down her body causing exquisite tremors to make her body twitch.

Just before Erik swore that this moment was the happiest he ever felt, he heard Christine groan in a pained way and reluctantly broke the kiss to see what the problem was. Terror struck Erik like a thousand knives when he saw Christine's face contort in inexplicable pain. He froze in his spot when he heard her cry his name out; asking him to relieve her pain.

Doubling over, Christine whimpered and Erik could do nothing except hold her steady. She was breathing erratically and Erik thought at once to call an ambulance.

Christine's face grew more ashen and her beautiful eyes slowly began to disappear behind lids that were already half-closed. Her lips were slightly parted and red from so much kissing. She began to tip over to her side, losing balance, and finally dropped in Erik's arms, motionless.

There was no one else in Gameworx to witness the incident or help Erik in saving Christine and Erik cursed himself for his bad luck with life. Carrying Christine in his arms, he gently laid her down on the nearby bench, being careful not to hurt her head or anything. He rushed into his pro-shop, stumbling a few times, and shuffled for the phone. He called the only number that Erik knew would help her. It rang once then an operator answered the call.

"9-1-1, what's you're emergency?"

"I need an ambulance right away! My—girlfriend just suddenly fainted! I don't know what to do!" Erik was hesitant to title Christine but he couldn't think of anything else. He looked over his shoulder and his eyes lingered at Christine's body on the bench.

"Calm down sir, I'll dispatch an ambulance once I know where you are exactly."

"We're at Gameworx, the bowling stadium on Earling St., corner Luxembourg Avenue. Please come quick," desperation rang clear in his voice as he strained it over the receiver. Sweat was really beginning to form over his brow and it caused his mask to shift slightly. He quickly rearranged it on his face and listened in for the operator's final instructions.

"Alright sir, I've sent an ambulance out and they will be arriving there shortly. May I please know you name?"

"Erik Destler."

"Ok Erik, I want you to relax and just stay with your girlfriend. Don't panic because help is on its way. Tell the paramedics everything that happened and everything will be fine. Call again if you need anything."

Erik hung up the phone and rushed back to Christine. He knew she was still alive because of the weak movements of her chest, indicating slow breathing. He knelt down beside her and moved his ear to her breast. Her heart was beating very fast and then would shift to becoming slow, then would continue the same pattern. He lifted his head up to look at Christine's solemn face. He stroked her hair and traced a light pattern on her lips.

I need you to live, thought Erik, who was starting to lose hope. Meeting Christine was the best thing that happened to Erik's life and he didn't want another person to be taken from his life. He finally found the woman whom he was searching for all his life and he didn't want to lose her now.

Lost in his thoughts, Erik barely heard the three paramedics sprint in through the swing doors. They were dressed in dark blue jumpsuits; two of them were rolling a stretcher while the other one was carrying a medical bag, a stethoscope around his neck. Erik leaped up and explained what happened while the two men with the stretcher carefully laid Christine on it. The one with the medical bag listened intently to Erik while attending to Christine by checking her heat beat and other first aid routines.

"Do you know if she is taking any medication at all?" asked the red-haired man holding the medical bag.

"Not that I know of, I've only known her for a while now." Erik replied, his voice hoarse from stress.

"But you did say that she was your girlfriend?" inquired the paramedic who was looking confused.

"Like I said earlier, we were—sharing a very intimate moment until she doubled over and collapsed in my arms." Erik was suddenly defensive and answered brusquely.

The two paramedics quickly rolled Christine out of Gameworx and into the ambulance. Erik quickly grabbed his jacket from the nearby table and followed them both and climbed into the back. One of them walked to the front where he would be driving. Erik heard the ambulance alarms whirring and the jolt of the engine. The van sped its way to the hospital.

Erik couldn't believe that this was happening. One minute he's feeling like the happiest man in the world and then suddenly he's riding an ambulance, beside Christine clutching her hand. Erik closed his eyes and let the situation sink in for a moment. He was feeling disgusted with himself that he would be a probably reason for Christine's lapse. He closed his eyes and bent his head down, feeling miserable.

Suddenly he could feel the weight of the paramedic's eyes as they grazed upon his white mask. Erik looked up at him and shot him a menacing look that caused the man's eyes to widen in fear. Just before Erik was about to say something, Christine stirred on the stretcher and fought to open her eyes. Erik squeezed her hand.

"Where am I?" she groggily asked, her eyes darting here and there, registering the situation. Then her eyes fell on Erik's and her face softened.

"Christine," Erik soothingly said as he stroked her hair again.

She was just about to smile when she suddenly winced in pain, whimpering softly, and her head fell limp against her shoulder.

Erik's free hand gripped the railing of the stretcher tightly and the paramedic panicked that Erik would do something bad. Sensing his tension, Erik released his hand from the railing and leaned back in defeat. He silently prayed that this was just a dream. He couldn't bear to imagine what would happen to him if ever Christine died. He wouldn't be able to forgive himself. But what did happen to Christine? Everything was going fine until she collapsed in his arms. Was she really just pitying him all the time and acting as if his mask didn't affect her? Surely, he wasn't disgusting enough to actually kill someone because they hated his mask. He needed answers and his skin itched to find them.

Moments later, after the jarring ride in the ambulance, they finally arrived at Blue Sparrow Memorial Hospital. Everything happened so quickly after that and Erik was caught in the emergency room haze of energy and adrenaline. He didn't want to leave Christine's side, especially when they began to perform the standard operating procedures of the hospital like injecting her with dextrose, but he felt the need to sit down and ground himself for a moment.

Erik was a considerably tall man and as he walked through the white-bleach hallways of the hospital, he suddenly felt very claustrophobic. He was looking for a bathroom where he could wash his face and stretch it out a bit. After splashing cold water over the rough side of his face, he quickly went out through the door and walked briskly over to the emergency room.

Standing beside Christine's bed and talking to a nurse, was a doctor that was unfamiliar to Erik but he quickly perceived him to be the resident doctor on the floor. The aging man glanced at Erik and motioned for the nurse to tend to other patients. He walked over to Erik and extended his hand.

"Hello, you must be Erik Destler. I'm Dr. Daryl Andres, Christine's cardiologist." In those few words Erik could sum up that there was definitely something wrong with Christine and that it concerned her heart. How else would the doctor relate himself to Christine in a familiar way?

"How'd you know my name? What is wrong with Christine? Is she all right?" The questions poured out of Erik's mouth faster than Dr. Andres could put his hands up in a gesture that asked him to calm down.

"Christine is stable as of now, but I'd like to keep a close eye on her. She suffered from a very intense case of hyperventilation but she will be alright. I'll have the nurses transfer her to a private room as soon as possible, and you may stay with her after that. If you'll excuse me, I have to go and check on her test results." With that, the doctor drifted away on the white hospital tiles and left Erik close to crumbling. He clenched his fists and brought them to his head. He breathed in and out and looked over at Christine who was sleeping with a very exhausted look on her face.

-oOo-

Soon after that Erik settled into an armchair in room 2128, beside Christine's bed. He was staring at the EKG monitor and watched the green line erratically jerk up and down in time with a beeping sound. It was all he heard for a while, patterning his breathing with each beep until Christine's fitful sleep caused her to moan softly.

"Christine," Erik whispered in the dimly lit room. He could feel tears pooling at his eyes and he almost lost it. Staring at the most beautiful woman in the whole world that was dressed in a starch hospital gown, dextrose seeping into her injected hand caused Erik to utter something that he meant to say before he kissed her.

Silently, Erik sighed shakily.

"I love you."

hope you enjoyed that. stay tuned everyone and thanks for it :)