CHAPTER 4

I'm so sorry this took forever! I got the Les Miserables piano book, and I was uber obsessed.

Revision, revision, revision, homework, revision...

And I was busy following my Gaelic and Húrling teams halfway around Ireland to watch their matches. tír eoghain abú3

thats my team. Did I mention I had revision?

Very sorry, remember to review please!

...

Joly frantically held her neck, her wrist, everywhere he thought he could find a pulse.

But he could not feel anything, his hands were numb with the cold.

"Joly?!" asked Marius in a strangled, worried voice.

"Marius, go get warm water, towels, and painkillers!"

Marius immediately obeyed the only person known to him that could save his...Well, could he say his Éponine? Or did that sound stupid, they weren't even courting! Or were they? Was she his best friend? His girlfriend? His love?

Woah, where did that last thought come out of? He shuddered, quickly running to retrieve what Joly asked for.

Joly quickly started in on CPR. When Marius came in with what he needed, he let the poor boy hold her hand.

After a few minutes, Joly once again checked for a pulse, and found one. It was weak, it was faint, but it was there. He stopped his CPR since she was certainly alive, and rearranged her on her bed, Marius at her side the whole time.

"She'll be okay, Marius," Joly assured.

Marius let out the breath he hadn't even realised he was holding in.

Joly wet a towel with the warm water, and placed it across her head.

"There are fresh bruises, I'd say from a day or two before the revolution. The areas surrounding are severely swollen, and never got treatment because we were so focused on the gunshot wound. It was a combination of the extent of those injuries, the swelling, some internal bleeding from the gun wound, and just the general pain. You know Éponine would never tell you about pain or those bruises," he paused to chuckle. "She's going straight to heaven, that girl."

"What?!" cried Marius.

Joly laughed when he realised how that had sounded. "She's not dying, Marius. I was talking about fifty years on down the line! I merely meant that she's very brave, a real saint, never bothers anyone else with her problems, only helps them with theirs. Even though hers are probably so much worse, nine times out of ten," Joly mused.

"Yeah, real saint..." Marius laughed slightly.

"You know, I wasn't aware that her and Gavroche were related, until a few weeks ago."

"Really?"

"Nope. Don't look a thing alike! Same determined, fiery, attitude suppose...And same stubborn-ness," he smiled, reminiscing his old friend.

Marius nodded eagerly. "You can be sure about that. Couldn't get your way with Éponine."

Joly raised his eyebrows, as a grin spread across his face. "You can't get your way with Éponine?"

"No, Joly, it's not like that, I," Marius blushed, talking very fast. "I simply meant that she doesn't back down from her opinions or views," he tried desperately to compose himself.

"Sure."

"What?!"

"Nothing, Marius.

The other boy scowled, and Joly laughed.

"Anyway, when she awakes, fetch her a glass of water to take with the painkillers. I'll leave her to sleep, and then a little alone time for yourselves, and then I'll come back to put a cream on the swelling. And under no circumstances is she to engage in strenuous activities or move one single limb out of that bed. Complete rest."

"Hey, Joly?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you," Marius smiled.

Joly chuckled. "No need to thank me, Marius."

Joly left the room, leaving Marius with his thoughts once again.

Why were women so confusing?

In those hours, while he waited for Éponine to awake, he didn't once think of his 'beloved' Cosette.

But, of course, Monsieur Marius did not realise this.

...

Éponine woke up, and immediately winced in pain, curling around her center, wrapping her arms around her sore stomach. Only then did she feel a second pair of arms curled around her waist.

"Are you okay, Éponine?"

"Monsieur!" she breathed, in relief.

"Yes, 'Ponine?"

"You quite scared me! I didn't know who you were!"

"Well, it's me!" he grinned.

"I realised," she said sarcastically.

"Speaking of scares, Éponine, just what did you plan to achieve by passing out on us?"

"I passed out?!"

"Joly couldn't find a pulse. You scared me to death!"

"Fitting isn't it? Quite funny actually."

"Scaring you to death...On my 'death bed'," she giggled, inverting invisible apostrophes with her hands on the words death bed.

"Not funny at all, Éponine!"

She stuck her tongue out at him, cheekily. "Oh, shush."

"So, still the same old Éponine with no manners?" he retorted back to her playfully.

"Yep!" she exclaimed, laughing. The laughing placed pressure on her stomach, and she winced again.

This didn't go un-noticed by Marius, who immediately sat up and got off the bed.

"Where are you going, Monsieur?!"

"Just to get you water for your pain killer tablets."

She groaned. Tablets? She'd have to have words with Joly.

Marius returned, smiling. "I heard that. You'll be glad you took them, honestly."

"How would you know? You don't exactly seem to be doubling over in pain," she remarked, moving to get up from her bed.

Marius run over and lightly pushed her back down. "Oh, no, 'Ponine. You have strict instructions to 'under no circumstances engage in strenuous activities or move one single limb out of that bed!" he imitated, in the worst imitation of Joly anyone could muster.

Éponine burst out into laughter, almost immediately crippled by pain again.

"That...was..a t-teribble..imp-impression!" she gasped between deep breaths.

"Éponine Thernardier, you take these right now!" he ordered, handing her a tablet which she quickly swallowed, and then gulping the whole glass of water.

"Bossy, Monsieur! I like it," she remarked playfully.

"Oh, Éponine," he chuckled. "What will we ever do with you?"

"Well, you could kiss me," she muttered under her breath.

"What's that, Éponine?" Marius was confused. Did she just say what he thought she said?

"I said, you could go get me lots of fancy food and bring it to me and pamper me with all the finest clothes in Paris!" she exclaimed in a posh voice, immediately bursting into fits of giggles.

"No, you didn't."

"Didn't what?"

"You didn't say that."

Éponine blushed deeply. "We-Well, Monsieur...What exactly..What did I say then?" she asked, feigning surprise and innocence.

Marius leant into kiss her, softly. Their lips barely touched, and only for a few seconds, but it sent electric shocks through both of them.

"Excuse me, but what exactly are you two doing?!" asked a different voice.

...

Who interrupted? Why did Marius kiss her? Does he love Cosette or Éponine? Where do the pair go from here?

Leave me your thoughts! Reviews are my motivation!

Go raibh maitha agat,

Ó Niamh Ní Luachra3