I'm sorry the chapter is so incredibly loooonnng. We're nearing the end though. Five more chapters maybe a little more.
Enjoy.
Chapter 20-A Compromise
Erik hid in the shadow of a small tree in front of the hospital emergency room. He had followed the ambulance, and luckily no one could see him. Vampires were especially good at hiding in the shadows. They lived in darkness.
He desperately wanted to run inside and go to Christine, but he also didn't want to find a stake through his heart. There was no telling how many hunters resided in the hospital. He looked down at his clothing. Did he look suspicious? Black shirt, black pants, long black jacket, and a mask on his face…he might as well have a sign that had "I'm a vampire, stake me" on him. He'd have to change.
He glanced at the sidewalk for someone that could "lend" him some clothing, and sure enough a tall slender man was just then walking up the sidewalk that would be perfect. Erik grabbed him and brought him to an empty area in a second. "If it's money you want, I'm broke!" the man yelled as he shook in fear.
"I don't want your money," Erik said simply. "And if you're good, I won't hurt you."
His words didn't seem to calm the poor man. "Then what… do you want?" he stuttered.
"Your clothes," Erik replied.
"Why?" the man asked surprised.
"No questions," Erik ordered. "Give them to me now!" He showed his fangs a little just to scare the man.
"Ok, ok!" the man gave in. The man took off his jacket, his shirt, and everything else. He gave them to Erik. "Uh…do I get your clothes…like a switch?" he asked with expecting eyes.
Erik looked from the white, preppy clothes to the man who was now in only boxers with red hearts on them. "No," Erik said plain and simply.
"But…it's cold!" the man protested, but he instantly got the look on his face showing he knew he'd gone to far.
"Get over it," Erik demanded. "Now leave."
The man didn't seem too reluctant to go. Erik examined the clothes. A white designer shirt, jeans, a tan, light jacket, white tennis shoes, and a Yankee hat were the clothes. "Oh God," he muttered. He took off his clothes and quickly put on the new ones. "I don't think I would wear anything like this if I was human," he said to himself.
Then his thoughts went to his mask. Surely that De Chagny hunter would recognize it immediately. There was really only one way to get into that hospital without a mask…as a patient.
"You really should skateboard with a helmet, Jake," Casey Thomas, a well-known doctor at the hospital, scolded a patient. "Or you'll have to come in for another round of stitches. I don't want to see you back her a fourth time for the same thing," she continued. The poor boy had gotten into a bad skateboard crash and hit his head leaving a cut on his head resulting in a need for stitches; he had done the same thing two times the month before.
"Yes ma-am," he answered sadly. "Ow!" She put the last bandage on the young boy's head.
"Now lay down a second and wait for your parent's to get back, I've gotta go," she said.
"Ok," was his simple reply.
Casey smiled as she left the exam room. Jake was a crazy kid. She made her way to the front desk to finish filling one of his papers when a man walking into the hospital caught her attention. "Oh my gosh!" she exclaimed upon seeing his face. The man looked to be severely injured for his face looked like a skeleton! "Sir! Sir!" she ran to him kind of reluctantly making sure not to look at his ghastly face. "Can someone get me a stretcher?" she yelled. A few doctors came reluctantly to help. Each one some fixated on Erik's face. "Sir, lay down," she instructed.
"Uhh..what? Oh no, I'm not that bad off…I just need a bandage on my face," Erik told them.
"Sir just lay down on the stretcher," she ordered once again. Erik didn't have time to protest though. They pushed him on the stretcher and rolled him into the emergency room.
"He's pale as ever, and his hands are ice," a nurse remarked.
"I'm not dying!" Erik yelled. The stupid nurses and doctors didn't listen though.
"Sir, what happened to you?" Casey asked Erik sincerely.
"I was born!" Erik replied as he sat up surprising all the people in the room. "Now, I'll I want is a fcken bandage for my face!" he told them angrily. Surely he should have known they'd act like this when they saw his face. They all seemed to get the message this time though.
"Do you want gauze or cloth?" Casey asked in shock.
"So what do you think?" Raoul questioned Dr. Smith about Christine.
"Well she wasn't drained dry, so there wasn't an immediate change…thank God. But as you know it depends on how much of the poison got into her body," he explained sadly.
Raoul sighed. "I can't believe I didn't kill him sooner," Raoul scorned himself. "Well what do you think? Your personal opinion, I mean," Raoul asked.
"It doesn't look good," the doctor replied sadly.
Raoul felt like he was about to cry. "This is all my fault."
Erik walked in swiftly through the busy hallways of the hospital. He now had a bandage covering his entire face except his eyes (which were mostly covered), and he also was wearing a hospital gown with a robe on. He figured the more he blended in the better things would be, and now that he did fit in he would have to find Christine.
Glancing around through the small slits, he found the front desk. "Is there a Christine Daae here?" he asked the woman sitting at the deak acting sick the best way he could.
"May I ask why?" she quickly answered. She didn't even bother to look at him.
"Um…I was in the same accident she was in, and I was wondering if she was ok," he quickly came up with.
The woman looked up startled obviously from the way he looked. "Well sir…she's, uh…in ICU."
"Can I go see her? She's really important to me, and I want to know she's alright," he said.
"Well I'm afraid you can't go to her, but from what I heard she's stable," the woman told him.
Erik sighed. "Alright, thanks for your help." He then turned around headed straight for the ICU. At least the woman had narrowed it down.
Raoul held Christine's ice-cold hand watching her chest rise up and down. "I'm so sorry I didn't get rid of him earlier, Christine. I tried, but I should have tried harder," a tear ran down his cheek. "Lord knows, if I would have known this would happen so soon, he'd have been dead the first time I laid eyes on him," more tears began to come, "Oh God I'm so sorry!" he sobbed.
The only sound in the room was his crying and the beeping of the monitor. Raoul looked at her emotionless, sleeping face as he wiped the tears from his eyes. "You know when I saw you a few months ago for the first time in along time, I knew that I loved you. I think from the moment we met when we were children we were meant to be together. And then when I saw you again you were so beautiful. That young brat had turned into a young angel." He smiled through his tears. Carefully, he leaned over her delicate face. "I don't know if you can hear me," he whispered, "but I love you." Then gently, he kissed her.
Erik watched the scene before him in pure sadness. He knew that the hunter had loved her, but to see the proof of it before his eyes was harder to watch then he thought it would be. "Christine," he whimpered.
The sound of someone coming caught his attention, and he quickly hid on the next hallway. "Raoul, I've got some rather startling news," Erik heard the voice of a man say.
"What is it?" Raoul answered back.
"Well you say that it was one of the men you thought bit her," he started.
"I don't think, I know," Raoul told him sternly. Erik wanted to yell at him.
"Well after examining the bite marks on the young woman's neck I've come to the conclusion that it was a woman that bit her," the other man's voice explained. Erik almost smiled.
"And how did you come to that conclusion?" Raoul asked condescendingly.
"There's no need to be mean," the doctor replied with no change of emotion. "But the size of the bite marks on her neck are considerably smaller then that of a man vampire," the doctor told.
Raoul seemed to be squirming. "I want proof it wasn't him!" Raoul yelled.
"Calm down Raoul, you and I both know that the only way to prove it wasn't this vampire you think, we'd need an example of his bite," the doctor said sadly.
Erik wished he could give it to him, but he knew that Raoul and him would get into a huge fight with a lot of stakes if he tried to reveal himself. Of course if he could, he might be able to get off the hook for Christine and be able to see her without the idiot hovering over his shoulder. Perhaps he could confront the doctor and the doctor could arrange a meeting. If he couldn't get in to see Christine without showing them his bite, things would have to work out that way. Erik turned his attention back to the two men.
"NO! I don't want to see that monster!" Raoul announced angrily.
"I know, I know, but I'm telling you that I think it was a woman, and that the only way to prove it is to get an example of this vampire's bite," the doctor said once more.
"Just shut up, it's not going to happen!" Raoul screamed.
The other man sighed. "Very well then, at least tell me you'll get some sleep," he pleaded with the hunter.
"I won't leave her until I know that creature's dead," Raoul told him.
The doctor sighed. "Very well then." The doctor walked straight instead of turning, missing Erik.
Erik's heart fell at Raoul's last words. 'Perhaps the best thing to do is the thing I don't want to'. Reluctantly, Erik followed the doctor.
Dr. Smith was writing in his journal in his office when he heard a quiet knock at his office door. "Who is it?" he called.
The office door opened mysteriously, but no one entered. "Is someone there?" the doctor asked.
"Put the wooden stake you have on your desk up and back away from the desk," a voice ordered from outside the door.
"I won't do so until I see a face," the doctor replied bravely.
After a pause, a tall patient appeared at the door with a bandaged face. "I can't show you my face…yet," Erik explained.
The doctor was hesitant, but he finally slid the wooden stake into his desk, and he backed away from it. "Ok what do you want?" he inquired.
Erik paused for a second to regain his courage to do this. "I want you to promise me that when you see my face you will not run, gasp, scream, or anything else," he demanded.
The doctor looked curious for a second, but then he nodded his head. Erik didn't hesitate to remove the bandage; he'd been preparing himself for this moment. Finally, the last bandage was removed, and the doctor kept his promise and was silent, but Erik could see the shock, fear, and surprise in his eyes. "I was born with this horrid face," Erik confessed. "My name is Erik," he introduced.
The doctor was silent. "I'm going to get to the point, but first I want you to know I will be no means hurt you. You understand?"
The doctor gulped and nodded his head, and Erik continued. "I am one of those creatures you hate so much…" Erik said slowly. He had already prepared himself for whatever reaction the doctor may have, but he didn't expect what happened next…silence. There was no scream, no panic, and no rush for the desk in his desk, just silence.
"How am I supposed to believe you?" the doctor finally asked.
"Why shouldn't you?"
"Well, if you're as you say you are, you would be the only vampire I've seen and heard that actually acted human," the doctor explained.
Erik understood this. Every vampire he'd encountered since Audrey and the group she hung out with before acted like complete and total animals. "I understand," Erik responded. "What kind of proof do you want?"
The doctor thought for a second. "You won't hurt me no matter what right?" the doctor asked.
Erik nodded. "How do I believe you?" The doctor inquired.
"If I wanted to kill you, I would have already done it," Erik answered.
The doctor was still, but then he got to his feet and went to stand face to face. "Open your mouth," the doctor instructed. Erik did so, and the doctor examined his fangs. "Seem real enough, but you can't fake a no heartbeat," the doctor told him as he took his stethoscope off from around his neck. "Can I check?"
"Why would I be faking this?" Erik asked getting rather annoyed at the fact the doctor was too stubborn to believe him.
"You want me to believe you don't you?" the doctor fought back with.
Erik rolled his eyes. "Whatever!" Erik yelled. He hadn't expected the doctor not to believe him.
"No need to get mean about it," the doctor tried to comfort.
Erik scoffed. "You're just lucky I'm desperate," he muttered.
The doctor didn't reply, but instead but the stethoscope in his ears and up to Erik's chest. "Dear God!" he exclaimed as he backed away in fear. "You really are one of them!" He backed away toward the other side of the office.
"I told you that so will you help, or do I have to threaten you to get what I want?" Erik asked him.
"What…what do you want?" the doctor stuttered.
"The girl, Christine Daae, I want you to find someway to get me in there to see her and prove I'm innocent of hurting her," Erik explained.
"You're the vampire Raoul thinks bit her?"
Erik nodded.
"Well…well I already know you're innocent. A woman creature would have had to bite her for such small wounds in her neck," the doctor told him.
"Yes, I heard you talking to Mr. DeChagny, but how do I prove it to him? And how can I see the girl?" Erik asked.
"Why are you revealing yourself to me for the sake of a woman?" the doctor asked curiously.
Erik laughed at himself as he went to lean against the desk; the doctor watched him closely. "You wouldn't believe me even if I told you," Erik laughed.
"Well you're doing it for some reason," the doctor replied. "Why?"
Erik stopped for a second remembering the small amount of times he and Christine had actually spent together. The singing lessons, the time on the roof not so long ago when she had admitted to loving him, and the time in the hallway where he just couldn't hurt the girl with those big blue eyes. He loved her to death that's why he was doing this. "Because I love her," Erik answered. "I'd die if it meant she'd live," Erik continued.
"Wow, you must be some kind of miracle or something," Smith remarked. "I'd never thought I'd hear those words coming from a creature like you, but for some strange reason I believe every word of it." He paused. "Are you willing to do some tests?" he asked.
"Ms. Audrey?" Patrick tiptoed inside the dark room. Audrey had her head down on a dresser facing a mirror. "Shall we continue with the second half of the plan?"
"How do you know it's time to continue?" Audrey asked only raising her head from her arms enough to speak. Patrick still could not see anything of her face.
Patrick smiled in satisfaction. "I know there's no need to ask if you succeeded in killing the ballet brat, you're you! Of course she's dead and on our side now," Patrick announced proud.
Audrey laughed. "You're so pathetic Patrick," she scolded.
Patrick's smile faded. "Why? We are continuing aren't we? Christine Daae is going to turn isn't she?"
Audrey lifted her head enough to for Patrick to see her beaten face in the mirror. He gasped. One whole half of her face was ripped nearly to shreds and what wasn't ripped was bruised, and to make things worse her eyelids had been ripped revealing her whole round eye. "No she's not dead and we're not continuing! I bit the brat, but if I know as much about vampires as I know I do she won't turn!" she screamed breaking the mirror with her hand. She was silent as the shards of glass dropped to the ground.
"Why not?" Patrick asked cautiously.
Audrey turned around to examine Patrick with her bad eye. "Because he's gotten stronger."
"Raoul?" Dr. Smith peeked into the hospital room Christine was in to see Raoul still by her side holding her hands. "May I speak with you for a second?"
"Sure, come in," Raoul answered.
"Well I was wondering if you would follow me to the lab. I've got some things I want to show you," he continued.
"I don't want to leave her," objected Raoul.
"Please, it's important," Dr. Smith warned.
Raoul was silent, but finally, he agreed to go with him.
Erik waited until the sound of their footsteps had gotten softer before entering the hospital room. He was going to prove his innocence AND get to see Christine, and the best part of it all was that the doctor didn't want anything for his services.
Erik had to pause before entering the room though. He was scared to death in what condition he might find her in. Gathering his courage, he turned the knob and walked in. "Oh no," he murmured when he saw her sleeping figure in the bed.
She was white as a sheet, blood was still leaking the bandage around her neck where the two holes were, her lips were purple, the were wires all over the place monitoring her and giving her blood, and the worst part was the emotionless face she had. Her face looked like that of a dead body's. No smile, no fear, no sadness could be seen, no nothing, and Christine always had some sort of emotion on her lovely face. Erik shivered as he crept near her slowly.
"Christine I'm so sorry," he whispered. He took her ice-cold hand in his colder hands and kissed it. "I should have told you sooner, but I was just so afraid I'd lose you," his voice was hoarse as he spoke. He flopped down sadly in the chair beside the bed. " I just couldn't bare to lose you," he continued. "You were the first person that actually ever admitted you loved me," he paused, "that's something my own mother couldn't do. Can you believe that?" he laughed through his tears. "My gosh, you probably can't even hear me." He stopped for a second. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you from Audrey, that btch!" he yelled louder than he intended to. "I swear on what little life I have though that monster, that creature will die…" he paused once more, "she'll die even if we never speak again, and that I can promise you Christine," he reassured.
He was silent for a few minutes. The only sound was the beeping of her heart monitor. "I can't blame you if we never talk again. I don't deserve your forgiveness or your love for that matter. I was a monster in my past. Most vampires have lost their souls causing them to act like animals, but others are different, I was different. We kept something of our mortal selves, and even with that something I kept I killed and mutilated humans worse then some of those animals do. I hated them, I hated them for the torture they put me though because of my face. To me, they all deserved to pay. There was one girl though, or vampire that wanted to protect me and actually be my friend. Her name was Claire, and Audrey burned her to dust only increasing my hate for everything this world had to offer. I was pissed at Audrey for what she did, but something in my heart told me that even if I wanted to beat her I couldn't. She was too strong for me, so I waited. I would get my revenge on her for what she did to Claire. I waited a long time; I got used to my strengths and found ways to increase them; I learned of vampires, just about everything that could be taught to me. Then the time came for me to kill the miserable btch that took Claire away from me. I fought her and tried to make her think that I was going to kill her with mere force, but I had a plan. When the time was right I pushed her into the sun nearly killing her but it didn't. I had failed, and in her rage she continued to make my life more of a living hell then already was. I eventually lost her for ages, but her words and actions made my anger even worse toward everyone. I would kill and torture humans; I would hate them until their last breaths," he then turned to look at Christine, "but then I met you. Such a beautiful young girl that didn't hate me or hurt me, and even when she saw my hideous face she still wanted me. Such I thing I didn't think was possible," he stopped, "I've changed from a vengeful monster to actually some form of a man since I met you Christine, and I think even Madame Giry would agree to tell you that," he laughed a little.
"I hope you can hear me Christine because the next part you have to know. I may still be this monster, this creature, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm still the Erik you loved, the Erik that gave you lessons and played the piano for you; the same Erik that you kissed that one night. I'm still Erik, and I swear on whatever life I may have that I will NEVER hurt you," he put particular emphasis on never. "I love you Christine, I love you so much no matter what I am." He began to cry. "Please don't leave me forever when you wake up. I just don't know what I'd do." His whole body began to shake in tears. "Ok I'm done." Then to say goodbye he stood up and gave her a light kiss on her purple lips. "Goodbye my angel," he said before walking out the door reluctantly.
Raoul and Dr. Smith entered the large lab that was thankfully empty at the moment. "Raoul you're not going to want to hear this," the doctor warned, "but I think you have to."
Raoul didn't look very happy at all. "Just get on with it," ordered Raoul.
The doctor didn't hesitate. "Well I spoke with the vampire you think did this to Christine," Smith began.
"You spoke with him?" Raoul asked astounded.
The doctor nodded and tried to continue. "And he didn't…"
"How could you speak with one of those creatures?" Raoul interrogated furiously.
"He came to me, and it was my choice to listen, and frankly Raoul, I believed every word he said and the tests only proved him right," the Smith continued ignoring the angry face of Raoul. He gave the hunter a folder filled with test results. Raoul snatched and began to look through. "First and fore most his fangs could have not of formed the bites of Christine's neck, second he hasn't had a drop of blood in at least four months. So how could he have hurt her?" the doctor asked.
"I don't know, but he must have!" Raoul protested angrily.
"It would be impossible. These tests are so basic they can't lie!" Smith argued.
"Well then who did?" Raoul yelled.
"Her name is Audrey." Both the men turned around to see Erik standing there mask less and still in the hospital clothing.
"Ahh! Can't you put your freaken mask on?" Raoul yelled.
Erik didn't reply. He expected that reaction. "As you can see I would do anything to see Christine. Why on Earth would I hurt her?"
"Because it's just what monsters like you do!" he screamed. "You murder, torture, and take the lives of innocent people!" he cried through his fury.
"I'm not going to lie and say that's not what I used to be, but I promise you that I didn't hurt her. And I'm willing to let you put a stake through my heart if I can't prove I didn't," Erik said.
Raoul scoffed. "I'll put stake through your heart even if you didn't hurt Christine!"
Erik shook his head in annoyance. "Tell me Mr. DeChagny, why did you decide to become a vampire hunter? Curiosity, you have a particular interest for the undead? Or was it perhaps a vampire did something to someone you loved dearly?" questioned Erik.
"Oh don't tell me you don't know the answer! You know good in well what you did to my parents!" Raoul argued. "Even with the mass amount of lives you must have taken surely you would remember them! You're the one butchered and slaughtered them!"
Erik was silent for a second. He did remember Raoul's parents. Never before had he done such a thing to two people, but never had a couple fought back more then them. Erik sat down on a stool and looked down. He couldn't meet the hunter's eyes. "You know your parents fought back more then any human I've ever come in contact with. That's why they came to such a particularly gruesome fate. Your father went down first protecting your mother, and your mother I don't even think screamed one. She looked so brave and actually injured me before she went down." Erik stopped to pull up a sleeve on the robe to reveal three long scars on his pale arm. "Your mother's wounds have never really healed." Raoul calmed down a bit as he looked at the large scar on his arm. "Back then I found their courage an annoyance, but now I rather respect it." He stopped to look at Raoul. "I see and respect the same courage I see in you," Erik said.
Raoul was speechless. "I'm sorry for what I did to you. If I could ever take it back I would. They were great people and they deserved to live, and they deserved to see their son turn into a courageous man," Erik continued. "I don't deserve your forgiveness, but will you please let me see Christine where it doesn't have to be secret. I've already snuck in, but with the worry of you barging in. I'd do anything to be with her in his hard time," Erik pleaded.
Raoul looked like he was on the verge of tears. "You…you're doing this all to see Christine without worrying about me?" Raoul stuttered.
"There's that, and I really do want you to know how incredibly sorry I am," Erik continued. "Please tell me what I have to do."
Raoul didn't say anything for at least five minutes, a long five minutes. Erik hoped his speech had gone well, he certainly hadn't planned it. It was coming all from his cold and black heart. "You say a vampire name Audrey did this to her?" Raoul asked finally.
Erik nodded and Raoul continued. "I want you to help me hunt her down and kill the creature," Raoul told him.
Erik smiled widely for the first time in a long time. "I would want nothing more."
"It's a deal?" Raoul asked.
Erik shook his head. "A promise." They shook hands.
Erik and Raoul sat on opposite sides of Christine's bed watching, waiting, and hoping for good news. They had closed the blinds to the room because Erik had refused to leave because of the sun. Raoul couldn't blame him, but he certainly didn't like seeing Erik's beyond hideous face.
Raoul looked at his watch. "Only fifteen minutes tell sunrise," he announced.
"Fifteen minutes tell we know," Erik put in sadly.
Raoul sighed. "Yeah, I know."
The two men were silent. "What's it like to turn?" Raoul finally asked breaking the silence. His curiosity was getting the best of him since he was talking to a vampire that wasn't trying to kill him.
"I don't remember. There was pain and then everything went black. But I was turned by a vampire who actually stayed around afterward so I don't know what Christine's going through," Erik answered.
"Was it a lot of pain?" Raoul inquired.
"The pain came from the bite," he pulled back his hair to reveal two scars on his neck where Audrey had bit him. "Nothing our dear Christine hasn't already experienced."
Raoul sighed once more. "I was hoping she hadn't experienced much pain," he told Erik.
"I understand," Erik said. His eyes glanced toward Raoul's watch only for a second. "Five more minutes," he announced.
"This is so uncomfortable. Christine could be about to turn into a monster, and I've got a monster sitting right before me!" Raoul exclaimed as he stood up and began pacing the room.
"You do what you have to do," Erik told him.
"Oh shut up please. It's so hard for me to hear your voice," Raoul said to him.
Erik nodded his head in understanding. "I need to open the blinds enough to let the sun sit on her. If she's turned I want her dead the first moment the sun hits her. I want it over with the first moment she's turned," Raoul explained.
"I agree," Erik said. He quickly went to stand in the darkness as Raoul opened the blinds. The sun soon rose very high and light went to sit on Christine who thankfully didn't react. Finally, her big eyes opened. She looked normal and the massive amount of sunlight resting on her didn't kill her although she seemed not to like it.
"Christine?" her eyes turned to Raoul who smiled at her. And then she continued to look around the room and her eyes stopped dead on Erik.
I hope you liked it! Once again sorry for the length!