Chapter 7
Joly led the way to Enjolras' apartment, with Enjolras right behind him. He ran up the stairs, "Joly, go retrieve your medical supplies. Grantaire open the door for me." Right when Grantaire somehow managed to unlock Enjolras' door with shaking hands, Enjolras ran in and placed Eponine on the spare bed, her blood automatically staining the white sheets crimson. "We have to stop the blood," Enjolras mumbled to himself, running his blood stained hands through his hair and tugging his curls.
Joly came into the room and briefly took in the scene. The lighting was much better than what it was at the inn, Grantaire seemed terrified. He was pale, sweaty, and seemed like he could break into sobs at any moment. The children were worse, Azelma was sitting on the armchair in the corner rocking back and forth, letting out wails of fear and sorrow. Gavroche was standing by the bed, staring at Eponine, as if he was in a trance, with tears streaming down his face. Enjolras seemed to be the only one who could manage to assist him, for he was gathering up towels and putting pressure on her head wound. "I need all of them out," Joly said quietly to Enjolras.
Enjolras looked up and nodded, "Grantaire, take Gavroche and Mademoiselle Azelma into the other room. I want you to get their mind off of this; you may be the only one who could manage that. Also, get them bread. Lord knows how long it has been since they have had food in their stomach."
Grantaire looked at Enjolras and Joly, his gaze lingering on them as if to say, "Don't you dare let her die."
He awkwardly clapped his hands and said, "Come on, children, we have to give them room to work," and herded the weeping children out the door.
Right as the door closed, Joly went to work, "Get me water and a rag, while I strip her to get a better look at the damage," he said, taking out a knife and swift cutting off her dress. Enjolras quickly turned and filled up the bucket with water.
When he walked back through the door, he was stopped dead in his tracks. He let out a sharp gasp at the sight of Eponine's exposed, disfigured, and brutally abused body. He felt rage boil inside of him, a rage that he had never known before. How dare they do this to a lady? How dare they treat a fellow citizen this way? How dare he let this happen? "My God…" he whispered.
"I agree," Joly responded quickly, "Come, bring the water here and start cleaning the blood off of her, quickly. I need to stitch up this stomach wound. It seems to be the source of the most blood loss."
Enjolras reacted swiftly, and ran the rag up her arms, across her face and chest, and finally came to the atrocious cut on her stomach. It was deep and spewing blood. It ran from her lower left hip to just under the right side of her rib cage. He gently applied pressure to the wound and cleaned around it with the already dyed rag. Joly pushed him gently away and started to sew her cut shut.
"There is one more thing," Joly said.
"What is it?" Enjolras asked.
Joly shifted uncomfortably, "She shows signs of being raped, multiple times and quite viciously, at that."
Enjolras stopped with his mouth hanging slightly ajar as he looked at the broken Eponine. "Do not reveal this information to her siblings, it will only upset them."
Joly nodded slowly before continuing his work. They popped her shoulder back into place, stitched up wounds, bandaged cuts, and stabilized broken bones all night. By the end they were drenched in Eponine's blood and exhausted. "Three broken and two cracked ribs, nasty and deep cuts on both her stomach and her head, a dislocated shoulder, three broken fingers, countless cuts and bruises, and a terrifying amount of blood loss, and yet, she will most likely live," Joly turned to Enjolras, "Am I an extraordinarily good and well-educated medical student or is Eponine just an extremely strong person?"
"Both of the choices are true," Enjolras placed his hand on Joly's shoulder, "Go home and get some rest, I will be here to watch over her. You deserve a break after the miracle you pulled off."
After Enjolras escorted Joly out, he lifted up the two sleeping children and placed them in his bed. Grantaire was asleep on the couch, snuggling with a flask of whiskey. Enjolras went back into the room Eponine was in and settled in the armchair in the corner and fell into a deep sleep.
Eponine's eyes opened and squinted at the light coming through the window. Everything was blurry. She turned her head to face away from the light and hit the pillow. Her eyebrows knit in confusion. "A pillow?" She thought. That was odd. She had not had a pillow since they had lost the inn. Her hand ran across the sheets. Where was she? This certainly was not the type of environment she was used to. There was no bottles breaking, no drunken yells, no cackling women. It made her alert; she needed to leave this unknown and unfamiliar place.
"Ah, the Mademoiselle is awake at last," she hears as she turns to see what looked like an angel to her maladjusted eyes. The bright light reflected off his slightly tanned skin, it danced around his broad jaw that was littered with unkempt scruff that made the figure more appealing, it shined through his blonde curls. "Grantaire," he called, "fetch Joly and tell him Eponine has awoken."
Her eyes widened, "Monsieur Enjolras? What are you doing here? Where am I? How did I come to be here?" She tried to sit up, but pain blasted through her body like an explosion.
She let out a cry, as Enjolras gently pushed her back onto the bed, "Do not move, Mademoiselle, for it may cause you further injuries. Just stay still. I will answer your questions," he said in a surprisingly gentle voice, almost coaxing her back into bed.
She hesitantly obliged, "How did I come to be here?" She repeated.
"Your sister, Azelma, found us after you were beaten by your father. You were on the brink of death when we finally got to you. We brought you to my apartment because I had an extra room to spare and Joly managed to fix you up. You gave them quite the scare, Mademoiselle," Enjolras noticed he said them as opposed to us. He found that perplexing, was he not scared? He certainly was. Then how come he was almost afraid to let her know that he too, was scared that he would not be able to have more conversations with Eponine as he had two nights before.
Eponine let out a small sob as the memories of that night came rushing to her like a broken dam released water. She was terrified at the thought of ever having to go back to her "home", but she was more terrified at the thought of what would happen if she didn't go back, "Where are Azelma and Gavroche?" She asked in a small voice that made her fear evident.
Enjolras seemed to just think it was caused by what had happened to her and not the upcoming dangers she would be forced to face if she did not tread carefully. "They have been staying with me since the night we brought you here. They seemed too worried to leave you," he noticed the worried look on Eponine's face and quickly continued, "Do not worry, they were well fed and bathed. I even got them some new clothing, nothing spectacular, but it will suffice. They seem to already be gaining weight."
The look did not leave Eponine's face. Although she was thrilled that her siblings were in such good care, she couldn't move past the horror that had risen in her. "Azelma is not there, either. Father must be furious, he would have to be losing money by the day," she thought.
She closed her eyes and attempted to take deep breaths but was greeted by the pain that refused to subside. "How long?" She asked.
"Excuse me?" Enjolras responded surprised.
"How long have we been under your care?" She repeated slowly.
He looked at her, "Five days."
"Five days?!" She thought. She had to leave as soon as possible.
The door to the room opened as Azelma, Grantaire, Joly, and Gavroche flooded in.
"'Ponine! Thank goodness you are alright!" Azelma said with tears in her eyes, threatening to spill over.
"We have been so worried!" Gavroche said.
"All of us," Grantaire said softly, standing in the corner of the room giving her a weak smile, "Don't you dare do that to us again, Thénardier."
Joly hastily moved forward, "Alright everyone, let the woman breath, I need to check her vitals." He scanned her body, asking her if there was anything bleeding, how she felt, along with many other questions. He looked over his stitches and deemed that for now, she was okay, but needed to stay in bed and do minimal amount of walking as possible.
"Unfortunately, that won't be possible," she said attempting to get up, "Azelma we are going."
"What?" Azelma asked incredulously.
"Gather your belongings or whatever belongings Monsieur Enjolras has been so kind to buy you," she continued.
"Eponine that is a bad idea, you still need to heal," Joly said worriedly, looking around for help. Everyone seemed to be in shock at her statement.
"I do thank you all for your help, and especially you, Monsieur Enjolras, for you hospitality. I apologize for any inconvenience I have burdened you with, but we will be off," she glared at Azelma the way her mother always did to them, "Now, Azelma!"
"You will do no such thing!" Enjolras said fiercely. He turned to the room, "Leave us," he commanded. The room quickly emptied, leaving the two alone.
"Monsieur Enjolras, I appreciate your concern, but you really do not have any idea what you are getting yourself into. It is safer for all of us if 'Zelma and I leave."
"Safer?" Enjolras exclaimed, laughing at the statement, "You would have died at the hands of those men had it not been for us. Do you really believe it is safer back there? No, I refuse to let you leave my apartment before you are healed. I won't allow it."
"Won't allow it?" She yelled, "It is not your decision. If I do not go back they will find me. They will beat me worse than they did before, they will beat Azelma, and they will kill you. I refuse to have your life on my shoulders."
She turned to the door and yelled, "Azelma, come in here!"
Azelma scurried inside. "We are going," Eponine said more gently this time, "You know Father will find us if we do not go to him first. The only way he would let us go is if he was being paid for it."
"I will pay," Enjolras stated.
"You will not," Eponine retorted.
"I will do as I please, Mademoiselle, and I will pay for your safety," He said with finality.
"I do not want your charity, you will not pay," she answered.
"Stop!" Azelma exclaimed, "Eponine, you must stay here until you are healed. Monsieur Enjolras, Eponine is right, we cannot accept your money. I will pick-pocket more money than usual and claim a man found you on the streets and bought you for the time being."
"He will not believe that," Eponine said, debating the plan in her mind.
"I am well aware," Azelma said, acting much older and more mature than her age, "But, as long as he is getting money he will not care about the story." Upon seeing her sister's hesitation Azelma fell to her knees at the side of the bed, "Please, 'Ponine. I need you to be alright."
Eponine closed her eyes and nodded, "Take Gavroche with you to help you gather the money. Remember, aim for drunk, rich, and skinny men. Stay in crowds. Be safe."
Azelma nodded and called the men in and relayed the plan to them. Soon after, Gavroche and Azelma left the apartment.
"Follow them," Eponine said looking up at the men, "Azelma is out of practice and though I think she will be okay, I do not want a drunken, rich man trying to take advantage of her. They would be offended if they knew I sent you to watch over them, so stay hidden."
"I will go," Grantaire said, sounding quite sober for him, "Joly has classes and you need to be looked after. Plus, I blend in much more easily than Enjolras would."
Eponine nodded, "Stay with them in the upper class parts, which is the most dangerous for them. Stay away from the slums, our name protects us there. The people of the slums have learned to not bother a Thénardier if they value their lives. The rich are not as aware of that fact."
Joly turned away uncomfortably at Eponine's sudden intimidation. Grantaire quickly excused himself and Joly jumped at the opportunity to leave.
Once they left, Eponine looked up at Enjolras, "I have been meaning to tell you something," she began.
He looked at her, intrigued, "What is that, Mademoiselle?"
"I saw it," she said, almost talking to herself, "I saw the beauty of this city during what I thought were my last moments in it."
Enjolras shyly smiled at her, "I am glad to hear that."
She stared at him, he felt as though her eyes were penetrating him, seeing right through his every flaw, his being. "But there is something I still do not think you understand. I now see there is hope, but without realizing and facing this truth, you and your men will surely die during the uprising," she said bluntly.
Eponine was used to death, it happened all around her every day, she had even flirted with it on several occasions, but Enjolras did not have that exposure. He hardened at the word and turned towards the door, "You need to rest, I will leave you for now."
"But there is something I must tell you!" Eponine said annoyed that he was unwilling to listen to ideas other than his own.
"Rest Eponine!" he exclaimed more harshly than he had intended, "Please," he said softly.
Eponine's eyes followed him until he had left the room. "Oh, you poor damned souls," she said under her breath.
WOW! Three chapters in three days. That's crazy, I think I'm just like on a writing streak. This probably won't last long. Anyway, I'm going to use the next chapters to show her relationship with each of the men and build off of it. Review! Please! Scrutinize this, criticize it, write a ten paged review on it, all is welcomed and appreciated! I want to thank everyone who has reviewed so far! You guys rock \m/