Chapter 15

"HE NEVER LISTENS, NEVER", Christine said to herself as she returned inside. "HE WILL GET HIMSELF KILLED". She didn't take many steps when she fell on Meg.

"Watch out Christine. Where have you been? Raoul took Rosalie inside. Can you believe that he came? Are you alright?"

Meg got worried when she saw that her friend didn't respond.

"Christine what's wrong?", Meg asked worried.

"I am sorry Meg but I am so angry with both of them. They don't care about anything".

"In whom are you referring to? To Raoul? And who is the other who…. OH!" Meg yelled as she realized the truth. "You mean Phantom? You talked to him?"

Christine nodded and began to describe the situation. After the end of the narration, Meg was shocked.

"Are you kidding me? You did that? WOW!".

"Hush Meg, don't shout", Christine said worried. "It 's not necessary for the entire building to hear us".

"I am sorry Christine but that was….. AWESOME! Not only you talked to them both but you managed to let them listen to you without a word", Meg squealed.

Christine smiled. Yes, her friend was right. She indeed managed to have a hand on them. The silence between them was interrupted by a noise which coming from the stables.

"What was that?", Meg asked worried. "It sounds like …. a horse?", she continued.

"It sounds like a horse's neigh", Christine concluded.

With no time to waste, the two women rushed to the stables. They saw Paul, the stable boy to try to calm down the animal. The horse was neighing and was hitting his hooves on the ground. At first the young man had a difficulty to catch the reins but in the end, he did it and began to pet the horse to make him feel comfortable.

"What is going, Paul? Why the horse….. Oh no!", Christine said as she realized that that horse was Erik's.

"I don't know Christine, he is really worried. I don't know what is wrong with him", Paul said.

"Christine are you alright?", Meg asked a bit worried when her friend touched her shoulder.

"Meg, don't you understand? It's…. it's Monsieur Erik's horse. The both of them left fifteen minutes ago", Christine said rocking the blonde ballerina.

"Alright Christine, calm yourself. If that is his horse, then…. where is he?"

"I don't know Meg. This is not normal. Look at this poor creature. He is restless and his rider is missing. The weather is awful too. Something bad has happened Meg. Quick, go fetch your mother. Whatever has happened, he needs help".

Meg, seeing the serious look on Christine's face, nodded her head. As long as Meg was absent, Christine asked Paul to saddle the horse. In a few minutes, Madame Giry was with them.

"Paul, prepare the carriage." And then she looked to Christine's direction. " DON'T TELL ME THAT YOU WILL GO WITH MAXWELL, CHRISTINE. IT'S SO COLD OUTSIDE. YOU WILL COME WITH US", Madame Giry insisted as she saw the young woman riding the animal.

"He will guide us, Madame. You will just follow us". And with no other word, Maxwell started galloping away.

"CHRISTINE", Meg shouted but her friend was far away.

"Quick Paul, prepare the carriage and call one of your co-workers. You will come with us. If something has happened, you will be helpful".

Paul nodded and started the preparations. In five minutes, they were already on the road. Paul and his co-worker Adam were driving the carriage and Meg with her mother were inside it. For a little while, they couldn't see anything but soon Paul saw a figure riding a horse. Christine was finally on sight and fortunately not so away from the carriage. She let the horse guide her and the only thing she was thinking was the Phantom. 'I hope he is well and alive. Let him be unhurt'. She and Max were running and running and running. The young woman could see the animal's breath but they couldn't stop now. She knew that the carriage was behind them. Max was still running and Christine was afraid that they were far away from their destination. But she was wrong. Max took a turn and suddenly she saw a big mass at the edge of the road. Fortunately, the snow had begun to subside and the brunette could see the road better. As they were getting closer, the mass began to take shape. There was no doubt. The mass was a human figure. She pushed Max to run faster and before he reaches the unconscious man, she jumped from the saddle and ran beside him. He was lying on his back, unconscious. His half body was buried into the snow. The young woman touched his forehead and his cheek. He was frozen. In the meantime, she heard voices and saw Madame Giry and Meg kneel beside her.

"What is happening Christine? Is he alright?", Antoinette asked worried.

"I am not so sure Madame, he is frozen. His face is so cold. I am afraid that he is….".

"Don't say that Christine", Meg admonished her friend. "I don't think that he is…. you know. He is here for forty minutes at least. Not even an hour".

"I agree with you, Meg. But let's not waste more time. Paul, Adam, quick. Take him and put him into the carriage. Then, tie Max with the other horses. Christine, you will come with us".

Christine nodded. The two men managed to carry the third man into the carriage. The three women entered first so Erik could lie on them. His head was on Antoinette's lap and his legs on Christine's lap. Meg removed his gloves and rubbed his hands with hers.

"Straight to my house Paul", Madame Giry shouted to the young man.

"But, he needs a doctor…".

"Do as you been told".

Paul nodded and took the reins once more. The two girls looked at each other quizzically.

"Mama, why to our house? We can't take care of him there", Meg asked her mother.

"Yes, we can Meg. I will fetch Antonio to see him. I am afraid that they will remove his mask in the hospital. We should be really careful. He needs protection as well".

Christine and Meg didn't say a word. They knew that Antoinette was right. In fifteen minutes they were outside of Giry's house. Paul and Adam carried Erik into the house and put him in the guest room. Antoinette followed the two young men back to the Opera House to fetch the doctor and the girls stayed alone at home. Christine was right. He was indeed in danger. She didn't exchange any word with Meg and waited patiently for the Madame Giry's return. Half an hour later, the door opened and in the threshold appeared the old woman with Dr. Antonio Bianco. He greeted the two women and then followed Antoinette into the guest room. Meg and Christine tried to occupy themselves as long as they could but with no success.

"They are in the room for hours! What are they doing after all?", Meg exclaimed angrily.

"Shhh, Meg. We don't want them to hear us", Christine said and went towards her friend. "The truth is that I am dying from curiosity too but we can't do anything else. Only wait".

And that was what they did. After one hour, the door opened and Madame Giry with the doctor exited the bedroom. She escorted him outside and closed the door behind her. Then she gestured to the girls to sit on the sofa.

"Mother, is everything alright? What did the doctor say?", Meg asked worried.

Madame Giry took a deep breath and began to talk.

"Listen, I told Antonio some things about Erik. Not everything and of course not the truth about his identity. I told him that he is a relative of mine. Antonio examined him and he said that fortunately he has not pneumonia but maybe he has caught heavy flu".

She stopped talking and looked at the two girls.

"What does this mean?" Meg asked trying to understand the whole situation.

"That means", her mother continued, "that it's not necessary to take him to the hospital. The good news is that he was still warm when we found him and the doctor said that he is not in danger. I can take care of him here. So, I would like to ask for your permission. He is still unconscious and Antonio said that he is not sure when he will awake. Maybe today, maybe in two days. He will pass by tomorrow to check him again".

Meg and Cristine looked at Madame Giry with wide eyes when Meg decided to speak.

"Of course Mother he can stay here".

"Yes, of course, Madame, there is no problem".

"But", Meg continued, "who will take care of him when we are absent? We are at the Opera House for almost the whole day".

"You are right Meg", Antoinette said. "Maybe Antonio can send us a nurse to help us here". Madame Giry stood up. "I will go to the Opera House to inform the managers about Erik. I will tell them the same thing I told Antonio. Have an eye on him, girls, please".

The girls nodded and Madame Giry left the house. Meg turned to Christine.

"Christine? Should we go to check on him?"

"Let's give it a try", Christine said and she followed Meg to the guest room. They opened the door ajar and looked inside. The Phantom was sleeping deeply on the bed, covered to his throat with two blankets and his clothes were on the chair. Maybe the doctor helped Madame Giry to undress him. Beside the bed was a nightstand with some pills on it. The small fireplace was sending warmth all around the room.

"Let's let him sleep", Meg whispered and Christine nodded. She closed the door and they return to the living room. Each of them lost in their thoughts, the young women couldn't believe what happened the last hours. The legendary Phantom was lying on a bed in the next room. The silence was unbearable so Meg spoke first.

"So, what will happen from now on? He will stay here but when he will wake up what will happen? Will he stay or….. leave away?"

"I don't know Meg", Christine responded. "If I was him I would leave Paris as soon as possible. This situation is terrifying, even for him. He wants his safety and he never returned here because he found it somewhere else. Wherever is this place, he is happy and calm. I wouldn't want to sacrifice anything of it so I would leave away".

"I think that I agree with you, Christine. His past was really bad, we know it, but at least he left Paris and left you alone to live your life. He never came back to claim you or hurt Raoul. He has a new life somewhere else as you said. So, the only thing that remains is to be healthy again soon and go back to his home".

Christine nodded and the two women didn't say anything more.

Firmin was enjoying the morning chilly air. The streets were not so crowded this time and the way to the Opera House was enjoyable. He wanted this walk last more but he had to go to his job. The previous afternoon Madame Giry had informed him and Andre that Monsieur Destler had an accident and that the rehearsals would have stop indefinitely. She had also told them that he was a far relative of hers and that she would accommodate him to her house to take care of him. The managers were shocked at first but they agreed with Madame to stop the rehearsals as long as it was needed. As he walked, Firmin fell upon a man.

"Good morning Officer", Firmin said and took off his hat to greet Pierre Reneau. "How are you today"?

"Brilliant Monsieur Firmin", Pierre answered. "You are a morning walker, huh?"

"Time for work officer, what can I say?", Firmin smiled. "We have some issues to take care of. You see, our guest Monsieur Destler had an accident yesterday and we should postpone the rehearsals until he will be well again. So, we have to find something to show to our audience these days".

"Oh, I am sorry to hear it. My assistant told me about him and that you present one of his operas. I hope he will be well again soon. I am sure that you will do an amazing job with your program, Monsieur Firmin". Pierre looked at his watch. "Look at the time, I should be already to my office. Goodbye Monsieur". He took off his hat and walked away with quick steps.