Chapter 17

The next days were passing quickly and with no problems. Antoine had informed Madame Giry that Erik had caught only flu and with the appropriate medication he could be back to his duty. Antoinette was taking care of him every day except the hours she was going to buy supplies and she was leaving Meg and Christine to attend to him. As the days passed, Erik was feeling better. The fever was in the past and he had more appetite for food. Finally, one week and a half after the accident, he was feeling more than good. Antoinette was in his room and brought his food.

"So Erik how do you feel today?", the older woman asked him.

"I am much better, thank you. For everything."

"Don't mention it. I just brought you back to health", Antoinette answered with a smile. "You can eat in the kitchen with us, you know."

"I am fine here Antoinette, really. I feel a bit uncomfortable with all of you on the table", he added.

"As you wish, but you should know that sometimes I was not here. Meg and Christine were and did the chores."

"I know that, I was hearing them. But they never bothered me so I am satisfied with it".

For a few minutes, they remained silent. Antoinette spoke first.

"I wanted to ask you something, about the rehearsals", she told him.

"What do you want to know?"

"Well, I was thinking about my girls. I know that you want to be present in the Opera House to watch the rehearsals, to make your corrections. But what about us? Should we continue work or you want to see our progress as well?"

Erik thought for a while.

"This is a good question. The truth is that my knowledge around dance isn't that great, so why not? I want everything to be perfect and I know that you are an excellent teacher, so I trust you. I am sure that the result will be sublime. When I return to the Opera House I will watch your progress and then we can see the next dance moves".

"Thank you Erik", she said and let him finish his meal. When he was done she took the tray from his hands.

"I will go to the Opera House to tell them about our conversation. The girls are already there so you will be alone in the house for a while. You can take a bath if you want".

"Alright Antoinette, thank you. A bath is a good idea right now".

She nodded and exited the room.

Christine was so tired that she couldn't wait to return home and sleep until the next morning. She was the first who left from the Opera House. Meg and Madame Giry would come later with Rosalie. She opened the door and closed it behind her. As she was taking off her coat she saw Erik exited the bathroom. He saw her too. They were looking at each other for a few seconds when Christine spoke first.

"I am sorry Monsieur I…. I didn't know that….. I thought that you were sleeping".

"That's quite alright Madame, I felt better and took a bath".

"You did very well, a bath is always helpful".

Erik nodded and looked at his feet.

"Are you finished for today?", he asked her. He tried to control his voice because it was trembling.

"Yes", she answered hanging her coat. "Madame Giry will come later".

"Good", he told her and walked towards his room. Her voice stopped him.

"Have you eaten? I could cook something for you".

"No, I am fine, thank you. I will eat later. I would like to lie down for a while".

"Of course. If …. If you need anything, just….. tell me", Christine said trying to keep her voice steady.

Erik nodded and disappeared into his room. The young woman let a breath of relief. 'That was not so bad after all', she thought. She walked to the kitchen and prepared a meal for herself. As she was eating, a door opened and closed. Christine stood up to see what happened when a tall figure entered the kitchen. Their eyes crossed for a minute and Erik made a signal to her to sit back down.

"Sit, please. I would like to ask you something but….".

He suddenly stopped and looked once again into her eyes.

"I don't want you to be afraid of me", he said with a low voice.

Christine bent her head.

"I am not used to your presence. It's weird", she told him without looking at him.

"It's weird for both of us. And difficult too. But we have to get used to it. We will work together; we can't avoid each other forever".

"I know", she said. "So, what did you want to ask me?"

"Well, Antoinette told me about my accident and that you found me. I would like to know what happened. I don't know how I got here."

"Which is the last thing you remember?", she asked him.

"The moment we talked in the stables. Then I ran with the horse away and as we ran, something happened with the horse I guess and I fell. After that, I don't remember anything."

"Max, the horse you galloped away with, returned to the stables and I happened to be still there with Meg. He was really upset and I suspected that maybe something happened to you. So, we called Madame Giry. I rode Max and they came behind me with a carriage and two stable boys, Adam and Paul. It was so cold but luckily the snow was not so thick that moment. After a turn, I saw you down on the road. Your body was into the snow and you were frozen. We put you into the carriage and brought you here. The good thing is that you were not outside for a long time. You were lucky enough to escape from pneumonia".

Christine finished her narration and Erik tried to digest all the information she gave to him. Three women got worried about him and ran, literally, to search for him. And one of them was the woman beside him. That was unbelievable.

"I wouldn't believe it if you wouldn't tell me", he said to Christine. "You could let me die out there or you could let the others search for me", he added with an ironic smile.

"I am not such a person Monsieur. You should know that", Christine answered with a serious and sad gaze.

Erik cleared his throat and looked away embarrassed.

"I know that I am sorry. For… everything. And thank you, for saving my life".

Christine looked at him and a little smile formed upon her lips. A smile that Phantom returned to her.