The Human Heart

Chapter Four

Mia skipped down the road as she made her way over to her favorite small bakery. She had been helping out in the hospital for about a week now, and she absolutely loved it. However, Mia hadn't seen anymore of Erik Destler, like he had disappeared into thin air. 

"Bonjour!" the lady called as Mia walked in. "Hello, Mia! What would you like today?" 

"Bonjour," the redhead returned politely. "Might I have half a dozen croissants, Elise? Thank you." 

The young lady, who seemed surprised that Mia knew her name, said, "Of course! That will be 2 francs, if you please." Mia quickly gave the money, and took the box, waving as she left. She was planning to find the phantom today, so she skipped her way to the Opera Populaire.

Silently, she made her way to his lair, then her hazel eyes widened as she heard retching. Quickly, Mia set the box down on a table, making her way towards the sound. She found Erik hunched over the toilet, and she sighed softly.

"Well, that doesn't look fun," she remarked, crouching down as she gently rubbed his back. "How long have you been at this for?"

"What are you doing here?" Erik groaned. Mia was silent as she waited for him to answer her question first, causing him to give in. "I've been sick for 2 days."

Mia nodded. "Thanks. Now, why don't you try that again with the truth?" 

He muttered a rude remark in French under his breath, then told her, "About 5 days. Happy now?" 

"Ok, that's alright. You must have caught something," she said. "I was going to check on you, since I haven't seen you for a while. Are you finished?" Erik staggered up and managed to rinse his mouth, groaning again. 

"My sheets," he managed to say hoarsely. It took a few moments for the pieces to click into place, but then Mia nodded in understanding, racing off to change his bed sheets. 

A few moments later, she came back to help him back to bed. "Come on, Erik," she sighed. "You need to get more rest. I'll make some soup, and then I need to go to the hospital." 

They made it to the dark bedroom, and Mia helped Erik stumble into the bed, covering him with a blanket. She placed a cool hand on his forehead, frowning slightly when she found that he was quite warm. 

"Well, you're running a fever," Mia announced to him. "You just need a lot of rest. I'll be back in a little." She walked out of the room, leaving Erik to doze off.

It only felt like it had been a few moments when Erik was gently shaken awake. A bowl was placed to his lips and he blindly drank it, too tire to open his eyes. It was some sort of chicken broth, which was quite refreshing to him, since he hadn't eaten for a long time. 

"There you go," Mia murmured softly. Once he finished drinking, she set the bowl aside next to his mask and hairpiece and grabbed a cool, damp cloth. Kneeling at the side of the bed, Mia gently used the cloth to wipe Erik's face. 

"Why are you doing this?" he asked quietly. "Why are you helping me?"

Mia paused her actions for a moment, thinking. "Well, why not?" she eventually responded. "I can help, and since I can, I might as well. Besides, it's not a crime to help a friend, is it?" Erik blinked for a moment, which caused Mia to sigh and gently take his hand. 

"I know you probably aren't used to relying on people, but please let me take care of you," the girl pleaded gently. Erik slowly nodded, closing his eyes as she continued to adjust his bed. 

When Mia finished, Erik managed to say, "Thank you, Mia." She smiled at him, gently placing a hand on his marred cheek.

"I need to go," she said, beginning to get up, but Erik grabbed her hand, looking at her with pleading eyes. "Erik?"