You Belong To Me (Phantom of the Opera fanfic)

Chapter 15

Words were formed onto my lips. I had the perfect sentence to throw back at Nicole which was snobby and bitchy but with her ignorance, she'd never understand. Had I had only ten more seconds I could probably get it out and get a reaction...just ten seconds. Perhaps twenty if I wanted a satisfactory reaction that would embed itself into my memory for years.

But as soon as I had the words, something warm was forming beneath me. Without looking, I knew it either had to be my water breaking or a very late miscarriage. The first option made more sense so, shocking, I choked out, "M-my water just broke."

Nicole burst out laughing, tears forming in her eyes and spits flying out of her mouth. I took a deep breath and tried to ignore her, frantically typing in Ryan's number. He was the only reliable person at this moment. Nicole took the phone from me and helped me to my feet. "Oh please, Grace. I'll take you. Come on."

"Why'd you laugh then?" I wondered aloud.

"Because I just...I just find it hilarious that you're actually having a baby! Ugh, why is it so funny, I wonder?" She tapped her chin in a serious manner and then dragged me to the mirror but it happened to be locked. With a frustrated groan, she asked me, "The boat. Is it here?"

"No. He always takes it." For some odd reason mentioning him was a bit annoying.

So instead of any other option, she took a candle stick and bashed it into the mirror. I shielded my face while shards burst into my arms. My painful cry sounded but it wasn't only from the cuts, it was from a contraction. "Hurry it up, Nicole!"

She nodded and helped me through the broken mirror. I'd fix it later but for right now I had bigger problems. It was quite a sight to see; a pregnant woman and a slutty blonde running down the hallway scrambling for the nearest exit.

"My car is parked outside these doors," Nicole informed me as we pushed the doors open and got into the car as quickly as possible. I began breathing faster and faster, holding my hurting stomach while she stomped on the gas pedal and the car zoomed to life.

This wasn't normal. I was only about eight months pregnant! She wasn't going to be healthy now. Premature babies usually had tons of problems with breathing and such. I don't think I could handle it if my child had a birth defect or something. I'd love her all the same but I wasn't as strong as I liked to believe I was. 

* * *

Ryan

Mark and I sat in his office, enjoying a pleasant cup of coffee while discussing simple theatre nonsense when I got the text from Nicole. We were technically dating now but I was guilty to confess that every time my phone beeped and I saw her name instead of Grace's, I got very annoyed. I knew it was only a matter of time before I got over Grace...but it would be hard.

"Oh God!" I exclaimed as I bolted from my chair, knocking the steaming cup of brown liquid onto the ground, shattering the ceramic glass. Mark gasped at the mess but then raced over to me. "Grace is in labor! I need to get to the hospital right now."

I was in my car and speeding towards the hospital as fast as I could, but that wasn't enough. I needed to be there for her even if I was trying to be mad. Truth was I couldn't live without her, even if she broke my heart too many times to count. She was still my soul mate, whether or not she was here with me.

* * *

Grace

"Push, Grace, Push!" a doctor yelled to me. I screamed and pushed as hard as I could, hoping it was over by then. But, of course, she told me to the same thing five seconds later. There was nobody in the room cheering me on but I could hear Erik's voice in my head telling me to go on so I did. But at the same time, I also heard Ryan.

"You're so close, Grace! Just push a few more times. The baby is crowning!" said a beaming doctor. I wondered why they got so happy when a baby was born. It wasn't like the baby was going to belong to them or anything. But I had no time to fret over that. Sweat was glistening off my skin and dripping down my face. All I wanted was a cold shower.

And then a shrill cry echoed off the walls. The pain slowed down and nobody told me to push anymore. I watched as a naked, bloody little baby was being held up by a doctor. He cut the umbilical cord after finding nobody else was there to do it and then handed it to a nurse who carried it off to be washed.

"A baby girl," the doctor pronounced. "A beautiful, healthy little girl. Congratulations, Miss Bowman." He beamed down at me and then left the room. I was too eager to see her that I hardly heard him. Little baby Christine. I knew she was beautiful just from the glimpse of her.

When the nurse set her on my lap for me to see, I couldn't believe that this beautiful little thing was mine. Everything about her was teeny, like her nose, her fingers, her toes, her hands, her feet...I fell in love with her instantly. Her eyes were still tiny little slits, but I knew her eyes would be just as beautiful.

Soon, they did open. Beautiful brown eyes with...green specks in them...

"How peculiar," said the same nurse who cleaned her. "Most babies are born with blue eyes. This little girl is certainly a treasure."

"Sure is," agreed another nurse. I nodded in agreement, tears forming in my eyes. Was it possible to love a child this much? With all my heart I found I needed to be there for her whenever she needed me and protect her with everything I had. This child was now my responsibility and I would never let myself forget that.

* * *

I woke up with a knock at the door. They'd taken Christine hours ago but I still awoke worried she'd been stolen. Propping myself up on my elbows, I stared dumbfounded at the door. In walked Ryan, alone, with a bouquet of flowers and a balloon that said, "Congratulations, Mommy!"

"Ryan?"

"Hey, Gracie." He kissed my cheek and then set the flowers down on the bedside table with the balloon. "So...the baby. What's-"

"Christine. She was a premature. But she's healthy. Five pounds seven ounces. Absolutely gorgeous. You can see her in the morning. They insisted she go back to the nursery." I new I was probably beaming with pride. After all, I was a new mother with a premature baby that was perfect. What more could I ask for? This was working out too well.

"So she doesn't look like him? Good. It's better that she looks as beautiful as you. I can't wait to see her. I'm so happy for you, Gracie. You're going to be a fantastic mom." He kissed my cheek again and then settled back into his seat. He looked exhausted. How long had he been waiting in the waiting room for the perfect moment to come see me?

Before I knew it, I was grinning like a fool. I forgot about that effect Ryan always had on me. "I thought you hated the idea that I was pregnant." I felt my face redden when I watched him roll his eyes and then bite his lip like he usually did when he was thinking. It was just too adorable.

"I hated the idea that he was the father. But you always seemed so maternal, Grace." He thought some more and then piped up with, "Speaking of mothers, Anne is coming in the morning. I called her while I was waiting out there. She's got a load of work to do right now but she promised she'd come ASAP."

Exhaustion was seeping over me and I felt my eyelids grow heavy. "Good...good..."

"Seems like you're tired. I'll see you in the morning, Gracie."

"No! Wait!" Fear swept over me like months ago when I felt threatened by the masked man. Again, that confused me, but I didn't want to be alone in a dark room where the darkness could easily take me. Why was that? I made my decision. I loved Erik. But doubts were eating me alive. "Don't leave, Ryan. Can you stay with me tonight?"

He smiled and settled back into the chair, letting his eyelids droop. I smiled knowing that Ryan was here to protect me and I fell into beautiful, peaceful sleep, knowing that I would fall asleep a mother and wake up to show off my beautiful new daughter.