The Fifth Cellar (Phantom of the Opera)

Chapter 23 - The Wound

 Evangeline's POV:
I returned to my room that night and pretended to fall asleep. That is what I usually did. None of the girls noticed anything different. Once they were snoring I slipped back down to the lair. What I found shocked me. Or should I say what I didn't find. Erik wasn't to be found in the lair. I searched high and low but he wasn't anywhere. I knew it was hopeless to try to find him so I made myself comfortable. I played the violin for a while and even played his piano. He was much less touchy about it. I guess he was learning to trust me with his things. Suddenly I heard the boat coming across the lake. What worried me instantly was the fact that he was poling the boat with on arm. His other he held against his chest and I thought I could see a little blood. He tied to the boat up and walked toward the house. I ran out to meet him. If it had been anywhere else anyone who was watching might have thought that I was his wife and was running to greet her husband who was returning from a long day at work. I wished that could be true. Oh, how I wished it could be true. But Christine was better for him than I was. She would learn to love him. She would love him as I loved him.

“Erik, what happened?” I shouted as I saw blood on his hand where he had pressed it against his shoulder.

“Nothing, just a scratch.” I led him into the house and sat him down. Upon examining the “scratch” I figured out that a bullet had been involved. It hadn't done permanent damage but it needed to be washed and mended. Erik tried to stand but I pushed him back down.

“Pull of the shirt. I need to have access to that wound. Give me a moment and I will have some hot water to wash it with.” I heard a gasp as I turned away. I looked back at him and he said,

“No, the shirt stays on.” I sighed and pulled my pocket knife out of my pocket. I walked over to him and said,

“How many shirts do you have?” He shrugged his shoulders and flinched as the wound smarted.

“Plenty. You can cut this one.” I carefully started to a hole large enough for me to properly examine the wound. I looked at his shoulder and realized that he needed to gain weight. I laid my hand on his cool skin and felt every bone of his shoulder. No wonder he hadn't been to keen on taking off his shirt. He would have frozen to death.

“Erik, I should be watching your meals more often. You have got to eat more.” I walked away to start warming the water. Five minutes later I had cleaned the wound and bandaged it. He pulled on his jacket and settled back in the chair. Now it was time for me to know why he had gotten wounded.

“Erik, what happened?” He sighed and said,

“I went to scare the Viscount. I didn't expect him to fire at me. He was aiming for my head but missed.” He chuckled. I walked over to him and slid into the chair beside him. We were mighty close but that was fine by me. Normally the chair couldn’t have handled two people but because Erik was so thin it could hold us both. I gently laid my hand on his shoulder (the good one). He flinched and look at me. I was close enough to be sitting in his lap. I wasn't though. I snuggled close to him and whispered,

“Promise to be more careful. I don't want to lose you. You could get seriously hurt.” I heard a gasp and felt Erik's staring at me.

“You are worried about Erik?” I nodded and snuggled closer to him. He was so warm. I didn't know why Christine thought he was cold. He wasn't. Erik lifted and arm and so cautiously put it around my shoulders. He was so nervous. He wasn't getting better at hugging. He wasn't sure what to do and if I would run. I would never run from his arms. I would always welcome them. I laid my head on his sunken chest and said,

“Erik, I will always be worried about you. You are my friend.” And my love, I finished in my mind. But I couldn't tell him that. He wouldn't accept it. We would always be friends and I would die alone. Yes, I would pray that Christine learned to love him as he loved her. When she did my job would be complete. I had walked into Erik's life and I would walk out when he married Christine. But I would leave my heart behind. He would always have it though he didn't know it.