Our Love is Evergreen

Chapter 30: Erik's Accident

A week had gone by, and Lucas and Celeste were finally able to meet Catherine.

"Oh, Christine. She's beautiful," Celeste complimented.

"Thank you. Erik and I are very fortunate," Christine said.

"Where is Erik today?" Lucas asked.

Erik had been hired for the day at the opera house to fill in for their scene shifter, who was out sick. He had to ascend a ladder to fix a backdrop when, suddenly one of the chorus girls bumped the ladder. Erik came tumbling down. He was badly injured.

"Christine! Christine!" Meg called as she descended the steps leading deep into the catacombs.

"Meg, what is it?" Christine asked.

"It's Erik. He's hurt. Christine, come quickly," Meg exclaimed, breathlessly.

"I'm coming. Gustave, look after your sister," Christine commanded as she ran off with Meg. "What happened?"

"He was on fixing a backdrop when a chorus girl danced into the ladder and he fell to the ground. He's unconscious," Meg explained.

"Make haste, Meg. I have to get to him," Christine urged as they quicken their pace.

The pair ran as fast as they could. Christine was on the verge of tears. What horrors had befallen her Angel of Music?

"Erik! Erik!" Christine exclaimed as she burst into the room they had taken him to.

The doctor was already there. "Are you his wife?"

Christine nodded. "Yes I am."

"He has a mild concussion and a broken arm. I'm not quite sure what happened the side of his face, but I can assure you it wasn't as a result of this accident," the doctor explained.

"I wouldn't worry about his face," Christine replied. She moved over to the bed.

"Your husband is a very fortunate man. He could have been injured a lot worse," the doctor commented.

"I know. When will he wake up?" Christine asked.

"He's only sleeping, so he may awaken at any time," the doctored replied. "If all goes well, he should make a quick recovery."

"I'm relieved to hear that," Christine replied. "When will I be able to take him home?"

"With some help, he may be moved home later today. For now, I would just let him rest," the doctor suggested.

"Okay. Thank you," Christine said as the doctor exited the room.

Erik's eyes slowly fluttered open. "Hello," he said weakly.

"Angel," Christine whispered and she grabbed her husband's hand.

"I'll be okay," Erik assured.

"The doctor said that we can take you back down to the catacombs later," Christine reported.

Erik said nothing. He just smiled and slowly drifted back to sleep.
A couple hours later, Gustave went up to help his father return to their home underneath the opera house.
It was difficult for Christine to see her normally strong husband in such a weak state. She blamed herself for what happened to him. "I should never have let him take the job," she thought.
Erik's recovery went quickly. He gained more strength in his arm with each passing day. Pretty soon, he was able to hold his daughter again. How quickly she was growing up!
Catherine was almost two months old by the time Erik made a full recovery. It pained Erik to see how much she had grown in those two months.