Dawn Over the Seine

Chapter 6

Eponine slowly opened her eyes and gaped at what she saw. Inspector Javert was holding her in his arms. He... He was carrying her. But why? What made him carry her?

With a start, Eponine remembered that she had blacked out back on the bridge. And Javert had been with her. But where was he taking her? Was he taking her to jail?! Eponine began to panic and moved suddenly, causing Javert to look down at her. As soon as he realized Eponine was awake, he stopped walking and put her down in a flash.

Eponine backed away from the Inspector as quickly as she could. But all of a sudden, a sharp pain tore across her lower abdomen and Eponine stumbled onto the ground. She tried to stand back up but her muscles were shaking so hard that she couldn't regain any balance. Eponine's sight grew blurry and she couldn't breathe. Her eyes grew wide as she tried to take a breath in.

Javert noticed Eponine struggling to breathe and he quickly knelt down next to her. "Now you must listen to me. You need to calm down."

Eponine grabbed Javert's hand and looked at him with wide, scared eyes. "It hurts! It hurts," she wailed.

"I know. Just calm down. Take a breath in." Eponine kept eye contact with the Inspector as she finally managed to breathe in. "Now breathe out." She did. "In and out." Eponine continued to breathe in and out until she finally could manage breathing normally. "Good, good," Javert muttered.

Eponine began to stand up but fell back towards the ground. Javert caught her midway and scooped her up in his arms. "You are in no condition to walk, mademoiselle. And you need your injuries to be checked out. I will take you to a hospital then you should be heading home."

"N-no, you don't understand. I c-can't go home, Inspector. M-my father w-w-was the one who did this t-to me." Javert scowled. He knew that sending this girl back to that house endangered her. But she had to go somewhere after a doctor examined her at the hospital. There was no one Javert could trust her with for he had no friends. He was a cold man and everyone knew that. It didn't bother Javert. He was happy with his life. Most of the time.

He didn't care for people but there was an emptiness inside of him that he tried to fill in with his work. But the emptiness always remained. But, there was one thing that made something spark in Javert's stone heart. But he refused to acknowledge it. His focus was his work, and his work right now was to help the girl in his arms. Since he had nowhere safe for her, he would have to take her to the only place he could think of.

"Okay. We'll go to the hospital then I will take you back to my flat." Eponine looked at Javert with wide, surprised eyes.

"We're going to your flat," she repeated then she began to laugh uncontrollably. "Inspector Javert's flat!" Eponine laughed harder as Javert scowled at her. Eponine was in tears from laughing so hard as she looked up at the Inspector. "Wow. You have nice eyes." And with that, Eponine passed out once again.