From Present to Past (Phantom of the Opera)

Chapter 46

(Sarah's POV)

I never saw Erik anymore and the only way I even knew he was around was the music coming from the music room. I wasn't really sure what I was going to do. It had been a week since the birth of Mike and I was so exhausted, I wasn't sure I could stand up. I was sitting on the couch in the sitting room when I heard a knock on the door.

"It's just me." Giovanni called as he opened the door and walked in. "Is anybody home?"

"Giovanni?" I looked up at him in surprise. "What are you doing here? I didn't know you were in town."

"Charles wrote me." He said as he sat down and smiled at the child. "May I?" He asked as he held out his arms.

I nodded and passed the bundled to him. "His name is Erik Michael Braun Teubner. I call him Mike." I said with a slight smile.

Father held the child in his arms and smiled. "Where's Erik?"

"In the music room. I haven't seen him since the night that Mike was born." I whispered.

He nodded. "I'll go speak with him. He needs to be here." He said as he handed me back Mike and stood up.

I took the baby and nodded. "Thank you. He won't listen to me anymore." I whispered as I struggled to keep my eyes open.

"Take a nap." He whispered and then walked away. I nodded and walked to my bedroom where I lay Mike in his cradle and laid down on the bed and fell asleep instantly.

(Erik's POV)

"I said not to bother me, Sarah." I said as I scrubbed down some notes.

The person knocked again. "It's me." Father said through the door.

"Father?" I asked as I stood up and opened the door. "What are you doing here?"

"Charles wrote me. May I come in?" He asked. I nodded and let him in.

He walked in and glanced around the messy music room. "Erik, what do you think you're doing?" He asked as he turned to look at me.

"Composing." I said as I looked at him and then walked to my organ. "Would you like to hear it?"

"I wasn't talking about that." He said. "I was talking about Sarah and your son."

"What about Sarah?" I asked as I sat down at my bench.

"She says she hasn't seen your for a week." He said as he leaned against the organ and looked down at me.

"She is right." I said as I looked down at the keys and began to play softly.

"No wonder she looks dead on her feet. Why are you avoiding her? I thought you loved her!" He said.

I hit a wrong note on my organ and looked up at him. "I do love her!"

"Then why aren't you with her?!" He demanded.

"Because of that thing she gave birth to!" I said as I stood up.

"That thing happens to be your son!" He said. "Most men always want a son."

"He is not mine!" I said firmly. "I didn't want it!"

"He's yours, Erik. His face says that plain enough." He sighed and crossed his arms. "Is that why you don't want Mike?"

"I didn't want him period." I said. "I never wanted children." I told him. "I saw him once, like I told Sarah I would. I will never see him again."

"Why don't you want children?" He asked.

"They are messy. They are loud. They get into everything. They don't understand." I said, naming just a few.