A New Beginning

Chapter 26

(Erik's POV)

Christine groaned, waking me up. I picked her up and carried her to the bathroom. I held her hair and rubbed her back as she threw up. I was starting to get worried, she had been like this for five days now and I had been insisting on taking her to the doctor, but she refused.

"E-Erik, leave please," she asked me as if I would do something like that.

I kissed her head and smiled to myself, then I softly spoke to her, "In sickness and in health." I then carried her to the bathtub and undressed her gently. Then I bathed her and dressed her in a pretty but comfortable dress, hoping she would feel better. She smiled, "Thank you, love."

I carried her back to the bed and kneeled in front of her, taking both of her hands in mine. "Love, I really think we should go see a doctor," I told her softly.

"I promise I am fine, it will go away in a while," she replied. "In a couple of months," she said.

I was suddenly very confused, so I placed the back of my hand on her forehead. "Do you feel that bad?" I asked her with a concerned expression on my face.

She shook her head, which led me to further confusion. "I have seen a doctor already," she told me. "I asked Raoul to take because I know how worried you can get," she explained.

"So what is it, mon ange?"

To my surprise she smiled. "Erik, we are having a baby," she said.

Tears started forming in my eyes as her hands flew to her mouth. I started laughing and hugged her tightly. "W-we are going to be parents?" I asked in disbelief and she nodded her head before kissing me. Then I looked at her and placed my shaky hand on my mask. "What if she-," I started saying but she interrupted me, "We will love the baby just the same." I nodded and she smiled at me. "So you want a she," she affirmed so I nodded once again. She shook her head and said she did not mind the gender of the baby, that she'd love it the same. "A small version of you would be lovely," she said, kissing my nose.

We spent the rest of the day discussing names, and we ended up on Gustave for a boy, after Christine's father, and Ariel for a girl. I had chosen that one and we were both happy with the option.

Before we knew it, three months had passed. I was working harder than ever, always trying to make new additions to the park. I came home more and more exhausted every night. Christine insisted that I should rest a little bit and take a day off. I was a little reluctant at first but agreed when I remembered that I had to talk to her, so the next day I went to work in the morning for a few hours and came back early before lunch.

She was lying on the divan when I entered, so I smiled and kneeled beside her. I took her small hand in my rather large one and placed a kiss on it. "Love?" I softly called for her. She turned to face me with a small, innocent smile. Her expression changed when I gave a loud sigh.

"You know I have been making additions to the park, yes?" I started and she nodded. "Well," I continued, "people want more."

She looked at me confused, my poor angel. "What do you mean, darling?"

Again, I gave a loud sigh before I could get myself to respond to her question. "How about a freak show?" I asked her. She gasped and squeezed my hand a little bit. "Are you sure you want to do this?" she asked. I did not want to say that I had to because she would get worried easily, and the last thing I wanted was for my pregnant wife to be stressed. I nodded, "I think it will be a good attraction for the park."

She reached and slowly removed my mask, caressing my cheek afterwards. "If you change your mind, let me know and I'll help you get rid of it," she said. I kissed her hand and nodded.

"Come here," I said as I scooped her up in my arms and took her upstairs. I laid her down on the bed and kneeled beside. I placed my lips on her stomach and then started talking, "Hello there, little person, this is daddy. Daddy wants you to know that he loves you with all his heart and can't wait for you to be here." Before I said the next words, I turned my head at Christine and smirked, "And you shall be my princess."

"Oh no sir, I'm afraid we're having a prince," my angel argued just as I started laughing. "I want our prince to look exactly like you," she said smiling.

I laid beside her and pulled her to my chest. "Okay, angel," I said before placing a kiss on her head. I sang softly to her until she fell asleep, then I slipped out of bed slowly, so I would not wake her up, and left a note on the bedside table explaining that I had gone to work. After that, I went out to the park. I had prepared everything, so tonight 'Mr. Y's Freak Show' would open.