My Angel of Music

Fire

I can't even collapse as I wait desperatley for Erik to return.  My heart refuses to beat, and my eyes won't even produce fearful tears as I stand as still as a statue.  Meg runs up behind me, a crying Annabel in her arms.  "Where's Luke?  Christine, what's happening?  Are they alright?"  She flings frantic questions at me, but I can't answer.  Instead, I just stare at the door that Erik went through just a few moments ago.

Meg shakes my shoulder and I hear Annabel cry a muffled "Mother!" but I ignore them.  All I can think of is Erik burning.  Or Elsa crying.  I almost begin to march inside to find them, but am stopped by a yell and the door swinging open.  I snap out of my fearful trance as a coughing Erik staggers out of the building.  I cry out and rush to him.  He's holding a bundle in his arms, wrapped in his coat.  I immediatley wrap my arms around him and hold his hot body to mine.  I hear Elsa cry in his arms and he unwraps the coat from her.  She's perfectly fine, beside a few smoke stains.  I led Erik to the ground so he could catch his breath.  He coughed as he clutched my shoulder with one hand and Elsa in the other.  

I could cry with relief, but the tears don't come.  "Thank you."  I whimper as I lay my head on his charred shoulder.  He coughs out a word, but I can;t understand him.  Suddenly, Meg rushes to us, Annabel still in her arms.  "Where is Luke?"  She practically screams.  I glance at Erik, wide eyed.  He widens his dark eyes, hands Elsa to me, and jumps up.  I realize his intent, and push my daughter into Meg's unsuspecting arms.  I run after Erik until I reach him right before he re-enters the burning building.

I grabbed his shirt and pulled him back as hard as I could.  He hesitated, and turns to face me.  "Don't go!"  I cry.  He tried to wiggle free from my grasp, but I held strong.  "Christine."  He growled.  I shook my head, and pointed back at Annabel.  "But you might not come back."  I whispered.  A look of pain and hesitation crossed his face, but it is quickly replaced by determination.  I could see then that there was no stopping him.  But I would try anyway.

I stood on my toes and pressed my lips to his in a fiery embrace.  He pulled away and looks at me in pain.  "Don't leave me."  I whispered.  He closed his eyes in pure pain, I realized.  I gripped his shirt even harder as he makes his decision.  Then, he quickly presses his lips to my forehead and wraps his arms around me.  "I love you."  He whisperd.  And like that, he disappeared through the door.

 I staggered back, and collapsed to the ground, still staring at the door.  He was too good of a person for me.  Here I was, trying to convince him not to save someone.  And there, he went, risking his life for another.  But all I could think, was if he died, I had no reason to live.  If he died, I died.  It was that simple.  And that thought, the thought that no matter what happened we would be together, comforted me.  But not enough to make me stop screaming his name or pounding my fists in the dirt, or sobbing through the screams, or raking the ground with my nails.  In a nutshell, I went insane.  

Meg didn't even try to comfort me, she was in her own kind of hell.  Though the thought didn't even cross my mind at the time.  All I could think about was my beloved Angel.  

Finally, I heard the door being busted down, and coughing.  I looked up to see Erik collapse to the ground with a limp Luke in his grasp.  I crawled to him, to make sure he was okay.  Burns and smoke stains covered his skin and his breathing was shallow and rough.  Luke was in the same condition, but worse.  I cried out and pried Luke from his arms so they could cool off.  Meg told Annabel to hold Elsa as she sat on the grass, watching wide eyed.  

Meg rushed to Luke and began fanning his raw face and coaxing him to awaken.  I held Erik's head in my lap and wiped the soot from his face.  He was unconscious and limp in my arms.  Was he dead?  No, he was still breathing.  I sighed in relief and fanned his face.  "Meg, go get help!"  I commanded.  She glanced down at Luke and back at me.  "I'll take care of him.  Now go!"  i snapped.  She nodded, and with one last glance at Luke, hurried off.  I looked up at the house which was burning slowly.  I estimated about half the house was already burned, but I hoped not.  

Luke coughed beside me, and I looked down at him.  Still limp.  As was Erik.  My tears returned and I began to shed them furiously.  They fell onto Erik's red bare face, and he didn't flinch.  

It felt like hours until Meg returned.  She immediatley knelt at Luke's side and pressed a hand to his burned flesh.  "Luke?  Darling?"  She called, though it went to a deaf ear.  She looked up at me, asking with her eyes if he had woken up while she was gone.  I sadly shook my head.  The poor creature broke down into tears at the realization.  I tried to stay strong for the both of us, though it was hard.  "Did you send someone for the doctor?"  I asked.  She sniffed and nodded.  I sighed and looked up at the house.  "We need to move them."  I said as I looked at the smoke seeping through the crack under the door.  The fire was getting bigger.  

Meg agreed, and I left Erik to help Meg move Luke first.  He was heavy and limp, but together, we managed to drag him back into the garden.  We returned and did the same for Erik.  When we were finished, I began to tear at Erik's clothing in an attempt to cool him down.  Meg followed my example, and soon, both men had no shirt on.  I gasped at the sight.  Both men had burn marks all over their flesh.  Erik would be upset.  The flames had not reached Erik's face, but Luke was not so lucky.  

We were both in our own hell.  The very definition of hell.  Or torture.  It was unbearable.  I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs until I died.  But I couldn't give up.  For him.  He was my world, my everything, nothing else mattered but him.  If he was to die. then I would too.  I prayed to God he would live.  i prayed to my Father.  I asked for mercy.  But would the wrath of God rain down on me today?  Or would He show me mercy?  I wondered these painful things as I stared into my Angel's pained face.  

Suddenly, I was wrenched away from my Angel, and tossed to the ground like a doll.  i cried out as I met the ground and a signal of pain shot up my leg.  I saw several men taking Erik and Luke away from us.  Meg was on the ground as well, gawking at the men.  I jumped up and raced after them.  I needed to know where they were taking them.  If my husband was to die.  I wanted to be there.  

Meg caught up to me, and raced behind me.  "Wait!"  I yelled.  They didn't slow down.  They reached a waiting carriage, where I assumed would take them to the Doctor's home.  Since our home was burning as we spoke.  Meg had thought to bring the children, since I hadn't.  A wave of guilt washed over me.  I was a terrible mother.  But I didn't think of that as I climbed into the carriage with the shouting men, Meg following.  I hoped everything would be okay.  I hoped God had heard me.