All I Ask of You

Chapter 14

And then weeks passed. I lost track of how many days I had now been in this new world, but at some point, the weather had grown cold. Additionally, Erik and I hadn't spoken since the night of the kiss. I wasn't sure if he was upset with me or embarrassed by his own actions.  I still cooked him meals, but I barely saw him and when I did, he gave me a painful smile and continued on. 

One evening as I was mending one of my dresses, I heard an awful racket coming from Erik's room. Lately, I would've ignored it, but something propelled me to go to his room. "Erik?" I said as I approached. He was coughing violently, and I walked in without being invited. His eyes met mine as he tried to stop coughing, "Erik, are you ill?" I asked walking quickly toward him, "How long has this been going on?"

"Long enough," his voice rasped as he removed a handkerchief from his lips. It was a matter of seconds before I noticed the tiny red spots on the handkerchief. 

"Erik..." I gasped, "You need to get in bed. I'll find a doctor."

"No, you can't bring a doctor down here!" Erik gasped for air.

"I can't let you just die either!" I shouted back. 

"It would be better that way," he said quietly as he sat down on his bed. His white shirt was unbuttoned leaving his muscular chest exposed, "I can't expect you to live down here forever with me. You would be free of me and this cursed face."

"No! I don't want to be free of you!" I was shouting, "I don't care about the damned mask that you don't need to wear anyway! I don't care that we live underground! I don't care that you struggle with small gestures of affection! I don't care that we live our lives differently because you've been forced to hide from the world... I don't care about any of it!" I hadn't realized that water was pouring out of my eyes with every word, "I only care about YOU!" 

He was staring at me, most likely at a loss for words.

"And so help me God, if I lose you, I'm going to go drown myself in the lake!" 

He grabbed me around the waist and pulled me down beside him on his bed. We were sitting shoulder to shoulder, but his arm remained wrapped around my waist, "Are you quite finished?"

"Yes, I think so," I gave a slight laugh as I wiped away a few tears from my eyes. 

"I shall visit a doctor if you insist upon it, my dear."

"Please let me come with you. I will be worried sick." He nodded, and I wrapped my arms around him, "I'm sorry," I whispered. 

"For what?" he asked as he played with the my long curls, still in my embrace. 

"Not talking to you for the past few weeks. I thought you were angry with me or upset about the kiss that night."

"Purely shocked, my dear. I could never be upset with you," he began to cough again, forcing me to let go of him. 

"Come, we must see a doctor."