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Running Late
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Sometimes, no matter how ordered, structured and controlled your life is, certain things happen that you can't control. Most of the time, these incidents are unwanted and hinder, but sometimes, with a little luck, these circumstances can turn all that you know, all you have planned, completely on its head.
Sometimes... That can be a blessing in disguise...
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1
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As my fingers run through my hair, tugging at the roots with frustration, I curse under my breath at the slow moving traffic. My eyes close as I take a deep, calming breath, but ultimately, a deep exasperated sigh is all that leaves my body. I slump back further into my seat in the back of the SUV, trying hard to keep my growing impatience and building irritation under control.
It's a futile act.
I should've been at Grey House hours ago. I should be busy, settled at my desk, elbow deep in contracts and red tape by now, not sat here wasting my valuable time twiddling my fuckin thumbs.
Some days are just meant to try us and I should've known, that today, would be one of those days.
Before my eyes were even open, I had to deal with an irate phone call from my sister, Mia. Once again, I've upset her, by refusing to even consider dating one of her so called friends. So of course she had an opinion, one that she had to express to me, far, far too early.
As if they were forming some sort of tag team against me, my mother then called me, and I had to endure her complaints at my refusal to attend a family dinner this coming weekend. To top it all off, just as I thought I could finally escape to my safe haven, the car park at Escala had suffered a security breach and was inaccessible until everything was checked out and we were given the all clear to leave. Two hours behind schedule, we finally set off, only to be stuck in what appears to be, unmoving traffic.
"What the fuck, is the hold up now, Taylor?" I snap sharply, as I click open my briefcase and pull out todays newspapers.
"I'm not too sure, Sir" He replies, before turning off the ignition and stepping out of the car. Craning his neck to look over the vehicles in front of us, he takes in the scene. "It looks like there's been an accident a few blocks ahead, the emergency services seem to be in attendance" he reports efficiently, as he climbs back in and pulls out his phone.
"Is there no way around it?" I ask, feeling more than a little stir crazy.
"Not unless we turn around, Sir" Taylor replies, with a slight smirk that I catch in the rear view mirror.
I half smile, despite myself, because even he's realized that on some days, you just shouldn't even bother getting out of bed.
Half an hour later, the traffic starts to move, and the car crawls a few feet further forward every few minutes, but we're not really making much headway.
Out of boredom, I pull my eyes from the paper in my hands and glance out of the car to my left. Taking in my surroundings, I curse loudly, when I realize that we're still quite away from Grey House.
The City hall steps loom in front of me, ascending to the grand, beautiful building, so I know from our location that we're still at least fifteen minutes away traveling at normal speed. Fuck knows how long it will take today. If it didn't look as if it was about to throw it down, I would attempt to walk.
My eyes wander, uninterested, over the hustle and bustle of people milling about. I feel a shiver run up my spine as my attention is caught by a petite, brunette figure coming into view. I shrug it off as I watch her.
She's slowly, almost reluctantly, climbing the steep, stone steps. She has her hair piled high on her head in a mass of loose curls, small wild flowers strategically placed within them. I can't help but notice that she's very pretty.
She's adorned, in a well fitting, tailored, off white suit, and matching sensible heels. She's clutching a small posy of wild flowers, matching those placed in her hair. She's obviously here to get married and I can't hide my small, almost melancholy, smile. It doesn't last long though, as a thought occurs at the sight of her dragging her feet.
Why does she look like she's heading to the gallows? Shouldn't she be happy? This is supposed to be the best day of her life after all.
I take her all in while I ponder and can't help but smirk at her apparent nerves. She's very beautiful, even though she's obviously terrified. I snicker in sympathy, because come on, marriage is a terrifying thought and by the look on her face, she agrees with me and doesn't want to go through with it at all. With a shake of my head, I turn my attention back to the newspaper in my hand.
I lose myself for a few minutes in the FTSE index, no longer thinking of the forlorn girl. I smile to myself as I realize, that another day of profit is safely tucked under my belt and will continue, even though I've been stuck here, sat on my ass.
I turn my head sharply to the left as a flash of white suddenly catches my eye. My eyes widen, as the pretty brunette from earlier, comes rushing down the steps. She drops her flowers mid flight and her face is a mask of sheer horror. Even from twenty feet away, I can see the tears building up in her scared, frantic, bright, blue eyes.
She scans the street left and right frantically, looking for an easy and quick escape. I can clearly see the terror in her eyes as she turns and catches sight of two people heading down the steps after her. She ignores the shouts from the people in pursuit and heads blindly towards the road.
Taylor, who is paying no attention to the mini drama on the street, attempts to pull the car forward as the traffic allows, but the girl, who is looking over her shoulder watching her pursuer's, hasn't noticed this, and she runs straight into the passenger door of my car.
Taylor curses loudly and I gasp, at the sight of her shocked face in the window. Her hands appear and she places them flat against the tinted glass as her face pales. I sit upright in my seat, feeling the sudden urge to assist her. She looks so scared and lost.
Before I even have time to realize what I'm doing, I've opened the car door and my foot is on the sidewalk.
"Sir!" Taylor exclaims loudly from behind me, while putting the hand brake on the car, undoing his seat belt and turning in his seat.
I ignore him, as I step out of the car and lock eyes with the pretty, petrified brunette in front of me. She steps towards me and I surprise myself by offering her my hand, but she surprises me even more, by readily accepting it.
"Please, let me help you" I instinctively offer. My voice low and urgent.
She looks at me, her eyes wide with fear, then if I'm not mistaken, they soften, with relief and gratitude. She gasps, looking scared and pales further, as the blond woman following closely behind her screams after her. "Ana, wait"
I look up and feel my brow crease, the screeching blond heading down the steps, looks somewhat familiar, but I just can't place her right now.
"Please, get me out of here" the girl, who I'm presuming is called Ana, begs in a raspy voice as she squeezes my hand gratefully.
As I step fully away from the car, I'm now directly in front of her and we have about five seconds before we're descended upon. As I pull on her hand, urging her forward, I notice her eyes begin to glaze over. They seem to lose focus on mine before fluttering and closing completely, then she begins to wobble precariously in front of me.
Before I realize what's happening, she's moving in slow motion and falling towards the floor. I instinctively step towards her and put my arms out to save her. The buzz of electricity that runs up my arms as I catch her, causes me to react without thinking and I pull her up into my arms bridal style and quickly step back into the car.
"Get us out of here, Taylor" I order, as I hold the girl against me with one arm, and pull the door closed behind us with the other.
"Sir..." Taylor begins, his frown deep and skeptical. Fuck, we don't have time for his hesitation.
"Home, now" I growl, my voice vibrating menacingly around the interior of the car.
He turns the ignition, just as the blond woman and the Mexican man following the girl, reach the sidewalk. Taylor, expertly, uses the unclaimed space in front of us and rudely cuts into the adjacent lane to turn the car around quickly. He then heads down a freely moving side street, putting some much needed distance between us.
The blond, is now on the street and attempts to follow, running into the road and screaming profanities after us as she does, and it's then, and only then, do I realize who she is.
Katherine... Katherine, fucking Kavanagh.
Oh, the tenacious Miss Kavanagh. Am I gay indeed. The blatant, fuckin nerve of the woman.
I hide my smile, but can't help chuff out a chuckle, knowing that I've gotten one over on her because she has no chance of following us. I'm also very thankful that I don't have to deal with the insufferable woman again.
I feel myself relax and suddenly feel exhilarated, my body is buzzing and I feel myself smile. I look down at the beauty, still out for the count in my lap and realize, that somehow, she's the cause behind it. I shift more comfortably in my seat before securing a seat belt around us both, as I do, she unconsciously settles against me, her head laying heavily against my chest.
Right away, I can smell the flowers that are in her hair and the fragrance is very soothing. She feels so warm and delicate, just laying against me, and I have to resist the strange urge to pull her closer. I place my arms around her protectively, on the pretense, that she might be in danger of sliding from my lap, and just hold her in my arms.
It doesn't take us long to reach home and as the elevator of Escala climbs swiftly to my apartment, I can feel Taylor's eyes drilling into the side of my head. He's thankfully been silent so far, but I can tell that he's been itching to speak.
I dare to glance towards him and that's all he needs.
"Mr Grey, I don't think it's a good idea to proceed any further. We need to take her home, we need to find out who she is and..."
"She needed our help, Taylor" I interrupt him firmly. "As soon as she's awake, fit and well, you can take her home" I add, as I notice he was preparing to argue with me.
Taylor, seems reluctantly appeased by my reply, obviously still unsure, but he holds his tongue none the less. As the elevator doors slide open, he stands back to allow me to exit with the girl, who is still cradled, now a little more tightly, in my arms.
As I stride purposefully through my apartment, Gail comes rushing towards us from the direction of the kitchen. She is up to her elbows in flour and has obviously been baking, but the look on her face when she sees me and what I'm holding, is priceless.
"Oh my, what happened? Who is she?" Gail asks, looking between Taylor and myself frantically.
I ignore her questions, leaving Taylor to explain, and head directly towards my bedroom. I kick open the door and head straight towards the bed. Laying her down gently, I pull the covers slowly from underneath her, remove her shoes, then cover her up.
I stand beside the bed watching her sleep, unsure of what to do now. I silently will her to wake up, because I really want to see her face again. I smile to myself at the memory of her eyes and after about ten minutes of pondering to myself, she still hasn't moved and now I'm starting to worry. It's been about thirty five minutes since she passed out, surely, she should have woken up by now?
I'm so lost in just starring at her that my phone startles me when it begins to ring. I chuckle, shaking my head, as I reach into my pocket to silence it. Seeing that it's Ros trying to reach me and not really wanting to have to explain, I quickly send her a text informing her to handle everything without me, as I won't be coming into the office today.
I take a seat on the side of my bed, and my hand involuntarily reaches out to touch the face of the sleeping girl. Before my fingers can even touch her translucent looking skin, there's a soft rapping on the bedroom door. I stand quickly and step away, as Gail opens the door and takes a tentative step into the room.
"Sir, do you need me to assist you with anything? Is there anything I can do to help?" she asks, her motherly concern for the girl written all over her face. I shake my head slowly.
"She's still out cold, she..." I answer quietly, before my voice drifts off.
"Who is she, Sir?" Gail asks softly, but I can hear the concern in her low voice.
"I don't know. She asked me for my help... I couldn't just leave her" I whisper, trying to defend my impulsive actions.
Gail walks over to the bed and places the back of her hand against the girl's forehead, before efficiently checking her pulse. My brow furrows. Should I have done that? Have I hurt her by not checking her over?
I pull out my phone and scroll swiftly. Finding the number I need, I dial and wait impatiently.
"This is Christian Grey, I need to speak to Dr Green immediately" I state, offering no dispute as soon as the phone is answered. There is a short pause before a click, then a rather annoyed voice.
"What can I do for you, Mr Grey? I'm currently..."
"I have a friend here at Escala, she passed out and I need you to come and take a look at her" I interrupt her quickly.
"Mr Grey, I..." she begins.
"Dr Green, I require your services and will pay accordingly, so I'll expect you at Escala within the hour, security will await you in reception" I close my phone and turn my attention back to the sleeping beauty in my bed.
In.. My.. Bed...
I swallow as I shift from foot to foot. Why did I put her in my bed? No one has ever been in my bed. I didn't even think about it. I should have taken her upstairs to one of the guest bedrooms. But I didn't. Why did I bring her here?
Before I can ponder further with myself, Gail brings me back to the here and now by touching my arm gently. "Mr Grey, she seems fine, don't fret. Is there anything I can get you before the Doctor arrives?" she asks comfortingly.
"No, thank you Gail, would you mind informing Taylor of Dr Greens arrival?" I ask. She nods confirming.
"Sir, you should..." she begins.
"I don't want to leave her" I whisper shamelessly.
"Of course, " she whispers, as she pats my arm.
She casts a glance to the girl in my bed before leaving the room. A small smile playing on her lips.
As the door closes behind Gail, I retake my seat on the side of my bed. I study the features of the slumbering girl and realize that she is quite beautiful. My hand moves of its own accord and I pluck a small flower from her hair. My fingers gently sweep across her pale cheek on their return, and I pull back as I feel a buzz and tingle in my fingertips from her skin. Before I can ascertain what caused it, or risk touching her again, there is a gentle knock on the door.
Taylor appears, followed by Gail and Dr Green. I stand and step towards them, shocked, that half an hour has passed.
"Mr Grey, I don't appreciate being ordered here, I..." I raise my hand to silence her.
"We can discuss that later, please, will you just make sure she's okay?" I ask, gesturing towards the bed. Dr Green sighs exasperatedly.
"Fine, tell me exactly what happened to her" Dr Green requests, her tone, now fully professional.
She removes her coat, hands it to an awaiting Gail and walks over towards the bed.
"She was upset, running, we spoke and then she just dropped in front of me" I explain rapidly.
"Did she fall? Bang her head, maybe?" the Doctor ask urgently.
"No, I caught her in time" I assure her quickly.
"You're sure there's no chance of a concussion? If she banged her head, I suggest taking her straight to the emergency room for an x-ray"
I shake my head firmly, then recall. "She did run into the side of the car, but not heavily and her head made no contact, I'm certain"
Dr Green nods as she takes a seat on the bed beside the girl. Taylor follows close behind her holding her medical bag. Gail also inches forward. But I can't move.
I stand frozen, watching the Doctor doing all the basic tests on the girl. Her pulse and blood pressure are normal, her pupils are responsive. Dr Green checks her head for bumps just as a precaution and it's all so frustrating not finding anything.
"Is it normal for her to be unconscious for this long?" I can't help ask. "There's been no movement from her since she fainted, well over an hour ago"
"I can find nothing wrong with her, Mr Grey" she replies, ignoring my question. "I'll check her body more thoroughly for any signs of trauma, draw some blood and do a series of tests back at my surgery, they might help to bring something to light"
Dr Green stands and turns to face me. "If you gentlemen would be so kind, " she says, with a raised eyebrow and a wave of her hand toward the door. I frown at her request. "I would like to examine her physically" she states, explaining further.
"I want to stay" I say instantly, not realizing my blunder. The Doctor's brow rises pointedly at my statement.
"I'll stay with her" Gail whispers, covering for me and stepping toward the Doctor. I nod my head sharply, but reluctantly, and with one final glance at the girl, I head for the bedroom door.
I turn on my heel sharply to face them before I'm out of the room. "Make her more comfortable" I instruct, as I head into my closet and pull out the first T-shirt I can find and a pair of my elasticated gym shorts.
I hand them to Gail. "Will you also remove the flowers from her hair?" I ask.
Gail frowns, glancing back at the slumbering girl. I notice her eyebrows lift in surprise, only now, is she noticing the flowers nestled in her hair for the first time.
"We came to her rescue outside of City Hall. She was fleeing a wedding... Hers, I think" I explain as best I can. Gail gasps softly, smiles sweetly, then nods, completely understanding.
I leave the room and notice that Taylor's already gone to his office, no doubt to do some checking on my house guest. I find myself reluctant to move, not interested in what he finds. I begin pacing the hallway outside my bedroom door, wanting to remain close.
I hold my breath, strain my ears, lean against the bedroom door, just hoping for conversation, but I hear nothing. Surely the girl will wake up while being undressed?
A long fifteen minutes of silence ends, when the bedroom door is suddenly pulled open. The Doctor's eyes widen at the sight of me right outside the door, but I ignore her lone quizzical eyebrow.
"Is she okay? Is she still asleep?" I ask rapidly, looking past her over her shoulder, before Gail closes the door.
"Yes and yes" the Doctor replies, as she takes her coat from Gail. "I can't find anything physically wrong with her. She's a little underweight for her frame but nothing a few decent meals wouldn't solve. I wouldn't say it was an issue and would bring on fainting"
"Malnourished?" I mutter, a wave of familiar sadness washing over me.
"No, she's not malnourished, just lean. She's a little pale, could be slightly anemic, but the blood tests will tell me more. There were no physical marks on her, new or old, so this is probably stress related. From what you say about where she was, she must've been highly anxious. She just needs to rest, her body needs it, so let her sleep" the Doctor explains and orders, far too nonchalantly for my liking.
"Let her sleep?... That's it?" I question.
"Yes, it's the best thing for her right now. I'll place a rush on her blood tests and let you know her results by this evening. We will discuss your rudeness then, Mr Grey, because right now, I need to get back to my patients" and with that, she picks up her bag and heads for the elevator, followed closely by Gail.
I stare at the closed bedroom door and contemplate going back in. She needs to rest but I want to make sure she's okay. I'm torn, but as I atomically stretch out my hand and take a step towards the closed bedroom door, Gail appears along side me.
"Let her rest, " she whispers, "It's lunch time, come and eat something before heading back out"
"I'm not leaving" I state automatically, turning to face her.
"All the more reason to eat something, then" Gail says, as she suddenly clasps my hand.
I look down, slightly bemused by her holding my hand, then notice that she's holding the flowers from the girls' hair. I open my closed palm to accept them from her.
My feet move of their own accord, as I follow Gail to the kitchen. I ignore her smile and low chuckles as we go, my eyes locked onto my palm.
After eating a light lunch and still no sign of life from the girl in my bed, I lock myself away in my office. The flowers are with me. They're in a small pile on the corner of my desk and my eyes are drawn to them often. The impulse to check on the girl, is constant and strong. I need to be distracted, get her out of my head, so I try to bury myself in work.
It hardly helps.
Gail has appeared like clockwork, every few hours, just to reassure me that she's still resting comfortably, but it doesn't ease my ever growing concern for the girl in my bed. I'll admit, that I've picked up the phone more than once in an attempt to call my mother, just for a second opinion mind, but then I think of this morning and her disappointment in me, and I don't want to deal with her again so soon.
My worry is escalating though. How can one person nap for so long? Let her rest indeed. How much rest does she need?
Maybe she hadn't eaten breakfast and was hungry? Maybe she hasn't been sleeping well lately and it's finally caught up with her? Seems plausible. If she ran today, she must've had worries, numerous doubts and they've probably kept her up at night. I should feel honored that she feels safe enough to sleep here, but I need to see her, talk to her, make sure she's okay. And I have no idea why.
It's early evening and just getting dark, as I creep along the hallway to my bedroom. I place my ear against the solid wood door, cursing quietly and feeling riled, when I hear nothing. Leave her be they tell me, leave her be... How can I?
All that's between seeing her again is a door, one solitary door, even that seems like too much. Before I know what I'm doing, the door is open a few inches and the light from the hall is illuminating her silhouette in my bed.
Her back is to me and her long chestnut hair is loose and sprawling across my pillow. I take a small step forward as she suddenly shifts and stirs in the bed. Panic flickers, so I retreat quickly and silently close the door.
I head towards my office as I hear my phone ringing. Welcoming the interruption, I snap open my phone to answer the eagerly awaited, Doctor's call.
"How is she? Did you find anything?" I ask, without so much as a pleasantry.
"Fine... Well, that's good... No, no, she's still sleeping... Is her blood work healthy?... Okay, fine... Thank you, Doctor Green... And yes, I apologize for my behavior earlier... Yes, doubling your bill is a just reward for my disrespect... Good evening, Doctor Green and thank you again"
I chuckle as I closed my phone, eased that everything appears to be okay with the girl in my bed. Nothing was brought to light or red flagged through her blood work, so it doesn't appear to be medical. Which is good. So fatigue and stress it is then... Maybe now I can wake her up, now that I know it's nothing life threatening.
I step out of my office, not quite sure where I'm headed, but Gail's well timed appearance gives me an intervention. Dinner is ready. Maybe I should wake the girl up to eat now? The Doctor did say that she needed to, and I need to make sure that she does.
With purpose, I head for my bedroom to wake her, then think better of it as my stomach growls and unfamiliar nerves kick in at the thought of being near her. I embrace the distraction of hunger, from selfishly disturbing her and having to think about what I'm feeling right now, and stride towards the kitchen.
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A/N
This is a short story that I was thinking about while writing NLB, it helped me balance out all the angst. It's just a little getting them together story, that would not go away. It holds little angst, just a confused, torn Christian, but ultimately he will get the girl and his HEA.
Thank you for reading.