Sorry for this being late but I've only just recovered! This has been sitting in my documents since Thursday afternoon and I wish I was able to get this out sooner but I was left with a pounding headache after Thursdays shenanigans and I literally couldn't use any electrical devices for more than ten minutes It was a night mare lol! So again, I apologize and I hope you enjoy this chapter. Next update will be next weekend!
Chapter Seven
Ana was fighting; she was fighting as hard as she could. The last four weeks had been tough, after almost a week in hospital she was back in the real world with Christian and everyone else that she loved and it had taken a toll on her. It's been three weeks since her release and she could only feel herself deteriorating, her anger issues were becoming more of an issue. Ana refused to see Flynn, she was still determined to do this herself. But with only one week left until she would be free from a cast she knew that it needed to stop, her ribs had healed nicely and her cuts and bruises had disappeared. Ana couldn't wait for the day when her leg was free of the god-awful purple cast.
It was day 22 of being trapped in the Escala building, the pressure of the outside world was too much for Ana right now and this only added to the situation. She refused to leave the building unless she had a hospital appointment, and only then Christian had to force her to leave. It was all becoming too much for the both of them and it felt like that Ana's doubts were coming true, but it was because of her actions.
"Ana, Mom invited us over for dinner tonight" Christian says as he buttons up his shirt, it was Friday and the last day of work before the weekend, Christian no longer expected Ana to say yes to leaving the penthouse.
"Okay, so are you going to go?" Ana replies, she pulls her covers closer to her and then looks up at Christian who is frowning.
"I was thinking we should both go, baby you need to get outside at some point" Christian fixes his tie and then sits on the edge of their bed, Ana gives him a disappointed look.
"No, Christian I'll leave in my own time" Ana wasn't going to give up, no matter how she felt about getting herself better she couldn't will herself to do it yet.
"You're getting your cast off next week, what are you going to do then? Continue what you're doing now? What happened to getting better, Ana I'm sick of this you need to suck it up and move" Christian had taken as much as he could from Ana; it hurt him that she had turned into this.
"I'll do it when I'm ready stop pressuring me" Ana could feel her blood begin to boil, her temper was too short.
"No one is pressuring you, we've all been sitting around hoping you will kick this behaviour but you're not. You're not fighting anything, you're just letting it happen so now I'm not taking no for an answer. You can expect Flynn here this afternoon because I am done with this, it's tearing up apart" Christian admits, he saw the pain in Ana's eyes and chose to leave. He couldn't sit back and watch her any longer, he needed to get work done and give Ana a kick start into finally fixing herself.
"Just fucking walk out on me in the middle of a conversation" Ana yells and then bursts into tears, she was at her lowest point and she knew it. She was very much aware of the effect this was having on her relationship with Christian and everyone else, but she couldn't will herself to fix it the temptation to hide grew larger each and every day and it continued to draw her in.
Ana didn't know what to do, she felt like she was losing Christian as each moment passed. It was time to give herself an intervention, it was time to do the right thing. Ana dragged herself out of bed and hobbled towards the kitchen, she found Gail preparing Ana's breakfast. Ana quickly wiped her tears and quietly sat on the stool being careful not to alarm Gail; she then sat and watched as Gail continued to prepare her breakfast whilst humming a tune. Ana smiled, she had missed this watching Gail and talking with her in the mornings was something she enjoyed. After a few minutes, Gail finally turned around and gasped, she hadn't seen Ana out of her bedroom in two and a half weeks and she was happy that she had decided to move.
"Ana! I'm glad that you're out of bed this morning, I made your favourite I figured you'd need it since Christian let slip your argument before he left" Gail chimes as she places down the tray and placed Ana's plates in front of her, Gail had made pancakes and bacon with syrup and added a side of fruit. Gail then poured Ana orange juice and began to clear up.
"Oh yes, this is much needed. Christian and I are at a rough patch right now, and if I don't give myself a kick up the ass then I feel like I'll lose him and I don't want that to happen so I'm going to try and I'll talk to Flynn so I can finally fix this situation" Ana says before taking a bite of the delicious syrup covered pancakes, Gail smiles and nods in agreement.
"That's good, that man loves you so much Ana you can just see it in his eyes how much it kills him to see you like this" Gail replies, Ana couldn't stop the tears that appeared as she heard Gail's words. She knew that she was right, it really did hurt pain Christian to see Ana like this and now she wanted to put an end to it.
"And I'm going to put a stop to this; I'm going to make it my mission to be me again" Ana vowed to Gail, she just wish she could have said this to Christian. She was going to surprise Christian and speak to Flynn and then finally dress in normal clothes so that she was able to join Christian and his family at dinner tonight.
"I'm happy for you Ana, if you'll excuse me I need to finally clean the bedroom" Gail says as she hurries off down the corridor leaving Ana by herself. Sitting alone made Ana think, she thought about hers and Christian's trip in two weeks. A weekend in New York followed by a trip to a secret location that Christian assured that she would love.
Lunch time soon rolled around and Ana found herself sitting in Christian's office with a club sandwich and Flynn, he had politely joined her for lunch and made quick conversation before starting session. Flynn was impressed that Ana had managed to make Christian realise that he could love, something that he had been trying to make him realise for years. He was sad that Ana had resulted to this after her incident; he didn't blame her though it was tough to go through something as tragic as she had gone through and come out unharmed. He expected this; he just didn't expect it to be as bad.
Once lunch was finished Ana made sure she was comfy for the session that was about to come, in her hand she held her mug of tea and in front of her was a box of tissues. Flynn pulled out his notes and looked to Ana with a warm smile.
"So, Ana why don't you tell me what's been going on these past few weeks?" Flynn urges Ana to speak as she slowly sips her tea.
"I really don't know, John. Ever since what happened I feel like I'm losing myself and everyone around me" Ana says, it was true she was losing herself.
"Why do you feel like this Ana? Do you know?" Flynn asks and Ana only shook her head, she didn't know why she felt like this.
"Okay then lets start with what happened to you, why don't you tell me everything" Flynn sits back preparing himself for Ana's story, he held his pen tight in his hand with his notes resting on the arm of the chair.
"I woke up on the morning feeling weirdly disorientated, I knew it was because I was at my parent's house after not being there for a while so I thought I would head out and go check out the Sunday market because it was early and I didn't want to wake anyone. I didn't think that it would be a problem to just go for a walk for an hour or so
Once I reached the market, I bought some fruit for my parents and grabbed some tea and then Christian called, he was going crazy he then told me he was on his way to collect me because I was alone. I was told to stay put. He called again ten minutes later and informed me that I had been followed by Elena, I could hear them forming a plan but it was too late they were already making their move to get me so Christian told me to ran but he never caught up with me. They caught me first" Ana takes a deep breath and then another sip of her tea to calm her throat and nerves.
"I was sedated immediately after I was kidnapped and when I woke up I had a phone shoved to my ear and all I could hear was Christian's voice, he was worried but I was too out of it to register that. I was sedated again and I woke up in a van, Elena, Vivian and Harrison got into a fight and crashed the van and that was when Jack Hyde showed up and took me away. I woke up in hospital after that, I only remember the explosion of the van before I was out" Ana finished, Flynn had listened carefully noting down important moments.
"I'm sorry that this happened Ana, but how did hearing Christian make you feel? How did you feel when you woke up?" Flynn asks readying himself to take more notes.
"At the time of hearing Christian's voice, I felt confused and lost I was unable to register any other feelings because I really didn't know what was happening at that time. When I woke up, I had woken up from this crazy experience. During my time in a coma I spent time with Ella, Christian's birth mother and my grandmother and birth father. I had no idea who Ella was; Christian hasn't told me about his time before Grace yet so when I saw her it was a little bit weird
But she told me things, she told me that she was sorry and that she loved Christian and always cherished him and that she was in a bad place. I wish that I was able to understand what she was telling me but I don't want to pressure Christian into this, I know that it's a deeply personal thing and he will tell me in his own time"
Flynn was interested in Ana's time whilst she was in a coma, he had been told of experiences like this before but never with people they didn't know.
"I guess my time in the hospital was both positive and negative, when I was brought back into the real world they had pushed me and I fell into my bed and after that I started to get these nightmares of where I would fall from high places and just fall to the ground or wake up all over again next to Christian. I had a nightmare where I had woken up next to Jack Hyde five years after I was kidnapped and Christian was dead and I killed Jack Hyde with a lamp and woke up. I was petrified and I still am petrified of this ever happening, I know that he's been put away and he will be for a long time but there's still a piece of me that thinks that one day he will just show up and take me away" Ana was pouring her heart out and it felt good to do it.
"It's okay Ana, you can keep going I am here to listen" Flynn urges Ana to keep going and she does.
"These past few weeks have been weird, I haven't felt like myself. I would much rather spend my time in the bedroom curled up in bed than go outdoors or even into the kitchen, Gail would bring me my meals and then force me to shower. Christian and I, it's been tough we've argued more than ever and only now has it just come to me that I might lose Christian over this. I'm sure he shared this with you but the day I came home I flipped out, I locked myself in the bedroom and then locked myself in the en-suite. When I realised that he was breaking the door down, I hobbled over to the bed and sat down and watched
When he finally got the door opened, I threw my crutches at him and then kicked him in the shin. I have never ever used my force like that with anyone unless I've really needed to but I couldn't help myself. I wanted to be independent, I wanted to not be stuck in this stupid cast and I just wanted to be me. But I wasn't me, I was far from it especially at that point and even now as I'm telling you all of this I still don't feel like me no matter how much weight is off of my shoulders" Ana stops and looks at Flynn, he nodded ready to chime in his professional opinion. Ana had poured her heart as much as she could, of course the demons lay deeper inside but this was her main issue right now. She needed to be on the straight and narrow before her cast was removed.
"Ana, you are clearly quite traumatised by these horrible events and I think the underlying issues you have hasn't contributed to this positively. You have PTSD and I can prescribe you the correct meds for this, take one of these once a day religiously, I'm always around as you know for a session. You've done well today Ana" Flynn stands and hands Ana her meds, once Ana has stood also she shows Flynn out and then takes a seat in the kitchen with Gail.
The pair catch up over a mug of tea, Ana has conjured up a plan that Grace and Christian's security team has agreed to help with. No one was to tell Christian because Ana wanted to make him happy. It was three in the afternoon now and Ana emerges from Escala after 22 days of no fresh air, it felt good to step outside. She piles into the SUV and stares out of the window as Sawyer hurries past the media that still camped outside of the Escala building, Ana almost felt like a new person as the traumas were temporarily buried away after a session with Flynn. She was determined to get herself back on track more than ever now that she had had some sense knocked into her.
Her plan was set in motion as she arrived at the hospital with a grin on her face; she was more than ready to get this cast off her leg. Ana entered the waiting room and waited patiently, Sawyer sat beside her with Carl lingering the corridors. Carl gave a nod to both Sawyer and Ana when he saw that Grace and Ana's doctor was walking along the corridor, she quickly stood ready for them to arrive and when they did Grace launched into a hug where as the doctor took a polite hand shake. Together they entered a room and preceded her appointment.
An hour later and Ana was free from her cast, she felt like a different person as she walked out of the hospital with only minor support from Sawyer and a crutch in her left hand. She was left with a support for the remainder of the week, she could deal with this. Sawyer made sure that Taylor was able to delay Christian, Ana wanted to get herself ready and to meet Christian at work. Once she arrived back at Escala, Ana hurried to the penthouse. She had already picked an outfit in her mind, but first she needed to bathe.
Being able to have a proper bath was the best thing to Ana, she wanted to stay in for much longer but she knew that she was on a schedule. Ana took care of her legs and then with a little help from Gail she managed to make it out of the bathroom, she was thankful that GEH and Escala were close, she had more time to make herself presentable. Ana perched on the edge of the bed and began to work on her hair, she dried it slowly and then forced it to settle in it's suitable places. After Ana moisturised she then proceeded to collect her outfit that Gail had kindly pulled out for her, she pulled on her high waisted brown pants and then her oversized black off the shoulder sweater. Ana tucked in the sweater and then matched the outfit with a pair of black pumps.
Ana was ready to go; Sawyer would take her to GEH and surprise Christian and then once Christian was ready they would join his parents at Bellevue. Once Ana arrived she slowly stepped out of the car ready to face Christian, he had left of a bad note and she didn't know what sort of mood he would be in when she arrived. Ana took herself to reception and immediately she was granted access, she then met Taylor at the elevator and he gave her a smile.
"Hello Taylor" Ana greets as she steps into the elevator with him and Sawyer.
"Hi Miss Steele, good to see you're mobile again" Taylor replies as he taps in the code.
"Yes, I got the cast off Christian will be surprised" Ana grins.
"I think it will be a good end to his day, he's been very angry today" Taylor admits and Ana only nods, it was her fault that he was angry.
Once the trio arrived at Christian's floor, Sawyer and Taylor were first to step out of the elevator, Ana then stepped behind them and walked closely behind the pair as they made quick conversation. Ana smiled to Andrea as she walked by and told her not to alert Christian. Andrea gave her a quick nod and smiled happily. Taylor opened the door and alerted Christian of a problem, he noted that Sawyer was with him and immediately thought of Ana.
"What's going on Jason?" Christian asked with a worried look, he glanced from Sawyer to Taylor as his mind raced with thoughts.
"Well..." Sawyer began to trail off and then the pair stepped aside and revealed Ana.
"Fuck, you pair of bastards" Christian curses as he takes in Ana's beauty. She looked breath taking and he was glad to see her finally out of the bedroom, he looked down and noticed that the cast was gone. He gave Ana a smile and took her hand signalling for Taylor and Sawyer to leave.
"Hey" Ana says shyly as the pair are now alone
"Hey baby" Christian takes Ana in his arms and they hold each other tight, Ana nestled her head into Christians neck and allowed him to soothe her.
"I'm sorry that I've been such a mess these past few weeks but I'm going to get better, I promise" Ana tells Christian and he pulls her head up and places a kiss upon her lips with a big grin.
"I'm so happy that you're outdoors and in my arms right now, I'm sorry for being a bastard this morning. But it did get you outdoors didn't it?" Christian chuckles a little and notices Ana giggling; he hadn't heard her giggle in so long it was still his favourite sound.
"It did, you don't need to apologise baby. It was tough love, I get that. I just didn't want to lose you so I sat with Flynn and just talked everyone out, I'm going to be okay now" Ana vows and Christian knew that she was telling the truth, Flynn had called after their session to let Christian know that she had taken the session and even had lunch with him. He knew that she would now be taking meds and that Ana had agreed to more sessions.
"I love you Anastasia Steele, lets get out of here" Christian places another kiss on Ana's lips and together they leave GEH.
Outside of the offices were paparazzi, waiting for Ana's debut with Christian after she had been announced as missing. Ana later learned that a manhunt had been put in place whilst she was in a coma, she was glad that Christian was the one to find her.
Holding Christian's hand, she put down her ray bans and moved through the paparazzi with confidence, Taylor Sawyer and Carl created a pathway for the pair that led to the SUV. Once inside the pair let out a deep breath and then snuggled into each other for the journey over to Bellevue, Christian had brought spare clothes with him and it made Ana wonder why. She looked away as he changed out of his suit and into a pair of Beige slacks and a navy blue polo shirt. He ran a hand through his hair and then pulled Ana close to him again.
"Christian, why did you have clothes with you?" Ana asks curious, he looked at her and saw the worried look on her face.
"Because I was going to stay at my moms for the night to give us space, but I don't need to now" Christian admits, and Ana only nods.
"Baby I'm so glad you decided to come to my parents with me" Christian then says as he squeezes Ana's hand.
"Me too" Ana replies as she sighs and stares out of the tinted windows.
The pair finally arrive at Bellevue, Grace and Carrick are waiting outside with huge smiles on their faces. Ana jumps out first followed by Christian; Ana makes her way to Grace who has her arms held out for Ana. They both embrace and then Ana moves on to Carrick who is shocked to see Ana, he gives her a light hug and then gives his son a firm handshake.
"We're going to dine on the patio; it's nice and warm so we thought we could have a grill out. Elliot and Kate are out the back and Mia flew out to Paris this morning for a few weeks, so it's just us this time" Grace says as she walks through the house with Carrick, Christian and Ana trailing behind.
"Sounds great" Ana comments before reaching the patio doors that lead out to the patio and the huge garden, Ana spots Kate and Elliot lounging on the grass she hasn't turned to see her best friend yet, probably expecting only Christian.
"Elliot, Kate join us up here" Grace calls and without words they both stand and begin walking. Kate stops momentarily and spots Ana, she begins to run to her best friend excited to see her.
"Steele!" Kate yells as Ana walks to meet Kate
"Kavanagh" Ana greets and they both hug, neither of them has spoken these few weeks. Kate was upset that Ana had gotten as low as she had, and they both drifted apart.
"Oh I'm so glad to see you, it's been too long" Kate takes a step back from her best friend and takes her in, she looks gorgeous.
"I know, we'll do lunch sometime next week" Ana suggests as they both begin to walk towards the patio ready to join their loved ones.
"Definitely, I'm up for anything" Kate replies and then sits beside Elliot who stands and hugs Ana.
"Good to see you little lady" Elliot says and then takes his seat once more.
Ana sits beside Christian and the group begin to make small talk whilst Carrick grilled the various meats, the chef had prepared freshly baked buns and salad as well as freshly squeezed orange juice and a few nibbles whilst the feat was being prepared. Ana felt happy to be with the people she loved, and she loved that they welcomed her with open arms once more. The evening pressed on with no hiccups and finally after three weeks of suffering Ana finally felt like herself, she hated that it took her so long and that she got to her lowest before picking herself back up again but she was finally working towards it. She was going to be better and she wasn't going to let herself or anyone else down ever again.
Ana was a changed woman; she was stronger than ever and more alert to the world. Nothing was going to bring her down ever again. She would make sure of it.
