Disclaimer: I own nothing...
A/N: I cannot believe how my muse shrivelled up into NOTHING for this story. I had always intended this to be the final chapter, but with my weak muse for Fanfiction lately I'm happy to declare this the final chapter.
Thank you for everyone who loved and continued to love!
This is UNEDITED so please keep that in mind!
The Grey Heart Epiphany –Chapter Nine
Christian hadn't slept a wink that night. He lay awake on the border of consciousness and otherwise, and listened to Ana sleeping soundly, her soft breathing rushing across his covered chest with each fresh exhale.
He couldn't believe all that had happened, and he couldn't believe that after everything she was still here, still caring for him. All while living in utter turmoil. His eye grazed across her body, looking down to her bulging stomach and his heart faltered by falling into a staccato rhythm. He had no idea what type of father he was going to be, but he didn't care. He couldn't care about himself when he loved and adored the child that Ana had protected for months with no help, no support, no comfort. He loved a child he, regretfully, hated to begin with. He loved his wife for being courageous and selfless. She had given three months of her life to look after him and their child and she put herself aside.
"You should be resting," she murmured suddenly, signifying she was awake. Her voice was husky with sleep and she didn't move, she remained against his chest. "You need to rest after all that," she paused, her brow furrowing and she looked up at him. "Resting?" she asked, and suddenly began to giggle.
And Christian felt his heart begin to blossom. It swelled with joy at the sound and it thumped with such happiness that he felt more alive than ever. Hearing her joke and giggle, made him think that everything would be okay. He knew he had a lot of grovelling to do and a lot of making up for, but just that noise told him that his forgiveness was waiting.
"I've missed that," he admitted sheepishly, and he began to shudder on his breathing as her broke down. "I thought I'd lost you forever. God, Ana, how I thought I had lost you."
"Hey." Ana quickly sat up, pushing up towards him so she could catch his tears. "I am not going anywhere. Yes, you were an ignorant, pompous asshole, but I love you. I wouldn't be here otherwise. I wouldn't be here with your child if I didn't. I needed you to come back to me. We're not done in this life quite yet, Christian."
"Good," he whimpered miserably. "It was like this eternal blackness took over. The moment you handed me over to Elena my heart stopped beating. I couldn't take you allowing another woman to love me. And you ran off so heartbrokenly that I knew you loved me. With everything in you, I knew."
Ana's face shadowed a little as her emotions darkened. "Just so you know I'd never give you up to her," Ana whispered, her voice, although low, held so many convicting elements.
"I know," Christian breathed effortlessly. "Waking up and you still being here tells me you love me."
"So much," she confessed, cupping his face and leaning in to kiss him. "Christian, you and I are far from done. I mean that. Whatever you dreamt of while you were in that coma isn't real and won't be. We're a family now. I fought for it, fought for the moment you would wake up and want me and the baby, and it happened." She broke into a bright, ever growing smile. "
"Then why do you look like a piece of your is still struggling with something?" Christian asked her, surveying her closely. He wasn't a fool. He might be weaker than usual, but he could read his wife like an open book.
She sighed, her smile only dimming slightly as she admitted to him the one thing that troubled her. "I did wake up and think it was all a dream," she whispered at him. "I thought you waking up and still loving me was just a dream."
"I woke up, I still love you, and I love our baby," Christian retorted to her in a soft, sincere tone. He pushed himself up from the hard mattress, wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back down with him, kissing her with all the passion and ardour that had been building. Pulling away reluctantly he looked at her. "I think I love you far more than I ever have done before, Anastasia."
Ana said nothing; she grabbed Christian's hand, placed it to her stomach and waited a moment, just gauging his expression. When she saw the small smile creep across his face she knew how sincere he was.
"I think he agrees," she spoke softly to him. Her eyes were watering to his words, her heart taking each one to her soul. She watched the incredulity creep around his face before settling hard and she couldn't hold back. "That's your son, Christian," Ana whispered at her husband. Her eyes watered as she finally told someone the biggest secret she had. She watched Christian's eyes widen in shocked surprise, and she just offered him an impish smile. "In about three and a half months' time you're going to get to hold your first son." She let the tear fall and sniffled, "Say whatever you might, but you made an heir to the Grey family fortune."
Christian didn't say anything in response.
"Say something." Ana looked panicked. She was worried about the vacant look on his face, the silence as no words fell from his lips. He just watched her stomach. "Christian, please."
Christian looked up to her, excitement now hitting his face entirely. "I think it's time we tell our entire family. Three and a half months is long enough."
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- The Grey Heart Epiphany -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Feeling the sweat slickening across her palms, Ana felt herself beginning to feel sick at the idea of what was to come. She knew certain people would be hostile towards her for this and others wouldn't. She wanted nothing more than to just caress the baby in her stomach so it would calm down, but she wasn't quite ready for the cat to be out of the bag yet.
"What's going on?" Carrick asked warily as he watched Ana stand away from Christian, a complete and utter nervous wreck. He then looked to his wife and his face loosened with realisation. "You know?"
"It's not my place to say anything," Grace defended, remaining calm and poised for this moment.
"Ana's pregnant," Christian blurted out, looking to his wife as she blushed beautifully as everyone's eyes landed on her. He wasn't about to keep this going and make his father pick holes in his mother before their eyes.
"I've known for a while," Ana began to say, her tone a little sad and downtrodden. She gulped and looked up at them all. "I actually found out the night Christian got into that crash. I've known all along."
"Why the hell didn't you tell anyone?" Kate asked, her retort snappy and laced with anger making Ana jump. "I thought we were like sisters and you lied about something so important? What happened to trust, Ana? We've all stuck by you through this and you've been lying to us all along. I cannot believe you could be so selfish with something so important and life changing."
Ana sniffled as she listened to Kate lay into her, her breakdown was only strengthening. "I'm sorry," she whispered, unable to look at anyone in the eye. "I didn't do it to spite any of you. I did it because I didn't know if I was doing the right or wrong thing." She finally looked up, trying to brave the moment. "I was lost after I got the news about Christian and I didn't know what I was doing. It was stupid, I know that, but I was scared. I didn't know what to do in regards to what Christian wanted. I didn't know if to keep the baby or get rid of it, and before I knew it the option was gone. I needed Christian to love this baby before I could let anyone else in."
Kate immediately began to argue again.
"Kate," Grace scolded promptly, stopping her. "She has been through a lot. Don't you dare play victim here." She rushed to Ana's side, putting her arms around her immediately. "Like she said, she was scared and with Christian's condition not changing, and the events surrounding it, she hasn't been of rational mind for months. She is now, and she knows what the future is looking like."
Unknown what else to do, Ana just grasped onto Grace, gripping onto her doctor's coat and crying upon it as the weight of the world finally fell away from her shoulders. She couldn't take the reaction she had received, she couldn't take how her life was suddenly spinning again, and she couldn't take the fact that her husband had come back to her miraculously okay. It all just became too much.
"Shh," Grace comforted Ana motherly. She looked to Christian and saw the concern etched into his tired face and she gave him her best look to tell him that he needed to rest and let her look after his wife. "Ana, you need to calm down. This isn't good for you or the baby, Sweetie."
"I'm so sorry," she whispered to Grace, unable to form any other words. "I'm s-sorry for this. All of this."
Listening to her, Christian knew exactly what she was talking about, and it was more than just the baby news only now becoming public knowledge. "It wasn't your fault," he called out and immediately he watched her stiffen. "None of this was your fault, Ana. Absolutely none of it." He knew he couldn't just get up and go to her. There were so many variables stopping him - tubes, wires, his minimal strength. "I left you that night. I drove drunk. I drove us to this point. I'm the sorry one, Ana. I'm sorry for putting you through all of this. I'm sorry I've caused you so much more heartache. I don't want anyone to blame you for my actions." Christian turned his gaze on Kate. "Don't you dare attack a woman that loved her callous husband enough to be concerned about how he would react to her still being pregnant. Don't hate the girl who stuck by her husband after what he did. This is on me."
"It's on no one," Ana abruptly stepped in after bristling to Christian's claims. "You weren't callous. You were scared. Now you're awake we can start life again. We can get over this. We can embrace our son," she murmured, her head dropping until her chin hit her chest and her hands ran over her bump, brandishing it with her clothing. "He needs his entire family to love him now. Not just his mom."
"Oh my," Kate gasped in shock, a hand shooting to cover her mouth. Her eyes watered as she saw the bump and she just tried to keep herself from crying.
"How far, Little Lady?" Elliot asked, stepping to feel the baby. "You're too far gone."
"I'm just over five months," she admitted and stepped back. "Sorry, Elliot, but it feels weird for people to be touching it." She shrugged, caressing her bump to calm her son. "It's just been me and him for too long."
"That's fine," Elliot told her and then just pulled her into his arms. "I'm sorry we didn't notice, Ana. I'm so sorry none of took enough notice."
Ana just smiled as she held onto her brother-in-law, in the months they had sat vigil to Christian, she and Elliot had become a lot closer. It made her keeping a secret that much harder. "Stop worrying. I am not prepared to live in the past," she spoke as she began to pull away. "I just want to get my husband home and move on and be ready for this baby."
"I think we're getting closer to that point," Mia said as she stepped in to hug Ana. "I'm so happy it's finally all turning out right."
"I'm ready to go home," Christian stated, breaking the moment a little as he sat up. He didn't care about still having a feeding tube or catheter in. He couldn't wait anymore for a doctor to declare it okay to remove them. He wanted to go home now.
"Whoa," Ana caught him and stabled him, pushing him back to the mattress. "Slow and steady. You can't expect to leap before you walk, Christian."
"I can damn well try," Christian argued, grinding his teeth as he tried to push back against her.
"Yeah you can, and you can also land face first on the floor," Ana sniped at his sarcastically. "I need you to take it slow because we, the baby and I, need you to be healthy. No rushing." She could see he was unable to accept her plan of action and she sighed as she strived for an answer. "Why are you so eager to get up and living like normal, like nothing happened?"
Christian looked at her, all fear unleashed. "Because if I'm not up and walking then I'm scared you'll up and walk away. If I don't help get life back to normal then you'll leave me."
"Are you stupid?" Ana asked, slumping onto his bed beside him.
Christian shook his head. "Just look at everything. After all, look what I've put you through for years, Ana. Why would you want to sit around and wait for me to be back to normal when our child is going to be born soon?"
"Hey now," she pushed in. "I'm not going anywhere," Ana stated boldly, pressing against him. "I've sat here waiting for you to wake up, did what the doctors wanted to do, and now you're awake I intend to see you through this recovery. I am and I will not be walking away from you. Please understand that."
Christian watched his wife. She was so full of conviction and honesty he found it overwhelming. She loved him without a doubt. There was no harboured animosity from her. She didn't even hate him like he knew she should. She had stayed by his side regardless of his attitude and actions and showed how much she loved him time and time again.
He thought he would never know love. Yet he was living proof that those who deem themselves unlovable just needed the right match. Ana was living proof that men like him were warranted a second chance and this time he wasn't going to just let it slip away. He wasn't going to jeopardise his chances with Ana any longer. He was going to love everything that happened and that happened to be the family that was growing in Ana. After all he had been given an epiphany that would stick to his heart like no other.
Reaching out for his wife, he look her hand in his, looking at the perfect as he held it. "I say this is a new start," he whispered to her. "Just you and I, Anastasia, and our family," Christian began to speak, his gaze hesitant to look at her. "What do you say?"
"I say we start this life properly," Ana agreed, grinning coyly to him. "You, I, our son and our family."
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- The Grey Heart Epiphany -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
The End!
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- The Grey Heart Epiphany -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
