A/N

Thank you for the kind comments and enthusiasm. I appreciate it.

Welch left Flynn and Grey feeling oddly better. He had two tasks left to do. He nodded to the two armed men guarding the front entrance. Outside, he swept the area with his eyes and headed for his car that was in a fenced in lot with security at the gate as well as on patrol. At least he didn't have to worry about a bomb. He reached his car and got in. Then he pulled out his cell and called Gail Jones. Somehow, everything needed to get back to the way it was. Maybe Gail could be a catalyst.

"Mrs. Jones? It's Welch."

Gail stared down at her phone as her hands both trembled. She could see from the caller ID that it was Welch. Hearing him reconfirm it just made her heart beat faster. Thoughts raced through her mind, as she tried to figure out why he would call her. She prayed silently, 'Please, please, don't let it be Jason.'

"Mrs. Jones?" He asked again, seeking her attention.

"Yes, sir. How can I help you?"

Welch frowned at the formality in her voice. Fuck! This was not going well and he hadn't even started yet.

"There is a lot going on here, Gail. We could really use you at Escala. Mr. Grey is still not himself. Elena Lincoln is dead. Ana is in a coma and her future appears bleak. The verbal termination orders issued by Mr. Grey have been countermanded and all personnel returning to duty will be compensated for their inconvenience."

Gail listened and wondered if she should ask about Taylor and Sawyer. Instead, she found herself asking how Mrs Lincoln died.

"Sawyer shot her in self defense. Grey was there. It was a head shot and messy, but don't worry, I had a clean up crew come in and everything has been restored."

"She died at Escape?" Gail asked, bed horror at the thought obvious.

"I'm afraid so, M'me. "

"That's terrible. How is Luke?"

Welch hesitated before answering. "Luke is okay but he needs to stand down. He doesn't want to leave Ana's side. He promised Taylor he would keep her safe and he's having trouble accepting the severity of her injuries "

"Welch, where is Taylor?"

"For security reasons, I can't tell you where Taylor is. He was shot and seriously injured." Welch heard Gail gasp and wished he hadn't. There wasn't any easy way to do this, so he just plunged ahead. "He almost died, but he managed to make it through the surgery. He's going to be fine. I really can't tell you anything else, Gail, except we need you. Please, can you come back to Escala?"

Gail never hesitated. " I'll be there as soon as I can."

Welch smiled and relaxed ever so slightly. Now, for problem number two.

Luke stood outside the neural ICU in the University of Washington MEDICAL Center. Inside Ana laid on a bed with tubes and drains and IV's seemingly everywhere. She was on a respirator. Her head was bandaged and her glorious hair completely gone. He wished he didn't have to be here and see her like this. He was a coward. He didn't want to be here if she died. No, he wasn't going to think like that. Ana was a fighter. Reality smirked at him. Ana was a fighter. Past tense. Without Grey, she was lost. He sighed, feeling the effects of exhaustion. His eyes burned, his face was flushed, his insides were slowly dissolving from all the black coffee. His back ached and his feet were killing him. He had heard nothing about Taylor and Reynolds and Ryan were both keeping their distance. Not for the first time, Luke found himself wondering why he was there. Standing outside an ICU in a major hospital, thinking about a woman that he was virtually invisible too. None of them were being paid, so why were they all here? Why was he here? What was so special about Ana that everyone was willing to die for her?

Luke thought he must have spaced out for a bit because the next thing he knew Welch was in his face, commanding him to "Follow me."

Luke followed Welch into the elevator and out of the hospital. When he saw Welch was leading him to a black SUV, Luke stopped and said, "No, Welch."and turned to return to the hospital.

"Luke! Wait!"

Sawyer kept walking and called back, "I don't work for Grey any more. Leave me alone. "

Welch grabbed Luke's arm but quickly dropped it when Luke glared at him. "Please, we need to talk. You need a good meal and a decent nights sleep. Let's go to Escala and talk. I can have some dinner delivered. I know you're worried about Ana, but she's not going anywhere. Ryan and Reynolds can cover her. I need you in Escala. "

"Is Grey there?"

"Not yet, but I won't lie to you. I want to have him there tomorrow afternoon with Flynn. Gail will be there as well. Come on, Luke, think about it. A nice rare steak, a cold beer, a hot shower and your own bed to sack out in; seriously, does it get any better than that?"

Luke gave in and grinned, "Okay. I give."