A/N: Thanks for reading. Enjoy!

A POV

"Daddy's sorry he had to leave the table for a minute.", Christian apologizes sweetly to Jamison. We were in the middle of breakfast when he got a phone. I sit in my chair and observe father and son as they stare at each other. Jamison's smile is an exact mirror of Christian's.

"I'm certain he accepts your apology.", I ask, taking a bite of a strawberry from my fruit bowl. "Is everything ok?"

"Yeah. It was Flynn's assistant. She apparently double booked appointments today and needs to reschedule ours." Christian and I are meeting with John Flynn today to discuss the incident at the diner. We're hoping he can help us get some sort of peace. "We can either go at nine or wait until one. Ros and I are shadowing the the head of accounting this morning so I told her one. Is that ok with you?"

"One is fine with me." I take another strawberry but hold off on eating it. "Meeting with Flynn will be good, right?" Christian sits down in the chair on the other side of me and brings the strawberry to my mouth.

"Yes baby. You and I both know Flynn is good at what he does." It's now Christian's turn to be silent. "I..uh..I went by his office a few days after we returned from our first trip to Detroit, the one where we first met Susan."

"And visited Ella's grave."

"That too. I needed to talk about all that had transpired."

"Why didn't you tell me?", I ask.

"I don't know. I guess I wanted you to think I could handle it on my own. It was an intense two hour conversation. We met again a week later, but that was the last meeting we had on a professional basis."

"Christian, there's nothing wrong with needing help. You can't carry the weight of the world on your shoulders." He takes a drink of his coffee and nods. "When I talked with my dad last night, I mentioned how we're going to see Flynn. It seems he and Mary are considering meeting with someone."

"We're not Ray and Mary, but we went through the same trauma. They'll only benefit from getting help."

"We'll be seeing them tonight for dinner. They've also invited your parents." I look down at my stomach and then look back at him with a raised brow.

"You've decided we can tell them about the new baby tonight?", he asks.

"I'm leaning towards it. Do you think we should?"

"Whatever you decide is ok with me."


"Christian, Ana, please come in and have a seat." Christian's hand is wrapped around mine as we step into John Flynn's office. We sit on the brown leather sofa while Flynn sits down at the his desk. "How are you?"

"Obviously not good since we're here.", I laugh nervously.

"It's ok baby.", Christian says. "Flynn was only asking in general." Flynn props his chin on his hand and nods. "Things had been going well until an accident happened at the diner where Ana used to work."

"When you called to set up this meeting you said a car ran into the front. You also said no one was seriously hurt which is a good thing."

"A very good thing.", Christian murmurs.

"Ana, what were your feelings as you saw the car go into the building?", Flynn asks. I'm silent for several minutes, not because I don't want to answer the question but because wording my feelings is difficult. "Take your time."

"Shock, fear, worry, anger.", I answer as Christian's right hand covers my left.

"Christian, what about you? What feelings were you experiencing when you learned of the accident?"

"Pretty much the same as Ana in addition to guilt. I felt like I should've been there and dealing with what happened instead of her."

"What both of you are feeling is completely normal in near death experiences whether you're there first hand like Ana or indirectly like Christian. In nanoseconds, your life flashes before you, making you realize how fragile life is."

"You're right on the money.", Christian tells him. "Ana and I have and are continuing to build a life that's vanquished any darkness from my past. Don't get me wrong, I'm proud of my business and where it's at, but my life with Ana is more meaningful. We've got a healthy and beautiful son and..." Even though the conversation is serious, the corners of Christian's mouth curls into a smile. He looks at me for unspoken permission which I grant with a nod. "And another baby on the way."

"Another baby, congratulations. I see what you're saying Christian. Your lives are blessed, and that car running through the diner put those blessings in danger." He opens one of his desk drawers and pulls a stack of dominos which he begins placing on the top of the desk. "Think of each domino as a good thing in your lives." After the all the dominos are set up, he rests a hand next to them. "One thing can come along and ruin everything." He hits the end domino which in turns sends the dominos down one by one. "It's scary seeing that, huh? Your fear is similiar to the one we discussed the last time we met. You were afraid of loss."

"I was and am scared of dying, but my my concern is more for the affect of my loss on Christian and Jamison. I don't want to think about them being without me, and the new baby not getting the chance to see this world."

"Ana and I have come so far, gone through so much to get to where we are, and I don't want to think about living without her. It's not a notion I ever want to have."

"Then don't.", Flynn says seriously. "As I said, it's normal to have these fears, but you can't let them take over your lives. You can't barricade yourselves away from the world. Then you'd be missing out and well...not living. You need to be the ones in control, not the fear and worry." Each word Flynn's saying is slowly seeping in. Being afraid of losing or being lost will make our lives unbearable.


C POV

"Have I missed anything?", I ask Ros after joining her in accounting for the shadowing of Lyle McKibbon. We're standing against the wall by his office door, allowing us to have a clear view of the entire office.

"I haven't been here long myself, but I already know that girl at the far left desk is trouble. Lyle said her name is Donna Baxter. From the records I've seen, she's one of the employees who's called in several times or left early. Lyle informed her that he hadn't received her work from yesterday. She gave him the old "you'll have it today", but I'm doubting that."

"How did he handle it?"

"He told her it was due by three and no later." Lyle opens his door and smiles. "I was catching Mr. Grey up on what he missed."

"I'm doing the best I can. It's not going to be a one day change, but I'm going to get better.", he tells me.

"I was told about the employee who didn't turn in her work yesterday. You gave her until trhee to have it done. What's going to be your course of action if she fails to hand it in?" Donna Baxter takes a quick glimpse at us with a smirk.

"I'm prepared to terminate her if needed. She's always calling in and leaving early with no valid excuse." The topic of conversation gets up and waltzes towards us.

"Mr. McKibbon, here's the work you asked for. I'm sorry for taking so long with it."

"I'll let it go this time, but in the future, all assignments need to be on my desk by the end of the day."

"I would have had it turned in yesterday, but I..um got sidetracked with other things." She's trying to be nice, but I can see she's also trying to get herself off the hook. "Besides, what's one late assignment?" Ros looks as if she's about to add to the conversation, but she refrains herself and allows Lyle to continue.

"If it had been just one work assignment it might not be a big deal, but you've made it a habit. I've been more than fair with you, yet you don't seem fazed by it."

"Fine.", she mumbles. "I'll do better from now on." The sarcasm is dripping in her voice.

"I don't appreciate the tone you're taking with me.", Lyle says calmly.

"No offense Lyle, but you're only acting like this because Mr. Grey and Ms. Bailey are here. Any other time you'd care less about work being turned in on time."

"I've made mistakes with my supervising, and I'm trying to correct them, starting with making sure the work you're paid to do is done." The rest of the department have stopped their work and are now staring at the confrontation. "Please go back to your desk."

"No. She won't be going back to her desk.", I scoff. "Ms. Baxter, please get your things and leave. You're fired." Her eyes cut to Lyle and then Ros.

"You're really going to fire me over something stupid like this? Unbelieveable. I'm one of the best people here. You're going to beg me to come back.", she snaps.

"I don't see that happening.", Ros says, fighting amusement. "We need people who take the job seriously. That's not you." Instead of spewing more insults, Ms. Baxter stomps back to her desk and starts shoving things in her purse.

"I'm sorry. I tried to handle it the best I could.", Lyle sighs. "I'll go as well if you'd like."

"You'll do no such thing. You handled the situation well."


"Ana?" I call her name and knock on the bedroom door but don't get an answer. When I arrived home, Nancy told me Ana had been resting for the past hour. I ease the door open and use what's left of the daylight to see her on the bed. She's sprawled on her back with her arms tossed out. It doesn't look like a comfortable position, but the lack of movement from her indicates she's resting well. I pad to the bed and slide in next to her with her back to my front.

"What time is it?", she murmurs.

"Its five thirty."

"We've got to be at my dad and Mary's at six thirty. I still need to change clothes and get Jamison fed." I turn on the bedside lamp as she's about to spring to her feet, but I can see the exhaustion in her entire body. "Christian, come on."

"We're not going to the dinner. You are going to rest a while longer while I feed Jamison. Then I'm going to order some take out for us."

"We're expected at dinner.", she murmurs.

"We were expected, but after Nancy told me you weren't feeling well, I called your dad and told him we're not going to make it. I didn't tell him about the baby, only that you've got a stomach virus. He sent his get well wishes."

"I did tell Mary earlier over the phone that I wasn't feeling the best. She called me for Flynn's number."

"Is your dad going as well?", I ask. With a nod, she lays back down. "They're making the right choice."

"It was only this morning when we saw Flynn, but I already feel a lot better emotionally."

"I wish I could help you feel better physically. Do you need me to get anything for you?"

"I'm ok for now."