There's noise all around me, but I feel as if I am submerged underwater. Everything echoes, and has a slightly unreal sound about it. I'm almost there, and then I am not. Something is tugging at the back of my mind. Something very important I know I have forgotten. But I don't feel well, and it's too much to force my mind to focus its attention, so I let it go. I fall back to sleep again.
It could be minutes or hours later when I next hear voices, as well as an incessant electronic beeping. I feel queasy. Waves of nausea are washing over me. I still have the feeling I've forgotten something, so with a struggle, I open my eyes. And I have no idea where I am.
I am in a large room. More like a few rooms joined together. The bed I'm on is a hospital bed, but the rest of the room looks more like an older style hotel suite. Large and functional, but a little run down. I look around curiously, noticing there's a drip in my arm and something on my index finger. There are people in the room, but none of them are paying attention to me just now.
I should be alarmed, but instead, I'm almost amused. I must be hallucinating. There in front of me is the African American lady who sometimes catches the same bus to work as me. Statuesque and athletically built, she would always wear a tailored pants suit and would get on at the stop two-hundred yards after mine. I remembered her because despite her almost masculine close-cropped hair and toned physique, she would spend some of her time on the bus applying bright, colorful lipstick. It looked good on her. She was standing talking to Mr. Military from the café near work, who was looking agitated.
"This is such a clusterfuck," I overheard him saying. "We'll have to keep her here… she can't be moved… He's going to go thermonuclear…"
There was someone else in the room with their back to me, but I had no idea who it was. Which brought me back to the fact I had no idea where I was.
It didn't seem like I was still dreaming, but as I searched my memory, the last thing I could distinctly remember was being at work at SIP on Thursday. Thinking about SIP, that urgent feeling returned to me. I could feel adrenaline flooding my body as every cell within me screamed something was wrong; that I needed to get out of here now to save myself.
I was looking at the drip in my hand, trying to work out how I could detach it and make my way out of here. I sat up in the bed a little, only to discover I was wearing a thin white cotton hospital gown and that other than panties I was naked beneath it. My shifting must have alerted my captors because Mr. Military turned to look at me. His gaze intense and searing, he took a step forward, as did Ms. Bright Lipstick. I sat up quickly, noticing a nurse in the room.
"Help me!" I screamed. "My name is Anastasia Steele, and they've kidnapped me! I don't know where I am! I didn't consent to this," I indicated, pointing to the drip and then gesturing around the room.
I was trying to get out of the bed as Military and Lipstick approached.
"Don't let them near me! They're holding me against my will!" I shrieked, clambering out of the hospital cot and putting it between them and me.
Lipstick and Military stepped back watching me, but the nurse came closer. She's in her early fifties and looks friendly enough, although right now, I'm highly suspicious of everyone.
"Where am I and why am I here?" I demand, looking around the room and cursing its single entrance. The entrance Lipstick and Military were standing in front of, effectively blocking it.
"Calm down, Miss Steele. You're in Mount Sinai West."
"I'm in Egypt?" I shriek, my mental geography kicking in as my eyes looked around in terror. I'd obviously been abducted – but why bring me to Egypt?! What the hell did these people want from me?
"You're in New York, Miss Steele. Mount Sinai West Hospital."
She tried to take a step toward me, but I was still uncertain.
"Don't come near me! Don't anyone come near me! I don't know why I'm in New York! Why am I here? I want to leave… Right now!"
I was bellowing. The nurse was backing off hands raised in a placating gesture.
"I'll get the doctor," she murmured to Military and Lipstick before leaving the room - as if they had some responsibility or dominion over my care. To be honest, the idea of that frightened me even more! Why were two strangers from Seattle here with me in New York in a 'hospital' that didn't look like a hospital?!
My legs were shaking, and I was seconds away from ripping the drip out of my hand and trying my best to get out of there when I heard panicked shouting outside in the hallway.
"Where is she?! Ana? Ana baby, I'm here!"
Seconds later Christian burst through the doorway, his bodyguard Taylor following in his wake.
"Christian?" I asked, my voice shaking in relief.
"I'm here, baby," he said soothingly, walking around the bed and catching me as my shaky legs finally gave way. "I'm here, and you're safe. Nothing's going to happen to you now."
"They abducted me," I said urgently, gesturing to Military and Lipstick as Christian gently held me in his arms. "They say I'm in New York?"
"Shh… You're safe now, Ana. You're safe, and I'm here. Let's get you back into bed, and I'll explain everything."
At a word from Taylor, Lipstick and Military left the room. Christian placed me back on the bed.
"Don't leave me," I begged, clutching the front of his shirt desperately.
"I won't, baby. I promise," he said, slipping one arm out of his suit jacket and then the other, letting it fall uselessly to the floor beside the bed. He picked me up again, climbing onto the bed beside me, positioning me to one side but resting me on his chest. Without thinking I raised one of my hands and rested it on his heart. He gave me a beatific smile and placed his hand on top of mine, tangling our fingers before leaning down to place a kiss on my forehead.
"What's the last thing you remember?" Christian asked.
"I was at work on Thursday. They say I am in New York? Is that true?"
"It is. You flew to New York this morning with Jack Hyde. Do you remember that?"
I stopped to think. Now Christian mentioned it, I could recall the spare plane ticket and my trip to New York. I nodded.
"I messaged to tell you," I said cautiously.
"You did," he acknowledged with a sweet smile. "When I got your message, I asked my people to do some digging. When they did, they discovered some alarming information. Hyde booked and paid for your ticket with his own money. There was no record in the SIP system of you going to New York. I was also concerned that the longest any of Hyde's assistants lasted was three months. They'd all leave with no notice for personal reasons."
As Christian spoke, it started coming back to me.
"He kissed me! In the lift. I was feeling so sick, and he forced himself on me. It was awful. I couldn't get away from him, so when the lift doors opened, I pushed him away from me and ran. He chased me down the corridor and grabbed me. I couldn't get away, so I kicked him between the legs."
"Good girl," Christian said proudly, pulling me closer to him and dropping another sweet kiss on my forehead.
"I can't remember anything after that?"
"He drugged you. Rohypnol. We believe it was in your wine. You got away from him but collapsed in your hotel room. You were unconscious, so they brought you here. The drip is the antidote."
"So how are you here?" I asked. My brain was still foggy, but something wasn't adding up.
"When I got your message I knew I couldn't wait to see you, so I flew here to meet you. I was en route when I learned it wasn't a SIP funded trip, and I started to panic."
What he said make sense. I was starting to calm down when Lipstick walked in front of the door in the corridor. I immediately tensed again.
"Who is she? And the other one?" I asked, starting to panic again.
"Please don't be angry," Christian begged softly. "After that weekend I was beside myself. From the moment you left, I went into free fall. I was so worried about you, and there's another situation I'll tell you about later that concerned me. I just needed you safe, baby. So I assigned you personal protection."
He looked up at Taylor who was standing near the door pretending not to hear what Christian was telling me. But as soon as Christian looked at him, Taylor's eyes met his, and at a nod he walked into the corridor, returning in seconds with Military and Lipstick. Speaking for the first time, Taylor introduced me.
"Miss Steele, this is Luke Sawyer and Belinda Prescott. They were assigned as your primary protection in Seattle. When Mr. Grey learned you were traveling to New York under potentially dangerous circumstances, they were tasked to follow you to ensure your protection."
I must have looked confused because Taylor continued.
"Sawyer and Prescott work for Mr. Grey. They were never to interfere in what you were doing – just to be an extra set of eyes to make sure you were safe."
"Yet under their watch, I was drugged," I commented dryly.
"I'm so sorry, Ma'am," Prescott aka Lipstick responded, her chagrin genuine. "We were waiting the next floor up when Hyde brought you upstairs. The other team followed you from the lounge, and we came straight down. Sawyer accessed your room and discovered you unconscious. Together we brought you here."
"The other team?!" I demanded, sitting up and moving away from Christian slightly. "Just how many people were assigned to me?!"
Taylor glanced at Christian who suddenly looked nervous. But nonetheless, he nodded his head.
"Miss Steele – once we learned Hyde had paid for your ticket himself and had only booked a single night's accommodation for you at the hotel, we decided extra protection was needed. Three operatives tailed you from LaGuardia to the hotel and then to drinks. We knew you might recognize Sawyer or Prescott, so they were waiting upstairs while the local team was watching you."
I turned to face Christian.
"So you knew I was walking into a dangerous situation and did nothing to warn me?" I hissed, trying to move further from him on the narrow hospital bed. "How could you do that to me?"
"I'm sorry!" Christian groaned, grasping my hand and refusing to let go. "I didn't know what Hyde had planned! All I knew is I hadn't seen you in two weeks, and I didn't know how things stood between us. You were going to New York, and I was worried about Hyde's intentions! I didn't want to ruin an amazing opportunity for you, but I was scared something could happen! I didn't know what to do, Ana. I just needed you safe, so I had security observing you."
"But I wasn't safe. Jack attacked me!"
From the corner of my eye, I could see Lipstick and Military, or Prescott and Sawyer as I now knew them to be, disappear out the doorway after a nod from Taylor.
"I'm sorry, and believe me; Hyde's going to pay! I couldn't protect you without telling you what I'd learned, but then I'd have to tell you I'd had you under surveillance and I didn't know how you'd feel about that. I didn't expect Hyde to drug you! I thought he might try something, but I was trying to get here to meet you at the bar so we could work things out between us."
I was confused. I was tired, still feeling sick, and now I was feeling ambushed.
"Christian? What's going on? We haven't seen each other in weeks, but you show up in a hospital I'm never going to be able to afford to tell me all this. Why are you here?"
I could see the torment on his face. The fear, then a terrified resolution.
"I'm here because I love you, Ana. I'm in love with you, and I needed to come here to tell you. I need you in my life. I need you to be safe."