Chapter 20

Walking into the dining room, Carrick paused a moment as he took in his family and tried to figure out if any of them were going to be able to get ahead of whatever the hell was going on. Mia sat next to Sawyer and was talking to Grace as she helped Christopher to maneuver through his Belgium waffle with a butter knife. Sawyer had his arm wrapped around his wife's shoulders as he alternated between reading the paper and adding his input to the discussion Mia and Grace were having about the nursery designs as well as teasing Chris when he started to fuss. Across from them Elliot sat next to Nula, the seat on the other side empty as Mani hadn't come down yet. From where he stood, Carrick could see that there was some tension there and wasn't sure he wanted to know why, but they were doing their usual banter- if a bit stiffly.

"That bad, Cary?" Grace asked as she shifted in her seat and looked pointedly towards him as he exhaled and continued into the room.

"Not bad, just… troublesome," he answered as he kissed her cheek and went to sit at the other end of the table.

"Any news about Ana?" Mia asked.

"She woke up," Carrick replied as he placed his napkin on his lap, "but there were some… issues."

"Oh?" Grace asked. "The head injury isn't going to be problematic for her is it?"

"Not the head injury, but the spinal one," Carrick answered as he distractedly poured himself a glass of orange juice. "The doctors are hoping it's just from the swelling."

"What does that mean?" Nula asked hesitantly.

"She lost most of the sensation in both legs…"

"So she can't walk?" Elliot put in.

"For now."

"Who can't walk?" Christopher chimed up. "Is it like when Sophie hurt her ankle in dance and had to wear that weird shoe and you guys made me carry her books because she had to use her crutches?"

"A friend of ours was hurt in an accident," Mia replied calmly. "Her name's Ana and Uncle Christian is with her."

Christopher frowned: "do I know her… I don't think I remember a Ana…"

"She moved to NY before I met your mom, but she and your uncle still talk on the phone and… and stuff," Elliot explained.

"Oh," Christopher said, accepting the explanation. "So, how did she get hurt?"

"Someone didn't like her," Mani said as she breezed into the room.

"Actually, someone decided that they liked her a lot and was angry that she didn't like him back so he decided to hurt her. Like a bully, but worse because he didn't just use words," Sawyer corrected, looking around his wife: "he was a bad man who had hurt others in the past and he didn't learn his lesson to leave people alone who didn't want him around."

"Oh… that kinda makes since. Like when Henry keeps following me around at school even though I tell him we're not friends." Christopher said trying to understand.

"Right, but this person took it further. Henry isn't going to hurt you physically because you don't want to be his friend," Nula commented as Mani plopped into her seat with a plate and rolled her eyes. "Why are we talking about some friend of Christian's that nobody knows?" Mani interrupted.

"Umm… because we all knew her?" Mia answered sarcastically as Christopher pushed away his plate and got up from his chair. He quickly moved to his grandmother and whispered something in her ear causing her to smile before he darted out of the room while his mother continued her annoyance laced commentary.

"And just how long has it been since you all heard from her or talked to her- and not in a professional sense, Carrick."

"Maybe three weeks ago," Carrick admitted as he put down a coffee cup. "She wanted a recommendation for a business manager. She was planning on leaving her job and doing some freelance work, she wanted to make sure that she could do it without rushing into another job- and she had a couple of offers that would let her work from where ever she was."

"Like I said, not business."

"It wasn't business, Mani. Ana doesn't have much family- she was asking me as a paternal figure."

"And where is her father?"

"In a coma- and he had been for almost ten years," Carrick replied testily. "Now, if you don't mind I don't want to discuss this at the breakfast table."

"Ray's in a coma?" Mia asked. "How…"

"Car accident," Sawyer sighed. "Was why Christian wasn't on site at first when Hyde took you."

"He was with her?! And you all think its ok that he's with a person he ignored family for?" Mani pushed.

Elliot rolled his eyes as he shifted towards his wife: "what is your damage today?"

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me, Mani," Elliot rebutted. "Christian is with a friend who needs him- so what if she's someone you haven't met? So what if she's someone he was with when Mia was kidnapped?"

"She's involved with Hyde!"

"She worked for him and that's it," Elliot said through gritted teeth. "She was badly beaten by him this time, last time he went after her she barely got away before he raped her."

"Wait Hyde almost raped Ana! Where was I?" Mia wondered.

"Taylor found her outside of SIP.
He took her to her apartment to change and called me; she was worried what your brother would do if he found out. I called Flynn.
Ana needed to feel safe but not the added pressure of worrying about Christian.
We made arrangements with Roach for her to be transferred at the first opening and me to be with her at all possible times.
It worked," Sawyer told them.

"Except that Hyde was still fixated on Ana," Carrick put in. "He apparently had a shrine to Ana in his apartment with pictures from then and more from recently in NY. He had others from the week she lived in Aspen Corners before the attack."

"How the hell did he manage…" Grace exhaled. "How are Christian and Ana taking this news, and the news about her condition?"

"Actually better than I thought he would be," Carrick answered. "He's being supportive and keeping his temper in check.
I am going to have to go there, though- Hyde made allegations against Christian. He said that he was the one who attacked Ana and it was because he was jealous."

"And the police believe him?" Mia gasped.

"They questioned him and Ana, and thankfully for your brother Ana remembers the attack and who attacked her.
The shrine information was knew- Taylor overheard the detectives get the call about it; of course a good lawyer can turn it around and say that they were just pictures taken by a man in love."

Grace clucked her tongue as she shook her head: "they can't believe… oh what am I saying? He'd only need on juror to believe it.
Cary, I want to go with you.
I want to see for myself how Ana is doing and what is going on with those two," she said as his phone rang.

Excusing himself, Carrick frowned as he got up from the table and answered the phone. He only made it to the entrance of the dining room before he stopped and ended the call, color draining from his face. "Cary, what is it?"

"Hyde is dead.
He was killed by another prisoner…"

"Then it's over?" Mia asked as she leaned back in her chair, a hand over her baby bump.

"No…" Carrick admitted. "The call came from a clerk at the courthouse.
The CO. police have a warrant for all of Christian's phone records."

"WHAT?!" came a collective gasp and groan.

"Hyde was killed by someone who got a call from Seattle.
The police are investigating to see if Christian ordered it…."