CHAPTER 25
CHRISTIAN POV
I just got off the phone with my little vixen and I swear she is trying to send me to an early grave once I got those photos of her naked. The groan I made was heard by everyone in the room and I needed to clear the room fast. There was no way that I could've stood up and left with the pitched tent in my pants so I acted pissed off and sent them on their way. It's good to keep them on their toes, besides they are the reason I only have a photo and not the real thing in front of me. I fix my pants and make sure my handkerchief caught everything then go and knock for Taylor to release the door. I tell everyone to go and have lunch and that we will meet back at two and that I want this mix up fixed by five today so that I can be on my jet by seven. If Roz wasn't in New York finalizing another deal I would have sent her to deal with these idiots. I haven't slept in two days and these people are grating on my last nerve.
I have Taylor take me to a local deli and I make a call to my jeweler who handles all the jewelry that I buy for my mom and sister. I tell him that I want to meet him sometime later this week for an engagement ring. I give him what I am looking for and want several to choose from when we meet. This has to be perfect just like Anastasia. Maybe I should get Chloe some jewelry or is a one-year-old too young to have jewelry? We are on our way back when I need some advice and I think Taylor would be a better sounding board than Elliot at the moment.
"Taylor I need to ask you some questions and want your honest opinion." I say looking at the rear view mirror in the car.
"Sir" Taylor says.
"I am wanting to propose to Anastasia soon and I wasn't sure if I should get Chloe some sort of jewelry also to symbolize my commitment to her as well. I want her to take my last name and adopt her, you know the whole nine yards. I have already spoke with my lawyers about this and the process Anastasia and I will have to go through; which seems pretty simple. Anyway, please speak freely." I say rambling.
"Well first off, congratulations Sir I know that this is another big step for you and both Gail and I am happy for you. As far as jewelry goes I would get her something that has the date on it so that when she looks back she knows that was the day you became her family. I would also suggest having it put away in a safe until she is old enough not to swallow it or lose it. Also make sure that you keep Ms. Steele in the loop about the adoption and that you are all on the same page and talk it through together." He says while keeping his eyes on the road the entire time.
"Thank you Taylor. Also, is everything in place for their move on Friday and Saturday? I don't want Anastasia to have any stress in this move."
"Yes Sir. Sawyer has actually been bringing over some boxes the last two days and Gail has been unpacking the items."
"Good. That's good to hear. Mom wants to take Chloe for the weekend so I was planning on taking Anastasia out on the boat while the movers were loading and unloading. Can you arrange an overnight on Saturday with Mack?" I ask.
"Yes Sir, I will make the arrangements as soon as you are in the meeting."
"Thank you Taylor."
"Your welcome Sir."
I start looking over my emails smiling like a loon. Soon we will be under one roof and a family. The ride back is short and we resume our meeting. These idiots couldn't find a golden egg if it was dangling in front of their faces. Finally, after eight and me firing three people we find the problem, solved it, signed the deal within thirty minutes and I am now heading to my jet.
Right before takeoff, all planes are grounded due to weather conditions and my mood takes a nose dive. I pace the cabin yelling orders at my head of Mergers and Acquisitions and tell him to liquidate this company in California and have it done before I land in Seattle. I get a reminder from Andrea that I have a breakfast meeting in the morning with Mayor, Chief of Police and other community leaders. Shit! I can't miss this meeting. I am trying to purchase some commercial waterfront properties and I have to get the Mayor and his minions on my side. I confirm the meeting with Andrea and send Ana a text saying that I won't arrive until late. Not long after the storm clears and we are set to depart.
We arrive in Seattle after two-thirty in the morning and I tell Taylor to head straight for Ana's apartment. I tell him to pick me up at six-thirty and bring a new suit. I let myself in and go into Ana's room and see that my little vixen followed my orders. She is laying asleep in bed with only a thin sheet covering her delectable body. With the moonlight shining through I can see that she is completely naked under the covers. Good girl. I start taking off my shoes and socks when I hear a small whimper coming from the baby monitor. I quickly make my way to Chloe's room and see her tossing and turning. I place my hand on her back rubbing small circles.
"Don't worry Princess, daddy is home. You are safe." I whisper as she settles down. Once I know she is fully asleep I quietly make my way back to the bedroom.
I strip out of my clothes and slide into bed under the covers. I pull Ana to me and inhale her sweet scent that I've missed for two days. I know that my dick wants to play but having only slept a few hours over the last few days a wave of exhaustion over takes me and I drift off quickly to a deep sleep with my angel next to me.
I wake just a few short hours later and climb into the shower. I dress, write a note to Ana and leave it on her pillow and head out for my meeting. Maybe I should just not go to this meeting and stay in bed with my girl. Huh! The sooner I can get this over with the sooner I can get back to my family that I have missed the last two days.
The breakfast meeting is at the Fairmont Hotel and I notice that all the bigwigs have come out to play. Everyone who is here wants something from someone. I walk the room shaking hands and introduce myself to a few new guys. I notice that Mark is here as well as Elliot and they are both engaged in small talk with the Mayor. I make my way over and join in on their conversation. We all take our seats and listen to the Mayor talk about the great improvements our city is making and to continue on creating jobs and keeping our city clean. Blah, blah, blah… I know that he is up for re-election this year and so he is laying it on thick to get contributions and support for his campaign.
My phone rings towards the end of the speeches and I see that it is mom. She is probably wanting to go to lunch or dinner this week, so I send it to voicemail and make a mental note to call her when this is all over. The last speaker is the Chief of Police and I catch out of the corner of my eye Taylor making his way towards our table in a hurry and Elliot pulling out his phone to answer a call.
"Sir," Taylor says in a hushed tone. "We need to go now. There has been an emergency." I sit frozen in place. I look at his face and the grim look tells everything.
"Who?" I demand and see Elliot go white as a sheet and stand.
"It's Ana and Chloe." No! I was just there. I just saw them a few hours ago. Mark over hears and goes to stand. Taylor and Elliot both grab my arms and help me to my feet as we make our way out of the hotel and into the waiting SUV.
They put me in the back of the car and when I hear the door slam it brings me out of my haze.
"What happened? Where are they?" I start throwing question after question wanting to know what happened.
"Sir, I received a call from Dr. Grace saying that a woman and child were brought into the ER. She was the Doctor on duty so when they arrived she noticed it was Ms. Steele and little Chloe. She said she tried calling you but it went to voicemail. Dr. Grace told me that it was bad and to get you there as soon as possible." Taylor says as he is maneuvering through morning traffic.
"Did she say what happened?" I look up from the backseat and notice that Mark is riding shot gun with his hands in his hair.
"No. Dr. Grace didn't want to go into too many details over the phone and to please hurry."
"How close to the hospital are we Taylor?" Elliot pipes up next to me.
"Five to seven minutes out. I have already called Ryan and Reynolds to meet us there. Sawyer is not picking up his phone but I have left a few voicemails, Sir."
What? Sawyer is supposed to be watching my girls. Where the hell was he? We finally pull up to the hospital after what felt like an eternity. I jump out before Taylor came to a complete stop and ran into the ER. I see the nurses station and jog over. There are three nurses all busy doing something but I don't care.
"I need to know where Anastasia and Chloe Steele are!" I practically yell. They just look at me like I have three heads. A male nurse who is holding a clipboard is the first to answer.
"Are you family?" Is this guy joking? Doesn't he know who I am? I give over 10 million a year in donations to this hospital. "Only family members can have access to patients." I see Mark, Elliot and Taylor making their way to me.
"That is my wife and daughter!" I scream and I know the scene I am making but I don't care at this point.
"And what is your name, Sir?" Yep he will be in the unemployment line by lunch time. Just as I'm about to unleash on this asswipe…
"Christian." My mother comes over and leads us to a private waiting room.
"Mom, what happened? Are they okay? Please tell me!" I feel like that four-year-old small boy begging for food again.
"Christian I need you to stay calm when I tell you this. They will escort you out of this hospital and ban you from seeing them." I nod. "The doctors are trying to stabilize Anastasia before they can take her to have x-rays and other tests done. She has suffered a great deal and is lucky that someone came up and stop the attack or she probably would not have made it this far." My legs give out and my knees hit the floor. I feel like I have been hit in the gut. No! Not my Ana! I feel myself being dragged over and set in a chair. Mom is rubbing my forearm in a soothing manner. Taylor is pressing the back of my neck so that it is between my knees.
"Who would do this mom? Shit! Chloe, where's Chloe?" I feel the wetness leave my eyes and gush down my face. I lift my head looking at mom.
"Chloe is perfectly fine Christian. Not a scratch on her or a hair out of place. She was upset when she came in but I got her and calmed her down. Chloe is up in the pediatric ward with one of my colleagues right now playing in the little jungle gym area. She has been asking for you and Ana." Mom gives me a small smile.
"I need to see Anastasia first then I will go and collect Chloe. She doesn't need to be there. She needs to be with me." I stand and wipe my eyes. I need to be strong for them. I look over at Taylor.
"Find out who did this. Is security here?" I put my CEO mask on that make people shit their pants. No one messes with my family and gets away with it.
"Yes Sir. Ryan is outside Ms. Steele's door and Reynolds is up on Chloe's floor but having a hard time getting in to guard Chloe."
Mom walks us out of the waiting room and leads us down the hall through double doors. I see Ryan a few doors away, he nods and then steps aside. Mom stops us all before entering and puts her hands up.
"I want you all to stay as calm as possible. She was beat pretty bad and I want you all to prepare yourselves." Christ! How bad is it?
We walk in and I first notice all the machines surrounding the bed and the tubes and wires coming from this small figure laying on this hospital bed. She is unrecognizable. Her eyes are swollen and she has bruises forming all over her face, neck and arms. I feel my legs getting weak again. This can't be Ana. No surely not, this has to be a mistake.
"Mom are you sure this is my Ana? Did you find her ID on her? How do you know this is her?" I am hoping they made a mistake. What if this isn't her? She is so unrecognizable that it could be anyone at this point.
"Christian, when they brought her in Chloe was clinging to her for dear life. The scratches you see on her neck and shoulders are from Chloe, when we had to peel her off of Ana." Mom says sadly and a tear escapes down her cheek. I close my eyes not wanting to picture how scared Chloe must have been watching her mother get beaten in front of her. Mom goes over and grabs the plastic bag and hands it to me. "This is everything that was on her when she came in."
I open the bag and notice clothing, iPod and ear buds, a phone and then I see it. I feel the wind get knocked out of my lunges. I pull out her necklace that I had given her with the key attached. I hold it tight in my hands.
The door opens and a doctor and nurses come in and start to unhook her.
"Wait, what is happening? Where are you going?" I block the door.
"Sir, she is stable enough for us to finish with the test. Please move so that we can continue her treatment. Sir, I need to ask. Is there any way that she could be pregnant?" The doctor asks as they try to move her past me.
"I…don't know…she is on the shot…" My mind is reeling from that question. I move out of the way and instruct Ryan to stay with her at all times.
After they have left I look around and see Mark, Elliot and mom watching me like a hawk. There is a knock on the door and Taylor walks in. He looks flustered and that is not a good sign.
"What is it Taylor?"
"Sir, I found Sawyer. Apparently he is here in the hospital. He was also attacked at the park and has not woken up since being found at the park. He is beat pretty bad. I think that whoever did this took him out first before he attacked Ms. Steele. Which means that whoever this is must have been watching her to know that Sawyer was shadowing her." I hear gasps from everyone in the room.
"So this wasn't a random attack but planned." Who would want to hurt Ana? Was it to get to me? Is this my fault? I feel so out of control right now. Sawyer is a big guy; it would have to be someone huge to take him down.
"I need to get to get to Chloe. Mom can you come with me? Mark and Elliot can you call the Kavanagh's and Kate?" I ask trying to regain some sort of control. They both nod and head out.
Mom takes me by the hand and leads me up to the pediatric ward with Taylor in tow. As we approach I see Reynolds talking to a security guard by the double doors. A nurse comes running over to mom.
"Dr. Grace this man is trying to get in and see a patient but is not family. I called security and they are trying to have him removed." The nurse with the name tag Martha says.
"It's okay Martha, he is her security guard." The nurse nods and mom goes over to defuse the problem for Reynolds. Martha buzzes me in the ward while Taylor waits out by the door.
I walk in and scan the area to find my princess. I walk to the end of the hallway and see a small play area with mats for the little kids. I look around and find my baby girl in the corner looking out the window. I start to walk to her and am stopped by another nurse.
"Can I help you? I don't see a visitor's badge." I try ignoring her but she blocks me again. I guess she wants to join asswipe in ER in the unemployment line today too.
"I am here to collect Chloe so that we can get her out of here and go home." I grit out. These people are testing my last nerve today.
"I'm sorry but without a badge you cannot be up here." Okay that's it. I step up to her to tell her where she can shove that badge when my mother comes up.
"It's okay. He can take her." Mom says. That's when Chloe looks back at us and sees me. Her face lights up and she comes barreling over to me. I meet her halfway and scoop her into my arms.
"Dada Dada!" She yells and buries her face in my neck. I let out a sob that I've been holding in and hold her tight. I clear my throat.
"Hey baby girl. I missed you so much, I love you!" I spin her around just how she likes it and kiss all over her face.
We walk out of the ward and make our way down to the waiting room. Taylor has spoken to the hospital administrator and has moved us to the VIP area where they will bring Ana once all the scans have been done. In the waiting room is Evan, Kathy and Ethan Kavanagh, Mia, Mark, Elliot and Dad. I put Chloe down and she runs to everyone and they all pass her around giving kisses and hugs and checking her out for any scratches.
"Where's Kate?" Ethan asks.
"I tried calling her several times and sent multiple texts to her." Elliot says as he pulls out his phone again.
"I think we should take Chloe home so that she can get some rest and relax after everything that has happened today. Don't you think Evan?" Mrs. Kavanagh says. He nods and stands. I am holding Chloe and pacing the room waiting to hear any news from Taylor or the doctors.
"I can have Julia meet you at your house to watch her while you come back up here if you want." Mark opens his trap. Think again buddy this is my family and I make the decisions here.
"She is fine right here for now. Ana may want to see her when she wakes." I say trying not to get worked up. Are they not going to ask me what I think is best for my daughter? Do they not see me holding her?
"Thank you Mark, I think that would be best so that we know she is in good hands and we are able to come back." Mrs. Kavanagh says and again she is ignoring my open mouth stare at her.
"You can't take her from me!" I say holding her even closer to me. She is mine and she is not leaving my sight.
"We most certainly can. That's our granddaughter and we will do as we please." Mrs. Kavanagh stands and takes a few steps towards me.
"She is my daughter. Mine! I will decide what is best for her." I snap back. Taylor has now come to stand next to me as well as mom.
"Let's all take a breath and we can work out what is best for Chloe right now, okay?" Mom tries to mitigate.
"No you listen, we have legal documents that state that we are to care for Chloe in the event something like this should happen. She is ours and we will make the decisions for her. I'm sure your father is very aware of what a power of attorney is." Fucking Evan Kavanagh boasts. I would love to punch that smug look off his face. "Plus, for all we know this is your fault. Someone who is after you could have done this." He seethes.
"How dare you Evan. That was a low blow to my son. We don't know who did this or why." Mom stands in front of me. Chloe places her head on my shoulder and I feel her breath on my neck. I know that she is close to falling asleep soon. I start rubbing circles on her back to sooth her into sleep.
"I may not have the paperwork saying she is my daughter, but Ana and I have discussed it and you know that she wants me as Chloe's father. How do you think Ana is going to react once she finds out that you are trampling over her wishes?" I am grasping at straws here.
"Family of Anastasia Steele."
"YES!" We all say in unison and turn to see who called us.
"Hello, I'm Doctor Bush. I am the doctor who worked on Anastasia. We have had to place her in a medically induced coma for the time being to let her body and brain heal. Considering how she looks she is doing much better than we first initially thought. She has a head trauma and that is the main focus right now. The blows she took to the head caused her brain to swell and we don't know the extent until the swelling goes down. With that being said she also has blood in her urine from being hit multiple times in the kidneys and that is something else we need to monitor closely and hope that it will heal soon. She has a broken wrist with several broken fingers, she must have put up one hell of a fight. Anastasia has many contusions all over her body. Like I said before the main issue is the swelling in the brain and until we can reduce that everything else is a walk in the park. Also, there were traces of skin under her fingernails and we have handed those over to the police. Does anyone have any questions?" He finishes. We are all dead silent staring at him. I see Taylor grab for his phone and make his way out the door at the mention of DNA evidence.
"When can we see her and be with her?" I finally find my voice and choke out.
"She is in ICU right now and until the swelling goes down we won't move her. Also small children are not allowed in ICU. I will allow two people at a time but you must understand that she needs her rest and not to be disturbed." Dr. Bush says pointing to Chloe.
"Thank you Dr. Bush." Mom shakes his hand and we all stare at the door he left out of.
We all have a seat in the chairs and process everything that Dr. Bush said. The only noise in the full room is our breathing. Mia is the first one to break the silence.
"I don't understand…who would do something like this?" She starts to cry.
Just then a frazzled Kate walks through the door with crumpled papers in hand.
"I KNOW WHO!"