Famous Five
Chapter 24
I don't know how long we've been in the air. It's been small talk and silence between me and Ana as I ponder what to say when I see him.
All my life, I didn't care enough to find the man whose responsible for me being alive. I didn't care to find the man who also abandoned me. Suddenly, he appears before me in the form of a last dying wish; his last dying wish to see me.
I've been rubbing my right palm with my left thumb the entire flight, not noticing that Ana has been staring at me.
"Penny for your thought?" she asks, snapping me out of my thoughts and I shift my gaze to her.
"Sorry, doing a lot of thinking."
"I can help you make sense of it all."
I take a deep breath and swivel my chair to face her. "I've gone my entire life not giving my father a second thought. I mean sure it bothered me as a kid, not having a father around until Garrick came along. He's always been the real father to me. He taught me so much: how to throw a ball, how to ride a bike, how to drive. He's done so much that I can never repay him back. Now all of a sudden, this man wants to see me and claims to be my father."
"It's a lot to process. I can't imagine what you're feeling like."
I sigh and nod. "I just don't know what to say to him." She doesn't give me a response in words. Instead, she gets up from her seat and walks over to me. I lean back in my chair as she lowers herself into my lap. My arm wraps around her and I inhale her scent. It calms me instantly and clears my head.
"Whatever happens from here on out, I'll be by your side."
"I know, and I love you for that." I kiss her softly.
We arrive in Manhattan well late into the night. Taylor had called ahead and rented us a car and it was sitting in the parking lot of the private terminal. I grab our bags and toss them in before we sped off towards our hotel. Once we check in and take the elevator to our room, we instantly knock out from the long travel and stressful day.
I only wake when I hear voices coming from the living room and the smell of bacon cooking. I groan my protest of getting up. I slip on a shirt and a pair of pajama bottoms before walking outside.
"Yeah, he's been really stressed about it. Hopefully this meeting will bring him some sort of closure." I hear Ana speak.
"It helped me make amends." I hear Castle's rumbling voice echo. I step into the adjoining kitchen and living room. Both of them turn to face me.
"Hey babe," Ana greets me with a small smile. Castle's in the middle of chewing his bacon when he flashes me a smile.
"Morning sunshine." He comments. I grunt my disapproval at him. I walk over to my girl and pull in her for a quick peck.
"Why are two conversing so early this morning?" I mutter before picking up a piece of bacon to chew on.
"I'm a morning person." Castle munches on another piece of bacon before moving on to his eggs. "Your girl makes a hell of a breakfast."
"So did you just come here to force my girlfriend into cooking you breakfast?"
"No, she willingly offered and I graciously accepted. Anyways, I came to check up on you. We're supposed to meet Dad at 10."
I scowl at the word 'dad'.
Ana sets up a plate of food for me and I eat it beside her. Even when we're away from home, she still wants to cook our meals. "I'll be there. There's no need to check up on me."
"Christian, I know this is going to be hard on you but try to remember this is a dying man."
"A dying man? Are you kidding me? He abandoned me!" How dare he suggest I take it easy on this deadbeat father?
"He abandoned me too. But I've come to terms with how much he fucked up with both of us. But it's his last dying wish to amend all his wrongs. So just give him a chance."
"I'm giving him a chance by showing up here." I snarl, clenching my fist around my fork. Ana's hand covers mine and my temper diffuses.
"We'll meet you at the hospital okay Grant?" Ana spoke up and Castle shifted his eyes over to her.
He simply nods, getting the hint to leave. After the door closes shut, Ana turns to me.
"He's just trying to help."
"Yeah, well nobody asked him to." I go back to my food.
She sighs and grabs both of my hands in hers. I look up at her face. "Your father is trying and I know you may hate him but at least give him a shot to bring closure to your strained relationship. Also this can be a bonding moment for you and Grant."
"I already have a family Ana; I don't need another one."
"Then think of it as adding to the family you already have. Grant seems like a generally nice guy."
"Whatever, I'm taking a shower." I get up and leave my plate of food with Ana.
By the time it reaches 10 o'clock, we're standing in front of the hospital. Ana gives me reassuring look and squeeze my hand for good measure. I take a deep breath and step inside.
We take the elevator to the 3rd floor and round the corner to find Castle talking to an older woman. He spots us and steps towards us.
"Glad to see you made it."
"I said I would be here, didn't I?"
"Right, Mary, I like you to meet my long lost brother Christian Grey and his girlfriend, Anastasia Steele." He introduces us to the woman. She comes to us and shakes my hand gently.
"It's so nice to finally meet you Christian. I know Frank will be elated that you are here." She gives me a warm smile. I only nod.
"He's right this way," she shows us down the hall to the room where he was located.
Francis Allen was written on the document outside the door. Nobody says anything as I stare at his name.
Ana squeezes my hand. "I'll be right out here if you need me." She whispers and kisses my shoulder. She lets go of my hand and I turn the door knob before stepping inside the room.
The first thing I notice is the slow beeping noise of the heart monitor and a dozen of flowers sitting on the bedside table. I shift my eyes to the bed where an old gentleman is sleeping in.
His eyes are closed and he has a tube attached to his nose, signaling he has trouble breathing on his own. I don't move from my spot, afraid that everything will fall apart if I did.
Slowly his eyes open and it takes him awhile before his gaze sets on me. I stuff my hands inside my jean pockets, not sure what to do or say.
It takes him a moment to realize who I am. The silence between us is deafening.
"Son," he whispers so low I can barely hear it but I do. The word that I never thought I would hear from my biological father.
I walk over closer to his bedside. "So you're my real father." I state and his brown eyes look up at me.
"Yeah I am." He croaks. He starts coughing and asks for water and I hand him the small cup from the bedside table. He drinks it and hands it back to me. I set it down.
"Thank you for coming to see me." I turn my attention back to him.
"Sure thing."
"You must have a lot of questions for me."
I don't respond immediately. "I'm sure you're wondering why I left you with your mother."
"That's one of the many questions I want to ask you."
He nods. "I'm not going to bullshit you. I was afraid of being a father. I was so far gone into my drug addiction and drug business that I was afraid of bringing you into my fucked up world."
"So you left me behind in an even more fucked up world with an abusive and drug addict of a mother?"
He closes his eyes and sigh. "I'm so sorry Christian. I wish I can take it all back but I can't."
"No you can't."
"And I don't have much time left to make up for it. So anything you want, I'll do my best to give you. I have a little money."
"I don't want your money. I don't need it."
He chuckles and I stare at him, confused. "Who would of thought that my two boys grow up to become successful men?"
"Look, I don't know why you wanted me here."
"To bring closure to us. I'm a dying man son, there's not much left in the world that I want. The one thing I want to be able to say when I go is that I made amends with my sons. Grant seems to have forgiven me. Now I just want your forgiveness."
"Fine, you can have it."
"Christian, I know you hate me for what I've done but please, son."
"Please what? Tell you that I want a budding relationship with my long lost half-brother? That I want you to play the role of the adorning father in your last few months here on earth? That I can move on, knowing my biological father reached out to me before he died so he can be happy as he goes?"
"Christian-"
"No, let me talk. I don't give two shits about what you want. You abandoned me when I needed you the most! I was adopted by a caring and loving father who is ten times the man you are. I'm sorry you're dying, but I can't forgive you for leaving me! I am your son; you are my father! You were supposed to protect me! You were supposed to raise me, teach me how to throw a ball, ride a bike, take me on my first driving lesson. You were supposed to be there for me!"
I was losing it, my voice getting higher with each accusation.
"I know, I know and I'm so terribly sorry for not being there for you. I am so sorry!" He starts sobbing and I couldn't take it anymore. I bolted for the door and stepped outside.
"Christian," Ana is standing before me, concern etched into her facial expression. I don't answer her but instead turn and head down the hall. I don't know where I'm headed but keep walking till I turn the corner and stop. I lean up against the wall, trying to rein in my emotions.
I close my eyes and take deep breaths.
"Christian," Ana finds me in moments and when I open my eyes to look at her, I broke. Tears start falling and my legs give out from under me. I fall to the floor and Ana is instantly beside me, pulling me into her arms.
I cry, I cry for the first time in years into her chest.