I want you guys to know that I didn't post this chapter because some harassing "guest" told me to. I posted it because I was finally happy with it. Looks like not everything is happy in Grey World, but when is it, really? (Oh yeah, whenever there are orgasms — expect to wait at least another chapter or two before any of that happens again).

As always, thanks for reading, favoriting, following, and reviewing. You guys are awesome and patient and encouraging. I was ill most of the day so I was able to get quite a bit of work done on this.

Enjoy!

Ethan gives me his ripped and holey shirt to cover up then unties both me and John. I find myself staring at Ethan.

Ethan, my shirtless savior. How is Ethan the hero? I was trying to save him. I stand up suddenly and embrace him. He yelps slightly in pain — it's amazing he's upright — but hugs me back. I press my whole body against him. He can't possibly know how grateful I am.

"I thought we were going to die," I breathe. "I thought he was going to," I blanch and can't finish the sentence. "Then we were going to die."

He strokes my hair gently. "I would never let that happen," he says.

I step back from Ethan and look down at Jack Hyde by the foot of my chair. There's a dark puddle of blood around him. I take a half-step back reflexively when he twitches and lets out a soft moan. "Fuck yourself," I shout then take two commanding strides over to him and kick him as hard as I can in the ribs.

I kick him again and again. He stops moving, he stops moaning. Hands grab me around the waist and pull me back. "Ana, stop. Stop," John pleads. I spin in his arms and hug him hard, crying into his shoulder.

We stay there for a good long time. Then I turn and look at the door, expecting Christian to come bounding in and sweep me into his arms. I wait.

Finally, John says, "I should go try to find a phone. We need the police and... Ambulances." He starts to limp towards the door but falls after just a few steps. I rush over to him to help him stand.

"No, John, Christian will be here any minute. He'll take care of everything." I look at the door, ready for Christian to walk through with an entourage of doctors, EMS, detectives, whatever, but nothing happens.

"I don't think he's coming, Ana," Ethan says quietly. "How's he going to find this place?"

I look back at him, the hopeful smile on my face fading. He's right. We don't even know what part of town we're in — or if we're even still in Seattle.

Ethan collapses onto one of the chairs — I'm not really sure how he was upright to begin with. I can clearly see that his left leg is broken, there's a ton of blood coming from his head, his left hand, and his right knee, and there are clear burn marks covering his chest, probably made from a cigar. Maybe it was pure adrenaline, like when mothers lift whole cars to save their babies. It happens.

John kneels next to Hyde, searching the broken man's pockets. Hyde doesn't stir even a little. There's no fluttering of fingers, no moan of discomfort. Maybe he's dead. Maybe I killed him.

"No cell phone."

I steel myself, standing straighter, trying to look like I'm handling this.

"I'll go," I say. The two men try to jump up and volunteer themselves, but neither one is in any state to walk anywhere. Something tells me no one will hear us if we scream from here.

"I will just find a phone. I'll call the police and come back here."

Reluctantly, they agree. This isn't just the best course of action — it's the only one. Ethan has lost a lot of blood. My vision is getting foggier and I'm pretty sure I can't see out of my left eye at all. John, meanwhile, is covered in bruises and definitely has several broken bones, including more than a couple ribs. He clutches his chest and seems to be having trouble catching his breath.

"Here, put my shirt on, too." John pulls his shirt over his head, handing it to me, "You look... indecent."

I gasp audibly when I see his body. His entire torso is bruised horrendously. He's definitely bleeding internally. He maybe needs help more than the rest of us. His shirt is just as ripped as Ethan's, but together and with my shirt, I'm almost entirely covered.

I make it to the door, opening it slowly. I don't know if there are guards hanging around, so I try to be as quiet as possible. At the end of a long hallway is another door and I can see grass beyond. I scurry down the hallway, aware suddenly of the horrendous ache between my thighs. The memory of Jack Hyde's fingers on me and inside me forces me to stop. I grab onto the cinderblock wall and vomit on the floor. There's hardly anything to throw up, the last thing I ate or drank was pizza with Christian who knows how long ago. I stumble through the door, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand.

Shit. We aren't in Seattle, that's for sure.

We're in the middle of nowhere, I don't recognize anything. There's a grove of trees so thick I can't see a road, only a gravel drive that seems to go on forever, though my vision isn't the best right now. I look around and spot Jack's black SUV.

I walk over to it, my clothes soaking through completely. I try the door and discover it unlocked. I climb in, looking desperately for any sort of a phone. I don't find one but I do find the keys under the visor.

Driving is definitely a bad idea right now, but it's really the only option.

I start the truck and turn on the high beams and wipers. Slowly, I creep through the trees on the gravel drive, winding between them. I must have gone a mile and a half when I come to a small country road. Determined to find civilization, I turn left, crossing my fingers.

I pass no cars, which is a blessing. I can barely see at all now. Between the rain, the darkness, and my fading vision, I'm not sure I could avoid an accident.

Eventually I arrive at a tiny town and pull into the parking lot of the first building I see. I open the door and fall out of the still-running SUV.

"Help! Please, somebody!" I lay my face on the wet gravel and catch my breath. My head is swimming.

When I'm able to think again, I'm inside and it's warmer, though I'm still shivering and wet.

"What happened to you?"

I flinch and pull back from the man's gruff voice, from his hand against my face.

"It's okay, you're at the Sheriff's Station. What happened?"

I rub my eyes and relax just slightly, trying to remember.

"I was kidnapped. Please, you have to help the others."

Sure hands steady me, holding my arms tight. "Can you take us to where they are?" Another voice.

"I think so," I say. "But..." I gasp.

"What, what is it?" A woman this time.

"I can't see." The sobs wrack my body. I'm short of breath. "I can't see anything." I blink frantically, trying to restore the vision that I know is gone.

"Frank! Get the doctor in here, right now!"

There's more shuffling, people yelling, running around. I get jostled once or twice. A bright light shines in my eyes, that much I know. I can't even make out shapes anymore.

"What's your name, dear?" a man's soft voice finally asks me.

"Ana," I can barely speak through my panic. The room seems to quiet down a bit.

"Okay, Ana, can you see this light?"

I nod my head.

"Good, good. That is a really very good sign, Ana."

I hear the gruff voice again, quieter this time. "Doc, ask her for her full name."

I don't wait for the doctor to ask. "Anastasia Steele."

The room erupts into a storm of gasps and whispers. Shit! and Wouldn't recognize her from the photo... and She looks like she's been to hell and back.

"You have to help Ethan and John," I nearly scream. They seem far too concerned about how I look. I idly wish I knew how I look, but there's literally no way to help that now. "They're in a warehouse. I drove in on this country road. The gravel driveway would be on the right about fifteen minutes from here. They're really hurt, and I think..." I stop myself. Should I be admitting this in a sheriff's station. "I think I may have killed Jack Hyde."

Several people start talking at once. The doctor is probing my face gently, evaluating the damage. "They'll get them, Ana. Don't worry. We'll take care of you. Just try to relax."

"I need to get ahold of my husband, I need to tell him I'm alright."

It's like my voice didn't make a sound. "I'm going to give you a mild sedative, Ana. It's going to make you very sleepy, okay? I want you to just relax. We're going to take you to the hospital. Everything's going to be okay."

Before I can protest, I feel a sharp prick in my shoulder. "What? No, I need to know where my husband is!" My screams lose their energy quickly as the sedative takes effect. "Where is Christian?" My iron grip on the doctor's hand slackens. "Christian!"

I wake to the familiar sounds of the hospital; the beep of my heartbeat, the paging system calling doctors, the rolling of beds down linoleum hallways. I'm still groggy and when I open my eyes, my blindness surprises me again.

"Nurse! Nurse!"

I grope around my bed for the call button but don't find it, simply screaming louder until someone comes.

"What is it, Mrs. Grey?"

"Please, please, tell me, where is my husband?"

"I'll just call the sheriff, he'll be able to explain better than I," she says. There's such a palpable sense of pity in her voice that I can't help but sob.

"Something's happened, I can tell. I need to know where he is. Please, can't you just tell me?" I plead, but she's already gone from the room. I'm alone, blind, in pain, crying.

I have no idea how much time passes before I hear that gruff voice again, the sheriff.

"Mrs. Grey," he says, entering the room.

"Where is my husband?" My voice is barely audible over the beeps and whirs of medical equipment.

"Is it possible your husband was with you at the warehouse, Mrs. Grey?"

I struggle to catch my breath. "No, he wasn't there," I sob. "Do you not know where he is?" Panic, that's all I feel. Panic and doom.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Grey, but you and your husband were both placed on the missing persons list yesterday afternoon. We were hoping you were together."

I can't seem to get enough oxygen. Alarms start going off around me and I hear the nurse rush in. She places a mask over my nose and mouth and tells me to take deep, steadying breaths. "We can't lower your head because of your vision. We need to prep you for surgery, Mrs. Grey. You need to calm down." She rubs my arm as she asks the sheriff, "Do you need to do this? The sooner we get her to surgery, the less risk..."

He cuts her off, though. "Yes. We need to do this now." He's a little less harsh when he addresses me. "We got Ethan Grey and John Flynn, they're both in surgery. But do you have any idea where your husband might be?"

I wrack my brain, trying to remember what Hyde said. "Hyde said he'd be following my tracker chip to Portland. It's on a bus."

The sheriff and the nurse both swear. No, no, no, no, no, please, no. Something's happened.

"There was an explosion on a charter bus outside Portland tonight. There are about forty survivors, but most are severely burned. We're working on identifying everyone."

"Please, Mrs. Grey, you shouldn't be tearing so much, it's bad for the surgical site."

"So, he could be alive?" I ask shakily.

"Absolutely. He could definitely be alive."

"But you don't know."

There's a pause before he answers. "No, we don't. If he hasn't been identified, he either wasn't on the bus or..." He trails off, unable to finish.

"Or he's unrecognizable," I say in a hushed voice. I'll take Christian any way I can. I just pray that somehow he's survived.

Another man walks into the room. He has a commanding presence. "Mrs. Grey," he says, soothing me just a bit. "I'd like to explain to you the surgery we're going to perform this morning and get you to sign some paperwork, if that's alright. Sheriff, are you done with your questions?"

He mumbles a "yes" and starts to leave. I fumble for him, arms waving in the air.

"Wait, did you find Hyde?"

He stops, turning on the squeaky floor. "Yes, we did, Mrs. Grey."

"And?"

"And you don't have to worry about him anymore. You killed that bastard good and dead."