I hear someone screaming but it only takes a moment to realize it's me as I am looking around; everything is happening in slow motion and only brought back to real time when I am propelled backwards in to the lobby area.
More screaming and I hear more popping sounds; I look at the blood on my hands and look outside the door to see Taylor and Christian lying on the pavement.
"No!" I scream
"Mrs Grey, stay here please, I need to go and help them" this voice begs me.
I don't realize who it is until he looks at me square in the face; Sawyer grabs my shoulders and repeats
"Stay here, I need to go and help them ok" I nod as I watch Sawyer run outside to help.
"Mrs Grey, Ana, Are you ok?" Sophia's frantic voice comes up behind me.
"I don't know" I can only muster those words. I hear Sophia yelling
"I need a medic here; she is in shock and 34 weeks pregnant with twins"
I find I am still sitting on the hard floor of the lobby; I am bitterly cold and start to shake.
"I'mm soo cold" I whisper, Gloria takes her jacket off and wraps it around my shoulders.
"Damn it, I need some medical assistance over here NOW!" I didn't know Sophia could sound so fierce.
"What's happened Sophia?" I shakily ask.
"I don't know for certain but someone took shots at you and Christian" she tells me.
"Where is he? I need him" I whisper.
"He has been hurt Ana but he is being taken care of right now" I look up and she has tears in her eyes
"What do you mean hurt?" I ask
"He has been shot Ana" I look at her in astonishment
At that moment a SWAT team enters the building to check for any other perpetrator's that might be lurking and a paramedic arrives to see me although I waste no time in telling him I am fine and to go help Christian.
"Mr Grey and Mr Taylor are being looked after very well, now I need to check you out" his voice is very authoritative so I stop being combative but then I remember he mentioned Taylor.
"What happened to Taylor?" I ask in despair.
"He has been shot Ma'am, now please can you remain still" My mind is whirling, whirling and a white mist overtakes me and I can no longer hear or see anything.
"Mrs Grey, Mrs Grey"
I hear a man's voice and for a moment I believe it to be Christian however when I can focus properly again I am on a trolley in the back of an ambulance with a paramedic standing beside me.
"What happened?" I ask
"You passed out when your blood pressure dropped lower" the paramedic tells me.
"Christian! Where's Christian" I scream again.
"Please, Mrs Grey, you must stay calm, we don't want to upset your babies" he says "he is on his way to hospital now"
"I need my phone, I need to call Grace, I need to call my Dad, and I need Kate" I yell
"Mrs Grey, will you please stay calm, Mr Grey's parents have already been contacted and they are on their way to the hospital" he snaps
"Mrs Grey?" I look to the side door of the ambulance and see Sawyer standing with his left arm in a sling.
"Sawyer, what's going on? No one will tell me" I plead for information.
"I don't know much at this stage except a gunman opened fire as you walked out of the doors" he shakily tells me.
"You've been hurt?" I see blood on his arm.
"Yes Ma'am, a bullet to my arm but I am ok" he tells me.
I gasp "Taylor? How's Taylor? Has someone phoned Gail?" I start to get frantic again
"Calm down Mrs Grey, I have called Mrs Jones, Taylor has also been shot but I don't know any more than that" he tells me.
"Mrs Grey we need to get you to the hospital now" the paramedic informs me.
"Sawyer, will you accompany me?" I say feeling very scared.
He looks taken aback for a split second before checking with the paramedic. He gets the ok and sits on the seat to my side, puts his seat belt on and I hear the vehicle start up and move off. I grab Sawyer's hand and he squeezes it for reassurance.
"Oh" I say unexpectedly and look up at the paramedic.
"Mrs Grey?" the paramedic says.
"I think my waters have broken" I start to sob.
The paramedic thumps through to his partner driving and indicates to put on the blues and two's and then radios through to the hospital to alert the OB/GYN department, the OR and Paediatricians etc. as he is concerned I may deliver soon.
"WHAT!" I cry out "but they are not supposed to come for another six weeks"
"Ok listen Mrs Grey, the more upset you are now, the harder it will be to possibly stop the process so I need you to calm right down, let me put this oxygen mask on you and I want you to try and relax" his voice has dropped low and calming
I lay my head back, close my eyes and try to unsuccessfully block out the images from an hour ago. I feel the panic rising again, the warm feeling was blood hitting me from either Christian or Taylor. A tear rolls down my cheek and I feel Sawyer squeeze my hand again.
"Sawyer, I need to get in contact with my Dad" I tell him "Kate knows his number, please could you ask her to call him as soon as you see her?" I plead.
"Of course Mrs Grey, I will tell her straight away" he reassures me and I go back to closing my eyes and trying to stay calm. The ambulance slows as we pull into the hospital, the doors open and a sea of faces greets me but not Grace, I was half expecting Grace to be there but have to remind myself that she will be focusing on Christian first and foremost.
"Hello Mrs Grey, let's get you inside, assess you and these babies shall we?" Her name badge says Dr Megan Roberts.
I am transported into A+E for assessment, I have numerous machines attached to me all bleeping and measuring things alongside the drip and other things that are already in place.
"Please can somebody tell me where my husband is?" I shout out.
"Please Mrs Grey, we will find out but we must treat you so please co-operate and stay calm" the doctor asks.
"If I could just know what's happening to him I would be able to relax" I say confidently and then I am hit by a wave of pain that makes me groan.
"That was a contraction Mrs Grey, let's get you to OB/GYN quickly, I want to have you over there if we have to deliver you" she explains.
"But I don't want to deliver without Christian here, he promised he would be here" I start to uncontrollably sob and sob, I want to turn over on my side and bury my head in the pillow but I can't even do that. I am being pushed along a corridor in haste when I thankfully hear a familiar voice.
"Ana?!" It's Kate, thank god it's Kate.
"KATE! You came, thank goodness you came" I ask the porters to slow so she has chance to catch up.
"Oh my god Ana" she sobs "I don't know what to say"
"Do you know how Christian is? And Taylor? And Sawyer?" I frantically ask until another contraction hits and I have to lay back and breathe through it.
"Sawyer is fine, clean exit wound, no surgery needed, Taylor got hit in the shoulder, he is having surgery now to remove the bullet and Christian" she takes a deep breath "Oh Ana, a bullet hit him in the chest and abdomen, so he has major internal injuries and is in surgery as well"
"Oh Kate" I whisper before falling into the white mist again. I am not sure how long I am out for but when I begin to come round the doctor looks concerned.
"Ana we need to think about delivering your babies and soon" she tells me "Your blood pressure is fluctuating too much and your babies are not happy"
"Is Grace Trevelyan here?" I ask quietly, stunned at what I have just been told.
"I don't know; I can find out but can I ask why?" she probes.
"She is my mother-in-law, the babies' grandmother and a great paediatrician; I want her opinion if she can come but I understand if she can't" I start to sob again and then groan as another contraction grips me.
"I will try but we don't have long Ana" she leaves the room in search of Grace; I ask the nurse if Kate is still here.
"Ana, I am here honey, I am here" she comes in and sits beside me holding my hand.
"Have you called my Dad?" I ask.
"I have tried but he is either still in flight or in the airport and I don't want to leave a message" I nod in agreement. That is not the sort of message one leaves on an answer machine.
"Any news?" I whisper.
"Taylor is out of surgery, in recovery and is expected to make a full recovery" she smiles.
"That is good news, how is Gail?" I know it's a silly question as no one is alright in these situations but don't know what else to say.
"Coping and waiting for news as we all are" Kate advises.
"Oh, here comes another contraction" I groan and try to breathe and then Grace appears around the door. She has been crying and looks tired and dishevelled.
"Ana dear" she comes over and we hug each other tightly.
"Grace, what's happening? No one seems to know or they are not telling me"
"A bullet grazed his liver causing some internal bleeding but missed all the other vital organs in his abdomen but another struck his chest, puncturing a lung, breaking some ribs and damaging his sternal bone and a third bullet hit his shoulder, they have removed it and it has not done any serious damage but he is in ICU as they are concerned about further bleeding from the liver and his breathing is being supported until his lung tissue begins to heal a little" a single tear drops down her cheek.
"Oh my god Grace, I am so sorry, I should be with him right now" I sob.
"Ana dear, we need to sort these babies out first, from what Doctor Roberts has told me, the blood work and monitors are showing we don't have any choice. You have suffered a great shock and your body cannot cope with everything at once. If things don't move on we could lose either one or both if they get too distressed. I couldn't cope…" she can't carry on.
"Thank you Grace, I knew you would be totally honest with me, now please go back to Christian, tell him I love him, that I will see him soon with our new babies" I try and smile, Grace knows what I mean, she hugs me again and makes me promise to call her if I need any more help.
Doctor Roberts comes back into the room to check on me
"Let's move you into delivery"
"Can Kate stay with me?" I ask in a panic. It was supposed to be Christian.
"If that's ok with Kate, it's ok with me" she smiles warmly.
"Kate I will understand if you don't but I don't want to be alone right now" I implore.
"I am here for you for as long as you need me honey" she replies and I sob again.
She is still holding my hand as we wheel along to the delivery suite….
A/N: Thank you for your continued support and reviews. While I will try to stick to the regular schedule of Tuesday's & Fridays, with XMAS, this may slip a little.