Standing Still - Chapter Thirteen

I attended Matthew Reynolds funeral today with Gail and most of the security team. Of course Sawyer's still sick so he couldn't be there and Ryan is staying at the hospital as Mrs Greys personal security but everyone else was in attendance.

I met with his parents and offered my condolences but I hardly knew what to say. I'm a father myself and I can not imagine what I'd do if I ever lost Sophie.

Mr Grey even managed to come to the funeral bringing his sister Mia as a substitute for Ana. I know Ana wanted to pay her respects too but the doctors wouldn't allow her leave the hospital. I understand she's still in a lot of pain and has lost most movement in her limbs due to minor spinal damage.

Mr Steele and Mr Grey's parents are keeping Ana company and the children are with them while we're all away. I held Gail's hand as the coffin was carried into the church, it made it real somehow knowing that Matthew was laying inside.

Thirty-four is no age to loose your life and the tragedy was seeing the sadness etched on his friends and families faces. Matthew didn't have any children and he wasn't married but that just made his funeral all the more poignant. He was a young man and probably thought he had all the time in the world, but he didn't. He died and because of that his parents lost their son and any promise of grandchildren in the future.

After the service the Reynolds family invited everyone to their house for the wake. It was a small house just outside Seattle but full of all the home comforts I remember from my own childhood home.

The walls were full of family photos and plenty were of Matthew growing up from a child into a young adult. I remember him telling the team of his high school days and how he enjoyed playing football and there were many pictures proving that.

The Reynolds talked about a charity they wanted to start up in Matthew's name to help support victims and victims families involved in road traffic accidents. Mr Grey lent his support as soon as heard what they were planning and offered a large sum of money to help establish the charity. Gail and I also offered to help and many of Matthew's friends also gave their support. It was a testament to Matthew Reynolds just how many people came forward to help with the charity and showed just how much he was loved.

After the funeral I went to the hospital with Mr Grey and as he went left to see his wife I went right and two floors lower to check on Luke. He's looking a lot better since the last time I was here and the doctors expect him to wake any day now.

He suffered a severe concussion in the crash but apart from that he was lucky that he didn't experience anymore serious injuries. He was travelling behind Reynolds and Mrs Grey that day so his injures were much less horrific.

Still he's been comatose for over a week and were all very worried about him. Mr Grey hasn't even told Ana the full extent of his condition because he knows she'll want to see him.

I watched the news reports the morning after the accident and it was said to be one of the largest multiple car pile ups in Seattle's history. Twenty miles of freeway had to be closed and hundreds of commuters had to find alternate routes to work until it was reopened.

Over thirty cars were involved in the pile up and two of those were Mr Grey's. Five people lost their lives and twenty were left seriously injured. The police are still investigating but a poorly maintained big rig seems to be the main culprit of the accident.

The driver was killed as his semi-trailer truck jack-knifed across three lanes of traffic. Killing three people instantly and another four days later from their injuries. We came mighty close to adding another person to the list of dead when Ana's heart stopped beating, thankfully she pulled through.

Of the injured most were brought to the University of Washington Medical Center and twelve remain now, ten days after the collision.

I'm glad the Reynolds are starting their charity the 'Matthew Reynolds Foundation' soon because a lot of families are going to need support. Hopefully with all the donations they received today they can get the charity up and running.

"Hey," I say as I walk over to Sawyer's bed.

His face is healing well from all the little cuts and bruises but his face is unusually pale. His wrist in strapped up with a bandage, but I know it's only bruised and can see the swelling is now gone.

"Ana woke a few days ago, now we're just waiting on you. She keeps asking where you are, but Grey won't tell her you're still here. I'm sure if she knew she would be here urging you to wake up too."

I pause, feeling a bit self-conscious talking to someone who's so deeply asleep. So I sit down on the chair by the bed and just stay for awhile. I feel bad I haven't visited more often especially considering Sawyer has no family to speak of.

I know his father died when he was a child and his mother passed on a few years back. His only sibling lives in New Zealand, I think or possibly Australia and like Reynolds he's unmarried.

I guess is goes with the job and most of the team are either single or divorced. It's certainly difficult maintaining a relationship when you work for Grey, we work such long hours.

Fortunately I found Gail and I thank God I did everyday. She's a really special person and will do anything to help anyone. I know she found the funeral especially hard because she has formed such strong bonds with all the staff.

Gail's bonded with the Grey's too and she's desperate to come and visit Ana. Sadly her work has kept her away and her need to be with the children. Possibly due to the fact she never had children of her own she's able to form such strong ties with the Grey's.

She was heart broken when she learned the full extent of Ana's injuries and then the waiting for news left her nerves raw. What she needs is a nice long holiday away from all the stresses of her job. But she wouldn't go, I know her better than I know myself and my wife wound never leave the Grey's in a time of need.

Just a short chapter this time but I wanted to end the debate that the accident was in someway malicious. It wasn't, it was just a tragic accident which I feel is almost worse, Ana and Reynolds were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Thank you all for reading and reviewing my story.