*Ana's POV*
It's time for Christian's check up with the surgeon and I find myself nervous. I worry that I didn't take care of him like I should and that the doctor will somehow be angry at me for not doing a better job. Christian is sitting beside me, his hand in mine, and, besides looking exhausted, he seems calm as can be.
"You're antsy." State the obvious, Grey. My leg stops bouncing.
"I just want to make sure everything is okay."
Releasing my hand, he puts his arm around my neck and pulls me closer, placing a kiss on the top of my head. "I have no doubt that I am absolutely fine. You've taken wonderful care of me."
"Christian?" The sound of his name makes us both stand and we follow the nurse back to one of the exam rooms.
We have a seat and she takes his vitals, saying that everything looks good, which is an instant relief for me. "Doctor will be in shortly. We'll need you to remove your top so that he can take your sutures out today. You may leave your arm out of your sling, but leave it hanging at your side like you have been."
Once she leaves, I help Christian out of his sling and off with his t-shirt.
"Are you chilled? Do you need the sheet?" I start toward the other side of the room to grab it, but he grabs my hand, stopping me.
"I am fine. Stop fretting."
There's a knock on the door and Dr. Ursch greets us and asks Christian how he's doing.
"Tired."
Dr. Ursch nods. "You lost a lot of blood, Christian. That's to be expected. We gave you a lot back but your body is still in the process of making up for it and trying to find its natural process again."
I am thankful that Christian is honest about his exhaustion.
As the doctor takes his stitches out, I find myself chewing on my thumb nail, worried that it's causing my stoic man pain. By the time he is finished, my thumb nail is gone, but Christian looks unbothered.
"Doing okay there Christian?" The doctor asks as he dresses his wounds, giving them a little more time to heal after the stitches.
"Fine. Relieved those bitches are finally out."
The surgeon laughs. "Yes, they aren't fun when they pull or snag on the dressings are they? I'm going to do some arm stretches on you just to see your range of motion. Just stay relaxed and tell me how it feels."
Christian hisses and groans through the range of motion exercises and I find myself chewing my other thumb nail down to the quick. I wish I could take the pain for him. He's had enough.
"You're actually looking pretty good here, Christian. I'm going to have you start physical therapy three times a week starting next week. They'll continue to do the range of motion exercises and manual stretching exercises for a few weeks and then they'll move toward the strength exercises. It is important that you only use your arm during these appointments. Otherwise, it's to remain in your sling."
"How much longer will I be in the sling?" Christian does not look happy about it.
"Four to six...maybe even eight weeks depending on how your PT goes."
"When can I have sex?"
I gasp. "Christian!"
I'm embarrassed that he asked so bluntly, but the doctor just laughs. "Your heart and lungs are sounding good, so give it another week and then you should be fine as long as you are careful about your arm."
He smiles. "See, Ana. My heart and lungs are doing fine. Nothing to worry about."
I roll my eyes.
XxXxXx
"How'd it go?" Taylor is waiting for us in the SUV when we're finished.
"Great. Healthy as a horse! Gonna even let me get some hanky panky in next weekend."
"Christian! Will you stop?" My face is crimson, I know.
"Good to hear. Ana?" He gives me a pointed look through the mirror.
"What?" I'm stumped.
"You tell him or I will."
My surprise turns into anger and I scowl at him. I can't believe he would throw me under the bus like this! I think I like quiet stoic Taylor better.
"Tell me what, Anastasia?" Christian already looks mad. I'm sure he isn't happy that Taylor knows something he doesn't.
"Taylor! It was my decision to make when and where I told Christian! You don't get to force things out of me. This is my relationship, not yours!" Taylor gives me a look through the mirror but I can see he doesn't give a shit.
"And you don't get to keep things from me, Anastasia!" Christian rounds on me. "Come out with it before I get even more pissed off and pop a damn artery!"
I grab his good hand and squeeze it, maybe a little harder than I should. "Don't even joke about that Christian Trevelyan Grey! Stay calm, it's nothing to get sick over."
"Tell me. Now."
I sigh. "On Monday, while you were sleeping I made the mistake of pulling up my work Outlook on my personal computer and Elizabeth noticed and she told me that between that and taking off for more than a week in my first 90 days was grounds for dismissal, so on Tuesday she had me come in to pack up my-"
"She fired you?" He grits between his teeth, cutting me off. "That bitch had the balls to fire you while I laid in bed drugged out on muscle relaxers. That insidious bitch. Taylor!"
"Headed there now."
I realize now why Taylor urged me to tell him. He wanted the problem gone before the weekend.
"Christian! You are in no state to be doing this right now!"
"Bull shit. My blood is boiling, Anastasia. It won't stop until that bitch is gone."
"Just calm down! We have a plan! Jesse and I have a plan until you get back and we hire a new one!"
His eyes look directly into mine and they are the darkest shade of gray I've ever seen them. Thunderstorm Christian is back with a vengeance.
"Who?"
"Uh..." Shit. I should have known than to try to go at it like talking to Jesse was a good thing. "Jesse Ward. He pulled me into his office after she gave me the can."
"Oh, yea? And what idea did Jesse have that was so much better than telling your boyfriend and the head of the company what happened?!?" He's half yelling and I try my best to calm him.
"Sh, I told him I would talk to you before anything at work happened...that I wanted to make sure you were better first." I rub his arm, but he pulls it away from me. It's like a knife to the chest.
"What did he say, Anastasia?"
"He said that I had FMLA so she had no right to fire me. He gave me an executive assistant position with him until she was gone and we found someone else! He was saving my job until everything fell into place! He wanted to ease both our worries! He knows how miserable Elizabeth is and he was just trying to help."
He's panting and I'm crying. His heart is going to explode and it's going to be my fault.
"I bet he wants to save your fucking job. Now he can stare out of his office all God damned day and see that sexy little body of yours!"
"Christian! Get over yourself! Not everyone thinks of me like you do! He's been nothing but respectful! I find it funny how your quick to judge someone on their looks when you've bitched multiple times about how people do it to you!"
He grinds his teeth. "He wants what's mine."
"You're an egomaniac. Not everyone wants what's yours! Can't they just be nice hard working people that love what they do? Stow your damn jealousy. It doesn't suit you! He is just trying to help! I don"t have a job until you hire another editor, otherwise!"
"You could have fucking waited until we got one. You could have stayed at home until they trained them."
"I need to work, Christian! I want to work! You know how I feel about my career and I know you have to be part of it but let me have what I can. Let me work...let me socialize. I need this little bit of freedom."
He stares at me, but I'm patient and let him settle a little. It's a lot thrown at him and he needs to find his control.
Finally, he sighs and reaches for my hand, kissing the back of it.
"I will take care of Elizabeth, Anastasia."
"I understand."
"Today."
I fight the urge to argue again and nod. If he needs to blow up, I'd rather him blow up at her and not me.
*Christian's POV*
I am shaking I am so angry. The thought of that bitch having the balls to do what she did while I was away is making me murderous. She waited to strike and it was the wrong fucking move. I'm in the elevator with Taylor and Ana at Grey House on my way to have a little chat with the bitch. I am wearing sweat pants and a t-shirt, but it doesn't matter. I can fire someone just as easy in loungewear as I can a three piece.
When I hit the 14th floor everyone is gawking at me, I'm sure it's from shock of seeing me so soon and so unkempt, but I ignore them. I have tunnel vision straight to Elizabeth's office. I do notice I lose Ana to Vanessa who is sitting in her old seat and I'm thankful she isn't going to be in the office for our chat. She doesn't need to hear the things I'm about to say.
Reaching her door, I find her office empty and it only pisses me off more. Taylor calls behind me and when I turn to him, he's pointing to the glass conference room twenty feet away.
I make my way toward the conference room and my swift movements catch her eye, forcing her to turn to look at me. She's like a deer in the headlights before her eyes turn to slits and she looks around. I know she's expecting Ana to be here. This is between me and you.
Pulling open the door, the room falls quiet and everyone stares. "Elizabeth. I need to see you in your office. Now."
"Mr. Grey, we're in the middle of a meeting. Can it wait ten more minutes?"
"No. If they cannot carry on without you than I'm afraid this meeting will have to be rescheduled. Come, Ms. Morgan. I won't say it again."
Grabbing the paperwork she has on the desk, she comes stalking out of the conference room, stomping like a damn elephant. She looks rather ungraceful stomping in her high heels.
Stopping at the door to her office, she waits for me to go first, but I refuse. "After you, Elizabeth." I'm not about to show my back and let her dominate me in any way. It is not her office. This is my turf. My property and she isn't about to treat me like a fucking guest.
Dropping her paperwork on the desk, she sits in her seat, but I stay standing. I'm too wired to sit. Taylor closes the door after he enters and stands against the door, making sure we aren't interrupted.
"What do you want, Mr. Grey?"
"You know what I want. Get your shit and get out."
"I didn't do anything wrong! I had grounds to terminate that girl!"
That girl? "That girl's name is Anastasia and you had no grounds to terminate anyone!"
"But-"
"But nothing, Elizabeth! Even after she told me the horrible things you said to her back when you were still SIP, she begged me to leave you alone! You discriminated against a pregnant woman and forced her to work through her allotted breaks without pay! Still, she told me she could handle it! She promised me things would get better and to keep out of it, but it didn't get better! You've been running her ragged with your ridiculous demands and she's managed to succeed in filling each and every one of them! What you did is disgusting. You waited until I was taken out and then attacked, hoping that you'd get away with your shit. Well, it didn't work."
Elizabeth is trembling in her seat and it gives me incredible satisfaction to see her so ruffled.
"She breached-"
"She did no fucking thing! If you would have taken this to HR and had them run the proper protocols you would have found out that she submitted the proper paperwork for FMLA. Not only is she taking care of me 24/7, she's dealing with the trauma of what happened! What you did to her is unethical and immoral."
"But the email-"
"Means nothing! Do you know who gifted her that laptop? Do you know who made sure that it had every ounce of protection it could have on it? Do you know that I have the VIN number written down on approved Grey House hardware?"
She's quiet and I find myself having to take a few deep breaths. I am losing my strength but I refuse to sit. I'll rest when this is finished.
"You have discriminated, used, and abused your title, Elizabeth and I won't have it. You're unethical, immoral, and it's disgusting. I should have never let you renew your contract with GP. Ana is the only reason you survived this long. It's over. Grab your handbag. Taylor will walk you out and take your badge. We will pack up and mail you the rest of your items. Get out of my face."
Taylor steps forward to collect her and she holds a hand out to stop him. "Don't touch me."
"I hadn't intended to Ms. Morgan. I'll walk you out."
Only after he opens the door and they step away do I let myself collapse in a chair.
"You bitch! You ruined everything!" The sound of Elizabeth's voice has me jumping to my feet and I run to the door.
"Get your hands off of me!" Taylor has Elizabeth held with one hand behind her back, her wrist twisted in his hand.
"You had your choice to walk freely, Elizabeth, but the second you chose to raise a hand to Ms. Steele is the second you gave up that right."
I hurry to Ana while Taylor escorts the flailing woman out of the building with the help of Max, GP's security officer.
"Ana, are you okay, did she hit you?" Looking over her face I see no sign of a strike.
"No, Christian, I'm fine." She puts an arm around me and I lean into her little, my arm around her shoulders. "You look exhausted. We need to get you home."
I still need to talk to Jesse, but that's going to have to wait until another time. I feel like I could collapse if I had to stand much longer.
"Yes, let's wait for Taylor at the car." We walk out together, slow and steady, and I allow her to hold me tight against her, feeling strength and support from her. I use my cell phone to unlock the vehicle and we slide in while we wait for Taylor.
"Are you okay, Christian? Maybe we should go back to the doctor..."
I shake my head. "I'm fine, Ana. Just exhausted. My body isn't ready to be up and moving so long."
She frowns. "You should have waited, Christian."
"No. I was too worked up. I wouldn't have gotten any rest this weekend if we didn't do it now." I rest my head on hers and sigh. Now that my anger is gone, I'm drowsy.
"We'll get you home and curled up in bed, Christian."
"Will you hold me?" I nuzzle into her, wishing I could be the one that holds her properly. I can't surround her in safety with only one arm.
She leans into my nuzzle and smiles. "Only if you'll tell me how you're going to marry me some day."
Grinning, I kiss the skin behind her ear. "Deal."