Chpt. 36 TPOV:
The rest of the week flies by so incredibly fast; the three of us are busy catching up on the work we missed when we were in California. We went over to the condo and grabbed a few things so we could stay at the house this week. Our plan is to move everything else over today which gives the cleaning crew we hired two days before we close and the new owners take procession of it. I thought being back in Seattle would make be things feel normal again; but surprisingly that wasn't what did it. It was this house; the house we hadn't spent a single night in since we proposed to Ana that make me feel like we were home.
I love how the house has come together so far; the kitchen is just as Ana and I designed it to be. We haven't had the chance yet because of how busy we've been, but I can't wait for the two of us to cook together in it. The kitchen in the condo was big enough, but it's small compared to the new kitchen. The shower…fuck there isn't anything that compares to the shower that Ana and Christian designed. The one at the hotel came close, but even that wasn't as large as this one.
"You know, I just realized how little I was ever in this room," Ana says as I tape up the last box from my bedroom.
"This stopped being my room the first night you stayed here," I go over and kiss her.
"You sure you're okay with getting rid of all of this stuff?" she eyes the boxes in the center of the room marked donate.
"The sheets and blankets don't fit the new bed and I have a feeling that even in the guest rooms you're going to want something that goes with the colors you pick for the room. And we definitely don't have a need for the bed."
"True."
"For the last few months the only reason I ever came in here was to grab clothes, that was it. That room," I gesture towards the wall next to us that is shared with the other bedroom. "That's been my bedroom, our bedroom…"
"I know, but if there was anything in here you wanted to keep we could incorporate it into the new bedroom or another room at the house."
"Ana, baby, it's just stuff. What do you remember in this room besides my clothes? An alarm clock, my dog tags hanging from the lamp….the alarm clock I'm donating since we have one already and the dog tags are packed. I'm donating some clothes I don't need any longer too plus the furniture we won't need. I know it looks like a lot, but it's really not."
"I just wanted to make sure."
"Make sure what?" Christian wraps his arm around Ana startling her before he leans in and kisses her.
"That I was good with donating this stuff," I gesture to the pile.
"You good?" Christian asks.
"Yup."
"Good, that's settled," he leans over and kisses me sandwiching Ana between us. "Elliot wanted me to check to see if there was anything else up here that needed to be loaded in the truck."
My hands go to Ana's hips; she rests her head on my chest and for a few minutes the three of us just stand there together.
"I think that's everything in here," I gesture to what's left in the room. "The company is coming by tomorrow to pick up that's stuff."
"I haven't been in here….fuck it's been a long time," Christian says.
"That's what I was just saying," Ana giggles.
From the first night Ana spent here, Christian's bedroom became our room. Even when he was working late and Ana and I went to bed before him, we always went into his room as opposed to in here. That room, even from that first night, just felt like where the three of us needed to be. I'm not going to lie, I'm looking forward to the new master bedroom that Ana designed. With the walk in closet all of our clothes will be able to fit in there so no one will need to go into another room to get clothes.
"Let's go home," I kiss both of them again before stepping back.
We take one last look around the apartment before heading down to the truck where Elliot is waiting. We hired a few guys from our crew to help load and unload the furniture, they're grabbing something to eat and meeting us at the new house. Most of the crew has realized by now that the three of us are in a relationship together, though we still try not to flaunt it when we're at work. Between the work going on at our new house with us living there and then needing help moving furniture, enough people have seen us together to know what's going on. I've seen some of the workers whispering when I arrive on site, so I'm sure the gossip has spread by now, but honestly none of us care. Elliot has been supportive and says that as long as it doesn't affect the company he doesn't give a shit what we do. We are all in agreement though if any of our workers step out of line, they're done. None of us want a repeat of what happened at the diner to happen with our employees.
Pulling into the driveway of the house, it still feels unreal that this place is officially ours and that after today we will be living here permantly. Even though we spent the last few nights here since we got back from California, today it becomes official. As I watch everything being unloaded and Ana directing where it all is going until the remodeling is finished, it finally seems real.
"Didn't feel like this day would ever come," Christian comes up next to me.
"I can't wait to see how what she does with the other rooms," I gesture towards Ana who is standing with Kate, taking full control and somehow keeping everything organized.
"She said about two maybe three weeks tops and the master bedroom will be done."
"That soon?"
"Yup, as long as everything she ordered comes in on time."
"So we plan the wedding for the following month then?"
"That's what I'm thinking."
The next few hours pass by quickly, the truck is unloaded with most of our stuff going to the basement that will eventually become the man cave but for now will serve as storage until everything upstairs is done. It's far from being done, but at the end of the day it's perfect for us. The living room is our temporary bedroom, the dining room is set up so we have a place to eat, the master bathroom is prefect, the office downstairs needs a coat of paint but otherwise is set up so we can work in it when needed and of course the kitchen is amazing. After everything is done, Elliot and Kate are the only ones left. We decided to grill some burgers and hot dogs tonight with the new grill we picked up the other day. Eventually the area we're sitting in right now will be a large patio complete with an outdoor kitchen, but for now it's a small patio just big enough for the grill, table and a few chairs.
"It's so quiet out here," Kate observes.
"It is," Ana's seated between me and Christian, holding my hand while her other rests on Christian's leg.
"It feels like you're so far away from everything," Kate says.
"But you're really not," Ana disagrees. "Everything is within a few minute drive of here."
"I couldn't do it. I like where we are now, everything is within walking distance. Plus the building takes care of anything that comes up."
"That's cause you're a city girl at heart," Elliot chuckles, leaning in to kiss Kate.
"That I am," she giggles. "But I don't mind getting away from it all every so often."
"I had a chance to review the proposals you sent me," Elliot says after a few minutes of silence. Ana squeezes my hand knowing I've been anxious about what he would think of the idea of investing the money into the business.
"And?" I ask.
"Well, at first it was all greek to me," he chuckles. "But after Christian broke it down for me, putting it in English, it made sense."
I had no idea the two of them met to review the proposals. Christian didn't say anything even though he helped me put the proposals together because I had no idea what I was doing. But I knew I had to come up with a plan to invest the money, so with Christian's help we identified a few companies that we could look into acquiring and then added in the lease payoff information.
"Yeah?" I ask.
"Fuck man, it's a great plan. You sure this is what you want to do with the money though?" he asks.
"I'm sure," other than paying off the house, getting married and finishing the remodel of the house there isn't anything else I need.
"Then let's do it, let's make ECJ even more successful," he beams and any doubt leaves my mind instantly.
"We should celebrate!" Kate exclaims.
"I'll go grab some drinks, who needs one?" Kate, Ana and Elliot all put their hands up.
"I'll give you a hand, I think we have some snacks we can bring out too," Christian says.
Grabbing everyone's glasses, or empty bottles, Christian and I head in through the sliding glass door that leads into the dining room. I love that the floor plan is so open; if it weren't for the divider you'd be able to see right into the living room and the kitchen from here. After grabbing the drinks from the fridge I turn around to find Christian rummaging through the cabinets trying to find something.
"I swore we had chips in here somewhere…" he grumbles.
"They're in the large cabinet next to the fridge," I chuckle pointing to the opposite side of the room.
"You'd think that even though I don't cook I'd be able to find where the snacks are kept," he laughs.
"You didn't tell me you met with Elliot about the proposal."
"Because I knew how anxious you were over it," he walks over to me smirking. "Even though I told you that had nothing to worry about, I knew you were stressing over it. I also knew that Elliot wouldn't understand half of what we put in that proposal, it's just not his thing."
"Thank you….for-"
"Don't-"
"But-"
Any chance of argument ends when Christian's lips crush against mine; I chuckle against them knowing exactly what he's doing-we've both ended conversations with Ana the same way. He steps into me, my hands go to his arms just as his tongue glides across my lips. He grabs my ass, tugging me even closer to him-
"What the-"
I turn around just in time to watch Elliot…fuck pass out or something. It's like watching it happen in slow motion; his head hits the edge of the counter before he falls to the floor. Immediately I rush over to him, but he's unconscious on the floor.
"Christian!" I call out realizing that he's frozen in place just staring at his brother. "Throw me the towel there and call 911."
He takes him only a split second before he does what I ask; using the towel I gently apply pressure to his wound where the blood is flowing from.
"Oh my God!" Kate gasps.
"What happened?" Ana asks.
"Ana, can you call Grace and tell her that Elliot is going to be taken to Seattle General ER? Let her know he's going to need stitches."
"Okay," I hear her step into the other room.
"There's so much blood," Kate's voice cracks as kneels down next to Elliot. "He's breathing though right? I mean he's not-"
"His breathing is fine," I assure her. "Head wounds bleed, a lot. It looks worse than it is, I promise."
"Are you sure? How do you know? What if-"
"Kate," I interrupt quickly. "We had first aid training in the Air Force, besides when I was younger there were always kids around and more than a few times someone got hurt. I don't know why, but the ones on the head always bled more. He'll need a few stitches to close it up."
"What happened? Did he fall?"
"I think he passed out…"
"What from?"
"The ambulance should be here any minute," Christian interrupts before I can answer.
Just as Christian says that the doorbell rings and Ana rushes to get it; in a flurry of activity I explain what happened and Elliot is loaded onto a stretcher just as he starts coming to.
"Sir, you need to sit back," the EMT instructs.
"I'm fine, I just need-"
"You're not fine Elliot, you bleeding everywhere!" Kate snaps. "Lay back down, you need to get checked out."
"We'll meet you at the hospital," Ana tells Kate after she climbs in the ambulance with Elliot.
By the time we arrive at the emergency room, Elliot is already back in exam room with Grace who was already working when Ana called her.
"What happened?" Ana asks as we sit in the waiting room with Kate.
"Elliot said he slipped on something on the floor," Kate answers.
"I'm not sure, I turned around just in time to see him hit his head on the island," I say.
"I didn't see anything on the floor when we came in," Ana says.
"Maybe his shoelace was untied or something," Kate shrugs.
"Hey guys," Grace comes into the waiting area.
"How is he?"
"When can I see him?"
"Calm down," she leads us to a small private room just across the hall.
"He's okay right?" Christian asks.
"He's fine," she assures us. "He needed a few stitches to close up the cut on his head. He waiting the results of the MRI but the neurologist doesn't expect to find any abnormalities from it. In fact she said that if Elliot wasn't my son she wouldn't have even ordered one, but she knew I would worry otherwise so she's doing it basically to satisfy me. The nurses drew several vials of blood to check for different things, but like the MRI it's probably not needed."
"He's okay though?" Kate asks.
"He's more concerned about the fact that the nurses had to shave some of his hair to ensure the stitches are placed correctly."
"I could see that," Kate giggles.
"He's going to be kept here for observation-"
"I thought you said he was fine?" Christian interrupts.
"He is…again peace of mind. He's my son, he passed out and he banged his head. As a doctor, I go to worst case scenario when it's my own children. So the nurses are going to keep an eye on him overnight just as a precaution, nothing more. I'd insist on nothing less for any of you."
Her eyes meet mine for a brief moment as she says those words; she doesn't know much about my childhood but she knows I don't have any family which is why she was so quick to include me in hers form the first time we met. She told me that day that Christian had told her so much about me that she felt she knew me already.
"Christian, Taylor, he's asking to see both of you-"
"What?" Kate objects.
"Kate, he specifically said I'm to tell you to calm down," Grace giggles which makes Kate crack a smile. "He said he knows you're not going to leave tonight, but he wanted to talk about some project that he needs Christian and Taylor's help on before they leave. I don't know what can't wait especially seeing that it's a Friday night but…"
"We'll make sure it's covered," I assure her.
"And we'll be quick," Christian adds.
Grace leads us down a long hallway and around a few corners before we finally reach Elliot's room. Seeing him in bed, sitting up and joking with a nurse I immediately feel relieved. Even though I was fairly certain that it was only a gash on his head, I was still worried. Grace checks over the chart and chats with the nurse for a moment before they both step out of the room, closing the door behind them.
"Mom said you needed to talk to us about a project you need covered? I didn't think you had anything scheduled for tomorrow, but of course we will-"
"That's not what I wanted to talk to you two about, it was just an excuse to get you back here."
"What's up?" I ask.
"What the fuck is going on?"
"What do you mean?" Christian asks.
"What do I mean?" he sits up in the bed staring at both of us. "I walk into the kitchen to find you two kissing, that's what I mean."
"And?" Christian pushes back.
"And? And?" Elliot yells.
"I get it must have been a surprise-" I try to defuse the situation.
"Look, I don't give a shit if you two are gay and want to fuck each other in the middle of the kitchen; what I do care about is what you're doing to poor Ana."
"What we're doing to Ana?" I ask.
"What is she to you? Just your beard?"
"What the fuck is a beard?" Christian says angrily.
"What are you talking about Elliot?" I ask.
"You're just stringing her along while she what… pretends to be your girlfriend? How is she okay with lying for you two? In fact, why even bother with her at all—"
"She's not pretending to be our girlfriend!" I hiss.
"You don't know what the fuck you're talking about it Elliot," Christian growls at him. "No one is lying to anyone and Ana very much is our girlfriend."
"I don't understand then," he flops back on his bed. "I walked into find you two kissing and, fuck man, you were grabbing his ass."
"Yeah, so?"
"So?! If you're not gay-"
"We're not gay," I assure him.
"Definitely not gay," Christian agrees.
"So what… you two are together but you're also with Ana?"
"Yup, exactly like that," Christian says confidently.
"And Ana knows about it…about the two of you? And she's okay with it."
"Yes," I hold back the chuckle because Ana is definitely more than okay with it.
"So what you're bi then? I mean not that it matters of course—"
"Look, the three of us are together," Christian quickly cuts him off. "We don't need to put a label on it."
"This isn't going to be an issue at work right?"
"It hasn't been yet, has it?" Christian challenges him.
"No…"
"I'm sure this is a shock—" I start.
"You could say that," Elliot chuckles. "Fuck guys I had no idea."
"Why would you? I don't expect you to share what happens in your bedroom with Kate…" Christian points out.
"Yeah, fuck man a little warning would have been nice though. Walking in on something like that, shit man… no wonder I fucking passed out."
"That's why you passed out?" Christian says.
"Well excuse me if I didn't take walking in on my brother grabbing his best friend's ass while lip locked with him correctly. I didn't realize there was a manual on how to react when you that happens."
"Elliot," I can't help but laugh at his dramatics.
"You need to tell Mom what happened; she's having all sorts of tests run to rule out everything under the sun," Christian chuckles.
"I know," he sighs. "I didn't want to tell her until I talked with you both because then she's going to know and I didn't know if you wanted that or if I was…outing you both."
"Elliot, we're not hiding anything," Christian shakes his head.
"And you're not outing us…"
"And you're sure Ana is okay with all of this? Just cause if this is going to be an issue at work—"
"Elliot, you're just going to have to take our word for it that Ana is fine and it won't interfere with work."
"Boys," Grace pokes her head into the room. "Kate is driving the nurses a little crazy wanting to come back here. Oh, Elliot the MRI came back clear so we're just waiting on the blood work. In the morning they'll draw some more blood to check for-"
"Mom, they don't need to do all of that," Christian says.
"What do you mean? Since Elliot isn't sure what he fell over or slipped on, we need to make sure there isn't an underlying medical issue that caused it. I know out there I said it was probably nothing, but-"
"Mom, there's nothing medically wrong with me," Elliot interrupts. "I saw something that…and I passed out from the shock of it."
"What could you have possibly seen that shocked you that much? You said you had walked into the kitchen…"
"He saw me kissing Taylor," Christian says.
"And?" Grace questions.
"And…that's it," Christian answers cautiously probably wondering the same thing I am. Why isn't she surprised.
"I don't understand, why would that surprise you Elliot? You were at the house the day they said the three of them were together."
"I…I…"
"What am I missing?" Grace glances between me and Christian. "You told us that day that the three of you were together, in a relationship together right?"
"We did."
"I hadn't realized that they meant the three of them were…" Elliot mumbles.
"Hmmmm, well they said the three of them," she shakes her head. "Okay, if that's what caused you to pass out I'll cancel the blood work for the morning and just have them run what they already started. You're still staying overnight for observation though, just to make sure you don't have a concussion."
"Yes Mom."
"Boys, if you're done can you please let Kate know she can stop driving my nurses crazy?"