My dear little broccolis💚💚💚
💚Sweetie, Let Me Give You The Daddy💚
"The best investment I ever made, was when I lost fifty million dollars and met the love of my life as a result of that."
‼️Rated M - {Out Of Characters/All Human/Alternate Universe}‼️
‼️Romance/Angst/Drama/Lemons‼️
‼️AS/CG/The Greys/The Steeles/José Rodriguez/Grace Grey‼️
💚Now, in case it wasn't clear, this will be a Christian POV story. and I know you will want Ana's PoV, but it will just be Christian.
💚 READ & REVIEW, DON'T BE A SILENT READER 💚
Chapter 13: Pressure & Bloom (4,5K)
So about this title, as you know, the best way to manoeuvre a gemstone is to use pressure on it. Whether you want to transform it, or. … destroy it. And bloom … well, you know this one speaks for itself.
Christian felt his blood freeze as his daughter's words echoed in his ears, and he had to remind himself not to show any sort of panic to Grace. He didn't want to scare her any more than she already was. She was crying, her blue eyes turning red and silently showing what she feared the most. What Christian feared the most.
"Did you try opening the door, sweetie?"
"Mama no está respondiendo. It's closed, and I knock again and Mama no dice nada!" (Mom doesn't answer… Mom says nothing.)
"Just a moment, Grace," Christian said, before putting his mic on mute and holding the tablet against him so she wouldn't see his face.
He started walking to his office, Ros and Andrea on his heels, whilst his brain was working at a thousand miles per hour. Ana lived in that small building with no concierge, so there was no one to check on the girls, whether it was to reassure Grace or make sure that Ana… he shook his head, refusing to go down that road, and told Andrea, then Ros,
"Call 911 and give them the address of the girls. Say it's an emergency. And Ros, call Raymond and tell him to get to Ana's ASAP. Explain the situation to him. He is the closest person we can get to right now and Grace knows him. Explain that she is alone and needs an adult with her right now."
In all honesty, he would have rather called Jose, or even Andrew, knowing how much closer Grace was to them, and that their presence would reassure her a little. But he had neither of their numbers, and he didn't have any time to waste looking for them.
And in the best-case scenario, if Raymond was at his office, it was a twenty-minute drive from Ana's. In the best of conditions, without any traffic. And New York always had traffic. He tried to keep his mind positive, but he couldn't help but imagine the worst scenarios. What if she fell under water? What if she bumped her head and was bleeding to death? What if she needed CPR?
Once again, he shook his head, trying to clear out the worst possibilities, sat at his desk and took a deep breath. Then, he unmuted the video and made sure that his poker face was on. Grace was still crying, and he could hear her trying to knock on the bathroom door again. And no matter how much he hated what he was about to do, he knew he had no better solution. At best, both Raymond and first responders were minutes away, and Ana needed someone now.
So, he made sure that Grace's crying calmed a little, and he told her, "Grace, sweetie, I want you to listen to me very carefully. I want you to keep me on the tablet and go knock on your neighbour's door."
"But Mama said—" She started, but Christian interrupted her, doing his best to remain calm and composed.
"I know. You're not supposed to talk to strangers or to leave the flat without her. But this is an emergency. I need you to be brave and ask your neighbour for help."
He saw her glance at what he assumed to be the bathroom door, before she nodded bravely, and walked away. Christian watched nervously, praying that Ana hadn't locked the door, and even harder, that her neighbour was there. It was an old woman to whom Ana gave a portion of their meals from time to time, though Christian never actually met her. He just knew about her because Ana had mentioned the elderly woman a couple of times, but she was his only hope at this moment.
He kept talking to her as she opened the front door, her face still covered with unstoppable tears, and he nervously - though he did his best to not show it - waited with her for the old lady to answer when she knocked on the door. What he did not expect, was to hear the voice of a man.
"Hey kiddo, what's wrong?"
Grace sobbed, and Christian asked her to turn the tablet around, but she was still crying so much that it seemed like an insurmountable task for her. It seemed that the man took the tablet in his hands because, in an instant, Christian couldn't see Grace anymore. Instead, he saw a young Arab man who seemed to be in his late teens looking questioningly at him.
"I think my partner fell in the bathroom, but the door is locked and —" He started to explain, but he didn't get to finish, because, in the blink of an eye, the man had put the tablet back in Grace's hands and was pushing her inside his apartment, calling out, "Jadda! Can you please give some Chebakia to your neighbour? I need to check something." (Jadda is the common term for grandmother in many Arabic diElliottts. And Chebakia is an ultra-sweet Moroccan pastry, that looks a bit like a golden rose)
Christian had no other choice but to go where Grace was going, and he kept showing his poker face as Grace was fussed over by the elderly woman who took Grace in her arms to wipe away her tears. Grace took the pastry that the woman offered her, but she didn't eat it. She kept looking at what Christian assumed to be the front door, and he tried to reassure her.
"Grace, sweetie, everything is going to be fine."
"Mama siempre responde cuando la llamo. Do you think she's dead?" (Mama always responds when I call her.)
His leg that had been impatiently going up and down suddenly froze as he heard her words, but his face was still as unreadable as before. In all honesty, he feared the answer to this question, and he hated that he was so far away, and unable to do a thing. He couldn't help but think that, if at least she had been in living in his apartment, he could have gotten the concierge to check what was wrong.
But he couldn't really dwell on it now, and so he made a promise that he wasn't sure he could keep. "Of course not. You mother is going to be fine; I promise."
Grace sniffed, slightly reassured, and Christian did his best to stop the unending tears. "We'll even buy her a big bouquet of flowers together tomorrow, okay?"
"But… Mama said you were busy."
"I'm on my way back to you girls, sweetie. Raymond is going to pick you up soon, and I will be there as quickly as I can."
Grace pitifully nodded, whilst Christian's leg was still bouncing uncontrollably. The old woman insisted that Grace eat her pastry, and so she did as Christian did his best keep his temper at bay. What was this man doing? He had left for a good fifteen minutes! What took him so long to just bust open a door? Ana didn't live in some panic room; her doors were easily breakable.
His mind started going to dark places, thinking that maybe he had put both Ana and Grace in an even worse situation. After all, he knew nothing of these strangers, only that Ana had told him she occasionally took food to the old lady. What if they weren't as nice and friendly as they seemed? He was almost tempted to order Grace to stop eating, but finally, he heard the man's voice again as he asked Grace, "Can I take the tablet for a moment?"
Christian saw how Grace hesitated, clearly not happy parting with the only link she had to a conscious parent, but Christian smiled to her, promising her that all would be okay once again. So, she gave the iPad away, and the man walked to a different room.
"She is alive, and the paramedics are taking her to the hospital. She… I think she slipped and banged her head on the tub and … well, I'm not a doctor, but there was blood."
Finally, Christian's mask broke, and he visibly paled. Unresponsiveness was never a good sign, but a head wound bleeding due to falling was always a bad sign.
Before his mind could even get to the worst scenarios, the man said,
"But I have a more pressing matter. Do you know a Raymond Wilks?"
"Yes. Yes of course. Is he here?"
The man nodded, and admitted, "I am sorry, I kicked him out of the building until I made sure. I mean, I wanted to make sure you knew him, and we never know nowadays, there are psychos everywhere. How come he is already here?"
"I called him. I'm too far to do anything, and my kid needs someone."
"Okay. We could have watched over her, you know."
Christian just nodded, not sure what else to say, and the man went back to Grace to give the iPad back. As soon as he was back in Grace's hands, she questioned him."What did he say? Is Mama okay?"
"She is fine. The doctors came to take her, to make sure everything is okay. And Raymond is downstairs. I want you to go with him, so I can get on a plane and get to you, okay?"
"Is Mama going to the hospital?" She asked with fear, and for the first time, he found himself annoyed that she was so bright. As Ana often pointed out, Grace was too perceptive and asked too many good questions.
"She is going to be fine. Remember that when you went to the hospital, it was to make you all better."
It seemed that this little reminder lifted Grace's spirits a little because she finally stopped crying. He heard Raymond's voice before seeing him, and so he explained to Grace, "I have to go now, sweetie. But I will be with you and your mom real soon. Just give the plane the time to get to you."
She nodded, looking up to whom he assumed to be Raymond, but he could still see the doubt in her eyes. So he promised, "I'll call you as soon as I land, okay?"
"Okay."
He saw her being lifted, and half of Raymond appeared on the screen, with a reassuring smile that Christian knew was there just for Grace's sake. "I'll text you the details in a moment," he let Christian know. "We're going to see Carla for now, okay darling?"
Once again, Grace nodded before she waved Christian goodbye. As soon as the screen went blank, Christian got up, refusing to go down the dark spiral that his brain was presenting to him. Ana was going to make it because she had no other choice but to make it. He sprinted out of his office, his mind set on getting to Ana, but Andrea stopped him.
"Taylor is waiting for you downstairs. And I found you a flight that leaves in two hours. It was the earliest I could do, but it will be business-class."
"Thank you," he said, not caring the slightest that he wouldn't fly first class. He put on his coat, Ros waiting for him by the elevator doors with Jamie, both their faces grave and seeing his own worry painted on someone else's face made him realise that he wouldn't be able to do it. Not alone.
"Book another ticket, Andrea."
Then, he walked to the elevator, his briefcase in hands and his coat on his back, and he gave his instructions to Ros and Jamie.
"Get the board rescheduled for tomorrow. I'll video conference them at 1 pm, Seattle time. And tell them to get their shit together, I won't have time to listen to whatever stupid reasons they have. It's my money that is making them rich, so they better comply."
Then he turned to Jamie. "You, Ros said you were a shark, you said you were a shark. Prove it. I don't need you to take notes and bite your tongue. We've been honest with each other, and if you can't do what you said you could, just leave. I don't have time for politically correct and propriety. If you're to replace me, show as much honesty as you showed during our first conversation."
Jamie nodded, and just as he exited the elevator to get to his car, Christian added in his direction, "And go to Andrea, she'll help you find all you need for you to be in New York by the end of next week. If you don't show, I'd understand. But don't waste both of our time."
Once in the back of the car, Christian told Taylor to make a detour, before calling the person he had failed so many times, but whom he was hoping would come to his rescue one more time.
.~°~. .~°~. .~°~.
As he was sitting on the plane, on his way to New York, Christian struggled to keep his nerves down. No matter how many times Elliott had tried to calm him down, and reassure him that all would be fine, he knew better. It was the exact same lie he had told Grace. But in the harsh reality was that Ana was at the hospital, with head trauma, and still unconscious.
Elliott didn't question his brother. As soon as Christian had explained the situation to him, he told him that he would be ready for him to be picked up. When he got in the car later, he explained that he had asked their father to look after his kids and that, of course, Carrick had been asked to be kept updated.
Jose had contacted Christian whilst they were in the middle of checking their luggage, and he informed him that he was Ana's emergency number, and that, though the doctors said there was no visible threat, she was still unconscious. The doctors had declared they would keep her for the night, and Grace was at his place, with Karl and the kitten.
And though Jose had told him about Ana's 'stable' condition, Christian kept envisioning the worst. He just wished the plane would land already, so he could see her, but this seemed to be the longest five hours of his life.
His leg kept bouncing up and down, and he gratefully took the scotch that Elliott had ordered for him. His brother didn't say a word, staying by his side supportively and he couldn't help but compare this situation to the last time Ana had been hospitalised.
Christian silently looked at the brunette laying in her hospital bed, a bubble of rage threatening to burst inside of him. She looked terrible. She had a cut lip and a swollen eye. Her arms and neck were also all bruised, and this right moment, he saw a different woman. Because of the confidence she always had, Christian had always seen Ana as a strong woman. But now, he realised that she was just human. And no matter how much she liked to deny it, she was petite and frail, and all he wanted to do was to keep her safe from any form of harm.
He sat on the chair by her bed, pushing aside the vivid images that had been snapped by the paparazzo, that depicted the brutality of her attackers. His parents always said he had a bad temper when it came to the ones he cared, and this had never been truer. All he wanted to do at this moment, was to find those punks and show them how it felt to be used as a punching bag.
And to think it could have been much worse … No matter how much he despised paparazzi, he was happy that this one had been there and had the decency to come to him first with the pictures he had taken. Truth be told, he had never cared about the media, he knew how to keep his private life private, even from those vultures.
Softly, he traced the outline of the bruise on her neck, realising that it was forming a handprint, and he swallowed down another spout of rage, calming himself with the sweet idea of what could have happened if he had put his foot down, and convinced her to live in a nice neighbourhood.
He wasn't delusional enough to think that she could live with him, though he would love nothing more than for it to become a reality. Ana was too practical to move in with a man she saw no future with. And though he was planning on changing her mind regarding her future, it was still something in process, and he couldn't rush her into it.
With bitterness, he finished his scotch, wondering what might have happened if he had come clear to her then. What if he hadn't chickened out from telling her how he felt, and told her when she woke up about his desire to tear up the contract and just give this whole relationship bullshit a shot with her? One thing was for sure, she wouldn't be in the hospital so far away from him at this moment.
In retrospect, he could admit to himself that he had been a coward those six, almost seven years ago. At the time, he had convinced himself that the reason why he didn't tell her he loved her was because of the way she had compared him with Jose, and the way she had said as if nothing that she would never feel for him the way she felt for Jose.
Back then, his ego had been wounded. "Jose is different. You and I will never have the same relationship as the one I have with him. Jose is … more than you'll ever be." Those had been her exact words. But now, in hindsight, he understood what she had meant.
He would never be Jose, just like she would never be Elliott. Though they shared no blood, Ana and Jose were close. In fact, they were even closer than he had ever been with his own sibling. And today was just more proof of how important they were for each other. Jose was Ana's emergency number, and it seemed he knew exactly what to do whether it was for Ana, or for Grace.
Christian on the other hand, what did he know about Ana? Despite the file he had read on her all those years ago, he knew nothing about her medical history. And in all honesty, her blood type was not what he was lingering on when he looked through her file. In fact, he completely disregarded the medical aspect of her file.
But what if she needed a blood transfusion? He didn't know her blood type. He just knew it wasn't the same as his or Grace's. In fact, he didn't even know if she would want them to pull the plug if the worst was to come, or if she was an organ donor.
"Stop picturing the worst," Elliott suddenly instructed him, and he raised an eyebrow at his brother, curious to know how he could tell what he was thinking. "You have this face that says, 'I'm imagining the worst outcome of the situation I'm in now.' Be positive. I'm sure her friend would have told you if something was wrong."
Christian just ignored him, silently hailing a flight attendant so she could refill his drink and they fell into another long silence, during which Christian did exactly what Elliott had told him not to do: pictured the worst scenarios. And one theme kept on coming back repeatedly, no matter how much he knew he was not ready for it. So, he told Elliott, "I can't be a single father."
Elliott turned his head, but before he could say a thing, Christian continued, "I just can't. I can barely do that whole parenting thing with her, so I will certainly not be able to do it without her. You are much stronger than I am in that department. Because …
I wouldn't be just devastated if I lose Ana, I would … I just can't lose her, Elliott. It's not as a mother of our child, or as a lover. It's as a person. We both know that she's my better half. I can't lose her. She can't die. I won't let her!"
He did his best to keep his hurt and fear to himself, closing his eyes to prevent tears from escaping his eyes, and he welcomed the warm embrace from his brother. Elliott didn't say a word, nor did he make any empty promises. He just held him as he used to when they were little, and he had just been told off by their parents.
.~°~. .~°~. .~°~.
When they finally arrived in New York, after those five long terrible hours of flight, Andrea had a car ready for them that drove them straight to the hospital where Ana had been admitted. He tried to call Grace, but only got Karl who explained that she had cried herself to sleep and that Jose was still at the hospital.
When they got to the hospital, it was shortly after one in the morning, local time. He and Elliott found Jose in the waiting room. He looked exhausted, but Christian assumed that he would look much worse if he had any sort of bad news. As soon as he spotted Christian, Jose got up, and walked to him, explaining, "Only family is allowed in her room. But the doctors said that she was okay, so I guess it's something. I mean, this is Ana we're talking about, she pushed a kid out without epidural or anything, so a concussion won't stop her."
Christian nodded, keeping in a corner of his mind this new piece of information he had no idea about, but when he opened his mouth to thank Jose, no words came out, his throat was dry. He cleared his throat and told the Hispanic man, "Thank you, Jose. I'll stay here if you want to go home."
Jose hesitated for a moment. "She would definitely tell you to do the same and get some sleep. You look like crap."
Christian nodded his head, agreeing that, had she been conscious, Ana would make such a big problem of anyone fussing over her. It was always okay for her to do so, to worry about others and care for them, but God forbid someone ever did the same for her.
Jose left, and Christian went straight to the reception desk, asking for Ana's room. He tried to lie his way into it and say that he was her husband, but her records showed that she was unwed and that the only family member registered to her was Miss Grace Marianne Steele. Which annoyed Christian greatly for more than one reason.
Still, after a little convincing and a few dead presidents exchanging hands, Elliott and Christian could access her room, under the strict rule to let her wake on her own. But when Christian opened the door, Elliott did not enter.
"I think I'll just leave you two alone. I'm sure you — "
"I'd like for you to stay with her while I go to her flat to get her some clothes"
Elliott nodded, and so Christian took a cab to Ana's place. On his way there, he emailed Roger, telling him to write a statement about his family that he would read on Monday (though he made a point saying that the girls had to remain anonymous). He also emailed Andrea, so she could find him an efficient team in New York to do the job he wanted done, first thing in the morning. And he texted his parents who had been asking questions about Ana and Grace.
Once in her flat, his first instinct was to go to the bathroom, and he saw that the door was unhinged. Noting seemed much out of place, but after all this time, Christian knew that Ana was probably even more OCD than he was. So, the place would be a mess for her. Her clothes were by the sink, and he suddenly realised that both the young man and the paramedics had probably seen her naked, which did not appease his temper.
He went to her room, packing up a quick bag with clothes and toiletries, and when he closed Ana's apartment door, he found himself face to face with the old lady. He hid his surprise on seeing her up so late, but still let her know, "Thank you. You and that young man prevented my daughter from panicking more then she could have."
"Not a problem at all. Grace is always welcomed, and Samir was more than happy to help."
Christian gave her his card, and told her, "Tell him to call me when he can."
Then he went back to the hospital, and Elliott did as he had said earlier: he left Ana and Christian alone. He didn't feel like talking to her. If he wanted to speak to her, it would be when she was conscious, with her witty comebacks at the ready, and her head shaking when she would find him ridiculous or over the top. He refused to be that kind of person laying his heart out to someone who couldn't hear him.
.~°~. .~°~. .~°~.
When the morning came, Christian hadn't slept much. He had spent most of his night working and emailing people. Ana was still unconscious, and he stirred, his body stiff from the rigid chair. He got up and left the room to stretch his legs; Ana was still out cold.
He had a thought to find a doctor and get some answers. But his thoughts were interrupted by Grace who was rushing to his arms. He lovingly picked her up as soon as they collided, his heart melting as he heard the word, he'd been wanting to hear for a long time.
"Daddy!"
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.~°~. .~°~. .~°~.
💚Your thoughts and opinions are always welcomed💚
💚 Awwwww, isn't that cute? Haha. But is it really? I mean ... if you read carefully, there are some things that still haven't been properly explained ...
1. So ... well, she's not dead ... yet ... And she bumped her head pretty hard ...
2. This chapter was really about Christian, so obviously, how did you feel about him?
3. Do you think he handled the situation properly?
4. And what did you think of the conversation Christian had with Elliott?
5. Now about the flashback, many had been upset at Ana for her words back then, and it made me snigger, because, well, Ana just explained that she loved her brother and that things would never be the same between Christian and her because she is not a Lannister.
6. What do you think about his work
7. And now, about that tiny little world in the end. How did it make you feel?
8. As per usual, what was your favourite part? Mine was when Christian cried on his brother's shoulders
9. And what do you think will happen in the next chapter? I didn't kill Ana, but as I could do so much worst...
💚 E L James owns the names of the characters from the Fifty Shades franchise, Everything else is mine (including the mistakes and grammar errors).
Love, Mina 💚💚💚