A/N:
Thanks to all that left a review after every chapter, and to all who at one time or another shared your ideas with me so I could steal them (LOL). I'm only half-joking here ;) Y'all made writing this entertaining and enjoyable for me.
On a side note, in case you were wondering, details about medical conditions have been left intentionally vague as I didn't want this chapter to read like an episode of Grey's Anatomy if you know what I mean.
ALL mistakes are mine.
Final Chapter
Ana woke up when one of the nurses was taking her vitals.
"Where am I?" Her voice cracked as she noticed the IV on her arm.
"You're in the hospital. Do you remember what happened?"
It suddenly came back to her. The woman with the gun. The awful sense of dread. "Christian? Where is Christian?"
"Your husband has been here day and night," she smiled. "You're going to be just fine."
"How long have I been here?" She asked having no sense of time.
"Well, you were already here when I arrived...and that was two days ago."
….
Mr. Grey? A nurse called and Christian whipped his head in her direction, anxiously. "You can come in and see her. She's been asking for you."
By the time Christian rushed to Ana's bedside, she was having a hard time keeping herself awake. She looked so vulnerable and small in her hospital bed, but thank heavens she was alive.
"Muchacha linda," he murmured softly. "You gave me quite a scare," he caressed her cheek with the back of his hand.
She opened her lips to speak but even that seemed quite the effort.
"Don't," he put a finger to her sleep. "Save your strength, sweetheart. You've
just had major surgery."
...
Later
"Mia told me about that woman, Leila.. she was at the party," Ana said after a nurse had checked her vitals and left the room.
Christian furrowed his brow. "What else did she tell you?"
Ana merely shrugged her shoulders. "Why?" she shook her head. "Why did she do it?"
He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He really didn't want to talk about this but there was no way around it. "When we talked at the party, I told her in no uncertain terms it was over between us, I told her I was happily married now," he grimaced. "Never in a million years did I imagine she would do something like this."
Ana looked suddenly tired. More than anything, she wanted to wipe the horrific event out of her mind, but nearly every time she closed her eyes, she saw a replay of the events.
"I want to see my father. Where is he?" When she'd asked Mia about him, she'd been awfully evasive.
Christian bit down hard on his lower lip. He'd been anticipating this question but it didn't make it any easier. He would do anything to spare Ana this pain. He had delayed telling her the truth as long as possible but there was no way around it.
He took her hand and brought his lips to her soft skin. "Ana. Something happened to your father while you were in surgery," he said in a grave voice.
"What? What happened?" Ana's eyes snapped wide open.
"Your father had a heart attack."
"No! No!" Ana covered her mouth with her hands. She took a deep breath, her hands folded in prayer. "Is he okay?"
Christian shook his head no. Ana's eyes filled with tears. A heart attack? How could this be? Her father was young, he was only thirty-six, he'd just turned eighteen when she was born. How could he possibly die of a heart attack?
….
In the hospital cafeteria
"Did she take the news very hard?" Mia asked as she sat across the table from Christian with her tray.
"How the hell do you think? She's understandably devastated."
Mia cringed a little at his sharp tone. "Poor Ana. She's been through so much, I can only imagine what it must be like to be all alone in this country with no family."
"That's not entirely true. She has me...and you too," Christian gazed at her meaningfully. "Even if your last interaction with you outside the hospital was less than stellar," he pointed out in an accusing tone.
Mia lowered her gaze, feeling guilty. "About that...I'm sorry."
"You're sorry about what? The way you stormed off the apartment or your kleptomaniac tendencies?"
"Christian, I-"
"You need help, sis. Mom and dad were at their wit's end. Personally, I think they should have let you face the consequences but they'd saved you every single time."
"I know, I know," she murmured miserably.
"I'm guessing you never mentioned anything to Ana, did you?"
Mia decided to ignore that. "How did you know? Did mom tell you? I thought you were not on speaking terms."
"Well, you're wrong. Our relationship is strained...but we do communicate," he paused. He pushed his plate aside. He was not really hungry plus he needed to get back to Ana, she'd probably woken up from her nap by now. "They told me a couple of days ago. This can't go on, Mia, you need psychiatric help," he said vowing to himself he was going to get her the help she needed no matter what. It might take a while but now that he and their folks were on the same page, it would be easier to convince her.
….
Later
When Christian returned to Ana's room, he was relieved to find that she was still sleeping. He wanted to be with her every minute of her hospital stay so that she would never feel alone in her grief.
"Ana, sweetheart, I'm here," he smiled at her when she opened her eyes but she was visibly upset.
"I had a bad dream."
"Tell me about it," Christian gently prompted.
Ana turned focused the wall behind him, and for a while, it seemed as though she was not going to answer. "It was a memory... I was seven. Daddy and I were on the beach sitting on the shore," she suddenly spoke, her eyes filled with tears. "He was helping me build sandcastles. All of a sudden, he looked me in the eye and said: "I love you, baby girl."
I smiled back and said, "I love you too, big daddy!" He gave me a puzzled look.
"Big daddy, huh?" He had patted his belly and laughed. "I'm not that big, am I?"
"No, daddy, you're not fat," I giggled.
Ana cried and laughed at the same time as she went on to explain. "I said that to him because to me, my dad was bigger than life, he could do no wrong. I only had six short months with him but somehow, it was long enough for him to become my whole world." She paused, too choked up to continue. She sucked in a breath that pulled her deeper into the memory. Christian scooted his chair closer and took both her hands in his.
"And then, when it was time for him to leave Cuba...we had bonded...and I begged him to take me with him. I'll never forget the look of misery on his face. He took me in his arms and held me tight, he told me there was nothing in the world he wanted more than to take me with him...but that one day, we were going to be together again and this time it was going to be forever...except it never happened. That was the last time we were truly together." She looked up at the ceiling, her gaze silently asking why. She'd spent so many years waiting to be reunited with her father, yet it never became the happy reunion she'd envisioned.
Christian shook his head sympathetically. He couldn't even begin to imagine what it must have been like for Ana to lose her father back then, only to lose her mother the following year. He moved to sit at the edge of her hospital bed and gathered her in his arms.
"The worst part is that he's gone now I never got to say good-bye, I never got to tell him I loved him," Ana cried, her lower lip trembling. The pain her chest was just too great, and she didn't know if she would ever be happy again.
Christian pulled her into a full embrace and she cried there for a long time as she buried her head in his shoulder. When at last, she pulled away to look at him, she saw that his eyes had welled with unshed tears.
"Sweetheart, I wish there was something I could do," he said, wishing with all his heart he could take away her pain. His sweet Ana had suffered so much heartbreak in her eighteen years, it was so unfair how life had been particularly hard on her. He couldn't imagine anything worse than losing both parents in such an unexpected and untimely manner. Perhaps, the worst part was the overwhelming guilt that befalls upon you; he'd gotten a taste of it when feared he'd lost Ana forever.
Ana shook her head, a new wave of tears threatening to drown her. "I don't remember the last time I told him...I was very cold and unforgiving...the last time I saw him the day of the party."
"Ana, there's no sense beating yourself up... sometimes people die and we don't get a chance to tell them we love them or how much we cared...but that doesn't mean we wouldn't have if we'd had the chance..."
He paused to place a gentle kiss on her forehead. Personally, he couldn't find fault in the way she'd acted toward her father given the way he'd treated her but right now was not the time to tell her that; he made a note to save it for a different time.
His words and the silence that followed gave her room for pause. She dried her tears with the back of her hand. Part of her was mourning the loss of the relationship she never had with her father; the type of relationship she wished for and would never have. "I wish I had another chance!"
….
Feeling suddenly too warm, Christian tugged at the collar of his shirt. This was the moment of truth, the moment he'd been waiting for. While she was in surgery, fighting for her life, he'd begged God for a second chance, and God had mercifully granted his wish. Considering what the paramedic had told him, there was no doubt in his mind that Ana's survival had been a miracle.
"I love you, Ana" Christian said in one breath. There, he'd said it, the words that had been so hard to recognize and accept but that were undeniably true. This amazing woman was his kryptonite, the only thing in the world he was powerless against. Yes, it was a bit scary, but the thing that scared him the most was losing her. "I love you," he repeated, this time a little louder. Saying the words out loud felt good like he was on top of the world. Voicing the words out loud was magic, he'd never expected them to feel so good and liberating. "You are my love, you are my life, you are much more than my talisman, you are my gift from God."
You are my gift from God!
Ana stared at Christian wide-eyed. Those were the most beautiful words; never in her wildest dreams had she imagined him saying something like this. She wanted to cry and laugh at the same time. She tried to speak but her throat was like a desert that caught fire.
Christian lowered his lips to her forehead, holding the kiss for a long moment, slowly drawing back with such a look in his eyes it made her throat ache in a different way. Her mind drifted back to that day at the airport when he'd made reference to them being each other's talismans; he'd meant good, he'd wanted her to give her the confidence she needed to face the immigration officers. She'd been so scared of being caught in the lie and being sent back to Cuba and straight to jail, this time with no leniency.
"I love you too," she murmured softly, her eyes glassy with tears of happiness before he captured her lips in a soul searching kiss that warmed her to the bones.
He broke the kiss and looked at her gravely, "Don't you do that to me again, you understand?"
She stared at him with a big question mark on her face. "Do what?"
"Scare me like that again," he mumbled. His eyes winced shut, lashed appearing matted with wetness when he opened them. The emotion in his eyes made her catch her breath. He stroked the backs of his fingers against her cheek and started to say something.
The nurse chose that moment to bustle in, forcing him to straighten in a jerk and cast a scowl at the poor woman.
….
While Ana met with a grief counselor, Christian stepped out of Ana's room to call Grace and Carrick.
"Christian? How are you? How's Ana?" Carrick and Grace asked almost in unison.
"She's doing much better, in fact, doctors are thinking she could be discharged in a day or two."
"That's wonderful!" Grace said. "We have been so worried."
"Mom? Dad?" Christian said after a short silence. "I love you both." He heard them both gasp in surprise. "I also want to apologize for the way I've treated you all these years. Many times you tried reaching out to me but I kept my distance...but this whole experience with Ana has taught me one thing...life is too short to hold grudges."
"Oh, Christian..." Grace cried. "We love you so much!" She sniffed overcome with emotion.
"Son, words cannot describe how happy we feel right now," Carrick spoke, all choked up. "We want to apologize for our part...forgive us, we never meant-"
"Dad, please, don't," he paused. "Let's not rehash the past. This is not what this conversation is about. I just want you to know how much I love you, how much I've missed you both."
Three days later
"You're looking good, sweetheart," Christian said as he entered the hospital room. He'd gone home late last night after being in the hospital with Ana all day. He'd showered early in the morning and headed for the hospital right away.
The first thing he noticed when he looked into her eyes was that her eyes were no longer red and puffy; they looked a little brighter, even, he took it as a good sign.
"Yes, I'm feeling a little better. I think I will always miss my dad... maybe what I miss the most is what could have been, the close relationship I always longed to have with him," she sighed deeply. "But he's gone now...it was God's will and I must learn to accept it."
Christian was a bit puzzled about that.
"Knowing that it was God's will gives me comfort," she went on as though she'd been reading his mind. "It makes me free to accept that I'm only human and there's nothing I could have done better."
At last, Ana was given the final discharge papers. Soon, she was in her regular clothes and in a hospital discharge wheelchair saying good-bye to the kind nurses. Ana froze as she was wheeled toward the elevators.
"No, no!" She cried, her mind reliving the horrific event of a few days ago. There was no way she was getting on an elevator again.
Much to the hospital staff's dismay, Christian scooped Ana in his arms and took the stairs. He repeated the same action when they got back to their apartment, making her feel safe and cherished. They were both breathless and laughing by the time they got to the front door. They were both glad to be home and excited for what the future held.
….
Two days later
The interview
CHRISTIAN
The immigration officer, a dry-mannered, middle-aged man, motioned for Christian to come into his office while Ana was to wait in the waiting room. Ana was still recovering from surgery so technically they could have re-scheduled this interview, but they'd decided it would be best to get it over with. Establishing her legal status as soon as possible was in her best interests; without a social security number, she couldn't register for college, open a bank account, or apply for a driver's license.
"I'll be right back, sweetheart," Christian pecked Ana's lips before following the officer.
"Mr. Grey. Before we start, we're here to establish your wife's eligibility to obtain legal immigration status. Let me remind you that you're under oath and perjury is a serious crime."
Christian nodded.
"I'm going to ask you a series of questions which I will later ask your wife as well. They're standard questions designed to rule out the possibility of marriage fraud," the man paused and leaned back in his office chair. "Let's start with some basic facts. Did any of your family, that means both yours and hers, attend your marriage?"
"No. We were married at the embassy in Cuba. It was an impulsive decision in the sense that it wasn't planned. The diplomats were leaving Cuba because of the sonic attack. I didn't want to leave without Ana so I asked her to marry me. For me, it had been love at first sight."
"Did she ever offer money in exchange for this marriage?"
"No, sir."
"Did you consummate the marriage?"
Christian smiled. "Yes, sir."
"Did you have a honeymoon?"
"Not exactly. We've been saving it for the summer. We're planning a trip to Europe to visit my parents."
"Do you use contraception?"
Christian thought about it for a moment. Honesty was the best way to answer such a personal question. "No. she's not on birth control...and I don't really care for condoms."
The man nodded, satisfied with the answer, he proceeded with the standard questions. "Who does the cooking in your house?"
"She does."
"What does she like to cook? What are your favorite meals?"
"Ana is an excellent cook. She loves beans, especially black beans and rice. She also makes Tostones, which are fried plantains, they're absolutely delicious, especially when they're overripe, they practically melt in your mouth." Christian smiled widely. "When I was single, my diet consisted of frozen meals," he shook his head and shrugged one shoulder. "I just didn't have the time to cook..."
"Any particular kind of frozen meals?"
Christian shrugged. "Healthy choice Power Bowls."
"What kind of music does she like? What kind of music do you like?"
"She loves ballads," Christian replied with a faint smile. He sure was glad they'd covered this earlier today while they went over their answers to common questions in preparation for the interview. "Camilo Sesto is her favorite singer, a producer and music composer from Spain. He passed away back in September, leaving a fantastic legacy of striving to make the world a better place. He was a philanthropist and humanitarian who sold over 175 million albums worldwide," he paused. He could go on, but by the look on the other man's face, he'd probably said enough. His goal was to show that he cared about what his wife cared about. "Anyway, I like pop music in general, but I'm not a huge music fan," he concluded, his voice sounding confident yet not rehearsed. By now he knew his bride well enough anyway.
"I have in my notes that her father recently passed. Has she met your parents yet?"
"No she hasn't, but they'd skyped a few times. They live in Europe and are visiting us on Thanksgiving."
"What's the color of your toothbrush?"
"I have a standard Braun electric toothbrush. It's white with a white charging base."
"What color is hers?"
"She has a manual pink toothbrush, Oral B. I've been trying to convince her to switch to an electric type," he smiled. "We joke around sometimes...ours is truly the case of the Flintstones meeting the Jetsons which makes our life together all the more fascinating."
"Are you religious? Is she religious?"
Christian took a moment to gather his thoughts. "If you had asked me that question a month ago, I would have said I wasn't particularly religious; I was a Christian in name only. But after my wife's brush with death, I'm now a believer. My prayers were answered that day one hundred percent. The extent of her injuries," he trailed off shaking his head in wonder, overcome with emotion. "I'll never forget." The officer nodded in understanding. "Anyway, back to your question, my wife was brought up Catholic. When we first met she was working in a convent back in Cuba," he paused meaningfully. "The way I see it, there's not much of a difference in our religious beliefs, we're both Christians."
"Mr. Grey, do you love your wife?"
"Do I love my wife?" Christian smiled, completely relaxed. God, how he loved this question; it was the best one so far. "I love her more than anything in the world. When we first married we were each other's talismans...and now I can honestly say she's my gift from God."
ANA
Ana breezed through the first few questions. She was nervous, but she kept reminding herself that she really had nothing to hide. Whereas her marriage to Christian had started as a marriage of convenience, they were in love now so she had nothing to fear. She and Christian knew each other pretty well by now so there was no chance they would inadvertently contradict one another.
"Did you consummate the marriage?"
Ana blushed at the question. "Hmm...yes." She gazed off. She could hardly wait for the doctor to give them the okay so they could pick up exactly where they left off in the lovemaking department.
"Did you have a honeymoon?"
"We didn't but we're saving it for the summer when we can go to Europe and visit Christian's parents."
"Do you use contraception?"
"No. I'm not on birth control and Christian doesn't like using condoms." Ana sighed and lowered her gaze, remembering what the doctor at the hospital had told her. In another two weeks, she could buy an early home pregnancy test. Then, depending on the results, she could start prenatal care. He did advise she start taking a multivitamin just in case. Ana felt both excited and anxious at the same time. But she felt at peace no matter the outcome; if it was meant to be then it was.
"Who does the cooking in your house?"
"I do."
"What do you cook?"
"I love cooking. I cook stews, chicken, beans, and rice. Black beans are my absolute favorite."
"What are your husband's favorite meals?"
Ana smiled shyly. "Well, before we got married he used to eat lots of frozen meals and pizza."
"What type of frozen meals?"
"I believe they're called Healthy Choice. He enjoys my meals now especially when I make tostones... they're fried plantains. He loves them when they're so ripe that they melt in your mouth."
"What kind of music does he like? What kind of music do you like?"
"I love ballads. Camilo Sesto is my favorite singer. Christian likes pop music but in general, he's not that much into music."
"I understand your father recently passed away, my condolences. Have you met his parents yet?"
Ana's lips puckered as she struggled to hold back the tears, the pain was still too raw. She looked away and forced herself to focus on getting through this interview. Right now was not the time to fall apart.
"Christian's parents live in Europe, we've talked live on Skype. I will meet them in person this Thanksgiving."
"What's the color of HIS toothbrush?"
"It's white. His is an electric toothbrush...The base is white too."
"What color is YOUR toothbrush?"
"It's a regular pink toothbrush, Oral B," she smiled faintly. "Christian wants me to switch to electric. I'm not ready to make the change. Sometimes we joke that our life together is like The Flintstones meets the Jetsons."
"Are you religious? Is he religious?"
"I was raised Catholic and he's a Christian. We both believe in Jesus, and in the end, that's all that matters."
"Mrs. Grey, do you love your husband?"
"I do," Ana said with a dreamy expression. "I love my husband very much. When we first married he used to tell me I was his talisman," she paused with emotion, "the other day, however, he said the most beautiful thing to me...he told me I was his gift from God."
A/N:
I recently changed the story description. Music has always played a big role in my writing, this is especially true for this story. I love all the versions of Havana, including the version with Camila Cabello & Daddy Yankee, as well as Camila's Spanglish solo extended version. The song is rather unconventional with trumpets playing; listening to it I started to imagine what it would be like to have been born in Cuba, and it made me curious enough to research. This story is a work of fiction, partly based on educated guesses. I'm Hispanic American, NOT Cuban. Thanks for reading and leaving a review. Since I'm not on FB, the only way I'll ever hear from you is right here. Thanks.
….