Chapter 6

Anna was packing her suitcase when Finn walked into their room, "Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?"

Anna smiled at him as she packed a few more things. "Finn thank you for offering and it means a lot that you want to come with me but this is not something I need you there for. This is something I need to do by myself with the help of a couple of old friends so we can all help each other." There was a tear in her eyes.

"Anna I just want to be there for you."

"I know," she turned and he was standing behind her. Anna reached up and touched his cheek. "You need to accept that this is something that I need to do with Robert and Tiffany. Sean is very important to me, to all of us and when I go to see him I need the people that understand that there with me."

"I don't want to be in the way I just want to help you get through what I'm sure is going to be a very hard few days."

Anna smiled at him, "I know, but I'll have the people there that can do that. There is so much history between the four of us I want it to just be us. The man the introduces Robert and I, the man that means so much to us, to our family and his wife." She smiled, "Tiffany, the woman that finally made him understand what love really is. What true love can mean to two people and made him understand just how big of a mistake he had made years before meeting her."

"Did you two have history?"

"No," Anna said with a slight laugh. "But I was part of what he said was his biggest regret. We have a long history and it isn't all sunshine and rainbows. There was betrayal there were secrets but through it all no matter what we might be feeling about each other. There were two men I knew were in my corner. That if either of them needed us the other two of us would be there. Robert Sean and I have been through so much and I can't even start to explain that to you. To make you understand what we share, part of that is because of the WSB but the bigger part is that there has never been another team like the three of us."

"I guess I can accept that."

Anna turned back to continue packing, "You kind of have to because that's the way it is. You're a doctor, there are things you have to deal with in your line of work that I will never fully understand. Yeah, people aren't shooting at you but if you mess up people's lives are on the line so you get it. You have never had to still your nerves and defuse a bomb. You have never had to hope that every part of your plan goes exactly as planned so the room of 150 people don't die. You have never had to have blind faith in the person you're working with that even though you can't communicate will do what is needed so you both make it out alive."

"I have to trust the other doctors."

"Yeah, I'm not saying you don't but how often if you get it wrong does the safety of an entire city go into jeopardy?"

"Not all that often," Finn said with a little grin and stepped back a little. He really hadn't thought about what she does for a living like that before. He understood the need for what she does, he thought he understood the danger. He had never really thought about how important it is to trust the person she's working with. He now felt a little stupid about the way he was acting when they were trying to escape when Casandra had just been woken up. He thought it was funny, that there wasn't must danger. Then Robert and Chase had shown up they had even pointed their guns at each other for a moment. They understood how dangerous it was, but he hadn't. He sees that now.

"You understand why I don't want you to come with me right?"

"Yeah, I do. I should get to work so I can take you out for lunch before your flight leaves this afternoon." He walked over and kissed her tenderly then turned and left. Even as he left the house he heard Alex's words again. You are a nice distraction from her real life. You will never be enough for Anna. Quickly he told himself just because they have had very different lives up to this point that doesn't mean they can't make it work now. Oh, how he wished he hadn't let Alex get in his head.

...

Anna decided it was easiest if she just went to GH to meet Finn. She was ready to leave and if he wanted to see her before she left this was the easiest way to do that. She had a smile on her face as she walked in and went towards his office. She knocked and he called for her to enter, "Hi, do you still have time for lunch?" she asked as she poked her head into his office.

Finn looked up and smiled, "I do. Just give me a minute and then we can go." Finn put away the file he was reading and got up to join her. "I'm glad you came down here, I was reading about an interesting study and lost track of time."

"Then it's a good thing that for once I am actually ready a little ahead of schedule," Anna said with a smile as they left his office. "Where are you taking me?"

They walked a little bit then Finn realized Anna had asked him a question, "Oh, um the Metro Court."

Anna couldn't help but think something was bothering him. Could he really be that upset that she wants to take this trip without him? She wasn't doing this to hurt him, this had nothing to do with him. Anna knew it was going to be hard on her seeing Sean and thought that Tiffany didn't need to be playing hostess to someone she didn't know. This was not the time to introduce her boyfriend to her friends. If he didn't understand that then she could only hope he wouldn't jump on a plane and follow her. "I'll miss you while I'm gone," Anna told him hoping that would make him see he has nothing to worry about.

Again it took him a second to respond, "Yeah, I'll miss you too." He leaned over and kissed her cheek then they walked out of the hospital.

Anna had thought they were going to have a nice lunch, just spend a little time together before her flight but Finn seemed very distracted. He had mentioned that he had been reading about an interesting study, maybe he would be a little more talkative if she got him talking about that. "So what were you reading when I got to GH?"

"Oh, nothing it wouldn't interest you anyway. How long are you going to be gone?"

"I'm not really sure, a few days for sure. We want to be there long enough so we can at least have a little time with Sean while he's lucid. We also want to have a nice visit with Tiffany."

"You keep saying we," Finn noted.

"Yeah, Robert and I. Is that what's bothering you? Are you upset that I'm doing this with Robert?"

"Well it does seem a little strange that you are going with him, you don't want me there but it's OK for Robert to be there."

"Robert has known Sean longer than I have. Robert has known Tiffany longer than I have. When did you become such close friends with them? When did seeing your friend like that affect you so much that a month after your visit, your other friends could still see that sadness in your eyes just thinking about it?"

"I didn't realize."

"No, you didn't. I'm going to see Sean because I want to but I'm also going with Robert because we'll be able to lean on each other. Maybe take away a little of the sadness by being able to reminisce about and with the man that has been a very important part of our lives."

"Why didn't you tell me this sooner?"

"I thought I had been. Maybe you weren't understanding what I was saying. Maybe I thought since I have talked about them before you'd understand why this is important to me. I don't know what else I could have told you. The man that first believed in me as a WSB agent, that taught me so much. That introduced me to Robert, that was there for me so many times over the years is slowly slipping away and I want to have a little more time with that wonderful man." Anna wiped at the tears that threaten to fall. "I'm sorry if you can't understand that but I am doing what I know is right for me and a dear old friend." There was no holding back the tears now. God how she hated crying this much, it seemed like that was all she had done for the last two years.

"Anna I'm sorry. I really don't think I understood what this really means to you. Can we try to enjoy the rest of our lunch?"

Anna wiped at her eyes, "I would like that."

They went back to eating their meal and talked a little bit about when Robin and her family were going to arrive but mostly they ate in silence. Finn wasn't sure what he should say, he was going to miss Anna while she was gone but she had just made it very clear that maybe he didn't understand her as well as he thought he did. All he had been thinking about was needing to be there for Anna so she had someone to lean on. He should have realized she didn't need that at all. This was about something so much bigger than the fact she might be upset by this visit. It was about friendship and bonds she has with people that he would never understand. These were relationships that have helped mold the woman she is and he needed to accept this was something she would do her own way. When they were done their meal Finn offered to drive her to the airport as they were leaving the Metro Court. "You don't have to do that, I just have to pick up my bags and an Uber is picking me up at the house."

"I could have driven," Finn offered again.

"You need to get back to work," she told him with a smile, "I can get myself to the airport." She touched his arm and Finn paused. He looked at her and smiled, Anna leaned in and kissed him tenderly. "I'll call you while I'm gone but I have to get going."

"Have a safe trip, Anna." He kissed her again then they went their separate ways. Why hadn't he said I love you? They had said it to each other, he knew they loved each other so why when she is going out of town did he not say it? Why hadn't she said it? Was it just because they'd had a miss understanding over lunch? Was there more to it? Were there bigger problems that he didn't know about yet? Finn turned to leave when he heard his phone, he looked at it a read the text, 'Love you, see you when I get back."

She had been gone for less than five minutes and his mind was already spinning making up that there were problems between them, what was wrong with him. Quickly he texted back, 'Love you, have a good visit." She might not have said it out loud but Anna still told him before she left so why had he jumped to there must be problems, what was going in his head that he was thinking this way? Finn knew there was nothing he could do about what he was thinking at the moment so he decided to just head back to work. Maybe being busy with work was just what he needed at the moment.