Author's Note:
First of all, I'm so sorry for the (very) late update, but it is here. It has been a long way coming, but I do intend to finish this story as well as other story ideas I have. So please hang in there. And thank you to all those who haven't given up on me.
As always, reviews are greatly appreciated!
Enjoy reading! xx
Elliot POV
Ana fell asleep in the ambulance, going to the hospital, which freaked me out. What if she was injured after all?!
The medic must have seen my face, as he quickly calmed me down.
"She's okay. It's just the adrenalin leaving her body."
I nod thankfully, and take her hand between mine and hold it to my lips. I may think of my brother as a control freak, but right now, I can see his side of things. I hate this feeling of helplessness and would do just about anything to get rid of it.
We arrive at the hospital, and when we enter the emergency room, I can see my mom waiting for us.
Mom and the medics talk as they take Ana into a room, while a nurse makes me wait outside in the waiting room. Fuck!
"She's my girlfriend, please just let me go in there!"
"I'm sorry, sir, but I can't. You're going to have to wait out here, while the doctor checks her out," she says and leaves me standing there like an idiot. I take a seat, and Christian joins me as he hands me a cup of coffee. We both just sit there staring into nothing.
"What were you doing at SIP, Christian?" I ask him. I have wondered about this since he called me.
"Not now, Elliot," he sighs and runs his hand through his hair. A surefire sign that he is not okay. Whether he is frustrated, angry, upset, or something else, that is the real question.
"Yes, now!" I tell him, frustrated.
"You have ignored everyone for weeks, so it's time to talk!" I continue. I'm not going to let him slip away to his castle in the skies this time.
He stands up and abandons his coffee in his seat while he paces in front of me and runs his hand through his hair.
Just as he's about to speak, mom comes over and tells me Ana is awake and that I can go in and she'll be there in a minute. I give my brother one last look that says this conversation is far from over, before I leave him and mom in the waiting room, while I go find Ana.
Ana POV
I must have fallen asleep in the ambulance because when I open my eyes again, all I see is a white ceiling rolling by. I look to the side and see Grace and immediately feel a little more at ease, but when I turn to look the other way I don't see Elliot but a nurse pushing my bed, so I turn back to Grace.
"Where is Elliot?" I ask her.
"Hi darling, don't worry, you'll see him soon. We just have to make sure you're okay first, and then I promise you, he'll be back. Okay?" she asks, as they've situated the bed I'm on in an examination room. I just nod and hope this will be over quickly.
"Okay, now we need to get you changed into this lovely outfit, and then I will bag your clothes as evidence for the police. Do you need help changing, or can you manage?" Grace smiles kindly while holding up a hospital gown for me.
"I'll manage," I say as I try to return her smile.
As I get out of my clothes, I realize just how ruined they are. Not a single item is still in one piece. I try to put it out of mind and get into this ridiculous one size paper gown, but I just want to curl up and have a long cry and eat as many Reese's cups as I can find.
Grace comes back with the nurse who was pushing my bed along with Grace earlier, and Grace introduces her as Alison.
"Okay, Ana. Now we're going to get your checked over and make sure you're physically okay. Then the police are going to want to take your statement about what happened tonight. But let's not worry about that just now." Grace says before they get started.
Grace and Alison get started and examine me, asking me a few questions here and there.
After what feels like hours, Grace finally deems that I'm okay, and got away with some nasty bruises and some scratches.
"Ana, the police is here, and they need to take your statement. Do you want anyone to be with you while you talk to them?"
"Is Elliot still here?" I ask quietly.
"Of course he is, sweetheart. He wouldn't go anywhere without you. How about I go get him, and then I'll send in the officer in 10 minutes?" She says kindly. I quickly nod and hope this won't take long. I just want to go home and forget this day ever happened.
"Hi baby," Elliot says as he comes through the door just minute or two later. And just like that, I break down and start sobbing again. Elliot has me wrapped in his arms in seconds, whispering that he's here and everything will be okay. I just hold on to him while I continue crying.
Elliot POV
It is taking everything in me to not cry along with Ana, but she needs me to be strong enough for both of us right now.
After a few minutes mom comes in and tells us that officer Martin and his partner Reyes are here to take Ana's statement. Ana quickly wipes her eyes and takes a few deep breaths trying to get herself under control.
"It's going to be okay, baby" I whisper before I kiss her temple.
Then officer Martin steps into the room with his partner who I remember seeing at SIP as well.
"Good evening Miss Steele and Mr. Grey," Martin says.
Ana just nods at them while I shake their hands before returning my hand to hold Ana's hand.
"Now Miss Steele, all we need at this moment is your statement from the events today, do you think you can help us with this now?" Officer Martin asks not unkindly.
"Can you please call me, Ana?" She asks gently.
"Of course. Now can you walk us through what happened today with your boss Mr. Hyde."
Just hearing his name makes Ana flinch and in turn, causing me to clench my jaw.
"The day began like any other day... When Jack came in, he asked me how my weekend had been, and I said it was fine. He pushed for more details, even winked at me..." she stops while she shivers. Fuck I don't know if I can hear this and stay calm!
"I told him that I'd just been spending time with my boyfriend, and it seemed sour his mood. He told me to get started since I was behind because I couldn't stay late last Friday, and then he went into his office and shut the door," she says and takes a deep breath before she continues.
"He usually always has his door open unless in a meeting or if he's angry." She says.
"I managed to avoid him until lunch when Elliot called me. We talked for less than two minutes, but the second I hung up, he was right next to my desk sneering about no personal calls during work, before he went back into his office slamming the door so hard, you could hear class shaking," she whispers as she wipes away a single tear. Shit, this is so hard to hear!
"He spent the rest of the day hustling me and shouting. Hannah, one of the other assistants, even noticed and asked me about it. When it was 5 o'clock, I was hoping he'd go home, but he came out of his office and asked me to make some copies of some papers and then take them to him for approval." she says and takes a few deep breaths before she continues.
"The copy room and kitchen are next to each other, so I thought I'd get him a cup of coffee while the copy machine did its thing. He showed while my back was turned and growled that the copier wasn't in the kitchen. He stayed in the doorway and made some comment about me finally living up to expectations while he looked me up and down," Ana has silent tears falling from her eyes. I'm trying to wipe, but they just keep coming.
"I ignored it and told him I would go get the copies now. He stayed in the doorway, and when I walked past him to go to the copy room, he leaned into me. I tried to gather myself in the copy room and calm down. I checked my phone to see what time it is and if I'd gotten a text from Elliot. I decided that when I'd given Jack his things, I was leaving no matter what." Her tears are coming faster now, and I'm seriously struggling to keep it together.
I can see that both of the officers are taking detailed notes as well as recording Ana's statement.
"I went into his office and gave him the papers and the coffee cup. After a few seconds of him just staring at me, he got up from his chair and walked towards the door as he said, he needed to discuss some things with me before I left. I completely froze. I couldn't move even though my mind was screaming at me to get out. He circled me like some kind of prey talking about how I wasn't thankful enough for getting the job. He ran his hand down my arm, and that seemed to shake me out of my frozen state, so I tried to push him away, but he managed to grab my arms and twist so I was pushed up against the door. His right arm was against my neck, keeping me in place, and he used his body to keep me immobile against the door. And then his left hand started ripping my clothes while he started kissing my face, neck, and shoulders. He even bit my ear." Fuck! I'm not sure who is shaking more right now. Me or Ana. Although for two very different reasons.
"He kept touching me, and he was trying to touch me down there, but I managed to move my legs, and this was also when I got the shot to knee him. So I did. With every ounce of power, I could find. He went down, and I managed to unlock the door as when I opened it, someone opened it from the outside, causing me to fall. But they managed to catch my arm, so I didn't fall. Everything is kind of blurry after that. I just remember sitting in my chair and Elliot's brother Christian being next to me, and then later Elliot." She finished as she is back to sobbing and leaning her face into the crook of my neck again.
"Are we done here?" I ask. I'm not sure how much more Ana can take right now.
"Can I just ask you one more question, Ana?" Officer Martin asks carefully. Ana nods and looks back at him with her bloodshot eyes.
"Have you ever felt uncomfortable around your boss before today?"
"Yeah... He tends to always stand a little to close, invading any kind of personal space. And just the way he looks at you, like a piece of meat." she answers.
"I think that's all for now. This is my card. If you think of anything else that might be relevant, please call me." Officer Martin says as he hands each of us his card and quickly shakes our hands before making his exit.