A.N
Just want to thank everyone who has wished me well in my new job! I am absolutely loving it, it's in my comfort zone and finally I am doing two jobs that I love. I am hoping that once I'm a bit more settled, I will have time to write because at the moment it tends to be bedtime is at 8'clock for me!
Bit shorter than normal but I feel so bad you haven't had an update in a while! I know I left you on a cliffy so let's give you some answers!
Enjoy the chapter guys!
Much Love
K xx
Bursting through the doors of the emergency department, Christian rushed over to where he saw Luke pacing the corridor, his mother and father hot on his heels along with Taylor. "Luke." He called moving closer. Since he had got Elliot's phone call earlier, he had felt physically sick ever since. This could not be happening. How did this happen? He knew Ana had the best fire security in the building so right now he had too many thoughts running through his head, but the main one right now was were his girls okay?
"Hey man." Luke sighed as Christian got closer.
"Where are they?" Christian demanded looking to him. "Are they okay?"
"Lily-Rose is fine, she's in the visitor's room with our dad and Carla and your brother and Kate. The doctors have checked her over and she is absolutely fine."
"And Ana?"
Luke sighed. "I don't know yet. No one has come out to see us yet."
"What the hell happened?" Christian asked looking to him before looking back as he heard a little cough. "Sorry, Luke these are my parents Carrick and Grace. Mom, dad this is Ana's brother's, Luke." He introduced. Not the most ideal time for them to be meeting.
"Nice to meet you." Luke smiled a little to Carrick and Grace before sighing in frustration. "I don't know." Luke admitted to him. "I was in bed watching a game then all of a sudden the fire alarm started going off. At first, I thought it was a drill but when I looked out the window, I could see the smoke and people evacuating the hotel. I rushed into Lily-Rose's room, she was crying and then I went into Ana's. It took me a while to get her up."
Christian frowned. "What do you mean it took you a while to get her up?"
"Just that. I was calling her and shaking her but she wasn't budging. Eventually she did…" He sighed and shook his head. "She told me to get Lily-Rose to safety that she was right behind me and that she had to get something."
"Get what?"
Luke growled a little. "A fucking book. When I got outside Kate and Elliot were there. I passed Lily-Rose to Kate while I went back for Ana. I found her on the first-floor unconscious clutching onto this book. I took her outside and the paramedics started working on her straight away. I was allowed in the ambulance with her but as soon as we got here there is where they stopped me. They've been in there since we've arrived."
Christian looked to his watched. "I've just been on a two-hour flight…and they still haven't been out? Was she breathing when you found her?"
"Just." Luke admitted to him before running his fingers through his hair. "Look I'm going to try and find some information, Lily-Rose has been hard to settle. They in the room at the end of the corridor."
"If they don't give you any information then let me know and I'll get them to give us answers." He told him before he went down to the end of the corridor. He could hear his little girl sobbing. Going into the room, he looked over and saw Carla and Ray trying to comfort their granddaughter while Elliot was comforting Kate.
Hearing the door, Lily-Rose looked up, seeing her dad she instantly got up and ran over to him as fast as her little legs would take her.
Scooping up his daughter, Christian cradled her close, her little sobs breaking his heart. "I got you princess." He whispered to her.
"I wants my mommy." She sobbed into his neck as she clung onto him tightly.
"I know baby. The doctors are looking after her. We'll be able to see her soon." He whispered pressed a kiss to her head.
"Any news?" Ray asked as he got up.
Christian shook his head. "Luke's trying to get some answers now. They should have least been out to see you by now." He grumbled before he then gestured to his parents. "Ray these are my parents Carrick and Grace, mom, dad these are Ana's parents Ray and Carla and their daughter Kate. Your new daughter in law."
"I wish we were all meeting under different circumstances." Grace sighed looking to everyone before offering Kate a kind smile. "It's lovely to see someone has tamed my wild child." She mused trying to brighten the mood.
Kate smiled to her new in-laws though she currently had Elliot's hand in a vice grip.
Ray gave a huff. "This is not acceptable. Someone should have been out by now to tell us what is going on. She's been in there long enough."
"I agree. It seems poor practice considering how long you've been here." Grace commented.
As everyone looked at her Christian smiled a little. "Mom's a paediatrician." He explained before he looked down to Lily-Rose who was still sniffling. Moving to sit down with her he held her close and gently rocked her, stroking her hair and moving her hair out of her face. "Mommy will be okay princess."
Hiding her face in his neck, Lily-Rose clung onto him tightly.
Christian was about to say something when Luke came in with a doctor behind him.
"What has taken so long?" Ray instantly demanded. "What is going on with my daughter?"
"I apologise for the delay in getting to you, we ran into some complications while we were treating your daughter. Why don't we all sit down and I can explain everything?" The doctor suggested to everyone.
"Very well." Ray replied taking a seat next to his wife once more. "How is she first of all Doctor…?" He paused trying to read his name badge.
"Williams." The doctor smiled. "Anastasia is doing well and is responding to treatment. She should only be here a couple of days, we are mainly monitoring her and making sure the treatment is working and she's not degenerating."
"You said you ran into complications." Christian looked to him. "What kind of complications?"
"Well firstly we had to determine how much smoke she had inhaled. We took her for a chest x-ray to make sure her lungs aren't damaged and we took blood on her arrival to see a complete blood count. We have also checked her Carboxyhaemoglobin and methaemoglobin levels and I am very concerned as these were extremely high…"
"What does that mean?" Carla asked with a frown.
"She has carbon monoxide poisoning…" Grace commented looking to the doctor. "How high?" She enquired getting her doctor hat on.
"High enough for me to consider this to be done on purpose. Not to mention we found a small cut on the back of her head which was quite swollen. As if she was hit with something..."
"On purpose?! Why would someone want to hurt our babies!" Carla cried clinging onto Ray.
"But Lily-Rose and I are fine?" Luke stated looking to the doctor. "The three of us live together…"
"Do you sleep in the same room?" He asked before sighing as look shook his head as a no. "My guess is her room was the place that was targeted…someone could have used the ventilation system in her room or found a small access point."
"Would the poising be a reason why she wouldn't be able to wake up when I called her?" Luke asked looking to him.
The doctor nodded. "Considering how high her levels are I'm surprised she woke up at all. It's why we've taken so long. We needed to get these levels down before they caused any permanent damage."
"Jose!" Kate exclaimed as she looked to her parents. "When I was getting in the car, I saw him. He was watching the fire as if it was some television programme!"
"Just because he was there doesn't mean he did it…" Carla sighed.
"Like hell it doesn't! Ana slapped him with a restraining order. He's not allowed anywhere near the hotel. Suddenly there's a fire and someone's trying to kill Ana, Lils and Luke? He did it. I know it." She declared looking to her mother. She knew it was him. Him being there was not a coincidence. It couldn't be. "Will she make a full recovery?" Kate then asked looking to the doctor.
The doctor nodded and smiled. "Like I said she's responding to treatment and we are mainly going to be monitoring her now for the next couple of days. If I were you, I'd be trying to find out who did this. To me this is an attempted murder. I'll be informing the police of my findings so they can start their own investigation."
"Can we see her?" Christian asked, trying to keep his anger at bay as he held onto his little girl tightly. He had already text Taylor outside to get eyes on Jose. He wasn't going to let this go. If Kate had a feeling it was Jose then he was going to make sure he followed that lead. He could have lost the two people who meant the world to him.
The doctor nodded. "Only two people at a time. She's up on the ICU at the moment until we are more comfortable with her blood count levels. I can take you up now."
"Go." Ray instructed Christian. "Take Lily-Rose and tell Ana we love her. We are going to figure out who is behind this."
"You don't need to figure out dad, it was Jose." Kate told him with a roll of her eyes as she leant into Elliot as he tried to calm her down.
Christian nodded a little and kissed Lily-Rose's head. "Come on baby. Let's go see mommy." He whispered down to her before he got up, holding onto her tightly as he followed the doctor out of the room and to up to his girl.
As they stopped outside of the room Ana was in, Christian looked through the window, his heart-breaking seeing Ana. She looked so small and fragile. Kissing his daughter's head, he gave a nod to the doctor before he quietly headed inside. Ana had a nasal oxygen mask on as well as being connected to all these different wires.
"She may still be out for a couple hours." The doctor explained softly. "Her body needs to recover." He smiled to him. "If you need anything just push the buzzer and a nurse will come in." He told him before quietly leaving the family to it.
"Mommy." Lily-Rose called looking to her mother.
"Mommy is sleeping. We mustn't wake her okay?" Christian told her as he kissed her head and moved to sit on the chair next to Ana's bed.
"Otay." She whispered to him before she snuggled into Christian, but kept her eyes locked on her mother. "I don't wants to go back to the hotel evers again." She then whispered after a short silence. "I wants to live in your house ins Seattles."
Christian's heart broke as he heard her. She was so scared that she didn't even want to live here anymore. Pressing a kiss to her head he just held her tightly, resting his head gently down on hers. If anything, right now he wanted to take Ana and Lily-Rose back to Seattle with him.
Eyes fluttering open, a frown formed on Ana's features as she moved her hand to her thumping head. She had the worst headache. Looking to the side of her she then couldn't help but smile a little seeing Lily-Rose and Christian fast asleep in the chair. They looked too cute. Looking around slightly, she needed some water. Her throat was dry as anything. Trying to sit up a little, she huffed a little not having the energy.
Hearing moving around, Christian's eyes opened, seeing Ana trying to sit up he moved up a little, being careful not to disturb their daughter. "Don't try to move." He whispered to her. "Save your energy."
"I need a drink." Ana whispered to him as she managed to get herself upright a bit more.
Holding onto Lily-Rose tightly, Christian got up from the chair and gently moved Lily-Rose onto the bed with Ana, being careful of Ana's wires. Wheeling the bed trolley over he then poured Ana a glass of water before handing it to her.
"Thank you." She whispered before she took a welcoming sip before putting the glass down and relaxing back against her pillows, gently running her fingers through her daughter's hair before she looked to Christian. "What happened?" She asked with a frown. Everything seemed like a big blur.
"What's the last thing you remember?" He asked looking to her, pulling the chair closer to her as he sat down so Lily-Rose wouldn't end up rolling off the bed and end up on the floor.
Ana thought for a minute. "I remember going to bed…then Luke waking me up saying there was a fire…I told him to get out with Lily-Rose while I grabbed something…then I was making my way down…and then nothing." She frowned. "My head hurts so much." She complained rubbing her temple.
Christian looked to her. "Ana someone tried to kill you…" He told her. He couldn't sugar-coat it. She had to know what had happened though for now he was leaving out Jose's possible involvement until he had solid proof it was him.
Ana looked to him completely gone off. "What? That's ridiculous."
"It's not…from what the doctor has told us…you room was poisoned with carbon monoxide…hence your thumping headache not to mention the nice cut you got at the back of your head to…someone set the hotel on fire on purpose on hoping to get rid of you." He choked out the last sentence, the thought of losing Ana and Lily-Rose making him feel completely sick.
Ana looked to him in disbelief before her eyes began to water as she looked down to their sleeping daughter. "Is she okay?"
"She's fine. And so is Luke." He promised her. "And from what I have gathered everyone got out of the hotel safely to."
Blinking back the tears she rested her head back on the pillow, trying to take everything in. None of this made sense. Why would someone try and kill her?
"Ana why did you go back for a book?" He asked looking to her. It seemed so bizarre that of all things she went back for, a book was top of her list.
"Where is it?" Ana asked looking to him.
"With Luke and your parents, I think…why? What is so special about it?"
"It's not a book." She looked to him and sighed. "It was something I was making for you. A surprise. It was a photo scrap book of the last three years…of everything you should have been apart of. From my growing bump, to her first breath to her third birthday party…I wanted you to see everything and hope that it would feel like you were there. You are such a huge part of her life…I just wanted to make sure you saw everything. Even if you weren't present." She told him, her voice going hoarse and dry.
Taking her hand in his, he bought it up to his lips and kissed it. "I love you." He whispered to her.
"I love you too." She whispered back before looking down as Lily-Rose began to stir. As she opened her eyes Ana smiled down to her. "Hey baby."
Seeing her mother awake, Lily-Rose's bottom lip instantly began to tremble as she sat up and moved her arms around her mother's neck and hugged her tightly.
Moving her own arms around her, Ana kissed her head. "I got you baby. We're okay."
"No more hotel." She whispered into her mother's neck. "We must goes and lives with daddy in daddy's house in Seattles. No more hotel."
Ana tightened her arms around her daughter and kissed her head again as she looked to Christian before giving him a nod. She might have not known what had happened tonight but the fact that Lily-Rose didn't want to go back there was enough for Ana to finalise her decision. They were going to move to Seattle. They needed a new start.
