Some of you wondered if the last chapter has been the end of this story. No, it wasn't and there are still about ten chapters left of this story…
Chapter 14 - Homeward bound
Christian - 1 Week later
I love my family, I truly do, but if my mother, Ana, Mia, Ireland, Gail and even Kate don't stop babying me soon I will fucking freak out. Ever since it has been announced that I can go home today the women in my life have been all over me, asking me constantly how I feel, if I need something, if I'm comfortable or just anything else they could come up with.
I get it, it was a close call, but I'm not dead or on my death bed, so I wish they would stop treating me like I'm about to take my last breath any second. Mia stopped by this morning with Ana and has been fluffing my pillows about twenty times so far… if they get any fluffier they'll grow wings and take off.
Ana looks like hell, mostly because she still has nightmares and I really hope they'll go away once I'm home and we can share a bed again. She needs rest as much as I do, so this has me worried. I tried to talk her into calling Flynn or seeing someone here in New York, but she isn't having it, because she doesn't want to spend time with anyone else but me and our kids at the moment. Still, if this continues once I am back home, I will call Flynn myself and ask him to fly in to see Ana.
What happened is not her fault. It was my stupid decision to go on a suicide mission that got us into this mess, so I don't want her to be the one who has to suffer under the backlash of my decisions.
"Grace will be here with your discharge papers any second, do you need to go to the bathroom before we leave?" Ana asks and I can't help it.
"No thanks, mom, I don't need to go potty." I mutter petulantly under my breath and Ana arches one brow.
"Baby, I don't want to sound rude, but I'm a grown ass man and if I have to take a piss or shit, I will do so, I don't need anyone to ask me if I have to go." I know she wants to say something in reply, but my mother comes in with a wheelchair and some paperwork.
"Time to go home, darling. Do you need to go the bathroom first?" My mother asks and I close my eyes, swallow the nasty comment I was about to make, get out of bed and sit down in the fucking wheelchair.
"Someone is grumpy this morning." Mia giggles.
"Someone can hear you and wants to get the hell out of here." I hiss at her.
"Language young man, now you better leave that attitude you've been having for the last few days right here in this room." My mother scolds me and I want to laugh. I'm almost forty years old and still when she takes that tone with me, I feel like a naughty child.
"Sorry Mom." I mutter and finally, Mia and Ana get my stuff while my mother pushes the wheelchair and two minutes later I am in the back of the SUV with Ana and my Mom, while Mia is in the front with Taylor, who is driving.
"Have you made plans for us to go back to Seattle, Ana?" I ask her, because frankly, I want to go back as soon as possible.
"You are not cleared to go on a plane ride yet, so no, for now the boys are being home schooled, but I would like to go home as soon as your doctor approves of you making the trip." She explains and I want to argue that I'm fine, but I know no one will listen to me until I have doctor's approval.
I keep my mouth shut for the rest of the car ride, not wanting to start a fight, when I know it's not my family that is pissing me off, but myself, because I fucking hate it when I can't do whatever the hell I please.
When we finally arrive at the house I get out of the car and fully expect my kids to storm out of the house, but to my surprise they are no where to be seen even when we step inside, until I hear the outraged voice of my daughter.
"ME WANTS DADA NOW!" She yells at someone and it makes me smile, she sure has my temper.
"Phoebe Katherine, if you don't stop the yelling right now, you will sit in the silent corner while everyone else gets to hi to your Daddy first." I hear Ireland's voice next, followed but what I assume is a screaming fit of my daughter as she storms out of the room with Ireland right behind her, but both come to an abrupt halt when they see us.
"I'm sorry, but this little one has decided to turn into a little demon today." She says and picks Phoebe up, so I step closer and kiss Ireland on the cheek before I look at my daughter who is smiling at me and holds her arms out to me, but I was repeatedly told that I'm not allowed to lift anything that ways more than 4 or 5 pounds due to the internal stitches I needed.
"You can sit on my lap once we are in the living room, princess, but you have to be a good girl… no more yelling, okay?" I tell her and she nods, but pouts.
I follow everyone into the living room and smile at the sight in front of me. Sam and Teddy are playing with Teddy's train-set, while Kate is sitting on the couch with Emily, watching her while she gives Aria her bottle.
Everyone looks up and the boys jump to their feet ready to tackle me.
"No, Daddy has to sit first, then you can say hi." Ana says immediately and I smile at the boys, before I sit down and finally get to say hi to my kids and Emily, who to my surprise seems to be a lot more at ease than the last time I have seen her.
"Daddy, Emily, Teddy, Phoebe and I made something for you, wait here." Sam says and hurries away with Teddy and Phoebe.
"You helped them?" I ask Emily and she smiles.
"Yes, and Gail and Kate helped us too." She says with a big smile just as my kids return with Gail who is carrying a big cake with what looks like a gallon of chocolate icing and on top the worlds 'Welcome Home Daddy' are written on it, while it looks like around the words someone went crazy on the colored icing… to be honest the whole cakes looks a mess, but I love it.
"We tried to stop Phoebe with the decorating, but she wasn't having it." Sam explains with a grin.
"Well, I happen to love it, thank you." I kiss each of the kids and just then Aria starts to cry.
"She didn't help." Teddy blurts out.
"She's a little too small for that, don't you think?" I ask.
"But she can scream louder than Phoebe Daddy, why are girl so loud?" He asks and I grin.
"They get that from, Mommy."
"Christian!" Ana gasps and I shrug with a smirk, while all the grown ups in the room try to hide their laughter.
She gives me look that clearly shows we are going to talk about my comment later, but then has to laugh too and gets plates, a knife and forks from to kitchen so we all can have cake.
A little later Gideon, Elliot, Arnaldo and Carla arrive with all the other kids and I sit down on a lounger on the patio where I can watch all the kids play.
"Happy?" Ana asks as she sits down next to me and hands me a glass of lemonade.
"Yes, and I'm sorry about being so grumpy lately, I just hate that I can't do whatever I want."
"I know, but just a few more weeks and you are as good as new… oh and I think we are both in for a serious scolding, Jason has requested to see us both in the kitchen." She says and I sigh.
"Come, let's get this over with." I get up and take her hand and we walk into the kitchen where Taylor is leaning against the kitchen counter and motions for us to sit down.
"Jason…" He stops me by holding up one hand.
"Ana, Christian… I have known both of you for many years now and I happen to believe that I have done a good job in keeping you both safe over the years… that is until very recently. I'm proud of my job, more so because of the years, I do believe that we have become friends, which why I am going to be completely honest right now. After the stunt you both pulled, I was ready to quit and the only reason I didn't go through with it is that Gail started to cry the moment I brought it up and I hate to upset her. So, starting right now, we will have to come up with an agreement. Meaning, if one of you ever again dares to lose his security detail on purpose to go on a god damn fucking suicide mission, I will find you and kill you myself. You are both grown ups, well educated and clever, so I expect you to act like that. I cannot and will not go through shit like that ever again, both of you have acted stupid and completely irresponsible and if it wasn't for you being more lucky than anything else those kids outside would be orphans now." He stops and completely out of character for him goes to the fridge pours himself a vodka and downs it.
"Jason, I'm sorry, I know that what I did was wrong and it won't happen again."
"You bet on it, because if you ever evade your security detail again, I will find you and shove a fucking tracker so far up your ass you'll never get it out." He says and both Ana and I gape at him. Hell, I have no doubt in my mind that he means every word he just said.
"It won't happen again."
"Good, and Ana your guns are mine now, locked away in my gun cabinet until he gets a license." He says and Ana surprises me.
"I don't want or need them anymore, please keep them and get them registered in your name." She says and he nods. Over the years, Ana and I had some discussion because I wanted her to get rid of them, but she wasn't having it, I guess now things are different.
"Good, now go back to your family… and don't ever put me through shit like that again." Taylor mutters and leaves the kitchen.
"Well, that could have gone worse." Ana murmurs and I laugh.
"Yeah, but you aren't the one who was threatened to get a tracker shoved up her ass."
"If you ever pull a stunt like that again, I will help Taylor shove that tracker up your arse… now let's get back outside, the kids have missed us and I've missed having everyone home without feeling like at any second disaster is going to strike." She says and so we head back outside.
Around 9 p.m. all the kids are in bed and I'm exhausted too, so I'm actually not irritated, when Ana insists that it is time for me to go to bed too. Once we have both settled in bed, I take the medication my doctor has given me and I am asleep within seconds.
"Wake up, darling, today is a special day." Mommy's voice sounds happy, I like it when Mommy I happy, it makes me happy too. When I open my eyes I see mommy sitting on my bed, she looks pretty today and she is smiling, even her eyes are smiling.
Sometimes Mommy's eyes have no emotions and Mommy just stares at one point on the wall, but today Mommy's eyes are happy.
"Special?" I ask Mommy and blink because the light in the room is so bright.
"Yes special, today is our day, Christian. Come, let's get you cleaned up." Mommy lifts me up and carries me into the bathroom.
"Bubbles!" I squeal when I see the tub filled with water and bubbles.
"Yes, lots of bubbles sweetheart, let's get you nice and clean." Mommy says and takes my clothes off before she puts me in the tub where I can play with the bubbles. When Mommy has helped me dry myself she puts new clothes that I have never seen before on me, they are nice and clean and they smell good, not like my other clothes, I like these new clothes.
"Come, let's go, I want to take you somewhere."
Mommy and I are at a place called I-hop and we have lots of pancakes with bananas and strawberries and there are also eggs and bacon and orange juice. I eat until my tummy is really full and smile at Mommy, I like I-hop and I like it when my tummy is full.
After breakfast mommy takes me to a park and we play on the playground. Mommy laughs and I laugh too. I like this special day, maybe we can have more special days.
For lunch mommy buys us hotdogs and then we play some more until it is time to go home and mommy makes me mac and cheese for dinner.
When I have to go to bed Mommy reads me a story and then smiles at me.
"This is what you deserves, baby boy. This is how your life should have been, I'm sorry I have trapped you in this hell, but soon your life will be better, there is so much more waiting for you. I love you so, so much, Christian. You are the best things that has ever happened to me and today has been the best day of my life. Remember this day okay? Forget the rest and just hold on to this memory." Mommy says and there are tears rolling down her eyes.
"I love you too, Mommy."
"I know, baby boy, and I will always be there… I'll find a way to watch over you."
I wake up with a start and gasp… I forgot… but now remember… my mother loved me and she took her own life to save me…
