A/N: Thanks for reading. Enjoy!
C POV
"Who wants some coffee?", my dad asks. He and Elliot have just returned from the cafeteria. "Christian?"
"No thanks.", I mutter, keeping my eyes on the floor.
"I wish they would tell us something.", Carla sighs from the chair next to mine. She and Ray along with Sawyer's parents arrived earlier at the hospital and have been waiting with the rest of us as we await word on Ana and Sawyer.
"I talkd to Luke this morning and told him I love him.", Mrs. Sawyer says solemnly. "I always tell him, and he always tells me." She looks over at Mia who's twisting her bracelet. "Mia, you're all he talked about. He's crazy about you." Mia stops and smiles for the first time since she's been at the hospital.
"I'm crazy about him too.", Mia replies. "I need him to be ok."
"He's going to be ok. Luke's tough.", Mr. Sawyer says as Dr. Grant walks towards us. There's complete silence in the waiting room.
"Luke's surgery went well, and he's now in recovery."
"When can we see him?", Mia asks.
"In a few hours.", Dr. Grant answers.
"Do you know if my daughter Ana Steele is still in surgery?", Ray asks Dr. Grant.
"I believe so, but I'm sure Dr. Moss will be out with an update once the surgery is over. I've got a few patients I need to check on, but I'll be back around soon."
"This coffee is just getting cold.", Elliot says. "Who wants some?" He tries to hand me one of the cups, but I shake my head and stand. "Where are you going?"
"To get some air." I walk down the hallway and through the exit. A light rain is falling outside, but I could care less. I lean against one of the walls and close my eyes.
"Do you want to catch a cold?" I open my eyes and see my mom standing before me.
"A cold is nothing compared to what Ana's going through in there.", I scoff. My mom moves next to me. "How can things go from really good to really bad in such a short time?"
"Life is full of twists and turns, and unfortunately they're not always good."
"I asked Ana to move in with me, and she said yes. I had already started anticipating it. We were going to spend nights cooking together and cuddling on the sofa while watching a movie. Now though..."
"Those things will happen. Ana's going to pull through this, and the two of you will be happier than ever." I feel my legs give out, and I slump to the ground in tears. Trying to stop them is a losing battle. In the corner of my eye I see my mom ease on to the ground. I haven't been held by her since I was a child, but I don't fight it when she wraps her arms around me and pulls me close.
"I'm sorry for interrupting, but a detective is here.", Julia says from the door. I try to compose myself the best I can as I stand and help my mom to her feet. We follow Julia back to the waiting room. Standing in the middle of the room is a dark blonde haired guy in a dark suit. "This is Detective Brad Tosh."
"Hello.", Detective Tosh says. "I've been assigned to investigate the shooting of Anastasia Steele and Luke Sawyer. I've already talked to the officers that were on the scene, and I'm planning on talking to the victims." He pulls a small notepad from his pocket. "Is there anyone who might've wanted to hurt either of them?"
"Samual Donovan.", I answer. The detective raises a brow.
"That's the creep who made a pass at her, isn't it?", Carla asks me.
"Yes. Ana was assigned to do the advertising for his car dealership, but she stopped when he came on to her. Things have only gotten worse. I recently bought a car dealership which is competition against Donovan's."
"I'm going to guess your buying the dealership was more than a business move.", Detective Tosh says. "Go on."
"Rawlings Motors, the dealership I own, was chosen to supply the police department with new vehicles, a deal that Samual Donovan was also hoping to secure. He wasn't happy."
"Ana, Julia, and myself were leaving Starbucks this morning when Donovan showed up. He initially blocked us and told Ana that he might have to take something special away from Christian." Both Carla and Ray gasp at Kate's words. "It seems like he might have acted on what he said."
"The bastard is nothing but trouble who belongs behind bars.", I snarl.
"If he did this, we'll arrest.", Detective Tosh says. "Is there anyone else you can think of that could've done this?" Donovan's threat makes him a major suspect, yet there's also someone else who could've done it.
"Leila Williams. She and I had a fling which I ended much to her dismay. She's been doing nothing but stirring up drama since Ana and I have been dating. I've come to realize that she's pretty much capable of anything. She recently hired someone to beat her up so I'd believe she had been attacked."
"She definitely has issues.", my mom nods. Her eyes freeze at the door where Dr. Moss is standing. Dr. Moss steps closer to our group and clears her throat.
"Ana's surgery went well. I was able to remove the bullet. Her blood pressure dropped briefly, but we were able to get it back up. She's in recovery and will soon be moved to ICU. However, she's still got a long recovery ahead." Mia gets to her feet and pads over to me.
"She's going to be ok just like Luke.", Mia tells me. Her hand grips mine, and I hug her.
"Ana's still unconcious, but you can go and see her now.", Moss says a few hours later. Ray holds Carla's hand, and they start towards the direction of Ana's room.
"Christian, are you coming?", Carla asks me. I follow behind them as we make the trek to see Ana. Ray gently pushes the door open. Nothing can prepare me for what I see. Ana's frail body is hooked up to monitors as she lies motionless in the bed.
"Ana, sweetheart, your mom and I are here and so is Christian.", Ray whispers. He and Carla stand on one side of the bed while I'm on the other side. I cover her hand with mine.
"We're here.", I murmur. "And we're going to be by your side the entire time." I pull a chair up next to the bed and watch her chest slowly rise and fall. "One of the first things I learned about you was you were one of the most stubborn people I had ever met. It's just one of the endless reasons I fell in love with you. With that being said, I need you to not be stubborn now." I glance up at Carla and Ray. "We all do."
"She called last night and gave us the moving in together news.", Carla says, staring down at her daughter. "She told us she couldn't wait."
"She was also excited about your trip to London.", Ray adds.
"London's still going to happen.", I say as my mom opens the door.
"Luke's awake and wants to see you.", she tells me. Detective Tosh said he'd talk to Sawyer and Ana when they were awake, but I need to know what happened. I'm also torn because I don't want to leave Ana's side.
"Go on. We'll get you if we need to.", Carla smiles. I lean down and place a kiss on Ana's cheek.
"I'll be right back."
"Look who's here.", Mia says when I walk inside Sawyer's room.
"Hey." I close the door behind me and stand in front of Sawyer's bed. "How do you feel?"
"Like I got shot.", Sawyer laugh until he winces.
"Take it easy.", Mia sighs. "I convinced his parents to get some food."
"Just so you could be alone with me.", Sawyer teases as Mia blushes. "Your plan's been ruined." He nods at me. "How's Ana?"
"She made it through surgery but still hasn't woken up. I can come back later if you want."
"No. I need to tell you what happened. First though I need to tell you how sorry I am. I was supposed to protect Ana, and I failed at that. I shouldn't have let anything happen to her."
"None of it is your fault. It's Donovan's or Leila's since I'm more than certain one of them is responsible."
"Christian's right. You didn't do anything wrong.", Mia says. She's planted firmly next to Sawyer's, keeping her eyes on him.
"The detective in charge will probably be here soon to take your statement."
"I'll tell him exactly what I remember, but I want to go ahead and tell you.", Sawyer replies. "Ana had finished up for the day. We stepped out of the office building and into the parking lot. Halfway to the SUV I spotted someone across the street. I couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman. They were dressed in a black sweatshirt and black pants and had on a black ski mask. Before I knew it a gun was being raised and aimed in our direction. I pulled out my own gun and told Ana to run just as whoever it was fired a shot. I also fired off a shot, hitting the person in the leg. Another shot was fired at us, and I was hit in the shoulder. A few more shots rang out as I saw Ana still trying to take cover. I was able to catch up with her and get us behind the dumpster. I peeked around the corner and saw a black car screeching to a stop, and the shooter getting in the passenger seat before the car took off. It wasn't until then that I realized I had been shot in the abdomen, but I didn't care. I looked over at Ana. Blood was seeping through the denim jacket she had on. I carefully pulled the jacket back and saw that she had been shot in the chest." Mia tightens her hand around his. "I told her it was going to be ok and gently laid her on the ground. I must've blacked out after that because I don't remember anything else."
"You remembered enough.", I say as Mrs. Sawyer along with Detective Tosh enter the room. "Detective, Saweyer shot the bastard in the leg. I suggest you check area hospitals for people coming in with a matching wound. Also, you better hope you find the scum that's responsible before I do."
"Christian, I can stay here with Ana if you want to go home and change clothes. Maybe you can take a nap.", Kate says. She and Julia along with the rest of my family went home for the night and have just returned. Meanwhile, Carla and Ray have stayed, leaving only to get some food. I, however, haven't left the hospital since yesterday.
"People keep telling me to eat or get some rest, but I don't want to do either.", I bark back, immediately regretting my harshness. "Kate, I'm sorry."
"It's ok."
"What if she wakes up and no one is here?"
"I'm here.", Kate shrugs. "You look like crap." I roll my eyes. "I'll get you the second there's any change."
"Kate, I appreciate your concern and know it's coming from a good place, but I'm staying." It's now her turn to roll her eyes. She stands and goes to the door.
"I'm going to call Ethan to give him an update.", she says before leaving the room.
The room is a decent size,yet it feels much smaller. I scoot my chair even closer to Ana's bed and hold her hand. I lay my head down on the side of the bed.
"Baby, I'm hoping so badly that you can hear me. You've brought me so much happiness since you've been in my life. I wasn't truly living until I met you. I need you to open those beautiful blue eyes." I stay there in silence until I feel a light touch on the top of my head. I jerk my head up and look behind me, not seeing anyone. I then look at the bed and see a sight that makes me smile for the first time since learning of the shooting. Blue eyes.
"Hi.", Ana says weakly.