A/N: Wow guys - over 100 favorites and 250 followers already?! Thank you all so much for your amazing love and support :) Here's the next chapter for you.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 2: Hospital Visit

Tonight had been amazing. Granted, Christian and Ana's evening had just consisted of a typical charity dinner filled with the usual stuffy businessmen and fine dining, but for Christian it meant so much more. It was the first real event he and Ana had gone to together as husband and wife, and the thrill it gave Christian was immense. Never in all his adult years had he thought it would excite him so much to introduce Ana to all of his colleagues as "Mrs. Grey." It made him want her all the more - and it certainly helped that she looked immaculately sexy this evening in her black off-the-shoulder mermaid dress and silver heels. Her smoky black eye makeup also served to emphasize her gorgeous blue eyes, and as long as they stayed trained on Christian and no one else, he was happy.

Love certainly had turned him into a jealous man.

This amazing evening had finally come to an end, however, and Christian and Ana now walked out of the front doors of the Radisson and climbed into the backseat of their black Audi A3, Taylor already in the driver's seat. The happy couple had had a few glasses of champagne between them, and they were both rather giggly and carefree.

"Whoo," Ana let out a breath as she plopped down on her seat, grinning widely. Christian chuckled as he settled down beside her, loosening his bowtie from his neck. "That party was so much fun!"

"I agree," Christian smirked at her, pulling his bowtie off completely and popping open his collar. "I usually never have fun at those things. Thank you for coming with me tonight, baby."

"Mm, it was my pleasure, Mr. Grey," Ana said lustily, leaning over and cuddling up beside him. "I kind of liked being introduced to everyone as your wife."

"I liked it too," Christian smiled seductively at her before leaning down and kissing her on the lips. "In fact, I loved it. I think I could get used to calling you my wife, Anastasia."

"You better," Ana huffed, and Christian couldn't help but chuckle. "You're gonna be doing it for the rest of your life, Grey."

"I look forward to it," Christian smiled, and Ana rewarded him with a beautiful smile. "We're only 67 days in, after all."

"And we only have a million more to go," Ana giggled. Christian chuckled before leaning down and capturing her lips with his own. She tasted of sweet champagne and Ana - a wonderful combination.

God, I love this woman.

Before their kiss could escalate into anything more, Christian felt his phone buzz from inside his breast pocket. Normally, he would ignore a call when he was wrapped up in his woman, but since it was one o'clock in the morning on a weekend, he immediately knew something was wrong.

Christian pulled away from Ana and took his BlackBerry out, frowning down at the screen.

"Who is it?" Ana asked, frowning down at his phone as well.

"I'm not sure," Christian said. He didn't recognize the number of the person calling him this hour of the night. "It's a Seattle area code, though."

"That's weird," Ana mused. "Are you going to answer it?"

Christian was sorely tempted to just let it ring, but at the last second decided to answer. He hit the green button and brought it up to his ear. "Hello?"

"Hello sir, this is Marsha Pletz from Overlake Hospital Medical Center. Is this Christian Grey, brother of Elliot Grey?" A professional-sounding woman spoke from the other end, and Christian's stomach immediately plummeted.

"Yes, this is him," Christian answered hesitantly. He looked at Ana, who was staring at him with a shocked expression. She immediately could tell something was wrong.

"I'm sorry to be calling you like this sir, but your brother has just been brought into our emergency room with a serious stab wound to his right arm," the woman explained. "He seemed to be the victim of an unprovoked attack on 12th Street near the Interstate. The doctors are currently treating him, and he's stable for now, but we thought we would let you know since you have been listed as one of his emergency contacts."

Christian felt suddenly dizzy, and his stomach lurched as if he were about to vomit.

Elliot? Stabbed?

"Oh my God," Christian said, feeling sick. "But… he-he's okay, right?"

"He is, sir," the woman assured him. Ana clutched at Christian's arm, unable to hear their conversation, but looking concerned all the same. "We are getting in touch with all of his emergency contacts currently on record and updating you all on his situation. We will be contacting Grace Trevelyan-Grey right after you, sir."

"Okay, thank you," Christian said, as if in a daze. "I'll be right over."

"Okay, sir. Have a good night."

Christian hung up the phone without saying goodbye. "Taylor - we need to get to the Overlake Hospital Medical Center. Now!"

"Yes sir," Taylor said without hesitation, and quickly made a right turn.

"Christian, what's going on?" Ana demanded, sounding extremely worried.

Christian looked at her. "Elliot was attacked."

Ana stared back at him, her eyes wide. "What?"

Christian shook his head, looking distressed. "The woman on the phone said she was from the hospital, and Elliot was just taken in to the emergency room with a stab wound to his right arm. I don't know the full details yet, but apparently it was a random attack on 12th Street near the Interstate."

"Oh my God," Ana placed a hand over her mouth, looking extremely concerned. "He's okay, though, right?"

Christian nodded, still feeling a bit dazed.

"Oh my God," Ana said again, the hand over her mouth moving to her heart. "The Interstate… isn't that near The Jungle? What was he doing all the way out there?"

Christian shook his head dubiously. "Your guess is as good as mine."

"Oh God, I wonder if Kate knows?" Ana's eyes suddenly went wide. "Do you think she with him during the attack?"

"I don't know," Christian said. "Call her and find out."

Ana quickly grabbed her clutch purse to find her phone and dial her best friend, and Christian turned back to gaze out the window, frowning to himself. What had started out as a wonderful, magical evening for him and his new wife now delineated into an awful situation where Christian was seriously worried for his brother's safety and well-being.

Christ, I hope he's okay.

During the ride to the hospital, Ana talked with Kate on the phone - Kate apparently had no idea what had happened to Elliot, since she had been asleep at home when it happened, so Ana was filling her in on what she knew so far. While Christian had never exactly been Katherine Kavanagh's biggest fan, when he heard her frantically demanding Ana tell her everything over the phone, his heart couldn't help but go out to her. Her significant other had been in mortal peril, and Christian knew he would absolutely lose it if something like this had ever happened to Ana.

They finally arrived at the hospital - it was one Christian had never been to before, since it was in a bad part of the city he generally didn't often visit. The fact that he and Anastasia were dressed to the nines probably didn't help matters either, but Christian didn't really have time to worry about it as Taylor pulled up to the front doors and he and Ana quickly got out, rushing through the front doors.

After talking to the woman at the front desk, they headed down an adjacent corridor, and eventually found Elliot sitting upright on a bed near the corner of the ER, thin blue curtains separating him from all the neighboring beds.

"Elliot!" Christian exclaimed, he and Ana hurrying up to him. They could already see Elliot's right arm was wrapped in thick white gauze all the way up to his shoulder, and his complexion appeared pale and clammy, like he was about to be sick. He managed to give his brother and Ana a small smile and a wave with his good arm when he saw them, however.

"Hey bro," he said once they approached. "Hey Ana. Nice clothes."

"Oh my God. Elliot, are you okay?" Ana asked worriedly, stepping forward and placing her hand on his good arm.

"I've been better," Elliot murmured. "I got eleven stitches in my arm, and the doctors here just gave me some pain meds which haven't kicked in yet."

"Are you sure you're alright?" Christian asked concernedly. "You look like shit, man."

"Gee thanks," Elliot shot his brother a sarcastic look. "I could go for some water, though."

"I'll go ask a nurse," Christian said immediately, and hurried over to the nurse's station.

"Here, lie back," Ana ordered after Christian left, gently pushing Elliot so he lay down on the bed. He complied, though very slowly. "I called Kate on our way here and told her what's going on. She's on her way over now."

"Thank you," Elliot muttered, sounding relieved. "I was going to call her myself, but I'm not sure what happened to my phone."

"I already told you man, I'm holding onto it for you," a voice behind them said.

Ana turned around and was met face to face with a good-looking man with short dark hair and a long nose. He had Elliot's phone in one hand and a clipboard in the other.

"Oh… thanks Roger…" Elliot mumbled, his voice slurring. After a moment, his eyes fluttered closed and he suddenly drifted off to sleep.

"Did he just fall asleep?" Ana asked, looking at Elliot with a confused expression.

"The doctors gave him hydrocodone about thirty minutes ago to combat the pain," Roger explained. "He was starting to get a bit spacey a few minutes before you guys arrived, which is why I took his phone away. That stuff really knocks you for a loop."

"I can see that," Ana couldn't help but smirk as she looked at Elliot's sleeping form. She turned back to Roger. "Are you a friend of Elliot's?"

"Yeah. I'm Roger," he said, shifting the clipboard to his other hand and holding it out for Ana. "I was with Elliot when the attack happened."

"Oh," Ana raised her eyebrows in concern as she shook his hand. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Roger shrugged. "Didn't get stabbed, at least. Are you Kate?"

"Actually, she's my wife," Christian approached them before Ana could respond, a styrofoam cup of water in his hand. "Elliot's girlfriend is on her way here."

"Christian," Roger greeted, and the two men shook hands. "It's good to see you again."

"You too, Roger."

"I'm Ana," Ana smiled at Roger, who smiled back.

"It's nice to meet you. Elliot did mention you guys were at a charity dinner thing tonight," he looked their outfits, grimacing apologetically. "I'm sorry if we totally ruined your evening."

"Oh please, it's not your fault," Ana insisted as Christian shook his head. "It was terrible this had to happen to you guys tonight."

"You were there when it happened?" Christian asked Roger, looking serious.

"Yeah," Roger nodded solemnly, and he began to recount exactly what had occurred - how he and Elliot had had no idea their friends dragged them to the bad part of town, how some homeless people approached them for cigarettes, and how one suddenly attacked Elliot out of nowhere. Ana and Christian silently listened to him talk, and after about a minute, Ana slipped her hand through Christian's arm and held him tight. Christian knew she was thinking about what would have happened if it had been Christian who was attacked, which was the same thought that had been plaguing him about her regarding this whole situation. They both knew how lucky they were to have each other.

Suddenly, the doors of the ER burst open, and Christian, Ana and Roger all turned to see a gurney being wheeled in by two EMTs in blue windbreakers. Nurses and doctors quickly moved aside to make room as the gurney was wheeled into the bay area next to Elliot's bed. Amidst all the activity, Christian, Ana and Roger could just make out a little disheveled girl lying on the bed.

"Wow, that must be her," Roger mused, sounding surprised. Ana and Christian turned to look at him.

"What?"

"I overheard some of the cops talking earlier before we were brought to the hospital," Roger explained. "They apparently found a little girl abandoned in an alleyway near the bar where Elliot was stabbed. I'm not sure what state she's in, but I'm sure it's not good."

Ana and Christian glanced at each other before turning back to look at the little girl on the hospital bed. She didn't look older than four, and she certainly looked like she had been living in an alleyway for an extended amount of time - her outfit was just an overlong t-shirt that was tattered and worn, and her long black hair looked dirty and unkempt. If her appearance alone wasn't heartbreaking enough, the fact that she looked absolutely terrified of everything and everyone around her made the scene all the more heart-wrenching.

One of the doctors said something about "dehydrated," and a nurse quickly wheeled in an IV stand while attaching a bag of fluids to the top of it. Another nurse took the little girl's arm in her hand and swiped an alcohol pad along the inside of her elbow.

The little girl looked terribly frightened by all the activity going on around her, and as soon as she realized the nurses were about to stick a needle in her arm, she absolutely lost it. She yanked her arm out of their grasps and began bucking and kicking wildly, screaming at the top of her lungs. Some of the nurses tried to speak soothingly to her while trying to calm her down, but the little girl was inconsolable - her terrified cries filled the entire ER, and people were beginning to stop and stare.

Ana tore her gaze away and looked down at the floor, heartbroken by the scene that was unfolding before her. She couldn't imagine how scared and confused that little girl was by everything going on around her, and part of her wished she could do something to help.

Christian hadn't said a word, but Ana noticed his hand by his side had balled into a tight fist. She glanced back up at his face, and his expression was beyond anything she had ever seen before - he looked absolutely livid. His blazing gray eyes were fixed upon the doctors manhandling the little girl, and his mouth was fixed in a firm line. His entire frame was trembling slightly from rage.

"Baby?" Ana said tentatively. Christian didn't respond, his eyes still glued to the doctors surrounding the bed, and Ana suddenly realized…

He was having a flashback.

"She doesn't want to be touched," Christian murmured, so quietly Ana almost didn't hear him.

"What?"

In a moment, Christian had rushed forward, and before Ana could stop him, he shoved one of the doctors away from the girl, causing him to stumble. All the other doctors and nurses stopped to stare at Christian in shock.

"Holy shit," Roger said, sounding stunned.

"Sir!" the doctor Christian had shoved straightened up and glared at him. "Let us do our job!"

"She doesn't want to be touched! Can't you tell?!" Christian yelled back at him. Taylor had appeared out of nowhere and stepped in front of Christian, stopping him from moving forward.

"Sir, this girl needs immediate medical attention," the doctor snapped angrily. "You can't interfere with our work!"

"But she's fucking terrified!" Christian yelled at him. "Just look at her!"

"Sir, calm down," Taylor ordered his boss.

"You are not involved in this," the doctor snapped back. "We are trained professionals who know how to deal with cases like this!"

Christian and the doctor continued to argue with each other, and the surrounding people just watched, none of them noticing the little girl had stopped her screaming. She now just lay on the bed, curled up in the fetal position as she trembled in fear, staring at the doctors around her and obviously wary of being manhandled by them again. For a few seconds, no one paid any attention to her, that was until someone silently walked up to her and knelt down beside her bed.

Ana simply gazed at the trembling girl for a moment before tentatively bringing her hand up and slowly brushing her hair away from her face. The girl turned and stared at Ana with her large brown eyes, and Ana repeated the motion. She did it a third time, and the girl's trembling ceased.

"It's okay," Ana breathed, trying to be gentle and soothing despite the circumstances around them. "Everything is going to be okay."

The little girl's only response was to continue staring at Ana with her wide brown eyes before shifting her gaze to something else in the distance, not saying a word. Ana knew that this girl had already had a rough life, and even though she didn't know what had possessed her to walked over and comfort her, she hoped that this had made a small difference.

This girl deserved at least one moment of peace in her life.

A/N: Hope you all liked that chapter! Leave a review and let me know what you think so far!

I also just want to clarify for some of my readers - some of you were asking if the girl will end up being Christian's illegitimate child from a past relationship, and the answer is no. I kind of think that's a stupid plot twist and I hope that, as a writer, you all will give me more credit than that :/

If you would like to follow my pinterest board for this story, the URL is www dot pinterest dot com/strawpaj/this-life-of-ours/