Ana
"You are one handsome little guy, Jamie Taylor and you know what? Maybe, there is your future wife growing in my tummy." I murmur as I keep looking at the beautiful baby boy in my arms.
"Oh dear, Ana. If you are having a little girl I will have to make sure that my darling boy will become a fast runner or do you honestly believe your husband would be okay with her dating before she is sixty?" Gail asks and I giggle.
"Probably not, but he will have to get used to the idea, because I won't allow him to keep her under lock until she leaves for college. But to be honest, I would love to have a boy first; I loved growing up with an older brother, so it would be nice if it is a boy." I say and notice that Gail seems to be deep in thoughts.
"Gail, what is wrong, you seem distracted. Is everything alright?" I ask and she sighs.
"It's Sophie. Her mother has a new man in her life and Sophie told us he scares her. Naturally, Jason got upset and called his ex-wife. Now she has cancelled Sophie's last two visits, he wasn't even allowed to talk to her on the phone. He called his lawyer, but he was told that two missed visits are not enough to take steps in terms of gaining custody. I am worried sick, Ana. Her mother... she is not a good mother and I hate to even say it, but she doesn't care for what is best for her daughter, she only wants what is best for herself."
"She goes to King's school, right?" I ask and hand Jamie back to Gail.
"Yes, what are you doing?"
"I'm calling Kara Martin, she is the principal of the school and I know her, she is a board member of Coping Together. I ask her if I can stop by and you know... if I just happen to meet Sophie while I am there no one could say anything."
"Oh Ana, that would be wonderful, but I don't want to ask too much of you."
"Gail, I adore Sophie, so this is the least I can do. Let me make the call."
An hour later, I arrive at Sophie's school and since it is lunch break, I look around the cafeteria and find her sitting alone at a table in the far corner of the cafeteria.
"Hi Sophie, can I sit with you?"
"Hi Ana, are you here to visit me? Is Daddy here too?"
"I'm sorry, sweetheart, your Daddy had to go to New York with Christian, but yes, I am here to see you." I sit down opposite her and she doesn't seem like herself.
"I've heard your mommy has a new friend, is he nice?" I ask and she stiffens.
"I'm not allowed to talk about him." She whispers and keeps pushing her food around her plate.
"You know you can trust me, Sophie. If anything is happening at your home that is scaring you, you can tell me. I can help you."
"I don't want to go away, Ana." She says and looks up at me.
"What do you mean, go away?"
"I'm not allowed to say anything, but Mommy has packed everything and tomorrow we will leave and never come back so the bad men can't come and take mommy's new friend away. I don't want to go away, Ana... and Paul is mean. He pulls my hair and calls me names and he ... he hit me with his belt."
I feel sick, how can her mother allow this to happen? "Sophie when did he hit you?"
"Yesterday and two times before that."
"Come, I would like to see where he has hit you to make sure you are fine. I'll buy you a new lunch after I have seen what he did to you."
I get up take Sophie's hand in mine and walk with her to Kara's office, so I have a witness with me when I look if she has any injuries. After telling Kara, what is going on she also calls the school nurse and Sophie shows us her behind and the backs of her thighs, which are black and blue with visible welts. In this moment I want to kill the bastards who has done this to her. She is eight years old for crying out loud and even if her parents believe in physical punishments to discipline her, her mother's boyfriend had no right to punish Sophie and certainly not to this extend. This is child abuse.
"Okay, Sophie, I need to make a couple of phone calls and I want you to wait here for me, I'll be back in a couple of minutes, okay?"
She nods and I kiss the top of her head before heading out of the office. First, I dial Christian.
"Hey baby, I'm just about to go into a meeting."
"Hi, listen we have a situation, I need Taylor to come home now, will you be okay without him?"
"What is going on, is it Gail or Jamie?"
"No, it's Sophie. Gail told me she is worried about her, because her mother won't allow Taylor to see her and she has a new boyfriend of whom Sophie is scared. So, I went to her school and Sophie told me that her Mom is packing up their home to leave and... Christian her new boyfriend has beaten Sophie with his belt."
For a moment, there is absolute silence on the other end of the line.
"Say that again?"
"He has beaten her with his belt. She has bruises and welts all over her behind and her thighs."
"Fuck, listen I can't blow this meeting, but I'll have Taylor on the next flight. He will be back in Seattle early this evening."
"Okay, I'll need to call your Dad now; I was hoping he could arrange for Sophie to be given into Gail's care until Taylor is back in Seattle."
"Do that, I'll call you once the meeting is over."
After calling Carrick, he promises to come over to Sophie's school right away and when I'm back in the office Kara informs me that she has called CPS. I quickly send a text to Kate, that I will be home late, but that she can come over and just wait for me there. I also sent a quick text to Ryan that he should drive Gail over here and then we wait until a caseworker and Carrick arrive. I am asked to wait outside and talked to Gail who can't leave right away, because Jamie is sleeping and she can't leave him with Reynolds or Ryan, because he won't take a bottle.
After what feels like ages, Carrick comes out.
"What is happening Carrick?"
"They are going to take Sophie out of her home immediately. Until Taylor arrives she is given into your care, you need to take her to the hospital have her evaluated and her injuries documented. There will be a hearing as early as Monday or Tuesday morning, but until then she will remain in Jason's care and her mother is not allowed to see her or talk to her until the hearing. I will talk to Taylor; he has a very good chance to gain full custody of his daughter."
"Good and what about her mother's boyfriend? I want him punished for what he has done to Sophie."
"And he will be punished, Ana. Don't worry, now go get Sophie, I have called Grace; she will meet you at the hospital. I thought Sophie would be more comfortable with Grace as her doctor than a stranger."
"Thank you, Carrick."
"You're welcome, Ana. I will come over tomorrow morning to talk to Taylor."
At the hospital, I stay with Sophie while Grace evaluates her and takes pictures of her injuries. When Grace asks Sophie if her mother's boyfriend has ever touched her inappropriately I hold my breath and sigh in relief when she shakes her head and tells her that he never touched her in a sexual manner. God, if he had I am convinced Taylor would kill the bastard and make sure his body would never be found. Hell, the guy is lucky if Taylor doesn't do it anyway. Lord knows, I would like to do it myself.
Once we are back in the car I allow Sophie to lay down on the backseat next to me and she puts her head in my lap. I know it would be better if she was wearing a seatbelt, but with all those bruises, that she has sitting must be torture right now.
"Are you hungry, Sophie?" I ask her.
"Not really. Ana, can I play with your dogs when we are at your house, please?" She asks and looks up at me.
"Sure, you know what, Sophie. If Gail and your Daddy are okay with it, you can take them over to your daddy's place and have them sleep in your room with you. Would you like that?"
"Yes, I can take good care of them, dogs like me."
"I'm sure they do. I will ask Gail, if it is okay with her."
"Do you think my mommy is going to be mad at me, Ana? I don't like it when my mommy is mad at me; she yells a lot and locks me into my room when she is mad at me."
"I don't know your mommy well enough to really tell you if she is mad or not, but you are going to stay with your daddy for a while, so even if she is mad she has time to get over it. And Sophie, you have done nothing wrong, I want you to remember that. You did the right thing when you told me what has happened to you. No one has the right to hurt you like your mother's friend did."
"He said I was naughty and need to be punished."
"Even if you did something naughty, it wasn't his right to punish you for it, Sophie. Your mommy should have talked to you about what you have done or she could have called your daddy, but this man had no right to lay hand on you and certainly not in the way he has done it."
"Mommy said I provoked him."
"How?"
"I told him I didn't want to go away without talking to my Daddy first. He said I will never see my Daddy again and that he is my new Daddy, then I got very upset and started to cry and told him that I don't want him to be my Daddy, because I have a Daddy and I love my Daddy." She tells me and now that she has started to talk it is like a dam has broken and she just needs to get it all out. Sawyer who is driving is gripping the steering wheel with white knuckled force and can see in the rear view mirror that he is really, really angry, because not just Christian and I, but all the security guys too adore Sophie.
"You did not provoke him; you were afraid not to see your Daddy again, I would be very upset too if someone would tell me that I won't see my Daddy again and that someone else is my Daddy now."
"Ana do you think I can stay with my Daddy and Gail? I don't want to go back to Mommy." She looks up at me with her big beautiful eyes full of hope and it breaks my heart.
"Well, you are going to stay with your Daddy for a while now, and a judge will have to decide if you can move in with him permanently."
"Why?"
"Look, there are judges in court who make sure people who have done something wrong are punished and then there are judges who try to make the best decisions for children. Because sometimes when mommies and daddies don't live together, they both want their children to live with them, so there are judges who help them make the decisions. So, you have to wait what the judge is going to decide, but I don't want you to be afraid, because the judge will know what happened to you at your mommy's house and he will make the best decision for you, to make sure something like this will never happen to you again."
"And I could still visit my mom?"
"Of course, you can visit her or she can come to visit you."
"I would like that." She murmurs and is silent until we arrive. Sawyer lets us out by the front door and Gail comes running out of the house and helps Sophie out of the car.
I decide to give them some privacy and go into the house, where I find Kate in the family room with Jamie.
"Hi Kate, sorry that I am so late."
"Don't worry, Gail told me what is going on. I hope fucker ends up in jail were a guy twice his size makes him his bitch. Seriously, who whips a child with a belt until the poor thing is all bruised up?"
"Don't ask me... anyway, let's go to the kitchen, Sophie didn't eat her lunch, so I want to prepare a something for her."
"Let me do it, you are pregnant and you had a lot to deal with today."
"Umm... Kate, I don't want to sound rude, but ..." Oh man, how am I going to tell her that she can't cook?
"Oh come on, have a little faith in me, Ana. I'm a married woman now, I have taken cooking classes. I'm no Martha Steward, but I can make some mean sandwiches." She laughs and so I sit down on one of the bar stools at the breakfast bar, while she makes some sandwiches and has them ready when Gail and Sophie come into the kitchen.
"Are you hungry, Sophie?" Kate asks and when she nods, Kate places a plate with a sandwich, some crackers and grapes along with a glass of milk in front of her.
"Thank you, Mrs. Kate." Sophie says and Kate smiles at her.
"You're very welcome. Ana, do you want a sandwich, too?"
"Not now, but I would love a cup of tea."
"Sure, Gail you too?"
"Oh... you don't have to, Mrs. Grey..."
"Gail, come on, it's Kate, so do you want a tea?"
"Yes please."
While Sophie is eating her sandwich, I tell Gail everything Carrick has told me and give her the ointment Grace has given me for Sophie.
"I can't tell you how grateful I am that you went to her school, Ana. When Jason went there last week they wouldn't even allow him to go inside, because he has only visitation rights and his ex didn't tell them that he was coming to see Sophie. Ever since she has divorced her last husband things have gotten worse, but we were told unless we have proof that Sophie is in danger in her mother's house we have no chance to get her."
"Has Jason run a background check on the new boyfriend of Sophie's mom?"
"Of course he did. It came back without any red flags. I won't allow anyone to take her back there, Ana. I love this girl as if she was my own flesh and blood. She deserves so much more than she has with her mother and I am not talking about materialistic things. Every time she arrives here, she isn't fed and she cries and cries when we have to bring her back to her mother. It's torture."
"Gail, believe me, Carrick will do what ever he can to make sure that Taylor gets full custody. There is no way any judge will send Sophie back to live with her mother as long as she is with this man. And even if she kicks him out, there is no way she didn't notice what happened to Sophie. It was her job to keep her daughter safe and she didn't do it. I can't see how any judge would send Sophie back to her mother."
In the early evening, Taylor arrives and I have never seen him this distraught. I can tell he is blaming himself, that he didn't do more to keep Sophie safe, but it is not his fault. Back when he divorced Sophie's mom the judge gave her full custody, because Taylor had just left the army and was suffering from PTSS after he had to witness three of his friends being killed in an explosion. He wasn't fit to parent her then, but he is now and I know that from now on Sophie is going to live with Gail and him.
After they have left, I sit down with Kate and we decide to order pizza. I have given Lauren the day off and I have no desire to cook after the day I had.
"So, how did your parents react to the baby?" Kate asks when we sit down in the living room.
"My mom is super excited and my Dad... well he is happy, but you know, to him I'm still the three year old with pigtails who never wanted to grow up. Though he took it a lot better than I thought he would. My mom told me she saw him in the garage where he is building something. I know he made a crib for Mia and Cooper, so I guess that's what he is doing now for this little one too." I tell her and rub my belly.
"That's good; man I wouldn't even tell my parents if I were pregnant."
"So, what about your father's birthday?" I ask and she shrugs.
"I'm not going; I called my mom and told her that I am not going to allow them to disrespect my husband by not welcoming him into their home. I mean, all the Grey's have been wonderful to me after what happened with Ethan and they didn't have to. I would have totally understood if no one wanted to see me again, yet all of you welcomed me with open arms and that means so much to me. Hell, Grace and Carrick act more like parents to me than my own ever did. So, I told my mom that it would be best not to have any contact at all for now. Maybe I am being selfish, but I want to be happy, Ana. I grew up with a wonderful brother who in the end got sick and made many poor choices, but I have to move on with my life. I am married, in a year or two Elliot and I want to start a family and if my parents can't support me and be happy for me then I can't have them in my life. It hurts, because I want them in my life, but this time they have to make the effort not me and certainly not Elliot. He tried to talk to them so many times and they were either rude or simply ignored him and I'll be damned if my parents continue to treat him like this. He is wonderful to me, Ana and I am not going to lose him because my parents act the way they do."
I take her hand in mine and smile at her. "You've made the right decision. Your parents have only made you miserable for a long time now, maybe they come around one day, but until then you should focus on yourself and Elliot."
"I know, so how does it feel to be pregnant?" She asks with a smile and I can't help the big smile on my face.
"Well, I'm slowly starting to feel like myself again, which is good because I felt like a little demon before. Christian deserves a medal for keeping up with me over the last weeks. God, I was such a bitch, but it is getting better now. Other than that, all my clothes are too small now and I crave the weirdest things, but so far, I haven't really felt the baby move. Dr. Greene told me I probably won't feel it move until I am about 16 to 20 weeks along, but I can't wait to feel it move."
"And how is Christian dealing with everything?"
"He is great, he is really excited about the baby, which is good, because I remember when we got married he told me he wasn't sure if he even wanted kids, you know with his past and everything, but now he is really happy about the baby. He will be a wonderful father."
"I bet you are right, do you know that he has called Elliot to build a playground in your backyard. Elliot told him that he will look into it, but that it is a bit early for that, but Christian just told him that little Jamie can use it until your baby is old enough. Secretly, I think we will both find our husbands playing outside once it is ready." She says and we both start to laugh.
"Oh my god, do you remember when they raced each other in the little electrical cars my Dad got for Anya when she was like four or five." I laugh and Kate snorts.
"Of course, it was hilarious, Cooper was on the bright pink princess one and he got distracted and drove it into the pool. Anya was crying and your Dad looked as he wanted to murder Cooper. Elliot and Christian tried to get away and those idiots didn't just get up and run, but drove off in the cars which weren't going more than a mile per hour, so Carrick grabbed them both by the shirt, causing them to land on their asses and the stupid cars drove off without them."
"Wait, I think I have a video of that day, my mom made me copies of all the home videos she took over the years. I'll be right back." I get up and rummage around in one of the built in shelves in the living room until I find the right DVD and we watch old home videos until we both fall asleep on the sofa in the living room.
When I wake up the next morning, I frown, because I am in bed and when I turn around, I find Christian sitting next to me in the bed.
"You are home!" I squeal in delight and kiss him.
"Hi baby, I came home around five this morning. Found you and Kate sleeping in the living room, so I carried Kate to guestroom before I got you into bed. Did you have a good time with Kate?"
"Yes, it was good. Have you talked to Taylor?"
"Yes, he was already up when I came home. The fucker who did this Sophie is in jail now. Bastard was using a stolen identity. He was on the run, because a family in Arkansas reported him for raping their 15-year-old daughter. He already spent some time in jail for other sexual offends and car theft. Worst part of the story is that Sophie's mom knew about it, but he had her convinced the girl in Arkansas is lying. I know this sounds fucked up, but at least now, Taylor will have no problem to get full custody of Sophie. She was lucky he prefers teenager otherwise... "Christian stops and closes his eyes.
"I know, but she is safe now, Christian."
"Yes, she is, but it makes me sick to my stomach to think how many perverts are out there. Grown men who look at children and fantasize about touching them or worse... makes me want to lock this little one up until he or she is at least thirty." He says and pets my belly.
"I know, but we can't do that. Still, we are lucky, we can hire security for our children, make sure they are always protect and even more important we can educate them about all the dangers out there, so they know how to protect and defend themselves. We can't change the world, but we will always do our best to keep this little one and any children we might have in the future safe."
"Yes, we can do that. Now, Mrs. Grey, sex or breakfast?"
"First sex, then breakfast." I smile and pull him down to me. We might not live in a perfect world, but being here in our bedroom alone feels pretty damn perfect to me...
I know, I said no more drama and this wasn't planned at all, but I can promise that the boyfriend of Sophie's mom won't cause any more drama...