Chapter 17
APOV
I wake up from a restful sleep. I don't think I've had a good night's sleep in a long time. At first I don't remember why I'm here. Daddy!
I quick get up and go out into the living area in a rush. "Oh my god. Christian, what time is it? I need to get over to Ray."
"Ana, relax. It's only 8 am. Visiting hours don't even start until 9. I've ordered you breakfast and some tea. Please sit down and eat." I look at him, right now he is so strong for me. He's protecting me and supporting me. Though I know inside this beautiful, confident man is a broken man who just wants unconditional love.
"Thank you, Christian. You didn't have to do any of this and I appreciate it." He looks up at me with sparkling eyes and gives me a youthful smile.
"Come on. Eat up so you can get ready and we can head over to the hospital." Bossy Fifty is never far away.
I give him a salute. "Yes, Sir." Before he has a chance to respond I turn around and walk quickly back to the bedroom. I'm pleasantly surprised he had some of my things brought up here. I assume Taylor did it last night while we were at the hospital. The shower is hot and relaxing. I leave the en suite bathroom wearing a big fluffy robe and my hair up in a towel. I open up my bag and now I know Kate packed it. She packed sexy panties and bras and silk and lace nighties. I have to dig until I finally find a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. I walk out of the bedroom feeling much, much better than last night. Christian gives me a big grin when he looks up at me.
"Ready to go?"
I smile back at him. "Yes. And thank you for having some of my things here for me."
"I had Taylor bring them last night. But if there's anything you are missing let me know and we can go get it."
"Oh, I think I'm fine." I look up at him and give him a small smile. We get out to the portico and Taylor has the Audi SUV ready to go.
He smiles at me, "Good morning, Miss Steele. I'm sorry to hear about your father."
"Hi Taylor. Thank you. And thank you for bringing up some of my things."
"It was my pleasure, Miss Steele."
The drive to the hospital is short. Taylor drops Christian and I at the front entrance while he parks the car.
As we're walking in, I grab his hand to hold it. I need his support and quite frankly, holding his hand just feels right. He squeezes my hand in return. We get up to the ICU and head to Ray's room. When I peek in, I see he's awake.
"Daddy!" I run over to his bed with tears in my eyes.
"Hey Annie. I'm OK. No need to worry." That is so Raymond Steele. He will make anything seem unimportant just to make me feel better.
Christian looks over to me. "Ana, I'll be over in the waiting room. I need to make a call for work. Mr. Steele, I'm glad you are awake and seem better. Ana was worried."
Ray smiles at Christian. "Thank you for bringing her here safely, Mr Grey. The thought of her having to drive that car around makes me nervous."
Ray smiles at Christian as if they are sharing some kind of secret. Christian heads out of the room.
I sit at the edge of his bed. "Dad, what happened?"
"I was driving back from the diner and a truck driver fell asleep at the wheel and ran right into me. I was pinned in the car for a while but it looked a lot worse than it is."
"I'm glad you're OK. I guess it could have been a lot worse."
"So, Annie. Are you and Christian a thing?"
I start to blush. Even though my mom wasn't around all that much when I was a teenager, Ray and I never had the talk. "A thing? I don't know. It's complicated. I'm not sure I'm the right person for him."
"Anastasia, it's obvious he's head over heels for you. No man would bring you up here if he didn't have strong feelings for you. Stop over thinking things so much. Your mother is the same way." I smile at him and clasp his hand in mine.
"OK, Daddy. When will you get out of here?"
"The doctor this morning said they want to keep me in here for a couple of more days to make sure there isn't any damage to my spinal cord." As if on cue, the nurse comes into the room.
"Mr. Steele, I'm sorry to interrupt but the doctor wants you to come with me so he can run some tests and then see the physical therapist to assess if there is any damage."
I look at the nurse. "How long will all this take?"
She looks at me and gives me a sweet and sympathetic smile. "It will probably be a few hours and then he'll get his pain meds and most likely sleep. Why don't you call around 3 this afternoon and see if he's awake?"
"That sounds good." I get up and give Ray a kiss on his forehead. "I'll see you in a little while, Daddy. Behave yourself for your nurses here. Don't give them a hard time."
"Bye Annie, be careful."
I leave Ray in the nurse's capable hands and go to find Christian. When I enter the waiting room he's reading his blackberry and he looks breathtaking. How can he look so good doing something so mundane?
As I approach him, he looks up at me with a hint of a smile. "Everything OK?"
"Yes. They are taking him for a bunch of testing so he probably won't be ready for visitors at least until 3."
"What would you like to do until then? Seattle is about an hour and a half drive, or there is a nice park with some great walking trails we can check out. The fresh air may help relax you."
"I really should work." I feel guilty that I'm not there. I don't want anyone to think I am taking advantage of the situation.
"How about a compromise? We can go for a walk now and head back to the hotel around lunch to do some work."
"That's an excellent idea." Christian takes my hand in his and we make our way out of the hospital. The park is absolutely gorgeous. There are so many shades of vibrant green and the trees are filled with green leaves and wildlife. We walk for a while just holding hands completely quiet.
On the side of the path I see a long blade of grass. I pluck it, holding it in my thumbs up to my lips and make it whistle. Christian starts to laugh hysterically. "Where did you learn that?"
"Ray taught me when I was little. You never did stuff like that?"
He shakes his head smiling huge. "Nope. Definitely not."
"Really? We would go for walks and make grass whistle and tell riddles."
"Riddles? What kind?"
I pause to try and remember some of our favorite riddles. "OK, here's one. You will always find me in the past. I can be created in the present, But the future can never taint me. What am I?"
"Hmmm…" I can tell he's thinking hard. "Can be found in the past, created in the present but not tainted by the future?... I don't know. I give up."
I smile at him feeling victorious. It's one thing I know that Christian doesn't. "History."
He smiles back at me. "That's a good one. My turn." He's quietly thinking of one. "I got it. "What is harder to catch the faster you run?"
"Umm… your breath?"
He looks at me shocked. "Yeah! How'd you know?"
I shrug at him. "I don't know. I guess years of practice? I just took a guess. Do you want another one?"
"Shoot."
"I don't have eyes, but once I did see. Once I had thoughts, but now I'm white and empty."
He taps his index finger at his lips in thought. "A potato?"
"No, but that's a good guess. Take another one."
He repeats the riddle to himself a couple of times. "A-ha! A skull."
I laugh at his excitement. "You got it." We're laughing and he puts his arm around my shoulders pulling me into him and kisses my head.
He freezes. "Ana, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that."
"No, it's OK, Christian." I look up at him as I say it.
He turns so he's facing me. "Ana, you're so beautiful when you laugh. Do you know that?"
He has me absolutely breathless. "Christian…" He leans down and places a sweet and affectionate kiss on my lips.
I lean in and return the kiss with a little more passion. I don't know for how long we kiss but once we come up for air he presses his forehead against mine. "I've missed that."
