Chapter 34 – Ana POV – Virtual continuity
Today has been a very long day. Long because Ana woke up at 7.30am and it is now past 11.30pm and she is still tossing and turning in bed.
Long because she had to take care of a very energetic little boy today, all the while cleaning all the main rooms (the four bedrooms, the bathrooms, the main room and the kitchen), all the bedlinens and dirty clothes for fear of potential contamination.
And long because it has been a roller coaster of emotions. First, she woke up next to her boyfriend, in his bed. And then she received a scary text from said boyfriend telling her that Phoebe was sick. Poor Phoebe, she looked so pale and exhausted when she caught a glimpse of her in the bathroom. Christian had asked Ana not to come in, but it was impossible for her not to be there for Phoebe. Then she let him take care of it, reluctantly. Because even if it was highly improbable, Christian was right, she had to focus on keeping Teddy safe and healthy.
Thank God for Christian's staff members, Andrew Ryan and Samantha Prescott. And for Elliot and Kate who also entertained Teddy this afternoon. Although, to be fair, Teddy has been a darling all day. Of course, he was a little more agitated than usual, but all in all he was very obedient and well behaved with the different adults that took care of him. And it must not have been so easy for him with everything going on; after all, he is only six, and everything has been turning upside down around him for the past month or so.
This morning, as Ana was busy with Teddy, Ryan took charge of hiding the eggs and Ana has to admit that he has been very imaginative. Teddy had fun searching for it, sitting on Ryan's shoulders when necessary.
When Christian finally called in the middle of the hunt, Samantha signaled to Ana that she and Andrew would keep Teddy entertained, so that she could focus on the call. It was a relief to see the face of her boyfriend onscreen, definitely less tensed than a couple of hours ago. Christian explained that Phoebe was still feverish, but it seemed that her stomach settled and she looked less pale. But she was very tired and was sleeping most of the time.
The good news is that Christian's mother, Dr Grey, does not believe that this is due to COVID; according to her, it resembles exactly any time Phoebe has stomach flu. And the probability is very low considering that Christian and Sawyer have been negative all week and came back after isolating for five days. In order to confirm that, Christian ordered a few tests that he, Sawyer and Phoebe will take every few hours.
Christian was partly reassured, and so was Ana. But he told Ana that just to be sure, they would stay isolated in the cottage for at least one to two days, even if the tests are all negative, just out of precaution. Ana agreed that it was probably wise, even though she just wished she could hold Phoebe in her arms right now, or even spend the day with all two kids and their father as planned.
Christian clearly felt the same; he asked Ana to turn her phone so that he could follow the hunt. When Teddy realized that his father was "there", at least virtually, he was really happy and just explained to him everything that was going on. Christian even managed to spot eggs from his position.
When the hunt was over, Christian signed off to go take care of Phoebe. Ryan and Prescott proposed to help with the meal preparations and then to have lunch with them and Ana was more than happy with their proposition; it allowed keeping Teddy busy as he talked Andrew's ear off, and Ana has to admit that Andrew, or Andy as Teddy calls him, is really good with Teddy. From what she understood, he has been Teddy's CPO ever since Teddy went to kindergarten.
As Teddy was talking, Ana did not really pay attention as her mind could not help thinking about Phoebe just a few yards away and yet out of reach. Until at some point, Ana heard her name – "And Daddy sometimes sleeps in Daddy's room, and Daddy sleeps in Ana's because they are boyfriend and girlfriend" -. Gosh, really? She did not know where to hide, and how to react. So she just smiled shyly to the two CPOs who behaved like they had not heard what Teddy just said. And then she went back to what she had been doing.
For lunch, Ana chose to make some chicken soup for everyone, but in particular for the temporary inhabitants of the cottage. She also prepared rice for everyone, with some ham. And apple compote for dessert. When everything was ready, Samantha delivered it to the cottage, and when she came back, they all ate together.
After lunch, Samantha proposed to help Ana with the washing up and then the two of them took care of all the cleaning, while Andrew Ryan and Teddy watched a movie – Cars of course – in the main room. After about fifteen minutes, as they both were upstairs by the washing machine, Prescott showed Ana the text she just received from Ryan; it was a picture of Teddy asleep on the couch with his thumb in his mouth; he looked so cute. Apparently, he rarely uses his thumb to fall asleep, but he probably needed some comfort right now.
Ana was aware of what Samantha was doing, adverting her attention with nice and light girls' discussions. And that was exactly what she needed then. Ana learnt that Samantha was in her early thirties, former military, a proud auntie to three adorable children that she luckily manages to talk to every evening. She has been Phoebe's CPO for the past five years. She too is a bit worried about Phoebe's health, but she told Ana that Phoebe usually reacts strongly to any disease and then she is back to normal in no time; it already happened two or three times last year, which confirms what Christian had told her earlier.
It was also a much needed help to have Samantha with her to clean it all. Ana knew that it was not in Samantha's job description, and when she mentioned it, Samantha shushed her, telling her that they were all in the same boat here and now with this virus. So Samantha mainly took care of the washing machines and dryer loads, and then ironing things when Ana collected the clothes and linen from all the rooms, and cleaned the surfaces.
As she was busy in Phoebe's room, Ana received a phone call from Kate.
"Hi Ana, sorry to bother you like this, but we just learnt about Phoebe from Mia. How is she?" Kate asked in a worried voice.
"Hi Kate, you are not bothering me." Ana answered, sitting down on Teddy's bed for a second "Well, Christian says she still is feverish, and she is sleeping now. They are in a cottage, isolating in case it is COVID."
"Oh my. Could it be?" Kate asks shyly.
"Christian and Sawyer got back from their trip about six days ago, and they stayed isolated for days, so it should not. But they will all take tests as soon as possible to confirm that it is not that. Dr Grey believes it is just a stomach flu."
"Okay, please keep us updated. How is Teddy? How are you?" Kate goes on.
"We are fine. Teddy is napping now, he is alright, full of life." She says, smiling lightly. "And I am washing everything to avoid contamination."
"Good. If there is anything we can do, just let us know." Kate proposes.
Then Ana hears Elliot's voice saying something from behind Kate.
"Okay Honey" Kate says, before talking to Ana again "Elliot proposes to play a game on a platform with Teddy when he wakes up. Do you think he would like it?"
Ana is surprised "Well, I am sure he would. But how does it work?" Ana is definitely not the best with technology.
It is now Elliot talking, as the phone seems to be on speaker now. "Hi Ana, that's easy, is Sawyer around?"
"No, he is with Christian and Phoebe." Ana says.
"Ok, Ryan?" Elliot goes on.
"Yes, he is downstairs, taking care of Teddy." Ana tells him.
"Kate, check on the fridge please honey, there should be Ryan's phone number." Ana hears Elliot asking his wife "Okay Ana, she found it. I'll text him. I'll tell him how to connect. I know Teddy will like it, and it will give you time to breath." Elliot tells her.
"What kind of game is it, Elliot?" Ana finally asks. She should trust Elliot of course, but the nanny in her cannot help asking.
"A cars racing game. No violence. Suitable for children, I swear. It is from his favorite cartoon." Elliot confirms.
"Thank you, Elliot." Ana says apologetically.
"You're welcome, Ana. It will be fun playing with my little buddy. This lockdown thing makes it very difficult to hang with family the usual way, so we just have to adapt and do it virtually." Elliot says sincerely.
Kate is back "Okay, we know that you are busy, we will hang up now Ana. But you know, you can call us anytime, we're here for you."
"Thanks Kate. I appreciate it." Ana answers a bit surprised by this, but it definitely warms her heart "Bye." And with that she hangs up and resumes what she was doing.
It is almost 6pm when Ana and Samantha are finally done with all the cleaning. Ana even had time to start preparing dinner while cleaning the kitchen. Samantha is now in her cottage, relaxing before dinner, calling her family.
She goes upstairs in search of Teddy and as expected, she finds him in his room, playing Lego with Andrew.
"Hey Teddy." Ana says as she moves closer to the little boy, kneeling next to him.
"Hey Ana." The little boy answers as he hugs Ana's side. "Andy and I watched Cars earlier. And then uncle Elliot and I played a Cars game. It was sooo fun. Then Andy and I had chips for snack and now we are building a cool train."
"Oh I see, it is very impressive." Ana says as she caresses Teddy's hair.
"Yes, it was one of my new boxes. Andy said daddy would be okay that we opened it." Teddy says unsure.
"Of course Baby, I am sure your daddy is okay." Ana confirms, smiling at first Teddy then Andrew.
Ana thanks Ryan for everything. Having him and Samantha today was really helpful. It took some time for Ana to get used of this CPO thing, and usually they do stay away, so Ana does not really realize that they are there. But today, they stepped up, and Ana was really glad for it.
Andrew explains that he and Samantha just did their job, which Ana knows is not entirely true but she does not comment. Andrew asks Ana when she wants him to come and collect the trays for the cottage's inhabitants. Ana says it is cooking so just a few minutes. Pasta with Italian sauce and cheese on the side. And carrot soup.
Ana and Christian have been texting a few times this afternoon. Christian's first text was to thank her for the soup and rice. He said that Phoebe ate a little, before going back to sleep. They watched Frozen together, Phoebe nestled in his arms. Later in the afternoon, Christian send her a picture of Phoebe eating the compote. Ana was happy to see her smiling, even though it was clear that she was still pale. But still, it made her feel better seeing her. So she thanked Christian for it. And then just before joining Teddy in his room, she sent a text about their dinner. Christian replied quickly, asking for more details about it. So Ana sent pictures. Christian answered that Sawyer, Phoebe and him were eagerly waiting for it as it looked delicious.
After dinner with Teddy, Ryan and Samantha, Ana proposes to Teddy to read more chapters than usual. After all, there are only 5 chapters left to finally know the end of the story. Ana loved Charlie and the chocolate factory growing up. And after what happened to Violette and Veruca and the last chapters, the suspense is at its highest. What will happen to Charlie? Ana knows that it will be a good distraction for Teddy. As well as choosing the next book. And then calling his father.
Christian answers on the first ring, and Teddy and Ana are both surprised and happy to see not only Christian's face but Phoebe's as well. Sawyer is also there and the three of them are playing cards in the bedroom.
Phoebe thanks Ana for the pasta. She did try eating a little bit of sauce and she loved it. She looks good, but yawns a few times during their chat, so after only a few minutes, Christian calls it a day. Teddy sends lots of kisses to his sister, telling her to sleep well. And when they hang up, he asks Ana to lie down with him again. After just a few minutes, Ana understands that Teddy is asleep so she gets up and goes to her own room.
As she is in her bed, at 11.40pm, deep in thoughts, her phone vibrates. It is a text from Christian.
C: Are you still awake, Ana?
A: Yes. Is something going on?
C: No. I just wanted to say goodnight. Everything okay?
A: Yes, Teddy is in bed. How is Phoebe?
C: She fell asleep just a few seconds after we hung up.
A: She looked far better.
C: Yes, she is. Our first tests are negative.
A: Christian, that's great news.
C: Yes. I am starting to believe my mother is right.
A: Fingers crossed.
C: Guess where I am.
A: In bed?
C: No, I went for a walk in the backyard. I'm at our pontoon, thinking of you.
A: Oh. I wish I were there with you.
C: I wish you were here too. I miss you.
A: I miss you too.
C: I miss your scent.
A: So do I.
C: And I miss kissing you.
A: Me too. I miss your touch. I miss holding your hand.
C: I miss holding you in my arms.
A: Same here. Hopefully you won't be away for too long.
C: Hopefully. The crazy thing is I am not really away. I am just literally a few feet away.
Just when she reads the last text, Ana's phone vibrates, signaling an incoming call.
Ana answers "Christian."
"Hello Ana. You must be tired, you should go to sleep my darling. I just wanted your voice to be the last thing I hear tonight, like every night."
"I'm glad you called. Sleep well Christian." Ana tells him in a whisper.
"Well, I will try. Sweet dreams Ana." And with that, he hangs up. Ana sighs before turning on her side, imagining that Christian is sleeping next to her. If only it were true.
AN: Happy Easter everyone! So in sync with the story today :-)