Ana
I jump awake when I feel someone run a hand through my hair softly. I lift my head groggily and see through a haze, Christian staring at me with a small smile. My eyes widen as I jump off the bed and gasp.
"Christian!" I am wide awake now.
"Hi baby," he chuckles as I launch myself at him without even thinking of his injury.
"Careful baby," he groans when I accidentally hit his injured shoulder with my arm.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Oh," I gasp and get off of him.
"It's okay baby. Come here," he opens his good arm so I can snuggle to his side.
"Are you okay?" he asks concerned.
"Am I okay? What about you?" I frown as I look up at him. Why is he asking me if I am okay? He was the one who was shot.
"I'm alright," he frowns deeply. He stares at me as if he hasn't even been severely hurt.
"I was so scared, Christian. You were shot. How can you be so calm right now?" I sniffle.
"Ana, I'm fine. As long as you are not hurt, then everything is okay," he sighs.
"No it's not okay," I get off the bed and start to pace.
Why is he acting like this? He was shot for Christ Sake! He almost died because of what happened. Why did this have to happen? Why does everything have to go so wrong?
"Anastasia, will you stop pacing and sit down," he snaps.
"No! Christian, it is not okay! I almost lost you!" I shout as tears run down my face.
"Hey, Ana, come here please," he begs me as I put my head in my hands and weep.
"I-I'm sorry," I stutter into my hands.
"Ana, please, let me hold you," he begs again.
I slowly make my way towards him while I still have my head in my hands. I get to the bed and feel Christian's hand try to pry my hands away from my face.
"Baby, please look at me," he murmurs.
I sniff and slowly look up at him. He is staring at me with a guilty expression.
"Baby, I am sorry I made you upset. Please, let me hold you," he murmurs as he runs his hand down my face softly.
I get on the bed and lay my head on his chest gently as he places his good arm around my shoulder and slowly lays back.
"I'm sorry. I made you cry. You know I can't stand to make you cry. It's just that-
"What?" I sniff into his chest.
"I know you were worried, but I was more worried about you. If they did something to you," he whispers.
"Nothing happened to me," I look up at him, and he has his eyes closed, and his face is etched in pain.
"Christian," I take my hand and bring his face closer to mine. He opens his eyes and looks at me with haunted gray eyes. "I am okay," I implore him with my eyes.
"What if something happened to the baby?" he eyes widen in fear.
"The baby is fine. They didn't even touch me," I reassure him.
He takes a deep breath and places his head in the crook of my neck. I run my hand through his hair and massage his scalp. He puts his hand on my belly and rubs gently. I sigh in content as we lay there in each other's arms.
I wake up some time later, to a knock at the door. I pick up my head to see a nurse walking in the room. I yawn and stretch my left leg. The nurse smiles as she reads Christian's chart.
"How is he doing?" She gestures to a still sleeping Christian.
"He's doing okay, thanks," I smile.
"Wonderful. He should need some more pain medication, so I will give him another dose before he wakes up," she explains as she gets the needle ready. I nod as she walks over and gives him a dose through his IV line. "The doctor should be in to see him in a few hours," she says when she is finished.
"Okay. What time is it?" I ask.
"It's around seven thirty am," she says while looking at her wrist watch.
"Thank you," I smile.
"Your welcome. His light breakfast should be here before eight. The cafeteria is open for breakfast until nine if you're hungry," she laughs as my stomach suddenly growls causing me to blush.
"Sorry," I say embarrassed.
"It's quite alright. Let me know if you need anything," she smiles warmly at me before leaving the room and closing the door quietly, so she doesn't wake Christian.
I get off the bed slowly and stretch my muscles. I let Christian sleep a little longer. I use the restroom and wash my hands. I try to comb my hair with my fingers, so it doesn't look like a rat's nest and leave the room. Christian is still sleeping when I get done, so I head out of the room and get something to eat in the cafeteria. The baby is hungry.
Nurses and doctors are walking around the hallways. I walk pass various patient rooms until I get to the elevator. I get to the cafeteria on the second floor and walk in. The area is open, and the design is modern. Several booths and tables scatter the open room. The colors consist of different shades of brown with bright lighting. I see a couple of servers setting up various foods causing my stomach to growl even louder.
I walk to the buffet style counter and take a plate. Before I have a chance to get some food, I spot the prices of a plate on the board in front of me. Shit. I bite my lip and set the plate back on the counter. I sigh and turn around. I stop and look around the room feeling despondent. I guess I am not eating today. I look over my shoulder and stare at the food in longing. I quickly look away when I get pity stares from the servers that are passing out the food to other customers.
"Are you okay sweetie?" a sweet voice suddenly says startling me.
I look up and see a blonde, blue-eyed women standing next to me. She is dressed a white patterned shirt, a black leather jacket, skinny jeans, and black studded ankle boots. Her blonde hair is up in a messy bun. She is gorgeous. She stares at me expectantly.
"Yes, I'm all right," I say brightly.
She frowns and purses her lips. "Are you in line?" she points to the food.
"Oh, no. Go ahead," I blush and move out of the way.
"It's okay. If you want something, you go first. You were here before me," she smiles.
"No, really, it's okay. I didn't want anything anyway," I lie.
"Okay, cool," she says.
She picks up a plate and puts some eggs on her plate. My mouth waters at the delicious food in front of me. My stomach growls causing her to look over at me. She frowns. I look away embarrassed and hurriedly walk to one of the booths in the back and sit down. I put my head in my hands and try to ignore the hunger. I will just share Christian's food when he gets it.
I sigh and decide just to head back upstairs. I want to be there before Christian wakes up. Before I can get up, the girl from before comes into view.
"Are you sure you are okay?" she says. I look up at her, and she is frowning deeply.
"Yes, I am fine," I give her a small smile.
She stares at me with narrowed eyes. She cocks her head to the side and suddenly sits down in front of me. I squirm when she stares at me. Her bluish green eyes are assessing me intently. She looks down at her food and picks up an apple and offers it to me. I stare at her confused.
"Here, take this," she sighs.
"No, thank you. I'm not really hungry," I inwardly face palm myself. She already heard your stomach growling, you idiot!
She puts down the apple and steeples her fingers together and stares at me with a raised eyebrow.
"I don't like apples, but thanks for offering," I lie again. Stupid.
She sighs and takes her hands and rubs her temples. "Look, I know you're hungry, and I know you are lying. Please, just take the apple, and if you don't want that, then I can give you some cash to go get something that you do want," she points to the food counter behind her.
"I-It's okay," I stutter. I don't know what to say. I am hungry, but I hate asking other people for money.
She goes to speak again, but I cut her off. "It's okay. I need to get back to my boyfriend," I say in a rush and get up from the table and briskly walk away.
"Hey, wait!" she tries to get my attention, but I don't stop or answer her, I just keep walking. I hate being rude, but I am embarrassed to admit that I don't have any money to buy food.
I wipe the lone tear that slips out of my eye with my finger and continue to walk to Christian's room. I get to his door and take a deep breath. I hope he is awake. I look at the wall clock that is in the hallway and see that I have been gone for forty-five minutes.
I open the door and see Christian awake and eating his breakfast. He eats the last bit of egg with his good hand and drops his fork and lays back, sighing contently. I deflate. I guess I am not eating. He spots me at the door and smiles brightly.
"Hey, baby. Did you eat?" he stares at me expectantly.
I put on a fake smile. "I did." Why are you lying? I don't want him to worry; that is all. He frowns briefly before nodding.
"I woke up, and I didn't know where you were. The nurse said that she told you about the cafeteria, so she told me you were probably getting something to eat. She also informed me that you sounded pretty hungry," he chuckles.
I blush at the thought of her telling him my earlier episode of my growling stomach. And if things couldn't get any worse, my stomach growls again. I start to panic when he frowns in confusion.
"Are you still hungry?" he narrows his eyes at me.
"I'm fine. Probably just gas," I blurt out. Really, Ana? Gas!
"You're lying. Baby, tell me the truth," he sighs.
I put my head down in defeat. I have always been a terrible liar. I don't want him to feel guilty for eating all the food. He didn't know, and the nurse told him I was eating down at the cafeteria. He's not a mind reader, Ana.
"You have to pay for the food down there," I murmur.
He groans, and I faintly hear him say shit.
"Why didn't you come back up here? I could have shared mine. Babe, you need to eat," he says exasperatedly.
"It's okay-," I say, but he is having none of it. He puts his hand up and angrily hits the nurses button that is beside his bed.
"Nurse!" he shouts.
"Christian, it's-," he cuts me off again.
"It's not fine! You need to eat. The baby," he hisses.
I nod weakly. I know he is right, but what can we do? We don't have any money to buy me anything. The nurse walks into the room confused when she sees Christian fuming.
"Is everything okay in here?" she asks with a frown.
"No, it's not. She needs food. Can you please bring her some?" he grits his teeth.
She frowns deeply before she says, "The cafeteria is open-," she starts to say, but Christian rudely cuts her off.
"I am fully aware it is open. You never informed me that the food is priced. So I am asking, if you could bring her some up here without her having to pay for the damn food," he snaps.
"Sir, it doesn't work that way. Food is brought in for all patients, and all visitors and family members have to pay for their own meal," she calmly explains.
"Christian-," I beg him not to say anything about us not having money.
"Did it ever occur to you that maybe some people do not have money?" he snaps again, ignoring my pleading expression.
I close my eyes when he blurts it out anyway. I look over at the nurse embarrassed of what he just said. I'm usually not this ashamed about our situation, but for some reason, right now, I am. She looks at me with a sympathetic smile.
"Mr. Grey, I do not assume personal situations. I do not discriminate, nor do I butt into people's private business. I will see what I can do," she smiles at me before walking out of the room.
I whip my face around to Christian and glare at him. He huffs as he slowly lays back on his bed. "Did you have to just blurt that out like that?" I snap.
"Yes, Anastasia, I did. You are pregnant, and I am not allowing you not to eat," he snaps back.
I sigh heavily and look up at the ceiling. He's right. I need to eat, but the way he went about it was embarrassing. I breathe out slowly and look over at him. He is staring out of the window with a frown on his face. I walk over to him and run my hand through his hair. He slowly closes his eyes and purrs. I crack a smile and slowly inch my face to his, and he looks at me. A small smirk appears on his face as I smile back at him and place my lips on his. Our mouths are moving slowly against each other, savoring the connection, but before we can go any further, the door bursts open.
I whip my face to the door and see Grace walking into the room. My eyes widen when I see two more people standing in the back of her. It's Grayson and the girl I saw in the cafeteria. What?
"Good morning, Ana. Christian. How are you feeling dear?" she says kindly.
I stand up straight and frown. The girl's eyes widen when she sees me. "Hey, it's you. Why did you run off on me earlier?" she frowns as she walks over to me.
Grace and Grayson stare at us confused. Christian is equally confused when he stares at me.
"How do you know, Ana babe?" Grayson walks over to her and wraps his arm around her waist.
"I bumped into her in the cafeteria. She said she wasn't hungry, but I could tell she was lying," she cocks her eyebrow at me. I blush and look down at my feet. Ugh. Now, everyone knows.
"Hold up, can someone please tell me what is going on? And what are you all doing here?" Christian says exhaustedly.
"I was on duty last night when they brought you in dear. I saw Anastasia, and she told me what happened. I came back last night to check on you and you two were asleep, so I wanted to return this morning to see how you were doing. By the way, Elliot was discharged early this morning. He is okay, just a little sore," Grace says while she fluffs Christian's pillow for him causing him to stare at her dumbfounded.
I stare at her in awe. She is fixing Christian's bed sheets and making sure he is comfortable. I stifle a giggle when she fixes his messy hair. He just stares at her like she is an alien who came here from a different planet. She is being loving and sincere. Something a loving mother would do for her injured son.
I bite my lip and shake my head at the thought. She is extra loving towards him all of a sudden, and I am confused at her expression that clouds her face. Pain and a loving warmth are mixed into her expression. I look over at Grayson and the mystery women, and he is staring at them like it's the most natural thing for her to do. And the girl is chuckling.
Grayson breaks the awkward moment, "I came here to take my mother out for breakfast since she has been at the hospital all night. She told me what happened. I hope you are doing well considering the circumstances?" he frowns.
Christian shakes his head as if he came out of a trance. "I am fine, thanks."
"I'm sorry. This is my girlfriend, Priscilla. She wanted to see my mother since she has been busy lately. I guess you two have met each other already?" Grayson smirks causing me to blush once more.
"Yes, it explains a lot," she crosses her arms over her chest and cocks her eyebrow at me. I blush brighter shade of pink and nod pathetically.
I look at her, and she gives me a wink and an expression that says she gets it. I smile at the ease I feel now. There not judging me or our situation and I appreciate that.
The nurse suddenly enters the room, and she is holding a plate of food. My mouth waters and my stupid stomach growls again causing everyone in the room to chuckle. I blush again. Ugh. Stop blushing!
"Here you go, Miss. Steele," she smiles knowingly.
"Thank you," I say gratefully.
She smiles and takes hold of Christian's chart and reads it over. "Everything looks good so far. You may be able to go home tomorrow if things keep going on this route," she informs Christian.
He nods as she leaves the room. Grace smiles at him lovingly. I stuff the food into my mouth and savor the taste. I am being extremely rude eating in front of all of them, but I can't help it. I'm hungry, and I haven't eaten anything since yesterday. It's then I remember that I need to take my prenatal vitamin. I get up and get my purse from the chair that is sitting by Christian's bedside and take out the pills, and take one with water. Grace smiles as she sits down on the chair that my purse was sitting on.
I go back to my food and finish. Grayson speaks with a sense of authority, "I would like to talk with Christian and Ana alone, please."
I frown as does Grace and Priscilla. He kisses her on the cheek and she nods at him. She turns to me and smiles. "It was nice to meet you. I am sure we will be seeing more of each other," she says.
"Yeah, sure. It was nice to meet you too," I frown but smile.
Grace gets up, and gives Christian a kiss on the cheek and rubs his cheek tenderly causing Christian to stare at her dumbfounded once again. "I will be back later to check on you sweet boy," she says sweetly.
He nods at her in awe. I stare at her astounded when she squeezes my shoulder softly while passing me to walk out of the door with Priscilla. Okay, what the heck?
"So, I wanted to reiterate my earlier offer of employment at Grey Construction," he says smoothly while unbuttoning his suit jacket and sitting down on the chair that Grace vacated.
Christian sighs and adjusts his injured shoulder that is still in the sling. I squirm in my seat when I finish eating the food.
"I told you I would think about it," he murmurs uncomfortably.
"Yes, well, that was a while ago, and I sure thought that I would get that phone call by now, but I haven't heard from you. I understand your circumstances. I have been where you have been before I became a Grey. I know about being prideful and stubborn. I know that you are not going to take my offer, but I want you to reconsider," he nods.
Christian tenses and stares at him impassively. I stare at them nervously, wondering what he is going to say. The room is silent for God knows how long before the door suddenly opens again revealing a short brown-haired woman with a clipboard and glasses.
"I'm sorry. Is this a bad time?" she says looking around the room.
"No," Christian blurts out, probably grateful that she broke the awkward tension.
"Very well. I am one of the hospital administrators here, and I have some forms for you to fill out," she says politely.
"Okay," Christian says confused.
"The doctor admitted you to an inpatient status, and these are the insurance forms for you to fill out. This one is for your insurance-," she explains, but Grayson cuts her off when Christian's eyes bug out of his head when she says insurance.
"I will take those forms, ma'am," He says firmly causing her to frown.
"Sir?" she says confused.
"Can you give us a minute, please?" Grayson asks.
"Of course. I will leave these here for you. Just page the nurse once you have these filled out," she says politely and leaves the room.
Christian sighs heavily and I close my eyes. I forgot about not having insurance. How are we going to pay these bills? Christian had surgery. These charges are going to be through the roof. I start to squirm at the thought of the uncertainty. Grayson brings me out of my panic.
"I have a proposition for you. I will pay all of these medical bills if you accept my offer of employment," he says. He is sitting in the chair with his legs crossed and his hand resting on his chin.
Christian and I stare at each other dumbfounded. Why would he pay the medical bills? Why is he doing this? "Yo-you would do that?" I stutter.
Grayson is looking at me with a small smile. He simply says, "Yes."
Christian stares at his shoulder. A frown is mirroring his brow. I stare at him, waiting for his answer.
"What do you say, Christian?" Grayson asks again.
Christian slowly looks over at Grayson for a minute before he suddenly blinks. He looks over at me and slowly lowers his eyes to my stomach and simply stares for a moment before he takes a deep breath. Before I know what is happening, he blurts out, "Okay."
AN: Well, there you have it. Christian agreed, I know it was about time. ;)
Next chapter there will be a time jump, and another character will be added into the story. Can anyone guess who that might be?
Thank you for all the reviews and followers. Again, excuse any mistakes about the hospital policy or insurance purposes. It is probably not how it goes, but I wrote it this way to fit into the story.
Until next time.