Ana
"Where the hell is that fucking bus!?" Christian growls while pacing in front of us.
We have been sitting at the bus stop for almost an hour, and it still has not shown up yet.
The kids are shivering due to the drizzle of snow coming down on us. They are huddled together on the bench beside me. I try to keep them warm with one of my other jackets that I brought with me.
I shiver myself and rub my arms. I have my big blue jacket, gloves, and hat on but I am still freezing. I bite my lip and stare at Christian while he continues to pace in front of me.
I still can't believe that we just got evicted. How is that even possible? Why would someone say that they heard us making noise when we weren't?
I don't know what we are going to do. When we didn't have anywhere to go, we would just break into houses and or abandoned ones. It was easy when there were two of us, but now we have two kids, both under three years old.
I sigh and try to warm myself up as well as the kids. Lola starts to whine and fuss while Liam's eyes are closed in annoyance. I take off her little pink hat and run my hand through her hair to try to calm her down.
I look over to Christian, and he is too busy pacing up and down the sidewalk to notice the kids.
We need to call someone. We need help, and it's starting to get colder out here, and the bus is clearly not going to come for a while, if ever. Nobody is around, due to the freezing temperature, and it's getting late.
I bite my lip and hesitate for a second before biting the bullet and asking him. "Maybe the bus is not coming, Christian. Why don't we call someone so they can help us?" I murmur.
He scoffs and shakes his head but does not stop his pacing. He ignores me, and I'm starting to get pissed that he is not communicating with me.
"Christian?" I call out his name.
He finally stops pacing and picks up the bags from the ground.
"Fine. Let's walk to the shelter, and if we see a bus, then we will get on," he says annoyed.
I look up at him with a frown. "Walk? Christian, we need to call someone."
"We're not calling them, Anastasia. I know what you are thinking, so don't. Let's go!" he hisses and his eyes narrow into slits.
I huff angrily and get up from the bench. Stubborn ass Jerk! I get the kids off the bench and strode past him without looking at him. I'm so pissed off at him right now. This would all be over if we called someone to pick us up.
Christian follows behind me as I walk determinedly along the sidewalk. It's right then that I decide to call someone when Christian is not with me. I don't care if he whines and gets pissed off and throws an adult tantrum, I am calling, and that will be the end of it!
I am getting tired of his bullshit, and I have reached my limit on his stubborn ass self. With someone so adamant about me being stress-free, he really doesn't care that the kids and I are walking in the freezing cold to a shelter that is nearly forty-five minutes away.
The kids have a hard time keeping up with my long strides, so I close my eyes and try to slow my pace. I open them and walk forward at a more leisurely pace, so the kids can keep up with me.
We stop walking multiple times due to the kids needing to catch a break before we start walking again. My earlier adrenaline rush I had earlier has slowly dwindled causing me to become more exhausted as time goes on quickly.
My lower back is starting to ache as well as my legs and feet. I look over at the kids and their faces are red their noses are starting to run. The wind has picked up a little causing us all to shiver and huddle closer to one another.
Christian stares straight ahead the entire time and doesn't pay attention to anyone who is out on the streets. We do not see one bus the whole time we are walking to the shelter.
I look over at the kids, and they are starting to get tired. Lola's eyes are starting to droop, so I stop and pick her up. Her head immediately goes to my shoulder, and her eyes close while she shivers.
Christian stops walking and look over his shoulder. Liam takes hold of my leg and tightens his fingers around the fabric of my jeans.
"The kids are tired. Can we go somewhere and rest for a while?" My teeth chatter while I try to talk.
"We don't have time to stop and rest. We need to get to the shelter, Anastasia," he says annoyed.
"The kids are exhausted, Christian! We need to rest for a little bit, and I am pregnant if you had forgotten. I'm tired. I need to slow down," I snap.
I'm probably being dramatic, but I am still so pissed at him. The kids are tired, and my back is killing me, I need to stop and sit down for a while.
My blood pressure is more than likely through the roof right now. Luckily, I don't have the other symptoms that I experienced before.
Christian runs his hand through his hair and sighs. "Okay. There are a few houses over there. Let's see if one of them are open," he points the few abandoned houses to our right.
I nod and adjust Lola on my hip and follow Christian while Liam walks beside me.
We all stand in front of a brick two-story house. It's a light brick house with a thick blanket of snow covering the roof. The second-floor windows are boarded up with plywood, and the first-floor windows are all shattered. The front porch that is made of wood is falling apart and looks like it will fall down at any moment. The other house on the left is also left abandoned but is much worse than the one we are standing in front of.
"This would have to do," Christian says distractedly while looking around the empty street. "We should get inside," he says while walking forward with Liam.
I walk towards the porch and Christian places a foot on the top step of the steps and pushes himself up onto the rickety porch. He balances himself before turning around. He holds his hand out for Liam. "Take my hand," he says curtly.
Liam gingerly holds out his hand and Christian grasps onto it firmly. I put a hand on Liam's back to help him while Christian pulls him onto the porch.
"Give me her," Christian nods to Lola.
I stand on my tippy toes and carefully hand a sleeping Lola to Christian's waiting arms. He leans down and scoops her up.
"Give me a second, I am going to go set them down in the house, and I will come back out to help you up," he says.
I nod and watch them walk into the house. I pick up the bags and try to lift them onto the porch, which I do unsuccessfully. Christian comes out and shakes his head in annoyance when he spots me and jumps down off the porch.
"I will do that. Stop lifting those! They are too heavy," he scolds me, and I roll my eyes.
He throws our things onto the porch and jumps back up. He squats down and opens his arms. I put both my hands on his shoulders as he puts his under my arms pits and picks me up.
Once I am on the ground, he kisses my forehead and leads me into the house. I look around the vacant room as Christian closes the door.
The interior is not as bad as some we have seen in the past. The blue paint that is on the walls are starting to chip; there is a torn up couch by the dirty window in the living room. There is also a chair sitting by the other window. The hardwood floors have clutter and old newspapers scarred around the entire living room. The stairs that lead to the second floor is directly in front of us.
Christian walks into the living room and sets our bags down by the wall by the door.
"Let's all get some rest for a few hours. I will set the alarm so we can leave and head to the shelter," Christian explains.
He unzips one of our bags and takes out a thin sheet. He places it on the couch and picks up Lola and Liam and sets them on the sofa. They immediately close their eyes and fall asleep.
Christian walks out of the living room and goes to find us something to sleep on. I take off my hat and wait for Christian to come back.
He comes back into the room, and he is carrying a twin worn out mattress. My eyes widen, and he gives me a weak smile when he notices me staring at the mattress.
"I'm sorry babe, I don't want you sleeping on the floor," he explains as he puts it on the floor by the sofa.
I shake my head. "It's fine," I say suddenly exhausted. My back hurts, and I'm very tired, so I really don't care what I sleep on right now.
I lay down and curl up trying to keep warm. Christian lays down and sets the alarm on his phone. He sets it down on the floor and cuddles up beside me so were spooning. I sigh when he kisses the side of my head.
"Sleep baby," he whispers into my ear.
I close my heavy eyes and fall into a deep sleep.
"Fuck! Anastasia, wake up!"
I suddenly hear Christian's frantic voice call out to me. My eyes fly open, and I look around the room confused.
"What?" I say while sitting up and rubbing my eyes.
"My fucking alarm didn't go off. The shelter is about to close in five minutes. We need to go. Now!" he says frantically while gathering our stuff.
My eyes widen, and I hurriedly stand up and gather the kids. "What time is it? I thought you set the alarm?" Did we sleep that long?
"I did. I didn't hear it. Fuck!" he yells while digging through the bags.
"What's wrong?" I say confused.
"My wallet is not here. The front door was opened when I woke up. I set it down beside me, and now it's fucking gone!" he snaps.
My eyes glisten as he throws the bags down and he punches the nearest wall with his fist. He pants as he stands there with his back towards us.
"Let's go," he snaps again and picks up our things.
Christian once again helps us down the worn steps. Once we are all on the ground, Christian races forward with the bags to the dark street. I power walk behind him with the kids holding each of my hands.
I look around, and the street and the snow has finally stopped falling, and the grounds are wet and slippery. Homeless men and women litter the streets the closer we get to the shelter. The shelter is not in a bad neighborhood, but it's not too good either.
We see the familiar brick building in the distance. After five minutes, we finally get to the front door, and my eyes widen in fear when we set the doors closed. When they are still letting people in, the doors usually remain open, and the manager is out front. Oh, my, God, were too late.
"Fuck!" Christian shouts and bangs on the door with his fist.
The kids jump up beside me and hide behind my legs. The door opens, and a man that I have never seen before pokes his head out.
"We're filled to capacity. You would have to come back tomorrow," the man shakes his head.
I whimper, and my eyes fill with tears to know that we now have nowhere to go.
"We need to come in. We have two small children, and my girlfriend is pregnant," Christian all but pleads.
The man looks at Christian sympathetically before sighing. "I'm very sorry, but there is no room. I'm sorry, but you know these shelters fill up quickly when it's winter time."
"Where is Mrs. Shana? Let me speak to her?" Christian demands.
"Mrs. Shana does not work here anymore. I'm sorry, but you need to leave." What?
"Come on man! You can't leave us out here! It's freezing; there must be room somewhere?" Christian tugs at his hair in frustration.
"I'm sorry. There is no room. You can try the shelter on Peterboro. They close their doors in twenty minutes. That is the best I can do," he says before he shuts and locks the doors.
We stand there in shock for a few minutes. What are we going to do now? We have no money and no place to sleep. I bite my lip to avoid my lip from trembling. Christian slowly picks up the bags and turns towards me.
His face is full of devastation and fear of our current situation. My shoulders slump while I stare at his sorrowful expression. "Let's go," he murmurs and walks forward.
I nod and follow him down the dark street towards the bus stop. I breathe a sigh of relief when we see the bus in the distance. Christian looks at me over his shoulder and gives me a weak smile.
The shelter is fifteen miles from here, and it is closing soon, so it's very doubtful that they will be open when we finally get there.
After we walk off the wonderfully heated bus, we are standing in front of the Peterboro temporary shelter. The doors are closed on this one too, and we already know that the place is as well closed for tonight.
Christian walks up to the door and knocks. I stand dejected behind him with the kids on either side of me.
The door opens, and an older woman with graying hair answers the door. I can't hear what she says when Christian asks her if they have room. I see her shake her head and Christian's shoulders slump, and I know that they are full too.
She closes the door, and Christian stands there staring at the door for a few minutes without moving a muscle. Tears run down my face, and I look around and see a few homeless men laying on the ground huddled under dirty blankets and old newspapers.
I look up and notice all the brightly lit stars twinkling in the endless black sky above us.
Why does this have to happen to us? What did we do to deserve this? I'm so tired of going through this. I hate to live like this.
We have nothing now. We have no home. No money, and no food.
I open my eyes and see that Christian finally has turned around and he is looking straight at me. His eyes are red and puffy. He has been crying.
I let go of the kid's hands and walk up to him while holding my bump. I bring him into my arms, and we stand there holding each other for a few minutes in silence.
He rubs my stomach as I rub his back soothingly.
Christian sighs deeply as he lets me go. He picks up the bags and takes my hand again. I tell Liam and Lola to follow us, and they walk beside me.
"Where are we going to go?" I sniffle and wipe my tears from my eyes.
"I don't know. The fuckers didn't take my phone, so I could call Elliot," he sighs and let's go of my hand.
He takes his phone out of his pocket and dials his number. I hope he picks up, and he can help us out. I really don't want to sleep on the streets tonight.
"Fuck! It went straight to voicemail," he hisses and leaves a message to call him back as soon as he can, and that it is an emergency.
We haven't talked to Elliot in a few days. Christian hasn't told him what is going on with the kids because he didn't want the information to be passed along to the Grey's since Addison is their daughter.
Christian knows they would come to help us in a heartbeat, and he still refuses to talk to them, let alone see them.
Christian shoves his phone back into this pocket and runs a hand through his hair in aggravation.
"Let's try to go back to that house and wait for him to call us back," he says while walking forward.
I sigh suddenly tired and emotionally drained even though we all woke up a little while ago. I take the kids hands and follow Christian to the nearest bus stop.
"Christian," I say with uncertainty when looking at the house that we were in earlier.
Christian curses under his breath when we see a few men and a woman go into the vacant house. One of the men stay outside keeping an eye out for any police.
They are obviously drug dealers and their customers using the house for buying.
"It looks like we are not sleeping there. Let's get out of here," Christian whispers and tells us to back away slowly, so they won't notice us.
Usually drug dealers and drug addicts would try to cause a scene when they are spotted selling or buying, so it's best if you stay away from them.
We walk hurriedly down the street, and I look over my shoulder and see that the man did not notice us because he starts smoking a cigarette, and is looking the opposite way.
"What are we going to do now?" I say as my teeth begin to chatter from the cold.
We have now been walking for twenty minutes, and the kids are starting to freeze again. We need to get them someplace warm.
"I don't know. Elliot still hasn't called me back. We need to find somewhere to rest," he shakes his head and looks around.
We have been walking down a busy street where several homeless people sleep at. We stop at a crosswalk where a man is sleeping on a cardboard box that is placed on the ground. He coughs and adjusts his sleeping bag and turns over.
We walk forward and cross the street. We walk down the sidewalk and pass many homeless men and women sleeping beside the brick buildings.
Off in the distance, I see a man who is pushing a shopping cart full of tin cans, and it immediately reminds me of Jason. I miss him, and I often wonder where he is. We haven't seen him since we left the shelter and I wonder if he is there right now or if he is out on the streets?
"Let's stop here," Christian brings me out of my thoughts.
He walks down an alley. There is water on the ground and several dumpsters on the opposite side of the brick building. I don't see any people sleeping down here, so hopefully, it's safe to stay here and rest until Elliot calls us back.
Christian sets the bags down and takes out the sheet from earlier and places it on the ground. The kids lay down on the blanket and curl up with each other. I sit down, and Christian sits down beside me. He opens his arms, and I cuddle up next to him. He sighs and kisses my head.
We sit there for a while listening to people on the streets of Detroit. I don't know how long we wait for his phone to ring before Christian falls asleep beside me.
I bite my lip and slowly climb out of his arms so I don't wake him and slide forward. I take Christian's phone and see no new missed calls. I sigh and look over at the kids. They are fast asleep as well as Christian.
The phone suddenly beeps, and I whip my head towards the sound. The phone beeps one more time, and the display shows low battery before it shuts off completely.
I gasp in surprise and my eyes water once more. Shit!
I quickly take out my phone and see that my battery is low as well. I look around and see that it is slowly starting to snow again. Fuck! We need to get out of here!
We need help. I don't want to sleep here all night. I don't want the kids to live like this. We need help, and I know the person I need to call.
I dial the number and wait anxiously for them to pick up.
My heart plummets when I get an automated voicemail. I look over my shoulder at Christian while I listen to the voicemail.
Christian's head is resting on the brick of a building. His face is peaceful, and his breathing is even. I bite my lip when the beep comes for me to leave a message.
I turn back around and close my eyes before speaking softly so I don't wake them up.
"Hi Grace, it's Ana."
AN: Thank you for reading.