A/N: Here's chapter 35 already. I wanted to assuage the readers a bit... especially after I left that cliff-hanger last time. I have no idea when I'll get time to work on this story again. I had already had most of this chapter done when I posted Chapter 34, so it may be a while, but I'll do my best to keep that time as short as possible. Thank you all for reading!

The usual disclaimer applies... ELJ is the stage; I am merely a player.

Chapter 35

Christian PoV

I paced the waiting room while Ana got an MRI and CT done. My siblings, her siblings and our parents were there, along with Taylor, Mrs. Jones, Maria, Reynolds, and Anita. We were all in her corner and wanted her to be okay.

Hours later, my mother came into the room with a large manila folder. "I've consulted with the neuro-surgeon and oncology. She does have a mass in her head, but they don't believe it to be cancerous. Neuro has a theory that due to the prolonged abuse she suffered as a child, her skull formed a growth that she ruptured last night when she hit her head on the faucet. She has quite a few healed contusions that are very old, indicating she suffered them as a young child."

"Our mother would slam her head into the walls and tables when she was upset with her," Ethan said. "I didn't remember that until just now. Ana got the worst abuse of the both of us." Kate looked at him, an astonished expression on her face. She only knew what Ana and Ethan told her about their mother, as she'd died the day Kate was born.

My mother pursed her lips, nodding at Ethan's words but was visibly sad to hear more about what Ana suffered as a child. "Yes, the scans show exactly that. We agree that the faucet incident was right amount of pressure on just the right spot on her head to break apart the mass. It sent pieces of bone matter and other tissue into her brain which has caused her amnesia and her inability to speak in English.

"Christian, you mentioned that she was answering you as if she understood you, but only in French, yes?"

"Yes, that's correct. She understood English, but just couldn't speak it. She also didn't seem to be aware that she was speaking in French. What does this all mean?"

"She needs surgery. Dr. Shepherd will open up her skull and remove the remains of the mass and find all the shards and pieces that have been moving around in her brain. He doesn't see any actual damage to her brain, just that some of the brain functions have been affected by the pieces pressing against them. He expects her to make a full recovery.

"Oncology is going to take a test of the tissue that has built up against her skull just to ensure that it's not cancerous, but like I said, we don't believe it is. They're prepping her for the OR now and she's still sedated. The plan is that once she's out of surgery, she'll be her normal self again. Just… bald."

"Bald?" Kate asked. "Oh, I suppose they have to shave her head for this, huh. Oh man, she's going to be so upset. She loves her long hair."

"We'll get her wigs for now," I added. "You know she's going to refer to this debacle as 'faucet-gate' now." Her brother and sister laughed with me. I was glad to have a light moment for once.

It seemed we couldn't catch a break. For every good day we had or good thing that happened, something like this had to go and mess it all up. Maybe this was what I was sub-consciously waiting for. Nothing to do with Bhutan, but I somehow knew that something else was going to interrupt our lives and soon. Thanksgiving would likely have to be canceled or rescheduled to someone else's house. I knew brain surgery recovery could take a while, and that's barring complications. Worst case scenario, the Doctor slips and cuts her brain, damaging it and she's changed irrevocably.

I knew Doctor Shepherd was one of the best Neurosurgeons in the country, and Ana couldn't be in better hands. And she would be… literally in his hands. Everything that made her who she was lay beneath that half inch thick skull. Her personality, her knowledge, her experience, everything about the woman I loved was about to be exposed and vulnerable. I could go back in time and slap her mother in the face for causing yet another problem for my love. First Jack Hyde and now this.

I sat down for the first time and put my head in my hands. "She'll be okay, Bro," Elliot said as he sat next to me. "Did you know that Ethan and Kate both call her 'Steele?' I mean sure it's their last name, but to them, she's Superwoman… the Woman of Steel, hence the nickname. She's survived much worse, from what I understand."

"You're not wrong. She's incredible."

Elliot smiled. "Are you planning anything? Like marriage and stuff?" he asked.

"Yeah, I was going to propose under the Eiffel Tower on Christmas while we're in Paris visiting her family. Speaking of which, she's got a skype date with her sister. I should probably let them know what happened so they don't think she's standing them up." I pull out Ana's phone from my pocket and send an email to Pierre, Antoinette, Andres, and Audra.

Hello all, it's Christian emailing for Ana. She has unfortunately taken ill and is currently undergoing surgery at Seattle Grace Hospital. I am happy to provide the details if you wish to call or skype with me. As a result, she will not be able to make your skype conversations in the next few days, possibly weeks depending on her recovery time. But if I know anything about my Ana, it's that she's a fighter. She'll be okay. The doctors are confident in a full recovery.

Thank you,

Christian Grey.

Within an hour, her phone was ringing with a call from Pierre. "Hello Mr. Bhutan, It's Christian Grey," I answered. I glanced at the clock on the wall and noted it had to be nearly three am in France. Clearly the man was worried about his daughter, which had me liking him a bit more.

"What happened, Mr. Grey? Is she going to be alright?"

"I'm not sure how much you know about the abuse Ana suffered as a small child. It was at her mother Rebecca's hands and it led to what is happening now."

"Yes, I know some. Once Rebecca succumbed to the world of drugs, she became a different person."

"That is correct," I agreed. "It was hellacious what was done to Ana and I won't go in detail, but due to repeated injuries to her head as a kid, her skull formed an abnormal growth of both bone and tissues beneath the surface. There wasn't a tangible bump on her head, but it had grown inward towards her brain.

"Last night, she bumped her head on a faucet right on that spot and it ruptured the abnormality. It sent fragments into her brain tissue and affected her memory and speech. She had no idea who I was, nor her sister and brother. Also, she was only speaking in French."

"Dear Lord," Bhutan rasped. "Was her brain damaged badly?"

"Not at all actually. The Doctors said that the fragments were merely pressing against the tissue and caused her behavior, but nothing has been damaged. She's in the OR right now having the fragments and extra tissue removed. Our Neurosurgeon is one of the best in the world, so she couldn't be in better hands."

"I'm in New York at the moment," he told me. Well, that explained his prompt reply. It was only 9pm in New York. "I'll get my plane to take me to Seattle as soon as possible. I want to see her. I'm sure her father is there and I don't want to make waves, but I simply must see her."

"Of course," I agreed. "I think it would make her very happy to see you. I'll speak with her parents to let them know you're on the way. Her surgery should wrap up around the time you arrive if you leave within the hour."

"That's the plan," he replied. I could hear him rustling fabric, likely throwing items into a suitcase. "I'll call you when I land to get an update. Thank you for letting me know about this, Mr. Grey. It really means a lot to me."

"You're welcome, and please call me Christian."

"Pierre then," he countered. "I'll speak with you in a few hours."

I ended the call and replaced Ana's phone to my pocket. I then let her parents know that he was on his way from New York. "Her relationship with him and his kids has been growing over the past few weeks," her mother stated. "I think that's wonderful. With as horrid a situation as she was in, she can find a small ray of sunshine in having that connection with her biological family that's not so… tarnished."

I laughed internally. Tarnished. That was putting it mildly. "Yes, he's aware that he's not a father to her, and he'll never replace you, Ray. He just wants to have some sort of a relationship with the daughter he just learned about."

"Of course," he agreed. "And even if she does sort of see him as a father figure, it'll never take away from my love for her or hers for me." Ending my conversation with them, I went back to my seat to sit quietly and contemplate the reality of what was going on. But then Mia came over and sat next to me.

"Christian," she addressed me. "I was thinking about Ana having to wear wigs and that had me thinking about Elena's salons. What's going to happen to them now that she's in prison?"

"Well, I was a silent partner in her salons, so they're still open and have defaulted to me as owner. I guess I'll have to decide if I want to re-brand or close them or sell them. I'm not sure. What do you think, Mia?"

"I think you should re-brand. Completely remove anything that reminds you of her and change it for the better. Plus closing them would put all those stylists and massage therapists out of work. Sure they're all talented enough for another salon to snatch them up quickly, but still. Job searching sucks."

"You're right. Perhaps re-branding and remodeling the lot of them. Sounds like a job for Grey Construction and Steele Designs," I commented louder, so Elliot, Kate, and Ethan would hear me. To keep our minds off the fact that someone was shaving Ana's head at the moment and would soon be cracking her skull open to poke and prod inside her brain, we discussed ideas for the salons.

What we all knew we agreed on but none of us would say aloud was that we wanted Ana's input on all of this. In fact, to me and most of the others, her opinions and suggestions were held above everyone else's. I think we all felt that way, but it sort of became an elephant in the room. "I think any of the workers that were loyal to Elena may want to find other work, I doubt there are many, but some of them may feel she's been wrongly imprisoned. I just don't want that kind of energy in the salons in any way."

Everyone agreed with my decision, and I knew for sure Ana would as well. I only hoped she didn't demand that I tear down or close all of the shops. They were a lucrative business and like Mia said, it'd put a lot of people out of work over a grudge.

A few hours later, one of the surgical interns came to give us an update. "Doctor Shepherd removed all of the pieces from the growth including what was still attached to the inside of her cranium and is closing her up. Everything went very smoothly and we had zero complications." The tension that I'd been holding in my shoulders released a bit. "She's going to be heavily sedated to prevent cerebral swelling or any other complications for a while so she likely won't wake until tomorrow, but you're welcome to sit with her in her room once she's returned. Probably another hour or so. Doctor Shepherd will be able to answer any of your questions at that time, too."

We thanked her and sat back down and waited for someone to come back and let us know she was in her room. Bhutan walked in a few minutes later, having made excellent time flying across the country. "I paid my pilot a little extra to fly faster," he said. "He's not supposed to do that, but I told him it was an emergency. Thankfully, he's got kids of his own and understood my panic."

"Mr. Bhutan, this is the rest of Ana's family. Her mother Miranda, father Ray, sister Kate, and brother Ethan," I said introducing him to all the Steeles. He shook each of their hands as I said their names. "And this is my sister Mia, my brother Elliot, and our parents Grace and Carrick."

"It's so nice to meet you all. The only solace I found on my plane ride was that I knew she had a lot of family in her corner. She speaks very highly of all of you, and I know the rest of my family can't wait to meet Ana and the rest of you, too. I hope our plans for the holidays can still come to fruition, despite all of this."

"We won't know until she wakes up, but she should be coming out of surgery soon," I told him. I relayed what the intern had told us and that she should be returned to her room soon, but under heavy sedatives for a while.

After an hour, as predicted, Doctor Shepherd came into the waiting room to let us know Ana was in her room. "You can go and see her now. I thought you might have some questions for me, though."

"Yes, she'll make a full recovery?" I asked.

He nodded. "Yes, none of the pieces of the growth damaged her brain just as the scans indicated. All I had to do was basically play fifty-two pick up with the shards. It was delicate work, but I removed every piece and did a follow up scan to ensure none were left behind. Once the sedative wears off, she may be a bit confused or loopy as it were, but I expect she'll have full memory return and recognize each and every one of you."

I reached out to shake his hand. "Thank you Doctor Shepherd. Thank you so much." He simply smiled in return and then left the room. "Let's go see her."

Half-running down the hall, I entered her room as fast as I could without upsetting the hospital staff or other patients. Her head was wrapped in a white gauze bandage and her face was pale. She was wearing a paper thin gown and I made a mental note to have someone get her favorite pajamas from home and her bathrobe, too.

Her face looked serene as she was still deeply sedated and would be for quite a few hours yet. Her parents and siblings were the next to enter the room. Soon the whole lot of us were surrounding her bed. I held her hand tightly in mine, while her mother held the other. After a few moments, I passed her hand off to her father, and then each person got to have their moment with my love. "Taylor," I addressed my employee slash friend. "Would you go to our house and get her something different to wear? She has a favorite pajama set. It's dark blue satin with dragonflies and shooting stars. Also, her bathrobe that's hanging inside the en-suite door."

"Right away, Sir," he agreed, nodding once to Ana's family and then stepping out. By the time he returned with her things, she was still not awake. I handed the bag off to the nurse so she could get Ana changed. My mom stayed behind the curtain with them to help.

Ana stirred slightly as they were leaning her now pajama-clad form back against the pillows, but she did not awaken. In fact it wasn't for another several hours that she did finally flutter her eyes open. As soon as she focused, her eyes immediately landed on me. "Christian?" she asked.

"Yes, my love. How are you feeling?"

"Like someone was digging around in my brain," she replied. "What happened?"

"What do you remember?" Miranda asked.

"Hi mom, um… I remember coming home from the Halloween party, and taking a bath." She glanced at me then, her cheeks warming slightly. "And then that's it. I don't remember getting out of the tub or anything after that. What happened?"

"You hit your head on the faucet in the bathtub," I explained. I asked if you were okay, and you had simply smiled at me, leaving no indication that you were in any pain. Then you went and rinsed off in the shower, since the bath water was dirty with all our costume make up, and then got ready for bed.

"You fell asleep pretty much right away and then in the morning when I woke you, you didn't recognize me and were only speaking in French," I explained. "You became rather hostile, throwing the breakfast I'd made across the room and practically attacking your siblings. You were in defense mode, I understand."

"I was only speaking in French?" she asked. "Why the hell was I speaking in French?"

"I think I can answer that," Dr. Shepherd said as he came into the room, his wife Meredith in tow. She was my cousin. Her father and mine were brothers. "You had a growth on the inside of your skull, likely as a result of the repeated contusions you suffered as a child."

Ana looked down. "Yeah, my biological mother liked to slam my head into things." Meredith flinched at Ana's words. She had her own version of a terrible mother and was probably thanking whatever god she prayed to that her mother wasn't physically abusive as well as emotionally.

"Right," Dr. Shepherd replied, clearing his throat. "This growth was not causing any harm, so you had no way of knowing about it. However when you hit your head on the faucet it was at the right spot and at the right angle that it ruptured the growth, sending bone fragments and fluid into your brain. When said fragments would press against certain parts of the brain tissue, it caused your memory loss and linguistic confusion."

"Wow, what are the odds of that? And why now? I mean, I practice several forms of martial arts. My head hits the ground a lot when I'm sparring. Hell I've been hit and kicked in the head more times than I can count. Was this just the straw that broke the camel's back, so to speak?"

Dr. Shepherd laughed. "Yes, basically. Like I said, it was at just the right angle, just the right amount of pressure, and at just the right spot. A perfect storm if you will. Good thing, too, though, as if that growth had gotten much bigger, it could have damaged your brain tissue."

"Am I bald?" she asked as she looked up to try and see the bandages around her head.

"Yes, love, you are," I told her. "But I'm sure if anyone can pull off being bald, it's you."

"Time to go to a wig shop, I guess," she joked. "How long until I'm out of here?"

"Well that depends on if you can even get out of bed," the doctor replied. Ana went to get up, but saw that she couldn't move her arms and legs at all. She could barely wiggle her fingers and toes let alone anything else. "As I suspected. It'll take some time for you to regain full motor function, as is normal when recovering from brain surgery."

"Ugh, so I'm stuck here until then?" She looked down and saw she was wearing her favorite pajamas. "Where did these come from?"

"Our closet," I told her. "I had Taylor go and get them once you were out of surgery. I figured you didn't want to be stuck in a paper gown for the duration of your stay."

She smiled at me. "There are reasons I keep you around, Grey." She then looked around the room at everyone in attendance. So far it was just me and the four parents in the room. "Are the brothers and sisters here?" she asked. I nodded telling her Pierre had flown in, too. "Really? Wow. Well, let everyone else in, I'm sure they want to see I'm alive and no longer speaking in only French."

"Hello, dear," Bhutan said as he stepped into the room.

"Hi Pierre, thank you so much for coming all this way for me. It really means a lot," Ana told him.

He waved it off. "I was in New York anyway, so it wasn't terribly out of my way, and even if I was half-way around the world, I'd have dropped everything. Whether I raised you or not, Ana, you are my daughter. I will always come to your side whenever you have need or want of me." That had me liking him even more. Ana smiled at him and thanked hi m again.

After speaking with everyone about how she's feeling and relaying what the doctor told her about recovery time, the nurse came in and shooed most of us out. "She needs her rest," she told us.

"Christian stays," Ana declared. I felt her weak fingers tighten around mine slightly. She was able to move them a bit more, but couldn't put much strength into her fist. "Everyone else can come back in the morning."

The nurse pursed her lips, but then stepped out when she saw Ana's icy glare. Overall she'd been a great patient, but wasn't about to let the nurse or doctors separate us. We'd been through that before after Hyde-gate. We still weren't on speaking terms with Flynn.

"I'd kill for a cheeseburger," Ana mused. "Can I eat yet? Will you get the nurse that's afraid of me back in here?"

I could only laugh. Leaning down, I kissed her forehead. "Yes of course." Calling the nurse back in, I asked when Ana can have some substantial food, and if it was alright if I procured said food from outside the hospital. She said she'd check with the doctor and be right back.

Meredith popped in then. "She can eat," she told us. Ana gave her a quizzical look. "That nurse will take an hour 'checking with the doctor' during which she'll really be sleeping with an intern in the on-call room, and then she'll come back and say that you can eat. So go ahead and order a pizza or a burger or whatever deliciously unhealthy thing you're certainly craving after having had brain surgery."

"Thanks Mere," I said to my cousin. She smiled and popped out of the room. Having just finished her residency, she's been unavailable for most family functions. In fact, I didn't think she'd even met Ana officially yet.

"Cheeseburger it is then. From the diner?" she asked, her tone icy. I nodded and called Taylor to have him help out. "Thank you, Jason!" she shouted as I was ending the call.

I sat down in the chair near her bed and took her hand in mine again, stroking my fingers across hers. "Am I completely bald? Or is it just a chunk missing?"

"Completely bald," I told her. "The doctor had to get to a lot of areas of your brain so, he had to remove the entire top of your skull."

Ana sat silently for a few minutes, staring off into space. I knew she had a lot to process. "You know… for the first time ever, I'm actually glad that my mother is dead."

"What? You weren't before?" I had thought she was glad of that for a long time.

"No, not at all," she replied. "Not because I wish she was still my mother, hell no, but because I've always wanted her to have been able to see how far Kate, Ethan, and I have come after what she put us through. But now, as I learn the depth of her addiction and the horrible person she became, I'm actually glad she's dead. I'm glad she put herself out of her own misery, and thus kept us from further torture. Though I'm sure she didn't plan on Jack Hyde being the one to find us and subsequently rape me, but still. She ended it; she had the courage to do that.

"I know generally suicide is the coward's way out, and that's how I've always felt about what she did, but now I see. She saw no other way; she was taking herself out of the equation. I always wondered why she didn't just bring me and Ethan to a hospital or a church and give us away. I thought she hated us so much that she wanted to torture us. But now I think she did love us, underneath all the drugs, and just couldn't part with us no matter how awful our lives were. And then when Kate came along, she fully realized what she was doing to herself, and to us. She didn't have the courage to give us away, but she did have the courage to kill herself. As macabre as it sounds, she really did it on purpose and with a lot of thought."

Taylor arrived then with her cheeseburger. "I had them throw in some of the fries and Mrs. Jones made a tiramisu, so there's a slice of that in there, too."

"Bless you, Jason. You're my favorite right now. And so is Mrs. Jones. I fracking love tiramisu." She turned to me then. "Help me sit up?" I found the button to raise the angle of her bed. Taylor set the food out on the bed tray and slid it over her lap. She went to lift her arm to grab the cheeseburger, but her arm wasn't cooperating. I could see her fingers flinching with the effort, but her arm wasn't moving.

"Here, let me help." I pulled the chair up right next to her and picked up the cheeseburger. The look on her face told me she'd rather eat dirt than be fed like this. "Got any better ideas?" I challenged. She pouted, but eventually relented and opened her mouth.

"This is the most ridiculous thing ever," she said after swallowing the first bite. I held up her cup of water with straw and she took a long sip. "I'd better get my motor functions back by the next meal. I've never been more humiliated in my life."

"Ana," I said softly. "It's okay. It's only me here, and I'm more than happy to help you eat. It's not demeaning or debasing in anyway. Right now, you're not able to feed yourself, so you need help. It's okay to need help once in a while."

She took a deep breath. "I know you're right. It's just… It's just that I've never had to rely on others to do simple things like this. Not since I was very, very little. Once I was able to pick up a spoon on my own, I fed myself. And then I fed Ethan. I told you how for a long time I didn't let Miranda do any mothering for me."

"Are you ready for another bite?" I asked, holding a fry that I'd just dipped in ranch dressing, her preferred condiment for fries. She smiled and nodded, opening wide. It took everything in me to not make an airplane noise as I moved the morsel into her mouth. "Have you ever had poutine?"

"Yes! It's delicious! Maybe we should have it at the diner?!"

"What? Um sure, yes I suppose you could. I've never had it, only heard of it. It sounds gross to me."

"Oh Christian, not even close. It's even better than fries with ranch. We'll find somewhere that serves it and have you try it some time soon. It's soooo good, I'm telling you."

I was glad I successfully derailed the conversation from her worrying about not being able to feed herself, nor talking about her mother's suicide. Normal conversation was what she needed, even if she didn't know it. "Oh that reminds me. Mia asked me what I plan to do with all the Esclava salons now that Elena is in prison. I was a silent partner, so they've all defaulted to me as sole owner. We discussed possibly re-branding and remodeling them. But we also agreed that we wanted to include you in to decision making, and you weren't there at the time."

"Was I just asleep or was my skull open in the OR?" she asked.

Well she certainly had a way of getting right to the point, didn't she. "You were in surgery at the time. Whether or not Derek had completely removed your skull cap at the time, I'm not sure."

"Who the hell is Derek?"

"Oh ha. Derek Shepherd. Your surgeon. His wife is my cousin."

Realization dawned on Ana's face. "Oh, is that the woman who came in here and told me I could eat?"

"Yeah, Meredith Grey. Her Dad is my Dad's brother," I answered.

"That makes so much more sense now. I couldn't figure out why she was so friendly with you when she came in here, or why you called her "Mere." You never call people by their first name unless they're family or me."

"You are family," I declared. "Maybe not officially, but in every way that matters. You're my family."

"I love you Christian," she said, smiling. "Or should I say, J'taime." I flinched. "Too soon?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure a couple hours after you had brain surgery to correct your inability to speak English for a while is too soon, Ana." She laughed. "I love you too, by the way." I leaned down and captured her lips for a short but passionate kiss before feeding her the rest of her meal.

By the time dessert was served, she was able to lift her right arm, but only to her elbow. I helped hold up her upper arm while she attempted to fork some of the tiramisu. More of it landed on her pajamas than in her mouth, but she did get to taste a few mouthfuls. "Well, I suppose that's progress. And by far the best tiramisu I've ever had. Gail will have to give me her recipe."

Ana had exherted a lot of energy eating, so she was ready for a nap. I helped clean up her face from the tiramisu and changed her shirt. "I'll have Taylor bring over some more pajamas for you and get these washed tomorrow," I told her. She simply nodded as she leaned back and closed her eyes. "I'll be here when you wake. She nodded again, this time a smile on her face, and within moments, she was fast asleep.

As I watched her sleep, I thought about the last twenty four hours. We'd dodged a bullet with this brain injury. It could have been so much worse. She could have had cancer, or an aneurysm, or had fluid on the brain, or the shrapnel from the growth could have punctured and badly damaged her brain tissue. I hadn't realized how fully terrified I was until I felt the relief when she woke up and was able to speak and recognize everyone. We were out of the woods. Yes there was a long road to recovery, but Ana could do anything on her own. With help, she was damn near invincible.

A/N: Yeah, I decided to make this in the same universe as Grey's Anatomy. Because why not? Apart from Derek and Meredith having this small cameo, I don't plan on having any more crossover stuff here. Also, I have no idea if a growth on the brain like this could ever happen, nor if when ruptured it would affect someone the way it did Ana. I pulled all of that out of thin air. Up next will be more recovery for Ana, and planning the Thanksgiving holiday.