Disclaimer: I own nothing...
A/N: Oh wow, you lot have blown me out of the water with your response to this! I sure hope you continue to enjoy the journey within! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
As for the details of why so secretive – patience is a virtue ;)
Beauty and the Beast – Chapter Two
Grace Trevelyan-Grey knew when one of her three children were lying. They were all the same with their own little ways. They all messed up in their own ways. Her eldest didn't know how to stand still and her youngest didn't know how to give eye contact whilst her middle child remained the most unfathomable. That was until you continued and you were able to trip him up.
Her son, Christian, the middle child, was the one that was hardest to break between her three children but, when Grace managed it she walked away with a smirk on her face. Her son's exterior barely changed until the conversation went on for a tad too long. She knew Christian lied a lot. It was a part of him and she expected it with his damaged past but, it didn't make it easier when he was now a twenty-eight year old male and had the ability to handle things. Although Christian had the tendency to lie and give eye contact and stand still, he failed at keeping a neutral tone. Grace could hear when he was spouting lies. His tone was taut and arguing and he really worked the saying 'attack is the best form of defence'.
That was how she knew he was lying when she left his apartment to get to work. The entire journey she had been mulling over it. That purse left by the front door caused too much tension. If it were just his PA's then so be it, he didn't need to get so tetchy over it. Not only that but, when she brought up about him settling down, he had a certain look in his eyes that made Grace wonder more than she should have.
His grey eyes showed wholeness and happiness. If it were down to his money he would have had that look years before when he made it big and rich in Seattle. Over the past year, that look had grown and deepened and now was shining brightly.
Only finding your other half enabled that look. It was the look her husband Carrick brought to her eyes followed by her three adoptive children. She just hoped she hadn't looked too far into this and read it all wrong.
Looking over the board she saw what patients they had to what staff and she was amazed how overstaffed they appeared to be today. She saw there were a lot of minor injuries coming through and was glad for a slow paced day.
"Working the emergency department with us today I see, Dr. Grey," one of the young nurses asked as she came to Grace's side, filling out paper work on the nurses' station.
"Yes, it's quiet on the paediatric ward so they wanted me here today," Grace commented with a smile. "How busy has it really been?"
"Dead," the nurse behind the desk cut in as she got off the phone. "However, we have a trauma victim coming in. It looks like it's going to be serious one as well. Mass blood loss already."
So much for a slow paced day!
"Well we best get ready for it," Grace piped up and rubbed her hands together in anticipation. "Let's get trauma two prepped and ready for the arrival. I want a trauma team ready. No one dies today," she stated and kept her mantra alive. Grace hated telling families their loved ones had died and she would fight death itself to prevent it happening. "Get the blood bank ready, Jane. I want to be prepared for this one."
"On it," the nurse spoke and grabbed the phone again.
As everyone set off, Grace turned around. She always loved the thrill of the ED at the hospital. That on the spot saving of people's lives. It empowered Grace to be the best. Looking around she saw her orders being obeyed and set about to free up some nurses. It didn't take her long and before she knew it they were prepped for whatever new emergency would come through the door.
"Emergency's just arriving!" One of the interns came up to Grace, readying to do her job alongside Dr. Grey.
"Let's go," Grace ordered and rushed for the entrance. Just as she got outside she found the EMT's pulling out a stretcher and rushed to help. "What have we got?" Grace asked as she ran to meet the paramedics with the latest case.
"Twenty-two year old female, found unconscious with lacerations to face, throat and neck. BP is 90 over 50 and she's just beginning to show signs of tachycardia," the male medic spoke as Grace took the chart and ran beside them as they entered the hospital. "From the scene we could see that it was a bottle used in the attack but, no one saw anything from initial police investigation so it's unclear."
"Okay, trauma room two and lets get her stabilised before we decide if surgery is needed," Grace shouted out as they entered the readied room and looked down at the unconscious female strapped down with gauzes plastered to her skin.
The medic took one look at Grace and gave a solemn look, "Surgery is needed for this one."
That broke Grace's heart. Even a doctor of the amount of years she had been it still broke her to think of how damaged people could become. However, she chose to be a doctor to save lives and that was why she was here today. "Lift on three," Grace instructed as everyone, including the paramedics got ready to move the female off of the stretcher. "One, two, three," she called out and everyone worked together in unison. As she stepped back to allow one of the medics to move the stretcher away she turned, "What's that?" Grace asked as she noticed something in the male paramedic's hand.
"It's her purse. It was at the scene with her," the paramedic said dropping onto one of the side cabinets.
Grace stood mesmerised for a moment. She knew that bag. She had picked it up when questioning her son on it belonged to. Looking at the woman on the bed being assess Grace felt sickened for a moment. That bag had been at her son's apartment. She knew distinctively from the multicoloured scarf tied to it and the diamante 'A' and a love heart hanging with it. She now knew the owner of the bag that Christian had sworn was his assistants however, Grace knew from going to her son's work he only hired blondes. There was more to it and she felt uneasy as she noticed the black leather was smothered with the sticky remnants of blood.
"Who is she?" Grace sprung to life, feeling her heart beginning to thud so hard the beat pounded in her ears. If this woman was anything to do with her son like she thought then she had to keep a level head and look after this woman.
"We checked for identification and verified her name was Anastasia Steele," the medic told Grace honestly. "She was conscious on the scene when we arrived but, she was hysterical and far from lucid. She said her name was Ana but we found her purse and double checked just before she passed out. The blood loss was enormous when we got there, we were waiting on it to take its toll."
"Okay, thanks," Grace appreciated the medics and took command of the room. "Right we need fluids set up, a cosmetic and general surgeon down here and we need bloods. Find her blood type and get her ready for a transfusion." Grace went over to Ana's right hand side and began to pull at the gauze on her cheek, exposing it to the room. When it was fully removed Grace was both shocked at the mess of her patient's face and the sheer beauty she was.
"Her pulse is weak, her breathing is slowed," another doctor in ED said as he came and helped. "Signs of shock are becoming prevalent."
Grace listened but, did her own job. She replaced the gauze to Ana's face and then moved down to her neck. "We have a bleeder near her jugular. We need a surgeon here now to work on that. Where's the blood?" Grace asked as she reached for more gauzes and pressed to Ana's neck. Locking gazes with an intern, Grace narrowed her sight, "I want you here now holding on tight to her neck. I want you to keep pressure on her neck until we have a surgeon down here to fully assess the damage." Grace only stepped aside once the intern listened and stood in Grace's spot. Slowly Grace inspected the rest of the damage to Ana's chest and saw slices all over it. Whoever did this was out with the intent to cause mass damage.
As she inspected the depth of one of the lacerations to Ana's chest she heard a noise come from Ana. It was barely there but, it was noticeable. "Ana," Grace called out as Ana's eyes began to open. "Ana, can you open your eyes for me, Sweetie?" She ran her hand over Ana's hair, soothing her, not allowing her to panic for even a moment. "That's it, can you look at me?"
Ana mumbled something incoherently – muffled by both the oxygen mask and the blood loss her body was suffering. She opened her eyes but, only minimally and what appeared to be difficultly as she inspected her new surroundings.
"You're in the ED of the University of Washington medical centre, Ana. My name's Grace, I'm your attending doctor right now. Can you tell me what happened?" Grace started an attempt to pull information out of Ana but, she could see he was very much on the cusp of becoming unconscious and striving for consciousness. Lifting the oxygen mask off, she tried again, "What was that, Sweetheart?"
"He's going to leave me," Ana managed painfully and her tears filled before slipping from the corners of her eyes. Taking a deep, painful breath, Ana looked to Grace, her eyes fighting to open, "My boyfriend," Ana mumbled, "He's going to hate me."
Grace could see the emotional shock take over. She knew that sometimes the emotional side of a trauma was so much more severe it put a person's health in a tight predicament. From Ana's suddenly racing breathing she could see that happening now.
"If he loves you he'll love you whatever," Grace told Ana, her lips smiling reassuring. "If he was brought up right he will love you and get you through this."
"He doesn't love me," Ana let a cry come out with that sentence as she continued to dissolve into a new state of depression. She was weak and feeling worthless. She was scared and she knew the feeling in her told her she was scared of the predicament she was in and she was full with terror of how Christian would react if he found out.
God, she didn't want him to know.
"You don't know that," Grace spoke to her with a calm tone.
Ana gulped again, "I love him but, I don't think he loves me. He'll never love me now! He'll think I'm a monster! She made me into a monster!" Ana became more and more hysterical as she remembered her attacker's words. He won't want you now. "What did she do to me? What did she do?" Ana's hysteria only mounted and she began to bring her hands up to her face to claw at her already damaged skin.
Grace, acting fast, took Ana's hands and threaded her fingers through Ana's and make a shushing noise she used to make when one of her children were sick. It always worked and right now, Ana was at the stage she needed a motherly figure to guard her through this. "Ana, we need you to calm down. You getting this worked up isn't going to help your condition. You need to calm down and let us help you."
Letting her colleague work Ana's physical health, Grace stuck to aiding Ana's mental state to a calmer place. They had to assess and make sure the patient was ready for whatever port of call that was needed.
"Focus on me, honey," Grace soothed and saw Ana looking at her intently. "That's it. We'll get you fixed and you'll be able to get your man."
Ana shook her head slowly, "I don't want him to see me. He can't." She sniffled and her eyes fell a little to see more people race into the room and even though her pains were smothered with doses of morphine and whatever was forced into her veins she knew the damage was still real and apparently worse to see. As her eyes rose up and Ana reached up and grabbed the Grace's name badge between her blooded fingers, "Dr Trevelyan-Grey?"
"Yes, sweetie, but call me Grace."
"My boyfriend's surname is the same as yours," Ana said and she began to feel the need to close her eyes again. The exhaustion was just too alluring and clinging to her body for her to stay conscious. However much she wanted to, she wanted to just escape the overcrowded room and the nightmare that had become her life.
"Ana, please open your eyes for me. I need you to look at me, Sweet Girl. C'mon, Ana, you can do it," Grace fought her yearn to escape and pleaded with a heartfelt plea. The previous comment hit her hard. How many Trevelyan-Grey's could there be? Not many!
"I don't ever want Christian to see me like this. I'll have no hope of winning him back." Ana's voice was becoming an inaudible whisper, "I have to make him love me."
She then let her hand fall away from the name badge, snapping Grace's doctor's coat as it made a descent to the bed and gave into the evil claws that were begging for her capture.
Grace felt her breathing tighten – how many Christian Trevelyan-Grey's were there in Seattle?