Disclaimer: I own nothing...
A/N: I was supposed to update before work earlier but, I got involved in writing the other chapters and then was running late or work! Oops! But now you get an update and I hope it doesn't disappoint =)
Thank you for the response to this. You lot are out of this world!
Beauty and the Beast – Chapter Five
"Oh, Mr and Mrs Steele," Grace said taking a step forward. "Grace Trevelyan-Grey," Grace introduced herself. "I was the one that phoned you."
Carla gave a sad yet welcoming smile, "How's my baby?" She asked and felt her eyes water as Ray put his arm around her. "Is she okay?"
"She's in the ICU resting at the moment," Grace said and motioned them to follow her to a private room. She noted that Christian followed like a little lost sheep and she had to stop him, "Christian, sweetheart, I need to talk to Ana's parents."
Christian shook his head, not prepared to leave just yet. "I need to be here."
"This needs to be private for her family," Grace stopped her son, pressing her hands to his shoulders to push him backwards.
"I am her family!" Christian exploded suddenly. "I'm the man that loves her; I need to be here for her!"
Looking to the distraught parents, she saw the same look of confusion on their faces that she had when she first put all the pieces together. It was so flagrant that to ignore it would be quite literally unethical. "Christian," Grace tired as she turned back to Christian. The defiance that greeted her was almost shocking.
Carla, with a watery smile, spoke up, "Let him stay." She didn't say why but, she felt a need to keep him here. Between the depth of his voice, the conviction in his tone and the devastation in his eyes at this predicament she felt forced to keep him here.
"Sure?" Ray asked and Carla nodded fiercely. "Okay, let him in."
Waiting on Christian to come in, Grace pressed the door and used the action to take a moment of sweet contemplation before taking on a professional persona and turning back. "First off I would like to state that Ana is struggling with this attack and even though I didn't perform her surgery I have been listed for her post-op care and hospital recovery."
"What happened? What got her to this point?" Ray asked, praying for his daughter and he could just see that Christian was standing awkwardly silent on the sidelines.
"According to the EMTs that brought her in, she was attacked. There was glass found at the scene and in some of her cuts so we can assume that was what was used." She watched the news register and then began to just spew the incomprehensible news. "Ana has suffered a great deal of physical injuries," Grace started solemnly, not caring for her son right now. She had to give Ana's parents a competent doctor. "I was the attending trauma doctor for Ana when she was first brought in. By the time she got here she was showing signs of shock as well as showing signs of tachycardia. We began to assess her injuries and found her to have massive facial, neck and chest trauma caused by a sharp object." Taking a calming breath, Grace could see her son standing in the corner alone and breaking down as she spoke, "She had lost a huge amount of blood from her neck wound where it looked like her attacker had gone for her jugular. She's cut up from what looks like Ana putting up a defence against the hits and, fortunately, that saved her from more wounds to her face."
"My poor baby," Carla broke down and fell against Ray for support.
"Is she going to be scarred from this?" Ray asked, trying to mentally work out how his daughter would get over this.
Grace gave a small nod, "From what I saw, the lacerations were more than surface deep. Most of the tears ripped through several layers of skin and muscle. I had a cosmetic surgeon called down the moment Ana was brought in but, she'll need several more surgeries before they can say how minimal the scarring will be." Grace knew it seemed farfetched but, she needed to get these two people ready for what could well happen with their daughter. The injury to her neck was not one to take lightly on its on but, coupled with the amount of lashes to Ana's chest and the gauges to her face, Ana was, for the time being, highly dependent on what the hospital had to offer.
She could slip at any moment.
And that wasn't even taking into account how much she could slip with her mentality when she had to fully face herself. The reflection in the mirror was almost the hardest person to face. Now Ana had to find the courage to confront herself.
"I think for now it would be best if I go to Ana and I'll come back with a more up to date report on how Ana is doing. I'll also bring her surgeon down to discuss with you our next steps in this. I will advise you now, from the behaviour she has displayed, I will getting a psychiatrist on board. Before you decline, we do it with all of our patients who are brought in due to an attack of any degree. From what I witnessed of Ana's behaviour before and after the surgery, her mentality will easily make a quick decline. I just want to be prepared."
"Do whatever to look over our baby," Carla told Grace, pushing all of her faith into the other woman's hand.
"I will," Grace said with ease. "I promise." She had faith in her words and as she lead them back out of the family room, Grace was ready to help Ana however possible. There were no boundaries to Grace and her work. She strived to be the best. That was why she was asked to work at the University of Washing Medical centre. It was the best hospital in Seattle immediately classifying her as the best. To be the best you had to believe.
Walking back out they all took their own seats as Grace disappeared to check on Ana's condition and see if there were any distinctive changes. Everyone seemed to take their own spots and even though he could feel Taylor sticking close and see Sawyer remaining nearby the ICU doors, Christian had never felt so alone.
He wanted to run to Ana's room, beg her to wake up and see that he was serious. He needed to prove to her that everything that happened wasn't the truth. Slowly the bitterness in him grew. He began to loathe himself. After all, why the hell had he let her leave late at night? God, he had sent Sawyer but it was just too late. She was nowhere in sight. He had practically pushed her into the path
But what if it was planned? Whoever did this would have gotten Ana whatever. They would have purposefully done this in another place at a later time. If this was done with pure intent then Christian really wouldn't stop until justice was served. For now, Christian just hated that he felt like he played a part in this outcome. His fight for her came after she left. Hell there was at least eleven voicemails proving that.
He just prayed she had heard them – or would get a chance to.
"Carla!" Kate practically cried the name as she came into the room and saw Ana's parents sitting together like a united front. "What happened?" She asked and looked to Ana's father, "Ray?"
"She was attacked," Ray told Kate and watched as her entire face fell and he took her into his arms. He valued Kate like a daughter like the Kavanagh did Ana. "All we know is she is in the ICU." He ran his hand over her back to calm her and felt her move her head and then abruptly push away.
"Why are you here?" Kate asked as she noticed Christian sat alone in the waiting room. She practically stalked over to him. "You don't even know Ana!" Kate's mind began to conspire against her. She went from normal thoughts to absurd ones. Why was Christian Grey here when her best friend was in a hospital bed? What was his part in this? "You should leave."
"I'm not going anywhere," Christian fought back as he stood up from his seat.
"Why not?" Kate asked, her tone heightened with displeasure. To her, Christian Grey was nothing to Ana but, everything to Elliot seeing as they were related.
"I'm dating Ana," he admitted and he found the cross he bare as a result of lying to everyone was easing. His heart blossoming as he admitted it freely that he was dating Ana.
"No you're not," Kate laughed hysterically at that. "Ana hates you and you hate her." She then realised everyone was dead silent and the seriousness was scrabbling around the room. "You're fucking kidding me!" She then shook her head, "No, you're not dating her. She would have told me. Ana can't lie to save her life."
"I'm in love with her," Christian made the statement direct, with a short manner. There was no messing around with it. It was what it was. Love. "We never told anyone."
"Liar," Kate remarked in utter exasperation, her eyes starting to roll at the disbelief she was feeling. "God, Christian, Elliot and I saw how you two literally reacted to the other. It wasn't friendly and she couldn't wait to get away from you the moment the opportunity arose."
"That was over a year ago," Christian replied, keeping a calm tone. He didn't want arguments right now when he felt like he was becoming a broken man as each second ticked passed. "We were drawn together and I can't lie anymore. I am in love with Anastasia Steele." He felt his eyes water as he said that comment, he felt so much for Ana and he was fuelled with fear she would never give him the chance to prove it. But what if she never let him back in? What did he do then? He could feel everyone watching him, waiting for him to say more but, he was frozen. He couldn't. He couldn't do it. He needed Ana.
"Ana told me about you," Carla suddenly spoke up and she saw Christian look at her terrified. "She told me just after your first anniversary when she came to stay with me. She told me about you keeping it quiet and she just prayed that soon you were going to just go open with the relationship. She wanted everyone to know what you did to her. You've made her happy. I just wish we all knew what had her so complete."
"It was supposed to be soon," Christian replied and ran a hand over the back of his neck. "Fuck, it was supposed to be now!" Ducking his head, Christian didn't want to let them see him cry. He just sat down and put his head down, hands on the back of his neck still. "Now she'll never want to do that." He looked at them all staring at him, his brother looking utterly shocked at this side of him, "She doesn't want me now so it coming out is all for nothing. It's all for fucking nothing!" He then stood up and, without thinking; he swung and punched the wall. He felt the pain radiate through his closed fist but, he didn't care. His emotional pain was so much more palpable. "She doesn't think I can love her," he then broke down against the wall. With his forehead pressed against the cool wall, his punch hole by his flat palm, Christian wanted to take back everything that made Ana unhappy.
Elliot literally just did what he knew. He did what felt right for a big brother but, what he didn't realise was that his brother would latch on and just cry heavily into his chest.
Putting her hands to Elliot's shoulders, Christian pulled away and looked at his brother. "I went down there and the sight of me makes her go into a frenzy. The way she screamed, Elliot, I can't forget that. I made her react like that. Me." He felt his tears fall, "I made this happened. I caused this."
There was a huge amount of collective shock around as he admitted that.
"She left my apartment thinking I thought she was an abomination. She would never be that. She's my Ana. My sweet, funny, loving, beautiful Ana. I thought I was protecting her," he took a shuddering breath, "I was only hurting her." Looking at his brother, Christian allowed himself to issue his heart and soul with a final blow. "I was only torturing the most precious thing in my life."