Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Hanukkah!
Ana's POV
I wake up hearing Christian yell into his phone. "... I fucking told you to watch that bitch you idiot ... yeah right, now she broke into the studio of my brothers girlfriends mother ... we talk about this later..." and with that he hangs up. I sit up in his lap and look at him.
"What is going on Christian?"
"Baby, please promise me to stay calm."
"Christian, what is going on?"
"Elliot just called. Someone broke in into the studio of Mrs. Kavanagh. The intruder knocked Kate out and she is sure it was your sister."
"What? Oh my god, is Kate ok?"
"She has a cut on her hairline, we are going there now." I look at him and I can see that there is more he isn't telling me. "Christian what else happened?"
"According to Elliot your dress is ruined." I blanch hearing this. This can't be happening. The wedding is only three days away. What am I going to do now?
"Ana, please don't worry. We are getting you a new dress, there is enough time and..." I hold my hand up to stop him and lean against him.
"I just want to see if Kate is ok. If it was really Jenny ... I don't know. Why does she hate me that much Christian? I don't understand it. She is my sister and I just don't know what I did wrong to make her do this."
"Ana, she is crazy. I wish I could say something else, but your sister really is plain crazy. Maybe she is jealous because of the money or because you found someone to spent your life with, but that is not your fault. We will be there soon and I know this is hard for you, but I want to let the police handle this once we are sure it was your sister."
"No, Christian please. This could get her into jail, I don't want this for my sister. My parents would be devastated and I ... I need to talk to her if she really did it." he sighs but eventually nods.
"Fine, but I'm going with you Ana. There is no chance in hell that I'm going to let you talk to her alone."
"Ok, I might need you to stop me anyway. I don't want to get into a brawl before our wedding." I murmur and snuggle into him. Damn, we had such an amazing day and now this. All I want is to curl up and cry, but I can't do that. I need to know if it was Jenny and if it was her I'm going to talk to her, if she wants it or not.
Once we arrive at the studio I can not help but gasp. My dress is not ruined, it is literally shredded to pieces and the pieces are covered in red paint. There is no way Kate's mom will be able to fix it. And then I see Kate. She is sitting on a chair and is still crying. In this moment I forget about the dress and kneel down beside her.
"I'm so sorry Ana. I was late ... and now your dress ... " I hug her. Screw the dress, I'll find a new one tomorrow.
"Kate, please. Don't worry about the dress. I'll find a new one tomorrow. I'm worried about you. You need to get checked at the hospital."
"No, Grace will be here any minute. Ana, I'm sure it was Jenny. She lost this, is that hers?" Kate hands me a bracelet and in this moment I'm so mad, I want to seriously hurt my own sister.
"Kate, will you be ok, this is Jenny's our dad gave it to her on her 15th birthday."
"Yes, Ana what are you doing." Kate looks worried and I manage to smile at her though in reality I want to scream.
"I'm going to pay her a visit. Don't worry I'm going to take Christian with me and I call you later to check on you."
"Ok, but please don't do anything you will regret later. Keep an eye on her Christian, I don't want to have to use tons of make up to cover a black eye or anything like that." Kate says looking at Christian.
"Don't worry. I won't let that nutjob even in touching distance of Ana." and with that we leave. I give Taylor Jenny's address and 20 minutes later we arrive at the apartment complex near the college where Jenny studies interior design.
"That's a pretty pricy area, how can she afford to live here?" Christian asks, but I'm not willing to go into the details now and just go inside. The man at the desk waves us through and I get into the elevator.
"Ok, did I miss something Ana. Why didn't he even stop us and check our names?"
"It's my apartment, ok? While I was at college Jose and I had a lot of shows here in Seattle and at first we would stay at a hotel, but I hate staying at hotels so I bought the place. I planed on moving in here after college, but then Jenny was accepted to study in Seattle and she needed a place. She thinks the place belongs to a friend of my mom who lets her stay here for peanuts." I explain and we leave the elevator at the 15th floor.
I knock at the door and when Jenny opens I just get inside before she can do anything. "What the fuck Ana, I didn't invite you in!"
"Well, too bad. I don't think Mrs. Kavanagh invited you to her studio either."
"I have no idea what you are talking about." she snaps and I get the bracelet from my coat pocket. "Here you lost that and now I want to know what the hell has gotten into you. Why did you break into the studio and ruined my dress?"
"Because you don't deserve to be happy. Your life is so fucking easy, you always get what you want. You have all this money and as if that wasn't enough now your going to marry a billionaire. It's not fair!" she yells at me and I can't believe what I'm hearing.
"So, this is all? You're being jealous about the money? I can't believe it. Do you think I want all that money. Do you know what kind of burden it is. I mean I can't tell anyone how rich I am. I feel guilty because I have all this money, while people everywhere have next to nothing and I did nothing to earn it. And even more, I would give all of it away if I could talk to my biological father just once. Because this is what it comes down to Jenny. I got all this money because my father died and I never got a chance to meet him and as much as I wish he was alive, I don't want to change a thing, because if he was alive mom would never have met dad and then Patrick and you wouldn't be here."
"Oh come on, I bet you were glad if I wasn't here." she hisses.
"Is that what you think? Believe me, I should hate you by now, but the simple truth is that I don't hate you. You are my little sister and I love you, you..."
"Don't give me that crap Ana. If you would love me or Patrick you wouldn't be living your perfect little life while he and I have to work for everything we want. You never had to do anything, but we have. I have to work to pay for this apartment and buy books for college, Patrick wants to study overseas and I can't see how he is going to pay for that, yet you just sit on all your money and don't give a shit about us." she yells and that's it I've had enough.
"Oh really? Well, let's get this straight Jenny. This apartment you live in, I own it and you pay 300 dollars each month, which is nothing. The normal rent for a place like this is nearly 3000 dollars. And your studies, guess who pays for your college Jenny. It's not Mom and Dad. They wanted you to go to a normal college not that fancy private college that costs more than most people make in 5 years. Yes, you have to work to pay for your books, but that is not because of me. It's because our parents want you to learn that you have to work for the things you want in life." by now her mouth is hanging open and she gapes at me.
"If our brother wants to study overseas, I will pay for it as well. And just so you know the first thing I did when I gained control over my heritage was to set up two accounts with more than 50 million dollars in it. One for you and one for Patrick, the only thing mom and dad wanted was for me to wait until you are 21 before you get access to the money or even know about it. So, all you have to do from now is wait five more months and you finally have what you always wanted, more money than you can ever spend, I hope at least that makes you happy."
For a moment she is completely silent and then she squeals with joy and I think she wants to hug me, but Christian steps in and holds her back. "Do not touch her, I'm warning you just this one time!"
"Calm down, I wanted to hug her. Oh my god Ana, now Josh will come back to me." she is nearly in tears and now my mouth pops open.
"What? You have got to be kidding me!"
"No, look I was so mad at you because he left me. He wanted your money and when you walked in on us he broke up with me, he said without the money he wouldn't need me anymore. I love him so much Ana and now with the money he will want me again."
"Jenny, have you lost your mind? Listen to yourself. Josh is nothing but a fucked up excuse of a human being. He used you Jenny and he will do it again if you give him the chance. Oh my God, I can't believe that you are that naïve. You know what, you can hate me if you want to, but if you call him you won't get a single dollar from me. I'm not doing this to be mean, all I want is to protect you and right now you need protection from yourself." and with that she starts the waterworks.
"Why are you doing this? Why can't I be happy?" damn she is sobbing now and even though I shouldn't care at this point it hurts me to see her like this.
"Jenny all I want is for you to be happy, but Josh is not the right guy for you. If you call him I'm sure he will be here in no time, but what then? I'm telling you, he will live of your money and once it's all gone he will leave you again, believe me, that is not what you want."
"I don't care I want Josh back!" Jesus, it feels like she is three years old again and cries over her popsicle that fell into the mud.
"Oh fuck me" I hear Christian mutter on his breath and he scrolls through his phone and shows it to Jenny.
"Here, that is Josh now. Do you want that guy here" Jenny's eyes widen in shock and she shakes her head furiously muttering 'No' over and over. I take the phone and stare at the picture. It is Josh, but he has gained at least 60 lbs, his greasy hair is overlong and he looks overall completely unkempt.
I hand Christian the phone back and see that Jenny isn't there anymore. "Where is Jenny?"
"She went this way" Christian points into the direction of the kitchen and I quickly walk over there just to scream in shock when I find my sister in the kitchen with a huge knife, trying to cut her right wrist open, while the blood is streaming from her left wrist which is already cut open.
"God damn it!" Christian exclaims, grabs her, takes the knife from her and grabs a kitchen towel to stop the blood from streaming out of the cut, while Jenny is struggling against him.
"Ana call an ambulance!" Christians voice startles me out of my shocked state and I call the ambulance. While we have to wait Jenny is like a wild animal screaming and fighting against Christian, who has her trapped with his arms and legs so she can't hurt herself or him in her struggle. In this moment I realise that my sister is not just vile and wants to hurt me at all cost, she is sick. I don't know what is wrong with her, but I know that she needs serious help.
When the paramedics arrive the have to sedate her and Christian leads me to the SUV so we can follow them to the hospital.
"I'm going to call Flynn, he knows how to help her." I just nod and once we are at the ER and have to wait I realise I have to call my parents, so I take my phone and dial my dads number.
"Ray Steele?"
"Daddy, it's me"
"Annie, what is wrong you sound strange."
"Get mom and Patrick, you need to come to Seattle."
"Ana what is going on?"
"It's Jenny, she tried to commit suicide."
"What, Ana I ... what happened?"
"She tried to cut both her wrists open. Christian managed to stop her. We are at the same hospital where I was."
"Ok, we are on our way, will you stay there?"
"Yes, see you Daddy." I hang up and wrap my arms around Christian who is standing next to me.
"It's okay baby, your sister will get the help she needs now. Flynn will see her and your parents will be there for her too."
"I never realised that she is sick Christian, I thought she was just being a bitch. My god, she tried to kill herself."
"I don't think that is what she really wanted. She had a meltdown Ana, I don't think she even realised what she was doing."
"Are you ok?" I ask and he snorts "Baby, your sister is not exactly on the strong side, so yes I'm fine, but we have to talk about something."
"What is it" I ask when I see his serious expression. "Do you want to postpone the wedding?"
"No, I know this might sound selfish, but there is nothing I can do for my sister right now. She needs the help of a shrink to get through this and if she needs me I will be there, but there is nothing that is going to stop from marrying you on saturday, even if I have to walk down the aisle in jeans."
Christian let's go a huge sigh of relief that is making me smile. "Thank God, I know she is your sister, but I need the world to know that you are mine. Even saturday seems too long to wait."
"I know, I feel the same." I just hold on to him and Christian lifts me up in his arms, sits down on one of the chairs in the waiting area and I curl up in his lap. We have to wait almost an hour before a nurse comes to tell us that Jenny's wrists was treated and that Doctor Flynn is now with her to evaluate her. Another hour later my family arrives and I fill them in on the events that took place today.
My mom is crying inconsolable and I'm glad that Christian asked Patrick to take a walk. Patrick adores Christian and my brother is one of the few persons who Christian really gets along with.
"Are Kate and her mother going to press charges against Jenny?" my dad asks while holding my mom in his arms. "No, I don't think so. Kate waited for me to deal with it. The dress was already paid and I'm going to pay for the mess Jenny made."
He is just about to answer when John comes in. "Anastasia, I assume these are your parents?"
I nod and introduce them before he sits down with us. "How is my daughter" my mom asks and looks fearful.
"Physically, Jennifer is fine. She didn't lose much blood and her wrist was treated with a couple of stitches. What we need to talk about is the mental state of Jennifer. I have talked to her for an hour now and she showed strong symptoms of paranoia. Jennifer believes that there is a conspiracy going on against her. In her mind Anastasia is trying to make sure that she will never be happy and that she is plotting against her with her entire family and Christian. Of course we need a further evaluation before we can figure out what triggered this for her.
I know this is hard for you as Jennifer's parents, but right now your daughter is not only a danger for the people around her, but more so to herself. She told me that she tried to open her veins to be free of all those lies that are surrounding her. Your daughter is in need of intensive therapy, I know a facility where you can have her admitted. I know this all sounds very disturbing, but if we get your daughter the help she needs now, we have a good chance for her to overcome this. You should call your lawyer, so you can get conservatorship over Jennifer. I'm sure Carrick Grey can help you with that and you can call me any time."
"How did we not notice this before?" my dad looks shocked and I take his hand in mine. "Paranoia is a result of fears and anxiety. Jennifer was able to hide this up until now because she avoided what she feared the most, which is, and I'm sorry to say this, you Anastasia."
"So, it is my fault, I'm the reason why she had this meltdown?"
"No, Anastasia your sister is a very sick young girl right now. There is nothing you could have done to prevent this from happening. In the end you confronting your sister was a good thing, because now Jennifer can get the help she needs." I nod, but inside I feel terrible.
"Can we see her?"
"I know this hard Mrs. Steele, but for now it would be best to wait until tomorrow. I can't predict if you seeing her now will be good for her or sent Jennifer into a second meltdown."
"Can I see her tomorrow?" I ask, though I think I know the answer already. "I'm sorry Anastasia, but this is not a good idea. Give your sister some time. Once she is in a better place I think it would be beneficial for Jennifer if you are willing to visit her and maybe have some therapy sessions with her, but as long as she sees you as her enemy it will be best for you to stay away from her."
"Ok, I'm going to see where Christian and Patrick are." I murmur and leave the waiting area. I just can't listen to this anymore. I walk down the hallway without even looking where I am going and suddenly Christian is in front of me.
"Hey baby, I was looking for you. You've been wandering around here for almost thirty minutes, I was worried."
"I didn't notice I was walking around here for so long. Were is my family?"
"Taylor is driving them to Bellevue. They were going to stay there for the rehearsal dinner and wedding any way, so my dad offered they could come and stay there now. He is going to give them legal advise of the steps the need to take, so they can get the conservatorship for Jenny."
"How was Patrick?"
"Pretty shaken by what happened, but he is a tough dude, don't worry about him. How are you feeling?"
"I don't know. I feel guilty that I didn't notice what was going on, maybe..." he stops me by pressing one finger to my lips. "No, believe me Ana, this is not your fault. Your sister is sick, there is nothing you could have done. Ray told me before they left that an aunt of him suffered from paranoid schizophrenia. Sometimes something like that can run in families, but it can be treated, with the right medication and therapy your sister can have a normal life. We can make sure that she has the best doctors and what ever she needs to have a normal life, but you can't blame yourself. It's not your fault, ok?"
I nod and he holds me close for a while. "Is there anything I can do for you?" he asks after a while and cups my face in his hands.
"Just take me home please. I want to cuddle up and just forget that today ever happened."
"Ok, but we have to go through the garage, some asshole tipped the media off that we were following an ambulance to the hospital and now the paparazzi are outside waiting for us. Sawyer is in the garage."
He leads me to the garage and once we are in the backseat of the car I curl up in his lap again. "Christian, do you think our friends would be mad if we would cancel the party tomorrow, I don't feel like having a party and I have to go dress hunting."
"I call them, maybe we can just have dinner together. And about your dress hunting, I had Andrea call several boutiques, the will all be over at Escala tomorrow with selections of their dresses for you"
"Have I already told you today how much I love you Christian Grey?"
"You did, but I can't hear it often enough." he gives me his shy smile and I melt. Today might not have ended as I thought it would, but even in this situation there is one thing I know for sure. On saturday I'm going to marry the man of my dreams and there is nothing that can stop me from doing so. I found my happily ever after and I will never let him go.
Next update Tuesday ... please leave a review and share your thoughts with me.
Sunny