Ana slowly headed down the hall towards the security office, head bowed and gait a tad unsteady. Ryan and Sawyer were there but not Taylor. Both of them looked like they had been in a bar brawl and avoided her eyes. Not seeing Taylor, she decided to move on. Slowly she made her way to the Great Room. As soon as she entered the room she knew something was off. The giant TV screen had been on and she could see a Breaking News icon at the top of the screen. Just as she entered the room, the tv was turned off.
She looked around and saw Gail and Flynn. Just a few feet in front of her, Taylor was laid out on the couch, his face battered. For a man who showed so little emotion awake, his face in repose was startling. If she didn't know him better, she would swear she saw fear on his face. She walked towards him, ignoring Gail and Flynn. She looked up at the clock, 11:25 am. Flynn had must have sedated him. Ana stood in a daze as memories of last night danced through her head. She let herself slip down to the floor near Taylor. She felt safe near him.
Gail frowned. The elevator pinged. Sawyer walked out to greet whoever was coming. Ana looked to see who it was and was startled to see Welch. Ana started to tremble. Welch didn't come to Escala. He dealt with Taylor. By phone. Why was he here? If he needed to speak with her, he would have called. Ryan came out of Security and stood in the entrance to the Great Room. He looked somber. She flicked her head towards Sawyer but his eyes avoided hers, his face unusually devoid of emotion. Here, at home, Sawyer could always be counted on for a reassuring smile, sometimes only a nod but always some way to let her know things were okay. Well, obviously today, things weren't okay.
Welch entered and looked around at everyone, one at a time. "Looks like you folks had a rough night." Then he walked over to Flynn and asked how much longer Taylor would be out. Flynn assured him he'd be coming to soon and he was welcome to try and wake him. Welch looked at Ana, as she sat on the floor by a Taylor, dressed in the same white tee shirt and panties from last night, then turned his attention to Gail. "Would you be so kind as to assist Mrs Grey with her shower and getting dressed?"
Gail promptly agreed and Ana found herself being led from the room like an errant child. She wanted to protest but it took too much energy. It was simpler to just take Gail's hand and let her lead her away.
Welch then walked over and booted Taylor's ass hard while shouting his name amidst a volley of swear words. Ryan and Sawyer smiled at the bewildered look on Taylor's face as he opened his eyes, tried to sit up, rubbing his ass at the same time. Welch then ordered Taylor go take a shower and return when he was more presentable.
The next thing Ana knew she was standing under a hot shower. She stood under the water unable to move. Something was happening, something to do with Christian. She held on to the grab bar for dear life. Gail was talking to her but Ana couldn't hear the words. Welch was here, in Escala and he knew something. Ryan and Sawyer, they knew too. She felt Gail shampooing her hair and clutched the grab bar tighter. Was this the day she had always feared? Tears mingled with shampoo as she prayed like she never had before. She thought of the Breaking News banner she had seen. She wondered if it was about Christian. If it was, everyone would be happy. They wouldn't be avoiding her eyes. They would be sharing the good news. She felt a sob wrack her body and prayed for God to spare her husband, but God never answered her prayers. Today he sent Welch instead. She dressed in simple black Yoga pants and one of Christian's white button down shirts. She rolled up the sleeves and tied the shirt tails. She was going out to see Welch and find out what everyone else seemed to know.
Gail accompanied her to the Great Room in time to see Welch leading Taylor into the Great Room as well. He was dressed in his work clothes, black suit, black tie but his head was down. He looked defeated. Gail led Ana to Christian's favorite chair and Ana sat with her trembling hands clutched together and her heart racing. Flynn stood on one side of her, Taylor came over and stood on the other. Welch began, "Mrs Grey. There have been developments. "
Ana began to cry. She felt Taylor's big strong hand gently squeeze her shoulder. Welch continued, "Schneiderman's people have located and identified the wreckage from Charley Tango." Ana gasped and collapsed. As Flynn dealt with Ana, Taylor turned on Welch. "You stupid fuck! Why couldn't you just start with he may be alive? Why did you have to say you found the wreckage?"
Welch looked unflustered and explained he would have gotten to that. He then pointed out to Taylor just because there were no bodies in the wreckage doesn't mean he's alive. Seven months is a long time to wander in the wilderness with no food, no weapons, and no roof over your head. Ana came around a few minutes later. There was a wild look in her eye as she pushed Flynn away. She searched for Welch and when she found his eyes she asked, "Did you find Christian?"
"No, M'am. Schneiderman is pulling out all the stops. He had 1000 ATV's on the ground searching for him. There is evidence that he survived the initial crash. It looks like he stayed near the crash site for a while, several weeks at least. Then he decided to walk out. The big screen TV came on and there was a picture of the wreckage. Ana sighed in relief. The chopper was on its side and charred but it wasn't a scrunched up ball if metal. It looked survivable. Next the screen showed a series of rocks forming an arrow to show searchers what direction they had taken. Next on the screen was a map of the area. "As you can see, this is a very remote area. There are a few unused logging roads and a few fire roads but the only actual road with any kind of traffic on it is here, eighty miles away as the crow flies. On foot , with that terrain it will easily double so make that closest road 160 miles away. Mrs Grey, I urge you not to get your hopes up."
Taylor whispered something in her ear. She nodded. He left the room for a moment. When he returned, Welch was still droning on. Taylor knelt and slipped her bare feet into sneakers which he then tied. She stood, Taylor held out his arm and she took it. Taylor nodded at Sawyer and the three walked past Welch and Flynn like they didn't exist. "Flynn, go with them, damn it!" Welch ordered. Then he started yelling at Taylor and Sawyer, threatening to fire them, he was still yelling threats when the doors of the elevator closed.