It was Christian Grey's third day back in civilization. It was John Flynn's third day away from his family. He vowed he would not let another night pass without his wife by his side sleeping in his own bed. Promptly at one pm, Welch appeared to bring both Flynn and Grey to Escala.
Sawyer was driving and stayed with the SUV. Ryan was point and Reynolds brought up the rear. Sawyer held open the door for Grey and acknowledged him with a simple "Sir." Repeated again for Dr. Flynn. No one spoke on the ride home.
Christian found himself nervous about returning to Escala and knowing that just made him angry. He may have been angry at himself, but he wanted to shout at everyone around him. Instead, he said nothing. He knew Flynn was watching his every move. Once in the parking garage, Sawyer let everyone off by the elevator. Ryan provided the security escort while Sawyer and Reynolds parked the vehicles. Welch got a phone call and signaled for the others to go up without him. The call was from Christians father, Carrick Grey. He was demanding access to his son. Welch explained for the one hundredth time, that Christian was still refusing to see anyone besides his psychiatrist , that was making strides in his recovery but was still very fragile. He hoped today to find out more information about how he had survived. If that was successful, he would call Carrick later and share that info. Welch made a personal note that Carrick Grey did not ask about Ana. Mr Grey also wanted to know about Schneiderman and why he was so involved. There were rumors swirling in the media that he had taken over GEH. Welch pleaded ignorance to any aspect of the business and referred Grey to Ros. Carrick just swore then and explained Ros was not taking his calls or returning them. Finally, Welch was able to end the call.
Ending the call didn't end the problem. He knew all about Schneiderman and the deal Ana made with him. He also knew that Grey knew nothing about that deal. Not even Ros was anxious to share that news, but she was ready and bugging Welch for a face- to- face with Grey. God, how the hell do you tell the poor bastard he's about to lose everything? This was not going to be a good day.
Upstairs in the penthouse, Gail had set up a lovely lunchtime for everyone. From caprese salad and mini pizzas to soup and subs followed by a delicious cheesecake, there was something for everyone. Afterwards it was agreed Sawyer, Welch, Flynn and Grey would meet back in the great room at three o'clock.
Welch arranged for meeting to be recorded through existing security cameras. A live feed would be sent to Taylor. An edited copy would go to Grey's parents and Ros. There was no point in having Grey have to relive the agony of being alone for seven months.
At three o'clock everyone was gathered in the great room. Gail had set up coffee, juice and water on the breakfast bar. In the great room itself, a fancy bar cart loaded with expensive scotch, bourbon, brandy and rye and various other types of alcohol was positioned by one end of the leather sectional. Beside it sat another cart filled with ice and glasses.
Flynn started the meeting off with an invitation for everyone to have a drink and toast Christian's good health now that he was home. Flynn watched Grey carefully and kept notes. Grey started out slow. It was a routine meeting at the university in Portland. Taylor's daughter had been rushed to the ER so he had told him he didn't need him; the university could pick him up and provide security as well. The meeting went well and actually finished up about thirty minutes early. Once in the air again, Grey decided to swing by Mt Rainier. It was an unusually clear day and visibility seemed endless. There was a cabin by a small lake that Christian had visited as a child with his grandfather. They had taken a float plane and pulled up to a small dock. The cabin was just one room. Every few days the float plane would return to see if they were ready to go home but neither Grandfather Trevalian or Christian were in a hurry to leave.
Christians grandfather taught Christian as much as he could in two weeks. He taught him how to make a campfire, how to start it without matches. He taught him how to make a bow and arrow from scratch and how to hunt with it. He showed him how to skin a rabbit and how to cook it. He taught him to fish and how to clean the fish and prepare them over a campfire. For Christian, it was an eye opening experience. His family was wealthy. They had servants. He found peace in the solitude of the woods. He found satisfaction in snaring a rabbit and turning it into a meal. He was shocked to find a common wild flower, Queen Ann's Lace was actually a primitive carrot that dated back to the pilgrims.
Who knew those two weeks spent in the deep woods would provide the knowledge that kept him alive when his chopper crashed. Christian explained how the engines suddenly went on fire and the only thing that saved him was his low altitude. His ankle had been broken. It eventually healed but left a permanent limp. He stayed with the chopper for over a month, but no one ever came. At this point, Welch interrupted and explained the search followed his flight plan, the side trip to Mt Rainier was not included and no where near the flight plan.
Grey acknowledged leaving his flight plan and going off on his own was the biggest mistake he ever made. Then he finally asked the question Welch had been dreading. "So why the hell was Schneiderman searching for me?"