|-|||-||-| SIX MONTHS LATER |-||-|||-|
APOV
Sitting on the balcony of my room is always freeing, I have paper and pencils which opens up the world to me. I talk to Kate and the kids every day, twice a day to stay up to date with everything on their end. Christian moved to Seattle two months after being admitted so he could be close to me and help me and all that other bullshit he has been spilling.
Leila is in our home caring for my kids and they are loving her, she has worked her way up the ladder in GEH faster then anyone I have seen to the point where she is Ros's right hand woman. I talk to her once a week and whatever she says to Christian always makes things worse between us. I still don't get why the fuck he is listening to her, it's valentines day tomorrow and he is taking me out of here for the day in an approach to mend the relationship he destroyed.
They trusted her for a reason, they knew that she would be on their side and ruin you. Leila is more like Carla, Stephan and Jack then anyone knows. We know, we always know even when no one is around to believe us. She has always been different, been more comfortable with them and had less done to her then you. She is them, she is continuing their legacy which involves your pain and suffering.
"SIP picked up your series, they love the first two and are aiming to have at least the first one out next month," Elena says, my online friend who's always helped, walking onto the balcony. "I hear you and your husband are going out for valentines day tomorrow? You okay with that?"
"It's good, Elena. I swear. I am still just trying to figure out what is happening."
"Like why he trusts her so easily? Why he listens to her more then you?"
"Exactly."
"Do you email him?"
"When I know he's working and I can bug him that way, yeah."
"I want permission to hack into and monitor your emails."
"Anything, you know that as long as it helps this relationship. I can't give him and my family up, I don't want to do that."
She sends out a few texts or emails on her phone before putting her phone in her pocket and sitting in the other chair out here. Hardy is curled up on my feet. One thing we have learned is that Seattle itself is a very melancholy city unless it is sunny, like today. The rainy season though lasts all winter. I definitely prefer snow.
"Your family has mental illness all the way back through four generations, I have no doubt that your sister also has something going on. We will get this figured out and everything will be back to normal."
"But? It sounds like you are setting this up for a but. What is happening Elena?"
"She is in everyone's lives, they all love her, believe her and are on her side. I don't know what to do about that."
"Everyone?"
"Pretty much except for Katherine, Noah, Maia and Wyatt. They all seem to be loyal to you and argue with your husband about keeping you in here. Wyatt threw numerous books and hard objects last time he visited them."
"That's my girl. So SIP?"
Over the past six months I have written four books in my free time on growing up feeling not normal or safe, but the characters in each book learn that there is no normal and that there are more people out in the world who can relate to them then probably who cannot. Each book follows a different girl in a different circumstances. Book one is about a girl in an abusive home with her mother and series of boyfriends. Book two is about growing up with mental illness and feeling alone and without help (my personal favourite). Book three deals with eating disorders. Book four which I am still working on is about being born into the life of drugs and prostitution.
"Your editor is visiting monday, so the day after tomorrow, to go over finer details. As far as I know they are aiming for the first to be released March 15th domestically and March 21st internationally," Elena smiles.
"Do you think I can get out of here by July?" I ask, scared of the answer.
"You should have been released a month after you arrived if not sooner. Whatever information that Christian is receiving is keeping you here and I don't know what it is, when I find out I will let you know."
"Elena?"
"Yeah?"
"I need out of here, this place is making me stir crazy."
"I know, and I am working on it but with Christian here it makes things difficult."
There is a knock on the balcony door and we both turn to see one of the orderly's, I guess it is time for my therapy session with their physician. I stopped talking with Emily a long time ago. I look at Elena and she tells me that she will wait here for me to get back. Hardy gets to his paws and we follow the orderly down the hall to Beth's office.
She is sitting on the blue couch so I sit on the yellow one, the coffee table in the middle has tea and scones set out for our session just like always. There is a dog bed in the corner where Hardy goes and curls up, we have this routine down pat.
I pour my tea and then she pours her, we lean back and watch each other in silence for the first five minutes. She doesn't bother recording or taking notes of our sessions together anymore, I stopped talking to Emily because she was to easily influenced by Christian whereas Beth is not in any way but the Psychologist in charge is. As they say, money talks.
"How've you been since we last talked?" Beth asks.
"Honestly?" I laugh,
"That would be the preferable answer, yes."
"Like I got the short end of the stick. Leila is with my kids in my home, hanging out with my family and having the time of her life free; moreover, I am here and locked up like a fucking animal. Whatever I say to my husband, he doesn't listen to it but whatever she does or says he will listen. It makes no sense and it makes me want to scream and shout but I know that will change nothing, he doesn't believe me or trust my judgement. I have to face that but he acts like he has done nothing wrong, like he is the almighty."
"And the voices and hallucinations?"
"No hallucinations and the voices are rare, when I hear them they are mostly just inner thoughts that I try to ignore coming to life. I know not to listen and if I feel the need to that I have to call you."
"I will try and process your discharge as soon as possible, you hold have been out of here months ago and yet here we still are."
"You're saying I'm healthy, I'm saying I'm healthy and so is everyone else yet it is as if no one believes or hears us. It makes no sense to me."
"Not everything always makes sense and that's life, Ana. It's okay when that happens because that means life is still a mystery. Life will always be a mystery."
"Well that's stupid."
"Mature answer."
"Bite me."
Hardy goes to the door and starts to paw at it, barking at whoever is at the other side which means that it is someone who makes me uncomfortable or sets me back. It is only one of two people still alive at this point. Beth gets up to answer the door, not far enough for me to see who it is but after a hushed yet heated conversation the door opens and Christian walks in with her. He tries to sit by me but I move to the end of the couch and Hardy sits in between us, a protection measure by my favourite four-legged friend.
"What are you doing here Christian?" I ask.
"I came to see you," He smirks.
"They have scheduled visiting hours for this," Beth scolds.
"Yeah, well she doesn't allow me to visit her so I figured that I would take her by surprise. It seemed like the only way."
"You have me for the whole day tomorrow," I pout.
"If she hasn't been letting you see her there would be a reason and showing up like this is not good for her or your relationship," Beth intercepts.
"She is my wife!"
"But she is not your property, seeing you treat her as such is cause for me to get CFS involved in your life," Beth threatens.
"You wouldn't dare!" He thunders. Hardy starts to bark at him as I shrink away. "I fund this whole clinic right now, without me and my family you would be out of a job!"
"I think you should leave now Mr. Grey, I would not want to get security involved would you?" Beth glowers.
"Ana?" He looks to me, his voice calm.
"I want you to go Christian, do not just drop by unless it is scheduled or cleared with me first. I warned you what would happen to our relationship if you went through with this and you keep pushing and pushing, making it harder for me to trust or consider forgiving you," I say.
"What is your issue with me?"
"Aside from the fact that you listen to Leila over me?"
"I rarely talk to her and when I do it is about the kids!"
"Bull fucking shit! I want you to leave Christian, go back to New York and leave me be. I don't want to go out with you tomorrow, for you to visit me while I am in here and I don't want to see you any time soon. Not until you stop messing with my life and my health!" I shout.
"I am so fucking tired of trying to take care of you!"
"You aren't taking care of me! You're destroying me!"
"Is that so?"
"More then you know. You have the inability to see past that massive ego of yours."
"You know how to reach me," He gets up and storms out.
I look at Beth who looks as shocked as I feel, Hardy is nuzzling my thigh so I pet him. None of us really like being around shouting or getting into confrontations. Beth comes to sit by me and I curl into her and cry, god that took a lot of adrenaline that I was not prepared for dealing with. After calming me down and allowing me to have a short nap in her office while my system reboots I go back to my room where Elena is on her computer working on something that will hopefully be helpful.
"Find anything?" I inquire.
"No, if she was doing what I thought my team and I would have found it; however, we have encrypted a system into each of your three email addresses that adds a duplicate to be sent to me with add ons, and my people."
"And that system does what exactly?"
"It will add the senders location's longitude and latitude, and the computer's IP address. It will sends copies to me and with that we will be able to set up a hit and more accurately tell what is happening."
"You think Leila is emailing Christian pretending to be me?"
"In short, yeah."
"I think I hate my sister," I admit.
"I think if she is doing what I think she needs help."
"You won't tell me what?"
"Not until I know for sure."
"Elena, I don't know how I will ever thank you or repay you enough."
"Hey, we got to have each other's backs. I've been where you are and I am here to help you get on your feet and move on from the horrific past you've lived."
"You have never actually full told me about your past…"
"You don't want to know it. Trust me. Just drop it please, I don't like talking about it."
I sit on my bed and fall back so I can look up at the ceiling, going over everything that has happened in the last five hours. Christian has never done anything like that before, just showing up and forcing his way into my session and my sanctuary. I don't know if he will actually go back to New York or just stay at our Escala Penthouse here but I do hope he understands that our plans tomorrow are cancelled and he has pushed back way too far this time. Yeah right, Christian learning a lesson. The world would have to be ending for that to happen.
Before dinner I take Hardy out onto the property to run around the lake, an fitness coach following close behind as we run seven laps, seven miles. The coach is more tired then myself and Hardy but we go and grab dinner before heading back to my room so I can shower and then eat. On my desk is a legal sized envelope that was not there earlier, my stomach churns at the list of possibilities that it could hold. I open the envelope and slide out the package of papers that are held within it.
Mrs. Anastasia Rose Grey (37), wife of Christian Trevelyan Luciano-Grey (39)
Mother of Noah (21) , Maia (16), Jeremiah(7), Canaan (7), Wyatt (7) and Aiden (6)
On this day, Thirteenth of February Twenty-Twenty Two, The State of
Washington temporarily declares Mrs. Anastasia Rose Grey mentally unfit
and unstable to make her own medical decisions and care for her children.
In three weeks time there will be a visit to the clinic to meet with Anastasia
Rose Grey and all physicians working with her. Until reassessment Christian
Trevelyan Luciano-Grey is granted full rights for any legal or medical
decisions for Anastasia Rose Grey. State Psychiatrist's and Physicians will be
in charge of the final assessment. If it seems to be appropriate Anastasia will
remain in the care of the Sound Sanctuary Clinic in Seattle, WA but if funds
are too much she will be transferred to the State Hospital for the Mentally Ill,
in Spokane, WA.
The document went on and on, they claim to have evidence of my various personalities making appearances and threatening the lives of my children, myself and even Christian. It says that there is reports of me having twelve different switched personalities, but I have never had a switch personality I just shut down and my life feels more like a movie then my life. Beth, Emily not any doctor I have had or talked to said that I had switches.
Beth comes in as soon as I call her, Elena is not far behind. I show them the papers and they both seem stunned, Beth goes off talking about how the hell did he get evidence to take in and that they may have someone else's files because she is also adamant that I do not have switches. Elena is ranting off on her own and on her laptop trying to figure out who to hack next.
"Is someone actually trying to get rid of me or is that my imagination?" I ask.
"Honestly I am not sure, but I do not believe that you are safe here if Christian has full control over every legal and medical decision over you. To many blind spots with this type of situation," Beth explains. "I knew he wouldn't take your fight well."
"So what do we all suggest?"
"You have to die," Elena says like nothing is wrong with that sentence. Beth and I both look at her. "Fake die, not really die. I know who to contact for this."
"No, it would destroy my children and I cannot do that to them. There has to be another way, a easier way then to fake my death and spend the rest of my life hiding. We need evidence for Christian to believe me not whatever is in his head."
"We can stage a breakout and keep her hidden, but with this she can't bring Hardy. We will have to set up a safe house and accounts where she can access money. Once I have all the info and evidence needed you can go back to living your normal life. I still have the diverse papers on standby and the ones to have full custody of your kids," Elena explains. "However, if this is all just Christian and he is doing this for some total power thing we can also sue him for falsifying records and reports, and a shit tonne more."
I would be on my own, isolated and hiding for my life without Hardy or anyone else. Yes, that sounds like a brilliant idea. We will force a relapse of the actual mental illness I have while they try and prove I am healthy and not mentally ill. Am I the only one who sees that side of all this or is there another plan I don't know about.
"She is not staying out on her own. My brother owns an estate in Bellevue on the water but he is overseas with his family in India doing mission work for the next year. I will stay there with Anastasia so she is not isolated, that way when the police and everyone get involved I can offer to take Hardy and she will have him there too," Beth offers.
"Great, so we have a plan. When do we start it?" I smile.
"Tonight," The both agree.