Grace's POV

They had dinner with us on Sunday and everything was beautiful, she was beautiful, everyone was happy and then news came through about the fire and that was the last I heard from Christian. Carrick told me on Monday night that Ana's awful former stepfather and stepsister were both killed and I assumed that meant that at least two threats would be gone from their lives and that would reduce some of the stress.

What happened? The concern in Taylor's voice was highly evident as he told me that they had a misunderstanding in the early hours of Tuesday morning and that they have been apart since then apparently both of them not eating or drinking and now Christian has collapsed.

How I wish these two could get away and just enjoy each other, what on earth could they have disagreed about to have such a disastrous outcome and I hope that they are together now, I was rushing out the door while talking to Taylor but I'm sure he said that he was bringing them both to Escala. I hope Ana isn't damaged any further or the girl will never heal and whatever is going on, I hope they can resolve it, they need to be together.

I pull into the Escala carpark and as I walk towards the escalator, Christian's SUV comes tearing to a stop just in front of me, Taylor jumps out and nods to me as he opens the door and as I look in, I gasp, my hand clawing at my throat and I struggle to breathe.

John Flynn reaches my side, puts an arm around my shoulders reassuringly and whispers, "If you can get them healthy again, I think they'll be ok," and I notice then the death grip that Christian has on Ana's hand and nod, hoping he is correct.

"Christian! What have you done?" I can't help the sharp tone that escapes my mouth, and his eyes open and find mine and I have never seen his grey eyes so full of pain and shame and mine fill with tears.

"I'm an idiot." And his eyes close again.

"Sir, if you can release Ana, we'll get you both upstairs, I'll help you and .." Taylor looks at me, "Dr Grace will carry Ana."

I nod, I know Christian's jealousy would be triggered if one of the others carried Ana and she is such a tiny girl that even with the cast, I can manage her. I know the situation is fraught when Ana just acquiesces without taking her red rimmed worried eyes off Christian and reaches to hold his hand again when we are in the elevator.

My, "I do think you'd be better off in hospital" is met by a weak but determined "No" from Christian and I don't want to upset the situation any further, grateful that all the medical equipment is still in the apartment, again small mercies from the horrible situation of Ana's accident.

As Taylor lays Christian on the bed and I place Ana next to him, she immediately shuffles so that she is curled into his side, providing comfort in the only way possible at the moment until I can figure out exactly what's wrong with him and if it is just dehydration, get him hydrated again. "Christian, when did you last eat?"

Tiny whisper, "Monday night" and Ana gasps and looks up at me wide-eyed, obviously she wasn't as bad then although she looks like she's considerably thinner, whether it's the fact that she's in leggings and a close fitting top that shows how thin she is or whether she hasn't been eating either, the dark rings around her eyes and the sallow skin certainly don't indicate that she spent the time resting.

"So you haven't eaten, have you been drinking?" I know that lack of food for three days wouldn't cause him to collapse but a lack of fluid would have caused some damage.

"Just coffee and scotch on Tuesday" he whispers as I move the IV unit close to him and I growl and he sighs, "It was a lot of scotch."

As I run some tests and then set up the monitors and the IV and am about to connect the bag I brought, I rail at him, "For a smart man Christian…" and he grimaces, "I don't know how much internal damage you've done but you are definitely dehydrated, you have a fever, your blood pressure is dangerously low, your skin's not bouncing back when I pinch it, your eyes have sunken in, your heartbeat is both erratic and fast…."

"And I smell," he squeezes out cutting me off and Ana giggles and reaches in to stroke his face and I watch amazed as his heartbeat slows and steadies and the tortured look leaves his face. Obviously this is something private but that one giggle and his reaction give me such hope.

"Well, yes, yes you do but I didn't want to mention that, let's get you rehydrated and hopefully everything else will fall into place and you can have a bath." There is quite a way before I will be happy that he has recovered and hopefully he hasn't caused any internal damage. The effects of this will carry on for a few days but he should be feeling better within the hour.

"Now Ana, you don't look like you have been as foolish as my son, have you been eating and drinking?" and I am amazed that it is this that makes Christian open his eyes, Ana blushes and looks guiltily down at him and then away.

"Gail sent the most delicious smelling food but I couldn't eat more than a mouthful each time, I did drink tea though, when I remembered." So she is in a slightly better position than Christian who looks so sad at her words and then sinks his head back wordlessly, his cracked lips thinning and closing his eyes as if in pain.

Again it's a whisper, "I'm so sorry Ana." It takes him a few moments and then he says "And what about your leg and your ribs?"

"Sorry, what's happened to your leg and ribs?" I ask confused.

Ana says, "I'm fine" and this time I watch Taylor and Dr Flynn thin their lips.

"Ok, if someone would like to tell me what's going on, I might actually be able to help." I snap, I am beyond concerned for my son who has somehow manage to nearly kill himself and I am tired, it's been a long day starting with an early shift, I don't know what's going on and I am losing patience.

Taylor steps forward and says "Ma'am, when I brought Mr Grey to Dr Flynn, as he was trying to reach Miss Steele, he collapsed on her. Her leg and ribs may have been injured, Miss Steele has indicated that she is fine but we saw the angle and think she should be examined." He won't look at Ana or Christian as he speaks, keeping his eyes on mine and I can feel his frustration, it sounds like he has been placed in a position where his professional distance and private concerns have overlapped.

"Ok, everyone out of the room except for Ana and Christian and if you don't start talking, I will separate you and get to the bottom of this." Yep, I am officially angry, if Ana has been injured and no-one including her decided to tell me, and I have been here nearly an hour, I think I have the right to be annoyed, I don't care if I am treating them like children. "Ana, can you move so that I can examine you please?"

Taylor and John Flynn turn and leave the room and Ana disentangles herself from Christian and swings herself over to the edge of the bed, the shadow of pain across her face is enough to show me that she is injured and I sigh, why can't something go right for these two. I didn't miss her upset look when I used my sharp tone and I have no doubt that whatever caused the separation is still playing on her mind and I am not helping by being nasty.

"Ana, will you tell me where it hurts?" I say gently, I don't want her scared of me because I know my son, he will protect Ana from everyone, including me once he is capable of movement again and she is too precious for what she has done already, I really want her to be comfortable with me and am regretting the tone I used.

In a faltering voice Ana says, "I was trying to reach Christian because I couldn't believe how bad he looked," and she looks down at him with such a raw pain that my heart thumps sideways in my chest. "I didn't even think about the crutches, it was obvious he was trying to get to me, that he needed me which I didn't think was possible," Huh? How does this girl not see how much he loves her? Goodness, love really is blind and I shake my head to clear it as she continues ".. and I needed to get to him so I just got up and ran to him, he collapsed on me just as I reached him and he's a little heavier than I am…"

"So was your leg twisted? And what about your ribs? Your pelvis?" I ask, Ana has potentially rebroken any or all three of her major injuries and I know that she will need to have scans.

Again a tiny whisper "They all hurt," and Christian groans.

"Well, the easiest option we have is that while Christian is here on the drip rehydrating and sleeping I can get you to the hospital and checked out and back before dinner time when Christian, you will be able to have some soup. Ok?" When Ana nods, I know she is in a bad way otherwise I doubt she would leave Christian.

"When we come back, provided they release you.."

I don't manage any more as Christian tries to rise and says desperately, "NO!" and when I look questioningly at him "She can't stay in hospital, she needs to come home," and the heart rate monitor flies upwards. He looks at Ana desperately, "You can't leave me again," and the pain in his words makes my heart bleed, abandonment is such a real fear for him and perhaps that's why he had those relationships before, never getting close so that no-one could abandon him.

"I'm ok Christian, I really am, I'm just bruised I think." Ana says gently pushing him back onto his pillow, "I'm coming back, I promise." My poor boy, his eyes searching her face to ensure she is telling the truth, whatever happened over the last four days will have a lasting impact on him. "I promise," she whispers again.

"I'll give you two a minute while I ring the hospital and then Christian, I want you to rest and Ana is coming with me." I say it in a tone brooking no resistance, I need them both together as that seems to be the only way either will heal and there is no way I want her in the hospital again, the last stay was such a disaster that I wouldn't dare put her there again.

Ana's POV

"I'm coming back, I promise." I said it and I meant it, all I did other than sleep when exhaustion overtook me for the last three days and nights was try and rationalise why I should not be here. How I should stand on my own two feet and not rely on Christian. How he had already wasted so much time on me that his business must have been impacted and if so, then there were thousands of employees that were being negatively impacted because of me. How he needed the control of the red room, it was obvious he was in his element in there. How the dominant personality had been squashed for the time that he's been with me and that he really did need to be that person, I could see how scarily commanding he was, it must be an extreme turn on for him to feel like that. How I really didn't fit into his world.

The other side of my brain fought for a foothold making me think about the fact that what he did to me up until he hit me with the crop was sexy, so sexy and if I hadn't been so scared of him, I could have enjoyed that like my body did. That he has taken care of me at every turn. That he has protected me at every turn. That he has put everything aside for me and seems to enjoy spending time with me. That he was sending me increasingly desperate messages, texts and my favourite chocolates, the hearts and flowers from a man who said he didn't do hearts and flowers.

The doubting side was winning though and I really couldn't see the point of trying even with Taylor bringing me food and being obviously concerned for me. I couldn't even comprehend it when Gail said that Christian was a shattered man. Until, until I saw Christian or the wreck of a man that was standing in front of me, trying to reach me, then I knew that whatever our differences, we were meant to be together and I had to get to him, I didn't even remember that my body wasn't working at the moment.

So yes, I don't want to be responsible for causing Christian the pain that I caused him, ever again, I would promise him the earth to never see that pain in his eyes again.

As Grace leaves the room, I lie back down on the bed, glad that Christian is that little bit better already and is able to communicate with me now, he lifts his hand and gently rubs his thumb across my cheek as he pulls me in close with his other arm and simply looks at me like he's trying to determine whether I will really return.

"I promise." I repeat.

"I don't ever want you to leave me again. Please if I do something stupid, and let's face it, I will do something stupid again, please don't leave me." He pleads and I know I can give him that, the pain of missing him was almost too much for me.

"I promise I won't. We will talk." I choke back at him.

"I'm so sorry I hit you, I am an idiot, there's just no other explanation given that I knew your history. I should have seen you were scared and I should have stopped, if I had truly been in control, I would have seen it and stopped and told you what I wanted to do with you, you might have enjoyed it. I should never have gone the orgasm denial route, you don't know about any of this stuff and you deserve enjoyment only, not what I did to you." The effort of talking and the obvious pain of how he has been thinking for the past few days is taking a toll and he closes his eyes for a second as he shudders and then says "I will ask Taylor to get rid of the room."

"Ah, um, I'd rather you didn't." I stammer, my cheeks and ears flaming, and Christian's eyes fly open and then a slow smile spreads across his face as he looks into my eyes and I squirm.

"Well, the crop is gone," and he holds me tighter. "I desperately want to kiss you but I know I reek, so when you come back from the hospital, will you shower with me?," he whispers and a shiver of anticipation runs through me as I nod into his chest, hiding my face and revelling in the feel of his arms holding me tight.