Taylor's POV – 14 July 2011
"Why won't she wake up?" I can't help but ask again, it's been twelve of the longest hours of my life sitting here, waiting for Gail to regain consciousness and I can't stand it.
"Sir, she just needs to rest, her vital signs are fine, you should go and get some rest", the ever helpful but now annoying nurse says to me and I just grunt, there is no way that I am leaving Gail here and now I get it, I get why the Boss is so protective of Ana. I've always felt strongly for Gail and I've wanted to marry her since the minute I saw her but now all I want to do is wrap her up and take her away, make sure that nothing else ever happens to her, love her beyond any way I have loved her before, she deserves it and I don't think I will be able to cope if she doesn't come back to me.
The hours sitting here in the hospital I have spent thinking about whether we should leave the Boss and go live in the suburbs, whether I should get a real job and leave the craziness behind but even as I think that, I know I need the excitement and I will go stir crazy in a 9 to 5 job. Maybe once we all move out to the Sound we'll have the best of both worlds although I can imagine how intense it will become if they have children. I almost smile at the thought of the Boss with a child and how he would deal with them but then it makes me think about how Gail would have loved a child but was dealt blow after despairing blow and then her husband died and I came along way too late. Thinking about her losses brings back comrade battle losses and my heart clenches, I need her to wake up, I don't think I will be able to deal with any more and I desperately need her love and her calming influence in my life. . . !
I finally drop my head onto my arms on the edge of the bed, my hand on hers, her breathing nice and steady has the effect it always has of lulling me to sleep and I drift off into a sleep punctuated by people trying to kill the Boss. It's during a particularly graphic attack where someone who looks disturbingly like Ana has me by the hair and is swinging me around that I feel the tugging on my hair and realise that it is real, it isn't in my dream.
Like a shot, I bolt upright, "Baby, are you ok? Oh Gail, honey, can you speak? Are you ok?" and I am rewarded by one of her glorious but laughing smiles, not as bright as normal and she looks like she is in pain but there is absolutely no doubt that she is laughing at me. I know I can't gather her up in my arms like I want to but I want to hold her close and never let her go. I wrap my hands around her face and simply kiss her as gently on her lips as I can, her lips are swollen and look so sore, the bruise on her face now a deep blue that looks incredibly painful. I don't care that my tears are rolling down my cheeks as I lean my face against hers and try to hug her gently, making sure she knows how much I love her.
As her tears meld with mine, she is the first one to regain composure and she whispers, "Oh Jason, I will be fine, are Ana and Grace ok? " and as I nod unable to trust my voice, she continues, "Are you ok, what happened? Please tell me Mr Grey is ok too and that none of you did anything stupid".
"Baby, stop, everyone is ok, I am going to call the nurse to tell them you are awake, don't talk, you must be so sore, my baby, I'm so sorry I didn't protect you."
"Can you ask them for some water, I'm parched," she hoarsely whispers and I'd get her the moon if she asked for it, my heart is beating out of my chest glad that she sounds like she is fine.
"I'll get you a drink, baby, how sore are you, you shouldn't be talking, I wish I'd been there, Jack Hyde would not be alive now, I swear it was lucky that the boys had handed him over to the police already." As I am calling the nurse, I text the Boss that Gail is awake and then focus back on Gail, pushing her hair back and tracing the shape of the bruise, my anger building as I see the distinct knuckle marks.
"I was so scared that you'd do something silly once you knew I was in there, how did you get back so fast?" I hold her hand and kiss her fingers, so glad that she is able to talk and everything seems fine and she's right, if I'd been there, I would have done a lot stupid! I decide that I'll just respond to the question and try not to think about what might have happened.
"The Boss was really antsy about this trip, he didn't want to do it, was really worried about Ana and something happening but he didn't want to risk all the jobs that were on the line and so he managed to turn it around so we were only in Taiwan for a few hours and were almost home when it all happened, we got there in time to be a part of the end of it."
Before I can say anything else, the nurse bustles in with a "I told you so" smile at me and the doctor follows her and proceeds to check my girl over, allowing me to hold her hand. Every time she grimaces, the pain shoots through my body and I wish it was me dealing with the pain, she doesn't deserve it.
Thankfully the doctor says Gail can be discharged after a little more observation and once they have gone, I say "If they don't let you go soon, I am just taking you home and looking after you myself" and my gorgeous girl might have actually smirked at me, "I can look after you" I say in a haughty voice and then think, well, I didn't actually manage to do that, that's why she is lying here, she should have been protected and I can't believe I didn't suggest that she have security as well.
It's as if she knows what I am thinking as she says "Don't you dare take the blame for any of what happened and just be glad that everyone was on the ball. What happened in the end as I missed it all? Ana wasn't hurt in any way was she?"
Having read Welch's report during the night while waiting for Gail to wake, I am able to tell her what happened, how proud of her everyone is because she was the reason they knew exactly what was happening and how Ana had realised really quickly that something bad was going on, who was involved and had been able to have Sawyer listen in. I can't convey to her how proud I am of her for not falling apart and for being so important in making sure that everyone was ok as it could have turned out so much worse if Ana had turned up without any suspicion.
When I say what Ana did in the car park and that she also shot the gun out of Lincoln's hand, I see Gail's eyes light up with pride, I think if she could adopt Ana as her daughter, she would and she would provide the beautiful stability that the poor girl never had from her own mother so I doubt that she will want to give up her job but I decide that I might as well ask if she wants us to give it all away.
"Baby, after everything that has happened over the last day, do you think we should give it all away? Go find a house and live in the suburbs and live a simple life, find jobs that don't have the stress and obvious danger? I will do it if you want to."
"Seriously Jason, I was the one with the blow to the head but are you sure you didn't end up with one too?" And she is looking at me incredulously, "You would go nuts and who is going to look out for Ana? There is no way I am abandoning her right now as they start married life, can you imagine what is going to happen when and if they have a baby? No, I don't want to give it all away but I think I am going to ask you or if what you say is true, maybe organise Ana to give me some self-defence lessons."
"Are you sure?" I ask tentatively
"Absolutely positive" my beautiful girl responds, "This is our family, it's not just a job."
"Well, will you marry me now? I nearly wasn't allowed into the ambulance and if it wasn't for that cop, Lisa Maxwell, I wouldn't have been allowed because I wasn't married to you. I want to be married to you, I never ever want to not be able to be there for you. I don't ever want to be apart from you, will you marry me please? "
"Oh Jason, I am not going to answer that now, under all sorts of legal rules, the fact that I have had a massive knock to the head means that I cannot be held accountable for anything I say now" and I can't believe that she is still not saying yes to me.
Before I can say anything else there is a knock on the door and the biggest bouquet of flowers I have ever seen walks in the door, the sheer size of it elicits an embarrassed giggle from Gail, the bouquet is followed by Ana and the Boss who peeks out from behind it. Ana comes flying across the room and it is beautiful to see the obvious love on her face for Gail and even the Boss has a relieved smile as he leans down and kisses Gail on the cheek, clasping and then shaking my hand while asking how Gail is feeling.
Hearing how raspy Gail's voice is, the Boss holds up his hand to stop her and starts speaking so that she doesn't and after thanking her, he tells us that as soon as Gail is out of hospital, we are immediately on two weeks holiday, the jet is at our disposal and we can go anywhere we want in the world and he will cover the cost.
I know the level of his guilt as to what happened to Gail but it is weighing heavier on my mind. Gail thanks him sweetly and then very unselfishly says that she wants us to hold off on our holiday until after the wedding given everything that has to happen in the next few weeks and she'd rather be a part of helping with all of that and then after everything has settled perhaps then we gratefully accept the holiday.
My heart skips a beat to realise that their wedding is so close but hopefully now the crazies are mostly contained it might be ok, although, who knows how deep the evil one's links are, while Gail was unconscious I read Welch's report and it's worse than a spider's web. There are links everywhere and we need to find out who she pulled favours in from to get her sister transferred to that prison, who else is in her debt but it looks like she has no money and was looking for Lincoln to provide the money, hence the stupid plan that was hatched.
"Are you sure? We are going to stay with my parents for a couple of days now to make sure that Mom is ok, she says she is but I'd like to be there and Ana and I can finalise the wedding plans to stop Mia from attempting all sorts of foolhardy things under the guise of organising the wedding." He pauses for a second and then says "Hopefully we will be able to have everything organised so that we can enjoy the run up to the wedding." He turns towards me as he says the last bit and he rolls his eyes, yes, there is nothing enjoyable for the groom in those last few weeks and I can't help but smile back at him.
"Gail, I understand and appreciate all your help for Ana in the run up to the wedding but you need to recuperate so I insist that for the next few days that you must go and stay at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel, take as long as you need and if you want for anything, let me know and I will arrange it." Gail smiles and thanks him and then Ana steps forward again.
"Gail, I am so sorry that Jack hit you and so pleased you are going to be ok, we were so worried" Ana says quietly to Gail, she is stroking Gail's arm and shoulder, watching them together, I know there is no way that Gail will leave Ana and am glad, the Boss is difficult but it is the best job I've ever had and I can rest that I am not jeopardising Gail, I understand when I see them together that there is no place she'd rather be, whether Ana realises it or not, Gail will do anything to protect her. Yet another person who understands what sort of a special person Ana is and is held by the spell of needing to right all the wrongs that have befallen her so far in her short life.
As I drag my focus back, I hear Ana saying, "Thank you so much, you were so brave and it was so clear to me from what you said that something bad was going on, it was very clever of you, I would have been so scared but you saved all our lives," I watch as she shudders, the obvious fear of what had happened crosses her face and then I am filled with awe at my girl.
"I don't think so Ana, I knew you would figure it out, I was so annoyed at myself for being taken in when I didn't listen to how Grace was talking that I missed her clues, I am so glad that you were paying attention." She squeezes Ana's hand and then all but giggles when she says, "And well done, I hear you handed an ass-whooping punishment to Jennifer, ugh, she's as bad as her awful sister, pure evil," then covers her mouth and looks mortified as she realises what she's just said out loud.
The chuckle that goes around the room is followed by the Boss patting her on her hand and saying, "Beautifully put Gail, yes Ana did singlehandedly immobilise Jennifer and then disarmed Lincoln with the gun she'd taken from her, she was amazing."
His voice drops a tone as he becomes serious, his next words have Ana melting into him, his hold on her so tight she almost winces, but he couldn't speak truer words, "In all, both you ladies were beyond amazing and Gail, I'm sorry for having brought drama into your life in ways that not even I or the whole security team thought possible. I will be forever in your debt, for saving the two angels that have saved me and that I couldn't live without. Thank you, now there is a third angel in our family."
"Our family", just as Gail said, this is our family.