A/N: Thank you all for your reviews and support! I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 7: Mending

It was agreed that Theo would drive all of them to the hospital in his truck. Margaret had given Ana one of her thick wool cardigans to wear since she didn't have a jacket, and also found her a pair of sandals that were a bit big since Ana wore a smaller shoe size. Thankfully, the Trevelyan's had an attached garage, so they didn't have to step outside as they ushered Ana into the truck's backseat; however, Theo still had to back out of the garage and into the driveway, in full view of the house next door. The windows in the car were tinted, but Ana flattened herself down on the seat to ensure no one outside could see her. Christian, who was sitting next to her in the backseat, kept his eyes glued to the house next door, but it looked like all the lights were off. Jack was apparently still asleep, otherwise he'd be up and looking around for Ana right now.

They all collectively breathed a sigh of relief once they were on the road and heading toward the hospital.

Once out of sight of her house, Ana sat up in her seat again, and Christian looked over at her. She had wrapped the cardigan more tightly around her body before turning and gazing out the window at the scenery moving past them. Christian couldn't decipher her expression since it was so dark out, but the passing streetlights showed a rather dead-eyed look on her beautiful face. It was such a stark difference from the sweet, stunning woman he'd met at his parents' house last week, and it broke his heart.

A heart that he didn't know existed before meeting Ana.

Christian felt a tightness in his chest as he tore his eyes away and turned to look out the window. It was difficult to think about now, but there had been a time in his life where he was convinced he was a sadist. Elena's toxic influence in his life and the fact that he got off on beating and fucking brunette girls in his playroom seemed to foster a darkness in his psyche that he thought he would never be rid of. It took years of therapy with Flynn as well as cutting Elena out of his life entirely that helped him realize he was capable of things like empathy and love. He was lucky to have a support system like his family to pull him out of that dark time in his life, but he had essentially resigned himself to never finding a connection with a woman beyond a sexual relationship. Hearts and flowers had never held any appeal to him, and with his sordid past, he figured that that baggage just wouldn't be worth bringing into any new relationship.

However, meeting Ana had seemed to throw his whole world into chaos. His overwhelming urge to protect her, to take her out of this dangerous situation with her boyfriend, nearly surpassed his attraction to her. The mere thought of bringing her into his playroom didn't excite him in the slightest – in fact, it made him sick to his stomach.

Christian tried not to dwell on his thoughts too much as Theo finally pulled his truck into Seattle General hospital.

"This was the hospital Grace used to work at, Ana," Margaret informed Ana as Theo drove around the circular drive and pulled up to the front doors. "She's in private practice now, of course, but we know for a fact that all the doctors here are excellent."

She was clearly trying to be reassuring, but Ana remained silent as she continued to stare out the car window, her expression unreadable. Once Theo stopped the car, Margaret and Christian opened their doors to get out, and Ana hesitated only a moment before stepping out of the car after them.

Theo went to park the car as the three of them walked into the emergency room together – it was a large, sterile white area with an expansive receptionist desk across from the door, an empty waiting area to their right, and a TV hanging on the wall near a large window. Margaret and Christian began to walk toward the front desk, but Ana hung back slightly. Christian turned around to see where she went, and was shocked to notice fear in her eyes as she glanced at her surroundings.

His heart broke for her.

"Ana?" he asked quietly, moving toward her. "Are you alright?"

Ana's eyes snapped to his, still looking frightened. "I… I don't know if I can do this," she muttered, wrapping her arms protectively around her middle. "I-I'm sorry. I…I can't…"

She seemed close to tears again, and Christian knew he had to do something. "Hey, it's okay," he said quietly, his voice comforting. He hesitated only a moment before pulling her in for a gentle hug, holding her against his chest. Christian usually didn't like anyone touching his chest, but for Ana, he was willing to push through the discomfort. Ana didn't pull away from his embrace, and Christian was relieved when he felt her rest her forehead against his shoulder, sniffling.

"I know, this night has been a lot for you," Christian said quietly, rubbing a hand along her back. "And I know you're probably really scared right now. But you're not alone anymore, Ana – you can trust us."

"I… I know," Ana murmured, and she finally pulled away from Christian to look up at him, her eyes shining with tears. "In my head, I know that… but a part of me is still terrified that Jack is going to find me. Like, I'm going to turn around and he's going to be there, dragging me back to that house. I know it's irrational and stupid…"

"It's not, Ana," Christian insisted. "With everything you've been through, it's completely understandable that you're scared. And the fact that you're willing to trust us to help you is probably really scary too, but it shows just how brave you are. You stood up for yourself, and that's something you can take heart in, no matter what happens."

Ana gave him a small, watery smile. "I don't know why that makes me feel a little better, but it does."

Christian smiled too, feeling relieved. "I'm glad."

Ana didn't say anything, but the way she looked at Christian made his heart lurch in his chest. There was still fear and uncertainty in her eyes, but there was a gratefulness there that almost knocked him back. He had a sudden strong urge to hold Ana in his arms once again, and before he could think about it too much, he pulled her back in for a hug. Thankfully, Ana went willingly into his arms, wrapping her arms around him in a warm embrace.

Christian could have stood here with Ana all night, basking in the comfort of having her in his arms, but knew that they should be getting her to check in soon. He glanced over at the front desk, and saw his grandmother and the receptionist looking over at them: the receptionist was gazing compassionately at Ana, but Margaret looked like she was about to start tearing up seeing her grandson let someone touch his chest. Christian offered her a small smile before looking back down at Ana.

"You ready to check in?" Christian asked quietly. Ana swallowed before finally pulling away.

"Yeah," she nodded, trying to put on a brave face. Christian smiled before gently taking her hand and leading her toward the front desk.

~/~

The ER was thankfully pretty quiet tonight, so the nurse was able to see Ana right away despite her not being in an emergency situation. The nurse asked her many questions regarding her medical history, as well as some obligatory questions about her history with Jack, and Ana answered them all honestly. Margaret, Theo, and Christian also had to answer a few questions about how they knew Ana and how they were involved in the situation. Ana was clearly still uncomfortable talking about all of this, and Christian was extremely proud of her for pushing through her discomfort.

"…Alright, Miss Steele, I'm going to order some arnica cream and bandages to take care of the bruises on your arms," the nurse explained, jotting something down on her clipboard. "And since your friends mentioned you passed out earlier, I'm also going to write a note for the doctor here recommending an MRI. This is only a precautionary measure since you're not showing any signs of a concussion, but we just want to be extra sure there isn't something else going on."

Ana nodded. "Okay. Thank you."

The nurse smiled kindly at her. "You're very welcome, dear. Just sit tight while I grab the arnica cream, and then the doctor will come by to get you all set up for the MRI."

The nurse walked away. Ana, who was still sitting propped up on the ER bed, started picking nervously at her cuticles, and Margaret reached over to take one of her hands, squeezing it comfortingly. Ana squeezed her hand back, smiling at her gratefully.

"So, after Ana's MRI, what's the plan?" Theo asked, glancing around at the others. "Assuming nothing's wrong, of course. Did we want to go straight to Grace and Carrick's place?"

"I think it would be best if Ana stayed here overnight, even if there isn't anything wrong," Christian said, and the others looked at him. "It would be the safest option. And if we're going to the police station tomorrow morning to file a restraining order, Ana would have a stronger case against Jack if she had an overnight stay at the hospital on her record."

"That makes sense," Margaret nodded, looking at Ana. "Would you be alright with that, dear?"

"Yeah," Ana nodded, looking noticeably relieved. "I'd feel more comfortable here tonight, I think."

"We'll stay with you, then," Theo said, and Margaret and Christian both nodded.

Ana blinked before shaking her head. "Oh, no, Mr. Trevelyan. You guys don't have to…"

"We want to," Christian said firmly, and Ana looked over at him. "Did you really think we'd leave you alone tonight, Ana? After everything you went through with Jack?"

"Christian's right, darling," Margaret said gently. "The three of us would feel much better if we stayed here with you tonight. I doubt we'd get a lot of rest at home tonight anyway."

Ana didn't say anything for a moment, but her eyes glittered with unshed tears as she smiled at Margaret. "I s'pose that's a good point. Thank you, Mrs. Trevelyan."

Margaret smiled back, squeezing her hand again. "Don't mention it, dear."

Ana sniffled before discretely wiping her eyes, and Christian felt emotion welling in his own throat. Ana clearly didn't know how to express how grateful she was that they insisted on staying with her, but he could tell she was very relieved. Christian had to fight the urge to get up and hug Ana once again.

Before anyone could say anything else, the nurse appeared from around the corner with the arnica cream and a small box of bandages, ready to take care of the bruises Jack had left on her arms.

Jack blearily peeled open his eyes as he gradually pulled himself out of sleep. His head was pounding, most likely from the whiskey he downed a few hours earlier, and he groaned. He had wound up in his bed somehow, and saw the red blinking numbers on his bedside table clock read out 4:32 AM.

It took him another minute or so to remember he was back at the house in Bellevue. He had been traveling around the state for so many weeks it was almost odd being back, but then the memories as to why he had come back came rushing back to him in an instant.

Ana.

He groaned again, his headache suddenly getting worse as he reached a hand up to rub his eyes. That bitch was making such a fucking mess of his life right now… he was supposed to still be on the road campaigning for Malkiewicz, but she just had to step out of line and go get a fucking job behind his back. What the hell was she even playing at? She had a good life here in Bellevue: he provided everything for her, and this is how she repaid him? Why the hell couldn't she just be more grateful?

Admittedly, he may have overreacted last night by shutting her away in the den, but she needed to learn that her bullshit wasn't going to fly with him. She was going to quit her job – whatever the hell it was – or he was going to make her.

Jack finally dragged himself out of bed before shuffling out of the room and down the stairs, yawning and rubbing his eyes. His mouth felt like cotton, so he went to the kitchen to get a glass of water and swallow a couple ibuprofen tablets before heading over to the den. Ana was probably still sleeping, so he would just check in on her before heading back to bed. They would talk later in the morning, at a more reasonable hour.

Jack approached the den door, and frowned when he felt the temperature here was significantly cooler than the rest of the house. Was the thermostat broken? He unlocked the door and opened it a few inches, peeking inside.

Cold air hit him in the face as he saw the window on the other side of the room wide open, the drapes fluttering in the cool breeze. Ana was nowhere to be seen.

Jack's heart immediately jumped to his throat as he threw the door wide open, dropping his glass of water and spilling it all over the floor as he rushed to the window. He gripped the windowsill with both hands and looked out into the darkened street, panic and rage building up inside of him in a swift crescendo.

No she fucking didn't.

Ana had broken out of the house like a goddamn fugitive! How dare she fucking do this to him! Jack had no idea how long Ana had been gone, and that fact was not lost on him – she could be anywhere right now.

Letting out a frustrated growl, Jack slammed the window shut and stormed out of the room. Without thinking, he ran to the front door and flung it open, rushing outside into the cold night. The sun wouldn't be up for a couple hours, but right now the sky was pitch dark; a yellow street lamp lit the area around him, but there wasn't a soul in sight.

The neighbors.

Jack suddenly remembered Ana had been at the neighbors' house yesterday, and he whipped around to look at the house next door. All the lights were off there too, and it stood quiet and sentinel at this early hour like all the other residences on their street.

With another frustrated growl, Jack ran over next door and hurried up the porch steps toward the front door. He rang the doorbell several times and pounded angrily on the door, not caring if any of the other neighbors heard him.

"Hey!" he shouted through the thick wood. "Hey! Ana!"

He continued pounding on the door for about thirty seconds before he came to the conclusion nobody was home.

Fuck.

Breathing heavily from rage and exertion, Jack finally stepped back and turned away from the door, gazing up and down the street in vain. Ana was still nowhere in sight, and he felt his sense of control slipping away. He tried to gather his thoughts, knowing he needed to figure out where Ana had gone as soon as possible. It shouldn't be too hard, right? The girl had nowhere to go, and hardly anyone to assist her. And if she had managed to find someone, Jack would surely be able to find out who they were.

"You're not getting away that easy, sweetheart," Jack growled to himself, his fists clenched, before turning and marching back toward his house to begin his search.

A/N: Ew Jack :( We're going to be hearing more from him, unfortunately.

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