822All rights to the fifty shades thing used characters and plots are property of EL James, but as this story is mine and is not like the fifty shades series at all, all, I did was borrow the lifestyle and a few names... If you want our favourite man, unchanged and still fifty shades and the originality of E L James, then read them again, lol...
Chapter 30:
The answers to the question, how, who and why:
C POV:
Urghhhh, I wake up from the worst sleep ever and my fucking head hurts, confusion is the name of the game, that and fear, mainly because I don't know where the fuck I am? The smell in here is hanging about in my nostrils, it is both clingy and sickly, and I know I have smelt that smell before, but where am I exactly? I try to sit up but I am in pain and I feel strange, my fucking arm is heavy, as is my leg. I am strangely disorientated and alone, where is Ana and my family? Okay, think Grey what happened to you, I heard gunshots and saw my pretty wife dive over me after I fell down the fucking stairs that much I do remember. Phoebe was crying she was hurt too...
"Shit, where is my baby girl, where is Phoebe? Taylor, get your ass in here." I scream at the empty room, where are my family? Shit, my head thumps and the blood rushes to my seemingly drunken brain. A nurse rushes in and tells me to shush. "No disrespect nurse, but fuck off and tell me where my daughter is and where is my wife and son?" Harsh Grey, very harsh, she is only doing her job, my inner me reasons with my nasty speaking non-thinking mouth. As I set to scream at her again, my mom and dad come in, with Ray, Carrie and Granny Maggie following. Okay, this isn't looking like good news, not from the look on their faces, who's died? Ana, Phoebe, fuck me, who is dead?
"Mom, tell me everything and now, where is everyone, where is Ana and my kids?" I question her.
"Don't give the nurse grief."
"Mom, what the fucks happened?"
"If you continue with that potty mouth I will have them jab your backside with a sedative, do you hear me?"
"Mother where are my wife and family?"
"The children are at home asleep; Phoebe suffered a broken arm and is doing fine. She woke up this morning after a quiet night and clonked poor Teddy with her plaster cast. He now wants one in blue to clonk her back. Ana came out of surgery in the early hours of the morning; where Christian, she lost a lot of blood, but she will be fine. You suffered both a broken arm and leg and you have only just woken up, you were very cranky, restless and in pain in the night, the surgeon had you on some pretty potent painkillers and other medication, and we have only just been allowed in to see you. Ana is still in ICU, where she is stable and at present heavily sedated." My mother rattled off some of the happenings and my head spun.
"I heard someone say someone died, who died?" I look to my father for answers.
"Ana's half brother." My father told me.
"Jack Hyde, wasn't he meant to be in prison awaiting trial?"
"No, no another one Christian, Frank had another child four years before Ana, one he nor his mother knew nothing about..."Ray looked at me, as he told me, and I held my head with my one good hand, crap what happened as I slept?
"Okay, how long have I been out of it?" My head hurts, all this crap has to have ended, it has to, because right now my poor throbbing brain is confused and my family is hurt and I am helpless to do anything about it, I am lain here feeling like death warmed up and out of the damned loop. How many kids did Frank have, and just who was this supposed man thought to be Ana's brother? God help me I will swing for someone with my own pot arm, if I do not get answers and soon. My father steps forward.
"Son, calm down. We have been on pins for the whole day yesterday, Ana's uncles have left no stone unturned searching out the clues those people left behind, you slept through some traumatic crap Christian Grey, so just calm down and cool your pipes. They and we have spent most of the night waiting for Ana to get out of surgery. Are you wanting to sit up to shout at us some more?"
"I am sorry I just want to know why."
"We all do son and what little we do know, is unbelievable. Donald is on his way in to explain more, he and the uncles have had to do some digging, but here's what we do know so far. The man who Ana shot was her half brother, they had the same father, but obviously a different mother. Daniel Rowland, was fathered after Frank had a one-night-stand. It seems his mother didn't ask many questions before they well you know, got friendly.
She must have remembered some small things however, because she had made several enquiries as to Frank's whereabouts in town, but because she was so drunk she only remembered snippets of the night and she didn't know Franks surname, nor where or which branch of the forces he served with. She had little to go on but was desperate to find her baby's father.
The poor woman she found out she was dying from cancer, when Daniel was just a couple of months old. So she went back to the motel where Frank and the rest of his crew were staying, and the room was paid for by a credit card under the name of Mark Hardman, luckily for her they had wrecked the rooms and the owners had to call the Naval Police to throw them out, they also remembered pouring her into a cab. So knowing this snippet, she sent a request into the navy for help finding Mark and the men from the motel. Nobody got in touch with her.
Then unfortunately, she died, leaving her son alone and so he was taken into foster care. She wrote everything down for his care worker, names dates and everything she could whilst she could. Daniel then got lost in the care system; he was bounced from foster home to foster home. Some years later, when he was eighteen, he got to see his file for the first time, in it was a letter from his mother telling her then teenage son who she thought his father was.
So he then sent a letter to the Marine Corp Records Department, asking for information on a Mark Hardman, in his file were copies of all the letters she had sent trying to find Mark Hardman, he had presumed this Mark would know his father Frank. Getting no help Daniel then joined the army, he did his basic training, and then transferred to Military Police and somehow he got Marks details from personnel files.
That's how he was identified, Daniel; his fingerprints were on record with IAFIS. Daniel is no longer a serving member of the armed forces, after he was dishonourably discharged from the army. He served time in Fort Leavenworth, it turns out he sold personal information on army families to a group of telemarketers, luckily for the country, he was caught out before he got wise enough to sell secrets to a terrorist group. That's how he managed to find the man who he thought could help him find his father. When he got out of jail he used the information he had got from army records and somehow he found Mark and then joined forces with Isabel and the rest of the renegades, it seems Mark span quite the tale of the billions he would get if he was the only heir to the Lambert fortune."
"Whoa, what, I mean fuck a duck, what the hell sort of mad world did Isabel and those lunes run in, how did they find out their shit?" My head hurts, crap my Ana... "Ana, fuck them, how is Ana really Mom I want to see my wife."
"You can, but she is in ICU where she is sedated, the liver will heal itself and the blood loss will be replenished. She is very lucky and inch either way and she would be dead." My Mother tells me.
"Christian, I feel my family has brought you nothing but grief." Ana's poor grandmother is in tears.
"Awe, Maggie, no, no Ana loves you." I try to keep her from erupting, because I do not need a worse headache than I already have.
"My supposed grandson bled out on the operating table, thank the lord for small mercies, he was no loss to society, Christian, Carrick, Grace, he was a god damned spy and a traitor. Ana, my poor Ana, now she has to find out she killed her brother, and that is the sad thing about all this, even if he was a bad egg and deserved the death he got, my angel didn't deserve this, not to be shot by her own brother, she will be hurt and she doesn't need more hurt in her life."
"How did she kill him?" I ask, because again, I don't remember much after I touched the bone sticking out of my leg, and when I remember that, and I spectacularly cover my poor mother's shoes in bile, nice... "Mom I am so sorry." I am passed a paper hat thing, and I vomit again. The doctor comes in and says I have had a reaction to the anaesthesia. "No Sir, I just remembered the bone and touching it."
"Quite, now please let me introduce myself, I am your surgeon, Dr Holton, it was a little horrific the break and will be a painful fix. Surgery went very well; it was a simple clean arm break. However, the leg was a little more challenging. You will need to keep the leg elevated for quite some time, because the break was a mess, as you saw from the jagged protrusion of the bones through the skin. You will need physiotherapy and help to walk for quite a while. You will be in here at least another week or so, you will need help and to be off the leg for a month at least. You are very lucky that this is a specialist hospital in both trauma and orthopaedics and given the amount of breaks we see day in and day out, this was nothing spectacular. Now Mr Grey do you have any pain at the moment?"
"My head throbs like a bitch, my leg feels weird and I don't feel too damned lucky Doc, I feel like shit if I am honest."My mother tutts loudly, what, it does hurt like a bitch...
"That would be the stitches you had to the cut in your noggin Christian. You hit a few stairs hard coming down the city hall staircase, do you not remember Christian, you swore enough..."
My mother says and looks at me as she did when I swore in church the one time. Elliot got me in big trouble that day, the moron took a few frogs to Sunday Mass to re-enact one of the plagues we studied in Sunday School the week before, and we found out that the girls in front of our pews didn't like frogs. He put one in my jacket and I got the blame. I told Father Conner, that Noah had plagued the world with some shit creatures and the people of Egypt had to deal with more than three toads and four newts, thanks to his good friend Moses, which made this biblical and they would feel right at home in the font.
He clipped my ear and I well got a little loud and I may or may not have swore a few times. The service was heated, full of crying girls, chaos and biblical tales, that week and I smile to myself, that was one of Elliot's better church upsets, that and the one where Elliot succeeded in putting a constipation powder in the communal wine, funny I had almost forgotten those quality church moments. My mother is talking at me again, I must have zoned out for a few minutes...
"I have what on my head mother, cool, so how many stitches did I get, more than Elliot?"I ask like a moron. I touch it as if I don't believe her, ouch bad move it hurt more, fuck...
"You did, I will get you something for it." My mother bats away my hand from touching it, but my hand is drawn to the lump and I touch it again and again, wow it is large and sore and I can't remember a fucking thing after the fall, is this lump and stitches the reason for the memory block and my zoning in and out of reality?
"Ana; what about Ana, my wife, please tell me she is okay doctor, how is she?"
"She is stable and very lucky to be alive, now I will send her doctor to you, I am ortho and your doctor, he is trauma and hers, Dr Truman is the best we have."
"I bet she doesn't feel very lucky! Ray, Carrie go and sit with her I am cranky but fine, Mom go with them and report back to me, as soon as she wakes up I want to go see her. How the fuck that will happen I do not know, but I want to see her as soon as I can and if it means me walking there I will, do you hear me?" I shout at the doctor.
"I do, your mother said as much. We have a bed here ready for her transfer, which will be sometime today, when she awakens, we will work something out." How is that going to happen if I am rigged up to something that wouldn't look out of place in my playroom? I desperately need to see her of that I am sure. Her and our children, shit our children, how will they cope with us both in here? Fuck that lunatic Isabel Lomax, and all the fucking morons she hung around with, how the fuck did they get into a place that had more security than fucking Fort Knox? I want someone's head on a platter with a red apple in his or her mouth. I want answers and the man to give me those walks in with a portly looking gent. Who is this?
"Geoffrey, you are here Come to mother." The man walks to Maggie and kisses her cheek. Okay, I guess this is Uncle Geoff. "Christian, this is my one remaining son, Ana's Uncle and the bearer I think of good news?"
"Umm, it seems the black sheep had another black lamb mother. It appears yes, he was a relative for a relatively short time. My brother the classless idiot knocked out more kids than a goat farm. Mother, how is Ana, is she okay?"
"She is a fighter G and is in recovery, now Donald I want someone's head on a platter for this. Yours Pauls or anyone's, I do not care whose, but someone fucked with the wrong family, excuse my pretty mouth there Grace, but I am as mad bear poked with a stick, whilst crapping in the woods, now talk to me Donald, how did it happen, because from what I saw she had more security than the damned Pope." She makes the sign of the cross and crosses her arms over her chest. "Well Donald, how did they get in and how did they know where we were? I want answers and I'd like them now." Wow, she is not that classy when she shoots from the hip, and my mother is shocked all that came out of her mouth.
"Mother, hush up and let him speak, three of his men are dead you wicked woman I think that's more than enough good guys paying a price, now hush that wicked southern belle mouth of yours and listen up. Their bodies were found in the dumpster behind the courthouse, so show some respect for the fallen." Oh, I look at Donald and I see the pain at their deaths in his old eyes.
"Please, let me try to explain. Firstly, Isabel knew your family would be at the Valentines Ball, she has a home here in Aspen and every year she, like you parents, she has booked a hotel room in the same place your family stop, under the name Gabriella Marseille, who is a known supporter of your mothers charity, and she was not on our list of suspects. The real Gabriella is bed bound in her Parisian home, Isabella stole her identity, and she has attended the function waiting for your arrival we think for the past three years, and on inspecting the room we found the hotel room had two men in it, these were Isabel's tech guys, we went there looking for evidence. She had the room key on her when she was shot by Ana. They are talking and the things they are telling us are unbelievable. Her organisation is collapsing and she was desperate, the money she spent to get here and hire the team of mercenaries wiped her out financially and she was calling in favours from people she had in her back pockets."
"Mercenaries, money, teams here how did she fucking get here?" I ask, ouch my head pounds and my leg throbs and I need to have a good itch of my damned arm so bad.
"She has been here a couple of months already; she hasn't been in Mexico for a while, not since before Ana was sent to find her there. She knew Mark had fucked up and ran before they killed her. She knew her old man's Mexican team where planning her downfall and she ran, leaving Mark there to cover her escape, all whilst she left with the old guys money. Unfortunately, for her the men she brought with her from Mexico, they wanted their payments before she lost the plot totally, so they fleeced her and ran. She then spent a fortune on a new team."
"So she knew Ana and I were here?" I ask.
"Yes, she was just biding her time to get to you either at the ball or at your home. She was working as a clerk in the main courthouse; according to the two men, she was hiding in plain sight, and she was using their limitless resources to find you; she actually worked in the same courtroom where your friend the judge sat, as a clerk. I was shocked that her credentials were flawless and checked out. Imagine her luck when you and Ana filed the marriage paperwork Christian, she was working and hiding in plain sight right under our noses. She knew when you were to be married and she waited unrecognised by us in the main courtroom, she then waited for him to call for a recess and for the alarm to go off, and then the plan was put in place. The men she hired had already taken out three of my men, good men too. They took over their slots and slipped in unnoticed."
"The men, had they families?" I ask; because I can't believe they died because of Isabel.
"Yes, one had two children, the other three and the last was getting married in two months. They will be missed." I slump back into my pillows.
"I am truly sorry for their loss. We, Ana and I will make sure their families want for nothing, but I cannot bring back their loved ones. What the hell was Isabel doing, what were these idiots following her for?"
"She promised them millions. The plan was to take you all out and for Daniel to become heir of the Lambert estate." Maggie sobs.
"Mother, hush now, what's done is done, we will chip in too, see to it they are well looked after."
"My son birthed both an angel and a demon." She sobs as her son hugs her. I am at a loss as to what to do next.
"He did that. Now mother, I want to go see Ana. Christian we will be back after my mother has slept. I hope this gives you some closure. Oh and the body in the crypt is my brother, the stiff in the morgue is my nephew and as blood does not lie the black sheep are all dead sheep. Now Donald, can I please take mother to the hotel, she ain't as peachy as she is making out." I look and I see she is a little gray around the gills.
"Maggie, go get some rest at Christians place, no hotel for you, and besides the children would love to see you, get some sleep and come back with them this afternoon." My mother tells her.
"I think I need to give them a hug or two. Geoff they are too beautiful for words."
"I know Mama, I saw them earlier. I went to Christians home first. The girl Phoebe, she packs a wallop with her pink plaster cast. She was as cranky as you are without your sugar fix Mama."
"Hush up G; you ain't too old to be walloped yourself. Christian I will be back after a nap. I have no doubt you need to ask more questions of this man, and I for one have heard as much as I can stand about that lunatic woman and my family. Too much, far too much, our family money was always at the route of all this evil, and I for one am sickened to my stomach, sickened. Grace, Carrick, Raymond and you Carrie, I will see you when I return, when she wakes I want to be informed, do you hear me as soon as her pretty eyes flutter I want a call. I am not much good to you here and am not staying here to be in your way."
"Mrs Lambert, the car is here for you." Taylor comes in and I see the smile on his face. "Sir, I see you are okay."
"I am Taylor, Maggie I will call myself as soon as Ana awakens. You have my word." She is pushed out by Geoff. They squabble all the way down the corridor. Taylor drops off some clothes and my toiletries. He has a bag for Ana too.
"Sir, we checked the hotel she was staying in, I swear we did, it raised no red flags, the room she had was a room a friend of the family has hired for the past three years. We had no reason to think Gabriella was not even here, we certainly didn't know Isabel knew her."
"Elena and she were best friends." My mother says as she passes by to go and see Ana. "Trouble attracts trouble. I haven't seen Gabby for four years since she had her stroke, but she still buys a table at all the top charity functions." I sigh.
"Son, we checked most of the damned hotels here and not one red flag were raised. The men in the room, they told us where her home here was and it was not a pretty find. The house is like a shrine to you Christian. The walls are plastered with your face. The master bedroom, well this is the wackiest thing I have ever seen, there was a stuffed model dressed as you wearing your face and it was in her bed, she sleeps with a life sized model of you son. The video she sent us was shot in the basement, the body of a young lady was in a chest freezer; we believe it is the body of Leila Williams."
"Crap I brought my family nearer to her. Isabel, she had several shingles missing off of her roof then?" I say.
"It needed a whole new roof son. The thing is there is everything there, computers, paperwork and file upon file of missing children, men and women alike. She also had a side line in blackmail and extortion, I believe they were her mother's old clients, and from what I saw they were her ticket back into the country, she used a yacht borrowed from a senator to sail into America unstopped and unchecked, the house was a gift from a banker to get his files back, she had many people willing to pay her hush money. This is a big find, she even has safe houses and drug maps, we can shut many, many routes into America, we can round up the middle men, the dealers and the pimps she used, and it is a great find there is a wealth of information."
"Well, I suppose there has something good come from all this and the deaths of those men were not just because they were protecting my pampered family."
"Christian, Ana and you did what you had to, to protect your family, hell we got involved for the same reasons. It is over and a line needs to be put under it. Now we have everything in hand to get children back to their families, we can allow parents and families to bury their children, yes Christian there is a mass of files that show where the bodies are hidden too."
"Oh, I mean, I knew it was a dirty life she led, I know the worlds a safer place without her that's for sure, but the way she died was sort of an anticlimax, I still don't believe she is dead, I really can't believe it is over and we get to live normally as a family, we do don't we?" I ask Donald.
"Yes you do, well as normal as you can do being you. We are closing in on a massive child trafficking line, where thousands of paedophiles are being arrested as we speak, that alone is a most rewarding thing to have some control over. She was a sick woman with fingers in every despicable pie going, do not think my men died in vain, they knew the risks and they will be remembered." I still feel fucking shit; five kids and three families are to go on without fathers, husbands and lovers. I need to see Ana. I want to see the twins. I want to pee, then humour, in the disguise of Elliot walks into the room just as I press for a nurse.
"Mom, can everyone leave I need to pee? I mean I need to pee now and not in front of you lot."
"It's okay Bro, see the bag thing it's rammed in your pecker and you pee into that bag, it is fucking hilarious."
"Fuck you Elliot, when I get out of here you are coming straight back in to fill the bed."
"Boys... Enough..."
"But Mom..." I say. "...He started it; and I still want you all out of here. Uncle Donald, can you make sure there are no more freaks out there please?"
"Oh son, there will always be freaks. You just have to be on your toes, I will send in that nice nurse to see to your needs. I will call in on Ana and head out to see to it that everyone she had on her payroll is either dead or in custody. Grace your son is sulking and the other is increasing Christian's morphine drip." I look around and sure enough, Elliot is screwing around with the wires and screw things on my IV line, the moron. My mom smacks the back of his head.
"Ouch, he did it to me when I had my appendix out, you didn't smack him upside of his head, and I have waited a long time to get him back."
"Really Elliot, how old are you?" My father says as mom alters the drip and sets the machine back to a steady beep, beep, annoying beep.
"He is old enough to know better, now stop messing around Elliot, Christian do you want two more visitors." I look up and see Mia, who has two very cute babies in her small arms.
"Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, oh you gets a boo-boo, and a potty likes me." Phoebe wiggles free, and is plopped on the bed, Mia screws up her face as Phoebe grabs at my toes. Ouch, that fucking hurt my leg, but the pain is worth it to see my children's faces. Teddy looks miffed.
"I want one too."
"What do you want Baby Boy?" I ask Teddy.
"A fing on ma arm; so I can hits people with it likes you and Pea-pea has." I look at his sullen sulk and smile; I must admit that when Elliot crashed his scooter I wanted my arm in a pot too. I feel his unhappiness.
"Why are you calling your sister Pea-pea?"
"She is Pea-pea, the Pwincess of Pot Arm."Teddy shouts, as he jumps up and down on the bed, someone stop him please, because my fucking leg is as sore as all hell. Who gave them sugar, neat sugar and candy? "Unkie Lelliet says she can have anything she wants cos she is a princess. She is Pea-pea and I am The Little Dude, Tedster and I am cool, wanna sucker Daddy?" He hands me a candied lolly.
"Thank you, how any have you had of these?" I ask Teddy.
"Lots and lots and lots they good stuff." I bet they are.
"Keep the moron away from my kids please Mom. Elliot what the hell have you taught my children and just overnight and don't feed them candy, just wait till Ava can eat this shit?"
"Daddy, Daddy, Daddy guess what's, we can blow bubbles in the bath from our butts." I gawp in Elliot direction and my mother rounds up on his head with a smack.
"Phoebe Grace Grey, that is not a good thing to do, and not ladylike at all. Elliot we will be having words my grandchildren are hyper." My mother says, with a half smile, my father is wetting himself as he tries not to gaff as loudly as possible.
"It is it was funny, my arm was in a bag and I blew butt bubbles, it was okay I not get it wet." She continues to tell her epic tale, and yes, I so want to laugh, but I don't want to encourage either Elliot or the twins.
"In my defence Mater and Lil Bro, they had green beans, kale and fish for lunch; I was the unlucky fuc... Brother bathing the monsters when the ripped a few of their monster toots out, I had to check to see if they left a floater, they were that bad. I mean your kids could have a hidden talent, especially Tedster..." My brother the moron seems proud of their musical bath time activity.
"Where is Mommy?" Teddy asks as he looks around the room.
"She is in her room sleeping, I am sure when you have sat with Daddy for a while; you can go with Granny Grace to see her."I say hoping to hold them close for a while first.
"Hu kay, can we have our juice now Unkie Lelliot?" He searches through the bag he has.
"Come and give Daddy a cuddle, and show me that pink cast on your arm." They take their Sippy Cups and make their way to me; it is not at all painful as they clamber all over me, fuck a duck...
"Hu Kay, don't touch it, please it is sore and I lost fings in it."My mom looks at her hand and smiles.
"Phoebe, what have you stuck down your cast Baby Girl?"
"It itched, so I stuck my spoon down, I itched it and lost it. Can you get it out Granny?" I look on as my mother smiles, as she carefully pushed her finger down the cast and a pink plastic dessertspoon falls out. She looks in their bag and gives Phoebe a measure of baby painkiller.
"All good again..." She says, as she puts my babies under my good arm for a cuddle, I fight back the tears.
"Elliot, will you and your father go and check on the other patent, with Ray and Carrie please?" She knows I need a private moment with my babies. She busies herself in the toilet fussing with something whilst I sob into their little heads. I hold on to them as they sip from their juice cups, sharing it with me, never has fruit juice tasted as good as it did sipping it from my toddlers cups. I have never been so thankful for them to moan to get out of my grip. I let them go, not wanting to upset them.
"Why are you crying Daddy?" Teddy asks.
"Yeah, why you sad Daddy...?" Phoebe asks.
"I am just happy you are here to see me."
"Hu kay, but we want to see Mommy; she got shot by a bitch." I stammer as she says it.
"Who told you that Baby Girl?" My mother asks her.
"Aunty Kate, she stop on the naughty step, she said lots of bad words at snack time." I bet. My mother sees my anger.
"She was hurt when we fell down the stairs Phoebe; she is fine, just sleeping." She answers for me.
"Hu kay, but Teddy not get hurt and he wants a boo-boo too."I think she is pissed off that her brother is boo-boo free and he is annoyed he doesn't have a boo-boo... My Kids are hard to figure out...
"Come on let's let Daddy get some sleep and we will go and see Mommy." Mom says as the nurse comes in to give me my drugs, drugs I desperately need, the twins have added another week on my recovery time. They hobble off the bed and walk off like little Orang-utans, in their orange dungarees, obviously dressed by Elliot too, god help him when I get out of here, they leave with my mother, I must have been given some good stuff, because they did actually look like little monkeys in my drug-induced state of mind, I like this stuff and as the door closes, I slip into the warm and fuzzy darkness of my dreams...
Ana's POV:
Hell and damnation, how the fudge did I get shot. I look around and smell the clinical clean smell of a hospital room; the bleeps of the machine in the background annoy the crap out of me. I feel the tubes in my nose, and the mask, I pull from my face and with a crazy dry throat, I try to sit up. Hell, that hurts; I manage to attract the attention of a nurse who rushes to my side.
"Mrs Grey, please keep the mask on and stay still."
"Mrs Grey, say that again..." I smile. "I am sorry I need a drink of water my throat is sore. Where are my family?"
"They are in the family room. I will get you some ice chips and tell them you are awake. Your husband was very vocal on wanting word of your progress."
"I bet that old saying, bear and sore head were invented for him."
"He was very insistent on wanting to get here. Give me two seconds."
I try to sit up or at least try to get comfortable. This should be my wedding day and here I am trussed up like a thanks giving turkey. I ache and my side is bandaged. I feel my side and realise I was shot, but it doesn't feel too bad. I have a drip in my arm and it looks like I am having a blood transfusion, okay then looks can be deceiving. I try to remember what happened before I collapsed on to Christian. Nothing other than feeling the warmth of the blood and seeing Christian's broken leg and Phoebe's little arm, I need to get out of this damned bed. God my family were hurt, thankfully the nurse returns just as I try to take the lines from my arms to go and see my family.
"Stop you still need another bag of blood and more fluids pumping into you, as you lost a lot of blood Mrs Grey, so hold still and eat these ice chips. Your mother and father are here. Now keep calm. You need to be calm and rested." She leaves as my dad comes into the room. He seems to have aged or is it my imagination? Carrie is at the back of him and no, it's not just him, she looks pale too, fuck the children, Christian...
"Annie, you look better than you did, how are you feeling little girl?"
"Like I got shot again, Daddy, how is Christian, tell me please?"
"He is being ornery and is in a bad mood, but he was fine when we left him. Now you how are you?"
"Good I think, I feel a little stiff, but other than this new arm wear I think everything is fine."
"You lost a lot of blood. The shot nicked your liver and a few non important bits and pieces in there, but you will be fine."
"Isabel is she, is she dead?"
"She is, you took her out shot between the eyes, and you also took out the man aiming for Christian and Phoebe." I remember that before I fell, he fell from the balcony and then I felt the warmth.
"Daddy, how did they get in?" My father then spends time telling me what they know and I am shocked and saddened that three men have died, three very good men... The nurse changes over the empty blood bag and the saline and we stop talking until she leaves the room. When she leaves, Granny Maggie comes in with a very hacked off Uncle Geoff.
"Peaches, all you had to do was call, there was no need to go to the trouble of getting shot at. How are you Annie Oakley?"
"Still shot."
"I got shot once, I told Rory the target was the little balloon blowing duck, not the prizes on the shelf, and then he only lost his temper and shot my ass. I ask you just what my fabulous butt needed, decorating with lead shot."
"Geoffrey, less chin wagging. How are you my little one?"
"Sore Granny but I am alive. How are you?"
"I am just fine. I need a nap but once I get that I will be all better. I didn't want to leave you and Christian until I knew you were both fine."
"What are you not telling me, all of you have that look on your face, is Phebs okay?"
"Annie, she's just fine. The man you shot..." My father looks odd as Uncle Geoff begins to speak.
"The man you shot was your half brother, one Daniel Rowland. His father was my sorry excuse for a brother. The apple didn't fall too far from that tree. Now don't get upset and remember the red dot was on your husband and child, it was shoot or be shot and I for one am glad you shoot better than you apply your makeup."
"Uncle Geoff, I heard that right Frank had another child, and I shot him, I shot my brother?"
"That about sums it up, but remember the important bit, he was shooting at you and yours, he wasn't there for a fucking picnic and a family reunion little girl, he was there to kill you. I for one will not miss someone I never knew."
"Why..." Uncle Donald was the next through the doors and he could see the news had been told to me and he explained everything that my dad had not. I was left shocked and angry. "Money, this was over the damned money?"
"Yup, I guess greed has no boundaries. What they didn't know, if I die, my money is going to charity, so is Momma's and I know yours is bound to the children and or charity too, so the dumb fucker, he would have got jack shit."
"Geoffrey Gabriel Lambert, hush your mouth." My grandmother looked shocked.
"Well, ain't that just fine Mamma, I was just telling it as it is. He was a dumb ass bastard and she was a psychotic mother fucking bitch, they neither were a loss to the world, unlike the three who their goons shot."
"We will remember them. Now we have to get going sweetness, we will be back later with the children. I know you want to see them. Taylor has a bag for you." They gave me a careful hug and I wiped away Grammys tears. I heard her and Geoffrey talking loudly as they left the room, wow I lay back and pondered my next move.
"I have to do some checks and get some phone calls made I will be going back to Washington tonight, we have a lot to follow up on. We are at the end of the phone Ana."
"Uncle Donald, is it all really over?"
"I think so, I know Christian has already said it feels like an anti climax, we expected her to go out all guns blazing, thankfully she was nearing the end of her natural life, the autopsy showed she had a brain tumour and it may have caused the once quiet woman to turn into the monster she was. It is over and that's all that matters. Get some sleep. I love you so much little girl, and if you ever want to come back to work for any of the uncles, say the word and there's a corner office with your name on the door. Now Raymondo, call should you need anything, Taylor has security in hand and we are leaving en mass, the forensic teams are at the scenes and once they have done, your lives are your own."
"Seattle here we come then. Donald thanks for keeping our girl safe."
"Our girl is safe now and I have to be off, give Uncle Donald a hug and we will see you for thanksgiving, Christian says were all invited to Seattle for a family shindig and a camp out." He gives me a squeeze and wipes away a tear from my cheek and leaves. My world is now calm, or is it? I hear Uncle Donald laughing, and I hear two little people's squeals of joy and laughter, my calm is broken when two little orange suited cherubs walk through the doors. What have they come dressed as, who dressed them and why do they look like construction workers?
"Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy... We are here."
"I can see, you look so good, come and give Mommy a cuddle."
"Ana you look better than you did the last time we saw you." Carrick says as he hands me Teddy.
"Here have the other one. How are you sis?" Elliot hands me Phebs and as they huggle into my shoulders I smile, on the back of the dungarees is Grey Construction; Grace follows them in with my chart in her hand.
"You dressed my children?" I smile, because they look like the tiniest followers of the village people.
"I did, I ordered them on line, they have their hard hats in the car and a tool belt each in the trunk, your daughter is like you, a hit woman. She is a lethal weapon."
"I am not I am a good girl, I clonk you with ma pot..."
"I want a pot Mommy, I want to clonk Pea-pea too." Teddy screams in my ear when Pea-pea hits him.
"Ouch you two need to be quiet Mommy's head hurts."
"So does Daddies; Uncle Elliot say they shot his ass full of dwuggs Mommy." I look at Elliot and frown.
"They do soak up the conversations, I was just telling Dad I want some of that shit for Ava, and I needed a full night's sleep." Grace is laughing as the twins prod and poke.
"Well best you get shot and I am sure they will give you the drugs. Now what has Mommy told you two about bad words?"
"That I am not's too use them, 'cos it is naughty Mommy." She flutters her eyes and her gray eyes sparkle, wow she is going to walk all over Christian.
"That's right and I want you to be good and not hit your brother Phoebe Grey, or it's the naughty step for you."
"Hu kays, but he is a pain in the butt. Butt is not a naughty word; it's what I sit on."
"She will be a good prosecutor this one when she grows up." Carrick stifles a laugh as he comes and gives me a kiss. "How is my new daughter?"
"Sore and angry I missed the party."
"That was the least of our worries. You had us worried, we have been here for what seems like forever. How is the wound?"
"Sore, as I said, but thankfully once this bag has been delivered, I can be wheeled to Christians room, how is he, I hear he is cranky and in a foul mood?" I point at the drips.
"Bashed and bruised, his leg is a mess, his arm hurts and his head, well it took the brunt of the freefall down the courtroom steps. All in all, he is as well as can be expected, they gave him something to help him sleep as I left. The children may have hurt his leg a little; it was used as a climbing frame. They missed you both."
"How was Phoebe in the night?" I ask as I watch her pink arm go in for the strike, ouch...
"She was fine Gail stopped by their beds all night, Phoebe was given some pain medication in Christian's room, just as a precaution. She said it was itchy, she has been a very brave girl and Teddy has been a very good boy too."
"I have been a cool dude. I am Tedster and I am getting a skateyboard from Unkie Lelliot."
"You are?"
"Yup..."
"Well I guess you will get your pot soon too. So Elliot, what is he talking about?"
"I think it's my duty as a good uncle to teach him in the fine art of all things board like. I mean he will soon be running GEH and be as boring as my little brother soon enough I am Uncle Fun."
"If you say so Elliot Grey, if you say so. Now why don't we get some food delivered in I am starving?" I smile as Taylor comes in with a couple of picnic baskets, and with a smile, he lays them on the spare bed.
"Gail has sent enough in for you all. How are you Mrs Grey?"
"Jason I am fine." Grace says as I smile.
"I am fine too, how is Sophie?" I say I am Mrs Grey too and I feel great about it.
"She is fine and was busy with your brother and sister and was last seen in the ballroom with Eliza Marie. Ana, if you need anything bringing in let your security know and someone will bring it in, here is your overnight bag, Gail packed a few things. If that is all, I have to get back to do the handover, security is now just our own security team, Team Grey Ma'am, and I mean Mrs Grey."
"You mean Ana, thank you Jason Taylor, now get yourself back to Gail and will see you soon, and Jason, thank you for all you did to help us at the wedding, because I mean if you hadn't..." He smiled and put his finger to his lip.
"Ma'am..." He smiled and sneaked out of my room. We sat and ate the picnic lunch sent in by Gail; wow never has food tasted as good as this did. I was starving, but unable to eat as my stomach felt weird, but I watched as my babies ate their sandwiches, and smiled.
"I wonder if Christian is okay and is there anyone with him?" I said as the children climbed down and made a tent under my bed.
"Yes Mia, she is reading a good book until one of us relieves her. He was asleep in the blink of an eye, and was last heard muttering something about cute monkeys, he was very strange, but that was the drugs talking. He will sleep for a couple of hours yet." Grace a smiled as she watched the terrors under the bed.
I drank the tea Gail had so thoughtfully provided. Watched by Grace, my fluids needed replenishment, so tea was fine. That damned sweet chicken sub she had in her stick mitt smelt divine. I drank more tea, after discussing everything from the prospect of Teddy getting a blue cast, to Elliot's new idea for designer work wear for kids, which was hilarious, but he was sure it had merit, and plenty of fathers would buy their kids a matching work wear wardrobe to theirs, for their kids. I smiled as I imagined Teddy and Phoebe in an Armani suit and tie, and them tagging along to work with Daddy for the day. Now that she was gone they could do that, and we could be a family and do family things.
The simple thought of them having a safe home with two loving parents, filled me with so much joy. Finally I could stop running, I could spend time with them, and my parents could at last be grandparents to their other grandchildren and my grandparents could be around their daughter again, my family had given up so much for the twins safety, it was time to repay their generosity, and my long thought out plans would finally be put into action, operation 'get my family homes' would start as soon as I could get out of this damned bed.
"Mrs Grey, your visitors are going to have to go, visiting time is over for the afternoon." The nurse had graciously allowed them all in and now it was home time. The twins were fast asleep in their stroller and I was kissed and gently hugged. Grace looked again at my chart and smiled.
"You will soon be able to get up dear, now rest and let that last pint of blood replenish your depleted stock and they may move you to his highnesses room. We will be back later to see you both. The twins are quite safe Ana." Those were words that I at last believed were true, they were safe, there was no impending danger from Isabel and that made me smile.
"I will sleep lighter that's for sure, especially once I see Christian, he feels so far away."
"Down one flight of stairs and down two corridors, that's all Annie, now do you need anything bringing in when we come back later?"
"No Daddy, why don't you all take the night off, I will get someone to transfer me to his room the children need to be in their routines and you have all had a stressful few days, and someone relieve Mia please?"
"We will, if you are sure?"
"I am Daddy, Grace, Carrick and the rest of you, relax and take the night off, open some wine order take out do good stuff, we will be fine."
"Hey we don't need takeout, we have a wedding banquet hardly touched, and so with that Sweet Anastasia Grey, we will leave you and go and celebrate. Kate will be in later she won't be held back any longer, so don't forget lock the door, I don't want my baby's mama shocked by my brother and sister getting down and dirty in the hospital bed." Only Elliot would be so, Elliot like... Derr Steele, get it right, it's now Grey, because you are Mrs Grey. I smile as he waves his hand and takes the twins to the car, the rest pile out and I breathe a deep sigh of relief as the nurse changes the dressing to my side. I take in a deep breath as the plaster is taken off, and watch as her nimble fingers clean my wound and change the dressing. She takes all sorts of readings and takes the depleted pouch of the finest blood the hospital had in its reserve and then removes all signs of its existence from my hand.
"That feels good, I need a shower I think I smell a little wiffy."
"You can't not yet; I can bring you some soap and water in and perhaps help you change into something a little better than hospital gowns?"
"Could you and could you see if I can see my husband, it seems like forever since I saw him?"
"Yes, I can see to it, after we get you clean and changed." I smiled, how I wanted to see him again and check every last bump and scrape he had, I wanted to be near him, god I needed to be near him. I missed him...
After my very nice clean down with the vanilla body wash, and sprays Gail had thoughtfully packed, I felt a million times cleaner, the nurse had even managed to spruce up my hair, albeit with just a damp towel and braiding it neatly down my back, nether the less I felt one hundred percent more like me. I smiled even more when the porter came to push my bed to his room. I was pushed down the corridor into the elevator and pushed into his room; he looked so uncomfortable and seemed to be having a nightmare when we got into his room, he was jerking and having a bad dream, he repeated the words no over and over and thrashed around on his bed.
The nurse saw my worried expression and she did her best to push my bed next to his, just so I could hold his one good hand. I struggled to roll over and get comfortable, but I would be damned if a little pain in my side was going to stop me from being there for him. They left us alone after they checked him over. I was relieved when the doors closed behind the last nurse to leave. We were finally alone.
"Shush Christian, everything is fine now, we are safe and it is over, shush I love you Mr Grey, so damned much. Please stop worrying, we are going to be fine, we are going to be just fine and normal. I mean as normal as we are ever going to be. The ex spy you married and the domineering reformed kinky fucker I married, will be just perfect. The twins were hyped up on sugar, I blame Elliot for that and I cannot wait to hand out candy to Ava. I guess we have a while to do that. He dressed them as his little buddies, his work buddies. They looked kind of cut though, unusual, but cute."Christian smiled.
"They looked like cute Orang-utans. Hello you, you must be the new Mrs Grey?"
"I must be, because this ring says I married some lucky man."
"Oh he is that alright, are you alright Baby? I was so worried about you."
"What this little thing, it's nothing. Now how are you, you look a little stressed?"
"I feel so damned woozy, these meds, please don't let them give me anymore, they are addictive and I don't want to get used to them, please Ana, given my mother's liking for the hard stuff I don't want to go the same way."
"Christian, baby, the pain relief you need, your leg was a mess. How about you ask for something not quite as potent?"
"How about you climb in this bed and make me happy?"
"As in what, consummate our union, you are kidding right? I mean I want to, but I also know that I am stitched up the yahoo and your bones, they are not anywhere near stable enough well, not to withstand the bouncing about we usually do. No, because as much as I want to we are holding off on the sex for a while."
"What have you gone off me Mrs Grey I am hurt."
"You are a moron."
"I am a hurt moron."
"My moron..."
"Yes yours. How are you really and have they told you everything?"
"What about me killing my supposed brother? Yup, they told me and I am still not convinced he was but apparently blood don't lie, it hurts, but it don't lie."
"It hurts, what do you mean by that Baby?"
"I mean my father was an idiot who fell for my mother's lies, my brother with her hates me, my brother with him wanted to kill me, my mother used me. The only ones who love me are my grandmother, my uncle and our children. I swear my blood kin are fucked up."
"Ouch you swore Baby. I love you I love you more than life itself. Ray and your godfathers all love you, Josh and Jill may not be your biological siblings, but I know they both adore you, you their whiny little sister. My family adore you. I think that they know what you did now was a necessity and realise what you did for them was above and beyond caring. Now Mrs Grey, stop wallowing and try to nudge this way and I will try to swing by you a little, I want to at least kiss my beautiful wife."
"I think I can just about make it to the edge of the bed, this is like Chinese acrobatics, speaking of which, how the hell did you manage to do that with Phoebe, you were so graceful and elegant and damned supple as you dived for our daughter?"
"If you kiss me, I shall tell you, and you have to promise that it goes no further than this room?"
"Deal..." I lean over and as his dry lips touch mine, my body goes limp and I float off into some distant fluffy cloud, god I missed this. We kiss and things get a little heated, his arm and leg are the only thing stopping me from climbing into his bed and doing very rude things to him. As we pull apart, he smiles.
"What rude thoughts did you have?"
"Many; now spill..."
"I may have come in my hospital pyjamas; do you think they will see the wet patch?"
"Urkkkk... You are so erg, what are you?"
"Desperate for sex, now where were we, can we erg kiss again, I need more lip relief dear, if you could sort of move your hand, I have an itch I need scratching, can you see it?" I laugh as I indeed see his fine erection, good god almighty he does need a hand. We are rudely interrupted by a nurse, who is, surprise, surprise here to give Christian a bed bath.
"He is fine nurse; his mother is coming in later to see to his more personal needs, until I can get out of this bed to do it myself. Could you leave the room please, unless you need to check his vitals?"
"No, no Mrs Grey, it's just part of my job to see to your husband's needs."
"No that's my job, it's in the title Mrs Grey, it's a perk of being married to him, that I get to do the ogling, forgive me, but where you not in emergency when I was brought in?"
"I am, I mean I was I mean I will see to it that it is noted all personal care is done by family, sorry I will leave you to it, Mr Grey, Mrs Grey good evening." She fled out of the room.
"She was doing her job Mrs Grey, was that a touch of the green eyed monster?"
"Nope the blue eyed Mrs Grey. She was trying her luck, it seems you problems dissipated, now why were you able to catch our daughter?"
"Ballet lessons, I took ballet lessons with Mia for a few months, and I enjoyed gymnastics at college, it makes one quite supple and allows the body to err, flex, yes that's it I am flexible because of ballet and gymnastics. You would be surprised at just how many moves are required in certain bondage scenarios and situations. I am very bendy."
"I did note your flexibility in the bedroom. Now kiss me you fool..."
"My pleasure Mrs Grey, and Mrs Grey I love you so fucking much."
"Ditto, now kiss me please..."
To all of your reviews I thank you, this was the penultimate chapter, one more and it is finished.
How do you want it to end I had an alternate ending where Ana dies, but it was too sad and I know you lot like your HEA's lol xxx