"THIS TIME AROUND"
By: gb
Chapter 18
The young maid retreated in fright away from Ryan and scurried out of the room as he first stared hard after her and then returned to look sullenly down at his breakfast in the large formal dining room at Wildwind.
Edmund, who had just come in, watched the whole scene as he took his chair at the table and cleared his throat.
"Where's Gillian this morning, anyway?" he asked as he got a glass of juice for himself.
Ryan looked up and a murderous scowl decorated his handsome face.
"Oh, she had to do the early shift at the hospital," he mumbled. "Probablly so she could have her evenings free so she can "meet" with Mateo!"
Eugenia looked up from her breakfast and deciding that she was finished, mearly rose from her chair and after kissing Edmund and Ryan, excused herself and left.
Edmund put his glass down and looked at Ryan. He had asked Eugenia earlier for some time alone with Ryan to talk and now addressed him.
"Ryan," he began in his no-nonsense tone. "For the last few days, you have been... rude and surly with almost every member of my staff. Now they're very fond of you and know you to be a pleasant and charming man so what is the problem? Do you not like your room, do you hate the food? Is your bathroom not big enough-not enough towels? You don't like the view from up there-what? Please let me know and I'll try and change things."
Ryan looked fully scolded. "No, Edmund. You and everyone here have been great. It's just...well,I'm just kind of mad about..."
"Gillian?" Edmund supplied when Ryan didn't finish.
Ryan nodded. "I thought we were getting somewhere, but now... the other night she and Mateo went to some meeting down at the hospital and she feels that those understand her better than I do. She feels she has to talk to Mateo instead of me. How did that happen?! I was waiting up for her to come home and I asked why she was out so late and she actually told me to mind my own business!"
"And did you?"
"Did I what?"
"Mind your own business, Ryan." Edmund said to him.
"No, of course not. Princess IS my business," he said not realizing that he was referring to his pet name for her to Edmund. " She doesn't need to be out with him! Not that late!"
"So this is about Gillian AND MATEO." Edmund stated. "It has nothing to do with bathtowels."
Ryan let the little deadpan humor go by without response, but asked. "When did they get to be such good friends? I never saw them together like that before."
Edmund put his napkin on the table and looked at his young houseguest.
"You know what, Ryan," he said. "I think you're in love with my cousin so I'm going to give it you straight. When Dimitri and I came home and found that Gillian had married an almost total stranger that she couldn't sit in the same room with for more than a few seconds without fighting just to get a greencard, I have to admit, we had serious doubts about you. But then, some very happy marriages have started with even less, so we supported it and hoped for the best.
I sat here and watched the two of you change. You're arguments became passionate little displays that on the surface, looked like battles but were actually little steps toward some real feelings. I saw you two watch each other when you thought the other one wasn't looking and I saw these emotions come over you and I knew things had started to change and we had some real hope for you.
Gillian defended you throughout your rape charge and trial and was even willing to give up the rest of us for you. She stood up to me and all of money and was willing to live in abject poverty with you just so she could be with you and I knew that the spoiled little princess was gone for good thanks to you.
But when you let that divorce happen without so much as a blink- Ryan, I don't mind telling you- that was the stupidest thing you could've done. You let thing that ever happened to you just get away from you. And now you're paying the price for that mistake."
"You don't have to remind me, Edmund. Dimitri tried to tell me that. I know I blew it with Gillian." Ryan admitted sadly.
"Ryan, you didn't just blow it- you shot it out of the water." Edmund informed him. "See, you never knew my late wife, Maria. I loved her more than anything and when you find a love that special and person who feel that kind of emotion for, you just don't let that get away. Things that good don't have a habit of making repeat appearances. I know that Gillian was unfaithful to you-and I speak from experience- I'm not condoning what Gillian did at all- but you had a hand in all of that,you know. And if I'm not mistaken, nothing's happened since. She's really bent over backwards to make it up to you. Do you feel that maybe you can't forgive her?"
"No," insisted Ryan. "I forgot about that a long time ago- Gilli and I made peace about that already."
"Well, then," Edmund went on. "She was here after she lost your baby. Ryan, you hurt her more with your neglect than anyone's ever done before. I didn't think she was going to make it. And when I found out that you were back in her life again, I had some serious objections. I think if Dimitri were still here, he'd tell you the same thing."
"I Don't deserve another chance." acknowledged Ryan. "But I need her, Edmund. I know that now."
"Then you have to get back into her heart and get trust back. Ryan, don't spend the rest of your life without giving yourself to someone you love- all of yourself. The other alternative is too pathetic to consider. I wouldn't give up the time I had with Maria for anything."
Ryan could tell that Edmund knew what he was talking about and he had always respected him despite all their differences.
"Jake Martin was here for Gillian when you weren't," Edmund informed him. "And if Mateo can help her to help herself, I have to be honest and tell you that I'm all for that. I don't think you have a right to try and stop that. You can't tell her who she can be friends with anymore than she can tell you."
"I know I gotta get over it," Ryan said in an unwilling tone.
Edmund looked over at him for a second and then continued. "I have an idea- a suggestion that I want you think about for awhile before you decide....look, Ryan, I gave you hard time during that whole Kit Fisher episode and I haven't ever forgiven myself for it."
"You were doing what you thought was best." Ryan told him.
"Nevertheless," Edmund said. "I owe you. I was thinking. Why don't you stay on here at Wildwind for awhile. I always liked having you and Gillian here with me and Eugenia would love it. You don't have to give up your apartment and if things don't work out, you always have a place of your own, but I'll ask Gilllian to stay, too. Maybe if the two of you were around each other again, it would help get you back on the right track with each other. Dimitri was always saying that if you two were just in the same place together for awhile, half your problems would be solved. I think he would approve of this."
"I don't know, Edmund," Ryan admitted. "Gillian's might not go for it."
"But if she did, would you?" Edmund wanted to know.
Ryan had to agree that this would would work out wonderfully if it could happen. He and Gilli would be close to each other and they would really have a chance to come together again. What did he have to lose?
"Yeah,I would." Ryan said to Edmund. "Thanks."
"Then, it settled. We'll talk to Gillian today. Now I got to get to the office."
Edmund rose from his seat and walked to the entrance to the room just as Ryan called out to him.
"Edmund," he began slowly. "I guess...I guess you know Gillian's been sleeping in my room since we got here... except for the other night when she got mad at me for waiting up for her....
He smiled. " That explains why the staff keeps finding Gillian's bed not slept in- you're all the talk in the laundry room...Ryan...you don't have to look so guilty. You and Gillian are adults, not kids. And despite everything, I still condider you her husband. You haven't always acted like it, but that can change."
"Well, we're just sleeping now," Ryan explained.
"Well, that can change too if you play your cards right." assured Edmund.
"I guess I've kinda been a jerk around here," Ryan acknowledged grudingly.
"Yeah, I think jerk fits," Edmund agreed. "Work on it, Ryan. Work on it."
"Thanks, Edmund" Ryan said.
Edmund didn't reply, but only smiled and walked out of the room leaving Ryan in thought.
He realized Scott was back in town today and decided to call and let him know that he might be staying on at Wildwind for awhile.
As he got up and walked over to the phone, he remembered something about Gillian saying that she and Mateo were having dinner together to go over a planned event with their meeting group this evening. An idea formnig in his mind, he went over to the phone and dialed his apartment and left a message on his answering machine telling Scott to meet with him at WRCW that afternoon....
end of chapter 18
(to be continued...)
Next time: Ok, now we'll go with Jake wants answers from Gillian and Ryan tries to "monitor" Gillian's evening with Mateo with Scott's help and has unexpected results!