A Place In the Sun
32
"Hey, I wanted to make sure I saw you before I left the hospital," Jake said, coming into Gillian's room.
"Come on in."
"I wanted to wait till Ryan and Kata weren't in the room."
"Why, Jake, what's wrong?" she asked, sitting up alarmed.
"Oh, no, nothing's wrong. At least I don't think so. Gillian, you're pregnant."
"What? Oh my God, last night, did Ray…" she said with a look of disgust.
"No, no, no. Dad didn't want to do any x-rays on you until he knew if you could be pregnant, and then the blood work came back positive so he did an ultrasound and he said you're about four weeks along."
Gillian gave a sigh of relief. "Wow…I don't know what to say…four weeks, so a month ago…it is definitely Ryan's…"
"That's good to hear."
"I made Ryan dinner that night and then he was all upset about Joanna, he ended up spending the night…" she smiled.
"I thought that I'd tell you without him here so you could tell him yourself. I'm sorry he heard about Katalin from me and Kelsey."
"No, it was my own fault for not telling him sooner. And thank you for telling me, I promise that I will tell him."
"Good, good."
"So, the baby is alright?"
"Dad said everything looks normal, but you should make an appointment within the next week to make sure."
"I will, I'll call Dr. Clader tomorrow," she said, hardly able to contain her happiness. "Thanks Jake."
"You just take care of yourself and that baby, okay?" he said, standing up to go.
"I promise."
"I've gotta go. They'll probably let you out of this place in a few hours."
"Bye Jake."
Once alone, she held her hands to her tummy. "Wow, another baby with Ryan. Things are going to be done right this time, no secrets."
...
Bobby walked up to his and Anita's apartment late that evening; he hadn't been able to bring himself to go home yet. He saw the light was on and wondered if he should stay away until she wasn't there. Finally decided that he had to face her and went inside.
"Anita?" he called after stepping in the front door.
"Just go away, Bobby," she said from the bedroom.
He followed her voice and then stood at the doorway. "Where are you going?"
"I can't stay here," she said, holding back tears as she put clothes in a suitcase.
"Yes you can," he said, getting out his suitcase. "I already called Opal and she said I could stay there for a while."
"Mama said I can stay there with her and Rosa."
"Anita, I'll keep paying the rent on this place, you can stay here as long as you want."
She put a few more things in her suitcase before stopping. "Thanks Bobby. I didn't really want to go home."
"Well, I guess I'll see you around," he said, standing up with his full suitcase. "I'll probably be by in a few days or so to get the rest of my stuff."
She nodded and he left the apartment.
...
"Here, let me just get the door for you," Ryan said as he helped Gillian to his apartment with Katalin keeping close to their sides.
"Thank you Ryan," she said.
He opened the door as the three of them gasped.
"Ryan, who did this?" Gillian asked.
"Look at all the balloons!" Katalin exclaimed as she looked around.
"Kata, stay with your mom, both of you, stay put," Ryan said as he looked around the apartment. He found a note on the counter and picked it up. "'Here's hoping Gillian a speedy recovery and a happy birthday to Katalin. Love, Myrtle.'"
"She did all of this?" Gillian asked. Katalin squealed with excitement as her parents let her into the apartment.
"I guess so…when Jake got off earlier I had him take a key and go to Myrtle's to get some of your things, she must have come with him."
"Presents!" Kata ran to the couch where a small stack of presents sat.
"Sweetie, wait a second, let us see who they're from before you open them," Gillian said, wanting to make sure none from Ray had made their way there that could hurt any of them. Ryan helped her to the couch and then sat down on the coffee table opposite of them.
Kata picked up the first one and handed the card to her parents.
"It's from Myrtle, go ahead, open it," Gillian told her.
Katalin quickly ripped away the paper and opened the box.
"She looks like me," Kata said as she picked up the doll in the box. "See, same hair and same eyes."
"She is beautiful," Gillian said. "Just like you."
"Can I open another one?" she smiled.
"Card?" Ryan asked. She handed it to him. "It's from Jake."
Kata took off the paper and held up a video. "It's Cinderella, Mommy!"
"Oh, your favorite! We haven't seen that one in a long time, have we?"
Katalin shook her head, "No, we left Cinderella at our old home."
She looked down at the movie in her hands, in thought. "Mommy, I don't want Ray to come again."
"Oh, baby, I know, I know," she said, rubbing her back.
Ryan sat down next to Katalin, "I'm going to do everything I can to make sure he never hurts you or your mommy again."
...
"Bobby is that you?" Opal called as Bobby walked through the front door.
"Yeah, Opal, I'm just going to go upstairs and put this stuff away."
"No, no, come on in here and sit down a bit," she told him.
He went into the living room and sat down in a chair.
"Was she there?"
"Anita? Yeah."
"I don't mean to stick my nose in your business—"
"Yes, you do, Opal, but that's just you."
"Was she upset?"
"Of course she was. Wouldn't you be if you'd caught your husband kissing his ex-wife last night?"
"Well I reckon so."
"I hate that I hurt her," he said, burying his head in his hands.
"But isn't staying with her even though you don't love her anymore hurting her, too?"
"I guess you're right."
"You don't love her anymore, right?"
"Not the way I used to. Not like she deserves to be."
"Have you talked to Kelsey?"
"Not yet."
"Are you gonna?"
"I think I'll just lock myself upstairs and never come down," Bobby half-kidded.
"I think it attests to the fact that Kelsey has grown up that she isn't over here pounding down the door right now. A couple of years ago had you done what you did, she'd of been here moving trucks and all."
Bobby laughed at that. "I'll call her tonight, maybe we'll have dinner sometime soon or something." He stood to leave.
"Don't rush things."
"I don't plan on it."
"Use your head, I know you've got a good one on them shoulders."
"Thanks Opal."
...
Gillian wanted to quickly get Kata's mind off of the night before. "Kata, there's one more present."
Katalin handed her the note on top of it.
"'This arrived this morning from Dimitri'," Gillian read the note in Myrtle's handwriting.
Ryan helped Kata with the tape on the box and then she carefully lifted out an old china teacup.
"Oh," Gillian gasped, looking into the box. "These were mine when I was a child."
Kata placed all of the pieces onto the coffee table.
"They're pretty, Mommy," Katalin said, with an awestruck look.
"I can't believe Dimitri found these."
"Do I have a cake for my birthday?"
"Myrtle left one over on the counter," Ryan told her.
"Can we eat it on these?" she asked, her eyes wide.
"I don't see why not," Gillian told her. Ryan stacked up the plates and cups and carried them into the kitchen area. Katalin followed him.
Ryan found a knife and cut three pieces. He handed the first plate to Kata and told her to give it to Gillian. Slowly she walked with it, being very careful. Ryan found a small candle and put it in one of the remaining slices and lit it for Kata. He then joined them on the couch and held the slice with the candle in front of Kata.
He looked and Gillian and they sung, "Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Kata. Happy birthday to you."
Kata blew the candle out and smiled at both her parents. They all ate their cake.
"I'm sorry I don't have a present for you," Ryan told her.
She shook her head.
Gillian quickly explained, "The only thing she really wanted for her birthday, she did get. She drew a picture yesterday and she told me the only thing she wanted for her birthday was her daddy."
Ryan looked down at his daughter and stroked her hair as tears began to well in his eyes. She looked up at him.
"Daddy, don't cry," she told him.
"Baby, I'm not sad," he told her, picking her up and sitting down next to Gillian with Kata on his lap. Katalin relaxed into his arms.
"I think your Daddy is just happy to have you here," Gillian told her.
Ryan and Gillian watched as Kata's eyes began to droop.
"She's had a long day," Ryan said. "You should get to bed, too."
"You're right," Gillian said as Ryan helped her up. Ryan left Kata on the couch and put a blanket over her.
They entered the bedroom and Gillian lay down on the bed. Ryan pulled the covers up and knelt down beside her.
"Do you need anything before you go to sleep?" he asked her.
"Just one thing," she said, motioning for him to come closer. He leaned in and she pulled his head closer to her face and gave him a kiss. "Thank you."
"There's no need to thank me."
"You're the most amazing man I have ever known, Ryan Lavery."
"The amazing one is you. I've missed you so much," he said, standing up. "I'll see you in the morning."
"Ryan, don't go," she told him.
"What?"
"Stay, please."
"I'll be right out there with Kata."
"Bring her in here. I will sleep much better with both of you right here."
He did as he asked her to and carried Katalin in and lay down beside her, Kata nestled in one arm and the other around Gillian.