Chapter 11

Greenlee frowned at Kendall. What was going on with her anyway? For the past couple of hours, ever since the jet took off, her and Zach kept giving each other these strange looks. It was getting on her nerves. On the jet, the seats were arranged such that a set of two seats would face another set of two seats, which would be back to back with another set of two, and so on in groupings of four. Then there was another column of seats across the aisle. Greenlee was in a window seat with Kendall next to her and Bianca sitting across from Greenlee. On the other side of the aisle, Ryan sat diagonal from Kendall. Tad was next to him in the window seat, and facing them were Aidan and Anna. Zach was alone in the grouping of seats behind Ryan and Tad, in the aisle seat facing Kendall.

Anna had decided that since everyone seemed to want to go back to Pine Valley at the same time, she would send them all on the same jet that took them to Thailand. The jet would make a stop in Paris to refuel and drop off Anna and Bianca. Greenlee looked up and her eyes caught sight of Ryan again. Why did he have to sit right in that spot? He probably did it to needle her. And of course, whenever her eyes slid away from Ryan, Zach came into her line of sight. Sometimes he would stare out the window, and other times he was looking at Kendall with one of those….intense contemplation expressions. But Kendall was even more annoying. Greenlee would be talking to her and her eyes would stray over to him. If it was one of those moments when Zach was looking at her, she would quickly drop her eyes. Greenlee wanted to shake her and tell her that they weren't in high school any more But that would be hypocritical since she was doing the same damn thing with Ryan. She looked up and her eyes locked with Ryan again. Oh, for fuck's sake.

Greenlee unbuckled her seatbelt. "Bianca, could you do me a huge favor? Switch seats with me?" Bianca raised her eyebrows. Greenlee smiled wanly. "I like to sit facing front in an airplane. It weirds me out to be flying backwards." Bianca smiled and unbuckled her belt. They switched sides, so that Bianca was now sitting with Kendall. Kendall gave Greenlee a "what was that load you were shoveling?" look. Greenlee glanced in Ryan's direction and then gave Kendall a "figure it out!" look. Kendall rolled her eyes. But then her eyes collided with Zach's again, and she looked down. Maybe Greenlee had the right idea.

Bianca leaned over and whispered to Kendall. "What is going on with you? I've never seen you act this flustered before." Kendall sighed. "Oh Binks, everything is just so confusing. Six months ago I would have laughed at myself for wanting the things I want now. I didn't want to be a mother. I didn't want to be in love, especially not with the man I married specifically because I thought it would be impossible to fall in love with him. I guess I can blame this mess on my inability to back down from a challenge. Can't fall in love with Zach Slater, eh? Well we'll see about that! I have no idea what is going on in his head, what he thinks of me. What's worse is that I know full well what he thinks about having children of his own. He's dead set against it." Bianca held Kendall's hand. "You don't think he'll take off the way Ryan did?" Kendall shook her head. "No, I'm pretty sure he would stay and help me raise the little one. So here would be me, loving him. And there would be him, fulfilling an obligation. The idea makes me vomit."

Bianca chuckled. "The scenario isn't completely nauseating. Have you seen him with Miranda? He adores her. She adores him, too. They love spending time together. Imagine what it would be like with his own child." Kendall shook her head. "I haven't seen him with her, but it only stands to reason. Mimo would charm the socks off anyone." Bianca laughed. "And you think your child wouldn't? Oh Kendall, I wish I knew what to say to make you feel better. Do you want me to go over there and pick his brain?" Kendall clutched Bianca's arm. "Don't you dare! Damn it, I feel like I'm in middle school. Maybe I should write him a note and stick it in his locker."

The jet landed in Paris and everyone disembarked to stretch their legs. They said their good-byes to Bianca and Anna. As Kendall and Bianca hugged, Bianca whispered to her, "You better tell him soon, because too many people know. You don't want him to hear it from someone else." Kendall was the last one back on the plane. Aidan and Greenlee were sitting together, with Greenlee next to the window, and Tad sat opposite them. Ryan was on the other side of the aisle, across from Tad. Zach was in the seat grouping behind Greenlee and Aidan, facing in the direction of Ryan. On impulse, Kendall sat down next to Ryan. She needed to talk to him about a few things.

"Tell me something, Ryan. What do you plan to do if you manage to get Jonathan out of jail?" He looked over at Kendall. "I plan to take care of him and my sister, the way I failed to do when I escaped from my father and left them behind." She drummed her fingers on the arm rest. "In Pine Valley?" He leaned his head back. "I'd like to, but that depends on how people react to Jonathan." She narrowed her eyes. "You mean you think there might be a reaction other than people running away from him, afraid for their lives?" Ryan gave her a pained look. "I'm hoping that people will realize that his tumor and the anti-psychotics were what caused him to do those horrible things." Kendall shook her head. "The only reason you think that is true is because you want it to be true. Everyone else just sees a murderer who hid behind a mask of civility for months. They call people like that sociopaths. Brain tumors and wrong prescriptions don't wipe that away." Ryan leaned closer. "You remember when Greenlee tried to run you down with her car? It was because of the anti-psychotics. She wasn't herself." Kendall snorted. "Or maybe she was herself with just a few less inhibitions."

Ryan leaned back and sighed. "Maybe it is hopeless to think that Jonathan will ever be accepted. Erin has a very nice cabin up in Nova Scotia. If I can get Jonathan out of jail, we can go up there and start over fresh. I would….I would love it if Greenlee came with us." Kendall glanced over at Greenlee, who was looking at them with narrowed eyes. "Only time will tell, Ryan, whether she can forgive you. It took me a long time before I forgave the two of you for treating me like shit. But I did. You may have to go up to Canada without her, and hope that she comes to find you eventually." Ryan gazed at Greenlee, who turned her head away to talk to Aidan. "Yeah."

Kendall glanced past Aidan's seat, to Zach, who was watching her and Ryan. As usual, his expression was completely unreadable. She leaned over to Ryan to whisper in his ear. "I need to ask you a favor." He turned his head, his nose colliding with hers. "Oh, sorry." She shook her head. "Its okay. Um…I still haven't had the chance to tell…" She leaned closer again, not wanting Zach to overhear. "…to tell Zach that I'm pregnant." Ryan raised one eyebrow. "You had plenty of opportunity on the flight from Thailand to Paris." She glared at him. "The point is that he doesn't know yet. Please don't blab it to him until I've had the chance." He shrugged. "Fine. But tell him soon, you know how things get out." Kendall nodded. "Of course, of course." Ryan glanced over at Zach. "Why are you stalling anyway? You think…you think he'll react the way I did when Greenlee told me she was pregnant?" She shook her head. "No, I just…everything is just so complicated already. Did Greenlee tell you about the surrogacy?" Ryan stared at her. "What surrogacy?" Kendall sighed and explained to him about her being implanted with their embryo.

Ryan stared at her in amazement. "My God, Kendall. You were carrying my child? Mine and Greenlee's?" She nodded. "I thought I was still pregnant when Zach and I… Well, I wasn't. That's how I got to be carrying his baby. Greenlee and I found out the truth when there was an ultrasound. When we got the news, I took off to find Zach, and Greenlee was apparently getting a visit from Erin." Ryan rubbed his eyes. "Poor Greenlee. What terrible timing to find out the news about me." He turned to face Kendall, and put his hands on her shoulders. "Thank you. Thank you for being there for her and wanting to help her. That was a major sacrifice you were willing to make. And after all the ways we hurt you…" He gave her a hug. When the hug ended, Ryan glanced over at Zach. "Kendall…I think now would be a good time to go and talk to your husband." She bit her lip and looked over at Zach.

Zach's worst fears were coming true right before his eyes. Kendall had avoided him the entire flight, thus far. Now she was sitting with Ryan. They were in deep discussion, and a couple of times she leaned in to whisper something to him. When their noses touched, Zach wanted to rip the magazine he wasn't reading to shreds. It was obvious what was going on. Greenlee no longer wanted anything to do with Ryan. She would probably draw up divorce papers as soon as they got back home. Kendall was having Ryan's child. Granted, it was Greenlee's egg, but Kendall was the one carrying it. By now she's probably heard the heartbeat, seen an ultrasound. Maybe it was even starting to kick at this point. She's been bonding with the child, and now she was bonding with it's father. He watched Ryan smile at Kendall with an expression of wonderment, and then hug her.

Zach's world came crashing down around him. For the second time, he was witness to the woman he loved choosing another man over him. He clenched his jaw when Ryan glanced his way and whispered something to Kendall. She bit her lip and looked over at Zach. Ah yes. They were discussing the one remaining obstacle to their happiness. Her husband. She stood up, and with the look of someone heading to the gallows, she walked his way. Zach tossed the magazine into one of the opposite seats. Kendall sat down beside him, and cleared her throat. "How are you feeling? I think when we get back to Pine Valley, you should visit the hospital and get a checkup." He wasn't about to sit through any pleasantries. He looked over at her, and paused. The expression on her face was one of dread. She looked like she would burst into tears at any moment. Was she so afraid of his reaction? Did she really think he would stand in the way of her happiness?

"Kendall, I've told you over and over again that you call the shots in this marriage. It was always up to you whether we stay married or got a divorce. You helped me out with the gambling licenses, you did your part. You've always been free to leave, any time you want." She stared him. What the hell was he talking about? She suggested he go to the hospital, and he starts going on about divorce? "Zach, I…" He took her hand in his. "Let me make it easy for you, Kendall. As soon as the jet lands, I can hop a plane to Haiti and get this marriage over with as quickly and painlessly as possible. You don't even have to come with me. No fuss, no muss."

Kendall was finding it hard to breath. Where was this coming from? He was talking about divorce being her choice, yet he was practically shoving it down her throat. Was he manipulating her again? Pretending that it was up to her, yet making sure that he got what he wanted - which was apparently to be completely done with her. She hadn't even told him about the baby yet. She pulled her hand away from him and stumbled to her feet. "I..uh…I need to go to the restroom. You know how it is with pregnant women." Without waiting for his reply, she lurched down the aisle to the tiny bathroom. She locked herself in and put down the lid. She sat down and put her head in her hands. Her body racking with sobs, she gave into her misery.