"Jack?" Billy stood just outside the office as he watched his brother look up slowly from the screen of his laptop.
"Billy." The surprise was evident in his voice and he stood and walked around his desk quickly. "It's kind of late for you to be dropping by the office for a visit isn't it?"
"I'm just waiting for Phyllis. I have to drag her out of here most nights you know. She works too much." He saw the look on Jack's face at the simple mention of her name and he knew it wouldn't take much to set him off. "I understand there was some kind of issue with the two of you today at the board meeting."
Jack sighed heavily. "I know Phyllis was annoyed with me, but I wasn't trying to meddle. I was acting out of concern for her. That's all, so whatever she said, I can promise you, it wasn't like that."
"Actually, Phyllis hasn't said a thing. It was Ashley."
"Of course it was Ashley. She's chomping at the bit to do anything she can to undermine me. She'd even take Phyllis' side against me even when it's clear that she needed someone to talk some sense into her."
"Phyllis doesn't need you to tell her what to think or how to act, Jack. If you recall, that didn't work out so well for you the first go round." Billy leaned against the doorframe, biting the inside of his lip hard as he heard the words slip from his mouth. He'd intended to come here and simply be upfront with his brother, to tell him in honestly and clearly that Phyllis was fine and that she didn't his concerns, but instead, all the frustration and annoyance seemed to come back. Jack could be so damn self-righteous. He thought he knew better than everyone and sometimes he just wanted to haul off and knock him off his pedestal.
"Let's not do this." Jack moved back toward his desk, not wanting to test the shaky footing of their newly-formed truce. "I get it. You don't want me talking to Phyllis about her health."
"I'd prefer it if you weren't talking to Phyllis at all," he spat, "but in this case, there's actually nothing for you to be concerned about. Phyllis is absolutely fine."
"And you know that how?" Jack shook his head as he looked at him incredulously. It had taken him a long time to accept the relationship between his brother and his ex-wife. He believed they loved each other, but Billy would never know Phyllis the way he did. "Because she told you?"
Billy let the breath leave his lips in a short spurt of frustration. "Because she hasn't told me anything and she would. If there was something wrong…if she needed help, if she was worried about something, she'd tell me. We don't keep things like that from each other. We don't have that kind of relationship. She knows she can come to me with anything and she knows I'll be there for her."
"You don't know her at all, do you? Phyllis hates to feel weak. She hates to feel like she can't take care of herself and the last thing she'll ever do is tell you that she's vulnerable. She'll work herself to her last breath before she tells you she's tired and she'll never, ever admit that she needs help."
"That may have been the way it was with you, Jack, but it's different for us. She's different with me. She can be who she really is with me. She's not working to be somebody she's not. She's not twisting herself into these crazy positions trying to become the person she thinks I want her to be. She knows she's exactly who I need right now."
Jack scoffed. "If that's what you need to tell yourself, you go ahead. I just hope Phyllis is okay because I truly don't want to see anything bad happen to her."
"Why don't you let me worry about Phyllis and you can focus on your own life? Isn't that why you supposedly walked away from the CEO position in the first place? Dina needs your attention and focus. She's sick. Go tend to her and stop berating a woman who's perfectly fine and who's only issue at the moment is being overworked because she's having to clean up the mess made by a distracted and disgruntled executive."
"You know, Billy…you've always been selfish. You've never been able to see past your own wants and needs, but I really thought you might have turned a corner this time. I truly believed that you had learned to put someone else above your own selfish needs, but your coming in here tonight and throwing a tantrum like a petulant child just proves that you haven't changed at all. You'll always be that selfish, reckless little boy in a man's body. It's just a shame Phyllis hasn't seen that yet."
"Did I hear my name?"
Billy turned around as he heard Phyllis' hesitant voice behind him. He let his hand fall behind her as his hand pressed against the small of her back. "Sorry," he whispered, pulling her a bit closer towards him. "I was just stopping by to see if Jack could take it a little easier on you. Burning the midnight oil all the time will get to anybody." He smiled as he pressed his lips against her forehead.
"It's not all Jack's fault," she said quickly, pulling back a bit from his embrace. Even though Jack claimed to be okay with the relationship, it still felt odd to be so affectionate in front of him. "I've been swamped with Fenmore's stuff too."
"Ah," Billy smiled as he ran his hand through her silky hair. "Guess my next conversation needs to be with Lauren."
"No." Her soft laugh seemed to fill the room as she gently tugged at his hand. "Your next conversation needs to be with me over dinner, remember?" Phyllis widened her eyes as she looked at him. "Can we get out of here?"
"Sure we can." Billy glanced back at Jack. "See you later."
Jack forced a polite smile as he waited for Phyllis and Billy to disappear down the hallway. He walked back behind the desk and allowed his body to slink down into the chair. In a way, he wished it had been jealousy that had compelled him to berate Phyllis this morning, but it had been nothing of the sort. What he'd seen from her today had been clear. Phyllis wasn't okay and nothing Billy or anyone else said would convince him otherwise.