Therapy

caldecott_icon.png rylie_icon.png

Where: Mayor's Office

When: May 10, 2012; Morning

What: Jumping back into work so soon has Rylie's boss a little disapproving. Just mildly. A bit.

Rylie was pretty insistent on getting out of the hospital as soon as she could. Her dad has a concierge physician for a reason, after all. So just a couple days after her captivity ended, she's back at work. On something for the pain, but surprisingly still good at her job even so. Maybe a little loopy, but a loopy secretary is better than no secretary. Maybe.

So outside the Mayor's office, early in he morning, she's behind her desk adding in last minute meetings and the like on her computer before she sends the day's itinerary to Caldecott's email. Like nothing every happened. Never mind her arm in a sling.

To be fair, Caldecott wasn't expecting Rylie to be back for a week. Possibly two. As it was, he himself had taken a couple days to actually be with Zan. Supposedly. He wasn't. But then Zan also wasn't 'Recovering in private' like the mayor had stated. Nope. SO the sight of Rylie at the desk with her arm in a sling, looking probably worse than she actually is causes the man to stop in his tracks and just stare at his assistant.

She does her best to look together, but it's true, she's looked better. The real tell comes when she stands up, in how tense she in, in how carefully she moves. She doesn't notice she's being stared at, at first, not until she slides her files away and turns to head back to her desk.

"Oh! God, you scared me," Rylie says with a breathy chuckle. "I need to get you squeakier shoes." She sounds almost normal, but there's a frayed feeling to her words, light-hearted to cover whatever's underneath.

"I scared you?" He's a little incredulous at those words. But remains where he is. No one else is here and it's probably good. "What were you thinking Rylie?" He settles his briefcase on the desk, regarding his secretary. Someone he'd been lost without while she was gone. Temps were temps and all the good ones always get snatched up for permanent positions.

"Why on earth are you in here. My god, you got kidnapped with my son. You should be sitting in a therapists office, or you should be sitting in a spa, running up an expensive tab for me to pay. Not sitting at your desk doing… doing…" He flings a hand out at the computer. "What you do. Are you out of your mind woman?"

"I wasn't expecting to see anyone this early," Rylie answers, as if that were really what he was asking about. But when he comes over, sets his case down and starts in on the actual matter, she shifts a little uncomfortably.

"My dad's arranging a therapist," she says with a sigh, "but I'm not— luxuriating somewhere would be nice, but a bit boring, don't you think? A little too much time to sit and… think. And this place needed me. What a mess. I'm okay, really. Doctor on call and all that."

"I think that we could survive a few more days without you here Rylie. I mean, really" His tone taking on perhaps a bit too much harshness. "If I survived as long as I have, then a few more days couldn't have hurt. And if you don't want to lounge in a spa, then here" He's digging into his back pocket, digging out his wallet and producing a card. Striding forward, it's offered out to her. "What's it called.. Retail therapy? Go crazy. Buy yourself some new shoes. Get your hair turned blue. Go.. go,, buy something"

"Obviously, you didn't see this office this morning," Rylie says in a dry tone. But when the card is pulled out, she looks from it to him and back to it, her mouth opening to reply and then closing again. Oh, my that is tempting. "Okay, see…" She lifts a finger there, lips pressing together. "I just— I don't want to slow down. And think. And remember. Here, there's always endless work and a little occupational… therapy. Yeah?"

Her point made, she ends up glancing back down to the card, and fingers reach out to take it. "Well. Maybe one pair of shoes." Because, hey, she's got a weakness.

The card is relinquished, the mayor breathing deep as Rylie divulges why she's come back to work. You can be sure that he'll be calling up his wife to consult with her. For now though there's just a nod as he turns to fetch his briefcase and head back for his office.

And then pause, turning to look at her. "It was you wasn't it" The context of what she did, left open.

Rylie slips the card into a pocket, saving it for when she can't handle the work anymore and has to slip out. She starts to turn back to her computer, but those last words bring her attention around again.

"Yes," she says quietly, "It was an accident." There's an apology on those words, regret for tossing him into such a life change at such an inopportune time in his life, no doubt. "You could have told me. I would have kept it quiet."

"I figured" that it was an accident. He stands in his doorway, hand in a pocket and briefcase in the other. "To be fair… we were never sure. And, I know that the two of you get along, so… I didn't want you to worry if you were around him. Perhaps, if nothing had come of it in a year or two, I might have asked you to do it. But…" But manifestation happened.

"can he handle it?"

His answer gets a nod, understanding and even accepting the idea that he's pondered the idea of asking her to do that. She probably would have, too.

"No," she says, at first, "He'll fumble around a lot. But in time, he'll be okay. Like the rest of us. Lots of bumps and bruises in his near future, I wouldn't be surprised. But I'll help him." It's a little belated when she adds, "If that's okay."

"I wouldn't mind. Better someone I trusted, and has been down that road before, instead of on his own" His hand tightens on the briefcase handle. "If he needs anything, I want to know. I'll do what I can to help" That he offers it through Rylie is little surprise really. There are communication issues afterall, between he and his son. "You can get my day organized, and then… take.. a long lunch. Take long lunches all this week. Go get your nails done, see a movie, take Zan out practicing. Something" Other than sitting here and working.

"I'll let you know. Protection, mostly. But if anything specific comes up, I'll pass word." Rylie isn't surprised. Nor does she even really disapprove. Families always function a little weird.

The orders get a gentle chuckle, though, and she moves to sit back in her chair. "Yes sir, Mister Mayor," she says, teasing, but it's an order she's unlikely to ignore.

"For gods sakes, if he practices, make sure you both drive out to the ass end of nowhere. So he doesn't get seen. More than he already has" He shakes his head with a sigh, heading to get settled for the day.

From in the office though, voice raised a moment later. "Lets also make sure that he doesn't run into a plane up there"

"I'll do my best," Rylie replies with a laugh, spinning her chair around playfully to get back to work. Unfortunately, as the distraction of conversation passes, her demeanor shifts back to something more sullen. But at least she's a diligent worker.


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