Shades of Grey Chapter 22
Title: Shades of Grey Chapter 22
Author: TalliW
Characters: Stephen Hart, Tom Ryan, Nick Cutter, James Lester, Abby Maitland, Connor Temple, Jenny Lewis, Oliver Leek, Lyle, Finn, Helen Cutter, Ditzy
Rating: K+, T in later chapters
Disclaimer: Primeval is the property of Impossible Pictures. I write just for fun.
Lyle and Finn belong to Fredbassett.
Acknowledgments: Thanks to the wonderful Fredbassett for beta duty.
Summary: Ryan has survived but he isn't the man he was. Can Stephen and Cutter manage to work together to help him? Perhaps Ryan has changed in more ways than it appears on first sight.
Chapter 22
After three days of semi-chaos, routine had settled in. To their surprise, team-babysitting of Ryan worked quite well. There had only been one incident with Leek and a ketchup packet, ruining one of Leek's expensive, tailored suits. Since then Leek had refused to go near Ryan and hid in his office if he was around. At some point the team had agreed that he wasn't exactly a loss.
Stephen was a lot more relaxed since Ryan had been allowed to stay at the ARC and he could share the responsibility for Ryan with his friends and colleagues. Having to take care of such a vibrant person had proved to be too much for Stephen by himself.
Also, Ryan was happy with the arrangement, liking the variety the different minders provided. With his exuberant spirits he filled the ARC with laughter and perked up what most of the time was a rather dull job for its employees, with lots of waiting for the next anomaly to appear.
"Lollipop?" Ryan asked hopefully, after Mark had declared the Friday session over. With a fast move of his wrist, Mark produced a lollipop right from behind Ryan's ear, a little trick that always came in handy if he was working with children.
"No sweets before lunch!" Stephen, just entering the conference room, reminded Ryan and obediently Ryan put the candy away in his jeans’ pocket.
After the shock that Stephen had been serious about abandoning him for disobeying the nanny and running away, Ryan was on his best behaviour. But Stephen had his doubts that it would last long. Not even Lester's threat of imprisonment could keep such a bundle of energy like Tom in line for long.
While Ryan started babbling about a wonderful memory of decorating the Christmas tree with his Granny, Stephen gave Mark an enquiring look that was answered with a brief headshake from Mark. Nothing had changed, then.
Despite Mark’s attempts at tackling Ryan's abandonment issues, Ryan hadn't shown any sign of progress yet. Whilst he remembered his past life quite well under hypnosis, his mind was closed off to all those memories as soon he came out of the trance, no matter what Mark tried out.
Stephen guessed his outburst had only served to feed Ryan's subconscious fears. Although Ryan had behaved like he believed Stephen's renewed assertions that he wouldn't abandon him, that episode certainly hadn't made it any easier for the therapist.
"Bye, Mark," Ryan yelled so loudly that Mark and Stephen asked themselves if Ryan was developing a hearing problem. But when Cutter appeared in the entrance they realised that Ryan had given him a signal that way.
"Ready to go, sport?"
"Yep, Uncle Nick."
At first Stephen hadn't felt exactly comfortable consigning Ryan to Cutter's care. The first time Cutter had watched over Ryan alone he had bugged Connor until the techie had linked Stephen's computer with the CCTV camera in Cutter's office. He now knew that Cutter's people skills were improving and that Cutter could be quite creative in making courses for toy cars with office equipment.
"Cutter, you don't have to do this. I could postpone the meeting with the Dean."
"You want to do me out of the joy of a visit to the zoo? No way. You go to the CMU and give the old codger the new timetable while we spend a more pleasant time with monkeys, lions and crocodiles."
"And zebras," Ryan added enthusiastically. "Zebras are cool. I like their grey coat."
"Zebras are black and white striped, Tom," Stephen corrected automatically.
"I know. But black and white gives grey. And that is a cool colour." Ryan tugged at Cutter's sleeve. "We really have to go now, Uncle Nick, or we’ll miss the monkey feeding."
"Don't give Tom icecream and sweets for lunch. Get something nutritious. And be careful at the enclosures. Don't let Tom stretch out his hands or bend over the railings."
"Bye, Stephen," Cutter said quickly before Stephen could come up with more instructions.
"Bye, Stephen," echoed Ryan.
Mark stifled a snicker behind Stephen as Cutter sprinted out of the room, Ryan close on his heels.
"Where's Cutter?" Lester asked as Stephen passed Lester's office. He was holding a report in his hands that he apparently wasn't pleased with.
"Just left with Tom for the zoo."
"Visiting his relatives, I assume," Lester retorted with a straight face. "Then perhaps you can come in and tell me what this is in Cutter's report."
Lester waved the drawing of a mean, grinning stegosaur before Stephen's face, apparently really expecting an answer.
"It's the little stegosaur that attacked Cutter and Connor. I believe Cutter drew the picture for Ryan."
"I worked that much out for myself. Ignoring the fact that Cutter isn't allowed to give Ryan information connected to anomalies, that doesn't explain what the drawing is doing in the report. It's a good job I'm checking everything thoroughly before sending it to my superiors."
"Maybe Cutter thought it would make the report more illuminating."
"Next time he has such a wonderful idea, Cutter should take into account that most bureaucrats have no sense of humour."
"I’ll tell him."
"Oh, and Stephen..."
Stephen, who'd been about to leave, looked obviously at his watch. He and Cutter weren't exactly the Dean's favourite people at the moment so he had no intention of making it worse in arriving too late for the meeting.
"...don't forget your medical examination. Lieutenant Owen wants to make sure you are getting enough rest now."
Stephen groaned quietly. There his plans to join Ryan and Cutter in the zoo after the meeting had just gone up in smoke.
Ryan watched Abby from one side. She was unusually tight-lipped since Connor had called to say that he couldn't make it to the zoo. Ryan hadn't said anything but he wasn't overly sorry about it. Connor had been behaving strangely for the last two days. All he had talked about was a girl called Caroline. But Ryan had thought that this Caroline couldn't be so great if just mentioning her upset Abby.
Gently, Ryan grasped Abby's hand and squeezed it. When she looked at him he gave her his best smile and offered her his lollipop in the hope of lifting her spirits. His plan didn't succeed completely but at least she quirked her lips into a semi-smile while she declined his offer.
"And where are the baby lizards?"
Now Abby's face lit up with a full smile. Proudly, she led Ryan and Cutter to the amphibian’s section to present the freshly-hatched offspring of the plumed basilisk couple she had brought together for mating a few months ago.
Cutter looked rather uninterestedly at the little green creatures before he sunk down on the nearest bench.
After running around the zoo for hours to admire all the animals Ryan considered cool, he was glad of the short break. Still he was convinced he had made the better bargain. The Dean wasn't the most pleasant person even on good days. Around the time the timetables for the new term were due, he was beyond all bearing. Luckily, Stephen was one of the few people who could muster up the patience to go over the whole schedule with the man without loosing his temper, the reason why the Dean now preferred meeting with Cutter's assistant instead of Cutter himself.
"Wow, have you heard, Uncle Nick, these lizards can run over water?"
"Good for them," Cutter replied absent-mindedly whilst he watched a young woman recoil from a terrarium with toads. As long as the lizards weren't an extinct species who had come through an anomaly they didn't hold much interest for him in spite of their amazing skills. Ryan, on the other hand, was completely entranced by the lizards. It looked like the lizard girl had finally found a like-minded person. It would probably take a while until Abby had showed him all her favourites, meaning that Cutter could rest his feet a little longer.
Happy with that development, Cutter pulled the bag of wine gums Ryan had insisted on buying out of his jacket pocket and shoveled a handful into his mouth.
Forcefully, Stephen opened his front door. Whilst the Dean had signed off the timetable Cutter and Stephen had made up for the next term without complaint, the Dean had to say something about the time they were spending on other things instead of on the job they got paid for by the CMU. Stephen hadn't be able to deliver a reasonable explanation thanks to the Home Office's secretiveness and had felt like an idiot. The prospect of having to go back to the ARC for a medical examination only added to his bad mood.
"Hello, Stephen."
Stephen almost dropped his keys when he heard the familiar voice.
"Helen, what are you doing here?"
"Sorry, I didn't know where else to go. I think I need help."
Stephen eyed the lesion on the leg Helen held out to him sceptically. It was only a slight scratch and not something Helen would usually have made a big fuss about.
"Why are you really here. Are you looking for Ryan?"
"Ryan?"
"Captain Ryan, one of the soldiers who accompanied you and Cutter to the Permian."
"Ah, that one. He's dead."
"No he isn't. He survived with a head injury."
"Oh, really? Lucky man. The others were less fortunate."
Helen's surprise seemed genuine. But then she had played him for a fool before.
"Okay, Helen. First aid box is in the bathroom. Food in the kitchen. I want you gone by the time I come back."
"Stephen!"
Helen gave a disappointed huff as she stared at the front door as it closed. It was to be expected that Stephen wouldn't receive her with open arms. But this open hostility was unexpected. Had Cutter and Stephen actually talked and settled their differences? And what was it all about with this Captain Ryan? Why had the idiot Leek not mentioned any of this? That could jeopardize her whole plans.
Helen skipped the shower and only put a dressing on her wound. Grasping an apple and two slices of toast, she left Stephen's flat.
Stephen was sleeping when Cutter brought Ryan home. After the medical examination Stephen had deemed it prudent to take a nap instead of rushing to the zoo and probably missing Ryan and Cutter. The upcoming weekend with Ryan would keep him on the run enough.
Ryan, discovering Stephen sleeping in the master bedroom, didn't hesitate to strip down to his underwear and join him in the bed.
From the doorway, Cutter's eyes drifted over both men. Ryan was snuggled against Stephen, holding him tight like a favourite cuddly toy. It was such a peaceful sight that his throat constricted.
With a sad smile he turned away and set off for his own lonely home.
Author: TalliW
Characters: Stephen Hart, Tom Ryan, Nick Cutter, James Lester, Abby Maitland, Connor Temple, Jenny Lewis, Oliver Leek, Lyle, Finn, Helen Cutter, Ditzy
Rating: K+, T in later chapters
Disclaimer: Primeval is the property of Impossible Pictures. I write just for fun.
Lyle and Finn belong to Fredbassett.
Acknowledgments: Thanks to the wonderful Fredbassett for beta duty.
Summary: Ryan has survived but he isn't the man he was. Can Stephen and Cutter manage to work together to help him? Perhaps Ryan has changed in more ways than it appears on first sight.
Chapter 22
After three days of semi-chaos, routine had settled in. To their surprise, team-babysitting of Ryan worked quite well. There had only been one incident with Leek and a ketchup packet, ruining one of Leek's expensive, tailored suits. Since then Leek had refused to go near Ryan and hid in his office if he was around. At some point the team had agreed that he wasn't exactly a loss.
Stephen was a lot more relaxed since Ryan had been allowed to stay at the ARC and he could share the responsibility for Ryan with his friends and colleagues. Having to take care of such a vibrant person had proved to be too much for Stephen by himself.
Also, Ryan was happy with the arrangement, liking the variety the different minders provided. With his exuberant spirits he filled the ARC with laughter and perked up what most of the time was a rather dull job for its employees, with lots of waiting for the next anomaly to appear.
"Lollipop?" Ryan asked hopefully, after Mark had declared the Friday session over. With a fast move of his wrist, Mark produced a lollipop right from behind Ryan's ear, a little trick that always came in handy if he was working with children.
"No sweets before lunch!" Stephen, just entering the conference room, reminded Ryan and obediently Ryan put the candy away in his jeans’ pocket.
After the shock that Stephen had been serious about abandoning him for disobeying the nanny and running away, Ryan was on his best behaviour. But Stephen had his doubts that it would last long. Not even Lester's threat of imprisonment could keep such a bundle of energy like Tom in line for long.
While Ryan started babbling about a wonderful memory of decorating the Christmas tree with his Granny, Stephen gave Mark an enquiring look that was answered with a brief headshake from Mark. Nothing had changed, then.
Despite Mark’s attempts at tackling Ryan's abandonment issues, Ryan hadn't shown any sign of progress yet. Whilst he remembered his past life quite well under hypnosis, his mind was closed off to all those memories as soon he came out of the trance, no matter what Mark tried out.
Stephen guessed his outburst had only served to feed Ryan's subconscious fears. Although Ryan had behaved like he believed Stephen's renewed assertions that he wouldn't abandon him, that episode certainly hadn't made it any easier for the therapist.
"Bye, Mark," Ryan yelled so loudly that Mark and Stephen asked themselves if Ryan was developing a hearing problem. But when Cutter appeared in the entrance they realised that Ryan had given him a signal that way.
"Ready to go, sport?"
"Yep, Uncle Nick."
At first Stephen hadn't felt exactly comfortable consigning Ryan to Cutter's care. The first time Cutter had watched over Ryan alone he had bugged Connor until the techie had linked Stephen's computer with the CCTV camera in Cutter's office. He now knew that Cutter's people skills were improving and that Cutter could be quite creative in making courses for toy cars with office equipment.
"Cutter, you don't have to do this. I could postpone the meeting with the Dean."
"You want to do me out of the joy of a visit to the zoo? No way. You go to the CMU and give the old codger the new timetable while we spend a more pleasant time with monkeys, lions and crocodiles."
"And zebras," Ryan added enthusiastically. "Zebras are cool. I like their grey coat."
"Zebras are black and white striped, Tom," Stephen corrected automatically.
"I know. But black and white gives grey. And that is a cool colour." Ryan tugged at Cutter's sleeve. "We really have to go now, Uncle Nick, or we’ll miss the monkey feeding."
"Don't give Tom icecream and sweets for lunch. Get something nutritious. And be careful at the enclosures. Don't let Tom stretch out his hands or bend over the railings."
"Bye, Stephen," Cutter said quickly before Stephen could come up with more instructions.
"Bye, Stephen," echoed Ryan.
Mark stifled a snicker behind Stephen as Cutter sprinted out of the room, Ryan close on his heels.
"Where's Cutter?" Lester asked as Stephen passed Lester's office. He was holding a report in his hands that he apparently wasn't pleased with.
"Just left with Tom for the zoo."
"Visiting his relatives, I assume," Lester retorted with a straight face. "Then perhaps you can come in and tell me what this is in Cutter's report."
Lester waved the drawing of a mean, grinning stegosaur before Stephen's face, apparently really expecting an answer.
"It's the little stegosaur that attacked Cutter and Connor. I believe Cutter drew the picture for Ryan."
"I worked that much out for myself. Ignoring the fact that Cutter isn't allowed to give Ryan information connected to anomalies, that doesn't explain what the drawing is doing in the report. It's a good job I'm checking everything thoroughly before sending it to my superiors."
"Maybe Cutter thought it would make the report more illuminating."
"Next time he has such a wonderful idea, Cutter should take into account that most bureaucrats have no sense of humour."
"I’ll tell him."
"Oh, and Stephen..."
Stephen, who'd been about to leave, looked obviously at his watch. He and Cutter weren't exactly the Dean's favourite people at the moment so he had no intention of making it worse in arriving too late for the meeting.
"...don't forget your medical examination. Lieutenant Owen wants to make sure you are getting enough rest now."
Stephen groaned quietly. There his plans to join Ryan and Cutter in the zoo after the meeting had just gone up in smoke.
Ryan watched Abby from one side. She was unusually tight-lipped since Connor had called to say that he couldn't make it to the zoo. Ryan hadn't said anything but he wasn't overly sorry about it. Connor had been behaving strangely for the last two days. All he had talked about was a girl called Caroline. But Ryan had thought that this Caroline couldn't be so great if just mentioning her upset Abby.
Gently, Ryan grasped Abby's hand and squeezed it. When she looked at him he gave her his best smile and offered her his lollipop in the hope of lifting her spirits. His plan didn't succeed completely but at least she quirked her lips into a semi-smile while she declined his offer.
"And where are the baby lizards?"
Now Abby's face lit up with a full smile. Proudly, she led Ryan and Cutter to the amphibian’s section to present the freshly-hatched offspring of the plumed basilisk couple she had brought together for mating a few months ago.
Cutter looked rather uninterestedly at the little green creatures before he sunk down on the nearest bench.
After running around the zoo for hours to admire all the animals Ryan considered cool, he was glad of the short break. Still he was convinced he had made the better bargain. The Dean wasn't the most pleasant person even on good days. Around the time the timetables for the new term were due, he was beyond all bearing. Luckily, Stephen was one of the few people who could muster up the patience to go over the whole schedule with the man without loosing his temper, the reason why the Dean now preferred meeting with Cutter's assistant instead of Cutter himself.
"Wow, have you heard, Uncle Nick, these lizards can run over water?"
"Good for them," Cutter replied absent-mindedly whilst he watched a young woman recoil from a terrarium with toads. As long as the lizards weren't an extinct species who had come through an anomaly they didn't hold much interest for him in spite of their amazing skills. Ryan, on the other hand, was completely entranced by the lizards. It looked like the lizard girl had finally found a like-minded person. It would probably take a while until Abby had showed him all her favourites, meaning that Cutter could rest his feet a little longer.
Happy with that development, Cutter pulled the bag of wine gums Ryan had insisted on buying out of his jacket pocket and shoveled a handful into his mouth.
Forcefully, Stephen opened his front door. Whilst the Dean had signed off the timetable Cutter and Stephen had made up for the next term without complaint, the Dean had to say something about the time they were spending on other things instead of on the job they got paid for by the CMU. Stephen hadn't be able to deliver a reasonable explanation thanks to the Home Office's secretiveness and had felt like an idiot. The prospect of having to go back to the ARC for a medical examination only added to his bad mood.
"Hello, Stephen."
Stephen almost dropped his keys when he heard the familiar voice.
"Helen, what are you doing here?"
"Sorry, I didn't know where else to go. I think I need help."
Stephen eyed the lesion on the leg Helen held out to him sceptically. It was only a slight scratch and not something Helen would usually have made a big fuss about.
"Why are you really here. Are you looking for Ryan?"
"Ryan?"
"Captain Ryan, one of the soldiers who accompanied you and Cutter to the Permian."
"Ah, that one. He's dead."
"No he isn't. He survived with a head injury."
"Oh, really? Lucky man. The others were less fortunate."
Helen's surprise seemed genuine. But then she had played him for a fool before.
"Okay, Helen. First aid box is in the bathroom. Food in the kitchen. I want you gone by the time I come back."
"Stephen!"
Helen gave a disappointed huff as she stared at the front door as it closed. It was to be expected that Stephen wouldn't receive her with open arms. But this open hostility was unexpected. Had Cutter and Stephen actually talked and settled their differences? And what was it all about with this Captain Ryan? Why had the idiot Leek not mentioned any of this? That could jeopardize her whole plans.
Helen skipped the shower and only put a dressing on her wound. Grasping an apple and two slices of toast, she left Stephen's flat.
Stephen was sleeping when Cutter brought Ryan home. After the medical examination Stephen had deemed it prudent to take a nap instead of rushing to the zoo and probably missing Ryan and Cutter. The upcoming weekend with Ryan would keep him on the run enough.
Ryan, discovering Stephen sleeping in the master bedroom, didn't hesitate to strip down to his underwear and join him in the bed.
From the doorway, Cutter's eyes drifted over both men. Ryan was snuggled against Stephen, holding him tight like a favourite cuddly toy. It was such a peaceful sight that his throat constricted.
With a sad smile he turned away and set off for his own lonely home.