Authors: nikki greenleaf and valkrys
Beta: nikki greenleaf
Discl.: all that really belongs to us is our own insanity
Chapter 1
The table in the living room was set perfectly, decorated with some fresh flowers when Summer and Anna arrived.
After the latest ordeal with Cohen, the girls had finally gotten over the slight grudge they'd had on one another in High School, and were rapidly catching up on everything that had happened over the past two years.
Seth had invited them for dinner that night, cautioning them about his mothers not-so-improved cooking. He'd promised them take-out later if they weren't able to keep it down.
Sure enough, Kirsten was busy in the kitchen when they got in the door.
"Hi, Mrs. Cohen." Anna smiled, watching as Kirsten glanced up from the bubbling pot she had on the stove.
"Oh hello girls, Seth'll be down in a minute, he probably heard the door bell when you arrived."
Grinning, Summer walked over to the table, running her hands idly over the tablecloth.
Looking over at Anna, Summer said chirpily, "I totally saw the prettiest dress yesterday in this colour. What do you call it? Fuchsia?"
"Um … Summer. That's burgundy." Anna informed.
Swiping her hand back, Summer blushed. "Oh, that's what I meant."
Preoccupied with her pot, Kirsten spoke without looking up.
"Could you girls please get Ryan? Dinner will be ready in a few minutes." Kirsten nodded lightly in the direction of Summer and Anna, not taking her eyes from the stove.
The girls glanced at each other before shrugging and turning around.
Summer headed over to the patio doors, guiding Anna to the poolhouse, where the door was wide open and loud rock-music was blasting from a nearby hi-fi unit.
"Atwood?" Summer called loudly, trying to drown the music, immediately storming to the stereo.
"What happened to Chino?" Anna asked, amused, when she entered the room as well, her gaze fixed on the black haired girl in front of her.
"I decided to stick with tradition and call him the same as his pseudo-brother." Summer laughed, while turning down the volume so that they could talk with normal voices.
Glancing puzzled around the room; Anna was the first to notice Ryan's legs.
He was obviously lying half-hidden behind the king size bed, she could see his sock-laden feet poking out from the end.
Laughing, she wandered over to his feet. "Ryan, dinner's ready."
When he didn't react she walked around the punching bag, which was still swinging slightly, and bent down next to Ryan – who had his eyes closed.
A worried look appeared in Anna's eyes when she noticed his shallow breathing, pale face and oddly positioned head.
Gently touching his cheek, she softened her voice.
"Ryan?"
He wasn't moving, and his face was pressed into the carpet, no expression on his face.
"… Are you okay?"
Heartbeat quickening when she got no response, again, Anna leaned closer. "Ryan? … Wake up, Ryan."
His arm was twisted under his stomach, and it hit Anna that she would have no idea how long he had been laying here.
"Atwood! Stop screwing around – we're starving!" Summer burst from the other side of the room, completely oblivious to what was going on, as she examined her hair.
Trembling, Anna let her hand brush over Ryan's sandy blonde head. She was beginning to think he was playing a joke on them, until her fingers came across a glob of thick liquid, in the hair above his ear. Turning her hand palm up, Anna frowned at the blood soaking under her nails. With a soft, low voice she looked up at Summer, who was by the door.
"Go get the Cohen's."
Summer frowned, trying to look over the bed.
"What's going on?"
Anna reached up, letting Summer see the blood covering her fingertips, "Please go get the Cohen's, Summer. He's not waking up."
Frowning, Summer climbed over Ryan's mattress and gasped.
"Oh my god."
Anna's voice pitched higher. "Summer, please. Please go get the Cohen's."
Nodding silently, Summer ran out of the poolhouse, her stilettos tapping hurriedly on the concrete.
Anna looked back down at the prone form of Ryan Atwood and bit her lower lip. His eyelids were flickering.
She reached down once again and grasped his shoulder, giving it a gentle shake.
"Ryan?"
She finally noticed the thin stream of blood trickling towards his chin.
Oh shit, what the hell had they gone over in school last year?
Well ... he was breathing – she could see his back rising and falling, but only slightly. She reached her hand over his body and wrapped her hand around his wrist, one finger resting over his veins, like she had been taught in Health class.
The pulse was faint, but it was there.
And that … that was good. That meant his heart was beating.
Good.
Carefully opening his mouth she ran two fingers over his tongue, checking for anything in his throat that could stop him from breathing properly.
Her hands were trembling when she finally pulled back and wiped them on her jeans.
She could hear more shoes on the ground, coming closer.
Looking up she saw a black, curled head appear in the door frame, closely followed by two concerned looking parents, and a white faced Summer.
"What's going on?" Sandy asked quickly.
"I … he wont wake up." Anna looked up, helplessly, watching as Kirsten rounded the bed.
Leaving the spot next to the lifeless body of Ryan, Anna shuffled backwards, making room for the older woman.
Catching proper site of her foster son, Kirsten gasped. "Oh my god." She bent down, rubbing her fingers through Ryan's sticky hair.
"Ryan?"
Her efforts were rewarded with a quick movement of Ryan's hand, the fingers slightly twitching.
"Ryan, sweetie, can you hear me?" Kirsten insisted, now talking louder, one of her hands checking his forehead for a temperature while she never stopped brushing her other hand through his hair, careful not to touch the wound above his ear.
Anna fell back on her hands and looked across to the other occupants in the room.
Summer was hovering uncertainly by the corner of the bed, her arm lightly touching Seth's shoulders, nibbling on her newly-painted nails.
Seth was simply staring at him mom, and Sandy had silently rested his hand on his son's shoulder, reassuringly.
Anna pressed her fingers into the carpet, and Seth took a step closer to Kirsten, quietly asking, "What's wrong with him, mum?"
Looking up, Kirsten shook her head, worry painting her face. "I don't know Seth."
She called his name again, giving his forearm a slight shake and Ryan finally started to stir.
"Ryan?"
Ryan screwed his face up, raising a shaking hand to the side of his head.
"Ow …" He rasped, opening his eyes.
"You okay, sweetie?" Kirsten asked concerned.
Wincing, Ryan tried to sit up, only to have Kirsten push him back down.
"No, stay there for a minute, Ryan."
Sandy had made his way over in a second.
"What happened, kid?" He inquired, crouched forward and helped Ryan into a sitting position. Anna, Summer and Seth were staring at him anxiously.
"I … I don't know." Ryan looked around, resting shakily on his arms, stretched out behind him.
"Don't you remember? Why'd you pass out?"
Blearily looking upwards at the concerned Cohen's, Ryan frowned.
"I... was jus', was just using the punching bag." He slurred, closing his eyes tightly and trying to stop the spinning.
Grimacing finally, Ryan blushed, tilting his head down so he didn't have to look Sandy in the face, and stuttered, "I think, I think I fell … felt dizzy from punching and... then I fell. My head hurts …" Stopping to breathe for a second, Ryan stared at the ground, "I … I think I must have hit my head… on the weights. That's why I passed out …"
"Oh sweetie," Kirsten brought her hand back up to Ryan hair, and touched around the red, bleeding wound, leaning closer for a better look. "I told you that you train too hard on that thing!"
She glanced around at Sandy, her face turning into a scowl. "And I clearly remember telling you to not let him use it. This is exactly why I don't want my kids around punching bags, Sandy! Don't you remember that little incident you had back in Berkley with the toasted marshmallows and hubcaps?"
"It's no big deal," Ryan winced, pulling Kirsten's hand away from his head. "I'm okay now. It's not Sandy's fault."
Getting increasingly embarrassed as he became more aware of all the attention focused on him, Ryan got up slowly, ignoring the helping hands that were getting shoved in his face and Kirsten's disapproving glare.
He desperately wanted some room for himself, some space to take a deep breath and to stop his head aching and his vision blurring.
He looked helplessly at Sandy as Kirsten babbled on in his ears about going to the hospital for the wound on his head.
Seth wouldn't stop staring at him and Ryan was starting to get irritated by all the movement around him, even when he kept insisting he was alright.
Sandy finally cottoned on to the glare he'd been receiving for the past few minutes.
"Kirsten, honey, he says he's okay. Why don't we all leave Ryan alone so he can get changed and you can patch his head up when he comes inside for dinner, okay?"
Kirsten froze. "Oh no! Dinner! I left it cooking in the oven!"
Seth snorted as Kirsten ran past him, back towards the kitchen. "I guess we're having take-out after all."
Sandy grinned, brushed his hand over Ryan's face, giving the boy one last concerned stare before ushering the others out of the room.
Anna and Summer left with him, but Seth still stood staring at his best friend.
He smirked.
"Dude. You fainted!"
Ryan glared at him, and turned towards the bathroom, scowling as he heard Seth leave the poolhouse laughing.
Cartons of half-finished food were scattered around the lounge, long forgotten.
The boys decided to have a playstation match, after dinner, which the girls tolerantly agreed to watch.
As they sat gossiping, Ryan was getting his ass kicked rather violently, as he tried to get his player out of the building alive. He couldn't concentrate, he had a headache.
Although Ryan had taken the aspirin Kirsten had offered him his head was still pounding and his reaction time was seriously lacking. He felt as if his head was covered in cotton, his vision slightly blurry, feeling his pulse throbbing in the small wound above his ear. Kirsten had disinfected it but he had insisted on not wearing any kind of bandage, the thought of it making him want to bury his face in humiliation. It was only a little bump – Kirsten was being a bit paranoid.
His person on screen keeled over, finally, bleeding in a small puddle on the ground. Seth threw his controller down on the floor.
"Ok, dude, this is no fun! Where's the challenge, the excitement, the triumph when you make it that easy for me to beat you? Slaughter would be a better word. That game didn't even last five minutes."
He frowned over at Ryan from the other side of the couch, his eyes narrowing. "You ok, buddy? You are looking kinda pale …"
"Yeah actually, I'm kinda tired; I think I should head to bed now, if you girls don't mind?"
"No, it's getting late anyway and watching you guys' playing is just plain boring." Summer announced, standing.
"Yeah, I think I'm heading home too. Lots of stuff to do tomorrow" Ann agreed.
Ryan gave the girls a strained grin and patted Seth's shoulder, mumbling, "Good night."
A few minutes later, as he made his way towards the poolhouse, he dropped his smile.
His legs were wobbling slightly, and he knew if he didn't sit down soon he was going to fall. There was sweat trickling down his back, and hot shivers running up his spine, tickling his skin. His stomach was bubbling slightly and he wiped his sweaty palms onto his jeans, frowning.
It was probably better if he skipped a shower tonight; he wasn't sure how long he could stay upright.
Ryan changed into his pyjamas and crawled into bed, burying himself under the comforter. There was blood pounding harshly in his ears and he shut his eyes. He rolls over swiftly, resting his hand on the pillow in front of his face, and sighs. He knows he's not going to get any sleep tonight.
A/N: Feedback, please?