IPART 1
Ryan was really getting sick of Marissa's games. He had thought that they were finally on the same page, and then she started hanging out with Johnny. Suddenly she spent all her time with the surfer. She was supposed to be turning in her application for college, but instead he found her here, watching Johnny surf and saying that she might go on tour with him instead of college. It infuriated Ryan that so many people he knew never even dreamed of getting into college, and Marissa was too busy with a pity party and chasing after another guy to care about taking advantage of the privileges she had. Well he was done.
If she wanted to throw her life away and chase after this latest guy, that was fine with Ryan. He was finished with following Marissa around trying to remind her that she was his girlfriend. Apparently Ryan was no longer needy enough for her. Marissa was only really into him when he was suffering or dating someone else.
Ryan stomped his boots down on the sidewalk to get some of the excess sand off his feet before he crossed the street to the Rover. He was so focused on his anger towards Marissa that he never saw the car speeding through the congested area. Pain exploded along his left side as the car struck Ryan and he rolled into the windshield before being dumped onto the pavement as the car screeched to a halt.
"RYAN!" Marissa screamed as she, Johnny and Chili rushed to his side. Marissa knelt down next to his battered form, but she was scared to touch him. "Ryan?" She attempted to get him to open his eyes, but he was unresponsive. She couldn't even tell if he was breathing.
Sirens cut through the noise of the small crowd that was surrounding them. The people parted as the paramedics came bursting through with their equipment. Marissa was gently moved to the side as they began working on Ryan. She was too upset to understand any of what they were saying. Then one of the paramedics asked her if she knew his parents.
"Sandy Cohen." Marissa answered automatically rattling off their phone number.
Before she knew it, Ryan was loaded on a gurney and they were sliding him into the ambulance. With a wail of the sirens, he was gone, leaving nothing more than his keys and a bloody smear on the pavement. Marissa remained on her knees staring down unaware of the amount of time she spent there. It took her ringing phone to snap her out of it.
"Coop what the hell is going on? Seth said that the hospital called and said that Chino was being rushed there." Summer's voice demanded urgently.
"He was angry at me for not finishing the application and when I told him that I was thinking about touring with Johnny he got mad and left. He was crossing the street when a car hit him! He was bleeding everywhere." Marissa rattled off tearfully.
"Chino was hit by a car? How bad was he? Was he unconscious?" Summer asked, panicked.
"It was bad Summer. He wasn't moving or anything. He-he looked dead." Marissa sobbed. She felt Johnny's arms around her and she cried into his chest.
"Where are you now?" Summer wanted to know.
"I'm still at the beach with Johnny." Marissa answered without thinking.
"What the hell are you still doing there? And with Johnny? Coop, get your ass to the hospital right now!" Summer growled before abruptly ending the call.
"Oh my God! She's right, I need to get to the hospital!" Marissa declared.
"Calm down. We'll take you there, but you need to calm down first." Johnny consoled softly as he held her tightly in his arms.
Marissa allowed him to comfort her as they both knelt on the pavement.
Summer swore and banged her phone on the console of her car. Seth glanced over at his girlfriend as he drove at break-neck speed for HOAG. "Is she even coming?" He asked stiffly.
"I told her to. She was with Johnny." Summer informed him angrily. "She said that Ryan was mad at her and got hit by a car as he was crossing the street."
"If she was with Johnny again, I can't say that I blame him. So while Ryan's on the way to the hospital, she was still with the guy that set Ryan off to begin with?" Seth scoffed.
"I don't know what is going on in her head lately." Summer groaned.
"I don't really care anymore. I just care that once again Ryan is in trouble because of her. I know that she's your friend Sum, but she's not good for Ryan. He deserves a lot better." Seth grumbled.
"I'm not arguing with you." Summer sighed heavily. She glanced over at her boyfriend.
His knuckles were white with tension on the steering wheel and his jaw was clenched taut. His eyes were swimming with unreleased tears and he was as serious as she had ever seen him. She could see his fear for his brother all over him. Summer reached across the console and laid her and on his leg.
"He's going to be ok." She told him gently. "He's Chino, it takes more than some car to take him out."
"What if he's not Sum? He's not really a superhero. Ryan's just a teenager like the rest of us, and yet we're always coming to him expecting him to fix everything. Things were supposed to be better for him here, and yet here we are once again worried because Ryan's hurt. I hope to hell he dumps Marissa's ass after this." Seth growled furiously.
"Me too." Summer admitted softly.
Sandy and Kirsten both burst through the emergency room doors and hurried to the desk. "We're here for Ryan Atwood, we received a call that he was being brought here?" Sandy blurted.
The receptionist checked the computer. "Are you his parents?" She asked.
"Yes." Sandy replied urgently. "Where is my son?"
"I'll let his doctor know that you're here." She told them as she picked up the phone and paged the doctor.
Sandy and Kirsten were only waiting a moment before an older woman came into the waiting room and approached them.
"Are you here for Ryan Atwood?" She asked.
"I'm his father Sandy Cohen and this is my wife Kirsten." Sandy informed her.
"I'm Dr. Myles. I was the attending when your son was brought into the ER." Dr. Myles replied, not commenting on the difference in names. "He was hit by a car this afternoon and suffered several injuries. He has a broken leg and three broken ribs. He is being prepped for surgery because we have detected internal bleeding. We need you to sign consent. He was also unconscious when he arrived, but he regained consciousness for a short time. He was asking for you, Mr. Cohen. We will be running scans to make sure there is no damage to his brain, but our first concern is for the internal bleeding. His blood pressure is dangerously low, and we need to get it stopped."
"Can we see him?" Kirsten asked.
"Just for a moment. I think it will help him to know that you're here. He's been agitated since he woke up." Dr. Myles agreed.
The doctor led them through the large double doors and through a series of hallways until they came to a small pre-op room. Sandy and Kirsten were alarmed to see just how battered Ryan looked. His leg was propped up and splinted. He had a bandage over his left eye and his torso was covered in gauze. Blood was caked in his hair, and his eyes looked glazed. They knew the moment that he noticed them because those blue eyes widened and he seemed to relax.
"Hey kid. How are you feeling?" Sandy asked with a concerned smile.
"Like I got hit by a car." Ryan replied huskily.
"Do you remember how it happened?" Sandy questioned gently.
Ryan sighed and then winced as his ribs protested. "Yeah, I wasn't watching where I was going. I didn't even see the car. I just felt pain and then nothing. I woke up in here and the doctor told me what happened."
"We'll talk about basic street-crossing procedure later." Sandy informed him. "Right now you just concentrate on getting better."
Ryan closed his eyes tiredly and nodded. "I'm sorry to cause all this trouble." He whispered.
"We love you Ryan. You have nothing to be sorry for." Kirsten spoke up as she took his right hand.
Ryan squeezed her hand and smiled. "I love you guys too." He told them.
"Alright parents, we need to get to work. You'll see Ryan in a few hours." Dr. Myles announced. She hadn't told them, but she was hoping that seeing his parents would calm him down and help stabilize him for the surgery. It had worked. His pulse rate was down to almost normal.
Sandy and Kirsten gently kissed Ryan's forehead before leaving their son in the hands of the doctors. A receptionist was waiting for them in the waiting room with a clipboard and several forms for them to fill out. While Sandy settled down with the paperwork, Kirsten sat next to him and nervously bounced her knee. She glanced over to see Sandy mark that Ryan was allergic to penicillin.
"I didn't know Ryan was allergic to anything. Ryan's been living with us for three years and I don't even know enough about him to fill out medical paperwork." Kirsten sorrowfully exclaimed.
Sandy looked up at her in surprise. His expression softened at her obvious distress. "Honey, it's not like Ryan talks about this stuff. I only know because I have his file."
"But this is something that I should know!" Kirsten argued. "What if this happened and you weren't here? I wouldn't have known to mark that!"
Sandy laid his hand on his wife's knee and stared deep into her blue eyes. "You're right I shouldn't be the only one that knows all this. When we go home, I will show you Ryan's medical records so that you'll know how to fill out this paperwork for him, but I'm going to be with you to read it because there is some stuff there that is difficult to read. Ryan didn't come from a loving home and his medical records reflect that."
Kirsten sighed. "You mean there are records of abuse there." She stated sadly.
"It's not pretty Kirsten. I would never show this to you, but you're right that you need to know." Sandy warned her. "Ryan is not going to like this at all."
"Tough. He's my kid now, and I need to know how to take care of him." Kirsten declared, her eyes shining with determination.
Sandy kissed her gently. "I love you."
Kirsten flashed a quick smile. "I love you too." She replied and then she began to read over his shoulder as he filled out the rest of the paperwork.
They were still working on the small stack when Seth and Summer came bursting into the room.
"How is he?" Seth demanded breathlessly.
Kirsten stood up and hugged him close. After Seth returned the embrace, he stepped back and looked at his mother expectantly.
"He's in surgery. Ryan's bleeding internally, and they are trying to stop the bleeding. Besides that, he also broke his leg and three ribs. They also said he has a concussion, but they don't think there's any brain damage. Ryan was awake and we got to see him for a moment before he went up to the operating room." Kirsten explained.
Seth ran a hand over his face. "I can't believe this is happening." He groaned as he sank down into one of the plastic chairs that populated the waiting room.
Summer sat next to him and rubbed his back gently. "He's going to be fine Seth, you'll see." She encouraged.
"Ryan shouldn't even be here at all!" Seth declared angrily. "I guess Marissa felt that it had been too long since she had tried to destroy Ryan's life."
"What does Marissa have to do with this?" Kirsten asked sternly as her protective instincts came to bare.
Summer winced at the blonde's tone of voice. Before she could say anything, Marissa came rushing into the room with Johnny and Chili. Everyone couldn't help but notice the surfer's arm around Ryan's girlfriend.
"How's Ryan?" Marissa cried, tears flowing down her cheeks.
Kirsten's eyes narrowed. "He's in surgery. Why don't you introduce us to your friends Marissa?" She asked deceptively calm.
"Oh! These are my friends Johnny and Chili. They were there when Ryan got hit by the car." Marissa replied, oblivious to the dangers lurking in the woman in front of her.
Kirsten's eyes narrowed. "So would you like to explain to me why you are with these young men when your boyfriend is in an operating room?"
Marissa's eyes filled with tears. "Ryan's in surgery?" She gasped, completely missing the anger in Kirsten's question.
Summer's eyes widened and she fought the urge to walk over and slap Marissa in the back of her head. Did she truly not realize how bad this looked?
Kirsten clenched her hands into fists. "How did Ryan get hit by a car Marissa?" She asked bluntly.
Marissa sniffled. "I was upset about writing my essay for the college application and so Johnny and Chili invited me to go watch Johnny's surfing competition. Ryan came down to the beach. He was angry because I told him I was thinking about touring with Johnny this summer instead of going to college. Ryan got mad and blew up. He was walking back to his car when he got hit. He didn't even look to see if anything was coming. Then he was just lying on the ground, bleeding everywhere. I was so scared!"
"So let me get this straight. You told your boyfriend that you were going to travel with another young man because you didn't think that you wanted to go to college with him?" Kirsten stated slowly.
Marissa's eyes filled with tears once again. "Ryan just doesn't understand how difficult last spring was for me! I still have nightmares! Johnny's been through something similar, and he knows how hard it is." She sobbed.
"Get out." Kirsten growled. "Get out right now and stay the hell away from my son!"
Marissa's eyes widened in shock. "What?"
"You heard me. How dare you stand there and say that Ryan doesn't understand how hard last spring was! Yes, you shot a man and that was difficult, but that man was Ryan's brother! Ryan lost the last of his family that night! Then he was arrested because his own brother betrayed him! And as if that wasn't enough, he got expelled for defending you! Actually, we can just about trace every single problem Ryan has had since moving here to you! Then after all that you have the gall to go running off to another boy? Fine! Leave with your little surfer, just stay the hell away from Ryan!" Kirsten exclaimed coldly.
Marissa shrunk away from the furious blonde and into Johnny's side.
"Come on Marissa." Johnny muttered, glaring at Ryan's mother as he led the distraught girl out of the waiting room.
Sandy came up to Kirsten and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Kirsten sobbed and buried her face into her husband's chest.
"Shhh. It's going to be ok Kirsten. Ryan's going to be fine." Sandy consoled.
"It's just not fair! Ryan is such a great kid and for Marissa to just discard him like that!" Kirsten cried.
"I know. She had no right to treat him that way." Sandy agreed, trying to calm her.
Kirsten backed away and wiped at her eyes. "I'm not kidding Sandy. I don't want her anywhere near Ryan. She's caused too much trouble for him. This is the last straw!"
"Honey, what is Ryan going to say about that?" Sandy asked.
Kirsten looked up at him in shock. "You don't honestly think that he'll still want to date her after this do you? She was going to leave him for another boy!"
Sandy shrugged. "I don't know. I didn't think that he'd want to take her back after the whole Oliver mess."
Kirsten raised an eyebrow. "As I recall you were the one that told her to go after him."
Sandy sighed. "One the biggest mistakes I've ever made and I regret it to this day – especially this day."
"I'm sorry. We shouldn't be doing this right now. We should be focusing on Ryan and getting him healthy and home again." Kirsten declared tiredly.
Sandy pulled her to him and quickly planted a kiss in her hair. "I'm going to turn in this paperwork and I'll be right back. Then we can figure out what all we're going to need to get Ryan on the road to recovery."
Kirsten smiled and nodded before walking over and sitting next to Seth. She glanced over at Summer and sighed. "I'm sorry if I upset you by what I said to Marissa. I know that she's your best friend."
Summer smiled weakly. "I don't blame you. I don't think that Marissa treated Ryan like he deserves either. He's a good guy and he's always been there for Marissa. She shouldn't have taken that for granted. I think Marissa forgets that she's not the only one who has had a rough time."
Kirsten grimaced. "I haven't been a very good mother for Ryan, but that's going to change now. That goes for you too." She declared grabbing Seth's hand. "I'm sorry that I've been so wrapped up in my own problems that I've been neglecting you guys. First with the alcohol and then with New Match, but I promise you that I'm going to be there for you from now on."
Seth smiled softly. "I've missed you."
"I've missed you too." Kirsten declared before she hugged him to her.
Summer smiled as she watched mother and son reconnect. She knew that Seth had been upset with the lack of parental attention since Kirsten went to rehab. It was weird to see the Cohen's as anything but the perfect family.
Sandy came back over to his family and settled on the seat next to his wife. They were in for a long wait.
Dr. Long sighed and pulled off the mask that was covering his face as he pushed open the doors to the waiting room and searched for the family of his patient. The kid's belly had been a mess. Lacerations to his kidney and liver had caused all kinds of problems. It had been touch and go for most of the surgery, and they had lost him on the table twice. Now the teen was looking at a long and painful recovery.
Bright green eyes swept the waiting room and landed on a handsome couple with two teenagers.
"Family of Ryan Atwood?" He asked, having never met his patient's parents.
The dark-haired man and beautiful blonde were followed closely by the teens. "I'm Sandy Cohen, Ryan's father. How is he?"
"Mr. Cohen, my name is Dr. Long. I was the surgeon who operated on Ryan. Your son is in recovery right now, and once I'm sure that he's coming out from the anesthesia, we will be moving him into ICU. He gave us a couple of scares. Ryan flat-lined twice while on the table, but we were able to resuscitate him. I were able to save his kidney, but I had to remove part of his liver. Fortunately, the liver is capable of regenerating so I am hopeful that Ryan will make a full recovery. I plan to keep Ryan in ICU overnight, and barring complications, he should be in a private room by tomorrow evening." The surgeon explained.
"How long will he be in the hospital?" Sandy asked.
Dr. Long shrugged. "It's hard to say. The orthopedic doctor will need to have another look at his leg before I make any promises. Let's see how Ryan progresses before we talk about sending him home."
"Thank you doctor." Kirsten said, smiling tearfully.
"It was my pleasure. You've got a fighter on your hands." Dr. Long grinned good-naturedly.
"You have no idea." Seth muttered. He then quickly grabbed his side as Summer elbowed him in the ribs.
"A nurse will be out once Ryan is settled to take you to him. Since he's a minor, one of you can stay with him overnight, but everyone else will have to visit for ten minutes every hour during visiting hours. I'll relax that tonight for fifteen minutes so that you can all see him, but then we'll need to follow hospital procedure." Dr. Long informed them.
"Thank you." Sandy replied for his family. He knew that Seth would be anxious to see his brother.
Dr. Long nodded at them and then walked back out of the room.
Sandy sighed as he took a seat on the plastic chairs once again. Kirsten sat next to him and took his hand.
"Are you ok?" She asked.
Sandy stared down at his hands. "Ryan died today – twice. We almost lost one of our sons."
"But he's alive." Kirsten pointed out.
"I know it's just that I've given him such a hard time this year between the mess with Trey, and then his expulsion." Sandy looked up into his wife's tear-filled eyes. "I can't remember the last time I just sat down and talked to Ryan without lecturing him about something."
"I haven't been any better." Kirsten confessed. "I've basically ignored both the boys since I came back from rehab. In fact I've never even apologized to Ryan for what I said during the intervention."
"He knows that you don't truly think that, Honey." Sandy assured her.
"Really? How could that be when I haven't told him?" Kirsten argued.
"Listen, we've both messed up but we have a second chance." Sandy stated calmly.
Kirsten nodded. "A chance that I don't plan to waste."
"Agreed." Sandy declared.
Seth and Summer grinned. The Cohen's were back!
TBC…