Rebuilding a life
Ryan was coming downstairs carrying an overnight bag which he had dropped at the bottom of the stairs. "Danny come on! If we don't leave now we're gonna be late and you know how Grandma Cohen feels about that" Ryan said.
Daniel appeared at the top of the stairs. "Sorry dad but I had to bring my new comic to show Uncle Seth" He said coming down with the comic in one hand and a back pack in another. Ryan laughed to himself.
"Alright so you all ready to go?" Ryan said. "Yep.Let's go" He said. Ryan grabbed his bag. "Give me that" Ryan said taking Daniel's and opened the front door. "Let's go" Ryan said. He opened the back door to his truck and let Danny hop in. "Seat belt" Ryan reminded him. "Okay I remember" he said putting it on.
Ryan threw the bags in the hatch and jumped in on the driver's side. He looked in his mirror and saw Danny already reading his comic and the site made Ryan smile. After all there wasn't a whole lot for Ryan to smile about except for Danny these days as he pulled away.
After Theresa told him about Daniel and how he was his father. Sandy had begged Ryan just to stick out the last two weeks and graduate with the rest of his class.
Of course Ryan wanted to be there for Daniel and Theresa no matter how hurt he had been about her lying all this time but in the end decided that Sandy was right. After Graduation he had talked it over with Theresa and she had agreed to move with Ryan to Berkeley so that he could finish school actually it was her idea.
That was the one thing She refused to stand in the way of. Ryan had been angry with her at first but ultimately decided that her heart was in the right place so he had found a way to accept what she had done.
They had lived together for five years, after graduating from Berkeley Ryan even got a job as an assistant architect in Berkeley so they had inevitably settled there.
One night Ryan had gotten a phone call telling him that Theresa had been in a car accident. Luckily Daniel was with Theresa's mom so he immediately rushed to the hospital. However it was too late. They had explained it as a case of the roads being to slippery and her car had been hit head on by a drunk driver sending her car into the guard rail.
The funeral was small and was held in chino where Maria (theresa's mom) had felt it should be. Ryan had then decided for the sake of Daniel to move back to Chino. This way he could still be close to Maria and still be close enough to see the Cohen's.
Ryan knew that what Daniel needed right now was stability. Which was why they made frequent weekend trips to New Port. Everything Ryan had did after the day Theresa had told him he was a father he did with Daniel in mind and that was something he didn't regret and never would.
He pulled up in front of the mansion he used to call home. He turned the car off. "Okay buddy we're here" Ryan said getting out. Daniel jumped out of the car while Ryan had opted to grab the bags. Ryan caught up to him as he had just opened the front door without knocking as Ryan had reminded him time and time again too knock only for Kirsten to turn around and tell Ryan that "They were her boys and they never had to knock because the door would always be open for them" Ryan looked at him.
"Danny slow down" Ryan said trying to stop him from running down the hallway of the Cohen's house. "There's my grand son" Kirsten said with a smile. "Grandma" He said hugging her. Ryan set the bags down. "Why don't you go in to Rosa and she'll give you a snack" Kirsten said. "Okay" Daniel said running out.
She walked over to Ryan. "Hey" She said. He hugged her and she kissed his cheek. "So how's he doing?" She said. "Still trying to deal with everythinh I guess" Ryan said. "And you?" Kirsten said. "My concern is Danny. You know that" Ryan said just as she expected because that was just typical Ryan.
"Ryan I'm worried about you" She said concerned sketched across her face. "Don't be Kirsten. I'm fine alright?" he said. She smiled sadly knowing when it was better not to push. "Where's Sandy?" he said.
"Out surfing. He should be back soon" She said. "Alright well I'm gonna put these bags in the pool house" he said picking them up and going out back.
Ryan had threw the bags on the chair sat down and put his head in his hands.
"Hello" Seth said entering the Cohen home. He walked into the kitchen to see Daniel sitting at the table. "Uncle Seth" He said. "Hey. There's my best nephew" Seth said. "Seth he's you're only nephew" Ryan said coming in from the pool house.
"Hey Ryan "Seth said giving him a pound. "So Danny you show Uncle Seth that comic you brought?" Ryan said. "Oh which reminds me here you go Danny the next edition of Atomic county hot off the presses" Seth said throwing it on the table. "Wow thanks Uncle Seth" He said with a smile.
"Your welcome buddy" Seth said. Ryan smiled at their interaction. It was funny because Danny seemed to get along with him better then anyone which had sort of reminded him of his own friend ship with Seth. They just got along easily.
Daniel as it turns out had taken a real liking to Seth and when they were home that's all he practically talked about Seth and his comic book company. Sandy came into the kitchen. "Well, Well all my boys in the kitchen" he said.
"Hey grandpa" Daniel said. "Hey kiddo" Sandy said. "What's going on dad?" Seth said smiling. "Nothing much son. Ryan nice to always nice to have you home" He said. "Thanks Sandy" Ryan said. "Dad why do you call grandpa Sandy?" Daniel said being curious.
"Danny we talked about this remember? Grandpa and Grandma were my legal guardians when I got to high school. You remember Grandma Atwood?" he said. "Yes" he said. "Well she's my mother" he said. "So if grandpa isn't you're dad then who is?" Daniel said.
Ryan looked at him chosing to be honest. "My dad left when I was little" Ryan said. Seth and Sandy looked on. "So do you don't have a dad the same way I don't have mommy anymore" he said. Ryan looked at him his heart slowly breaking from the pain that this kid had to go through in the last few months that had all started from losing Theresa.
"Danny even those mommy's gone doesn't mean you don't have a mother" Ryan said trying to make him understand but somehow it was never enough. Danny had always asked questions like that over and over and Ryan had reminded him over and over but it just didn't seem to work. But she isn't here" Daniel said walking away from the conversation and leaving the kitchen.
Ryan looked back to Seth and Sandy. "he's still having a hard time with it?" Sandy said. "Yeah I thought that moving to Chino would be better for him but he's still having a rough time" Ryan said sadly. "How's school going?" Seth said concerned. "He's not really fitting in with the kids. You know he plays baseball for fun while other kids his age are stealing hub caps in Chino"Ryan said to prove his point.
"So he must feel like an outsider then" Sandy said. "Join the club" Seth said sarcastically. "He spends a lot of time at maria's and a lot of time with his comics but no time with kids his own age" Ryan said. "Maybe you should think about moving back here "Seth said throwing on the table for like the billionth time and he hoped that he was finally wearing Ryan down.
Truth was as much as Seth missed not having Ryan around he knew that Daniel might be better in New Port. "I dunno I mean eight months ago I was dragging him to Chino and that's not working but he needs some sort of stableness and I'm not sure if moving again would be the right way to handle this" Ryan said.
"Well there's always room at the Cohen house" Sandy said. "Thanks Sandy" He said. "Yeah and you know there's always a guest house at mine and summer's. It's no pool house but I think it's alright "Seth said joking. Ryan laughed. "Thanks but I can't intrude" He said.
"Come on you're my brother Ryan plus Summer would love having Danny around. I know Marissa would be happy to see you again" Seth said. Ryan looked up after hearing that. "Marissa?" he said confused. "Oh. I didn't mention she's been back for awhile works for the design team for the New Port group" Seth said.
"Good for her but I think Chino's the answer for right now" Ryan said. "Alright you guys have fun I got some work to do. See ya later" Sandy said leaving. "I should really get out of here too. I gotta meet Summer but maybe we could do dinner tomorrow. I'll bring Sum you bring Danny" he said.
"Some date" Ryan said joking. Seth laughed. "Well see ya later man" Seth said. "Later" Ryan said his mind drifting to the one thing that ever made sense to him. Marissa.
True he hadn't seen her pretty much since she had told him of her plan to go to Hawaii with her dad and of course they promised to keep in touch but it just never happened.
That was something Ryan had always regretted and now that Seth had told him she was back made him wonder if he would ever see her again.
His thoughts we're broken when he heard "Dad can we go rent a dvd" Danny had yelled from the living room. Ryan laughed. "Sure" he said going off to find his son.