Thanks for the reviews. I really appreciate them. Again, props to
JZzRgRl13 for the initial story. I don't own the characters..wish I
did..but I don't ...don't sue!
Chapter Three
January 2, 2004 9:30 am
Seth groaned and slowly opened his eyes, his head pounding and his vision blurry. Kirsten was at his bedside before his vision cleared.
"..Mom.."
"I'm here sweetie..it's alright..you're okay..Seth?
Seth looked at his mother.
"Mom..what happened.why are you in my room?"
Kirsten put her hand on Seth's cheek
"Seth honey, do you remember the accident..?
Seth shook his head and frowned. Fragmented images began to evolve into memories. Seth's mouth opened and then closed.
"Seth.what is it."
Kirsten now had both hands on Seth's face, her thumbs ever so gently stroking the bruises under his eyes.
" I don't..I don't remember all of it..Ryan said we had to get home before you and dad.he took the keys away from me..he said I was too wasted to drive..."
Seth looked into his mother's eyes.
"I'm sorry Mom..Ryan didn't..he didn't.. wasn't drinking..he said something about his mom getting drunk and he wasn't going to do the same thing.."
Seth took a breath before continuing. The events of New Years Eve were starting to come back to him.
"We got Marissa and the next thing I remember is waking up in the.."Mom!"
Seth's voice rose
"Is Ryan.? Marissa..?"
Kirsten gently pulled Seth into a hug.
"It's okay Seth.Marissa's back home. She's fine. She has some bruising and a broken arm but she'll be okay..Marissa's safe."
Seth pulled out of the hug, but maintained eye contact with his mom.
"What about Ryan.?"
"Your Dad called about an hour ago. Ryan is doing as well as can be expected. The doctors are a little more optimistic now that he's made it through the night but."
Kirsten swallowed and called on all her reserves of self control.
"He's not out of danger yet.He's still sedated and he's not able to breathe on his own. We just have to wait and pray."
Seth put his head on Kirsten's shoulder and she held him closer to her.
"He'll be okay Mom..He'll come home.He'll come back to us.
Sandy paced the hallway outside the CCU. He'd been asked to leave the room while Dr. Michaels and Dr. Meyers examined Ryan again. From the doorway he watched as Dr. Meyers removed the bandages from Ryan's head and examined the stitches closing a long snaking laceration and around the drainage site where the shunt had been inserted. Swatches of Ryan's dark blonde hair had been shaved away making him look like a 3 year old who played with his father's razor. The myriad of black stitches stood out in stark contrast to Ryan's white scalp. Sandy was unable to watch any more and resumed his pacing. Dr. Meyers gently removed to tape from Ryan's eyes and lifted each eyelid, flashing his penlight into Ryan's unresponsive eyes. The doctor replaced the dressings on Ryan's lacerations and quickly re-bandaged his head.
Dr. Meyers stepped back as Dr. Michaels rolled back the blanket covering Ryan and lifted his gown. He checked the incisions on Ryan's torso, satisfied that there was no sign of infection. He covered the incisions with clean dressings, checked the area on Ryan's chest where a central I.V. line had been inserted the night of the accident and also checked the side of Ryan's torso where the chest tube was. Dr. Michaels quickly lowered Ryan's gown and covered him once again with the blanket. A quick check of the 8" (20cm) laceration on Ryan's left forearm completed the exam.
Dr. Meyers handed his colleague the medical chart. Dr. Michaels made some notations of Ryan's examination, checked the I.V.s and monitors and hung the chart on the end of the bed.
Drs. Meyers and Michaels met with Sandy in the hall. They told him that while Ryan's condition was still very critical, he was stable.
The pounding in Seth's head had subsided as he and Kirsten drove to the hospital. Kirsten agreed to let Seth come with her on the condition that after a quick visit with Ryan, Seth would go home with Sandy and take it easy.
Seth remained stoic as he spoke quietly to Ryan. The ventilator and the chest pump kept time rhythmically with his words. Only after a quick hug from his mom and his dad putting his arm around Seth's shoulder leading him out of the room, did the boy allow himself to feel the emotion that he kept hidden while he was with Ryan.
Sandy stopped in the hallway and hugged Seth.
"He'll be okay Seth. He will get better."
Sandy prayed that if he said those words enough, that they would come true.
Kirsten mindlessly flipped through the same magazine for the last three hours. It was a little awkward doing it with only her left hand but she refused to let go of Ryan's hand. She wanted him to know that she was there so she held his left hand, gently stroking the back of his hand with her thumb. From time to time Kirsten would read an article out loud that she thought was interesting, hoping to get some sort of response from Ryan even though she knew he was still sedated.
A nurse would come in every half hour and check on Ryan. Kirsten knew that the nursing staff was able to monitor Ryan from their station but it did make her feel better knowing that they'd check in on him in person.
She glanced at the clock for what seemed like the gazillionth time only to find that the hands of the clock took a giant leap forward. Realizing that she must have dozed off, she was about to call for a nurse to sit with Ryan while she called Sandy when a familiar Figure appeared in the doorway.
"Dad."
Kirsten rose from her chair just as her Dad crossed the room. She hugged her father. Caleb returned her hug and kissed her on the forehead.
"Kiki, I got your messages and I stopped by the house to see Seth.He's okay. a little sleepy, but he looks good, all things considering."
Caleb looked down at Ryan
He was unsure how he felt towards Ryan at this moment. Ryan was after all driving that night and Seth and Marissa could have been killed. Caleb wisely kept the fact that Julie Cooper had caught him in the Cohen's driveway and cried to him that the car wreck had been all Ryan's fault and that Ryan had been nothing but trouble since the day Sandy brought him home..but seeing Ryan lying there unable to breathe on his own, looking battered and broken, he knew that whatever he was feeling, anger was not a part of it.
"How is he.?"
Kirsten bit her bottom lip and responded quietly.
"He's holding his own. The doctors say it's still to early to tell if Ryan will recover but I know in my heart that he'll pull through..we just need to keep the faith..."
Caleb wrapped his arms around his daughter.
"You always did have a thing for the underdog..Your choice of a husband..taking in a stray kid.."
"Dad.."
Caleb quickly backtracked
"Kiki, I'm not trying to start anything. I know that if you hadn't married Sandy, Seth wouldn't be here and you probably wouldn't be working with me. So if that's the trade-off then, I think you picked a good man..But don't you ever tell that husband of yours that I said that.."
Kirsten allowed herself a smile
"Your secret's safe with me dad."
Sandy's brain had been going a mile a minute. The police had just left. They questioned Seth repeatedly about the accident. The officers said there might be charges pending against the driver of the Range Rover..Ryan.. Sandy tried to wrap his head around that piece of information. If Seth was right about Ryan being sober that night, what grounds did they have to charge Ryan? The police had said the initial investigation showed that the pick-up truck had run a red light and plowed into the Rover...a witness confirmed that fact, so..
"Shit.."
Sandy mentally kicked himself in the head. Julie Cooper must have been behind this, using what little influence she thought she had to steer this investigation to make it seem like Ryan was at fault. Sandy could not believe that Julie would stoop that low. If she spun that scenario to Caleb, because of course Caleb would have gone to see Julie after his visit with Seth who knows what would happen. Sandy decided that if Julie wanted a down and dirty street brawl, he'd be only too happy to give it to her.
Chapter Three
January 2, 2004 9:30 am
Seth groaned and slowly opened his eyes, his head pounding and his vision blurry. Kirsten was at his bedside before his vision cleared.
"..Mom.."
"I'm here sweetie..it's alright..you're okay..Seth?
Seth looked at his mother.
"Mom..what happened.why are you in my room?"
Kirsten put her hand on Seth's cheek
"Seth honey, do you remember the accident..?
Seth shook his head and frowned. Fragmented images began to evolve into memories. Seth's mouth opened and then closed.
"Seth.what is it."
Kirsten now had both hands on Seth's face, her thumbs ever so gently stroking the bruises under his eyes.
" I don't..I don't remember all of it..Ryan said we had to get home before you and dad.he took the keys away from me..he said I was too wasted to drive..."
Seth looked into his mother's eyes.
"I'm sorry Mom..Ryan didn't..he didn't.. wasn't drinking..he said something about his mom getting drunk and he wasn't going to do the same thing.."
Seth took a breath before continuing. The events of New Years Eve were starting to come back to him.
"We got Marissa and the next thing I remember is waking up in the.."Mom!"
Seth's voice rose
"Is Ryan.? Marissa..?"
Kirsten gently pulled Seth into a hug.
"It's okay Seth.Marissa's back home. She's fine. She has some bruising and a broken arm but she'll be okay..Marissa's safe."
Seth pulled out of the hug, but maintained eye contact with his mom.
"What about Ryan.?"
"Your Dad called about an hour ago. Ryan is doing as well as can be expected. The doctors are a little more optimistic now that he's made it through the night but."
Kirsten swallowed and called on all her reserves of self control.
"He's not out of danger yet.He's still sedated and he's not able to breathe on his own. We just have to wait and pray."
Seth put his head on Kirsten's shoulder and she held him closer to her.
"He'll be okay Mom..He'll come home.He'll come back to us.
Sandy paced the hallway outside the CCU. He'd been asked to leave the room while Dr. Michaels and Dr. Meyers examined Ryan again. From the doorway he watched as Dr. Meyers removed the bandages from Ryan's head and examined the stitches closing a long snaking laceration and around the drainage site where the shunt had been inserted. Swatches of Ryan's dark blonde hair had been shaved away making him look like a 3 year old who played with his father's razor. The myriad of black stitches stood out in stark contrast to Ryan's white scalp. Sandy was unable to watch any more and resumed his pacing. Dr. Meyers gently removed to tape from Ryan's eyes and lifted each eyelid, flashing his penlight into Ryan's unresponsive eyes. The doctor replaced the dressings on Ryan's lacerations and quickly re-bandaged his head.
Dr. Meyers stepped back as Dr. Michaels rolled back the blanket covering Ryan and lifted his gown. He checked the incisions on Ryan's torso, satisfied that there was no sign of infection. He covered the incisions with clean dressings, checked the area on Ryan's chest where a central I.V. line had been inserted the night of the accident and also checked the side of Ryan's torso where the chest tube was. Dr. Michaels quickly lowered Ryan's gown and covered him once again with the blanket. A quick check of the 8" (20cm) laceration on Ryan's left forearm completed the exam.
Dr. Meyers handed his colleague the medical chart. Dr. Michaels made some notations of Ryan's examination, checked the I.V.s and monitors and hung the chart on the end of the bed.
Drs. Meyers and Michaels met with Sandy in the hall. They told him that while Ryan's condition was still very critical, he was stable.
The pounding in Seth's head had subsided as he and Kirsten drove to the hospital. Kirsten agreed to let Seth come with her on the condition that after a quick visit with Ryan, Seth would go home with Sandy and take it easy.
Seth remained stoic as he spoke quietly to Ryan. The ventilator and the chest pump kept time rhythmically with his words. Only after a quick hug from his mom and his dad putting his arm around Seth's shoulder leading him out of the room, did the boy allow himself to feel the emotion that he kept hidden while he was with Ryan.
Sandy stopped in the hallway and hugged Seth.
"He'll be okay Seth. He will get better."
Sandy prayed that if he said those words enough, that they would come true.
Kirsten mindlessly flipped through the same magazine for the last three hours. It was a little awkward doing it with only her left hand but she refused to let go of Ryan's hand. She wanted him to know that she was there so she held his left hand, gently stroking the back of his hand with her thumb. From time to time Kirsten would read an article out loud that she thought was interesting, hoping to get some sort of response from Ryan even though she knew he was still sedated.
A nurse would come in every half hour and check on Ryan. Kirsten knew that the nursing staff was able to monitor Ryan from their station but it did make her feel better knowing that they'd check in on him in person.
She glanced at the clock for what seemed like the gazillionth time only to find that the hands of the clock took a giant leap forward. Realizing that she must have dozed off, she was about to call for a nurse to sit with Ryan while she called Sandy when a familiar Figure appeared in the doorway.
"Dad."
Kirsten rose from her chair just as her Dad crossed the room. She hugged her father. Caleb returned her hug and kissed her on the forehead.
"Kiki, I got your messages and I stopped by the house to see Seth.He's okay. a little sleepy, but he looks good, all things considering."
Caleb looked down at Ryan
He was unsure how he felt towards Ryan at this moment. Ryan was after all driving that night and Seth and Marissa could have been killed. Caleb wisely kept the fact that Julie Cooper had caught him in the Cohen's driveway and cried to him that the car wreck had been all Ryan's fault and that Ryan had been nothing but trouble since the day Sandy brought him home..but seeing Ryan lying there unable to breathe on his own, looking battered and broken, he knew that whatever he was feeling, anger was not a part of it.
"How is he.?"
Kirsten bit her bottom lip and responded quietly.
"He's holding his own. The doctors say it's still to early to tell if Ryan will recover but I know in my heart that he'll pull through..we just need to keep the faith..."
Caleb wrapped his arms around his daughter.
"You always did have a thing for the underdog..Your choice of a husband..taking in a stray kid.."
"Dad.."
Caleb quickly backtracked
"Kiki, I'm not trying to start anything. I know that if you hadn't married Sandy, Seth wouldn't be here and you probably wouldn't be working with me. So if that's the trade-off then, I think you picked a good man..But don't you ever tell that husband of yours that I said that.."
Kirsten allowed herself a smile
"Your secret's safe with me dad."
Sandy's brain had been going a mile a minute. The police had just left. They questioned Seth repeatedly about the accident. The officers said there might be charges pending against the driver of the Range Rover..Ryan.. Sandy tried to wrap his head around that piece of information. If Seth was right about Ryan being sober that night, what grounds did they have to charge Ryan? The police had said the initial investigation showed that the pick-up truck had run a red light and plowed into the Rover...a witness confirmed that fact, so..
"Shit.."
Sandy mentally kicked himself in the head. Julie Cooper must have been behind this, using what little influence she thought she had to steer this investigation to make it seem like Ryan was at fault. Sandy could not believe that Julie would stoop that low. If she spun that scenario to Caleb, because of course Caleb would have gone to see Julie after his visit with Seth who knows what would happen. Sandy decided that if Julie wanted a down and dirty street brawl, he'd be only too happy to give it to her.