(A/N: Hi! Thanks so much for choosing this story! Not my first, but i actually like this one enough to publish. Tell me what you think! Thanks!)
Too Much, Too Young
Ryan POV
My day started out like any other. Summer just began and for the first time I finished the year on the honor roll and had even been accepted to an internship at the local hospital with the head surgeon.
As I walked downstairs for dinner, my foster sister, Presley, warned me that Mark and Sarah, my foster parents, had some news for the us. I sat down at my usual seat and waited for the rest of my foster family. Presley sat next to me, David, the oldest kid, sat next to her and across from us were Mark, Sarah, and Rachel, the second oldest.
We have all lived here for at least a year. Presley came here first, even though she's the youngest at only seven. Then, David came; he was fourteen and now is seventeen. He will age out of the house in a few months. I joined next, I was thirteen when I came here and now I'm three weeks from being sixteen. I just finished my freshman year. Rachel joined us last, only a few months ago. She just tuned sixteen, but she's pretty introverted, she came from the worst home from what we have heard.
Our foster home isn't like most; we are all "special cases" we all come from homes too dark and disgusting for us to be around other kids whose parents just hit them a little. We have seen dark things no one else has seen or had nightmares about. We have lives through the terror people hear about on TV. We are some of the cases on TV.
Mark and Sarah are good foster parents, well, compared to most. Mark works a lot and only talks to us if we need to be corrected. He isn't warm or sheltering. Sarah is nice; she does what she can for us, which isn't much considering the strict rules of the "system". None of us receive the nurturing environment we need, but none of us mind. I hate when people look at me with sympathy. Like I'm broken. They don't know the half of what I've been through, but they can guess. But what they don't get is that I'm not broken. I am strong.
"Kids, we need to talk." Mark said. "You know that Sarah and I have always been there for you, and we care for you. But sometimes things happen in this system you guys live in. It's not always fair, but it's what the state thinks is right." Sarah looked like she was going to cry. "We found out that I am pregnant." She said. We all knew what this meant. "Then we notified social services and they think, because of some of the troubled pasts that having all of you here with a new baby may not be a great environment. You kids are all being relocated. I'm so, so sorry."
Rachel looked blank. Presley seemed confused and upset. David stared at Mark and Sarah. They stared at Presley then looked at one another. I could tell that their hearts were broken. Even though they aren't close with us, they truly care for Presley. I do too. She is so sweet and kind even though she has been through so much. At least here I could watch over her and protect her. Once we were moved who would do that? Who would help her? Rachel and David looked blank. They were older than me, not by much, but I had an extra two years, they only have one, if that. How could they connect with someone, let alone a family, in only a year?
Brian and Sarah told us we had until the end of the summer with them, but then we would all be relocated. I pushed away from the table and walked up to David and I's room. I grabbed my ancient iPod and plugged my earphones in. I turned the music up and lay down.
I tried to forget what was happening, this summer was supposed to be the best one yet but now it would be ruined. I felt a light tap on my shoulder. I looked over to see Presley staring at me. Her blue eyes your bed and her face was splotchy. I pulled my earphones out and hugged her. "I don't want to leave. I went to stay here with you and David and Rachel. Why do Brian and Sarah think we will hurt their baby? Do you think we would hurt their baby, Ryan?" She asked me. "We wouldn't hurt the baby, but the state thinks we will, because of our backgrounds." She climbed onto my bed, I handed her tissue.
"I thought when they took me away from my parents things would get better, but apparently not, even now they're still affecting me." She said solemnly. "Presley, what they did will probably haunt you the rest of your life. But you're stronger than that. You can overcome it, and I promise I won't let anything hurt you." I told her. "Ryan, I try not to let it bother me, I try to forget about it, like everyone says too. But, I don't know… It's just like everything comes back to me when I try to go to sleep at night, like its real." She looked like she was going to cry again, "Presley you have overcome some things that people will never be able to have nightmares about. Your nightmares, your realities, are so dark and scary and you're strongest person I know. You will succeed wherever you go. People fall in love with you. I love you kiddo, and I promise this will be the best summer ever!"
She finally started smiling again, but I felt bad making empty promises to her. I didn't know if this was going to be the best summer ever, or that it would even be a tolerable one. I didn't know what would happen to Presley or to David or to Rachel, or even to me. All I could do was protect the one thing I have truly been able to trust in the last few years, Presley.
Mark came in a few hours later and said it was time for us to go to bed. I walked into the girls room next to ours and told them goodnight. Presley's blue eyes were still red and she looked tired. I told her and Rachel goodnight. I walked back to my room, told David goodnight. I crawled into my bed, wishing for a way out of this crappy life.
I woke up at nine-thirty, two hours later than I normally do. Mark must feel bad about the news last night; he is probably going to let us slide on house rules for the next few days.
I walked into the boy's bathroom and took my shower and brushed my teeth. I walked back into my room put some body spray on along with some deodorant, a grey t-shirt and a pair of khaki shorts and walked downstairs to find the others lounging around the living room. "Glad you could show up." David said. "Well, good morning to you too, asshole." I smacked him on the back of the head and I crashed next to him on the couch. Presley walked in with a banana and cup of milk. "You slept for a long time, Ryan." She told me. She sat next to me; I grabbed the banana out of her hand and took a bite. "Hey! That's mine!" she whined. "Finders keepers!" I told her. "I'm pretty sure if you find it in someone else's hand it's considered stealing." She said, matter-of-factly. "Well I can't argue with that!" I handed it back to her. "Where's Sarah?" I asked. "She ran to do some errands with Rachel. They should be back in a little while." David said, not taking his eyes off of the television.
For the next few hours we hung out until Mark and Sarah came home. We sat at the table in silence, no one spoke, or laughed, or even coughed. Mark was the one to break the silence. "Ryan, the hospital called today. The head doctor said you are still welcome to participate in the program." "Really?! And my caseworker approved it?" "Yes, she thinks it would be a great opportunity for you." "This is amazing!" "But, there's one thing." Mark said, my happiness fell, "You have to find a ride to and from, and you are still responsible for your house work. If you start slacking you'll be punished and you won't be able to do the hospital stuff." "Yes, sir, I know. I'll make sure it's all done."
The night flew by and before eight o'clock i was in bed, waiting eagerly for the next morning. I woke uo an hour early; I took a shower, combed my hair, trimmed it a bit, took the time to shave, and even dug out a tie. Sarah ironed my dress shirt and dress pants, Mark gave me his old dress shoes. I primped a little bit before I went downstairs to find some breakfast.
Mark promised to bring me today, but it was up to me to find a ride home, or walk. At seven thirty, Mark walked downstairs dressed for work, "Come on, kid. You know you've got to find a ride home, right?" "Yes, sir, I already checked the bus schedule."
We left the house and the car ride was quiet and awkward. I usually didn't spend much time alone with Mark, and the time I did was usually spent like this. I knew I would miss Sarah and Mark, but I secretly hoped I would get a better father figure at my next home. We pulled into the parking lot of the hospital. "Do you need me to come in or anything?" he asked. "No, I think I should be good." "Well I'm going to walk in anyway, I don't want to have to come back." We both opened our doors and walked in to the hospital. We were greeted by a young doctor. "Hi, I'm Ryan Porfris." "Hi! You're our new volunteer, right?" "Yes sir!" "Well, I'm Dr. Cullen, and you must be his father?" "No, I'm his guardian." Dr. Cullen's face fell. "Oh, yes, very well. Come along Ryan, we have to get you a pair of scrubs." I smiled. "Bye, Mark! See you later." I said as we walked off, Mark didn't say anything; he turned around and walked off. My smile fell a bit, I knew Mark wasn't my dad, but sometimes it felt like he was. He didn't hold any claim to me whatsoever. I felt a pinch of pain in my chest.
"Ryan, today you will follow me around along with a nurse. If you have any questions or you feel uncomfortable in a room please just let me know. We have a few papers for you to sign, just basic releases." I followed the doctor to his office. "Please, sit, help yourself to some candy if you'd like." "That's pretty ironic, a doctor giving out candy." He laughed. "Not as ironic as it would be if I were a dentist." I laughed, "I suppose you're right." he closed the file cabinet and walked over to me with some forms. "Here is a release, it's basically saying that if you see your best friends sister come in here and your best friend doesn't know she comes in, you won't tell your best friend you saw his sister. Make sense?" I nod. I signed the paper and he handed me the scrubs. "This is so cool!" he laughed.
The next few hours consisted of Dr. Cullen and I running around the emergency room. A kid came in with a broken arm and Dr. Cullen set it and put a cast on it. An older lady came in with a rapid heartbeat; Dr. Cullen decided it was her pace maker acting up and sent her to her heart doctor. Dr. Cullen was a very kind man, he made jokes and genuinely concerned for his patients. He was also very nice to me. he asked about school, classes, we took a break at noon to eat lunch, he bought me a sandwich, some fries, and a root beer. He bought an apple and water, but didn't really seem too interested in it.
"So who is that Mark guy?" he asked. "He's my foster dad." "Oh, you live in a foster home?" "Yes sir, I've been with their family since I was thirteen." "Were they your first foster home?" "No sir, I had one before this. I was eight when I came into the system." I looked down at my sandwich, picking off a piece of bread and eating it. "My wife and I have eight foster kids, well, they're adopted now." "Really?!" I looked at him; he didn't seem like the kind who would adopt kids. He is young, probably mid-thirties, I'm surprised he didn't have any kids. "Yes, I started with my niece and nephew, Edward and Nessie, then I married Esme and we got Jasper and Rosalie. Then, a few years later Emmett, Bella, and Alice and Jacob joined us last." "Wow, that's a lot of people." "We have room for more, Esme has wanted to adopt again." "Why don't you have kids?" "Esme got into a car accident a few years ago, she lost the baby and hasn't been able to conceive." "Oh, I'm sorry." "Don't be, we have come to terms with it. We love helping kids in the foster care system. I have to say, Ryan, you're the first volunteer we have had who is a foster child. Do you think you'll remain on our team during the school year?" "I would love that, but I am being transferred to another home in a few weeks, my foster parents are having a baby and the state thinks my foster siblings and I could be a threat to the baby. See, I don't live in a normal foster home; it's a foster home for 'special case kids'." "Oh, I see. How many foster siblings do you have?" "Two sisters and one brother: Rachel is sixteen, David is seventeen, and Presley is seven." "That puts you in the middle, eh? That must be kind of difficult." "Yeah, Presley and I are really close, David and I are kind of close, but he has a hard time trusting anyone. Rachel is a bit odd, her and David kinda flock together." "Well you seem like a very respectable young man, Ryan. I'm very impressed by you." "Thank you."
The rest of the day flew by, I didn't even realize that I missed the last bus for the day. When it was time for me to leave I decided I would walk home. I knew if I called Sarah, Mark would kill me… and probably not let me come tomorrow.
As I walked down the street, rain started pouring. A very expensive car pulled up next to me, "Ryan?" Dr. Cullen's voice called. I could barely see his face through the glass. I walked up to the car. "Dr. Cullen, I'm right up the street from my house, I'll be fine!" "No, Ryan, I don't want you in the rain, you could get sick! I'll bring you home."
I didn't really want to walk in the rain, so I got in the front seat of the car. "Doc, I'm all wet, just let me walk." "My car isn't made of sugar, Ryan. A little water never hurt anything." I smiled at the kindness that not even my own foster family would show me. "Where do you live?" "On Fulton and Mary." "I thought you said you were right up the street from your house? That's like a twenty minute walk from here." "I didn't want to make you stop." "Ryan, sometimes it's better to ask for help. Especially for me, I want to help you." He smiled at me. "Dr. Cullen," I said, he interrupted me, "Please call me Carlisle." "Carlisle, when you and your wife adopted the foster kids, were they young kids?" "Not at all, probably a little older than you." "So, people do adopt teenagers?" "All the time, why are you so worried?" "My foster sister, Presley, and I are worried about aging out of the system. I'm just afraid." "Ryan, don't be surprised, God can do some pretty amazing things, maybe you will be adopted, maybe your new home is closer than you think." I smiled, he stopped in front of the house, "This it?" I nod. The rain has lightened to a light drizzle. Mark looks out the window and sees me. I can tell he looks angry. He comes out the door, his hands in fists and his neck red. "You're an hour late! What's wrong with you? Don't you know how to tell time? Missed your bus now you make this poor guy bring you home? Don't you realize that you can't burden people the way you do us?!" Mark yelled, I could feel the rage coming out of him. "It really wasn't a problem, I offered a ride, he tried to refuse but it was raining and I didn't want him to get hurt." Carlisle tried to defend me. Mark only got angrier; he grabbed by the collar of my shirt and pulled me inside. He smelled like alcohol, Mark never acted like this before.
He pushed me against the wall. "Mark, stop!" Sarah yelled. "No, this little punk thinks he can do whatever he wants because he made a few good grades! I'll teach you a lesson kid!" Mark took off his belt and hit me with it. I felt like a kid again, when my mom's boyfriend would beat me. This can't happen again, I won't let it. I crouched into a corner, and instead of Mark I saw my mom's boyfriend, Chris. He came at me with a belt, it hit me on the cheek. "Stop!" I heard Presley yell. She ran up and stepped on Mark's foot. He yelled a string of profanities and chased Presley upstairs. David ran up and stopped him from hitting Presley. Sarah brought him downstairs and they went into their room. Presley looked scared. I walked her up to her room. "Why did Mark do that?" she asked. She had tears running down her cheeks. "He looked like my dad." She sad, blinking the tears away from her eyes.
Sarah came up a little while later. "I'm so sorry kids. Mark used to have a drinking problem but when we becam foster parents he stopped. Oh my goodness, Ryan! Your face is swollen." "Well what do you expect it to be? He just hit me with a metal belt buckle." I stood up and walked out the room. I took a shower and let the hot water hit my face. The bruise formed a tight knot and it hurt to open my mouth. How can I go back to the hospital tomorrow? I can't let Dr. Cullen see me like this, he may call child services. The last thing I want is Mark going to jail for hitting a kid that isn't even his, and on top of that, Sarah being pregnant is probably really stressful on him. I just need to calm down and get some sleep.
Sarah came in as I was about to fall asleep. "Ryan, Mark thinks you should stay home tomorrow. He wants me to punish you, so I'm just going to say I did. You aren't really punished but tomorrow you can't go to the hospital and once Mark comes home from work you'll have to go to your room." "Yes mam." I said, trying not to get angry. After all, this isn't her fault. Mark is just a jerk. "Is your face okay?" she asks. He put her hand to it, I flinch from the pain. "Sorry."
The next morning I slept until eleven. When I woke up, everyone kept away from me. Rachel was sitting with David on the front steps and Presley played with her dolls in her bedroom. I watched TV for a few hours but when Mark came home I ran up to the bedroom and took out a book. Sarah cooked dinner. Mark never made eye contact with me. A few minutes after dinner, David and I washed the dishes and helped Sarah clean up. Mark sat on the sofa and watched the baseball game.
Everyone congregated in the living room, figuring I was still 'punished' I walked up the stairs. "Ryan don't go, come watch TV with us. You aren't punished." Mark said. I looked at the clock, six fifteen. I sat next to David and we watched the rest of the game.
The doorbell rang ten minutes later. "I'll get it!" Presley said. "David, go with her." Sarah said. I heard a familiar voice come from the door. "Ryan, it's for you. Some doctor guy." David said. I walked to the doo, knowing who it was. "Hey, Doc." Sarah walked up behind me. "Hello, I'm Sarah, Ryan's foster mother." "Hello Sarah, I'm Carlisle Cullen, I oversee Ryan's work at the hospital." He smiled his usual, warm smile. "Nice to meet you, would you like to come in?" she offered. He walked in. "Who is it babe?" Mark called form the couch. "It's one of the men from the hospital; he's here to talk to Ryan.
"Hello, Mark, is it? We met yesterday." Carlisle said. They shook hands. "Cold grip you got there Doc." "Yes, I get that a lot. Just a normal doctor thing, I suppose." He laughed. "Well we missed having him today at the hospital. You guys have a really great kid here. I'll be sad to see him go at the end of the summer." He patted me on the shoulder. "Thanks, I really love working over there, who knows, maybe my new house will be close to the hospital." "Maybe so, I actually came here because there is one more paper you need to sign, and I need your guardians to sign it as well."
We all sat at the dining room table. Presley came and sat next to me. "Psst, Ryan, what are you guys doing?" She whispered. "Some paperwork for my job at the hospital." "Cool, can I watch?" "Presley, shouldn't you be in the other room. it isn't polite to intrude." Sarah reprimanded her. "She isn't intruding at all!" Carlisle said. He smiled at her and introduced himself. "I'm Carlisle, what's your name?" he asked. "Presley Matthews." "You're Ryan's little sister, I presume." She smiled, "Not his real sister, but like a sister." She corrected the doctor. I smiled and put my hand on her shoulder. "Well that should be all the forms you need to sign. I hope I'll see you tomorrow, Ryan. Would you like me to pick you up?" he asked. "That would be great!" I said, happily. Before I got too excited I turned to Mark and Sarah, "If it's alright with you guys." "No, I think it would be better if you walked, you don't want to bother Dr. Cullen." Mark corrected me. "It wouldn't be putting me out of my place at all, I would like the extra company. I actually think my oldest son is coming with me tomorrow." "Still, you would have to drive past the hospital to come here, just let the kid walk." Dr. Cullen smiled at me. "Very well, I will see you tomorrow morning, Ryan. Here, take my card, it has my work number on it." He handed the small white card to Mark, and on his way out he handed one to me too. I looked on the back, and in perfect script writing, it had another number and it said:
If you need anything, don't hesitate to call me. I can be a pretty good listener, too.
I looked at him and smiled. He winked at me and walked out the door. "I don't like the guy, he creeps me out." Mark said. "Why? He didn't do anything wrong." I defended him. "He's weird, Ryan. I don't want you back at the hospital." Mark yelled. "Mark, you're overreacting, he has a wife and kids. He is perfectly normal." Sarah stood up for me. "You don't even know him, this is a really great opportunity." "I don't care Ryan, I'm your guardian. What I say goes." "You may be a guardian but you're not my dad! You can't keep me from the hospital." "Well you're damn lucky I don't put you in the hospital for talking to me like that. And I may not be your dad, but I'm a hell of a lot better than your real dad, he didn't even care enough about you to stay, and what about that step father of yours? He killed your mom, tried to kill you. You're and ungrateful little brat and I'm sick of the back talk you give me." "Don't talk about them." "What? You still don't like to talk about it? What about that other foster family? The hated you so much, said you were weird and had the state relocate you. Here, with us. We took care of you, and this is how you repay us? Back talk and yelling? I should put you in your place." He stood up and grabbed me by my hair and grabbed my face and pushed me against the wall. "If you ever talk to me like that again, so help me God, I will kill you." He whispered menacingly.
David and Rachel walked in, "Guys we need to talk to you." David said. "What now?" Mark said, Rachel was crying, Sarah ran to her. "What's wrong?" they sat at the table. "Presley go upstairs!" Mark said. "No, I want to stay with David and Ryan." She argued. "PRESLEY!" Mark yelled. She jumped, "Come on Pres," I said, taking her upstairs with me. I tucked Presley in for the night and walked back downstairs. Mark looked stunned, Sarah was crying, and Rachel and David sat next to each other looking blankly at the table. "What's wrong?" "I'm pregnant." Rachel said. My mouth dropped. How? She is the quiet girl no one ever pays attention to, well I guess I just answered my own question. "This is crazy. How can you be pregnant?!" David looked at me. "Dude." "I mean, I get the genetics of it, but why?" "David and I were home alone a few months ago. We figured nothing would happen." "Well that was kinda stupid." I said, trying to be blunt. They all stared at me. I walked to my room and went to sleep, hoping tomorrow would be normal.
I already have the next chapters written! I will post if you want me to! Any comments are accepted and appreciated!
~Elimac
