After talking to Sandy, Ryan made his way out to the pool house

After talking to Sandy, Ryan made his way out to the pool house. He couldn't help but wish Seth was there. A lot had happened that night and he was having a hard time wrapping his head around it. He couldn't deny that the anger he had seen earlier on Frank's face had brought back some bad memories.

Ryan was sitting on his bed staring at the wall when there was a quick knock on the door and Kirsten stuck her head in.

"Hey, can we talk?" She asked hesitantly.

Curious, Ryan nodded. He was surprised that instead of sitting in the chair in the corner, Kirsten crossed the room to sit next to him on the bed. She sat with her elbows on her knees and her hands folded in front of her. She stared down at her hands for a moment before taking a deep breath and looking up into Ryan's blue eyes.

"I need to apologize to you." Kirsten declared.

Ryan stared back at her, his confusion evident on his face.

Kirsten sighed heavily. "You don't even know why, do you?"

Ryan shook his head negatively.

"When Frank first came to us with the story that he was dying, I didn't even question whether or not he was lying. I just believed it right away. He seemed so convincing." Kirsten explained.

"He's good at lying Kirsten it's not your fault." Ryan assured her.

Kirsten grimaced. "Sandy thought he was lying the moment he heard it. He didn't want to say anything until he checked to make sure that the story was true. But I was afraid that you would be angry if we kept it from you. So I insisted that Sandy let me talk to you about meeting your father."

Ryan winced. "Sandy is my dad. Frank is just – Frank." He corrected her.

Kirsten smiled lovingly and patted his arm. "I'm sure Sandy would love to hear that."

Ryan shrugged. "I told him earlier in the kitchen." He turned to look at Kirsten. "It's not your fault you believed Frank. I believed him too. I know that you wanted me to meet with Frank."

"Yes, I did. Oh, not at first. When Julie told me who Frank was, I wanted to keep him as far away from you as possible. I know that he was – well I know that he made life difficult for you and your mother." Kirsten informed him. "But then when he said he was dying, all I could think about was that my last words to my father were in anger. I didn't want you to have the same regrets that I did."

Ryan reached over and took Kirsten's hand in his own. "Your dad loved you Kirsten. He wasn't kind or demonstrative like Sandy, but he did love you." Ryan smirked. "He even did his best to protect you from me."

Kirsten wrapped her arms around her son. "I would never need protection from you. Maybe I should have been a little more like Dad. He would never have let Frank near you without checking him out first. That's what I need to apologize for. I'm supposed to protect you."

"It's ok Kirsten. You couldn't have known." Ryan assured her. "Besides, it's not like I'm exactly helpless." He shrugged.

"There is one way that I don't want to be like my dad was." Kirsten began as she smiled tenderly at her son.

Ryan looked at her questioningly.

"I don't ever want you to wonder how much I love you. I may not have given birth to you Ryan, but you are my son in every other way. I don't ever want you to doubt that alright?" Kirsten stated, holding her palm to his cheek.

Ryan's eyes glistened and he smiled shyly. "I love you too. You will always be my Mom."

Kirsten sniffled and wiped at her cheeks. "I didn't really mean for this to become a sob-fest. I don't know why I've been so emotional lately." She chuckled and glanced back up at him.

Ryan was watching her. His eyes were full of love and not a little awe. Kirsten was reminded of when Dawn commented on how her family looked at her, and that even Ryan looked at her like she could fix anything. For the first time she saw what the other woman was talking about. Kirsten had made so many mistakes in the last couple of years. It still tore at her that she had been so cruel to him during the intervention.

"You are such a good and strong man Ryan. I'm so proud of you." Kirsten whispered.

Ryan's eyes widened at the unexpected compliment.

"You've been through so much in your life, and even though it was supposed to be better here, you've had to strive to survive here as well." Kirsten explained.

Ryan shrugged and leaned against his mother, placing his head on top of her head. "There was a difference here though. I wasn't alone. I knew that you and Sandy were here if I needed you."

Kirsten hugged him to her. "We will always be here if you need us."

They sat in silence for a moment just holding each other. The two quieter members of the family didn't necessarily need words to convey their feelings.

"You know, Meerkat Manor is on television tonight." Kirsten mentioned casually.

Ryan lifted his head from hers and looked down at her mischievously. "Why would I care about that? Aren't they just a bunch of rodents?"

Kirsten narrowed her eyes and stood up. She placed her hands on her hips and glared down at her son. "I'm declaring a family night. So you are going to march right into that living room and you are going to watch those really cute 'rodents' as you call them."

Ryan smiled and dipped his head. "Yes ma'am." He replied obediently as he stood and started towards the door. He stopped so suddenly that Kirsten crashed into his back. "Wait! Seth isn't here. We can't have a family night." He grinned in triumph.

"Your father and I are here. With you that makes just enough for family night – now march!" Kirsten ordered, her eyes flashing with mirth.

Ryan mock saluted her. "Ma'am! Yes ma'am!" He barked before allowing her to take his hand and lead him back into the house for a Cohen family night.