"If you are acquitted, do you want to see if the Cohens will take you back?" Marcia, Ryan's social worker, asked.
"No. Please, I – I can't go back there." Ryan whispered painfully. He felt hot, and a knawing pain was eating at his back.
"Were you harmed in any way?" Marcia asked, alert. She would be surprised, but she also knew that abuse didn't just happen in the poorer areas.
"No, nothing like that. I don't fit in there. I will never fit in there." Ryan shook his head. "It doesn't matter anyway. Everyone believes the trust fund kid over the delinquent."
Marcia bit her lip at her charge's defeated words. As much as she wanted to argue with him, she knew that he was telling the truth. She also knew that it was the driving reason behind Ryan refusing to return to Newport.
"Just put me in a group home, or juvie. I don't care anymore. Anywhere but Newport." Ryan stated fatalistically.
This was the scene that Mark and Steve interrupted. Steve quickly moved to Ryan's side and unlocked the handcuffs. "I'll be taking those." He announced triumphantly.
Ryan immediately pulled his arm up to his chest and flexed his hand. "What's going on?" He asked in confusion.
"You have officially been fully exonerated for the attempted murder of Dr. Amanda Bentley and Oliver Trask." Steve informed the teen.
Ryan hid a wince at the sharp pain in his back and instead looked at the detective questioningly. "How did that happen?"
"A blood sample." Mark answered. "When I heard the events surrouding the attack, I began to wonder how you could have had the strength to push over those boxes with your injuries. Then Dr. Travis, who ended up treating Mr. Trask after finishing your operation, described Oliver's injuries. He had a shallow cut on his torso, but a much deeper one on his right hand – the palm of his right hand."
Mark continued explaining. "Jesse and Amanda said there was glass all over the floor that day. They both had multiple cuts and scrapes. In fact, all of you did – except for Oliver Trask. The only way he could have avoided being hit was if he were behind something very tall and thick – like the diplay of boxed sodas."
"But you said that he did get cut. He was treated for it." Marcia pointed out.
"Yes, but only those two specific cuts. Once the earthquake was over, Dr. Travis said everyone was shouting to each other who needed help and who was unhurt. Oliver was desparate to gain sympathy and attention from Miss Cooper, so he picked up a piece of glass and reached under his jacket to slice his torso. This caused him to also slice the palm of his hand. Unfortunately for Mr. Trask, his hand was bleeding when he reached under the display platform, which had been weakened by the earthquake, and toppled it over just when Ryan was rounding the corner." Mark finished with a flourish. "His blood stain was still on the bottom of the platform. It matched his blood sample taken when he was at the hospital."
"When Trask was confronted with the evidence, he confessed to everything." Steve finished with his deep voice.
Ryan closed his eyes in relief. He had just known that jail was in his future this time. "So what happens now?" He asked softly.
"Now, young man, you concentrate on getting healthy again…" Mark looked closer at his patient. "Ryan? Are you alright?" He asked as he leaned over and felt the teen's forehead. "No, you're not." He answered his own question. He reached over and hit the nurse call button. "This is Dr. Sloan. I need assistance immediately!" He declared when the nurse answered.
Mark was already turning Ryan so that he could see the incision when two nurses came hurrying into the room. "Call upstairs. Have them prep an OR stat!" Mark ordered as soon as he saw the angry red wound.
"Doctor?" Marcia asked tentatively.
"His kidney is infected. It was a concern when he was first brought in." Mark answered her. He helped Ryan relax back again and ran a hand across the boy's head as he looked steadily into those scared blue eyes. "You're going to be okay, Ryan. I promise. I'm going to have to go back in and do what I can to clean out the infection."
Ryan swallowed hard and nodded before closing his eyes and wincing at the hot, stabbing pain that shot through his back.
A young nurse came running through the door. "The OR is ready and the Anasthesiologist will meet us there."
"Then let's get rolling." Mark ordered as he made his way around to help shift Ryan onto the gurney that was now being wheeled into the room. It was short work before Ryan found himself staring up at the quickly moving ceiling tiles of the hallway. Before he knew it, he was in a very cold and sterile room.
"Okay Ryan, I need you to breathe deep and count backwards from 100." A man in a mask instructed.
"Hang in there son, you're going to be fine." Mark's words were the last that Ryan heard before everything went black.
TBC…
