Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters of The OC. They all belong to Josh Schwartz.
A/N: This takes place, early season one, after Kirsten gets Ryan released from juvie and the Cohen's become Ryan's legal guardians. This story is AU, and I've written Dawn as she was portrayed in "The Pilot" episode. I'm also trying my hand at developing some of my own characters. Just minor roles to hopefully help convey my story.
Chapter 3
"Hey, you guys are back early," Kirsten says as Seth and Ryan walk into the kitchen.
"Ryan's sick," Seth announces as he opens the refrigerator looking for refreshments.
"I'm not sick, Seth," Ryan corrects his friend as he sits down at the breakfast bar.
Kirsten glances over at Ryan, notices he's looking a little pale and wonders how much "mothering" he will accept from her. "Why don't I take your temperature just to be on the safe side," Kirsten says as she opens the cupboard and retrieves a small first-aid kit.
"No, really, I'm fine," Ryan says as he flashes a look over at Seth willing him to be quiet. His mother never took his temperature when he was sick. If she did, he was so young that he doesn't remember. "A couple of Tylenol should do the trick."
"Are your ribs still bothering you?" Kirsten inquires with concern as she retrieves the bottle of Tylenol and gives it to Ryan.
"Ribs? Who... what ribs?" Seth asks as he hands Ryan a bottled water from the refrigerator. "No one ever told me about ribs."
"Hey, I thought you boys were going to spend the morning down at the pier," Sandy says as he walks into the kitchen. He immediately stops as he observes Kirsten and Seth hovering over Ryan. "Is everything alright?"
"No," Seth answers as he wonders why he's been kept in the dark about Ryan's injury.
"Yeah, everything's fine," Ryan quickly rebuts, sitting in a state of shock as he observes all the hoopla surrounding him over what is probably just a minor chest cold.
"Would you like to break the tie, honey?" Sandy asks his wife as he walks over and kisses her on the cheek.
"I think Ryan's just tired and he might be coming down with a cold," Kirsten replies as she glances over at the teenager and notices how uneasy he looks. "I gave him some Tylenol."
Ryan relaxes a little and begins to feel less claustrophobic as the attention is slowly taken off him.
"Well, maybe we shouldn't wake him up so early in the morning," Sandy states as he glances over at Seth. "As long as you're here, Ryan, we really do need to discuss the upcoming school year."
"Yeah, about that," Ryan chimes in. "I'm perfectly fine with going to the public school..."
"Nonsense! There's no reason you won't be accepted to Harbor," Kirsten states emphatically. "You should have no problem passing the entrance exam, and Sandy tells me you received good test scores from your school in Chino."
"Yeah, just think of the good grades you can get if you actually go to class," Seth states, trying to lighten the serious mood that has taken over the kitchen.
Ryan looks down at the breakfast bar and starts fiddling with a toast crumb that was left from the morning breakfast.
"Ryan," Sandy says as he sits down next to the quiet boy. "It's important that we enroll you in the right classes this fall semester. Have you given any thought about what you would like to do... you know, a career?"
Ryan remains quiet as he presses the crumb between his fingers and starts absent-mindlessly searching for another one.
"Ryan, isn't there something that you've always wanted to be?" Kirsten asks as she takes a chance and places her hand over his forearm and squeezes gently.
"Well, I used to want to be an architect..."
"And, you don't want to be an architect any more?" Kirsten asks as she notices Ryan retreat a little, she assumes from being placed on the spot. She makes a mental note to remember the boy does not enjoy being the center of attention.
Ryan remains quiet as he shrugs his shoulders with indifference.
Kirsten leans in slightly closer to Ryan and gives another gentle squeeze to his forearm. "So, tell me... what do you want to be now?"
Ryan bites his lower lip as he contemplates Kirsten's question, then glances up at her and quietly replies, "Seventeen?"
"Me too," Kirsten states with a warm smile as she looks into Ryan's soft, blue eyes and instinctively brushes his bangs off his forehead. Me too.
"Okay, now that we've got that settled, come on Ryan... I want to show you this new playstation game," Seth announces as he grabs Ryan's arm and starts coaxing him out of the kitchen.
"Ryan, we can talk more about school later, when you're feeling better," Sandy says as he realizes all the recent changes in Ryan's life are probably overwhelming the kid.
Ryan quickly grabs his bottled water off the breakfast bar and happily follows Seth into the family room.
"Well, we sure know how to clear the room of teenagers," Kirsten says as she folds her arms and watches the two boys scurry out of the kitchen.
"I'm telling you, honey, it's our endearing charm and winning personalities," Sandy states with a playful grin. Sandy's smile wanes as he notices his wife's concerned expression. "What is it, honey? I know that look... something's bothering you."
"Well... it's Ryan. I'm not sure if I'm handling him right," Kirsten explains as she glances into the family room and observes the two boys together. "He's so different from Seth. When Seth comes down with the sniffles, he wants me to call an ambulance. But with Ryan..."
"I'm sure Ryan will tell us if he gets sick, honey."
"I'm not so sure, Sandy. I mean... we wouldn't even know about his bruised ribs if you hadn't suspected something was wrong this morning."
"Honey, Ryan's been through an awful lot these past few weeks," Sandy tells his wife as he tries to put things in perspective. "He's been in juvie twice, which let me tell you... is no picnic. His mother abandoned him and he came very close to losing his life in that fire in the model home."
Kirsten winces as she remembers how she treated Ryan when he came forward to accept responsibility for the fire. How could I have been so wrong about someone, she thinks to herself.
"I think Ryan is so used to taking care of himself, he probably has a hard time accepting help from others. With everything that has happened in this kid's life, he just has a hard time trusting people," Sandy says as he attempts to explain the quiet, thoughtful boy they've welcomed into their home. "We need to be patient with him."
"I know, Sandy... and I will be patient," Kirsten says as she takes the thermometer out of the first-aid kit and places it on the countertop. "But if I suspect his cold is getting worse, I will take that boy's temperature whether he likes it or not."
"Ah... spoken like a true, caring, over-protective mother," Sandy says playfully as he wraps his arms around his wife and gives her a warm hug.
"That's right," Kirsten agrees as she gives her husband a quick kiss on his cheek. "That's exactly what that boy needs... a mother."
Dawn paces around her tiny kitchen, stewing over how to get Ryan back. She knows AJ is right. There's no way she can go up against the Cohen's in a custody battle.
Ryan does care about what happens to other people, she thinks to herself. I need to use that to my advantage.
Dawn looks down at her hands and notices them trembling uncontrollably. Damn shakes, she thinks to herself. I gotta get through this...
The jarring sound of the phone ringing jolts Dawn out of her reverie.
"Yeah?" she answers harshly, figuring it's AJ calling.
"Dawn, it's Lenny."
"Hey, Lenny," Dawn says softening the tone of her voice a little. "What's up?"
"Well, I did a little digging around on Ryan's lawyer," Lenny says as he looks down at the notes on his desk. "Seems this 'Sandy Cohen' is well-liked and respected, but somewhat of an outsider himself. He comes from a humble background and married into money." Lenny lights up a cigarette and switches the phone receiver to his left ear. "His wife, Kirsten, is the daughter of Caleb Nichol. The Nichol's seem to be one of, if not the wealthiest, families in Newport."
"Well, I know they got money!" Dawn snaps, not really understanding how Lenny's findings can be of any help to her.
"Well, that's why you need to heed my advice, Dawn," Lenny explains, trying desperately not to lose patience with his frazzled sister. "If the Cohen's take this to court, ya gotta make a good impression and show the judge that you've changed... that you're capable of taking care of your son. The courts almost always side with the biological parent, especially the mother."
Dawn hangs up the phone and curses under her breath. And what if the court doesn't side with the biological mother, huh? Dawn thinks to herself. What then? Dawn stares at the phone, then reaches over and picks up the receiver. Ryan's lawyer can't keep me from seeing my own kid, Dawn thinks to herself as she starts dialing the Cohen's number. All I gotta do is appeal to him as a parent. Dawn clears her throat in the anticipation of speaking with Sandy Cohen as she listens to the phone ring on the other end.
Then, when I see my baby, I'll give him an ultimatum he won't be able to refuse... Ryan will have no choice but to come back home to me..
"Come on.. come on... come on... NO!" Seth yells as he watches his ninja die a violent death and the words "game over" appear on the screen. "I don't believe you just killed me!"
"Beginner's luck?" Ryan says as he sits on the floor next to Seth, perplexed at how intense his friend becomes while playing a video game.
Sandy watches the boys as he stands in the threshold of the kitchen. He smiles to himself, happy with how comfortable the two teenagers seem to be with each other. When the phone starts ringing, he glances over and sees Kirsten cleaning up the rest of the dishes from breakfast. "I'll get it," Sandy announces. "Hello?"
"Hello? I'd like to speak with Sandy Cohen."
"This is Sandy Cohen."
"Mr. Cohen, this is Dawn Atwood... Ryan's mom."
Sandy feels his heart sink as he listens to the voice on the other end of the line. "Dawn... uh... I'm sorry, this is... well... quite unexpected. I'm afraid you've caught me a little bit off-guard."
Kirsten spins around and looks at her husband, panic spread across her face as she hears him say the name "Dawn".
"Yeah, well... sorry 'bout that," Dawn says, trying her best to sound sincere. "Is my kid... I mean, is Ryan there? I'd like to speak to him."
"Ryan, yeah... um... I think he's around here somewhere," Sandy replies, wondering how to best handle this situation. "Dawn, if you don't mind my asking... how did you know Ryan was here?"
"Trey told me," Dawn replies, thoroughly enjoying the nervousness she senses in the lawyer's voice.
"Ah, okay..." Sandy says, now understanding how Dawn could figure out Ryan's whereabouts. "I do remember letting Trey know where his younger brother is living... in case he needed to contact him."
"So, can I talk to him?" Dawn asks as she begins to lose her patience. "He is my ki... my son, ya know."
"Why don't you hold on a minute and I'll see if I can find him." Sandy sets the receiver down on the kitchen counter and walks into the family room. "Ryan," Sandy says quietly but with authority. "I need to talk to you."
Ryan looks up at Sandy and immediately senses something wrong.
"Can't it wait, Dad? We're in the middle of a game," Seth complains.
"No, Seth, this can't wait," Sandy replies, trying not to lose patience with his son.
Ryan sets the game controller down as he quickly gets up off the floor and walks over to Sandy.
"Ryan, your mom is on the phone. She wants to talk to you," Sandy tells Ryan calmly, not quite sure how the boy will react.
"My mom?" Ryan asks.
"Yes, listen Ryan... if you don't want to talk to her, that's fine. If you do want to talk to her, that's fine also," Sandy explains, hoping to alleviate some of the anxiety he can sense coursing through the boy.
Ryan swallows and thinks for a moment before answering. "Alright, I'll talk to her."
"Alright," Sandy says with a reassuring smile, as he places his hand on Ryan's shoulder and guides him into the kitchen.
Ryan slowly picks the receiver up and let's out a plaintive sigh. "Hello, Mom?" he says quietly.
"Hi, baby," Dawn answers, happy to be finally speaking to her son. "How are you?"
"I'm fine, Mom... what do you want?" Ryan asks, unsure of the motive of his mother's call.
"Can't a mother call her own son?" Dawn asks, her voice laced with annoyance.
Ryan feels a sickening, painful knot develop in the pit of his stomach, a feeling he has been plagued with for years. "Of course she can," he quietly replies as he walks into a corner and presses his head against the wall.
"I wanna see you, baby," Dawn pleads with a trembling voice, hoping Ryan will agree to see her.
"Um... okay... where?"
Sandy suddenly realizes that Ryan has agreed to meet with Dawn. Not wanting the boy to see his mother without him or Kirsten present, Sandy quickly walks over to Ryan and says, "It's alright, kid. Let me talk to her."
Ryan hands the phone over to Sandy, then quickly brushes a tear from his eye before anyone gets the chance to notice.
"Dawn... " Sandy says as he starts walking out of the kitchen to his home office in search of privacy.
Kirsten walks over to Ryan and places her hand on his shoulder. "It'll be alright, sweetheart," she says as she gives his shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Sandy and I are here for you... you know that, right?"
"What's going on?" Seth asks as he lumbers into the kitchen. "Why all the long faces?"
Sandy slowly walks back into the kitchen and hangs up the phone as he senses three pairs of eyes staring at him.
"Honey?"
"Dad?"
"Sandy?"
Sandy clears his throat, then wistfully announces... "Guess who's coming to dinner."
