Sandy, Ryan, Kirsten, and Sophie stood around Julie's hospital bed, beaming at the newborn in her arms. Joshua Cooper Bullit was very pink and his face was a little squished-looking, kind of like a boxer. Sandy put it perfectly when he called him "a born fighter; an Atwood, all right."
"Yeah, he's quiet, too," said Julie, smiling. Her new son slept soundlessly in her arms. The room settled into a comfortable silence as the Cohens admired the new life. Ten minutes had gone by until a familiar voice rang throughout the room.
"Bang!" Gordon Bullit entered the room, followed closely by Kaitlyn. "Howdy, folks! Come to meet the little one? Ain't he somethin'?"
"Bullit, you'll wake the baby," Julie said, trying to sound stern, but this was betrayed by the fact that she was smiling broadly. She couldn't remember a time when everything in her life was so solid and dependable. A few months back, when Frank had left for a job in Chicago, and Julie had refused to go with him, Bullit had reentered the picture. It was then that Julie realized that he never should have been out of it in the first place. It wasn't the money, or even that he was so good with Kaitlyn, though those helped. It was the fact that he loved her and took the time and effort to sweep her off of her feet. He had even been the one to suggest they move to Berkeley when Julie was depressed about the Cohens leaving. What more could a girl ask for? She rewarded him for his efforts with a thirteenth mini-Bullit.
"Can I hold him?" asked Kaitlyn, reaching out her hands.
"Of course, sweetie," Julie said, handing him over. Kaitlyn carried him over to Kirsten, who held Sophie, and formally introduced the two.
"Josh, this is Sophie. Now, Summer is probably going to scheme to get you two together someday, so I just wanted to introduce you now so you can make that choice on your own," she explained. Everyone chuckled.
"Ryan, would you like to hold him?" Julie asked, staring intently at him. He didn't know what to say. He was happy for Julie and Bullit, and he knew Kaitlyn was excited about a new little brother. He just didn't know exactly where he stood in the matter. Technically, they shared blood, but he wasn't really a member of the family. Besides, he had Sophie. How many little siblings did he need? Julie seemed to understand what he was feeling. She nodded at him. "It's okay, really." He reached out to Kaitlyn and took Josh from her. He didn't know quite what he expected, but it wasn't this. He didn't feel a rush of brotherly affection, or overwhelming emotion toward the Atwood family; he just felt weird. He was holding the half-brother of his dead ex-girlfriend, who happened to be his half-brother too. He realized that he had never really dealt with that fact, though he was sure if Seth were around he'd bring it up constantly. After a few moments of silence, he spoke.
"He looks like you," he said to Julie. "And Marissa, too." She smiled.
Sandy and Kirsten stood off to the side, watching Ryan carefully. They knew this moment was a bit heavy for him. They knew he thought Marissa should be there to meet her new brother. They knew he was unsure who he was in relation to this new life. But they knew, too, that his comment about who Josh resembled was stronger than it seemed on the surface. Kirsten silently reveled in Ryan's slight rejection of his Atwood side; Sandy thought about the change in Ryan since moving to Berkeley. He was calmer, looser, less guarded. He was allowing himself to fit unquestioningly into the Cohens'- and his – new life. They liked it. And not that either of them would admit it, or deny Ryan's parents the right to see him, but they were always a bit uncomfortable around Dawn and Frank. They were a part of Ryan's past, one that he would rather forget, and frankly Sandy and Kirsten didn't feel like sharing Ryan's present with them. They wanted him to themselves, quite justifiably so. They had saved him, and he them.
"Okay, folks, Mom and Baby need rest," said a nurse as he entered from the hallway outside. "You can come back tomorrow." The Cohens gathered around for one last goodbye. Ryan approached Kaitlyn.
"Your turn to be the big sister," he grinned at her.
"I'm going to be such a good role model," she teased back at him.
"Uh huh," Ryan said, hugging her goodbye. "We'll see, Cooper." Sandy approached Bullit.
"Gordon," he said, shaking his hand, "congratulations again. We couldn't be happier for you."
"Thanks, Sand-man. Now, go on, get outta here. Gotta start tryin' for number 14! Bang!" On that note, the Cohens, now with a very cranky Sophie, headed back outside.
"Here, let me take her," Ryan said to Kirsten. As usual, she stopped fussing as soon as he wrapped his arms around her.
"Every time…" said Sandy, shaking his head. "So, kid, what are you thinking about? You seem preoccupied."
"I just realized…I still need to study for my architecture midterm." This elicited a chuckle from Sandy and Kirsten, who put her arm around Ryan.
"We'll put a pot of coffee on when we get home and we promise you peace and quiet. How's that sound?"
"Sounds good," he said, as the four of them got into the car and headed for home.