Chapter Three

"So we're eating and shopping then?" Sandy asks when he slides into the front seat of the car with Seth in the passengers seat, the girls crowded into the back.

"No," Kirsten responds, "Summer had a better idea, she grabbed a Pottery Barn catalog from the delivery waiting room, we'll just pick things out of there to have delivered and until then we will use a baby carrier. So we just after to make a quick stop at a Walmart or something like it tonight to take the baby home tomorrow."

"Whatever you say," Sandy responds simply pulling out of the parking lot listening to the squealing of the girls behind him.

By the time the food had come at the diner they had chosen to eat in the girls had pretty much decided on their choices for the baby, with a room full of furniture. "Should we order bedding from the magazine or pick some up when we go shopping?" Kirsten asks after taking a much needed sip of the soda in front of her.

"Look at this," Marissa flips to another page in the magazine, "it's a butterfly comforter."

"Oh! And look!" Summer squeals. "It's got a cute little mobile thing to go with!"

"That's so cute, it's perfect." With her words Kirsten continues to fill out the long form list of things they are buying.

"So Dad," Seth turns to his father, "do you think if we took the magazine away it would help, or would they just channel all of the products?"

"Alright," Kirsten agrees, "we're putting it away and we will eat."

But once the baby furniture conversation has been put on hold the table falls into a silence much like the one that had been wrapped around them in the waiting room hours before. After minutes of the unbearable silence that is keeping everyone from eating Sandy speaks, "so Seth, I was thinking we don't have enough room in the car for everyone to go back and to take the baby. So I thought maybe you could take the girls back and then you could drive back down later tomorrow."

Seth nods, "alright."

"Um, I'm sorry Sandy," Marissa apologizes, "but I want to stay here, with Ryan. Until he can be moved to a hospital in New Port."

"Marissa," Kirsten begins, "you have school and Seth is only coming bring the car back and then Sandy and I are going to take turns to staying in Chino."

"I want to stay too," Marissa states firmly, "I haven't missed school all year, if my Mom lets me stay then can I stay?

Sandy and Kirsten exchange glances and Sandy begins, "I'm sure we could work..."

"If Marissa's staying then I'm staying." Seth states firmly.

"Why don't we all talk about this tomorrow?" Kirsten suggests, "when we have a better idea of how much long Ryan is going to have to stay in the hospital here."

The two teenagers agree to this readily and everyone, a little more relaxed begins eating the food on their plates.
Once they've checked into the two small motel rooms the three teens quickly head to bed and Kirsten and Sandy take the opportunity to talk, sitting by the pool. "I think we should hire a nanny." Sandy states.

"A nanny?" Kirsten's surprise shows that she hadn't been expecting this.

"Well someone is going to need to take care of the baby while we are at work and the kids are in school." Sandy responds.

"I was thinking about that." Kirsten says slowly, "I was thinking maybe I'll take some time off work. They can managed without me for a couple of weeks, besides when Ryan gets home we'd have to hire a nurse and I don't want someone as impersonal as a nurse taking care of him."

"His recovering could take months." Sandy insists.

Kirsten shrugs and responds firmly, "then I will take off for a couple of months. I already let him feel like he wasn't part of this family, I'm not going to let him feel like that again."

Sandy wraps his arm around Kirsten and kisses her, "he knows you love him but if you want to do this I won't stop you. I think it's a good idea."

"You do?" Kirsten questions.

Sandy nods, "I do. You work to hard, you need the break. Caleb won't like it."

"Then he will have to get used to it, because I'm doing this. Otherwise I'm quitting."

"Where did this come from?" All of this was news to Sandy and he has no idea where it's coming from.

"I missed so much of Seth's childhood because I was devoting all of my time to the New Port group, I don't want to make that mistake again. I'm going to be there for Ryan and I'm going to be there for his baby, because they are family and I've let my family down enough in the past."
"Cohen, what are you doing up?" Seth finds Summer sitting in the stairwell that leads to the only drink machine in the motel.

"I needed a drink," Seth responds sitting next to Summer, "what are you doing up?"

"Just thinking." Summer responds.

"I've been thinking too." Seth responds. "About what I said earlier today, about us breaking up I don't think..."

"I think you were right." Summer states licking her lips nervously. "I think we should break up."

Summer's words stop Seth for a minute, but he recovers quickly and nods, "that's what I was say, I don't think anything has changed."

Summer nods standing up, "okay then. You can take me home tomorrow and we can start doing our own things."

Seth nods, the rest of his body unmoving as he echoes, "okay then."

"I'm going to go to bed."

"Okay," Seth responds off-handed, "night."