Disclaimer: did I mention I don't own the O.C. or Ryan or Sandy or… well you get the point
Chapter 7
"Kirsten, you know I love you right," Kirsten looked back at Sandy with a small smirk, and then back at the mound of paperwork before her.
"Mhhhmm… I'll make sure to remind you of that next time I ask you to take out the trash…"After several minutes of Kirsten continuing her effort to fill out all the paperwork before her she noted, "interesting how there was less paperwork to become his legal guardian than there seems to be to get him through a hospital visit," she muttered with a small yawn.
"Well…honey, I'm pretty sure you're father had something to do with that, didn't he? Under normal circumstances…not that I would ever think our family capable of being…normal," he smirked at the thought, "the paperwork for fostering a child would be a lot more arduous."
"Well thank god for my father than," muttered Kirsten. "Sorry, for the bad mood, I guess, I just want to meet Ryan already. I mean technically I'm like… his mother now right?... and I haven't even seen him yet." Sandy just nodded. To be honest he was shocked by his wife's decision to foster Ryan, but he was even more shocked by Caleb, her father, who hated Sandy. Caleb had never seemed all that caring for the so-called 'street thugs' of Chino and now here he was helping his daughter, all but adopt a boy from Chino. Sandy had to admit though, right now he really wanted to be with Ryan too. Sandy felt terrible about being forced to leave Ryan, right after he had promised the boy that he wouldn't leave his side. As he filled out another form he had retrieved from the stack before him, he wished he could be with Ryan wherever he was.
After an hour of paperwork and half an hour of wishing for more paperwork to keep them occupied, a sweet grandmotherly looking nurse walked towards them. With a smile that made Sandy feel like a child again, she asked them to follow her to Ryan.
It was a long walk, through the maze that was Chino Mass General. The experience reminded Sandy of exactly just how much he hated hospitals. Everything smelled of antiseptic, everything was so generic and white Sandy couldn't tell the difference from one room to the next, and worst of all he could hear the noises, noises of people in pain. He had only been in the hospital once when his father died, but he never forgot the experience.
By the time Sandy and Kirsten made it to Ryan's room both their skins were crawling, and Sandy noticed that Kirsten's face was devoid of any color, she was white as a sheet. She too had had bad memories associated with hospitals. For months she had been by her mother's side in a hospital just like this, watching her mother die. Cautiously he reached out and wrapped his hand around hers, giving it a tight squeeze, she met is gaze, giving him a tight smile. With a few deep breaths they both tried to remove the shivers and memories. Then Kirsten looked at Sandy and whispered, "let's do this," with determination in her eyes.
Kirsten walked confidently towards Ryan's ICU room, but stopped mid stride, staring at the small boy lying on the pristinely clean and unnatural white hospital sheets. Despite his lack of color, the bandages, bruises, cast and brace in Kirsten's eyes Ryan was beautiful. She had learned to believe in love at first sight first when she had met Sandy, and once again when she first held Seth in her arms.
Now she found herself back in the grip of love at first sight as she stared at Ryan. The boy was so small, and so different from the ball of energy that was Seth, with his goofy grin, dark curly hair, and gangly limbs. This boy, despite his injuries, was skinny but build with the potential to be strong and sturdy on day and he had straight blonde hair that covered his face.
Though she already loved this boy, Sandy had told Kirsten not to expect too much from him. While Kirsten had been filling out some of the hospital paperwork, Sandy had called a friend, who worked with children's services to find out more about Ryan, and Sandy had told Kirsten a little bit about what he had found out.
Ryan was almost nine years old and had been in and out of hospitals all his life, there had been many domestic disturbance calls from his home, but no charges were ever filed. The boy's mother was a druggie, the father was in prison, and now so was the boy's older brother. Despite all the violence and hardships in the boy's life, however, Ryan had actually skipped a grade in school and school testing put is IQ at 178. His teachers characterized him as shy, but filled with a determination and longing to learn. One commented that he sucked up knowledge like a vacuum.
When Sandy had described Ryan to Kirsten, her heart both broke and swelled. This boy deserved more from life and the Cohen's were going to give him the change he deserved.
Looking back at Sandy, Kirsten stretched out her hand for Sandy to take. They walked into the small room together. It was the first time all night that they were alone away from the noise of patients, families, and medical personal. Kirsten and Sandy walked quickly to Ryan's bedside, Sandy taking a seat at the chair to the boy's left and Kirsten taking the chair to the right.
Slowly and with great care, Kirsten began to stroke the boy's hair, while singing him a soft lullaby. Gradually Ryan's eyelids began to lift his light blue eyes taking in the women with confusion and longing. While he had no idea who this woman was he could sense the love she felt for him. A slight smile graced his face before he once more fell into the comforting blackness of sleep.