An update – yay! I do like this story but it's hard to write sometimes. This chapter isn't very polished- sorry. Reviews really determine if I feel like updating, not trying to blackmail anyone lol but it's just true. Thanks for the story alerts but pleeease leave a review too? =)

Ryan wished he'd tried harder to get this guy to leave before he got in the car. What was he thinking? – He wasn't, Ryan knew he was too hazy to really do much of anything. With AJ's words echoing in his head, he felt nauseous just thinking about facing him after he got out of hospital this time. Ryan sincerely wondered if he'd be alive in a couple days time. All he could do was sit there in pain as the expensive car sped silently through the streets to the hospital.

Sandy stole glances out the corner of his eye at Ryan as he drove. The kid was frozen, half leaning forward, staring at the floor with wide eyes. He wished he could put him at ease, get it through his head that he wouldn't let anything bad happen to him. Sandy knew he couldn't guarantee that but he was sure as hell gonna give it everything he had. This boy shouldn't have to live in fear when he'd done nothing wrong. The people in his life were tearing him apart and Sandy wouldn't allow it to happen anymore.

It wasn't far to the hospital. Sandy parked and helped Ryan to the emergency entrance. He was glad Ryan didn't try to fight him or get away; it only proved to Sandy how necessary this was, that Ryan wasn't able to put up any fight to resist the place that caused so much anxiety for him.

Ryan was hardly processing anything, he knew he was coming down from what he'd taken but that was about it. He was in too much pain and too out of it to care anymore and had accepted that everything would just go downhill from here, AJ would kill him and that would be the end of it. Ryan wondered what right he had to hope for anything better, it wasn't like he'd done anything to warrant some apple pie life, then again he couldn't think of what he'd done to end up here either. This guy guiding him to the big red doors seemed to care, god knows why, but it was too late for that to be any good now, kinda ironic…

The hospital was a blur; his body seemed to go into autopilot. He answered questions and did what they asked of him without even realizing it. All that registered was the building and unwavering pain, he tried to pretend it wasn't there but it wouldn't let him forget about it. At times he'd zone in and hear himself giving simple, one word answers before zoning out again. There seemed to be a lot of sitting and waiting.

Sometime later Ryan realized Sandy was guiding him back to the car. They stopped outside the passenger door and Ryan looked at Sandy questioningly. He supposed this guy would drop him back home to his fate now. Nothing for it he thought. In the back of his mind he wondered how he got out of the hospital again without his mom having to be there.

Sandy took in Ryan's slightly confused but resigned look and guessed he'd forgotten what he'd told him, or hadn't really heard in the first place more likely.

"Ryan you're coming home with me tonight, remember?" He tried in a calm, even voice.

Ryan looked completely blank. That wasn't possible. He was going home and AJ was gonna kill him, or near enough. He couldn't even process those words so instead continued to stare dumbly at Sandy.

"Ryan, you ok? Did you hear me?" Sandy tried. The doctor had told him that Ryan definitely had a concussion but was not impaired in any way; he would just need to have a close eye kept on him and they'd told Sandy what to do. The tox screen they'd done had taken over an hour to come back and showed low levels of ecstasy in his blood, at an acceptable level to release him. They told him Ryan was over the worst but would be pretty vague and unfocused for several more hours and needed sleep.

"I said you're coming home with me tonight ok?"

Ryan heard the words again but was no more able to understand the idea than before. He was aware he needed to say something.

"…What?" was all he could quietly manage and it summed up his thoughts pretty well. Was he hallucinating? He thought he was over the crazy stage of the trip. There was no way he had actually gotten out of his fucked up situation.

Sandy understood it would be a strange idea for the kid and hard to understand, he didn't want to go into details with him in this state.

"Don't worry about how at the moment kid, all you need to know is that you're safe and you don't have to go home tonight."

Again the words took their time to sink in. Don't have to go home tonight. It was more than Ryan could hope; he wouldn't let himself consider it. Safe. Not possible. For a moment the ideas got through his barrier of resignation and he felt rising desperation for it all to be true. He couldn't deal with such strong feelings and shut down immediately. He would just do what this guy said, he couldn't afford to care. He'd end up back with AJ and he'd accepted it.

Sandy watched Ryan's face closely for any sign of understanding. He briefly saw the depths of something stir in his eyes as he looked past Sandy at the ground but saw it just as quickly disappear and his face go blank again.

"OK." Was all Ryan said. Whatever.

Sandy opened the door and Ryan got in, still heavily favoring his ribs.

The drive to Newport was quiet. Sandy knew Ryan wasn't up for talking, knew he was still in pain. The doctor had said he wasn't able to give Ryan anything other than paracetamol with the risk of reaction with any remaining ecstasy traces. He said to wait 48 hours before giving any stronger medication. Sandy had been told Ryan would likely have a severe headache for a couple days and that his ribs were inflamed but did not present any danger if he was kept rested from now on. Sandy felt sorry for the kid, knowing he'd be in pain but unable to get any relief.

"Sleep if you can Ryan, everything's ok."

There was no way he could sleep, Ryan thought, with the pounding in his head and the way sitting in a car was killing his ribs. Any pain meds had well and truly worn off now and he felt the full force of his injuries, exacerbated by tonight's incidents. Any little bump, even with this car's amazing suspension, jarred his whole body, setting nerve endings on fire. Ryan was hardwired not to show pain and he tried his best but with the remnants of the drug still messing with his head, it made it harder to keep things in check. On larger or unexpected bumps, a couple hisses of breath escaped.

Sandy heard the soft sounds of pain and creased his brow, he wished he could stop somewhere right now and get the kid in a comfortable bed but he knew the best place for him would be away from here, and where he could keep an eye on him. He wondered how Kirsten would react. It probably wouldn't be pretty but right now he didn't care, he was just relieved to have gotten Ryan away from such a dangerous environment.

He was almost surprised with himself that he'd achieved it. The hospital staff had been understandably apprehensive about Sandy's claims but his manner had been confident and reasonable and they'd accepted his intentions. He presented himself as Ryan's guardian and lawyer, claiming that his mother was as of now unfit to care for him. He assured them he would contact child services on Monday and inform them of everything and they assured him they'd pass along details to the department also. As Ryan was not in need of further treatment, and had flatly denied wanting any police involvement on account of his physical injuries. He'd been asked if he consented to be released into Sandy's care; his subconscious must've answered 'yes' for him in his dazed state.

About an hour later the black car pulled up the steep driveway to the Cohen's house. Ryan was half leaning against the door with his eyes clamped shut. He was ridged from trying to hold his body still and protect his ribs, damn they hurt!

Sandy went around to Ryan's side and opened the door. Ryan didn't feel like he could move, he just wanted to pass out into blissful oblivion. He spared a glance at the house (castle!) and was couldn't grasp what had happened. Hospital – AJ – screwed…castle? How was this happening? That guy (standing in front of him staring at him) was serious? How?

"You…" Ryan tried to formulate a sentence but failed.

Sandy looked at him questioningly, wondering what Ryan wanted to say.

"AJ…?" he rasped, trying to make sense of anything.

Sandy saw the kid was confused and pretty out of it.

"You're safe Ryan, this is my house, we have a pool house you can stay in tonight and get some rest, I'll show you."

Ryan guessed that meant he was supposed to get out of the car. And he tried, he really did.

Lucky Sandy was right there and practically caught him as he tried to hold his own weight and all but collapsed instead.

"Ah!" Ryan couldn't stop the small cry when his body jolted and twisted, torturing his bruised body.

Sandy supported him as Ryan got used to standing again and stayed close as they edged towards the door.

Ryan felt ridiculous and frustrated needing this guy to help him – he hardly knew him! But he couldn't do this himself, would've collapsed somewhere a long time ago.

Sandy could tell the kid felt uncomfortable in this state because he tried to move away as soon as he could when Sandy knew he'd give anything to rest.

They eventually got through the house and out to the pool house. Sandy left Ryan leaning on a wall as he quickly turned down the bed, then he helped the dazed teenager over to sit on it. He was breathing slightly heavily through what Sandy guessed was the pain.

"I know you're in pain and I'm sorry but I can't give you anything more than panadol, doctor's orders."

Ryan just nodded vacantly, staring through Sandy.

"Try and get some sleep ok?"

Ryan gave a final tiny nod.

Sandy didn't think there was anything more he could do right now, especially considering how withdrawn Ryan appeared to be at the moment. He left quietly, turning the light off as he went.