So is anyone else so very angry at Sandy for kissing that Rebecca chick? All of my roommates and I screamed at the television, "What are you doing!" when he kissed her. We live next door to an apartment of boys, and they came running over when they heard us yell, and we had to assure them that we weren't being murdered or something. Although, they were happy to stay when we told them that Marissa was going to kiss another girl…boys, who understands them. Anyway, let me know what you thought of this chapter. Thanks!
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. Not a single one, although if I did own Sandy, I'd be beating some sense into him.
I can't sleep tonight
Everybody saying everything's alright
Still I can't close my eyes
I'm seeing a tunnel at the end of all these lights
Sunny days
Where have you gone?
I get the strangest feeling you belong - Travis
The next morning Kirsten woke up and couldn't quite remember where she was. Sitting up, it took her a minute, but the night before came rushing back to her. It hadn't been a night of good sleep for either Sandy or Kirsten, and the little sleep that she had gotten had been plagued with nightmares.
"Morning baby," Sandy said softly, sitting up next to her and pushing a stray piece of blonde hair off her face. He leaned and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek.
"Tell me last night didn't happen," Kirsten whispered.
"I wish I could," he replied. She didn't know the half of it. He would give anything to make the night before just a bad dream. For her, for Ryan, for all of them. Unfortunately, he couldn't, and he wasn't entirely sure on how to go about fixing anything either.
"We should go check on the boys," Kirsten said after a minute of silence. She climbed out of bed, and pulled on the robe that Sandy had gotten for her from their bedroom. She didn't want to have to go back into her bedroom, but she knew that she would. Eventually. For the time being though, she was perfectly content with sending Sandy in to get her clothes, or shoes, or other various items that she needed.
They found the two sitting at the kitchen counter. Neither one was talking, and while there was a box of cereal and two bowls, neither one was eating.
"Hey guys," Sandy said when they walked in.
"Hey," Seth responded, half heartedly lifting up his hand in a sort of wave.
"Did you guys sleep at all?" Kirsten asked. She knew the answer, but she was hoping that maybe she was wrong.
"Negative Mom," Seth said. Ryan just shook his head.
"Did you?" He asked.
"Not so much," Kirsten admitted. She went to the coffee pot and poured herself a cup, she would need as much caffeine as she could get this morning. She sighed and leaned against the counter. The four sat in silence, all wondering the same thing.
What now?
Kirsten knew that she didn't want to return to her bedroom. She knew that she couldn't step in there without thinking about what had happened. But could she leave this house? This house that held so many memories? Of Seth. Of her and Sandy. Of Ryan. Good memories. Happy memories.
So the question was, could the good memories outweigh the bad?
All Kirsten wanted to do right then, was cut her losses and run.
"I'm going to go take a shower," Kirsten finally announced. She looked over towards the direction of her bedroom, and Sandy saw the look on her face and jumped in.
"Why don't you go up and I'll grab some clothes for you from our room?" He offered. She smiled gratefully at him.
"Sure, thanks, honey," she said giving him a kiss when she walked by on her way up to the guest bathroom. The three boys watched her walk out of the kitchen and Ryan turned to Sandy.
"She won't go into your bedroom," he said flatly. It wasn't a question. Sandy shook his head.
"No," he told him. "I better go get some things for her." Sandy left the kitchen, shaking his head.
"Poor Mom," Seth murmured. He knew that he had been so relieved to return to his bedroom, to be able to crawl into his own bed and try to get some sleep. His mother had been next to AJ when he shot himself in her own bedroom. Her sanctuary was essentially ruined.
Ryan remained silent. There had to be something that he could do to fix this. As much as Sandy told him that it wasn't his fault, he still felt like it was his fault. AJ had come to find him.
Ryan decided that he would find a way to make it up to Kirsten. Make it up to all three of the Cohens.
Sandy knocked lightly on the bathroom door, and stepped inside.
"I brought you some clothes, honey, they're on the bed. I wasn't sure what you'd want, so I brought a lot," he told her. He had just grabbed armfuls of clothes, knowing that they would probably be staying in the guest bedroom for a little while. Her head popped out from behind the shower curtain, and Kirsten smiled at him.
"Why don't you join me?" She said suggestively. She needed to forget about things for awhile, and Sandy joining her in the shower would certainly do the trick. Unlike the night before, when he had simply held her in the shower, she planned on doing a little bit more this time.
"Why Mrs. Cohen, I never thought you'd ask," Sandy grinned at her and began to strip down. He stepped in under the hot water and leaned down and kissed her.
"You are so beautiful," he whispered. "I love you so much." He ran a hand down her cheek.
"I love you too," she said smiling at him and giving him a kiss. This was good, she decided. This was nice. And Sandy gave her one more kiss, and she decided that it was better than good.
It was really, really good.
"What's the GP again RA?" Seth asked as he got into the car.
"We need to do something nice for your mom," Ryan said again. "So we're going shopping."
"No, see, doing something nice for her would be to let her go shopping, and leaving me out of it," Seth explained.
"Seth, she won't go back into her bedroom," Ryan said exasperated. "I have your dad's credit card, and I told him what we were doing."
"What are we doing? I'm still not clear on that," Seth said again.
"We're going to change her bedroom." Ryan wasn't sure that that was going to be enough. In fact, he was fairly sure that it wasn't. But he could at least try. Maybe if it looked differently, than the memories wouldn't haunt her quite as much. They would need new carpeting, as AJ's blood was still on theirs, and maybe a new comforter. Thosehad been Ryan's only thoughts, but Sandy had handed him the credit card and told him to buy everything new. New furniture, new decorations, everything.
"How are we supposed to get decorations?" Seth asked curiously.
"We're picking up Summer and Marissa," Ryan explained. "They're going to help us with that." They pulled up in front of Marissa's first, and she came bounding out and Seth moved into the backseat and she got in the passenger seat.
"Are you guys okay?" She asked. "We saw the police and the ambulances last night, and we tried to call over there, but you guys must have been at the police station at that time."
"We're okay," Ryan said. "But Kirsten…" He shook his head. "She's pretty shaken up."
"I can imagine," Marissa said. She shuddered at the thought. When she had been with Oliver, and he had held the gun up to his head, she had been terrified, she could only imagine what Kirsten was feeling like.
Summer got in the car and proceeded to look Seth completely over.
"Cohen, you're okay right?"
"I'm okay," he assured her.
"And you aren't hurt anywhere?"
"That would be what okay implies," he said sarcastically. Summer shot him a death glare, and he quieted down.
"No, I'm not hurt anywhere."
"Then let's go, Chino," Summer instructed. "Operation Make-Kirsten-Feel-Better is in full swing."
They came back with bags full of things, and the furniture was ordered, as was the carpeting. They snuck the bags up to Kirsten and Sandy's room, and Ryan had to brace himself against the rush of emotions that hit him. But he took a deep breath, and reminded himself that he was doing this for Kirsten.
It was funny, but it was making him feel better by trying to make her feel better. It was something to take his mind off of what was happening. It gave him something to focus on instead of wallowing in self-pity and guilt.
The problem was how to get the carpeting and furniture in without Kirsten's noticing. Sandy stepped in on this one, and offered to take her out of town for the weekend. She needed it anyway, he had pointed out, and that way they could get everything done and have it ready for her when they returned.
"And leave the boys?" Kirsten asked when the trip was suggested to her.
"They're going to be okay," Sandy told her. "You need this."
"I don't know…I mean, I don't want to leave them so soon after…." She trailed off. It had been almost four days, and Kirsten had refused to step into her bedroom. Practically her entire bedroom had been moved into the guest bedroom.
"They suggested it," Sandy told her. "They wanted to do something nice for you." Kirsten bit her lip, and thought about it.
"I guess it would be good to get away for a weekend," she finally said.
"Great," Sandy grinned at her. "Fantastic. Let me make the reservations." He gave the boys, who were listening in the living room, thumbs up, and proceeded to his office to make the hotel reservations.
Everything was set. And while Sandy knew that just giving their bedroom a makeover wouldn't solve everything. They would all still have plenty to deal with, Ryan and Kirsten especially, but it would be a start. It was giving Ryan and Seth something to think about, and it was giving him an excuse to take Kirsten out of town, and for that it was worth it.
It was a step in the right direction.
"You have our number, right?" Kirsten asked the boys for what was literally the seventh time.
"Yes," Seth answered.
"And you'll call us if you need us?"
"Yes," Ryan assured her.
"And you're going to be okay?"
"Yes."
"And no parties."
"Okay."
"And get some sleep."
"Okay."
"And no drinking."
"Okay."
"Come on honey," Sandy said prodding Kirsten to the car.
"Be good, boys," she said giving each a hug and a kiss. "I love you."
"Love you too," it was Ryan who said this, and Kirsten's smile could light up a room. She gave him one more kiss on the cheek and climbed in the car.
"The delivery guys are coming tomorrow," Seth told his father. "The carpeting is being installed in the morning. Everything should be done by Sunday."
"Good," Sandy said smiling. "Have fun, guys."
"You too," Seth said. "Although not too much fun, I'm far too old to become a brother." Sandy shook his head, grinning, and climbed in the front seat and pulled out of the driveway.
"He said he loved us," Kirsten said softly as soon as they were on the road. She smiled at Sandy, one of the first real smiles he had seen from her in days.
Yes, he decided. A definite step in the right direction.
Okay, so please review and let me know what you thought of this chapter. I'm going shopping! Yay for shopping! Although, I don't really have that much money, I'm kind of a broke college kid….oh well, that's what credit cards are for. Let me know! Thanks!
