A/N: Sorry for the long delay between updates, for some reason I had a really hard time writing this chapter.

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Seth was furious with his parents, "Ryan's in the hospital and no one bothered to tell me?" He glared angrily back and forth between Sandy and Kirsten who exchanged looks. They had decided to wait until they were both and home and tell him together. Conveniently they had both arrived home at the same time.

"Well, we're telling you now, Seth." Sandy pointed out reasonably.

"Yeah- but Ryan's at the hospital. He has to stay there overnight..." Then another thought occured to him, "Why are neither of you there with him? Mom?"

"He's sedated right now, and they put him in the children's ward so there really was no place for us to stay."

"Sedated? Why?"

Kirsten tried to do her best to explain at the complex medical stuff the nurse had spent thirty minutes explaining to her, "Well, he was coughing so much that he burst a blood vessel so he's in a lot of pain. Also there's a lot of fluid in his lungs, so they're cleaning all of that out." Kirsten felt that perhaps telling Seth that Ryan currently had a tube going directly down his throat to clear out his lungs wasn't the best plan to try and keep Seth calm. She had been escorted from the room while they inserted it. They told her he was lucky, if his breathing was any more impaired he might have had to go on a ventilator. As it was, they were just trying to keep his good lung clear, the one that hadn't bled, and make sure he got enough oxygen into his body as his impaired lungs struggled to fulfill their normally simple task.

The doctor had told her that they were surprised Ryan had never been treated for asthma or complained about problems breathing. Kirsten had almost smiled when they told her that, it wasn't like Ryan to admit to any kind of weakness or pain or complain about well, anything for that matter.

So... He's going to be okay?" Seth said, when Kirsten finished explaining.

"Yes, but it is going to be awhile, okay Seth?" Sandy fixed him with stern looked, begging his son to understand the seriousness of Ryan's condition and just how difficult his recovery might be. Ryan was going to fight them every step of the way, Sandy was sure of it. He would need Seth on their side.

"Yeah..." Seth muttered. "Can we go see him tomorrow?" He asked.

"Well, he's going to be home tomorrow." Kirsten explained quickly, that and she thought it best to spare Seth the sight of Ryan lying in the hospital bed. It would be traumatic at best, and somehow she didn't think Ryan would appreciate it. "I'm going to go over there in the morning, and by the afternoon he should be ready to come home okay?"

"Yeah... Whatever..." Seth said, still feeling left out.

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"Well, good morning sunshine," Ryan awoke to find someone smiling down at him bright, "How'd you sleep sweetheart?"

"Ughnn..." Ryan tried to talk but his throat was so dry and scratched that words wouldn't form.

"Here you go darling," The nurse said, extending a cup of cool water to him. Ryan managed to reach up and grasp the cup with his arm, which seemed to weight three times as much as he ever remembered it weighing. "Now drink it slowly..." She cautioned as Ryan moved to glup it down. He took a small sip. "How are you feeling this morning?"

"Where am I?" His voice was hoarse and scratchy, and very quiet.

"Why, you're at the hospital of course." Ryan looked around him. Two of the walls he could see were just blue curtains. The other wall was painted with a picture of a seal dressed like a clown. "Infection control," The nurse said, indicating the blue curtains that surrounded him, "Don't need you catching any more germs on top of whatever else you already got."

"My chest hurts..." Ryan said.

The nurse nodded sympathetically, as she picked up his chart, "I'm sure it does, but don't worry I'm here to give you something for that just as soon as I do a few quick tests. And you're mom is hear waiting for you."

"My mom?" Ryan's heart thudded hard against his sore chest, Dawn?

"Sure, sweet little blond woman, she's right outside, and I know she's anxious to see you." For some reason that description reassured Ryan that it was Kirsten, and not Dawn who was waiting for him. By the time his mind had wrapped itself around that idea, he realized the nurse had already stuck a thermometer in his ear. "102... Still not very good, but better than last night," She told him cheerfully.

"Last night?" Everything was kind of a blur. He remembered Kirsten taking his temperature and then whisking him off in the car. The smell of antiseptic. Lying on a bed, a machine hovering over him as someone told him to lie still. A bathtub filled with ice. Blood on his hand.

"Honey, you gave us quite a scare. We finally had it down like about 103 and then it shot right back up again. I think we just about used up the cafeteria's ice trying to cool you down!"

"I'm sorry..." He whispered.

The woman looked concerned, "Oh darling, you did nothing wrong, it was just your body getting a little over-excited about beating back all those bad germs." If he had been in better shape, Ryan would have rolled his eyes. Clearly this woman was used to dealing with patients much younger than himself. Oddly, he found himself wishing Seth had been there with him to crack light- hearted jokes about Ryan's clearly having been placed in the children's ward, if the child friendly lingo and clown seal were any indication. Although, he was also glad Seth was not going to see him with all these tubes down his throat.

"Okay..." Ryan looked down and picked at the blanket.

"Let me go get your mother..." The woman said, disappearing behind the curtains. A moment later the curtains rustled and Kirsten came around the other side.

Ryan managed to smile tiredly when he saw there, "Hey Ryan, how ware you feeling?" She went to his side and lightly brushed the hair off his forehead.

"Better," He said, honestly this time. Of course, anything was "better" than how he felt yesterday.

"Good," Kirsten smiled at him, and squeezed his hand, "Did you sleep through the night?"

He nodded, "Don't remember anything..."

"It's alright, your fever was very high. They said you might not remember much." Ryan nodded solemnly.

"Can I go?" He asked.

Kirsten nodded, "Soon, a few hours. They need to check your lungs again."

"They hurt..." Ryan admitted, they hurt with every breath, and he was still being fed oxygen.

"I know, and they're going to hurt for awhile." Ryan rolled his eyes.

"How did... End up..."

"It's pneumonia... It can come on fast."

"The blood?"

"You remember?" Ryan nodded his throat and lungs hurt worse and worse with every word, more than two in a row was verging on excruciating, "You were coughing so much you ruptured a blood vessel. It will take a little while to heal, but as long as you don't cough, it will be fine."

"How can... not cough?" His voice was almost gone, like steel wool stripping paint from metal.

"You've been given the world's strongest cough syrup," Kirsten explained, with a smile. Not bothering to mention that it was laced with pain killers, muscle relaxants and sedatives to keep his lungs and throat from spasming. Also the doctor had given her a prescription for a spray that would numb Ryan's throat so it wouldn't hurt or tickle so he wouldn't feel like he needed to cough. She had also given Rosa very specific instructions to dust the house from top to bottom, and had instructed Sandy to replace all of Ryan's bedding with anti-allergy pillows and mattresses, so hopefully there would be nothing to inflame Ryan's throat. Even Seth had been given a dust rag and anti- allergy spray and told to go through his room. He had agreed, only because he had been told that if he didn't Ryan wouldn't ever be allowed up there. Everyone was also under very strict instructions not to mention any of these preparations to Ryan, certain it would make him feel horribly guilty for something that wasn't his fault. Besides, a good deep cleaning never hurt the house.

Ryan seemed satisfied with all these explanations, but his eyes were starting to close again. "Get some rest..." Kirsten said, kissing his forehead, which though warm at least wasn't burning with heat. Ryan nodded, without opening his eyes, and Kirsten's pulled up a chair to his bedside, took her hand in his, and gently stroked it while her new son fell into a peaceful sleep.

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A/N: Well, hope it was worth the wait!

PS I'm thinking about keeping this going maybe even through the events of Cotillion with the sick!Ryan twist. yays or nays?