Yes I know, sorry for never updating….
So I tried to write some Seth in this one cause I figured I couldn't avoid it much longer. I'm really not that good at writing Seth though...
Previously- Kirsten came in to meet Ryan and didn't make the best first impression.
' Sandy - "You're a good kid who's been put in bad situation – none of this is your fault."
Ryan looked more uncomfortable than ever.
…Sandy saw how awkward he'd made Ryan and his face fell. He'd make this kid believe what he'd said. Somehow he'd do it. '
Ryan remained sat on the edge of the bed for a few minutes after Sandy left. He was so tired he could barely think. All he wanted was to sleep for a couple days straight.
Kirsten had regarded him the same way most people did, it shouldn't surprise him and it didn't really. Maybe he had stupidly hoped that she would seem more like Sandy. It didn't matter. This was all too good to be true and it freaked him out – he'd get out of here as soon as he could, back where he understood people and his own place with them.
As soon as he could get out of here... he just needed some sleep... just a few hours... Ryan slipped down on the bed, exhaustion claiming him.
He felt a hand on his back. Warm and steady, not threatening like usual. It felt good. It moved up and down, up and down in a calming motion. Everything was dark, pitch-black. Ryan didn't know where he was or how he got here. It didn't matter. Human contact was something he always shied away from, it mostly bought pain and fear, so he didn't understand why he was so relaxed with this. You always had to know your surrounds, always had have an escape route. The hand kept up its steady rhythm, smoothing away tension as his muscles relaxed. Warmth was seeping through his thin t-shirt into his back; he swore he could even feel it in his chest. It was all Ryan wanted to focus on. It made him feel...what was it? It was so foreign, he didn't remember ever feeling this. Safe. He realized this is what being safe felt like. It was even more than that though – he couldn't understand or describe it. All he knew is that he never wanted that contact to end and he'd stay here, still, hoping it wouldn't leave. And it didn't. Ryan didn't know how long he'd been there but as time rolled by Ryan began to stop worrying the solid, reassuring pressure would go and just soaked it in. The sensation was almost too much. As he focused on it his chest tightened, ached, and it began to overwhelm him. He didn't actually know how much more he could take but he couldn't, wouldn't, move. The pressure moved to his eyes and to his horror he realized he was crying...
It was 10am and Sandy was due to check on Ryan again to ask him his 'concussion questions' as he'd labeled them.
After knocking quietly with no response he entered the pool house and was glad to see Ryan sleeping. He was doubly glad to notice he didn't seem gripped in any nightmares this time. Sandy called his name softly from a distance hoping to wake him with minimal distress but it seemed Ryan was sleeping quite deeply. As he got closer to the bed he could see Ryan's face and the change in it blew him away. Ryan looked like the child he was but more than that - he looked peaceful. It was like a different boy was lying in the bed, like the boy Sandy knew he was under the tough exterior. He wondered how long it was since Ryan looked even close to this while awake, hell, he imagined he rarely even looked like this asleep. It was a special moment for Sandy, his heart widening further for this kid. Then he noticed something, a small tear rolled from the corner of Ryan's eye, trailing over his calm, smooth face and slipping into his hair line. Sandy's heart broke at the sight. He feared Ryan was having another bad dream and resigned himself to wake him.
He moved down the bed a bit and tapped Ryan's leg. "Ryan..."
No sign of movement.
"Ryan... wake up Ryan." He shook his leg lightly.
Ryan stirred and Sandy stepped back further. Slowly Ryan woke and opened his eyes, immediately noticing Sandy's presence, he focused on him. Sandy's breath caught as Ryan's wide, wet eyes locked on to him. They seemed to be searching, asking for something Ryan couldn't voice himself. Sandy wished he would say something, tell him what he was feeling because there was obviously something going on in that head of his. But knowing Ryan was unable to do that at this stage Sandy asked "What is it Ryan?"
Ryan took a moment to process the words and then quickly looked down and when he glanced up again, the rawness was gone. "nothing..." he murmured
Sandy regretfully accepted the response. "I've just gotta ask you your concussion questions and you can go back to sleep."
Ryan nodded and they went through the routine much the same as last time.
Sandy got up to leave, "Oh hey, I almost forgot..." He picked up the icepack he'd brought from where he'd set it on the bed and handed it to Ryan.
"Thanks"
As Ryan glanced at him, Sandy thought he caught a glimpse of the same look he saw when Ryan woke up. He wondered what it was as he made his way out of the room again. Maybe Ryan was starting to trust him? He wasn't sure.
Ryan had woken groggily from a deep sleep with a strange aching feeling. His senses alerted him to Sandy straight away and the lingering sensation mixed with the sight of Sandy left him painfully open and lost. He was caught on the edge of sleep, feeling as if there was something very important he was missing and Sandy could somehow help him.
When Sandy asked what was up, the strange link broke and Ryan came back to his proper self. What the hell, he berated himself for being unguarded.
"nothing" he replied
Sandy asked him some questions for his concussion and left him with an icepack that Ryan was grateful for.
Seriously what the hell! his mind screamed when Sandy had closed the door. To his dismay he felt his eyes were wet and wondered what the hell kind of sleep he'd had, must be a leftover effect of the drugs he concluded.
Ryan noticed the throbbing in his head building again and groaned. He put the icepack on his head and laid down hoping to get to sleep again before it came back full force.
Sandy sat in his office absentmindedly going over a couple of his cases. Kirsten had gone to her yogalaties class or whatever and Sandy imagined Seth was still asleep.
He couldn't get his mind to focus on anything. He'd thought about Ryan's situation all morning and he couldn't come up with a good solution. He had to take him to Social Services Monday – was legally obligated to. There was no way he could think of to convince Kirsten to let him stay. That was what Sandy really wanted. He'd witnessed this boy in so much pain, physically and emotionally in such a small space of time, he didn't want to imagine what his life might have been like before this, he also couldn't stop imagining it and it killed him. Ryan had been through so much struggle and misfortune, but it hadn't made him an uppity kid with a bad attitude, instead he was completely unassuming – cautious and quiet. Through all of it Sandy saw he would be kind and good given any opportunity and that he was in need of endless kindness and unwavering support. Above all he needed to be protected from the people and the life that had quite nearly killed him and one day probably would. He had to work this out!
Seth Cohen woke up late in the morning, wandered downstairs to get himself some cereal then went and sat himself down in front of the Playstation for what was left of morning gaming time.
His Dad walked in 20 minutes later looking tired.
"Hey Dad, why so glum? Did you get wiped out surfing again and everyone laughed you off the beach? I can totally see that happening." Seth said after glancing up from his game.
"Good morning to you too Seth." Sandy replied.
"Hey Seth I need to tell you something, can you take a break?"
"Uhh can it wait like 2 hours? I just started this marathon quest and there's no save points for agesss." Seth said without taking his eyes off the TV.
"Try the pause button buddy." Replied Sandy.
Seth paused the game "How do you know about pause? You've never even played a video game." He sighed, exasperated. Sandy knew the feeling.
"Seth I've got something really important to tell you and I need you to listen carefully ok?" Sandy spoke slowly to get his point across.
"Yea, ok, what? Hurry up, you can't stay paused forever you know." Sandy just rolled his eyes.
"Do you remember the kid I found in Chino who was pretty beat up a few days ago?"
"Yea the one you went to the hospital with?" Seth asked, only half listening.
"Yes, that one. Well see, he's here. Now. In the pool house." No point beating around the bush with Seth.
"What?! You're saying there's just some random guy outside, like a few meters from us and no one told me?! How long has he been there? Why is he here? Who even is he?" At least he had Seth's attention now Sandy thought.
"I brought him here last night Seth, he got into a... situation in Chino and he really needed help and to catch a break."
"What did he kill someone? Is he running from the cops? Dad, are we harboring a fugitive?" Seth was getting ridiculous like he always did and Sandy knew he had to nip this in the bud, God knows what Ryan might do if faced with the likes of Seth's interrogation methods.
"Seth! Be quiet. I need you to calm down and act sensibly. His name is Ryan, he's your age, he's hurt and scared and doesn't need you judging him before you even know what's happened or who he is."
"Well then tell me what happened, none of this vague 'situation' crap, you've never bought home other kids before, what do you expect me to do?" Seth was indignant.
This wasn't going exactly the way Sandy had hoped, who was he kidding, this was Seth, of course it wasn't going the way he hoped. "First don't say crap to me. I can't give you specifics, it's not my place but I can tell you Ryan is a good kid who found himself in a bad place. He was not at fault and has done nothing wrong. But Seth he's really shaken up and in quite a bit of pain at the moment so don't go charging in there with a million questions ok? In fact don't go in there at all if I'm not there."
"What I'm not allowed in my own pool house anymore?"
"It's not your pool house, and no you're not allowed in there."
Seth gave an exaggerated sigh "Ok whatever! But like how long is he staying and is he gonna come in here, or is he confined to our outhouse?"
"Just until Monday probably and he's really not well enough to move around much so he will probably stay in there sleeping today."
"This is the weirdest thing ever..." Seth commented as he turned back to the TV, mind whirring a 100 miles an hour.
I hope that keeps him at bay for a little while anyway Sandy thought.
Ryan slept fitfully the rest of the day. His body was screaming out for proper rest but the pain from his injuries coupled with his restless mind conspired to not let him sleep for more than an hour at a time if that. The broken rest did seem to be doing something for his injuries as the day wore on, either that or Ryan was just learning to cope with the pain more. The extra paracetamol Sandy bought him in the early afternoon only moderated his pounding head and aching ribs slightly but he'd take anything he could get. He would've loved to take a shower but still couldn't think about moving so far without shuddering with dread. His need to leave was never far from his mind but he couldn't seem to stay awake enough to work out a decent plan.
Luckily Sandy's wife didn't come in again or the son he'd mentioned. Being able to rest so much was a relief but he felt like his stamina for enduring more prying people with unknown agendas was waning. He hoped to god he picked up soon because being this weak freaked him out.
At least he didn't have any more embarrassing outbursts when Sandy came in a few more times to check on him. Sandy bought him some lunch, soup and bread, but although he knew he needed to, Ryan couldn't bring himself to eat more than a few bites; his persistent headache made him feel nauseous most of the time. The rest of the day went by as smoothly as it could.
At dinner time Sandy asked him if he felt up to joining them inside for dinner. Ryan declined because, one, the idea of dining with these rich people he hardly knew who would only look down on him was the last thing he would ever feel like doing and two, he was still in too much pain and discomfort to keep up any kind of façade for more than a few minutes - he didn't need anyone knowing just how vulnerable and weak he was.
Sandy bought him a plain pasta meal and some Gatorade for dinner, he was keeping Ryan's food simple in the wake of the drugs and his concussion, not sure how his stomach might react. He also bought a final round of paracetamol. He encouraged Ryan to try and eat a bit more than at lunch time to get his strength back. After telling him he wouldn't have to wake him every couple hours anymore for his concussion, he said goodnight.
Ryan downed the pills straight away, hoping for some mild relief. He felt stupid being this weak and tired after a whole day's rest but the pain wore at him. He shouldn't be surprised, he'd been pretty messed up before and had to take a couple days of down time recovering. He'd even had worse injuries; he guessed it was the dam effects of the drug that had made this time so bad, he couldn't remember feeling this crap and just… drained. Fuck Trey…
He ate as much as he could of the dinner which wasn't much and when the pain killers started taking the edge off his aches, he fell asleep.
Ryan slept better Saturday night but still woke several times from pain in his ribs after moving the wrong way in his sleep or jerking with a bad dream. Sometimes his headache would just flare up for no particular reason and he'd lie there trying to breathe through it until it became manageable again. Most times when he woke up he forgot where he was for a few seconds and his heart would race with panic before he remembered. Even then his whole situation would usually keep him up worrying until he was too tired to stay awake.
He was getting sick of the whole thing, being stuck in bed, being in pain, being so tired. Something had to change so he could get moving again, he needed a plan and something to do. He was grateful when he saw the sky brightening one of the times he woke. It was change, things were still moving in the world. Good.
The sound of the door opening woke him up. Sandy came in with food on a tray.
"Breakfast time." He singsonged.
Ryan was glad to discover he felt a little less crappy this morning. His head still throbbed but he felt more alert and aware. Then Ryan saw the boy stepping in behind Sandy and his whole body was on edge again. Sitting up, his ribs screamed out in protest but his face showed nothing.
Sandy could tell the moment when Ryan saw Seth, his whole demeanor changed. Sandy was heartened to realize Ryan had actually come a long way with him, being as relaxed as he could be during Sandy's last few check-ins, but a new person immediately triggered full defense mode.
"Ryan this is my son Seth that I told you about." Sandy said, remaining by the door to give Ryan time to adjust. Seth luckily followed his lead, not entering the room further. Instead he said "Dude you look awful, Dad wasn't lying!"
Ryan paled and Sandy's eyes widened at Seth as he held his breath.
Then, of all things, Ryan gave a tiny smirk. "Yeah, I guess."
And that was all the invitation Seth needed to leap in. He moved closer to the bed, seemingly in awe of the darkness of the bruises that covered the Ryan's face, they were just coming to the height of their color before they would soon start fading; leaving nothing to show for what he'd endured.
Ryan was pretty dam uncomfortable with this Seth guy's presence but at least he stayed at the foot of the bed. Sandy grabbed his plate from last night and put the breakfast tray down on the bedside table.
"Thanks." Ryan swallowed and Sandy gave him a kind smile.
"So Ryan, right?" Seth asked. Before Ryan had a chance to even nod, Seth continued "You gotta tell me about the mad fight you were obviously in. How's the other guy look? Is he even alive? He's not dead is he?"
I wish thought Ryan darkly, thinking of AJ as he'd beaten the crap out of him.
Sandy came to the rescue, not missing the shadow that had crossed Ryan's face at the mention of 'the other guy' "Seth slow down, what'd I tell you, wind back the inquisition huh?"
Ryan looked momentarily relieved. Not getting anything from him, Seth tried another tack "Hey do you like PlayStation? We got a ton of games, racing, zombies, ninjas, fighting… maybe not fighting huh…"
For the second time Sandy held his breath and was relieved when again, Ryan smirked. It was incredible to see, the first positive sort of look on the kids' face and it was the result of his son's annoying rambling. If that was what it took, Ryan would be beaming in no time.
Ryan had to be a good judge of character where he came from and luckily he could tell straight away this Seth kid was harmless. Probably the most harmless guy he'd ever met, they just didn't come like this in Chino. Still he would under no circumstances drop his guard. Not with these people, not in this house, not in this town, not ever really…
Ryan replied "Sure."
"Awesome!" squawked Seth, triggering a spike in Ryan's headache, then he immediately began maneuvering the TV Ryan hadn't even noticed at the end of the bed. "I'll be back!" He announced and bounced out of the pool house.
Ryan sat there with a skeptical look on his face.
Sandy spoke up "I kept him away as long as I could I swear." He half chuckled "How are you feeling this morning Ryan?"
"Better… good… thanks." Ryan mumbled
"Good, that's good to hear. Eat some breakfast, there's a couple more pain killers there if you want them." Ryan looked up at him questioningly. "Not the strong ones yet sorry kid, can't have them till tonight… head still hurting huh?"
"S'fine" he replied, angry he'd prompted the query from Sandy.
Sandy observed him, unconvinced. "I'll kick Seth outta here in half an hour, ok? You'll still need lots of rest."
Ryan nodded. Inside he was relieved, Seth seemed harmless enough but he didn't think he could deal with him for long.
Just then Seth bounded back in with a PlayStation and a bag of games in hand.
"I'll leave you guys to it. Not too long Seth, and take it easy ok?" Sandy said as he left.
"Yea, yea, yea bye!" Seth waved him off.
"Sooo, what'd you wanna play first? Ninjas is pretty cool?"
Ryan shrugged, which Seth took as approval and put the game in.
Half an hour later, as promised, Sandy came back to herd Seth out. He paused outside the door. Looking in, Ryan looked the most animated and engaged Sandy had seen him. Trust video games to do the trick. His eyes were locked on the screen, fingers buzzing over the controller in his hands; Sandy even caught a third smirk at something Seth said. Then Sandy also noticed the sweat beading on his forehead and how his arms were shaking slightly and knew it was beyond time for more rest.
He opened the door and announced "That's it guys, play time's over for now."
Seth groaned "Dad we're in the middle of an epic battle, we need at least 10 more minutes."
"Remember that magic pause button Seth?"
Another groan and finally "…Fine!" the game was paused and Seth pulled himself up from the ground, turning the TV off.
"We'll continue this later Ryan." Seth smiled playfully.
Ryan raised his controller in acknowledgement.
"Not much of a talker that one." Ryan heard as Seth exited. Sandy gave an eye roll and a grin to Ryan. "Rest." He instructed then closed the door behind him.
Ryan found himself wondering desperately when the other shoe was gonna drop. This place was just too apple pie. Will have to leave before it turns sour, was his last thought before succumbing to sleep, exhausted but weirdly calm after half an hour with Seth Cohen.
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