Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters of The OC. They all belong to Josh Schwartz.

A/N: This story is AU and takes place early season one, a couple of weeks after "To Be Seventeen" ended. Also, I've written the character of Frank Atwood differently then how he was portrayed both physically and personality-wise on the show. In my story, Frank Atwood is not a nice person.

Also, I've decided to occasionally respond to some of the reviews/comments I receive regarding my story at the end of the chapter. This way, I can give feedback to guest reviewers as well as acknowledge readers who have been offering me continued support of my writing.

Chapter Twenty-Four

"Ah, Dr. Evans... please come in," Sandy says, greeting the psychologist at the front door. "I can't tell you how happy we are that you could stop by today to talk to Ryan. I hope it wasn't too much trouble."

"No trouble at all, Mr. Cohen," Gabriel replies as he steps into the spacious, immaculate foyer. "My four o'clock appointment canceled so this works out perfectly."

"Well, Ryan is sitting outside on the patio next to the pool," Sandy says, gesturing for the doctor to follow him through the house. "I know you need someplace private to talk so there is the poolhouse if you prefer to be indoors."

"The patio should be fine," Gabriel says, appreciating the man's offer as he follows Sandy outside.

"Seth, you need to get out of the pool now and come inside," Sandy calls out to his son who is lazily reclining on an inflatable raft.

"But, I'm comfortable..."

"Now!"

Using his good arm to paddle the raft, Seth begrudgingly makes his way to the edge and carefully gets out of the pool. "Why can't they go in the poolhouse and talk?" Seth asks as Sandy guides him inside the house.

"Because Ryan needs to spend some time outside... the fresh air is good for him," Sandy replies as he hands his son a beach towel to dry off. "And besides, you shouldn't be in the swimming pool without plastic wrapped around your cast."

As Seth makes his way up to his bedroom, Sandy glances out the kitchen window and watches as Dr. Evans grabs a chair and pulls it over to Ryan.

Open up, kid, Sandy thinks to himself, hoping Ryan will talk freely with the doctor. If you want to get better, you have to open up... trust him, kid... he's one of the good guys.

"Ah, A Separate Peace, Gabriel states as he sits down across from Ryan, noting the book the boy is holding in his hands. "John Knowles' most popular, and probably most beloved, novel."

"You've read it?" Ryan inquires as he repositions his chair under the umbrella for shade.

"Why, of course... It's a classic!" Gabriel states with enthusiasm, happy to find a common subject to share with the boy. "Let's see... if I remember correctly, it's the story of the unlikely, but very close, friendship that develops between two sixteen-year-old boys who meet in prep school during World War II. They're polar opposites I believe... one boy is an introvert, the other an extrovert."

"It's one of the required books I need to read before school starts," Ryan explains as he places a bookmark on the page he's reading and sets the book down on the table.

"Well, you will not be disappointed," Gabriel says, affectionately recalling the novel. "Where are you now in the book, may I ask?"

Ryan sighs and casts his eyes down towards his lap. "Well... Gene, the introvert, has just caused his best friend, Finny, to fall out of a tree and shatter his leg."

"Ah, yes... I remember now..."

"But, I still don't know why the marble staircase is so important."

"That will be explained," Gabriel states, happy the boy enjoys reading. "I think you will appreciate how the story ends."

"Hello? It's just me," Kirsten says with a bit of hesitance in her voice as she walks out on the patio towards Ryan and Dr. Evans.

"Ah, Mrs. Cohen," Gabriel says, standing up to greet the pretty woman as she makes her way over to their shaded spot under the umbrella. "It's a pleasure to see you again."

"I'm so sorry to interrupt, but Ryan needs to have a little something to eat so he can take his antibiotic," Kirsten explains as she sets a small plate of cheese and crackers down on the table along with two bottles of water; one for Ryan, the other for Dr. Evans. "I've made enough for two. Please, help yourself."

Ryan quickly grabs the snack, somewhat surprised by how hungry his is since he just ate four hours ago.

"Here, Ryan... take this pill," Kirsten directs as she hands the boy an antibiotic. "You'll need to take one more before bedtime."

Ryan takes the pill and washes it down with some water, then takes a couple of more crackers to hold him over until dinnertime.

"Seth is up in his room listening to music and Sandy is installing some dimmer switches upstairs," Kirsten tells the psychologist as she goes to take her leave. "I'll be in my husband's home office working on a proposal. Please let us know if you need anything."

"Thank you, I will," Gabriel replies graciously as he glances over at Ryan, noticing the boy deep in thought.

Ryan stares into the pool, mesmerized by how the sun casts sparkling shimmers of light on the water.

"What are you thinking about right now?" Gabriel asks, hoping the boy will be forthcoming.

Ryan takes another sip of his water and brings his right knee up to his chest, wrapping his arm around his leg. "It was around this time... two days ago... Wednesday," Ryan states soberly as he rests his chin upon his knee and continues to stare at the calming, shimmering ripples of water in the pool.

"You were with your father..."

"He gave me some pills," Ryan says quietly, contemplating what happened next.

Dr. Evans remains quiet as he watches Ryan immerse himself deep in thought, knowing that if he asks too many questions too quickly, the boy will shut down and the session will abruptly end.

A soft, warm breeze wafts across the patio, causing the fringe along the hem of the umbrella to lightly quaver.

"I got sick... he got mad," Ryan says as he tilts his head down and gently rubs his forehead. "He always gets so mad..."

Gabriel takes a sip of water and continues to remain quiet, knowing the importance of being patient.

"I didn't mean to get sick..."

"Of course you didn't mean to get sick," Gabriel says earnestly, hoping the boy will continue.

Ryan suddenly remembers being on his hands and knees along the shoulder of the freeway; the sharp, hot stones digging into the palms of his hands as he crawled away from the truck...

"He bought a new truck... I don't know why... I don't know how he got so much money..."

"Do you remember what the truck looked like?" Gabriel asks, hoping his question is innocuous enough so the boy won't become defensive.

"Red... Silver..." Ryan lets out a sigh as he struggles to remember what happened only a few days ago.

"The truck was red and silver?" Gabriel asks, jotting down the information in his notes.

"Red Silverado..."

"Ryan, I'll need to give this information about your father's truck to the detectives," Gabriel explains, "but everything else you say here stays strictly between us."

"Okay..."

Gabriel makes a note to call the detectives, then turns his full attention back to his young patient.

"Sandy's installing dimmer switches upstairs because I'm having a hard time sleeping," Ryan finds himself telling the psychologist.

"Are you having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep," Gabriel asks, happy the boy has broached a subject that didn't first begin with a prodding question.

"Both... I guess," Ryan sighs as he glances briefly over at the doctor, then back to the tranquil pool. "I'm having bad dreams... I don't want to close my eyes." Ryan sighs and gently rubs his tired eyes. "I don't like what I see..."

"When you close your eyes, can you tell me what you see?" Gabriel inquires, hoping he's not asking too much of the boy.

"No... I really don't want to talk about it," Ryan states, not in the mood to dredge up memories he prefers to forget. "I just..."

"You just what..."

Ryan lets out a sigh as he looks at his bandaged hand and the sling draped around his arm. "I just wish I wasn't so much of a burden for the Cohen's."

"They clearly care about you," Gabriel says as he has noted how both parents have interacted with the boy in his presence. "They want to help you get through this..."

"I just don't know how I'll ever be able to repay them..."

"Why do you feel you need to repay them?"

"I don't know... I just should..."

"All right, let's switch gears a little and talk about something else," Gabriel offers, knowing the boy is getting very close to reaching his limit. "I know you've only been living here for a little over three months, but I would like you to tell me about something fun that you and the Cohen's have done together."

Ryan immediately lowers his leg and sits up a little straighter as he thinks about his time living with the Cohen's. "Well... a couple of weeks ago, when I was recovering from pneumonia, we played a game of Monopoly," Ryan says, sitting back in his chair as he recalls the playful taunting between the family members; each one so sure they were going to end up victorious.

"Ah, Monopoly... one of my favorites," Gabriel interjects as he tries to coax the teenager to continue.

"Seth went bankrupt in less than thirty minutes," Ryan says, shaking his head as he remembers his friend's poor investment choices. "But he immediately embraced his role as banker and official auctioneer of the unsold property."

Gabriel senses an easing of the tension in the air as he continues to listen to the boy's account of something fun that happened a mere two weeks ago.

"Sandy hung in for awhile, but he made this dismal trade with Kirsten and paid for it later," Ryan explains, remembering how he warned the man not to go through with the deal.

"So... who won?" Gabriel asks as he leans forward in his chair and clasps his hands together on his lap.

"Kirsten," Ryan says as a hint of a smile forms upon his face. "I rolled a six and landed on her hotel on Marvin Gardens."

"Ouch..."

"It was the one time I would have been happy to roll a seven and land on the cop," Ryan states, grinning at the fact he would have preferred to go to jail instead of facing Kirsten's "corner of terror".

Ryan looks up at Dr. Evans after he realizes how much he's been talking. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Gabriel smiles warmly at the boy as he leans back in his chair and folds his arms across his chest. "Because Ryan, I believe this is the first time I've seen you smile."

Kirsten walks back into the kitchen and notices the number "one" flashing on the home phone, signaling a voice message. Maybe it's the detectives calling, Kirsten thinks to herself as she grabs the remote phone to listen to the message. Maybe they've found Frank...

"Hey, Ryan... it's me... your mama..."

Kirsten suddenly feels her blood start to boil as she listens to Dawn Atwood's message to her son.

"I hope you get this, Ryan... I tried really hard to see you when you were in the hospital but the Cohen's wouldn't let me... they wouldn't let me see you, baby... but I wanted to... I tried... you gotta believe that."

"How dare she," Kirsten seethes under her breath as she quickly makes her way to her husband's home office, wanting someplace private to return the woman's call. Kirsten shuts the office door behind her and makes her way over to Sandy's desk, determined to quash any plans Dawn may have in regards to seeing her son. She sits down, takes a deep breath and enters Dawn's phone number, noting her sweaty palms and the slight trembling of her hands.

"Hey, Ryan? That you baby?"

"No, Dawn... it's Kirsten."

"Oh..."

"Did you really think we would let you talk to Ryan?" Kirsten asks, trying to keep her voice calm and remain in control of her emotions.

"Why are you keeping him from me? I know, probably better than anyone, what that no-good ex-husband of mine did to Ryan..."

"Oh, Dawn... you have no idea," Kirsten says tersely, thinking about the bits and pieces they have been able to put together from what Ryan has told them, the doctors and the detectives.

"I did rehab... I ain't seein' AJ..."

"And, I don't care," Kirsten says with disdain in her voice. "Ryan's been through hell, Dawn. You are the last person he needs in his life right now."

"You bitch! You're gonna be sorry..."

"Do not threaten me, Dawn. We have a restraining order against you, remember? There are policemen parked right outside our house. If you come anywhere near here, you will be arrested. Have I made myself clear?"

"He's my kid... not yours, do you hear me? You will be sorry, Kirsten. I'll find a way... maybe not today, or tomorrow or even next week. But, I will find a way..."

Kirsten pulls the phone away from her ear as she hears the receiver get slammed down on the other end of the line. She looks down at the phone and with her trembling hand she deletes the message, then quietly breaks down in tears...

"I don't believe it!" Jack yells as he slams the phone down. "Unbelieveable!"

Kathryn jerks her head up from reading the notes strewn across the table and sighs. "What is it, Jack?"

"Judge Bonehead Nincompoop has refused to grant our request for a subpoena of Caleb Nichol's phone records."

"Why am I not surprised," Kathryn says with a hint of sarcasm as she adds a photo of Vincent Manetti's dead body on the board next to the picture of their Jane Doe from the warehouse.

"Vincent Manetti made a call to Caleb Nichol Wednesday morning," Jack explains to his partner as he paces like a caged animal around his desk. "The call originated from a cell tower in Corona. Corona, Kat! That's where Frank was staying and we know, from what the maid told us, he definitely had his son."

"But the call was made to a cell phone Caleb Nichol uses primarly for business," Kathryn says, not surprised they couldn't get the subpoena. "Since the Newport Group is a client of the law firm Mr. Manetti works for, it's plausible he could call that number. The Newport Group isn't under investigation... we can't look at their records. We need more."

"All right, lass..." Jack says as he stops pacing and stands in front of the board, looking at the timeline they've been able to put together. "Let's go over what we've got."

"Well, according to Mrs. Cohen, her father claims not to have known Mr. Manetti," Kathryn recaps, finding that fact intriguing as she stands next to her partner and studies the board alongside him. "I think it's safe to assume that if Caleb Nichol did give Frank Atwood money to take Ryan, any record of it is buried deep in the Newport Group's books."

"An accountant could uncover it," Jack offers, mulling over their options.

"If we can't get a subpoena for the phone records, we're definitely not going to get one for their financial records," Kathryn laments.

"True... all right, what else do we have."

"It's probably going to be at least a week before we hear anything back from the CDC," Kathryn continues, remembering her conversation with the lab tech and how it will take days just to start growing the viral and bacterial cultures.

"It only takes a couple of hours on the telly," Jack states, wishing their job was more as it's depicted on television. He'd have a heck of a lot more time to sleep.

"We've got the company car at the gas station in Corona on Monday night, but no surveillance footage or witnesses to tell us who was driving the car," Kathryn says, wondering if it was Caleb Nichol or possibly Vincent Manetti in the black Lexus. "Plus, there's the fingerprints on Ryan's bike."

"And, we've got a man in the hospital, two dead bodies and one very traumatized teenage boy."

"So, what's our next move, Jack?"

"Kat, dear partner... I believe it's time we had a little chat with Caleb Nichol."

Individual Replies:

visiting: Thank you for you input! Always appreciated. :-) I agree that Dawn would be every bartender's nightmare, but since I'm setting up a future scenario, I felt I had to write Wanda and Dawn's interaction this way. Hope you'll remain patient. I plan to have Wanda become a very important catalyst in my story with regards to Ryan. I'm also happy I seem to be hitting the right notes with Ryan and Sandy. I do love writing their interactions. :-)

guest: I'm happy that you're a happy camper. :-) I'm hoping that Jack's change of heart has been gradual. He's a character that I'm taking pains with trying to evolve, with the help of Kathryn, of course. ;-) Thank you for the "Terrific!" I truly appreciate it. :-)

5-STAR: Thanks! :-)

Starwarrior87: I'm happy that you'll continue to read my story. :-)

Nadine: I agree, the writers could have done so much more with Kirsten and Ryan's relationship on the show. Hopefully, I'll be able to tap into that relationship more in my story. :-)

anon: Thank you for your input and no, you weren't "jumping the gun" in regards to Wanda. It's important that I get reader's perspectives so I know whether or not I'm relating what's going on in my brain and putting it accurately into words. Many felt Dawn would have been a well-known regular at Wanda's, but I viewed the place more of a refuge for Ryan and Trey to escape Dawn. In my mind, the boy's wouldn't hang out at a place their own mother would frequent and probably taint with her presence. I may need to go back and add more background to Wanda and Dawn's exchange so there isn't that confusion.

Happy you enjoyed the Sandy/Ryan interactions last chapter. I was somewhat afraid that there was too much, but that doesn't appear to be the case. :-) I'm hoping to show Ryan slowly emerge and trust the people around him. Sandy knows Ryan trusts Wanda, and Ryan has opened up to Sandy. He's allowed Dr. Morrison to examine him and is now starting to realize he can talk to Kirsten and Dr. Evans. Ryan will need to trust these people, but it's a slow process because, well... it's Ryan. ;-)

guest: Thank you for your review! I agree that Ryan does need a hug, but he won't except just any hug. He's experienced too many empty hugs from Dawn, so when Ryan does allow some physical contact he's letting his guard down little by little and learning to trust.

Sandy will remain patient and compassionate with Ryan. Whether he will be patient and compassionate with another character remains to be seen. ;-)

anonymous: I'm thrilled that you and other readers enjoy how I write Ryan. It's actually exhausting to write his character and also the most difficult. It's so much easier to write Seth and my "versions" of Dawn and Frank. I can just have them blurt out what they're thinking and be done with it.

Thank you for your input and review. I really appreciate it! :-)

guest: Thank you for your kind words! :-) You seem very confident that I won't splat, but since I'm not a medical doctor, psychologist, lawyer, or detective, I've already ventured way outside my comfort zone. I feel most confident writing the interactions between the characters so thank you for the 5 stars for the Ryan and Sandy bonding. :-)