+NOTE: I do not own any of these characters… you can thank FOX. If you have any questions or comment you can e-mail me at liverbrain22@hotmail.com+

(Thanks for those of you who reviewed!)

Chapter Three: Love of the Loveless

"Yeah, sorry…So can you do me a favor, without letting your Dad find out?" Ryan asked again.

"Yeah, what is it?" Seth asked. He didn't like the way Ryan sounded over the phone.

"I need you to get something from your Dad's office for me. Can you do that?" Ryan questioned. He was calling from a payphone near the pier and it was getting dark outside. He knew he had to start looking for shelter before it got too dark outside.

"You mean, you want me to break into my Dad's office and steal something?" Seth replied and cut Ryan off before he said anything. "How would I be helping you?"

"If you do this – I need to see my Mom, Seth. I need to know if what…I just need to see her." Ryan explained. "So can you do it or not?" He asked.

"Yeah, of course, Ryan." Seth didn't tell him that he knew about his mom. He didn't want to push the subject any further. "Where are you?" He asked.

"I ran away." There was an awkward pause and then Ryan continued. "You're not going to tell on me are you?"

"Shit, Ryan. No…I want to help you! And if it means getting caught and being grounded for the rest of my adolescence, I will do it. Just tell me where and when you want to meet and I'll get whatever you want."

"Thanks." Ryan replied. "Okay, I need you to go into your Dad's office and look for my file. I think he knows where my mom is living…Just try and get me anything that concerns my Mom. I really need to talk to her. Okay?"

"Yeah, I'm actually a great detective. I used to play detective in my Dad's office all the time." Seth blabbed on nervously. "So, where do you want to meet? I'll have to sneak out on my parents, 'cause I normally don't go for a skate at ten o'clock at night."

"Well, I'll be hanging around the pier. Come whenever you find it."

"Okay. I'll see you soon." Seth said and then hung up the phone. He walked out of his room and slowly made his way down the long hallway. He carefully listened for his parents. He could hear them in their room talking about his grandfather, Caleb Nichol, and his mom's new model home project. He quietly walked passed their bedroom and went downstairs into his dad's office.

"Okay…Let's see what I can find here…" Seth mumbled to himself as he snooped through his dad's desk. He opened a drawer and found two chocolate bars. "Oh, what do we have here. Oh … Oh … Oh Henry…" Seth grabbed an Oh Henry bar and starting eating it, as he looked through his dad's stuff. He found a bunch of files stacked under this morning's newspaper, but didn't find Ryan's. "Focus!" Seth told himself. "It's got to be here somewhere…" He mumbled.

Seth looked high and low but didn't find anything that concerned Dawn Atwood. He didn't want to let Ryan down – he couldn't let Ryan down. He searched over his dad's desk again, but still no file. As he was leaving the office he spotting his dad's briefcase. He picked it up; praying it wasn't a locked briefcase. And it wasn't. He opened it and searched through it's content. "Jackpot." Seth whispered to himself, as he pulled out Ryan's file. He sat down at his dad's desk and started to go through his file.

"Busy guy…Suspended twice for fighting, truancy three times…98 percent on his SAT?! Huh…Whoa." Seth flipped through hospital documents and read them through carefully. "Broken ribs…arm…FINGERS?! Give me a break." Seth yelled out. Can we say child abuse, Seth thought to himself. How could Ryan want to go back to his mom? She doesn't deserve him!

Seth heard his parent's voices coming closer into the distance, and closed Ryan's file and put it under his shirt. He then put his Dad's briefcase back on the floor at the door and slid out of the room. He quickly ran to the den and turned on the Playsation.

Sandy and Kirsten both walked into the den with worried looks. "What?" Seth asked.

"Seth, we need to talk to you." Sandy said. "When Ryan called you earlier…Where was he?"

"I don't know. I'm assuming he was at the Miller's where he lives." Seth lied to his parents.

"Seth." Kirsten scowled. "Ryan ran away. If you know where he is I want you to tell us before everything gets out of hand. We don't want to bring the police into this." Kirsten explained. "He's on probation."

"Oh, so now you guys actually care about him." Seth said, throwing the Playsation controller on the couch next to him and standing up. He shook his head at his parents and laughed. "You guys don't know anything about him, you know. I don't understand why he can't live with us. We have all this room – yet you still decided to ship him off." Seth yelled.

"Seth, we are the parents here. We make the decisions!" Sandy was furious at Seth. "Tell us where he is!"

"I don't know!" Seth yelled back at his parents. He then left the den and went to his room. He slammed his bedroom door and locked it behind. He pulled out Ryan's file and scanned it. "Bingo." He said out loud. He found a piece of paper with Dawn's address and phone number. Grabbing his skateboard and Ryan's file, he climbed out of his window and carefully walked over to the balcony that was attached to the guestroom. He climbed back into the house through the window and tiptoed his way out of the house.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"I think Seth knows where he is!" Sandy paced the kitchen floor. He had just gotten off the phone with Tom Miller. Tom was going to wait until eleven o'clock, and then he would call the police.

"Are you accusing him of lying?" Kirsten asked. "That'll be really good for your relationship."

Sandy ignored her. "Maybe I should go talk to him again."

"Let him be, Sandy. You'll only make matters worse. Tom and Wilma told us they had everything under control. Ryan isn't out responsibility…Why are you so worried?"

"I was this kid, Kirsten! I thought I could help him…" Sandy trailed off. He knew he wasn't helping Ryan when he sent him off to a group home. But he knew the group home was better than living with Dawn Atwood and her boyfriends. He didn't know a lot about Ryan, but he had a hunch about him. He wasn't going to give up on him right now and let him slip through the cracks. "I just want him to have a normal life, that's all. I'm going to go for a drive." He grabbed his keys off the counter and left the house before Kirsten could protest any further.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Seth was out of breath when he reached the pier. He didn't see Ryan anywhere in sight. He picked up his skateboard and walked around.

"Seth, over here." Ryan shouted out to him.

Seth twirled around and spotted Ryan in the darkness. "Hey." He pulled out his file. "Pretty impressive stuff you got." He commented, handing it to him. "It's all in there…Your Mom's address and phone number…Look, Ryan, I don't think you should go see her." Seth warned him. "My Dad told me about how she just…Just handed you over to Child Services."

"Seth, whatever you have to say to me won't stop me from seeing my Mom. I need to see her, I need to talk to her." Ryan explained. "Did anyone see you leave?"

"No, I was pretty sneaky. My Dad is going crazy though. It won't be long until he threatens to murder me if I don't talk. He knows I know where you are." There was an awkward silence between the two of them. "I'm going with you, Ryan."

"What – No you're not. This has nothing to do with you, or your family. I need to handle this myself, Seth. Just go home and don't tell anyone where I am, okay?" Ryan asked.

Seth ignored his request and asked, "Exactly how are you going to visit her? I don't see a car or a bike. And I know that you don't exactly have enough money to bus to Chino."

"You're not coming with me, Seth." Ryan retorted. "I'll hitchhike if I have to."

"Do you not watch horror movies, Ryan!? There's no way you're hitchhiking. It's dark out…That's when all the creeps come out of their little tiny hole to-"

"Seth." Ryan stopped him. "You don't exactly have a car either." He commented, pointing to Seth's skateboard.

"True, you have a point. But, you've missed the obvious. My parents are loaded – Well, not my dad, but you get the point. – So, that means, I've got a bit of money myself. I could help you. For instance," Seth poked him in the chest. "I could pay for a cab."

"Seth, I'm, uh…I'm not taking your money. I'm not a charity case." Ryan said.

"Dude, don't you even get into charity cases. Believe me, you're not a charity case." Seth explained. "Look, if I go back home my parents are going to drill me of your whereabouts. It's best for me to stay with you because then you know they don't know where you are. Come on dude. Let's do it." Seth begged.

"Fine. You pay for the cab now, but I'm paying you back. And when I get to my Mom's place, you go home. Deal?"

"Whatever floats your boat."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"I'm calling the police and I'm reporting him missing." Tom said and then picked up the phone.

Wilma shook her head in disappointment and went into the kitchen to brew up some more coffee. Josh was in the kitchen eating a late night snack.

"You should be in bed." Wilma told him, patting him on the top of the head.

"Does this mean I'm leaving?"" Josh whispered.

"What? No, why would you think that?" She asked, sitting down at the table with him.

"Ryan left because of me, Wilma. I didn't think he would actually run off like he did. I'm for sure a goner." Josh closed his eyes. "Sorry."

"You're not going anywhere, Josh. This is your house." Wilma swallowed hard. "I think it's best that we find Ryan a new home." She said. She stood up from the table and poured two cups of coffee. "Off to bed now." She told him.

Josh left the kitchen in a hurry with a smile across his face.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"So, when you get there, Ryan, uh…What are you going to do?" Seth asked. They were in the back of the cab.

Ryan looked out of his window. "I need to know…" Ryan trailed off and looked back at his folder. He opened it and looked through all the papers. "It's funny, you don't realize how much of a screw up you are, until this." He pointed to the documents.

"Ryan, you're not – "

Ryan cut him off. "She's family, Seth. I know what you're thinking." Ryan stopped and cleared his throat. "You're thinking she did all of this." He said, referring to the hospital documents. "She didn't."

"Who did?" Seth asked.

"I did." Ryan whispered. "I screwed up." He looked out of the cab window and watched the scenery go by. "I need to know if what she told your Dad is true."

Seth didn't say anything. He wasn't sure how to comfort Ryan. They sat the rest of the ride in silence.

"This it?" The cab driver asked, as he pulled up to the side of the road.

Ryan looked at the old apartment building and nodded. "Yeah, I guess so." He replied. He looked at Seth. "Thanks. Take the cab back home and don't tell your parents where I am."

"No, I'm coming with you, Ryan." Seth opened his door.

Ryan grabbed Seth's arm. "No. I have to do this alone. Just leave, okay?"

"Dude, I'm your friend. I can't leave you hanging on for something you're not sure will hold. I won't go in with you, I'll just wait outside." Seth replied.

Ryan opened his door and got out. Seth paid the cab driver, got out and stood with Ryan in front of the apartment building.

"I'll just wait right here." Seth told him.

"Okay, but if I'm not back in ten minutes…Then leave. I'll be fine." Ryan told him, as he walked into the apartment building. Seth didn't follow him; instead he stayed behind and sat down on the cold cement stairs. Ryan checked the piece of paper that was in his folder. His mom lived on the second floor in room twenty-two. The elevator was out of order, so Ryan had to use the staircase. He gagged at the scent of urine, as he made his way up the stairs.

Ryan walked down the dirty hallway and came to room twenty-two. He pressed his ear against the door to see if his Mom was alone or not. He didn't hear anything, so he knocked.

"You're late!" He heard his mom's voice shout out. "Get your ass in here!"

Ryan grasped onto the doorknob and took a deep breath. He opened the door.

"Ryan, what the fuck? What they hell are you doing here?" His mom scrambled off the floor, trying to hide the needles. "Cat got your tongue?" She joked.

Ryan eyed his mom. She was very thin and pale and he could tell that she was back into her old routine. "Mom, what are you doing?" He asked, still standing in the doorway

"Get in here before the landlord sees you!" She yelled at him. Ryan stepped into the apartment and closed the door behind him. "What are you doing here?" She asked.

"I came to see you." Ryan replied, looking around the small apartment.

"I thought I told that lawyer of yours I didn't want to see you." His mom snapped at him. She took out a bottle of liquor from the cabinet and poured herself a drink.

"Mom." Ryan whispered. "I came to see if what you told Mr. Cohen was true or not…I guess it is. Why?" Ryan asked.

"Fuck, Ryan. You're always asking questions! Can't I just do something for once, without you opening your Goddamn mouth? You're just like you're father!" Ryan backed away from her, as she walked up to him. "Why?" She hissed. "You want to know, why?" Her breath smelt of vodka. "You don't need me and I don't need you to screw up my life. How's that for an answer?" She questioned, pouring herself another drink.

"Mom, I need you! What the hell am I supposed to do?" Ryan yelled at her.

Dawn shook her head. "You don't need me. We both screwed up. I knew you'd turn out just like your father and your brother. You wait." She hissed. "You'll soon be rotting in jail, just like the rest of them!"

"What am I going to do?" Ryan whispered.

"There you go again with the Goddamn questions." She chucked the bottle of liquor to the ground, as she finished it up. "Ry, don't you get it? I thought you were a smart boy…Guess I was wrong." Just then there was a loud knock on the door. "Who is it?" She demanded.

"It's me!" A male's voice shouted.

"It's open!" Dawn yelled.

Ryan turned around to see A.J. at the door. He knew he had to get out of here fast. He could tell A.J. was wasted, just like his mom.

"What the fuck is he doing here?" A.J. demanded.

"He's questioning my authority." Dawn stated.

Ryan clenched his fists, sensing a fight. "I just came to visit." Ryan replied calmly.

"A visit, huh?" A.J. snorted.

Ryan ignored A.J. "Mom…So, it's over?" Ryan couldn't believe it. As if his mom would just kick him out and then abandon him. He thought his mom loved him. They were family.

"It's over, now get out!" A.J. demanded.

"I'm asking her." Ryan muttered.

A.J. stepped into Ryan. "What was that?" He asked, spit globs were flying into Ryan's face. "Is that how you talk to your elders?"

"Your nothing close to being one." Ryan retorted.

"Ryan, leave it. Just go." His mom said.

A.J. grabbed a hold of Ryan's jacket. "I don't ever want to see your fucking face here ever again. You hear?" Ryan didn't reply. He stood there, with A.J. grip on his jacket, staring back and forth between his mom and A.J. A.J. pinched Ryan's side. "You hear me?"

Ryan shook his head and spat in his face. "She's my mother! You can't tell me not to see her!"

"Ryan, he's not telling you, I am!" Dawn shouted at him.

A.J. let go of his grip from Ryan's jacket and wiped the spit off of his face. "You're nothing but a fucking nuisance to this world." He yelled at Ryan and then punched him in the face. Ryan fell down to the ground and A.J. continued kicking him. Ryan curled up into a little ball, waiting for the kicking to stop.

"A.J., stop it. Ryan, leave!" Dawn yelled at the two of them.

A.J. stopped kicking and Ryan slowly got up and made his way to the door and opened it. A.J. muttered something to him and turned his back. Ryan grabbed the closest thing to him, a beer bottle, and smashed it over A.J. head. The bottle hit his head hard, smashing into little pieces.

A.J. turned around, shocked from the blow and charged Ryan. They both flew out into the hallway. A.J. smashed Ryan's head against the cement wall and then kicked him. "Get out and stay out." He muttered and then went back inside the apartment, closing the door.

Ryan lay in the middle of the hallway, unconscious.

Seth looked up at the dark sky and felt his pants vibrating. "What the…" Seth jumped up and then realized it was his cell phone. He forgot he had it and that it was on vibrate mode. He checked the number that had just called. It was his parents. They knew he wasn't in bed. "Shit." Seth mumbled. He looked up at the apartment building and checked his watch. Ryan had been in there for over ten minutes. He wasn't sure if he should check on him or not, but he decided he should. That's what a true friend would do.

Seth walked into the apartment building and waited for the elevator to come down. He stood there for a good two minutes cursing at the elevator, when he noticed the 'Out of Order' sign, posted to the side of the elevator. "Jackass." Seth mumbled to himself, as he made his way up the stairs. He was close to vomiting as he passed by a puddle of urine. "Note to self; never live in an apartment on the outskirts of Chino." He told himself.

Seth got to the second floor and saw Ryan lying in the middle of the hallway. He ran up to his friend and shook him. "Dude. Wake up." Seth picked Ryan's head up off the floor and felt a sticky substance on his hand. He pulled his hand away and examined the blood. "Shit, what the hell happened?" Seth looked over to the apartment door. "Did she do this to you? Don't worry, Ryan." He told him, even though Ryan was obviously not awake to hear him.

Seth pulled out his cellphone and dialed his home phone number.

"Seth?" His dad answered. "Where the hell are you?"

"Dad, chill. I'm with Ryan and – "

Sandy cut him off. "Where are you? You are in big trouble, Seth! How could you run off like this…"

"Dad! Will you shut up and just listen to me!" Seth blurted. He lowered his voice and said, "Ryan and I went to his Mom's apartment, and I left him to go talk to her and now…Shit, Dad, I don't know what the hell happened. Ryan's passed out and he's bleeding!" Seth looked at his bloody hands. "I don't know what to do, Dad."

"Seth, listen to me." Sandy said in a calm voice. "I want you to call an ambulance, okay?"

"Yeah." Seth nodded his head.

"I'll meet you at the hospital, okay."

"Okay, bye." Seth said and then hung up. He then dialed 911 for an ambulance. They sent an ambulance, as well as the police.

Seth sat down beside Ryan and started talking to him. "Dude, wake up." He was trying hard not to cry. "I should have been with you. I should have been there for you, man." Seth mumbled, looking at Ryan.

The ambulance came and took Ryan to the hospital. Seth rode with him in the back of the ambulance and watched the attendants work on him. Ryan was slowly waking up.

"Dude, there you are." Seth smiled at him.

"What –" Ryan tried to lift his head up, but he was strapped down.

"Son, just stay put." The attendant told him.

"Where's my Mom?" Ryan asked.

"The police came, Ryan. They arrested both her and A.J." Seth told him. "Don't worry…Everything will be okay, I promise." Seth told him.

Ryan let out a tear. "You should have left me there…" Ryan mumbled.

"Hell no." Seth shouted. "You're stuck with me."

Ryan tried hard not to laugh at his friend. "Well…Back to Juvie I go."

"None of this was your fault. Shit, if only my parents weren't such assholes…" Seth laughed nervously. "What ever happens; happens. I'm with you all the way."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++=

As soon as Sandy got off the phone with Seth, he called Tom Miller. Sandy and Kirsten then swung by their house and picked up Tom and headed over to the hospital in Chino. When they got to the hospital they spotted Seth sitting in the waiting room.

"Seth!" Kirsten ran up to him and gave him a hug. "Oh honey, are you okay?" She asked, letting go of him.

"I'm not the one that's hurt here." Seth stated. He looked over at Tom Miller and then back at his dad. "Ryan's not going back there…He can't, Dad." He said.

"Seth, we'll leave that up to Child Services." Sandy replied and then asked, "How is he?"

"Oh, you know…Alive and living." Seth muttered, sinking back into his seat.

"Seth." Kirsten scowled. Sandy and Tom both walked away from Kirsten and Seth and went to the front desk for some more information.

"Mom, why can't he stay with us? It's not like he's going to pee and poop all over the house. I don't have to walk him or feed him…Well technically, you have to feed him. But, that's beside the point, Mom. I just don't get." Seth babbled on. "None of this would have happened if he were living here, with us."

"Seth, you know I can't just bring home a teenager. Life just doesn't work like that."

"Life doesn't work like that, huh?" Seth muttered. "So, I guess it's okay for your Mom to ditch you and let her boyfriends beat on you. Heck, let's just brake a few limbs while were at it and say he fell!" Seth shouted, as he stood up and paced the floor.

"Seth, what are you talking about?" Kirsten asked.

"Mom, as if you didn't know!" Seth shouted. "Have you not seen his file?"

"Seth, you know I don't have the authority to be looking into Ryan's folder. And that means you too."

"Okay, forget the authority crap." Seth snapped at her and then sat back down in his seat. "He's in the hospital." Seth stated. "He'll be back here in a month or two if we don't stop this."

Kirsten sat down next to Seth. "Seth, he's living with the Miller's now. His mother won't be able to hurt him."

Seth turned to her. "You think he likes it there?" He asked.

Sandy and Tom walked up to them before Kirsten could respond. "Good news." Sandy informed them. "They're just patching up a gash on the back of Ryan's head from the blow and then he can go home."

"Dad, he was unconscious…Isn't that bad?" Seth asked.

"Yes. Which is why someone has to wake him up every few hours." Sandy replied. "Come on, we're allowed to go see him."

Sandy, Kirsten, Seth and Tom walked into the tiny hospital room. The doctor was just finishing the last stitch on the back of Ryan's head. The doctor then put gauze around Ryan's head and explained everything to the three adults. "I've given him some pain medication. So, just make sure he takes it. The stitches should dissolve, as well. Any questions?" The doctor asked.

"No, thank you." Sandy replied, shaking the Doctor's hand.

The doctor smiled at the five of them and then left.

"Dude, let's get you home." Seth said, helping Ryan up. Ryan looked over at Tom, Sandy and Kirsten. Seth knew what he was thinking. "Dad, I was thinking…Maybe Ryan could just stay with us – Just for one night. Someone has to stay up all night and wake him up every hour. And I know you old folks are heavy sleepers."

Tom was the first one to speak. "If that's all right with you guys." He laughed at Seth's humor.

"Yes, that's alright." Kirsten said, smiling at Ryan. "Come on, let's get you out of here."

The car ride home was a quiet one. Everyone was exhausted from the day's events. Seth tried to keep up the flow of conversation in the Rage Rover, but Ryan fell asleep on him. After they dropped Tom Miller off at his house, Seth began his babbling.

"Mom, Dad…Don't you think the best thing for Ryan right now is for him to stay with us? For good?" Seth said, looking over at Ryan. He was curled up in his seat, with his head against the window.

"Seth, it's not nice to talk about someone when they're in the same vehicle." Sandy replied, keeping his eyes on the road.

"But – " Seth began.

"Seth." Kirsten warned. "We're almost home, why don't you wake Ryan up."

Seth rolled his eyes at his mom and then shook Ryan's shoulder. "Dude, we're home…Wake up." Ryan shifted in his seat and woke up slowly. "We're almost home."

Ryan nodded his head and then shut his eyes again.

"Dude, wake up." Seth shook him again.

Ryan moaned and brought his hand to the back of his head. "My head hurts." The car stopped in the laneway and Sandy and Kirsten got out. "Where are we?" Ryan asked Seth.

"Home." Seth told him again.

"Home?" Ryan repeated.

"Well, not yet…But soon my friend. Let me work a little magic of my own and we'll see how it goes from there. But for now, you're stuck with me waking you up every hour or so." Seth got out of the car and Ryan followed him and got out. They both walked into the house.

Kirsten handed Seth a bottle of pills. "He needs to take another one of these in two hours. Make sure he does." She said and then turned to Ryan. "How are you feeling?"

Ryan shrugged. "Never better." Kirsten smiled at him.

"Seth, you have school tomorrow…But, seeming that you'll be staying up all night you don't have to go. So, make sure you stay up with Ryan all night, okay?" Sandy asked.

"Yeah, Dad…I got it covered." He said and then took Ryan into the poolhouse. "So, what happened, Ryan?" Seth asked.

Ryan walked over to the bed and lay down. "I'll tell you later…let me just get some rest." He said, closing his eyes.

Seth sighed. "Okay, I'll just…I'll be over there." Seth pointed to the clutter of cushions on the ground.

Ryan glared at him. "Don't watch me sleep like that."

"What? I'm not watching you sleep."

"Good, 'cause I hate it when people watch me sleep." Ryan replied and then closed his eyes again. He snuggled into the sheets and fell asleep.

"Alrighty then." Seth looked around the pool house, trying to stay awake. He started whistling his favorite tunes, with the name Summer in most of them, and flipping through comic books.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Seth woke up to his watch beeping on him. He had set it for every two hours to wake up Ryan. It was eight in the morning now. "Ryan." Seth shook him.

Ryan tossed and turned in his bed and then slowly opened his eyes. "What?" He glared at Seth.

"Dude, it's eight…You hungry?" Seth asked. "I cook a mean cereal."

Ryan shrugged. "I'm not really that hungry, but sure." He got up and followed Seth inside to the kitchen. Both Sandy and Kirsten were not in the kitchen and Ryan felt more relaxed. He didn't want to cause any trouble for them. He was already causing too much trouble.

Seth and Ryan sat down at the kitchen table and ate their cereal.

"So, Ryan, uh…" Seth munched away on his cereal. "You want to talk? I mean, tell me what happened last night."

Ryan played with the soggy cereal and his bowl and shrugged. "There's not much to talk about, Seth."

"Dude, what happened?" Seth asked again. "Her boyfriend didn't just knock you out for no reason." He stated. "I'm guessing you got what you needed to know, right?"

Ryan nodded his head. "Yeah, I guess so." He held back his tears. He wasn't about to sulk over his mom abandoning him. He was stronger than that. "I screwed up." Ryan mumbled.

"Dude, you didn't screw up. She did. She screwed you over." Seth commented. Ryan closed his eyes and shook his head. "Sorry…I just don't get it, Ryan. Forget it." Seth grabbed his bowl and took it to the sink. He came back to the table and put his hand on Ryan's shoulder. "I won't let them send you away."

Ryan looked up at him and frowned. "Your parents won't be the one's sending me away, Seth. I ran away…I'm going back to Juvie."

Before Seth could say anything Sandy and Kirsten came walking into the kitchen.

"How are you feeling, Ryan?" Sandy asked, giving him a smile.

"Great." Ryan lied. His head was pounding and he felt like he was on a rollercoaster.

"Seth, we need to talk to Ryan…Alone." Kirsten said. Seth looked over at Ryan and gave him a friendly smile before leaving. Seth wasn't sure what was going on, so he decided to eavesdrop from the den.

Sandy and Kirsten both sat down at the table with Ryan.

"I just got off the phone with Lillian." Sandy explained. "She thinks it's in the best interest for you to live somewhere else and – "

Ryan cut him off. "So, not only does my own Mother not want me but now the Miller's don't want me?" Ryan shook his head at the two of them, trying to control his emotions.

"Ryan, the Miller's like you…It's just that we decided it's not the best place for you." Sandy replied. "And your Mother…"

"Where is she?" Ryan asked.

"Last night both her and A.J. were arrested. She's out. A.J. in for assault." Sandy replied.

Ryan closed his eyes and tried to think everything over in his head. The Cohen's didn't want him, the Miller's didn't want him and his own Mother didn't want him. He had no one and no where to go. He didn't want to go back to another group home, or worse, back to Juvie.

Kirsten reached over the table and rubbed Ryan's hand. "Are you feeling okay? Do you need some pain medicine for your head?" She asked. Ryan shook his head. A lonely tear escaped down his face and he quickly bushed it away and stood up.

"So, what now? Am I going back to Juvie? I ran away from the Miller's."

"Ryan, you're not going back to Juvie. Yes, you did violate your probation and there will be consequences to face, but you're not going back to Juvie." Sandy explained. Ryan stood in the middle of the kitchen staring at the floor. "Lillian found you another group home. It's not like the Miller's, though. They're more kids at this one…Five or six." Sandy tried to find Ryan's eyes, but Ryan wasn't looking at him.

Seth then walked into the kitchen and went over to Ryan. "Come on." He grabbed his arm and guided him upstairs to his room.

Once the two boys were gone, Kirsten finally spoke up. "Sandy, do you think he's really okay?"

Sandy shook his head. "I want to believe he is, but I can't."

"And there's no way he can go back to his Mother?" She asked, even though she knew the answer.

Sandy shook his head again. "She made it clear the other day that she didn't want him and then this…Well, I doubt Ryan will ever be seeing her again. I wish there were more I could do, Kirsten. I thought I could help him."

"Last night Seth mentioned something about his file and about his Mom's boyfriend beating on him. Is that true, Sandy?" She asked.

"He does have a lot of hospital records in his file and Child Services did an investigation with his family a few years back, but nothing was done about it." Sandy told her. "He's a kid with a lot of needs." Sandy stated. As much as he wanted to help Ryan and let him stay with his family he knew his wife would never allow it. When he had brought it up earlier she had flipped out on him.

"And what about this new group home?" Kirsten asked.

"It's run by an elderly couple with quite a few kids. They have five or six children, with ages ranging from 6-17. That's all I could get out from what Lillian told me this morning."

"What about his probation?" She asked. "He violated that, didn't he?"

Sandy nodded his head. He wasn't sure why Kirsten was asking so many questions. "He did and they will look into it.

"Okay." She whispered.

"Okay, what?" Sandy asked.

"I don't want him going to another group home, Sandy. I don't know what you see him in him, but if you think you can help him…Seth really likes him." She laughed nervously. "And I don't want to hurt him, Sandy. I don't want to see him with that look on his face. It kills me…I want him here."

Sandy walked over to his wife and gave her a hug. "Well, there's a no return policy now. You know that."

Kirsten laughed and kissed Sandy on the cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too." Sandy replied.

"We better go find Ryan and tell him. Seth's going to go crazy."

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"You okay, man?" Seth asked Ryan, who was sitting on his bed.

"Sorry." Ryan whispered. "So, I guess it's to another group home…"

"Dude, you're like a brother to me and…Look, I'm sorry I couldn't get my parents to let you stay here."

"Seth." Ryan stopped him. "It's okay. I get it. Who would want me? I mean, I'm nothing but trouble."

"That's so not true." Seth laughed. "You may come from a rough background, but you're so not trouble." He joked, trying to cheer Ryan up. "I'll be right back." He told Ryan. He needed to go talk to his parents about Ryan. He knew Ryan couldn't go back to another group home.

Sandy and Kirsten were just coming down the hallway when Seth opened his door and walked out.

"Mom, Dad…Just the people I was looking for." Seth said.

"Seth, we need to talk." Kirsten said, walking into his room. "Ryan, are you okay? She asked, smiling at him. She brushed his hair away from his face.

"I'm fine." Ryan replied, flinching away from her touch.

"Boys, we have something to tell you." Sandy said.

"Is this another one of your lecture, Dad? 'Cause right now isn't really the time." Seth stated.

"Seth, sit down." Sandy demanded. Ryan scooted over on Seth's bed and Seth sat down next to him.

"Ryan." Kirsten began. "Sandy and I decided that it's best if you live with us right now…Here with the family. That's if you want to."

"Hell yeah." Seth shouted, jumping up from the bed.

"Ryan?" Sandy asked.

Ryan looked back and forth between Sandy and Kirsten. He was in shock.

"Dude, close your mouth and stop drooling." Seth joked.

"Uh – Yeah." Ryan stumbled on his words. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. As much as he wanted to be with his own family, he knew that would never happened. He liked the Cohen's and Seth was like the brother he never had. "That's if you want me."

"Of course, Ryan." Kirsten replied.

"But, what about all that's happened?" Ryan asked.

"As long as you promise to talk to us and not run away from everything, Ryan. We want you in this family." Kirsten replied.

Seth stood there nodded his head and smiling. "Dude, say yes."

"Okay…Yes." Ryan replied, standing up from the bed. He felt a little lightheaded from his concussion as he stood up in front of the Cohen's.

Kirsten embraced him. "Welcome to the family."

"Thanks." He smiled shyly at her, as she let him go.

"This is awesome." Seth commented. "Come on, let's go play some Playstation." He grabbed Ryan's arm and stated pulling him out of the room.

"Uh, Seth. I think Ryan should maybe get some rest." Sandy said, stopping Seth.

"Right. I forgot. Heat of the moment, I guess." He said and then turned to Ryan. "Maybe after your little nap we'll get to play some Playstation."

"Sounds good." Ryan replied and followed Seth out of the bedroom.

"You know, Kirsten…" Sandy wrapped his arms around her waist. "We just got in way over our heads."

Kirsten kissed Sandy on the lips and smiled at him. "I have a good feeling about all of this."

THE END

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