I'm kind of changing where I'm heading with this story. I was going to
wrap it up but then my pre-synapsis terminal was getting all ferklempt, so
I thought I'd run with it. Thanks for the reviews and encouragement
(Walter).
I don't own the characters, Fox does, I make no money from this and yes,
I'm heavily medicated (joke).
Chapter Eleven
Ryan tried to pour himself a glass of water from the blue jug on his bedside table. His hands were shaking. Water sloshed everywhere except in the cup. Frustrated he put the pitcher down. Anger rose at his inability to do something so simple like get his own water.
He was tired. He was tired of the constant pain, the constant examinations and the constant flow of traffic in and out of his room. All he wanted was a freaking glass of water. The pain in his head erupted as he swept the jug and the cup and assorted books off the table with his right hand, his mind barely registering the additional pain of the IV twisting in the back of his hand. As quickly as the blinding pain appeared, it faded, leaving Ryan breathing erratically. Stunned at the suddenness and severity of the spasm he lay back on the pillows trying to catch his breath.
"Ryan...are you awake?"
Ryan shut his eyes tighter as he tried to contain his anger, mentally pushing all his raw emotions into a box in his mind. Snapping the lock shut, he opened his eyes and saw Seth and Summer. He tried to slow his breathing by taking in as deep breaths as his aching ribs would allow. He forced a smile on his face.
"Hi...hey.Sum...mer......Seth....supposed to be.....out, not here..."
Summer couldn't take her eyes off Ryan's head, the image of the red scar burning into her brain.
Ryan looked at Summer. She met his look with a smile. Not one of pity or even fear, but a genuine smile. Ryan felt some of his apprehension fade and he relaxed.
Seth gently nudged Summer and held up his bag.
"We went to the mall....we had our 'date'...."
Summer rolled her eyes.
"....picked up a few accessories for you...."
Ryan looked dubiously at the two of them.
"Ax...ax..ess...ories..?"
Summer took the bag and dumped it on Ryan's bed. A large assortment of hats flooded the bed. Seth reached into his knapsack and pulled out a crushed sombrero. Ryan looked puzzled and then smirked.
"I ask...for lay..ladies worsted....worsted nylon bathing suit now..?"
Seth laughed.
"Way to remember dude....I told you Summer, the grey matter between his ears works fine."
Summer shot Seth a dirty look.
"Obviously that's some kind of a private joke because if that's your choice of swimwear then this relationship is over."
Ryan picked up one of the hats and threw it at Seth, missing him and landing on the floor. Summer bent down, picked up the hat and noticed the puddle of water it landed in. She saw the jug, the cup and the books in the corner. She discreetly picked everything up and put them on the night stand. She opened the bottom drawer of the stand and pulled out a towel. She threw it on the floor, let it soak up the water and kicked it under the bed when she was done.
Seth was unsuccessfully trying to get Ryan to put on a hat. Summer shook her head.
"Cohen...I told you he wouldn't wear them."
Summer dug through the pile and pulled out a plain navy baseball hat. No labels, no logos, no sports team.
She gently placed it on his head.
"There, that was my choice...."
Ryan looked at her.
"I like....need find one for Seth and you t-t-t-too."
Summer looked at the hat covered bed.
"EW!"
The Cohen's meeting with Drs. Meyers and Michaels lasted nearly an hour. During that time the physicians carefully detailed everything involved in Ryan's homecare. They covered everything from pain management to Ryan's physiotherapy. Both doctors were pleased that Ryan's mental abilities hadn't been impaired by the accident. If everything went well and Ryan continued to progress as well as he'd been doing, the Cohens could take him home within a week. Dr. Meyers asked Sandy if they'd contacted any of the psychiatrists he'd recommended.
Sandy nodded.
"Dr. Rodriguez is meeting us here tomorrow morning. She wants to see Ryan."
Dr. Meyers smiled.
"You got Ynat out of retirement...and she's coming here..on a Saturday...? She must really like you..."
Kirsten laughed.
"We'll see how long that lasts..."
Ryan's dinner tray was brought up. He had fallen asleep after his physical therapy that morning and missed lunch. As hungry as he was, he was dreading those three small glasses that had been his meals for the last few days. The kitchen porter lifted the lid. He smiled at Ryan and told him to enjoy his 'dinner'. Seth, Summer and Ryan all looked at the tray. Seth picked up the computerized menu sheet and tried to compare what was listed to what was on the tray. Summer was desperately trying not to giggle. Seth thought he had it figured out.
"Okay Ryan...for your dining pleasure this evening we have 400 ml of French vanilla Ensure, which I'm guessing you've grown quite accustomed too, unsweetened applesauce..which would be in this lovely recyclable number three sized plastic bowl right here and this....this...this does not compute, Will Robinson...You're supposed to have chicken soup and as a member of the Tribe, I know chicken soup and I don't see chicken soup....I see light brown..uh, jello....Oh man, even my mom hasn't managed to do that to soup..."
Summer grabbed the menu from Seth.
"Cohen...it's gelled soup. It says here that this is a 'soft solid' tray. They gel the soup so Ryan can get used to solid food again and not choke on it..."
Ryan looked at Summer.
"Candy striper...I end up learning a lot about the hospital and how it runs. It's amazing how doctors and nurses forget I'm there when they talk to each other. I could probably perform a spleenectomy and If Seth bothers me, he'd be my first test subject..."
Seth put his arms around Summer.
"That's my girl..."
Ryan could feel his hands start to shake again. He didn't want Seth and Summer to see it.
"I tired...I eat l-l-later....need sleep..."
Ryan closed his eyes, brought his hands under the blanket and hoped that they would take the hint and leave.
"See...to-tomorrow..."
Seth quickly gathered the hat assortment and put them back in the bag. He tossed the bag on the chair.
"Yeah sure...I'll bring Marissa around as well...."
Ryan waited to open his eyes until he was sure Seth and Summer were gone. It took a few minutes of struggling to open the wrapped straw. He fought to keep the building frustration from overpowering him. He sipped the thick white liquid and attempted to eat some of the applesauce, but his trembling made it impossible to co-ordinate the spoon to the bowl and back to anywhere near his mouth. He lay back in bed, this time he fell into the black refuge of sleep.
******
Sandy was jolted from his sleep for the third time that night. He quickly disengaged the recliner and leaned over Ryan who was locked in a desperate struggle with the monsters. Sweat was beading down the boy's bald head as he flailed his arms wildly. Sandy felt the familiar ache in his heart as he listened to Ryan cry out for his tormentor to leave him alone....to stop...to get his money back. Sandy held Ryan's wrists, speaking softly, trying to keep his voice low and calm.
"Sh...sh...It's okay Ryan....You're safe....No one's going to hurt you again....I won't let them.....You're safe..."
He felt Ryan's body relax once again, his breathing slowing to a steady pace.
Sandy sat down heavily, just as a nurse came in to check on Ryan. Seeing Sandy visibly upset, she smiled sympathetically.
"Another bad dream?"
Sandy shook his head.
"I think it's the same one...."
She leaned over to Ryan, ready to inject the Demerol into the IV.
"Well, it looks like he ripped out his IV this time. It's been 6 hours since the last pain meds. I'm going to have to inject it directly into tissue."
The nurse took a clean washcloth out of the night stand and pressed it onto Ryan's hand to stop the bleeding. She then gently rolled him partially on his side. Ryan's eyes flew open at the touch. Panicked, he started to struggle. The nurse stepped back. Sandy leaned over and made sure Ryan could see his face.
"Ryan....It's okay.....I'm here....You ripped out your IV....You're alright....Can you hear me?"
Ryan's quiet voice answered.
"Yeah...."
"Okay, good...You don't have your IV in your hand right now and it's time for your pain meds.....Do you understand..?"
"Y---yeah...."
"The nurse is going to have to roll down your pajama pants a little to give you a shot.....Is that okay?.........I'm here...I won't leave you alone..."
"S'okay...."
The nurse moved back towards the bed, her voice gently.
"Hi Ryan....It's Liz.....I'm just going to give you something to make you feel better...Will you let me do that....?"
"Yeah...."
"Okay sweetie, first things first..I need you to roll over on your side just a little bit.."
Sandy reached out and grasped Ryan's wrists, holding him steady.
"Now I'm going to roll the waist band of your pants down a little....Can I do that?" "'kay..."
Liz quickly opened the alcohol swab and slightly lowered Ryan's pajamas.
"This will feel a little cold and then a little sting...There.....It's over..."
She quickly pulled the waist band back up and rolled Ryan onto his back.
"Now...let's see about this hand."
From what she could see, the bleeding had stopped. She put a bandaid on the back of Ryan's hand. She pulled the covers back up over Ryan and gently admonished him.
"Let your poor dad get some sleep now...."
Liz quietly left the room. Ryan settled back into the pillows.
"I sorry..."
Sandy reached for Ryan's hand.
"You have nothing to be sorry about...Can you tell me what you were dreaming about?"
Ryan hesitated.
"I...don't know...always same.....hold me down....can't wake up....always same...."
The Demerol started to make him sleepy. Sandy doubted that he would get anymore sleep that night.
Saturday January 10
The rest of the night was thankfully uneventful. Sandy did end up falling asleep again, listening to the steady rhythm of Ryan's breathing. Sandy became aware of someone else in the room. He opened his eyes and leveled the chair. A sturdy woman in the ugliest floral print suit that Sandy had ever seen was standing by the bed watching him and Ryan. Sandy looked over at his charge. Ryan looked peaceful for a change. Before Sandy could introduce himself, the woman held out her hand.
"I'm Dr. Rodriguez...."
Sandy shook her hand.
"Sandy Cohen....We had a meeting at 10 am....What time is it...?"
Dr. Rodriguez looked back at Ryan.
"It's 8:30...You should get cleaned up and call your wife. I have to meet with Ryan first."
Sandy was unsure if he should mention the obvious fact that Ryan was sleeping.
"I realize he's sleeping Mr. Cohen....I'll see you in 90 minutes." She said, dismissing him.
Sandy caught a cab back to the house. He and Kirsten hadn't even thought about replacing the Rover yet. He'd left everything for their lawyer to handle, but hadn't had a chance to talk with her yet.
Kirsten was surprised to see Sandy.
"I was just going to come down to the hospital with a change of clothes for you....."
"Thanks for the warm welcome.....I missed you too.."
Kirsten hugged Sandy.
"I'm sorry....I wasn't expecting you to come home before our meeting...."
Sandy poured himself a cup of coffee.
"I wasn't expecting to get kicked out of Ryan's room by Dr. Rodriguez."
Kirsten looked puzzled.
"But I thought we meet her at 10...."
Sandy shook his head.
"She wanted to meet with Ryan first..it didn't seem to matter to her that he was sleeping. I'm going to grab a shower...Care to join me.....?"
Kirsten tried to look shocked.
"Sandford Cohen...."
Kirsten took a step forward, slowly unbuttoning her blouse.
"I missed you....."
Dr. Rodriguez settled into the chair. She pulled out a small spiral bound book and wrote some notes. She had studied the copy of Ryan's file that Sandy had faxed over to her yesterday. She had been surprised that Sandy had spent the night at the hospital. She was surprised when she found out Ryan had not spent more than a couple of hours alone since he was admitted. This whole case was somewhat unusual and that is what intrigued her. A well-to-do lawyer and his real estate developer wife with no experience in foster care become legal guardians of a 16 year old they had only known for two weeks. There must be something special about this family for Joshua Meyers to recommend her to the Cohens. She had grown weary of whiny patients who paid her to be their sounding board. They didn't want advice...they wanted validation. It offered her a great standard of living, but it also sucked her soul dry, so she locked her doors and called it quits...resurfacing only to do pro bono work for those that really needed and wanted help. This boy definitely needed help. The Cohens definitely were not pro bono.
A breakfast tray was brought in. Dr. Rodriguez noticed how quiet the hospital staff was when they entered the room. As the porter left the room, the doctor heard moans coming from the bed. She pressed the call buzzer and listened to Ryan struggle.
"...leave me alone...please stop....money....Dawn...."
Liz quickly entered the room and lowered the side rails. Paul approached from the other side and did the same. Liz spoke quietly.
"It's okay Ryan...Open your eyes...You can do it....It's just a dream.."
Ryan began to thrash. Paul and Liz each held his arms.
"Ryan, we need you to open your eyes....C'mon buddy...open them up and it will be over...."
Ryan's eyes flew open, a look of terror painted on his face.
Paul spoke first.
"It's okay Ryan.....It's me..Paul....You're safe.....You're parents will be here any minute...."
Ryan blinked several times, his body starting to relax.
"Where's...where's..."
"Sh...It's alright..." Liz let go of Ryan's arm.
"Your dad had to go home for a few minutes....He'll be back soon....Are you okay now...?"
Ryan nodded his head. Paul let go of his other arm, got up and raised the bed rail. He brought the bedside table over and uncovered Ryan's breakfast tray. Ryan's stomach twitched as he looked at the tray. Paul noticed the look on Ryan's face.
"C'mon bud...if you don't start eating they're gonna end up tube feeding you....You'll never get out of here...."
Ryan wasn't sure if that was a threat or a promise, but he pulled the tray closer. Soupy oatmeal replaced the chicken jello . 2 small glasses of Ensure and pureed banana rounded out the meal. Paul decided on a different tactic.
"How about...you eat this, I'll take you down for physio and then we find a really pretty nurses aide to help you with a shower...hot water...soap..the works..."
Ryan looked at his tray and then back at Paul. After a few seconds Paul had his answer. Ryan picked up the spoon and scooped up some oatmeal.
Sandy and Kirsten arrived at the hospital at 9:50 and made their way to the appointed meeting room. Dr. Rodriguez was already there, still making notations in her book.
Seth phoned the Cooper's number. Jimmy answered the phone. After a few initial pleasantries, he asked about Ryan.
"He's doing better" Seth told him. "I know he'd really like to see Marissa..Is she up for a visit to see her former soon to be present neighbour also known as her boyfriend with me this afternoon?"
Jimmy hesitated.
"Well...I'm sure she would...."
Seth interrupted.
"...But....."
Jimmy sighed.
"She has plans with Oliver this afternoon..."
Chapter Eleven
Ryan tried to pour himself a glass of water from the blue jug on his bedside table. His hands were shaking. Water sloshed everywhere except in the cup. Frustrated he put the pitcher down. Anger rose at his inability to do something so simple like get his own water.
He was tired. He was tired of the constant pain, the constant examinations and the constant flow of traffic in and out of his room. All he wanted was a freaking glass of water. The pain in his head erupted as he swept the jug and the cup and assorted books off the table with his right hand, his mind barely registering the additional pain of the IV twisting in the back of his hand. As quickly as the blinding pain appeared, it faded, leaving Ryan breathing erratically. Stunned at the suddenness and severity of the spasm he lay back on the pillows trying to catch his breath.
"Ryan...are you awake?"
Ryan shut his eyes tighter as he tried to contain his anger, mentally pushing all his raw emotions into a box in his mind. Snapping the lock shut, he opened his eyes and saw Seth and Summer. He tried to slow his breathing by taking in as deep breaths as his aching ribs would allow. He forced a smile on his face.
"Hi...hey.Sum...mer......Seth....supposed to be.....out, not here..."
Summer couldn't take her eyes off Ryan's head, the image of the red scar burning into her brain.
Ryan looked at Summer. She met his look with a smile. Not one of pity or even fear, but a genuine smile. Ryan felt some of his apprehension fade and he relaxed.
Seth gently nudged Summer and held up his bag.
"We went to the mall....we had our 'date'...."
Summer rolled her eyes.
"....picked up a few accessories for you...."
Ryan looked dubiously at the two of them.
"Ax...ax..ess...ories..?"
Summer took the bag and dumped it on Ryan's bed. A large assortment of hats flooded the bed. Seth reached into his knapsack and pulled out a crushed sombrero. Ryan looked puzzled and then smirked.
"I ask...for lay..ladies worsted....worsted nylon bathing suit now..?"
Seth laughed.
"Way to remember dude....I told you Summer, the grey matter between his ears works fine."
Summer shot Seth a dirty look.
"Obviously that's some kind of a private joke because if that's your choice of swimwear then this relationship is over."
Ryan picked up one of the hats and threw it at Seth, missing him and landing on the floor. Summer bent down, picked up the hat and noticed the puddle of water it landed in. She saw the jug, the cup and the books in the corner. She discreetly picked everything up and put them on the night stand. She opened the bottom drawer of the stand and pulled out a towel. She threw it on the floor, let it soak up the water and kicked it under the bed when she was done.
Seth was unsuccessfully trying to get Ryan to put on a hat. Summer shook her head.
"Cohen...I told you he wouldn't wear them."
Summer dug through the pile and pulled out a plain navy baseball hat. No labels, no logos, no sports team.
She gently placed it on his head.
"There, that was my choice...."
Ryan looked at her.
"I like....need find one for Seth and you t-t-t-too."
Summer looked at the hat covered bed.
"EW!"
The Cohen's meeting with Drs. Meyers and Michaels lasted nearly an hour. During that time the physicians carefully detailed everything involved in Ryan's homecare. They covered everything from pain management to Ryan's physiotherapy. Both doctors were pleased that Ryan's mental abilities hadn't been impaired by the accident. If everything went well and Ryan continued to progress as well as he'd been doing, the Cohens could take him home within a week. Dr. Meyers asked Sandy if they'd contacted any of the psychiatrists he'd recommended.
Sandy nodded.
"Dr. Rodriguez is meeting us here tomorrow morning. She wants to see Ryan."
Dr. Meyers smiled.
"You got Ynat out of retirement...and she's coming here..on a Saturday...? She must really like you..."
Kirsten laughed.
"We'll see how long that lasts..."
Ryan's dinner tray was brought up. He had fallen asleep after his physical therapy that morning and missed lunch. As hungry as he was, he was dreading those three small glasses that had been his meals for the last few days. The kitchen porter lifted the lid. He smiled at Ryan and told him to enjoy his 'dinner'. Seth, Summer and Ryan all looked at the tray. Seth picked up the computerized menu sheet and tried to compare what was listed to what was on the tray. Summer was desperately trying not to giggle. Seth thought he had it figured out.
"Okay Ryan...for your dining pleasure this evening we have 400 ml of French vanilla Ensure, which I'm guessing you've grown quite accustomed too, unsweetened applesauce..which would be in this lovely recyclable number three sized plastic bowl right here and this....this...this does not compute, Will Robinson...You're supposed to have chicken soup and as a member of the Tribe, I know chicken soup and I don't see chicken soup....I see light brown..uh, jello....Oh man, even my mom hasn't managed to do that to soup..."
Summer grabbed the menu from Seth.
"Cohen...it's gelled soup. It says here that this is a 'soft solid' tray. They gel the soup so Ryan can get used to solid food again and not choke on it..."
Ryan looked at Summer.
"Candy striper...I end up learning a lot about the hospital and how it runs. It's amazing how doctors and nurses forget I'm there when they talk to each other. I could probably perform a spleenectomy and If Seth bothers me, he'd be my first test subject..."
Seth put his arms around Summer.
"That's my girl..."
Ryan could feel his hands start to shake again. He didn't want Seth and Summer to see it.
"I tired...I eat l-l-later....need sleep..."
Ryan closed his eyes, brought his hands under the blanket and hoped that they would take the hint and leave.
"See...to-tomorrow..."
Seth quickly gathered the hat assortment and put them back in the bag. He tossed the bag on the chair.
"Yeah sure...I'll bring Marissa around as well...."
Ryan waited to open his eyes until he was sure Seth and Summer were gone. It took a few minutes of struggling to open the wrapped straw. He fought to keep the building frustration from overpowering him. He sipped the thick white liquid and attempted to eat some of the applesauce, but his trembling made it impossible to co-ordinate the spoon to the bowl and back to anywhere near his mouth. He lay back in bed, this time he fell into the black refuge of sleep.
******
Sandy was jolted from his sleep for the third time that night. He quickly disengaged the recliner and leaned over Ryan who was locked in a desperate struggle with the monsters. Sweat was beading down the boy's bald head as he flailed his arms wildly. Sandy felt the familiar ache in his heart as he listened to Ryan cry out for his tormentor to leave him alone....to stop...to get his money back. Sandy held Ryan's wrists, speaking softly, trying to keep his voice low and calm.
"Sh...sh...It's okay Ryan....You're safe....No one's going to hurt you again....I won't let them.....You're safe..."
He felt Ryan's body relax once again, his breathing slowing to a steady pace.
Sandy sat down heavily, just as a nurse came in to check on Ryan. Seeing Sandy visibly upset, she smiled sympathetically.
"Another bad dream?"
Sandy shook his head.
"I think it's the same one...."
She leaned over to Ryan, ready to inject the Demerol into the IV.
"Well, it looks like he ripped out his IV this time. It's been 6 hours since the last pain meds. I'm going to have to inject it directly into tissue."
The nurse took a clean washcloth out of the night stand and pressed it onto Ryan's hand to stop the bleeding. She then gently rolled him partially on his side. Ryan's eyes flew open at the touch. Panicked, he started to struggle. The nurse stepped back. Sandy leaned over and made sure Ryan could see his face.
"Ryan....It's okay.....I'm here....You ripped out your IV....You're alright....Can you hear me?"
Ryan's quiet voice answered.
"Yeah...."
"Okay, good...You don't have your IV in your hand right now and it's time for your pain meds.....Do you understand..?"
"Y---yeah...."
"The nurse is going to have to roll down your pajama pants a little to give you a shot.....Is that okay?.........I'm here...I won't leave you alone..."
"S'okay...."
The nurse moved back towards the bed, her voice gently.
"Hi Ryan....It's Liz.....I'm just going to give you something to make you feel better...Will you let me do that....?"
"Yeah...."
"Okay sweetie, first things first..I need you to roll over on your side just a little bit.."
Sandy reached out and grasped Ryan's wrists, holding him steady.
"Now I'm going to roll the waist band of your pants down a little....Can I do that?" "'kay..."
Liz quickly opened the alcohol swab and slightly lowered Ryan's pajamas.
"This will feel a little cold and then a little sting...There.....It's over..."
She quickly pulled the waist band back up and rolled Ryan onto his back.
"Now...let's see about this hand."
From what she could see, the bleeding had stopped. She put a bandaid on the back of Ryan's hand. She pulled the covers back up over Ryan and gently admonished him.
"Let your poor dad get some sleep now...."
Liz quietly left the room. Ryan settled back into the pillows.
"I sorry..."
Sandy reached for Ryan's hand.
"You have nothing to be sorry about...Can you tell me what you were dreaming about?"
Ryan hesitated.
"I...don't know...always same.....hold me down....can't wake up....always same...."
The Demerol started to make him sleepy. Sandy doubted that he would get anymore sleep that night.
Saturday January 10
The rest of the night was thankfully uneventful. Sandy did end up falling asleep again, listening to the steady rhythm of Ryan's breathing. Sandy became aware of someone else in the room. He opened his eyes and leveled the chair. A sturdy woman in the ugliest floral print suit that Sandy had ever seen was standing by the bed watching him and Ryan. Sandy looked over at his charge. Ryan looked peaceful for a change. Before Sandy could introduce himself, the woman held out her hand.
"I'm Dr. Rodriguez...."
Sandy shook her hand.
"Sandy Cohen....We had a meeting at 10 am....What time is it...?"
Dr. Rodriguez looked back at Ryan.
"It's 8:30...You should get cleaned up and call your wife. I have to meet with Ryan first."
Sandy was unsure if he should mention the obvious fact that Ryan was sleeping.
"I realize he's sleeping Mr. Cohen....I'll see you in 90 minutes." She said, dismissing him.
Sandy caught a cab back to the house. He and Kirsten hadn't even thought about replacing the Rover yet. He'd left everything for their lawyer to handle, but hadn't had a chance to talk with her yet.
Kirsten was surprised to see Sandy.
"I was just going to come down to the hospital with a change of clothes for you....."
"Thanks for the warm welcome.....I missed you too.."
Kirsten hugged Sandy.
"I'm sorry....I wasn't expecting you to come home before our meeting...."
Sandy poured himself a cup of coffee.
"I wasn't expecting to get kicked out of Ryan's room by Dr. Rodriguez."
Kirsten looked puzzled.
"But I thought we meet her at 10...."
Sandy shook his head.
"She wanted to meet with Ryan first..it didn't seem to matter to her that he was sleeping. I'm going to grab a shower...Care to join me.....?"
Kirsten tried to look shocked.
"Sandford Cohen...."
Kirsten took a step forward, slowly unbuttoning her blouse.
"I missed you....."
Dr. Rodriguez settled into the chair. She pulled out a small spiral bound book and wrote some notes. She had studied the copy of Ryan's file that Sandy had faxed over to her yesterday. She had been surprised that Sandy had spent the night at the hospital. She was surprised when she found out Ryan had not spent more than a couple of hours alone since he was admitted. This whole case was somewhat unusual and that is what intrigued her. A well-to-do lawyer and his real estate developer wife with no experience in foster care become legal guardians of a 16 year old they had only known for two weeks. There must be something special about this family for Joshua Meyers to recommend her to the Cohens. She had grown weary of whiny patients who paid her to be their sounding board. They didn't want advice...they wanted validation. It offered her a great standard of living, but it also sucked her soul dry, so she locked her doors and called it quits...resurfacing only to do pro bono work for those that really needed and wanted help. This boy definitely needed help. The Cohens definitely were not pro bono.
A breakfast tray was brought in. Dr. Rodriguez noticed how quiet the hospital staff was when they entered the room. As the porter left the room, the doctor heard moans coming from the bed. She pressed the call buzzer and listened to Ryan struggle.
"...leave me alone...please stop....money....Dawn...."
Liz quickly entered the room and lowered the side rails. Paul approached from the other side and did the same. Liz spoke quietly.
"It's okay Ryan...Open your eyes...You can do it....It's just a dream.."
Ryan began to thrash. Paul and Liz each held his arms.
"Ryan, we need you to open your eyes....C'mon buddy...open them up and it will be over...."
Ryan's eyes flew open, a look of terror painted on his face.
Paul spoke first.
"It's okay Ryan.....It's me..Paul....You're safe.....You're parents will be here any minute...."
Ryan blinked several times, his body starting to relax.
"Where's...where's..."
"Sh...It's alright..." Liz let go of Ryan's arm.
"Your dad had to go home for a few minutes....He'll be back soon....Are you okay now...?"
Ryan nodded his head. Paul let go of his other arm, got up and raised the bed rail. He brought the bedside table over and uncovered Ryan's breakfast tray. Ryan's stomach twitched as he looked at the tray. Paul noticed the look on Ryan's face.
"C'mon bud...if you don't start eating they're gonna end up tube feeding you....You'll never get out of here...."
Ryan wasn't sure if that was a threat or a promise, but he pulled the tray closer. Soupy oatmeal replaced the chicken jello . 2 small glasses of Ensure and pureed banana rounded out the meal. Paul decided on a different tactic.
"How about...you eat this, I'll take you down for physio and then we find a really pretty nurses aide to help you with a shower...hot water...soap..the works..."
Ryan looked at his tray and then back at Paul. After a few seconds Paul had his answer. Ryan picked up the spoon and scooped up some oatmeal.
Sandy and Kirsten arrived at the hospital at 9:50 and made their way to the appointed meeting room. Dr. Rodriguez was already there, still making notations in her book.
Seth phoned the Cooper's number. Jimmy answered the phone. After a few initial pleasantries, he asked about Ryan.
"He's doing better" Seth told him. "I know he'd really like to see Marissa..Is she up for a visit to see her former soon to be present neighbour also known as her boyfriend with me this afternoon?"
Jimmy hesitated.
"Well...I'm sure she would...."
Seth interrupted.
"...But....."
Jimmy sighed.
"She has plans with Oliver this afternoon..."