Ryan walked into the kitchen, dreading this meeting. Seth mumbled nothing
more then bitch when he walked out of the kitchen, and although Kirsten
didn't make any such comments, she looked even more miserable then Seth.
They all wished him "good luck", and Sandy reminded him to keep his cool
and not get mad. Ryan just smiled, and said he'd try.
Mrs. Dawson smiled as Ryan entered the kitchen,
"Hi, Ryan. Have a seat." She said, "I want to thank you for being so patient. I promise, this shouldn't take too long. I just have a few questions, ok? Get to know you a little better"
When Ryan just nodded, Mrs. Dawson continued,
"Why don't we start with an easy one? Tell me about your family."
"My family?" Ryan asked, "What more do you need to know? I mean, you've just spent this whole afternoon quizzing them."
Mrs. Dawson nodded and made a note in her pad before telling him,
"By family, you assumed I meant the Cohens?"
"Didn't you?" Ryan asked. He was confused, everyone else referred to them as his family.
"Well, when you think of family, do you always think of the Cohens?" she asked him.
Ryan thought for a minute and then nodded,
"Now I do." He answered, since it was the truth.
Hoping for more of an explanation, Mrs. Dawson then asked,
"Since when?"
Ryan just shrugged first and then said,
"Over time, but more so recently."
"Why?" she asked him.
Again, Ryan just shrugged first and then said,
"I don't know how to explain it."
Mrs. Dawson smiled at Ryan before asking him,
"Well, what is it about being with the Cohens that is somehow different then being with the Atwoods?"
Ryan couldn't help but smile a little, even snicker. It may not have sounded like a stupid question to Mrs. Dawson, but to Ryan, it was almost too easy.
"Well," he said, "No Cohen has ever hit me, beaten me, or stolen money from me or talked me into committing any crimes. And I've never had to take care of any drunken, drugged out Cohen."
When Mrs. Dawson didn't immediately respond to his answer, Ryan figured she wanted more of an explanation so he said,
"When I got into trouble because of Trey, Dawn Atwood threw me out of her house. Well, first, she let her latest boyfriend punch me in the face a couple of times, and then physically throw me out of the house. And while I was gone, she packed up all her stuff, and some of mine, and took off, leaving me a note. A note."
"And when I got in trouble because of Oliver, Sandy and Kirsten Cohen yelled and lectured and grounded me. Grounded me! They didn't throw me out of the house. They made me come home and stay in the house. And no one hit me, and no one left me. So, yeah, when I think of family, I tend to think of the Cohens."
Ryan watched as Mrs. Dawson wrote more in her pad. He figured that answer was finally acceptable to her. Mrs. Dawson then asked him,
"Ok, so if you think of them as family, why would you risk it all by breaking into the school, by assaulting another student? You knew that any trouble could result in this very investigation, in the possibility of being taken away, but you did it anyway. Why?"
Ryan looked away and then down at his hands before saying,
"I don't know."
"Ryan." Mrs. Dawson said, "I don't know isn't good enough. You claim that the Cohens are your family, but you can't tell me why you would be so willing to lose them because of some guy who was interested in your girlfriend. The Cohens couldn't be all that important to you."
Ryan took a deep breath before answering. He wasn't going to let her get to him, make him lose his temper.
"Mrs. Dawson," he finally said, "Oliver was more then some guy who was interested in Marissa. He was crazy. I knew it. I saw it, and I didn't want him around Marissa, or Seth for that matter. I know what a sick person is capable of doing, and I was right. And as sick and as twisted as this sounds, we were lucky that he only killed himself and no one else. Yeah, I know I was wrong in how I handled it, but not in why I handled it."
"But why did you have to handle it?" Mrs. Dawson asked, "If the Cohens are your family, then why didn't you go to them? Turn to them before you got in over your head?"
Ryan looked out the window towards the patio before telling her,
"Believe me, Mrs. Dawson, I've asked myself that over and over. And I don't know. All I can say is that this is all new to me. I've never had any one to turn to before, who gave a damn. I've pretty much always taken care of myself. So I messed up. I didn't go to Sandy and Kirsten for help. I was wrong."
"So what did the Cohens do to you?" Mrs. Dawson asked.
"They didn't do anything to me." Ryan said, "I already told you, they've never hit me. I also told you that they lectured and they yelled and they grounded me."
"And sent you to Dr. Colefield." Mrs. Dawson added.
Ryan just nodded, and again looked towards the patio.
"Well," Mrs. Dawson continued, "What about Dr. Colefield?"
"What about her?" Ryan said, before correcting himself, "I mean, what do you want to know about her?"
Mrs. Dawson smiled and said,
"Tell me, who's idea was it for you to see her?"
"Sandy and Kirsten's." Ryan answered.
"And..." Mrs. Dawson said, wanting more.
"And, I agreed to go. And no, I wasn't happy about it, at first. And I figured they thought I was crazy. And that there was something wrong with me. But, that wasn't it." Ryan told her.
Mrs. Dawson then said, "So, why did they want you to see Dr. Colefield?"
"Like I said, all of this is new to me." Ryan answered, "Everything was going pretty good until Oliver came. I thought I was handling it all, learning how to fit in. But obviously, I wasn't so they decided it would be for the best if I talked to someone, and you know, learned how to live here, with a real family."
"And how's it going?" Mrs. Dawson asked.
Ryan shrugged before answering,
"It's going good, I guess. I mean, it's therapy. I don't know what more I can say about it."
Mrs. Dawson again nodded, made another note in her pad and then asked,
"So, if you continue going to therapy with Dr. Colefield, do you think you'll be able to get along, without any more trouble?"
"I don't know." Ryan started, "I think so. I'm trying. They told me to try, and I'm trying. I.... Look, I know I'm not perfect, but the Cohens know it, too. And they don't care. I mean, they care, but they accept me anyway. So, if they tell me to go to therapy, to talk, to stay out of trouble, I'm going to try."
"And are you trying now?" Mrs. Dawson asked him.
Ryan nodded and told her,
"Yes."
"Why?" Mrs. Dawson asked, "Did they tell you to try? To cooperate?"
Ryan again nodded before saying,
"Yes. If I want to stay here."
"So, obviously you want to stay here." Mrs. Dawson noted.
Again Ryan nodded and again said, "Yes." And after a pause asked,
"So what happens now?" Ryan was getting really tired. He was tired of talking and explaining and justifying, and he was definitely tired of Mrs. Dawson.
Mrs. Dawson put her pen down and looked at Ryan. She smiled and then began to explain,
"Well, after I'm finished here, I'll review all of the information in your file. Go over everything that's been said, by everyone. Review the reports I have, your school records, and so forth. I've already looked into some of the group homes that have availability and........."
"Available group homes?" Ryan interrupted. "But. So, you've already decided? Then why say review what we said? You're not going to listen. You're not listening to anything we've said. You've already decided."
"I didn't say that." Mrs. Dawson tried to explain, "All I'm trying to say...."
"I know what you're saying!" Ryan shouted, "Son of a ......"
Ryan didn't finish. He quickly got up from the table, and headed for the back door. He attempted to ignore Sandy, Kirsten and Seth as he stormed out of the kitchen and tried to head for the pool house. Sandy quickly stopped him.
"What..." Sandy said, "Ryan, what's the matter? Hey, where are you going?"
"Apparently I'm leaving!" Ryan shouted.
Mrs. Dawson appeared from the kitchen to tell him,
"Ryan, that is not what I said."
"Yeah, well, that's what I heard!" Ryan shouted back at her. He was done. He tried. For all the good it did, he tried. He talked to her, answered her questions, and the whole time she knew, he wasn't going to be allowed to stay with the Cohens. He felt his whole body shaking as he again tried to take off for the pool house.
"Ryan..." he heard Sandy say as he turned to leave. But he didn't stop. Not until he heard Sandy shout,
"RYAN! Stop! Now!"
With that, Ryan stopped. Because Sandy told him to, he stopped, and walked back towards them.
"What is going on here?" Sandy asked. He was obviously shaken by Ryan's out burst. Ryan could see that. He could also see by looking at Kirsten and Seth that they were also visibly upset.
"She said she was looking into available group homes!" Ryan told them, 'She's not going to listen. To me or you or any of us. She's already decided!"
"Ryan," Sandy said, calmly, "You need to settle down, lower your voice and come sit down."
"But Sandy..." Ryan started to say, but stopped when he saw that look in Sandy's eyes. That one that says 'because I said so.'
"Ryan," he heard Mrs. Dawson say, "I still have a few more questions to ask you."
It had been a really long time since Ryan really, truly wanted to hit a woman. He knew though that he couldn't and wouldn't. But he could at least think it.
He was still thinking about it when he suddenly felt Kirsten's arm around his shoulder. He hadn't even realized she had walked up to him.
"What happened?" she asked Ryan but turned to Mrs. Dawson when she started to talk,
"I was trying to explain to Ryan that after interviewing everyone, and looking into his home life here, as well as other alternatives, like group homes, I would then decide what would be the best for Ryan. I never said any decision had been made."
Ryan looked down at his feet, and then said,
"I'm sorry. It's just. You started talking about available group homes. You never said anything about my life here, and it sounded like you had already decided. I'm sorry."
"Can we just continue?" Kirsten asked, "What other questions do you have? Can you ask them with all of us together?"
"I'd rather talk to Ryan alone." Mrs. Dawson replied.
As Ryan started to walk back to the kitchen, Mrs. Dawson noticed Mr. Cohen point at Ryan and give him a look. Ryan simply nodded before lowing his head and reentering the kitchen. Obviously, Ryan understood some unspoken lecture he was getting from Sandy.
After Ryan returned to the kitchen, he waited for Mrs. Dawson to sit back down before telling her,
"I'm sorry. Really. I shouldn't have lost it. I just. This has been really hard, and I'm sorry."
"Does that happen a lot?" Mrs. Dawson asked.
"What, lose my temper?" Ryan asked, and when Mrs. Dawson nodded, he continued,
"I doubt you'll believe me after this, but I actually lose it less now then I used to. I know that must seem hard for you to believe, but it's true."
Ryan didn't know why he was explaining it to Mrs. Dawson. If she hadn't already made up her mind before his outburst, then she certainly had after. He figured all he could do now was try to convince her that he wasn't a totally violent psycho. At least if he could convince her of that then he still had a shot at a group home, and not juvie.
Mrs. Dawson again nodded, before making more notes in her pad.
"And is that usually how Sandy and Kirsten handle it? Handle you?" She asked.
"Handle me?" Ryan repeated.
"When you lose your temper, can Sandy or Kirsten or even Seth help you calm down?" Mrs. Dawson asked.
"Yes." Ryan told her, "They're actually the reason my temper isn't as bad as it used to be. They know how to help me diffuse it, I guess."
Mrs. Dawson asked,
"Did Dr. Colefield teach them how to help you?"
Ryan shook his head and told her,
"No. They always just knew. They get me, I guess. Usually."
Mrs. Dawson made more notes in her pad and then asked,
"What was that look about?"
Ryan wasn't sure what she was talking about so he asked her,
"What look?"
"The one you got from Sandy," She told him, "Before you came back into the kitchen."
"Oh, that," Ryan explained, "That was Sandy's 'you and I are going to talk about this later, and you have a lot of explaining to do' look."
"I take it you've seen that look before." Mrs. Dawson said, with a little laugh.
Ryan was a little surprised, taken back that Mrs. Dawson would actually laugh. She almost, for one split second, seemed almost nice, so he told her,
"Um, yeah, once or twice before."
"Ok." Mrs. Dawson said, with a smile before continuing,
"Now, how come no one could help you with your temper with Oliver?"
Ryan thought about it for a minute and said,
"I think, if Seth were there, he may have been able to help. I don't know, maybe stop it. But remember, Oliver came up to me when I was alone, and goaded me. I didn't go looking for Oliver."
"So it's Oliver's fault you attacked him?" Mrs. Dawson asked him.
"No. It was my fault." Ryan said, "I lost my temper. I should have walked away. I should have gone to Sandy and Kirsten. There are so many other things I could have and should have done. That's another reason I'm seeing Dr. Colefield."
"I just." Ryan continued, "I don't want to leave here. I like it here. The Cohens. They're a real family. I've never had that before, and I like it. I'll try harder. I'm trying harder. Please understand that."
"One last thing, Ryan." Mrs. Dawson said, "How come you can't go out tonight or tomorrow night or for the next two weeks?"
"Um. I. Ah." Ryan stumbled out.
"I'm grounded." He finally said.
"Again or still?" Mrs. Dawson asked.
Damn, Ryan thought, obviously she's not going to believe I'm trying. Not now.
"Again." He explained, "I, um. When I found out about all of this. About you. I got kind of...upset. And I cut school."
"And..." Mrs. Dawson said.
Ryan sighed, and looked out towards the patio again, only to find Sandy staring back at him.
"When Sandy found out," Ryan explained, "he lectured and yelled again. And I was grounded again. And then he made me tell Kirsten."
"And...." Mrs. Dawson again said.
"And," Ryan continued, "She lectured and yelled. But I was already grounded."
Mrs. Dawson nodded, smiled and then asked,
"Are you going to cut school again?"
Ryan looked out to patio at both Sandy and Kirsten and then looked at Mrs. Dawson and said,
"No."
"Thank you, Ryan. That's all I have for right now." Mrs. Dawson said, as she put her notepad and pen back into her briefcase.
Mrs. Dawson told the Cohens and Ryan that she would render her decision shortly, and would let them know as soon as possible. Since none of them thought any of their interviews went particularly well, no one was very anxious to see her report.
As Mrs. Dawson left the Cohen's house, she picked up her telephone. She needed to check something first before she could put into words what she already knew in her head.
Mrs. Dawson smiled as Ryan entered the kitchen,
"Hi, Ryan. Have a seat." She said, "I want to thank you for being so patient. I promise, this shouldn't take too long. I just have a few questions, ok? Get to know you a little better"
When Ryan just nodded, Mrs. Dawson continued,
"Why don't we start with an easy one? Tell me about your family."
"My family?" Ryan asked, "What more do you need to know? I mean, you've just spent this whole afternoon quizzing them."
Mrs. Dawson nodded and made a note in her pad before telling him,
"By family, you assumed I meant the Cohens?"
"Didn't you?" Ryan asked. He was confused, everyone else referred to them as his family.
"Well, when you think of family, do you always think of the Cohens?" she asked him.
Ryan thought for a minute and then nodded,
"Now I do." He answered, since it was the truth.
Hoping for more of an explanation, Mrs. Dawson then asked,
"Since when?"
Ryan just shrugged first and then said,
"Over time, but more so recently."
"Why?" she asked him.
Again, Ryan just shrugged first and then said,
"I don't know how to explain it."
Mrs. Dawson smiled at Ryan before asking him,
"Well, what is it about being with the Cohens that is somehow different then being with the Atwoods?"
Ryan couldn't help but smile a little, even snicker. It may not have sounded like a stupid question to Mrs. Dawson, but to Ryan, it was almost too easy.
"Well," he said, "No Cohen has ever hit me, beaten me, or stolen money from me or talked me into committing any crimes. And I've never had to take care of any drunken, drugged out Cohen."
When Mrs. Dawson didn't immediately respond to his answer, Ryan figured she wanted more of an explanation so he said,
"When I got into trouble because of Trey, Dawn Atwood threw me out of her house. Well, first, she let her latest boyfriend punch me in the face a couple of times, and then physically throw me out of the house. And while I was gone, she packed up all her stuff, and some of mine, and took off, leaving me a note. A note."
"And when I got in trouble because of Oliver, Sandy and Kirsten Cohen yelled and lectured and grounded me. Grounded me! They didn't throw me out of the house. They made me come home and stay in the house. And no one hit me, and no one left me. So, yeah, when I think of family, I tend to think of the Cohens."
Ryan watched as Mrs. Dawson wrote more in her pad. He figured that answer was finally acceptable to her. Mrs. Dawson then asked him,
"Ok, so if you think of them as family, why would you risk it all by breaking into the school, by assaulting another student? You knew that any trouble could result in this very investigation, in the possibility of being taken away, but you did it anyway. Why?"
Ryan looked away and then down at his hands before saying,
"I don't know."
"Ryan." Mrs. Dawson said, "I don't know isn't good enough. You claim that the Cohens are your family, but you can't tell me why you would be so willing to lose them because of some guy who was interested in your girlfriend. The Cohens couldn't be all that important to you."
Ryan took a deep breath before answering. He wasn't going to let her get to him, make him lose his temper.
"Mrs. Dawson," he finally said, "Oliver was more then some guy who was interested in Marissa. He was crazy. I knew it. I saw it, and I didn't want him around Marissa, or Seth for that matter. I know what a sick person is capable of doing, and I was right. And as sick and as twisted as this sounds, we were lucky that he only killed himself and no one else. Yeah, I know I was wrong in how I handled it, but not in why I handled it."
"But why did you have to handle it?" Mrs. Dawson asked, "If the Cohens are your family, then why didn't you go to them? Turn to them before you got in over your head?"
Ryan looked out the window towards the patio before telling her,
"Believe me, Mrs. Dawson, I've asked myself that over and over. And I don't know. All I can say is that this is all new to me. I've never had any one to turn to before, who gave a damn. I've pretty much always taken care of myself. So I messed up. I didn't go to Sandy and Kirsten for help. I was wrong."
"So what did the Cohens do to you?" Mrs. Dawson asked.
"They didn't do anything to me." Ryan said, "I already told you, they've never hit me. I also told you that they lectured and they yelled and they grounded me."
"And sent you to Dr. Colefield." Mrs. Dawson added.
Ryan just nodded, and again looked towards the patio.
"Well," Mrs. Dawson continued, "What about Dr. Colefield?"
"What about her?" Ryan said, before correcting himself, "I mean, what do you want to know about her?"
Mrs. Dawson smiled and said,
"Tell me, who's idea was it for you to see her?"
"Sandy and Kirsten's." Ryan answered.
"And..." Mrs. Dawson said, wanting more.
"And, I agreed to go. And no, I wasn't happy about it, at first. And I figured they thought I was crazy. And that there was something wrong with me. But, that wasn't it." Ryan told her.
Mrs. Dawson then said, "So, why did they want you to see Dr. Colefield?"
"Like I said, all of this is new to me." Ryan answered, "Everything was going pretty good until Oliver came. I thought I was handling it all, learning how to fit in. But obviously, I wasn't so they decided it would be for the best if I talked to someone, and you know, learned how to live here, with a real family."
"And how's it going?" Mrs. Dawson asked.
Ryan shrugged before answering,
"It's going good, I guess. I mean, it's therapy. I don't know what more I can say about it."
Mrs. Dawson again nodded, made another note in her pad and then asked,
"So, if you continue going to therapy with Dr. Colefield, do you think you'll be able to get along, without any more trouble?"
"I don't know." Ryan started, "I think so. I'm trying. They told me to try, and I'm trying. I.... Look, I know I'm not perfect, but the Cohens know it, too. And they don't care. I mean, they care, but they accept me anyway. So, if they tell me to go to therapy, to talk, to stay out of trouble, I'm going to try."
"And are you trying now?" Mrs. Dawson asked him.
Ryan nodded and told her,
"Yes."
"Why?" Mrs. Dawson asked, "Did they tell you to try? To cooperate?"
Ryan again nodded before saying,
"Yes. If I want to stay here."
"So, obviously you want to stay here." Mrs. Dawson noted.
Again Ryan nodded and again said, "Yes." And after a pause asked,
"So what happens now?" Ryan was getting really tired. He was tired of talking and explaining and justifying, and he was definitely tired of Mrs. Dawson.
Mrs. Dawson put her pen down and looked at Ryan. She smiled and then began to explain,
"Well, after I'm finished here, I'll review all of the information in your file. Go over everything that's been said, by everyone. Review the reports I have, your school records, and so forth. I've already looked into some of the group homes that have availability and........."
"Available group homes?" Ryan interrupted. "But. So, you've already decided? Then why say review what we said? You're not going to listen. You're not listening to anything we've said. You've already decided."
"I didn't say that." Mrs. Dawson tried to explain, "All I'm trying to say...."
"I know what you're saying!" Ryan shouted, "Son of a ......"
Ryan didn't finish. He quickly got up from the table, and headed for the back door. He attempted to ignore Sandy, Kirsten and Seth as he stormed out of the kitchen and tried to head for the pool house. Sandy quickly stopped him.
"What..." Sandy said, "Ryan, what's the matter? Hey, where are you going?"
"Apparently I'm leaving!" Ryan shouted.
Mrs. Dawson appeared from the kitchen to tell him,
"Ryan, that is not what I said."
"Yeah, well, that's what I heard!" Ryan shouted back at her. He was done. He tried. For all the good it did, he tried. He talked to her, answered her questions, and the whole time she knew, he wasn't going to be allowed to stay with the Cohens. He felt his whole body shaking as he again tried to take off for the pool house.
"Ryan..." he heard Sandy say as he turned to leave. But he didn't stop. Not until he heard Sandy shout,
"RYAN! Stop! Now!"
With that, Ryan stopped. Because Sandy told him to, he stopped, and walked back towards them.
"What is going on here?" Sandy asked. He was obviously shaken by Ryan's out burst. Ryan could see that. He could also see by looking at Kirsten and Seth that they were also visibly upset.
"She said she was looking into available group homes!" Ryan told them, 'She's not going to listen. To me or you or any of us. She's already decided!"
"Ryan," Sandy said, calmly, "You need to settle down, lower your voice and come sit down."
"But Sandy..." Ryan started to say, but stopped when he saw that look in Sandy's eyes. That one that says 'because I said so.'
"Ryan," he heard Mrs. Dawson say, "I still have a few more questions to ask you."
It had been a really long time since Ryan really, truly wanted to hit a woman. He knew though that he couldn't and wouldn't. But he could at least think it.
He was still thinking about it when he suddenly felt Kirsten's arm around his shoulder. He hadn't even realized she had walked up to him.
"What happened?" she asked Ryan but turned to Mrs. Dawson when she started to talk,
"I was trying to explain to Ryan that after interviewing everyone, and looking into his home life here, as well as other alternatives, like group homes, I would then decide what would be the best for Ryan. I never said any decision had been made."
Ryan looked down at his feet, and then said,
"I'm sorry. It's just. You started talking about available group homes. You never said anything about my life here, and it sounded like you had already decided. I'm sorry."
"Can we just continue?" Kirsten asked, "What other questions do you have? Can you ask them with all of us together?"
"I'd rather talk to Ryan alone." Mrs. Dawson replied.
As Ryan started to walk back to the kitchen, Mrs. Dawson noticed Mr. Cohen point at Ryan and give him a look. Ryan simply nodded before lowing his head and reentering the kitchen. Obviously, Ryan understood some unspoken lecture he was getting from Sandy.
After Ryan returned to the kitchen, he waited for Mrs. Dawson to sit back down before telling her,
"I'm sorry. Really. I shouldn't have lost it. I just. This has been really hard, and I'm sorry."
"Does that happen a lot?" Mrs. Dawson asked.
"What, lose my temper?" Ryan asked, and when Mrs. Dawson nodded, he continued,
"I doubt you'll believe me after this, but I actually lose it less now then I used to. I know that must seem hard for you to believe, but it's true."
Ryan didn't know why he was explaining it to Mrs. Dawson. If she hadn't already made up her mind before his outburst, then she certainly had after. He figured all he could do now was try to convince her that he wasn't a totally violent psycho. At least if he could convince her of that then he still had a shot at a group home, and not juvie.
Mrs. Dawson again nodded, before making more notes in her pad.
"And is that usually how Sandy and Kirsten handle it? Handle you?" She asked.
"Handle me?" Ryan repeated.
"When you lose your temper, can Sandy or Kirsten or even Seth help you calm down?" Mrs. Dawson asked.
"Yes." Ryan told her, "They're actually the reason my temper isn't as bad as it used to be. They know how to help me diffuse it, I guess."
Mrs. Dawson asked,
"Did Dr. Colefield teach them how to help you?"
Ryan shook his head and told her,
"No. They always just knew. They get me, I guess. Usually."
Mrs. Dawson made more notes in her pad and then asked,
"What was that look about?"
Ryan wasn't sure what she was talking about so he asked her,
"What look?"
"The one you got from Sandy," She told him, "Before you came back into the kitchen."
"Oh, that," Ryan explained, "That was Sandy's 'you and I are going to talk about this later, and you have a lot of explaining to do' look."
"I take it you've seen that look before." Mrs. Dawson said, with a little laugh.
Ryan was a little surprised, taken back that Mrs. Dawson would actually laugh. She almost, for one split second, seemed almost nice, so he told her,
"Um, yeah, once or twice before."
"Ok." Mrs. Dawson said, with a smile before continuing,
"Now, how come no one could help you with your temper with Oliver?"
Ryan thought about it for a minute and said,
"I think, if Seth were there, he may have been able to help. I don't know, maybe stop it. But remember, Oliver came up to me when I was alone, and goaded me. I didn't go looking for Oliver."
"So it's Oliver's fault you attacked him?" Mrs. Dawson asked him.
"No. It was my fault." Ryan said, "I lost my temper. I should have walked away. I should have gone to Sandy and Kirsten. There are so many other things I could have and should have done. That's another reason I'm seeing Dr. Colefield."
"I just." Ryan continued, "I don't want to leave here. I like it here. The Cohens. They're a real family. I've never had that before, and I like it. I'll try harder. I'm trying harder. Please understand that."
"One last thing, Ryan." Mrs. Dawson said, "How come you can't go out tonight or tomorrow night or for the next two weeks?"
"Um. I. Ah." Ryan stumbled out.
"I'm grounded." He finally said.
"Again or still?" Mrs. Dawson asked.
Damn, Ryan thought, obviously she's not going to believe I'm trying. Not now.
"Again." He explained, "I, um. When I found out about all of this. About you. I got kind of...upset. And I cut school."
"And..." Mrs. Dawson said.
Ryan sighed, and looked out towards the patio again, only to find Sandy staring back at him.
"When Sandy found out," Ryan explained, "he lectured and yelled again. And I was grounded again. And then he made me tell Kirsten."
"And...." Mrs. Dawson again said.
"And," Ryan continued, "She lectured and yelled. But I was already grounded."
Mrs. Dawson nodded, smiled and then asked,
"Are you going to cut school again?"
Ryan looked out to patio at both Sandy and Kirsten and then looked at Mrs. Dawson and said,
"No."
"Thank you, Ryan. That's all I have for right now." Mrs. Dawson said, as she put her notepad and pen back into her briefcase.
Mrs. Dawson told the Cohens and Ryan that she would render her decision shortly, and would let them know as soon as possible. Since none of them thought any of their interviews went particularly well, no one was very anxious to see her report.
As Mrs. Dawson left the Cohen's house, she picked up her telephone. She needed to check something first before she could put into words what she already knew in her head.