As Heidi Dawson pulled away from the Cohen's house, she picked up her cell
phone, and dialed the number she needed.
"Hello, this is Heidi Dawson, for Janet Colefield, please." She told the receptionist who answered the phone.
"Well, since you're calling, is it safe to assume that you've finally met with the Cohens?" Janet Colefield asked her old friend.
Heidi laughed before telling her,
"Yes, you can assume that. I've just left their house after meeting with all of them, including Ryan."
"And how did it go?" Janet asked.
Instead of answering that question, Heidi had one of her own,
"Are they always like that?" she asked.
"Like what, Heidi?" Janet asked, "I wasn't part of your meeting."
Heidi Dawson thought about it for a minute before telling her friend,
"Well, they're definitely fiercely loyal and very protective of each other. I can see that."
Janet laughed,
"I told you so," and after a pause asked,
"Well, did you get him to loose his temper?"
Heidi admitted,
"Actually, yes, I did."
"And," Janet asked, "How did it go? Did you see what you wanted?"
"Well, I must say," Heidi told her, "he really does have a quick temper, but you're right, the Cohens certainly seem to know how to bring it back under control pretty quickly."
"I told you, Heidi, these are good people." Janet told her.
"I just find it a little hard to believe that there could be such a bond after only seven months." Heidi said. She had seen it before in other families, but not usually. It usually was an act, not really genuine love and affection. Not in only seven months. And certainly not with a teenager, not one with a history like Ryan's. But her friend reassured her,
"I thought the same thing, at first. But there is." Janet told her, "They love that kid, and Ryan loves them."
"Well," Janet continued, "When are you going to tell them?"
"Tomorrow," Heidi promised, "I'll type up the report tonight and drop it off to them tomorrow."
"Make sure you do. Please," Janet told her, "I'm meeting with Ryan on Monday, and I'm very curious to see what he has to say."
Heidi laughed at the pleading tone in her old friend's voice,
"It's killing you not to be able to say anything, isn't it?" she asked.
"You know it is." Janet told her, "Honestly though, Heidi, I really believe that Ryan is a good kid. He's already been through so much, and he's finally found some good in his life. I just hope you weren't too much of a, well, a..."
"A bitch?" her friend answered for her, "No more than usual. Look, I know what you said and what you believe. But I couldn't go on your word alone. I still had a job to do. I still had to see it for myself."
Dr. Janet Colefield smiled as she hung up the phone with her friend. She didn't doubt for one minute that Heidi Dawson would have thoroughly investigated the entire situation, and looked at every possible detail. It was her job, and one that her friend took very seriously. A little too seriously in Janet Colefield's professional opinion. But at least it would be Heidi Dawson, of the Department of Child Services, who would render the professional opinion that the Cohens retain custody of Ryan, even if it was Janet's idea. It would, however, remain an idea that no one would ever know about. That would be unprofessional.
See, Mr. Cohen, Janet Colefield chuckled to herself, sometimes it is really good to have contacts in Child Services.
Ryan was alone in the pool house late Saturday morning when he heard a knock at his door. He immediately felt sick to his stomach when he opened it to find Mrs. Dawson standing there.
"So this is your pool house." She said as she walked in, "It's nice. Do you like it?"
"Yeah, it's alright" Ryan said, his eyes locked on the white envelope Mrs. Dawson had in her hand. This is it, he thought. They all thought it would take more like a week for Mrs. Dawson to render her decision, giving him more time to prepare for his goodbyes.
"Where's the rest of your family?" Mrs. Dawson asked him, "I only saw the maid."
"Um, Seth's girlfriend dragged him to Fashion Island, Kirsten had some meeting at the Newport Group with her father, and Sandy had to run up to the Lighthouse, the restaurant he owns." Ryan told her, "I'm supposed to meet him there at 11 o'clock. But I could call him, or should I pack first?"
"No, neither." Mrs. Dawson told him, "And you're here because....."
"I'm grounded, remember." Ryan finished for her.
"That's right." She said, "So, how did your talk go?"
"Talk?" Ryan asked.
"Yes, talk. With Sandy. You know, the look. Didn't you talk?" Mrs. Dawson asked.
Ryan nodded when he realized what she was talking about,
"Oh, yeah. That. Yeah, we talked."
"And how was it?" Mrs. Dawson asked.
"Same as usual," Ryan told her, "Long. Lawyers like to talk."
Mrs. Dawson laughed first before telling him,
"Yeah, my son says the same thing about Social Workers. I really would have liked to meet with the whole family this morning, but I guess I should have called first. Well, look, I trust that you will give this letter to your parents when they come home, right?"
Ryan only nodded, and took the letter from Mrs. Dawson. He didn't really understand exactly what Mrs. Dawson was saying. She hadn't explained to him when he would be leaving, or where he was going. He was still staring at the letter when he finally asked,
"So, um, when should I start packing?"
"My guess, Ryan," Mrs. Dawson told him, "would be when you want to move out of the pool house and into your home. But that decision is between you and your parents."
As Ryan continued to stare blankly at her, Mrs. Dawson finally said to him,
"Good bye, Ryan. It was nice meeting you. I hope I don't have to see you ever again."
And with that, Heidi Dawson left the pool house.
Sandy came home a few hours later. Ryan hadn't met him at the Lighthouse like he was supposed to, and he wasn't answering his phone. Sandy found him sitting on the bed in the pool house, holding onto some letter. Ryan just handed the letter to Sandy, without saying a word.
Sandy immediately recognized it as the official letter from the Department of Child Services. In the letter, Mrs. Dawson outlined the conditions in which Ryan would be allowed to stay with the Cohens. There were only two. Ryan had to continue to see Dr. Colefield for as long as she deemed necessary, and he had to stay out of trouble. Besides that, Mrs. Dawson closed her file.
Ryan Atwood was home.
"Hello, this is Heidi Dawson, for Janet Colefield, please." She told the receptionist who answered the phone.
"Well, since you're calling, is it safe to assume that you've finally met with the Cohens?" Janet Colefield asked her old friend.
Heidi laughed before telling her,
"Yes, you can assume that. I've just left their house after meeting with all of them, including Ryan."
"And how did it go?" Janet asked.
Instead of answering that question, Heidi had one of her own,
"Are they always like that?" she asked.
"Like what, Heidi?" Janet asked, "I wasn't part of your meeting."
Heidi Dawson thought about it for a minute before telling her friend,
"Well, they're definitely fiercely loyal and very protective of each other. I can see that."
Janet laughed,
"I told you so," and after a pause asked,
"Well, did you get him to loose his temper?"
Heidi admitted,
"Actually, yes, I did."
"And," Janet asked, "How did it go? Did you see what you wanted?"
"Well, I must say," Heidi told her, "he really does have a quick temper, but you're right, the Cohens certainly seem to know how to bring it back under control pretty quickly."
"I told you, Heidi, these are good people." Janet told her.
"I just find it a little hard to believe that there could be such a bond after only seven months." Heidi said. She had seen it before in other families, but not usually. It usually was an act, not really genuine love and affection. Not in only seven months. And certainly not with a teenager, not one with a history like Ryan's. But her friend reassured her,
"I thought the same thing, at first. But there is." Janet told her, "They love that kid, and Ryan loves them."
"Well," Janet continued, "When are you going to tell them?"
"Tomorrow," Heidi promised, "I'll type up the report tonight and drop it off to them tomorrow."
"Make sure you do. Please," Janet told her, "I'm meeting with Ryan on Monday, and I'm very curious to see what he has to say."
Heidi laughed at the pleading tone in her old friend's voice,
"It's killing you not to be able to say anything, isn't it?" she asked.
"You know it is." Janet told her, "Honestly though, Heidi, I really believe that Ryan is a good kid. He's already been through so much, and he's finally found some good in his life. I just hope you weren't too much of a, well, a..."
"A bitch?" her friend answered for her, "No more than usual. Look, I know what you said and what you believe. But I couldn't go on your word alone. I still had a job to do. I still had to see it for myself."
Dr. Janet Colefield smiled as she hung up the phone with her friend. She didn't doubt for one minute that Heidi Dawson would have thoroughly investigated the entire situation, and looked at every possible detail. It was her job, and one that her friend took very seriously. A little too seriously in Janet Colefield's professional opinion. But at least it would be Heidi Dawson, of the Department of Child Services, who would render the professional opinion that the Cohens retain custody of Ryan, even if it was Janet's idea. It would, however, remain an idea that no one would ever know about. That would be unprofessional.
See, Mr. Cohen, Janet Colefield chuckled to herself, sometimes it is really good to have contacts in Child Services.
Ryan was alone in the pool house late Saturday morning when he heard a knock at his door. He immediately felt sick to his stomach when he opened it to find Mrs. Dawson standing there.
"So this is your pool house." She said as she walked in, "It's nice. Do you like it?"
"Yeah, it's alright" Ryan said, his eyes locked on the white envelope Mrs. Dawson had in her hand. This is it, he thought. They all thought it would take more like a week for Mrs. Dawson to render her decision, giving him more time to prepare for his goodbyes.
"Where's the rest of your family?" Mrs. Dawson asked him, "I only saw the maid."
"Um, Seth's girlfriend dragged him to Fashion Island, Kirsten had some meeting at the Newport Group with her father, and Sandy had to run up to the Lighthouse, the restaurant he owns." Ryan told her, "I'm supposed to meet him there at 11 o'clock. But I could call him, or should I pack first?"
"No, neither." Mrs. Dawson told him, "And you're here because....."
"I'm grounded, remember." Ryan finished for her.
"That's right." She said, "So, how did your talk go?"
"Talk?" Ryan asked.
"Yes, talk. With Sandy. You know, the look. Didn't you talk?" Mrs. Dawson asked.
Ryan nodded when he realized what she was talking about,
"Oh, yeah. That. Yeah, we talked."
"And how was it?" Mrs. Dawson asked.
"Same as usual," Ryan told her, "Long. Lawyers like to talk."
Mrs. Dawson laughed first before telling him,
"Yeah, my son says the same thing about Social Workers. I really would have liked to meet with the whole family this morning, but I guess I should have called first. Well, look, I trust that you will give this letter to your parents when they come home, right?"
Ryan only nodded, and took the letter from Mrs. Dawson. He didn't really understand exactly what Mrs. Dawson was saying. She hadn't explained to him when he would be leaving, or where he was going. He was still staring at the letter when he finally asked,
"So, um, when should I start packing?"
"My guess, Ryan," Mrs. Dawson told him, "would be when you want to move out of the pool house and into your home. But that decision is between you and your parents."
As Ryan continued to stare blankly at her, Mrs. Dawson finally said to him,
"Good bye, Ryan. It was nice meeting you. I hope I don't have to see you ever again."
And with that, Heidi Dawson left the pool house.
Sandy came home a few hours later. Ryan hadn't met him at the Lighthouse like he was supposed to, and he wasn't answering his phone. Sandy found him sitting on the bed in the pool house, holding onto some letter. Ryan just handed the letter to Sandy, without saying a word.
Sandy immediately recognized it as the official letter from the Department of Child Services. In the letter, Mrs. Dawson outlined the conditions in which Ryan would be allowed to stay with the Cohens. There were only two. Ryan had to continue to see Dr. Colefield for as long as she deemed necessary, and he had to stay out of trouble. Besides that, Mrs. Dawson closed her file.
Ryan Atwood was home.