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Disclaimer: Please see Chapter 12, or 11, or....you get the picture.
Author's note: Got a little medical; which can be boring, a little Sandy; which is always a good thing, a lot a Kirsten; which is a mom thing, and some Ryan angst; which is a lot a hard thing to write considering he has the emotional output of a block of wood. (I'm not saying the boy doesn't have emotions, I'm just saying they are hard to write.....right. Got it? I don't either...it's ok.) Oh, and Seth fans, he's in here too. He's asleep, but at least he's here.
Liz beta'd but I changed it, so all mistakes are mine.
Thanks for reading!
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Thursday Afternoon
Chapter 13
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Sandy sits in silence. He's fairly sure that Seth is the only one in the isolation wing tonight. There's been no competition for the waiting room. He watches an older gentleman whom he presumes is a doctor, enter the isolation entrance and stop at the nurses' station. The man leans over the counter, talks to a nurse. In response, the nurse nods and points at Sandy. The man glances in Sandy's direction and proceeds to walk over to him. The lawyer stands in anticipation, rubs his hands along the sides of his pants. God, if the feeling in the pit of his stomach is anything like what Kirsten felt this afternoon, it's no wonder she's so angry and pissed off. As the guy gets closer, Sandy practices taking deep breaths, tells himself, 'Everything's fine. Seth is fine. It's the flu.'
"Hi," the gentleman extends his hand, "Mr. Cohen?"
Sandy nods, takes the man's hand, "Sandy Cohen."
"Mr. Cohen, my name is Doctor Hughes. My normal stomping ground is pediatrics but we are a bit short handed tonight and Doctor Holbrith is unavailable at the moment, she asked me to come up and examine Seth."
Sandy nods, "Ok. Do you need me to sign something?"
The doctor laughs slightly, "No, that's okay. But it's good to see that Admissions has you so well trained. Actually, I have some test results to review with you, then you are welcome to accompany me to Seth's room." The doctor looks around the waiting room, sees it's empty, points to a chair and asks Sandy, "Let's have a seat, shall we?"
Sandy runs his fingers through his hair, sits down and suspiciously eyes the folder in Doctor Hughes hands.
"Right, so," begins the doctor, opening his folder, "Do you want specific details or the bottom line."
"Oh God," Sandy sighs wearily, "Please just the bottom line. What is going on with my kid?"
Doctor Hughes smiles at Sandy's honesty. The guy looks completely worm out. "Well Mr. Cohen, the blood work is indicating mononucleosis."
"Mono?" Sandy clarifies.
"Yes," Hughes nods, "Mono. I need to examine Seth, check for some tell tale signs. He's really not following the proper order of presenting symptoms, we would have rather had the sore throat and lymphatic swelling prior to the fever and headache, but from what I understand he's heading there now, so..."
Sandy takes a few more deep breaths. "Seth's never been a conformist."
"I do need to inform you Mr. Cohen that the actual test for mononucleosis, a monospot test, isn't reliable until Seth has consistent symptoms for a week or so. We tested Seth's blood for two antibodies that are present in the early stages of mono, with positive results. In rare cases, the presence of these antibodies, along with several of the symptoms your son is presenting could signify a more serious illness, but I don't see any indication at this time that we need to go there." The doctor watches Sandy's body relax slightly. He adds, "Of course Mr. Cohen, I'm obligated to rule on the side of caution, so for now, Doctor Holbrith and I are comfortable with saying that Seth is most likely infected with the mononucleosis virus, but further testing will be necessary before a diagnosis can be confirmed. How was that, too bottom line? Would you like more information on the test results? I can go into further detail after I've examined Seth."
Sandy's brain is glazing over. The bottom line is fine. If Kirsten wants more information he'll support her. But right now, the doctor has told Sandy all he needs to know. Barring a catastrophic blow of bad luck, Seth is going to be all right.
The two men stand up and begin the trek to Seth's room.
"Do you have any other kids?" the doctor asks as they walk.
"Um, yes," Sandy answers. "We have another teenage son."
The doctor nods and grimaces "Do they uh, ever share drinks?"
Sandy stops walking and rubs his forehead. He gets it. Yikes. Come to think of it, Seth took a sip of his Starbucks Tuesday morning.
"I, uh, I'm not sure about the boys. Seth took a drink of my coffee a couple of days ago."
The doctor turns to Sandy as they reach Seth's door. "It's extremely rare for adults to develop mono Mr. Cohen. Chances are you've already been exposed to it many times throughout your lifetime. But your other son..."
Oh yeah, Sandy definitely gets it. What could be more fun than Seth with mono? That would be a pissed off, emotionally aloof Ryan with mono. Yeah, that'll be fun.
"I'll talk to Ryan," Sandy assures the doctor.
The two men enter Seth's hospital room.
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Kirsten slow jogs all the way to the entrance, but Ryan has still beaten her there. He's leaning against the side of the hospital, arms wrapped tightly around his mid-section, eyes cast downward.
He's made it this far. She's so proud of him.
There are a million things she could say, or should say, or needs to say. But as she approaches Ryan, Kirsten only sees a kid that could use a hug. Hugs are few and far between with Ryan, and Kirsten doesn't want to scare him off. Instead she reaches for his arm, gives it a pat, and says, "Let's go see Seth, okay?"
Ryan nods.
"And when you want to Ryan, when you're done visiting Seth, the three of us, Sandy, myself and you? We are going to sit down and talk about what happened tonight. It's important that we do this."
Ryan's head is still down; arms wrapped tightly, no nod this time.
"Well," Kirsten modifies her original plan, "We'll just go see Seth and take it one step at a time from there."
This meets with the boy's approval. He walks into the emergency room, stepping aside so Kirsten can lead. She signs them into the isolation area, obtains a sticker badge for Ryan, waits patiently while he puts it on his shirt.
Kirsten reaches for the large button on the wall that will activate the isolation room doors, but something stops her. Ryan is behind her, several feet away. More distance than usual, more distance than necessary.
"Ryan," she says softly.
He fidgets with the sticker, rearranges it on his shirt.
"Ryan." Kirsten says his just a little bit louder.
He gives up on the sticker, looks up at Kirsten.
She holds out an arm, motioning for him.
Ryan hesitates, shifts his head slightly. Kirsten realizes that he's not sure what she wants him to do. The few feet separating them are quickly covered and Kirsten swallows the fears she had outside. God, this kid needs a hug. She extents her hand, touches the back of his head, guides it onto her shoulder. His stands stiff but tolerates the gesture.
Ryan's arms stay plastered at his side.
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Ryan rests his head on his foster mother's shoulder, blinks several times and stares at the featureless hospital walls. If this is what Kirsten needs to do, he'll let her.
Whatever.
Kirsten pats him on the back and he assumes that's the signal that hug is over. They separate and Ryan watches silently as Kirsten hits the big button on the wall.
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Sandy is in the corner, allowing Seth some privacy as the doctor examines him. "Kelly," Sandy hears Hughes say, "I need a little more light here." The nurse goes to the doctor's side.
Sandy realizes that he is still lugging the bag around that Ryan gave him. He eases the bag off his shoulder, puts it down where no one will step on it.
The doctor is having trouble keeping Seth awake. Sandy listens as Doctor Hughes encourages Seth to answer a few questions. When the boy replies with quiet, one word answers, Sandy feels hollow. This isn't his Seth. Sandy wants his son back.
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As they enter through the isolation doors, Kirsten looks for her husband in the lounge but doesn't see him.
Ryan follows Kirsten past the waiting room. He's keeping his head down and Kirsten is keeping her promise. There's no sign of Sandy or that guy. Just before they pass out of sight of the waiting area, Ryan casts a quick glance behind his shoulder. He doesn't spot Sandy and relief surges through the teenager. Ryan can't stand the thought of discussing anything right now, of trying to comprehend why Sandy knew something so important and didn't bother to tell him.
Kirsten stops at the nurses' station and is informed that her husband and a doctor are in with Seth. The room is small and Kirsten knows she shouldn't interrupt an exam. "Come on Ryan," she gently urges, "We'll go wait for a few minutes until they're done."
Kirsten settles Ryan into a chair, wanders over to a vending machine, buys a Coke, and hands it to Ryan. He issues a quiet thank you before unscrewing the lid and taking a sip. Kirsten sits down next to him and tries to break the uneasy silence.
"Seth is going to be so happy to see you Ryan. He's sleeping through Sandy and my visits but I bet he wakes up for you."
Ryan sets the bottle next to his chair, keeps his head down and picks at his cuticles.
Kirsten scans her mind for what in the world can possibly be the approach she should be taking with Ryan right now. Talking at him without getting answered isn't working. She leans over and puts her hand on his thigh.
"Sandy cares about you Ryan. Whatever happened today, however things got so out of control tonight, I can guarantee you that Sandy's only concern right now is you and Seth. And I don't know what's going through your head but please, remember that nothing is more important to Sandy than his family. That includes you Ryan, all right? Sandy would never purposefully hurt you."
Ryan studies his thumb. He shifts his head slightly, looking up and fixing on something. Kirsten notices what has captured the boy's attention. Sandy and a doctor are walking towards them.
Sandy avoids Ryan, goes directly to Kirsten and introduces Doctor Hughes to her. Hughes repeats the test results to Kirsten and Ryan, explaining in a little more detail the blood test results. Kirsten asks several questions concerning the severity of mononucleosis, which Hughes patiently fields. He likes these parents. They have easiness to them combined with evident education. As the conversation winds down, Doctor Hughes turns to Ryan.
"You must be the brother."
Ryan avoids the man's eyes, looks up in the air, and eventually settles on a patented 'Ryan Atwood corner stare'. If the doctor is sensing any tension in the room, he doesn't show it.
"I'm a little concerned that you may have been exposed to the mono virus simply because you live in the same house. Have you shared any drinks with Seth lately? Eating utensils? Anything along those lines?"
Ryan shrugs.
Sandy starts to say something but Kirsten puts her hand on his arm. "Ryan, you need to answer Doctor Hughes. He's taking this time with us to make sure no one else is at risk."
Ryan responds, "I don't remember sharing anything with him, but Seth is all over the place. He could have taken a sip of something of mine. I don't know. He stole my bowl of ice cream last week, but he never gave it back."
The doctor laughs, "We'll you're probably happy about that now. Huh?"
The doctor turns back to Sandy and Kirsten. "You need to keep an eye on Ryan. Seth's onset of mono has been rare in that the fever hit so suddenly. Usually full-blown mono is preceded by days of cold or flu like symptoms, lethargicness. If you see any signs like this, go ahead and take Ryan in to your doctor as a precaution."
Kirsten nods an understanding. Sandy watches Ryan. Ryan studies the carpet.
Now that he has all three family members in the same room, Doctor Hughes has a few more questions for the Cohens. "Seth didn't complain at all about being tired, feeling sick, headaches? Nothing before this morning?"
Kirsten and Sandy pause a moment before both answering no. Sandy wonders out loud if Seth hasn't been a little quieter than usual. Ryan lifts his head slightly and makes minimal eye contact with the doctor before responding, "He's been tired. And then two days ago he started complaining about being achy. He's been falling asleep early. He told me last night that he felt goofy, not right."
Kirsten looks at Sandy. She clears her throat before asking, "Ryan, why didn't he say something? He usually takes out an ad in the paper when he isn't feeling well."
Ryan shrugs. "He had that comic book signing coming up today, and a party tonight he was really looking forward to. He didn't want to blow going to either of them." The teen lifts his head and Kirsten can see a look of guilt plastered on his face. "I'm sorry Kirsten. I thought he was just tired. I didn't know he was sick. When he woke up this morning, and something was obviously wrong, I made him tell you. I'm sorry I didn't say something sooner."
Doctor Hughes stands up. "I doubt that saying anything would have resulted in things playing out any differently Ryan. I wouldn't beat yourself up over it."
Ryan goes back to studying the carpet.
"So, this is where we stand. Mono is a virus, in other words, generally antibiotics are not prescribed. Once we get Seth's temperature down and he is no longer displaying symptoms of dehydration, we can discuss discharging him. In the mean time, his belly is a little tender. I've ordered a CAT- scan to see if his spleen is enlarged, which is a fairly common symptom of mononucleosis. I'll explain things more as we go along."
Sandy wants Doctor Hughes to just... stop... talking. What happened to the bottom line? The spleen wasn't part of the bottom line before. The discharging talk was a step in the right direction; enlarged spleen, maybe not so much.
Doctor Hughes shakes Kirsten and Sandy's hands. To the man's credit, he fishes for and manages to captures Ryan's hand as well. Kirsten is pleased as she hears Ryan murmur to Hughes, "Thanks for taking care of Seth."
Sandy is reminded of what an amazing kid his foster son is. Ryan has every reason in the world to be anywhere other than in the same room as him, but yet, here the kid is, thanking Seth's doctor, supporting Kirsten, waiting to see Seth. He should extend an olive branch to Ryan, leave the room and avoid a scene. Ryan's obviously not ready to talk.
Sandy tells Kirsten, "I'm going to go call Caleb and my mother. Let them know what's going on." He adds before leaving the room, "Thank you Ryan, for coming back." Sandy doesn't expect an answer and isn't surprised when one doesn't come. He exits the isolation area, hoping that his wife will understand his reasons for leaving.
Kirsten takes Ryan by the arm and gently steers him towards Seth's room. Doctor Hughes mentioned that the gown, mask and gloves are no longer necessary. Kirsten's thankful. She gently eases the door open to Seth's room. Her son is fast asleep. She resists the urge to enter the room and park herself next to Seth. This is Ryan's time. God knows he's earned it. She squeezes his arm and tells him to meet her in the waiting room when he is done.
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Ryan glances over his shoulder monitoring Kirsten's retreat. He hesitantly walks into the room. Seth is alone, the room dark with the exception of one soft light in the corner. "Seth?" Ryan mutters. He doesn't want to startle his foster brother. But it's obvious that Seth is in no danger of being awoken suddenly, he's in a deep sleep.
The sick boy is curled up on his side, cheeks red, his hair a frenzied mass. The equipment attached to Seth makes Ryan uneasy and hesitates before finding a chair and sitting down next to the hospital bed.
The room is as quiet as Seth's bedroom was, but the lack of noise isn't the same.
This place has Seth, and his presence has an immediate effect on Ryan.
The boy takes several deep breaths, clenches his fists, and then relaxes. It took everything Ryan had to walk back into the hospital and keep it together in the waiting room.
But the crisis has passed. Ryan's in control again. He sits back and watches his friend breathe.
Real life can wait for him behind Seth's closed hospital door.
This whole shitty afternoon and night, this is all Ryan wanted.
He just wanted to be with Seth.
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To Be Continued....