*****

For Ryan, the days blur together. He thinks about Sandy's offer but focuses on his work. Get up, shower, got to the site. Go home, shower, go to the garage. Sleep. Finally, he has an entire 24 hours without work. He gets home and sees his answering machine blinking. Seven messages. Four from Seth and three from Marissa. He lies down on the bed and dials Seth's cell phone. He leaves a message. He dials the Cohens' number.

"Hello?" Kirsten answers.

"Mrs. Cohen…" Ryan starts, pausing when Kirsten gasps.

"Ryan…god…how are you?"

"I'm okay. I'm tired. How are you?"

"I want you to come home. I'll be fine when you come home."

"Is Sandy or Seth home? I promised I'd call…"

"Did you think about what he said?"

"Yeah."

"And?"

"I don't know yet…its…why do you even want me back? That's what I don't understand…"
"You're family. That's why. Like it or not, you're a part of this family," Kirsten says.

Ryan is silent.

"Hold on. I'll get Sandy for you."

"Thanks."

After a long pause, Ryan hears Sandy's voice. "Hey. I was worried."

"Sorry. I stay pretty busy."

"How you doing?"

"I don't know yet. Let me get some sleep and I'll let you know."

"Ryan…"

"I thought about it," Ryan says.

"And?"

"And I don't think it's a good idea. As much as I want it to be…"
"You…" Sandy sighs.

"I just don't think it would work any better this time."

"Ryan. You were making straight A's. Seth turned in your term paper for you and the dean called us to ask about you because it was so impressive. You can do this. I'm sorry about your mother…but don't you want to be a part of this family? You're already a part of it, everyone knows that but you…"

Ryan doesn't speak.

"Can I see you again?" Sandy asks.

Ryan looks at the bottle of whiskey in his hand. He is chilled. He should have started drinking earlier.

"Ryan?"

"Hang on." Ryan drops the phone and goes to the bathroom, stricken with nausea. He throws up violently. Recovered, he returns to the phone.

"Ryan?"

"Yeah. I'm back. You want to meet?"

"Yeah, Ryan. I talked to your probation officer and a couple of judges. I can make this all go away. You can come home. No questions asked. The school is willing to let you back in provided that you catch up on the work you missed and…"

"Why is this so important to you?"

"Because you are better than what you're doing. You could be so much more and I feel like I didn't get through to you last time… I feel like I fucked it up because I didn't try and help you more…"

"So this is all your fault? Damn, I thought I was the one that ran away from the best thing I ever had…" Ryan replies, smiling.

"What do you want me to say to make you reconsider? Kirsten is prepared to beg…"

"No, that's okay. I believe you."

"So what's the problem? We want you here. Talk to me. Tell me why you're hesitating…" Sandy starts.

Ryan is quiet. "Listen. I'm going to get some sleep. Why don't you ask Seth if he can bring you over. Kirsten, too, if she wants. We'll talk about it. Okay?"

"Really? You don't think…okay, Ryan…"

"No cops, Sandy. Please…"

"Still no trust?" Sandy asks.

"You know better that that. This is just caution."

"Nobody wants to see you arrested," Sandy replies.

"Okay. Just come on up when you get here." Ryan hangs up, his exhaustion overtaking him. He is asleep before the phone lands in the cradle.

He barely registers the knocking on the door. He sleepily staggers to the door and swings it open.

"Punk. Sleeping in the middle of the day," Seth grins, walking in.

"Some people have to work for a living," Ryan replies, smiling as his friend embraces him.

"Ryan…" Kirsten is already crying as she embraces him tightly. "You're so thin…"

"It's all muscle," Ryan responds. "I'm fine…"

She is examining him carefully as Sandy closes the door to the apartment. "This scar…god…"

"It's all healed now. It happened a while ago," Ryan replies, clearly uncomfortable with her attention.

"You poor child…" She mutters, hugging him again.

"So this is your place? Not bad for being under the radar, Ryan, not bad at all," Sandy nods.

Seth is helping himself to food in the kitchen.

"Ryan. Please. Can we talk to you?" Kirsten is desperate to make things right.

"Hey. Everything's cool. There's no hard feelings, no apologies to be made except for mine. Okay? I'm sorry. I have a nice habit of ruining things…"

Kirsten has embraced him again.

"You didn't ruin anything. But you've got to learn how to deal with things instead of running…"

"Yeah. I kind of figured that out," Ryan replies. He pulls away.

"You look so tired, Ryan…are you coming home?"

Ryan meets Seth's gaze, his blue eyes filled with confusion.

Sandy puts his hand on his wife's arm. "Kirsten…"

"Sorry. We're giving you space. We're giving you time to make sure its what you really want…" Kirsten says, quietly, composing herself.

"Excuse me a second?" Ryan takes several steps back and then goes into the bathroom. He's sick. He slept for too long and his body is craving alcohol.

"Hey. You okay?" Seth is standing outside the bathroom door when Ryan recovers.

Ryan nods his head toward the fire escape and they step outside. Ryan lights a cigarette.

"Why do you shake, Ryan?"

"'Cause I drink too much. If I don't drink, I shake. God, Seth…what am I supposed to do?" Ryan asks, turning away from Seth.

"Stop fighting. Stop fighting us. Your mother's dead. My parents want you. I need you there. Just come home. Let Dad fix this for you," Seth says quietly.

Ryan is silent.

"Ryan. Come on, man…"
Ryan turns his back to Seth and grabs the railing tightly and leans over. "This…okay, Seth. Okay."

"Really?" Seth is startled.

"Yeah. Okay. I'm tired. I'm tired of working this hard and I'm tired of stressing out over this. I'm too tired to fight with you anymore. If they want me to come back…if they're willing…" He takes a long drag off his cigarette.

Seth puts his hands on Ryan's shoulders. "You won't regret it, Ryan."

Ryan sighs heavily. "I have to stop drinking, Seth. I think its making me worse…"

"Okay. Come on. It's your house, you shouldn't be hiding on the balcony," Seth says, urging him back inside.

"It's not a balcony, Seth, it's a fire escape," Ryan smiles, following him back inside.

Kirsten and Sandy are sitting on Ryan's bed, talking quietly.

"You okay?"

"Yeah." Ryan goes into the kitchen and grabs a bottle of water. Seth sits down beside his mom, a small smile on his face.

"So, Ryan…"

"So, I told Seth okay. I'll do whatever you want…" Ryan says quietly.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Whatever. I'll go to school. I'll work. I'll go to counseling. Whatever," Ryan sighs.

Kirsten goes to him and embraces him. "Okay, honey. You'll let us take care of you…"

"Okay…" Ryan concedes.

"Ryan, it's not going to be easy. You have to trust us. You're going to have to accept us as your parents…" Ryan glances at her. "Listen. We love you. We want you with us. But you have to try, too."

"I know. I will."

"You can't drink like this anymore. You have to stop drinking, Ryan," Kirsten says quietly.

"I know. I just told Seth the same thing," Ryan admits.

"Okay, Ryan."

Sandy is already talking on his cell phone.

"I need a couple of days to get my affairs in order…" Ryan says quietly.

"Ryan, you're sixteen. The people you're working for could get into a lot of trouble if they find out…"

"This guy at the garage, he's been really good to me. I owe him an explanation. I'll just call the construction site but I…I need to tell Hank the story," Ryan replies.

"That's fine, Ryan. But I want you to come home tonight," Kirsten says. "You're going to see a doctor and get checked out. We'll find out what to do about the drinking. Okay?"

Ryan meets her gaze for the first time. "Okay. Whatever you want. Thank you."

She kisses his forehead.

Sandy is talking quietly on his phone, arranging Ryan's return.

"You need any help getting your stuff together?" Seth asks, at his side now.

"I don't have that much…I'll get it," Ryan says. His pager starts to buzz. He picks it up off the counter.

"Work?" Seth asks,

"Hank. I'm going to call in. Tell him that I'm quitting," Ryan sighs. He goes to the phone.

"It's Brian. Yeah. Listen, I can't work for you anymore. It's a long story. Yeah, everything's fine. I'm not sick…Hank, wait. Listen. I'm only sixteen and I ran away from the people that I was staying with and I'm going back now." Ryan turns away from Seth and Kirsten's curious looks. "They're not mean, I was just out of my head at the time….really…thanks, Hank and I'm sorry about the short notice…yeah. You, too." He hangs up.

"Okay." Sandy goes to Ryan's side. "Get your things."

Ryan sighs. He starts gathering his sparse belongings. In ten minutes, he's packed and standing unsteadily in the kitchen.

"Is that it?" Sandy asks.

"Almost," Ryan replies. He walks past them and stands on the couch, reaching up to the air conditioning vent. He pulls the grate off and reaches in, grabbing a thick envelope.

"What's that?" Seth asks. Ryan tosses him the envelope as he climbs down. It's full of money. "Whoa."

"I can't believe you did all this," Sandy says, leading Ryan down the stairs to the Rover.

"He's a survivor," Kirsten says, her hand on Ryan's shoulder as if she's afraid he's going to bolt.

"What about my probation?" Ryan asks.

"You have an appointment tomorrow with your probation officer and some counselors to evaluate your flight risk. We're going to take you straight to the doctor's now…"

"I'm not sick…" Ryan protests.

"You're too thin and…you need to get checked out." Kirsten sighs.

"It's your old friend, Dr. Levin. He's got a clinic now and he said for us to bring you right down…" Sandy explains.

"Dr. Levin? How'd you swing that?"

"We contacted him when we were looking for you," Sandy replies. "He's been calling us regularly for updates. He wants to give you a full physical."

Ryan rolls his eyes and Seth laughs. He climbs into the Rover and leans his head against the window. Within minutes, he's asleep.

"I don't know how you did it, Seth, but thank you," Kirsten whispers.

Seth sighs, relieved that he is bringing his brother home.

At Dr. Levin's office, Ryan is immediately put into a room to wait. The doctor talks to Sandy and Kirsten briefly and gets an explanation of where he's been for the past two months.

Dr. Levin joins Ryan after a short wait.

"Well. The prodigal returns. How are you feeling?" The doctor asks.

"I'm tired."

"Two full time jobs," Dr. Levin shakes his head as he puts the stethoscope against Ryan's chest. "That'll make anybody tired. Take off your shirt, Ryan. You know the drill."

Ryan removes his shirt. Dr. Levin doesn't speak for a moment.

"How'd that happen?" He asks finally.

"I picked the wrong guy's pocket. That's all."

"Did you see a doctor?"

"No. I took care of it," Ryan replies.

"Okay, Ryan. I'm not here to lecture. I'm going to order some x-rays and I'm going to draw some blood. You've lost significant weight, too…"

"I'm drinking, Dr. Levin. On a daily basis. Kirsten says that you should know that," Ryan states quietly.

"How are your eating habits?"

"I haven't…I really don't eat that much. I just drink," Ryan sighs.

"At least you're honest." The doctor motions for Ryan to sit down on the examining table. He pulls out a needle and starts drawing blood. "Any drugs?"

"No drugs. Smoking again."

"Such a nasty habit for you, Ryan. We've talked about that."

"I know," Ryan replies.

Dr. Levin looks at Ryan, his voice gentle. "You've always been a good kid, Ryan. I'm glad you decided to come back with the Cohens. They were worried sick about you."

"I lost my bearings a little. My mom was all fucked up…"

"Your mom has always been fucked up, Ryan."

"She's dead," Ryan states.

"Really? I'm sorry, Ryan. I'm sorry that she hurt you and I'm sorry that it took her dying for you to move on," Dr. Levin says quietly.

"Me, too."

"Okay."

Dr. Levin takes x-rays and takes the blood to the lab. Three hours after bringing Ryan to the office, the Cohens stand up when the doctor walks back into the deserted waiting room with him.

"Sandy and Kirsten? Do you want to step into my office with Ryan? I'll go over my findings," Dr. Levin says.

In his office, Ryan is silent. He listens as Dr. Levin tells the Cohens that he is underweight and has a drinking problem. He isn't sure when, but he dozes off. Kirsten wakes him up, holding out a bag of prescriptions.

"I didn't know narcolepsy was a problem of yours," Dr. Levin teases.

"Sorry. Did I miss anything important?"

"Nothing that the Cohens can't fill you in on," Dr. Levin replies. "And I'll see you next week."

"Next week?"

"Yes, sir," Dr. Levin replies. "We're going to be monitoring you to make sure we get you healthy again."

Ryan nods.

"Let's go home, Ryan," Sandy says. They rejoin Seth and leave the office for home.

Ryan falls asleep again in the car.

"So. Is he okay?" Seth asks, watching Ryan sleep with his hand across his face leaning against the window.

"He'll be fine. He has to deal with his drinking but Dr. Levin thinks he can do it without going to a rehab facility…" Kirsten replies.

"I knew he was drinking a lot but…I didn't think it was that big of a deal…"

"He's home now. Everything is going to be okay. Seth, why don't you help him get settled into the pool house?" Sandy says, pulling the truck into the driveway.

Ryan sits up, yawning as Seth opens the door he is leaning against.

"Hey," Ryan mutters. He gets out.

"Seth's going to get you settled in and then you guys can come in for dinner," Kirsten says.

Ryan nods.

"Welcome home, Ryan," Sandy smiles.

In the pool house, things are exactly as Ryan left them. His books are still setting on the desk beside a stack of graded papers.

"Dude. I'm really glad you're here. Finally," Seth says, sitting down on the couch.

"Yeah. It's nice. Thanks, man." Ryan drops his backpack beside the bed.

"So. You okay?"

Ryan pauses. "Have you ever seen anyone dry out?"

"What?" Seth questions.

"I've been drinking for weeks, Seth. I'm seriously about to be sick." Ryan sits down on the bed. "My mom used to hallucinate and shit. We had to lock her in the bathroom for a couple of days."

"Oh. What did the doctor say? Can we just drug you up?" Seth questions.

"I fell asleep. I'm fucking tired," Ryan admits.

"Well. Let's go eat and then we'll get you all tucked in for bed," Seth teases.

"Watch it," Ryan threatens, smiling.

Kirsten is attempting to cook in the kitchen while Sandy runs interference between the smoke alarm and the ringing phone.

Ryan immediately relieves her in front of the stove while Seth pulls her away.

"Hey, I'm the mom here," Kirsten protests.

"Yes. And you're a very good mom. And arsonist. But you are not a good cook," Seth replies.

"What was this supposed to be?" Ryan asks, probing inside a covered pot with a fork.

"Nothing…How about sandwiches?" Kirsten offers.

Seth is looking in the refrigerator and he starts passing things to Ryan. Within minutes, the smoke is replaced with the smell of chicken and pasta.

Sandy returns with his phone in his hand. "Kirsten, that smells…"

"See, Ryan? We really did miss you around here…" She laughs, genuinely happy.

Ryan smiles at her then refocuses on cooking.

"You got this?" Seth asks a few minutes later, joining him by the stove.

"Actually…I need to go throw up, but I'll be right back. Don't touch anything, Seth," Ryan says, reassuring him with a playful glance about the food and then bolts for the bathroom.

"Seth…" Kirsten starts, worried.

"What did the doctor say about Ryan stopping drinking?" Seth asks.

"That…that he's going to be really sick. He's going to go through withdrawal like with any drug…" Sandy says, realizing what Seth means.

"Did the doctor give you anything for him?"

"Sleeping pills. He said that Ryan's very anti-drug so it should be okay. He's going to be very sick, Seth," Kirsten says.

"He told me. He knows. He said he had to lock his mom in the bathroom," Seth replies.

Ryan returns, paler, but composed. They look at him. "What?"

"You okay?" Seth asks.

"Yeah. I mean, I'm sick, but I'll be mobile for a while now. Give me four hours until I go full blown." Ryan smiles at them. "It's cool. Food should be done, guys."

"So you're cool with the whole puking for days," Seth deadpans.

"Yeah. I'm cool. I knew about this when I signed on. Let's eat," Ryan shrugs, turning off the food and starting to prepare it.

Sandy reassures Kirsten with a glance and she starts setting the table. Ryan only manages to eat a few bites of pasta before returning to the bathroom.