Ryan was only vaguely aware of all the commotion and attention being paid
to him. He felt the oxygen mask over his face. He heard them say
something about it helping him breath, but it didn't. He couldn't breath
through his nose, and he had such a crushing feeling in his chest. He knew
they had started an IV, because he felt that familiar jab of the needle,
and he also heard them say something about it. It was really painful when
they moved him onto the stretcher and into the ambulance. It was the first
time Ryan actually cried out. He didn't want to move. It hurt too much.
But they apologized to him and told him to hold on; they'd get him to the
hospital as quickly as possible.
He heard someone talking to the hospital. Seventeen year old white male, multiple injuries, victim of attack. Thankfully, he also heard them confirm that they could give him some morphine. He liked morphine. It always took the edge off his multiple injuries.
They got to the hospital pretty fast or so Ryan thought. The morphine was beginning to help. His whole body still hurt a lot, but he cared a little less now. He was still having trouble breathing, and he hoped the doctors would be able to fix that soon. Ryan wanted to laugh when they got into the hospital. There was such a sudden flurry of activity and people all around him, shouting medical terms and procedures. Ryan couldn't help but think he should have paid better attention to that medical show Kirsten liked to watch. Then maybe he could understand what they were talking about.
He understood some things. Collapsed lung. He understood that. He understood the term fracture, but not much else. He was well aware of the fact they were removing his clothes. Didn't like that too much. Dip a urine? Well, that didn't sound good. Lavage? Negative. That's a good thing, right? He was aware every time someone pried his eyes open and stuck a light in his face. And someone kept touching his face. He didn't like that. It hurt. He got stuck with more needles. They obviously needed blood, but couldn't they just get it off his face? He knew his face was covered with it. He heard something about a chest tube, and felt someone jabbing at his side. Again, he didn't like that. Portable x-rays, CAT scan, MRI. All kinds of medical procedures that Ryan had no clue how he was going to pay for.
He also heard them shouting at him. He really hated that. Didn't they see Eddie had hit him in the head with a bottle? They really needed to stop yelling. He had a headache.
"Ryan?" someone shouted, "Ryan, can you hear me? Open your eyes, Ryan."
"Can't breath." Ryan finally said. He still didn't want to open his eyes. It hurt, but if he could answer them, then maybe they'd stop yelling.
"You have a collapsed lung and some rib fractures, Ryan. That's why you're having trouble breathing. We've put in a chest tube. That should help you breath." the voice said, "Ryan, can you tell me where you are?"
"Hospital." Ryan answered. He wanted to add "duh" but he couldn't get the word out. He'd talked enough, he wanted to go back to sleep.
"Which hospital?" The voice asked.
Honestly, Ryan could care less which hospital, just as long as they fixed him up and let him go home.
"Don't know." he said.
"You're in Chino Valley, Ryan," the voice told him, "You're not in Newport Beach right now. Is that where you're from Ryan, Newport Beach?"
Ryan from Newport Beach. Ryan from Newport Beach. Yeah, he liked that. They thought he was from Newport Beach. No wonder he was getting a lot of attention. He was Ryan from Newport Beach. He smiled slightly at the thought before falling asleep again.
Ryan wasn't sure how long he slept for. When he woke up, he was in a hospital room, alone. It was sunny out, so it was obviously daytime. His chest was wrapped, and he had bandages on his face. He figured they had stitched up his forehead and lip. He knew there wasn't much they could do about his nose. It wasn't the first time it had been broken. He already knew the routine. He also noticed a lot of tubes and wires attached to various parts of his body.
He was still taking inventory of all the bandages, bruises, tubes, wires and whatnots when his door opened. He looked up to see a police officer and someone who he could only assume was a doctor. It was this guy who spoke first,
"You're awake. Good. Good to see. I'm Dr. Bollard. How are you feeling?"
"Ok." Ryan said. He really felt like hell. Everything hurt. But he wanted to get out and go home as quickly as possible, so he lied.
"You do? Hum. That's amazing. You should feel like crap." Dr. Bollard said, with a smile.
Great, just what I need, Ryan thought, a doctor with a Seth-like sense of humor.
Dr. Bollard didn't say much more as he started his examination of Ryan. Ryan could only grunt whenever Dr. Bollard poked or pushed on him, and Dr. Bollard would only say a quick sorry. Ryan doubted he was sorry. He was just doing his job, but his job was hurting Ryan.
Meanwhile, the police officer stood quietly to the side. Ryan knew he was going to have to talk to him next, when he was done with the doctor. He dreaded that more then the doctor's exam.
"When can I get out of here?" Ryan finally asked.
"Soon. Maybe a day or two." Dr. Bollard said, "Your family should be here shortly, and we can discuss it then."
Great. Like he wasn't feeling bad enough. Now he'd have to deal with Eva and Teresa. Again. Eva didn't already hate him enough. Now this. Well, at least looking as bad as he figured he looked, Ryan knew they wouldn't push him any more about getting married in August.
"Ok, I'm done here for now." Dr. Bollard explained, "There are a few more tests I'd like to run, but again, once your family gets here, we can go into more detail. I believe Officer Greene would like to talk to you, and then the nurse will be in to give you something for the pain. I'll see you again when your family is here."
Dr. Bollard left, leaving Ryan alone with the cop. Officer Greene. That's what Dr. Bollard said.
"Hi, Ryan." This Officer Greene said, "It's good to see you again."
Ryan only looked at Officer Greene, confused. He didn't remember ever seeing this Officer Greene before. He hoped it wasn't from the year before, when he and Trey were arrested for stealing that car.
But Officer Greene answered Ryan's unasked question, "My partner and I were the ones who found you in the park earlier. Can you tell me what you were doing there? In the park? In the middle of the night? Did someone dump you there?"
Ryan only nodded. He didn't want to be rude or disrespectful, especially since it was this Officer Greene and his partner who found Ryan and helped him. But he also knew he couldn't tell the cops anything about what happened. You never told the cops what happened. It was asking for more trouble. A lot more trouble.
"I don't remember." Ryan lied. He figured he'd work the head injury angle, pretend he didn't know or remember who attacked him.
"Well, do you remember what you were doing in the park? In Chino?" Officer Greene asked.
"No, I'm sorry. I really don't remember." Ryan lied, again.
Officer Greene just nodded for a moment before asking,
"Who's Eddie?"
"Eddie?" Ryan asked. Damn, what did he say when they found him? Did he tell them about Eddie?
"Yes, Eddie." Officer Greene answered. "You said it wasn't Eddie's fault. Is Eddie the guy who did this?"
"Um. Eddie. Eddie is my brother." Ryan again lied.
"Your brother? Your brother attacked you? Is your brother here in Chino, too?" Officer Greene could tell Ryan was lying. He just didn't know why. Why would a rich kid from Newport Beach be here in Chino, and why would he lie about being attacked in the park?
Ryan just shook his head, before lying again,
"No. No. My brother didn't attack me. Really, I don't know who attacked me. I didn't see their face. I don't know who it was."
It was obvious to Officer Greene that he was getting nowhere with Ryan. He'd have to wait for the parents to get there and then try again. He shut his notebook and put his pen away before telling Ryan,
"Ok then. I guess that's all I have for now. I'll leave you my card. If you think of anything, please call. I'll stop by again later to see if maybe your memory improves with some rest. Maybe something will come back to you."
Ryan thanked this Officer Greene. He didn't mean to make the guy's job any harder. He just knew he couldn't tell him what really happened.
The nurse came in, as Officer Greene was getting ready to leave. She smiled at him before injecting something into his IV.
"There. That should help with the pain. You should feel a lot better shortly." She said with a smile.
Ryan closed his eyes and waited for the morphine to kick in. He knew he was going to need that morphine once Teresa and Eva got there, and he'd have to deal with them, too. He just hoped they didn't call Sandy or Kirsten. They definitely didn't need to know about this. Leaving them was hard enough. Having them know he was hurt was something he wanted to avoid at all costs. When he was well and his injuries were healed, he would call them. If they knew he was hurt, they might let him come home simply because they felt sorry for him. That thought was more then he could bear. He didn't want anyone feeling sorry for him, least of all Sandy and Kirsten.
He heard someone talking to the hospital. Seventeen year old white male, multiple injuries, victim of attack. Thankfully, he also heard them confirm that they could give him some morphine. He liked morphine. It always took the edge off his multiple injuries.
They got to the hospital pretty fast or so Ryan thought. The morphine was beginning to help. His whole body still hurt a lot, but he cared a little less now. He was still having trouble breathing, and he hoped the doctors would be able to fix that soon. Ryan wanted to laugh when they got into the hospital. There was such a sudden flurry of activity and people all around him, shouting medical terms and procedures. Ryan couldn't help but think he should have paid better attention to that medical show Kirsten liked to watch. Then maybe he could understand what they were talking about.
He understood some things. Collapsed lung. He understood that. He understood the term fracture, but not much else. He was well aware of the fact they were removing his clothes. Didn't like that too much. Dip a urine? Well, that didn't sound good. Lavage? Negative. That's a good thing, right? He was aware every time someone pried his eyes open and stuck a light in his face. And someone kept touching his face. He didn't like that. It hurt. He got stuck with more needles. They obviously needed blood, but couldn't they just get it off his face? He knew his face was covered with it. He heard something about a chest tube, and felt someone jabbing at his side. Again, he didn't like that. Portable x-rays, CAT scan, MRI. All kinds of medical procedures that Ryan had no clue how he was going to pay for.
He also heard them shouting at him. He really hated that. Didn't they see Eddie had hit him in the head with a bottle? They really needed to stop yelling. He had a headache.
"Ryan?" someone shouted, "Ryan, can you hear me? Open your eyes, Ryan."
"Can't breath." Ryan finally said. He still didn't want to open his eyes. It hurt, but if he could answer them, then maybe they'd stop yelling.
"You have a collapsed lung and some rib fractures, Ryan. That's why you're having trouble breathing. We've put in a chest tube. That should help you breath." the voice said, "Ryan, can you tell me where you are?"
"Hospital." Ryan answered. He wanted to add "duh" but he couldn't get the word out. He'd talked enough, he wanted to go back to sleep.
"Which hospital?" The voice asked.
Honestly, Ryan could care less which hospital, just as long as they fixed him up and let him go home.
"Don't know." he said.
"You're in Chino Valley, Ryan," the voice told him, "You're not in Newport Beach right now. Is that where you're from Ryan, Newport Beach?"
Ryan from Newport Beach. Ryan from Newport Beach. Yeah, he liked that. They thought he was from Newport Beach. No wonder he was getting a lot of attention. He was Ryan from Newport Beach. He smiled slightly at the thought before falling asleep again.
Ryan wasn't sure how long he slept for. When he woke up, he was in a hospital room, alone. It was sunny out, so it was obviously daytime. His chest was wrapped, and he had bandages on his face. He figured they had stitched up his forehead and lip. He knew there wasn't much they could do about his nose. It wasn't the first time it had been broken. He already knew the routine. He also noticed a lot of tubes and wires attached to various parts of his body.
He was still taking inventory of all the bandages, bruises, tubes, wires and whatnots when his door opened. He looked up to see a police officer and someone who he could only assume was a doctor. It was this guy who spoke first,
"You're awake. Good. Good to see. I'm Dr. Bollard. How are you feeling?"
"Ok." Ryan said. He really felt like hell. Everything hurt. But he wanted to get out and go home as quickly as possible, so he lied.
"You do? Hum. That's amazing. You should feel like crap." Dr. Bollard said, with a smile.
Great, just what I need, Ryan thought, a doctor with a Seth-like sense of humor.
Dr. Bollard didn't say much more as he started his examination of Ryan. Ryan could only grunt whenever Dr. Bollard poked or pushed on him, and Dr. Bollard would only say a quick sorry. Ryan doubted he was sorry. He was just doing his job, but his job was hurting Ryan.
Meanwhile, the police officer stood quietly to the side. Ryan knew he was going to have to talk to him next, when he was done with the doctor. He dreaded that more then the doctor's exam.
"When can I get out of here?" Ryan finally asked.
"Soon. Maybe a day or two." Dr. Bollard said, "Your family should be here shortly, and we can discuss it then."
Great. Like he wasn't feeling bad enough. Now he'd have to deal with Eva and Teresa. Again. Eva didn't already hate him enough. Now this. Well, at least looking as bad as he figured he looked, Ryan knew they wouldn't push him any more about getting married in August.
"Ok, I'm done here for now." Dr. Bollard explained, "There are a few more tests I'd like to run, but again, once your family gets here, we can go into more detail. I believe Officer Greene would like to talk to you, and then the nurse will be in to give you something for the pain. I'll see you again when your family is here."
Dr. Bollard left, leaving Ryan alone with the cop. Officer Greene. That's what Dr. Bollard said.
"Hi, Ryan." This Officer Greene said, "It's good to see you again."
Ryan only looked at Officer Greene, confused. He didn't remember ever seeing this Officer Greene before. He hoped it wasn't from the year before, when he and Trey were arrested for stealing that car.
But Officer Greene answered Ryan's unasked question, "My partner and I were the ones who found you in the park earlier. Can you tell me what you were doing there? In the park? In the middle of the night? Did someone dump you there?"
Ryan only nodded. He didn't want to be rude or disrespectful, especially since it was this Officer Greene and his partner who found Ryan and helped him. But he also knew he couldn't tell the cops anything about what happened. You never told the cops what happened. It was asking for more trouble. A lot more trouble.
"I don't remember." Ryan lied. He figured he'd work the head injury angle, pretend he didn't know or remember who attacked him.
"Well, do you remember what you were doing in the park? In Chino?" Officer Greene asked.
"No, I'm sorry. I really don't remember." Ryan lied, again.
Officer Greene just nodded for a moment before asking,
"Who's Eddie?"
"Eddie?" Ryan asked. Damn, what did he say when they found him? Did he tell them about Eddie?
"Yes, Eddie." Officer Greene answered. "You said it wasn't Eddie's fault. Is Eddie the guy who did this?"
"Um. Eddie. Eddie is my brother." Ryan again lied.
"Your brother? Your brother attacked you? Is your brother here in Chino, too?" Officer Greene could tell Ryan was lying. He just didn't know why. Why would a rich kid from Newport Beach be here in Chino, and why would he lie about being attacked in the park?
Ryan just shook his head, before lying again,
"No. No. My brother didn't attack me. Really, I don't know who attacked me. I didn't see their face. I don't know who it was."
It was obvious to Officer Greene that he was getting nowhere with Ryan. He'd have to wait for the parents to get there and then try again. He shut his notebook and put his pen away before telling Ryan,
"Ok then. I guess that's all I have for now. I'll leave you my card. If you think of anything, please call. I'll stop by again later to see if maybe your memory improves with some rest. Maybe something will come back to you."
Ryan thanked this Officer Greene. He didn't mean to make the guy's job any harder. He just knew he couldn't tell him what really happened.
The nurse came in, as Officer Greene was getting ready to leave. She smiled at him before injecting something into his IV.
"There. That should help with the pain. You should feel a lot better shortly." She said with a smile.
Ryan closed his eyes and waited for the morphine to kick in. He knew he was going to need that morphine once Teresa and Eva got there, and he'd have to deal with them, too. He just hoped they didn't call Sandy or Kirsten. They definitely didn't need to know about this. Leaving them was hard enough. Having them know he was hurt was something he wanted to avoid at all costs. When he was well and his injuries were healed, he would call them. If they knew he was hurt, they might let him come home simply because they felt sorry for him. That thought was more then he could bear. He didn't want anyone feeling sorry for him, least of all Sandy and Kirsten.