Kirsten shut the door to Ryan's room swearing that she was going to kill Sandy. There was no reason he had to tell Ryan he was going down to Catalina. After Seth called to say he was ready to come home, Sandy could have just left, met up with Seth and then come home. But no, he had to tell Ryan where he was going, and now it was up to Kirsten to field Ryan's constant questions. How long does it take for the ferry to get to the island? What time does the ferry come back? What time did Sandy leave? When will they be home?

It had become impossible for Kirsten to get him to just relax and get some sleep. She finally threatened to lock his bedroom door and not tell him when Seth got home if he asked one more question. Even though Kirsten felt bad snapping at him, she knew the more rest he got, the quicker he would get well. And she really wanted him to get well, so she could kill him for what he put them through this summer.

After Kirsten left, slamming his door behind her, Ryan got out his laptop. He didn't think he needed any more sleep. That was all he had been doing, and he wanted to be awake for when Seth got home. He wanted to talk to him, clear the air and figure out how to make it right between them again.

He heard the doorbell a short time later, and figured only Seth would be ringing it to announce his arrival back home. Ryan hoped the fact Seth was coming home only a day after him meant that he wasn't as mad as Ryan first thought. Just in case, though, Ryan wanted to go down stairs and meet Seth on neutral territory.

Even though it hurt a lot for Ryan to move around, he managed to get down the stairs relatively quick, just in time to see Rosa let Caleb in.

Caleb greeted him with a "What the hell happened to you?"

"Accident." Ryan said. He was sore and out of breath and stuck talking to Caleb Nichol. He definitely was not happy at that moment.

"Accident, huh?" Caleb asked, "Does this mean you're home now?"

Ryan only grunted "yeah," too tired to attempt a conversation with Caleb.

Caleb sized him up, trying to figure out what kind of accident the kid could have had to look like that, but just asked,

"Where's KiKi?"

Ryan opened his mouth to say he didn't know, but didn't get a chance. From behind him he heard,

"What are you doing down here?"

Ryan turned around, expecting Kirsten to be yelling at her father. He was after all the one who went bankrupt and got arrested. Ryan doubted they were on friendly terms. He was shocked to see Kirsten staring at him.

"I, uh, thought it was Seth." he stammered.

"Seth? You thought it was Seth?" she said, "That's your reason for disobeying a doctor's order and getting out of bed? You thought it was Seth?"

"Um, yes?" Ryan answered. Crap, I'm in trouble again, he thought.

"Go back upstairs, get back into bed, and stay there. I will be up in a little bit with your lunch." Kirsten ordered.

Ryan looked up the stairs, not really sure how he could climb them without Kirsten noticing how much pain it caused him.

"Maybe I could just stay down here and wait for Seth. I could just lie on the den couch and watch TV. That way I'm right there, and you won't have to bring my lunch up." Ryan asked.

Kirsten's answer came in the form of a look, and not a very pleasant look.

Ryan turned to Caleb and just said, "Yeah, uh, it was good to see you again, Mr. Nichol." and began to climb the stairs as quickly as he could.

When Ryan got to the top of the stairs, he couldn't believe he found himself eavesdropping on Kirsten's conversation with her father. But he knew there had been a lot that had happened in his absence that no one was willing to tell him about.

"What the hell happened to the boy?" he heard Caleb ask.

"He was attacked in Chino. Beaten up by a gang. We just brought him home from the hospital yesterday." Kirsten explained.

"For good? What about that girl he got pregnant?" Caleb asked.

"Yes, for good." Kirsten said, "Teresa miscarried. And Ryan wasn't the father."

Kirsten wanted to keep her answers to her father short. For some reason, though, she felt the need to tell him that Ryan wasn't the father. Not that it mattered to Ryan, but for some reason it matter to Kirsten to tell people Ryan wasn't at fault.

"What about Marissa?" Caleb said, "How come you haven't told Marissa he was home?"

"Ryan just got home yesterday, Dad." Kirsten told him, "And in case you didn't notice, Ryan isn't feeling very well. He needs time to recover and take care of himself before he has to deal with Marissa. Besides, he doesn't want Marissa seeing him like that. He wants some of the bruises to fade before Marissa sees him. So don't tell her. Give him the time he deserves."

"Well, don't expect me to wait too long. I think it will help Marissa knowing that the boy is back. Besides, they're going to be neighbors again, shortly." Caleb said.

When Kirsten didn't answer, Ryan heard Caleb explain,

"We have to sell the new house. To help cover some of the legal costs that have come up. Julie still owns the house next door. I put it in her name this past winter, so they can't touch it. So we're going to be moving back there. The boy and Marissa will be neighbors again."

"Dad," Kirsten said, clearly irritated, "The boy's name is Ryan. And I'm sure he will call Marissa when he is up to it. When Sandy and I decide he is up to it. Is there anything else you needed? Seth should be home soon, and Ryan still needs to eat lunch."

"I wanted to talk to you about the Newport Group." Caleb said.

But Kirsten quickly told him,

"Dad, you know we can't. The DA's office may have cleared me of any wrongdoing, but they can still drag me back in if they think I know something. I'm not going through that again. If there is anything you need to discuss, you know you need to discuss it with Sandy, not me. And Sandy is in Catalina meeting up with Seth. So, I don't mean to be rude, but if there's nothing else, I need to see about Ryan's lunch."

"Look, KiKi," Caleb said, "I know this has been hard for you. But I want you to take a look at the papers I have here. I formed a new company called the Newport Residential Group, of which you are the president and CEO. Have Sandy take a look at the papers. Have one of his associate take a look. It's all legal. Hell, give it to the DA if you want. This is your company. Not mine. I'll have nothing to do with it. I promise. But just promise me that you'll take a look at it."

"Leave the papers on the table. I'll ask Sandy to look at them, and then we'll get back to you." Kirsten said.

As Caleb dropped the papers on the table, he turned to leave.

"What about my grandson? When can I see him?" he asked.

"Soon, but not today. I'll let you know when. My family and I need some time to sort some things out." Kirsten told him.

She knew her father had been through a lot over the summer and was still facing some serious problems, but she wasn't up for holding his hand and pretending that he was Father or Grandfather of the Year. Right now, her concern was for Ryan, Seth and Sandy. Her family, and for now, that didn't include Caleb.

"Ok," Caleb said, "Give my best to Seth and the Sandman. And I'm glad the boy is back, too. I know you must be happy having your whole family home."

After Caleb left, Kirsten went to the kitchen to get the lunch Rosa had made for Ryan as well as his medication and headed up the stairs to have yet another talk with him about making decisions on his own. He was told to stay in bed, and he was going to stay in bed.

"Would you like to explain to me what that was about?" she demanded to know as she placed his lunch tray down on the bed in front of him.

Ryan just shrugged and told her, "I thought it was Seth."

He knew it was a weak answer, but it was all he had.

"Yes, you said that already." Kirsten told him, "Before we left the hospital yesterday, what did the doctor say?"

Ryan sighed and looked down before he answered, "To rest."

"Bed rest, Ryan. He said bed rest." Kirsten corrected him. "That means you stay in bed and rest. Got it?"

Ryan nodded and told her,

"Yeah, got it. Sorry."

Kirsten looked at him for a minute. He was only picking at his lunch, and not really eating, so Kirsten knew even before she asked,

"How do you feel?"

"Fine." Ryan lied, as he continued to look down at his food.

But when he looked up and saw Kirsten just staring at him, he admitted,

"Sore and tired and like crap." and then he waited. He knew another lecture was coming, but Kirsten just looked at him and said,

"Well, you still have a few hours until Seth and Sandy come home. Try to eat something and then get some sleep. You'll feel better."

"And someone will wake me up when Seth gets home?" Ryan asked.

Kirsten nodded and told him, "I'm sure Seth will wake you up himself."

Ryan continued to play with his food. He was tired and knew he really should sleep for a while so he and Seth could talk later, but he also had someone else on his mind.

"Kirsten?" Ryan finally asked, "What's going on with Marissa? Why is Caleb so anxious to tell her I'm home?"

"And I thought only Seth eavesdropped." Kirsten told him, "I told you before, she misses you."

She didn't want to have to tell him about Marissa. Not now. He needed to worry about himself, not Marissa.

"Kirsten, please." Ryan said.

Kirsten looked at him, and knew that Ryan wasn't going to drop it. He really wanted to know. She sat on the edge of his bed as she told him,

"It's been rough for her this summer, and she's had some trouble dealing with it all."

"How so?" he asked.

"She's been drinking." Kirsten explained, "Going out. Not telling anyone where she's going or when she'll be back. She's been running pretty wild. My dad and Julie aren't really sure what to do any more."

Kirsten could tell just by the look on Ryan's face, in his eyes, exactly what he was thinking, before he could say it.

"And before you open your mouth and say this is all your fault, no it's not." she told him, "You cannot be responsible for Marissa's actions anymore than you can be for Seth's. Yes, everyone was upset when you left, but you didn't make Seth run away or Marissa drink. This is not your fault."

Ryan didn't answer her, not right away. He just pushed his tray out of his way and began to get out of bed again,

"I should probably call her," he finally said.

But Kirsten stopped him,

"No, you should get some sleep. You need to take care of yourself right now. I'm sure my dad will tell Julie about you, and one of them will end up telling Marissa."

"But it should really come from me." he told her, "Not Julie or Caleb. I should call her. Tell her what happened."

"No, Ryan. Not right now. You need to rest." Kirsten said. There had to be some way to get Ryan to take care of himself. To stop putting other people ahead of himself, other people's needs before his.

"Look, I'll make you a deal." she told him, "You promise to stay here and sleep, and I'll call Marissa and explain everything to her."

Ryan just shook his head. It was nice of Kirsten to offer, but he told her,

"I really think it should come from me."

"Ryan," Kirsten said, clearly getting annoyed, "There is no negotiating in this deal. You stay here and sleep, or I won't call Marissa. Understand?"

Ryan finally realized that Kirsten wasn't going to give in and let him call Marissa. So he decided to stop arguing. He wasn't going to win.

"Fine," he told her, "But you'll call her now. Tell her I'm sorry. Tell her I'm okay, and tell her I'll call her as soon as I can. Ok?"

But Kirsten just said, "Good night, Ryan."

"And you'll wake me up when Seth gets home." he said.

But Kirsten again just said, "Good night, Ryan." and closed his door behind her.

After Kirsten left, Ryan laid in bed, staring at the ceiling. He was only gone for two months, and in that time, Marissa was back to drinking and heavy partying and Seth had run away. Life in Newport had gone to hell, and Ryan had no idea how he was going to fix it.