Seth busted through the emergency room door with two bags clutched in his hands. He was scared, but of course he was scared his best friend and brother was in the hospital and so was Marissa. Seth searched the lobby for signs of his parents but found none.
Seth walked up to the registration desk. "Can I know what room Ryan Atwood is in?" Seth asked.
The young women behind the register looked at Seth then began typing in the computer. "And you are his?" The women asked trying to find out if she was allowed to release the information.
"I'm his brother." Seth said without missing a beat.
"The women nodded finding a Ryan Atwood listed in the computer. He's on the 9th floor room 946 But that's the ICU so you have to get buzzed in."
"Okay. Thanks." Seth said running off in search of Ryan.
Kirsten sat quietly next to Ryan's bed while Sandy stood outside talking to the police. Kirsten looked up at Ryan and felt tears welling back up in her eyes. He looked so young when he slept and that only helped make the bruises and cuts that marred his face more intruding.
Kirsten stood up approaching the bed and brushed Ryan's bangs off of his forehead. He was her little boy, she loved him and right now she had never been in more pain.
They had put Ryan in a private room in ICU moments after he fell asleep in the emergency room. The doctors had added morphine to his IV causing his sleep to become very deep. He hadn't so much as twitched in two hours.
The doctors wouldn't tell her where anything about Marissa's condition. She had wanted to yell, to make them give her the information but she knew they couldn't and they would banish her like they did Julie if she wasn't careful. She had to be here for her son, she just didn't want to have to tell Ryan she didn't know where Marissa was or how she was.
Sandy walked back in the room with the police officer in toe.
"I thought I said not right now!" Kirsten Harshly whispered at Sandy. She didn't want the police grilling her son now. He was still to sick, and to sad to deal with the police.
"Ma'am though we know Ryan didn't steal the car we still need to clear him of the rape charges, and get any information about the incident out of him now while it's still fresh." The officer said carefully.
"It's to fresh, besides he's obviously asleep." Kirsten said tucking the blankets tighter around Ryan. The anger that rose in her at the thought that Ryan was a suspect threatened to choke her.
"Kirsten we need to get this done. We need to wake him up. He will be able to rest better if the police aren't standing around."
Kirsten wanted to argue more but didn't. She knew her husband knew more about legal matters then she did. Kirsten gently cupped Ryan's cheek stroking her thumb across his face. "Ryan, Ryan sweetie you need to wake up."
Ryan stirred and his eye's fluttered open. He hadn't been dreaming in fact in felt to his as though he hadn't slept at all. Kirsten's tear stained face greeted him. Her eyes were apologetic and it confused him.
"Ryan sweetie I need you to tell the police what happened today, to Marissa and to you." Kirsten whispered softly sorry for her involvement in all of this.
Ryan knew what they wanted to hear. Ryan knew what he wanted to say he just didn't know how to get the strength to say it.
"Ryan if it's to soon . ."Kirsten started but was interrupted by Ryan.
"I . . . I didn't hurt Marissa. But I couldn't protect her. It was Trey. He was . . Drunk and he's . . . Strong. I tried I did but."
"That's enough for now Ryan" Kirsten interrupted kissing his forehead. Kirsten turned back to the cops and looked at them " Trey Atwood. Ryan's brother, go find him and leave us alone."
"Ma'am I'm gonna need a little bit . . ."
"You're gonna need to leave now and let my son recoup before you ask him anymore questions." Kirsten interrupted. She had had enough and was trying to process what Ryan had just told them. She had figured they had been jumped. She had figured Ryan had been ambushed, probably knocked unconscious, that he didn't know who had done it. She couldn't imagine the pain of knowing who, knowing you were there.
Ryan saw the cop leave and felt grateful to Kirsten for allowing him to stop. He didn't want to talk about it. He didn't want it to have happened. He wanted to go home.
But before he could move another inch the door to his room busted open again and a disheveled Seth tumbled awkwardly through. He had bags with him and was slightly out of breath.
Suddenly Ryan was torn. He loved his brother but couldn't deal with sarcasm or humor right now; there was too much gnawing at him.
Seth looked at Ryan and dropped the bags he held. Seth had never seen anyone as hurt as Ryan was. He was scared. He wondered what to say what to do. He had a hard enough time coping with Ryan's words about his past, to see this manifestation this re-enactment of what Ryan's past was like only served to make him feel more stupid and immature.
Ryan saw the look on Seth's face and didn't recognize it. He saw no jokes no sarcasm he saw pity he saw unease he saw hurt. Ryan looked at Sandy and Kirsten's faces and noticed the same emotions were reflected in all of them. Ryan was a proud person, but felt too much shame over his failures to Marissa to resent the looks bestowed upon him.
Marissa his mind screamed at him. He had been so scared so afraid so shamed by everything since Kirsten had woken him up he hadn't even noticed he wasn't in the emergency room. Ryan's head snapped from side to side quickly scanning for Marissa's presence but found only the Cohen's. His neck hurt at the exhilaration.
Kirsten noticed the frantic look in Ryan's eyes and his sudden head movements and approached his bed. She sat down next to Ryan gingerly fearing that jarring him would cause further agitation. "Honey?" Kirsten questioned, hoping she wouldn't need to press Ryan. She wasn't sure she had it in her to press or deny Ryan anything. He was her son and he was hurting.
Ryan meet her loving comforting eyes with his own which were lost and glistening with unshed tears. His throat was sore and his mind was sluggish but he knew what he was upset about. "Marissa?" Ryan questioned his voice shaky with emotion.
Kirsten sighed and took Ryan's hand. Sandy came up beside her and gently pushed Ryan's shoulders back against his pillows. Neither of them wanted to tell Ryan exactly where Marissa was, they had hoped that he would be lucid enough to understand she was in another room. They didn't want to tell him exactly which other room.
"She's fine." Sandy replied. He knew that if Ryan knew she had started to bleed out and had been rushed into surgery shortly after he had fallen asleep he would get no more rest.
Kirsten looked up at her husband tears in her eyes. Sandy was lying to Ryan. Perhaps it was for his protection but it was a lie none the less. She wasn't about to correct Sandy even though the lie made her worry further, she wasn't the concern now, Ryan was.
Sandy put his hand on his wife's shoulder and squeezed affectionately. She had never been good at lying to Seth he didn't know why he thought it would be different with Ryan, even in these circumstances.
Ryan didn't believe Sandy or Kirsten. He could tell they were hiding something, but before he could gather the strength to confirm his suspicions a doctor walked in interrupting his thoughts.
The doctor looked at the tense family before him and felt relieved that he had no further bad news for any of them. They looked to drawn to handle anything further. He tried to but all of their minds at rest with a genuine smile but no one was comforted.
"I just wanted to talk to you further about Ryan's test results and care plan." The doctor enunciated clearly trying to make sure there were no confusions or further stressors.
"Outside." Kirsten bit out. She didn't want anything unpleasant to reach Seth or Ryan's ears at this point. She couldn't handle it, and was unsure if they could either. She and Sandy followed the doctor out wordlessly.
Seth stood in the same spot he had since he got his first glimpse of Ryan. He wasn't sure what to do or say. It's wasn't Ryan's physical injuries that kept him frozen in place, like initially. It was how raw Ryan seemed to be. Every muscle, his eyes, his tone all seemed defeated to an extent he was unsure of how to handle.
Ryan didn't want to be handled though. He gave Seth a quick glimpse before closing his eyes and thinking about Marissa. Ryan wasn't a religious person, he wasn't a spiritual person but he was a humble person and he knew he couldn't protect Marissa right now where ever she was. But there had to be someone who could.
Marissa lay unconscious on an operating table in the heart of the hospital. Bright lights and beeping surrounded her as the doctors worked to repair the damage done to her Uterus by her attacker.
There was a sense of fear and pity in the room. The two teenagers that had come in today had been the talk of the hospital. How they were found clinging to each other, how it turned out the boy was the most logical suspect then how he was cleared. The clashing families and bittersweet reunion echoed through the employee lounge through out the day.
Everyone in the room knew what was at stake one young life and the possibility of more.
Marissa was unconscious but not at rest. Her mind raced, in fear in confusion from pain all at once nearly over burdening her mind. More then anything her whole body wanted to rest. There was a strong feeling of helplessness and shame coursing through every cell in her body.
Marissa wanted nothing more then nothing. She wanted to feel, to have to be nothing. Occasionally she could feel someone reaching out for her, someone safe and warm, and someone who wanted her. The problem was she didn't want herself.
The doctors became frenzied and panicked due to the slowing of Marissa's heart beat. She was much too young and had lost too much blood. The surgeon knew what he had to do, he was just unsure of the finality. He had to close her up, she couldn't survive much more and his window of opportunity was closing.
The doctor made a decision quickly. After all what was more important her life or future lives. The doctor told the nurses to prepare for a full hysterectomy and the room instantly got tenser. No one wanted this, but no one was left with any other choice.