On Friday when Ryan got to the office, the data he needed for Mike still hadn't come from the client. He called over to find out exactly when to expect it and was assured that it was on its way. Ryan then had to reassure Mike, who was in a panic. Ryan again promised that the analysis would be on Lisa's desk before he left.
The data didn't arrive until nearly 3pm, and once Ryan started the analysis, he realized it was going to take longer than he thought. Kirsten couldn't convince him to come home at the end of the day. Ryan grabbed a sandwich for supper and worked until 10pm. Once he realized he wasn't close to finishing, he decided to call it a night and come in on Saturday morning to finish up.
Saturday morning, Seth appeared in the kitchen with his skateboard in hand. "Hey," he said to Ryan who was already there, "I thought we could head to the pier after breakfast this morning."
Ryan shook his head. "Sorry, man," he said through a mouth full of cereal, "I've got to in to the office to finish something up this morning. Why don't you call Summer and see what she's up to?"
Seth's whole body drooped. "No, it's a mall day for her today. Come on, man," he whined. "We always go to the pier on Saturday."
"I know, Seth, but I'm also spending the next four days in a car with you. And I've got to get this done before I go."
"Fine," Seth pouted. Then his face brightened. "But you're starting to look forward to this trip, aren't you?"
He was. He figured he and Seth could blow off the campus tour – Seth wasn't concerned with that part anyway. They could tell Kirsten that it was a nice college but it wasn't for Ryan and everyone would be happy. "Yeah, I am. But I won't have fun if I know I didn't get this done, so I've got to go." He got up from the table and started to leave. "I should be back around lunch, hopefully. Will you be here when I get back?"
"Where else would I go?" Seth asked. After Ryan left, he figured he'd head over to the skateboard park and practice some new tricks. That should keep him occupied until lunch.
When Caleb walked into the offices, he was surprised to see Ryan there. "What are you doing, Ryan?"
Ryan had been so engrossed on finishing what he was doing he hadn't heard Caleb come in and jumped when he heard his voice. "Oh, Mr Nichol. I was just finishing up something for Mike."
"I didn't see a car outside when I arrived."
"I biked in."
Caleb couldn't get over how committed Ryan was this job. Ryan never failed to impress him. "Well, I should be here about an hour. How about I give you a ride home when you're ready to go?"
"Oh, you don't need to..." Ryan looked at Caleb and decided he shouldn't argue. "OK. I should be done by then."
"Good. Come to my office when you're finished."
An hour and a half later, Ryan's bike was in the limo's trunk and he and Caleb were through the gates of the Cohen's gated community. Ryan noticed Kirsten's car in front of them, and they followed it to the Cohen driveway.
Ryan got out of the limo and was going to get his bike from the trunk when he heard Sandy ask him for some help. He turned and walked toward the Range Rover and that's when he saw Seth trying to get out of the back seat, looking white as a ghost, with a cast on his leg. Ryan rushed over to help Sandy get Seth out of the car and into the house.
Kirsten got to the den first and stacked some pillows on the couch. Ryan and Sandy deposited Seth as gently as they could and helped him get his leg elevated on the pillows. Caleb followed behind them, carrying Seth's crutches.
Once Seth was settled, Ryan sat in the chair beside him. "What happened?"
"It was kind of cool." Seth's face lit up.
Kirsten called from the kitchen, "It was not cool."
Seth grinned. "I had totally mastered this new move. Ok, maybe I hadn't totally mastered it, or else I wouldn't have broken my ankle. I had mostly mastered it, but on my last attempt, my board slipped when I was in the air. Instead of landing on the board, I landed on my foot and it went crunch." Seth paled at the memory. "OK, maybe Mom was right. It wasn't that cool."
"So I guess that means the road trip is cancelled."
"What do you mean? I can still ride in car."
"Ryan's right, Seth," Sandy said. "You can't sit in car for over 6 hours with a freshly broken ankle. You complained the whole way home from the hospital."
"This is so unfair."
"What about CCA?" Caleb said.
"It's not important. I don't have to go."
"Ryan, I really think you should check it out," Kirsten said.
"I'm not driving to San Francisco by myself."
Kirsten looked at Sandy. He said, "I'd love to go with you, but I'm in court all week and I can't get out of it."
Kirsten smiled. "I'll go with you. I don't have anything pressing at work this week, and I'd love to see the campus with you."
"Kirsten..."
"It'll be fun, Ryan." Kirsten looked at him expectantly.
"What about Seth? He shouldn't stay here by himself."
"Rosa'll be in and can get him what he needs."
Seth added, "And Summer can come by in the afternoon after her volunteer shift at the hospital."
Ryan shot Seth a death glare. He wasn't helping.
"I'll need to clear some things off my desk tomorrow, so why don't we plan to leave Monday?"
Ryan realized there was no arguing with Kirsten, so he smiled at her and said, "Sounds good."
Ryan spent Sunday keeping Seth company. They played video games for the most part, while Seth was awake. His painkillers made him sleepy, so he dozed on and off. At one point while Seth was sleeping, Ryan considered getting his sketch pad from the pool house, but he didn't want to chance Sandy or Kirsten coming by, wanting to see what he was doing. He knew they had seen some of his work at school, but he wasn't quite ready to share his drawings with them while he was in the same room.
After supper, he went out to the pool house to pack. How did he end up going on a road trip with Kirsten? The thought of spending the next three days alone with Kirsten frightened him a little. It's not that he didn't like Kirsten; they were actually a lot alike. He just didn't know what they were going to talk about on the 13-hour return trip. With Seth, he knew he could just sit there and listen to his incessant babbling, but with Kirsten it was going to take effort. But she did seem excited about the trip.
She was also excited about CCA. He knew it had the best architecture program in California, and was one of the top-rated schools in the country. But he didn't need the best – he never needed the best. USC was a good school in its own right. He'd be sharing an apartment with Seth; he'd still be close to the Cohens. USC was more than he ever dreamed of before he came to live with the Cohens. And San Francisco seemed a long way away.
He debated throwing his sketchpad in. He wondered if he'd get any time to himself. He doubted it, but he took it with him anyway, just in case.
The next morning Ryan and Kirsten loaded their bags into the Range Rover. They went back inside to say good-bye to Seth.
"Are you sure you'll be all right?" Kirsten was starting to have second thoughts about leaving Seth by himself.
"I'll be fine, Mom. Summer took the morning off from the hospital today so she'll be here soon. You two go. Have fun." He smirked. "So who's driving?"
Kirsten and Ryan looked at each other. "It's a long drive. We'll probably take turns," Kirsten said.
"Yeah, but who's going to start?"
"Well, Ryan, if you want..."
"No, Kirsten, it's up to you. Your car and everything..."
Seth laughed at them. "Yeah, this is going to be a fun trip, I can tell. So I've got something for you."
Seth grabbed an envelope and handed it to Ryan. It was heavy, and Ryan turned it over to open it.
"No, don't! Not yet."
"What is it?"
"Well, I wouldn't want to be in a car alone with you and Mom, so this is a little something to help you two pass the time."
Ryan looked skeptically at Seth.
"Don't open it until you're on your way. Promise?"
"I promise, Seth," Ryan humored him.
"I'm serious, dude. If you open it before you leave, it'll self-destruct and then you'll never know what was in it."
Seth looked so earnest that Ryan laughed. "Fine. Not till we're on the road."
"You'll thank me for this, dude. You'll see."
TBC2
The data didn't arrive until nearly 3pm, and once Ryan started the analysis, he realized it was going to take longer than he thought. Kirsten couldn't convince him to come home at the end of the day. Ryan grabbed a sandwich for supper and worked until 10pm. Once he realized he wasn't close to finishing, he decided to call it a night and come in on Saturday morning to finish up.
Saturday morning, Seth appeared in the kitchen with his skateboard in hand. "Hey," he said to Ryan who was already there, "I thought we could head to the pier after breakfast this morning."
Ryan shook his head. "Sorry, man," he said through a mouth full of cereal, "I've got to in to the office to finish something up this morning. Why don't you call Summer and see what she's up to?"
Seth's whole body drooped. "No, it's a mall day for her today. Come on, man," he whined. "We always go to the pier on Saturday."
"I know, Seth, but I'm also spending the next four days in a car with you. And I've got to get this done before I go."
"Fine," Seth pouted. Then his face brightened. "But you're starting to look forward to this trip, aren't you?"
He was. He figured he and Seth could blow off the campus tour – Seth wasn't concerned with that part anyway. They could tell Kirsten that it was a nice college but it wasn't for Ryan and everyone would be happy. "Yeah, I am. But I won't have fun if I know I didn't get this done, so I've got to go." He got up from the table and started to leave. "I should be back around lunch, hopefully. Will you be here when I get back?"
"Where else would I go?" Seth asked. After Ryan left, he figured he'd head over to the skateboard park and practice some new tricks. That should keep him occupied until lunch.
When Caleb walked into the offices, he was surprised to see Ryan there. "What are you doing, Ryan?"
Ryan had been so engrossed on finishing what he was doing he hadn't heard Caleb come in and jumped when he heard his voice. "Oh, Mr Nichol. I was just finishing up something for Mike."
"I didn't see a car outside when I arrived."
"I biked in."
Caleb couldn't get over how committed Ryan was this job. Ryan never failed to impress him. "Well, I should be here about an hour. How about I give you a ride home when you're ready to go?"
"Oh, you don't need to..." Ryan looked at Caleb and decided he shouldn't argue. "OK. I should be done by then."
"Good. Come to my office when you're finished."
An hour and a half later, Ryan's bike was in the limo's trunk and he and Caleb were through the gates of the Cohen's gated community. Ryan noticed Kirsten's car in front of them, and they followed it to the Cohen driveway.
Ryan got out of the limo and was going to get his bike from the trunk when he heard Sandy ask him for some help. He turned and walked toward the Range Rover and that's when he saw Seth trying to get out of the back seat, looking white as a ghost, with a cast on his leg. Ryan rushed over to help Sandy get Seth out of the car and into the house.
Kirsten got to the den first and stacked some pillows on the couch. Ryan and Sandy deposited Seth as gently as they could and helped him get his leg elevated on the pillows. Caleb followed behind them, carrying Seth's crutches.
Once Seth was settled, Ryan sat in the chair beside him. "What happened?"
"It was kind of cool." Seth's face lit up.
Kirsten called from the kitchen, "It was not cool."
Seth grinned. "I had totally mastered this new move. Ok, maybe I hadn't totally mastered it, or else I wouldn't have broken my ankle. I had mostly mastered it, but on my last attempt, my board slipped when I was in the air. Instead of landing on the board, I landed on my foot and it went crunch." Seth paled at the memory. "OK, maybe Mom was right. It wasn't that cool."
"So I guess that means the road trip is cancelled."
"What do you mean? I can still ride in car."
"Ryan's right, Seth," Sandy said. "You can't sit in car for over 6 hours with a freshly broken ankle. You complained the whole way home from the hospital."
"This is so unfair."
"What about CCA?" Caleb said.
"It's not important. I don't have to go."
"Ryan, I really think you should check it out," Kirsten said.
"I'm not driving to San Francisco by myself."
Kirsten looked at Sandy. He said, "I'd love to go with you, but I'm in court all week and I can't get out of it."
Kirsten smiled. "I'll go with you. I don't have anything pressing at work this week, and I'd love to see the campus with you."
"Kirsten..."
"It'll be fun, Ryan." Kirsten looked at him expectantly.
"What about Seth? He shouldn't stay here by himself."
"Rosa'll be in and can get him what he needs."
Seth added, "And Summer can come by in the afternoon after her volunteer shift at the hospital."
Ryan shot Seth a death glare. He wasn't helping.
"I'll need to clear some things off my desk tomorrow, so why don't we plan to leave Monday?"
Ryan realized there was no arguing with Kirsten, so he smiled at her and said, "Sounds good."
Ryan spent Sunday keeping Seth company. They played video games for the most part, while Seth was awake. His painkillers made him sleepy, so he dozed on and off. At one point while Seth was sleeping, Ryan considered getting his sketch pad from the pool house, but he didn't want to chance Sandy or Kirsten coming by, wanting to see what he was doing. He knew they had seen some of his work at school, but he wasn't quite ready to share his drawings with them while he was in the same room.
After supper, he went out to the pool house to pack. How did he end up going on a road trip with Kirsten? The thought of spending the next three days alone with Kirsten frightened him a little. It's not that he didn't like Kirsten; they were actually a lot alike. He just didn't know what they were going to talk about on the 13-hour return trip. With Seth, he knew he could just sit there and listen to his incessant babbling, but with Kirsten it was going to take effort. But she did seem excited about the trip.
She was also excited about CCA. He knew it had the best architecture program in California, and was one of the top-rated schools in the country. But he didn't need the best – he never needed the best. USC was a good school in its own right. He'd be sharing an apartment with Seth; he'd still be close to the Cohens. USC was more than he ever dreamed of before he came to live with the Cohens. And San Francisco seemed a long way away.
He debated throwing his sketchpad in. He wondered if he'd get any time to himself. He doubted it, but he took it with him anyway, just in case.
The next morning Ryan and Kirsten loaded their bags into the Range Rover. They went back inside to say good-bye to Seth.
"Are you sure you'll be all right?" Kirsten was starting to have second thoughts about leaving Seth by himself.
"I'll be fine, Mom. Summer took the morning off from the hospital today so she'll be here soon. You two go. Have fun." He smirked. "So who's driving?"
Kirsten and Ryan looked at each other. "It's a long drive. We'll probably take turns," Kirsten said.
"Yeah, but who's going to start?"
"Well, Ryan, if you want..."
"No, Kirsten, it's up to you. Your car and everything..."
Seth laughed at them. "Yeah, this is going to be a fun trip, I can tell. So I've got something for you."
Seth grabbed an envelope and handed it to Ryan. It was heavy, and Ryan turned it over to open it.
"No, don't! Not yet."
"What is it?"
"Well, I wouldn't want to be in a car alone with you and Mom, so this is a little something to help you two pass the time."
Ryan looked skeptically at Seth.
"Don't open it until you're on your way. Promise?"
"I promise, Seth," Ryan humored him.
"I'm serious, dude. If you open it before you leave, it'll self-destruct and then you'll never know what was in it."
Seth looked so earnest that Ryan laughed. "Fine. Not till we're on the road."
"You'll thank me for this, dude. You'll see."
TBC2