Kirsten quickly left the house after leaving Seth a note to get over to the hospital. Sandy told her that she didn't need to come, but she was just as concerned about Ryan as he was. She just wasn't feeling as guilty as Sandy sounded. She knew Sandy would continue to blame himself, and as she drove to the hospital, she realized that she was blaming him, too. She knew it was an accident. Sandy would never intentionally hurt Ryan, but Ryan did not want to go surfing. Sandy kept pushing him to try it until Ryan finally gave in. Seth would have never give in, not matter what Sandy said. Kirsten knew the only reason Ryan said yes was to make Sandy happy. He really needed to stop doing that, stop trying to do everything just to make them happy. As if he hadn't already been through enough, summer vacation had just started and now Ryan was in the hospital with a broken arm and facing surgery. Just the thought made her drive a little faster, and she got to the hospital before radiology even had Ryan's x-rays ready.
"Hey, sweetie," she said as she walked into the examining room. Ryan was lying on the bed with his eyes closed looking very peaceful, but Kirsten immediately noticed his right arm. It was swollen and purple and bend very strangely. It looked so ugly and so painful.
Ryan opened his eyes at the sound of Kirsten's voice, "Hey, what are you doing here?" he asked her.
As she brushed his hair away from his forehead, Kirsten smiled and told him, "I was going to ask you the same thing."
Ryan laughed a little and told her, "Sandy broke my arm."
Kirsten looked at Ryan, trying to figure out what would be so funny and when he didn't answer, she looked at Sandy who simply said, "Morphine." Kirsten just nodded before telling Ryan, "I take it this means you didn't like surfing."
"Nah," Ryan admitted, "It was fun. I kinda liked it. Until Sandy broke my arm."
"Ryan," Sandy said, "I really wish you'd stop saying that."
Ryan closed his eyes again before telling them both, "I told you. It sounds funny."
"Ryan, I don't think it's so funny," Kirsten told him, "You know, you could have just said no. You didn't have to go surfing if you didn't want to."
Ryan only nodded, still a little out of it from the morphine, but Sandy quickly jumped on what Kirsten was trying to say.
"I didn't force Ryan to go surfing. He wanted to go." Sandy told her, again back on the defensive.
"He only agreed to go because you wanted him to go." Kirsten snapped, "You may not have physically dragged him down to the beach, but you kept pestering him to try it until he finally gave in." She couldn't help snapping at Sandy. She was annoyed at this whole mess.
Sandy sharply told her, "Look, I know the accident was my fault. But I didn't force him. If he wanted to say no, he could have said no. Besides, he said he liked it, and it was kind of fun until...."
"Until you broke his arm." Kirsten finished for him.
Ryan just looked from Kirsten to Sandy. Normally it didn't really bother him to hear their occasional arguments. He knew they had a strong marriage, that they loved each other. He'd walked in on them more then once showing exactly how much they loved each other, so the occasional argument didn't faze him. But this time, they were arguing about him, and he didn't think that was exactly right.
"Uh, guys," Ryan interrupted, "Really, it's okay. Kirsten, I really did like surfing, and I did want to try it. I just thought I was too old, but I was having fun. Sandy, the accident wasn't completely your fault. I could have tried to get out of the way, too. But I didn't. I just sat there. So, just don't. Okay? You don't need to fight over it. It was an accident."
"Ryan, we weren't fighting," Kirsten said, "We were just talking about what happened."
"Yeah, well, you were starting to talk about it a little too loudly." Ryan told them both.
"Okay. We won't talk about it anymore." Sandy said, to both Ryan and Kirsten, "But Ryan, this accident. It was not your fault."
None of them said anything for a few minutes. On top of feeling guilty about the accident, now Sandy felt bad about arguing with Kirsten in front of Ryan. Ryan didn't need to listen to parents fighting right in front of him. He'd probably heard enough fighting to last him a lifetime. And Kirsten didn't say anything because she, too, felt bad about starting an argument with Sandy. She knew he already felt guilty enough. She shouldn't have started with him, at least not in front of Ryan. She should have waited until they were home. Ryan didn't say anything because he really couldn't think of anything to say. Not for a few minutes anyway, until he finally sighed, "What could be taking so long?"
Sandy just shrugged and looked towards the door; somehow thinking it would magically open. "I'm not sure. They probably need to get in touch with the orthopedist. Why? Are you okay? Does it still hurt? Do you need anything?"
"I need to go home." Ryan told him.
"Soon." Kirsten promised, "It should be soon. Just relax."
Soon came quicker then they all thought, as the door to Ryan's room opened and Dr. Cunningham walked in followed by another doctor and a woman dressed in a business suit, carrying a file.
"Ryan," Dr. Cunningham said, "This is Dr. Gross. He's the orthopedist I was telling you about. He'd like to look at your arm."
Ryan only nodded and sat up. He wondered why Dr. Cunningham was only addressing him and who this woman was. She obviously wasn't a doctor, so Ryan couldn't figure out why she was in the room, too.
After a brief but painful exam, Dr. Gross just nodded at Dr. Cunningham, who turned to Sandy and said, "Mr. Cohen, would you mind if we had a brief word with you. Outside."
"Why?" Ryan demanded to know, "What's going on?"
"Ryan," this unidentified woman asked, "I was just wondering, how many other accidents have you had before this one?"
"A couple." Ryan mumbled. "Why?"
"Don't worry, Ryan." Dr. Cunningham said, "We just need a word outside with Mr. Cohen, and then we'll be back in to discuss everything with you."
But Ryan wasn't convinced. He had a sinking feeling what they were getting at, and he began to strongly suspect whom this woman was. "Why can't you discuss it in here now? It's my arm. Discuss it with me." Ryan demanded.
"Ryan, just relax. I'm sure it's nothing. I'll be right back." Sandy told him as he began to follow the three out of the room.
"Mr. Cohen, can you please explain again how this accident occurred?" The woman asked once they were all in the halfway and Ryan's door was closed.
"Just as soon as you identify who you are, I will gladly explain what happened." Sandy told her.
Dr. Cunningham, no longer attempting to be civil, advised Sandy, "Mr. Cohen, this is Rosemarie Star from Social Services. We have some questions about Ryan."
"What kind of questions?" Sandy asked, as he reached for his wallet, ready to pull out his business card.
"Like how many times has Ryan broken his arm in accidents before this one?" Dr. Gross asked.
"I don't know." Sandy told them, "I assumed this was the first time."
"So you don't even know how many other times your son has broken his arm?" Ms. Star asked.
"No, I don't." Sandy told them, "Because Ryan is my foster son, hence the different last names. He came to live with us last year after leaving an abusive family." Sandy pulled out a card from his wallet and flicked it to Ms. Star. "Here is my business card. If you have any questions, or need any documentation, please feel free to call this number and ask for my associate, Rachel. She will be happy to forward you any information you need."
Ms. Star only nodded as she accepted the business card. She looked over at Dr. Cunningham and Dr. Gross before shaking her head. "I'm sorry to have bothered you, Mr. Cohen." She said, "But when there are suspected cases of abuse, we do need to investigate as quickly as possible. And sometimes we jump too quickly to the wrong conclusions. I hope you can understand."
"No, I understand," Sandy told her, "Its better to be safe then sorry. And I promise you, this was just an accident. I would never do anything to intentionally hurt Ryan. But feel free to contact my office. They'll supply you with any information you need."
"Thank you." Ms. Star said as she turned and left, not without first giving Dr. Cunningham another look.
"Mr. Cohen, I apologize. You identified yourself as Ryan's father, and then when we saw Ryan's x-ray, well, it raised suspicions." Dr. Cunningham said, suddenly regretting the rash decision he made to contact the Social Services Department.
Sandy first nodded before telling the doctor, "I should have clarified my relationship with Ryan. I just didn't think it was that important to explain. He's like a son to my wife and me. But what's wrong with his x- rays?"
As Dr. Gross put Ryan's x-ray up on the board and flipped on the light, he explained, "It appears that Ryan has fractured his right arm at least three other times. With the two fractures he has today, that's a total of five breaks to one arm in only sixteen years."
"Two fractures?" Sandy asked, although just looking at Ryan's x-ray, it was obvious that his arm was broken, even for someone without a medical background.
Dr. Gross pulled out his pen and as he pointed to the x-ray, he explained, "This first fracture to the wrist is called a scaphoid fracture. It's a fairly common break, usually resulting from some sort of blunt force trauma that bends the wrist backwards. There are many different ways to fix scaphoid fractures. One of the more recent developments is something called a "Herbert screw" which has threads on both ends and is placed completely inside the bone."
Dr. Gross waited until Sandy nodded that he understood what he was saying before continuing, "This fracture here to the forearm is what we call a comminuted fracture, one in which the bone has been fractured in 2 or more fragments. The radius has been broken here and here. To fix this fracture we're going to attach a steel plate with screws that we will drill into the bone. It covers the top of the bone and holds it together."
"So Ryan definitely needs surgery?" Sandy asked, although it was more of a rhetorical question since the doctor had just finished explaining that to him. "I just can't believe that all of this could result from one surfboard. It couldn't have hit him that hard for it to cause so much damage." Sandy continued.
"It all depends on how the surfboard landed. The way it came down. That coupled with the previous bone fractures, and yes, this much damage can and was done to his arm." Dr. Cunningham explained.
"It's just, he's such an athletic kid. Lifts weights, plays soccer." Sandy tried to explain. If he thought he was feeling guilty before, now knowing that Ryan needed surgery made him feel even worse.
"Sandy," Kirsten said as she came out of Ryan's room, "What's going on? Ryan is getting really upset in there. He keeps trying to get out of bed. Said he has to talk to the doctors. What's wrong? Where's the woman from social services?"
"How'd you know she was from social services?" Sandy asked.
"Ryan knew. That's what has him so upset." Kirsten told them, "What's going on?"
"We were just explaining Ryan's injuries to your husband, Mrs. Cohen," Dr. Cunningham said, "But I do think it would be wise to explain everything to Ryan."
"Does Ryan need surgery?" Kirsten asked. Sandy could only nod and look down as his feet as he told her, "yes," and walked back into Ryan's room.
"Well?" Ryan said as they all returned to his room. It was clear to everyone that Ryan was now very much on edge.
"Well, what?" Sandy asked.
"Well, where is she? What did she ask you?" he asked Sandy, but then turned to the doctors before Sandy had a chance to say anything and said, "He didn't intentionally break my arm if that's what you're thinking. It was a joke. It wasn't his fault. I got in the way of the surfboard. That's all. It's my own fault. Not his. There was no reason to get Social Services involved in an accident."
"Ryan," Sandy explained, "Social Services is not involved. Ms. Star had a few questions, and then she left. That's all. I told you it was going to be nothing, and it was. You need to calm down. And I've already told you, this accident is in no way your fault."
"Then what took so long?" Ryan wanted to know. He didn't think Sandy would lie to him, but he knew that if social services was investigating the accident, it was not a good thing. It never was.
"You need surgery." Sandy told him. "To fix the breaks to the bones in your wrist and in your arm. And the doctors were just explaining the surgery to me."
"Surgery?" Ryan asked, "For a broken arm? I've never needed surgery before. The other times they just put a cast on my arm and that was it. Why would I need surgery this time?"
"Given the way your arm was broken this time, both at the wrist and at the forearm, coupled with the number of other fractures you've sustained in a relatively short span of time necessitates surgery this time." Dr. Gross explained.
Ryan hated the way they all looked at him as Dr. Gross stressed 'the number of other fractures.' He couldn't help but feel a certain amount of shame at the fact this wasn't his first broken arm, and they all knew it.
"It still doesn't make any sense. All kids have accidents. I just had a couple of accidents." he tried to explain so they'd stop feeling sorry for him.
When Kirsten just rubbed the back of his neck and Sandy said, "Yeah. We know, kid," Ryan knew. After a year of wondering, the doctors finally gave Sandy and Kirsten some proof of what Ryan's life was like before he came to Newport.
"So, tell me about this surgery." Ryan finally said, wanting more then anything to change the subject.
"To fix the break at your wrist we're going to put in a screw. It will hold the bone together so it will heal stronger. The break further up your arm will be held together by a plate that we will attach with screws. We'll close the incisions with dissolvable stitches so there will be no need to worry about them. You'll be asleep during the whole thing, and when you wake up, your arm will be in a cast from your fingertips to just above your elbow. Any questions so far?" Dr. Gross explained.
"How long will I be in a cast?" Ryan asked.
Dr. Gross knew that would be the first question Ryan would have so he didn't hesitate as he told Ryan, "You'll be in a cast for about ten to twelve weeks."
Ten to twelve weeks, the entire summer. Ryan's entire summer would be spent in a cast. After finding that out, Ryan had no other questions.
Sandy noticed the look in Ryan's eyes, and knew what he was thinking. It killed Sandy just a little more as he watched the realization sink in; that Ryan now knew his entire summer was ruined. All because Sandy pushed him to try surfing.
Sandy tried to smile as he gave Ryan's leg a light squeeze and told him that he would discuss the specifics of the surgery with the doctors and would be right back. Ryan only nodded and closed his eyes. To Ryan, there was nothing left to discuss.
Kirsten leaned forward and gave Ryan a light kiss on his forehead as she followed Sandy and the doctors out of the room. She knew Ryan was upset, and that made her mad all over again.