It was obvious that Ryan had no intentions of talking to anyone as he continued to stare up at the ceiling, with his left fist clenched and his jaw set firmly. That didn't stop any of them from talking about Ryan though.

"Is this normal?" Seth asked. "I mean, is Ryan going to be okay?"

The tone of his voice and the expression on his face made it clear to the nurse that Seth was really worried about Ryan so Barbara tried to be very kind to him. "Ryan's going to be fine. This is a relatively common side effect of the anesthesia."

However, Kirsten was still concerned. "I thought the Compazine was supposed to stop the vomiting. But he threw up a lot more this time than he did in Recovery."

Barbara continued using a calm, soothing voice as she explained, "In Recovery, Ryan had no food in his stomach. This time it was right after he ate. There was more in his stomach to vomit."

Not one of them missed the glare they received from Ryan when the nurse blamed the vomiting on eating, since it was something Ryan didn't want to do in the first place. However, no one could understand what Ryan mumbled under his breath, nor would he repeat it when Sandy asked, "What was that?"

But since Ryan was intent on focusing his attention to the ceiling, Sandy turned back to the nurse. "If he can't eat, what should we do?"

"As long as it's a reaction to the anesthesia, then it will pass eventually," Barbara explained. "And I believe it's a reaction. Nothing more. But I am still going to page the doctor to see what he recommends."

"Is Ryan going to have to stay?" Kirsten asked.

Barbara smiled at Kirsten's concern, "That will be up to the doctor. He may decide to admit Ryan overnight. I think that it'll all depend on how Ryan is feeling in a little while, and if he gets sick again. If he's concerned about Ryan becoming dehydrated, then he may keep him as a precaution."

"No." Ryan did not look at any of them as he continued to glare at the ceiling.

"No what?" Kirsten hoped he meant that he wasn't going to be sick again, that he felt better.

"No, I'm not staying." Ryan informed them.

Ryan then made a face when Kirsten patted his shoulder. "We'll see what the doctor has to say."

Ryan just mumbled, "not staying" as he shifted himself lower in the bed and closed his eyes. He wasn't going to argue with them. He just wasn't going to stay.

Kirsten opened her mouth to continue the growing debate with Ryan, but Sandy shook his head. He understood that Ryan was upset and didn't feel well, so he figured it probably wasn't the time to argue with him. It would all depend on what the doctor said, because if the doctor wanted Ryan to stay, then there would be plenty of time for arguing.

Barbara waited a second, but no one said anything further. "Okay. I've got to go check on my other 16-year-old patient. Hit the call button if you need anything. Otherwise, I'll be back when the doctor gets here. Try to get some rest, Ryan. You'll feel better."

Ryan didn't open his eyes as he made yet another face at the nurse's statement. It was a look that didn't go unnoticed again by Kirsten and Sandy.

"Another 16 year old? Aren't you lucky." Kirsten said.

Barbara laughed. "Well at least this one is unconscious." Sandy and Kirsten only stared at her, unsure of how to respond. "I'm sorry. Not like that. This 16-year-old boy decided to drink himself unconscious. The police brought him in to sleep it off. I just need to make sure he's okay, and calm his mother down some more. Poor kid's going to have a big enough headache when he wakes up. I'm hoping his mother will wait until he sleeps it off before yelling, or at least wait until they get home."

"I doubt she'll wait," Sandy looked pointedly at Seth to Ryan, "I know I wouldn't."

Barbara smiled as she left. Seth, who was not willing to pick up on his father's little threat attempt, just changed the subject. "So listen," he told Ryan. "I tried Marissa and Summer again. Still no luck. I can't believe they still haven't turned their cell phones back on."

Ryan only shrugged. He already had enough with Sandy, Kirsten and Seth hovering over him so he was actually relieved that Marissa and Summer wouldn't be joining this little hospital party any time in the near future.

"I mean, you would think they'd check their messages." Seth was oblivious to the fact that Ryan didn't seem to care much.

"Seth," Ryan finally said, "they said they wouldn't be around today. They said they would be spending the day at the Spa. The entire day, Seth. You knew that already."

Seth shrugged. "Yeah, but you would think in an emergency, they would at least check their messages!"

"What emergency?" Ryan snapped. "This isn't an emergency."

"Fine. Catastrophe," Seth told him. "I just find it annoying that we can't get in touch with them when we need them."

"You don't need them, Seth," Sandy said. "Neither does Ryan. And this isn't an emergency or a catastrophe. It was an accident. You can call Summer later, when you know she's home, and Ryan can see Marissa tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Ryan couldn't believe what Sandy was saying. "Why tomorrow?"

Sandy's answer was very short and to the point. "Because you're not up for it today." Ryan sighed loudly and closed his eyes. He wasn't going to argue with them. He was going to call Marissa as soon as he got home.

They all became silent as they watched Ryan appear to drift off to sleep. Ryan wasn't really sleeping. But he was through talking to them.

Ryan jumped when he heard the door open and then sat up quickly. He knew it was the doctor, and he knew it had to appear that he was fine so he could go home. Unfortunately, sitting up quickly was not the smartest way to prove his point since he instantly felt dizzy and the ever-present queasy feeling in his stomach only intensified.

And as much as Ryan wanted to lie back down and close his eyes, he knew that would be too obvious. So instead he focused his eyes down on his blanket and took a couple of deep breaths and swallowed a few times, hoping he could make the feeling go away without anyone noticing. It didn't take Ryan long to realize that Kirsten did in fact notice when she appeared by his side, holding his God-awful throw up bowl.

He only gave her a side-glance as he growled, "I'm fine. I don't need that."

Kirsten gave Ryan a look as she put the bowl down. She then looked at Sandy, wanting to see if he was going to say anything to Ryan, but Sandy only shrugged his shoulder.

It was Dr. Gross who finally said something. "So, I hear you're not feeling so great, Ryan."

"I said I was fine!" Ryan snapped.

Kirsten was fed up. "Ryan!"

Dr. Gross only nodded at Ryan before turning to Sandy and Kirsten. "Mr. And Mrs. Cohen, why doesn't everyone wait outside while we examine Ryan? The nurse will get you when we're finished."

Barbara held the door open as the three left, but not before Kirsten turned one last time and pointed her finger at Ryan. She figured he'd understand that it meant to behave and not to give the doctor or the nurse a bad time. But when Ryan only glared at her and then looked away, she doubted he was going to listen to her silent warning.

Kirsten waited until they were in the hallway and the door to Ryan's room was closed before she turned to Sandy. "How long are you going to let him get away with that?"

She was shocked when Sandy looked confused. "Get away with what?"

"Get away with what?" Kirsten repeated, "Get away with being nasty and surly and rude and...."

"And grumpy." Seth added.

Sandy shrugged his shoulders. "I know he's not exactly himself, but I think we can cut him some slack for right now. Think about it, not only is he in pain and trying to come to terms with a broken arm and the surgery, but he's also sick to his stomach, and can't stop vomiting. I'd say he has a right to be grumpy. Knowing Ryan, just as soon as he's feeling better, he'll apologize. Just give him a day or two."

"A day or two?" Kirsten said. "I'll tolerate grumpy for a day or two, but I won't tolerate rude or surly for that long. So for his sake, I hope he feels better soon."

Before Sandy could answer, the door to Ryan's room opened and Barbara stuck her head out. "Mr. And Mrs. Cohen, the doctor is finished if you'd like to come back in."

As they all re-entered Ryan's room, Kirsten quickly dismissed Sandy's description of grumpy. Ryan didn't look grumpy. He looked down right nasty, and Dr. Gross was standing there staring at him. Kirsten wondered what happened during the doctor's examination, but really wasn't looking forward to finding out.

"So everything's okay?" Sandy gave Ryan's leg a quick squeeze.

"Everything's fine." Dr. Gross explained. "Ryan's cast looks good, and he is able to wiggle his fingers. I know it hurts, Ryan, but you do need to move them several times a day. After a few days the pain will subside, making it easier to move them."

When Ryan just made a face and turned away, Dr. Gross turned his attention to Sandy and Kirsten. "As I was explaining to Ryan, for right now he has to be very careful with trying not to do too much with his right arm. Obviously with the cast and the sling, that should be relatively easy to do. But I don't want him to try to pick anything up with his fingers or try to carry anything even remotely heavy. You don't want to risk the bones moving or the screw shifting. Additionally, he needs to keep the cast dry, which means no showers or pools or oceans. He can soak in a tub as long as he keeps his right arm hanging over the side. There are things you can put over a cast to prevent it from getting wet, but for right now, I would prefer it if Ryan was just careful. Give the bones a chance to begin the healing process and his incisions the time to close."

"My bathroom only has a shower," Ryan announced to no one in particular.

Kirsten looked at him. "Then you can switch to one of the bedrooms that has a bathroom with a tub."

"I like my room," Ryan said.

When Kirsten gave him a look, Sandy decided to step in. "I'm sure we can work it out at home, later."

"What about the nausea and vomiting?" Kirsten was talking to the doctor, but she was looking at Ryan.

"I'd venture to say it's a side effect to the anesthesia. It'll pass," Dr. Gross told them.

"But I'm going home," Ryan said. It wasn't a question. It was a statement.

Dr. Gross nodded. "Yes, Ryan. You can go home. In a little while. Barbara is going to bring you something to drink, basically some flat ginger ale. As long as you can keep that done, we can discharge you. Have you urinated yet?"

Ryan glared at Dr. Gross before shaking his head slightly. He decided it would be better to bite his tongue than make a nasty pee joke.

"Well, you still have to do that in addition to keeping down the ginger ale, and then we can discharge you. Deal?" Dr. Gross told him.

"What happens if he can't keep it down?" Sandy asked, but before Dr. Gross could answer, Ryan told him, "I'm still going home."

"Don't worry, Ryan. You will go home some time today." Dr. Gross turned to Sandy, "I can write a prescription for Compazine suppositories in case Ryan still experiences some vomiting after he gets home."

Sandy and Kirsten both nodded, relieved that there was a way for Ryan to go home even if he was still sick. Ryan, on the other hand, was neither relieved nor happy.

"A prescription for what?!" Ryan hissed.

"Compazine," Kirsten told him, "But don't worry, it's not a shot. It's.... They're.... They go...."

"I know where they go!" Ryan quickly said, not wanting Kirsten to continue her attempts to explain. "And I don't need them."

"Ryan..." Kirsten tried to explain but Ryan cut her off, "No!"

"Ryan," Dr. Gross finally said, "just because I'm giving your parents this prescription doesn't mean you'll need it. It's just a precaution in case you get sick again. Otherwise you run the risk of becoming dehydrated, and then you'll end up right back here. And I know you don't want that."

Ryan just shook his head as he slumped down in the bed and drew his knees up to his chest. A prescription for suppositories and a Kirsten in parental overdrive – Ryan didn't even want to think about that combination.

"I'll leave the discharge instructions with Barbara along with the prescriptions for the Compazine, pain medication and an antibiotic," Ryan heard Dr. Gross tell Sandy and Kirsten. "Contact my office on Monday to schedule Ryan's follow up appointment, and please feel free to call me with any questions or concerns any time."

Ryan felt a light tap on his leg. "See you soon, Ryan. Take it easy." When Ryan's only response was a loud exhale, Dr. Gross looked at Kirsten and Sandy, and added, "Good luck."

As Dr. Gross left and Barbara went to get Ryan something to drink, Ryan began to stare up at the ceiling, again not wanting to talk. Kirsten tried to brush the hair off his face, but Ryan pulled away. "Ryan, it's not that bad," she tried to tell him.

His face said it all. "For who?"

"It'll be okay," Kirsten promised. "We'll manage. Don't worry."

"I'm not worried because there's nothing to manage!" Ryan snapped.

"Okay, Ryan," Sandy told him. "That's enough."

Ryan wanted to tell Sandy that it was definitely enough, that he had had enough. He wanted to yell at him for the broken arm and for being in the hospital and for the shots and the surgery and the throwing up and for just about everything, but he didn't. Ryan didn't say anything. He just clenched his fist and his teeth and closed his eyes.

He groaned through gritted teeth when Barbara returned a few minutes later with his something to drink. She smiled at him as she placed the can and a cup down on the tray in front of him. "Just take it slow. Take very small sips and then take a break. See how it sits in your stomach. Hopefully you won't have any trouble with this."

Ryan just watched as Barbara smiled at him, then at Kirsten and Sandy and then left again. He continued to watch as Kirsten grabbed the soda, opened it and poured it into his cup. He knew she wouldn't think twice about holding it up to his mouth so he could sip it slowly if he let her. He just wasn't going to let her.

As Kirsten held the cup up, Ryan told her, "No, I got it," and reached over to take it from her. Unfortunately, he bumped Kirsten's hand instead of grabbing the cup, and then swore loudly as he watched the cup slip out of Kirsten's hand and spill all over the floor.

Ryan sat there for a minute, in total disbelief that he couldn't even grab a cup without it going wrong. He didn't immediately notice that Sandy had gotten paper towels until Sandy handed them to Kirsten and they both bent down to mop up the mess.

"Ryan, I'm sorry," Kirsten said. "It was an accident. I should have held on to the cup tighter."

"Not your fault," Ryan muttered as he turned his head away in disgust instead of watching Kirsten and Sandy clean up his mess.

Seth tried to laugh and make a joke as he asked Ryan, "Dude, is there anything you can do with your left hand?" He knew it came out wrong when Sandy scolded, "Seth!"

"I can still make a fist." Ryan glared at Seth, which made Seth very uncomfortable.

"Ryan!" Kirsten snapped. "Seth, go ask the nurse for another soda."

Seth didn't say anything as he hustled out of the room, nor did he say anything when he returned a few minutes later carrying another soda. As he placed the soda down in front of Ryan, he finally said, "Sorry. Real bad joke."

Ryan only nodded as he grabbed the soda with his left hand. He was going to open it, he was going to pour it, and he was going to drink it. By himself. No matter what.

It was a struggle, but Ryan managed. He could see Kirsten out of the corner of his eye, and he could tell it was really bothering her not to help him. But he had to give her credit; she let him do it himself. For the first time all day, he was actually able to do something by himself. She did remind him once to "sip it slowly."

So he did. He took a sip, put the cup down and waited. When nothing happened, he picked the cup up again, took another sip, and waited. After his third sip, he felt his stomach begin to get upset again, so he decided he'd had enough soda. He closed his eyes, waiting to see what would happen.

"You okay?" he heard Sandy ask. At first Ryan was afraid to speak so he just nodded. When he felt the queasy feeling actually start to pass, Ryan finally said, "Just taking it slowly. Think I can go home now?"

"Doubt it. Not right now anyway. But soon." Sandy promised as he picked up the cup. "Want more?"

"Only if I can go home." When the only response he got was a look from Sandy and Kirsten, he took the cup and sipped again.

Half way through his cup of flat ginger ale, Ryan began to suspect that he was going to be sick again. He could feel it in the pit of his stomach. He knew if he continued to throw up, he'd never be able to go home, or worse, he'd go home with Kirsten armed with Compazine suppositories. Since neither thought was very appealing, Ryan closed his eyes and began to take deep breaths as he silently prayed for the feeling to just go away.

He felt Kirsten run her hand over his head, and Sandy put his hand on Ryan's leg. He knew it was their way of letting him know they were there for him. Always there. Staring at him. Hovering over him. Ready to help if he had to puke his brains out. And Ryan was really finding that so damn annoying. He wasn't sure at what point Kirsten put that stupid throw up bowl next to his left arm, but when bumped it with his hand, he opened one eye and saw it. When he looked at her, Kirsten just shrugged her shoulders. "In case we need it," she told him.

Ryan swallowed hard and closed his eyes again. He was going to do everything he possibly could to make sure they didn't need it. Ryan jumped at the sound of the nurse's voice. "How's it going? Has he been able to keep any of it down?"

Before he could get a chance to tell her himself, Kirsten said, "So far. He hasn't thrown any of it up, but he's not feeling all that well."

"How long has it been since he drank any of the soda?" the nurse asked.

Again before Ryan could answer for himself, Sandy said, "About ten minutes."

"That's pretty good," the nurse said. "We can take out the IV now if you'd like." And when Barbara didn't get a response, she asked, "Ryan?"

Ryan couldn't help but be snide. "Oh, you mean you were talking to me?" He wouldn't break his eye contact with the nurse, despite the looks he knew he was getting from Sandy and Kirsten.

"Yes, Ryan." Her tone was flat. "I can remove the IV. Someone can help you to the bathroom, and help you get dressed so you can be discharged. You would like to go home, wouldn't you?"

"I don't need help going to the bathroom." Just the thought made Ryan forget about going home. No one was going to convince him he needed anymore help in the bathroom.

Barbara sat on the bed and began to remove the tape that held Ryan's IV in place. "Maybe not, but you need help getting to the bathroom. You're going to be a little unsteady on your feet. If you start to lose your balance, it will be difficult for you to grab onto anything; so it's better if one of your parents helps you."

She tried to be as gentle as possible as she covered the top of the IV with some cotton and pulled the needle from Ryan's hand. Ryan sucked in his breath through gritted teeth. "Sorry, it stings a little coming out," she told him.

"Ya think?!" Ryan snapped.

"All right, Ryan." Kirsten's tone made it clear that she was getting more than a little annoyed. "Come on, let's just get you up and to the bathroom."

"I don't need help going to the bathroom," Ryan repeated, this time a lot louder.

As Kirsten pulled back his covers, she told him, "I'm not helping you go to the bathroom. I'm helping you get to the bathroom. Just like the nurse said. I don't want you getting dizzy or losing your balance and ending up falling."

"I can do it myself." Ryan hissed as he sat up in bed and realized damn, he was dizzy.

"Ryan...." Sandy began, but Barbara tried one last time to be the voice of reason between her stubborn, very whiney patient and his equally stubborn, very annoyed parents. "Ryan, you need to let your mother help you. Just lean on her as you walk. That's all. Come on, moms live for the day when their teenage sons actually need their help."

Barbara had hoped Ryan would see the joke, or at the very least, just give in and accept the help. She was at a loss for words when Ryan looked at her and hissed, "She's not my mother. She's my guardian. There is a difference."

All day long they kept saying your parents or your mother or your father, and by that point, Ryan found it irritating as hell. It didn't stop him from immediately regretting what he said when he saw the hurt expression on Kirsten's face. He knew none of it was her fault.

"Kirsten, I...." Ryan tried to stutter out an apology, but when Kirsten took a step back from the bed and wrapped her arms around herself, Ryan realized, "I'm sorry" wasn't going to be good enough.