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"Sandy Cohen," He said into his phone. He was sitting in bed watching his wife brush her hair. He never understood why she would brush it before she went to bed.

"It's Hailey."

"Didn't you just leave here? What's up?"

"Jimmy knows."

Sandy glanced at Kirsten as he sighed.

"Who is it, Sandy?" Kirsten asked.

"Okay," Sandy said into the phone.

"Sandy…" Hailey started.

"Why don't you come over? We can talk this all out."

"Sandy, what the hell…"

"It's time to come clean. We'll be waiting," Sandy said.

"Are you…"

"Don't run away. Come over."

"Okay. Okay, Sandy. You'll tell her?"

"I'll tell her." He closed the phone.

"Honey?" Kirsten called.

"I have something to tell you. And you're not going to like it. You probably won't understand it because I sure as hell don't…" Sandy started.

"Sandy, what…" Kirsten was worried.

"I love you, Kirsten, and they love you, too, they're just horribly misguided…"

"Sandy, tell me, who's coming over, what is it?" Kirsten demanded.

"Hailey's coming."

"Hailey? Is she okay? What's going on?"

"Somehow, while Ryan was in Chino…"

"What does Ryan have to do with Hailey?"

"How do I say this…they were lovers…"

Kirsten's gasp shook Sandy. He looked at her and saw that all the blood had rushed out of her face. "Sandy…say that again…"

"Hailey and Ryan were…close, Kirsten. Closer than any of us could ever have imagined. Hailey…I found out and I told her that it had to stop…"

"Sandy…" Kirsten whispered.

"Hailey's coming. She said Jimmy knows…" Sandy added.

Kirsten was silent.

"Kirsten…"

"I have to hear it from Ryan," She said suddenly, getting up and rushing from the room.

"Kirsten…" Sandy followed her.

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"Tell me. Did you sleep with her?" The pool house door slammed behind him.

Ryan was already on his feet. Jimmy took it as a sign and walked over, facing the boy down.

Ryan met Jimmy's gaze. "Who."

Jimmy hesitated at his whispered words. "Hailey."

Ryan's lowered gaze gave the man the answer he needed. He pulled his arm back and punched Ryan in the face. Ryan didn't defend himself and was stunned by Jimmy's first blow. Before he could fully recover, Jimmy swung again, successfully knocking Ryan to the floor of the poolhouse.

"Jimmy, stop it!" Kirsten's voice startled the man and he hesitated.

"Kirsten, its okay…" Ryan said with a cough.

"It's not okay, Jimmy, he's a child…" Kirsten went to Ryan's side and took his arm, attempting to help him to his feet.

"He's been fucking my girlfriend!" Jimmy exclaimed, flushed.

"Step away from him, Jimmy. I mean it," Kirsten warned. Her eyes were dark with anger. "He made a mistake, God, they both made mistakes but he doesn't deserve to get hit…"

"Jimmy, let's take a walk," Sandy put his hand on Jimmy's shoulder and guided him outside.

"Kirsten…" Ryan started. He had a cut over one of his eyes that was bleeding.

"Let's get you cleaned up," She said flatly, pulling him by the arm into the bathroom.

"Kirsten…"

"Sit down," She snapped. He sat down on the closed toilet and didn't speak.

Kirsten silently cleaned his cut and put a small band aid over the wound. She sighed.

"You want to explain this to me?" She asked.

"I don't have an excuse…"

"I'm not asking for an excuse. How did this happen? Tell me. I'm listening." Kirsten sat down on the edge of the tub.

"Marissa used to call me. While I was in Chino…and I'd always go over when she'd call, no matter where I was…and she was never there. Hailey…she invited me in. And we talked. She listened to me, Kirsten…and it was like…she understood…" Ryan whispered.

"You're lovers…"

"Not anymore. But we were…for a while…" Ryan's gaze was locked on the floor.

She sighed. "I don't know what to think about this…"

"It was a mistake…" Ryan murmured. Kirsten touched his swelling face gently. Her eyes were kind when she tilted his face to look at her.

"I love you, Ryan. Like my own son. Nothing you do will ever change that. But this…"

"I'm sorry…"

"I don't know what…"

Ryan stood up. "I'm sorry…I should go…"

"No, Ryan…"

"For a few days. To let you deal with this…" Ryan said.

"No, Ryan, don't walk away from us…"

"I'm not. I swear, I was going to bring it up to you tomorrow anyway…Luke wants me to come visit him. In Portland." He wouldn't meet her gaze. He was ashamed. He'd hurt her. He never wanted to hurt her.

"Ryan, I don't think you're in any shape to be going anywhere," Kirsten replied, standing up and putting her hands on his shoulders. "We just got you back. Don't leave."

"Kirsten…I'm sorry…"

She pulled him into a hug. "I know…"

"Everything…it just gets worse…I make everything worse…" He whispered, shaking in her embrace.

"Hailey's coming over, Ryan…"

Ryan pulled away. "What about Jimmy?"

"Sandy's talking to him. He shouldn't have hit you. But you shouldn't have slept with Hailey. She's…" Kirsten started.

"Family…" He whispered.

"And so are you…this is just…I never considered this…" Kirsten muttered.

"I never meant…"

"You weren't thinking with your head, Ryan. I'm…I just can't believe this…" Kirsten said, walking out into the poolhouse.

Ryan followed her silently. She turned to face him again. She sighed.

"Kirsten…" Hailey's voice was tentative from the doorway.

Ryan didn't move. He didn't look up. He wanted to look at Hailey and tell her that it wasn't a mistake, that he needed her and that she helped him more than he could ever say. He wanted to look at Kirsten and tell her that he loved her and respected her and would die before he did anything to cause her pain. But he wouldn't choose. He wouldn't look up.

"Ryan. Maybe you're right. Maybe you should call Luke," Kirsten said quietly. She wanted Ryan to stay but with Hailey and Ryan both in the room, she realized that she couldn't take it. "I need to talk to my sister."

Ryan didn't respond.

"Kirsten…" Hailey started. "What's going on?"

Ryan silently went to his closed and picked up an already packed duffle bag. He slung it over his shoulder. Kirsten seemed surprised. She didn't look at Hailey, she went to Ryan's side.

"You're already packed? Why are you packed?" She asked, stopping him with a hand on his arm.

"I slept with your sister," Ryan whispered, his blue eyes meeting hers for a painful second. He looked at her hand on his arm. He walked away from her toward the door.

"Wait…what's going on? You're sending him away?" Hailey gasped.

"She's not sending me anywhere. I'm going," Ryan said quietly. He allowed himself a moment to look at Hailey. She looked so sad. He wanted to hug, just to touch her but he wouldn't. "Tell Jimmy I'm sorry." He continued past her, not reacting when she reached for him.

"Kirsten…"

"You slept with Ryan. How long?"

"What?"

"How long was this going on?" Kirsten demanded. She had to be gentle with Ryan, he was a part of her family, but still too new for her to risk alienating him. Hailey was different. She'd known Hailey forever. Hailey's place was sealed in stone in the family. She needed answers.

"We…we stopped, we haven't seen each other in weeks," Hailey replied. Kirsten was standing close to Hailey. Hailey deserved her anger. She wouldn't be surprised if Kirsten didn't tackle her and initiate a wrestling match like when they were kids. The pain of her hair being pulled wouldn't top the pain of Ryan walking away. For either of them.

"When did it start?"

"When Ryan was in Chino. He was just…so sad and alone…and so was I…"

"God, Hailey, you have Jimmy, you have me and Sandy…"

"But it's different with him…he doesn't know me, he doesn't know me like you guys do…he's never seen my mistakes, only heard about them and he doesn't care because he's not perfect either…it's like I'm a real person to him, not just 'the bad seed', I'm real to him," Hailey said. Somehow, she had to make her sister see that it wasn't wrong. Well, it was wrong, but she had to make her sister see why she did it.

"He's a kid. He had a girlfriend and a baby on the way…" Kirsten's face was stern. But she was listening.

"Teresa was never his girlfriend. He didn't love her, that's why she started sleeping with Eddie…"

"What are you talking about?" Kirsten didn't follow Hailey's thinking.

"He was only sleeping with me. He wasn't cheating. I was cheating," Hailey said. "We…we're friends, Kirsten…"

"He's family. You slept with my son…"

"He's not a child, you know that just as well as I do…he's not a child…"

"He's never had the chance to be a child. My family, this is supposed to be his family, his chance to see how real families work…"

"Kirsten…"

"I can see that he cares about you, Hailey. But Jimmy cared about you, too. He was the sparkle in your eyes for a long time…how long 'til you toss Ryan aside, too?"

"It's not like that, we knew we could never be together like that…" Hailey whispered.

Kirsten shook her head. "Then why get involved? When so many people could get hurt?"

"We…we needed each other…"

"I'm pissed, Hailey. I'm really pissed. This is the worst thing you've ever done…" Kirsten said. "But you're my sister and I love you. Sometimes I wonder why…but…" She sighed. "Do you love him?"

"I don't think I've ever loved anyone before…but I think I might…" Hailey confessed. "But we know that it can't happen…"

"Why don't you go into the kitchen and make a pot of coffee? I'm going to see if Ryan's still here…"

"Where is he going?"

"I made a mistake. He isn't going anywhere." Kirsten believed Hailey. Somehow, in her twisted Hailey way, she had fallen in love with Ryan. Kirsten had to accept that Ryan was a man. He wasn't a child. She didn't think he'd ever been a child, he'd always been forced to be the adult. He was the adult with his mom, he was the adult with Marissa and Teresa, and he was probably more mature than Hailey. Kirsten couldn't make him a child. It was too late. But he was family. She loved him and she knew that he loved her. He was hurting and it was her responsibility to try and make him stop.

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