Ryan woke up after sleeping soundly for several hours.  It was dark out and he felt better than he had when he first fell asleep.  He yawned as he slowly got to his feet.  He glanced at the couch and recognized Kirsten's sleeping form.

"Kirsten?" He called quietly.

"Hey, Ryan," She answered, waking up immediately.  "I wanted to check on  you and I guess I fell asleep…"

"I feel better, thanks."

"Seth said your arm was bothering you," Kirsten said.

"It's better now.  I think I'm just not used to the sling and my muscles are still trying to adjust," Ryan admitted.

"We made you a doctor's appointment in the morning, just to be sure," Kirsten said.

"Oh.  Okay," Ryan replied, surprised.

"So.  I heard my Dad was pretty harsh with you today."

"It's okay, Kirsten…" Ryan sighed.

"No, it's not…"

"It is.  I'm not upset.  He's trying to protect his family and I totally understand.  He doesn't know me so he has every right to be suspicious.  You should be glad that he cares about you guys so much," Ryan replied.

"He hasn't tried to get to know you…"

"It's okay, Kirsten.  I know you'd like for us to get along but…"

"You didn't do anything wrong.  You're a teenager and you made a few impulsive decisions but you had everyone's best interests at heart.  I don't want whatever he said to you to make you doubt yourself or your place in this family.  We love you."

Ryan nodded.  "I know.  And I care about you guys, too…"

"I know.  You almost died for Hailey and you haven't even known her that long.  But you can't do things like that again.  We're a family and we need to work together to fix our problems.  You know that you can come to us…"

"I know.  I'm sorry," Ryan whispered.

"We all make mistakes.  You should come in and eat something," Kirsten smiled. 

"Okay.  I'll be in shortly," Ryan acknowledged.  Kirsten left.  He walked over to the shelves where he kept his clothes.  He pulled off his shirt and found a fresh one. 

"Ryan."

Caleb Nichols' voice startled him.  He turned to face the older man, his face hiding his surprise and anxiety.

"I need to talk to you," Caleb said. 

Ryan was surprised to see that Caleb looked unkempt.  His face was drawn with tension and he looked as if he'd been drinking. 

"Okay," Ryan nodded.  He pulled his shirt on as Caleb examined his bandaged body with his gaze.

"I'm sorry…"

Ryan didn't respond.  He kept his gaze lowered at Caleb's feet.

"Will you look at me when I'm talking?"

Ryan obeyed. 

"You saved my daughter's life," Caleb stated.  "Hailey told me everything."

Ryan didn't speak.  He had nothing to say to this man. 

"I'm sorry…I was wrong…that happens occasionally…" Caleb attempted a joke but Ryan didn't smile.  Caleb was clearly disconcerted by Ryan's silence.  "But I would like to try and make it right."

"Don't patronize me, Mr. Nichols.  You meant every word you said to me today.  If you want to make things right with your daughters, then you should talk to them," Ryan replied quietly. 

"I'm trying to make things right with you," Caleb responded, stricken.

"Why?  I'm inconsequential to you, Mr. Nichols.  You didn't hurt my feelings, you didn't say anything that I haven't heard before.  You were doing what you thought was best for your family.  So go talk to your daughters," Ryan nodded toward the house. 

"You're a member of this family now…" Caleb said quietly as Ryan turned away from him. 

"I'm not a member of your family, you made that perfectly clear," Ryan muttered.  He turned back to face the man again.  "I would never hurt Seth.  I would never hurt Kirsten or Hailey.  That's all that you need to know about me.  I won't get in your way and I won't make any waves in your life.  Are we done?"

"No, Ryan, we're not.  I'm sorry that I haven't made you welcome and that I said those things to you…"

"I don't care.  I don't need to hear from you.  I don't need your apologies.  Your daughters need you.  Your grandson needs you.  Go take care of your family." Ryan ended the conversation by disappearing into the bathroom.

Caleb sighed.  He turned to leave the poolhouse and saw Seth standing by the open door with a blank expression on his face.

"Seth?" Caleb called.

"Whatever, Grandpa," Seth snorted, turning and vanishing into the house.