Hello! Thanks so much for reviewing. I know I've said this a hundred times, but I will say it a hundred more. You guys rock. The very best. You all deserve awards of some kind. Anyway, I hope that you enjoy this chapter, and please review again, it means the world to me. And I'm sick, so you should all be trying to cheer me up because you feel so bad for me. I have the worst cold, and I can't stop sneezing, which is just no fun at all, and of course, I had two tests this week and a paper due. I'm starting to think that someone out there just really hates me. But you don't hate me right? Right!?!?! Okay, well, you're allowed to hate me, as long as you review please!

Disclaimer: Not mine.

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Sandy burst into the waiting room and everyone looked up right away.

"She's awake," he said grinning.

"Oh thank God," Julie breathed as she hugged Caleb.

"Can we see her Dad?" Seth asked. He felt Summer's hand in his reassuring him and once again he was thankful that she was there with him. That she had stayed this whole time and waited with him. Not that she hadn't complained, but she at least had kept her complaining to a minimum, and for that Seth was grateful.

"One at a time," Sandy said. "Ryan, why don't you go back first?" Seth was about to open his mouth and complain that he wanted to see her, and he saw that his grandfather was going to do the same, but Ryan looked so nervous and relieved at the same time that Seth understood immediately why his father had sent his foster brother back first. All this time, he hadn't noticed how guilty Ryan looked. How guilty Ryan must have felt. His dad took a seat next to his grandfather, who was now grilling him for information about his mother. How was she feeling? Did her head hurt? Did she remember everything? What did she say? His grandfather bombarded his father with questions, and his dad did his best to keep his patience and answer each one.

Seth knew that his father didn't want to come out and let each of them have a turn with his mother. Sandy wanted nothing more than to be able to sit next to his wife, and listen to her talk and watch her smile, and it was killing him that he had to be patient and let the others have a chance to do the same. And Seth knew that he could be sensitive and tell his dad that he could wait to see her if Sandy wanted to spend more time with her.

But screw that. He wanted his mommy.

As much as he whined when his parents kissed, or threw around sexual references and innuendo like they were still twenty-somethings, Seth secretly liked it. Not that he would admit that. To anyone. Ever. But there was something about it. Something about the way that his father looked at his mother, something about the way that they both got that look on their faces when they talked highly of the other one. That was something that he wanted. Something that he thought he might have with Summer.

"I told you so," Summer said interrupting his thoughts.

"What?"

"I told you that she would be okay." Summer sat looking quite smug at him.

"Yes you did," Seth said.

"And what do you have to say now?"

"Sorry?" Seth tried. Sometimes he thought that Summer might be the one, and sometimes she just drove him up a wall.

"Cohen!" Next to him, he saw that his father was watching and was laughing at him a little. Only his girlfriend could take his mother almost dying, and make him somehow be in the wrong and need to apologize to her. It was a talent really, and Seth reminded himself to talk to her about marketing it.

"What are you laughing at Sanford? Did I say something funny?" His grandfather demanded. Now whose laughing, Seth thought smiling slightly to himself. He would much rather have to deal with Summer than Caleb.

"Cohen? Are you even listening to me?" Summer's voice sounded irritated. The truth was that he wasn't listening to her.

"Repeat what I just said," Summer said. Seth leaned his head back against the wall. He was rethinking his original thought.

Summer might be worse than his grandfather, or at the very least, it was a toss-up.

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Ryan opened the door gently and saw Kirsten lying in the bed, her one hand was on her stomach, and Ryan realized the amount of pain she must be in.

"Ryan honey," Kirsten smiled at him when he stepped in.

"Kirsten, how are you feeling? I'm so sorry," it came gushing out in one breath. "Do you need anything? Some more pain medicine? Does your side hurt? Should I get a doctor?" Apparently, he had turned into Seth. He took a deep breath. Calm down, he told himself.

"I'm okay," she said softly. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," Ryan said automatically.

"Sit down next to me," she said pointing to the empty chair next to her bed. Ryan obeyed and she reached out and touched his face. "I was worried about you, honey." She was worried about him? She was the one that almost died. And that had been his fault, hadn't it?

"Me?" Ryan couldn't keep the incredulity out of his voice. "Kirsten, my dad....he could have killed you!"

"Yeah, and he could have killed you too," Kirsten responded. "When Seth came back and said that you were bruised, God, my heart just broke. I had failed you. Sandy and I....we were supposed to protect you. And what did we do? We let you go back there. We let you go back to a potentially dangerous situation." Potentially, Ryan scoffed. There was nothing potential about it. But it had been dangerous for her, and no matter what she said, or what Sandy said, he couldn't forgive himself for putting her in danger like that.

"But I chose that," Ryan said softly.

"But we let you. And we shouldn't have done that. If it had been Seth we would have come right out and said, no, no way."

"But I'm not Seth. I'm not your son," Ryan said. He didn't know why he was arguing with her. She was sick. He should be fluffing her pillows and running to get her ice chips and jello or whatever else they gave people in the hospital.

"You haven't caught on yet?" Kirsten asked him smiling gently. "You are my son. Maybe not by blood or name, but in every other way. If it had been Seth in that house, I would not have thought twice about going in and doing everything in my power to get him out. Risk everything to get him out, and I simply did the same for you. And if I had to, I would do it again."

"I wouldn't let you," Ryan said. "You shouldn't have gotten hurt because of my father." Ryan wouldn't meet her eye, and finally she took her hand and placed it under his chin and lifted it so that she could see his eyes.

"You are not your father, and you can not be blamed or held responsible for his actions. I'm okay, Ryan. I'm going to be just fine. And you're safe. And that is all that matters. Do you understand? I don't blame you, Sandy does not blame you. No one blames you." She could see the tears glistening in his eyes, unshed, because Ryan Atwood didn't cry, and she held out her arms and let him hug her, controlling herself so that she didn't wince in the pain that it caused. He finally began to sob, his hold body shaking with the tears and seeping into her hospital gown. She just held him, bit her lip in pain, and made soothing noises. Told him again and again that it was okay. That she was okay. He was okay, and everything could return back to normal. And things would return to normal and for that she was happy, unbelievably happy.

Because her son was safe. And he was coming home.

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Seth was the next to go back. He had been bouncing off the walls, and finally his grandfather had said,

"Fine, Seth go ahead first. God, Sanford, he gets this from your side." And Seth had been allowed to go back to see his mother as soon as Ryan appeared in the hallway. Seth bolted down the hall and paused in front of the closed door. He took a deep breath, calming himself down, and opened the door.

"Seth," his mother looked exhausted, but she smiled when he came in.

"Hi Mom," Seth said crossing over. He leaned down and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "How are you feeling? Have they been giving you enough drugs? And if they have been, can I have a car?"

"Nice try Seth," Kirsten said laughing a little. Her face then contorted in pain and Seth jumped out of the chair that he had been sitting in.

"Do you need something? Should I go get a doctor? Or Dad? I'll go get Dad...."

"Seth, sit down," Kirsten said breathing through the pain. "It'll go away in a second. Just please don't make me laugh."

"I'll try my hardest," Seth promised. "How about this? This is my melancholy face. How is it?" Kirsten forced down another laugh.

"It's great Seth," she said softly.

"Mom, you scared the shit out of us."

"Seth, language." She might be in pain and just had surgery, but Seth should have figured that she would still have her mother instincts in tact. "I'm sorry."

"Why did you go in there? Why didn't you leave? Weren't you scared?" Seth asked. He had been scared. He had been terrified of Dave Atwood, and yet his tiny mother had stood up to him.

"I was terrified," Kirsten admitted. "For Ryan mostly, but for myself too. I couldn't leave though Seth, I couldn't leave him there. You'll understand when you have kids. He was in danger, and I couldn't just leave him there." Seth nodded, he didn't quite understand, but he was still grateful that Ryan was coming home, and that his mother was going to be okay.

"Dad was going crazy," Seth reported leaning back against the chair and sticking his feet up on her bed. "I mean, he was even conversing with Grandpa. Like they were old friends or something. And if that's not crazy, well then, my name isn't Seth Cohen."

"Seth, get your feet off my bed. Look what you're doing to the sheets!" Kirsten reprimanded.

"Did you hear what I said?" Seth said ignoring her and keeping his feet right where they were. This was what he had needed. He needed his mother to still be his mother, and to still yell at him about stupid things. To not feel like someone was squeezing his insides when he thought about what had happened in that house in Chino.

"Yes, Seth. I'm serious, move your feet. You always put your feet where feet shouldn't be put."

"On the contraire Mother, beds were designed to have feet placed upon them."

"My feet, Seth, not your dirty feet."

"Are you not a foot equal opportunist?"

"Oh Seth," Kirsten sighed and she reached out and took his hand. "I love you."

"Getting all mushy on me, huh?" Seth asked. He threw his feet off the bed and leaned forward for a hug. "I love you too."

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"Mr. Cohen?" An officer came into the waiting room. "Sandy Cohen?"

"Yes?" Sandy stood up from his seat next to Ryan. He knew that they still had to question Kirsten about what happened, but he had hoped to let Seth spend a little more time with his mother. And besides, she was still sick. The lawyer in him knew that they had to talk to her, but the husband in him just wanted to protect his wife, and make everything go away for her.

"Sir, we received a call about twenty minutes that we responded to. They found the body of a male, early forties that matched the description of the man who attacked your wife. We know that you want to stay with your wife, but we'd like you to come with us to the morgue to identify the body, if you wouldn't mind?" Sandy's head was spinning. Someone had killed Dave Atwood? Who would have done that? And then the thought dawned on him.

Caleb.

When he left for that hour. Where had he gone? What had he done? Was this the thing that he said that he had to take care of? Did Caleb really send someone to kill Dave Atwood?

"Sure," Sandy replied trying to get his thoughts together. "Can I just stop and tell my wife where I'm going and that I will be back?"

"Of course," the officer said. "Go right ahead. We'll wait right here."

"Sandy," Ryan's voice broke his thoughts. He had forgotten about Ryan. He had forgotten that Ryan was right there with him. Caleb and Julie had gone to get something to eat, and Summer was talking to Marissa about clothes or something. He and Ryan had been talking about Sandy and Kirsten's wedding day.

"Ryan," Sandy turned back around to face his son. "You need to stay here okay? Why don't you go sit with Kirsten?"

"Sandy," Ryan said again. "I want to come with you."

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Dun, dun, dun. Okay, sorry, I know, I know, another cliffhanger. Please don't hurt me? And leave a review okay? Thanks!