Chapter Fourteen: Take Me Away

She stood there fuming, her dark red hair hanging over her shoulders, green eyes glaring at the sight in front of her.

"Get up!" she screamed, kicking Ryan in the shins and pulling him off of the hospital bed.

"Mom?" Marissa looked up, startled. Ryan was still half-asleep when Julie Cooper smacked him across the face. Then he was wide awake.

"Do you have any idea what I could do to you, Ryan? I suggest that you get out of here right now and go into the waiting room with your friends, or I swear to God that I will have you put back in juvie." She said this quietly, but with a horrible menacing tone in her voice. Ryan lowered his eyes and was about to say something when Marissa reached out and grabbed his arm.

"Ryan, go." He looked at her confused until she squeezed his hand softly. He sighed and walked out the door, shooting a death look at Julie, who only returned it.

"And as for you, young lady, would you like to tell me what the hell happened here?"

"Mom, I..." But Julie wasn't finished. She barely had time to think before the next sentence came out of her mouth.

"You know, if I didn't want to put you in an institution the first time this happened, I certainly do now!" Right after she said this, her hands flew to her mouth. Marissa's eyes were as big as saucers.

"Wh.. what?"

"Marissa, I'm sorry. Look, honey I was just mad and I..." Julie trailed off and tried to touch her hand but Marissa screamed at her.

"Don't you touch me!"

"I wouldn't do that, Julie. Don't you know what I can do to you?" A strong male voice came from behind them and they both turned their heads at the same time. Caleb and Sandy, two people Marissa thought she would never see together, stood in the doorway, flanked by Seth and Ryan.

"Caleb. How... how long have you two been standing there?"

"Oh, I don't know. An hour, a minute," Sandy answered for him, the sarcasm dripping from his voice.

"Sandy," Caleb said in a warning tone. Sandy rolled his eyes.

"Well, anyway, we were probably standing there for about... oh for about how long it took for you to tell Marissa that you were sending her away. And Ryan filled us in on the rest. You know, it kinda makes you look pretty stupid when you tell Kirsten and I to take care of her and then you want to send her away. Hmm... what does that tell me?"

Julie couldn't look at them. Her eyes never left the floor and only Marissa could hear her swallow nervously when Sandy said this. Marissa tried her hardest not to grin. Julie tried to think of a good comeback, but she couldn't deny what they were saying.

"You don't want me here, do you Mom?" Marissa looked at Julie with her eyes lowered, much like Ryan had done earlier.

"I... I just..." She trailed off, not able to look at her daughter straight in the eyes. "I think that it's time for me to go. Sandy. Nice seeing you." With that Julie held her head up and walked between the men at the door. They listened to her footsteps as they clicked down the hall.

"I'd better go check on my wife," said Caleb. As he followed her, Marissa grimaced and Sandy stifled a laugh. Ryan nearly ran over to Marissa and hugged her.

"Thanks for getting them, Ryan. I don't think I could have held her off on my own."

"Don't thank me. Thank Seth. He's the one who called. Apparently she's been here awhile." Seth waved his hand. "I saw her running down the hall but I couldn't do anything to stop her so I calledmy lawyer,otherwise known as my father."

"That's funny, Seth. You're a real funny man."

"Well, where do you think I get it from, father. Gee, I wonder sometimes." Marissa and Ryan listened to them bicker as they walked down the hall and laughed quietly.

"Are you okay?" Ryan asked softly.

"Yeah. You're the one she slapped."

"Yeah, but she's your mom."

Marissa sighed. "I know, but it just doesn't seem like she can do anything worse to me, you know? She wants to send me away, she had sex with my ex-boyfriend, and she slapped the hell out of my current boyfriend." Ryan perked up at this.

"Boy... boyfriend?" Marissa looked at him, laughter playing behind her blue eyes.

"Yeah, I thought, you know, maybe we could give that a try again.I mean, it's working for Seth and Summerso I guess it could work for us." She smiled then, looking at Ryan. Ryan then kissed her, making her fall backwards onto her pillow. She laughed as he kissed her neck and then realized what he was doing.

"Um, Ryan?"

"Yeah?" he asked, his voice muffled by her hair.

"Uh, hospital beds don't make great places for having sex."

Ryan looked at her and sat up.

"Yeah, you're right. I'm sorry, I shouldn't-" she cut him off as she pulled his face down close to hers.

"But the doctor's tell me I can come home soon. The poolhouse has an excellent bed."

"Oh, really, does it? I seem to have forgotten, considering I've been sleeping on an air mattress."

"Well, then we might have to change that, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess we should."

Marissa laughed and threw her arms around his neck.

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love hearing you say that."