Author's Notes: I'm completely blown away by these reviews! It makes me happier than I can say that people like this story so much. I hope this chapter answers some of the questions about what's going to happen to Ryan (don't worry, I won't kill him!) and I apologize for it's not being longer, but I've been writing my dissertation proposal this week, so I haven't had as much time to work on my other, more important work, such as this story. ;) If anyone wants to write my proposal for me, then I'll be able to work much more on this story. Any takers?

Thought not. Darn.

When she got to the third floor, she gave her name to the receptionist for that floor, and was told that Ryan Atwood wasn't permitted to have any visitors as of yet, but she would call Ryan's doctor and let him know that she was here.

By this time Kirsten was practically going out of her mind with frustration and worry. It seemed like no one here could tell her how Ryan was, or why he was in with the psychiatric patients. The aide told her to take a seat, and Ryan's doctor should be with her in a moment. And before long, the doctor arrived, shaking Kirsten's hand and introducing himself as Dr. Brennerman, the chief psychiatrist for the hospital. "And you must be Ryan's mother, I assume?"

Kirsten nodded. "Well, not biologically. He's my foster son, but my husband and I love him as if he were our own." She gave the doctor a pleading glance. "Do you think I can see him?"

"I don't think that's a good idea," Dr. Brennerman advised gently. "Ryan's under a lot of sedation right now, and he's going to have a rough time of things when he wakes up from it."

"Why did you sedate him?" Kirsten asked, confused. "Why is he in this ward, for that matter?

"Mrs. Cohen, why don't we step into my office and I can tell you what I know about Ryan's condition so far?"

"I want to see him first," Kirsten insisted. "I'll talk to you as much as you want, but I'm not going anywhere until I see my son."

"All right," the doctor gave in. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt if you peeked into his room for a moment."

He led Kirsten down the hall, stopping near the end of the hall and quietly opening a door. "Just a little look," he whispered to Kirsten. "You can see him for longer after we've talked."

Kirsten nodded and stepped quietly in the room. At first glance, Ryan appeared to be sleeping peacefully. Then she realized that his lower arms were wrapped in bandages, and that his wrists were locked in restraints. She wanted to release them, and to smooth his hair and cover his face with kisses. But now clearly wasn't the time for that, so she settled for dropping a kiss on his forehead and whispering that she was here for him, and Sandy and Seth were on their way.

"Why are you using restraints on him?" Kirsten asked the doctor. "Is that really necessary?"

"In this case, I'm afraid it is. They will likely be removed after a day or so, but your son made a very serious attempt on his life. We don't like to take chances in cases like Ryan's."

"He what?" Kirsten whispered, her face draining of color. "Ryan wouldn't try to kill himself."

"Why don't we continue in my office?" Brennerman suggested. Kirsten nodded acceptance, and followed him into his small office down the hall. Brennerman sat down at his desk across from her. "Mrs. Cohen, Ryan was found by his suitemates at his college. He was unconscious when they found him, but everything we know indicates that he tried to kill himself by cutting his wrists with a razor blade."

"Oh my God," Kirsten whispered, tears springing to her eyes.

"Did Ryan seem depressed in the last few weeks?"

She shook her head. "I don't know if I'd call it depressed. An old girlfriend of Ryan's died in a car accident at the beginning of the summer, and Ryan seemed a bit down because of that. They hadn't dated in a long time, but Marissa had a bit of a self-destructive streak and Ryan always wanted to protect her from that. Ryan seemed down after the accident, but I thought he was just upset about Marissa. I never thought he would do anything to hurt himself."

"It's easy to miss the warning signs," Brennerman tried to assure her. "Especially if the child has always been quiet and doesn't often talk to anyone when something is wrong."

Kirsten nodded. "That's Ryan."

"I'm going to be honest with you, Mrs. Cohen," the doctor told her. "Most suicide attempts are superficial, a cry for help, if you will. Ryan was obviously asking for help, but his attempt was a very serious one. He's going to be all right physically, but unless something changes for him, chances are that he'll try again in the future."

By now the tears were flowing freely down Kirsten's cheeks. "Is there anything we can do?"

Brennerman offered her a box of Kleenex. "There's a lot we can do, starting with getting Ryan into therapy. I understand your family isn't from Boston?"

Kirsten shook her head. "We live in California. Ryan was coming to Boston to go to college here."

"I'd strongly recommend keeping him here on our inpatient ward for awhile," the doctor advised. "We have an excellent psychiatric staff and Ryan will receive first-rate treatment."

"I don't know," Kirsten pondered. "I don't think Ryan would want to stay here any longer than he has to. And don't you need his permission since he's over eighteen?"

"Ordinarily, yes, but since Ryan's behaviors indicate that he may be a danger to himself, he isn't competent right now to make a decision like this. If you and your husband give your consent, Ryan would be able to stay here and get the treatment he needs."

"How long are we talking about?" Kirsten asked. "I don't want my son to be locked up forever."

Brennerman chuckled. "Mrs. Cohen, long-term hospitalization is very rare these days. Our average inpatient hospitalization time is about a week, during which time we would get Ryan stabilized, do some psychological testing and work out which treatment plan would be best for him. After he's released, we have some excellent outpatient programs, or if you wanted to take him home to California with you, I could talk with some colleagues to find a treatment program near where you live."

"It sounds like it might help," Kirsten admitted, "but I need to talk to my husband about this before we decide anything."

"Of course," Brennerman agreed. "Is he coming as well?"

Kirsten nodded. "He and our son Seth are on their way right now."

The doctor smiled. "I'm glad to see that Ryan has a family who cares so much about him. It'll be a huge advantage for him."

"Can I see him again?" Kirsten pleaded. "I want to be there with him."

Brennerman nodded. "Of course."

The doctor escorted her back to Ryan's room, and left her with a warning that Ryan had been through a lot, and not to be too upset if he was irritable or angry when he woke up. Left alone, Kirsten settled down in the chair beside Ryan's bed and watched her son sleep. He looked so pale, and she couldn't help wondering how he had gotten so desperate, or if there was anything she or Sandy could have done if they'd known.

"Oh, Ryan," she whispered, and in spite of her previous resolution not to break down, she began to cry.