Author's notes:
I'm a little uncertain on this chapter. I know where I want to go, but I'm a little unclear on how to get there, so this is my attempt at bridging that gap.
Crashcmb—you were right about needing the Caleb/Ryan interaction. I'd neglected to put that in my notes for this story, so I put it in this chapter hoping that it fits.
Elzed—thanks for your comments. I've done some work with adolescent boys, and the general school of thought when doing therapy with them is to spend a lot of time at the beginning of the therapy just letting them get to know you and feel comfortable with you, and after that they'll open up, which is what I'm attempting to have Brad do with Ryan.
Christina—Thanks for your review, and I'm glad you like where this story is headed.
Cfsoccer28—I definitely plan on having some more therapy scenes in the story, and maybe even getting Sandy and Kirsten in for a family session as well.
HateToSayIToldYouSo—Loved your last update. Adored it beyond words. And I'm glad you're liking where this is going!
Joey51—I've always thought that the concept of therapy would be scarier to Ryan than the therapy itself. And he's a bit all over the place emotionally right now, with everything that's happened. I'm thinking that it's actually a positive sign that he was able to get mad at Sandy, if only because he trusts him enough to still be there even if he does snap at him or show some irritation.
Melanie39—I simply loved your latest story. It was just fantastic, and I'm hoping to see more of it soon!
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Monday morning, Ryan got up early and went in to work with Kirsten. He knew that she had asked her father to get this internship for him, but although he still felt uneasy about that, he was grateful for the opportunity to get out of the house and do something productive. Besides, the experience would help him when he was applying for summer jobs later on, when he was back in college. Kirsten had told him that most of the job consisted of making coffee and photocopies, but that he'd have a chance to consult with the Newport Group's engineers, and get some hands-on experience with building design. It didn't sound like a bad job, all things considered, and it would make Kirsten happy.
Kirsten showed him the engineering offices, and introduced him to Charlie, the head engineer who would be supervising his work. He had his own desk, and while most of his morning was spent in menial tasks, Charlie did ask him to double check the calculations for some building plans. Ryan was immersed in the task when the phone on his desk rang.
He picked up the receiver. "Newport Group, Ryan Atwood speaking."
"Ryan, it's Caleb." Shit. He couldn't have screwed up already, could he? What on earth did Caleb want him for? "I'd like to see you in my office in five minutes."
Fuck. He hadn't seen Caleb since Marissa's funeral, and to be honest, he had been rather surprised that he had agreed to giving Ryan a job. The last thing Ryan wanted to do was face Caleb Nichol after he had practically killed his stepdaughter. But Caleb was the head of the Newport group, and Ryan's boss. "I'll be there."
Caleb was sitting at his desk when Ryan knocked on the door. "Ryan, please come in and shut the door behind you."
This couldn't be good. Ryan briefly thought about simply leaving, forgetting about the Newport Group and hitching a ride back to the house. But as tempting as that thought was, he would be disappointing Kirsten and Sandy, and he had done enough of that recently. He shut the door and sat down nervously.
Caleb noticed the boy's stricken expression and felt a twinge of sympathy for him. "Ryan, you don't need to look so frightened, I'm not going to fire you."
Ryan nodded, and felt a little of the tightness in his chest dissipate. "Thank you, sir."
"I'm going to be straight with you," Caleb began. "Kirsten told me what happened with you in Boston."
Ryan wasn't too surprised, but he couldn't help feeling a tiny bit resentful toward Kirsten who had indirectly subjected him to this incredibly awkward conversation with Caleb Nichol, the richest man in Newport who had never liked him.
"Do you need any schedule accommodations?" Caleb continued. "Kirsten mentioned that you were starting therapy."
Ryan nodded. "I'm supposed to see my therapist on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons."
"All right," Caleb agreed. "I'll make sure that you're done here by noon on those days. Does that help?"
"Yes, sir," Ryan answered, in a state of semi-disbelief. "It helps a lot."
"I want to tell you something, Ryan," Caleb continued. "I know what it's like to lose someone you care about, and it's never easy. But you shouldn't get so wrapped up in hating yourself that you end up hurting the people who love you. Believe it or not, you're part of a family and whatever you do affects all of them."
"Yes, sir," Ryan replied.
"I want you to understand," Caleb insisted. "My daughter loves you as if you were her own child. So does Sandy, and you're like a brother to Seth. It would tear that family apart if you did anything to yourself. And anyone who hurts my daughter or my grandson will have me to answer to."
Ryan couldn't figure out if Caleb was threatening him or trying to give him a pep talk in his own, unusual way. "Yes, sir."
"You can drop the sir business," Caleb instructed him. "Considering you've lived in my daughter's home for the last two years, it's about time that you started calling me Caleb."
"Yes, si—" Ryan caught himself, "yes, Caleb."
Caleb nodded. "I'm glad we understand each other. You can get back to work now, and I want to hear that you're trying hard in therapy, understand?"
"All right," Ryan agreed. "Thank you."
Caleb dismissed him, and Ryan thankfully returned to checking figures and making photocopies. After that talk with Caleb, spending the morning doing overly simple tasks was just fine with him.
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Kirsten was taking Ryan to his therapy appointment on Thursday afternoon, so it was Sandy who went to collect Seth at the airport. The family was having a formal dinner on Saturday night in honor of Caleb's birthday, and while Sandy privately thought that he'd much rather have his fingernails pulled out or undergo a root canal without anesthetic, the event was obviously important to Kirsten. Not to mention, Seth would be home until Sunday morning, which almost made up for the agony of celebrating Caleb's birthday. Almost, but not quite.
When he got to the airport, he found that Seth's flight had been delayed twenty minutes, so he bought an overpriced cup of coffee from Starbucks and sat down at a table to wait. He was looking forward to seeing Seth even more than he had expected. Even though it had only been two weeks since he'd seen his son, it felt more like two months. Or, more likely, he felt like he'd been through two months instead of two weeks. Ryan was attending therapy twice a week, and seemed to be getting along okay with his therapist, but Sandy had noticed the boy withdrawing from him in the last week or so. Because of Ryan's outburst at him, he had tried to give him more space, but he had no idea how much was too much. He had given Ryan space over the summer, and the boy had almost died.
He hadn't felt so helpless since he was ten and his younger sister had become violently sick one night while his mother was working late. Sophie Cohen often went to visit her clients' homes while she was working, and Sandy had no idea where she was or how to reach her. He had ended up calling 911 and leaving a note for his mother while he and his little brother went along to the hospital in the ambulance. It had turned out that Sarah had suffered an attack of appendicitis, and after an operation she was just fine. But Sandy never forgot the feeling of absolute terror he had experienced, of being responsible for someone's life without the slightest clue what to do.
Sandy finished the last of his coffee and tossed the cup in the trash on his way to find Seth. He spotted his son just outside of the security gate, wearing a blue Berkeley sweatshirt and looking so different from when he'd seen him last. Seth looked happy and relaxed, and Sandy noted with relief that at least one of his sons was doing well.
"Hey, dad," Seth greeted his father, submitting to a hug from Sandy. "Good to see you."
Sandy smiled. "You too. You look terrific, son. Just wait till your mother sees you."
"Please tell me she's not home cooking a big meal to welcome me home," Seth grinned, with a sly glance at his father.
"Now that's an idea!" Sandy exclaimed. "Do you think I could talk her into cooking for your grandpa's birthday dinner Saturday?"
"Dad," Seth teased. "I know you hate Grandpa, but you wouldn't make the rest of us suffer too."
"You're right," Sandy gave in. "It's still a good idea, though. I'll have to remember that one."
Kirsten and Ryan were home by the time Sandy and Seth returned, and after Kirsten greeted her oldest son, the adult Cohens left to pick up the takeout, leaving Ryan and Seth to say their awkward hellos.
Ryan stood silently with his hands jammed into his jeans pockets, wondering why he felt so awkward. Seth was his best friend. Practically his brother, and Ryan had missed him like crazy while he was gone. Maybe it was because he'd just spent the last two weeks with Kirsten and Sandy's undivided attention, who were, after all, Seth's parents and not Ryan's. Or maybe it was because he'd felt that Seth was keeping something from him even back when he'd been in the hospital, and that there was something unsaid between the two of them that Ryan wasn't sure that he wanted to hear.
If anything, Seth seemed even more uneasy than he did. They stood in silence for a few minutes, before Ryan finally nodded toward the Playstation. "Want to play?"
Seth shot a grin at him as Ryan handed him a controller, and for a moment it felt as if nothing had happened and they were simply unwinding after a day at Harbor.
For now, anyhow. Ryan wasn't naïve enough to think that it would last forever.