Hope you enjoy. And all your R&R is great. Please keep it coming.

Chapter 3

The next morning Ryan woke from a restless sleep feeling stiff and sore. His head was pounding and his back stung. Ryan, confused, got up and made his way into the bathroom where he placed himself in front of a large mirror. He turned to look at his back in the reflection to find that his skin had gone a frightening shade of crimson overnight. He reached over to touch his raw skin and flinched as he felt it burn. He turned and walked into their living room slash dining room slash kitchen. He found Sandy at the two-hob cooker frying bacon in a tiny frying pan, "Morning Ryan," he said cheerily.

"Hey Sandy." Ryan answered, concentrating more on how to walk without moving his back, than on cheery morning banter. Sandy grimaced as he saw the angry burns and blisters on Ryan's back. "Ouch! Sunburn huh?" Ryan shot the glare of doom across the kitchen table and Sandy quickly turned back to his bacon. "Where's Kirsten?" Ryan asked trying to keep his mind on something other than his tender skin. Sandy turned and smiled, "In bed. She's still pretty tired out." Ryan frowned, "From wha...? Oh right uh never mind." Sandy laughed and placed the bacon onto four plates. He then pulled toast out of the grill and put two slices on each plate, "Where's Seth? In the bathroom?"

"No he's still asleep. He's still pretty tired out too." Ryan answered. Sandy raised his eyebrows and Ryan realised how that sounded, "Not like... I mean... he was up all night playing his Gameboy Advanced. That's what I meant." Sandy laughed again and went into Seth and Ryan's room where he found a mop of dark curls under a large pillow. Seth was tangled in his sheets and mumbling slightly in his sleep, "Watch what you're doing with that hammer now." Sandy tugged the sheets off of him and Seth woke up, "Hey pops what happened to the whole relaxing vacation?"

"It's almost ten and I just made us all breakfast. Now get up." Seth rolled back over and stuck his head under his pillow. Sandy, knowing Seth wouldn't get up on his own accord, bent down and flung Seth over his shoulder, "Dad! Get off me. I want justice. HELP! HELP! Get me child services!" Sandy ignored Seth's protests and carried his son into the bathroom. He turned the shower on at freezing temperature and sat Seth under the jet, "Dad are you crazy? I'm gonna get pneumonia in here!" He yelled as he struggled to get out of the shower. Sandy stood out of the way and let his son grab a towel and dry himself, "That'll teach you to stay up all night playing video games," he said chuckling as he walked back into the living room. Ryan was still painfully making his way through breakfast as Seth stumbled out of the bathroom and shot at Ryan, "Dude! You sold me out?" Ryan could only grimace as his skin tightened.

When Seth emerged from his room after his rude awakening he sat at the table and munched on a piece of toast. He scanned the apartment carefully before exclaiming, "Where's mom? Doesn't she get the same torture for sleeping in?"

"I'm just about to go and wake her up." Sandy assured. He picked up a plate with Kirsten's breakfast on it and knocked on their bedroom door, "Honey wakey, wakey. I made bacon... your favourite... Kirsten, are you okay?" As Sandy stepped into their room he was immediately pushed out of the way by his wife who zoomed from the room and into the bathroom. This was followed by the sound of vomiting. Seth stared in the direction of his Dad and asked, "How much did you let her drink last night?"

Kirsten lay on the bed with an ice pack on her forehead. Seth was fanning her with her new issue of Vogueä, "Seth! Will you please stop that!" she snapped but she saw him look at her shocked and apologised, "Sorry sweetie, it's just that I don't need an ice pack or a... fan. It's my stomach that's sore. Not my head." Kirsten handed the ice pack back to Sandy and motioned for Seth to stop fanning as her dark headed son asked, "So this isn't a hangover?"

"What? No! I had like one glass of wine with dinner last night." Seth tilted his head as if he was counting, "Hey you're right. So why are you sick?" The room went silent and Ryan spoke up, "Hey didn't you try some clams from that guy at the beach? Uh what was his name? Jake?"

"Oh yeah... he was the guy selling juice to people on the beach," she explained to her husband, "Yeah he let me try the clams he had for lunch. That asshole! He poisoned me!"

"Yeah but he also poisoned himself. He ate the whole lot." Ryan pointed out. Sandy turned to his wife; "I don't really think you should be out in the sun today."

"I don't think I could face it to be honest." Kirsten admitted.

"Yeah me either." Ryan said. Kirsten turned to him perplexed, "Why?" Ryan turned and showed Kirsten his scarlet back, "Ouch! What factor did you wear yesterday?" she asked concerned.

"Uh... I don't know I just picked up a bottle. I thought it was all the same... I mean we live in California. I should be used to the sun."

"But the sun is totally different here. But don't worry I brought a cream that helps bad sunburn. We'll put it on after you take a cold shower. It'll calm the burns." Ryan nodded in agreement and motioned to make his way to the bathroom but he was pushed out of the way by Kirsten who again raced to the toilet and emptied the contents of her stomach. Seth turned to his father and pointed to Kirsten's half eaten breakfast, "So mom won't be eating this?"

After the doctor left Sandy and Seth pulled on their bathing suits and grabbed their towels. "Bye honey, I hope you get better." Sandy said while kissing his wife on the cheek, "And remember to take those pills the doctor gave you."

"I will."

Seth knocked on their bedroom door, "Hey man. Dad and I are gonna hit the beach. You gonna be okay in here with the Kirsten all day?" Seth entered to find Ryan lying on his stomach. He sat up and turned to his brother, "I think I'll survive. We got a TV right?"

"Yeah, I think there's only one station in English though."

"Like I said. I'll survive. I might get started on the homework we got over summer vacation." Seth flinched at the mention of school, "No, no, no, no this is a relaaaaxing vacation. No school. I'll see ya at lunch okay?"

"Have fun." Ryan said waving him off.

"An entire day with just me and the sandman. Who couldn't have fun?"

Kirsten emerged from the bathroom for the third time that morning and decided she would make some coffee. "I'd better ask Ryan if he wants some." She thought to herself. She walked over to his bedroom door and knocked softly, "Ryan?"

"Yeah?"

Kirsten opened the door to find Ryan sitting on his bed reading a book about the civil war, "You're studying?" Kirsten asked surprised.

"Yeah well I don't really have anything else lined up for today."

"Oh. Right well I was gonna make some coffee. Do you want a cup?" Ryan threw his book onto Seth's bed and sighed, relieved, "I'd love to."

Kirsten set the cup in front of Ryan and sat on the chair opposite him, "So how's your back feeling?"

"Stingy," he answered. Kirsten gave Ryan a small smile and sipped her coffee. "Well we can put some of that cream on it. It's kinda like calamine lotion but in a cream form." Ryan shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I'll put it on later." Kirsten thought to herself how weird it would be for her to rub lotion into his back. "Inappropriate?" she asked herself. Maybe. She noticed Ryan looking at her strangely, "You okay?" he asked, "Are you gonna throw up again?" Kirsten laughed, "No but did I look like I was going to?" Ryan merely smiled and drained his mug, "More coffee?"

"Sure." There was a pause before Ryan asked, "Do you play cards?" Kirsten looked at Ryan puzzled, "It's just that Seth brought some cards and it could maybe pass the time. I could teach you how to play poker," he suggested. But Kirsten waved him off, "I don't need to be taught kid. I am the poker champion although it's not much of a game with only two players is it?" Ryan laughed, "I guess not. What can you play?"

"What can't I play don't you mean?"

Later Ryan and Kirsten had played gin rummy, black jack and happy families before they got bored and Kirsten suggested she prepare some lunch. Ryan jumped to feet, "Hey you know I can do that. Just sit down and relax and I..."

"Hey come on. I can make a damn sandwich!" she protested as she got the bread out of the cupboard but as she set the loaf on the counter she turned and said, "Why don't we go out for lunch? I mean we didn't come on vacation to cook did we?" Ryan raised his eyebrows and looked Kirsten up and down, "Are you in any fit state to eat out?"

"How long has it been since I threw up? Like three hours. I think that doctor overreacted. I'm fine and if it'll make you feel better I'll just have a coffee."

Kirsten got halfway out the door before she raced into the bathroom again. Ryan stood outside the door, "So I guess we're eating in then?"

Sandy and Seth both returned form the beach looking tired out, "Hey how was your day sweetie?" Kirsten asked. Sandy dragged his feet as he made his way towards her, "You had better get ready for this." Kirsten sat up, "What is it?"

Seth ran into their room to find Ryan reading, "You are not going to believe this!" he yelled hardly able to contain himself. Ryan sat up, "What is it?"
So what do you all think "it" is? What's Sandy and Seth's big news? Let me know what you think.