Okay, so here's the next chapter. Please review again, you guys are so very awesome. I'm on Spring Break! Yay for me! I'm so excited, I had two midterm weeks from hell, I can only imagine what finals week is going to be like. Ugh. I don't want to start thinking about it. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Thanks again!
Disclaimer: The characters are so not mine.
When Kirsten woke up the next morning, her eye was swollen. Despite the amount of ice Sandy placed on it, it was still painfully black and blue and she could barely open it. Ryan was apparently very strong, and had impeccable aim. Except that he hadn't meant to hit her. She knew that, she knew that it was an accident, she had even come to accept that brothers fought, and if Seth and Ryan were brothers, they would fight. Kirsten knew all of this, and she was willing to take it if it meant that Ryan had grown up loved and safe. She groaned and opened her other eye to see Sandy giving her a sympathetic smile.
"You okay sweetheart?" He asked. She shrugged in response and sat up.
"My eye hurts, feels like someone punched me…oh wait, someone did." Sandy chuckled softly.
"Should we ground him on top of the grounding he already has?" Sandy asked.
"It wouldn't be fair to ground him and not Seth, it was just a matter of luck that his fist hit me and not Seth's. Neither one was paying any attention to where they were swinging those fists," Kirsten reminded him. She sighed and threw her legs over the side of the bed. To add to the swollen eye, her head was pounding, and she was feeling slightly nauseous. All in all, not the best way to start the day.
"Are you sure that you are okay?" Sandy asked Kirsten. She nodded, and leaned in and gave him a kiss.
"I'm positive. Really, Sandy, I'm okay. I just have a little bit of a headache," she assured him. He frowned, but gave her a kiss back and then a small smile. He placed a hand on her waist and they went down to the kitchen where Seth and Ryan were eating breakfast. Ryan looked up at his parents when they entered and he was hit with guilt.
"Oh Mom," he said. "I'm so sorry. Do you want some Advil? I can get it for you?" Kirsten smiled slightly at Ryan.
"Advil would be nice," she told him. He jumped off the stool immediately and ran to the bathroom and they could hear him rummaging around the first aid kit to get her some.
"It's half my fault," Seth started. "So I'll make you breakfast, whatever you want. What do you want Mom? Bacon? Eggs? What? Anything, even if we don't have it, we'll get it for you. Like if we don't have it, Ryan and I will to every store in Orange County, if we have to, to find it. What does your very understanding, and very beautiful and young-looking heart desire?" Seth paused and gave a nervous smile to his mother.
"I just want some Advil, and maybe some coffee," Kirsten told him. "I'm not really that hungry."
"Coffee, got it," Seth said hopping off the stool and heading towards the coffeemaker. Sandy pulled out a chair at the kitchen table and Kirsten took a seat and smiled gratefully at him. Ryan came in with the Advil and a glass of water and handed both to his mother. He took a seat across from her and smiled apologetically.
"Really, Mom, I'm so sorry," he said again.
"It's okay honey," Kirsten told him taking the Advil. "Well, not okay, don't let it happen again, but it wasn't like you meant to punch me. You did, however, mean to punch your brother, and he meant to hit you, and so that means you two will think of new ways to solve your problems without resorting to violence. Or else we can add more onto the grounding that you already have Ryan. And Seth, we posses the power to ground you too, so I wouldn't taunt Ryan about it anymore, understand?"
"I completely understand," Seth said nodding. The doorbell rang, and he ran to answer it. Summer came into the kitchen, and she gasped when she saw Kirsten.
"Kirsten! What happened?" Both Ryan and Seth looked sheepishly at the ground and were both surprised when Kirsten lied.
"I hit off the corner of my desk when I leaned down to get something," she lied smiling slightly. Seth breathed out a sigh of relief. He would have gotten hell from Summer if she knew the truth, and he hadn't been looking forward to one of her infamous rage blackouts.
"Ready to go Ryan?" Sandy asked changing the subject. He nodded, and he and Seth ran up to get their things for school.
"Is that what you're going to tell your dad too?" Sandy asked when the kids had left for school. Ryan had hugged his mother and whispered,
"Thank you," in her ear before following his brother and his brother's girlfriend out to the car.
"Yes," Kirsten said shrugging. "It was an accident, and Ryan and Seth already feel bad enough without everyone knowing that it was their fault." She placed her mug in the sink. "I should go get ready and get to the office, I'm already late." Sandy nodded, and followed her upstairs where they both continued to get ready in silence. It was very rare that the boys left before them, but Sandy had allowed his wife to sleep in and had silenced the alarm when it had gone off.
"Have a good day," Sandy said giving her a kiss before getting in his car and driving off. Kirsten headed into the office and her father's smile dropped when he saw her.
"Sandford isn't abusing you is he?" Caleb asked when his daughter stepped off the elevator.
"No, I hit it off the table when I leaned down to get something," Kirsten said.
"Oh," Caleb said. The smile returned. "So when is Ryan going to start his afterschool job here?" Kirsten was surprised to hear this, but she covered it well.
"Oh well, I don't remember," she said.
"It'll be nice to have the third generation starting to learn the business," Caleb said. "Seth was a lost cause from the start. He's far too much like his father. Ryan, though, he is a Nichol through and through." Kirsten's mouth dropped slightly. In her world, her father hated Ryan, and apparently in this world, Ryan was his favorite grandson.
"Dad…" she started.
"Oh, I love them both, Kiki, you know that. It's just that Ryan is much more like us, and Seth is much more like his father, that's all." He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.
"If today is the day that Ryan starts, can you send him to my office when he gets here?"
"Sure," Kirsten said and her father headed towards his office and she headed towards hers.
"Ryan!" Caleb came into the house for the boys' sixth birthday holding two very large gifts. "Happy birthday!"
"Thanks Grandpa!" Ryan grinned as Caleb handed him one of the boxes.
"Where's your brother?" He asked. "And your mom?"
"Mommy's in the kitchen," Ryan said pointing. "And Seth is out back, I think." Caleb nodded and gave his grandson a pat on the head before heading towards the kitchen.
"Kiki, everything looks great," he told her giving her a hug. It was the first party since her mother had died, and Kirsten was trying her best to make it through without any tears. It had been hard watching her mother battle cancer, and then the doctors thought it had gone into remission, only to have it come back.
"Thanks Dad," Kirsten said returning the hug.
"Your mother would have been proud," Caleb said softly. Kirsten nodded, and one tear escaped and she hastily wiped it away. Sandy appeared with Seth, and Caleb handed his other grandson his gift.
"Here you go Seth," Caleb said.
"Thank you," Seth's was more quiet than Ryan's had been. It was no secret that Ryan was his grandfather's favorite. Ryan was more athletic, more socially outgoing, and as much as Sandy hated to admit it, a lot more like his mother and grandfather than Seth was. Sandy also knew that it didn't both Seth very much. Seth wasn't a very big fan of his grandfather, and so it was all the better when he paid more attention to Ryan than him.
"Seth, your guests are starting to arrive," Kirsten said. "Why don't you go put that with the rest of the presents and find your brother?" Seth shrugged and ran out the back door. Caleb saw one of his friends and left to go talk to them. In Newport, of course, a birthday party was a whole affair. Even if it was a child's party. They loved a party in Newport. Sandy placed a hand on his wife's arm.
"You doing okay there?"
"Sure," she said trying to force a smile. Sandy raised an eyebrow, and Kirsten's defense fell a little bit. "I miss her."
"I know you do," Sandy said pulling her into his arms.
"Daddy!" They were interrupted by Ryan who came running in. Sandy pulled away from his wife reluctantly.
"What's the matter kiddo?" He asked his son.
"Did you see the cake Daddy? It's huge! It's so big!" Ryan grabbed his father's hand and pulled him away from his mother. "Mommy, you can come too, I just know how much Daddy loves cake." Both Kirsten and Sandy laughed and followed the six-year-old out the back door and into the backyard. Kirsten was immediately assaulted by a group of Newport wives offering her their condolences. Sandy came and rescued her a little while later, and the party got into full swing.
When the last of the guests was gone, Kirsten walked into the living room where Seth was sprawled out on the couch with his new action figure, and Ryan was lying on the floor with a soccer book lying in front of him, the sugar high they had been on all day was clearly gone. Sandy was sitting on the chair with his feet on the coffee table and his eyes were closed, and Kirsten took off her shoes and leaned down to massage her sore feet, before sitting herself down on his lap.
"Oh!" He exclaimed when she sat down. He opened his eyes and smiled at her. She leaned back and he began to play with her hair.
"It was a good party wasn't it?" Kirsten asked.
"It was a very good party," Sandy nodded.
"The boys had fun?"
"The boys had a great time," Sandy assured her. "Your father got Ryan a book on architecture."
"He didn't," Kirsten said smiling.
"He did." She laughed. "He said that he's going to turn him into a real estate mogul. The third generation, he kept calling him."
"He's six."
"Try to explain that to your father." She just shook her head. Kirsten looked down at her sons. She loved them both so much. She couldn't imagine her life without either one of them. Ryan stirred and looked up at his parents with sleepy eyes.
"Hi honey," Kirsten said, but she didn't move from Sandy's lap. Ryan sleepily stood up and Kirsten leaned over and hoisted him up onto her lap. Ryan leaned his head against Sandy's free shoulders. The three sat in silence before Sandy finally spoke up.
"Honey, maybe we should get them to bed?" He suggested, but he got no response from his wife. He looked at her to find that she was fast asleep as well. Sandy laughed a little and gave her a kiss on the head and decided that his legs were going to be fast asleep by the time he got both of them off his lap.
But it would definitely be worth it.
"Kiki?" Her father's voice interrupted her and she shook her head clear of the memory and looked up at him. "You looked dazed. Are you feeling okay?"
"I'm fine, my head just hurts a little bit," she told him.
"Well, I need those contracts for the Edmondson property on my desk by three," Caleb told her. Kirsten nodded and Caleb excused himself and she sighed and got to work.
"Mom?" There was a knock on her door and Ryan was there in a suit and tie.
"Hey honey!" She said standing up and coming to greet him. She gave him a hug, and noticed that his view lingered on her face.
"I am…"
"Don't say sorry. I know that you are sorry, let's just forget about it okay?"
"Okay," Ryan nodded. "So where do I go?"
"Your grandfather wants to see you," Kirsten said. "He's so excited about you working here, God help us all." Ryan grinned and he and Kirsten began to make their way to Caleb's office.
"Hello Mrs. Cohen," Caleb's secretary Lynn said smiling at her. "Is this Ryan that we've heard so much about?" Kirsten grinned and noticed that Ryan was blushing.
"Yes, this is my son Ryan," Kirsten introduced.
"Your mom and grandfather do nothing but talk about you," Lynn said. "You and your brother, Seth. He's waiting for you, so go on in."
"Thanks Lynn," Kirsten said as she pushed open her father's door and stepping in the impressive office.
"Kiki! Ryan!" Caleb stood up and walked over and smiled at the two. "Let's go show Ryan where he will be working." Kirsten nodded and watched as her father placed a hand on his grandson's shoulder and led him to the elevator.
It was so strange to see her father acting so kindly towards Ryan. But it was nice. It was what she had always hoped would happen.
She decided that if she had the choice, she would most definitely take this world. Even with its cons. She grinned as she trailed behind and watched as her father and Ryan talked animatedly. Caleb had never acted like this even with Seth. It occurred to her that it was almost sad, because she had missed this side of her father. This loving, proud, grandfather side. Not that she didn't think he loved Seth, but he had been right, Seth was like his father, and Caleb had never forgotten that.
Now he had the perfect grandson. Just like he had the perfect daughter. Of course then the perfect daughter had gone and married a Jewish idealist from the Bronx. But she had produced the perfect grandson, and if she went by the grin on her father's face, apparently that had redeemed her.
Yes, this world was looking up again. So Ryan was a bit of a troublemaker. Wasn't it worth it for all the other things? And sure, he and Seth weren't nearly as close as they were in her world, and of course that saddened her because their relationship had been incredible and amazing to watch two so very different people protect and love each other the way that Seth and Ryan had. But they were brothers in this world, and she was Ryan's mother, and Sandy was his father, and if that meant that they had to ground him and deal with his drinking and partying, then so be it. She wouldn't trade it. It was better here. With the exception of some minor hiccups, it was perfect here. She was trying so hard to convince herself that, and to ignore the little voice in her head that kept telling her,
Nothing is perfect.
Okay, so I'm going on Spring break and so I really wanted to get this chapter up, and I think you should think of it as the calm before the storm. That was supposed to entice you to review and make me write it on my spring break. We're going to the beach, but I'll have my laptop (I have a paper due when I get back, how crappy is that?) so I can write another chapter…if you review! So go at it. Thanks!
