Bad Behavior Chapter 11

Bigger Worries

Seth paced the kitchen. "He's got to be up by now. Don't you think he's up by now? He should be up by now."

"Seth, calm down." The morning held enough anxiety of it's own, Sandy didn't need Ryan to see Seth climbing the walls right off the bat.

"But Dad, today could be…explosive."

Looking sternly at his son, "Seth…it'll be fine."

"But what if it's not? What if we walk in and Dr. Kim is still there and she goes postal on Ryan? Then what?"

"SETH!"

"Fine. I'm just stating the obvious. I'm concerned."

"Me too," Sandy admitted.

"Do you think Ryan's okay? I mean he seemed okay last night after the whole Dr. Kim thing."

"I'm not sure yet. Ryan is a master at keeping things to himself. He can put on a great dog and pony show when he wants to, even when he's devastated inside. We'll see how it goes today. Give him some space."

His Dad's quiet demeanor told Seth he was more worried than he was letting on. They both knew if Dr. Kim chose to fight for her position at Harbor School, things were going to get a lot worse before they got better.

"Hey…what's wrong?" Ryan inquired entering a kitchen full of long faces.

Seth and Sandy turned to him, hoping to mask their worries.

"Hey kid, sleep okay?"

Ryan let his backpack drop to the ground and his eyes darted between the two male Cohens standing in front of him. "Look, it's no big deal. I'm already assuming she'll be there."

"How does he do that?" Seth looked at his Dad and shook his head.

Proving it was no big deal, Ryan crossed the kitchen and pulled the carton of orange juice from the fridge, helping himself to a glass. Attempting to take a sip, he realized Sandy and Seth were both watching him, rather confused.

"What?"

"Ryan," Seth worried Ryan wasn't considering the repercussions of the patio confrontation. "What if she…"

"Seth look," he paused. "I've been going against the grain for so long I've almost forgotten what it's like to actually have things go the way they are supposed to. I've always had to fight for everything I wanted…good or bad. I'm an Atwood. Everything always comes hard. She'll be there." He paused again, sipping his juice. "If she's not there, now that would be a surprise."

After dragging out the morning as long as possible, the clock revealed it was time to go. The car ride was quiet. No doubt all three occupants had the same thoughts swirling in their heads, anxiety consuming their ability to even make up fake conversation along the way.

Lack of conversation continued after they arrived at school. Walking through the doors, Ryan kept his head low but his eyes scanned the lobby for any sign of Dr. Kim. She was nowhere to be found.

"Mr. Cohen? Ryan Atwood?"

It took a moment for them to locate where the voice was coming from. In the doorway of the main office stood a woman none of them had seen before. She waved them toward the office with a file in her hand. Ryan's file no doubt.

"Let the games begin," Ryan mumbled under his breath, walking toward the office followed by Seth and Sandy.

Once in the office, she directed them back to Dr. Kim's office. Seth noticed the nameplate was missing from the door.

"Gentlemen, please have a seat. Mr. Cohen, this concerns Ryan, I'm not sure if you prefer your other son to wait out…"

"He can stay," Sandy answered curtly, wondering who this woman was and where this conversation would lead.

"Well then," she began. "My name is Mrs. Lloyd and I will be the acting Dean here at Harbor High until the school board hires a replacement. Dr. Kim resigned late yesterday evening and explained a few things to me. I must apologize, Mr. Cohen, her behavior was not acceptable. A full review will be completed by the board and appropriate action will be taken by the school, regardless of what you chose to do on your own."

Ryan looked at Sandy who was giving the new Dean a stare down. Clearly he wasn't impressed by what she had to say.

"As for Ryan," she said, opening his file.

"Here it comes…" Ryan muttered again.

"I must also apologize for what he has had to endure in the short time he's been here. Harbor has always held itself to a very high set of standards and what he's been experiencing isn't even close to what we can offer him and his future."

Staring at the temporary Dean, Ryan's forehead wrinkled. His future? That didn't make sense, surely she was sent here to expel him. Biting his lip he paid close attention to the words that came out of the Dean. He wanted to make sure he was hearing her correctly.

"Mrs. Lloyd, I appreciate the pomp and circumstance of this whole…procedure," Sandy attempted to keep his voice even. "But the truth is Ryan has been through an awful lot in his young life. Simply saying you're sorry is not enough."

Nervously looking down at Ryan's file, the Dean was backpedaling looking for the appropriate words.

"Mr. Cohen, I've read all the notes in his file and…"

"What you have in front of you is only a taste of what this kid has been through," Sandy's voice was stern and it got the attention of everyone in the room.

"Please let me finish, I don't share Dr. Kim's views. Now I've seen his file. I may not now all of his history, but I understand he's here so he can hopefully move past some of that history. That's a big step for anyone to take on. I've seen his test scores, which were very impressive. I would like to see Ryan stay and achieve what he came here to achieve…a good education and some direction in his life."

Ryan's forehead wrinkled again while he tried to rearrange the words in his head. "You mean, you aren't kicking me out?" he asked without thinking.

The Dean smiled, "No Ryan. I would like you to stay…that is, if you'd like to stay."

"Ryan man that's totally cool!" Seth exclaimed ecstatic over the fact that that he would still have Ryan in school with him.

"Yeah, but, what's the catch?"

"What catch?" Mrs. Lloyd asked, confused.

"There's always a catch."

The Dean looked pitifully at Ryan. "Ryan, there's no catch. I'm just trying to show you that things here can be nice. Hasn't anyone ever been…nice…to you?"

"No. Not really. I mean, the Cohens are nice to me. They understand me. And that woman Peggy, she's been nice to me. That's it I guess."

Pursing her lips together, "Well then it sounds to me like you're long overdue for someone to cut you some slack, wouldn't you say?" The Dean watched Ryan studying her and waited for him to answer. When he didn't, she reinforced her statement. "Ryan, I would like the opportunity to show you a very different side of this school. You're tests prove you want more out of your life than what you've seen so far. You've got it in you to be anything you want."

Compliments. This was proving to be extremely awkward. Ryan didn't like compliments. He didn't know how to handle them. Digs, complaints and scoldings, that's what he was used to. He knew how to handle that. Even though life with the Cohens was showing him he did deserve compliments, they still made him feel uncomfortable.

"So what happens now?" Sandy asked rather pointedly.

"Well, if it's okay with Ryan, he's free to return to class and his last two days of detention will be canceled." Off of Sandy's look, "I feel he skipped class because of the tension he was feeling from Dr. Kim. I don't think he would have acted out like that if she had treated him differently."

"So Ry, what do you think? Are you up for a little Latte in the student lounge?" Seth asked with hope in his voice.

Ryan glanced at Sandy and then at Mrs. Lloyd before dropping his eyes to his hands in his lap. "I guess…I guess I can try and see how it goes."

Smiling, "I'm glad to hear that," the Dean responded.

Standing up she shook Sandy's hand. "Mr. Cohen, if you have any questions or concerns at any time, please do not hesitate to contact me. And Ryan, I know you're the type of guy that prefers to handle his own problems, but please know my door is open to you if you ever need my assistance."

Nodding skeptically, Ryan led the group from the office.

"Oh, Mrs. Lloyd, there is one thing," Seth paused with Ryan and his Dad looking at him, worried about what he was going to say.

"Sure, what is it?"

"Well, Dr. Kim strategically had Ryan's locker assigned in a place that is nothing but trouble for him. Can he be moved? I mean, the day he got the assignment the secretary told us that locker assignments were not negotiable. If you leave him there, you're going to see him back here sooner than later."

The Dean smiled and walked over to the counter. After several clicks on the computer, she handed Ryan a sticky note, which Seth grabbed out of his hand immediately.

"Sweet! Ryan this is right around the corner from mine now. Dude you are out of water polo player hell!"

"Don't celebrate just yet Seth, everything comes with a price. That will too."

"Dude we have got to get you out of that Chino method of thinking."

"If you have any problems Ryan, you be sure to let me know," Mrs. Lloyd advised, catching on to his comment.

"Well guys, I guess that's means it's off to class for you two. I'll see you guys tonight. Good luck today."

Sandy watched them cross the lobby and head up the main staircase. With the morning bell ringing, Seth and Ryan broke into a run on the stairs to avoid being late to their first period classes.

Glad to have a moment alone with the Dean, Sandy thought it was a good time to make sure the she understood the magnitude of that morning's conversation. "Now Mrs. Lloyd, I hope you meant everything you said in there."

"Absolutely."

"I hope so. Because Ryan doesn't forget anything and he's already taken out one Dean."

"Mr. Cohen I assure you…"

"No, don't say that. Bringing Ryan into our home has taught us many things including one of the most important lessons I've ever learned. Saying it doesn't mean a thing. Your actions have to show you mean it…and showing it takes more time. This isn't a 'quick fix' situation. We're all going to need time to work through this one."

The Dean stood silent, the correct response escaping her. She watched Sandy leave the school. He was right. Only time would tell if the right decisions had been made and the right words spoken.

Upon arriving at his office, Sandy was greeted by his secretary. "Good Morning, Mr. Cohen. Here are your messages, and this envelope came special delivery via messenger for you this morning."

"Thanks Sarah."

Closing the door to his office, Sandy sat down in the quiet for a moment and relived the morning. Surely Ryan was as confused as he was by the new Dean's welcoming attitude considering it was night and day from Dr. Kim's approach to Ryan attending Harbor. He told Mrs. Lloyd it was going to take time and now he'd have to abide by his own words and just take a 'wait and see' attitude.

Attempting to change his mindset into the work that lay before him for the day, Sandy flipped through his messages before remember the envelope that came special delivery.

Giving attention to the oversized, yellow envelope, he noticed it was post marked from the State of California Judicial System. Since he practiced law in the state of California, there was nothing unusual about that…probably just a change in a court hearting for one of his clients.

Opening the envelope, he leaned back in his chair, his head resting in his hand as he read the notice. Slowly he sat forward, laying the notice down on his desk. "Oh my God," he whispered to himself. "Out of the frying pan and into the fire."

Kirsten's day had been long and painful. Her full day meeting with the Planning and Zoning Committee turned out to be more grueling than expected. She would have forty-eight hours to make all the necessary changes to all the plans in order to meet their approval. This wasn't going to be an easy task and she already dreaded the next two days of nothing but paperwork.

As productive as the day had been at the office, her mind was distracted. She wondered how it went at school with Sandy and the boys. She hadn't heard from them all day and hoped that was a good sign. Maybe no news was good news. Surely Sandy would have called if something important had transpired.

It felt good to be home. She placed her briefcase on the bench by the door and noticed the house was unusually quiet. With Ryan grounded, Seth was usually doing 'something' to try to entertain Ryan.

She found Sandy sitting at the kitchen table, his head in his hands and a nearly empty glass of wine in front of him. The clicking of her heels against the floor tiles got his attention and he looked at her. His expression made her stomach drop.

"What is it Sandy? Where are the boys? Did something happen at school today?"

Again, Sandy leaned back in his chair and motioned to the chair next to him. Quickly taking a seat, Kirsten held her breath waiting for an explanation.

"School was fine. There was a new Dean there. Her name is Mrs. Lloyd and she seemed genuine when she welcomed Ryan to Harbor with open arms. Dr. Kim resigned last night. Ryan was more than shocked to learn he wasn't being expelled and Seth was more than elated to know that Ryan was staying. The Dean waved Ryan's last two days of detention saying he most likely skipped school because of pressure from Dr. Kim. I let the boys go to the pier to check out some comics."

"Okay…so…why the long face and the Merlot?"

Signing, "Because we have a bigger problem than fighting Dr. Kim and Harbor High," he explained, handing the yellow envelope to his wife.

Kirsten anxiously opened the notice and took in the information. Her stomach somersaulted when she read the notice pertained to Ryan's foster case. And her heart stalled at the sentence that included, '…the Birth Mother (Dawn Atwood) has 30 days to reclaim parental custody of the Juvenile (Ryan Atwood)…'

"…at such time, the Juvenile (Ryan Atwood) would be removed from foster care and returned to his Birth Mother (Dawn Atwood)," Kirsten read out loud at barely a whisper. "Can she actually do this? Could we really lose him?"

Nodding with a pale face, "His Mother's signature is missing from one of the original documents. As a result, his case goes into sort of a lock down stage and his Mom has thirty days to change her mind…and take him back home."

"Sandy, we can't lose him. He belongs here. He's come so far…he can't go back there. Can't we fight this?"

Shaking his head, "Not really. She's his birth mother. All we can do is prepare a case to present to the judge about how well he's done since he's been here, but if she really wants him back…" Sandy's voice faded, unable to say the words. He didn't want to say the words. He wanted Ryan to stay.

The front door closed and Seth's mouth could be heard running a mile a minute about some comic. Ryan was silent as usual, letting Seth carry on. Entering the kitchen, Ryan raised his hand to cut Seth's blabbering short.

"Hey Kirsten. Um…Sandy gave me permission to go out with Seth…"

Keeping her back to him, "It's okay Ryan," she said quietly.

Not buying it, "But…you're mad me, aren't you?" he stated matter-of-factly.

Shaking her head, Kirsten was overcome with emotion and started crying. Standing up abruptly, she walked over and threw her arms around Ryan who was unexpectedly terrified by the gesture.

"Kirsten…Kirsten, get off of me." Pulling away from Kirsten, Ryan looked to Sandy for help only to find he had a similar expression on his face. Once he got free of Kirsten's hug, "What did I do?" he asked with a panicked voice. "Sandy said it was okay, I wouldn't have gone if…"

"It's not that son," Sandy interrupted. "Come sit down here a minute and read this."

"Sandy I don't think that's a good idea," Kirsten worried with Ryan taking a seat at the table.

"We promised Ryan we wouldn't lie to him remember? This is too important for him to not know the truth."

Handing the notice to Ryan, Kirsten and Seth gathered near the table to see his reaction. Sandy and Kirsten knew it wouldn't be good. They watched his mouth drop open and his head tip back slightly. His breathing picked up and he shook his head.

"This has to be a mistake…right? She can't do this, can she?"

"Ryan, we don't want this to happen any more than you do. But if she refuses to sign the incomplete document within the thirty days, we have no choice but to relinquish our custody of you."

Sandy's eyes were sad. Ryan could actually see the pain in them. Looking down at the table he glared at the document. This was a nightmare. It had to be. As much as he had prepared himself for the fact that he might get sent back to Chino, now that it was staring him in the face, he realized more than ever that's not what he wanted.

"I'm not going back there. I won't go back there." Standing up from the table, anger took over and Ryan stormed through the house and out the front door with the Cohens hot on his trail.

"Ryan, please," Kirsten begged. "It may not come to that. She may sign the document right away and then nothing would change. You would stay here…with us."

Breaking out in nervous laughter. "You just don't get it. She doesn't want me here. I'm happy here. She's doesn't like it when I'm happy," Ryan raged. He paced the driveway next to Sandy's car, his temper rapidly reaching explosive levels. "I'm an Atwood. You're not allowed to be happy if you're an Atwood," he said out loud, more to himself than to the Cohens. "After everything she's put me through…if she doesn't sign that paper…" Ryan spun around and, growling with anger, put his fist through the driver's side window of Sandy's car.

"Ryan! Stop!" Sandy yelled.

Backing away from the car he watched the shattered glass clink against the ground and twinkle in the sunlight. The action was nothing more than a release of his frustration. He stood silent, staring at the broken glass on the driveway, his chest expanding and contracting with each out of control breath. His lips pursed together clamping his mouth shut forcing heavy breaths through his nose.

"Ryan, listen to me," Sandy's voice was quiet, soothing. "Whatever happens through the courts, we will always be here for you. You can come to us at any time, for anything. You will always be a part of this family."

Ryan's head was still aimed at the driveway but his eyes drifted toward Sandy's feet and refused to look any higher.

"We'll get through this kid…together. Right now I need you to let us take you to the hospital for your hand. Will you let me do that?"

Turning his head, Ryan realized right his hand was dripping a significant amount of blood onto the driveway. Numb from anger, he hadn't even noticed. More stitches. He nodded slightly and allowed Kirsten to wrap his hand in a towel she had retrieved from the house, the blood immediately soaking into the fabric.

"It's going to be okay Ryan. Sandy and I will be with you the entire time," Kirsten encouraged. "You won't be alone. Let's get in the Rover. Sandy can you drive?"

Taking the keys from Kirsten, they all piled into the car. Seth sat quietly in the front seat. He'd seen many sides of Ryan since he arrived. He'd seen him lie, sneak and steal, not to mention drunk. He'd even seen him fight. But this violent episode was a first. This one had Ryan completely and emotionally engaged. This time it was personal.

Ryan sat forward in the back seat, resting his head against the back of Sandy's seat. Kirsten held his toweled hand in an upright position, trying to keep the blood from flowing into his hand.

"It's going to be okay Ryan. This is just a short trip," she soothed.

He didn't answer. Instead he closed his eyes and frowned.

When they arrived at the Emergency Room, surprisingly Ryan was the first person out of the car. Kirsten quickly walked up to him and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

Shrugging it off, "Don't push me! I'm going!" Ryan barked through tight lips, still vibrating with anger.

"Okay, okay," Kirsten answered, putting her hands up in a surrender. "Ryan listen to me. I don't want this to be like your other hospital visits. You're only here for a cut," she sugarcoated, attempting to mask the fact that his hand was bleeding from more than one spot. "This is simple. We could be in and out of here real quick…but if you walk in there with a combative attitude, they will make this a very difficult visit for you and there will be nothing we can do to help you at that point. Do you understand me?"

Ryan turned to glare at her with fire in his eyes. After a bit of hesitation, he just shook his head at her.

"I know honey. You fucking hate it when I'm right."

Shocked at her choice of words, a defeated snort of laughter escaped Ryan, before he nodded in agreement. "I'll calm down," he offered quietly.

"Thank you," Kirsten acknowledged. "Let's get inside and get you fixed up so we can go home."

That familiar hospital smell and it's white walls turned Ryan inside out. Still stewing over the court document, now he was angry that he was back in a hospital, hurt and waiting to be checked out again…ironically at the hand of his mother. Sure he had broken a window with his hand at his own will but he broke it because she was refusing to sign the custody papers.

When the doctor walked in, Ryan closed his eyes and tried to remind himself to stay calm. He listened to the Cohens and the doctor discussing what happened. They were honest. His Mom was never honest with the doctors. He couldn't even count how many times his injuries were caused by her hitting him or throwing something at him. Or how many times she had defended one of her boyfriends who had hurt him. When the doctor's would ask, all of a sudden there was a skateboarding accident or a fight with another boy in the neighborhood, any reason, and the reason was always followed by a stern look to remind Ryan to keep his mouth shut. She never told the truth and she never accepted the blame.

Ryan listened as they recounted how he broke the car window in anger. After some small talk, the doctor asked the Cohens to step out of the room for a moment. The action made Ryan nervous and he jumped off the hospital bed.

"Hey. They said they would stay with me. They said I wouldn't have to be in here alone."

Blocking the doorway and talking quietly, the doctor tried to calm Ryan down.

"Ryan I promise I won't do a thing without them in here, but I need to ask you a few questions first."

"Can't…can't they be in here for the questions?"

"No."

Ryan immediately pull walls up, he knew what was coming. His foster parents had brought him in bleeding and the incident stemmed from anger. The doctor would now weigh the facts to decide who was telling the truth. Yet another game that Ryan knew all too well.

"Mr. Cohen tells me you were angry when you hurt your hand. Were you mad at him?"

Ryan shook his head and avoided eye contact with the doctor.

"Did he tell you you weren't allowed to do something that you wanted to do?"

"No, nothing like that."

"So then why punch out a car window?" the doctor asked methodically.

"Because I got a paper from the court today saying…saying I may have to go back and live with my real Mom if she doesn't sign the right papers."

"You don't want to go back with…"

"No, I don't!" Ryan snapped. 'Calm', he tried to remind himself. "I hate it there. I want to stay with the Cohens. It makes me angry to think she could make me go back to that hell when I know she doesn't even want me there."

"Why do you say that?"

"The only reason she's doing this is because she doesn't want them to have me either."

Nodding, "Well Ryan, let's get to work on that hand so you can go home, shall we?" Off Ryan's look, "I'll go get your foster parents first, of course."

Sandy and Kirsten reentered the room and stood next to Ryan's bed as he laid down. Staring at the broach on Kirsten's lapel, Ryan barely flinched when they started to sew up the cut on his hand. It didn't take long at all and Ryan's hand was stitched up and bandaged. The doctor walked the Cohen's to the Nurse's station to give them their final paperwork to take Ryan home.

"Can I see Ryan now?" Seth asked. He'd been so quiet and so patient in the waiting room, his parents almost forgot he'd come with them.

"Sure Seth. Keep him company, we're almost ready to go."

Disappearing around the corner, Seth headed to Ryan's room. It didn't take long before he came back to his parents.

"Um, Mom?"

"Just a minute Seth. Okay so change the dressing every morning and night, this cream gets applied to the cuts each time. Ice as often as possible during the first forty-eight hours…" Kirsten listed out loud, repeating the doctor's instructions. "See a doctor in two weeks for a follow up visit…"

"But Mom?"

"Seth please wait, this is important."

"So is this!" Seth enforced.

"Alright what?"

"Ryan's gone."

(To be continued)…