The Call
Thanks for all the great reviews. Please R&R this newest chapter and let me know what you think.
This chapter is dedicated as way of an apology to Teacher Tam who made me continue writing (even though I called her a guy hence the apology). Words of great encouragement came from her direction and I'm just a sucker for the review!
Just so you know this portion of the story is kind of split into three parts, Sandy and Kirsten getting the news, the kids view point and lastly Ryan's view. I wanted to write all three so they all run parallel too one another.
"Honey wait! Kirsten just slow down. Hey hey come on you know she didn't mean it." Sandy was chasing his fleeing wife down the apartment steps.
"No Sandy I'm sorry I know she's your mother but I can't take anymore." Kirsten kept her eyes fixed on the road ahead determined to make a break away from the dreaded mother-in-law. Even though she was rapidly becoming aware that she had no idea where she was going. She was going to drive home her point. She couldn't take anymore.
Finally reaching his wife's side Sandy reach out and took her arm spinning Kirsten around to face him. "Honey please she wasn't criticising. It's just how she is, you know that!" Having spent all morning listening to Kirsten fret about his mother to then spending the whole afternoon trying to keep the two occupied with polite conversation Sandy was reaching the end of his tether.
Kirsten saw her husband's exasperation and softened her tone, "I'm sorry. This was a bad idea, you go back up to your mom and I'll head back to the hotel."
"Honey please do you even know where you are?"
"No but….but….I can… take a cab." She finished pleased that she had thought of something, the idea of her walking miles through the Bronx in her best heels was not particularly appealing.
"Kirsten…" Sandy was cut short by the shrill ring from his cell, "hand on a second it's probably ma phoning to ask when we're coming back up." He raised his eyebrows slightly as if to challenge Kirsten to disagree with him, rolling her eyes she crossed her arms over her body in a defiant gesture.
Kirsten's attention was distracted by the movement across the road, she observed several women gathered round the front of a shop various hand gestures's being exchanged obviously they were in the throws of juicy gossip. Kirsten laughed a little to herself it seemed that no matter where you go in the world there is always a little version of the Newpsies digging their teeth into someone else's misery.
Her attention was quickly shifted back to Sandy however when she heard the one sided conversation;
"Hello…Yes this is he…" Whoever was on the other end of the line could not have rung bearing good news, Sandy's face immediately paled and he looked up into his wife's eyes conveying a deep sense of worry.
"…how bad is it?" Her heart dropped and her stomach went to knots.
"Of course we'll be there as soon as we can." Sandy snapped the phone shut and instantly reached out for his wife, wanting her close to him, knowing the news would take her into a state of panic.
"Sandy what's wrong? Who was that? Is it the boys? My Dad?" Kirsten's hand gripped Sandy's tightly till their fingers went white, eyes locked together.
Sandy almost smiled; all his life he had been blamed for giving Seth the rambling gene but it was times like these he knew that it was all Kirsten.
Shaking his head a little he took in a depth breath, "Ryan's been taken to hospital."
Pausing slightly he let the news seep in, "The police officer wouldn't give me any details over the phone he just said that he was taken to hospital an hour ago."
The floor of the waiting room had taken quite a bashing over its years but none as tough as the relentless pacing of young Seth Cohen.
The paramedics had refused to let Seth ride in the ambulance with Ryan so he had been forced to ride in with Luke and the girls. He was actually quite surprised he hadn't ended up in the E.R with Ryan after some of the looks Luke had shot is way when he had pointed out he was driving like a geriatric. If Seth had had his way he would have used turbo power with fire breathing jets to power the car even if it mean the got there seconds earlier.
When they had finally arrived and fought their way through the coughing masses their names had been taken and they were shepherded into a small dingy waiting room. It felt like hours since they had been brought in and still no one had been to see them. Seth was tempted to use his stealth abilities to sneak out and find Ryan for himself but truth be told he was afraid of what he might find.
The police had been in and tied to talk to them but Seth had ignored them keeping up his pacing while his eyes were fixed out the small hazy plastic window displaying the main desk. The officers had given up talking to him choosing to focus on the more coherent members of the group. At the moment that only consisted of Luke, the girls still hysterical from the night's events. He had managed to tell them all he knew about the party and its participants as well as the state he had found Ryan in.
"Do you know how we can contact his parents?" One questioned, he had seen incidents like this far too many times, spoiled rich kids looking for a quick thrill.
"His parents are out of town, New York I think."
The officer turned to his partner who stood silently near Summer and Marissa having previously given up talking to them, "Larry see if you can find the number for a Sandy Atwood."
"Uh no, not Atwood." Luke mumbled hit by the realisation that Seth's parents hadn't been informed they would be so mad no parent in a 50 mile radius would let their kids have a party after this fiasco.
The officers froze pad in hand, spinning around to face Luke again, "Not Atwood? Ryan's second name isn't Atwood?"
"No his is but Sandy is Cohen. Ryan Atwood. Sandy Cohen." Luke hadn't even realised that this would be making no sense to anyone around him.
"Look son I know you're worried about your friend but we need to contact his parents. I thought one of you was his brother?"
Luke's head shot up and moved to focus on Seth waiting to see his reaction.
"I am his brother," Seth said loudly his voice taking on an edge which sounded very alien on him.
Luke jumped in before Seth had a chance to get any further sensing he was too upset to be pushed.
"The Cohen's adopted Ryan a while ago but he chose to keep his name. I have Sandy's cell number on my phone if you want it, you should call them. They're his parents. He'd want them here."
"Okay what we got?" Dr. Thomas jogged up to the gurney gripping a piece of the railing glancing down at its young occupant.
"Ryan Atwood. Sixteen years old. Found at a party, he's flying high, taken something but what were not sure Friends think it could have been LSD. Everybody got a piece?" The paramedic gripped the blanket beneath the boy tightly lifting him heavily over to the E.R bed.
Dr. Thomas leaned over his patients face trying to gauge his level of focus "Ryan are you there? Can you look at me kid? Have you taken something tonight? What did you take Ryan?" His voice grew louder at each statement but not reaction was given Ryan's eyes continued to roam the room.
Turning his attention to his staff he took in the information being yelled his way.
"Pupils are dilated, temperatures at 103 still rising, hearts pounding, blood pressures through the roof and he's having tremors."
"Lets get a tox screen away to see exactly what we're dealing with. Hang a litre of saline to replace the lost fluids, get rid of these clothes they're soaked." Before the doctor could add any more medication to the list a fist flew up connecting with his jaw.
Ryan thrashed and struggled on the bed throwing his arms and legs around trying to escape.
"No get away…away leave me…please I didn't…I didn't…let me go…." He screamed and fought the nurse's who had entered the room to help.
"Get some hard restraints and 5mg of Haldol." Dr. Thomas called above Ryan's shouts while struggling to secure his right arm.
"Get off me…get off…leave me alone…" Ryan jerked his head around his face bright red form the struggle.
A nurse entered the room at a run carrying a syringe, keeping back until her colleagues had the boy under control. Holding him tightly on his left side leaving his right thigh exposed she choose her movement carefully diving forward and jabbing him hard injecting quickly.
Very quickly Ryan began to calm his movements became less and less forceful, his words slurring together as he spoke and his eyes clamped shut as if to ward off some unseen enemy.
"Please…please… let me go…Sandy's gonna be…mad…go…home…Sandy…help."
