Disclaimer: I own Nada. Except what I make up.
Last Chapter, I only got two reviews. If you guys want this story to continue, I'm going to need a little bit more than that. Anyway, here is your next chapter…..
WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN
The Good Son?
One year. That was the time Sandy said since the last time Seth had spoken to or saw him. Ryan couldn't believe it. It was hard to believe that Kirsten and Seth would shut him out like that. He knew he had only heard Sandy's side of the story, but from what he remembered of Sandy, he rarely told lies. He always told things as they were.
But this time, he knew there was something wrong that was so great, that he lost his wife, as well as his son. But Seth wasn't somebody to completely shut his father out like this. He knew he held grudges, but not for years.
Ryan wanted to get to the bottom of this. And went he got home and all settled, he needed to find Seth. He needed to go find Seth and Kirsten and bring them home. But he didn't even know where to find them. He would probably have to search the campus of NYU for Seth, but he didn't have an address for Kirsten's place. He wanted nothing more than his family to be his family again. He still had to worry about Marissa though, and he couldn't really tell from what Sandy has said, what is wrong with her. But right now, he needed to know what happened with Seth.
"Sandy, what happened with Seth." Ryan asked, worried about Sandy's condition and actually Seth's too.
Sandy paused for a moment. That question brought back so many bad memories for Sandy. It brought back memories of constant fights at home, or fights at work over the phone, or fights basically wherever the family traveled to together. Those days were not fun, and all because of the absence of one human being.
"Well Ryan, it all started right after you were in the accident……"
Seth was sitting in his room thinking of his newest way to get Summer to go out with him again. Reasoning with her in school, and basic talking was not working. So today, he was thinking about following her wherever he went. He had to spy on Zack and maybe a little sabotage wouldn't hurt. But then again, he was on his path towards stalking anyway. He didn't want to become a neurotic whiner, but he was well on his way to that phase anyway. He was nothing without Summer, though it took him an entire summer to realize that. He knew who he could go to advise for, that was Ryan.
Seth walked down the stairs from his room, and headed towards the pool house. He passed his mother and father, who for once actually looked happy with each other. They looked content, and as love as he remembered them being all of last year. Seth knew then how they would always be that way, and how much he wanted his relationship with Summer to be like theirs. Everything was great, until he walked into the pool house. When he entered it, he heard yelling and screaming coming from the kitchen.
"What's wrong?" Seth yelled back to his parents as he viewed what looked like his mother being hysterical and his father rushing around to find something.
But there was no answer. Seth was starting to get worried about what was going on. He ran into the kitchen to find out from his parents. When he got there, he once again asked what was going on. But yet again, his parents were too frantic to listen to him, and actually tell him. Seth had had enough
"What is going on!!!" He yelled. But this time his father heard, and was pissed.
"Don't you dare use that tone with me!!" Sandy yelled back, upset with Seth for speaking to him like that.
"Well maybe if you had been listening to me in the first place…." Seth started screaming back, but was interrupted by his father.
"RYAN HAS BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT!!!"
Seth was quiet. He had nothing to say, because his parents were kind of right, but he still felt angry at his father. He gave him the benefit of the doubt that a lot was on his mind. They droved to the hospital, Seth didn't say anything, just taking in what it would mean if he had lost Ryan, again. But this time it could be forever. His life would fall apart. He knew his family would falter, just like it had over the summer. But was there anything that could be done to keep it the way it was?
7 MONTHS LATER
Seth had just got into the limo for prom. It was weird for him. He was in a limo with just him and Summer. He was really upset that Ryan wouldn't be able to attend prom with him. Not that he would have a date, with Marissa going haywire of late. Seth had realized that he had stopped going to visit Ryan lately. He even did something that he knew in his heart was the right thing to do, but just couldn't believe he did. He tried to convince his mother that they needed to end Ryan's life the right way, not with him being on a respirator for the rest of it. He suggested to his mother that they take him off life support. But Kirsten didn't want to do it.
Seth went home after the prom, which turned out to be a disaster, with Summer crying the entire time, because Marissa was nowhere to be found. When he got home, he hit the books.
He had actually looked through books about people on life support for the entire week. He did find one unaccredited source that said that life support harmed the people on it. He brought that information to his mother, in hope of giving Ryan a painless ending. Too bad Seth didn't realize how wrong his information was.
Then, about thirty days or so after he last told his mother, his mom finally pulled through, going to see the doctor, and told him what they wanted to do. Seth finally felt some happiness, but that was until he found out his mother had never discussed their plans with his father. His father was adamantly against this, and had it stopped. Ryan would suffer more. Three days later, Sandy came home, after staying in a hotel for the last three. His wife had already asked for the divorce. He had said that he couldn't stand the face of Kirsten anymore, so he needed time on his own. But on that day, Seth was ready to lay in on him.
Sandy walked into the door, and was immediately put in front of the firing squad.
"Why did you do that?" Seth spat at Sandy as he came from upstairs.
"Because Ryan still has a chance!! I thought you would want your brother again." Sandy responded, a little disheartened at the lack of hope that his family had.
"I do Dad, more than any on you would know! But Ryan isn't coming back! We are all able to accept that! Why the hell can't you!"
"You watch your mouth!"
"Why"
"Because I am your father, and I said so, and as long as you live under my roof, my rules are the rules of this house, and what I say is final!!"
"Well since I am 18, I don't have to live here anymore!"
"Then move out!"
"I will."
Seth ran back to his room, and Sandy to the living room to lie down. He knew that Seth wouldn't have the guts to go through with it, so he prepared himself for another one of the family meetings. They were having a lot of those lately.
But what happened next, completely stunned Sandy. He saw Seth with a bag, walking down the steps.
"Where are you going?" Sandy asked his son, forgetting completely about his last conversation.
"As far away from here as I can! Have a great life Dad! I am going to school a little earlier!" Seth screamed as he opened the door. "And tell mom I will call her. Maybe she can visit. I can't stand to be in your presence anymore!" Seth yelled one more time before walking out on his father.
His father stared into space. He drove his son out of his life. What would Kirsten do now?
Seth knew he had gone too far with his father. He should not have freaked out like he did. But he was so upset with his parents' divorce, that his emotions got the better of him. But he was too late to turn around now…..
"So that is where we are at. I heard from him last year, but since then nothing."
"Wow." Was all Ryan could get out.
"Yea, and I haven't even told you about Marissa."
"Can it get any worse than this?" Ryan asked.
"Oh yea! It can!"
Read and Review. I felt out of element with this chapter, writing so much about Seth. Just to let you know. This story will be mostly about Sandy in the beginning, but will flip over to being about Ryan when he gets out.
