Chapter six: Binge
It had been two weeks since Sandy's passing, and Kirsten was getting worse everyday. She sat crying on the bed they had shared for thirty long years. She had Three bottles of Wine on the floor, two open, and empty, the other half empty. The box of tissues she had layed on the pillow beside her was empty as well. The tears ran down her face in rivers, she didn't want to go get another box, she didn't want Ryan, or Seth to see her like that, so she just layed there in all her sadness. The mix of Alcohol and tears had become familiar to her. She hoped she would run out of tears, but she would receive no such gift.
Ryan had become worried for Kirsten. Ever since he walked away from her while she was trying to help him, he had felt terrible. She only wanted to help him through it, but he shoved it in her face. He had not left the poolhouse for the better part of 2 days. He kept thinking of a way to make things right, but he couldn't bring himself to do anything.
Seth, looking for someone to talk to while Summer was out at the beach with Sarah, walked into his mother's room, he was taken back at what he saw. " Mom...are you ok?" he said to his hyperventalating mother.
"No Seth, I'm not" she managed to get out during her deep, rapid breaths. Seth felt as though he was hit in the stomach, and all his thoughts were gone. All he could do was walk over to her and hug her tightly. He couldn't say everything was going to be alright, because he didn't know if they would be.
" It's ok mom...it's ok." Seth said without any realistic tone. He knew things were not ok, but he had no idea what else to say. He sat there next to her, letting her cry, wondering what he would do, wondering what he could do to help her. "Do you need anything mom?" he said
"Another bottle of wine please" she said slowly, and quietly.
"Mom, you've already had two and a half today, and it's only 4:00pm. Maybe you should have some water instead...can I get you anything to eat?"
"Seth...please, just let me have one more bottle...I promise one more today, then I'll stop. Please Seth"
Seth was concerned. She always drank a good amount of wine, but she might be overdoing it, he thought to himself. He gave in to her demands sadly " I'll be right back Mom." he said turning towards the door.
He got to the kitchen to see Ryan at the table eating something "Hey man" Seth said waving to Ryan, who just nodded slightly back at Seth. That tore him up inside. One misworded statement tore apart a friendship he valued more than his girlfriend at one point in time. "Dude, I know you're mad at me, but can you at least talk to me?"
" I'm not mad at you Seth, you just hurt me" Ryan said in a quick retalliatory way.
" I know that Ryan, but you gotta know that how I said it was not the way I meant it" Seth said eagerly
"You said it Seth, it doesn't matter how you meant it, the way it came out hurt me."
" Don't be such a damn child Ryan, I apologized for what I did, I can't do anymore!" Ryan walked up to Seth with a fierce look on his face. Seth never saw him like that, and it scared him. " Look Ryan, I'm sorry man, I can't say anymore, I hope you can forgive me, because I really hope something petty like this doesn't ruin our friendship."
" That's the thing Seth, this isn't petty to me, this is my life, and I hate it Seth, I hate it. I have been alone for eight damn years, and then you say something like that and rub it in my face. I thought we were closer than that, but...I guess I was wrong huh... I'm going out man, just tell your mother I went out for a drink." Ryan stormed out of the room, opened the door as Summer, and Sarah walking up. Ryan let them go through, the slammed the door as he left.
" Uncle Ryan looked mad" Sarah said as Summer looked at Seth with a worried look. Seth dodged the look as he walked away in to the wine cellar.
"Honey, go into our room, Daddy, and I need to talk ok?"
" OK!" The little girl said while walking up the stairs. Summer then walked down to the wine cellar where she saw Seth sitting on the floor with his head in his hands. He wasn't crying, but his eyes were burning, and red.
"Seth," Summer said in a sweet tone, "What's wrong, are you alright?"
"No, Ryan, and I are in a fight right now...I said something stupid, and now he won't forgive me."
" I'm sure he'll get over it...Ryan just has a short temper, you know that." She said trying to comfort him, but he stayed the same.
"I just wish my dad was here... he would always find a reasonable way to fix things."
" You can too. Ryan will come around, I'll talk to him if you want me to."
"No...I have to take care of this myself" Seth said while managing to give her a half smile. She smiled back and kissed him, then walked away leaving him with the bottle of wine in his hands, and a lot of thinking to do.
6 hours later-
Ryan sneaked back into the house. He knew Kirsten would be pissed at him for coming home so late. He looked at his watch, it was Midnight. He searched for any movement in the house, then took off his jacket, and threw it on the hook. He turned on the kitchen light, it wasn't near any of the rooms, so it wouldn't wake anyone up. He sat on a stool, just thinking. Maybe he shouldn't have come back. He hated to see Kirsten sad, him and Seth were obviously at odds, and he couldn't really tell what Summer thought of him. He opened up a beer when he saw something...someone lying on the floor. He walked up to it, and stared "Oh god" he said as he realized it was Kirsten. He checked to see if she was breathing, she was. He slowly, and carefully picked her up, and brought her into her room. When he flipped on the light, he saw ten empty bottles of wine on the floor. "Jesus" He muttered as he layed Kirsten on to her bed, and tucked her in. He grabbed the bottles and took them to the recycling bin, he then went back into the room, and sat in the chair next to the bed. He sat there all night, just in case she got sick. She didn't though, she slept peacefully through the night. Ryan just sat there, Staring at her, staring at the only person that had ever been a mother to him.When the sun came up, he walked away into the poolhouse, and collapsed on to the bed. He thought that day was tough, but the next day would turn his world around.
