Disclaimer: I own nothing OC-related. I guess I own the firemen and paramedics but they don't really count? Yeah and I wish I owned their Range Rover because I would so drive that around town and be a pimp.
A/N: If it doesn't have drama, I didn't write it. This story is filled with hospital drama. I don't know how long it's going to be. I think this will end up being the best story that I have ever written before. Yay! COMMENT PLEASE BECAUSE I LOVE YOU AND I'LL COMMENT ON YOUR STORY TOO! For clarification I kind of made my own time period. Ryan is really close to the Cohen's but Caleb is still alive and Jimmy/Julie is together.
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Everyone was dispatched that day with the exception of Kirsten. The only problem would be finding a place to go. Summer and Sandy both on crutches, Julie and Seth both with slings, Marissa and Ryan both with bandaged arms all went home to the house on haunted hill to refresh before waiting and worrying about Kirsten and what the family's next move would be. Seth could barely move because he was so heavily sedated. His sling wrapped around his body and the actual sling was attached to that part so he couldn't move his arm at all. He was so tired that he just wanted to lie down.
"Dad, when do we have to go back to school?" Seth asked Sandy, sitting down on a couch in the Cooper's house.
"I think you should go back tomorrow. There isn't any use in sitting around here, it's just depressing," Sandy suggested, "After-school tomorrow we'll go over to the…the house where some of our friends are trying to…to salvage things and we'll check on that." Seth looked longingly into his dad's eyes before he turned around and headed towards the room that Ryan was staying in.
"Hey man," Seth sat on the edge of the bed that Ryan was on, "Dad says we're going to school tomorrow." Seth watched as Ryan slowly turned around. Seth knew that he had broken ribs and was in a lot of pain. He also knew that he was deathly worried about Kirsten. "By the way man, thanks for saving my mom and all," Seth thanked Ryan shyly.
"I feel like I didn't save her in time. I feel as if I failed your dad!" he exclaimed, picking up a pink pillow off the bed and chucking it at the wall, "This sucks." Seth smiled and stood up slowly. Even though he didn't break his ribs his arm weighed him down.
"Hey boys," a knock came from the door and they turned to see Julie Cooper, her whole torso was swollen and there was a brace on her collarbone and her arm was in a sling, "How are you two?"
"We're as good as can be expected. How's your collarbone?" Ryan answered, charming Julie.
"Painful," she moved her arm a little bit and then winced, "It shattered into a good ten pieces." She shrugged with one shoulder and made a move into the room.
"Didn't you first see the fire?" Seth asked, scooting over to leave room for Julie to sit on the bed with him. They both had slings and Ryan thought it was funny. He snort-laughed and slowly made his way onto the chair in the corner.
"Yeah, and it was pretty much the most scary thing I have ever seen, it knocked me flat onto the ground which explains the collarbone," she told them, "But the reason I came into the room is because I need you two to come to the kitchen. Everyone….besides Kirsten….is here and we want to give you guys something." The three retreated to the kitchen where Marissa, Summer, Jimmy, Sandy, and now Julie stood around a table. "Sandy, join your boys," Julie reprimanded him as he hobbled towards the boys.
"We wanted to give you guys something," Marissa began, "It isn't much. Well it is but still…" The group handed large bags to each of the boys. Ryan was given double. "Ryan, some of those are…Kirsten's." The boys looked in the bags to find clothes, toiletries, cards, and a lot more.
"Thanks!" Sandy cried, "It's great!" He looked genuinely happy for the first time in days. Ryan peered into Kirsten's bags and handed them to Sandy. Sandy suddenly lost the happy look that had found a place on his face. His eyes welled up with tears and he headed to the door, "I have to go. Jimmy, we haven't picked up our cars because someone said they are at the hou…lot."
"Sandy!" Ryan called, heading towards him, "Where are you going?"
"The hospital, Kirsten needs me. She may not be…responsive, but she needs me!" Julie looked sympathetically towards Sandy. She even accumulated a few tears in her eyes.
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After Ryan had persuaded Sandy to allow him to go to the hospital with him, the two sat in the ICU waiting room. A doctor came out to greet the two.
"Hello, I'm Doctor Cummings, we've spoken," he greeted the boys, "For the first time since the fire I am letting guests go in her room and sit with her." The two boys perked up. "Would you like to go?" Neither could think of the appropriate words to thank the doctor. The two stood up and followed the doctor towards a room. They heard the beeping of monitors, saw the IV stands hooked into her arm, and how still her body was. Ryan had never noticed how still a person was until they weren't moving at all. He looked at the machine helping her breathe. He sat down in a chair and put his head in his hands; he had failed the Cohen's once again.
Sandy took a seat on a chair next to Kirsten's bed. "Kirsten Nichol Cohen," he began, "Where do I begin to tell you about you? You're amazing and I love you more than the air that I breathe. I would do anything for you, such as take your place in this bed, but I know that I failed you. I left you when you were trapped, I know that you told me to go but I shouldn't have. You needed me to be there but I left you. I can't believe the mistake that I made. I love you so much honey." Ryan watched Sandy speak to his wife with tears in his eyes. He almost regretted coming and seeing Kirsten in this state. He walked up behind Sandy and put his hands on Sandy's shoulders.
"It'll be OK, Sandy," Ryan told him as Sandy slowly stood up, "Let's go home. I know we haven't been here long but I don't think this is good for you."
"Thanks Ryan, besides, for you it's a school night," Sandy lightly smiled, putting a hand on Ryan's shoulder as he stood up on his crutches.
"Bye Kirsten…or should I call you mom? I love you regardless," Ryan smiled and followed the limping Sandy out of the room. The two headed to Jimmy's car without saying much. The peacekeeper, leader, ruler, of the family was half-dead and no one could take it.
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"We can go see mom after-school!" Ryan tried to persuade Seth out of the door, "Come on, Marissa's taking us to school and we don't want to keep her waiting!" Ryan didn't want to physically force Seth out the door but it seemed like the only choice.
"But, I mean, it seems too soon, I mean my mom hasn't woken up in like three days!" Seth threw his hands up in the air in desperation, "Fine."
"Bye guys," Sandy hobbled up to the two, "Have a good day. If at any point either one of you feels bad or doesn't feel like you can handle it, don't be afraid to call me." Sandy gave each of his son's a separate hug.
"Bye dad," Ryan spat out, suddenly correcting himself, "Sandy." Sandy cocked his head sideways and smiled,
"I like the 'dad' effect. Continue using it."
"Good-bye father dearest," Seth grinned, giving his dad a one-armed hug.
"Bye kiddos," Jimmy smiled from the kitchen. Julie walked into the foyer to see the boys. Her whole torso was still a deep shade of purple and the boys made faces at it.
"What's with the faces? The bruising, yeah I know it's kind of…gross?" Julie smiled, "Good luck at school."
"Thanks," they simultaneously murmured. The two walked out of the door. No one in the family had really hit the realization point with all the screwy stuff that was going wrong. Marissa hurried down the stairs behind the guys and rushed the two out the door.
"Don't wanna be late for class, have great days," Marissa smiled at the adults and pushed the boys out of the room and into her car, "They can be such parents sometimes!" She reversed out of the driveway and headed towards school.
"Your mom's collarbone is gross," Seth decided to tell Marissa, "It's all like…black and blue." Marissa knew that the boys were trying to cover how worried they were about their mom.
"Yeah," she replied, shrugging, "So I mean, how are you guys?"
"Truthfully?" Ryan asked her. She nodded.
"Not so good, my mom is like, not good," Seth told her, looking down in the car. Marissa didn't really know what to say, so she didn't say anything. Luckily they arrived at school without having to be truthful with each other.
"I haven't been able to convey my emotions appropriately," Seth continued, "I mean I don't want to make a tense situation even tenser." Marissa just looked pitifully towards him.
"Let's just get to school you guys," Marissa suggested, heading towards the car.
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After a pretty rough day at school, Seth and Ryan arrived at the hospital. They saw their dad sitting in a hard chair in Kirsten's hospital room.
"Hey guys," he looked up at the boys, "How were your school days?"
"It sucked dad," Seth looked at his father, "Way too much pity."
"It did suck," Ryan agreed, "We were too…" Suddenly Sandy heard a noise from Kirsten's bed.
Two eyes fluttered open on the hospital bed. The boys all looked at each other and secretly thanked God. Kirsten was going to be okay.
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A/N: Voila. Chapter 3.