Hey guys here is another one :)
The Ryan: Sandy didn't know Caleb was coming...he saw Caleb's car in the driveway... and as for Ryan doing something to Caleb... he knows that Ryan doesn't hurt people on purpose. Hope that helps :)
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The next morning Ryan woke up to everyone moving about around him. He found that his right eye would now open a little bit and was happy to find he could see out of it. He saw that Kirsten was still there along with Seth and Sandy. He looked over to see that Caleb was up and talking with the three of them. They didn't know he was awake yet.
"The man was deranged. He made his own son deliver drug money knowing that they would beat him up." He heard Caleb say. Ryan looked down. He wished he didn't come from a fucked up family. Caleb probably thought that he was deranged too. He didn't want to hear more so he made his presence known. He took the oxygen mask off.
"Hey." He said weakly and four pairs of eyes looked over at him.
"Ryan! Buddy!" Seth exclaimed coming over to him. "How are you feeling?" He asked.
"Like I won the lottery." He said sarcastically.
"Yea I am so rubbing off on you." Seth stated and laughed. Ryan couldn't help but smile a little at his foster brother.
"Do you need anything kid?" Sandy asked. "Are you in pain?"
"I think the morphine is still working. I can't feel jack." Ryan stated honestly.
"Yea that morphine is great stuff." Caleb said and Ryan looked over at him. "I can't feel anything."
"And that's a change... how?" Sandy joked.
"Comedian now Sanford? Don't quit your day job." Caleb said smiling a little. Ryan never knew Caleb could smile. Kirsten and Seth chuckled and then there was a pause. Ryan broke the silence again.
"I'm sorry." He said softly looking at Caleb. Caleb looked at him.
"Nonsense. Not your fault." He stated looking at the injured boy. Ryan felt like he stepped in to the twilight zone. The doctor came in and interrupted what Ryan was going to say next.
"Hello!" It was doctor Richardson. "Nice to see that everyone is awake." He said and then took Ryan's vitals and then Caleb's chart. Doctor Richardson told them that Littrell was off that day and that he would take over Caleb's care for now. He was happy with the progress the two were making and ordered them in to a regular room.
"Ok we will keep you two here for another few days. Depending on how you heal, you will be able to go home with in 2-3 days." he said smiling. He left the room to arrange the transfer. Ryan knew this talk would wait. It would wait until they got back home.
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Three days later, Ryan and Caleb were released from the hospital with strict orders to stay in bed for a few more days. Ryan didn't care he just wanted to get into his own bed. Though he was still having thoughts that he was so gone. Caleb went back with Julie to the 'haunted mansion'.
They arrived back at the house and Sandy helped Ryan out of the car. He was still very sore and couldn't move very fast. They got him settled in the family room so he could watch some tv and rest.
"I'm going to get you something to eat." Kirsten stated and Ryan opened his mouth. "Don't worry I won't cook it." She smiled. Ryan smiled back. She turned and walked away talking to 'herself' "Geeze even when they are sick they make fun of my cooking." He knew she was playing around.
"So how about a game of play station." Seth asked.
"Seth I think Ryan just wants to relax right now." Sandy said to his son.
"Maybe later." Ryan said tiredly. Seth nodded and sat down on the chair next to the couch. Sandy excused himself to go help Kirsten with lunch. Ryan didn't realize it but he drifted off to sleep.
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Kirsten and Sandy were in the kitchen talking. "He blames himself." Kirsten said quietly.
"I figured he would." Sandy sighed.
"He said if he wasn't here his father never would have come to hurt anyone." Kirsten said. She looked in on Ryan and saw that he was sleeping and Seth was watching television. "I don't know how we can tell him it isn't his fault. And I am pretty sure that he thinks that dad will put him back in juvie." Kirsten stated to her husband.
"All we can do is tell him and show him that it isn't his fault." Sandy sighed. This was going to be hard.
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Ryan began to toss and turn in his sleep. He then began to mumble. Seth got up and walked over to him.
"No...I'm sorry... Don't make me leave... I'm sorry." Ryan said in his sleep, his face was scrunched up and a few tears escaped. 'Must be a really real dream' Seth thought to himself. He put his hand on Ryan's good shoulder.
"Hey man wake up." He said softly so he wouldn't scare the other boy. "You're having a bad dream." He said and Ryan slowly stopped moving and opened his eyes. Ryan looked around trying to get a sense of where he was. He remembered his dream and closed his eyes. He rubbed them with his good hand and realized tears escaped.
"You ok man?" Seth asked concerned. Ryan looked at him.
"Yea man. I"m good." Ryan said and Seth knew he was lying but he nodded anyway,
"Hungry?" Seth asked. Ryan nodded and Seth left to get him something to eat. Ryan slowly sat up. His arm was throbbing and his side ached and his head felt like a jackhammer hit it. He sat on the edge of the couch. He dream felt so real. The Cohen's were kicking him out and there was nothing he could do about it. He was scared that it might happen. Seth came back in with some soup and some tea. He put it on the table in front of Ryan.
"Thanks." Ryan whispered to Seth.
"No problem." Seth sat down next to Ryan on the couch and continued to watch tv as Ryan ate his lunch. Ryan sat eating slowly. His mind was racing. He knew that Sandy wouldn't kick him out when he was hurt but he was afraid that when he got better that Caleb would make sure he was back in juvie... or worse put in to an adult prison and there would be nothing Sandy could do about it.
Seth noticed that Ryan was thinking about something. He was playing with his food more then he was eating it and he had a look of concentration on his face that said what ever it was it was serious.
"You ok?" Seth asked for the second time in five minutes. Ryan snapped out of his thought fest and looked at Seth.
"Yea." He said lamely.
"You know you can tell me anything right?" Seth said and Ryan nodded. But in Ryan's head he wasn't so sure.
"I'm just tired." Ryan stated. "I am going to get some more sleep." He wanted to avoid a conversation with Seth at the moment.
"Ok man. Yea you should rest." Seth stated and Ryan knew he was disappointed that Ryan didn't tell him what's on his mind. Ryan laid back and closed his eyes. He fell asleep rather quickly.
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The next three days all Ryan did was sleep. It was a great way of avoiding everyone. He would get up to eat and use the bathroom but then he would tell who ever was with him at the time that he was tired and either pretended to be asleep or really did fall asleep. He was feeling better. He wasn't hurting as bad and even his arm didn't hurt as much. He was 'sleeping' in the pool house when he heard the door open.
"Ryan. I know you are awake." The voice said. It was Sandy. Ryan kept his eyes closed but he heard Sandy walk around the bed and felt him sit on the edge. Ryan stayed completely still. A skill he mastered growing up, but this time it didn't work. "Ryan open your eyes." Sandy said gently. "You can't sleep all the time anymore." Ryan sighed and opened his eyes. "Get dressed and come into the house, you have a visitor." He smiled. Ryan was confused.
"I'm not really up for it Sandy." He said tiredly hoping to convince he man to go away so he wouldn't have to talk. Again it didn't work.
"I'm not moving until you get up and in to that bathroom to get washed up and changed." Sandy said and Ryan saw he was serious. Ryan slowly sat up. His rib was still bothering him a bit, Sandy helped him off the bed and to his feet. Ryan went over and grabbed clean clothes and went into the bathroom. He looked in the mirror and saw a pale face from not being in the sun for over a week which made what was left of his bruises stick out more. His hair was sticking up in all directions.
'I look like shit.' He thought to himself. The doctor gave him one of those new waterproof casts and he said it was fine for him to shower with it. So Ryan turned on the shower and took off his dirty clothes. He had to admit he did stink. Being in the same clothes for four days doesn't leave you smelling like a rose. He stepped in and let the water run over his body. It was amazing how much better he felt instantly. With his good arm he washed his hair then his body and knowing Sandy was waiting for him he rinsed off and got out quickly. He dried himself off and got into his clean clothes. Yepper a shower certainly does wonders, he felt a lot better and more awake. Looking in the mirror he saw that he looked a bit better too. He stepped out of the bathroom in bare feet.
"Well don't you look better." Sandy smiled. Ryan smirked.
"Yea I feel a bit better too." Ryan admitted. Sandy walked over to him putting an arm around his shoulder.
"Let's go in the house. See who wants to see ya." He said and lead Ryan in to the main house. Ryan remembered Seth saying something about going shopping with Summer so he knew it wasn't them and Marissa had a thing with her dad, or so Seth said. He just followed Sandy to find out.
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Ryan walked inside and Sandy brought him in to the family room. He froze when he saw Caleb sitting on one of the chairs.
"Hi Ryan." Caleb said with a small grin. He saw Kirsten sitting on the couch and she was smiling at him as well. 'What the hell is going on?' Ryan asked himself. Sandy pushed him a little bit over to the couch.
"Have a seat." Sandy said and Ryan sat down next to Kirsten and Sandy was on the other side.
"What's going on?" Ryan asked starting to get a little nervous.
"Nothing to be scared of Ryan. We just need to talk." Sandy said smiling at him. Ryan was still confused.
"Ryan," Caleb said and Ryan looked over at him. "We need to talk about what happened." He said and Ryan jumped in.
"I'm sorry, it never should have happened. If I wasn't here he wouldn't have come and hurt you." Ryan said softly looking down at his hands. Caleb looked at Sandy and Kirsten.
"Can you two leave us alone? We need to talk about this alone." Caleb said and Sandy and Kirsten nodded. Ryan watched them get up and leave. Ryan got even more nervous. "Ryan I..." Caleb started but Ryan interrupted him.
"If you want me out, I'll understand why." Ryan stated. "I won't fight you on it."
"Ryan, just listen to me." He said getting up and sitting next to the frightened boy. Ryan sat still not sure what to do but whatever Caleb wanted to do Ryan wouldn't stop him. After all it was his fault Caleb got dragged into his fucked up life. "What happened wasn't your fault." Caleb said softly. Ryan couldn't help himself and he looked up at the older man. He was going to say something but Caleb stopped him. "Wait. Let me talk." He said and Ryan closed his mouth. "I don't blame you for what happened. In fact I am surprised you were able to survive that as a kid." He said and took a breath. "I was wrong about you. You're a good kid." Caleb said and Ryan was dumbfounded. Caleb Nichol, the man who hated him the most was telling him he was a good kid and on top of that... that HE was wrong about HIM..
"I...um...what are you saying?" Ryan asked confused. "I'm not going back to juvie?" He asked thinking that's where he was gonna go originally. It was Caleb's turn to look confused.
"What? No! Why would you go there. It is not your fault." Caleb wondered how many times he would say that to get this kid to believe him. He also wondered what else he had to take the blame for in his life that he thought everything was his fault.
Ryan looked back at his hands. He wasn't sure what was going on. This was new to him. Usually he would be kicked out or beaten up or something for this kind of thing. Hell he had been beat up for less in his life.
"Look, no one has the right to treat a person that way. Especially a child." Caleb said and usually Ryan doesn't like to be called a child but he let this go. "If I knew then, when you first came here, what I know now I never would have treated you the way I did." Caleb stated. "I know you're a good kid and I wish I took the time then to get to know that and to listen to Kirsten and Sandy." Caleb said. Then again too a breath. "So, I'm sorry."
"You don't need to apologize Mr. Nichol." Ryan said and Caleb put up a hand.
"No, I do. And call me Caleb." He said with a small smile. Ryan was still in shock. He didn't know what to say. Kirsten and Sandy came back in the room.
"Everything ok in here?" She asked.
"Everything is fine." Caleb said. Ryan looked at his foster parents as they again took seats. Kirsten on the other side of him and Sandy in a chair. Ryan was dazed.
"Ryan what are you thinking?" Kirsten asked and he looked at her. His mouth opened and closed twice before he actually said something still a bit dazed.
"You aren't kicking me out?" He asked softly and Kirsten saw that he was still very confused and put an arm around him drawing him close to her..
"No, no, no honey. We would never kick you out. You are part of this family." She said and he was looking down again. "And you did nothing wrong. I heard you did your best to protect my dad and I am so proud of you." She said.
"But he was shot!" He stated looking back at her.
"Yes I was but I knew it was time for someone to protect you for a change." Caleb said. Ryan looked at him not sure of what to say. Where was Seth when you need him? Sandy spoke up.
"Ryan, the thing you have to realize is that we are here to help you and protect you. I know that is something new to you but don't turn it down." Ryan looked at Sandy and nodded.
"I guess we are all learning something today." He said then looking at Caleb who smiled. Ryan was relieved. He wasn't being kicked out and by the looks in their eyes he could tell that the three adults are being serious and true. They wanted to protect him like their own son.
"I know it will take some time for you to accept that information but we are going to be here for you until you do and after." Sandy stated. Kirsten still had her arm around Ryan and she squeezed his shoulder lightly to show that she agreed with her husband. After a moment of silence Kirsten spoke up.
"You guys must be hungry. I'll go order lunch." She said getting up and going to the kitchen.
"We have to talk about one other thing." Sandy said and Ryan tensed again. 'To easy' he thought. 'Here comes the catch.'
"Your fathers sentencing." Sandy stated. "Since he was caught in the act his lawyer advised him to plead guilty." Ryan nodded taking in the knowledge. "It had been set for two weeks from tomorrow."
"Ok. What does that mean?" Ryan asked.
"Well it means we have to go in there and you and Caleb will tell the judge what happened and then the judge will decide on that information on how severe the sentence will be." Sandy stated.
"You mean I have to see him again?" Ryan said nervously.
"You will be safe. I'm not letting him near you ever again." Sandy said in all seriousness. Ryan nodded. It was going to be a long two weeks.
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ok there's another chappy... keep in mind I am not an expert on all the legal and medical mumbo jumbo... that's why it is fiction and I can make stuff up lmfao... Not sure where I am going just yet...it is up to you ;) ... should i make more angst and drama? or wrap it up? let me know and please read and review!