Ryan sat opposite Sandy sheepishly.

"Kid, its your first offence and I think the chances are your gonna get off."

Ryan just nodded sadly.

"What about Trey?"

"Trey," Sandy inquired

"My brother"

"Kid, your brother has offended before, and he's not a minor like you, I'd be surprised if he doesn't get three years"

Ryan nodded sadly. Gees, he was really breaking Sandy's heart.

"Well kid, I think you can go home now, you have a probation hearing in two weeks, I'll see you then."

Ryan just nodded. He clambered up and felt desperately around for the door to leave. Sandy knew better this time than to grab the kid's arm, so he opted for the less startling approach:

"Hey, kiddo, I'm gonna take hold of your arm, Okay, help you out?"

Ryan didn't respond, but tensed up the moment Sandy gently took a hold of his shoulder. At least he isn't trying to get free, Sandy thought.

The pair walked arm in arm out of the juvie hall. In the reception, Sandy stopped. Ryan rigidly stood like a statue next to him.

"Ok kid, you want me to wait with you outside while you wait for your mum to get here."

Ryan shrugged: "I don't think she is coming, she doesn't know I'm in here."

Sandy was shocked, if Seth had been missing for two hours, let alone two weeks, him and Kirsten would be frantically looking for him, ringing round the hospitals. Oh, God, Sandy thought, the kids mum didn't know he was blind. How had gone through this on his own? Why had he had to?

Sandy gulped. "Tell you what kid, why don't we phone her, I can explain everything, you know, if you don't want too."

Ryan shrugged, foraged in his pocket and dug out a grubby, crumpled little book with an embossed image of a telephone on the front. He held it out in Sandy's vague direction. He cleared his throat: "Will you dial the number for me please, Mr. Cohen?"

Sandy was taken aback by how much of a kid Ryan sounded like at that moment.

"Sure kiddo, anything"

Sandy walked over to the payphone; Ryan seemed to sense this and followed him. Sandy found 'Home' in the book and typed the number. As he began to search his pockets for some coins to put in the machine when Mrs.Atwood picked up, a hand nudged him. He turned round, Ryan stood there with his hand outstretched, a quarter in his hand.

There was no ringing tone on the end of the line, God, the line had been cut. Sandy gulped, what was the kid gonna do?

"Hey kid, keep it," Sandy said, closing Ryan's fingers around his coin.

"What did she say?" Ryan almost whispered, as if he already knew the answer.

"Well kid, I not gonna lie to you, the line had been cut, there was nobody there."

Ryan nodded slowly, then, if Sandy hadn't known better he would have sworn that Ryan looked him in the eye as he said:

"What shall I do now?"

Suddenly, a plan formed in Sandy's head…

TBC!

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