Happy Halloween! This is your Halloween present from me, so enjoy. Please read and review! Thanks.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.
The phone rang and Seth sleepily reached over to grab it. He glanced at the clock, and groaned when it was angrily blinking 4:04. Ryan had been released earlier that evening, and Sandy had left Caleb with Kirsten as he accompanied the three kids home. He got Ryan and Summer settled in the guest rooms next to Seth's, and then had hurried back to the hospital to continue his vigil next to his wife.
It suddenly occurred to Seth that the only person calling at four in the morning would be his father with some news on his mother, and a lump instantly formed in his throat.
"Hello?" He said softly.
"Seth?" It was his father. And he was crying. Seth's heart stopped. Oh God. Oh God. Seth shook his head. No. She had to be all right. She was okay.
"Dad?" Seth said, trying very hard so that his voice didn't shake. "What happened? Is Mom okay?"
"She's okay, Seth," Sandy said, he ran a hand over his tear stained face. "She's fine. She's awake and talking, and fine." Seth's face broke into a grin and he threw his legs over the side of the bed and ran next door to Ryan's room, not caring if he woke him up. He burst into the room and Ryan looked at him groggily.
"My mom's awake. She's awake and she's okay," Seth reported happily.
"Thank God," Ryan breathed. Summer limped into the hallway, a sleeping mask perched just above her eyes, her hair a mess and glared angrily at him.
"What is with the noise Cohen?" She placed her hands on her hips. "Some of us are trying to sleep."
"My mom's awake," Seth said. He placed the phone back up to his ear. "Can we come down Dad?"
"Well, she's asleep again, she only woke up briefly," Sandy said. "But you can come down if you want." Seth nodded. He didn't need to ask Ryan if he wanted to come, because Ryan was already trying to pull on a shirt, wincing because of his broken ribs. Seth hurried back into his bedroom, telling his father that they would be down as soon as they were dressed. He threw the phone on the bed and began to try to get dressed with one arm, which wasn't exactly the easiest thing to do. All the other occasions where he had broken something, his mother had always been there to help him with whatever he needed. Getting dressed, eating, or just being there in general. He could remember being eight, and he had fallen off his skateboard and broken the fall with his wrist. His mother had sat in bed with him, stroking his hair and reading him a book until he had fallen asleep. When he woke up the next morning, he was surprised to see his mom next to him fast asleep in what looked to be a very uncomfortable position, and his father in a chair by his bed. His dad always said that he couldn't sleep well without Kirsten next to him. Seth was just happy that they didn't have to think about a scenario where Kirsten wasn't there. He wasn't sure how his father would have dealt with losing her. His fear was that his dad wouldn't have dealt with it at all, instead shutting down completely. Seth wasn't stupid, he knew if something happened to his mother, it would only be a matter of time before his father self-destructed. He needed her. They all needed her.
And Seth couldn't wait to get down to the hospital and see her awake and smiling.
"Do you need help?" Summer's voice surprised him. He turned to see her dressed already in a skirt, jeans being difficult because of the cast on her leg.
"Yeah, if you don't mind," Seth said. "My mom…" He motioned to the cast and she nodded and crossed over and helped him get his shirt on and button it up. Ryan appeared a second later in Seth's doorway, wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt.
"You guys ready?" He said anxiously. He wouldn't believe that Kirsten was truly okay until he got down there and saw it for himself. They left the house in a hurry, but despite their hurry, Seth drove more carefully than he had ever before. The last thing they needed was for them to get in another accident.
It felt like forever before they saw the hospital and Seth pulled in and parked the car. Summer struggled with her crutches, and Seth, in a hurry, finally leaned over and let her jump onto his back piggy-back style as Ryan carried her crutches. Seth could see the humor in the situation, and he knew logically that his mother was probably still resting, but he wanted to get in there and see her.
Wanted this whole nightmare to almost be over.
Sandy held Kirsten's hand and smiled to himself. He had been sitting there, holding her hand when she had woken up. He had been so excited that he had knocked over the chair in his dash to get a doctor. A nurse had given her something to help ease the pain, and Kirsten, after a short examination, had fallen back asleep. Sandy had barely been able to talk to her, but that was fine. The doctor had warned him that she would be in severe pain, and that it would probably be better to let her sleep.
The door flew open and Seth came in slightly breathless, followed by a hobbling Summer, and Ryan holding onto his side.
"They weren't going to let us in," Seth exclaimed. Sandy placed a finger to his mouth and motioned to Kirsten, who was sleeping.
"How did you get in then?" Sandy asked lowering his voice.
"Well, I used my wily ways," Seth said. Ryan snorted. "Fine, Summer was a candy striper here, and she convinced them to let us back."
"And now that my job is done, I'll leave you guys alone," Summer said smiling at Sandy. "I'm glad she's okay Mr. C."
"Thank you Summer," Sandy said as Summer slipped out the door and headed towards the waiting room to sit.
"How long was she awake for?" Seth asked just as Ryan asked,
"Is she okay? What did the doctors say?" Sandy motioned for them to sit down. He knew that once again the rules were being bent because she was Kirsten Cohen, and Caleb had demanded that more than one person be allowed in to sit with her at a time.
Caleb. Sandy had forgotten to call Caleb. Caleb had gone to get some rest and to try to get a hold of Kirsten's sister Hailey in Club Med, or Madrid, or Amsterdam, or wherever Hailey was at these days.
"She's okay, they asked her a few questions, and she answered them, but she is in a lot of pain, or will be when the medication wears off," Sandy said. "She wasn't awake for very long."
"Can we sit here? Until she wakes up again?" Ryan asked nervously. He didn't know if he should ask to stay. Maybe Sandy would want to be alone with her? Or maybe he would want just him and Seth in the room? Should Ryan go wait with Summer out in the waiting room until Sandy came and got him? "Or I can go…"
"Ryan," Sandy said standing up and placing a hand on Ryan's shoulder. "Of course you can stay here. I have to go call Caleb, so actually you'd be doing me a favor. Stay. She's going to be excited to see you both when she wakes up again."
"Are you sure that you don't…" Ryan trailed off.
"Sure about what?" Sandy questioned.
"That you want me to stay? I mean, don't you just want family?" The last part was said quietly. Ryan knew that they had taken him into their house. He knew that on several occasions Kirsten had assured him that he was a part of their family now, but what he didn't know was when push came to shove, was he really a part of their family? Sitting by Kirsten's hospital bed, waiting for her to wake up so that they could see her and make sure that she was okay, that was definitely a family thing. Did they really want him there to interrupt that? This boy who they had only known for a little more than a week. This boy who had just moved into their house, who was practically a stranger.
"God, Ryan," Seth sighed dramatically. "It's time to accept that you are a Cohen. By everything but blood…and I guess name. So stop this pity party table of one thing that you have going on and sit your ass down….I know, Dad, don't say ass. I got it." Sandy grinned and couldn't help but ruffle Seth's hair, which was sticking up at all angles from just having been woken up. "Dad. The hair. We've talked about this before. So do you think if I kept tapping on her face she'd wake up?"
"Seth Ezekiel, do not wake her up. I'll be right back," Sandy said slipping out of the room and into the hall where he could call Caleb. He figured he would check on Summer too while he was at it, and found her stretched out on one of the couches in the waiting room with her leg propped up. She was fast asleep, and he couldn't help but envy her.
He found a place where he could use his phone and pulled out Caleb's number.
"What's the matter? What's wrong?" Caleb asked frantically, he had picked up after only one ring. "Is she okay?"
"She's okay," Sandy said grinning. "She was awake. She's back to sleep now, they have her pretty drugged up, but she's okay."
"Oh thank God," Caleb breathed. "I'll be down when I can."
"Take your time," Sandy said. "I think it will be awhile before she's awake again." Sandy was wrong, as soon as he stepped back into her room, she was awake, flanked on both sides by the boys.
"Did you wake her up?" Sandy pointed his finger at Seth who threw his hands up in the air.
"I'm innocent," he claimed. Ryan once again snorted.
"Yeah, so it wasn't you that…." Seth reached over and covered Ryan's mouth with his hand.
"I know not what he speaks of Dad."
"I told you not to wake her up!" Sandy admonished.
"Hey," Kirsten interrupted. "It's okay." Sandy shook his head, and Seth grinned.
"Thanks Mom."
"What happened to your arm?" Kirsten exclaimed looking at Seth as Sandy crossed over and raised the bed and helped her sit up.
"Well the car that crashed into yours? It was kind of Marissa Coopers, and uh, we were kind of in it," Seth replied. Kirsten gasped.
"Are you okay?" She asked both.
"We're made of steel Mom," Seth said. "We're fine. I have a broken arm, Ryan has some broken ribs. Summer broke her leg, and Marissa, the cause of all of this, walked away unharmed. Ironic yes?"
"What do you mean the cause of all of this?" Kirsten asked confused. Seth had woken her up, and she was glad to have seen him and Ryan both, but she was still hazy from the medicine, and in pain. In so very much pain.
"Marissa was drinking and driving," Sandy responded quietly.
"What?" She gasped again and then looked at her boys. "You weren't drinking were you?"
"No," Ryan answered. "We weren't drinking."
"Who let her drive?" Kirsten demanded. Here it comes, Ryan thought. She's going to hate me. I didn't stop Marissa from driving. I let her drive. Kirsten's going to want me out of the house as soon as possible.
"They didn't know she had been drinking," Sandy said putting a calming hand on Kirsten's shoulders. This was why he hadn't wanted to tell her right away, he didn't want her to get all worked up.
"We're so sorry," Seth said. "We know, we should have stopped her from driving, but we didn't…I mean she went into her house and then…"
"If you want me to leave," Ryan started.
"Ryan, we talked about this," Sandy interrupted, only to Kirsten burst in.
"What do you mean leave?" She asked. "I know that I've on a few drugs right now, but I don't understand." She looked to her husband and then back at Ryan. "Why would you leave?"
"I should have stopped her," Ryan mumbled.
"Ryan, look at me," when he didn't look up right away, Kirsten sighed heavily and then repeated it again in a tone that left no room for argument. "Look at me. What Marissa did….was wrong. But you didn't make her drink, you didn't make her drive, you didn't even know that she was drunk. I don't….it's not…I don't blame you. And I don't want you to leave. God, that's the last thing that I want." Kirsten felt exhausted, and frustrated with Ryan. When had she ever given him the impression that her decision to have him stay with them was one that could be reneged? A promise that was only good until he did something wrong? He hadn't even done anything wrong in this case for God's sakes, and he was asking her if she wanted him to leave? Kirsten knew that it was going to be a long road with Ryan. A long time before he trusted that they wanted him there. That they wanted him to be a part of their family. His being there was not contingent on his being perfect, or making any mistakes. They wanted him there. No matter what. But she hadn't understood the extent of his insecurities.
"Why don't we let you rest?" Sandy suggested. Ryan was glad that he was spared having to say anything to Kirsten in response, though he figured that this conversation was far from over. He had a feeling that the Cohens liked to talk.
"Yeah, we're going to collect Summer, maybe get some coffee," Seth said hopping up out of the chair. "Dad? You want?"
"No, but thank you Seth," Sandy replied smiling at Seth nodded and left the room, Ryan following quickly behind lest he be sucked into a conversation with Sandy and Kirsten. Once the door was shut behind them, Sandy knew that he had very little time with his wife before she either fell asleep or her father came in.
"You doing okay?" He asked pushing hair from off of her forehead and giving her a kiss on the top of her head. "Do you need me to get anything?"
"He really thinks that we would just kick him out? Just like that?" Kirsten questioned ignoring Sandy.
"Honey, please, don't think about it right now. You need to rest. We'll deal with it later." They sat in silence for a moment. "I love you. You know that?"
"Yeah," Kirsten said sleepily. "I know that. I love you too."
"You should get some sleep, baby," Sandy said holding her hand and rubbing his thumb across the back of it. Kirsten nodded and closed her eyes again. "I'll keep Seth from waking you up. I promise."