Chapter 4

"Try to keep still, alright?" Ryan advised as he watched the boy beside him wriggle around in his seat, trying to take the pressure of his injured spots.

Chris barely managed to nod before settling down with his clean forehead pressed against the window.

When Ryan had first heard the boy's name, he couldn't help but flashback to his memories of his own little brother.

:Flashback:

"Mommy, can you hold me now?" A six-year old Ryan asked as he eyed his mom cradle his newly born baby brother in the hospital bed.

"How about, you sit next to her andmeet your new brother instead?" his uncle Cole suggested as he lay a comforting hand over his young nephew.

Ryan crinkled his forehead and pouted, "But I want mommy to hold me for a little bit!"

Shaking his head, Leo suppressed a laugh at his son's instant sibling jealousy, "Well, you're gonna have to learn to share mommy now."

"I don't want to share mommy!"

"How do you think I felt when you were born?" A nine-year old Wyatt sarcastically asked from beside his mother's bedside as he gently stroked the baby's cheek while cooing to him.

"Well, you're the older one, you have to share with me," Ryan tried to reason as he still glared at the bundle in his mother's lap.

Smiling at her son's reasoning, Piper gestured for him to take a seat beside her on the bed, opposite to where Wyatt still sat stroking the baby's cheek.

Sighing and grumbling, Ryan made his way over and sat while his mother's arm made its way around his shoulder.

"Ryan, you're a big brother now-"

"You mean like, Wyatt?" Ryan interrupted with a curious glance.

Nodding her head with a smile, she continued, "Yes, exaclylike Wyatt. Wyatt helps you and watches over you, doesn't he?"

Ryan thought for a moment before nodding his head in agreement.

"Well, now it's your turn to do the same thing. This is your baby brother. I know it's going to be hard at first to share the attention with him, but you'll get used to it. I promise. I'm counting on you to watch over your little brother and take care of him when I can't. I know you'll be a great big brother, Ryan. Just like Wyatt. I'll always love you, no matter what, remember that. But do you think you can share the love with your brother too?"

Considering his mother's words, Ryan slowly nodded his head as he once again began to gaze at the bundle in his mother's arms in a new light.

"I promise, I'll try my best. Mommy, can I try holding him now?"

Her happiness at her son's turn of attitude showed on her face as she showed him how to position his arms to hold the baby.

"Yeah just like that, now hold his head, okay?" Piper murmured as she placed the infant in the child's arms.

Feeling the comfortable weight in his arms, Ryan grinned down and whispered, "Hey, I'm your big brother, little guy."

"Well, I'm still both your big brothers," Wyatt reminded as he watched his two younger siblings interact, a smile attached to his face.

Suddenly frowning, Ryan raised his head towards his mother and asked, "What's his name?"

Placing a loving hand on her son's head, she stated, "Chris. Christopher Perry Halliwell."

:End Flashback:

Taking another side long glance at the young boy beside him, Ryan noticed the tense posture, "You should try to relax your muscles. Don't worry; I'm not some sick psycho whose gonna take you to an abandoned warehouse and chop you into a million pieces. I promise, I mean no harm," he reassured with a faint smile on his lips.

Still looking a bit wary, Chris nodded and tried to relax a bit more, "Where are we going?"

"Right here, actually. This would be my house," Ryan replied as he spun the wheel to bring the car up the driveway. As the car rolled to a stop and the engine was shut off, Ryan quickly unbuckled himself so he could help Chris out of the car.

Getting Chris to lean on his side, the two slowly made their way up the steps to the front entrance where Ryan fumbled with his keys.

Once the door swung open, Ryan immediately noticed the light to the living room was left on meaning his family was still up waiting for his return. Sighing, he turned towards Chris who was nervously observing his surroundings with one arm wound around his middle.

"Hey, just hang tight for a minute, alright? I'm gonna talk to my family for a second. You think you'll be okay?"

Chris nodded as he gripped the coat rack for balance.

Taking a deep breath, Ryan made his way around the corner and into the living room where sure enough, he found his entire family wide awake and looking ready to explode.

"Before you-" he began but was abruptly shut down by his mother's angry tone.

"Don't even start with me, Ryan Victor Halliwell! Midnight! I gave you until midnight! I don't know how you define midnight, but the last time I checked it still meant 12 o' clock! Not one thirty in the freaking morning!"

"Where the hell were you! I called Ben like two hours ago and he said you already left! What could've possibly happened where you couldn't of called!" Wyatt questioned with his arms firmly crossed against his chest.

"Well, if you would let me-"

"Is that blood on you?" Phoebe observed as she glanced at the blotches of red on her nephew's jacket.

"Blood! Are you okay? Do you need me to heal you?" Leo asked concerned at the mention of blood in relation to one of his sons.

"LET ME EXPLAIN! Please! I did leave Ben's two hours ago, but on the way home I saw some guys beating on someone so I decided to pull over and help-"

"What! You decided to step into a fightduring the middle of the night! Are you insane? Ryan, you could've gotten really hurt! You should've just called for help," Paige scolded as she fumed over her nephew's reckless decision.

"Well, once I stepped out of the car, they all scattered. He was really banged up; I mean, I couldn't just leave him there out in the cold like that! He would freeze to death or bleed to death, whatever came first! So I helped him into my car, and brought him here. He didn't want a hospital," Ryan finished explaining as he waited for his family's reaction.

"Wait; let me see if I got this correct. You pulled yourself over to get into a fight where you were probably hopelessly outnumbered, took a stranger into your car, then decided to bring the stranger into our home! Are you out of your mind! And you wonder whyI worry about you so much? If you didn't make such idiotic decisions, I would find no need to worry! What if this guy turns out to be an ex-convict! Or a psychopath! Or-" Wyatt was about to ramble on but was thankfully cut off by Ryan.

"Before you say anything else, let me show him to you," Ryan quickly disappeared around the corner, only to return with a limping boy at his side who was nervously holding his side, "I don't know about you guys, but I don't think he's an ex-convict."

The rest of the room was left flabbergasted as they took in the image of the young boy who had obviously been engaged in some type of physicalviolence. By the looks of it, no doubt was he on the recieving ends of the blows.

Feeling slightly uncomfortable between the occupants' gazes and the conversation he heard from the foyer, he decided this wasn't such a good idea in the first place."Uhm…. Ryan, I think I'll just go home. I don't want to bother your family and I bet my dad's worried so….." Chris muttered as he shifted anxiously on his feet.

Snapping back into her senses, Piper immediately stepped into her "mothering" mode, "Oh no! Don't be silly! Wyatt, go help him sit over on the couch. Leo, get the first aid kit upstairs in the medicine cabinet. Paige, ice. Phoebe, warm water and a towel. Cole, run upstairs and get some blankets. He must be freezing, only wearing a shirt in weather like this!"

Everyone ran around trying to do what they were directed as Chris still sat nervously on the couch, watching the woman kneel in front of him and the young man she had called Wyatt sit beside him on the couch. Ryan just stood where he was and watched his mom get to work with her parenting skills.

"I'm Piper, what's your name?"

"Ch-chris Parker….."

"Nice name. Can you tell me how old you are?"

"Fourteen…."

"Well, this is my son, Wyatt, and you obviously know my other son, Ryan. My husbands a doctor, he'll get you cleaned up alright? How about you give me your house number so we can reach your parents so they won't be worried, huh?"

"I live with my dad. My house number's 756)844-9087."

Wyatt stood as he mentally took note of the number, "Here, I'll go call. I'll give him our address so he can come pick you up."

"I'll come with you," Ryan added as he to followed his brother out to the kitchen.

Once they were out of ear shot, Ryan couldn't help but say what was on his mind, "He looks like him."

Wyatt paused for a moment, but didn't bother to turn around, "Don't get too attached, Ryan."

"You know you were thinking the same thing."

"You can't get attached to every single kid whose name is Chris. Let's just help him out and let his dad take him home."

"I never said it was him."

"Then don't. He is dead."

Ryan shook his head, but blew out a frustrated breath, "I know. It's just…. I got this strange feeling from the moment I first met the kid. I can't explain it. It just felt….. right."

Wyatt didn't respond to his brother's remark as he just continued to make his way into the kitchen.

He couldn't tell his brother that he was just being stupid and imagining it…… because in truth, he felt the same thing…..

TBC….