"I can't- I can't do it anymore; I tried to keep quiet but I can't keep my mouth shut anymore. I can't I just can't do it. So let's take a moment and look deep inside and say what needs to be said."

"Ok, Seth, ok." Ryan said to Seth as they drove through the night.

"What if my dad doesn't wake up? That would make me the leading Cohen man, and I don't think I'm ready to be a man. And what about college? Would we just leave and come home or would we commute? Perhaps get an express pass cos driving is just so slow these days. And what about Georgia? And my mum? How are they gonna deal? Will my mum start dating again? Cos I don't think that's right. My mum is being so selfish I can't believe she's going to go out with someone else again! Oh my god I can't believe my mum is re-marrying another guy, this is just horrible!"

"Some people stop for air, Seth!" Ryan yelled cutting him off. "Ok, whoa just whoa!"

"I have to look at the big picture Ryan." Seth moaned shaking his head.

"What picture? Just stay in the present for 5 minutes ok." Ryan sighed.

----------------------------------------------------

Kirsten squinted as the sun finally shone through the gap in her curtains as morning rose. At some dreadful hour she had given up trying to fall asleep without Sandy next to her. She lay for hours in the night waiting for the morning to come. She stared at Sandy's empty side of the bed. She stared at the photos on her nightstand; their wedding night photo and a candid of Sandy with his arms around her, laughing together at the beach, taken by their daughter. Kirsten smiled. Georgia. The reason she had to get up out of bed, open the curtains and be alive.

She got dressed and wheeled herself into the kitchen only to see Georgia sitting out on the patio watching the sun rising.

"Hey sweetie." She said. "Beautiful sunrise."

Georgia half smiled. "Yeah it is, except…I'd rather I was seeing it with dad, you, know, surfing."

Kirsten wheeled herself up beside Georgia and stroked her hand over her arm. "We'll go see him soon. Just when you're ready. You don't know what might have taken a spin over night."

"Ryan!" Georgia screamed as she saw him walk into the back garden. She jumped out of her seat and ran to him, hooking her free arm around his neck as she jumped into him. Ryan smiled and held onto her tightly, her legs dangling below him. "Hey,

you ok?" Ryan asked.

Georgia slid down him but still held onto his t-shirt. "Definatly been better." Georgia said.

Ryan muffled up her hair a bit and kissed her forehead. "I'm glad you're ok. Missed you."

"You have no idea." Georgia smirked.

Ryan swerved over to Kirsten bending down and giving her a tight hug. "Hey Kirsten…" He said softly.

"Hey Ryan. You alright?" She asked which Ryan thought was weird that she was asking him.

"Uh…I don't know."

Georgia ran up to Seth, who crouched down to the ground, letting her hug him as tightly as possibly. "Hey GG." He said. "How are you?"

Georgia looked at Seth babyishly. "Miss dad." Seth nodded. He went over to his mum.

"Hey mum." He hugged her.

She hugged him back. "Hey sweetie."

"How are you doing? You ok?"

Kirsten nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Really?"

"Yup. You want something to eat? You must be hungry." She smiled motherly and went into the kitchen. Ryan and Seth frowned at each other.

"Was that weird?" Seth asked.

"We're going to the hospital soon." Kirsten said from the kitchen. "You boys should eat something first." Seth frowned again, concerned.

------

At the hospital…Seth, Ryan and Georgia walked into Sandy's private room where he slept while Kirsten talked to his doctors…….

The three stood in a line at the end of his bed.

"He looks…asleep." Seth said quietly.

"He's still dad." Georgia said.

"But he's just lying there. It's weird that we can't just wake him up." Seth said.

"Maybe we can." Ryan said. "Talk to him, play music, sit with him for a while." Ryan suggested.

They all sat with Sandy by themselves for a while. When Kirsten went in the boys watched her from the window while Georgia sat against the wall. "What do you think she's saying?" Seth asked. Ryan shrugged.

"I wish I could lip read." Seth groaned. He turned to Georgia. "She hasn't cried?"

"Not that I've seen." Georgia said exhausted.

"And that doesn't worry you?" Seth asked.

"Yes, Seth, it does but just because she hasn't cried in front of us doesn't mean she hasn't cried at all."

"I just thought that with everything that happened she would have. The explosion, dad and us leaving. That had to pretty hard on her." Seth said. Always thinking a little about himself.

Kirsten linked her fingers with Sandy's. She lifted her arm and rested her cheek against the back of his hand. She ran her fingers through his hair watching him lovingly as he slept. "Oh honey…" Kirsten sighed. "This is so hard. Being in this chair and having to rely on everyone around me, especially Georgia. She's our daughter, I'm the mum, it's meant to be the other way around; I'm meant to take care of her. And so are you." She paused, waiting for any kind of reaction. But nothing. "She starts at Harbour in two days, I know she'd want to you drop her off." Kirsten said smiling at him slightly. Kirsten gave up her smile and optimism. "Goddamn it Sandy. I love you so much just wake up, please. I can't get through this without you." She collapsed forward onto his chest but she didn't cry. She knew her kids were watching.

-------------------------------

Seth walked into the poolhouse. "Hey." Ryan said turning around. "You alright?"

Seth mumbled then spoke. "Yeah but not in the crazy happy way my mum is though." Seth said bitterly.

"Sandy isn't dead yet, she's got that in mind." Ryan reminded him.

"Yes but there is such a thing as being too optimistic, Ryan! And my mum usually worries too much and now, she's not worried at all." Seth snapped.

"What, would you rather she had a breakdown!"

"Well at least it would show that she cares!"

"She does care! She's in shock!"

"Well she's got a funny way of showing it!"

"She just doesn't want to believe he might be dying!

"She could at least cry about it!"

"I don't know why she isn't." Ryan snapped back.

"Think about the consequences! What if she starts drinking again?" Seth yelled.

"It doesn't have to be this way!" Ryan said back to Seth as loud as him.

"We can't just turn around and walk away."

"There's gotta be more to it than what we see!"

"Right!" Seth said jerking his head. He frowned. "What are we fighting for?" Seth asked panting quietly.

Ryan sighed, panted then looked up at Seth. "I don't know…"

Seth slumped on the bed. "We both want to help mum, right?"

Ryan sat down. "Yes but not now, she's in bed. We'll talk about what we'll do in the morning. We'll get nowhere tonight. Sleep, I promise it'll all seem better,
somehow in time." Ryan said.

---------------------------------------------------

In the morning Seth was moping around while Ryan was out getting a few groceries. He slumped himself on the couch mindlessly watching Fox 13 News but he wasn't really paying attention.

Georgia sat down on the couch close to a distant Seth. "What's up?" She asked.

"Nothing. I'm fine."

"Seth it's ok to be sad."

"Mum isn't sad." He said confused.

"Yes she is." Georgia enforced. "She just wants to protect you."

"From what exactly?" Seth asked bitterly.

Georgia paused. "Being sad."

Seth went outside to find Kirsten.

"Hi sweetie what's-" Kirsten got cut off. Seth hugged her tightly and Kirsten was taken back. "It's ok mum." He said.

Kirsten didn't cry. She didn't well up in tears. She just hugged her baby back tightly; comforted and little less protective. God, she loved her little boy.

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This doesn't feel like my best work. My mind keeps goin blank at the moment. However, thank you all for the reviews! I appreciate it tonnes and the more that review the quicker I will update!

Kiki xoxo