A/N: Thank you for reviews, keep them coming! I need feedback. The next few chapters may feel a little slow, focus is shifted onto the Cohens.
Chapter 5Ryan was vaguely aware of hands touching him and voices floating over his head, but it was as if the connections in his brain weren't working. He was aware of pain, but at the same time, he couldn't really focus on it through the swirling numbness that seemed to have wrapped itself over his mind, clouding every thought.
"Gunshot wound to the left shoulder, entry and exit wounds visible…." A voice stated clearly. Ryan could here the words, but he couldn't seem to decipher the meaning.
"Ok, let's take him to Chino Valley," another voice said. Ryan felt a jolt of pain sharper than anything he had yet felt as hands rolled him to the side. The resulting gasp only served to increase the pain and Ryan again felt the darkness welcome him.
Kirsten Cohen sighed as she flipped through the stack of papers on her desk. It just didn't seem to be getting any smaller.
Glancing towards the empty coffee mug, she felt a brief pang of warmth at the thought of her foster son. When Sandy had brought a juvenile delinquent into her home all that time ago, Kirsten had initially been appalled. She thought he would taint her home, turn her son into a swearing, drinking, fighting yob. But Ryan had proved her entirely wrong. Indeed, his manners put many of Newport's residents to shame. There was something refreshingly genuine about Ryan that had left her heart defenceless against him. Ryan was a little piece of reality in what was largely a superficial world. And she loved him for it. For himself and for the effect that he had had on her family.
Sighing once more, Kirsten picked up the mug and left the study. Just a quick break, she told herself. Kirsten thrived upon her work, but between Julie and her father, the stress at the moment was above and beyond the norm. The enthusiasm for work was draining out of her.
Entering the kitchen, Kirsten saw Seth at the counter, haphazardly piling fillings into a sandwich. Smiling discreetly, she crossed over to him, ruffling his hair as she enveloped him into a hug.
"Mom, the jewfro…" Seth whined. Kirsten merely smiled again.
"Not going out today?" She asked.
"Well, seeing as supposed best friend has abandoned me for the day, the love of my life is dating my- less good looking, suave and witty- clone, and basically my entire social life has taken a nose dive, no, I am not going out." Seth responded grumpily.
"So what, you're going to stay here and mope all day?" Kirsten asked.
"Mom! I am your only biological son! My life is fading away before your own eyes, and you chose to mock? Have you no sympathy for my plight?" He exclaimed, affecting a wounded tone.
Kirsten paused. "Not a whole lot." She finally responded.
Seth huffed, seeming to give up on his cause.
"Where is Ryan, anyway?" he asked. Maybe Kirsten had gotten more information from him than the "out" Seth had received.
"Oh, working with a friend. Maybe that physics project?" Kirsten answered vaguely as she sliced bread to make herself a sandwich.
Seth considered this as he pondered the best way to tackle his own sandwich, being as it was approximately three times the width of his mouth. Ryan had handed his physics project in on Tuesday. Seth was pretty sure he didn't have any other projects yet. Unless that project happened to go by the name of "Lindsay", he thought to himself with a small smile. He was sure there was some chemistry there.
"Something up, sweetie?" Kirsten questioned as she buttered bread.
Seth considered his options. If Ryan had lied to his parents, then he was up to something. But if he was in trouble, it was best to keep the rents out of it. Seth would deal with it on his own.
"No mom. I'm just a little sickened by all the possibilities of how you could slaughter that sandwich. I've got some pretty nasty visuals here. In fact, I think I'm gonna take my sandwich somewhere safe. Where you won't be able to hurt it", Seth answered, gathering his plate and heading off to his room.
Seth lay on his bead and stared at the ceiling. As the last song on the playlist on his i-pod (Songs for When Nobody Loves You) finished, Seth was plunged into silence. And he was bored. His fingers twitched over the keys of his cell phone. Seth was desperate to call Ryan. He was curious and bored. He wanted his playmate back.
Finally, Seth decided that his curiosity could wait no longer. Hitting the speed dial, he brought the phone to his ear as he let it ran. He was only slightly guilty about what he might be disrupting on the other end. He wanted details.
The phone continued to ring. Seth was on the verge of giving up when finally, a voice answered the other end.
"Hello?" A voice asked, questioning. Seth blinked. It was a female voice. Looked like Ryan really was out to play.
"Hi…and who would it be that has the pleasure of Ryan's company?" Seth asked, intrigued.
"May I ask what relation you are to Ryan Atwood?" The voice asked curtly. Seth blinked again. What on earth had Ryan got himself into?
"I think the real question here is, what relation are you to Ryan Atwood?" He shot back.
"This is the receptionist at Chino Valley Medical Centre. May I please know with whom I am speaking?" Seth felt his insides twist as he registered what the voice had said. His playful mood vanished, replaced with panic.
"Is Ryan OK? What's wrong? Why are you answering his phone?" Seth asked rapidly, blurring the questions together.
"Sir, may I please know what relation you are to Ryan Atwood?" The voice was insistent and struck through Seth's panic.
"I'm his foster brother," he replied after a pause.
"Are Ryan's legal guardians available to talk to?" The woman asked.
"Yeah…yeah, I'll just get my mom" Seth answered, feeling slightly dazed by the surrealness of the situation. A million questions whirred around his brain as he hurried towards the study to find his mom. Why was Ryan in Chino? Why hadn't he at least told Seth? What had happened to him? Why hadn't he called if something was wrong?
"Mom?" he called, barging into the study. Kirsten looked up startled.
"There's a woman on the phone about Ryan. She answered his phone when I called. He's at a hospital-" Seth blurted out. Kirsten reached out to grab the phone from Seth's outstretched palm, her maternal instincts suddenly in overdrive.
"Hello?" She almost yelled into the phone.
"Hello. This is the receptionist at Chino Valley Medical Centre Emergency Room. Is this Ryan Atwood's legal guardian I am speaking to?"
"Yes, yes, Kirsten Cohen, I'm Ryan's foster mom. Where's Ryan, what's wrong with him, is he ok?" the questions rushed out in much the same way that they had from Seth.
"Mrs Cohen, please stay calm. Ryan was brought in after an incident this afternoon. I'm afraid I can't give you any details over the phone. You'll need come in in person with proof concerning you're guardianship over Ryan. We've been trying to find out who to contact." The receptionist said, her cool voice quelling some of the hysteria that was rising within Kirsten.
"Ok, I'm coming in right away." Kirsten said, gripped by an illogical desire to simply get up and run all the way to Chino Valley Medical Centre. Catching sight of Seth hovering in the doorway, eyes wide and madly plucking at the material on the sleeve of his jumper, as if trying to rip it to shreds, Kirsten felt a control begin to return to her. She was in charge here. She was the adult. She had to stay calm.
"Get you're shoes Seth. We're going to Chino," she stated. Seth meekly followed her instructions, seemingly unable to make the decision himself. Kirsten grabbed the purse and went for her car keys. Realisation hit her. Ryan had one car, and Sandy had the other. He was out playing golf with some new client or other. Kirsten cursed under her breath as she scrambled for her own cell phone. She really needed to clear out her purse. It was full of crap.
Finally locating the device, she dialled for Sandy's cell, ignoring the tremble in her hand.
"Honey?" Sandy's voice was a relief to Kirsten. She felt the emotion rise within her again and fought the urge to break down in tears and have Sandy make it all better.
"Sandy, you need to get back here now. Ryan's been taken to the hospital in Chino. We need you to come and drive us there." Kirsten told him shakily.
"What?" Sandy sounded stunned. "What happened? Why is Ryan in Chino? Is he Ok?" Kirsten sighed, realising the frustration of being asked questions that she couldn't answer.
"I don't know Sandy. I don't know anything. All I know is that Ryan has been taken to hospital and we need to get there, now. You need to come get us." Kirsten said forcefully. All that she wanted was to see Ryan and make sure that he was Ok. Why couldn't the world just cooperate with her?