Disclaimer: I don't own any O.C.-related - only the characters I may invent during the writing of the story - they're all FOX's property.. thanxx 2U, guys
Autor's note: Thanks a lot to the faithful Leentje (this chapter: Only some hints concerning Cat's story) and Beachtree (after New Year's eve spent sick in bed and two crappy weeks at work your review made my day) for their constant reviews. Though I feel like I'm writing this exclusively for you guys I don't feel like complaining, I only hope I can stand up to your expectations.
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Ryan pulled on his jeans, grabbed his wallet, then raced to the house and climbed the stairs as fast and silently as possible. For a moment he listened at Sandy's and Kirsten's bedroom door in order to not interrupt something strictly private, then held his breath and slipped into the dark room, to Kirsten's side of the bed, and carefully stroked her arm.
As she woke up, eyes first heavy with slumber, then wide with alertness, he quickly put his index-finger on his lips and motioned with one hand to follow him outside. Kirsten slipped out of the bed, grabbed her robe and followed Ryan downstairs after he'd cautiously closed the door behind her.
"Kirsten.. I need your help", he said when he finally turned to her. Perceiving the urge in his voice she pulled her robe together, inhaled deeply and asked: "What can I do?"
"The girl.. Cassandra.. She.. Well, somebody beat her up today, pretty badly. The thing is, she was pregnant." "WAS pregnant?" "Yes. ..She lost it, the baby.." It was only when he admitted the fact to the woman who'd become more of a mother to him than his own had ever been that he realized the whole impact these words had for him. Kirsten immediately noticed the hurt in his eyes, the imaginary burden that made his shoulders drop. Recalling what Seth had told her about how he'd found Ryan sitting in the Ward's guestroom after the call from Teresa she impulsively hugged him.
"Thank you", he whispered after she'd let him go a few seconds later, straightened up and said: "I've got to go to a drugstore to get her some sanitary stuff, maybe some painkillers, too." Kirsten shook her head. "They'd probably increase the bleeding. Just try to get something on a herbal basis and maybe some balm-mint tea.That'll help her relax and get some sleep. I think I still have some muscle-relaxants at home, they should ease the convulsions." Ryan nodded, relieved that somebody else helped him make some decisions. "Okay. Balm-mint. Uhm.. do you think you could stay with her while I'm gone? Just in case? I already asked her, and she's okay with it. Also, I guess she's in no shape to negotiate." "That bad?" He shrugged his shoulders. "Hard to tell. She says it's already gotten better. Right now, she's still in the shower. She was afraid to stain the carpet.."
"Okay, honey, don't worry. I'll take care of her. Just drive carefully, don't hurry too much." Ryan nodded, ready to leave, then turned around again to place a quick kiss on Kirsten's cheek before rushing to the car.
Kirsten pulled herself together, then softly knocked on Ryan's bathroom door. "Hello? This is Kirsten, Ryan's.. mom. He asked me to come over for a moment. Uhm.. are you okay?" "I'm fine, thank you."
Oh. Another one of those, Kirsten thought to herself. "Is it okay if I come in?" A moment of silence, then: "Uhm.. I was about to take a shower.. I dunno.." "But your bag's still in here. Maybe you need something out of it?" "Oh, right. In fact, I do." "I'll get it for you."
She quickly grabbed it, put a hand on thedoorknob and braced herself. "I come in now." Carefully she opened the door, immediately perceiving the small trace of blood that lead to the shower. "I'll clean it up, I promise. And I made sure not to soil the carpet." She lifted her gaze to the girl in the shower who was about to try and get to her feet. Kirsten cautiously crossed the small room, attempting to support her, but her legs gave too suddenly, so she sunk back to her knees again.
"I.. I've been sitting here too long. My legs are just numb, that's all", she apologized, casting a short glance at the blonde woman at her side, still avoiding eye-contact. Even though she tried not to scrutinize her too obviously, Kirsten noticed her split lower lip and the forming bruises around her neck as well as the already fading ones on her upper arms who appeared overly muscular compared to the rest of her petite body.
In order to stop herself from observing her, Kirsten filled a glass with water, held it out to the girl and offered her a small pill which earned her a suspicious glare. "It's a muscle-relaxant. It'll ease the convulsions, trust me", she explained. Nodding the girl accepted it. While she spilled the medicine with water, Kirsten put a small package on top of the bag she'd placed beside the shower. "I brought you some sanitary napkins. They won't absorb very much but it's better than nothing until Ryan comes back with other ones." "You're not calling a doctor?" the girl asked timidly, handing her back the glass. "Not unless you tell me to. Ryan asked me to wait with that." "Good. Thank you. I.. I'm fine", Cat quickly assured her – but at the same moment was betrayed by her body. Kirsten saw her gasping for air, firmly pressing both hands on her stomach. Without even knowing it she knelt down and started to stroke her shoulder until the cramp was over.
Still panting, the girl looked up to her, an embarrassed and apologetic look on her face. "I.. sorry, it's just.. it's already gettin' better, really, I don't.." "Shh.. it's okay, don't worry." "I don't want to cause any trouble, honestly, I'll be gone as soon as possible. And I'll pay you back for all of it", she rushed out, but Kirsten interrupted her.
"Cassandra, there's no need for all of it. You're a friend of our son, so all I want you to be is safe and sound, do you understand?" Another suspicious look. "So tell me: How do you feel right now?" "Uhm.. fine?" Kirsten rolled her eyes, then smiled: "You must know that we're used to that phrase since it's one of Ryan's favorites. Please: Tell me the truth." Cat smiled despite herself. "Well, not really shiny and new but I'll be okay. I guess I just need to clean up a little.." she glanced down herself, then smiled again and although it was a shy, careful smile Kirsten found to like it much more than the worried, suspicious cast she'd worn before.
She stood up, holding out her hands to Cat to help her get to her feet, too. This accomplished she could see the mess the poor girl had been sitting in. "I'd love to offer you our bath-tub in the house but I'm afraid a warm bath would increase the bleeding, so a shower must do. Uhm.. do you think you can handle this on your own?" she asked, noticing how weak and slightly slumped over Cat stood there. Also the sweat on her forehead and the pale complexion except for red-blushed cheeks didn't quite improve her appearance. Despite all of this the girl nodded, grabbed the handle inside the shower and took a deep breath, visibly making an effort to straighten up. Kirsten acknowledged this and nodded, too, walked to the cupboard and took two big towels and a bathrobe out of it and placed the itemsbeside the girl's bag. "Fine then. Do you have other clothes?" "Yes, everything there. Thanks." "You can leave those in here. Rosa, our maid, will take care of it. Uhm.. I guess I know what you think about that, Ryan first had his issues with that, too. In fact, he still has, but he's accepted it by now."
She put her hands into the pockets of her robe, nodded to herself and finally stated: "I'll be next door. In case you need something, just call me." "Okay, uhm.. thank you, Mrs. Cohen."
Kirsten nodded again, then stepped outside, closed the door behind her and leaned against it for a moment, taking several deep breaths.
Suddenly she heard a knocking sound.
Knitting her brow she descended the few steps and looked around the room. Ryan would've simply stepped inside, she wondered briefly but then she spotted - her husband. Kneeling outside on all fours, peeking inside under one of the blinds that wasn't fully down and waving at her.
Shaking her head she hurried to the door, made sure she still heard the sound of the shower, then opened it and stuck her head outside.
"Now what's this: Sandy Cohen, P.I.?" she teased, not able to be mad at the man she'd actually surprised in a rather compromising position twice on the same day.
Sandy had lunged to his feet and looked at her apologetically. "I woke up and you were gone. And didn't come back", he uttered like a little boy who had trouble sleeping alone. "I was worried. Uhm.. something wrong?" She shook her head, amused despite herself. "Listen, I'll explain everything to you when I come back in. Please wait for me inside, will you? Cassandra must not see you when she's finished in the bathroom. Please?" "Okay", Sandy nodded,peeking over her shoulder,"I'll be waiting."
Another door Kirsten closed to lean against for a minute, inhaling deeply.
She started pacing the room, every once in a while checking the watch, anxiously awaiting Ryan's return. Strange enough – now, after having met her in person, Kirsten realized that she kind of understood why he'd brought this girl home with him. It wasn't that she'd immediately liked her but there was just something about her. She wondered if Ryan had felt the same way Sandy had after he'd met their new son for the first time. His words crossed her mind: "This boy was me."
Kirsten's thoughts were interrupted by a surprised shriek and a low thump. "Cassandra? Are you okay?" She demanded. "Yes! Yes, just slipped, don't worry!" she got the immediate response.
A few minutes after the sound of the shower had stopped she heard Cat call out for her. "Mrs. Cohen?" "Yes? What's up?" "Uhm.. do you think Ryan would borrow me a shirt? I'm really sorry. I was convinced I had another one but.. somebody went through my stuff today. He must've taken it. I.. uhm.." "No problem. Wait a second", she opened the small wardrobe, "do you want a t-shirt or a longsleeve?" Cat hesitated. "Oh.. I don't know.." "How about a longsleeve, hm? It's a little warmer." "O-okay.." "I come in, okay?"
When Kirsten opened the door the girl stood in front of the basin, holding on to it while she took a tooth-brush and –paste out of a small pocket. She wore short grey sweatpants and a black bra and as she now bent down to stash the pocket back into her bag before turning to her, Kirsten discovered a straight white scar, beginning about three inchesbelow her shoulderblades, descending her spine to end short above the pants that sat low on her hips.
"Thank you", Cat said, facing her again, took the long sleeved white shirt and pulled it over. Smiling Kirsten stepped closer to help her since her big towel-turban wouldn't go through the neck. When her face finally reappeared, Kirsten was relieved to actually see her smile widely, though a little embarrassed. This sight made her unconsciously catch her breath: The change from grave to glad resulted in the same amazing difference on her face as on Ryan's. One could believe there was another person hidden under the mask of the first one. It made you wish the mask would disappear for good..
As if on clue they suddenly heard Ryan's voice, approaching from the other room.
"Kirsten? Cassandra? Everything okay? Sorry it took so long, I already made the..", he interrupted himself when he appeared in the doorframe and saw the two women standing there, still smiling, "..the tea. Uhm.. it's out here. Balm-mint. Just in case.. I mean. Well.. I'm gonna wait out here", he stammered. "Oh.. here." He handed Kirsten a plastic bag then turned around and left.
Kirsten chuckled and shrugged her shoulders, then offered the bag to Cat. "It's somesanitary productsyou might need. They'll be more useful than what I gave you. Well", she took another deep breath, "I'll go back to bed then. But in case you need me, don't mind to ask, okay?" Cat nodded and timidly held out her hand to Kirsten who grasped it surprised.
"Thank you very much, Mrs. Cohen. For everything. For letting me stay and.. well, for your kindness. ..You won't regret it. And.. I try to not be.. a burden." "Oh sweetie, you're not. Just get well. And for tonight I hope you'll sleep well." She briefly passed her hand over the girl's cheek, then left the bathroom and closed the door behind her. Again.
"Thanks for staying with her", Ryan welcomed her. Meanwhile he'd stripped to shorts and shirt and sat on the couch, a thermos bottle and a cup on the small table in front of him, flipping through a CD-booklet. She went downstairs to him and got aware of the soft music that filled the room. "What's this?" she motioned to the CD-player. Ryan waved the booklet at her. "The band that played tonight at the Bait Shop. Tess Wiley. Rainy day assembly", he read out. "Alex gave the music to Cassandra. Obviously she likes it. Uhm.. did anything happen?"
She shook her head, suppressing a yawn. "Everything's okay. So far. I guess. I mean.. she doesn't talk much. Just like somebody else I know", she teased. Ryan chuckled despite himself, relieved to hear there had been no problems. "I think the medication has started to work", Kirsten added and smiled when next the same words she'd heard before got to her ears. "Just thank you so much. For everything. You won't regret it. I'm sure of that." "Anytime. And.. I'm glad you asked. Goodnight." She reached for the door.
"Oh, just in case you're surprised", Ryan's voice let her hesitate, "if your advice was good, Sandy should be sleeping by now. He was pacing the kitchen when I came back, so I spared you the work and filled him in. And I.. I offered him a cup of that tea.." Kirsten smirked. "Now I do thank you. Sleep well, you two."
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Papermonster: Well, kind of a filling chapter, but I considered the first encounter between Kirsten and a totally stranger girl in her son's room in the middle of the night kind of important. More Cat/Ryan interaction? Reactions from the Cohens? All to come. Hope you all approve of the way the story's going. Please R+R, tell me what you think.
2 Leenje: If you're still interested: More of Cat's story soon.. might seem a little sideways and backwards, just keep reading, hope you enjoy it.
2 Beachtree: I'm really working on all kinds of relationships, hope you like the ones I'm trying to establish toward the newcomer.