So real life constrants and health thingsmade it a little more difficult to update as soon as I wanted. Sorry. I know it's a long chapter, but I needed some set up here.

P.S. - my betas are awesome people...

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Sandy quietly watched Kirsten watching Ryan. He wanted to give her a chance to absorb the fact that Ryan would be awake and on the road to recovery shortly. After a few minutes, he finally asked, "Are you okay to drive or do you want me to call a cab?"

Kirsten sat in the chair, still lightly rubbing Ryan's arm. "Hmm? What? Cab?"

"To take you home. To get some sleep."

"No, I'm good. I think I'll stay for a while."

"Kirsten, I thought we both decided it would be better if you went home, took a shower and got some sleep."

Kirsten shook her head. "Later. I don't want Ryan to wake up alone."

Sandy pushed his chair a little closer to his wife as he laid his hand on top of Ryan's. "He won't be alone. I'll be here. Plus we don't even know when Ryan is going to wake up."

"All the more reason for me to stay."

Sandy sighed. "Kirsten…"

Kirsten finally stopped rubbing Ryan's arm long enough to look at Sandy. "Sandy, you said it yourself, Ryan needs to know we're here for him. How is he going to believe I'm here for him if I'm not here?"

At both the tone of her voice and the way she narrowed of her eyes, Sandy knew Kirsten was done arguing. She wasn't going anywhere, and he was most definitely wasting his breath. "Then I guess I should go get us some breakfast."

"Just some coffee."

"Coffee and some hospital style pancakes. Oh, and remember, the nurse said to continue talking to him."

After Sandy left, Kirsten smiled. "Talk to you. Hear that? I guess Sandy thinks you and I are still too quiet. But I think I've proven that I can talk a lot, too. Maybe not Seth proportions or even Sandy level, but I'm still outtalking you. Come on, Ryan. Not that it's ever been much of a contest, but you are now officially the quietest member of this family. Come on - start talking. I know you can do it. I've heard you talk a few times."

She only waited a brief moment. "Not up for talking just yet? Okay, I'll take another hand motion. For now, just move your hand. You moved it before. Do it again. Please?"

Kirsten picked up his hand and let it go. She was disappointed to see it fall back onto the bed. "Come on, Ryan. Don't make me hurt you."

She waited another brief moment. Nothing. "Okay then, I'll take that as a sign that you know I'd never do anything to hurt you. What about a bribe? Is there anything I can offer to buy you? Huh? Should I start small? Maybe some new Play Station games? No? Another new bike? Hmm? How about that? Okay, okay, I know. You're holding out for the big stuff, aren't you? You want the car. Right? Have you been talking to Hailey? She always knew how to get my parents to give her anything, and she was so good at it, they usually ended up thinking it was their idea! So now you're taking after Hailey?"

As Ryan continued to lie there, Kirsten could feel her frustration level begin to increase again. She raised her voice, deciding to change tactics. "You know what, Ryan, I really don't appreciate your continued defiance. The doctor said you would wake up Monday. Well, it's now Tuesday, and you still aren't awake. You aren't listening to the doctor, and you aren't listening to me. Seth's already grounded; we can ground you, too. No going out. No video games. No television. No telephones. Matter of fact, you keep this up, and I'll sell the Play Station and the television. Your Ipod, too. No new bike, no car, nothing. And since you'll have so much free time on your hands, you can come to work at the Newport Group with my father. Then this summer, I'll send you to stay with the Nana. How'd you like that? You and the Nana in the Bronx all summer long?"

Sandy walked back into the room as Kirsten raised her voice even louder. "You hear me, Ryan? You will spend the rest of this winter with my father and then this entire summer with the Nana!"

"Kirsten, what are you doing?"

She jumped at the sound of another voice. "Oh, hi. I didn't hear you come in."

"Obviously. Again, what are you doing?"

Kirsten was a little embarrassed. "Well, nothing else seems to be working, and you know how much Ryan hates it when we're mad at him. So I figured if he could hear us, maybe he'd respond."

"By threatening him with your father and my mother? Kirsten, I don't know too many teenagers who like to spend time with normal grandparents, but when those grandparents are Caleb Nichol and Sophie Cohen, well, I think I'd prefer to be in a coma myself."

"Very funny. But I've tried everything else. I've read to him, talked to him, and tried bribing him. I don't know what else I can try."

"Try being patient."

At first Kirsten just rolled her eyes. Then she sighed. "It's been four days. Even when he worked in Chino this summer, we never went four days without hearing his voice. I miss it."

Sandy kissed the top of Kirsten's head as he handed her a Styrofoam container and a cup of coffee. "Eat something. You'll feel better."

"Doubt it," Kirsten mumbled and placed the container down on the bed next to Ryan. She tried to figure a way out of eating the soggy undercooked bacon and the dry overcooked pancakes. Kirsten wrinkled her nose as she poked at it with her fork. "Looks delicious."

"You've got to eat something."

Kirsten put the fork down and picked up her coffee. "Well, I'm not eating that."

They both jumped when the entire container shot off the bed and landed on the floor. Sandy laughed. "Apparently Ryan agrees with you," since Ryan's hand now occupied the spot where Kirsten's breakfast previously was.

"Awww. Thank you, sweetie. You moved your hand, and you got rid of my breakfast. What else can you do?" Kirsten tapped the top of Ryan's hand with her finger and then smiled as she saw Ryan tap his finger. "Sandy, did you see? Watch."

She again tapped the top of Ryan's hand and again he tapped his finger. She quickly grabbed his hand. "Can you squeeze my hand? Squeeze my hand, Ryan. Please?"

Nothing. Kirsten laid his hand back on the bed and gave it her own gentle squeeze. "I guess I'm asking too much of you again. Well, okay, you moved your hand just like I asked. See, I can be patient. But not for too much longer!"

Sandy and Kirsten continued to stare at Ryan, waiting and watching for more movements, signs that Ryan was coming back to them. They also continued to talk. Nonstop. To each other and to Ryan. Every so often Ryan would make a slight movement, usually just his hand, but once when Sandy lightly patted the top of his right leg, Ryan moved that.

With the change in nursing staff came another check of Ryan's condition. This time, however, Kirsten was eager for the nurse to come in as she explained each one of Ryan's movements.

The nurse smiled as she promised the Cohens an interesting day. She explained that Ryan's movements would gradually increase but also cautioned that it would be a continuous, slow process. For every two steps forward, Ryan would take one step back. "Don't expect him to suddenly hop up and start dancing," she warned.

Sandy patted Ryan's leg again and joked, "Don't worry. We never expect Ryan to be ready to dance. Right, kid?"

Everyone smiled as Ryan again moved his leg. Kirsten almost started to giggle when the nurse leaned down to put the thermometer in Ryan's ear and he jerked his head away. "Definitely going to be a very interesting day for all of us," the nurse said as she finally got the thermometer in Ryan's ear.

She had even more trouble taking his blood pressure. " Feisty young man, isn't he?" she commented as she removed the blood pressure cuff for the third time, waited for Ryan to relax his arm and re-apply it, only to watch Ryan tense his arm again.

"Not usually. Well, sometimes, but only when he has to be. Usually he's very sweet." Kirsten picked up his hand and whispered, "Hey. It's only me. I've got your hand. See, that's me squeezing it. Just let the nurse finish her job then you can be Captain Muscles all you want." Kirsten took Ryan's lack of a response as a sign that he did in fact hear her, as the nurse finally had no trouble taking his blood pressure.

As she prepared to leave, the nurse decided to issue another warning to the hopeful parents. "Remember, two steps forward and one step back. Ryan has made some tremendous progress today, and I will let the Doctor know that. But don't be upset or shocked if it's a while before Ryan moves again. This is all very wearing on him."

Kirsten and Sandy both nodded their understanding. Sure, okay, Ryan was going to be tired. They'll be patient. They'll let him rest.

That patience and understanding lasted through the first hour. Partially through the second hour, Kirsten started to tap the top of Ryan's hand again and Sandy started tapping his leg. Another hour passed. Sandy got lunch that Kirsten laid on the bed next to Ryan. Unfortunately, she ended up eating it when Ryan didn't knock it to the ground.

Finally Sandy started to sing. Standing at the foot of Ryan's bed, he began singing every Grease song he could remember. It was on his third rendition of Grease Lightening that Kirsten saw Ryan turn his head and she was pretty sure she heard him moan. "Sandy, shhh. Wait a second."

"What is it?"

Kirsten hit the call button. "He moaned. I think."

The nurse walked in to find each parent on either side of the bed, leaning close to Ryan's face. "What's wrong?"

"Kirsten heard Ryan moan."

"I think. I mean it was kind of hard to hear with the tube down his throat and the sound of the machines and Sandy singing, but I'm pretty sure he moaned. I think."

"Singing? Do you sing often Mr. Cohen?"

"Not often. Just enough to annoy the kids."

"Enough to make them moan?"

"Sometimes, but usually Seth more then Ryan."

"If you've made your sons moan in the past with your singing, then it is very possible that Ryan moaned again. Um, speaking of sons, your other son is here. He's waiting outside, and he's talking a lot. If one of you could go see Seth, I'll check on Ryan."

Sandy looked at Kirsten who was staring at Ryan before heading for the door. He stopped when he heard Kirsten ask, "I know it's against hospital policy, but would it be possible for Seth to see Ryan? He hasn't been able to see him yet, and well, if Ryan is really starting to respond to us, maybe Seth talking to him would help."

They both stared at the nurse as she continued to check Ryan, without acknowledging the request. She could hear the desperation in the woman's voice, and she knew that if Ryan was responding to the parents than he'd more then likely respond to the brother, especially the extremely talkative brother outside. But well, it was against hospital policy. The nurse looked up to say no but couldn't, not with the look in Kirsten's eyes. "Please?"

She sighed and shook her head. It was a stupid hospital policy, anyway. "I did not hear that question, okay? If the doctor comes by, I knew nothing about this."

Sandy held the door open thinking the nurse was going to leave, but first she stopped next to him. "Wait for me to return to the nurse's station, and then limit the visit to only five or ten minutes."

Kirsten watched the nurse leave and then looked at Sandy. They quietly waited a minute before Kirsten nodded and Sandy left to get Seth. She was very excited at the idea of having her whole family in the same room for the first time in days, even if it was a hospital room. "Okay, Ryan. You asked for it. We're bringing in the big guns now. Yes, that's right; we're subjecting you to Seth. Your days of peace and quiet are over."

She softened her voice as she reached down to stroke Ryan's cheek. "I know he really wants to talk to you. I hope you can hear him, and I really hope you can forgive him."

When she heard the door open, Kirsten turned around to smile at Seth. She then motioned him to come closer. He didn't seem to be in too much of a rush. "Um, are you sure this is okay?"

Kirsten again motioned Seth to come into the room. "It's fine, Seth. The nurse said as long as we keep the visit short. And I think it'll do Ryan some good to hear your voice."

With a gentle push from Sandy, Seth finally started to approach the bed. "What do I say?"

"I don't know. Talk about anything. What about school? Or Summer?"

"No. I can't talk to him about Summer. Summer is the reason he's here. I mean, my constant thing about Summer is the reason."

Kirsten stood up from her chair and motioned to Seth. "Then talk about school or Chrismukkah. Just talk."

"It's just… He looks so… God, I did this to him, and I have no idea what to say. How do I even start to make this up to him?"

Sandy put his arm around Seth's shoulder and gently guided him to the side of Ryan's bed. "Start by talking to him; just let him hear your voice. Don't try to apologize now."

Seth could only nod as he sat in Kirsten's vacated seat. "Hey, bro. It's me. Um, Seth. So listen, tonight's the first night of Hanukkah. I think Mom and Dad would really like it if you opened your eyes. A real festival of lights kind of gift. Not that your other presents weren't great. Oh, I wrapped them for you. Hope you don't mind, but I peeked at mine. It was kind of hard to wrap it with my eyes shut. Primo gift. Thanks. I can't believe you remembered. And speaking of gifts, the Nana sent the usual savings bonds, and as usual Dad took them for 'our futures'. She says thanks for your wonderful gift; it was very thoughtful. She didn't tell me what it was, but she did feel the need to remind me that your gift was on time, and she still hadn't received mine. Way to make me look bad to the Nana, Ryan… Well, I guess I made myself look bad. It's not like you didn't remind me last week to mail it."

Seth hesitated for a second when he noticed Ryan didn't so much as twitch at his ramblings. "Um. Lindsey says hi. So does Marissa. And Summer. And Zach. And Luke called again. Said to give him a call when you're up for another trip to Portland. I know the last time you were there we really didn't stay that long. Portland's nice. You'll really like it. There's a lot to do. Um, I can't really go with you though, since Luke is still kind of mad at me. But then again so is Lindsey. And Marissa. And Summer and Zach. And I guess you will be soon."

Another quiet hesitation as Seth felt the lump in his throat grow bigger. He just couldn't continue to make small talk as the guy who was supposed to be his best friend, hell, his brother lay unconscious, and all because Seth was being an ass. "Oh, man. Ryan, I am so, so sorry. It was an accident. A stupid, stupid accident. I never meant for it to happen. I swear I…"

Seth stopped talking as he watched Ryan begin to grip his blanket with his right hand and his body suddenly became very rigid.Ryan then started trying to jerk his left arm out of the sling. And Seth panicked. "Mom? MOM!"

Kirsten quickly moved Seth out of the way as she tried to loosen Ryan's grip on his blanket. "Sandy, quick! Grab his left arm before he hurts his shoulder."

Sandy grabbed a hold of Ryan's hand and began rubbing his arm. "Come on, kid. It's okay. Relax, Ryan. Just try to relax."

When she was unable to pry his hand free, Kirsten laid her one hand on top of Ryan's and frantically hit the call button with her other. "Ryan. Please stop. It's okay. I promise, it'll be okay."

"What's going on here?" Everyone jumped at the booming voice of the doctor who came charging in. Kirsten could only shake her head as she once again tried to pull Ryan's hand free from the blanket. Seth stood silent. Only Sandy seemed composed enough to talk. "We don't know. He seemed fine a minute ago."

The doctor eyed Seth up and then not so gently moved Kirsten out of the way. "I need everyone to wait outside." That was all Seth needed to hear. He couldn't get out of the room fast enough. Sandy nodded and slowly began to make his way for the door. But Kirsten hesitated. "What's wrong? Is he going to be okay?"

The doctor didn't bother to hide his obvious annoyance. "Mrs. Cohen, please wait outside. I will come talk to you as soon as I can."

Sandy put his arm around his wife and gently led her out of the room. They joined Seth, who was already pacing the floor. "Oh, God, he hates me. He's not even awake yet and already he hates me."

"He doesn't hate you, honey. I'm sure what happened has nothing to do with you."

"Yeah? Has he ever done that when you were talking to him?"

"No, but…"

"So the first time I talk to him, he freaks out. How can you say he doesn't hate me? It's crystal clear now. There is no way we're going to be able to live under the same roof. He's not going to want to have anything to do with me ever again."

Kirsten could only stand there with her mouth open. It wasn't possible. There was no way Seth was standing in front of them insinuating that he was going to leave again. She closed her eyes and began to shake her head. She needed a moment to try to compose herself. Lucky for her though, Sandy didn't need any time. "So, what? That means you want to leave? Run away? And go where? Not this time, Seth. This time you will not run away. This time you will face what happened, and you will deal with it. Is that understood?"

"Dad, I'm just saying…"

"I know what you're just saying and I suggest you don't!"

"No, Dad. Listen. I'm not planning on running away. I swear. I'm just saying that if Ryan can't live with me, it wouldn't be fair to expect him to leave…"

"No!" Sandy and Seth both jumped when Kirsten shouted. "No one is leaving. Not you, and not Ryan. I will not relive last summer. We will deal with this when Ryan is home and is feeling better. And we will deal with this as a family under the same roof."

The conversation came to a halt when they saw the nurse leave Ryan's room. She didn't say anything to them as she hurried down the hall. Nor did she say anything when she returned a few minutes later. And all three Cohens were afraid to say anything to her. They stood silently staring at the door to Ryan's room.

A few minutes passed before the door opened and both the doctor and nurse came out. The doctor nodded first, causing Kirsten to reach for Sandy's hand. "Mr. and Mrs. Cohen. First let me say, Ryan is fine. We've given him something to relax him."

"You can do that with a head injury?" Kirsten didn't mean to sound like she was questioning the doctor's authority. She hadn't even realized she had done that until she saw the look on his face.

"Like I was saying," he continued, "Ryan is fine. But there is such a thing as over stimulation. I know you're all very anxious for Ryan to wake up, but I must strongly advise you to allow Ryan to regain consciousness at his own pace. Continue to talk to him softly to let him know you're there, but I don't suggest any more singing or any additional outside family members."

"Does Ryan hate me? Is that why he freaked out?"

The doctor looked from Sandy to Kirsten before looking at Seth. "I really don't know if Ryan hates you or not since I don't know what your relationship is like with your brother. I do know that Ryan is slowly becoming aware of his surroundings, and he's becoming very aware of the trauma his body sustained. His 'freak out' as you call it was his response to the pain he is beginning to feel."

"Pain?"

"Yes, pain. Ryan is going to be in a great deal of pain that we can control when he is fully conscious, but for right now, we have given him something to help relax him. I would suggest that you all go home and get some rest. The nurse can call you if there is any change in Ryan's condition."

One look at Kirsten's face, and Sandy had to ask. "We can stay if we want though, right?"

"You and Mrs. Cohen can stay, but no more violating hospital policy. I will be back later to check on Ryan."

Seth looked down at his feet until he was sure the doctor had left. Ryan was going to be in a great deal of pain. No, Ryan was already in pain. Because of him. Because he was an ass. Because he was a selfish, self-serving ass. "Obviously, I'm the violation so I'm going to go."

"Kirsten, why don't you take Seth home? Take a long hot shower, get something to eat and try to get some sleep. I'll stay with Ryan, and I'll call you if there's any change."

Sandy braced himself for another argument from Kirsten and was shocked when she simply nodded her head. It was Seth who stopped her. "No, I want you both to stay. Be here for him when he wakes up. I'm fine. I can take care of myself. I promise I'll call as soon as I get home. Just stay here with Ryan. Take care of him."

Kirsten tried not to show her relief. Yes, she wanted to stay at the hospital, but she also felt that she should be with Seth. He needed her just as much as Ryan did, probably more at this point. "Are you sure?"

She was surprised when Seth leaned down and kissed her cheek. "I'm sure. You want to stay. I know you do. So stay. I want you to."

Sandy was a little skeptical. "You promise to go straight home and stay there? You aren't going to do anything…"

"Stupid? No, Dad. I promise, straight home." Seth gestured towards Ryan's room. "I've given you guys enough to worry about. No more stupid."

Kirsten gave Seth a hug and a kiss before going back into Ryan's room. Sandy also hugged him before handing him some money. "Call when you get home and make sure you order something for dinner."

Sandy watched as Seth left. Part of him wanted to go with Seth and make sure he really was okay. But a larger part of him knew that he needed to be at the hospital with Kirsten. One look at Kirsten's face when he re-entered that room, and he knew he was right. Kirsten was feeling guilty again. "This wasn't your fault."

"The nurse told me yesterday that it was probably better for Ryan if he stayed asleep a little while longer. She warned me that he would be in pain, but I didn't care. I wanted him awake. It was selfish on my part. It was because of me that Seth was in here, and it was because of me that they had to sedate Ryan before he was even fully awake."

"You want what's best for your kids. There's nothing selfish about that. This is a nightmare for all of us, and you can't keep beating yourself up over it. Let it go."

Sandy pulled both chairs to the foot of Ryan's bed. "We'll sit down here, and quietly stay until he's good and ready to open his eyes and tell us to go home. Okay?" Kirsten could only give Sandy a sad smile. Once again she didn't trust herself to speak; she just wanted to cry.

The remainder of the day seemed very uneventful to Kirsten as she sat in that chair. Seth called when he got home. A little while later, Sandy went for dinner. A few hours after that, the doctor stopped by again. And Ryan never moved. Sandy and Kirsten both continued to watch him, talking softly to each other and to Ryan throughout the rest of the evening and into the night. It was around midnight when Sandy noticed that Kirsten had finally fallen asleep. As he wrapped his arms around her and guided her head onto his shoulder, he knew she was both physically and emotionally exhausted. He looked over at Ryan one last time before he too closed his eyes. "Good night, kid. We'll see you in the morning."

Ryan's room remained quiet, as Kirsten and Sandy both fell into an uncomfortable but much needed sleep. The nurses were kind enough to limit the amount of times they came in, and when they did, they tried to be as quiet as possible.

It was during the peace and quiet however that Ryan began to stir again. The night nurse had just finishing changing the IV bag when she saw Ryan's eyes flutter. She reached down and stroked his right cheek until he finally opened his eyes. "Hey. Look who finally decided to wake up!"

Ryan frowned as his hand immediately went for his intubations tube, but the nurse stopped him. "No. You need to leave that alone. I'm sure the doctor will take it out as soon as he confirms that you're okay. In the meantime, I know a couple of parents who are going to be really happy to see those baby blues of yours." Ryan's eyes followed the nurse's hand as she pointed down to the foot of his bed. "What's say we wake them up, huh?"

She was surprised when Ryan grabbed her and started to shake his head. "You don't want me to wake them?" Ryan shook his head a little harder and then grabbed the blanket on his bed. He tried to pull it up and hand it to the nurse as his eyes went from her over to Kirsten and Sandy. "Don't worry. I promise to get them their own blankets. But first, I really think they'll want to know you're awake."

Ryan watched as the nurse walked to the foot of his bed and gently shake Kirsten's arm. "Mrs. Cohen?" Kirsten jumped at the slight touch. "What? What's wrong? Ryan?"

"Shhh. Mrs. Cohen, everything's fine. Someone just wanted to say hi." The nurse pointed towards Ryan and then had to step back as Kirsten and Sandy rushed to his bedside. Kirsten couldn't say anything at first. She just smiled and grabbed his hand. Sandy patted his leg. "Hey, kid. It's good to see you awake."

"How are you?" Kirsten asked, causing Ryan to pull his hand free and again reach for the intubations tube. Kirsten quickly grabbed his hand back. "I'm sorry. That was a stupid question."

The nurse excused herself so she could go notify the resident on call that Ryan was awake. Ryan's eyes followed the nurse out and then looked back at Kirsten and Sandy. It was easy to see that his eyes were full of fear and confusion so Sandy decided to answer the questions he knew Ryan had. "There was an accident, but you're going to be fine."

Ryan again let go of Kirsten's hand and put it up to his head, feeling the bandage. "You have a concussion and some stitches."

Ryan nodded slightly and slid his hand down to his left shoulder. "Dislocated. It'll heal in a couple of weeks."

Again Ryan nodded and then moved his hand over his chest and stomach. "There was some bruising of your lung and some ribs. But again, those will be okay in time. You also needed surgery. There was some, um, internal bleeding." Ryan didn't nod this time, but instead just moved his leg. "Your ankle is broken."

Kirsten and Sandy watched as Ryan frowned and shifted in the bed. His eyes were no longer full of fear, only confusion as he slowly closed them and reached for Kirsten's hand. "You're okay," she whispered. "I promise, everything will be okay."

Ryan didn't open his eyes. He only gave Kirsten's hand a squeeze. They silently watched as Ryan again shifted in the bed and grimaced. It was obvious, he was in pain. It was the doctor who finally broke the silence. "So I hear Sleeping Beauty is awake. Nice to meet you, Ryan. I'm Dr. Johnson. Mom and Dad, if you'll step back, I'll check on Ryan and see about removing that breathing tube."

Kirsten gave Ryan's hand a reassuring squeeze before moving to the end of the bed. Ryan watched them as they watched the doctor examine him and then begin to disconnect the tube. Kirsten wanted to move to the side of the bed, but the nurse returned and handed her a cup of ice chips. She explained to Kirsten that she should give Ryan only one or two pieces at a time, distracting her so Kirsten didn't realize the doctor had pulled out the tube, not until she heard a loud gasp followed by a series of short raspy breaths. She felt foolish rushing to his bedside to offer some ice chips, but Ryan seemed appreciative as he offered her a slight smile and opened his mouth.

After the doctor finished his exam, he asked, "On a scale of one to ten, Ryan, how would you rate the pain?"

"Bad."

"Bad as in a ten?"

"Yeah."

"Well, we can give you something to take the edge off that pain. How's that sound?"

"Kay." Ryan looked at Kirsten and Sandy. "Happened?"

"What happened?" Sandy asked and Ryan nodded. "There was an accident. At home."

"Accident? Home? Seth kay?"

Kirsten and Sandy both looked at the doctor who only nodded. Okay, so Ryan not being able to talk in complete sentences was fine by him. It wasn't fine by Kirsten so Sandy was the one to answer. "Seth is fine. He's home, hopefully asleep."

"You home?"

"Later. Don't worry about us. I promise, we'll go home later."

Ryan shifted in the bed again, then looked around the room. "Happened?"

Kirsten and Sandy looked at each other, then at the doctor again. The doctor seemed unfazed by Ryan's obvious confusion. "There was an accident, Ryan. You fell."

"Off cliff?"

"No, sweetie," Kirsten said with a chuckle. "You didn't fall off a cliff."

"Happened? Don't member."

Again Sandy and Kirsten looked at each other before turning to the doctor. Now didn't seem like the time to tell Ryan what happened. "Ryan," the doctor said. "I want you to think for a moment. What is the last thing you do remember?"

"Um…" It was obvious that Ryan was really trying to concentrate. "School?"

"What do you remember about school?"

Ryan thought another moment before moaning, and everyone was shocked as he tried to climb out of the bed. Kirsten jumped first. "Where do you think you're going?"

"School. Lindsey. Physics due."

Sandy gently pushed Ryan back into bed. "Sorry, kid. Your physics assignment was due Monday, and at 3 AM, its now technically Wednesday." Ryan could only groan again. "Lindsey pissed?"

"Ryan, don't say…" Kirsten started but then stopped. "No, Lindsey isn't mad. She's worried about you. And don't worry about your assignment. She turned it in on time. Seth helped her finish it."

"Seth finish? Say thanks." Ryan was starting to find it hard to keep his eyes open. His whole body still hurt, but he was tired. Really, really tired. With his eyes now shut, Ryan never saw the doctor inject something into his IV. "Ryan, I've given you something for the pain. You should try to get some rest now. You can talk to your folks again later." Ryan slid down in the bed as he turned his head to the side. "Kay."

It didn't take long before Ryan was asleep, and as Kirsten bent down to kiss him good night, she noticed the change. He was asleep. Not unconscious. There was no breathing tube. He wasn't flat on his back, head pointed towards the ceiling, stiff as a board. He was asleep, head slightly askewed, slumped down in the bed. As she stared at him a little longer, she also heard something. Something she had been missing the past few nights. Ryan was snoring. That very light snoring she noticed every time she checked on him at home. She grabbed Sandy's hand and smiled through some tears.

The doctor promised that Ryan would sleep for a few hours, but would wake up again. And the next time, he'd probably be able to stay awake for a longer period of time. They would also be able to better gauge any side effects Ryan was suffering from at that time. The doctor smiled warmly at the Cohens as he and the nurse left.

Sandy put his arm around Kirsten and gave her a kiss as Kirsten continued to fight her tears. Neither one of them moved at first; they were both content with just staring at Ryan for a few minutes. They didn't expect to see the nurse return to the room, and they certainly didn't expect to see her carrying blankets. "Ryan wanted you to have these. Well, actually, Ryan wanted to give you the blanket off his bed, but I promised him I'd get you your own."

As she handed Kirsten the blankets, she continued. "He seems like a really sweet kid. You must be very proud." Kirsten could only nod as Sandy thanked her. She managed to wait until the nurse left again before she could no longer hold back her tears. As she held onto to those blankets and Sandy held onto her, Kirsten's whole body began to shake. For the first time since the accident happened, Kirsten didn't just cry, she sobbed.