Even though it was still only morning, Kirsten was already very tired when she reached the hospital. She had spent a good part of the night before and all that morning explaining to Seth that to be there for Ryan, they had to be there with him. He was therefore expected at the hospital after school and to be there to celebrate Hanukkah that night, even if Ryan wouldn't speak to any of them.

She hoped that Sandy had had better luck convincing Ryan that they hadn't lied to him and that they'd had every intention of telling him what had happened. That way they only had to deal with Ryan being mad at Seth, not at all three of them. She wasn't at all happy to find Sandy in the hallway outside of Ryan's room when she got there.

"What's wrong? Don't tell me he threw you out?"

"No. To do that would mean he had to have actually said something to me."

"He didn't say anything?"

Sandy shook his head and then began to count on his fingers. "Well, let's see. I did get two 'fines', a 'yeah' and one 'mmm'."

"Did you try to talk to him at all?"

"Not really. After you left, he fell asleep for a while, until he had a nightmare. I think it was a nightmare. I asked, but that's when I got my first 'fine.' He woke up again a few hours later. I asked if he was in pain and needed a nurse; that was my 'yeah.' His other 'fine' came a few hours after that when I asked how he was doing. And first thing this morning I got the 'mmm' in response."

Kirsten sighed first before she sarcastically said, "just great." She then realized that didn't explain why Sandy was standing outside the room. "But what are you doing out here?"

Sandy motioned towards the door. "Julie's in there with him."

Kirsten stared at Sandy for a minute, too stunned at first to say anything and waiting for the punch line to what could only be a very bad joke. When Sandy didn't say anything, Kirsten asked, "Julie? Julie?"

She almost knocked Sandy to the ground as Kirsten tried to push her way into the room. Sandy stopped her quickly when he finally realized what she was thinking.

"Not Julie Cooper. The nurse. Her name is Julie, too. Believe me, I know he's already upset. I wouldn't be that cruel to subject him to Julie Cooper-Nichol!"

"Oh, okay." Kirsten was relieved to know that at least her husband hadn't totally lost his mind, but that still didn't solve their immediate problem. "So, now that we're both here, I guess we should talk to him together. You know – the united front."

"Not just yet. I was thinking of maybe giving him some time."

"Why?"

"Well, right now, the nurse is removing the catheter, drawing blood and helping him get washed and dressed. You thought he was in a bad mood last night? I think we're in for some serious brooding, in epic proportions."

"But he has to know we didn't lie to him."

"He will. Give him some time. We've had since Saturday to come to terms with what happened. He's only had since yesterday. Plus, if we both go in there in full parental mode, you know he'll think we're ganging up on him. This is a lot for him to handle, and right now, he's probably mad at the world."

"Not the world. Just us."

Sandy wrapped his arms around Kirsten and held her tight as he kissed the top of her head. "It'll be okay. We'll work this out."

Kirsten wanted to believe him. She really did. She still had her head on Sandy's shoulder when the nurse came out.

Julie smiled at the two of them. "You can go in now. We're finished."

Sandy and Kirsten both smiled back as Kirsten pulled away from Sandy. "Everything's okay?"

The nurse hesitated for a second then nodded. "I think he'll be a little more comfortable now, even if he didn't seem all that happy with what I was doing."

Sandy tried to joke, "I can't say that I blame him," but Kirsten just shot him a look as she quickly apologized for what she could only imagine was Ryan's behavior. "I'm sorry if Ryan was difficult. He's not very good at accepting help."

Julie smiled again as she tried to figure out a polite yet direct way to say what she was thinking. "Don't worry about it. I'm used to it, especially from teenage boys. But, um, Ryan seems a little upset about something else. I asked him some questions, to help with the language difficulty. After some one word answers, he finally told me he remembered the accident. I thought that was a good thing, but he seemed, well…" Julie hesitated another moment as she noticed both parents anxiously hanging on her every word. "He seemed very bitter."

Kirsten closed her eyes and hung her head as Sandy sighed, "What did he say about the accident?"

"Not much, really. He said he remembered on his own and that no one told him about it. I know it's not really any of my business, but I was wondering why that would be upsetting to him. And if there's anything I can do to help."

When Sandy noticed Kirsten's whole body just sag, obviously dejected by what the nurse said, he gave her a quick kiss on the forehead and a gentle squeeze on her shoulder. "Why don't you go in and let Ryan know you're here?"

Kirsten didn't say another word as she marched into Ryan's room, more determined than ever that they were going to be there with him and for him, and she was going to get him to understand the meaning of family, even if she had to jam the concept down his throat. Sandy didn't want to discuss the accident with Ryan; that was fine. She'd find other things to talk about, but they were going to talk. That fact was undisputable.

She hesitated for a moment when she saw Ryan, and noticed that without a shirt, the bandage that covered the incision also covered most of his abdomen. She knew the scar would be a constant, ever-present reminder of what happened. But when Kirsten saw Ryan shift in the bed, she figured it would be better to worry about that later. First they needed him to stop being mad at them; then they could help him come to terms with the accident.

Her "good morning, sweetie" sounded a little too cheery as she noticed Ryan immediately stiffen at the sound of her voice, but she continued on anyway. "Did you sleep well?"

"Fine." One word answer.

"You look better. You must feel a little better, wearing your own clothes and not being attached to as many tubes and um…stuff."

That's when Kirsten mentally kicked herself for bringing up the fact that Ryan just had a catheter removed from, well, there. Not a great subject to discuss with anyone, but an angry teenage boy? Probably not one of her brightest moves. But if Ryan noticed or even minded, Kirsten couldn't tell, since all he said was "mmm."

Kirsten opened the nightstand drawer and pulled out another pair of sunglasses. She nudged Ryan's shoulder to get him to open his eyes and take them. But Ryan only opened one eye, looked at the glasses then at Kirsten. "No… thanks. Tired, headache, night." Then he rolled to his side and pulled the covers up to his shoulder.

'Oh yeah, serious brooding happening here,' Kirsten thought as she returned the sunglasses to the nightstand and shut the drawer. She couldn't resist straightening the covers and running her hand over the back of his head before she sat in the chair next to him. "Okay, then, you just rest. I brought one of the books you gave me for Chrismukkah. I can start that while you sleep. Sandy's talking to the nurse. He should be in soon. Then we'll all have breakfast together."

She didn't really expect Ryan to answer, so she wasn't disappointed when he didn't so much as acknowledge her. She shook her head as she pulled out her book and wondered how the hell they were going to get through to him. She had just opened to the first page when Sandy came in. He looked at Ryan and then at Kirsten. She shrugged her shoulders and rolled her eyes. "He's tired and has a headache."

Even though her voice sounded friendly enough, Sandy knew – it didn't exactly take a rocket scientist to figure out that Kirsten got about as far talking to Ryan as he had. He gave her a sympathetic smile as he too used his best fake isn't-everything-just-great voice. "So, I talked to the nurse. Who would have guessed that someone named Julie could actually be nice and smart! What did Shakespeare say about what's in a name?"

Sandy looked over at Ryan, hoping for some kind of response. When he got nothing, he dropped the fake friendly and used his father/I'm-talking-to-you voice as he continued.

"So anyway, Ryan, Julie said your breakfast should be here in about twenty minutes. I'll go down to the cafeteria in about ten minutes to get something for Kirsten and me so we can all eat together. The doctor should be here sometime after that. Julie said she's not sure what tests he'll order, but she's pretty sure he's going to want you to at least try to get out of bed sometime today, with help of course. Then as soon as she has some time, Julie will be back in. She's going to read some sentences to you, and you're going to repeat them back to her. Remember, the more you talk, the more your speech will improve. Julie's going to help you with that. Okay?"

When Ryan continued lying on his side, not moving or in any way acknowledging him, Sandy's voice got slightly louder. "I said okay, Ryan?"

Ryan immediately recognized the change to the answer-me-now tone and rewarded Sandy with a, "Mmm. Yeah, fine."

No one said anything after that. Both Kirsten and Sandy just sat there, staring at Ryan's back, stealing glances at each other while Ryan just 'rested' and continued to ignore them. After waiting the ten minutes, Sandy stood up and headed for the door. "I'll go get breakfast. Is there anything in particular you'd like?"

Kirsten wrinkled her nose first. "How about something good?"

"Something good? I don't think they have that here."

"Then something light. Ryan, do you want anything from the cafeteria?"

"No." It was a mumble, but it was something, an answer anyway. It was also something Kirsten realized as Sandy left. In the all time that Ryan had lived with them, Kirsten had seen him snap at Seth and get mad and try to ignore Sandy, but he had never, ever been rude enough not to answer her when Kirsten asked him a question. She knew that although it was probably more out of a continued uneasiness around her than it was out of love and respect, it was still a chance for her to continue talking to him and know that he would answer her back.

She went back over to the nightstand and pulled out his sunglasses. As she nudged Ryan's shoulder, she said, "Your breakfast should be here soon. You might want to put these on now and give your eyes a chance to adjust so you don't get sick." She nudged him again. "Come on, Ryan. Now."

Kirsten ignored the groan and tried not to smile when Ryan rolled onto his back and held his hand out for the glasses. As Ryan put on the glasses and settled on staring at the ceiling, Kirsten decided to continue. "I know the lights bothered your eyes last night so I figured tonight we could do the prayers instead of lighting the Menorah. You know, change up the condensed Chrismukkah. How's that sound?"

Ryan's answer was only a shrug of his shoulders, but at least it was an answer. Kirsten continued. "I have the gifts and stuff in the car. We can always tell Sandy that the prayers are too much for you, since well, we both know they're the most boring part of the whole night and go straight for a game of dreidel. Just don't tell Sandy or Seth about the boring part. What do you think?"

Kirsten noticed that at the mere mention of Seth, Ryan's whole body stiffened again, but at least he answered her. "Don't need celebrate."

"Sure we do. Today's only Thursday which means it's still Hanukah. Six more days of present getting and dreidel playing. And coming up with reasons to skip the prayer reading."

"Fine." It was more of a sigh than an answer, but at least he was still answering.

Kirsten wrung her hands together trying to think of more to talk about, more questions to ask. As Sandy came back into the room carrying breakfast, Ryan blurted out, "Just cause you said you pay doesn't mean I like."

Sandy looked more than a little confused as it took Kirsten a minute to figure out what Ryan was referring to. Once she did, she knew it was going to be the same argument from September. "And just because you don't like it, doesn't mean we're not going to do it. We've already told you, if you want to apply for scholarships and awards, go right ahead. We're very proud of all your accomplishments, but if it's not enough for college, then we will be making up the difference. We will not let your dreams die just because of your pride."

Kirsten glanced over at Sandy before she continued. "You may not like everything we do or even agree with it. But the decisions we make are always in your best interest. We have never nor will we ever do anything to intentionally hurt you."

She held her breath for a moment, staring at Ryan, almost daring him to say something. Sandy said he didn't want to discuss it with Ryan at that moment, but she couldn't help it. Besides, Ryan started it – he brought up paying for college again. It was the perfect opportunity to bring everything out into the open. Sandy would understand that.

Kirsten was mildly surprised when she heard Sandy say, "That's true. After all, you know what they say – you can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family…"

Even with the sunglasses on, it was obvious that Ryan was giving him 'the look' so Sandy just chuckled at his own corny joke before continuing. "Okay, so maybe you can pick 'um, but once picked – you can't get rid of them."

They both watched Ryan for his reaction. Since no one asked him a question directly, Kirsten didn't expect him to answer. She did watch as he picked at his blanket, looked down at his bed and then at the floor. She knew she heard him mumble something, but she also knew chances were he wasn't going to repeat it, even if she asked. She stopped him as he reached for his glasses, which stopped him from turning away from them again as the orderly came in with breakfast.

"No. Leave them on. Breakfast is here." Kirsten moved quickly to uncover Ryan's breakfast tray, putting the straw in the juice and buttering his toast. She picked up his fork and nudged Ryan again as she handed it to him.

Ryan didn't say a word as he began to poke at his eggs with the fork. After a few quite minutes of watching him, Kirsten finally had enough.

"Ryan. You need to eat it, not play with it."

When Ryan's only response was to poke at the eggs again, Kirsten got concerned.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Are you nauseous again?"

"No."

"Is it your headache? Is it making it too difficult to eat? Should I get the nurse?"

"No."

"Then what is it?"

Ryan poked the eggs again. "Gross."

Kirsten stared at him for a second. She had to admit his breakfast did look less than appetizing, but she was still surprised that he would actually complain about it.

"How about an orange then?" Kirsten picked one up and quickly began to peel it, failing to notice as Ryan once again stiffened. As she placed the peeled sections on his tray, she finally noticed that it was almost as if he was trying to back away from it.

"Eat the orange."

"No."

"Come on, Ryan. You need to eat something. You were in the mood for fruit last night. If you don't want to eat your breakfast, at the very least eat the orange."

"Not hungry."

"Ryan…"

"No!"

Kirsten jumped when Ryan shouted, and then she got mad. "Why? Because Seth brought the fruit? Is that why you won't eat it? Huh?"

"Kirsten…" Sandy started but couldn't continue as Ryan pushed the tray table away with such force that his tray with the Seth bought orange, the gross eggs and everything else hit the floor.

"Ryan!"

But before Kirsten could continue, Sandy gently patted Ryan's leg. "If you'd rather just go to sleep, Ryan, go ahead. We'll wake you when the nurse or the doctor gets here."

It wasn't until Kirsten shot Sandy a look that she finally noticed him glaring at her. Ryan wordlessly slammed his glasses down on his bed and rolled back onto his side.

As Kirsten sat there, she began to fume over Ryan's childish behavior and the fact that Sandy was not only allowing it, but also encouraging it by letting him turn away from them. She waited until she was pretty sure that Ryan was asleep before turning on Sandy.

"You can't pick your family? Why in the world would you say that – to Ryan of all people?"

"I was trying to make a joke. Your conversation was heading in a very intense direction. Too intense for Ryan to handle right now."

"So instead of discussing it and trying to help him through this, you'd rather make jokes and allow him to act like a spoiled eight year old?"

"How is coming down on him about college and oranges helping him through this?"

"He needs to know that we didn't lie to him. That we're here to help him."

"He knows. Deep down, I'm sure he knows. But right now, he's hurt, and he's scared. And yes, he's mad, but I thought we both agreed that he had the right to be mad…"

"But not at us!"

"Of course he's mad at us. Are you going to tell me that you never got mad at your parents for something that wasn't their fault?"

Kirsten opened her mouth to argue back, but quickly closed it. Yes, Ryan was acting like a child, but at least he was acting like their child. He was mad at them for something they had no control over. That was at least some consolation. Wasn't it?

Sandy put his arm around her shoulder as she continued to stare at Ryan. After a few quiet minutes, she finally whispered, "I just don't want to lose him again."

"We won't. As long as we give him the time and space he needs to wrap his head around all of this, we won't. I promise."

"I hope you're right."

Sandy only kissed Kirsten lightly on the forehead as they both quietly watched Ryan sleep.