Down A Rabbit Hole We Go – Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own the OC or any of its characters.

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Ryan woke unsure of where he was. The mattress he was lying on was comfortably firm and not lumpy like his mattress in Chino. The sheets weren't scratchy, and the room smelled fresh and clean, rather than the stale smell of his house in Chino. He lay still, thinking, and finally remembered…the long night at juvie in Chino, going to his mom's house to get his things, being thrown out then disowned by his mom, being brought to Newport by his dad, the lecture he'd gotten from Summer after she helped her dad stitch the cut on his brow, his dad leading him up the stairs early this morning and telling him to get some sleep. He cracked his eyes open and saw the bright sunlight shining in through the windows. He sighed with contentment, rolling from his back onto his right side. He was startled, jarring his bruised chest, and had to stifle a groan when he came face to face with Caleb who was sitting in a chair beside the bed, staring at him. He took in his father's grim expression and then noticed his secret bag from Chino sitting on the edge of the bed. He sat up abruptly despite the pain it caused. "What are you doing with that?" he questioned, seeing several items laid out in front of Caleb on the bed.

"I was bringing your bags up and dropped that one. I heard something clink and wanted to make sure I didn't break anything important. Nothing looks broken, but I'm perplexed as to why my 15 year old son has a fake ID that says he's 21, $400 in cash, and a map that shows the bus routes from Chino to Austin, Texas?" Caleb answered, giving Ryan a questioning look.

Ryan crossed his arms over this chest and looked down at the covers. "You shouldn't have looked through my things."

"Austin, that's where your mom's old boyfriend, the construction foreman, moved to, right? What was his name? "Dan? Dave?"

"Dave," Ryan grumbled. Dave Gordon had dated Dawn for almost a year. He was a genuinely nice guy, didn't drink much, had a good job, even got Dawn to stop drinking for a while. Ryan had worked construction with him for the summer, despite being underage, and had learned a lot. But Dawn started drinking again and Dave got tired of it and decided it was time to move on. He'd gone back to Austin where he was from after telling Ryan that he was sorry and to call him if he needed anything. Three days later AJ moved in.

Caleb stared at the items in front of him. He knew Ryan wasn't doing or dealing drugs. And based on the way Ryan watched Caleb warily if he had a drink around the boy, Caleb was sure he didn't have the ID for barhopping. And then there was the map to Austin. "You were planning to run," Caleb stated. He studied his son who was still refusing to look at him. "Is this money that I gave you that you saved?"

"Humph. Please. AJ practically strip searched me every time you dropped me off. I tried hiding money you'd given me from him once. I didn't make that mistake again. I made that money working odd jobs that AJ and mom didn't know about." Ryan confessed as he picked at the edge of the comforter.

"Why, son? Why would you plan to run away? Why didn't you just tell me how bad things were?" Caleb inquired.

Ryan visibly bristled at that question. "I wasn't going to beg you to take get me out of there."

"You'd rather give up your family?"

"What family?!" Ryan snapped. "The sisters who don't know I exist? The father who has a secret second home to spend one or two weekends a month and a few holiday weeks a year with a kid that calls him by his first name in public? Or the drunk mother who lets her boyfriend beat the crap out of her kid as long as he keeps her hooked up with booze and drugs. What family should I stick around for, Cal?"

Caleb was surprised by the words and the bitterness in Ryan's voice, but realized that his son had every right to be furious with him. Caleb knew he should have ended this charade years ago. Although he'd saved Rose further pain by staying silent, he'd hurt his son. For years Ryan had asked Caleb, repeatedly, to bring him home with him. Caleb realized now that Ryan had stopped asking a couple of years back. Summer was right. Ryan had given up on being a real part of the Nichol family. Well, that ended today. Caleb was going to make this right. He had to.

Caleb moved the fake ID, bundle of money, and map to the side and sat on the edge of the bed facing Ryan, trying to make eye contact. Ryan was trembling with emotion, his eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"Ryan. Son look at me," Caleb implored, putting a hand on each of the boy's shoulders. Ryan tensed, but didn't pull away. "I'm sorry, son."

Ryan looked up at those words, shocked because Caleb rarely apologized.

Caleb continued, "I protected Rose. I protected my daughters. I protected myself. But I failed to protect you and I'm so sorry for that. But I promise you that's going to change starting today. From now own, you are my top priority. I love you so much, Ryan. And I hope you can forgive me."

Ryan sniffed, wiped at his watery eyes with the back of his hand, and nodded slightly.

Caleb pulled him into a hug, holding on until he felt the trembling calm and Ryan's tense body relax and giving himself time to regain his composure. He'd been such a fool and he hoped he hadn't ruined his chance to be the father that Ryan needed. He patted his son's back a few times before releasing him and standing up. He picked up the ID and the map, leaving the money behind. "You can keep your money. You earned it. We can start a bank account for you later this week if you'd like. But I'm keeping these," Caleb said, waving the ID and map in the air. "You won't need them. And, even if you decide to run, just know that no matter how long it takes or how much it costs, I will find you. You are my son, and I don't intend to let you go." He looked at his watch before continuing. "It's almost 3 PM. Kirsten, Sandy, and Seth should be coming over around five. I'll explain everything to Kiki and hopefully she'll still be willing to stay for dinner. Why don't you jump in the shower while I go see if Rosa can rustle up a snack for you? You need to eat something before you take the anti-inflammatory meds that Neil prescribed."

"Rosa - the queen of the apple strudel Rosa?" Ryan asked hopefully.

"The one and only." Caleb chuckled. Rosa had worked for Caleb and Rose before Rose passed and now split her time between Caleb and Kirsten's family. If she knew that Caleb was going away for the weekend or on holiday trip, she always sent fresh baked goods with him. Ryan was always anxious to see what surprise she had sent, and her apple strudel was his favorite. Caleb was fairly sure Rosa thought he had a lady friend he was spending time with, especially after she'd sent heart shaped cookies on the weekend before Valentines day. Ryan had harassed him all weekend about that. Caleb had forgotten that she was coming over today to bake some things for their planned trip to Neil Robert's cabin. The look on her face when he told her that the trip had been cancelled and then told her about Ryan was comical. Caleb wasn't sure what Rosa said in Spanish after that, but he thought she may have called him a foolish old man. Still, she said they'd need extra food and treats for the week anyway and she'd immediately started cooking. Caleb didn't argue. Rosa was a fantastic cook. And even though he was ordering out for dinner, he hoped Rosa would stick around until after he'd had his conversation with Kirsten, knowing that Kirsten would be less likely to lose her temper with Rosa in the house.

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Yes, I know I promised Kirsten soon. However, I thought this chapter was too important to get lost in a chapter focused on Kirsten's reaction. But the big reveal is coming next. Bear with me.