10 Year Reunion
Hey all! Sorry for the long wait. School's been dreadful, I had a bad case of writer's block and I'm really sick. But I thought I'd write up a chapter anyway. Thank you all for reviewing! Keep them coming! This chapter goes out to kursk. Congratulations on getting the answer right. It was indeed Kirsten in The Disconnect, Season 3. My new challenge follows, same rules apply:)
"You want another dead arm?"
Chapter 6: 2011
2016
Maddie Atwood was seven years old. She always considered herself rather smart, thank
you very much. And luckily, so did popular opinion. Everyone in Newport Beach always
complimented Ryan and Marissa for having such a intelligent, mature daughter. For, on the
whole, Maddie was rather mature. For example, she understood that Nana Cohen was dead and
couldn't come back. But that was ages ago. Presently, she understood that her beloved Uncle
Luke was dead and he couldn't come back either. Try as she might, these thoughts kept invading
her consciousness. At three in the morning, she just gave up trying to block them out and trying
to sleep altogether. She quietly swung herself out of bed and walked towards the kitchen, thinking
a glass of water might help her go to sleep. Passing Roxie's room, she saw that her little sister
was fast asleep, her blonde hair lighting up due to the faint pink nightlight in her room. As she
walked into the kitchen she realized that she wasn't alone. Her dad was standing by the sink,
gazing at the pool which was shimmering in the moonlight. Silently Maddie approached him and
tugged at his pants. He immediately hoisted her up and placed her on the counter near the sink,
her favourite place in the kitchen. She turned towards the window and watched the ripples in the
pool. This is cause of Uncle Luke. Daddy and me have only sat like this twice before. And I
kinda remember the first time. It was 2011, a bit after I turned four.
FLASHBACK- May 2011
"Mommy look! Roxie can dance!" Marissa looked up from her laptop, gave up on her
column for the time being and watched her daughters. Currently one of Maddie's brainwaves was
to speed up Roxie's age to that of hers. In short, a four year old was teaching a four month world
the ways of the world. Marissa laughed as Maddie clapped Roxie's hands together and shook her
rattle, causing her youngest daughter to squeal in delight. Her musings were cut short as the
phone rang. She picked it up and heard Ryan over the other end. "M-Marissa," he began, "there's
been a situation at work. I'll explain when I get home." And with that, Ryan hung up. Marissa
noted how shaky Ryan's voice sounded. He was always in control, she had never witnessed
something like this. A worried frown on her face, she dialled Summer's number, wondering if her
best friend had some answers. "Hello?" "Anna?" Marissa asked confused. "Hey Marissa. What's
up?" "Well, for starters. Why are you at Seth and Summer's?" Anna laughed. "I'm watching
Andy." she explained. "What's wrong Coop?" Marissa smiled. Anna always knew when she was
upset. "Well it isn't me. It's Ryan. He called the house a few minutes ago and sounded dreadful.
Something's happened Anna. Something bad, I just can't place it." Anna sighed over the phone.
"He was fired. Apparently he was fired for plotting against the company." Marissa gasped, "But
Ryan loves his job, the company. He wouldn't do that." "I know he wouldn't Marissa, but there
was astonishing evidence against him." The pair talked for a while until Marissa heard Ryan
coming through the front door. "I gotta run Anna, but I was wondering, how did you find out
about this so quickly?" "Luke told me. He said that his bosses were on Ryan's tail for a while." As
she hung up the phone Marissa wondered why on earth Luke's law firm would charge Ryan. He
had never done anything wrong. And speaking of Luke, he wasn't that high up the ladder, how
would he have learned about this? Pushing these thoughts to the back of her mind she went to greet Ryan. He was ashen faced and his blue eyes were void of emotion. "I'm so sorry Marissa."
Ryan breathed. She hugged him fiercely and reassured him that this wasn't his fault at all.
"Daddy!" Maddie squealed. "Miss Madison! How are you?" Ryan asked his daughter. "I'm good
Daddy." Ryan smiled at his daughter and picked her up. She giggled as he spun her around in a
circle. Let him forget his troubles, Marissa thought as she carried Roxie into the room and silently
watched Ryan.
Midnight, one o'clock, one thirty, two o'clock... Ryan had lost count. He couldn't sleep at
all. He didn't know what to do. He hadn't felt this lost since he first arrived in Newport. He
couldn't support his family. It wasn't as if he was trying to bring down Marissa at all. She was an
excellent journalist after all. Her various works could be found in the Times and other famous
newspapers. Ryan simply wanted to offer his family a good life. His precious wife and daughters.
Not being able to stand the silence anymore, he silently crept out of bed and walked towards the
kitchen. As Ryan stood by the window he wondered why he had gotten fired in the first place. It
was a rather fast process, his boss walked in his office, told him to get out immediately and that
was it. Perhaps he should call Kirsten tomorrow, the Newport Group was always in need of an
architect. "Daddy?" There, standing in her flower print pj's, was Maddie. She had a confused look
on her, clearly wondering why her Daddy was in the kitchen at this time, looking sad. "You want
me to stay Daddy?" Ryan's eyes filled with tears. "Thanks Maddie." he whispered to his daughter
as he placed her on the counter. Although she didn't know it, Maddie had helped her father more
then she knew at the moment.
END FLASHBACK
"Why's he gone?" Maddie asked Ryan silently. "Someone wanted him gone sweetie."
Ryan replied. "Whoever they were, they were mean Daddy." Ryan paused. "Sometimes people think that what they're doing is right Maddie. Even if the rest of the world doesn't."