A/N: Hey guys, sorry this took awhile. I actually meant to have this posted a couple days ago. I won't offer an excuse because... well... they don't matter anyways, right? Anyways, I'd like to thank you all for your reviews, they really do keep me going, special thanks to those who have been with me from the beginning of my O.C. stories. I would also like to say that (as a negative in relation to the story ) I'm Canadian. This means that technicalities such as sentencing, offence terms, adoption/foster situations/guidelines may be somewhat different to those in California. For that I apologize.
And just as a side note ( To those of you who questioned ), I do realise that if a child shows up at school with signs of abuse the employees of that school are pretty much obligated to report it to authorities, however, I also know that some inspections and investigations are performed/judged improperly and many times the child remains with family until multiple investigations are filed (resulting from multiple reports). Abuse is also hard to prove if the child refuses to say anything other than "I fell off my bike" or some crap like that. My assumption of Ryan's character is that he still loves his mother and doesn't want her to be taken off to jail nor be removed from her custody (When you don't know any better you generally find a way to blame yourself for what's happened) and that in most circumstances he will not say anything to either police/teachers or case workers indicating otherwise. Stupid, or rather uninformed, decision on the child's part as well as the county's, but it does happen. Trust me.
I don't mean to be rude or blunt but "The System" is definitely not perfect.
Okay, enough blabbering, and on with the story...
Morning After
Chapter Five
With a sudden swirl the noise around Kirsten seemed to re-renter her head as though someone had just unmuted a television, yet the picture seemed to be frozen. No one seemed to move towards nor away from the accident, they all seemed lost in their own mutterings and conversation.
She was the first to make a move in the direction of the accident, Sandy following in stride while others trailed hesitantly. By the time she was half way to the accident Kirsten found herself running best she could in her low heeled pumps. It wasn't easy, but for now at least she ignored the pain lancing through her legs and ankles, as well as the likely chance of a sprained ankle.
Her eyes were frozen to the old Chevy Nova which had plowed over the curb and been stopped by a cement telephone pole. Steam rose from the crumpled blue hood, the hissing of pressure escaping now audible in the oddly quiet street. From her location Kirsten could spot a flat tire and a puddle escaping from under the stopped vehicle, all the windows on the car cracked from the impact.
Sandy had nearly reached the car, following behind Kirsten, when the driver's door swung open with a squeak. A blonde touseled looking woman, Dawn, emerged from the broken vehicle and looked around wildly taking in the scene. She was brushing glass bits from herself with dazed eyes when Kirsten grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. "Where's Ryan?" she demanded.
Sandy couldn't tear his eyes away from the two women. The look on Kirsten's face was more fierce and angry than any he'd ever seen in his years of being her husband.
"Ryan?" Dawn asked, blinking.
Kirsten physically forced her aside so she could glance in the front seats, Sandy's eyes followed to see what she was seeing.
A breath of relief escaped him as he saw Ryan crawling across the front seats to remove himself from the car. Kirsten's arms were wrapped around Ryan before the kid had even managed to emerge from the wreck, taking both Ryan and Sandy in surprise. After an initial flinch he saw the boy relax in Kirsten's tight embrace, letting her remove him carefully from the car.
It was only when Dawn heard the approaching sirens she began to nervously pace the scene of the accident. She was blowing in to her palms ignoring bystanders, including her own son, when the first police car arrived on the scene. Immediately she stopped pacing and dropped her hands to her sides.
Ignoring the officer's question she rushed to explain the situation.
Her excuse? Surprise, surprise. Her son had grabbed the steering wheel and she'd lost control.
"Is everyone here okay?" The officer repeated the question again. Sandy could see knowledge paint the officer's face as he smelt Dawn's breath.
"Everyone's fine. Just shaken up" Sandy answered him, taking a step closer and glancing to the side. Kirsten was now sitting on the curb holding a shocked looking Ryan.
"You are?" the officer adressed Sandy, who snapped back to attention as well as lawyer-mode.
"Sandy Cohen. I called the accident in after it happened."
"Did you see what happened?" the officer asked, nodding his head for his partner to interview Dawn.
"I didn't, but my wife did. I just heard it and looked up... I was in the midst of calling the police when it happened"
"You were calling the police prior to the accident? What for?" the officer inquired, looking up from his note pad.
"To report a drunk driver and suspected abuse."
"Of this lady?"
Sandy nodded.
"Okay. I'm going to need you to stick around for a bit, okay? We'll need a statement and contact information from both you and your wife"
"Of course" Sandy agreed, stepping to the side to sit with his wife and Ryan who was being checked out by an EMT.
From where the three of them were situated on the curb Sandy had perfect view of everything. He just didn't absorb that Ryan also had a perfect view of everything. That was, until the police officers had Dawn complete a breathalyzer test and then proceeded to arrest her.
Ryan stood up, slipping out from under Kirsten's arm. In under three seconds he was at his mother's side where an officer was leading her to the back of a squad car.
"Mom!" Ryan asked. Unable to get a valid response he repeated the cry, a little more desperate. Dawn looked up and met his scared blue eyes with her reddened ones.
"What's happening? Where are you going?"
"Son, could you step out of the way please" The officer requested gently.
Ryan redirected his line of questioning, "Where are you taking her? You can't take her! She didn't do anything, she didn't hurt anyone!" he changed to pleading.
The arresting officer shared a begging glance with his partner who appeared at Ryan's side, gently grasping his shoulder to lead him away.
Violently Ryan grabbed the man's wrist and threw it off of him, he turned to face him. "Where is she going? Where am I supposed to go!" he demanded.
Ryan was confused. And worried. Amongst a million other things. His mom couldn't leave, what were him and Trey supposed to do? Supposed to stay? Trey had warned him of this since he'd been old enough to understand it. Never say anything bad against mom, or they would take her away and they'd end up in foster care. Trey had promised him foster care was ten times worse than what home was like.
He'd never said anything, so why were they taking her away now? Even as the questions appeared in his head, the rational part of his mind knew the answers. Because she was drunk, because she'd been driving while she was drunk, and she'd crashed. Trey and him would go in to the system until they were eighteen. Seven years away for Ryan, two for Trey.
It was the rational half of his mind that allowed the police officer to lead him away from his mother successfully this time, but his eyes were still following what was happening right next to him.
His life was being torn apart, and for some reason Ryan could feel nothing but numbness to the realization.
It was a woman's voice that finally ripped Ryan from his reverie. "What's going to happen?"
His eyes shifted from the street his mother had been taken away from to the wreckage she had left behind, then to the owner of the demanding voice. He found Kirsten standing beside him, her hand intertwined with Sandy's. Her face seemed to be tired but lively. Livid almost.
The officer, Grant Parker Ryan thought he'd introduced himself as, studied Kirsten seemingly shocked because of her avid interest.
"Mrs. Atwood will remain in police custody until her bail hearing at which time a bail can be posted and she can be released on probation until her sentencing."
"Not her. What happens to Ryan?" Kirsten demanded.
The officer's face fell, "Unfortunately due to family circumstances it's likely he will be taken in to a group home until his mother is able to care for him again. Unless of course a relative is willing to take him in."
"Them. There are two boys, both underage." Sandy interrupted, remembering the aforementioned Trey. He opened his mouth to ask the officer about other placement possibilities but Kirsten beat him to it.
"What if there are other options available to the boys?" she asked, glancing at Sandy who raised his thick brows in surprise.
"You would have to speak to their assigned case worker for that. I really don't know much about it, sorry"
"And when can I meet his case worker?" Kirsten continued her line of questioning impatiently.
"I'm not sure"
"Do you know anything?" Kirsten snapped, immediately drawing her hand to her mouth in surprise, "I'm sorry, I just -"
The officer smiled gently, "It's okay. We get that a lot. I'm not positive but I'm assuming he will get a worker later today, maybe tomorrow morning if they're backed up."
"What about until then? Where's he supposed to go?"
"In to the care of a relative or family friend, do you by chance know of any? The kid isn't particularly talkative"
"Because you keep referring to me as the kid" Ryan muttered under his breath loud enough for Sandy, the closest, to hear. He smiled and patted Ryan lightly on the back
"They'll stay with us, I gave my contact information to your partner already." Sandy looked to his wife who offered a nod of approval.
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Nearly two hours, numerous phonecalls and visits to shared friends later, Ryan was sitting the back seat of the Cohens' BMW with his brother Trey on their way to Newport Beach.
Trey had neither been happy nor sad when Ryan had finally managed to hunt him down and inform him of the days' events. Instead the sixteen year old appeared rather angry and hadn't spoken a word since agreeing to go with Ryan to the Cohens' house.
It was a rather quiet and unsettling drive. No one knew exactly what to say and the silences were just as awkward, Trey's apparent mood didn't seem to help the atmosphere either. It was a relief to both Ryan and the Cohens as Sandy pulled up the last stretch of road to the gated entrance and passed through with a nod to the security guard.
The feeling of familiarity and what to expect was even more welcoming that the smell of dinner cooking, but it wasn't until Ryan inhaled the aroma of a roast that he realised how hungry he really was. Beside him he could hear Trey take a deep whiff of the air as well, yet they both still stood at the entrance to the house clutching their backpacks full of clothes.
"You guys hungry?" Kirsten turned to ask them both tentativly.
Ryan looked to Trey as if awaiting an answer, finally getting it at Trey's nod of his head. "Starved" Trey replied, speaking for the first time they'd picked him up.
"You can both leave your bags here, Rosa will take them to your rooms... I was thinking Trey, since your older if you wanted to stay in the poolhouse..." Kirsten countered nervously. She seemed to desire his approval or acceptance.
"Sure" Trey replied evenly without a thank you or missing a beat.
His brother's ignorance of appropriate mannerisms was what made Ryan the most nervous. He found himself chewing at his bottom lip more than once at the dinner table, idly pondering Trey's not-so-decent history with the people around him. Moods weren't the only thing to swing around Trey, fists were known to occaisionally play a part too. Ryan made it a point to make sure he spoke with Trey about his behaviour, at least while they were with the Cohens.
They had been nothing but nice to Ryan, and he didn't want to repay them by screwing things up. Not to mention it was a basic survival instinct. He knew he had no where else to go, no where else to live. Trey at least had a few friends with their own places, somewhere he could crash for a night or two.
He supposed he could crash at Theresa' for a day or so, but her mother sure the hell wouldn't let him stay. He was another mouth to feed, and Eva was a single mother with enough struggles to support her own family.
Ryan had nowhere else to go except foster care.
It was because of this worry that Ryan had basically become his brother's shadow overnight. Trey had indeed stayed in the poolhouse for the night, it was apparent in the way his few clothes lay strewn across everything in it.
Trey had woken to find Ryan quietly cleaning up after him just before six-thirty in the morning.
"What are you doing?" he demanded.
"Cleaning your mess" Ryan shot back angrily. He couldn't help it. Trey should see what Sandy and Kirsten were trying to do for them, that they were trying to help, to make things a little bit better. Trey shouldn't be messing up their place.
"It doesn't need cleaning, it's fine. Go back to bed." Trey snapped, closing his eyes again and pressing his palms to his forehead.
Ryan stopped his cleaning and walked over to the King size bed, grasping a clear and empty bottle. He didn't say a word until Trey finally cracked open an eye to glare at him.
"Where'd you get it?" Ryan demanded, holding the bottle up.
"Chill bro. I nicked it from Jose's place before I left"
Ryan glared at him, "You're lying"
"How the fuck would you know?" Trey exploded reaching over and grabbing the bottle out of Ryan's hand. In one swift movement he threw it agains the floor, shattering the bottle in to a thousand little pieces.
Instead of answering Ryan glared his brother down with his warning look, "I warned you last night to -"
"Be nice to them, and it's bullshit. They're only doing this as their good deed for the year Ryan. I told you that last night. As soon as the case worker calls and makes arrangements it's off to foster care we go."
"They're trying to help!" Ryan pointed out.
Trey shook his head, "No Ryan. They don't care. People like this can't care, it's in their genes or something. They probably want to do this as some sort of popularity stunt between their neighbours and country club members. I'm not going to spend this time kissing their ass so they can feel good about themselves even after they dump us!"
Ryan stared down at his brother, wondering when exactly it had been that his and Trey's relationship had turned in such a drastic direction. He could distinctly remember a few of their younger moments when it had been them against the world. Now he couldn't even side with his own brother, couldn't talk to him or get through to him. Instead of offering a useless reply Ryan turned on his heel and left the poolhouse altogether, storming across the patio and in to the kitchen where he silently slid the door closed behind him.
He stood for a moment in the cool air conditioning and surveyed the kitchen.
Trey didn't know anything. They were trying to help him, weren't they? They hadn't had to take them both in a second time, they could have just left after the police had interviewed them both for their statements. But they had both remained, Kirsten had even hugged him a couple times and sat with her arm around him, lips pressed to the top of his head.
And they had been there to begin with. In Chino, checking up on him. They didn't have to do that to look good.
Trey was wrong this time. He knew it.
He finally decided it really didn't matter much. What did matter was that he had enjoyed his week end here, and he was going to enjoy the rest of his time here as well. Whether they ditched him afterwards without a backwards look or not.
Silently Ryan made his way across the kitchen and began getting out required ingredients to whip up a decent breakfast. He could still remember why the aroma of bacon cooking made him so happy.
For seven years of his younger life Ryan had awoken to the smell of his father, Dave, smoking in the kitchen and cooking bacon for breakfast. He'd missed it so much after moving from Fresno that Ryan had made it a point to wake early on week ends and prepare a family breakfast, whether anyone was around for it or not. Whether his mom was still hung over and sick to her stomach or not.
"Do I smell bacon?" a voice inquired from the living room direction, "Sandy, you didn't have to -" to voice continued, cutting off until Kirsten came in to view of who was really cooking breakfast in their kitchen.
"Ryan?" she asked, sounding surprised.
Ryan turned hesitantly, "I'm sorry to mess up your stuff... I just wanted to -"
"You shouldn't be cooking breakfast!" she exclaimed.
He backed up in to the cupboard, dropping the fork he'd been using to flip the bacon. It clattered to the floor.
"Kirsten?" Sandy questioned, entering the kitchen as well, "Are you near the stove... Ryan?" he asked.
"I'm sorry" Ryan rushed to apologize.
Sandy glanced at Kirsten confused, then back to Ryan. "Don't be sorry... I just wasn't expecting you to cook breakfast"
"Sandy!" Kirsten interupted, "Ryan's just a kid, he shouldn't be near the stove! What if there were a fire!"
"Fire's only happen when you're cooking" he teased her gently, "Kirsten, relax. Ryan just wanted to do something nice, didn't you Ry?"
Ryan nodded, bending over quickly to snatch up the fork he'd dropped.
"But -"
"But next time you want to do something nice that involves a fire risk, you should let one of us supervise you" Sandy added, pleasing his wife as well as Ryan. With a quick kiss on the cheek Sandy approached Ryan's handywork. With a devilish grin on his face he turned back to Kirsten, "Looks edible"
"Sandy!" Kirsten scowled.
"It's okay honey. Not everyone was made to slave in a kitchen... or even make sandwiches.."
"What's wrong with my sandwich's!" she demanded, hands on her hips now.
"Well..." Sandy teased her a bit more.
"You're supposed to put peanut butter on both sides mom. I've told you that just about a million times..." Seth wandered in to the kitchen rubbing at his eyes.
"Peanut butter and jam is peanut butter and jam!"
Seth made a noise in his throat, "Not true. See mom, if you put the PB on both sides then the jam doesn't get soaked up in to the bread."
It was Kirsten's turn to let a grunt escape her throat but was interrupted by a welcome sound.
Laughing.
Ryan stood, face red and smile wide, laughing from behind his hands. It was such a beautiful sight Kirsten turned to look at Sandy, smile lighting her face. She found her husband with the same glowing pride registered across his face as well.
It was that moment that Kirsten realised how well the four of them just seemed to fit. Like a puzzle, like it always had been, only better. The rift between Sandy and Seth was noticeably shrinking and even the one between herself and Sandy. Suddenly when she looked at him, she didn't seen Ryan the troubled and troubling kid. She just saw Ryan the kid. The innocence and the longing. The maturity and wisdom. The calm of his deep blue eyes and the light of his smile.
She continued to gaze at this child's seemingly new enlightenment through breakfast and even after when he'd insisted on cleaning up the dishes. Kirsten also found herself being drawn closer to Seth as he slowly emerged from his unconfident shell.
Her son, for the first time in over a year, was on speaking terms with both her and Sandy at the same time. For the first time in a couple years he wasn't throwing a fit over the simplest of disagreements, and for the first time in awhile Kirsten wasn't thinking that her family needed some form of shock therapy or counselling.
It made her nearly want to smack Sandy upside the head when he let out a few simple words that seemed to shatter the boys' moods.
"Where's Trey?"
Ryan, who had been in the midst of trying to persuade Seth to help him with the dishes, froze like a deer in headlights, his smile disappearing instantly.
"He didn't feel well this morning" Ryan spat out quickly. It wasn't exactly a lie, he was sure Trey had one hell of a hangover this morning. He just wasn't about to ante up the reason.
"Oh... I hope he's okay, maybe I should check on him .." Kirsten began.
"No!" Ryan exclaimed. He hadn't yet bothered to clean up the broken glass everywhere, he hadn't even managed to situate things back in to their original places.
The three Cohens eyed him intensely, "He really doesn't like being bothered by people when he's sick... not strangers"
At the 's' word Ryan saw Kirsten's face fall a little. But that was something he couldn't help, because even through all of this the Cohens were still somewhat strangers to both he and Trey.
"I'll go check on him" Ryan offered solemnly, wishing in part he had managed to catch his words better. Stacking the last plate in to the dishwasher Ryan quietly left the kitchen, well aware that his words had been somewhat of a a blow, at least to Kristen.
The pool house, as it turned out, was in no better shape than when he had stormed angrily from it this morning. It did however, look as though Trey had been up and about as the clothes Ryan had stuffed back in to Trey's backpack had magically appeared all over the floor again.
He let out a sigh and stood in the doorway for a moment surveying the scene. He could feel the hot sun beginning to rise in the sky and heat up his shoulders and neck, could hear the waves crash against the beach and the gulls scream for more food.
Ryan forced himself in to the poolhouse, managing to avoid much of the mess and cut straight to the broken shards of glass. If the Cohens saw the remnants of a broken Crown bottle they'd be sure to examine whatever collection they had. Ryan's guess was that they would find at least one missing, enough cause to leave them both at social services' doorstep.
His first priority was put on hold temporarily while Ryan scoured the place for a garbage pail. He finally located one and began to carefully pick up the small fragments to toss them in the trash when he sensed someone behind him.
please just be Seth. He coudl convince Seth to keep it quiet.
No such luck. He turned to find Sandy standing over Ryan's crouching figure and surveying the room. A slice of fear filled his stomach momentarily, but he managed to get himself to relax. If Sandy wanted to hit him for this, then it was well deserved, wasn't it? He had lied to them, he had covered for his inept brother.
Ryan said nothing but stood slowly and awkwardly, dropping the last bits of glass in to the pail.
"Looks kind of like Seth's room before Rosa gets to it" Sandy cracked a smile.
Ryan tentativly smiled back. He'd been fooled like this before, in to trusting or relaxing and then wham there it was.
Sandy's eyes fell to Trey's unmoving form, then to the contents of the small stylish trash can. "Sick, huh?"
"I'm sorry" Ryan hung his head, "I just didn't want him to get in trouble..."
"I can understand that" Sandy replied, but then shrank down to Ryan's level and lifted his chin. "I can understand it, but I don't necessarily respect it. Ryan, Trey has to learn to deal with his own consequences. You shouldn't be having to clean up after him and cover for him..."
"He didn't want me to.." Ryan interrupted.
Sandy smiled, then shrugged, "why were you cleaning it all up then? Were you going to lie about the alcohol when we found it missing too? Let me guess, you'd just say you did it, spare Trey the trouble? Tell me Ryan, why sacrafice yourself for someone who doesn't know nor care what you're trying to do for them?"
It was Ryan's turn to shrug.
When Sandy didn't reply but waited for something more of an answer Ryan hesitated, "Because... he's family. I... you can't yell at Trey he just ignores you... I didn't want any more trouble for you and Kirsten."
Sandy snorted, "Do you think Kirsten and I would take you two in without knowing and accepting the risks?"
Ryan shrugged again. "Trey can be.."
"Ryan" Sandy interrupted and waited for the boy too look up at him. "You don't have to make excuses for anyone while you're here. And you don't need to try and cover for anyone here. No buts." he finished.
Ryan nodded.
"So when we deal with Trey, I don't want you to feel bad about it."
"Am.. am I in trouble?"
Sandy hesitated, "I think you had the best intentions, so I'll let you get away with it this once, now why don't you go in the house while I sit and have a chat with your brother."
Ryan nodded and set down the garbage pail, when he reached to door Ryan looked back to Sandy who was still watching him, "Are you... are we... are you kicking us out?"
"No, Ryan. But I'm not sure if you guys can stay here permanantly either. Lets just wait and see what our options are, okay?"
Ryan nodded and escaped to the outside. No matter how many times he saw the view from back here Ryan couldn't get over the beauty of it and the exhileration he received just from hearing and smelling the ocean.
He wasn't sure exactly what had been said to Trey, but Ryan knew it hadn't been good. It looked as though his brother wasn't just angry, but sulking now as well. He wouldn't meet Ryan's eyes, nor would he speak to anyone except to say "please" and "thank you" at lunch. In fact, it wasn't until after lunch that Ryan discovered exactly why Trey was sulking around while him and Seth were running around the pool wildly.
It had been Sandy's idea, getting ice cream down at the pier, walking along the beach to get there. Trey hadn't bothered to come, and had only seemed angry when Ryan had suggested that he did.
"Why didn't your brother come?" Seth asked Ryan, licking at the sides of his quickly melting ice cream.
"I dunno" Ryan supplied in answer, but he was looking at Sandy.
"Trey has been grounded for eight hours" Sandy told them both evenly.
Ryan seemed to be the most surprised at this. He stopped quickly widening his eyes, "Really? You... you grounded Trey?"
Sandy nodded.
"He listened?" Ryan double checked.
"So far" Sandy finished off his own cone.
Ryan stared at Sandy in disbelief. He couldn't remember the last time that either he or Trey had been punished using a non-physical action. "Why eight hours?" Ryan challenged.
"Well, I don't know how long you guys are going to be here, so I figure it's a long enough period all things considered."
It was at this point that Seth's good mood evaporated. He fell back in to a sulk at the though of Ryan having to leave again, leaving him here in Newport against Luke all alone.
By the time the trio got back to the house where Kirsten had remained to keep an eye on Trey, none of them were particularly talking. At least not until Kirsten managed to introduce Catherine, the woman who would be Ryan and Trey's case worker.
It was at this point when Ryan and Sandy's good moods seemed to disappear as well.