Obvious FYI: I don't own anything that even remotely has to do with The O.C.!
Thank you for reviewing! Please keep them coming!
-------------
The first 24 hours of Ryan's hospitalization were the scariest of the Cohens' lives. He was touch and go and just the sight of him made Kirsten go weak at the knees. Ryan was intubated and hooked up to what looked like half the machines in all of Italy. His head was a white turban of bandages, the color almost matching his pale face. His left eye was swollen shut and bruised and multiple, small rows of stitches crowded the area. His right eyelid looked almost gray with pain and the lack of any facial movements symbolized the deep coma he was in.
It made Sandy tear to see the lack of responsiveness in his son's body. Although Ryan hadn't been in Newport for very long, it was unnatural to think of him anywhere else. Sandy couldn't help but think that had Ryan still been living in Chino, this accident wouldn't have happened. It was ironic that the family that had given him a second chance was now watching him fight for the very life they sought to protect. All they could do was watch.
The Italian ICU rules were the same as the American ones—only one parent at a time and everyone else one at a time for ten minutes on the hour, although the staff took pity on the poor American family and bent the rules for the first few hours. One of the nurses assigned to Ryan's case spoke very good English. After letting them sit with Ryan for the rest of the night, the nurse Isabella helped the Cohens find a hotel right near the hospital where Sandy and Seth stayed while Kirsten took the first shift of watching Ryan.
-------------
Three days later, all three Cohens were once again present in Ryan's room. The nurses noticed some spasms in Ryan's left hand and alerted the family right away. His right hand was severely flexed at the wrist and his fingers were curled inwards, a sign, the doctor said of a significant injury to the left side of his brain. But by that afternoon, Ryan was showing signs of life.
"Seth, ask him to squeeze your hand," Isabella the nurse encouraged as two neurologists looked on.
"Hey, Ry. Squeeze my hand, buddy, come on." Seth looked from his brother to the nurse who nodded for him to continue. "Ryan do you feel me touching you? Just squeeze my hand." Seth lightly pressed on his brother's left hand. Nothing. "Bro, come on. Now is not the time to act macho. This isn't as minty as it seems." The doctors looked at each other, wondering what 'minty' meant.
Seth was about to give up when he felt a slight pressure in his palm. Everyone noticed.
"Ryan?" Kirsten knelt down by the bed as one doctor flashed his penlight again into his patient's eyes. "Ryan can you hear us? Come on, honey."
Another twitch of his hand made Sandy laugh in disbelief. Seth squeezed Ryan's hand again and this time was rewarded with a small yet significant pressure.
"Ryan can you push your foot against my hand? Pretend you are pressing the gas," the nurse commanded as the doctor put his hand on Ryan's foot. To everyone's happiness, Ryan obliged and both feet were equal.
"I think that was the key, telling him to 'push the gas.' Driving's his thing. Cars are kinda what brought us all together." Seth smiled down at his brother, not noticing that no one understood his reference.
-------------
A physical therapist named Conchetta entered the room later that day and found Kirsten asleep next to her son. Conchetta's English was decent, but a translator accompanied her nonetheless.
"I am sorry to wake you, Mrs. Cohen," the therapist began. Kirsten jolted awake like she always did when one of the medical staff came in to check on Ryan.
"It's fine," Kirsten replied as she stood up. "I was just dozing. Is everything ok?"
"Yes, it is ok. It is nice to meet you. My name is Conchetta and I am a physical therapist. Chanel is my translator just in case." All three women shook hands. "I heard Ryan was moving around earlier?"
"Yes, he was," Kirsten replied proudly. "He was squeezing my other son's hand and he was moving his feet for the doctors. Thank you for coming."
"That's great news," Conchetta continued sincerely. She then made her way around to the side of the bed and began to examine Ryan's face. "They are going to do reconstruction, no?" she asked Kirsten.
"Um, yes, yes Dr. Caparelli plans to do it soon. At least that's what the translator said," Kirsten looked to the door for a moment in disbelief at how much trust she put in the translators. "I think they're waiting for some more swelling to go down before they fix his cheek. Although it does look much better than it did when he got out of the first surgery."
Conchetta nodded. She gently tapped Ryan on the shoulder, unsure of how much of a response she would get out of the teen.
"Ryan? Ryan I need you to listen to me. Can you follow my directions? Ryan I'm a physical therapist and I am going to help you. Your mother is here, too and she wants you to get better, so you need to show off here." Conchetta gently rubbed her fist on Ryan's sternum, only enough to elicit a slight response. She was rewarded when she saw Ryan's left hand twitch.
Kirsten smiled at the translator in the corner.
"Ryan I am going to put something in your hand. I want you to grab it, ok?" Conchetta did just as she explained as she placed a small, plastic stick resembling a Lincoln Log into Ryan's hand. Nothing happened. "Ryan can you feel the stick?" Conchetta pressed harder into her patient's palm. Finally, his fingers wrapped around the object.
Kirsten stood up and came to the other side of the bed. "Honey I am so proud of you!"
"Ok, Ryan now let go," the physical therapist coached. Right away the tired fingers released their hold on the object and flopped back onto the bed. Conchetta laughed. "I can see that I am working the poor American boy so hard!"
Kirsten rubbed Ryan's right hand before Conchetta picked it up and examined it, muttering to herself in Italian.
"Ryan can you open up this hand?" the PT tapped Ryan's right hand in an attempt to have him straighten his fingers, something she knew was nearly impossible at this point. Her suspicions were correct when she saw no reply.
Kirsten looked a little disappointed but was reassured when the translator said the action wasn't expected. Conchetta continued with a few more exercises, saying she would know more when the breathing tube was removed, a procedure slated to take place the following day. Relatively speaking, it was a good day for Ryan.
-------------
Seth and Sandy came by that night and were ecstatic to hear of Ryan's progress. It had been a rough three days and finally some assurance was in sight. As his parents discussed the situation further, Seth excused himself saying he was going to find the bathroom.
Seth had no such intentions. What he really was in search of was a young, beautiful nurse he had seen the other day around this time. He had looked up a few phrases in his Italian/American dictionary back at the hotel and he hoped to catch her attention. Any ties he had to Summer were ignored. Angelina, as Seth saw her nametag read, was going to get him through this.
Just as Seth was about to turn back and give up hope, he saw the nurse at the desk writing some notes in various charts. Seth pulled out the note card giving it one last look at his sentences. He figured that he had no reputation here in Venice and what did he have to lose? His vacation was already shot to Hell.
He tried his hand at Italian, but it translated not exactly as he hoped.
"Hello, nurse." He glanced at the note card. "I think you pretty, are pretty." Glance. "My name is Seth and I am from America." Glance and double take. "My brother is hurt but I am strong for him because I am masculine American." Stare for a long time. "My friends at home say I have much confidence and am good sport player. Will you, pretty nurse, talk me?" Seth looked up from the card he was holding and gazed into her beautiful, brown eyes.
She replied in rapid Italian knowing full well that he wouldn't understand. She was laughing to herself when she saw Seth's blank stare. She motioned to him to follow her. Seth couldn't believe the response.
They walked back down the hallway past Ryan's room and she led him to a water fountain. She poured him a cup of water then patted him on the shoulder, smiled and left. Seth stared at her as she walked away. She turned around and waved softly. Seth waved back with his mouth wide open looking like an idiot. What just happened?
"Angelina," a nurse pulled her friend into the female staff bathroom. "Was that the skinny American boy?" she asked in Italian.
"Yes, did you hear him?" Angelina laughed kindly.
"Aren't you going to let him know that you speak English?" the other nurse asked as she shook her head and laughed.
"Not yet," Angelina replied with an innocent grin on her face.