2/12 - I tweaked this chapter; I noticed that there were some things that I missed. Sorry!

Again, as posted in the last chapter, I have very little knowledge of medical procedure/policy, so if I portrayed something wrong, please forgive me.

This is a much longer chapter then the first, but I thought there was a lot to cover. I am planning on a short epilogue, of sorts, that will wrap everything up. Hopefully, I will be able to get that posted soon.

-At the hospital-

This trip to the Emergency Room at HOAG was one of the most excruciating trips Sandy had ever had to endure. The only other time that could have compared was when he and Kirsten were rushing to the hospital in Berkeley when Kirsten was about to go into labor. That time, Sandy knew the ultimate outcome; he was going to become a father, and he was nervous but happy. This time, however, Sandy didn't know what was going on with his kids, and the uncertainty was killing him. He could tell Kirsten was just as upset during the drive.

Kirsten was upset and anxious. She knew all she was doing was twisting her rings; she always did it when she was nervous or upset. She could tell her husband was eager to get to the hospital, as well. Halfway through the drive, she reached over the middle console and took her husband's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. It was good they had each other. Despite the fact that they were both freaking out on the inside and couldn't get to HOAG soon enough, she knew that together, they could handle anything; including any injuries their children might suffer.

When Kirsten grabbed Sandy's hand, he was startled slightly. He had almost forgotten she was in the car. He was just driving to the hospital in a daze, his mind racing about worse case scenarios and nightmares other parents have to face when their children are raced to the hospital. He remembered just how much he loved this woman sitting next to him. They would be able to strengthen each other and help one another— and their sons— get through this horrible ordeal.

Once they got to HOAG, Sandy couldn't find a parking spot fast enough. He found a spot closest to the Emergency Room, and as soon as he had the car in park, both he and Kirsten were running into the waiting room hand-in-hand.

Coming up to the nurse's desk, Sandy breathlessly spoke to the older woman behind the counter, "I'm Sandy Cohen, and this is my wife Kirsten. Our kids were brought in about 20-40 minutes ago from a car accident: Seth Cohen and Ryan Atwood?"

The nurse responded with a kindly smile, "Ok, Mr. and Mrs. Cohen, let me check on them." She typed some information into the computer in front of her. "All right, Seth was brought in unconscious and it appears that he still is; the doctors are still with him. I'll update the system so they know you're here when they're finished."

As she typed a little more, Kirsten fell into Sandy's arms and started crying a little into his chest. He rubbed her back and tried to comfort her with his touch, his emotions not permitting him to speak at the moment. After a moment or two of drawing strength from each other, Kirsten turned her attention back to the nurse. "Can we see him?" she asked tearfully.

The woman must have been working in the ER for some time and had dealt with many distraught parents. Her brows came together and with a sad smile responded, "I'm sorry, but no. I'm afraid you'll have to wait until the doctors are finished. I'm so sorry."

Kirsten again buried her face into her husband's chest. Sandy mustered enough control to ask, "What about our other son, Ryan Atwood?"

After typing a little bit more, she responded a little bit more positively, "Ok, it looks like he might just have a broken arm. He's slated for a trip to radiology soon. You can see him. He's in ER #10." Pointing to a set of doors right next to her desk, she continued, "Just go through these doors, turn down that hallway, and #10 is directly ahead. You can't miss it."

Sandy sighed in relief, "Thank you!"

She responded, "Oh, you're very welcome. I'll let the doctors know where you are so they can find you when they are done with your other son. I hope everything works out well for both your boys."

At least being able to see Ryan helped to brighten Kirsten's spirits, even marginally. She thanked the woman behind the desk, and both parents made their way to one of their sons.

As the adult Cohens followed the direction of the kindly nurse towards ER #10, they saw Ryan through the curtained off section at the end of the hall. When Kirsten saw her youngest brooding silently and all alone, she couldn't help herself from breaking into a run.

When she finally reached him, she didn't care about any walls he may have had up. She threw her arms around him, and fresh tears started falling. When Kirsten finally let him go, Sandy wrapped his arms around Ryan as best she could. Wiping tears from her eyes, Kirsten asked, "Oh, sweetie, we were so worried. How are you feeling?"

Ryan was actually very glad that Sandy and Kirsten were finally there. He didn't know anything about Seth: where he was, or how he was doing? He couldn't stop himself from fully returning their hugs as best he could with his hurt arm. "I'm fine. Have you heard anything about Seth?" He was just so eager to hear anything about his brother.

Kirsten took his free hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "All we know is that he's still unconscious. The doctors will come find us here when they're finished with him." She put her free hand on her hip and gave him her best Mom-look, "Now, don't think I didn't notice how you tried to change the subject there! How are you feeling? And I want the truth this time, young man!"

Sandy chuckled from the other side of the bed and patted Ryan's shoulder, careful to avoid his hurt arm, "It's no use, kid. The Kirsten's here; you'd better tell her the truth." He continued chuckling a little bit, until his wife shot him a glare that effectively quieted him.

Ryan looked up at Kirsten penitently through his eyelashes. "Sorry. They finally gave me something so that the pain is down to a numbing ache at this point. I'd still rather not to have to be in this bed and be able to see Seth."

While still holding Ryan's hand, she rubbed his arm with her other hand. "Oh, I know, honey. But, remember, none of can see Seth until the doctors are done with him. Besides, he's still unconscious."

She watched as he sullenly nodded his head. She could see him instantly start brooding again. Kirsten suddenly saw Ryan as the young child she never had the privilege to know; the child that was ruined by his past. Her heart broke again for her son. She ran her hand through his hair, and noticed after a few moments that it seemed to have a calming effect on Ryan.

After a moment or two of silence, Ryan looked up at both Sandy and Kirsten and quietly said, "Again, I'm really sorry about what happened…to the car, and to Seth."

Sandy found a couple of chairs along the wall and moved them closer to the bed; one for Kirsten and one on the other side of the bed for himself. Sandy carefully kneaded his shoulder and told him, "Don't worry about it, kid. Why don't you tell us what happened?"

Ryan took a couple of deep breaths before launching into the accident that he is hoping doesn't change his life forever. "Some of it is still a little hazy, but I was driving, the speed limit, by the way, and we were listening to some Journey. Seth must have spaced out; he was just staring out the window and was pretty quiet. It was actually kind of refreshing…" He grimaces at that thought; now willing to give anything to have is brother burst into the room and start a verbal marathon no one could stop.

Kirsten squeezed the hand she was holding and started again running her free hand through his hair. With a soothing voice, she told him, "Its ok, honey, go on."

Ryan took another moment or two to get his emotions under control before continuing, "As we were driving, I noticed a car pull up alongside us in the left-hand lane, and for a moment, I was a little surprised that they didn't pass us. But I didn't think much of it, and went back to the road in front of us and Journey. I think it was only a few minutes later that the other car didn't just veer into our lane, but practically turned right into us. I don't know if they lost control or what, but by the time I knew what was happening, it was too late. We were essentially run off the road. There was a ditch just off the shoulder of the road that we ran into. Seth's side of the car took the brunt of the impact. The next thing I really remember was holding Seth's hand and calling you from the ambulance. Again, I'm really sorry, you guys!"

Kirsten moved to sit on the bed next to Ryan so that she was facing him. "Oh, sweetie, don't worry about it. We're just glad that you weren't hurt any worse. What happened to Seth was not your fault."

"Your mother's right. If anything, it's the fault of the other driver." Sandy's face got very grave and his voice dark, "And you can be sure that I'm going to be looking into this. There will be action taken against the other driver, if warranted."

Ryan liked the sound of Sandy's 'your mother' when referring to Kirsten, but he wasn't quite ready to admit it…yet. "Sandy, you don't have to…"

Sandy cut him off right away. "No, Ryan. This isn't something that's up for discussion. No one runs my kids off the road."

Kirsten smiled and looked from Ryan to Sandy. "Honey, you'd better listen to your father. Especially, when he is in lawyer mode." While she was sitting on Ryan's bed, still trying to calm him, a woman walked in through the curtains, whom they could only guess was a nurse.

When she saw Sandy and Kirsten, she said, "Oh, good. Mom and Dad, I assume?" When they both nodded, she continued, "Great. My name is Bev; I'm one of the nurses assigned to your son here. I'm actually glad you're here. Ryan is scheduled to make a trip down to radiology in just a few minutes. We're going to need to get him out of those clothes and into this gown. I have three teenagers myself, and so I can understand how some might feel a little bit more comfortable with their parents helping them change rather than a complete stranger. Why don't I give you a few minutes to help him change and then we'll see about getting those x-rays taken care of?" With that she stepped out and closed the curtains.

After she left, Kirsten and Sandy looked at each other and then looked at Ryan with amused expressions. After a few minutes of them just staring at him, he couldn't take it anymore. "What?" After another beat or two, he furrowed his brow a bit as he admitted, "Ok, she's right. I wanted to wait until you guys got here to help me change."

Sandy couldn't help but chuckle as he, as he said, "Oh, it's not so much that, kid, as it is we just seem to have noticed that the nurse just about twice referred to us as your parents, and you didn't correct her." He ran his hand over the top of Ryan's head and lowered his voice, as though to share a secret with just the three of them, and his smile deepened. "And I heard what you called me in the ambulance."

Ryan never did like to talk about his feelings, but his relief they were there and the medication were conspiring against him from keeping his mouth shut. "Maybe it's this stupid medication that's giving me diarrhea of the mouth, but there are times when… Well, when I wish that was the truth." He lowered his gaze to the curtains of the sectioned off little room to avoid their looks of pity, which he was sure they were giving him.

Sandy tried to get the kid to look at him. "Ryan…" When he didn't look right away, his voice got a little more authoritative, but still kind, "Ryan, look at me." Ryan just tried to give him one of his side-ways glances, but when he made eye contact with Sandy, he had to give him his full attention. There was something in Sandy's eyes that made him want to hear what he was going to say, and to believe it. Sandy softly told him, "Ryan, so do we."

That wasn't exactly the reaction Ryan was expecting. Come to think of it, he wasn't exactly sure what he expected from such an admission. The medication must have dulled his thinking a little bit, because it took him a few moments to fully comprehend what Sandy meant.

Ryan looked between both Sandy and Kirsten, "Wait a minute… You guys want to adopt me?"

Ryan hadn't noticed until now, but ever since he admitted that he wished they were is real parents, tears were slipping down her cheeks again. She chucked through her tears, "Oh, sweetie, we sure would." She cupped his check, "We understand that you already have a set of parents, but nothing would make his happier then to be able to shout from the rooftops that you, Ryan, are our son."

Sandy picked up from his wife, "She's right, kid. You're already our son in our minds and hearts, and nothing is going to change that, but we would love to make it legally permanent." Sandy could tell Ryan was having a hard time verbalizing his thoughts and any questions he might have. "Now, you don't have to decide right this minute."

Indicating the hospital room, Kirsten interjected, "We realize there are more important things to worry about right now."

Sandy continued, "Take some time to think about, and to ask us questions. The three, or four of us, if you want, can sit down and talk about it some more. I know one of the best family lawyers in Orange County that we can talk to and ask questions."

Ryan was finally able to find his voice, "How would it happen? How long do you think it would take?"

Sandy mulled over his answer for a moment. "Well, again family law isn't my area, so I may not have all the answers right now. But, from the few adoptions I've been involved with in getting unfortunate kids into better homes, I can tell you this: first, we'll probably have to get Frank and Dawn to transfer their parental rights to us. A judge may not be so concerned with Frank, since he's still in jail for a while. Dawn may be a little bit trickier. We can try to, first, get her to voluntarily sign over her rights. If she doesn't, we can get a court order. We shouldn't have a problem convincing a judge that this is what you want and that it's in your best interests." He took a deep breath before continuing, "As for how long it might take, that's kind of hard to say. Similar cases that I've seen have run somewhere from between three and six weeks."

Kirsten squeezed Ryan's hand that she was holding, "But, honey, regardless of how long it takes or what is involved, if this is what you want, it will happen. And, if you decide you don't want to pursue it at this time, it won't change how we feel about you. You will always be our son, and we will always love you."

All Ryan could seem to do was nod. He felt overwhelmed with feelings towards these two people who have really been the only parents he's ever had, and are now expressing a deep desire to be true parents. Permanently, no less. He definitely had some things to think about. He attempted to change the subject for now. "Well, we better get me changed, before Nurse Ratchet comes back."

Kirsten's eyes went wide at the obvious barb towards the kindly woman they just met. "Ryan!" she lightly chided.

"What?! She's mean, and I don't like her. She wouldn't tell me anything about Seth."

Sandy tagged in, "Well, that's still no excuse for you to be rude and mean back. Let's get you changed, and then while you're down getting your x-rays, I'll see if I can't get some update about him before you get back."

With that, Sandy and Kirsten worked together to help Ryan get his clothes off and into the gown. It only took them a couple of minutes and a few missteps before Ryan was laying glumly back in the bed. He hated this situation even more. Now, not only didn't he know what was going on with his brother, not only was in a hospital bed, not only did his arm ache, but now he had to lay here in this flimsy gown that really left much to be desired. The only highlight of this whole ordeal was the conversation Sandy and Kirsten had had with him about their wanting to adopt him.

After they got Ryan changed, Sandy stepped out to flag down Nurse Bev to let her know that Ryan was ready. A minute later, he stepped back inside the curtained off area followed by the nurse and an orderly. She introduced them, "Ryan, this is Paul. He's going to drive you down to get your x-rays, ok? It should talk about 30-45 minutes, and then we'll come back here and meet back up with your parents, ok?"

He nodded his acceptance. He wasn't in much a talking mood anymore. This was one of the parts about his previous visits to the hospital that he really didn't like. But before Paul rolled him away, Sandy leaned down and whispered in his ear, "Don't worry, Ryan. We'll be right here waiting for you. I love you, kid." He looked him in the eyes to make sure Ryan really heard him. He placed a kiss on Ryan's forehead and smiled when he noticed a slight reddening on the tips of his son's ears.

Kirsten also wanted to reassure her son, "Honey, everything's going to be ok. You'll be back before you know it. I love you so much." She then kissed him on his cheek, only to increase the flush to his face.

Finally, they both moved out of the way to allow Paul to roll their son away. They moved closer together after he was gone and Kirsten fell into her husband's embrace. After garnering strength from each other for a few minutes, Sandy begrudgingly drew apart from his wife so that he could go find some information about Seth.

True to Nurse Bev's words, Ryan was relieved to be rolled back from his trip to radiology after only about 35 minutes. He was actually surprised to be happy to have some time where he could think about the conversation he had had with Kirsten and Sandy earlier. As Paul was locking the bed back into place, Bev came in and said, "Well, Ryan, you did very well. We got a couple of pictures of your arm, and they're being developed right now. As soon as the doctor has a chance to look at them, he'll be in to talk to you. Do you have any questions, Ryan?" He shook his head no. Turning to Kirsten and Sandy, she asked them, "Mom, Dad, do you have any questions?"

Before they could say anything, Ryan spoke up. "Actually, they aren't my parents." Concerned, Sandy and Kirsten looked at each other and then turned to Ryan. They thought he was excited about the possible adoption they had talked about earlier. Did they misunderstand something? Looking at them, he continued with a shy smile, "But they will be after about 3-6 weeks."

Kirsten was out of her seat and next to Ryan in a flash. She had an ear-to-ear smile and tears were starting to flow again. "Really? You're serious?"

As Sandy joined them on his other side, Ryan looked between the both of them said a little stronger, "I want you to adopt me. I want people to know that I'm your son."

Sandy had a smile to match his wife's, ran a hand over the top of Ryan's hair, and also had tears running down his cheeks. "Then, that's what will happen. First thing tomorrow morning, I'll contact that lawyer I mentioned and get the ball rolling." Both Kirsten and Sandy leaned over the bad and, as awkwardly as possible, the Cohen adults hugged their son. When they pulled away, they even noticed Ryan had tears running down his face.

After a moment or two of the three of them kind of just staring at each other, they all starting laughing at the situation. Sandy cleared his throat before saying, "Well, I have more good news for you. I found out just a couple of minutes ago that Seth has woken up. The doctors should be finishing up with him in just a couple of minutes and then they'll be in."

At that Nurse Bev spoke up, "Actually, the doctors are finished with him now, and one of them is making up some notes right outside, and then he will be in to give you an update. Another doctor is looking at your x-rays now, and should be in to talk with you in just a couple of minutes."

A few moments later, both doctors stepped through the curtain. When Kirsten saw them, she took Ryan's hand in her right hand, and Sandy's hand in her left. Sandy then placed his free hand on Ryan's shoulder. They knew the only way they were going to get through this situation was together, as a family.

And then the doctors started talking…