Here is the epilogue for The Accident. The italicized portions are flashbacks, just to be clear. Please let me know what you think.

-Epilogue-

As the doctors explained everything about Seth and Ryan, everyone was pleased that there was nothing seriously wrong with either boy. Ryan's arm was broken, but other than the inconvenience of having to deal with a cast for 6-8 weeks, he would be just fine. Seth's right leg was broken and he fractured a couple of ribs. The doctors were still a little unsure about his unconsciousness, however. They assured the Cohen's that they were running every test they knew, and they wanted to keep Seth in the hospital for the next couple of days for observation.

Over the next few months, while things were slowly returning to normal and everyone was healing from this horrible accident, Kirsten couldn't have been more proud of either of her boys. They were there for each other without a word from anyone. But that didn't mean everything was easy. That first night, for instance, was very trying for her.

Ryan had been released from the ER and they had made their way up to the fourth floor. They were in the waiting room as they moved Seth up to his own room. It had been a stressful day for everyone, but she was glad it was almost over. There were still things to be done and dealt with, but those could be done later. They were allowed to see Seth for a couple of minutes before they started moving him upstairs, but it wasn't long enough. She still wanted to see her eldest son.

Ryan was happy that by the time he was able to get changed and discharged, they were upstairs in the waiting room of the floor they were moving Seth to. He was happy that he didn't have to stay in the hospital, but that was about all he was happy about. He was a little cranky because the medication they had given him had made a bit sleepy. It seemed like they had been waiting for hours to see Seth, even though he just saw him briefly just a few minutes ago. He wanted to stay there with Seth, but Kirsten had already told him that she wanted him to go home with Sandy to get some rest. On some level he knew he was somewhat acting like a little kid, repeatedly asking if he could stay, but for some reason he couldn't stop himself.

"Please? Can't I stay here tonight?" he'd asked for what seemed the twentieth time. Sandy knew his wife was reaching her limit. He could tell she was trying to be patient and understanding with Ryan, but her patience was running out. He could tell by the number of times he saw her silently count to 10, and the heavy sighs whenever he asked; the signs that even Ryan would normally have picked up on, but for some reason he was oblivious to. Sandy knew he needed to get Ryan's attention, and fast, before things got too far out of hand.

Sandy came up behind Ryan and gave him a swift swat on his butt. Ryan twirled around, eyes wide with surprise. Sandy raised his eyebrows and pointed a finger at his youngest son, "Now, listen to your mother, or you can expect more of that when we get home!" He had no intention of really hurting the boy, and he wasn't really sure if he would follow through with the threat if Ryan forced his hand, but, well, it was out there now… Once Sandy knew he had Ryan's attention, he cupped his cheek and gave him a brief smile, to let him know that he wasn't really all that upset.

Kirsten was once again amazed at how her husband seemed to know exactly what their boys, Ryan in particular, needed at any given moment. She could actually feel the energy in the room shift. What was just a moment before charged with energy, was now a little bit calmer. Ryan turned to her, his head bowed and he looked at her through his lashes. He penitently and quietly said, "I'm sorry." At that, she was no longer upset or frustrated. She pulled him into a tight hug.

"Oh, honey, I know." She smiled to herself as he hugged her back and even turned his head and rested it on her shoulder. After a moment or two, she pulled apart, but kept his hands in hers. "And I know that you want to spend some time with your brother, but do you remember what both your doctors told us?"

He sighed, nodded, and reluctantly repeated their instructions, "We need to rest."

"That's right. And I think we all know that if you do stay, NO ONE is going to be getting any rest. So, here's the deal: After you see Seth for a little bit, I want you to go home with your father. I've called your prescription in to the pharmacy and you can pick it up on your way home. If you get some rest, and by rest, I mean at least 8 hours of sleep, you and your father can come back up here tomorrow after breakfast. And I need you to make sure that your father actually eats something. He never thinks he's hungry in stressful situations like this, so make sure he eats. And that he gets some sleep, too. Ok?"

Ryan knew that she was right about what would happen if he were to stay. And the medication was still making him really tired. He knew he needed to get some sleep soon. He nodded in acceptance, "Ok."

She pulled him into another hug. "Good. I love you so much, honey."

He rested his head on her shoulder again, and closed his eyes. He thought to himself how nice it was to be held like this by his mother. 'My mother?' he thought. He took a deep breath before speaking, "I love you, too, m-mom."

At hearing those precious words, she pulled back to look at him; her face full of love and joy. "Oh, honey. That's the most wonderful thing you've said to me." She cupped his cheek, "And just remember: There are now only two people in this world that I allow to call me Mom." Both Kirsten and Ryan were wiping tears away from their eyes at this point.

Sandy had stepped back and allowed mother and son to have their moment. He knew just how important this was to both Kirsten and to Ryan, in their own ways. He smiled at just how much Ryan had come to love this woman who had become his mother. Yes, it had been a stressful day, but he was taking some solace in watching his wife and son unexpectedly bond.

Kirsten also realized that, despite how horrible this affair was, it seemed to bring the whole family together. Ryan was no longer their only self-less son.

Sandy had been pretty accurate with his initial estimate of 3 to 6 weeks for the adoption. Kirsten was thrilled that Sandy knew so many people in the legal system, particularly where minors were involved. With a couple of well-placed calls explaining the situation, they were able to get a hearing with a judge within 4 weeks of the accident.

Kirsten was especially proud of both her boys during this time. Despite still healing himself, Seth was very determined to make it to any and all hearings to show Ryan that he could, and would, have his back. It had only been less than a month that Seth had been released from the hospital, so he got tired very easily still, but he was determined to be there for his brother, even if just for moral support.

Ryan never ceased to amaze Kirsten. Despite everything Dawn put him through, he somehow managed to keep it together. He never lost his temper with her or barely raised his voice to her. Even when Dawn had the temerity to show up to the hearing already three sheets to the wind, Ryan did or said nothing to her.

She and Seth started out sitting in the gallery. Seth surprised her when, just after the hearing started and Dawn started arguing with the judge and yelling, more like slurring, insults at the Cohen's and the judge finally had her removed, he quietly got up from his seat. He silently moved to stand just behind his brother and to his right; not too close to invade his personal space, but enough to let him know he was there. He simply rested his hand on Ryan's shoulder, and didn't say a word; providing him an anchor, or tether, letting him know that he wasn't alone. Slowly Ryan turned and looked up at Seth, and she was amazed once again as she saw them silently communicating. In just a few seconds, she saw a whole conversation take place between the two boys. It had taken her years of togetherness with Sandy to be able to achieve the silent communication she just witnessed between her sons.

It took everything Sandy had not to follow Dawn out of the courtroom and lay her out, but he knew that both Seth and Ryan needed their father at home, not in jail. That didn't stop him from seething, though, because once again Dawn had put Ryan through the emotional ringer. It broke his heart as he just started shutting down when Dawn started lighting in to him. He tried to place his hand on the boys back to calm him, but he was sensing a very strong "don't touch me" vide. He was amazed as he watched Seth come from the gallery to stand just behind his brother and place his hand on his shoulder. And even more amazed that Ryan let him. When he saw them silently communicate with each other… that was it. He couldn't stand on the sidelines anymore.

He realized Kirsten decided the same thing as he saw her get up and at the same time both of them came and enveloped both boys into a family hug. Where Seth would have normally made a blithe comment about being crushed by his mother, even he didn't say anything as the cemented their family all the more so.

The judge was watching the whole scene; watched as first, brother, then mother and father came to support their own. Normally, with custody and adoption hearings, he wanted to hear from the minor, in their own words why they wanted to be adopted. He would also talk to all members of the adopting family to ensure that the resultant "new" family would be secure. In this case, he didn't need any further testimony from anyone. It was obvious from the outbursts from the biological mother that that living arrangement would not be in Ryan's best interest. It was also obvious by the reaction of the other family members that they already considered him as part of their family, and that he was a very important part of their family. He was ready to make his ruling.

As Sandy finished getting ready for bed, he thought back to that day 6 months ago. Back to the day when his youngest son truly accepted his place in their family. There were times when he had a hard time remembering that they weren't always a family, that they weren't always Ryan's parents. Oh, he knew there were still going to be issues with that part of his life. He doubted if Frank or Dawn would ever present themselves as problems, mostly because he was determined never to let them have anything to do with his son. But he knew that there were residual effects from his life with them that they would have to deal with at some point. But he knew that together, as a family, they would be able to deal with anything that life threw their way.

Thinking about to how close he came to losing both of his sons caused his breath to hitch. However, knowing that both his sons were safe in his home brought a new flood of emotions. He had to take a few minutes to calm his breathing to keep the emotions from making him their stronghold. After regaining his control, he left their bathroom and climbed into bed alongside his wife. As they snuggled against each other, without saying a word, he knew Kirsten felt the same thing. Together… they were unstoppable!