Thanks again for all the reviews. I am truly honoured and love replying to them.
This chapter was harder to write but I finally did it and I really hope you guys like what I have come up with.
Chapter 5
The Cohens all sat around the table together, in silence.
Today would have been the first birthday that Ryan would have ever had in their house. The day should have been filled with happiness, laughter.
Instead, the family just sat around, avoiding each other's gazes but relishing in each other's silence.
The nana was at the supermarket buying the ingredients for a birthday cake. She was determined to help them celebrate the day even if Ryan wasn't there to join in.
It felt like time was moving too quickly and yet too slowly at the same time. The days themselves seemed to go depressingly slowly but then the police would tell them how long Ryan had been missing and then time would feel like it was in fact whirl winding past them.
He'd be 16 today and Sandy knew that Ryan had been looking forward to the day for a long time.
Sandy could almost see Ryan's little smile when the family had been talking at Chrismukkah about how old each of them would be that year. He'd gushed about how old to him 16 had sounded and Sandy had loved seeing him so open with his happiness.
He could almost feel the way the kid's t-shirt felt when he'd patted his back, telling him it wasn't too far away now.
God, he missed him.
Sure, Ryan had only been in the family since late August the previous year but there was still an aching hole in his heart where his youngest son should have been.
He longed for those small little smiles, Ryan would give. The way he would look at you from the corner of his eye and how just one look would tell you exactly what he was thinking at that moment.
Those were the things he missed the most.
He eyed the phone, begging it to ring. Begging, there to be some news of his son.
Anything.
xxx
Sandy had had to leave the kitchen when his mom had arrived back at the house. She'd managed to persuade Seth into helping bake the cake but Sandy hadn't had the courage to stay.
He just couldn't bear the thought of celebrating the 16th birthday that Ryan had been looking so forward too, without him.
He sat in his office, trying to keep his hands busy and trying to think of something to do.
He glanced at the clock on his desk and tried not to think about how quickly the day was going. Sandy had hoped that this day would bring good luck. That this day would bring news of Ryan's whereabouts.
It was the kind of thing you'd here about on TV soaps; kid goes missing and turns up on his birthday. Sandy knew that those programs weren't exactly showing realistic situations, but the whole situation felt so unreal anyway, he'd just held that little bit of hope.
He opened up a Word document on his computer and began tapping away at the key board. Trying to force his mind off of the silent phone and on to other things instead.
He could faintly hear the Nana talking to Seth and Kirsten in the kitchen and the mumble of Seth's responses.
He was glad that his mom was able to help Seth get out of his little box. He barely left his room but that morning she had managed to cajole him out and even four hours later, he was still in the kitchen.
Her niceness made him feel a little guilty that he didn't visit her more and that she wasn't invited to visit them more. He hadn't seen her in years and had been surprised when she'd offered to come over and help them so eagerly.
Usually, she couldn't stand California and Kirsten would have her red with rage over nothing. But this time was different and as much as Sandy wished that maybe she had changed, he still could not get the thought out of his head that there was something else. Something that she wasn't telling him.
It was the way that she watched him sometimes or Seth. It was like she was savouring those moments. At first Sandy had figured it was only pity he was seeing but now he wasn't so sure.
It was just strange, she'd never met Ryan and yet she was so willing to help them. It was so unlike the Nana he knew.
Plus, Sandy couldn't help to wonder what Ryan would make of the attention from her when they found him.
He chuckled softly; Ryan had never really been open to affection. He'd barely accepted it from them let alone a stranger. They'd had an extremely stressful time just before Chrismukkah when he'd contracted the flu. He and Kirsten and wanted to help him so badly but his feverish state was making him snappy and he most definitely wanted to be left alone.
He sighed sadly at the memory. As much as it had annoyed him at the time to experience Ryan's stubborn side, it still made him smile to think that Ryan had obviously subconsciously felt comfortable enough with them to allow himself to be snappy.
In his heart he knew that they would find Ryan and he'd be alive. He'd said the words enough times to Seth and Kirsten to make himself believe it.
He knew that Ryan would come back to them and sure, he would be hurt physically and most definitely emotionally, but he knew that together as a family they could help him through the hurt.
A crashing sound from the kitchen made him jump and he stood up immediately, before hurrying to the kitchen.
He entered the room to find the Nana wiping away tears of laughter, something he had never seen before, Seth standing with his hands on his hips and Kirsten looking at her hands guiltily.
"What happened?" Sandy asked.
He noticed the broken bowl on the floor and the cake mixture splattered over the floor.
Seth took no notice of his father.
"Mom, all you had to do was pick up the bowl and place it in the fridge. It's really not that hard." he said, trying to keep the exasperation out of his voice but emphasising the "pick up" bit.
"I know but the fridge door was stuck and I had to use both hands to open it and it just kind of slipped…"
Her words were lost as she too began laughing, not as much as the Nana but enough to hinder her words.
Seth watched her like she was crazy but a smile also spread on to his lips.
Sandy couldn't remember the last time he'd seen his son smile.
He grinned at the scene before him. "I'm not even going to ask," he said.
The sound of the phone ringing interrupted the scene and Sandy walked over to it, a smile still on his lips. He could hear Kirsten and the Nana still laughing away.
"Sandy Cohen," he said into the receiver.
"We've found him."
Three short words and Sandy felt his body freeze and then begin to tremble, a bursting feeling overcoming his body.
"Is it definitely him?" he asked, having force the words out past his lips. He wouldn't be able to bear it if he psyched up Kirsten and Seth, not to mention himself, only to find that this was another blonde hair kid that happened to also match Ryan's description.
"Definitely is, Sandy."
Sandy breathed in sharply and he felt Kirsten coming in closer. He could no longer hear the sound of laughter. He looked around and saw Seth moving closer to the Nana, seeking comfort from her.
He held out a trembling hand to Kirsten and she accepted it, moving closer to him.
The next words were a struggle to come out. The man hadn't said if Ryan was alive or dead yet. He forced out the words, begging for the answer to be a positive one.
"Is he okay?"
tbc…
See, I told you Ryan would be in soon :D
Thanks so much for reading.