Hi guys,
I'm so worried about this chapter :S
I found it a real struggle to finish and the muses began giving me other stories to write instead. However, I have finished and I will stop tampering with it now. I hope you guys like it.
Chapter 11
Sandy frowned and paused by Ryan's closed bedroom door. It was an odd time to be having a shower.
He knocked tentatively on the door.
Sandy opened the door. "Ryan!" he called out as he stepped in.
The bathroom door was closed.
He felt a strange feeling inside of him as he stepped forward into the room. The sound of the shower running echoed through his head.
The feeling inside of him rose as he stepped closer to the bathroom and knocked on the door.
"Ryan!" he called through the door. "Kid, are you okay?"
There was no reply and he tried the door knob. It was locked.
"Ryan!" he called again. There was no answer. His hands began to shake as he knocked again.
"What's going on?" He turned to find Kirsten entering the room, munching on an apple. She was watching him curiously.
"I'm not sure." He mumbled and tried the door again in vain.
"Is Ryan in there?" she asked, trying to figure out why he was trying to get into the obviously locked bathroom.
He nodded.
"Something doesn't feel right." He said.
"Ryan, honey, are you alright?" Kirsten called through the door.
He saw her face grow anxious as, like he had, she received no reply.
As the seconds ticked away, the two became even more worried.
Sandy dug into his pocket and retrieved his wallet.
"Plan B," he muttered as he took out his card.
Kirsten rolled her eyes but he ignored her.
"Ryan, we're coming in." He called out as he began fumbling with the card and trying to use it to open the door.
"Why isn't he answering?" Kirsten asked and Sandy could hear the fear in her voice.
It took five minutes for Sandy to open the door and they both burst in.
It took a moment for either of them to react to what they saw when they entered the room. The shower continued to call out for attention and breathed steam out into the room.
Then there was a flurry of activity.
"Kirsten! Call an ambulance!" Sandy ignored the shower and hurried over to the Ryan's side.
His face was wickedly pale and Sandy's stomach turned at the sight of all the blood.
He turned and saw that Kirsten was still standing in the doorway, a hand raised to her mouth and her watery eyes fixed on Ryan.
"Kirsten, go!" he called out to her and she jumped at the sound of his voice.
She nodded slightly and hurried out of the room.
Sandy winced at the sight of Ryan's slashed wrists. The blood was pooling all around him and he grabbed a towel that was hanging on the towel rack.
Ryan's face turned to a grimace slightly as Sandy held the towel onto the gaping wounds and for a moment, Sandy thought he was about to wake up.
"Ryan?" he called.
There was no other response and Sandy shook his head.
"Oh God, kid." He whispered and tried not to think of the blood soaking into his jeans.
He noticed the way Ryan was laying limply against the wall. He looked so weak.
Sandy felt like kicking himself, he should have known something like this was going to happen.
He had been trying so hard to try and get Ryan to open up and talk about what had happened to him. Maybe he had been pushing too hard?
"Dad? What happened?" Seth gasped, standing by the door.
Sandy tried unsuccessfully to block Ryan's body from Seth's view. He didn't want him to have to see this.
He kept the pressure on the towel as Seth came forward.
"They're coming," Kirsten came hurrying back into the room, breathless.
She pushed past Seth and kneeled down by Ryan's side.
"Ryan? You're okay, sweetie. Help's coming," she rubbed his shoulder gently and Sandy noticed the way she made sure not to look at the towels covering Ryan's bleeding wrists.
"He looks so uncomfortable," she whispered, almost to herself.
She gently gathered him into her arms and cradled him, allowing Sandy to still have access to his wrists.
Xxx
Ryan was aware of a throbbing pain in his wrists, it hurt so badly. He wanted to try and move away from the pain but found he couldn't.
He couldn't stop the moan that left his lips. A feeling of panic over took him as he tried again to move.
It seemed he was being held down by something.
A sudden soft feeling brushed against his cheek and he paused in his efforts.
He was so confused and it hurt so much.
He became aware of how cold it was and shivered. He let out another moan as the throbbing in his wrists seemed to worsen. The soft feeling remained on his cheek and he leaned into it, seeking it for warmth.
"Ryan..."
He heard his name being called but it sounded odd and far off.
Then, he felt another pair of hands on him. These weren't soft like the ones that were on his face. He tried to kick out as they turned him onto his side but the hands held strong.
He tried to keep away the thicker darkness that was starting to take over but could feel himself being sucked in.
Xxx
The first thing Ryan was aware of when he woke up was the headache pulsating through his head. He wanted to drift back to sleep, hoping a few more hours in bed would make it go away. He was just settling down but when he tried to turn over he found that the edge of the bed was a lot closer than what he was expecting.
He opened his eyes, confused, and tried to raise a hand to his head. He realised his hands were tied down. He struggled against the bonds holding him down.
Had he been captured again?
The sudden throbbing in his wrists made him wince and his eyes shot open as he remembered what had happened.
He looked around the sterile hospital room and grimaced.
This was not supposed to have happened.
He should have planned it better.
The sound of the door opening made him jump and he snuggled down into the blanket, closing his eyes.
He heard footsteps treading across the room and had to fight the urge to check to see who it was.
The person pulled up a chair to the bed and Ryan had to grind his teeth in order not to flinch away as he felt a soft hand rub his shoulder.
He heard the person sigh and realised it was Sandy.
"I'm so sorry, kid. I can't believe you thought you had to resort to this..." the words were whispered and Ryan felt them slicing into him.
He felt an ache inside of him as he heard the sadness in Sandy's voice as he spoke.
A further stab of pain hit his head and he couldn't stop himself from trying to raise his hand and found himself moaning when he remembered he couldn't.
"Ryan?" Sandy called to him.
He opened his eyes and forced himself to face his foster father.
"Are you okay? Do your wrists hurt?" Ryan winced at the concern in Sandy's voice.
He shook his head slightly and flinched at the pain it caused.
Of course Sandy didn't miss a heartbeat and was immediately on the alert.
"Are you okay? I'd better get a nurse." He quickly got up and Ryan noticed the way he was running on an almost nervous energy.
"I'll be back in a sec."
Ryan watched him leave the room and scanned the room with his eyes.
This was bad. He'd meant to make things better for the Cohens but judging on Sandy, it seemed he had done the opposite. He used to be so good at reading what people were thinking, it had been a trait he had needed for survival in Chino.
He sighed and tried to make himself comfortable but it was almost impossible with his hands tied down. He hoped that they would be taken off soon.
He hesitantly looked at the bandages covering his wrists and frowned sadly. He'd seen people with scars from slashing their wrists before and knew how horrible it was going to look. It would be a constant reminder of how badly things had reached for him and how badly he'd screwed up.
He'd never be able to wear short sleeved tops again.
He grimaced as the door opened and Sandy re-entered followed by the doctor. They both wore grave expressions on their face and Ryan felt himself trying to shrink into the bed.
He knew that whatever they had to say wasn't going to be good.
Tbc...