Update, again... it's been a while. Hope you enjoy!
The next morning the weather hadn't become any better if not worse. When Sandy passed Ryan's room in the morning he immediately stopped as he heard gasps. He quickly opened the door finding Ryan in a corner of the room. His back against the wall his head cocked up and struggling to breathe, already pale white.
"RYAN!" Sandy yelled concerned as he stumbled towards Ryan desperately trying to get the kid to breathe.
Within a second Kirsten and Seth were downstairs as well. Looking at Sandy who sat with Ryan in his lap trying to get Ryan to breathe along with his own breathing.
"Sandy?"
"Dad?"
Both Kirsten and Seth said scarred.
"Kirsten, get his inhaler. Seth call his doctor. Just stay calm" Sandy said calmly soothing Ryan's slumped and dilirious form.
Kirsten was on the phone with the doctor after she and Sandy had given Ryan his inhaler and helped him into bed. Seth had been quite the whole time and Ryan was sleeping peacefully breathing again even though it was labored.
Fifteen minutes later the doorbell rang. Kirsten was the one to open.
"Dr. Layden. It's good to see you come in" Kirsten said.
"I came as fast as I could. Is he alright?" Layden asked concerned.
"Well he's still wheezing horribly and hitching breaths now and then but he's breathing." Kirsten said worried.
"Let's check on him then" Layden said.
The doctor followed Kirsten towards the guest room. Inside Ryan was laying palely on his bed completely straight with a pillow in his lower back.
"What exactly happened. You told me you found him gasping for air, sandy you got him calmer by using your own steady breaths which is really good and then you gave him his medicine and he calmed down slightly leaving him like this?" Layden asked to be sure of his story.
"Yeah although after the first inhalement he fought the inhaler. We don't know why but we got him to breathe his medicine in two more times." Sandy said.
"Alright. Lets wake Mr. Atwood up" Layden said sitting down next to Ryan on a chair cautiously patting Ryan's shoulder.
Ryan's eyes opened drowsly as he blinked to focus his vision he tiredly looked up at the doctor.
"Hi" he cracked his voice harsh and almost inaudible.
"Ryan, you scarred your family there for a bit. How are you feeling?"
"Better. Little warm" Ryan answered.
"Alright, I'm going to give you some oxygen Ryan. Because your breathing is a little to harsh for my liking, alright?" Layden asked.
Ryan nodded as the doc rearranged a breathing tube under his nose.
"Alright, lets go through the basics" Layden said.
He measured Ryan's blood pressure, oxygen level, listened to his lungs and took his temperature.
"Alright, your temperature is a little high and your oxygen level is getting better. Ryan, how does your chest feel?" Layden asked.
"heavy" Ryan replied.
"Any dizziness or vision problems?" Layden asked.
Ryan nodded.
"Is that a yes to the dizziness or the vision problem?" Layden asked.
"Dizzy" Ryan muttered.
"Alright, what about your ears Ryan?" Layden asked.
"Hurt"
"Usual hurt?" Layden asked.
Ryan nodded.
"Usual?" Kirsten asked concerned.
"Ryan's file declares he's always been vulnerable for ear infections. When someone suffers from Asthma and has an attack your immune system shuts down temporarily that what cost the ear infection and probably the fever too" Layden explained.
"What about the dizziness?" Sandy asked.
"That's an reaction to the lack of oxygen in his brain. It's unnatural but it happens and occurs if an Asthma patient has had quite a heavy attack" Layden said.
When there we no more questions Layden continued.
"Ryan, why did you refuse the inhaler?" Layden asked seriously.
Ryan stared up at Layden and shrugged.
"Ryan... verbal answers and don't tell me you don't know because you do, and quite well if you were able to refuse in such a delirious state" Layden said irritated.
"I freaked" Ryan said after a sigh and a beat.
"About what?"
"I'm allergic" Ryan said.
"To what?" Layden continued not wanting Ryan to stop explaining or shut down.
"Codeine, they gave it to me once." Ryan said.
"What happened?" Layden asked.
"I flat lined" Ryan said.
Kirsten gasped in the back but Layden continued because there wasn't a report about this in Ryan's file.
"For how long?" Layden asked.
Ryan lowered his gaze.
"Eleven minutes, they stopped trying to get me back after the first seven. I came back on my own" Ryan said.
"What? That's not possible" Layden said amazed.
"Yeah, well apparently it is because I'm still here" Ryan said.
"Alright Ryan, but we actually do have a report of your allergies so don't worry about using your inhaler ok?" Layden said.
Ryan nodded briefly as he was concentrating on staying awake.
"I see you're tired so lets keep this short. No exercising for 3 days, slowly after that half an hour more every week, ok? About the oxygen, it's a small bottle so stop using it when it's empty. You're still hitching your breaths so until that's gone you're just going to lay down ok. Don't get out unless you have to use the bathroom or take a shower." Layden said.
Ryan nodded as Layden turned towards Sandy and Kirsten.
"Watch it that he doesn't shower hot. Too much steam can close up his airways, keep it at a minimum temperature. Here's a prescription for his ear infection, his hearing might be off a bit but usually the infection will be gone after a week. Do you have any questions?" Layden asked.
"Ryan mentioned himself that his Asthma is back because of the weather, what do you think?" Sandy asked.
"I agree with Ryan, the weather's a high issue with Asthma patients, I've made three other home visits yesterday so don't worry. It'll pass before you know it, of course his Asthma won't be gone. Pollen, frustration, those will still be there but as Ryan also said he'll mostly just catch a slight wheeze. His asthma isn't that bad, it can just get bad with certain things. He'll be just fine, I promise. If any of you have any questions, don't think about calling. Just do, alright? I hope I won't see either of you again. Have a good day!" Layden said exiting the house.
Once the doctor was out Kirsten and Sandy turned towards Ryan.
"You ok, Ryan?" Sandy asked.
Ryan nodded.
"Get some rest, we'll keep an eye on you." Kirsten said, tugging him in and kissing him slightly on his head. To Sandy's amazement Ryan didn't flinch at the contact and they left the room. Finding Seth there.
"Is he going to be alright?" Seth asked worried.
"He'll be fine, Seth. He's just tired, I know for sure then once he'll wake up he'll be feeling a lot better" Sandy said.
Ryan noticed the bottle of oxygen emptying and removed the tube from under his nose. He wanted to get up, take a shower and act like nothing happened. But if he couldn't even do that in Chino with his worried brother breathing down his neck he doubted he could escape the worried glances and questions from the Cohen's. He was still wheezing but he didn't care, he sat up starring at a bottle on his night stand. He took it in his hand and read the pamphlet, it was for his ears. As if on cue his ears popped and started to ache. Ryan stood up and walked into the bathroom. Searching through his toiletry, he opened a small box revealing earplugs. He dropped several drops of the medication in both his ears and pushed the plugs in as well and god bless his longer hair that made his ears invisible. He took a shower, remembering not to hot and was startled at a loud knocking at the bathroom door.
"Ryan!" Sandy's voice sounded behind the door barely hearable.
Ryan quickly turned the shower off, dropped a towel around his waist and opened the door.
"Sandy, I'm fine." Ryan immediately said.
Sandy sighed.
"Sorry, the Kirsten made me check on you. This is all new for us, and… well, let's say us Cohen's are good at overreacting." Sandy said with a grin.
Ryan couldn't hinder but smile back.
"I'm fine, I just took a quick shower. I was all sweaty, I'll be out in a minute" Ryan said.
"Ok" Sandy said leaving.
Ryan quickly dried himself and got dressed in a pair of jeans and a plain black longsleeve shirt as he walked towards the kitchen.
"Hey" Ryan said as he walked over towards the coffee pot and poured himself a cop of coffee.
"Hey, you feeling better?" Kirsten asked.
"Yeah, I'm good. Sorry for scarring you." Ryan said embarrassed.
"Don't be sorry kid. It wasn't your fault" Sandy said.
"Yeah, but dude. You told me you'd call me if something happened, and you didn't. What's with that?" Seth asked teasingly.
Ryan grinned.
"I was actually on my way to get my phone, believe it or not, where I'd left it the day before but I couldn't quite make it" Ryan said.
"Good dude, but…. Wait, dude. You left your phone in the bathroom, what was it doing there in the first place?" Seth asked interested.
Ryan shook his head.
"Seth! All we need to know that everything's alright now." Sandy said.
The rest of the day went by in a haze for Ryan. He was still exhausted dispite his more over 10 hour sleep and doing nothing other then gaming and watching television all day. Luckily the Cohen's stopped starring at him after the first 2 hours and he was thankful for that. The next morning Ryan was already up before anyone else. He had a hard time sleeping afraid he might wake up not breathing. So he'd grabbed a cop of coffee and sat down at the kitchen counter reading through a magazine.
"Morning Ryan" Sandy said entering the kitchen.
But when Ryan didn't answer Sandy got worried and patted Ryan on his shoulder. Immediately Ryan's head shot up and smiled.
"Hey Sandy you startled me" Ryan said.
"Sorry, I said Hello, but you didn't hear me" Sandy said.
Ryan had frowned at him.
"Crap" he muttered.
"What?" Sandy asked confused.
Ryan focussed on Sandy's lips and read hem quickly.
"I, uhm... Ear infection, I didn't hear you" Ryan said embarrassed.
"You can't hear me at all?" Sandy asked.
Ryan shook his head.
"Nothing" he said almost audible.
Sandy frowned confused.
"How can you answer my questions then?" Sandy asked.
"Well the first time this happened, the doctors thought I had gone deaf. I learned how to read lips, I can even do sign language." Ryan said still very low.
"How long did it last?" Sandy asked.
"Three months" Ryan answered.
Sandy stared at him unbelievably when Kirsten and Sandy entered the room.
"What's up?" Kirsten asked starring at the scene in front of her.
"Uh, Ryan was just giving me some information." Sandy said.
"Are you alright?" Kirsten asked, immediately worried.
But Ryan hadn't seen her face so he couldn't read her lips. Kirsten looked up worried at Sandy as Seth sat down beside Ryan and started talking. Ryan was starring at him now but with Seth's verbal diarrea he couldn't make out a word he said. Ryan looked up pannicked at Sandy and then sighed.
"Seth, stop talking" Sandy said.
That Ryan did get and smiled relieved. But Kirsten wasn't that happy.
"Sandy!" she said irritated.
"Kirsten, its not useful that Seth's talking because Ryan can't hear him" Sandy said.
"Sandy, Ryan can..." Kirsten started to reject but Ryan interfered.
"Kirsten, it's ok. Sandy's right, I can't hear him or any of you" Ryan said embarrassed again.
"How?" Kirsten asked.
Ryan felt a pat on his left shoulder and turned his head.
"What?" Seth asked with something following to quickly.
"Uh, the ear infection. It has happened before. I can read lips but not at Seth's speed" Ryan said.
Sandy smiled assuring at Ryan as he looked up at Kirsten.
"So, what now? What about the medicine? Do we need to get you those earplugs?" Kirsten asked.
Ryan shook his head.
"I have earplugs" Ryan said revealing his ears with the black plugs in them.
"It'll pass on it's own" he continued.
"Ok, so we need to make sure you're watching us to understand us?" Kirsten asked.
"Yeah, and unless any of you know signlanguage, Seth. You gotta have to talk slower, I can't get it at your rate" Ryan said.
"You know sign language?" Seth asked amazed.
"Uh, yeah. Learned it together with Trey, easier and less noisy way of communicating." Ryan said.
"Do you still want to go to school? Because your still wheezing, but the weather has cleared a bit and now you can't hear..." Kirsten said.
"I can still go, I'll be fine" Ryan said.
But Kirsten wasn't quite convinced until Sandy said something.
"Kirsten, Ryan's been through this before. He knows what he can or cannot do" He said.
Kirsten sighed and turned over towards Ryan and Seth.
"Alright, but I don't want Ryan to drive and I want you to take an inhaler with you and Seth too. Because we all know your stubborness is as good as a Cohen" Kirsten said.
Ryan grinned and nodded.
Once at school the soccor team immediately rushed to Ryan asking if he was alright. Ryan had nodded not hearing any of their questions and had said that he was alright although it might take a week before he could compete again. After that Seth and Ryan seperated, Ryan on his way towards World lit. He sat at his usual spot in the back of the class and got his books out of his bag. When he looked up Marissa was beside him.
"Hey" she said.
"Hey" Ryan replied.
"Are you alright? I heard that you crashed down on the football field, what happened?" Marissa asked worried.
"I crashed down, I have Ashtma" Ryan said nonchalantly.
"You what? Since when? Ae you alright?" Marissa asked.
"Since I was born and I'm fine" Ryan said.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Marissa asked.
"I grew out of it since I was seven, I didn't think it would come back" Ryan said.
"Oh, wait.. is that why you were always out of breath after a make out session?" Marissa asked teasingly.
Ryan blushed.
"Probably" he muttered.
FIN
And that was it folks, that's all I have for this fic. Hope you enjoyed (review please ^^) and see my other fic's while you're at it!