"Sandy Cohen speaking." Sandy says quickly as he tries to balance a box of paperwork.
"Sandy Cohen this is Dr. Harris from Harbour Middle." Sandy's blood runs cold as he puts down his stack of files. "Is Seth alright?"
"You're son is fine sir it's nothing like that but he is in some trouble. You're needed in the office immediately." Sandy can't help but let his body sag against the desk in relief.
"Ok thank you." Sandy quickly cancels his appointments for the day and drives to Harbour his initial relief fading into disgruntlement.
When he arrives Kirsten is already in the office whispering sharply to Seth who is repressing a smile. Luke, Chip and some other boy are also in the office, their water polo caps still on. If these kids messed with his son again Sandy thinks with an angry grumble.
"Mr. Cohen, thank you for coming please sit down." Sandy sits beside Seth and throws him a questioning look. Seth just gives a small smile in response.
"Seth would you explain to your father why he is here?" Dr. Harris requests. Sandy turns to his son expectantly.
"I put super glue in some select waterpolo player's cappy things." Seth says trying hard not to smirk. "I was just worried you know they looked so slippery and I'm a hard-core supporter of Harbour Middle's athletic department I didn't want them falling off mid game." Seth rambles cheekily.
"Seth!" Kirsten rebukes sharply.
"Well surely Seth will have to be punished." Sandy says. "I mean I know the school has a zero tolerance policy when it comes to bullying. I would hate to find that any students were slipping between the cracks. God knows what it can do to a kid's self-confidence." Sandy levels Dr. Harris with a hard look.
"Of course if this were to go on Seth's record I would be forced to make sure the school thoroughly investigated Seth's motivation for helping the water polo team." Sandy continues ignoring Kirsten's glare. He knew who Kirsten was in high school, gorgeous, popular, he knows she doesn't understand why Sandy feels more proud than angry and how is willing to go to any length to make sure Seth's self-assertion won't be met with too strong a punishment.
"Of course Mr. Cohen." Dr. Harris says unsteadily. "I think a week's worth of detention and a 2,000 word essay on the effects of bullying on the student population would be appropriate for all parties involved." Dr. Harris continues looking pointedly at the water polo boys who groan audibly.
After a few muttered apologies to parents Seth elects to ride with the much less angry Sandy.
"Somehow I don't think they'll be bothering me anymore." Seth says with a smirk when they reach the car. Sandy tries to suppress a snort but it doesn't work and the two both end up in a momentary fit of laughter.
"I want to make it clear I don't condone this behaviour." Sandy says after they recover from there laughing fit. "But I have to admit I am proud of you for sticking up for yourself." Seth smiles wryly and Sandy ruffles his son's hair. In front of them the Ward family walks to their car, Luke frantically pulling on his swim cap.
"I think I'm going to like Newport." Seth says decisively as he watches the Ward family drive off.
"You know you're grounded right." Sandy clarifies quickly.
"Somehow I think it's worth it."
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Ryan checks over his homework grumpily as he waits for his lunch break to end. He did his best not to make too many friends in here and spends most of his time alone worried that the friendships would only result in a gang membership or a painful separation when one of them got moved.
The bell letting the younger kids out blares and Ryan instinctively looks for Nick, his new shadow, the one friend he couldn't help but make. Instead of bursting out of the classroom filled with energy and nonsense stories Nick is the last of the group walking with a painful limp and downcast eyes. Feeling his stomach churn uncomfortably Ryan urgently gets out of his chair and jogs over to the younger boy.
"Nick." Nick stops and slowly raises his eyes. "Nick what happened to you?" The new hollow look in the boy's eyes tell Ryan the answer.
"No." Ryan says softly. Nick looks down again shame coloring his features.
"Hey, hey, hold your head up alright?" When did he start channelling Mr. Cohen? Ryan gently tilts Nick's chin upward and gives him a small, sad smile.
"Everything will be ok."
"No it won't." Nick says honestly the naivity zapped from his voice. Without a backward glance he walks away, pain evident in his step. Full of sudden rage Ryan storms over to Michael knowing full well he was the only guard to be able to put that look in Nick's eyes.
"He's eight years old you perv." Ryan throws a punch at Michael but the difference in size makes his fists virtually ineffectual. Easily, Michael throws Ryan to the ground zapping him with a tazor. Ryan moans in protests still glaring at the man who had made his own life hell.
"You're lucky Mr. Cohen is here." Michael says through gritted teeth "But afterwards it's you and me in solitary." Michael says with an evil grin causing Ryan's blood to chill and the momentary surge of confidence his anger had given him quickly fades as he scoots away from Michael huddling in to a protective ball.
"Now go tell your precious lawyer friend how well we treat you." Michael snarls jerking Ryan up and pushing him down the hall. By the time Ryan reaches Sandy he is chalk full of fear, anger and a dark sadness he feels won't ever go away. He wasn't able to protect the one person who relied on him for safety.
"Ryan, hey." Sandy says looking up briefly from a document. "Come, sit I have good—" Sandy stops short when he looks back up at Ryan. The boy isn't crying or showing any other signs of something being wrong other then the trembling that is cursing through the boy's whole body.
"Ryan? Hey what's wrong?" Sandy asks in concern immediately forgetting about the placement he found for Ryan and the excitement he had moments ago. Ryan looks up at Sandy his eyes dancing with emotion. Sandy gets up and walks to Ryan's side of the table ignoring the fact that the boy immediately tenses up. Ryan realizes that nothing is going to happen and relaxes minutely, tears beginning to build up in his eyes.
"Kid whatever it is you can tell me." Sandy promises softly. "I can help you." Ryan looks at Sandy swallowing hard.
"Why?" Ryan exclaims almost desperately. "I don't deserve it this I didn't even ask for your help. I'm not the kid you should be helping." Ryan yells in frustration.
"Ryan that is not – " A tear spills on to Ryan's cheek and Sandy resists the urge to pull the kid in to a hug.
"You want to help a kid you want to make a difference? There is a kid here named Nick Valentino." Ryan blinks back more tears boarding on desperation. "He is a young kid, a good kid. He can still be saved Mr. Cohen. He's not irreparably damaged and he's smart too."
"Ryan, honey..." Sandy starts to soothe startled by this uncharacteristic outburst
"I'm not worth it Mr. Cohen and I'm not leaving here 'till he does." Ryan says calming himself slightly.
"Ryan I hear what you're saying ok?" Sandy says calmly not wanting to upset the distraught boy further. "I'll do what I can for Nick ok? Barry is handling the kids under 9 so he's probably already on his radar but I promise I'll put a word in." Ryan nods, calmed by Sandy's promise.
"Ok but kid I need you to tell me what happened." Sandy says gently but firmly. Ryan shakes his head negatively the hysteria beginning to creep back up into him.
"Ryan it's just me." Sandy says gently putting a gently hand on the boy's shoulder. "You can trust me kid." Ryan looks up at Sandy millions of different emotions swirling in his eyes and a thin sheen of moisture beginning to build up.
"Atwood! 5 minutes." Sandy grimaces at the guard's timing as Ryan looks down, any intent to tell the institutions secrets gone.
"I'm sorry." Ryan whispers not daring to look at Sandy.
"What? Ryan you have nothing to be sorry for." Sandy reassures quickly.
"I'm sorry I'm not who you thought I was." Ryan says tears coming to his eyes and breaking Sandy's heart.
"The truth is Mr. Cohen I-I'm not good like you think I am. I'm sorry you wasted your time on a kid like me, that you thought I was something worth fighting for..." Ryan stiffs and Sandy aches to tell the boy how wrong he is but knows better than to not listen to Ryan when he decides to talk.
"I'm sorry because I know you wanted to be able to do something nice and you have, no one's ever been this nice to me. It's not your fault it's mine I let you think I was a something good but I'm not. I'm sorry I disappointed you." The kid is bordering on full blown hysteria and Sandy is so dumbstruck he doesn't even know where to begin.
"Ryan, honey stop. Stop." Sandy insists cutting off the boy's rapid fire apologies by putting his hands on the boy's shoulders and gently shaking him.
"You are something worth fighting for Ryan and I am not wasting my time." Sandy's eyes lock on to Ryan's begging the younger boy to believe him.
"Atwood time!" Ryan shakes his head softly.
"Mr. Cohen wanting to helping me was a mistake but helping Nick, that'll be the good thing you want to do." Ryan insists before fleeing from the room leaving Sandy to stare at the swinging door wondering what the hell just happen. The basically silent little boy had basically just let out 12 years worth of insecurity and self-doubt, acerbic by-products of the years of abuse and neglect. Pained at the sheer brokenness of the young boy Sandy rests his face in his hands letting his own anguished, frustrated tears slip out. As always he was a day late and a dollar short.
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"Honey remember when we were thinking about fostering." Kirsten's fork stops half-way to her mouth and she puts it down with a sigh. Ever since Sandy's last visit with Ryan he has been a whirlwind of desperation she has never seen before.
"Sandy we are not fostering Ryan." Kirsten says firmly. Sandy looks up at her and she is instantly reminded of Seth pleading for a new video game.
"Sandy when we were thinking of foster we were in our 20s, Seth was like 4 and neither of us had all-consuming jobs." Kirsten says exasperation tingeing her voice.
"Think of how hard the adjustment would be for Seth, for all of us." Kirsten says with a headshake. "No way Sandy." Sandy sighs heavily and nods before returning to the office to make some more calls.
"Hey Dad?" Sandy looks up and smiles tiredly at Seth.
"Hey kiddo. How's it going?" Seth sinks into the chair opposite Sandy and Sandy smiles to himself. Over the last week and a bit Seth and Sandy had become increasingly close, something Ryan's soft observations were to thank for.
"Good can you deliver this to Ryan." Sandy looks up in shock. "He stopped responding to emails like 3 days ago and he says sometimes computer privileges or whatever get revoked so I just want him to know I know he still exists. I mean how could we forget in this house?" Seth says with a smile. It's true; Ryan is a common family topic.
"You and Ryan email? How did that even happen?"
"I wrote my email in the back of one of the comics. He emailed, I replied, and the rest they say is history." Sandy nods dumbly, still in shock.
"Seems cool." Seth pauses for a moment then pulls something out of his bag. "So I was on this website says you can like rent kids. I think we should rent Ryan." Sandy smirks a little.
"You mean foster?" Seth looks at the webpage then nods.
"Yeah I mean, I want a brother, you and Mom always wanted another kid, and they have communal showers in those places." Seth continues with a shiver.
"You don't even know him." Sandy says incredulously.
"I'm an impulsive shopper plus you like him. I trust your judgement." Sandy smiles at his son.
"Yeah, I do to."
PLS REVIEW...and if you haven't already plz check out my other story Young Ryan if you want as well