The Unexpected (Part Five)

[missmara13]

Title: The Unexpected (Part Five)
Author: Mara
Rating: PG-13 (Chapters with higher ratings will be mentioned)
Warnings: Some violence in the first chapter, Smutty chapter near the end... umm...
Summary: A simple run to the store ends in tragedy as guilt abounds and the meaning of family is pondered.
Notes: I know at least one person remembers this because someone nominated it for 'Best Unfinished Fic' in the Citrus Awards... lol... that actually what reminded me over it... It's been forever, though, so click HERE to read the previous chapters.


Chapter Five

Sandy slowly opened the door and stuck his head in, smiling as he saw his wife flipping through a magazine. "She wakes," he said as he opened the door the rest of the way so he and Seth could enter.

Kirsten looked up. "Considering the fact that I didn't sleep last night, you shouldn't be gving me a hard time," she said quietly. Then she grabbed the folder Summer had labeled 'Cohen' and held it out to Seth.

Seth took it and let out a groan as he saw homework assignments and class notes. "Homework? How'd you get my homework?"

"Summer brought it by earlier," Kirsten said.

"Remind me to thank her," Seth grumbled. Then he looked over at Ryan, who was still fast asleep. "He still okay?"

"He's fine," Kirsten assured him. "He's been sleeping a few hours." She paused and looked up at her husband. "When did you two get back and find me asleep?"

"About an hour after we left," Sandy said. "And even then it took everything we had to stay away that long."

"I am capable of watching him sleep," Kirsten said, amused.

"We know, mom," Seth said. "But..."

"I know," Kirsten said. She quickly stood and moved aside for Seth to take her seat next to the bed, which he did gratefully. "I need to stretch my legs," she added. "If Ryan wakes up, tell him I'll be back in a few minutes."

"I think we can watch him for a few hours without your help," Sandy teased, kissing his wife's cheek.

"That may be, but I'll still be back in a few minutes," Kirsten repeated.

"An hour," Sandy argued. "Go for a drive, get something to eat, call Caleb and let him know you won't be in for a few days at least."

Kirsten sighed. "Okay, but I'm turning on my cell. Call me if he wakes up again," she ordered, then hurriedly leaving the room before she could lose her nerve.

~~~~

Rather than call her father, Kirsten went by his office, stopping and grimacing as she saw Julie sitting on the edge of Caleb's desk. "Dad?" she said after a minute.

Caleb looked up, his face stern. "Where have you been Kiki? I tried to call you all day and there was no answer."

"I was at HOAG," Kirsten said. "Ryan... Ryan was shot last night."

"I knew that boy was nothign but trouble," Julie said.

"Let me be more specific here," Kirsten said. "He was shot trying to protect ME from being shot by a mugger."

Caleb was on his feet in an instant and crossing to put his hands on his daughter's shoulders. "Are you alright, Kiki?"

"Thanks to Ryan," Kirsten replied, starting to cry. "He probably saved my life, Dad. And now he's in the hospital for at least a few weeks, and that's if there's no complications. Thankfully he's doing good, he's already making good progress."

"I suppose I owe him a thanks then," Caleb said grudgingly.

"Stop treating him like a troublemaker, that'll be enough for him," Kirsten said. "You don't know him, Dad. Ryan is the sweetest boy if you just give him a chance. And I know it would mean a lot if you would do that. Both to him and to me."

Caleb grimaced, but nodded. "You said he's going to be alright?"

Kirsten nodded. "Given time he should be fine."

"And how do you know it wasn't some set up to make you think he was wonderful?" Julie asked. "Maybe he called a friend from Chino to ask for help and it all went wrong."

"Ryan would never do something like that, Julie!" Kirsten said. "You hated him the moment you met him, and you didn't even bother to learn a little about him."

"I know he managed to cause a fist fight with the waterpolo team his first night here," Julie argued.

"No, he got into that fight, trying to protect Seth from being beaten up," Kirsten corrected. "And the model home? Luke attacked him and during the fight the candles Ryan was using for light were knocked over. Oh, and do I have to remind you that if it wasn't for Ryan, Marissa might have died in Tijuana? And that Ryan was right about Oliver Trask and that he ended up saving Marissa? Again?"

Julie didn't say a word, just crossed her arms over her chest and looked at Caleb. "Cal?"

"The boy did have no business being in the model home," Caleb said, though hearing the othor bits he just had, it sounded lame to his ears.

"He was scared, Dad. He knew he couldn't be happy in a foster home, he probably thought he'd get hit, just like he was with his mother and her boyfriends. So he ran, but Seth and Marissa," Kirsten said pointedly, "came up with the plan for him to stay in the model home. So he's not all to blame for any of that."

Caleb couldn't help smiling slightly at his daughter's firm tone. "I supposse if the boy is worthy of such loyalty from you, I should at least talk to him before passing judgement."

Kirsten smiled. "Thank you, Dad," she said.

Julie let out an irritated huff, then stormed out of the office, ignoring the other two.

"I think we've successfully managed to upset her," Caleb said.

Kirsten snorted. "Doesn't take much," she said. "Dad, I came here to tell you I won't be working the next few days, at least. I can try to do some paperwork in between, but I'm going to be with Ryan a lot of the time, and if he's awake I want to be talking to him instead of doing work."

"Of course, Kiki," Caleb said. "I do have a few contracts I'd like you to look over, but they aren't urgent."

Kirsten nodded. "I will," she said. Then she closed her eyes and leaned against his desk. "If you talk to him, Dad, especially about models homes and architecture and such, you'll like him."

"He knows about building houses?" Caleb said.

"He told me he used to work construction. And he wanted to be an architect when he was younger."

"And now?"

Kirsten smiled slightly, remembering the end of that conversation. "Now he just wants to be 17. Or at least that's what he said last summer. Maybe now he has bigger dreams. I hope he does."

~~~~

"At least now I've made back the money I lost," Seth gloated quietly.

"I must be really out of practice if I'm loosing at poker this easily," Sandy said, shaking his head.

"Or your surfboard's hit you in the head too many times," Seth suggested, grinning. He glanced over at Ryan and noticed the other teen's eyes were open. "Hey, Ry, how long you been up?"

Sandy turned and smiled. "How you feeling?" he asked.

"Sore," Ryan said simply. "Where's Kirsten?"

"We convinced her to take a break and let us keep an eye on you. She needed food, and needed to get telling Caleb over with. The guy's probably already left a dozen messages in her voicemail asking where she is."

"She doesn't need to miss work, neither do you," Ryan said.

"Yes, we do," Sandy said. "And even if we don't need to, we want to."

"And yet that same excuse doesn't get me out of school tomorrow," Seth complained, carefully sitting down on the edge of the bed near Ryan's feet. "By the way, for some reason Summer thought homework would make a good get well present for you," he added, pointing at the folder that was still on the bed table.

When Ryan started to reach for it, Sandy quickly grabbed it and handed it to him. But as he looked at the cover of the folder, Sandy couldn't help chuckling. "She does know your name, right?" he asked.

Ryan took it, and saw 'Chino' written across it in bold letters and smiled. "Sometimes I'm not so sure."

"I know it," Summer said as she entered with a tray of food. "Hospital meals, they suck but you have to eat them," she said as she pulled the rolling tray over and set the food down.

"If you know his name, what is it?" Seth challenged good naturedly.

Summer turned around and put her hands on her hips. "Ryan Atwood," she said. "But I prefer calling him Chino. It brings back fond memories."

"Of what?" Seth asked. "How you used to follow it with 'ewww'?"

Summer made a face at him, then turned back to Ryan. "Let's get you sitting up, but if it hurts at all tell me and we'll get a nurse," she instructed before grabbing the controls and carefully lifting the head of the bed.

"Thanks," Ryan said.

"Just doing my job," Summer said. "Coop's gonna visit you as soon as they'll let her. She would have snuck in today, but first she had a prior engagement with her mom, and then she was worried she'd get caught and banned from seeing you later," she lied smoothly. There was no reason to tell him Marissa just hadn't been willing to bail on shopping. Not when the guy was still looking like death warmed over. "And Mrs. Rodowsky said she's gonna give you an automatic passing grade in English Lit, so don't even bother with the assigned reading, it's some lame thing anyway."

"I like English Lit, Summer," Ryan said.

"Proof that you're completely insane," Summer said. "I gotta go before I get busted for kinda breaking the rules. You want me to tell Coop anything?"

"Tell her I can't wait to see her," Ryan said.

"Will do," Summer promised. "Any magazine requests? If they exist I'll find them."

"Nah," Ryan said.

"Okay, but take a look at the ones I brought earlier if you feel up to it. I think we've got a few more of the same laying around if you want 'em," Summer said before giving a slight wave and leaving.

"Does that girl ever stop?" Sandy asked.

"Not that I've seen," Ryan replied. "What magazines did she bring earlier?"

"I have no idea," Sandy said, looking around. He pulled open the drawer on the bed table and found a small stack. "Let's see... 'Gamer's Monthly', 'X-Treme Gaming', and 'Archetectural Digest'?" Sandy said.

"Gimme one of the gaming mags," Seth said, holding out his hand.

"How about letting Ryan have first pick, since they were brought in here for him," Sandy said.

"I don't really feel like reading anyway. I guess I should eat," Ryan said, though it was clear the idea didn't hold much interest for him.

"At least a little bit," Sandy agreed, positioning the tray in front of Ryan. "A couple of bites."

Ryan grabbed the fork and poked at what seemed to be salisbury steak.

"I think it's already dead, Ry," Seth said. "No need to stab it."

Ryan snorted. "I don't know, it looks like it might jump up and run off any second now."

Seth snickered, and Sandy fought not to laugh. "Just eat," Sandy said. "Kirsten will have my head if she finds out I let you snicker instead of eating."

"Don't eat," Seth advised. "It'll be hilarious. Mom reads dad the riot act for not getting you to eat, then Dad asks if she actually ate while she was out, and she starts stammering that this isn't about her, which pretty much gives him the answer... it'll be great!"

Ryan chuckled, then whinced.

"Ryan?" Seth asked, worried.

"It hurt for a second. I guess I shouldn't laugh," Ryan replied. When he saw the lingering concern on Sandy and Seth's faces, he smiled. "I'm okay, really."

"Shot in the chest is not okay barely 24 hours later," Sandy said sternly, but at the same time gently. "I'm going to call a nurse."

"Really, I don't need a nurse," Ryan protested.

"I'd feel better," Sandy said.

At that, Ryan nodded. "Okay," he said.

But before Sandy could reach the button, the door opened and Sarah came in. She took in Seth's worried face, Ryan's pinched expression, and Sandy reaching for the button and quickly crossed the room to Ryan's bedside. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"He was in pain," Sandy said.

"It just hurt for a second," Ryan said. "I was laughing and it hurt, but it's back to just a little sore now."

Sarah nodded. "Okay, let's get you up, I want to check your stitches," she said. "Do you want your family to stay or go?" she asked.

Ryan looked down at the blanket for a second, then up at Seth. "Can you wait outside?" he asked quietly.

Seth nodded slowly and got up. "Okay," he said.

"Do you want me to stay?" Sandy asked. "Or I can go, too."

"Stay?" Ryan asked, his voice even quiter and this time almost scared.

Sandy nodded. "Sure," he said, then he looked at Seth, who was hovering at the door. "I'll come get you when it's okay," he said.

Seth nodded then left, closing the door behind him. He sat down in the chairs right outside the door and leaned back, staring up at the ceiling and fighting back his emotions. He could help thinking that the one thing he thought he could do for Ryan, make him laugh, had backfired and hurt more than it helped. He sighed then leaned forward and put his head in his hands, his shoulders starting to shake as he started to cry. "Why can't things be nice for him?" he asked no one in particular. "Why does everything have to keep happening to him?"

To Be Continued...


I wanna finish editting and posting this one because I have a half written sequel that I need inspiration to finish... lol... inspiration besides my friend Riley (Who read this one way back as I first wrote it and sent chapters to her one at a time)... I'm trying to correct the plotholes as a I go along, but... this was written way back right after the first season ended, so it's definitely not my best work... lol...

Comments

That was a great post !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[thekiller00.livejournal.com]

I am glad that your still posting on this fic !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I hope you have Marissa tell Summer she is busy and can't see Ryan when Summer tells her that friends can see him now, then Summer could get pissed at her and accuse her of liking Ryan and Summer could respond, as a friend. I hope you get the couples together soon !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[fredsmith518.livejournal.com]

glad Ryan is getting better, enjoyed reading Kirsten with Caleb, Summer covering for Marissa? Interesting

[sar-bear4ben.livejournal.com]

cant wait for sum Ryan/Summer action

[fifimom.livejournal.com]

Great chapter. Thanks for updating this fiction. Caleb is going to give Ryan a chance, I love it when Caleb is nice to Ryan. Marissa, bitch. Is everything ok, is Ryan healing properly? Please give us more soon, if possible.

[missmara13]

I'll probably post another chapter of two later tonight... the thing is completed at 31 chapters or so, it just needs spellchecking and plothole fixing... lol

[ryanforever.livejournal.com]

Really looking forward to more of this.

[marcopolo8170.livejournal.com]

I like how Kirsten stood up to her father reguarding Ryan. Like the family interaction at the hospital and of course I love Summer.