fic - blind
fandom: the oc
title: blind
word count: ~ 1,654
disclaimer: I don't own anything OC related.
rating: R for future chapters.
author's note: This is the continuation of my hypothetical follow up to falling free.
author's note 2: Thanks for the continued support on this one. *huggles*
- prologue -
- one -
- two -
“Summer bought you a rabbit? Like, was that the manliest pet she could find?” Seth asked, watching the fluffy bunny hop around the playpen that Hailey had set up for it.
Ryan shrugged.
“I mean, you don’t exactly look like a ‘bunny’ kind of guy, you know?” Seth asked.
“He likes me,” Ryan said, holding a carrot over the edge. The rabbit hopped over immediately.
“He likes carrots,” Seth pointed out. “And why the playpen?”
“He’s not litter trained. And we don’t want him to make a mess on the carpet until he is,” Ryan replied.
“You can’t litter train rabbits,” Seth scoffed.
“Watch me,” Ryan replied after a beat.
Seth smiled. The rabbit had been a good idea. Even though it wasn’t a puppy, it was taking Ryan’s mind off the day’s angst. Until he had to head to the courthouse.
"Rosa's getting stuff for him today while we're out," Ryan said.
"That's cool. She used to babysit me a lot, I'm sure she'll do great with Flapjacks," Seth said.
Ryan nodded. "I'm going to go get dressed. Get my head together before Summer and the lawyer get here. Will you tell Hailey if she comes in?"
"Sure," Seth said.
"And don't touch the bunny," Ryan called from the stairs.
Seth stepped away from the playpen and wondered how Ryan could read his mind so well.
The door opened and Hailey and his mom walked in with the new lawyer and...the old one that his mom had scared away.
"What's going on?" Seth asked.
"Aw, how cute," Rachel cooed, peeking into the playpen.
"Ryan's getting dressed, he'll be down soon," Seth told Hailey when she gave him an inquiring glare.
"Seth, right? I know you and Ryan's girlfriend were planning on coming to the trial, but we've made a motion that the courtroom be closed to the public while Ryan testifies," Rachel said.
Seth opened his mouth to protest but considered her words and closed it again.
"It's so the gawkers and media don't get to hear him testify," his mom said.
"But we promised him we'd be there for him," Seth said. "I'm glad it'll be less people but...I think he needs us to be there."
"Me and Dad will be there, and Rachel and Harry," Hailey said.
"They've set aside a room for us, so when he's not on the stand, he'll be able to be with you," his mom said. "You'll be right outside. And he might need you to be a clean slate when he's done," she added.
"He already told me what happened, I know how bad it is," Seth said. His mom seemed surprised.
"It's a sacrifice we had to make to get the court cleared," Rachel said. "We argued for special circumstances because of his age and we can't afford to ask to put other kids in the courtroom on an opposite argument without risking our motion."
Seth sighed. "I get it. But Summer's going to flip."
-----------------
"Objection, Mr. Atwood's upbringing has no bearing on the case," the DA said.
"The boys were raised together, he can testify to the family history," the defense attorney insisted.
And just like that, Ryan felt the lid close on his coffin. Of course they'd ask about his life with Dawn and Trey. That's what got them here in the first place. If they'd been raised by a family that actually gave a damn, maybe they wouldn't be here.
He'd gotten through the DA's questions without losing his calm, without letting them get to him. And now the defense attorney wanted him to drag out all the other stuff he couldn't talk about?
"Overruled," the judge said.
"Now, Mr. Atwood, was your mother abusive to you or your brother?"
"Yes," Ryan replied.
The defense attorney glared at him, waving his hand to urge him to go on. "What kind of abuse? Verbal or physical?"
"Both. She'd hit us if we did something wrong, or if we were just in the way...she'd get her boyfriends to punish us..." he said.
"Were all her boyfriends abusive?"
"80 %," Ryan muttered after a pause.
"Were they abusive to Trey?"
"Yes," Ryan said.
"You were removed from the home and placed in foster care at one point, correct?" the lawyer asked.
Ryan glanced at the DA who lowered her gaze sympathetically. Bitch.
"Yes."
"Why wasn't your brother removed from the home?"
"He was in juvie," Ryan replied.
The lawyer looked startled and the other lawyer at the defense table objected. "The defendant's juvenile record isn't admissible."
"He brought it up," the DA said, smiling and glaring at the defense attorney.
"I withdraw the question," the defense lawyer frowned.
Ryan skirted over Trey's head with his eyes again. He'd gotten this far not looking at him; he just had to get through the rest.
"Why did it take you six weeks to make your statement to the police?" the lawyer asked.
He met the defense attorney's steely gaze and forced his mouth to move. "Can you repeat the question?"
The man huffed and glanced at his pad again. "Why didn't you tell the cops your story when it happened? Why did it take you six weeks to make a statement?"
"I wasn't thinking straight," he replied.
"They arrested you, isn't that true? If you knew you didn't do it, why didn't you say anything?" the man asked.
"The doctors say I had post-traumatic stress disorder...but it was like, if I said anything out loud, it meant it really happened and I couldn't deal with it," he said, faltering slightly. He knew his medical records weren't supposed to be brought up, and this lawyer was screwing him.
"Let's have a 20 minute recess," the judge announced. "Counsel, my chambers please."
Ryan stood up and walked over to Hailey, not looking at Trey even though he could feel his cold stare.
Caleb and Rachel moved so he couldn't see Trey as he numbly let them guide him into a side room where the bailiff held the door open.
"You okay?" Hailey asked as soon as the door closed.
"No," he answered. "I think I'm going to throw up."
-----------------
She felt like she'd run a marathon when she walked into the house.
Summer had her arm around Ryan's waist.
He hadn't said a word since court was adjourned for the day.
Not even a grunt.
"Can he have a cigarette, Hailey?" Summer asked.
"I'll start some coffee and order some food," Kirsten said, squeezing her shoulder reassuringly. "Seth, come with me, you know what he likes," she added.
Kirsten's presence at the courthouse had been a pleasant surprise. Her sister had put aside her issues with Rachel and the two of them had been proactive and warned the press to stay clear of the courtroom. There hadn't been much coverage of Trey's particular trial, but having 'the Nichol' name attached to it was sure to spike interest. But Kirsten and Rachel had fixed that.
"Hailey?" Summer called, snapping her from her thoughts.
"Yeah, go ahead," she said, following Summer and Ryan outside.
"Was it that bad?" Summer whispered.
"He handled it like a champ," Hailey said.
Ryan glanced at Summer. "Will you go check on the rabbit?"
Leave it to Ryan to break his silence asking about Flapjacks.
Summer looked at her, visibly worried and hurried into the house.
Hailey put her arm around him and felt him lean his head against her shoulder. "You did really well today. I don't know anybody who could have handled that as well as you did. I'm really proud of you."
They sat in silence until Ryan spoke softly. "I'll never be able to forget it, will I?"
"Probably not. But you'll get past it," she answered.
He sighed, straightening up and pulling a pack of cigarettes out of his inside jacket pocket. She made a mental note of where he was hiding them now and waited until he lit one before taking one for herself.
"I've never seen you smoke before," he said.
"I quit when I was your age," she replied. "But today calls for a reprieve."
"I'm sorry you had to hear all that. Even sorrier I had to say it," Ryan said.
"I'm sorry you had to go through it in the first place. No more sorries tonight, though," Hailey said.
Summer appeared with Flapjacks in her arms.
"Can he come outside? Like, won't he get fleas?" Hailey asked.
Ryan smiled and she felt a weight lift off her shoulders. "They put those drops to keep them off at the shelter."
"Oh," Hailey said as Summer sat down and dropped the rabbit in his lap. "I never really had a pet," she admitted, rubbing the bunny's ears hesitantly.
"Me either. But at least Flapjacks is quiet," Ryan said.
"True. But quiet may be good for bunnies, but not for you," Summer said, leaning over and kissing his cheek.
"I just needed to think," Ryan muttered.
"You need to relax. You're home now and we need to leave what happened in that courtroom today behind us and relax," Hailey said.
Hailey took a drag off her cigarette and tried to follow her own advice. Having Ryan's past stripped away in open court had gotten to her. She'd come to terms with his trauma of watching his mother brutally murdered in front of him, but she hadn't considered the extended cruelty of his mother. No wonder he was torn about testifying against his Trey.
Ryan put the rabbit down on the grass and after a moment of twitching and hesitation, it hopped over to a tuft of grass and began nibbling.
"Can it have grass?" Hailey asked.
Ryan laughed softly and she finally understood why Summer had chosen to get him a pet.
-----------------
title: blind
word count: ~ 1,654
disclaimer: I don't own anything OC related.
rating: R for future chapters.
author's note: This is the continuation of my hypothetical follow up to falling free.
author's note 2: Thanks for the continued support on this one. *huggles*
- prologue -
- one -
- two -
“Summer bought you a rabbit? Like, was that the manliest pet she could find?” Seth asked, watching the fluffy bunny hop around the playpen that Hailey had set up for it.
Ryan shrugged.
“I mean, you don’t exactly look like a ‘bunny’ kind of guy, you know?” Seth asked.
“He likes me,” Ryan said, holding a carrot over the edge. The rabbit hopped over immediately.
“He likes carrots,” Seth pointed out. “And why the playpen?”
“He’s not litter trained. And we don’t want him to make a mess on the carpet until he is,” Ryan replied.
“You can’t litter train rabbits,” Seth scoffed.
“Watch me,” Ryan replied after a beat.
Seth smiled. The rabbit had been a good idea. Even though it wasn’t a puppy, it was taking Ryan’s mind off the day’s angst. Until he had to head to the courthouse.
"Rosa's getting stuff for him today while we're out," Ryan said.
"That's cool. She used to babysit me a lot, I'm sure she'll do great with Flapjacks," Seth said.
Ryan nodded. "I'm going to go get dressed. Get my head together before Summer and the lawyer get here. Will you tell Hailey if she comes in?"
"Sure," Seth said.
"And don't touch the bunny," Ryan called from the stairs.
Seth stepped away from the playpen and wondered how Ryan could read his mind so well.
The door opened and Hailey and his mom walked in with the new lawyer and...the old one that his mom had scared away.
"What's going on?" Seth asked.
"Aw, how cute," Rachel cooed, peeking into the playpen.
"Ryan's getting dressed, he'll be down soon," Seth told Hailey when she gave him an inquiring glare.
"Seth, right? I know you and Ryan's girlfriend were planning on coming to the trial, but we've made a motion that the courtroom be closed to the public while Ryan testifies," Rachel said.
Seth opened his mouth to protest but considered her words and closed it again.
"It's so the gawkers and media don't get to hear him testify," his mom said.
"But we promised him we'd be there for him," Seth said. "I'm glad it'll be less people but...I think he needs us to be there."
"Me and Dad will be there, and Rachel and Harry," Hailey said.
"They've set aside a room for us, so when he's not on the stand, he'll be able to be with you," his mom said. "You'll be right outside. And he might need you to be a clean slate when he's done," she added.
"He already told me what happened, I know how bad it is," Seth said. His mom seemed surprised.
"It's a sacrifice we had to make to get the court cleared," Rachel said. "We argued for special circumstances because of his age and we can't afford to ask to put other kids in the courtroom on an opposite argument without risking our motion."
Seth sighed. "I get it. But Summer's going to flip."
-----------------
"Objection, Mr. Atwood's upbringing has no bearing on the case," the DA said.
"The boys were raised together, he can testify to the family history," the defense attorney insisted.
And just like that, Ryan felt the lid close on his coffin. Of course they'd ask about his life with Dawn and Trey. That's what got them here in the first place. If they'd been raised by a family that actually gave a damn, maybe they wouldn't be here.
He'd gotten through the DA's questions without losing his calm, without letting them get to him. And now the defense attorney wanted him to drag out all the other stuff he couldn't talk about?
"Overruled," the judge said.
"Now, Mr. Atwood, was your mother abusive to you or your brother?"
"Yes," Ryan replied.
The defense attorney glared at him, waving his hand to urge him to go on. "What kind of abuse? Verbal or physical?"
"Both. She'd hit us if we did something wrong, or if we were just in the way...she'd get her boyfriends to punish us..." he said.
"Were all her boyfriends abusive?"
"80 %," Ryan muttered after a pause.
"Were they abusive to Trey?"
"Yes," Ryan said.
"You were removed from the home and placed in foster care at one point, correct?" the lawyer asked.
Ryan glanced at the DA who lowered her gaze sympathetically. Bitch.
"Yes."
"Why wasn't your brother removed from the home?"
"He was in juvie," Ryan replied.
The lawyer looked startled and the other lawyer at the defense table objected. "The defendant's juvenile record isn't admissible."
"He brought it up," the DA said, smiling and glaring at the defense attorney.
"I withdraw the question," the defense lawyer frowned.
Ryan skirted over Trey's head with his eyes again. He'd gotten this far not looking at him; he just had to get through the rest.
"Why did it take you six weeks to make your statement to the police?" the lawyer asked.
He met the defense attorney's steely gaze and forced his mouth to move. "Can you repeat the question?"
The man huffed and glanced at his pad again. "Why didn't you tell the cops your story when it happened? Why did it take you six weeks to make a statement?"
"I wasn't thinking straight," he replied.
"They arrested you, isn't that true? If you knew you didn't do it, why didn't you say anything?" the man asked.
"The doctors say I had post-traumatic stress disorder...but it was like, if I said anything out loud, it meant it really happened and I couldn't deal with it," he said, faltering slightly. He knew his medical records weren't supposed to be brought up, and this lawyer was screwing him.
"Let's have a 20 minute recess," the judge announced. "Counsel, my chambers please."
Ryan stood up and walked over to Hailey, not looking at Trey even though he could feel his cold stare.
Caleb and Rachel moved so he couldn't see Trey as he numbly let them guide him into a side room where the bailiff held the door open.
"You okay?" Hailey asked as soon as the door closed.
"No," he answered. "I think I'm going to throw up."
-----------------
She felt like she'd run a marathon when she walked into the house.
Summer had her arm around Ryan's waist.
He hadn't said a word since court was adjourned for the day.
Not even a grunt.
"Can he have a cigarette, Hailey?" Summer asked.
"I'll start some coffee and order some food," Kirsten said, squeezing her shoulder reassuringly. "Seth, come with me, you know what he likes," she added.
Kirsten's presence at the courthouse had been a pleasant surprise. Her sister had put aside her issues with Rachel and the two of them had been proactive and warned the press to stay clear of the courtroom. There hadn't been much coverage of Trey's particular trial, but having 'the Nichol' name attached to it was sure to spike interest. But Kirsten and Rachel had fixed that.
"Hailey?" Summer called, snapping her from her thoughts.
"Yeah, go ahead," she said, following Summer and Ryan outside.
"Was it that bad?" Summer whispered.
"He handled it like a champ," Hailey said.
Ryan glanced at Summer. "Will you go check on the rabbit?"
Leave it to Ryan to break his silence asking about Flapjacks.
Summer looked at her, visibly worried and hurried into the house.
Hailey put her arm around him and felt him lean his head against her shoulder. "You did really well today. I don't know anybody who could have handled that as well as you did. I'm really proud of you."
They sat in silence until Ryan spoke softly. "I'll never be able to forget it, will I?"
"Probably not. But you'll get past it," she answered.
He sighed, straightening up and pulling a pack of cigarettes out of his inside jacket pocket. She made a mental note of where he was hiding them now and waited until he lit one before taking one for herself.
"I've never seen you smoke before," he said.
"I quit when I was your age," she replied. "But today calls for a reprieve."
"I'm sorry you had to hear all that. Even sorrier I had to say it," Ryan said.
"I'm sorry you had to go through it in the first place. No more sorries tonight, though," Hailey said.
Summer appeared with Flapjacks in her arms.
"Can he come outside? Like, won't he get fleas?" Hailey asked.
Ryan smiled and she felt a weight lift off her shoulders. "They put those drops to keep them off at the shelter."
"Oh," Hailey said as Summer sat down and dropped the rabbit in his lap. "I never really had a pet," she admitted, rubbing the bunny's ears hesitantly.
"Me either. But at least Flapjacks is quiet," Ryan said.
"True. But quiet may be good for bunnies, but not for you," Summer said, leaning over and kissing his cheek.
"I just needed to think," Ryan muttered.
"You need to relax. You're home now and we need to leave what happened in that courtroom today behind us and relax," Hailey said.
Hailey took a drag off her cigarette and tried to follow her own advice. Having Ryan's past stripped away in open court had gotten to her. She'd come to terms with his trauma of watching his mother brutally murdered in front of him, but she hadn't considered the extended cruelty of his mother. No wonder he was torn about testifying against his Trey.
Ryan put the rabbit down on the grass and after a moment of twitching and hesitation, it hopped over to a tuft of grass and began nibbling.
"Can it have grass?" Hailey asked.
Ryan laughed softly and she finally understood why Summer had chosen to get him a pet.
-----------------