fic : Lost Time; Better Days
Title Lost Time; Better Days
Summary Let's say the Atwood's luck strikes again, although it’s a few days late
Fandom The OC
Timeline AU, the initial event is mid season 1, somewhere after "The Truth"
Beta If it counts, MS Word 03
Disclaimers I'm not sure who really owns the show "The OC" (Josh Schwarz or FOX), but I definitely do not owe it
A/N This chapter belongs to two different fics.
The Worst Day
Kirsten was looking over the blue prints for one of the Newport Group’s newest contracts. When the phone on her desk started ringing Kirsten was long lost in her thoughts about the new project. It took some rings before she absently answered it.
“Kirsten Cohen” she stated.
“Mrs. Cohen this is Detective Parker of the Newport Police Department. I’m calling because we’ve found your car.” the man on the phone said.
“You have? Did something happen?” she replied. Thinking back she remembered Ryan borrowing her car the previous day. “Ryan?” she said under her breath, worried in what Ryan had gotten himself into this time.
pparently it was loud enough for the detective to understand, because he asked “Who’s Ryan, Mrs. Cohen?”
“My son, he borrowed the car yesterday.”
“Have you seen him since then?”
“No, he spent the night at a friend’s place” she answered
“Mrs. Cohen are you really sure that Ryan stayed at a friend’s last night? Had he told you himself?” Parker asked further.
“No, actually Seth, my other son did, but why are you asking?” By then Kirsten was getting worried. She didn’t like the way this was going.
Since parker hesitated she continued “He’s alright? It didn’t happen anything to him, right?” the fear for Ryan now clearly recognizable in her voice.
“Mrs. Cohen I’m afraid it might be possible that it happened something to your son, but it’s a really sensitive issue, which I’d prefer discussing down here at the station and not over the phone. Is it possible for you to come down here?” Parker replied.
Sensing that she wouldn’t get anymore information over the phone she said “I’ll be there in about twenty minutes.”
“I’ll see you then Mrs. Cohen” Detective Parker finished before Kirsten hung up, not bothering to say any goodbyes.
She quickly gathered her phone and purse and left the office in a hurry. By the elevators she ran into her father.
“Kiki, you’re leaving? What’s about the meeting we’ve had scheduled for in a few minutes?” Caleb asked.
“I’m on my way to the police station. They called, said that they’ve found my car and something about Ryan.” she explained quickly.
“Is he in trouble again? Why do I even ask, sure he’s in trouble again. This boy is only trouble. But don’t say I haven’t warned you before the adoption that he might show his true face now that you can’t get rid of him that easily anymore.” he said, clearly stating his dislike for Ryan not only with his words, but also in the way he spoke them.
Kirsten wondered for a moment what it would take her father to see the same in Ryan Seth, Sandy and herself did, but was interrupted by the arrival of the elevator cabin.
“Dad, I don’t have time for this now.” she said firmly before getting on the elevator, leaving behind a for once stunned looking Caleb.
Once Kirsten was on the road she tried to reach Sandy, but could only leave him a voice mail. “Hey Sandy, I’ve got a call from the police. They’ve found the Range Rover. There isn’t much I know by now, but the detective also mentioned Ryan. I’m currently on my way down to the station. I’m really worried Sandy. The way the detective talked, I fear that something happened to Ryan. Please call me immediately when you get this.”
It was a few hours later that Summer was driving Seth home from school. As usual these days Summer had offered to take the two brothers there and back, but that morning Ryan wasn’t there. Seth told her something about Ryan staying over at Luke’s and the both of them driving to school from there. But as the classes went by she got the feeling that Seth hadn’t told her the truth. First there was Seth’s unusual quietness during the ride to school. She even wanted to ask him if there was something wrong between him and Ryan, but didn’t. Then there was the fact that she hadn’t even spotted Ryan the whole day at school. There was no chance to talk to him, but at least she saw Luke a few times from the distance, but no sign of Ryan.
“Hey Ryan it’s Seth. Where are you dude? It’s noon by now. You know you’re in quite some trouble if the rents find out about you not being at school. Speaking of the rents I told them that you spent the night at Luke’s. … Ok, I have to go now. See you at home.”
Summer having overheard Seth leaving Ryan that voice mail felt her suspicions confirmed, but it also made her relax that Seth indeed was only covering for Ryan.
Seth had been worried about his brother all day and really hoped that Ryan would be home by the time got back from school. Ryan hadn’t been at school all day and that wasn’t anything like him. He ever went to school even with the worst hangover, which, by the way, the rents must never know about.
As the Cohen driveway came into sight, Seth recognized a police car parking there. It made him even more worried. He didn’t like the ideas that formed in his head. A missing Ryan combined with a police car parked in front of the house implied trouble.
But it wasn’t only that Seth was worried about Ryan maybe being in trouble again. The self-centered part of him feared that Ryan might have done something to violate his probation, something that landed him back in juvie, something that caused him to be taken away from them. That Seth’s only friend and brother would leave him alone, alone in the hell, a Ryan-less Newport meant to him.
It was when Summer parked the car next to the squad car that Seth spoke the first words for quite some time. “Would you mind coming inside with me?” he asked her, the worry in his voice clearly recognizable for her.
It was a mixture of worry due to Seth’s tone and curiosity why the police would be in the Cohen home that caused Summer to follow Seth into the house. But she clearly wasn’t prepared for the situation she walked into. Kirsten was sitting sobbing on the couch where a police officer tried to console her. She turned to Seth for some guidance but was met with an expression of blank fear. After a few moments of silent observation of the room Summer risked to ask “What happened?”
It was only then that Kirsten recognized the two teens standing in the room. She couldn’t face them but steadied herself enough to explain between her sobs “They found the Range Rover” “It crashed in a gas tanker yesterday” “Completely burned out” “The driver was burned within the car” “There’s evidence that it was …” Kirsten couldn’t finish because she started sobbing again.
Summer didn’t get on at first and turned back to Seth hoping for a hint. Seeing his grief-stricken face, the disbelieve, the anger, the hurt and the sadness his eyes reflected all at once, the tears running down his face, it finally hit her. Ryan had borrowed the car; Seth covering for Ryan, but not knowing where he was. It had to have been Ryan, who had driven the car and died in that crash. Ryan dead? She simply couldn’t wrap her head around it.
Seth feelings at that moment where beyond Summer’s imagination. She wanted to reach out to him, comfort him, but he turned away, towards the stairs and walked away, not even looking at her. She didn’t know what to do; she could only watch Seth disappearing upstairs. A few moments later the sound of a slamming door echoed through the house.
Summer, still not knowing how to react, stumbled a quick “I’m so sorry” in Kirsten’s direction before she left the house and drove away.
Sandy came home late that day. He was exhausted after spending the morning at the office and the rest of the day with Jimmy working on the Lighthouse. He had no idea of the day’s events. The battery of his cell phone had died hours ago during one of his calls to a contractor. His day was so stressful that he hadn’t even a chance to recharge his cell or get his voice mails.
When he walked into the house he found Kirsten sitting sunk down at the kitchen table, clutching a picture frame, a half empty bottle of wine standing next to her and her face showing the saddest expression he had seen since her mother’s death.
Before Sandy could even say a word she ask taunting “Where were you all day, Sandy?”
“I was working with Jimmy on the Lighthouse.” Sandy replied.
“I tried to call you. I needed you. Your family needed you today, but you weren’t here.” she said.
“Honey, what happened?” he asked carefully and slowly getting worried.
“He died Sandy.”
“What?” Sandy asked worried and confused at the same time.
“He’s dead, Sandy. Our son, he’s dead. And you were too busy working on the Lighthouse to even check your voice mail.”
Sandy couldn’t comprehend what he had just been told. One of his sons being dead? That can’t be right. They are supposed to outlive them, their parents and not the other way round.
As he wanted to ask which one was gone, Kirsten dropped the picture she was holding on the table and Sandy knew it. It was one of the few pictures they had showing only Ryan. While he looked at the picture of his lost son Kirsten said quietly “He was in the center of the crash in the highway tunnel.” Then she left the kitchen towards their bedroom.
Sandy had to sit down after he processed the last words his wife had told him. He had seen the crash on the news the previous night. It was an inferno. The gas tanker and the other cars involved in the crash burned for hours. It was told that the fire was so hot that yet the concrete ceiling of the tunnel was damaged. He didn’t even want to imagine what terrible kind of death that must have been for Ryan.
Then he remembered Seth telling them about Ryan staying at Luke’s the last night. For a split second he felt angry at Seth for lying to them, but it was quickly replaced with the realization that Seth not trying to cover for Ryan wouldn’t have changed anything, he would have still died. What would have changed something is if he, Sandy, hadn’t asked Ryan the day before to run an errand for him in LA. There were a few things for the Lighthouse to be picked up in a store up there, but due to an unexpected change in his schedule he couldn’t do it himself and so he asked Ryan if he could do it. Despite the fact that it was really meant as question, he now wasn’t sure anymore if Ryan even considered declining his request since he complied as usual without a word. If he just hadn’t asked Ryan, then his boy would be still alive.
Sandy crossed his arms before him on the table and slowly lowered his head on them, quiet tears of grief running down his face.
TBC