15 Minute Challenge - A Million Little Pieces
Another Flash Fic Response, this one actually uses 2 of the prompts:
"You're nothing to me."
and
After a night of heavy drinking, a teenager accidentally slams into another car. Although no one is killed, the teenager's best friend is paralyzed from the waist down.
Hope brandywine421 doesn't mind my using two at once, but they just so totally belonged together... lol
Again, no spiel, just straight to the fic.
A Million Little Pieces
Ryan adjusted quicker than they'd expected. He learned how to get around on his own, how to get from his bed into his wheelchair, and from the chair into the bathtub. He figured out the best way to get himself dressed without needing to ask for help, even though they were always ready to offer it.
The only thing he didn't figure out how to do was forgive Seth.
There had been a party, and Ryan had gone to try and keep Seth out of trouble while the other boy drowned his sorrows over his latest break up with Summer. Ryan had only left Seth's side for five minutes to talk to a friend from school, and then suddenly Summer had been at his side, telling him that Seth had gone outside with the keys to the rover. Ryan could remember running outside and arguing with Seth through the open passenger side window of the car, and he could remember Seth starting to cry and that he'd opened the door to get in and try to talk to Seth, who had put the car into gear before the door even closed again. After that things became a blur of light and sound and pain. At least that's what he said whenever anyone asked.
The first few weeks, the Cohens let Ryan sit out the family dinners, instead one of them would eat with him in his room while the other ate with Seth in the dining room. Eventually, and Ryan suspected it was because his PT Nurse or one of the counselors suggested it, they insisted that Ryan should come out and they'd all eat together, but nothing would make Ryan look at Seth, let alone speak to him besides the occasional monotone request to pass the rolls, or salt, or peas. More often than not, Ryan would do without whatever it was he wanted if that item happened to be closest to Seth.
Ryan did his physical therapy with the private PT Nurse the Cohens had hired, and he learned more and more about how to get around in the world now that he couldn't see over a lot of counters and couldn't climb the steps at Harbor to get to class. His tutor was a nice guy in his late 20's, who challenged him with progressively harder material constantly, refusing to take it easy on him except on the rare bad days that Ryan had sometimes. One the days when Ryan was in too much pain to get out of bed except for the required PT, Jake would sit in a chair beside the bed and they'd just review the past week's work, or even chat about something that was only halfway relevant to whatever they were studying.
Then Ryan had a bad day that turned into a bad week. Every little movement hurt enough for tears to be squeezing out from behind closed eyelids as Kirsten stroked his hair and murmured comforting words in between giving him pain meds and calling the doctor to ask what they should do, how they could help him. On his 9th day in bed, shortly after he'd finished a physical therapy session that left him sobbing in pain and the PT Nurse calling the doctor to recommend an immediate appointment, Summer came by.
She must have snuck in, since the Cohens had been turning everyone away at Ryan's request. He'd talk to them on the phone, or on the computer, but he didn't want them to see him in the chair. Didn't want them to see him in pain like this. But Summer came, and she climbed up beside him in his bed, leaning her forehead against his as she started talking, first about stupid stuff that happened at school, and then about stupider stuff that happened on The Valley. She didn't mention Seth or Marissa, or anything else that might bring up memories, and half of what she said didn't really make sense or matter to Ryan at all, but he focused on her voice, using it to pull him away from the pain that was demanding his attention.
By the time the doctor arrived, he wasn't sobbing anymore, just whimpering softly as Summer continued to keep her forehead against his, her fingers combing through his hair as she told him about a new show she was watching, and how she knew the cop was hiding a secret from his nurse fiancee, and everyone else thought it was a bad secret but she just knows it's something great.
After that, Summer became a daily visitor, and when winter break began, she brought a visiting Luke with her, and for a few brief hours, Ryan felt good and happy and like he was still alive. Then Seth came in and started trying to insert himself into the conversation, despite the fact that all three made it clear he wasn't welcome. Finally, fed up, Ryan shifted himself from the couch to his wheelchair and turned to go into his room.
"I've got a playstation in my room," he told Summer and Luke. "We can play in there."
"Come on, Ryan!" Seth protested. "We're brothers, and..."
Ryan turned his chair suddenly, his eyes flashing with anger. "You are not my brother," he said. "You're nothing to me." He turned again, wheeling himself into his room and slamming the door as hard as he could. A few minutes later, Luke and Summer came in, clearly unsure.
"Chino?" Luke asked softly.
"He hit the gas on purpose," Ryan said. "I told him that he got himself into the mess with Summer dumping him, and... and that getting drunk wasn't going to help anything... and what would Kirsten think to know that he didn't learn anything from last year... and he told me... He said he didn't want to deal with her, and he hit the gas on purpose, and he just... he drove... I told him to stop, I told them that truck was coming and he didn't stop!" Ryan said, doubling over in the chair.
"I shouldn't have gotten you," Summer said, shaking her head. "I just... I thought you could talk to him, get him to not do anything stupid... like you did that first Chrismukkah with Coop... I didn't... It's my fault, and I'm so sorry..."
"It's not," Ryan replied. "He did it! He got drunk, he got behind the wheel, he hit the gas, he didn't slow down, he crashed the rover on purpose! It wasn't an accident, Summer, Seth crashed it on purpose, he didn't give a damn about what happened to me, because he thought if he got hurt you'd go back to him. If he got you back, who cared what happened to me, or to the people in that truck?"
"Why didn't you tell anyone?" Luke asked quietly.
"I can't do that to Sandy and Kirsten," Ryan said. "I can't. They're going through enough with my bullshit, they don't need me getting their son tossed in jail, too. If it was an accident, if he didn't mean to do it, if he accidentally hit the gas instead of the brake... then it's okay, he doesn't go to jail. But if he did it on purpose, if he meant to get in that accident, it's assault with a deadly weapon, intent to cause injury... he'll go to jail, and they'll never forgive me, and I need them... I can't do this alone, I can't handle it alone."
"You don't have to," Summer promised, dropping down in front of him and wrapping her arms around his neck. "We're here, okay? Always."
"My mom's been asking me to move back," Luke said. "I've been thinking it's a good idea. Somebody needs to pick up the slack and protect the underdogs at Harbor, who better than the reformed bully?"
Ryan offered his friend a shaky smile as he wrapped his arms around Summer. "It would be nice to have another friend around," he said.
The End
I actually might use another of the prompts for a follow-up to this. But I wanted to post some The OC fic since it's been neglected lately... lol
"You're nothing to me."
and
After a night of heavy drinking, a teenager accidentally slams into another car. Although no one is killed, the teenager's best friend is paralyzed from the waist down.
Hope brandywine421 doesn't mind my using two at once, but they just so totally belonged together... lol
Again, no spiel, just straight to the fic.
A Million Little Pieces
Ryan adjusted quicker than they'd expected. He learned how to get around on his own, how to get from his bed into his wheelchair, and from the chair into the bathtub. He figured out the best way to get himself dressed without needing to ask for help, even though they were always ready to offer it.
The only thing he didn't figure out how to do was forgive Seth.
There had been a party, and Ryan had gone to try and keep Seth out of trouble while the other boy drowned his sorrows over his latest break up with Summer. Ryan had only left Seth's side for five minutes to talk to a friend from school, and then suddenly Summer had been at his side, telling him that Seth had gone outside with the keys to the rover. Ryan could remember running outside and arguing with Seth through the open passenger side window of the car, and he could remember Seth starting to cry and that he'd opened the door to get in and try to talk to Seth, who had put the car into gear before the door even closed again. After that things became a blur of light and sound and pain. At least that's what he said whenever anyone asked.
The first few weeks, the Cohens let Ryan sit out the family dinners, instead one of them would eat with him in his room while the other ate with Seth in the dining room. Eventually, and Ryan suspected it was because his PT Nurse or one of the counselors suggested it, they insisted that Ryan should come out and they'd all eat together, but nothing would make Ryan look at Seth, let alone speak to him besides the occasional monotone request to pass the rolls, or salt, or peas. More often than not, Ryan would do without whatever it was he wanted if that item happened to be closest to Seth.
Ryan did his physical therapy with the private PT Nurse the Cohens had hired, and he learned more and more about how to get around in the world now that he couldn't see over a lot of counters and couldn't climb the steps at Harbor to get to class. His tutor was a nice guy in his late 20's, who challenged him with progressively harder material constantly, refusing to take it easy on him except on the rare bad days that Ryan had sometimes. One the days when Ryan was in too much pain to get out of bed except for the required PT, Jake would sit in a chair beside the bed and they'd just review the past week's work, or even chat about something that was only halfway relevant to whatever they were studying.
Then Ryan had a bad day that turned into a bad week. Every little movement hurt enough for tears to be squeezing out from behind closed eyelids as Kirsten stroked his hair and murmured comforting words in between giving him pain meds and calling the doctor to ask what they should do, how they could help him. On his 9th day in bed, shortly after he'd finished a physical therapy session that left him sobbing in pain and the PT Nurse calling the doctor to recommend an immediate appointment, Summer came by.
She must have snuck in, since the Cohens had been turning everyone away at Ryan's request. He'd talk to them on the phone, or on the computer, but he didn't want them to see him in the chair. Didn't want them to see him in pain like this. But Summer came, and she climbed up beside him in his bed, leaning her forehead against his as she started talking, first about stupid stuff that happened at school, and then about stupider stuff that happened on The Valley. She didn't mention Seth or Marissa, or anything else that might bring up memories, and half of what she said didn't really make sense or matter to Ryan at all, but he focused on her voice, using it to pull him away from the pain that was demanding his attention.
By the time the doctor arrived, he wasn't sobbing anymore, just whimpering softly as Summer continued to keep her forehead against his, her fingers combing through his hair as she told him about a new show she was watching, and how she knew the cop was hiding a secret from his nurse fiancee, and everyone else thought it was a bad secret but she just knows it's something great.
After that, Summer became a daily visitor, and when winter break began, she brought a visiting Luke with her, and for a few brief hours, Ryan felt good and happy and like he was still alive. Then Seth came in and started trying to insert himself into the conversation, despite the fact that all three made it clear he wasn't welcome. Finally, fed up, Ryan shifted himself from the couch to his wheelchair and turned to go into his room.
"I've got a playstation in my room," he told Summer and Luke. "We can play in there."
"Come on, Ryan!" Seth protested. "We're brothers, and..."
Ryan turned his chair suddenly, his eyes flashing with anger. "You are not my brother," he said. "You're nothing to me." He turned again, wheeling himself into his room and slamming the door as hard as he could. A few minutes later, Luke and Summer came in, clearly unsure.
"Chino?" Luke asked softly.
"He hit the gas on purpose," Ryan said. "I told him that he got himself into the mess with Summer dumping him, and... and that getting drunk wasn't going to help anything... and what would Kirsten think to know that he didn't learn anything from last year... and he told me... He said he didn't want to deal with her, and he hit the gas on purpose, and he just... he drove... I told him to stop, I told them that truck was coming and he didn't stop!" Ryan said, doubling over in the chair.
"I shouldn't have gotten you," Summer said, shaking her head. "I just... I thought you could talk to him, get him to not do anything stupid... like you did that first Chrismukkah with Coop... I didn't... It's my fault, and I'm so sorry..."
"It's not," Ryan replied. "He did it! He got drunk, he got behind the wheel, he hit the gas, he didn't slow down, he crashed the rover on purpose! It wasn't an accident, Summer, Seth crashed it on purpose, he didn't give a damn about what happened to me, because he thought if he got hurt you'd go back to him. If he got you back, who cared what happened to me, or to the people in that truck?"
"Why didn't you tell anyone?" Luke asked quietly.
"I can't do that to Sandy and Kirsten," Ryan said. "I can't. They're going through enough with my bullshit, they don't need me getting their son tossed in jail, too. If it was an accident, if he didn't mean to do it, if he accidentally hit the gas instead of the brake... then it's okay, he doesn't go to jail. But if he did it on purpose, if he meant to get in that accident, it's assault with a deadly weapon, intent to cause injury... he'll go to jail, and they'll never forgive me, and I need them... I can't do this alone, I can't handle it alone."
"You don't have to," Summer promised, dropping down in front of him and wrapping her arms around his neck. "We're here, okay? Always."
"My mom's been asking me to move back," Luke said. "I've been thinking it's a good idea. Somebody needs to pick up the slack and protect the underdogs at Harbor, who better than the reformed bully?"
Ryan offered his friend a shaky smile as he wrapped his arms around Summer. "It would be nice to have another friend around," he said.
The End
I actually might use another of the prompts for a follow-up to this. But I wanted to post some The OC fic since it's been neglected lately... lol