Missing Martha

41

Martin heaved Ryan onto the bed at the back of the van, discreetly shifting away Zoe's open jacket which was lying on the bed from when they made out earlier. Nobody seemed to notice, their minds were focused only on Ryan.
Although his eyes were open, Ryan was barely conscious. He hadn't spoken a word of English since. This had been the worst of his episodes any of them had seen.
Ryan started blurting out more polish words, this time he sounded angry, as if impersonating someone; "Głupi. głupie dziecko. Nie masz pojęcia kim jesteś. Idź do piekła grubej twarzy. Idź, kurwa, ze wszystkimi swoimi brytyjskimi pieprzonymi przyjaciółmi. Nigdy tu nie byłeś. Nigdy nie będziesz!"
Then at once Ryan regained consciousness. And Martin could tell. By the look of complete and utter shock on his face. Ryan had to pause for a minute, trying to recall the language he spoke. The language he had to speak.
"Ryan.." Martin began, still shaken from seeing Ryan so tense, so emotional, so real.
"D-don't let them come.." he whimpered, shivering, begging into Martin's panicked eyes.
"Don't let who come?" He asked him,
"Don't let them come, please, please don't let them come!" Pleaded Ryan, making Martin so unsure what to do.
"N-no one's gonna hurt you, Ryan. You're safe. You know that. It's alright." He told Ryan in his attempt to calm him down.
Ryan rolled over, recalibrating his brain.
"You've gotta relax, okay? I'll call your parents-"
"No! No no no don't call them please please don't let them come don't let them hurt me again please-" Ryan sat up with completely panicked eyes, Martin wrapped his arms around him, "it's okay.. shh.. it's okay.." he soothed, as he did after Martha had her rare tantrums. He began to gradually set him down into the sheets again. Ryan closed his eyes, and at once was in another deep sleep.
Martin took a minute to catch his breath, "Christ..." he sighed, turning around slightly where he saw the other four gleaming at him in shock.
"W-what has happened to him to make him behave like this?" Asked Martin, but it was a rhetorical question; nobody knew much about Ryan's past. They met him in first year, he said he moved from Poland, he never said why.
"His parents-I don't know them well; are they nice?" Asked Martin. Everyone shrugged their shoulders, nodding, "they seem like decent people," said Ollie, "but they're protective. I've never been alone with him in his house." Said Ollie,
"Yeah- his mother has to be with us at all times. I don't understand why but I never asked."
All of a sudden, Zoe, who had remained silent, asked the question, "do his parents look like him?"
Martin immediately looked to her, "Zoë.." he began, but it was no use.
They all shrugged their shoulders.
"Are his parents polish?" Asked Zoë.
They all shook their heads,
"Wait- no?" Asked Zoë,
"They are from London; they don't speak a word of polish, even when in private."
Zoe and Martin looked at each other in complete shock before it sprung on the others.
"Is he adopted?" Asked Martin. Thinking about how terrified he seemed of his parents.
Nobody seemed to know, they just assumed not.
"I need to ring Mrs Watson.." said Martin, looking to Zoe.
"If you ring her, she'll make us go home." Said Zoe, "you know that."
"She should have files about him, right?" Asked Martin.
"Martin. Think about this."
"I am thinking about this. Ryan is in pain; he is in shock and we need to get him to hospital. But I am certain that there's something else-"
"Martin. We will drive to the hospital, we will call his.. 'parents' and we will find out what is going on. Mrs Watson is a last resort." Said Zoe, glaring into Martin's eyes.
"Yeah. Yeah.. okay.." said Martin before looking over to the other four children, still standing in the shock. "No.." he contradicted.
"What?"
He looked down at the completely shaken sixteen-year-olds.
"You four. Get up." He ordered, sternly. But they didn't move.
Martin bit him lip, "They're in shock too.. Zoë. Help me here."
Zoe walked over to them, and one at a time, they seemed to disable them from their trance.
He had never seen this group so fragile. When, just minutes before hand they were laughing and joking together.
"C'mon mate, he's gonna be alright, sit down." He said to Ollie, putting a hand behind his back.
Ollie said nothing, he just breathed heavily in and out as he sat down on one of the seats.
As did the others, that seemed shaken into different people. None of them could think of anything fitting to say.
Martin sat back down on the driver's seat, feeling tense, he looked over at Zoe who was on her phone.
"What are you doing?" He asked her,
"Looking up his symptoms." She said.
"You know and I know exactly what's wrong with him." Said Martin, looking into her eyes. But she shook her head.
"We can't come to assumptions without proper medical advice." She told him.
He nodded, looking down, "you're right." Before he looked in the rear-view mirror and saw Ryan's eyes opening. Martin got up and walked over to him albeit he didn't know what to say.
"Ryan." He began, sitting next to him, "Ryan are you with us?"
"I think so." He murmured, blinking his heavy eyes.
"We're gonna get you to the hospital and see what's happening to you." He said,
"But.. the gig- they deserve to go."
"And so do you- but if you have an episode on stage.. then that's just it."
Ryan looked down, giving up.
"What's up with your parents?" Asked Martin,
"What?"
"You were asking me not to ring them, saying they'd hurt you."
Ryan looked down again, leaning his head back,
"Are you.. are you adopted?" Asked Martin, daringly.
Ryan's eyes began to well up as he covered his mouth and then gradually, his whole face with his hands.
Martin sat in shock, unable to comprehend what was happening.
He just knew that he needed to help him in every way that he could.