"Rye, c'mon. Please. Talk to me." Mark begged.
Ryan turned away, remaining curled into a ball on the chair.
Mark sighed, "Maybe next time... I have to get back to school, I'll come visit you afterwards, k?"
Ryan nodded in confirmation but said nothing.
Mark hugged him, pausing in the doorway with a quick, "Love you." Before he left.
Ryan sat in the chair for another minute before standing and heading back to his room.
That's when everything went south.
"Hey, mute!"
Ryan ignored them, quickening his pace.
"Mute, I'm talking to you!"
He continued on his way, going faster still.
"Hey!" Rough hands grabbed him, shoving him against the wall.
He made contact with the wall, eyes glued to the floor.
The boy lifted him off the ground.
"C.J. Put him down." Lillian ordered, stepping forward.
"Don't tell me what to do," And then he spat a word that rhymes with witch.
And then he punched Ryan.
Well, Lillian immediately charged but some patients in the small crowd grabbed her and held her back.
She shouted explicits, occasionally shouting Ryan's name as she struggled while Ryan was beaten.
Ryan shakily climbed to his feet , wiping blood from his chin.
He glared at C.J. even as he was pummeled. At one point or another some other patients joined in, kicking, slapping, one even bit him.
But it wasn't until they'd gotten bored with him and moved onto their next target - Lillian - that he snapped.
C.J. walked up to a seething Lillian and punched her, breaking her nose.
Ryan had had enough. Beating on him was one thing, but picking on someone he cared about - that... that was one of the reasons he was a hero. To protect those he cared for, and even those he didn't.
Still, in that moment he saw red.
Ryan stood, no longer shaking, stalked towards C.J. and pulled his shoulder around so they were face to face.
His glare hardened, and C.J. had the gull to look unafraid.
That changed when Ryan kicked him. Hard. Where the sun don't shine.
C.J. fell to the ground, clutching his crotch.
The lights flickered, the doors locked the staff out and at the moment Ryan realized he could do whatever he wanted to do.
So he did what he wanted to do.
He tore those hands off Lillian and stalked off, kicking a door down in the process of getting to his room, Lillian on his trail, and slamming and locking the door behind the two of them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"That-" Lillian laughed breathlessly, "That was awesome!"
Lillian continued walking around, talking animatedly to herself, "You didn't even say anything - not that you'd have to - but your silence said millions of words! Millions of threatening words. Sure, but words none the less. That- Ryan?"
Ryan lay spread out on his bed, pain clear on his face.
"Ryan!" Lillian ran to the edge of the bed, peeling back his shirt to examine his injuries - more specifically the bump on his side that looked suspiciously like a bone trying to break skin.
Lillian muttered a string of curse words. This was not good.
Not good at all.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Help! We need help!" Lillian burst into the nurses office, in all her broken-nosed glory.
"What's wrong?" A nurse immediately asked.
"It's Ryan."
They raced to his room, a newer nurse fainting at the sight of him.
"Someone call nine-one-one," Another nurse ordered, taking charge.
"Already did, they'll be here in ten minutes."
"We don't have time for this," The same nurse muttered, moving next to Ryan.
"Ryan," He spoked sweetly, "I just need to examine your wound to see if there's any chance it punctured a lung, okay? Now I know this'll hurt, but you're strong. I know you can get through this."
Ryan nodded, eyes closed and sweat on his brow.
The nurse prodded his side, grabbing a stethoscope out of his bag to check Ryan's lungs.
"I can't tell... Your breathing seems alright so far, but I want to be sure. Let's get him to the ER."
"Sir, the paramedics just arrived."
"Perfect timing," The nurse commented, shooing Lillian out of the room with the rest of the nurses so the paramedics could do their jobs.
And their jobs they did, for Ryan was admitted to the hospital not fifteen minutes later with a broken wrist, broken ribs, punctured lung, and multiple deep bruises which they'd watch for sign if internal bleeding.
It wasn't long after he was admitted that both hospitals called Grace.
They were there in twelve minutes, an impossible task seeing as they lived half an hour away, but no one was about to question them about it.
"What happened to my son?" Grace demanded.
"Where's my brother?" Mark asked, searching room by room for Ryan.
"Ma'am, sir, please calm down."
"Don't tell me to be calm! Tell me what happened to my son!" Grace ordered.
The doctor sighed, "He's surgery, he was admitted after a bullying incident at the mental institution."
"He- what?" Grace said, dumbfounded. Ryan was being bullied? It was so bad he needed surgery? Why didn't he tell them?
None of that mattered now, what mattered was being there for Ryan. And that's where they'd be.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Two weeks later and there was a knock at his door.
It cracked open and he squeezed his eyes shut, praying it wasn't someone coming to hurt him, or worse - his family.
"Hey," A wheezy voice spoke.
Ryan cracked an eye open to find Lillian standing in the doorway with her bags in hand.
Ryan gave her a confused look, pointing at her bags. It wasn't unusual for her to visit, the hospital seemed to realize it helped them both so they allowed it. But to see her with bags? That never happened.
Lillian sighed, "They were going to move my pod - again - but they decided I'd do better at a different facility. So I'm being transferred out of state for a more 'specialized' facility. I know, it sucks."
Ryan stared at her wide-eyed before he jumped up, wobbled over, and gave her a hug, pulling back before she could register what happened and walking back to bed only to flop down. He regretted his decision immediately.
She laughed, even as he winced slightly, "Dramatic much? That's what you get."
He glared.
She made her way to the doorframe, "Hey, chin up. You'll get out of here eventually. And don't let those jerks get you down. You're worth so much more than them and I know some part of you knows it. You matter."
Ryan looked at her sadly, and waved by as she receded out of the doorframe and it slid closed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Ryan, why didn't you tell us?" Grace asked.
Ryan looked away, not answering.
"Rye, please..." Mark begged.
Spyder and Harris looked on sadly, unable to help their friends.
Ryan didn't answer, and he wouldn't. There was nothing for him to say.
They knew.
All of them knew.
And nothing would change that.
Nothing would change him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Oh gosh, this chapter is horrible. I'll re-write it when I'm bored and/or in the mood to write a scene like this. This chapter may suck, but the next one will be better, I promise.
Still, I'm really really sorry about this, but I needed a filler to connect the last chapter to the next and this is stuff that happens but it's executed poorly oh gosh I'm really sorry for those of you who expected a good update.
I'll just leave it here and if you hate it, you hate it. But I did my best and I'll re-write it when I'm not surrounded by small children who insist on making noise non-stop. Until then, live life and love PINEAPPLES!!!