Another little snippet from the 'Empty Spaces' backstory. Remember how Kirsten said that she and Neil broke up right after an attempt to kidnap Ryan? This is about that... using the Ryan/Summer icon because it's the like 9 year-old versions of them that this focuses on... lol
"When my daddy and your mommy get married you'll be my brother," Summer said matter of factly as she and Ryan played with a soccer ball in Ryan's driveway. "So you need to come to my house and look at the bedrooms and pick one for you."
"How come we'd move into your house? Maybe you and your dad'll move in here," Ryan said.
"Our house is bigger," Summer said. "And it belonged to Daddy's daddy before it belonged to us, but your Grandpa got this one just built for you and your mommy."
"I guess," Ryan said with a sigh as Summer kicked the ball and it went rolling down the driveway. They both hurried down to get it.
"I thought you didn't like this place?" Summer asked, frowning.
"'Cause it's big," Ryan siad. "Your house is bigger than my Grandpa's!"
Summer frowned a little more and wrinkled her nose. "When Daddy and your mommy get married, is your grandpa gonna be my grandpa?"
"I don't know," Ryan said, stooping to pick up the ball and wrinkling his nose in return. "If he is then good, maybe he'll spoil you and leave me alone!"
Summer giggled, then jumped sideways and fell on her butt as a car suddenly came roaring up. "Ry!" she yelled, surprised.
Ryan hurried to help her up as the door to the car swung open and two men in masks climbed out, one of them grabbing Ryan's arm. "Let go!" he yelled.
Summer spotted a gun under the jacket of one of the men and screamed, a shrill sound that seemed to echo through the neighborhood, but she was cut off as one of the men hit her across the face and she fell, hitting her head. The last thing she heard as things went black was the sound of tires screeching, Ryan yelling her name, and her father's angry shouts.
~~~
Ryan was still calling Summer's name through his sobs as Kirsten held him close and Neil climbed into the ambulance with his unconscious daughter. "Summer," he whimpered.
"She'll be okay, baby," Kirsten said, stroking Ryan's hair as another paramedic finished putting a temporary splint on his broken wrist. It had snapped when he'd managed to pull out of the grip of the startled would-be kidnappers and he'd fallen onto the sidewalk. He hadn't cared though, crawling over to Summer and shaking her shoulder as the masked men got back in their car and drove away. He kept calling her name even after Neil shoved him away from her and Kirsten had gathered him into her arms.
"Ma'am, we need to take him to the hospital so he can get a cast," the female paramedic said.
Kirsten nodded and moved from her perch on the edge of the stretcher to the seat at the side of the ambulance, urging Ryan to lay down. "We'll stop for some ice cream on the way home, okay?"
"I wanna see Summer," Ryan said.
"Her daddy's taking care of her," Kirsten replied.
~~~
It was almost a week after he got his neon blue cast before Ryan finally convinced his mom and grandpa to take him to see Summer, and when they arrived Neil wasn't happy. "I just don't think it's a good idea, Kirsten," he said.
"Neil, please," Kirsten said. "Ryan refuses to sleep he's so scared that Summer's not okay."
"Fine," Neil finally agreed. "She's in her room, Ryan," he said.
"Thank you," Ryan said quietly before he turned and ran up the stairs. As he reached the top, he paused just long enough to hear what the adults were saying.
"My daughter could have died because she was with your son," Neil said.
"So they both have to lose their best friends?" Kirsten replied.
"I have to protect her!"
"They're children," Caleb said, his voice just barely contained rage. "They won't understand."
Ryan quickly continued to Summer room, slowly opening the door and peeking in. When he saw her sitting up in bed, coloring in a coloring book, he almost started crying in relief.
"Ry!" Summer said happily, holding her arms out.
Ryan ran over and climbed up onto her bed, wrapping his arms around her and really starting to cry. "I'm sorry, it's all my fault, I'm sorry," he cried.
"It's not," Summer replied, hugging him tight. "Those bad men did it, not you."
"I heard your dad saying we can't be friends 'cause you almost got killed 'cause of me!" Ryan said.
Summer shook her head. "No, you're my best friend, now and always," she said stubbornly. She looked down at his casted arm, and the handful of signatures already on it, then grabbed a black marker from a box beside her and started doodling on the available space. "I'll tell him to stop being dumb," she said.
Ryan smiled slightly as he watched her draw smiley faces and faces sticking out their tongues, and two small stick figures who were holding hands. "Are we still gonna be best friends when we're all grown up?" he asked as he leaned his head against her shoulder.
Summer stopped drawing to look up at him. "What part of 'now and always' are you not getting, Nichols?" she asked.
Ryan smiled again and nodded. "Okay."
The End
And I guess this explains why Neil ended he and Kirsten's relationship... lol...
I'm working on the actual 'Empty Spaces', but at the moment I'm kinda of obsessed with writing a portion of the story that won't come for a while yet... lol... I wish I could say more, but I will say this: when the portion of the story I'm working on begins to be posted? You guys are gonna get a 'treat' of a manip I made of a movie poster... lol... it turned out really good if I say so myself... lol...
"When my daddy and your mommy get married you'll be my brother," Summer said matter of factly as she and Ryan played with a soccer ball in Ryan's driveway. "So you need to come to my house and look at the bedrooms and pick one for you."
"How come we'd move into your house? Maybe you and your dad'll move in here," Ryan said.
"Our house is bigger," Summer said. "And it belonged to Daddy's daddy before it belonged to us, but your Grandpa got this one just built for you and your mommy."
"I guess," Ryan said with a sigh as Summer kicked the ball and it went rolling down the driveway. They both hurried down to get it.
"I thought you didn't like this place?" Summer asked, frowning.
"'Cause it's big," Ryan siad. "Your house is bigger than my Grandpa's!"
Summer frowned a little more and wrinkled her nose. "When Daddy and your mommy get married, is your grandpa gonna be my grandpa?"
"I don't know," Ryan said, stooping to pick up the ball and wrinkling his nose in return. "If he is then good, maybe he'll spoil you and leave me alone!"
Summer giggled, then jumped sideways and fell on her butt as a car suddenly came roaring up. "Ry!" she yelled, surprised.
Ryan hurried to help her up as the door to the car swung open and two men in masks climbed out, one of them grabbing Ryan's arm. "Let go!" he yelled.
Summer spotted a gun under the jacket of one of the men and screamed, a shrill sound that seemed to echo through the neighborhood, but she was cut off as one of the men hit her across the face and she fell, hitting her head. The last thing she heard as things went black was the sound of tires screeching, Ryan yelling her name, and her father's angry shouts.
~~~
Ryan was still calling Summer's name through his sobs as Kirsten held him close and Neil climbed into the ambulance with his unconscious daughter. "Summer," he whimpered.
"She'll be okay, baby," Kirsten said, stroking Ryan's hair as another paramedic finished putting a temporary splint on his broken wrist. It had snapped when he'd managed to pull out of the grip of the startled would-be kidnappers and he'd fallen onto the sidewalk. He hadn't cared though, crawling over to Summer and shaking her shoulder as the masked men got back in their car and drove away. He kept calling her name even after Neil shoved him away from her and Kirsten had gathered him into her arms.
"Ma'am, we need to take him to the hospital so he can get a cast," the female paramedic said.
Kirsten nodded and moved from her perch on the edge of the stretcher to the seat at the side of the ambulance, urging Ryan to lay down. "We'll stop for some ice cream on the way home, okay?"
"I wanna see Summer," Ryan said.
"Her daddy's taking care of her," Kirsten replied.
~~~
It was almost a week after he got his neon blue cast before Ryan finally convinced his mom and grandpa to take him to see Summer, and when they arrived Neil wasn't happy. "I just don't think it's a good idea, Kirsten," he said.
"Neil, please," Kirsten said. "Ryan refuses to sleep he's so scared that Summer's not okay."
"Fine," Neil finally agreed. "She's in her room, Ryan," he said.
"Thank you," Ryan said quietly before he turned and ran up the stairs. As he reached the top, he paused just long enough to hear what the adults were saying.
"My daughter could have died because she was with your son," Neil said.
"So they both have to lose their best friends?" Kirsten replied.
"I have to protect her!"
"They're children," Caleb said, his voice just barely contained rage. "They won't understand."
Ryan quickly continued to Summer room, slowly opening the door and peeking in. When he saw her sitting up in bed, coloring in a coloring book, he almost started crying in relief.
"Ry!" Summer said happily, holding her arms out.
Ryan ran over and climbed up onto her bed, wrapping his arms around her and really starting to cry. "I'm sorry, it's all my fault, I'm sorry," he cried.
"It's not," Summer replied, hugging him tight. "Those bad men did it, not you."
"I heard your dad saying we can't be friends 'cause you almost got killed 'cause of me!" Ryan said.
Summer shook her head. "No, you're my best friend, now and always," she said stubbornly. She looked down at his casted arm, and the handful of signatures already on it, then grabbed a black marker from a box beside her and started doodling on the available space. "I'll tell him to stop being dumb," she said.
Ryan smiled slightly as he watched her draw smiley faces and faces sticking out their tongues, and two small stick figures who were holding hands. "Are we still gonna be best friends when we're all grown up?" he asked as he leaned his head against her shoulder.
Summer stopped drawing to look up at him. "What part of 'now and always' are you not getting, Nichols?" she asked.
Ryan smiled again and nodded. "Okay."
The End
And I guess this explains why Neil ended he and Kirsten's relationship... lol...
I'm working on the actual 'Empty Spaces', but at the moment I'm kinda of obsessed with writing a portion of the story that won't come for a while yet... lol... I wish I could say more, but I will say this: when the portion of the story I'm working on begins to be posted? You guys are gonna get a 'treat' of a manip I made of a movie poster... lol... it turned out really good if I say so myself... lol...