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They ended up being kinda sad for the most part... #3 is loosely related to the last one in the 'Variations On A Sentence' post I did a LONG while back (27 Febuary, 2007)...
1. As A Teenager
Ryan couldn't take his eyes off the tiny baby boy cradled in his arms, looking up at him with wide eyes. "Hey, Daniel, I'm your daddy," he whispered to the baby, tightening his grip ever so slightly as Daniel wiggled and waved his tiny fists around. "Hey now, what's with the fists, kiddo," he asked, smiling. "You don't wanna be a tough guy, all it does is get you in trouble."
"I finished the paperwork for us to take this little angel home," Eva said as she came over with the information the doctor had given them on caring for Preemies when they go home. "Are you sure you don't want to take him home to Newport?" she asked Ryan.
"Then he wouldn't have you," Ryan replied. "Daniel needs you, and he needs me. So... as long as you'll have us, we're staying."
"You know I'm happy to have you around, hijo," Eva said, kissing his cheek. "You're as good as my own. And now you will always be family."
"And I didn't even have to marry Theresa," Ryan whispered sadly as he looked down at Daniel again, having trouble seeing any of Theresa on the little boy who seemed to be a clone of Ryan himself, blue eyed and light skinned. "I would have," he added to Eva, needing her to know that. "I asked. But she..."
"I know," Eva said. "She told me. She didn't want to tie you down forever."
"We've got to make sure Daniel knows all about her," he said as he settled his son into the infant seat in the back of Theresa's car... now his own car. "We gotta make sure he knows how much she loved him, even though she didn't get to hold him."
"We will, Ryan," Eva promised.
2. As An Adult
"Wait, seriously?"
"Yes, Seth, seriously," Ryan said with exasperation.
"But... Summer got pregnant first, she's suppose to give birth first! Not Brooke!"
"Well, I'm sorry that my wife collapsed in pain, had an emegency C-Setion, and almost died, Seth," Ryan said, irritated. "When she wakes up, I'll tell her we need to buy you a nice apology gift." With that, he ended the call and ran his hands through his hair.
"So all it took to make you stand up to your brother was becoming a dad?" Brooke asked sleepily from the bed.
Ryan turned and smiled softly as he walked over to her, kissing her softly on the lips. "Hey, how are you feeling?"
"Tell me how our girl is, and then I can tell you," Brooke replied.
"Lillian Davis Atwood is just fine," Ryan said, smiling. "She's got one hell of a set of lungs, must take after her mommy."
"Are you saying I'm loud?"
"You are a screamer," Ryan whispered teasingly in her ear. "And you scared the hell out of me."
"Probably not as badly as I scared myself," Brooke said. "I thought I was gonna lose her."
"Well, you didn't. She's fine, and you're going to be fine," Ryan said firmly. "My girls."
"I wanna see her. When can I see her?"
"I'll get the doctor," Ryan said, standing up again. "I'll be right back, okay?"
"Okay," Brooke agreed. "Tell the doctor I'll get up and walk to see her if I have to."
"I'll make sure he knows that's not a threat but a promise," Ryan said, eyes twinkling.
3. On His Doorstep
It was the middle of the night when Ryan woke to someone frantically knocking on the door of his apartment. "I'm coming!" he called, irritated, as he stumbled out of his bedroom, checking to make sure he was wearing pants before swinging open the door and staring at the woman in front of him. "Marissa?" he asked. It had been over 3 years since he dropped her off at the Airport to go sailing around the world with her dad, and she hadn't bothered to call or write in all those years. "What are you doing here?" he continued when she didn't say anything just fidgeted and lifted one delicate hand to brush hair out of her eyes, revealing track marks on her arm.
"I tried, but I... I can't do this... all she does is cry and I... I can't..."
"What are you talking about?" Ryan asked.
"I know you'll take care of her... please, Ryan... You always take care of me, and I need you to do this..." Marissa pleaded before shoving a bag at him and running off.
Ryan stepped into the hall to watch her go, confused. "Marissa!" he yelled after her. As she disappeared down the stairs, he looked down at the bag in his hands and saw... diapers? Slowly, hoping he was wrong, he turned and looked down at the floor outside his door, only to sigh as he saw the tiny baby sitting in a very worn and not so clean car seat. "Damn it," Ryan whispered as he crouched down to gently pull the baby blanket away and couldn't help smiling at the wide, clear blue, eyes that stared back at him, curious but not afraid. "Looks like you're stuck with me for a little while," he said as he picked up the carrier and carried the baby inside.
There was nothing to tell him the little girl's name, only a birth certificate that said 'baby girl Cooper'. Marissa's name was scrawled in the space for the mother's name, and the spot for father's name was blank. "What are you doing, Marissa?" he asked the air around him before grabbing the phone to call Sandy, trusting the man to know what to do.
4. By Accident
Ryan slowly ran his finger over Sophie Rose's cheek, trying to keep a smile on his face as she woke up and looked up at him with wide, confused, eyes. "Hey, sweetie," he whispered. When she held her arms up, he gently picked her up balancing her on one hip as he grabbed her stuffed zebra and put it in her arms. "You were such a good girl today, even though I know you've got to be sad. I miss them too. But you're gonna have to cut me some slack, Soph. I've never been a dad before, and I don't really know what I'm doing here."
"You'll do fine," Julie said from the doorway. She walked over and ran a hand over Sophie Rose's blonde curls. "And if you need help, you can call me, anytime."
"Thanks," Ryan replied. "I still don't... I mean, why would they... Seth wasn't even mentioned as a guardian. Who would they skip over him to me?"
"Did he ever change a diaper?" Julie asked. "Did he ever volunteer to babysit? Did he ever just sat on the floor helping her build block towers? You're the one who really took an interest in her, Ryan, and you're the one who'd take care of her without resenting it."
"And maybe they just had a feeling," Ryan said, holding Sophie Rose a little closer and resting his cheek on the top of her head. "Maybe they knew I'd be the one still here."
"Come on, everyone's arriving downstairs. You two need to make at least a brief appearance, then I'll create a distraction for you to sneak back up here to escape."
"Thanks, Julie," Ryan repeated. "I'm really glad you're here right now."
"Gordon was more than willing to give me some time off to help you adjust," Julie said, putting an arm around his shoulders to lead him downstairs. "And even he knows that once you're over the initial grief, you'll do just fine."
"I hope so."
5. On The Street
As he stared across the street at the kid sitting on the wall, Ryan could see himself, nearly a decade and a half earlier, sitting on a similar wall waiting for Sandy to come get him. Ryan glanced up and down the street, hoping to see another group of kids nearby, mayb friends of this one coming out of the convenience store about a block down. But all he saw was a guy who looked his age or a little older watching the kid with more interest than concern.
Ryan knew those looks, he'd gotten them himself more than once, including the Day Sandy came to get him, but he'd been lucky that nothing ever happened. He watched for another moment, but when he saw the other guy start across the street towards the kid, Ryan stepped forward.
"Hey kid! Need any help?"
The End
1. As A Teenager
Ryan couldn't take his eyes off the tiny baby boy cradled in his arms, looking up at him with wide eyes. "Hey, Daniel, I'm your daddy," he whispered to the baby, tightening his grip ever so slightly as Daniel wiggled and waved his tiny fists around. "Hey now, what's with the fists, kiddo," he asked, smiling. "You don't wanna be a tough guy, all it does is get you in trouble."
"I finished the paperwork for us to take this little angel home," Eva said as she came over with the information the doctor had given them on caring for Preemies when they go home. "Are you sure you don't want to take him home to Newport?" she asked Ryan.
"Then he wouldn't have you," Ryan replied. "Daniel needs you, and he needs me. So... as long as you'll have us, we're staying."
"You know I'm happy to have you around, hijo," Eva said, kissing his cheek. "You're as good as my own. And now you will always be family."
"And I didn't even have to marry Theresa," Ryan whispered sadly as he looked down at Daniel again, having trouble seeing any of Theresa on the little boy who seemed to be a clone of Ryan himself, blue eyed and light skinned. "I would have," he added to Eva, needing her to know that. "I asked. But she..."
"I know," Eva said. "She told me. She didn't want to tie you down forever."
"We've got to make sure Daniel knows all about her," he said as he settled his son into the infant seat in the back of Theresa's car... now his own car. "We gotta make sure he knows how much she loved him, even though she didn't get to hold him."
"We will, Ryan," Eva promised.
2. As An Adult
"Wait, seriously?"
"Yes, Seth, seriously," Ryan said with exasperation.
"But... Summer got pregnant first, she's suppose to give birth first! Not Brooke!"
"Well, I'm sorry that my wife collapsed in pain, had an emegency C-Setion, and almost died, Seth," Ryan said, irritated. "When she wakes up, I'll tell her we need to buy you a nice apology gift." With that, he ended the call and ran his hands through his hair.
"So all it took to make you stand up to your brother was becoming a dad?" Brooke asked sleepily from the bed.
Ryan turned and smiled softly as he walked over to her, kissing her softly on the lips. "Hey, how are you feeling?"
"Tell me how our girl is, and then I can tell you," Brooke replied.
"Lillian Davis Atwood is just fine," Ryan said, smiling. "She's got one hell of a set of lungs, must take after her mommy."
"Are you saying I'm loud?"
"You are a screamer," Ryan whispered teasingly in her ear. "And you scared the hell out of me."
"Probably not as badly as I scared myself," Brooke said. "I thought I was gonna lose her."
"Well, you didn't. She's fine, and you're going to be fine," Ryan said firmly. "My girls."
"I wanna see her. When can I see her?"
"I'll get the doctor," Ryan said, standing up again. "I'll be right back, okay?"
"Okay," Brooke agreed. "Tell the doctor I'll get up and walk to see her if I have to."
"I'll make sure he knows that's not a threat but a promise," Ryan said, eyes twinkling.
3. On His Doorstep
It was the middle of the night when Ryan woke to someone frantically knocking on the door of his apartment. "I'm coming!" he called, irritated, as he stumbled out of his bedroom, checking to make sure he was wearing pants before swinging open the door and staring at the woman in front of him. "Marissa?" he asked. It had been over 3 years since he dropped her off at the Airport to go sailing around the world with her dad, and she hadn't bothered to call or write in all those years. "What are you doing here?" he continued when she didn't say anything just fidgeted and lifted one delicate hand to brush hair out of her eyes, revealing track marks on her arm.
"I tried, but I... I can't do this... all she does is cry and I... I can't..."
"What are you talking about?" Ryan asked.
"I know you'll take care of her... please, Ryan... You always take care of me, and I need you to do this..." Marissa pleaded before shoving a bag at him and running off.
Ryan stepped into the hall to watch her go, confused. "Marissa!" he yelled after her. As she disappeared down the stairs, he looked down at the bag in his hands and saw... diapers? Slowly, hoping he was wrong, he turned and looked down at the floor outside his door, only to sigh as he saw the tiny baby sitting in a very worn and not so clean car seat. "Damn it," Ryan whispered as he crouched down to gently pull the baby blanket away and couldn't help smiling at the wide, clear blue, eyes that stared back at him, curious but not afraid. "Looks like you're stuck with me for a little while," he said as he picked up the carrier and carried the baby inside.
There was nothing to tell him the little girl's name, only a birth certificate that said 'baby girl Cooper'. Marissa's name was scrawled in the space for the mother's name, and the spot for father's name was blank. "What are you doing, Marissa?" he asked the air around him before grabbing the phone to call Sandy, trusting the man to know what to do.
4. By Accident
Ryan slowly ran his finger over Sophie Rose's cheek, trying to keep a smile on his face as she woke up and looked up at him with wide, confused, eyes. "Hey, sweetie," he whispered. When she held her arms up, he gently picked her up balancing her on one hip as he grabbed her stuffed zebra and put it in her arms. "You were such a good girl today, even though I know you've got to be sad. I miss them too. But you're gonna have to cut me some slack, Soph. I've never been a dad before, and I don't really know what I'm doing here."
"You'll do fine," Julie said from the doorway. She walked over and ran a hand over Sophie Rose's blonde curls. "And if you need help, you can call me, anytime."
"Thanks," Ryan replied. "I still don't... I mean, why would they... Seth wasn't even mentioned as a guardian. Who would they skip over him to me?"
"Did he ever change a diaper?" Julie asked. "Did he ever volunteer to babysit? Did he ever just sat on the floor helping her build block towers? You're the one who really took an interest in her, Ryan, and you're the one who'd take care of her without resenting it."
"And maybe they just had a feeling," Ryan said, holding Sophie Rose a little closer and resting his cheek on the top of her head. "Maybe they knew I'd be the one still here."
"Come on, everyone's arriving downstairs. You two need to make at least a brief appearance, then I'll create a distraction for you to sneak back up here to escape."
"Thanks, Julie," Ryan repeated. "I'm really glad you're here right now."
"Gordon was more than willing to give me some time off to help you adjust," Julie said, putting an arm around his shoulders to lead him downstairs. "And even he knows that once you're over the initial grief, you'll do just fine."
"I hope so."
5. On The Street
As he stared across the street at the kid sitting on the wall, Ryan could see himself, nearly a decade and a half earlier, sitting on a similar wall waiting for Sandy to come get him. Ryan glanced up and down the street, hoping to see another group of kids nearby, mayb friends of this one coming out of the convenience store about a block down. But all he saw was a guy who looked his age or a little older watching the kid with more interest than concern.
Ryan knew those looks, he'd gotten them himself more than once, including the Day Sandy came to get him, but he'd been lucky that nothing ever happened. He watched for another moment, but when he saw the other guy start across the street towards the kid, Ryan stepped forward.
"Hey kid! Need any help?"
The End
