Skates
Rated: G
Disclaimer: I don't own the OC, characters or actors. This is a work of fiction and I'm not making any money from it.
Summary: The Cohens+1 are in Rhode Island for the holidays. Ryan and Sophie both experience their first time on skates.
“Wyan? Awen’t you coming?”
Sophie Rose climbed onto the couch and sat down on his chest, looking him straight in the eye.
“Coming where?” he asked sleepily, sitting up and lifting her to sit beside him; she was heavier than he remembered, or maybe it was just because he still thought of her as ‘the baby’.
“To the wink! ’Member? Mommy and daddy and Seff and Summer and you and me!”
Ryan was just about to ask what the ‘wink’ was, when Kirsten came into the room carrying a tiny pair of cotton candy coloured ice skates.
“I get to wear them today?!” Sophie asked excitedly, jumping off the couch and running to her mother.
“When we get to the skating rink, honey. Go get daddy to tie your shoes.”
The little girl gave the ice skates a final admiring glance before taking off down the hall at a run. Sophie never walked; she always knew where she was going and wasted no time in getting there.
“Ryan? Did you want to come skating? I know your flight got in late last night, but the itinerary’s packed pretty full so if we don’t go now we might not have time. And Sophie will never forgive me if she doesn’t get an excuse to wear her ‘skating shoes’,” Kirsten smiled and bent down to kiss the top of his head.
“I’m so glad you’re here. When Seth moved away I worried we’d never have another Christmas all together.”
Growing up he’d wobbled around in Trey’s over sized rollerblades for a while, before saving up his paper route money to buy a bike. He hadn’t liked the unsteady feeling of the rollerblades; and that had been years ago… he’d never been ice skating before.
His class fieldtrip to the most run down arena in California had been his last opportunity to go skating. A sprained ankle from an unfortunate ‘fall’ down the stairs had side lined him, and he’d spent the afternoon shelving books in the library with Mrs. Bell, the elderly school librarian.
But he couldn’t say no to that smile. Besides, how bad could it be?
…
The scene looked like it had been taken directly from a holiday greeting card: little kids bundled in snowsuits making their way shakily to a waiting mom or dad, groups of teenagers hanging out in groups on the sidelines. Families sat on the benches skirting the outdoor rink, warming themselves with cups of hot chocolate from the concession. Carols played merrily in the background, and the trees were festooned with lights and ribbons- it would be even more beautiful come nightfall.
Summer was laughing as Seth clumsily twirled her around and pulled her into a kiss. Sandy and Kirsten were slowly skating around, each clutching one of Sophie’s tiny mittened hands. There seemed to be a lot of couples at the rink.
Ryan sat on one of the benches, pretending to adjust the laces of his rented skates, and wishing that Taylor was with him. Even if she was from southern California, he had a feeling that she would be a good skater. She was good at everything…
“Ryan!”
Sandy was skating toward him, moving with grace and speed. He seemed as at home on the ice as he did in the surf.
“Hey, kid. C’mon and join us!”
Ryan looked at him with a mixture of doubt and awe.
“How did you learn to skate like that?”
Sandy chuckled and sat down beside him.
“Remember that play I was in in college?”
Ryan nodded, wondering what that had to do with anything.
“It was such a success, they ran it again that winter. Grease the musical… on ice.”
…
“You actually broke your ass?” Seth asked disbelievingly.
Kirsten gave him a patented ‘you’re not helping’ glance. “Seth, don’t say ‘ass’, and it’s his tailbone.”
“I can still kick yours,” Ryan muttered from his face down position on the couch.
“Oh Ryan. I feel terrible! It was my idea to go skating,” said Kirsten, lightly draping a quilt over her son.
“Don’t. You couldn’t have done anything. I’ll be fine, I’m just going to take it easy for a while.” Ryan tried to smile, but it came out more like a grimace.
“It’s wasn’t your fault. It was the ridiculously long line of kids playing Crack the Whip that took Ryan out,” Seth added helpfully.
“They did not take me out! I veered off so I wouldn’t crash into them and then I sort of tripped and….. fell,” Ryan finished lamely.
“That’s one way of putting it, but if my memory serves correctly- and it usually does- the Whip’s tail came barrelling toward you and you let out a very unmanly shriek, did a weird flying camel-esque move and landed on your ass in front of that smoking hot girl selling food. Oww,” Seth said, as Summer elbowed him in the ribs.
“You ass planted in front of the physically unimpressive girl at the concession stand,” he corrected himself.
Sophie came into the room carrying her stuffed monkey, whose tail had been wrapped crudely in a toilet paper ‘cast’.
“Look Wyan! Major Banana broke his tail too.”
“I really wish you hadn’t let your brother name that thing,” Kirsten groaned as the rest of them laughed.
…
He had eventually persuaded the rest of the family to carry on with their plans, after promising to keep his cell phone on so they could check up on him.
He’d slept for most of the afternoon, trying a myriad of positions before resettling face down on the couch, only stirring a few times to field the calls that kept coming on his cell. Three from the Cohens and one from Taylor.
He’d weakened on Kirsten’s last call and admitted he could use some painkillers when she asked if he needed anything.
Taylor had been her usual bubbly self, and he couldn’t help but smile when he heard her voice chronicling in detail all the problems she was dealing with at the embassy. She was shouldering a lot of responsibility and had risen quickly in seniority. He was so proud of her. When she’d asked what he was up to, he’d given her an abridged version so she wouldn’t worry- he didn’t want her fretting about him in addition to all her stress at work.
He’d briefly forgotten his tailbone when she was talking to him, his mind wandering to other parts of his anatomy.
…
Seth had been quite pleased with himself when he’d come back from the pharmacy. After handing his brother the painkillers he’d picked up, he’d produced a small donut shaped pillow and smirked at Ryan’s confused expression.
“You sit on it dude.”
“I’m not sitting on that thing.” Ryan’s voice was muffled from his resumed face down position.
“The guy at the pharmacy said he cracked his tailbone a few years ago, and this was the only way he could sit in a chair without crying. I figured it was worth a try- besides, how are you going to manage the flight home? I don’t think they’ll let you stretch out face-down in the aisle… the drink cart wouldn’t be able to get by.”
“If you ever tell anyone anything about this- this incident-”
“Don’t worry man. I’ve got your back… side,” Seth said with a smirk, (he was enjoying this way too much).
…
“Ryan.”
He opened his eyes, half- asleep, and expecting Sophie.
“Taylor! I thought you had to work-”
His girlfriend silenced him with a look, she’d been spending too much time with Kirsten.
“I called one of my associates and called in a favour. He’s happily typing up the proposal- a workaholic with no family to spend the holidays with, it was kind of sad. I started thinking of you and the Cohens and Summer… and about how lucky I am, and I knew where I needed to be,” she bent down and kissed his cheek.
“Seth told you, didn’t he?”
“Actually it was Summer. Being on the opposite coast does little to slow down gossip. But I meant what I said… I needed to be with you. I missed you. I thought I might come and distract you from the pain… I know some different positions, it shouldn’t hurt, and if it does-” Ryan stopped her stream of words with a kiss.
“I’ll grin and bear it.”
…
The Cohens were in the kitchen when they emerged from the den. Someone had made coffee and there was a box of donuts on the counter.
“Thanks for bringing these! Sorry, we couldn’t wait,” Seth said to Taylor, gesturing to the box with a crueller in his hand.
“I made a torte, but it was confiscated at the airport- one of the men at x ray security said something about checking it for explosives.”
“Well, you know what they say, ‘passengers before pastries’,” Seth said, making air quotes.
“Who has ever said that?” Summer, looked doubtful.
“I just did.”
Taylor laughed and offered the box to Ryan, who was stiffly making his way over to her.
“He already has one,” Seth remarked, dodging away to avoid a possible fist.
Fin