This Place is a Prison, Trey, Ryan, and Marissa

[Marissa Cooper]

Trey and Marissa had only been waiting for three minutes before they could hear sirens approaching. She still hadn't said what had happened, but whether or not Trey had figured it out she couldn't tell. Once the paramedics had come in and noticed the gash in her side, they insisted that they transport her in a stretcher, complete with neckbrace and all the strappings. It was just a precaution, they had told her, but Marissa had refused flat out. She had been pinned down by a rapist not even ten minutes previously.... and she was not about to let herself be put in a situation where she couldn't move again. There was no way.

The paramedics relented, more concerned about getting Marissa in for care, and helped her into the back of the ambulance. A police officer slipped the gun on the floor into a bag and brought it along. Marissa sat next to Trey all the way to the hospital, and she could see through the window that although the siren wasn't on the lights were flashing. She was shaking the whole way there, and she couldn't stop her mind from racing from Paul to Ryan to the gun that the police were clearly going to use as evidence to..... Chase.

As soon as the ambulance parked, the back doors were opened and Trey and Marissa were led into an examination room, where there were already a couple of nurses. Without realizing it, she grabbed onto Trey's arm. She needed someone she knew right by her... she'd especially need that when they started asking her what happened. "You're going to stay, right?" she asked, needing to check to be sure.

[Trey Atwood]

Trey heard the ambulance get there fast, once they came inside the house he saw them go directly to Marissa's wound. He could see the look on her face that she was nervous and that made him frown a bit, she had been through enough and he figured pesky paramedics weren't going to help anything. He was going to be right by her side as much as he could, maybe that'd help her relax a bit, he didn't know why it was because it wasn't like he was her husband or anything. He was just trying to help anyway that he could, she looked a wreck.

Once they got Marissa into the ambulance Trey fowllowed behind them closely in his car. He parked his car in the hospital parking lot then ran inside to where she was, she still had that nervous/scared look on her face as she sat down on the examination table. "You're going to stay, right?" he nodded his head. "Yeah, I wouldn't have followed behind the ambulance if I wasn't planning on staying" he said with a small laugh and a smirk. He then looked into her eyes to show her his seriousness. "But, I'm staying. Don't worry"

[Marissa Cooper]

"But, I'm staying. Don't worry"

Marissa nodded, reassured, then looking down at her legs that were dangling over the edge of the table. It was around this time that a doctor walked in--a girl, thank god. If she was going to have to explain what had happened to her to someone she didn't know then she was glad that it wasn't a guy. She introduced herself, asking Marissa to lie down, and went straight to look at the wound in her side, lifting away the bottom of her shirt. The blood that had soaked through her shirt and dripped down her jeans was fairly dry except surrounding the knife hole. "So what happened to you here?" she asked as she got a closer look at it.

"...Someone stabbed me," Marissa answered, knowing that that much was obvious.

"How were you stabbed? Were you mugged?" the doctor questioned, no longer looking at the wound but straight into Marissa's eyes. With the beginnings of a bruised face, a cut lip, and a stab wound that was a pretty easy assumption to make, Marissa supposed.

"Um, no... someone tried to--to rape me," she revealed, her voice losing momentum the whole way through her explanation. Suddenly the doctor's expression changed. Marissa had expected it.

Alright.... well I'll fix up your stomach here but we're going to contact someone to talk to you about what happened," she doctor informed, suddenly talking with a much more cautious tone, "and if you consent she's also going to go through the standard rape kit with you." Marissa nodded, knowing vaguely what this entailed. Of course she was going to consent because she wanted to bring Paul down, but she wasn't exactly looking forward to it. "It wasn't your fault, okay?" the doctor continued, but Marissa got the distinct impression that this line was rehearsed rather than genuine. She said nothing in response and just lay there as the doctor started cleaning the area around the wound.

[Ryan Atwood]

who knew what ryan was doing when the phone rang. well, i know, but i can't be fucked to write it because it'd be pointless blather. and i really want to get to the best part of the thread. so, looking at his phone and seeing trey's name on the caller id, ryan was hesitant to answer the phone. but, deciding it wasn't worth it to be a pain in the ass and not answer, so he picked it up, but too late. calling his voicemail and getting the message, ryan got camden to come over and watch the twins while he went to the hospital for marissa. speeding (and breaking several other traffic laws as well), ryan pulled the range rover hastily into a parking spot and ran into the hospital as best as he could, soon finding out where his wife was and rushing towards the room.

skidding to a halt, he spied the goings-on in the room and put a hand on the door and twisted the knob to enter. standing at the door, he heard the last bit of the conversation between marissa and the doctor and froze on the spot. now was the point of a ryan atwood moral dilemma. ryan had two options in his mind. the first was to go after the guy who did this and tear him apart in vengence for what he did to marissa. or at least engage in a battle to avenge the harm caused to marissa and chase. and his second option was to stay right here and wait with his wife until everything was okay. to be honest, the appeal of the first choice was overwhelming, but the right choice was to stay here.

taking a few small steps into the room, ryan's eyes went straight to trey and marissa. part of him knew that if trey was going to attack ryan, he'd use this event as an example of their differences. but that didn't matter now, not at all. ryan knew that now was the time to focus on marissa, not any brotherly feud. "riss," he whispered hoarsely, his voice cracking a small amount.

[Marissa Cooper]

"Riss,"

Marissa's head shot towards the door when she heard Ryan's voice. She could tell from his tone of voice and entire demeanor that he already knew. She could see it in the way he was looking at her. If he hadn't known he certainly wouldn't have been so... unsettled. For a moment, no words came. Marissa was indescribably relieved to see him, but that didn't prevent the surge of shame she felt when their eyes locked. "He--" She hadn't known what she was trying to say, but it didn't matter anyway--her words were choked out by a sob that erupted from deep in her chest.

It was at this time that a woman approached the door from behind Ryan with a small polaroid camera and what must have been 'the kit.' Having heard Marissa, she took a couple of steps back and sat down in a chair in the hall, waiting for a better moment to join the room. "He had a knife..." Marissa whimpered in a small voice. She had a pretty good feeling that Ryan would know exactly who she meant by 'he.'

[Ryan Atwood]

the moment marissa's words were choked into a sob, ryan strode across the room and wrapped his arms gently around her, his lips brushing against her forehead. "He had a knife..." the blonde heard his wife whimper and he could feel his blood boil in want of revenge, but he stayed put. however, if marissa was here, and trey was here, that meant she had gotten away. and due to the lack of marking on trey, ryan was making the assumption that her gun came to good use. "it's okay, he's not here to get you," he assured her.

his instincts told him that anyone matching paul's description coming into the hospital should be arrested immediately, or at least that ryan should go and kill his worthless ass. "did you ... shoot him?" he asked in a soft voice so that only she could hear him. if she did, then who knew what could happen in terms of that gun. yes, it saved her life, but ... now wasn't the time to think of that.

[Marissa Cooper]

"did you ... shoot him?"

Marissa nodded her head against Ryan, though she might as well have just said it out loud. The gun had been taken--the gun that was missing one bullet and had hand her fingerprints on it. She had another man's blood smeared on her shirt. Someone was going to connect the dots, surely. She didn't really want to think about the gun. She had used it out of self defense, anyway, right? She would have been more certain that the gun wasn't a big deal, though, if she hadn't been the one in this situation.

The woman out in the hall clearly took the silence to mean that now was an alright time to make her appearance, because she walked in and set the kit on the counter by the sink, introducing herself as a Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner. Waving the camera a little, explained that she needed to take pictures before Marissa was treated any more. Marissa reluctantly let go of Ryan as the Doctor stepped away, and the SAFE took a picture of the area on her cheek that was starting to blacken where Paul had punched her, her bleeding lip, a closeup of where she had been stabbed, and the resulting blood on her shirt. She paused for a minute when she looked at the smeared blood along Marissa's right side, as though looking for a source of the blood. "Is this blood yours?" she asked.

Marissa could feel the blood draining from her face. She shook her head. "It's his..." she said, barely able to find her voice. The SAFE nodded and then took a picture of this, too. She set the camera aside, saying that she was done with it for now. Marissa looked over at Ryan, suddenly feeling a bit more uncertain. That blood was from where she had shot Paul. Was it possible that the SAFE had already seen the gun and figured out what had happened?

[Ryan Atwood]

stepping away from marissa as she was examined, ryan had to fight to keep his gaze focused on the floor - instead of fully away from what was happening. it hurt him to see this happen, and didn't know what else he could do. there was nothing he could say or do to make this any better than it was. in fact, there was nothing anyone could say or do. all he could possibly do was just be there, but he craved revenge. as the safe left, ryan was vaguely aware of the doctor coming in and speaking for a few moments before he heard the word 'baby'. the context? "i regret to inform you of this, but do to the laceration and loss of blood, we couldn't save the baby." oh, what a fucking peachy way to say that.

suddenly at a loss for words, ryan immediately felt the breath leave his lungs as he gasped for a few minutes. chase ... was gone. oh god. without any warning, and without any resistance, tears sprang to his blue eyes and soon were released to flow down his cheeks with some difficulty. chase ... his son ... was gone.

[Marissa Cooper]

"i regret to inform you of this, but do to the laceration and loss of blood, we couldn't save the baby."

Marissa completely zoned out the rest of the room when this announcement was made. Were she not already sitting down, she might have collapsed. Her hands automatically went to what had once been her growing stomach as her vision went cloudy with tears. It didn't feel right. It didn't feel like Chase could possibly be gone, not when she was still showing. Not with her stomach still that size. Not when Chase had been their one source of hope through all this Paul drama... and now Paul had taken that away, too? That couldn't possibly be right... something was wrong here... Just the idea that her and Ryan's son was lying inside her, dead because of Paul, was enough to make her feel sick to her stomach.

"Mr. Atwood? Mrs. Atwood?" The doctor was timid, definitely recognizing this as a fragile moment. Marissa looked back over at the doctor, almost having forgotten that she was there. "I'm sorry, I really am... but we need to finish treating you." Marissa didn't completely register the rest of what the doctor had said, but she had caught the words 'infection' and 'bleeding' in there. Marissa stared silently at Ryan, tears still falling down her cheeks as the doctor started the first layer of sutures. She felt an unbearable urge to apologize.

[Ryan Atwood]

the atmosphere in the room took another nosedive into the shitter and all ryan could do was sit there. the son he had been so excited to welcome was gone, and there was nothing he could do about it. there was nothing marissa could do either, and ryan was craving for blood. as quickly as the tears had come, the blonde wiped them away and strode out of the room silently, not wanting marissa to see him. he knew what she would try and do if she saw what he was doing.

as soon as he turned the corner that the door had made, he spun on the heel of his foot and let the fist he had clenched fly into the wall, a loud grunt emitting from his throat. this wasn't the only punch, however, as he kept on letting blows fly into the wall, the familiar sensation of bleeding, pain, and battering throbbing throughout his hands. the tears continued to fly down his face, whether from pain or sorrow it was hard to tell. in his state of blind anger and anguish, he didn't notice a nurse paging for someone to restrain him, and he sure as hell didn't notice the shattering sound that the window made as his fist connected with it.

[Marissa Cooper]

Marissa's eyes followed Ryan as he walked out of the room with a sickening feeling that she knew what he was going to do. She had, after all, seen this several times before. She knew family was important to Ryan, and Paul had just taken their son and had tried to take her, too... but that didn't make it any easier to hear the sound of his knuckles slam into a wall. She sat up a little straighter, as though to go out and calm Ryan down herself, but the doctor placed her hand on Marissa's shoulder to keep her sitting. Oh yeah, she was in the middle of getting stitches. One of the nurses in the room, however, ran out into the hallway, sending pages for someone to come and stop Ryan and for someone to bring some sedative medication.

Marissa's stomach lurched again when she heard his fist crash into glass. She couldn't take seeing (or rather hearing) Ryan like this... not over what happened to her. The whole environment was just way too thick with such strong emotions. It was then that she heard a set of footsteps coming closer in the hallway sounding hurried.

[Ryan Atwood]

like i had stated, ryan didn't really notice much around him as he let out his anguish. the only thing he really did notice, however, was a big, burly man wrapping his arms around ryan's and pulling him away from the wall and seemingly crushing him. trying to fight against this unseen attacker, ryan was still moving as something faintly poked his neck right in the artery. against his own will, he started to slow down, and he started to notice the environment around him change. now he wasn't in the hallway, but he was in ... a hospital room of his own.

being shoved onto the bed, and then the now-familiar feel of handcuffs on his wrists was a big wake-up call and ryan shot to his senses. well, at least as best as he could do. however, once seeing that he couldn't move very much, the blonde did the one thing that just ... happened. closing his eyes, the tears fell and before he knew it, he needed to breathe. opening his mouth and exhaling - the breath sounding more like an anguished sob - he allowed the tears to flow from his deep blue orbs. what else could he do?

[Marissa Cooper]

((okay.... I'm just going to name her tara....channelling the mind of a 4 year old...))

It was Take Your Daughter To Work day, and young Tara had been very excited to see where her daddy worked again. She had only gotten to go to the hospital two times before, and all those nice nurses let her take the patients' temperatures. Her specialty, however, was babbling to the patients until her father had to come in and carry her out of the room. She knew she was very good at this because her daddy told her so, and all those sick people were always very glad to see her again when she snuck away a few minutes later. It's a very important job to tell these people jokes. Somebody's got to do it.

Tara was very proud of herself because she had gotten away again--she had asked her daddy for a dollar to buy a candy bar, but instead she went skipping down the halls, trying to decide who to talk to first... maybe she'd see if there was another grandma here. She came to a halt when she heard someone crying.... but it was a man. She had never seen a man cry before. Her curiosity got the best of her and she crept inside the room it was coming from, still clutching the dollar bill in her hands. "Mister why are you crying?" she asked. He wasn't getting any shots.... and patients could watch cartoons and eat ice cream in bed... and not get in trouble for it, either! So why was this man so sad?

[Ryan Atwood]

wrapped up in his own troubles, ryan barely heard the pitter-patter of feet, and didn't notice a little girl approach the bed he was trapped on until the voice spoke. "Mister why are you crying?" turning his head, he focused his tear-blurred eyes on the small girl's image. leaning closer to her, he didn't see the little girl as she was, but he saw what he imagined sydney would look like when she was this girl's age. how was he supposed to answer this question to a four-year-old?

"a bad man did something very bad to someone i love," he said in a hoarse voice, not really one to explain into detail. or even just start to explain the situation. "what's your name, little girl?" he asked, the tears still clouding his vision, but something about the girl's presence making him feel a bit more at ease, if not a little more cheerful. a whole circus fill of fucking clowns couldn't make him feel any better about what was happening to him.

[Marissa Cooper]

This is my 3000th post!!!!! PARTY!!!!

"a bad man did something very bad to someone i love,"

Tara gasped. The first thing that came to her mind was pinching. Her neighbor pinched her really hard the day before and it really hurt. That couldn't be it, though, because her daddy never cried when she was pinched.

"what's your name, little girl?"

Tara giggled and hopped up on the chair next to the man's bed. She kicked her dangling legs, trying to kick the bit of sheets that were untucked from the bed. It was too far for her. "My name is Tara Rose Wellington," he recited proudly. Rose was definitely the best part of her name. "My daddy says I'm his little flower," she explained, still bouncing a little as she kicked her legs.

There was something about this whole thing that just didn't make sense. Why was this guy the one in a hospital bed if he hadn't been hurt? Or was he hurt, too? "Did the bad man do something bad to you, too?" she asked, now sitting up on her knees.