In this chapter, Steven finally gets some vindication. Is that the right word? Okay well, he gets to be all, "In your face!"

Chapter 8 (1 year 2 months)

I was in the living room, doing my homework. It was rare, but lately, I'd been trying harder. I guess it was because of Miley. She would come over and help me with my homework a lot, so I was doing a lot better in school. I know it made Terry happier, because when she saw my last report card, she hugged me tightly. She and Kyle had met Miley a few times already, but only a few, since I didn't like bringing her over. It was always awkward, since things between all of us were pretty bad. She could feel it, I think, and often times it made her sad. So I didn't bring her over much.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. I looked at it, wondering who it was. When nobody came down except the new dog I sighed and went over. I opened the door, and was met with a strange man, who took one look at me and said, "Are you Steven?"

"Yeah. Who are you?"

He smiled, and his eyes went up and down me, like maybe I reminded him of somebody. To my surprise he did say, "You two look a lot alike."

It made my heart stop. Ryan? Did he mean Ryan?

"I'm Officer Thomson. I need to speak with you all, urgently. Where are your parents?"

A policeman? My mouth dropped open. This was something about Ryan. Did he know where Ryan was? I turned my head, and shouted loudly, "TERRY! KYLE!"

Officer Thomson looked surprised when I used their names, but that was normal. Everyone was shocked when they first heard me do it, even Miley, even though I'd already told her ahead of time that I did it.

"Why?" she asked, kicking her legs against the wall we were sitting on at school. I'd stayed late to wait for her to finish her club activities, since I was going to spend the night at her house for the first time. It'd been fun.

I told her about the baby, and she nodded.

"I'd be mad too."

I looked at our feet, and smiled. I was so glad to have met her. Most of the time, people just told me to get over it, but she understood. She never seemed to get sick of me, no matter how much I complained, or got angry, or anything. At our sleep over, she hadn't even minded when I accidentally woke her up after I had a nightmare. She'd just gotten onto the floor with me and kissed my forehead. Then I'd blushed and covered my head with my blanket for the rest of the night.

Now, she reached up and ruffled my hair.

"I like your hair. Do you style it to look like Ryan's?" She'd seen pictures of Ryan around the house.

I'd looked at her in shock, wondering how she'd known that with out me saying anything. She giggled at my expression, then leaned forehead and kissed my forehead. It wasn't embarrassing anymore, since it was her way of saying hello and goodbye to me, and to comfort me when she thought I was sad.

Kyle appeared first, the baby in his arms. Terry came after him a second later, and they both looked at Thomson, confused. He reached out a hand.

"I'm Officer Thomson. It's about Ryan."

I almost expected them to look at the baby, but then they both gasped, and Kyle said, "Hold on, while I put Ryan upstairs."

Officer Thomson got a confused look on his face, and I looked at him like, "Get used to it."

Terry motioned to the kitchen table, face flushed with a mixture of excitement and fear. I was the same. What was he going to say? That they'd found Ryan, and he was alive? Or that they'd found him, and he was dead? I crossed my fingers as I followed him over to the table, praying silently that it would be the former.

He took a seat, and I jumped up next to him, my heart pounding. Terry took a seat across from him, and a second later, Kyle came thundering down the stairs, practically diving into a chair. Seeing the way they were acting made me feel a little better. At least they hadn't just told the cop to leave. At least they still loved Ryan.

More then they love me, I'm sure.

We all got situated, our attention focused only on Officer Thomson. I saw Terry and Kyle grab hands and hold tightly. I wish in that moment that I had somebody to do it with too. Maybe Miley. I shook the thought from my head. This was not the time. All that mattered right now was Ryan. Miley was safe, he wasn't.

"As I said, I'm Officer Thomson. I've just woken up from a year long coma."

I suddenly remembered that right after Ryan had gone missing, they'd found a cop who might know something, but that sadly, he wasn't waking up after his injuries. And now, here he was, awake.

He knew something about Ryan after all.

"I'm very sorry." Kyle said. "But what does that have to do with Ryan?" He didn't remember like I did. I remembered anything that might have to do with Ryan. I remembered how much I'd gotten my hopes up, and how they'd crashed.

Officer Thomson sighed, and his eyes were sad, troubled, I think the word is.

"I...I was with Ryan the day he was taken."

All three of us gasped, and I leaned toward him.

"He was taken? He didn't run away?"

Officer Thomson shook his head. "No. Your brother didn't run away."

I couldn't hide it. How happy I was. Ryan was alive. I was right. I looked at Kyle and Terry, and both of them were looking back at me, and I held back the smile of smugness that wanted to be on my face, and I just said, "I told you so. I told you he didn't run away!"

They both looked away, and were quiet, until Terry said, "You were right, Steven. You were right."

It hit me again. I was right. Ryan hadn't just left us. I'd always known it, and believed it, but sometimes...sometimes even I would wonder, what if they were right? What if he'd just gone? And wasn't ever coming back? But...I was right. Ryan. My brother. He'd been taken.

He'd been taken.

And I guess it was that now that it had finally been confirmed, but all of a sudden, I felt less proud. I felt sick. Ryan had been forced, against his will, out of our yard, and into a strange car, with a strange person. Now, I wished I wasn't right. At least if he'd ran away, it would have been his own choice.

"Do you k-know?" Kyle asked suddenly, and I looked over at him, surprised by the emotion he was showing. Tears were building in his eyes. "Where my son is?"

We all looked back at Thomson, wishing, hoping, but knowing by the look in his eye. He couldn't stare back at us, and looked at the table, and shook his head with a deep sigh. The air went out of us.

"But." he went on, looking up and staring back at us now, eyes resting on each of us, settling on me, and staying on me, like he knew I was the one who'd waited this whole time, and hadn't given up.

"I came today to tell you that now that I'm awake, I'm going to make sure they know Ryan didn't run away. And we're going to look for him again, for as long as it takes, until he's returned home to you."

His words were strong, and I wanted to cry. Finally, they would look for him. They'd bring him home. I'd see him again, and I could tell him how so very sorry I was that he'd been taken, because of me.

I'm sorry Ryan I'm sorry I'm sorry.

"Ho-how was he?" Terry whispered, and she brought her hand away from Kyle so she could twist her hands together. That meant she was nervous. Officer Thomson bit his lip, and looked deeply into her eyes.

"Are you sure you want to hear this story?" he asked, and even though I took a breath, scared by his words, Terry, looking more brave then I'd seen her in a long time, looked back at him, and nodded firmly.

"He's my son."

Officer Thomson looked at me and Kyle, and we both nodded.

So he told us.

"I pulled them over because Ryan moved from the backseat to the front seat. At first, I didn't even notice anything was wrong. He told a very good lie."

Lie? Why would Ryan lie for the person who'd taken him? Why hadn't he screamed for help?

"I...I let them off with a warning, and talked with the man-"

He broke off, looking at Kyle and Terry, because they'd grabbed hands again at his words, meeting scared eyes. I knew why.

Man.

A man had taken Ryan.

There was only one reason a man would want Ryan.

I let out a shaky breath, staring at my hands. I wished they were wrapped around the man who'd taken my brother, so I could strangle him. Kill him. That fucker. How COULD he?

I let my anger out on Kyle and Terry.

"And you guys just gave up on him." I snarled at them, and Kyle looked at me like he wanted to hit me, and he might have done it, except that the cop was there. He shook his head in disgust at me and said, "Well you must be really happy, huh? I mean you were right. You're brother didn't run away, he's just getting raped." he spit the last word at me.

We glared at each other, and Terry just looked like this was all just normal.

"Fucker." I hissed, and he gave me a threating look, that I just smirked off. I thought he was going to start screaming.

But we didn't say any more.

Officer Thomson gave us all a minute, and once we looked back over, boiling with anger now, he went on.

"As I was talking, Ryan started patting his hair, over and over. When I looked over, he looked at the man's hair, like he wanted me to do the same. I did. It was different."

Smart. So smart. I missed him so much.

"But I didn't understand yet. But he knew he had my attention, and he started doing the same with his eyes. That's when I understood."

But why couldn't you understood sooner?

But I knew it wasn't his fault.

"Ryan warned me off a gun." So that's why you lied for him. Officer Thomson made the gun gesture with his fingers. I smiled again, proud. Ryan always cared about others, and didn't want them hurt either. "I got the man out of the car, but it turned out he had more then one gun."

"He shot my hand, and if I remember correctly, Ryan wouldn't run when I told him to."

Because he was so nice. He didn't deserve this. So why would God do this to him?

"I fought the man as best as I could. I told Ryan to get to my car, and call for backup. He tried."

The whole time he'd been talking, I'd been picturing the whole scene in my head. And now I was crying, imagining how hard he must have tried that day.

"That's when the man shot me in the chest. Twice, apparently. And when I woke up, it was a year and two months later, and everyone had thought he ran away."

Kyle and Terry were crying too. We wanted Ryan back. He needed to come back.

"Ryan trusted me...that day..." Officer Thomson said, and I looked up at his tone. He sounded like he wanted to cry too. "And I let him down." His eyes were sad. "So, I promise you, I will do whatever it takes to find Ryan. Whatever."

I touched his shoulder lightly, and smiled as best I could manage through the tears on my face.

"Thank you. But it wasn't your fault."

Officer Thomson smiled a small smile.

I felt a huge sadness go away from me. I wasn't alone. Somebody else believed in Ryan. A cop. He'd help me. He'd find Ryan, because he'd really look.

Ryan would come home.

For those of you who wonder why Steven's thoughts seem to go in circles, and repeat themselves over and over, I'd just like to remind you that at this time he is about ten. Yes, he's deep for his age, but he still kinda has a one track mind. I just thought I'd let you know, since I thought you guys may notice it.

Thank you for reading!