Part 10 - {Familial} Relationships and History

What is their family history like?

• Complicated?
• When Owen was four or five, Leanne was having an affair. Ryan doesn’t know who with—I don’t know if anyone but her knows who with, except maybe Drew?. Anyway, his mom had an affair and had a son from it, Drew. Robert never knew, and only found out quite a few years later, after Ryan was born. When he diddiscover his wife’s infidelity, he told her he wouldn’t support her ~lovechild~ despite basically being Drew’s father for five years? So Leanne took Drew and left Ryan and Owen with Robert.
• Ryan didn’t know about Drew until sometime last year (when he was nineteen). He also didn’t meet his mother until after his accident. All he knew was that their mother had left shortly after his birth, and that it was basically going to be him and Owen vs. their dad for the rest of their lives.

How does it affect them?

• First and foremost, Ryan grew up simply not knowing much of the circumstance surrounding his family’s situation.
• He also grew up without a mother (really, with a mother that didn’t love him or his brother or his father enough to stay). This has contributed greatly to Ryan’s temperament and aggression, and made him a bit jaded going into all of his relationships (read: he has abandonment issues).

How do they feel about their family?

• The “us vs. him” mentality that he grew up with has set him firmly against his father, though after hearing his mother’s side of things he’s started to really empathize with the man.
• Ryan also feels compelled to listen to and obey his father’s wishes, even if they conflict with his own wants and desires. He wishes he could be more like Owen in this regard.
• He loves Owen unconditionally and feels like he owes him a great debt. There isn’t much he wouldn’t do for his brother, and feels badly for being such a troubled kid. He knows it couldn’t have been easy on Owen. He also suspects that he’s the reason Owen stayed around Tree Hill through university and beyond.
• After hearing his mother’s side of the story, feels more betrayed than he ever had before. Finds himself almost glad that she left, and doesn’t really want anything to do with her.
• Wouldn’t mind getting to know Drew, but knows that he’s in no mental or emotional state to be trying to handle that right now.

How does their family feel about them?

• Robert is glad to have a son that seems to listen to him and respect his wishes, something that Owen was much more likely to not do than his youngest. He’s proud of who Ryan’s becoming, though he wishes that he’d reconsider his intended career options. Doesn’t approve much of Ryan’s relationship with Sawyer Scott, and is glad the two of them aren’t together anymore. However, since the car accident, he’s more grateful to have Ryan around at all, and has become more worrisome and less dismissive about what Ryan wants from life.
• Owen is extremely proud of Ryan. Can’t help but feel like he’s responsible for him, and has had to be more of a father to his little brother than their actual father. He worries about him quite a bit because of this, but has never seen taking care of Ryan or Ryan himself as a burden.