A penetrating scream was all it had taken for Summer to be violently shaken out of her thoughts. Just as she bolted up from the bed, she found Ryan flashing through the doorway and grabbing onto Theresa's hands. It all happened so fast. One second she was lying down in bed, wondering what Seth was thinking of, and the next she was trying to adjust her eyes to the light that Ryan had flicked on once he rushed into the room.

Summer knew the yell had escaped Theresa, but she was clueless why and it scared her to death that she was going to find out sooner or later. But it was sooner than she thought. Theresa's back was facing Summer, her legs dangling off the bed. Ryan and Theresa seemed to be staring intently at something beneath Theresa, and Summer's heart pounded against her chest as a few possibilities of what it was passed through her mind.

Muttering a little prayer, Summer glanced at what they were looking at. Instantly, her eyes widened. The sight of fresh blood spread out on the white linen between Theresa's thighs pierced into her eyes. "Oh my God!" she exclaimed in a whisper, instinctively jumping out of the bed and gawking down at the blood.

Summer could hear Ryan urgently asking Theresa questions, but all Theresa could do was stare down at the blood with tears strolling down her cheeks. With every shaky breath that escaped Theresa's lips, her chest heaved severely, mirroring Summer's chest.

"Summer!" she heard her name being yelled across the room. Her head jerked towards the source. Ryan looked up at her with demanding eyes, but she quickly averted hers back down to his hands, grasping Theresa's firmly. His veins were sticking out like never before, and she could swear she could see the blood pumping through them.

"Call an ambulance," Ryan commanded calmly, sharply. "Tell them there's a pregnant woman bleeding, all right?

Summer took in a deep breath, swallowing hard, before she dashed out of the room and into the living room. Her eyes scanned the room anxiously for any sign of a telephone, but all she seemed to see was dirty plates, discarded clothes, and blueprints. Those damn blueprints that were spread over almost every inch of the floor. Summer took a second to breathe before she began to yank things out of her way, desperately in search of a phone. As if she just retrieved her memory after years of amnesia, Summer bounded from her spot and ran to the front door of the house, unlocking it, and sprinting out towards her car. As soon as she unlocked the car, Summer grabbed her purse and wrapped her shaky fingers around her silver cell-phone. She flipped it open and dialed an ambulance, cursing under her breath as it rang relentlessly.

"There's a pregnant woman bleeding!" she yelled as soon as she heard a greeting from the other end. The receiver of the phone call was asking her questions in a quiet, calm tone, as if nothing was happening. "I don't know!" she snapped. "I don't know if this happened before, I just found her like this. Please, we need an ambulance!"

Ryan carried Theresa into the living room, kicking everything and anything out of his way. Theresa was mumbling pleas to Ryan, telling him that she didn't want to die. Begging him not to take her to the hospital. Ryan was too caught up in the moment to respond, but his actions spoke a million words.

Summer ran back into the house in time to see Ryan placing Theresa onto the same worn-out brown couch that they had sat on yesterday. Suddenly the washed-out color of the couch didn't seem to be very important. The bleeding woman on top of it seemed more interesting. In a bad way.

"Did you call an ambulance?" Ryan asked, and Summer realized that he was towering over her, his hand grasping her arm. He must've been trying to ask her for a while now. She nodded quickly in response and felt Ryan's grip on her disappear as he walked back to the bedroom.

Summer looked over at Theresa, who was crying softly as she lied down on the couch. She walked over, placing her hand on Theresa's. "Hey," she said softly, slouching down next to her. "The ambulance is coming, Theresa." Theresa nodded, her lips quivering with tears. "You don't have to worry."

Ryan came back into the room, hurling orders at Summer along with the keys of the broken down convertible. "Start the engine."

"What?"

"I'm driving her."

Within minutes they were speeding down the streets of Chino, familiar sights from the earlier ride from Newport blurring past them. Theresa's soft sobs were the only thing audible in the car, along with the wheels screeching against the road every time Ryan had to break.

Summer looked over at Ryan, her eyebrows furrowed. She glanced back at Theresa for a moment before asking in concern, "Is she gonna be okay?"

Ryan sighed and, under his breath, he muttered, "I hope so."

----

Summer threw a few crumpled dollar bills at the cashier and smiled a thank you at him before walking out of the small hospital café. Her smile immediately faded as she walked up the stairs to the waiting room, two paper cups of coffee in her hand. She spotted Ryan, pacing the hallway in front of the emergency room that Theresa was wheeled into. They had been asked to wait outside about 40 minutes ago, and still hadn't heard a thing.

"Here." Summer offered Ryan a cup of coffee, stepping up behind him in the hallway.

Ryan turned around to the sound of her voice, shaking his head. "No thanks, I'm good."

Summer nodded, placing the two cups onto a nearby table. "Anything new yet?"

Ryan shook his head.

"She's…not supposed to be bleeding, is she?" she asked carefully.

Ryan sighed, sitting down in a plastic chair. He buried his head in his hands. "This isn't supposed to be happening."

Summer's eyes sparkled with concern as she took a seat next to him, cautiously placing her hand on his back and rubbing soothing circles across it. "When I called for the ambulance they asked if it was the first time this happened." She paused, carefully adding, "Is it?"

Ryan remained silent, his head still buried in his hands. Running his hands down his face to cover his mouth, he stared in to space. "No."

Summer parted her lips to speak, but before she could, they both jolted from their chairs and looked at the doctor that had just exited Theresa's room.

"Is she okay…? Is the baby okay?" Ryan asked instantly, his voice low and deep, almost fragile.

"Ms. Rodriguez requested to tell you herself," the doctor offered, a sympathetic smile on his face. "I'm sorry, Mr. Atwood."

Ryan's heart raced as he heard the words, and without further ado, he strode towards her room, shutting the door behind him.

Summer sighed, hugging herself tightly as she watched the doctor walk away into the busy hospital's hall. How is it that this was all happening when she was there? Ryan had been in Chino with Theresa for a whole month. Why now? She couldn't help but wonder how things would've happened if she was in Newport right now. She'd probably hear the news from a frantic Sandy and Kirsten. She almost wished she hadn't come, but she decided that if she was Ryan, she would want a familiar face around.

Summer sighed, crouching down on the floor as she watched the unmoving door to Theresa's hospital room. She could feel her veins pulsate at the thought of what Theresa was telling Ryan at that very moment.

----

"Hey," Ryan murmured softly, stepping closer to Theresa's bed. "You all right?"

Theresa looked up at him, her face drained of any color and her eyes holding a painful truth in the form of tears. "No," she said simply, her voice raspy with tears. "I'm sorry, Ryan."

Ryan sat down on the edge of the bed, taking Theresa's hand in his. "Don't apologize to me… this isn't your fault." Theresa nodded, sniffing back tears. "The doctor wouldn't tell me what happened…"

Looking up, Theresa pursed her lips and inhaled deeply and shakily. "I lost the baby, Ryan."

Ryan paled the second he heard the words. His lips parted in a silent intake of breath that he seemed to hold in for eternity. His eyes went stone cold, blank of any emotions. It only made Theresa cry harder.

"It's okay, Ryan," she whispered, tightening her grip on his hand. "God wants this to happen." Ryan's eyes were staring into space, refusing to look at Theresa. Her empty hand traveled to his face, stroking it softly. "Hey," she said, attempting a smile. "We're only 17. We weren't ready for this. Don't be so grim, okay?"

Ryan's eyes darted back to Theresa's. He gave her a silencing glare, making her bite down on her bottom lip. "This isn't a game, Theresa."

"No, no it's not," she agreed, trying to sit up in bed. She sighed, placing her empty hand on their entwined fingers. "That's why I want you to go back to Newport."

"What?" Ryan shook his head in denial. "No. No, I'm staying here, to make sure you okay."

Theresa shook her head and let out a silent laugh. "I am okay, Ryan. What worse could happen?" She glanced down at their hands and back at his eyes. "I want you to be out of the house when I get home."

"Theresa, no."

"Yes, Ryan," she said sternly. "This isn't where you belong." He made to speak but she silenced him with a shake of her head. "Just go…please."

Ryan looked into her eyes helplessly as she forced a pain-filled smile. Leaning up as best as she could, she wrapped an arm around his neck and brought him forward, planting a kiss on his forehead. "I love you," she whispered before letting him go and lying back on the bed. She looked away as tears began to stream down her face.

Ryan was tired. He was tired of the games life was playing with him. Throwing him from Chino, to Newport, and back to Chino. He was tired of having a different family every couple of months. First it was Dawn and Trey, then it was Sandy and Kirsten, and now when he thought he had Theresa and his baby to call his own, he gets proven wrong. Again. Every time fate hands him an agenda, God changes his plans and Ryan doesn't get the memo.

Hesitantly, Ryan stood from his place, his eyes still on Theresa. He took small steps backwards until his back came in contact with the door. She still wouldn't look at him. Silently, he exited the room to the waiting room.

Summer jumped from her spot on the floor and approached him, worried by his cold features. "What's wrong? What happened? Is she okay?"

Ryan looked into Summer's eyes, his own still distant and shocked from what had transpired a few moments before. "Would you do me something?"

Summer's forehead creased with concern. "Of course."

"Let me pack my stuff… and take me back to Newport."

"What…? Ryan," Summer mumbled softly. "What's going on?"

"Theresa had a miscarriage."