Chapter ten: Valentines Day Part One

Ruthie sat in the car, every so often looking back at Emma who was sucking on her fingers. Ruthie couldn't help but laugh as Emma looked up at her and smiled drool dripping down her fingers. She looked up and saw Lucy checking out the backseat from her mirror.

"So how's school going?" Lucy asked. Ruthie shrugged.

"It's not the hardest part of my day…but it's…annoying. Especially since I have all this college research to do." Ruthie began to play with her seatbelt, all of sudden she felt exhausted. She just wanted to turn the car around and crawl back into bed and forget about everything and everyone, including Emma.

Ruthie sat in class staring blankly up at the board, she was so tired of sitting in class and her head was pounding. A dull throbbing pain had been creeping it's way around her temple all morning and had finally achieved its goal of conquering her entire head. She was trying to pay attention to numbers that were floating around the board, but all she heard were the odd words, function, quadratic, blah, blah, blah. All she wanted to do was go home and go to sleep, at this point she be satisfied if she passed out in class at least then she would be in pain.

The bell rang, signaling the end of class, and an even more painful venture for Ruthie. She packed up as slowly as she could so that hopefully he wouldn't be in the hall when she left. However, she was wrong. In fact when she stepped out of the classroom she walked right in to him.

"Sorry…" her voice trailed off as she saw whom it was. He looked like the same old Peter. His hair slightly longer and darker; his ocean blue eyes seemed more sinister and cold; he had grown a few inches taller since she had stood face to face with him, but other wise he was the same old peter, appearance wise anyway. "Actually I'm not" Peter rolled his eyes.

"I wouldn't think you would be. Considering you always think about yourself." His voce was bitter and his eyes were full of anger. Ruthie wavered on her response momentarily, it was Valentines Day and she didn't want to fight with him. What she really wanted was to run into his arms, kiss him gently on the lips and cry into his shoulder as he stroked her hair telling her everything would be okay. Instead she stood there locking eyes with him in what could be considered a death glare.

"Of course you wouldn't just like I wouldn't expect you to be forgiving! Don't expect me to be forgiving once…you know…or have you forgotten?" She glared at him pushing past him just hard enough to make him stumble back a bit. He watched as she walked away.

For a moment he wanted to call after her, but instead he scowled and stormed off to class. In his mind he couldn't help but think, Happy Valentines Day Ruthie. He still loved her, little did he know Ruthie was thinking the same thing.

The day seemed to drag on forever, even lunch felt like it took for hours, possibly because she didn't eat anything. Finally they were heading to their last class, Ruthie had stopped to use the bathroom so the halls were deserted except for her and Caitlin.

"Go on to class, I have to get my book out of my locker, tell him I'm in the bathroom," Caitlin nodded and hurried off down the hall. Ruthie turned to her locker and opened it slowly. Even though she had one class left, it didn't make her want to go anymore she still had a splitting headache. The hall was deserted, Ruthie felt completely alone in the school. She reached in and grabbed her science textbook, but let it fall through her fingers, the sound reverberated down the hall breaking the silence. A pain shot through her entire body causing her to double over. Instantly tears were brought to her eyes. The pain was overwhelming, she couldn't even call for help. Another flash of pain, this time she knew it was coming from her stomach. She collapsed onto the floor her locker door swaying back and forth above her head. Warm tears trickling down her burning cheeks. Her vision was blurred, and her throat felt like it had been glued shut she couldn't speak, she couldn't move.

"Ruthie?" the voice seemed so far away, the pain was overwhelming her. She looked around frantically and managed to make a gurgling cough. She could feel the person's footsteps gliding along the floor. "Are you okay?" A hand was on her shoulder, it was gentle and soft, but definitely did not belong to a girl. She shook her head, and another pain ripped through her body.

"N-n-n-n-no!" She managed to get her throat to escape those few words.

"Help! Somebody, we need an ambulance!" The pain was so intense. She couldn't see through the crystalline layer of tears that clouded her eyes. She heard doors open and close and the hall fill with voices; Footsteps smacking against the ground as they ran towards her. Voices filled her head, as questions and statements were thrown at her. After a couple of minutes she heard a dull siren off in the distance, the pain had increased and she could barely keep her eye's open. She tried to stay awake but the pain was so intense that she succumbed to the increasing desire to drift off.

The Emergency room was already crowded with people, when Annie arrived. Annie had gotten the call and immediately phoned Eric who was already at the hospital when she got there. She ran over to him, embracing him, letting the tears flow freely down her cheeks. Nobody had told her anything except that her daughter, her youngest baby girl, was in the hospital.

"Oh Eric," She sobbed. It was three o' clock in the afternoon, she had told Lucy to bring Sam and David to the hospital once they got home, because she wasn't going to wait for them.

"It's okay, she'll be fine!" Eric tried to reassure his wife but he himself had no idea what was going on. He gave her a kiss on the forehead and went up to the receptionist's desk. Annie stood in the middle of the waiting room tears flowing steadily down her cheeks.

"Mom," She turned around to see Lucy striding towards her with Savannah in her arms and Sam and David beside her. Sam looked worried but you could tell disappointment was hidden in his eyes. David was scowling. It was understandable, having to go to school on your birthday sucks enough but spending in the hospital is worse.

"Luce," Annie walked over to Lucy and hugged, making sure not crush Savannah.

"Mom, there's something I need—" Lucy began but at that moment her father came over.

"6th floor," He said rushing them towards the elevator. Annie and Eric were to upset too notice the label Maternity Ward beside the number six. Lucy did, but she already knew that that was where they would be going. Once upstairs they rushed into the waiting room.

"We must be on the wrong floor," Annie said when they entered the bright white room with pink and blue tiles.

"No Mom, listen!" Lucy was getting impatient. Her mother and father turned around to listen to her when Kevin walked in fully dressed in uniform.

"Why are you guys on this floor?" Kevin was just as confused as Annie and Eric. Lucy shoved Savannah into Kevin's arms and pushed her hair out of her face.

"BECAUSE—" She began butt was yet again interrupted. Lucy screamed in exasperation.

"Excuse me, Mr. And Mrs. Camden," A man in a long white coat and thin-rimmed glasses with short jet-black hair had appeared out of nowhere.

"Yes?" They stared hopefully at the doctor.

"Your daughter is fine, she went into premature labor, we are trying to stop it now—"

"LABOR!!" Everyone, except for Lucy, looked at him in shock their mouths agape and their eyebrows rose to their hairline.

"Yes. Didn't you know? She's—"

"Six months pregnant," Lucy cut in. This time it was her chance to interrupt someone. She could almost here the crack as everyone's neck whipped around to look at her.

"You…knew?" Annie looked at her daughter in disbelief. It was as if she had received a blow to the head, he youngest daughter was six months pregnant and she didn't even know it. Lucy looked at her mother, her eyes softened by the sadness in her mother's face, and nodded.

"I thought you knew." The doctor cleared his throat as if trying to clear the discomfort from the air.

"When can we see her?" Eric spoke quietly, the first one to stop staring at Lucy.

"Not yet, but soon. We are doing all we can to prevent her from going into labor." He looked at them momentarily, opening his mouth as if to say something more but then closing it again. He turned and walked back up the hall, leaving the Camden's alone in the waiting room, except for a mousy young girl with curly red hair who was sitting shyly behind the receptionist desk clicking her pen, and a boy they had not noticed until that moment. He had been sitting quietly his hands folded and elbows dug deep into his knees. His black hair soaked with sweat; his green eyes sparkling and his cheeks glazed with tears. Nobody expected Martin to be sitting there, nobody knew he was the one who rode in the ambulance with her, or held her hand even after she lost consciousness.

It was three o' clock and Peter was maneuvering his way through the crowded hall, trying to ignore the sugary perfume that floating around the hall as couples exchange meaningful glances and gifts under the paper cupids tied to the ceiling. He was so glad school was over he just wanted to go home and lock himself in his room for the rest of the day.

However, he couldn't help but overhear the strains of words that were gliding around the hallway as passed. Ambulance. Collapsed. Dead. Martin. Ruthie. At the last two words his ears pricked up and a burning red trickled down from the tips. He rushed out of the school cutting through the crowd, not caring who he banged into.

"Watch it!" He slammed into someone as he made it to the door. "Wait, Peter!" The voice sharpened and he knew who it was.

"Leave me alone Caitlin!" Peter rushed out of the school walking briskly down the steps.

"PETER!" He didn't understand why, after three months she was trying to talk to him.

"What?" He snapped at her but didn't slow his pace. She had to run to keep up with him.

"Wait up! Slow down!" She grabbed his arm and stopped him, pulling him towards her. "LISTEN TO ME!" He flung his arm up knocking her hand away, but kept his feet rooted to the spot.

"What?" He glared at her, he didn't care about anything she was going to say, "Ruthie's in the hospital…" Except that. He stared at her, his eyes wide.

"What?" He felt like a broken record. What, seemed like the only appropriate thing to say.

"She had to be rushed to the hospital, Peter! Go to the hospital! She'll want you there!" She took hold of his arms trying to force him to look into her eyes. He tried to shake her off. "Peter please! She loves you! She didn't want to ruin things with you…that's…that's why she didn't tell you!" She was trying to hold on to peter who was trying to slip out of her grasp.

"Let…me…go…" His voice was quiet, she could tell he wasn't really trying.

"Peter! She still…stop it…she still loves you!" She grabbed him harder, forcing him to stop moving. He looked into her eyes momentarily and she could see the tears forming at the corners. "She always has! Go to her. Please!" She released him and watched him disappear up the block. She shook her head as she watched him disappear. She hoped that when she arrived at the hospital he would be there.

A/N: Don't hate me! Lol! I wasn't originally going to make this a cliffhanger but I changed my mind. I know I'm evil. I hope you liked this chapter I have had it pretty much mapped out in my head for months. So please Read and review tell me what you think.

I want to thank all my reviewers! You guys rock! You make me love to update this story! Which means hopefully you won't have to wait too long for the next chapter! Hee hee!

Also. I made changes thanks to 7thgirlgal because she reminded me valentines day is the twins birthday so I put it in there.