"Go get your mother. I'm taking him outside…" Summer pulls Ryan roughly to his feet and shoves him, staggering, out into the bright day. She releases him beside a chair and he collapses, crying into his hands.
Seth comes out of the pool house in a daze. Summer looks at him, tears on her face with a helpless expression. Seth pulls her away from Ryan.
"Did you know she stayed here? Did you know they were sleeping together?" Seth whispers.
"No, Seth…she swore they weren't…but…didn't you think they were a lot more 'together' lately?" Summer replies. "But she lives next door, Seth, it was bound to happen…"
Ryan is still sobbing silently when Summer returns her attention to him.
"Baby, you have to stop crying…" Summer says, hugging him tightly as he cries. She looks at Seth over Ryan's shoulder after several more minutes. Seth nods and slowly walks to the house.
Sandy and Kirsten are in the kitchen involved in a pile of paperwork. "Seth?"
"He's not getting better. You have to do something. Call a doctor. Give him some shots, but do something…" Seth says, shakily pointing out the window.
"God…" Kirsten immediately rushes from the kitchen.
"Seth, are you okay?" Sandy moves beside Seth, concerned.
"Yeah, my girlfriend didn't die in my arms…" Seth turns to him, stricken. "Nothing we say makes any impact, Dad…he's so devastated that he can't hear what we're saying…"
Sandy hugs his son.
"Can't you do something? Will you call Doctor Adams?" Seth asks.
"I don't know if a medical doctor can help Ryan right now," Sandy says quietly.
"There has to be something," Seth says, pulling away from his father's hug. "Because I can't get through to him…I don't know what to say to him…this is out of my league and I…I can't just wait for him to give up…I won't do that…"
"What are you talking about? Has Ryan said something?" Sandy demands, concerned.
"No," Seth shakes his head. "No, he didn't but I asked him if he thought he could go on living after Marissa and let's just say I wasn't satisfied with his answer…he says he doesn't know what to do…and I don't know what to tell him…"
The phone rings and Sandy gives his son a reassuring look before answering it.
Seth steps back outside and puts his hand on Summer's back as he approaches her with his mother and Ryan. "He better?"
She shakes her head negatively. "He's still crying…We're just tag-teaming on the hugging…"
Seth turns around as the patio door opens. He pales, recognizing a haggard Jimmy Cooper standing beside his father.
Seth knows that Jimmy and Ryan have mutual respect for each other. Ryan had visited Marissa at his apartment and the two men had bonded. Jimmy had always trusted Ryan with Marissa after Tijuana. Jimmy nods to Seth as he walks past, patting him on the back.
Summer gasps as Jimmy embraces her.
"Glad you're okay, Summer…" Mr. Cooper says, releasing her into Seth's steadying arm.
"Oh, Jimmy, I'm so sorry," Kirsten releases Ryan and stands up to embrace her friend.
"Thank you…" Jimmy replies, returning her hug. "I wanted to talk to Ryan…"
Ryan has not reacted to Jimmy's arrival. He is still sobbing into his hands.
Jimmy has paled slightly, seeing Ryan's condition. "How long's he been like this?"
"He's not doing so well," Summer replies. "I mean, I guess it's good that he's crying and not just staring into space…at least he's dealing with it…"
"What are you doing here, Jimmy?" Kirsten asks, pulling him away from Ryan. Summer takes a different approach this time and sits on the edge of the chair and rocks Ryan, slowly.
"You know the news has been running the footage from the school with Ryan and Seth…" Jimmy starts. "And today the news special was about Ryan and Luke. They said that they took the shooters down. It's this big thing about two enemies bonded over a girl…Julie's going nuts with all the shots of Marissa…I hadn't even thought about Ryan until I recognized him in the footage…he was covered in blood…Marissa's blood…" Jimmy explains, looking to Sandy and Kirsten as if pleading.
"Jimmy…" Sandy hesitates.
"So I just wanted to talk to Ryan…since he was with her…when she died…" Jimmy says.
"Ryan can't really talk to anyone right now, Jimmy," Kirsten replies.
Jimmy turns and slowly nods. "He's a good kid. I know he took good care of her. I just wish…"
"Ryan?" Summer calls, worriedly, startling the adults.
She pushes him slightly away from her so she can see his face. Seth is kneeling in front of them, taking Ryan's face in his hands so he can look in his eyes.
"Ryan?" Seth gasps, realizing that he can barely see the familiar blue in Ryan's eyes, they are rolled back in his head. "Ryan, wake up!"
Ryan starts to struggle, gasping for breath and restrained with Summer and Seth's grips.
"Hey, hey…chill out, Chino," Summer says urgently as Ryan blinks and relaxes slightly as they release him.
Ryan glances around, disoriented. Sandy, Kirsten and Jimmy are standing over him and Seth and Summer are by his side.
"You okay? Look at me…" Seth makes Ryan meet his eyes. "How many fingers am I holding up?" He asks, waving his hand in front of his face.
Ryan blinks at him. "Fuck you, you know I can't count," He replies flatly.
Seth pauses. "Sweet," He mutters.
Summer looks at Ryan and then to Seth in disbelief. "Is that some kind of fucking joke? Ryan's fucking dying in my arms, just like Marissa and you guys are joking?" Summer is in tears.
"What? Summer, I'm not dying…" Ryan is holding Summer now, his blue eyes clear and worried. "What did I miss? Anyone?" Ryan asks, looking to Kirsten and Sandy.
"You were crying and then you just stopped…and you stopped breathing…I thought…I mean…you weren't shaking anymore and your eyes…you wouldn't open your eyes…" Summer sobs into his shoulder.
"I'm okay, I'm sorry…I'm so sorry, Summer…I didn't mean to scare you…please don't cry…" Ryan pleads, holding her.
"You promise to not fucking do that again?" Summer asks, leaning back and shoving him.
"I'll try, damn, just don't hit me again…" Ryan says.
"I'm invoking parental law, guys. Dinner. Now. There's pizza in the house," Sandy says. "No TV," He adds.
"What? Why not?" Seth questions, glancing at Ryan.
"I need to talk to you guys first. Don't go outside and don't watch TV. Just eat, okay? I'll be right behind you." Sandy turns back to Kirsten and Jimmy.
"That's weird," Summer mutters, letting Ryan help her to her feet.
"So we're going to watch the TV, right?" Ryan asks once they're outside the door.
"No TV!" Kirsten calls as the door closes behind them.
"Weird," Summer repeats.
"I am so sorry that I am freaking out," Ryan says suddenly, causing Seth to jump. "But I think I just got some of that out of my system…"
"Really? 'Cause you still don't sound like normal. You normally don't use whole sentences like that," Seth replies.
Ryan smiles slightly and Seth relaxes. "No, I think I'm okay for a minute. And what is Mr. Cooper doing here?"
"He said he wanted to talk to you," Summer replies.
"Why?" Ryan asks.
"Well, you said that you guys were kind of buds. Maybe he was worried about you," Seth shrugs.
"Seth, not everything is about me. Marissa was his daughter. His daughter is dead and I'm not." Ryan regards Jimmy through the window with dark eyes. "What am I supposed to say to him? That she didn't feel it…shit…" Ryan stops himself, turning away.
Summer is pale and thoughtful.
"Pizza. Let's eat pizza. Let's not freak out. Let's not talk to parents. Let's eat pizza and not watch TV."
"I can't believe I have to eat in front of boys," Summer remarks dryly in the dining room where there are several boxes of pizza.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Seth replies immediately.
"They think that boys watch them eat. They think we notice how much food they eat off their plates," Ryan explains with a smile. He takes a bite of pizza.
"Really? Summer, I have better things to do than to count your slices," Seth grins.
"Once you know, man, you'll always pay attention…They'll eat more if they're comfortable…" Ryan's voice falters a moment. "Marissa ordered steak the last time we went out…she ate the whole thing…"
"No way…she ordered meat? She must've really been into you…" Summer says, not thinking. The room is silent.
"Hey. It's cool. I mean…she's gone…but she was a big part of our lives…" Ryan pales and stands up. "Excuse me…"
"Ryan," Seth calls but Ryan has bolted for the bathroom.
"Fuck. This is hard," Summer states, dropping her half-eaten slice of pizza back on the plate as Sandy comes in.
"Everything okay?"
"Ryan's sick again," Seth sighs.
Sandy nods. "I called Doctor Adams like you asked, Seth, and he's coming over. After the episode on the patio…he should see a doctor…is he…"
"I'm not crying," Ryan says, walking out of the bathroom and sitting down.
"Good. I need to talk to you guys about something…" Sandy starts slowly.
"It must be bad with this much buildup," Summer mutters.
"Summer," Seth scolds.
"The shooting at the school…well, it's been on the news. The story's world news and there is footage of…of all of you coming out of the school and…" Sandy's voice drops.
"What else?" Seth asks, his eyes on Ryan.
"There are news crews outside."
"Why?" Ryan asks, staring at the table. "Because of Marissa or because I knocked down a fucking kid with a gun?"
"Because you and Marissa's ex-boyfriend knocked down a couple of fucking kids with guns…" Sandy replies, quietly.
Ryan slowly nods. He rushes from the room to be sick again.
"That's what all the paperwork in the kitchen is for? Statements for the news?" Seth asks.
"Some," Sandy replies. The doorbell rings. He leaves the room for a moment.
"So…Ryan's like this hero or something now…" Seth mutters.
"I wonder how he's going to deal with that…"Summer replies.
"I don't know…" Seth replies honestly. He jumps when he hears the loud thump from the bathroom. Summer barely beats him to the door.