Summary: On the eve of his wedding to Marissa, Ryan is unsure if this is what he really wants, and the woman of his dreams comes to talk.
Oh, Baby!
Tomorrow he is turning Marissa Danielle Cooper in Marissa Danielle Atwood. Mrs. Ryan Atwood. The wedding is set at ten o'clock in the morning, and he knows everyone is shocked that they are actually getting married. After all, after getting back together when she broke up with Alex and dating happily until they were 21, Marissa and he had friendly broken up two years ago, at the end of college, and she traveled around the world, stopping at Seattle -- where Luke is currently living -- for five months before heading back to Newport and the county.
However, right after she arrived, she realized she was carrying Luke's baby. They had had a revival when she was with him in Seattle, and now she was having his baby. Marissa ran to Ryan for help, and he agreed to tell everyone he was the expectant father. After all, Newport people don't forgive and forget. Even if now Luke can be called as Dr. Lucas Robert Ward, six years later he is still the-guy-whose-father-is-gay. Sincerely, Ryan sometimes thinks he made the wrong choice by leaving Chino behind. After all, people of Chino talk about hot stuff a little then let it linger on the forgetting lane.
Someone knocks on the door.
"Come in".
Summer's beautiful, but saddened face appears on the door. She and Ryan had grown very close since Marissa left, and she was about to tell him she was in love with him when he told her he was going to marry Marissa for the sake of her baby.
FLASHBACK.
"May I come in?" Ryan asks softly. Summer smiles to him.
"Sure. I was fussing around the net", she stops when she notices his stricken look. "What's wrong, Ry?"
"Marissa's pregnant", he says bitterly. At her look of bewilderment, he explains, "With Luke's baby".
"Luke's the father?"
"Yep. But they had this huge fight before she came back here and now he doesn't even answer her calls".
"Bastard", she says angrily. She looks inside those little pieces of sky that Ryan calls eyes and sees there is something more. "Is there anything else?"
"Yes, there is", he says after a long pause. The light blue paint of her bedroom fascinates him as he blurts: "I'm getting married to her".
"YOU'RE WHAT?" She asks, in shock.
"You heard me right, Sum".
"No, Ry, you are not going to play Jesus for her. Isn't it enough that you made it once for Theresa?" She asks angrily, recalling a time at the end of junior year when he left Newport to play daddy for former girlfriend Theresa's baby and, in the end, it was Eddie's, Theresa's former fiancé, child.
"The baby is not guilty of what the hell Luke is doing to Marissa, Summer", he tells her. "And it sucks not to have a father around", he adds knowingly.
There is nothing she can say after that.
FLASHBACK
"Hey", he greets her with a sad smile.
"Hey".
"Aren't you supposed to be at Marissa's?" He asks her. She lies down next to him in the pool house. Tonight is Marissa's bachelorette party and, as best friend and maid of honor, it's Summer's duty to be with the bride so she makes sure Marissa looks refreshed and beautiful in the morning.
"I was until Mrs. Cooper --- oops, Mrs. Nichol started yelling at Marissa because she's starting to show and probably they'll have to fix the dress so it fits tomorrow".
"Thank God for tradition", he mumbles. "It took too much for Marissa to start showing. I mean, she's almost seven months"
"She's so skinny and eats virtually nothing, Ry. You think a belly would develop in such a esterile ground?" Summer retorts.
They lie beside each other in cozy silence.
"Did you guys send Luke an invitation?"
"Yes", he replies. "He'll bring his girlfriend".
"Son of a bitch".
Silence once more.
"Is there anything bothering you?" She asks carefully.
"Yes", he replies bitterly. "I'm not sure if I should marry Marissa".
Summer's heart leaps on her chest and she sits up.
"What do you mean?"
"You see…" He begins hesitantly, "There is this woman. She is everything I ever wanted in a woman: she's beautiful, sexy, funny, understanding, smart and really, really friendly. I was about to ask her out on a date when Marissa came crying for me…"
"Like always", Summer mumbles, making him laugh.
"Yeah, well, anyways, I was about to ask her out on a date when Marissa came visit me crying and told me she was pregnant with Luke's baby".
Someone knocks on the door. Ryan gets up to answer it, and steps back in surprise when he sees Marissa standing at his doorstep wearing a bloody white wedding gown.
"Marissa, what's wrong?" He asks her worriedly.
"I rolled down my mom's house's stairs", she says brokenly. "And I'm bleeding vaginally", she explains then faints.
"SUMMER! Help me here!" He yells. "Bring the car keys and the cell phone!"
"Mr. Atwood?" The doc approaches Ryan and Summer, who are sitting in the waiting room, their fingers unconsciously entwined together.
"It's me." Ryan answers and gets up. "How is she? How is the child?"
"She's fine, Mr. Atwood, she only needs to rest. The baby, however…"
"What happened to my baby?" Ryan says anxiously. Summer notices he's been already attached to the baby, and snakes one arm around his waist.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Atwood, but when your fiancée was checked in there was no way to save the baby. She suffered an abortion".
Ryan falls down on the chair then looks up at the doc helplessly.
"What was it?"
"A girl, Mr. Atwood. Your fiancée wants to talk to you before we send the baby away".
He walks in the room quietly and Marissa looks up. The baby is on her arms, wrapped in a pink blanket. Since she was almost seven months, the baby is very developed, and Ryan feels the sting of tears inside his eyes.
"She is so beautiful, Ryan", Marissa whispers. Ryan looks at the girl and notices her skin is creamy like Marissa's. He can almost see the stilled veins and the stilled heart.
"How do you want to call her?"
"What was your mom's name?"
"Dawn. But I don't want her named after my mom", he tells her. "Maybe we should call her Julie".
"I don't want her named after my mom either!" She exclaims angrily. Ryan thinks for a little bit, then says slowly.
"I have a name, but we're only giving it to her if you really wants to".
Kirsten storms in the bedroom and sees Ryan holding a pink package. She approaches him silently --- Marissa is sleeping after crying her heart out.
"Is this her?" She asks quietly.
"Yes." He replies. "Who called you?"
"Summer", she replies simply, taking the dead baby from his arms. "How did you guys baptize her?"
"Kirsten Nicole Cooper Atwood", he replies, massaging his temples. Kirsten is surprised.
"You named her after me?"
"If you don't want to, then we change it. It's justMarissa wanted to name her after my mom… And for all these years you're the one who was my real mom".
There are tears in Kirsten's eyes when she smiles at him.
"Julie is outside. She's felling guilty that the baby died. She pushed Marissa down the stairs", she tells him.
"That bitch", he mutters.
"Luke, Sandy, Seth and Anna are here too. Luke wants to talk to Marissa. He claims the baby as his child", she glances at him curiously. He nods silently.
"He fucked up the things with Marissa and is a son of a bitch", Ryan says bitterly. "And I'm in love with Summer. God, when did my life become this mess?"
"Hey, kiddo", Sandy walks in the bedroom. Kirsten is crying silently, holding her namesake to her chest. "How are you doing?"
"I'm fucked up", Ryan repeats. "I just wish I could walk away".
"Luke wants to talk to you", Sandy tells his son. Ryan gets up and leaves. "And this is the new generation of the Cohens", he says looking at the stilled baby.
Ryan walks up to Luke and punches him squarely in the jaw.
"Hey, what was that for?" Seth jumps up and holds Ryan. Summer, however, tells the blond:
"I've slapped him ten times by the moment he walked in".
"I should kill you, Luke, I swear to God. Jesus, you can really screw things up with Marissa. First you sleep with Holly, then fuck her mom then fuck her once more and gets her pregnant", Ryan screams.
"I know. I know", Luke says hopelessly. "It's just, I was so shocked when she told me she was driving back to here. I wanted us to started freshly back there at Seattle".
Ryan gives him a look then looks at Summer.
"Can we leave?"
"Sure", she looks at Seth. "Tell your parents Ryan's gonna crash with me tonight".
"Fine", he yawns and looks at Anna. "Can we go now, sweetie?"
"No", she replies. "We'll wait for your parents".
"No need to wait", Sandy replies. "Here we are. Luke, Marissa wants to talk with you".
"How are you feeling?" Summer asks Ryan gently.
"Tired. Relieved", Ryan replies. "Is it okay to feel relieved that my surrogate daughter is dead?"
"You were going to do a thing you didn't want to. Now that what made you do the thing was done, you feel free", she explains him. "How did you guys name the baby?"
"Before Luke showed up, we agreed in Kirsten Nicole. Now I don't know anymore".
"It's a pretty name", she says supporting. They're lying together on his bed, their fingers entwined together and her head on his shoulder.
"It's Kirsten's name".
"Pretty".
"Summer, I need to tell you something", he says suddenly.
"Go ahead".
"I---I…"
"You what, Ry?"
"I'm in love with you", he finally manages to get it out. "I'm desperately in love with you, but then Marissa came, and with her came her goddamn messes, and…"
"Hey", she says softly, cupping his sculpted face on her hands. "Marissa needs to learn how to deal with her messes herself. No more rescuing the damsel in distress, Ryan. Now, it's time to be Ryan Atwood, architect, 23-years-old".
"God, I love you", he tells her, kissing her softly.
"I love you, too", she replies, kissing him.