Disclaimer: I still don't own the O.C. If I did, I wouldn't have to wait till 23 sept for the next episode to be aired here! A month more!
A/N: Thanks to everyone for all the reviews! And in case you're all wondering, I'm definitely not a Theresa fan but I'm making her nice in the story.
To Sis2ACesarSalad: I know Marissa didn't push Ryan that far but she feels that she's responsible for this big mess. I guess in this case, Seth's words made an impact on her.
3 weeks later...
Marissa got out of the Cohen's guestroom bed and stared out of the window, admiring the sunrise, musing.
The new Nichol 'Palace' was like a castle on display yet with no royal family living in it. Caleb and Julie were on their long honeymoon while Caitlin had chosen to spend the summer at her friend's home. As for
Marissa, she certainly did not treat that as her home. It was cold and empty. She barely went back and when she did, she went there to get her clothes for the next couple of days.
Instead, her new homes were the Cohens' and her dad's new place with Hailey.
When Marissa found out that Seth had left, she went over to Summer's to comfort her. It did not turn out that way though, as both girls ended up crying and had to cheer each other up.
They often went to the Cohens' as both their houses were empty. Kirsten had taken leave and spent many afternoons with Hailey and the girls. They shopped, talked and did basically whatever they could to cheer themselves up.
However, a few days after Seth had left, they found a postcard waiting for them in their mailbox. It was from Seth and he assured them that he was safe and could take care of himself. Instead of giving Seth one week of freedom they had in mind, Sandy and Kirsten both changed their minds upon reading it.
Since then, Seth had been constantly sending back postcards. The details in the postcard changed over time though, with Seth's stories of what was going on. One thing never changed though, and that was the 'p.s. tell summer I love her' in every single postcard. And of course, the message would be passed on to Summer.
Marissa remembered how she felt at fault for the whole scenario and broke down one afternoon, tearfully apologizing to Kirsten. If she had trusted Ryan, Seth would not have left.
However, to her surprise, Kirsten told her that it was all a blessing in disguise. When Seth left, she was disappointed that her had lost her two sons in just one day and felt as though she could not play her part as a good mother. Now though, she felt as though she had gained two daughters.
This was very true. Marissa and Summer had indeed forged a bond with Kirsten over the weeks. Marissa and Summer often slept over too, for Kirsten felt that it was unsafe was two girls to be alone in the Nichol Palace or the Roberts mansion. Kirsten had really cared and showed concern for the girls. Unlike Julie who only thought of herself. It was all because of her so-called mom that Kirsten was her stepsister. Damn. Why wasn't Kirsten her mother instead?
The life she was living now was certainly peaceful. Without Julie Cooper being around, Marissa did not have to shout or lose her temper. Nevertheless, her life was still far from perfect. What could make it perfect were Ryan and Seth coming back. It would be wonderful if Ryan was there with her to watch the sunrise but that was definitely not happening anytime soon.
The shrill ring of her mobile phone jolted her and she rushed to pick it up before it woke Summer up. She smiled as she saw the caller id before answered the call.
"Hey..."
"Hey, sorry, did I wake you up?"
"No, I was awake before you called."
"Really? That's a first." Marissa could hear Ryan's teasing voice over the line.
"Hey! That's not true! So why did you call so early today?" Marissa eased herself out of the room, not wishing to wake Summer up.
"I'm working the breakfast shift today, and all the other shifts too."
"Busy day huh?"
"Yeah, and I'm going with Theresa to her first check-up too."
"Wow. That's fast."
"Yeah... So what are you doing today?"
"Nothing much, just hanging out at the beach with Summer."
"As usual. It's either the beach or shopping."
"Hey! That isn't all we do! We-"Marissa paused, unable to think of any other reason.
"How's Theresa?" Marissa asked, quickly changing the subject.
"Fine except for the morning sickness, she's kinda excited. How's the Cohens coping?"
"Good I guess, although there are moments..." Marissa started, telling Ryan about the many points of time when they all missed Seth.
"You sound like Seth, the rambling and all."
"I don't! Hey I'll talk to you tomorrow 'kay?" Marissa became quieter upon seeing Summer opening the door.
"Okay, love you."
"Love you too, bye." Marissa smiled, hanging up her phone. It was practically a routine. Ryan would call daily and they would talk for a few minutes. Though it was mere minutes, it was enough to make Marissa contented for the entire day. It was like the phone call was essential for her survival.
However, there was a problem with Ryan's calls. Marissa knew that it affected Summer when she was on the phone with Ryan. Even though Summer insisted that she was happy for Marissa that Ryan still cared and called everyday, Marissa knew better. She knew that the calls reminded Summer of Seth and had caught a look of sadness in her eyes on a few occasions. Therefore, Marissa tried to not be around
Summer when Ryan called.
"Was that Ryan?" Summer asked sleepily.
Marissa nodded, biting her lip as she watched Summer carefully. Summer gave her a weak smile.
"Why don't we go down for breakfast?" Marissa suggested, in a bid to break the awkward moment.
Summer nodded in response and the two girls headed down together.
In Chino, Ryan was walking towards the restaurant he worked in. Although he knew that the pay was not exactly fabulous, it had to do for now until he found a better job.
As Ryan walked, he tried to calculate how much he would have earned by the time the baby was born. He had already around a thousand dollars in savings, and if he worked an average of two shifts a day, he would have earned... another five thousand. Would that be enough? He doubted so.
Maybe he could ask Sandy or Kirsten the ideal amount he should have to raise a child comfortably. He knew that the child might not be his but he needed to prepare financially first. He could not earn the money only after the DNA test confirmed it was his. That would be too late.
As he neared the restaurant, he thought about this morning's incident.
Theresa's mom was still giving them her death glares even after so long. Ryan guessed that she simply could not forgive Theresa for doing such an irresponsible thing. He felt sorry for Theresa that she had no one else to depend on except him.
That was why when Theresa approached Ryan to accompany her to her first check-up that afternoon, he could not turn her down. He knew that she needed all the support she could get. He could tell she was immensely relieved when he agreed to go.
He knew that she needed someone to be there for her should there be bad news. Hopefully there wasn't, Ryan was not sure if Theresa could take it.
She had grown so attached to the baby in the short span of a month. She told him a few nights ago that it was unthinkable that she wanted to have an abortion initially. She really wanted to have this baby now, no doubt that.
Ryan glanced at the clock, it was slightly before 4. He would have to leave now if he wanted to get to the doctor's clinic on time.
He asked one of the other waiters to cover for him while he was gone and went off.
He arrived at the doctor's clinic just as Theresa's name was being called and both Theresa and Ryan entered.
"I thought you weren't coming," Theresa said.
What did she mean by that? That he was unreliable? Angered, he slowly turned to face Theresa.
Theresa reading Ryan's expression, could tell what he thought. "No, I meant that I thought you were busy and unable to step away from work," she quickly put in.
Ryan nodded stiffly just as the doctor stepped in.
Theresa lay on the inclining chair, glancing at the doctor with baited breath. She hoped that the baby was all right.
The doctor turned to face her with a smile, "Looks like they're both doing all right."
Theresa and Ryan both looked at each other, shocked.
"Both? There's two of them?" Theresa asked, her voice barely audible.
"Yes, twins." The doctor replied looking confused that Theresa did not know she was carrying twins.
A/N: Hope you guys liked that! I know that 'doctor' was an inappropriate term but for simplicity's sake... review please :)