Author's Notes: Sorry, this took me so long to get out, but I was having a really hard time with this chapter and I'm still not that happy with it, but oh well. I have spring break next week (yay!), but that of course means that this weeks I have two quizzes, an exam, a lab practicum, and a paper due. So nice reviews will make my day! And to my fateful reviewers:

Steph: Yes, she did still have the baby, but since her and Eddie got married Ryan never went to Chino.

Stealth: Yes, I am insane and you are way too nice! It is really hard to find an RL story because a lot of people just don't include her.

Emily: Yeah, I can't wait to know what happens either. LOL

Leentje: Your review made me smile! Yes, the bullet did hit her, but I'm not telling if she surrives or not.

Brightest Firefly: It's kinda explained in this chapter, but if you want more info let me know.

When I'm Gone

Chapter 5

Everything I am

And everything in me

Wants to be

The one you wanted me to be

Fifteen year old Theresa Montez was soaked, but she was actually enjoying herself. She loved the rain. She loved prancing in the puddles. She never stayed inside on a rainy day. She couldn't, much to her mother's dismay. Which was why, she was now walking home from school with her best friend Ryan Atwood in tow.

"Wimp," She said gently nudging her shivering friend with benefits. Ryan and her were pretty much opposites in every way personality wise. Theresa was bubbly and optimistic, while Ryan was broody and realistic. They were the yang to each other's yin.

She loved Ryan just as much as she loved rain. She grabbed his hand. She didn't know if he loved her, but she always felt safe around him. He smiled at her, his hair firmly plastered to his forehead and the sides of his face. She laughed.

Suddenly a beat up old pickup slowed down to their speed. The passenger window rolled down. Theresa had never seen the truck or the guy with the goatee who was driving it. She hid behind Ryan.

"Hey Ryan," The driver who obviously knew Ryan called out through the open window, "You want a ride?"

Ryan looked at Theresa who simply looked at him through the droplets of water streaming down her face, "Yeah sure,"

The passenger side door opened. Ryan moved out of the way so Theresa could climb in. She was hesitant at first, but Ryan always looked out for her, so if he thought that this guy was safe, then the guy had to be safe. She climbed in and moved down the bench seat so she was sitting next to the driver. He was pretty cute .

Ryan climbed in behind her and shut the door on the pouring rain, "This is Arturo's younger sister, Theresa," Ryan introduced. She understood now, Ryan ran around with Turo and his crowd, but Theresa was never allowed. Not that she really wanted to. Those guys were a bunch of pigs.

"I'm Eddie," He told her as he introduced himself and flashed what had to be his biggest smile. She smiled right back at him.

-

As soon as she was on the ground, Eddie scooped her up into his arms and ran toward the parking lot where his truck was parked. He'd known the girl, Lindsey, for not even an hour, but since she was Ryan's girl and had come to Chino asking for Eddie's help in finding Ryan (just like Eddie had done himself when Theresa ran off to Newport) and then there was also the fact that if anything like this ever happened to one of his little girls, heaven forbid, he would hope that someone would do the same.

He reached his truck as more gunfire breached the night. The Atwood brothers were having a ball. Trey he could see doing something as messed up as taking on a bunch gangsters. Not Ryan. He pushed the thoughts out of his mind. He had to get Lindsey to a hospital. And fast.

"I'm going to put you on the ground now, ok?" He asked her gingerly and she nodded, "It's just going to be until I open up the door," he didn't want to put her down, but he couldn't think of another way to unlock the truck.

He gently set her on the ground into a sitting position. He quickly realized that she was way too weak to support herself on her own. So he sat down behind her and used his body to support her. He took his keys out of his pocket and reached up to unlock it.

That done he scooped her up again, tried best as he cold to open the passenger door without moving her too much, and then laid her down on the truck bench as gently as he would his four month old.

Eddie climbed into the driver's seat and moved Lindsey gently again so her head was in his lap, he thought that she'd be more comfortable if her head was raised. He could hear her breathing grow more labored. She was fading fast. He had to do something.

Without putting too much thought into it, he took off his jacket and placed it over her abdominal wound.

"Can you make sure that Ryan doesn't get in trouble for this?" Lindsey weakly asked of Eddie, as he pulled out of the parking lot.

"He shot you," Eddie explained as he pulled out of the parking lot and went onto the main park road at a speed it had never experienced before, "He shot other people, maybe even killed them. I know that Ryan's a good person, but he has to pay for what he did," He exited the park and pulled out onto the main drag, going a good deal over the speed limit.

"He didn't mean it," Lindsey softly explained, "It was just an accident," Her voice trailed. He looked down at her, her eyelids were fluttering shut. Eddie began to panic. She couldn't die. There was already too much death.

Sirens wailed through the cab of the truck and lights flashed.

"Shit!" He muttered as he pulled over.