Disclaimer and summary in first chapter.

AN: Ok, second chapter up. I like this one, and I hope you guys will too! And I must be honest, I love Julie Cooper, I think she's awesome, a bitch, yes, but I'm trying to use her bitch to do good, lol.

Broken Seatbelts

Chapter 2: The Blame Game and Good News

Kirsten walked down the hall looking for Julie. She had gotten the general area where her friend/stepmother might be. She was still reeling, but was better, less angry and less worried, mostly because she knew Seth had to be okay and that she would soon see Ryan was okay with her own eyes.

She found Julie Cooper-Nichol and Neil Roberts at the end of the hall, both of them were seated and looked slightly panicked. There were also two women, whom she didn't know. But quickly put two and two together; Zach's family.

"Julie?" Julie looked up and jumped from her seat and embraced her only real friend.

"What are you doing here? Did Cal call?" Julie asked letting go of her friend.

"No, apparently, your kid ran into my kids."

"No, oh, Kiki!" She hugged her again. "I'm so sorry. You know Marissa nor Summer were driving, it was Zach, Sum-"

"No, I know." Kirsten paused, thinking. "How are the girls? Are they okay?"

"There's still no word on the girls, but Zach-"

"I don't want to know anything about Zach unless he's dead." Kirsten's features were cold, hard and unforgiving. Julie simply nodded, sharing Kirsten's thoughts.

"What about the boys?"

"They said Ryan will be okay, eventually. He has a broken leg and a couple broken ribs. We don't know about Seth yet."

"Oh, Kiki, I am so sorry."

"Yes, well. I'm going to speak to Neil. Are they Zach's family?" Kirsten asked pointing towards the only other two people there other than Julie, Neil and herself.

"Yes. I haven't spoken to them. I don't plan to, either."

"What the hell happened? Why did the girls get in the car?" She still couldn't figure it out.

"I have no idea. All I know is it had something to do with that boy. He'll be behind bars before he can say his mother's name, if I have any say in it." As soon as Julie Cooper's threat was said, Kirsten's phone rang.

"Hello?...Hi Sandy… we can?... Okay… no, I'm with Julie… no word on the girls… I'll be over in a few minutes. Don't go in without me." Kirsten hung up her phone and turned to Julie. "That was Sandy; we can see Ryan, now. Call me once you hear something." Despite her ever-changing thoughts on Julie Cooper she hugged the woman.

Sandy was waiting outside of Ryan's hospital room, not going in quite yet because Kirsten asked him not to. And he wasn't sure how Ryan felt about him at this moment. He also couldn't believe the driver was someone they knew, that the boys were friends with. Caleb had gone to find out what he could about Seth but came back only to announce that no one knew. You would think Caleb Nichol would have more power than that. But Sandy figured nobody knew what was wrong with his baby boy. This only worried him more.

"Sandy? Ready to go in?" Kirsten suddenly appeared in front of him. He didn't answer her he just held his arm up in the direction of Ryan's door, letting her know she can go first. Kirsten stepped in first, taking a deep breath.

Ryan was lying in the middle of the hospital bed, looking smaller and scared. His face no longer had blood all over it, and a few scrapes and bruises, and the cut on his face was covered with some gauze, but some blood had soaked through the fabric. He had a cast on his right leg and his left leg had a brace on his knee. Once he saw his parents, because that's what they were to him; his parents, they had been for almost two years now, he smiled, or attempted to. It hurt to make any expressions.

"Oh, Ryan, sweetie!" Kirsten ran to him and gently hugged him, as to not hurt him any more than he already was. "How are you? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." It hurt to talk and his voice was a little groggy. "How's Seth? They wouldn't tell me anything."

"They won't tell us anything yet either. But you'll know as soon as we do."

Sandy stood in the corner, looking directly at Ryan, who noticed his weariness of coming across the room. They made eye contact and Ryan seemed to know exactly what Sandy was thinking.

"It wasn't your fault, Sandy." Sandy smiled and walked towards Ryan, embracing him and feeling the tears rush to his eyes. At least he knew one of his sons was okay and didn't blame him for their temporary handicap.

Julie Cooper was pacing the floor in front of her. And it was making Neil Roberts and every other person on the floor dizzy.

"Julie, would you stop? You're making me nauseous!" Neil told her. He was frustrated about his daughter and having the Newport Bitch making him nauseous was not helping.

"Well, at least we're in a hospital so if you get sick you won't have to crawl too far." Julie said snidely, he might be her daughter's best friend's father, but he was also the kid who got her daughter into the hospital in the first place's girlfriend's father. She knew it wasn't his fault, nor was it Summer's but Julie Cooper was angry and she needed something or someone to take it out on and she had not intention of even thinking of speaking to any of the Stevens'.

"What is taking them so long!" Julie yelled in frustration.

"Maybe you should calm down." Elaine Stevens said from her seat down the hall. She was brave to take on Julie Cooper, especially when Julie had a reason to rip her head off.

"Oh, that's easy for you to say. Your son is just fine, even though this whole mess is his fault."

"It was an unfortunate accident."

"No, it wasn't. Your son got our girls into a very bad car accident because he was drunk! And it's not just our girls in the ER, but there are also two others in there." Julie paused for a second, recalling Zachary Stevens feud with Seth Cohen. "It's a coincidence that his girlfriend's ex was in the other vehicle, isn't it?" And with that, she sat down.

I promise next chapter we'll know more about Seth and the girls.