Disclaimer: I don't own The O.C. I think we've established that by now.
A/N: Thank you to my wonderful reviewers for the feedback that I received on chapter six. Please stick with me, and keep reviewing:0)
Ryan lay on his futon staring at his digital clock, watching as the numbers changed. He had gotten home rather late from his surprise trip to Chino, though he wasn't tired. In fact, Ryan hadn't had a decent night's sleep in days. Every time he closed his eyes, he was haunted by the horrific memories of Trey's death. Except in his dreams the gunshot was practically deafening—louder than it had been on the actual night of the shooting. He just couldn't shake the sound of it out of his head. It rattled in his brain; it rang so loudly that his ears buzzed. Ryan's thoughts were on overdrive and the bouts of stress that he was going through were excruciatingly painful.
Nobody talked anymore, for once The Cohen Casa was quiet. Even Seth didn't say much. Sandy was becoming a hermit—he only left the house to go to his office to retrieve paperwork that he needed. It was as if everything were in slow motion. Normally Newport was abuzz with activities, charity events, raging parties. However, everything seemed to change after the incident—which was what the gossip mill referred to it as.
The whole mess with Theresa didn't help matters any. Ryan couldn't remove the image of Matthew from his mind. The mere thought of being a father at his age, scared him, yet excited him at the same time. He didn't want the baby to be Eddie's; no kid deserved him for a dad. Though, he wasn't sure that he wanted Matthew to be his son either…not only would it be a huge responsibility but he had no idea how he would afford it. He was saving every scrap of money that he earned for college. He didn't want Kirsten and Sandy to pay for it, they had done so much for him as it was.
His relationship with Marissa was rocky, and they still weren't communicating properly. If Ryan had to take care of Matthew, then Marissa would have to become second priority. Ryan wasn't sure if he was ready for such a dramatic change. He feared the results of the paternity test. His mind was filled with "what ifs" and regrets. He definitely wished he could take back the night he slept with Theresa—she had been a rebound. True, he had feelings for her, she was his oldest friend, but the night that they had hooked up he had been looking for comfort. He was so hurt that Marissa hadn't believed him about Oliver and she kept throwing herself at him. She didn't understand that he needed some time and space to think things through. So he had turned to Theresa…which had ended up being one of the worst things he could have possibly done.
Suddenly Ryan heard a soft knock on his door. He jumped a little as the pool house door swung open, revealing a pajama clad Seth.
"Seth, what are you doing here? It's like two in the morning," Ryan groaned, pulling a pillow over his head.
"Sorry to startle you buddy, but I'm in desperate need of some 'Seth and Ryan time'," Seth announced, flipping on a light switch and crossing the room to Ryan's bed.
"Let me guess…you and Summer are fighting?" Ryan assumed, since basically all of their talks involved Summer and Seth's relationship or Seth's problems in general.
"Actually no, we're getting along surprisingly well," Seth replied.
"Then what is that?" Ryan mumbled from beneath the covers.
"I don't know. I just thought that we had a little catching up to do," Seth answered, trying to yank the blankets away from Ryan.
"You came in here and woke me up at two o'clock in the morning to talk about nothing in particular?" Ryan asked in an aggravated tone.
"Well when you put it like that, it sounds bad," Seth smirked. "So what's up? How are things going?"
Ryan shot him his signature glare which Seth claimed, 'conveyed everything in one look.'
"Hey, I ran into Marissa today—literally—yeah, she didn't look so good. Is everything okay with you two?" Seth said, searching for something to say.
"I don't really know, man. We haven't talked in a while. She wanted to…but I kind of snapped at her," Ryan admitted.
"Hence, the whole 'Marissa running out of the pool house and smacking right into me' ordeal?" Seth said trying to lighten the mood of their conversation.
"Yeah," Ryan agreed quietly.
"So how are you holding up? You know with mom gone, and everything that's happened lately," Seth asked.
"I'm hanging in there," Ryan answered. He pulled himself up into a sitting position and clasped his hands together. "How about you?"
"I miss her," Seth said honestly, running a hand through his messy hair.
"Hopefully she'll be able to come home soon," Ryan suggested.
"How was your little excursion?" Seth probed, changing the subject.
Ryan sighed, not wanting to think about the day that lay ahead of him. He was tired of keeping things inside of him. He wanted—no he needed to get things off his chest. Ryan knew that he could trust Seth, in fact Seth had been the one to accompany Theresa and himself to the doctor's when she had first suspected that she was pregnant.
"I actually ended up driving to Chino," Ryan replied.
"Oh, you did? How was it?" Seth was again at a loss for words, it was beginning to become something of a habit.
"I saw Theresa," Ryan mumbled, as if it explained everything.
"I thought she was living in Atlanta?" Seth questioned.
"I suppose she was visiting her mom for the week," Ryan shrugged, staring into space.
"So you guys got a chance to catch up then? That's good," Seth said.
"She had the baby, Seth. Theresa lied to me," Ryan announced bluntly, continuing to stare at the wall, his face expressionless.
"What?" Seth exclaimed, not believing what he heard. "You mean… she really didn't miscarry?"
Ryan shook his head. "He's six months old."
"Oh my God," was all Seth could muster. "Does she know who the father is?"
"There's a possibility that it could be mine. Eddie's still in the dark about the pregnancy," Ryan answered.
"I can't believe she lied about it! That's plain cruel, man. Ryan, are you sure she's telling you the truth now? Maybe she knows that the baby really is Eddie's but she wants you back so she doesn't have to be alone anymore?" Seth said, by way of explanation.
"I don't think so Seth," Ryan insisted. "I told her that I wanted a paternity test done. If all goes as planned, I suppose I'll find out tomorrow."
"Are you scared?" Seth asked, feeling a knot of fear growing in his own stomach.
"To be honest…yeah I am. I mean, when I held him in my arms it just felt—right…you know? Everything that's been on my mind for the past week, it just all faded away. I felt genuinely happy," Ryan said, a relaxed looking encompassing his face.
"That's awesome man," Seth replied. "Not that its 'awesome' that she lied to you…oh you know what I mean."
"I don't know what I'm going to tell everyone else," Ryan sighed.
"Does Marissa know yet?" Seth asked.
"No. You're the only one that I've told. Seth, you've got to keep this just between us…for now. Nobody else can find out until I know for sure!" Ryan pleaded.
"You have my word, this will stay under wraps," Seth promised, realizing this was no time for jokes.
Ryan lay back on his bed, resting his head on a pillow. Seth stared out the door, watching the trees sway back and forth in the dark. They sat in silence for what felt like hours, taking in the reality of the situation. The results of the paternity test had the ability to throw their lives even more off balance.
"Do you want me to come with you? Tomorrow, I mean?" Seth offered, quietly.
Ryan looked up at his pseudo brother, finally meeting his gaze. "Thanks man, it would mean a lot." He offered Seth an appreciative half-smile.
The two boys drifted back into a comfortable silence. Seth couldn't believe how messed up things had become. He had finally gotten his brother back, and now there was a huge possibility that he could lose him all over again.
A/N: So that was chapter seven. Not much happened, however I felt that Ryan really needed to confide in someone. Next chapter…Ryan will find out if he is Matthew's father or not. Please review…I seriously need some encouragement to keep this story going!