Before Sandy went to work that day, he thought that he might call Kirsten. He had not heard from her in awhile, and wanted to know how she was doing, and to let her know what was going on back home. Sandy picked up the phone in their room, and dialed the number she gave him. He heard it ringing on the other end. Someone picked up on the third ring.

"Hi, is Kirsten there?" Sandy asked.

"Hi, Sandy, it's me," Kirsten replied. "It's great to hear from you."

"Same here," Sandy told her. "So how are things going?"

"Good. Things are really good here, and at work, right now. In fact, I'm getting ready for work right now. Charlotte has already left for work. How are things at home?" Kirsten wondered.

"That's terrific. I'm glad things are going well for you, Honey. So you want to know how things at home are?" Sandy asked. "I'll tell ya, there a lot different from when you left."

"Well, I know that. Nothing in that town ever stays the same. Something interesting is always happening," Kirsten said with a grin.

"Honey, you might want to sit down for this," Sandy told her.

"Is something wrong?" Kirsten asked, as she sat down in a chair.

"Remember Ryan's friend, Theresa?" Sandy asked rhetorically. "Well, remember how Ryan went to Chino and came back to Newport last summer because of Theresa and how she 'lost' the baby?"

"Yes, I remember," Kirsten replied.

"Honey, she didn't lose the baby. Theresa lied to him, and now... she's demanding child support," Sandy told her.

"Oh, my God... well, is he okay?" Kirsten wondered. "I feel like everything is falling apart"

"He will be. It just has to sink in first. No one expected this. I think everything will come together, in due time," Sandy replied.

"I hope. How much does she want?" Kirsten wanted to know.

"$362 a month, which isn't that bad," Sandy replied. "At least not for us to pay."

"Wow... so what else is new?" Kirsten asked.

"There is one more thing. It has to do with Ryan, and it's very important. Do you know anything about his father, John Atwood?" Sandy asked.

"I know that he's in prison for armed robbery, which occured in Fresno," Kirsten said.

"That's right, well, according to a heads up that I got - because of the case with Marissa and Trey - it turns out that John Atwood is getting out of prison in just a few days. Less than a week," Sandy told her.

"What does this mean for us?" Kirsten asked.

"Well, the judge told me that... he could try and get Ryan back. I don't think he has a great chance, but the courts always favor the biological parents, especially the mother. Of course, I don't know if he will try and petition for custody of Ryan, but he could, and I wanted you to know about it," Sandy told her.

"Of course," Kirsten replied. "If there is anything that I can do... let me know."

"I will. I should finish getting ready, but I'll talk to you later?" Sandy asked. "In fact, why don't I meet you for lunch, considering you're working?"

"Um, sure, that would be great!" Kirsten replied. "We can talk about this some more. But one more thing."

"Yes?" Sandy questioned.

"Have you told any of this to Ryan?" Kirsten asked.

"No, not yet. I didn't know how," Sandy said.

"You need to. Please, tell him," Kirsten answered.