A/N: Sorry for the delay, school has been hectic and I haven't gotten the chance to upload a new chapter. Thank you all so much for your reviews - I love them and you all are so nice for doing that. I hope you like this chapter, it's a bit long buta lot happens.
Seth and Summer had dropped the bomb of their pregnancy a little over a month ago, and things between everyone was at an all time low. Sandy and Kirsten were so upset with both boys they refused to talk with them, for at least now. The house was silent but the disappointment was visible.
"Mom – can we talk? Please?" Seth asked walking into the living room seeing his mother sitting on the couch reading a book.
"Seth, I can't talk with you. Not now." She stood from the couch and walked into the other room leaving Seth behind. Never in his life has he felt more alone, the two people he could talk about anything with – they weren't there.
Ryan ran down the steps, semi-dressed up as she noticed Seth in the living room.
"Where are you going man?" Seth asked curiously.
"To Marissa's, she has a doctor's appointment and I told her I'd take her to it." Ryan straightened his tie, and fixed his hair in a nearby mirror making sure he looked okay.
"You look fine man, go, go be with your girlfriend. Go see your child, take pictures!" Ryan waved goodbye to him as he left the house in a hurry.
Seth was alone in the house; with nothing to do so he jogged back into the living room and picked up the phone dialing Summer's number.
"Hello?" Summer answered, her mouth apparently full as her voice was inaudible.
"Summer?"
"Cohen, good thing you called. Can you bring me another pizza…. the works, and bring it by my house?" She asked, taking another bite of whatever she was eating.
"Summer I – "
"Thanks Cohen, see you soon." Hearing the dial tone on the other end of the phone he hung up. He shrugged his shoulders and ran up the steps to his parent's room, knocking before he entered.
"I'm going to Summer's house. She called and wanted me to get her a pizza so I told her I would. I should be home in a couple of hours." Sandy nodded and Seth left the room heading downstairs towards the door sighing. The pregnancy wasn't the worst part of this; it was the distress he caused his parents.
"What are we going to do with him? I don't know how much longer this silent treatment can last. It's just every time he tries to talk to me, the anger and sadness I feel towards this situation just over powers everything. Where did we go wrong with him?" This had been the first time she ever questioned her parenting ability and this was probably by far the farthest you could question it.
"Kirsten, first off – we had nothing to do with this. We warned Seth about the dangers of teenage sex, the health classes he takes in school, we did everything we could but we can't watch everything he does. He used poor judgment and he ruled out everything we ever taught him and now because of it, he's going to be a father. At seventeen. We can't stay angry at him for long, I think he knows how severe this really is." Sandy sat next to Kirsten leaning his head on hers and rubbing her back.
"I know, but I can't help but feel some sort of responsibility for this. We're going to be grandparents, not only by Seth but Ryan too…. two new babies entering the world by our sons. Why is this happening? Is this some sort of test or something? If it is, I failed because I know I'm the worst mother on earth."
"Kirsten will you stop? This isn't our problem. As much as we want to blame it and say if I would have done this, if this never have happened – who knows. Seth and Ryan are going to be fathers, which we can't help no matter how much we want to. But they've done an adult thing so now they have to act like adults and take care of their children. This isn't on us anymore."
"You're right, I just…. I don't want them doing this by themselves especially since I know how tough it is." Kirsten rested her head on Sandy's and was on the brink of crying.
"I know, but we need to present a strong front and understand that they did this and now they have to deal with it. Agreed?" Sandy asked turning to her.
Kirsten nodded and he pulled her up by grabbing her hands.
"This house has turned into such a sad, depressed house – I'm sick of it. Dance with me." He turned on the music loudly and as Sandy's and Kirsten's hands met, they slow danced. For the first time in a while, Kirsten actually smiled and at that moment they both knew that they'd survive this.
After picking up a pizza at the nearest pizza place, Seth drove his car over to Summer's house.
"Pizza's here." Seth announced as he walked into Summer's house. Summer reached towards the pizza box opening it and inhaling the wonderful pizza smell. "How do you eat that? The guy looked at me and asked if I had a death wish."
"You wouldn't understand, but if you're going to mock me you can leave. Don't come between a pregnant girl and her food." Summer already started eating it, and was almost halfway done.
"So how have you been? You have your first doctor's appointment this Wednesday right?" Seth asked sitting at her table.
"Yeah" She said, her mouth full. "This Wednesday, you can drive me right? No one's going to be here and I really don't want to go by myself."
"I wouldn't miss it for anything." He walked over to Summer and kissed her forehead. "I love you, I really do." Seth said smiling at her.
"And I love you, I just don't love this situation." She now finished one piece and was now onto another.
"Is it fine for you to be eating like that?" He had never been around pregnant women and he had no idea how they act.
"I'm only two months pregnant, I'm not showing yet but you're already calling me fat?" She dropped her pizza and her eyes filled with tears. Blame it on the hormones.
"Summer, no…. I didn't mean it like that. You're beautiful. I don't know what I'm talking about." He hugged her and she then seized her crying and continued eating.
"Good. You sure you don't want a piece?" She offered her a slice of the pizza, which Seth turned down.
"Definitely not."
At the doctor's office, Marissa and Ryan sat nervously. She was four months pregnant and it was the first appointment Ryan had attended so it was big for both of them.
"Mr. and Mrs. Atwood please?" Doctor Riley said as he entered the waiting room.
Ryan and Marissa stood from the seats aware of everyone's thoughts, even the doctor's, but as both held hands they grasped them tighter and walked behind the doctor.
Marissa knew the procedure by now. She walked over to the examining table and lay back lifting up her shirt to reveal her slightly raised stomach. Ryan sat next to Marissa in a chair as the doctor flipped through his charts.
"How have you been feeling lately Marissa?" Doctor Riley asked.
"Nauseous. Every time I eat I always end up throwing it back up, my back hurts, my ankles are swelling, I have headaches and I can never seem to pull myself away from food." Doctor Riley laughed.
"Perfectly normal. You have been reading the book I recommended right? What to Expect When You're Expecting?" Marissa nodded and Ryan watched in amazement, he had no idea what was going on. "We're going to have a look at the baby now."
He pushed the ultrasound machine to his side and grabbing a bottle of clear gel, he squirted it on Marissa's belly. With a slight jump, he rolled the probe over her stomach and black and white images appeared on the screen. He rolled the probe around clicking it every few seconds taking pictures of the baby to print out to the proud parents-to-be. Marissa looked in awe at the screen; she was looking at a perfectly beautiful baby that she and Ryan made together. Though Ryan had no idea that they were even looking at the baby, to him the screen was just black and white with some blurry images Marissa soon pointed out certain body parts.
"The baby looks great, we calculated it's weight and size…. and now let's have a listen to its heart." He removed the probe and turned off the ultrasound machine. He held the wand onto her stomach and after moving it around to find the baby's heart the room was soon filled with the sounds of their baby's heartbeats, which Ryan thought sounded like galloping horses.
"Ryan – that's the baby. Its heartbeat." Marissa held Ryan's hand as Ryan listened and a sense of pride came over him; yes the baby wasn't here physically but he understood he made this little person that was growing inside of Marissa and knew just how special it is.
They soon finished up the doctor's appointment and everything checked out to be fine, mother and baby were doing great and except with orders to eat more, she then was given some prenatal vitamins and Ryan and Marissa were free to go.
"I can't believe how awesome that was. You and I created a baby…this little baby" He held up a blurry picture the doctor had giving him and then bent down to Marissa's stomach rubbing her stomach lightly. You hear that baby, this is your daddy…. and I love you very much." He was excited and he vowed to do whatever it took for this to work, whatever would make Marissa happy and what would keep their baby healthy.
"It is pretty wonderful isn't it? I know that our age is a big factor but a baby is a baby no matter at what age one comes. I know we're going to have to buy all these baby things and probably go into debt from it–"
"But we'll live as a family, we'll be happy and we'll all be together. I can't wait until this baby is born. I don't think I've ever felt more excited." Marissa smiled widely at Ryan's exhilaration but she knew that they'd be okay, yes it was going to take work, a lot of it, but she was willing to do whatever it takes and Ryan was also. Yes, they were only teenagers taking on adult tasks but they loved each other and to them, that's all the mattered.
The boys spent the day over Marissa and Summer's houses and as they entered the doorway together, their sat Sandy and Kirsten. Both with stern expressions, and Kirsten looking as pale as a ghost, the turned to the boys and asked them to sit down.
"Your mother and I have been talking…." Sandy stated. Ryan and Seth sat down on the bordering couch across from their parents and knew that 'been talking' doesn't mean anything good.
"We've decided that you both need to learn your lessons on how serious this really is so we rented two apartments. One for Ryan and Marissa and the other for Seth and Summer. You will live there, on your own and support yourselves like families do." Kirsten rubbed the side of her arm, this killed her inside and having to be the strict mother was never easy.
"You're kicking us out? Mom…dad! C'mon, we, we can't live by ourselves I don't even have a job." Seth stood up and began arguing with his parents as Ryan sat quietly on the couch. In Ryan's head, he still couldn't believe all this was happening but instead of arguing with Sandy and Kirsten he knew that they weren't doing this to be mean, or to get back at them for doing this…. but they did this because they love both the boys and know this is for their own good.
"We're doing this for you own good, this isn't our decision." Kirsten whimpered through tears.
"Isn't your-isn't your decision? Really mom, then who's was it?" Seth was enraged with Kirsten and Sandy and was going to argue it out all he could, something Ryan would have done but the boys seemed to have switched roles.
"Seth, don't you talk to your mother like this! You created this baby and now you're going to support it! We had talks about sex; lectures and you even take health class, which I'm sure talked about it. You threw away all we ever said about it, how dangerous and unsafe it is and had sex and now look where it's gotten you. An unwed father at the age of seventeen, so don't you dare talk to your mother like she and I were the ones who did something wrong. " Sandy turned red, a vein in his neck began to bulge. Ryan knew this was serious but he wasn't going to argue because he knew he was wrong.
"It was only one time dad! One time!" Holding out his sentence, Seth looked into Sandy's eyes as his voice began to break.
"It only takes one time, son." Sandy put his hand on Seth's shoulders and as they hugged Kirsten began crying. For the first time in a month Seth actually was thinking about how serious this really is, a baby.
"How much time until we have to leave? Where are we going to live?" Ryan stood up now joining the little family circle.
"By the end of this week, you're going to live in those apartment complexes, Sunnyside Meadows. We paid for one month's rent, you two are in charge of the rest. And you're going to like it, it has two floors and comes mostly furnished with two bedrooms." Kirsten and Ryan hugged, she was now going to get use to the fact they're weren't going to be around that much.
The week went by quickly and during the last few days at the Cohen house, Ryan and Seth had packed up all their things and moved most of it into their new apartments. The rooms were completely emptied, everything was gone and it sat cluttered in their new homes. Their parents had talked with both Summer and Marissa's and all agreed this was the best thing to do, for them to be on their own, and to be financially cut out.
Saturday morning came around and Sandy and Kirsten dropped off the boys at their houses, Summer and Marissa soon met them down there. After a teary good-bye, the four seventeen-year olds were left by themselves and boy did they hate the feeling of freedom. The apartment complexes were on a small piece of land, all circled around an underground pool. To them it seemed like they were in a retirement center since all they're neighbors were over sixty.
Ryan and Marissa went into their houses, Seth and Summer doing the same. They decided they needed to unpack first and maybe meet up for dinner later.
"We really need to put things away. Are you going to help?" Ryan hunched over a box that read in permanent marker 'kitchen' and picked it up, his face crimson as it took a lot of strength to lift it.
"I'm sort of tired Ryan. Can we do this later?" Marissa sat on their couch, the living room had all its furniture and everything was set. All they needed to do was move the boxes that covered the floor into their respected rooms.
"So you're not going to help, at all?" Ryan walked down the hall into the living room setting the box on the counter. He started empting the box out, setting dishes, and cups, and silverware into their drawers and cupboards trying to get their house straightened out.
"I'm helping, just from a far. Ryan…. I'm tired and my back's hurting." She whined from the other room. He mocked her, mouthing what she was saying from the kitchen.
He finished emptying the box out and began starting a pile outside on their fenced in patio.
He wasn't going to stop until the house was situated with and he quickly began on another room. The big things were set in place, their tv's, table's, dressers, couches, beds and their computer it was up to the two of them to put everything away.
Back at Seth and Summer's house Summer surprisingly was helping. She was hunched over a box trying to lift it though it seemed like she picked a heavy box.
"Here, let me get this." Seth ran to help her and lifting it from the bottom he walked up their stairs into their bedroom, Summer following.
"I really do like this place, it's a perfect, cozy little apartment but big enough for a family." Summer walked behind Seth wrapping her arms around his stomach.
"Yes, it will be a perfect, cozy little place after we get everything unpacked. I have an idea, why don't you go shopping while and I'll stay here and unpack?" He turned to Summer giving her a kiss on her forehead.
"That sounds great, I'll go call Marissa and see if she wants to come." She raced down the stairs into the kitchen were a phone was hanging on the wall. Dialing Marissa's number, she waited for someone to pick up.
Marissa reached over to their phone picking it up, their first call in their new apartment. "Hello?"
"Coop, it's me. I'm going grocery shopping, want to come?" Summer asked excitedly.
"Sure I'd love to, I'll be right over." She hung up the phone and made her way into the kitchen were Ryan was and rested her arms around his shoulder. "I'm going with Summer, we're going grocery shopping. I'll be home soon." She kissed his cheek and started walking away.
"You can go grocery shopping but you can't help me unpack our house? I thought you said you were tired, and if you are you should rest." His arm reached into another box, he pulled out their coffee maker and set it up on the side of the countertop.
"I'll help you when I come home, promise. I'll be home later, love you." She blew him a kiss and grabbed her purse before she met Summer at her car.
"Ready Coop?" She clicked the unlock button on her car remote and both hoped in driving to a near by grocery store.
Summer parked the car in a parking spot and the two bounded from the car. They both grabbed a cart and the two, laughing, walked into their grocery store.
"Let's go down every row, take our time because the longer we stay here the more the boys will get done at home." Summer laughed and began stocking the cart, they were in the dairy section and she grabbed some milk, eggs and some chocolate pudding.
"Pudding? How childish of you" Marissa laughed setting some foods into her carts.
"It's these damn cravings." The pushed the cart a little further and both their attentions were set on a pregnant lady who was trying to reach for something but having trouble due to her stomach. She looked like she was about nine months pregnant, her stomach was huge and both girls cringed at the thought.
"Pretty soon…. we're going to look like that." Marissa said cowering as both passed by the lady.
"Yeah, we're already on our way. The book says you start showing around the fourth month and really start showing at five months. That's about two more months for me." Summer reached over again adding to their cart.
"Yeah, well I'm already there. I'm already showing." She looked down at her stomach. She pulled on the bottom of her shirt a little; the bulge of her stomach became more noticeable.
They walked further down and saw a baby in its baby carrier crying. The frantic mother rummaging through her baby bag to see if there's anything she has to stop the wailing and as the mother holds things up to try to stop the baby, it swats at the stuff causing it to fall on the ground.
"And then we're going to have one of those." Summer bit her bottom lip and the two continued shopping. An hours worth of shopping produced a completely filled shopping cart, Summer could barely steer it because the food blocked her view. Marissa pushed an evenly filled basket herself.
"That'll be two hundred and fifty seven dollars please." The lady asked as she finished ringing up all of Summer's items.
"Two hundred and fifty seven dollars? Seth's going to kill me." She winced at the thought especially since they were now on their own, supporting each other and Seth didn't even have a job. The bag boy finished loading all the groceries into paper bags and carrying them to her cart, and after she signed her name on the check and handed it to the lady, she pushed her cart forward and waited to the side for Marissa.
It was Marissa's turn now and after five minutes of ringing up her total it came to two hundred and forty nine dollars and sixty cents. Marissa paid the lady, both knew they went all little overboard with things but the guys should have known not to give them their credit cards.
They pushed their baskets to their cars, which they loaded them and both soon realized it wasn't as easy as it once had been. Marissa had picked up a bag full of nothing too heavy and situated it in the trunk. She then had to stop, taking a few breathes as she noticed that this task was getting harder and Summer seemed to have noticed it too. Loading the car took them a few minutes longer then it once had and after the last bag was in the trunk, Summer started the car while Marissa put the carts back.
The ride soon ended and both sighed when they pulled into their building. This was now home. Summer bolted out of the car and ran a couple feet to the front door of their apartment, seeing Seth and Ryan sitting there having a drink.
"We're back, a little help please?" Summer asked as she popped her head in for a second and then soon came back to Marissa's side. The boys rose from their seats and followed Summer to the car, Ryan taking a bag that it seemed Marissa couldn't handle. As he pulled it away, Marissa furrowed an eyebrow at him and thought to herself 'does he really think I'm not capable of putting away groceries?' But shook the thought and soon grabbed at another bag.
"Buy enough stuff?" Seth teased as he grabbed at the last bag and Summer shut the trunk. Ryan and Marissa were in their home unpacking and now it was her and Seth's turn.
"Fine, I know we went a little crazy but I saw some things and it looked appetizing." Seth looked in the bag and sighed as he saw she got three different types of cakes, and two flavors of puddings.
"You don't even like this stuff." Seth opened a cabinet and set the items down. Their house was cleared out for the most part and now that the shopping was done it was time to start looking for a job.
Now instead of graduating from highschool and going to college they'd now have to get jobs, pay rent on their apartment; buy necessities for their babies, feed and cloth themselves and then take care of the baby after it's born. Meaning dirty diapers, spit up, crying constantly, and no sleep, they had no idea what they got themselves into.
Around six, the four decided to go out to dinner as first night celebration in their new homes. They walked over to a near-bye burger restaurant where they hung out just like old times.
"So what do you think?" Ryan asked, gripping his burger and taking a bite.
"About…?" Seth asked and soon realized what he meant. "It's not all it's cracked up to be, it's a lot harder then I thought but we're all seventeen now so it was going to happen sooner or later." Seth moved his lips onto his straw sipping on his strawberry shake.
"We'll, we're finally free. No more school, no more parents, everything's up to us." Ryan nodded as he wiped his hand on a paper towel.
"Yeah, I'm just glad we graduated from high school and Marissa and I weren't showing. All those rumors going around school couldn't be confirmed." She dug into her salad with ranch dressing, eating as though she hadn't for days.
"Calm down there Sum, we can always order you another one." Seth watched her, laughing at her comical eating habits that were soon shot down by her death glare.
Marissa grabbed her cup of sprite and held it in the air. "I purpose a toast. To freedom, living with the men we love and to happy and healthy families." The rest raised their glasses and then pulled away, sipping from them.
"I'm glad that we're all still friends and that we're all going through this together. I love you guys." Summer took Marissa's hand, and Seth's and looked at Ryan with a smile, pregnancy for the most part had turned Summer nice.
The four joked around, and soon left after their meals were completed where the couples parted into their new apartments.
Seth picked Summer up into his arms, and the two soon began to kiss. He kicked off his shoes while still balancing Summer in his arms and with a little leg movement; Summer's soon fell to the ground also.
"Welcome home Summer." She hugged him tightly and the two moved their way up to their bedroom for well-deserved sleep. Getting changed into their pajamas, the two laid in bed, Seth's arm under Summer's neck and the two cuddled next to each other.
"I really think we're going to be okay." She turned her head and looked up into Seth's eye and with a warm smile Seth kissed the top of her head.
"I do too. We're going to make it, but we can't with both of us being exhausted. I have a job interview tomorrow at the Crab Shack and if it goes good I could have myself a job."
"Goodnight. I love you." Summer shut her eyes shifting a little under the covers and moved into a comfortable position.
"I love you too." They soon feel asleep in each other's arms and where they didn't feel all alone and abandoned by their families. Dreams consisting of the two of them living in an old, two-floor house, with a white picket fence and a little dog, the house filled of laughter and the little family of three outside spending some family time together. Seth at the barbeque turning over some hamburgers as he smiles lovingly at Summer who returns outside with a tray holding three glasses and a pitcher of orange juice while their son plays fetch with their little dog. A perfect dream Seth could only hope would come true.