Hey everybody! So the last chapter reviews were slightly disappointing. I didn't really get any. I don't know if thats because people haven't gotten a chance to read it or it sucked. I hope it's not because it sucked because that would...for lack of a better word, suck. I know some people said that in the last chapter they couldn't see Seth calling Summer honey but it was sarcastically. I hope that clears up some confusion. Well I hope you like this chapter. Please review. Even if you want to tell me it sucks, I'll take it. Thank you.

Ryan pulled up in front of the emergency room entrance and jumped out of the car. He took off running into the hospital looking for anybody that could help him. "Can I get some help outside for my friend?" He lead the way back to the SUV and opened the door on Summer's side so she could back out.

"What happened?" the doctor asked as the paramedics got a stretcher ready.

"She was in a car accident," Ryan explained shaking from all the adrenaline that had been surging through his body. "The taxi she was in went through a guard rail down into a ditch. We found her about 50 feet away from the car unconscious."

"Has she regained consciousness for any amount of time?" the doctor asked as they carefully lifted Taylor out of the back seat.

"No," Ryan said shaking his head also.

"Do you know where her next of kin is?" the doctor asked as they started wheeling her into the building.

"She only has her Mom and I don't know where she is," Summer said answering for the first time. "We're her next of kin," she added softly. "I'm her best friend."

"The admissions is going to need you to fill out some forms to the best of your abilities," the doctor explained. "It would help if you could locate her Mother for us."

"Is she going to be okay?" Summer asked her voice breaking.

"We'll know more after we run a CAT scan and get some x-rays," the doctor said his mind already racing with possible reasons for her unconsciousness. "It looks like she hit her head pretty hard. She could be out for awhile. When you're done filling out the forms just have a seat in the waiting room."

"Thanks," Ryan said as he watched the doctor walk through the double doors. He followed Summer over to the admissions desk where she got the clipboard and they both attempted to fill it out.

"I don't know the answer to any of these," Summer said softly. She looked up at Ryan who was staring out the window at the car which was still parked in front of the building. "Ryan…you might want to move the car."

"Oh…yeah," Ryan said standing up. He walked out the door and climbed back into the driver's seat as an overwhelming feeling of despair fell over him. He turned the car on and hurried to an open parking spot just as the tears started to fall. He'd been holding them back all night, ever since the first moment he'd pictured Taylor in the earth quake. He'd pictured her hurt or scared…and she must have been both when the taxi had gone through the guard rail.

Ryan pounded on the steering wheel when he saw Taylor laying on the ground again. He kept flashing back and forth between Marissa lying dead in his arms to Taylor looking close to death on the ground. It was too close of a match for him. He couldn't take it. If Taylor didn't pull through…he was done. He was poison for anybody who fell in love with him.

It was the running joke for everybody that if anything happened to them, Ryan would come and save them. He'd show up on his white horse and solve the problem. Nobody ever mentioned how he caused most of them.

"Ryan?" Kaitlyn said tentatively as she tapped on the window. Seth and Julie were still in side sitting with Summer but Kaitlyn had wanted to check on Ryan. She didn't know what it was about him but she'd bonded with him…during the whole Julie/Frank/Bullet debacle. They were friends…even siblings. She was worried about him.

Ryan wiped his eyes quickly but the tears just kept falling. He guessed it was just his body finally dealing with all the emotions he'd been keeping bottled up for months. "Yeah," he said as he climbed out of the car and hit the lock button.

"Are you okay?" Kaitlyn asked gently. But then she rolled her eyes at her dumb question. "Stupid question, of course you're not okay."

"I just keep picturing her lying on the ground," Ryan said staring out at nothing. "She looked dead and just for a moment, I thought she was."

"Taylor dead," Kaitlyn said shaking her head. "It's going to take more than a car crash to kill Taylor Townsend Ryan." She mentally slapped herself when she remembered he'd already gone through one car crash with a girl who didn't make it. "I mean…this isn't like Marissa."

"It could have been," Ryan said looking at Kaitlyn for the first time.

"But it's not," Kaitlyn insisted. "Taylor made it to the hospital where she's going to get the best care possible. Because of you. You saved her Ryan."

"I'm always saving somebody," Ryan said more to himself but Kaitlyn heard him anyway.

"And that's a bad thing…how?" Kaitlyn asked confused. When Ryan just stared at her she sighed and walked over until she was leaning against the car alongside him. "It's true that you save a lot of people. But that just means that you are there when the chips are down. Lot's of people are there only through the good times. But you…you're there even when somebody might not deserve to have someone there."

Ryan stared at her. He knew in his head that she was right. That it wasn't a bad thing to be the savior when it came to most of his friends and family. But in his heart…he was tired. Tired of always being the one people turned to.

"Now lets go inside and wait for the Doctor to tell us when Taylor Townsend can start driving us all nuts once again," Kaitlyn said taking the first step forward but she waited until Ryan joined her.

They were almost at the front door when Ryan slung his arm around her shoulders and squeezed her to his side. "You're a good kid Kaitlyn," he said making her gag. "You try to come off as a hard ass all the time, but you're not."

"I am so a hard ass," Kaitlyn insisted pulling away from him so he could see her face. She was shooting daggers at him with her eyes. When Ryan shot her a quick grin she had to soften her face. If he was smiling then she knew things were going to be okay.

"Everything okay," Julie asked standing up when they joined them in the waiting room. She knew Ryan had been crying just from how red his eyes were but she'd also seen him hug her daughter and smile.

"Yeah," Ryan said nodding his head. For the moment, it looked like things were going to be okay.

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"It's been an hour," Summer said breaking the silence that had taken over. She'd turned in the paper work with it only the basic information filled out. She realized how little she actually knew about Taylor. They talked all the time, well, Taylor talked all the time but never about the important stuff.

"I'm sure everything's fine," Julie said but she even cringed this time. She was sick of saying it and she was positive they were sick of hearing it.

"Did you get a hold of her Mom?" Summer asked Julie. She'd bowed out earlier to try and reach Veronica Townsend but had never said if she'd reached her or not.

"It didn't even ring," Julie said shaking her head. "The phone lines must be down."

"I'll drive over there," Seth said surprising everybody when he stood up.

"You are going to go see Veronica Townsend," Summer said staring at her boyfriend like he'd grown another head or something.

"Aren't you scared of Taylor's Mother?" Kaitlyn asked smirking when he glared at her.

"I am not afraid of Veronica," Seth argued but even Ryan arched an eyebrow when he said that. "Okay, yes she can be a little intimidating but I can handle her."

"I'm going with you," Julie said standing up. If Veronica was going to hear about her daughter it should be from another Mother. Especially the Mother who had been her daughter's landlord for the past couple months. She just hoped it went over better this time than it had at Chrismukkah.

"Great thanks," Seth said visibly relaxing making Kaitlyn chuckle.

"You are so afraid of Taylor's Mom," she said.

"I am not," Seth insisted.

"Are too," Kaitlyn shot back.

"C'mon now children," Julie said rolling her eyes. Seth was normally more mature than this but leave it to her daughter to bring out the little kid in everybody. "Let's go Seth."

Seth waited until Julie's back was turned and she was heading towards the exit before he stuck his tongue out at Kaitlyn. She just smiled and waved leaving him to look like the dork all his classmates had claimed him to be.

"You're right," Summer said smiling at Kaitlyn. "He is totally afraid of Veronica Townsend. Always has been."

"Summer? Ryan?" Kirsten said walking as quickly as she could into the waiting room. She hugged them both along with Kaitlyn when they stood up to greet her. "You're okay! We were so worried." When they all three looked behind her and saw nobody but Kirsten she smiled. "Sandy is still talking to the doctor."

"Are you okay?" Ryan asked motioning for her to sit down.

"We just wanted to check on the baby…you know after the earth quake," Kirsten explained. "The doctor said everything was fine." She looked around and realized she was still missing somebody. "Where's Seth?"

"He bravely sacrificed himself to go and find Veronica Townsend with Julie," Summer explained. "Taylor was in an accident."

"Oh God no," Kirsten said covering her mouth with her hand. "Is she going to be okay?" she asked turning to Ryan who had sat down beside her.

"We don't know," Ryan admitted. "She was in a taxi when the earthquake hit. The driver must have lost control because they went through a guard rail and down into a ditch."

"God Ryan I'm sorry," Kirsten said placing a hand gently on his cheek. She hated that bad things kept happening to her kids. First Marissa now this. It wasn't fair.

"She's going to be okay," Ryan said staring at the double doors as if sheer force of will would make it so. "She has too."

"Summer? Ryan?" Sandy asked walking towards them.

"Long story short," Kaitlyn said before anybody else could say anything. "Taylor was in an accident and Ryan and Summer drove her here and Seth is with my Mom finding Taylor's Mom."

"I think I'll need the long story," Sandy said confused. "But thanks Kaitlyn."

"Your welcome," Kaitlyn said rolling her eyes as she stood up. She wasn't going to wait around for them to tell the story one more time. She lived it, she didn't need to hear it again. She walked out of the waiting room as Ryan opened with the earthquake wondering where she could bum a smoke from somebody. If there ever was a time to start smoking, this was it.