The doctors had released Sharpay about a week after the incident. There was still minor bruising but the major issue was her inability to speak. She was learning to sign but, so far, she seemed to like the inappropriate gestures best.

And it was really starting to annoy Kelsi.

Two weeks after her release from the hospital Sharpay was going stir crazy. She wanted to get out and do something. She couldn't go to any auditions, obviously, because she couldn't speak. But her brother was hovering worse than her mother had when she and Daddy were there.

"Shar? Want me to get you a milkshake? I have to head out to get some apple juice for Kels. The baby's been really restless and giving her problems today." Ryan sighed as he looked at his sister's expression. "Get used to it, Shar. We're here until you can make it on your own." He watched her expression again. "You can't answer the phone and the doctors are still hopeful they can give you some kind of treatment to get your voice back but the tissue damage has to be repaired first. And you should really learn to sign. You're going to get wrinkles if you keep making faces like that at me." She gestured rudely. "Yeah, not what I meant, sis. But keep working on it," he added cheerfully. He placed a kiss on her head and promised he'd be back in thirty minutes before walking out the door.

--

"Is it terrible living with her again?" Chad Danforth asked as he walked into grocery store behind Ryan.

"Chad? What the heck are you doing here?" Ryan asked with a bright smile as he turned and embraced the NBA star.

"Playing the Clippers tomorrow night. I thought I'd come to town a night early and check up on you, Kelsi and the princess," Chad replied. "Kelsi should be about ready to give birth, shouldn't she?"

"She looks like she could go any day now," Ryan replied with a nod of his head. "The baby's giving her problems today – she won't calm down. Kels is sure she's been kicking non-stop since one this morning. Poor thing doesn't know what to do. She's three thousand miles from her doctor and she just doesn't trust anyone out here."

"She's got to go somewhere, dude," Chad replied as he grabbed some Pedialite. "For Kelsi. Hannah used to drink this all the time when she was pregnant with Milo."

"Does it do anything?"

Chad paused and read over the label before proudly beaming and saying, "It increases electrolytes."

Ryan stared at him for a moment, blinking a few times, before sighing and putting it into the basket. "Couldn't hurt," he mumbled.

"Hormones?"

"Not as bad as I thought," Ryan responded truthfully. "She was really … bad … around the sixth month but, other than that, she's been just fine. I just … she wants her own doctor but she refuses to leave Shar. And it's not like I couldn't afford to bring him out here but I don't think he would. Seems like he has a lot of patients …"

"Of course he would," Chad laughed. "You've got one of the best obstetricians in New York City, don't you? Only the best for your wife and kid."

"Speaking of kids," Ryan said as he blatantly ignored the friendly jibe at his wealth, "Gabby told Kelsi that you're going to be a daddy …"

"Ha!" Chad laughed as he threw some chocolate bars ("For Kelsi!") into the basket. "Baby's not mine," he replied. "I went with Mel to the OB and he narrowed down the conception date. I was on a two week road trip and she sure as hell wasn't with me."

"Wow … should I be sorry?" Ryan asked, clearly not knowing what to say.

"Not for that," Chad said softly as the two men collected when they'd set out for – well, Ryan hadn't set out for Chad, but his friend had obviously asked where he was going and met him there – and got in line to pay. "But I told Maddie what happened and … well, let's just say she's expressed an interest in staying in London indefinitely."

"It'll work out," Ryan said sympathetically. "Maddie's a great girl, an understanding girl."

"Right. I took a cab," Chad said as he changed the topic. "Ride?"

"Sure," Ryan replied. "Just have to pick up Shar's new Blackberry on the way. She's not too fond of signing and Kelsi's getting really annoyed with Shar's over dramatics. She acts everything out like we're two years old."

"Your sister? Overreacting? I never thought I'd see the day," Chad smiled before climbing into the passenger seat of Sharpay's car. "How can you drive this thing?"

Ryan shrugged as he put the car in gear and took off, "If it means I don't need a rental then I'll drive just about anything."

Chad rolled his eyes but shrugged in acceptance nonetheless. "So. Blackberry for Princess?"

"Shar's been doing nothing but annoying Kelsi, which is making her blood pressure rise, which is not good for the baby or her. I figured if I got her something she could write on or text with things would get easier."

The darker man nodded before settling in for the ride.

--

"Sharpay, please. I know you're having trouble with the whole not being able to talk thing, but your gestures aren't helping," Kelsi told her sister-in-law. She then frowned when Sharpay made a rude gesture. "I'm fairly certain you don't have the ability to allow that to happen and if you did, I need to have a conversation with Zeke about his strange obsessions." Another rude gesture. "I'm too pregnant to do that. Now please, for the love of Andrew Lloyd Weber, just sign to me what you want." She paused as she watched Sharpay sign with letters as opposed to using the gestures and full-word signs she was supposed to be learning. "I'm not going out and ordering a filet mignon for you."

Sharpay sighed and signed that she would have some soup then. Stupid bitch, she thought to herself. I wish she would just go back to New York and leave me the hell alone. Ryan and I could get by fine without her.

Because she knew she wouldn't be able to get along without her brother. She wouldn't admit it to anyone but she was afraid. She didn't sleep at night anymore; she would nap when Ryan was in the house. She wasn't even remotely comfortable around Troy, though she hid it well, and she was absolutely against any other males coming around. She knew Danforth would be in town for the next couple of days and resigned herself to the knowledge that he would be sure to drop by at some point. But other than them, no other men were allowed near her.

She'd calmly explained to Kelsi that she wanted an all-female medical team but refused to say anything more than that. She knew her sister-in-law was on to her but she couldn't care less. It wasn't as if she could verbally confirm or deny anything anyway.

The police had wanted her to meet with a shrink once a week just so she could work through some unresolved issues concerning the rape. She hated the idea. She could just talk to Ryan about it. But, then again, she didn't think telling her brother about having sex was normal. She could tell Kelsi, but she wasn't in the mood to watch the smaller girl shift and try to get comfortable because of her big, hulking stomach. She would never tell Gabriella and she didn't like Taylor at all. And, sure, she had girlfriends, but they were all dumber than dirt and she had no interest in having to repeat the details over and over again.

So she just kept it to herself. The psychologist's card was somewhere on her dresser, hidden so her brother wouldn't get any brilliant ideas and make the phone call for her. She didn't need to talk about what happened with anyone. It was all in the past. It was done now. She could just forget it and move on.

Or so she thought. That was the night the flashbacks began.

--

It was more graphic snippets than anything, Sharpay would later remember.

Hands. Torn clothing. Dark hair. Malicious smile. Hands groping. Nails scratching. Fast heartbeats.

His hand covered her mouth as he whispered in her ear that it would only hurt more if she fought and screamed.

She kicked at him and he slapped her before ripping off her skirt.

He groped her roughly before biting down on her soft breast.

His hand was still over her mouth and he was sitting on her thrashing legs.

She tossed her head and fought but he hit her until she was dizzy.

He told her to be a good girl. If she was, he told her, she'd be rewarded.

She fought harder.

Just as the man in her dream tore off her underwear, Sharpay sat up with a noiseless scream, tears streaming down her cheeks.

She took a few deep breaths and tried to calm herself but nothing was working. She couldn't breathe and she couldn't scream. She slowly, shakily, got up from bed and slowly trudged into the living room where her brother was supposed to be asleep on the couch. But, to her surprise, Kelsi was sitting up, hands on her stomach and tears gently falling from her cheeks and onto her protruding stomach.

Sharpay frowned slightly before placing a hand on Kelsi's shoulder and cocking her head in an inquisitive manner.

"Oh! Sharpay!" Kelsi whispered loudly as she stood from the couch. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."

Sharpay shook her head and motioned for Kelsi to sit back down. When they were both situated on the couch, Sharpay cocked her head again and indicated for Kelsi to tell her what was wrong.

"It's nothing," she said softly. "I just … I don't think Ryan wants me here anymore."

Sharpay must have looked really shocked because Kelsi continued with, "It's just … he's really tired because he's trying to take care of both of us and you're the priority, I know, and you should be … it's just …" she laughed mirthlessly "hard to realize that my husband doesn't want to deal with trying to take care of me. It's really stressing him out." She indicated the packed suitcase in the corner. "I'm going to go back to New York. I'm leaving Roscoe with you though. He likes it here and I know you like cuddling with him." She heard the sound of a car horn and sighed before pushing herself off the couch. "Get better soon, Shar," she whispered as she pulled her sister-in-law into a hug. "Once the baby's able to travel, she and I will come visit you and Ryan."

Without another word, Kelsi walked out the front door and climbed into the cab.

Sharpay selfishly decided she could wait until morning to let her brother know.

--

"Kels? Kelsi? Where are you?" Ryan asked loudly as he searched the rooms of Sharpay's townhouse. "Kels, this isn't funny!" His phone buzzed and he saw a text message from his sister. He started panicking even more when he read what she'd written. "She's gone."

Ryan searched the house and found Sharpay at the dining room table. "What do you mean by that? She's gone? Did she go into labor?" Sharpay shook her head. "She go for a walk?" Same answer. "Then where did she go?" Sharpay cocked her head to the side, thinking for a moment, before striking the pose of the Statue of Liberty. "She went back to New York?!"

Sharpay quickly grabbed her cell phone and started typing away. A moment later she held it out to Ryan.

Said she was burden. U shld take care of me. Wnt to NY. Will visit when baby can come.

"What?!" Ryan screamed before grabbing the phone. He dialed Kelsi's cell number but it went straight to voicemail. His home number did the same thing. "Oh my God," he whispered. "How … oh my God. She's … she left. She didn't tell anyone …" he muttered to himself. Then he rounded on his sister with narrowed eyes. "Did you know she left?"

Sharpay stared at him without moving. "Shar, answer me. Did you know?" She bit her lip and sighed before reluctantly nodding her head. "You knew and you didn't try to stop her?" She put on an annoyed expression and pointed to her throat. "You don't have to be able to talk to stop someone from walking out a door. And yes, Sharpay, I mean you could have physically restrained her." Sharpay held out her hands to indicate a pregnant belly. "I didn't say you should have pushed her down the stairs. I meant you could have come and gotten me so she couldn't go. I could have talked to her."

The young woman crossed her arms huffily and stared at her brother. "Don't give me that look, Shar. I just … my wife just walked out on me."

She pulled out her phone and typed before handing it to him.

Actually, she left around 1 am. If that helps.

"No, Sharpay. It doesn't help," he replied as he resumed his pacing. "Wait. What were you doing up at one in the morning?"

Sharpay chewed on her lip, carefully considering what she was about to do. She knew it was low, even for her, but she couldn't let him walk out the door too. She knew she should have stopped Kelsi from leaving but she could survive without her; she couldn't deal with any of it without Ryan by her side. She opened her phone once more and sent the message to her brother.

Flashbacks. I woke up in the middle. It was bad.

Ryan immediately softened as he read his sister's words. He sighed before wrapping her in a hug. When he released her she took a deep breath and signed I need you. Ryan nodded slowly before wrapping her in his arms once more. "I'm not going anywhere."

She briefly felt guilty but knew that having Ryan with her was the only thing keeping her sane. Without him, she seriously doubted she would make it through a day.

--

Kelsi stared at her cell phone as she sat outside the airport in San Francisco. She'd planned on going home to New York but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Besides, she reasoned internally, our stuff isn't there anymore anyway.

She and Ryan had made the decision to take some serious time off from work and concentrate on their growing family. Vance had been after Ryan for ages to take over running Lava Springs and Kelsi had admitted she wouldn't mind raising their children back in New Mexico.

So, the two of them had saved enough money to buy a small house with three bedrooms just outside Albuquerque. They hadn't told anyone yet. They were planning on sending out those silly little "We've Moved!" cards and just let everyone show up on their doorstep. Ryan had told his father he would come to town for a board meeting shortly before the baby was due. Kelsi had already started asking about renting a building so she could teach piano lessons.

She briefly wondered if she should call the moving company and tell them to forget it. But she figured they were probably at least half-way to New Mexico by now. She would just have to go and meet them in a couple of days. She was sure she could get someone to help her out.

She sighed heavily before pulling out her cell phone. She saw that Ryan must have called her but she couldn't bring herself to talk to him right now. She didn't know whether it was because she was ashamed of herself for acting so dramatically or mad at him for not helping her out when she needed him. It was probably more of the first, she admitted to herself.

She slowly dialed a number that she had become all-too-familiar with during the last couple of months. She figured it was about 8 so he should be out of bed by now.

A voice picked up on the other line and she sighed shakily, trying to ward off the tears. "Troy?" she asked with a wavering voice. "It's Kelsi. I need you …"

"What's wrong? Did something happen to Sharpay?"

"N-no …" she sniffled. "I – I'm at the airport. Your airport. Could you give me directions to your house from here? So I can tell a cab."

"You don't need a cab, Kels," Troy responded softly. "I'll come get you."

"It's just for a couple of days," she assured him. "Until the movers get to the new house."

"New house?"

"Ryan and I are moving back to Albuquerque. We both decided to take some time off with the baby. He's planning on running the country club and I'm going to give piano lessons. Well, that was the plan," she responded. "I don't know anymore."

"Is he there with you?" Troy asked.

"He probably doesn't even know I'm gone. Sharpay needs him right now. I was just getting in the way. Me being there just adds stress to Ryan."

On the other end of the phone, Troy rolled his eyes. Gabriella was the same way when she was pregnant with Hunter. "Which terminal are you at, Playmaker?"

"Three," she responded. "But I really can take a cab."

"I'll be there in thirty minutes. Hang tight," he replied before clicking off the phone.

"Who was that?" Gabriella asked as she walked into the room holding Hunter. She pecked her husband on the cheek before placing their son in his highchair.

"Kelsi," Troy responded as he ran his fingers through his hair with a sigh.

"Is Sharpay okay?" Gabriella asked immediately.

"It's more of Kelsi not being okay," he responded. "She walked out on them because she felt like she was getting in the way. She … she says Sharpay needs Ryan right now and her being there is adding stress on him."

"So where is she?"

"At the airport."

"In LA?" she asked.

"In San Fran," he sighed. "She says they bought a house in New Mexico and she only needs to stay until the movers get the stuff in the house."

"Wow. Lots of things happening in their lives right now."

"Yeah," he said with another sigh. "I'm going to take Little Man with me to get her," he added and kissed her on the cheek. "I'll give him some Cheerios in the car."

"Drive safely," she told him as he took their son and headed out the door.

She nibbled on her bottom lip for a moment before picking up the phone and dialing Sharpay's home number.

"Hello? Kelsi?" Ryan asked frantically as he answered the phone.

"Not quite," Gabriella replied. "But Troy's on his way to get her from the airport."

"Thank God," he exhaled. "Did she tell you why she was there?"

"She told Troy, Ryan. And I don't think you're going to want to hear the answer," she told him quietly.

"Just … is she leaving me?"

"No, I don't think so," Gabriella replied. "She thinks she's stressing you out and is being too much trouble and that you should focus on Sharpay."

"Damnit," Ryan swore. "I don't know what to do. I can't leave Shar but I'll be damned if I lose Kelsi over this."

Both were quiet for a few moments before Gabriella gasped. "I've got it!"

"What?" Ryan asked eagerly.

"Call Zeke."

"Perfect. I'll call you when I'm leaving for the airport. It'll probably be late tonight if Zeke can get here that fast."

"Ryan, I hate to be Captain Obvious … but doesn't your father own a private jet?"

"You're brilliant," he replied. "I'll call you in a couple of hours. Tell Kelsi I love her. Please. Just … make sure she knows I love her and I'm coming for her."

"Will do," she responded before hitting the end button and hanging up the phone.