A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews. It definitely makes me smile :) Anyway, something you should know before you read this chapter. I changed one thing from the TV version (you know, besides the fact that Taylor is hurt). It's spelled out in the story, but just a heads up. Ryan's vehicle is destroyed in the quake. Seth is able to drive his. Didn't want you to skim by that and say, "huh? Why doesn't he just drive?"

As always, please let me know what you think. For some reason, this is more nerve-racking to post than the Twilight stories LOL.

Disclaimer, I don't own any of these characters.

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Chapter 2: Deserted

As his stupid luck would have it, his car had been completely destroyed by a fallen lamp post during the quake. So he picked Taylor up and went for help on foot.

He walked as well as he could down the street, Taylor was limp in his arms. His shirt beginning to saturate with her blood. It was a scene that he knew was eerily familiar. He absolutely refused to allow another woman he loved to die. He couldn't live through it again.

"Come on, Taylor. Wake up." he demanded, completely ignoring his previous vow not to waste energy speaking. He was growing weak from his own blood loss, a fact that was irritating as hell. But he kept on walking.

"This is typical Taylor Townsend." he went on, hoping to some how raise her ire and have her wake up to argue with him. Maybe slap him. Slapping would be acceptable. "Taylor Townsend, being all selfish and getting knocked out when I had you covered up just so I'd have to carry your sorry ass while I'm standing here bleeding to death. You should be carrying me, Townsend." He watched her for any sign of movement as his feet began to stumble.

Nothing.

Ryan's frustration level went through the roof and wanted to yell at her, shake her, make her wake up, even though he knew it was stupid and impossible. Didn't make it any less appealing. After two more steps, his legs gave way, and he found himself collapsing to one knee. He held her tighter so he wouldn't drop her and hurt her more as he felt his legs completely give way. That was it. He'd lost too much blood himself. He couldn't make his legs move anymore.

Wanting to kick himself for being weak, he grabbed Taylor's wrist and began checking again for a pulse. To him, it didn't feel as strong as it had the first time. Quickly, he took out his cell, praying for service. He struggled to catch his breath as he saw a few bars on the display, indicating he had a signal.

At first, he tried to call 9-1-1. However, everyone else in the area must have had the same idea since all he got in return was a busy signal. Disgusted, he clicked END and dialed again.

Busy.

"Dammit!" he seethed through clinched teeth. He looked back down at Taylor who by that time was paper pale, and he knew that he probably didn't look much better himself.

He took a second, a short moment, to clutch the phone in his hand and hit his forehead with frustration. This was so wrong. This was California. Millions of people. And no one had passed them, and no one had offered help. And they were going to die in the middle of the street from a little bump on the head and a glass splinter.

After his very brief mental break, he calmed himself and decided to dial Seth, hoping he wasn't hurt and could somehow get to him. A small amount of relief washed over him at the sound of his voice. "Ryan?"

"Yeah, Seth it's me. Listen, where are you?" Man, he knew his voice sounded bad.

"Well, Summer and I were on our way to her house with Taylor's presents. A red light busted the windshield and a street light crashed down--"

"Can you drive?" he cut him off, his voice pained and panting no matter how hard he tried to cover it up.

"Yeah, yeah. The car's drive-able. I'll just have to drive like a dog with my head hanging out of the window."

"Look man, Taylor's hurt. I need you to get here as fast as you can to take us to the hospital."

"Us? You ok--"

"She's bleeding really bad." he cut him off, not wanting to get into details. "Hurry up. She's not got a lot of time." He then explained about his vehicle being destroyed, where they were, then shut off his phone. His body wanted him to just lie down next to Taylor and wait for Seth to get there. His mind wanted him to get up and carry Taylor to meet the jeep so they would be that much closer to the hospital.

His body won out and he collapsed next to Taylor in the middle of the apparently untraveled road. He lay there, looking at the night sky, feeling like a total and complete jackass. Come on Atwood. Get up you pussy! She needs you.

Ryan sighed heavily, willed himself to sit up, and when the earth stopped spinning, he stood, and picked Taylor up again. This time he turned her the opposite way, her head was lying across his right arm. He thought at least maybe that would give his back a little relief.

It didn't.

With nothing else to do, he talked to Taylor. "I figured you'd be awake by now. I mean, it wasn't even that big of a hit to the head. I mean, you know, my back. Major injury. You are just milking this, you know. You aren't going to let a little ding on the head do you in, are you? I expected more from Veronica Townsend's daughter."

He stopped few a few beats to catch his breath, and then went on walking and talking. "We're, well I'm, going to keep walking. We are going to get to Seth and Summer, and we'll get you help. Just hold on for me, ok?"

It was getting harder to walk as his legs were becoming increasingly numb. He knew that was a bad thing, but he couldn't dwell on it.

The sight of familiar headlights made him close his eyes and sigh, happy that his walk was just about over. Seth pulled up beside of him, jumped out and helped Ryan get Taylor in the backseat. Summer was busy throwing boxes of Taylor's birthday presents out onto the street. She told herself that she'd come back later and get them. That Taylor probably wouldn't mind. When she got all of the boxes out of the way, Summer went back to sit shotgun. "Oh God!" she gasped when she saw how bad Taylor looked. "Is she--"

"She's fine." Ryan; tired, hurt, and scared; snapped. "We've gotta go."

Seth was standing behind Ryan as he crawled into the backseat with Taylor. He just so happened to look down and see something glistening in the moonlight. Upon closer inspection, he realized that it was blood, and something sharp sticking out through his shirt. "Ryan, what did you--"

"Doesn't matter." he looked back at him, his eyes big and full of many things Seth couldn't imagine. "Come on Seth. Drive!"

Seth shut the door once he was sure Ryan was inside and ran to the driver's side door. In the backseat, Ryan positioned Taylor so her head was lying in his lap. He reached out to stroke her cheek, and then hesitated. If he touched it, and it was cold, he'd lose it right then and there. Reaching back out to touch her, he decided he didn't care.

Seth took off back toward the hospital, his emergency lights flashing brightly. Summer used the passenger mirror on the sun visor to look behind her. What she saw broke her heart. Ryan had shifted Taylor up in his arms, and he was gently kissing her forehead and whispering something in her ear. She watched as he carefully ran his fingers down her neck and stopped to check her pulse. Her own heart skipped a beat as she saw Ryan's reaction. And a tear flow down his cheek.