DAY 4 – Part 2: BOTTLED UP
EVENING – POOL HOUSE
"Oh my God! - Summer exclaimed while the dust started to settle – Cohen, are you ok?"
Seth turned towards her, shaking off some dust from his hair: "Yeah...you?"
"I think so."
"Ryan? - Seth asked loudly.
"I'm here! - a voice yelled from another part of the room – You two are fine?"
" Yes – Seth replied while helping Summer getting up from the floor – Here, you can stand up now, Sum"
"Oh my God!", she screamed.
"Let me just move that – Seth continued, ignoring her.
"Oh my God!", she insisted.
"What?"
"Turn around, Cohen! Or better...don't turn around."
"What's going on?", Seth stood up and turned around just to see the open ceiling and broken wooden boards and piles of debris everywhere. "Oh... who's gonna tell mum now?"
In the meanwhile, Ryan joined them, after getting up and crossing the room.
"Ryan! - Summer yelled – You OK?"
Ryan touched his back and then looked at the destroyed part of the pool house, "Damn..."
"Ok, let's get out of here!", she said.
"Ehm, there's a little problem – Ryan mumbled.
"What?"
"Doors and windows...behind that", he continued pointing a mountain of debris and broken boards.
"We're trapped! Perfect", Seth intervened.
"Well, there's got to be an emergency exit in this place!", Summer continued.
"Summer, this is a home, not a theater", Seth explained.
In the meantime, Ryan touched his back again and noticed that his hand was full of blood.
"Well – Summer continued – at least they could've thought of putting an extra exit in case the first one was blocked!"
"You mean in case half of the ceiling crashed, blocking the whole two sides of the house made of glass doors? Yeah, how reckless those architects! - Seth answered sarcastically – Oh my God, I already feel we're gonna run out of oxygen, gasping and chocking to death..."
"Seth!", Ryan interrupted him.
"Don't you feel like we're low of air? - he coughed – What a cruel ending! - he coughed again – I need a paper bag to breath."
"Seth, if you didn't notice, half of the ceiling crashed down, there is more air here than in the whole house!"
"Air is never too much, Ryan! Can you pass me that paper bag on the chair?"
"Come on, Cohen, now you're overreacting!", Summer stepped in.
"If you didn't drag me in here, at this time I would already be safe and sound in the garden! ", Seth picked up the bag himself and started breathing in it.
"So now it's my fault if an earthquake happened?"
"Guys...", Ryan tried to stopped them.
"No, but it's your fault if I'm stuck in here!"
"I think I'm...I'm gonna go to the bathroom...if there is still one", Ryan mumbled, holding his back again and walking away.
"You're pathetic, Cohen!", Summer yelled.
"Don't yell, you consume more oxygen!"
"Do you think that even trying to call 911 I would consume more oxygen?"
"Nope, that's indeed a good idea. I try this, you try your mobile...Where is Ryan?"
"I think he's in the bathroom – Then, at the phone – Hello?"
In the meantime, Ryan reached the bathroom among broken stuff and, looking at what remained of the mirror, observed his wound, covered in blood. Then, he took a towel and put it under his shirt. Getting out, he picked up a jacket and put it on.
Back in the POOL HOUSE MAIN ROOM.
Summer noticed Ryan getting back in.
"Mobile phones don't work, maybe some cell has fallen too", she explained.
"And what about the landline?"
"You mean that?", Seth pointed at a smashed phone under some roof tiles, while still breathing in the paper bag.
"Ok, let's stay calm. We need to free that exit", Ryan said.
"And how exactly do think of doing it?", Summer asked.
"You got a better idea? - seeing no response – Yeah, I imagined. We can start moving out those planks to get closer to the other side of the room and then we can remove those piles of tiles and those other debris to get outside..."
"I'm not sure I get it but ok...Cohen? Are you with us? Do you want to get up and help us or breathing in that bag is already too complicated for you?"
Seth put down the bag. " Let me understand, you are asking me to do something that requires a physical effort and weight lifting? To me, Seth Cohen?"
"Look, Seth – Ryan replied – I know that's the last thing I should ask you, but I can't do it by myself. We need to get out of here as soon as possible, so any help is needed."
"Wait, you said that we wouldn't run out of air, so maybe we could just wait in here until the phone lines would be available again and we can ask for real help. I think there is food in kitchen."
"Yeah, but...an aftershock can happen anytime and, seeing how that side of the house handled it, I don't wanna be here to see how this side will react a second time."
"Look, Ryan, I'm gonna help you instead, ok?- Summer intervened – Surely I will be stronger than that wimpy on the bed! What do you want me to do?"
"No, no, no, Summer – Seth got up suddenly - I would never let a girl do the hard work, that's for strong men with pumped biceps, who secrete virility from every pore and go fiercely towards the danger-
"Before or after having breathed gasping in a paper bag?", Summer asked with a smirk.
"Ouch, that's a low punch..."
"Come on, guys, can we move on? - Ryan was starting to lose his patience – It takes an hour for you two to handle every little discussion!"
"Hey, calm down, ok? – Seth said – I'm coming."
"Ok... we can start from those planks."
Ryan and Seth walked towards the fallen planks.
"Uhm, hey Ryan, now that Seth is helping you, what else can I do?", Summer asked.
"Definitely asking for a kiss is not recommended, Ryan", Seth sarcastically added.
Both Ryan and Summer shot a glare at him. Then, Ryan focused back on her question.
"I think you could look for something that could help us clearing out the passage or breaking this stuff in the way to move it more easily."
"Like an excavator or a bulldozer...I think we should have it in the garage", Seth added.
"Very funny, Cohen, I'm gonna look for a shovel."
Seth stopped her: "Uhm...I don't wanna ruin your plan, but my family is not exactly made of great treasure hunters, plus, as you know, the pair California-snow is not really common and-
"You mean you don't have it?"
"Yeah, I was getting there."
"Ok, I will look for something else."
"Good, be creative! – Ryan intervened, while Summer headed away – Seth, can we go on?"
Seth nodded and they begun moving away some debris.
"I thought this stuff was heavier!", Seth exclaimed after a while.
"Of course, I'm the one who's lifting the heavier ones, you're just moving away some small pieces!"
"It's not my fault if Mother Nature didn't provide me with huge muscled biceps..."
In that moment Summer came back.
"Look what I've found!", she exclaimed proudly, showing a broom.
Both Seth and Ryan gave her a confused look.
"When we said that we need to clear out the room we didn't mean to clean it from the dust", Seth explained.
"It's the closest thing to a shovel that I've found!"
"I didn't know you were so creative, maybe you should go to art school instead of me..."
"Look, guys – Ryan interrupted – It could still be useful. Anything else?"
"I've also found this", she showed them a hammer.
"A hammer! Thanks, but I think I'm gonna give vent to my rage towards Ryan later, we kinda need him right now, you know"
"And that's why I'm gonna give it to him. Here - she handed over the hammer, giving him a closer look – Hey, Ryan, why are you wearing the jacket? You're soaked in sweat..."
"Well, I'm...cold...Do you mind looking for something else?"
"Sure! I loved rummaging in Cohen's house!", she said, walking away again.
"All right, Seth, try to move out that stuff while I break these boards to lift them more easily, OK?"
"Got it."
After a while, Ryan stopped and leaned on the kitchen counter.
"You OK?", Seth asked, noticing it.
"I'm-
In that moment Summer got back yelling.
"Look what I've found!"
"Let's see", Seth asked, focusing back on her.
"A dustpan!"
"Is the one of the broom you gave us before?"
"Yes! Isn't it great?"
"Yeah, Sum, you did good..."
"Ok! I go back on mission!"
She left again.
"You know that with that thing we won't be able to move anything larger than a coin?", Ryan asked to Seth.
"Yeah, but she was so happy, I didn't want to tell her it was completely useless."
"Ok, listen, do you mind if we switch places and you hammer for a bit while I remove the broken pieces?"
"Uhm...ok"
"Just for a second so I can rest my arm."
"Sure, but I don't guarantee any result."
They switched places and Seth begun hammering.
"Is it ok like this?", he asked Ryan.
"Yeah, maybe even with a little more strength."
"No problem."
Seth hit hard and the hammer dropped from his hand to the floor. Hearing the noise, Summer immediately came back.
"Damn, Cohen!"
"It almost fell on my foot..."
"Yeah, be careful that we already have enough problems...", Ryan added.
Seth bent over to pick up the hammer. While down there, he noticed a couple of blood drops on the floor.
"Summer, could you bring me a glass of water, please? I got sore throat.", Seth asked.
"I imagine, it's an hour that you're speaking continuously...You too, Ryan?"
"Yes, please."
Summer walked away towards the little kitchen in the pool house.
"Ryan, what do you think is this?", Seth asked pointing at the blood drops, beginning to worry.
Ryan got closer and took a look at the floor: "Listen-
"Why are you wearing the jacket? Is there something I should know?"
In that moment Summer got back.
"Water on the way! Here", she handled a glass to Seth.
"Wait, mine is sparkling, right?"
"No, Cohen, there's only tap water."
"No, no, I'm sure there is also sparkling water, could you go back and check?"
Summer sighed: "Ok..."
"Thank you", Seth said sending her a kiss, then getting back to Ryan: "So where were we? Ah...what's going on? 'Cause I'm starting to get a little anxious..."
"Ok, I'll tell you, but you've got to promise me that you will stay calm."
"Calm? I am absolutely calm, don't you see it? Plus, there is nothing I should worry about, right?"
Ryan lifted up his shirt and showed him the wound. "Is not that bad, right?"
Seth remained speechless for a moment.
"It is bad! Why didn't you tell us before?"
"Oh come on, Seth, if I recall correctly you were on the bed gasping in paper bag, while Summer continued to yell "Oh my God", how do you think you would have handled this too?"
"Well, instead discovering it now, after an hour that you're loosing blood, should make me feel better, right? Good call, after all you're not new hiding things from me..."
"Seth..."
At that point Summer got back again.
"There is no sparkling water, you either drink this or die of thirst!"
"All right, I'll drink this, but did you put ice in it?
"Cohen!"
"No, because your man is working so hard to save you and you don't even put an ice cube for him?"
"Listen, I'm loosing my patience, ok?"
"Me and Ryan have to finish a discussion!"
"What discu- oh that discussion...Ok, I go and get some ice!"
"Thanks."
She went away again.
"So – Seth begun speaking – There should be something we can do."
"What we were already doing it, we've got to get out of here."
"And what about Summer? She needs to know it too."
"It's not necessary."
"Sure it is, you can't ask me to stay here with this weight on my chest and pretending everything is fine with her."
"The weight on your chest for me is a four inches wound on my back, so maybe you're not so unlucky."
"Right...I'm sorry, I'm not very good at this."
"I kind noticed it."
"Ok. Summer! Come here!", Seth yelled across the room.
After a few moments she came back.
"So, you and Ryan have finished talking? Are the three of us good again?"
"Actually I call you for another reason. You got a promotion!"
"What?"
"Yeah, considering your merits as a tool hunter and careful waitress, you now have the right to help us on the front line, freeing the exit."
"Oh, what an honor..."
"Ok, take Ryan's place while he's gonna sit there and be the supervisor."
"Seth, it's not necessary", Ryan whispered to him.
"Yes, it is, come on", Seth dragged Ryan towards a chair and made him sit.
While they were closer, Ryan whispered to him again: "Seth, really, if I sit, I don't know if I could get up again later."
"Don't worry, everything is under control - while saying so, a few steps away from them, Summer smashed some tiles and pieces of them flied everywhere – Or almost everything..."
"All right, thanks man."
"In half an hour at most we'll be out of here, I promise", Seth added, trying to look confident.
"Don't make promises that you can't keep."
A little less convinced, Seth got back to Summer while Ryan finally could rest a bit.