A Brand New Day
Keep running! Don't look back! Never stop! Don't get comfortable; nothing lasts forever. You'll be left alone, like you always are. Don't stop!
Summer winced as the cold harsh words reverberated in the blank white prison of her subconscious.
Don't stop! He'll leave you too...
The final echo of those words drove her from her restless sleep with a start, like a push into a bottomless pit. Despite her ferocious attempts to do so, Summer couldn't move. Something was holding her back.
Daring a peek, she forced her eyes open, one at a time, and was met with more sterile white. All the stacks of Sports Illustrated, all of the worn children's toys, and even the pale pink curtains that dressed the windows of the waiting room for the I.C.U couldn't sway Summer into believing that anyone in that hospital really cared.
For the moment they had someone on the table, those doctors may feign concern, but there had been many more before and there would be many more to come. Patients were nothing more than paychecks in this town. Frankly, the fact that her friend's life was in the hands of these people scared the hell out of her.
Her sharp brown eyes, alive and sparkling with awareness, carefully scanned the perimeter of the room. A woman was crying in the far corner, gripping a worn baseball cap as a nurse brought her a clipboard, brimming with papers to be signed. A few seats over, an elderly couple sat in silence, holding each other's hands.
And then there was Marissa's half of the room. Ryan was doing what he did best, brooding silently and staring off into space. Mrs. Cooper was yelling at her lawyer on her cell phone, trying to forget that her husband was in the general vicinity. Marissa's dad was devastated. All he could do was sit in the uncomfortable chair he had been given with his head in his hands, probably blaming himself. Sandy and Kirsten Cohen looked stricken, but at least they had each other. Every once in a while, they would squeeze each other's hand or give a reassuring smile. It was comforting to see that not all couples in Newport were complete messes.
That still left one person. Her gaze continued to wander until it fell upon her captor. Seth Cohen appeared to be sleeping soundly, and she quietly watched him as his head shifted or his nose twitched. She felt his chest beneath her, rising and falling with each slow, even breath. He looked so peaceful, so innocent, so-
"So, do I pass inspection, or what?" he asked with a boyish grin and a warm chuckle, only opening one eye fully to peek out at Summer. He knew she'd shoot back with something, she always did. Even if she was pissed at him, at least the issue of Marissa would go away for a while.
Like a dead salmon, but an adorable dead salmon, her mouth widened in horror as she pulled free of his grasp. "You're despicable, you know that?" Summer said, punctuating her strong words with periodic jabs at his chest with her pointer finger.
"Oh, Summer! Don't taunt me with such flowery compliments for you will surely spoil me," Seth replied, coolly with a smile, pulling his body upright in the waiting room chair.
Hands on her hips and one foot tapping steadily on the linoleum floor to keep her from strangling him, she replied, "Too late for that, Cohen!"
Seth looked at her in profound disbelief. "Look who's talking!" he retorted, extremely proud of his comeback, until he saw her wince.
Well, he'd done it again. Summer could handle practically any insult with grace, but Cohen's spoiled rich girl cracks always managed to get to her. He made her feel so low, when all she wanted to do was impress him.
Shaking her head, she recovered quickly. "'You started it! No you did!' Good God, I feel like I'm talking to a nine year-old!" Turning on her heel, she stormed off to the opposite side of the room to the elevator, muttering something about going to the cafeteria to the adults in the room.
"Summer," Seth called, following her to the elevator, "Summer, I'm sorry. I didn't mean what I said." The doors opened and she quickly stepped inside, blocking his entrance and refusing to meet his eyes, brimming with concern. "It came out before I realized that-," at that moment the elevator closed, leaving Seth alone, in a room full of people, to suffer with guilt for the second time that evening. "I'm just sorry."
* * * *
Keep running! Don't look back! Never stop! Don't get comfortable; nothing lasts forever. You'll be left alone, like you always are. Don't stop!
Summer winced as the cold harsh words reverberated in the blank white prison of her subconscious.
Don't stop! He'll leave you too...
The final echo of those words drove her from her restless sleep with a start, like a push into a bottomless pit. Despite her ferocious attempts to do so, Summer couldn't move. Something was holding her back.
Daring a peek, she forced her eyes open, one at a time, and was met with more sterile white. All the stacks of Sports Illustrated, all of the worn children's toys, and even the pale pink curtains that dressed the windows of the waiting room for the I.C.U couldn't sway Summer into believing that anyone in that hospital really cared.
For the moment they had someone on the table, those doctors may feign concern, but there had been many more before and there would be many more to come. Patients were nothing more than paychecks in this town. Frankly, the fact that her friend's life was in the hands of these people scared the hell out of her.
Her sharp brown eyes, alive and sparkling with awareness, carefully scanned the perimeter of the room. A woman was crying in the far corner, gripping a worn baseball cap as a nurse brought her a clipboard, brimming with papers to be signed. A few seats over, an elderly couple sat in silence, holding each other's hands.
And then there was Marissa's half of the room. Ryan was doing what he did best, brooding silently and staring off into space. Mrs. Cooper was yelling at her lawyer on her cell phone, trying to forget that her husband was in the general vicinity. Marissa's dad was devastated. All he could do was sit in the uncomfortable chair he had been given with his head in his hands, probably blaming himself. Sandy and Kirsten Cohen looked stricken, but at least they had each other. Every once in a while, they would squeeze each other's hand or give a reassuring smile. It was comforting to see that not all couples in Newport were complete messes.
That still left one person. Her gaze continued to wander until it fell upon her captor. Seth Cohen appeared to be sleeping soundly, and she quietly watched him as his head shifted or his nose twitched. She felt his chest beneath her, rising and falling with each slow, even breath. He looked so peaceful, so innocent, so-
"So, do I pass inspection, or what?" he asked with a boyish grin and a warm chuckle, only opening one eye fully to peek out at Summer. He knew she'd shoot back with something, she always did. Even if she was pissed at him, at least the issue of Marissa would go away for a while.
Like a dead salmon, but an adorable dead salmon, her mouth widened in horror as she pulled free of his grasp. "You're despicable, you know that?" Summer said, punctuating her strong words with periodic jabs at his chest with her pointer finger.
"Oh, Summer! Don't taunt me with such flowery compliments for you will surely spoil me," Seth replied, coolly with a smile, pulling his body upright in the waiting room chair.
Hands on her hips and one foot tapping steadily on the linoleum floor to keep her from strangling him, she replied, "Too late for that, Cohen!"
Seth looked at her in profound disbelief. "Look who's talking!" he retorted, extremely proud of his comeback, until he saw her wince.
Well, he'd done it again. Summer could handle practically any insult with grace, but Cohen's spoiled rich girl cracks always managed to get to her. He made her feel so low, when all she wanted to do was impress him.
Shaking her head, she recovered quickly. "'You started it! No you did!' Good God, I feel like I'm talking to a nine year-old!" Turning on her heel, she stormed off to the opposite side of the room to the elevator, muttering something about going to the cafeteria to the adults in the room.
"Summer," Seth called, following her to the elevator, "Summer, I'm sorry. I didn't mean what I said." The doors opened and she quickly stepped inside, blocking his entrance and refusing to meet his eyes, brimming with concern. "It came out before I realized that-," at that moment the elevator closed, leaving Seth alone, in a room full of people, to suffer with guilt for the second time that evening. "I'm just sorry."
* * * *