Chapter Thirteen

Living on a Prayer

When Seth returned to Marissa's hospital room, he was dejected, worried and alone. All of these things Ryan picked up on as soon as his friend entered the room. "What happened to Summer, man?" He questioned and Marissa looked over at the boy as well. Summer was her best friend and she was more confused about what was going on with the girl then she was actually worried about her; she was stuck in a hospital bed, there wasn't a whole lot she could do anyway.

"Her dad came and picked her up." Seth answered. Jimmy and Julie were focused on him as well, though Julie looked more bored then anything else, still imagining the romantic lunch Caleb would whisk her away to. "I can't help but feel like he's keeping something from me."

"What would Summer's dad be hiding from you?" Marissa questioned.

For the first time since they had known each other, Julie and Jimmy shared a look that said that they were thinking the same thing; they both knew in the bottom of their hearts just what Ian Roberts, and Summer in turn, was hiding from the kids but it wasn't their place to actually say something. If Ian wanted to share the fate of his wife and Summer wanted to tell Seth what had happened to her mother all those years before then they were welcome to it but the once married Coopers were going to keep their mouths shut until that time rolled around.

Seth dropped down into a chair beside Ryan and sighed, burying his face in his hands in a moment of complete hopelessness. "I wish there was something I could do, you know? Something to let her know that everything's going to be all right."

Marissa nodded and Ryan knew that she understood the desire to be reassured that things were going to turn out all right, no matter how dark the night seemed at the time. He took her hand again and kissed her knuckles, smiling at the girl that he loved; he was trying his hardest to assure Marissa that there was light at the end of the tunnel and the night always gave way to the morning. But sometimes, those things could only be understood once they had happened.

While Kirsten wrapped everyone's sandwiches in foil, Hailey headed up to her sister's bathroom to do her best to conceal the bruises and bumps on her face. Looking at herself in the mirror, she wasn't impressed; she was staring at the face of a woman that had given up, that had just curled into a ball and let things happen to her. Was that the woman that she had become in Los Angles? Hailey didn't really want to know.

Hailey reached out with her fingers and touched the reflection of her face, her fingers playing upon her swollen eye and split lip. "You're an idiot, you know that right?" She told the face in the mirror. "How could you let him do those things to do?" Her reflection offered no answer and she couldn't supply one for herself.

With a sigh, Hailey resumed her search for a miracle cover-up

but she doubted that anything her sister had would work the wonders that she needed. Kirsten had never had to conceal a black eye and a bruised cheek; she bought her concealer for dinner parties, no to hide beatings.

As she searched, she wondered if she was going to run into Jimmy at the hospital. It seemed highly likely, since his daughter was the one in the hospital and Hailey wasn't quite sure if she was looking forward to the meeting. What was she going to say to him? How was she going to explain why she had left and what had happened to her in those months since she had been gone? What was he going to say when he saw her?

Hailey finally uncovered a bottle of concealer from Kirsten's college days when she had flirted with becoming a thespian; stage makeup was always so much thicker and stronger then regular makeup. Though she had been applying makeup all her life, it still took her a good twenty minutes to get the concealer to do exactly what she wanted but when she was finally finished, Hailey was proud of the final result. You couldn't even see the bruises on her cheeks, her eye could pass from being puffy from exhaustion and the lip wasn't that noticeable. She just had to remember not to bite down on her lip, something she always did when she was nervous. And the thought of seeing Jimmy again was making her plenty nervous.

Doing a last check, Hailey finally slunk away from the mirror and heading back downstairs. Kirsten and Sandy were waiting for her in the living room; Kirsten actually did a double take when she saw her sister. "Hailey, you look like a new person." She pointed out. "I guess my makeup isn't as cheap as I thought."

Hailey didn't say anything and silently helped Kirsten carrying everyone's lunch out to the SUV. She noticed that one of the sandwiches was a peanut butter and banana one, which happened to be Jimmy's favorite; so there was no getting out of it now, she was going to be seeing him at the hospital.

The ride back to the hospital was taken in silence, just as most of the rides seemed to go, with everyone too deep in their own thoughts to even fake conversations. Kirsten found herself thinking of Hailey, which was too be expected, but what wasn't expected was that she was thinking about her sister and Jimmy, instead of who had hit Hailey wherever she had been. She supposed it was just a natural, big sister thing but she was more protective over Jimmy then her own sister. Kirsten knew that Jimmy was a good guy, she'd known this for most of her life and that was why she didn't want Hailey to come blowing in, get his hopes up and tear them down again when she blew back out of town.

Kirsten thought about asking Hailey just what her plans were but when she turned around to face her sister, she saw the lost look in the girl's eyes that silenced her words. Hailey was staring down at her feet, eyes round with thought and sorrow and Kirsten couldn't believe she had ever thought that her sister was anything but a good person. So what if she couldn't stay in one place for very long, her sister needed her right now and how was she helping her? By worrying more about Jimmy's feelings, that's how. She reached out and put a hand on Hailey's knee, startling the girl. "Are you all right, Hailey?" Kirsten asked, face creased with worry.

"Sure." Hailey assured her, sounding almost just like Summer to Kirsten at that moment. "Or at least, I will be now." Now that I'm home, Hailey thought but didn't say. It still amazed her how quickly she had begun to think of New Port as home, even though she hadn't been there for an hour.

Maybe that was just a sign that things would be all right.

"I really think I should try and cheer up Summer." Seth was saying. Julie rolled her eyes; she was sick and tired of hearing about Summer. If Seth was so worried about her, couldn't he just keep his mouth shut about it? Maybe that was what had driven the girl crazy in the first place, his never ending mouth. "You know, just to let her know that I'm here for her."

Julie rubbed her temples and sighed; how did Kirsten and Sandy put up with this kid? "Just send her a card." She grumbled. "Or better yet, get out of here and call her on the phone. But for God's sake, just shut up about it."

Jimmy frowned in her direction. "You'll have to forgive Julie, Seth." He said. "She's not used to dealing with things that take emotion and sensitivity." Julie glared at him and Marissa cracked a smile.

"You'll think of something, Seth, it's what you do." Ryan pointed out. "You make people laugh." Seth actually smiled at this comment; he was proud of that fact, proud to be the one to always make someone smile. If only he could make Summer smile now.

Marissa laid back against the pile of pillows that were keeping her from laying flat on her back and thought about Summer. She had seen her friend's eyes, had seen how confused she had looked, how utterly lifeless and lost. It was going to take more then a joke, even told by Seth Cohen, to get her to smile again. And the idea came to her so suddenly that she was surprised a little light bulb didn't ding above her head.

"Seth, do you know what Summer's favorite movie is?" Marissa questioned and both of the boys looked in her direction. Ryan raised an eyebrow; it seemed like a very random question but he could tell that she was going somewhere with this.

Seth didn't even have to think about his answer; he'd been in love with Summer since kindergarten after all, he should know her favorite movie. "Say Anything. Why?" Marissa asked him then what her favorite part was and Seth was finally beginning to see the purpose in this impromptu game of 20 Questions. "The part when John Cusack holds the stereo above his head in front of that girl's bedroom."

Julie looked at her daughter. "Marissa, honey, what are you babbling about?" She questioned, unable to see where this whole exchange was going.

"You'll see, Mother." Marissa answered curtly. "Just one more question, Seth, who's Summer's favorite singer?"

Seth thought for a minute; Summer was a typical woman, always changing her mind, and music was something she was very fickle about. One minute it was Evanescence, then it was Greenday. "Oh, Jon Bon Jovi." He said, remembering when they were in the fourth grade and Summer had sworn that she would marry Jon Bon Jovi one day. Sure it had been the fourth grade but she had never said that about any other singers.

Marissa actually looked impressed. "So, I think you see where I'm going with this." She smiled, hoping that Seth was on the same mind link. If anything could get Summer out of the doldrums she had fallen into, it would be Seth Cohen, imitating her favorite movie playing her favorite singer.

"I don't." Ryan said, looking from his girlfriend to his "brother." "Would one of you care to explain this brilliant plan?"

Marissa rolled her eyes. "Men have no imagination." She remarked. "Seth stands outside Summer's bedroom, playing Jon Bon Jovi, just like in Say Anything. At least it'll be hilariously romantic."

Ryan raised an eyebrow. "Did you just say hilariously romantic?" He questioned. "You sound like a bad movie critic." Marissa wrinkled her nose and playfully swatted at him.

A slight smile also tugged up the corners of Jimmy's lips; seeing Marissa actually smiling and joking with her friends was proof to him that things were going to be all right after all. All he had to do was look at the sparkle in his daughter's eyes to know that.

"That's great Marissa, but there's just one problem." Seth pointed out, causing Marissa and Ryan to look over at him again. "I don't have anyway to get to Summer's house."

That was something Marissa hadn't thought of. "I'm sure your parents will be back soon." Ryan said and Seth hoped so. Every second Summer spent in her current state was a second she should be spending with he friends, being happy and her old self. Seth hoped that Marissa's idea was enough to make Summer realize how much he cared and helped her remember how to smile.

Jimmy was about to offer to drive him to Summer's when Sandy walked into the room with Kirsten close behind. Seth looked over at his parents. "Oh good, okay, glad you're back, let's go to Summers." He said quickly, standing up.

Kirsten opened her mouth to say something but her words were drowned out by yelling in the hallway. "You run that cart into me and I'll make sure you're in the hospital!" Kirsten rolled her eyes and Jimmy felt his heart begin to beat a little faster. He knew that voice, there was no mistaking who had spoken.

Seconds later, Hailey entered the room, arms carrying the foil covered sandwiches. "Those women have no business being nurses." She grumbled, more to herself and noticed that the room seemed to have gone very quiet. She looked up and saw Jimmy staring at her and almost felt weak in the knees; why was it that her sister's ex boyfriend was the only person that could make her feel like a pre-pubescent girl again?

Jimmy stared a Hailey and suddenly his surprise passed and a smile spread across his face. "Hailey, it's great to see you." He wanted to walk up to her and give her a hug (and maybe a kiss for good measure); he wanted to say much more to her but he couldn't find the words to describe what he was feeling at that moment.

At the sight of Hailey, Julie narrowed her eyes and felt her headache return ten times worse. This was just what she needed right now. "So, the fact that you're back in New Port can only mean one thing." She began and the youngest Nichol girl looked in her direction. "That being a slut didn't work out and you're poor as usual."

"I see that you haven't changed, Julie, still a cold bitch." Hailey retorted evenly. "But I don't see daddy dearest around, so you must have dropped slut from your résumé."

Julie took a step toward Hailey, and Jimmy put a hand on her shoulder to keep her from going any further. Ryan looked between the two women and wondered if one of them was going to end up in the hospital as well before the day was through. "So, Seth, about that Summer thing." He prodded, quickly intervening before Hailey or Julie could open their mouths again.

"Oh right," Seth turned to look at his mother again. "I need a ride to Summer's house."

"We were just at Summer's house." Kirsten pointed, watching her sister as though trying to gauge her reactions to both Julie and Jimmy. Whenever Hailey was around Jimmy, Julie was the wife she had never been when they had actually been married and she was sure that the ex Mrs. Copper wouldn't hesitate to give Hailey another black eye to match the one she already had.

Seth sighed. "I know, but there's just something I've got to do." He explained. "Actually, just drop me off at home and I'll walk to Summer's."

"I'll drive you Seth." Hailey offered, though she wasn't quite sure why. She had wanted to become reacquainted with Jimmy and visit Marissa (of course) but here she was, deciding to leave seconds after she had gotten there.

Julie actually looked triumphant upon hearing her words and Hailey wanted to slap the woman. Perhaps she would when she got back. Seth stood up and heading toward the door. "Thanks, Aunt Hailey." He was so eager to get to Summer's that he was already walking down the hallway, toward the elevator.

Hailey got the car keys from Sandy and turned in Jimmy's direction. "See you soon." She said, adding a slight smile for Julie's benefit, before following her nephew to the elevators.

Jimmy cleared his throat after the woman had gone. "So, Hailey's back in town." He mused.

Julie narrowed her eyes. "Down boy." She muttered and he shot her a look that suggested he was too pleased with her words.

It was Kirsten's turn to clear her throat. "Do you think we can try and be civil around the kids?" She gestured toward Ryan and Marissa.

"No, don't be civil on our account." Marissa assured them and Ryan smiled at her words. He knew what it was like to love and hate your mother at the same time.

Julie looked at her daughter but didn't say anything. She figured it was simply the pain killers talking.

"So, what do you have to do that's so important?" Hailey questioned as she piloted the Cohens bulky SUV out of the parking lot and down the street. She had just spoken to make conversation and really hoped that Seth would keep his answer short; she was too busy thinking about why she had agreed to drive her nephew to his girlfriend's. A part of her wondered if she had agreed because she wasn't ready to face Jimmy yet. Whoa, don't get too deep on me, Hailey, she thought to herself. But was it true?

"Just something for Summer." Seth answered, for once not his usual talkative self. "The doctor says that she's got Post Traumatic Stress."

Hailey frowned; things in New Port had definitely changed since the last time she had been in town. "She finally your girlfriend then?" She asked, trying to lighten the subject a little. Ever since Seth had been little, he had been telling her about how he was going to marry Summer Roberts but Summer had always ignored her nephew.

"It's hard to explain." Seth said and that was all he had to say on the subject.

Once Hailey had pulled into the driveway of the Cohen household, Seth turned to her and said, "I can just walk to Summer's, you can get back to the hospital and see Marissa's dad." A slight smile spread across his face.

Hailey was actually shocked by his words. "What makes you think I came here to see Jimmy?" She asked, wondering if everyone in New Port knew how she felt about Jimmy Cooper.

Seth just smiled, shutting the door before Hailey could attempt to force an answer out of him. With a sigh, Hailey shook her head, put the SUV into reverse and started the journey back to the Lakeview Hospital. If all of New Port really did know how she felt about Jimmy, then maybe they could clue her in because she wasn't quite sure what to make of the feelings swimming around her head; sure, she liked Jimmy a lot but she couldn't even think about having a relationship now. Not so soon after...after she had left L.A.

Once she managed to start sorting her life out again, maybe she'd be able to have a real relationship for the first time in her life. Hailey smiled at that thought; she'd definitely want it to be with Jimmy Cooper.

Seth unplugged his stereo from his room and made sure that there were batteries inside since he figured he wouldn't be able to plug it in. Finding a Jon Bon Jovi CD, however, was a little more difficult; he had never really cared for 80's music or anything that wasn't emo but luckily, his father had one Bon Jovi CD. Looking at the back of the CD case, Seth realized that he didn't know what song to play; what was Summer's favorite? Finally, he picked a song that his mom had sung to him when he was younger, the only Bon Jovi song he roughly knew the words to.

The stereo was a lot heavier then he had intended and Seth wished he had asked Hailey to stick around long enough to give him a ride. But somehow, he managed to lug the CD a block and a half over to Summer's house. Ian Roberts' car was sitting in the driveway and he wondered if the man was going to keep him from pulling off Operation Cheer-Up Summer (which was how he had been referring to it in his head on the way over as he ran through everything he was going to do.)

With a sigh, Seth sat the stereo on the lawn and felt his muscles relax; was he going to be able to hold the CD player over his head like in the movie? He sure hoped so. Gathering his nerves, he knocked on the front door and hoped that Summer would be the one to answer.

He wasn't surprised when Ian Roberts answered the door immediately; when he saw Seth, he made no move to hide the disdain on his face. "Yes?"

Seth cleared his throat, just as he always seemed to be doing around Summer's father. "Can I talk to Summer? Please." He added the last part as an afterthought.

"No." Ian answered almost before Seth could finish his request. "She's resting." The door was slammed before another word could be said.

Seth had been anticipating this; in fact, he had almost been hoping for it. This way, he could go ahead with Marissa's idea. He headed back to where he had set the stereo in front of the second story window that looked into Summer's room. The blinds were drawn and it appeared that the lights were off but Seth doubted Summer was asleep; it looked as though she hadn't slept since Marissa and Oliver had been shot.

His chest a basket of nervous flutters, Seth turned on the stereo, picked the right song on the CD and pressed play. It was more trouble then he had first anticipated, holding the CD player above his head and he almost dropped it twice. However, he managed to hold the stereo above his head, the song beginning to blast through the speakers, filling Summer's street with the sounds of Bon Jovi. Seth just hoped that Summer would be able to hear.

Summer sat on her bed, in the dark, with her arms wrapped around her legs and her chin resting on her knees. All should get think about was going to the hospital to visit Marissa and how all the sights and smells had reminded her of waiting for news on her mother. And it wasn't Marissa she was seeing in her head, it was her mother, pale and wane, laying on a stretcher that was no longer white but crimson. All she could focus on was the lifeless look in her mother's eyes, the same look she saw when she looked in the mirror.

Suddenly, an instrumental beginning of a song started so suddenly that Summer actually jumped in surprise; the music sounded so loud and so close that she thought for a moment that it was coming from outside her window. But didn't make any sense, why would anyone be playing music out in her yard? And Bon Jovi, to be more specific. Still, Summer cocked her head with interest, looking toward the window but remaining where she was on her bed; listening to the beginning of the song -one of her favorites, "Living on a Prayer"- she forgot all about her mother for a moment.

Seth continued to watch Summer's window anxiously, hoping to see the curtains brushed back on her beautiful face appear. But the room remained dark and the window remained covered.

"We've gotta hold on to what we've got, it doesn't make a difference if we make it or not." Bon Jovi sang from the speakers and Seth knew the song was coming to the part that he knew. Maybe if he starting singing -though it really wouldn't be singing in his case, it would be more like yelling out the words- then Summer would finally come to the window. "We've got each other and that's a lot for love, we'll give it a shot!" Yes, yelling was certainly the way to describe his singing abilities.

"Oh," Seth mumbled the words following, searching his brain for the right lyrics. "Living on a prayer!"

There was still nothing from Summer's window.

Summer actually couldn't believe what she was hearing; was it possible that Seth Cohen was standing outside her window, trying to sing one of her favorite songs? It certainly sounded like his voice. She felt her heart skip a beat; had he come to cheer her up, to make her forget the nightmares that played on repeat in her head?

Because it was almost working.

From his study on the first level of the house, Ian Roberts looked up from the documents he was looking over at the sound of someone playing a song by that musician that his daughter liked but he had never really cared for. He took his glasses off his face and looked in the direction the song was coming from. What the hell was going on?

And suddenly, Ian realized that it was most certainly that Cohen brat, come to bother his daughter even more. Didn't he realize that he was the one that had gotten his daughter into the situation that had made all the memories of her mother come back? Whether he realized it or not, Ian blamed the Cohens only child for the hell his daughter was having to live through again.

And now Seth was making things worse but denying Summer the time that she needed alone, in peace, to rest and to sort things out in her head. Ian stood up, pushing his chair behind him, and started stalking toward the door.

"Gina dreams of running away," Bon Jovi explained through the speakers of Seth's CD player. His arms were getting tired and there was still no sign of Summer. "She cries in the night and Tommy whispers:" Seth knew the words to this part and shouted them completely for Summer's benefit. "Baby it's okay!"

Finally, the curtain was pushed away from the window and Summer appeared, looking down at him with a mixture of almost amusement and the same sorrowful look she always seemed to have on her face.

Summer looked down at Seth and felt tears prick her eyes; he was standing in her yard with the stereo above his head, just like in Say Anything. This was the boy that had always been in love with her, this was the boy the she had used to make life a living hell for. And this was the boy that was still in love with her, even after everything.

A smile spread across Seth's face and he sang, well more like yelled really, when you got down to it, "We've got each other and that's a lot! We'll give it a shot." A tear dropped onto Summer's cheek; Seth really did mean what he had said when he'd told her he'd always be there for her. He didn't know what she was going through, but that didn't matter to him.

Seth opened his mouth to shout out something to Summer, something that he had wanted to say to her ever since they were kids but his stopped when the front door was flung open and Ian Roberts came marching out. He didn't look very pleased.

"What do you think you're doing here?" Ian snapped, snatching the CD player out of Seth's hands and clicking it off. "Get out of my yard right now before I have you arrested for trespassing." He shoved the stereo back into Seth's hands.

"Sir, I just want to talk to Summer." Seth tried to explain, looking at the window to where Summer was still watching the whole scene unfold.

Ian took a step toward him and Seth stepped back; he didn't like the way Summer's dad looked like he was seconds away from forcefully removing him from his yard. "Leave my daughter alone, she doesn't need you bothering her all the time. Especially not now."

"Sir-" Seth was cut off when Ian took another step toward him. As he started backing off the yard, he looked up at Summer and shouted, "I love you Summer! And I'll always be here if you need me."

Ian started toward him again and Seth all but dashed off the yard, heading down the street away from Summer's house. He would have liked to think that Ian wouldn't have beaten up a sixteen-year-old boy but it hadn't looked very promising at that moment.

Summer watched him disappear, placing her hand on the glass of her window and wishing that she'd had the chance to talk to him. But her father was only doing what he thought was best for her, after all.

"Baby it's okay." Summer repeated, her voice nothing more then a whisper. "Someday."

Of course, "Living on a Prayer" belongs to Jon Bon Jovi and the scene is from Say Anything (I haven't actually seen that movie). I thought this would be a cute little Seth scene, and I hope it wasn't too random. Anyway, thanks for all the great reviews, keep 'em up.