Chapter Five
"Marissa," Kirsten stops Marissa before she can get out of the car, "I know you don't live right next door anymore but you're welcome to come over whenever you want. You don't need an invite, I'm sure Aurora would like to see you..."
Marissa gives a weak, but appreciative smile, "thanks Kirsten."
"Mom," Seth snaps once Marissa has closed her door.
"Seth," Kirsten sighs.
"You just gave Marissa free pass to come and go in my house..."
"Seth, you have to give up this grudge you have against Marissa, she had nothing to do with Ryan leaving."
"She..."
Kirsten shakes her head, "no, she had nothing to do with it no matter what kind of conclusion you would like to come to. Secondly, Ryan is going to need all the support he can get whenever we can bring him home and it'll be nice to have help with Aurora. And finally, imagine how stressful it must be to be living with Julie and your grandfather, we both know that Marissa doesn't handle stress well. I guess I'm being a good step-sister."
"First of all I'm not even touching on the good step-sister thing...and second what ever happened to being a good mother?"
"Seth, just forgive Marissa it'd be a lot easier on everyone if you would." Kirsten glances over at Seth and taking notice of the scowl on his face she chooses to ask him about Summer later.
"How's Ryan?" Julie Nichols questions when Marissa finally walks into the house.
Marissa turns to glare at her mother, "like you care."
"I do care," Julie responds. "I know how much you care about him and he's family."
"Just stop," Marissa responds. "Just stop pretending you care about me or my life, okay? I just don't want to hear it anymore." With her words on the verge of tears Marissa quickly takes the stairs up to the second floor of the sprawling house and straight into her own room.
Behind the safety of the locked door Marissa moves toward her dresser and pushing her various bathing suits around until her hands hit something cold and solid. Marissa sighs deeply, glad that she still had a bottle of alcohol in her room, but when she pulls the glass bottle out she finds that it's completely empty. "Dammit!" Marissa sends the bottle flying against her wall, the release of energy doesn't have the desired effect. With a sob Marissa sinks to the carpeted floor, pulling her knees to her chest and crying.
"Sandy Cohen?" An older doctor approaches Sandy in the ICU waiting room.
"Yes, you must be Dr. Abrams." Sandy stands to shake the doctor's hand.
He nods, "yes. I'm sure your anxious to know about Ryan's condition."
Sandy nods, "I saw him a few minutes ago but I didn't see him yesterday so I don't know if he looks better or worse..."
"He's doing much better," Dr. Abrams assures. "I've read in his charts that you are requesting that he be moved to a hospital in New Port."
Sandy nods, "we live in New Port, we'd like him to be close to home."
Dr. Abrams nods, "we are moving him out of ICU today if he shows enough progress in the morning then we can have him transferred first thing tomorrow morning."
"Really?" Sandy asks mildly surprised at how soon Ryan could be moved.
"Yes, he's a strong boy, very healthy he's recovering quickly from surgery. He'll be in the hospital awhile longer but he's very lucky, considering the fatalities resulting from the other passengers."
Sandy nods, "thank you doctor."
"Sugar, you're home. How's your friend?" Mr. Roberts greets his daughter, after finding her aimlessly flipping through channels on the television.
"He's alright," Summer responds aimlessly.
"That's good," sitting next to his daughter Mr. Roberts takes note of her expression. "What's wrong?"
Summer bites her lip, "Seth and I broke up."
"That idiot dumped you?" Mr. Robert's asks sharply.
Summer shakes her head, tears threatening to fall, "no, I broke up with him."
"That's my girl," Mr. Robert's says proudly. "Lara and I have dinner plans with the Sinclaires tonight, but why don't you come along."
"I don't think so Daddy..."
"I don't even know the Sinclaires."
"That's right," Mr. Roberts muses, "you know they have a son your age, I'll see if they could bring him along. It could be a family affair."
"Daddy..."
"Oh come on, honeybee," Mr. Roberts urges, "it'll be fun. For me?" Taking in Summer's unwilling expression Mr. Roberts suggests, "why don't you pick up a nice dress to wear to dinner tonight? That should cheer you up."
Summer shrugs, "I guess..."
"I thought you said three o'clock?" A 7-year-old blonde girl bounces from foot to foot staring at her parents expectantly.
"We did, Elisha you need to calm down."
The girl, Elisha bites her lip, "but I want her to be here now. I've missed her. It's been forever since I've seen her."
Elisha's father gently ruffles her hair, "she'll be here, her flight is probably just late, that happens a lot in airports."
"Well why does her flight have to be late? Why can't one of the other planes be late? I've been waiting for her flight for hours."
"Look," Elisha's father kneels down next to her and points to the TV screen in front of them. "See that, it says that her flight landed, she'll be here in just a couple minutes now."
Elisha turns to face her father, her face deadly serious, "she's really staying, right? She's not going to move away again?"
"She's really staying," Elisha's father nods, "she's not going to move away again."
Elisha looks relieved, "good, she's my favorite sister."
"I'm your only sister squirt, I better be your favorite."
Elisha's eyes go wide and she turns around quickly to face her older sister, "Anna! I missed you!"
"Marissa," Kirsten stops Marissa before she can get out of the car, "I know you don't live right next door anymore but you're welcome to come over whenever you want. You don't need an invite, I'm sure Aurora would like to see you..."
Marissa gives a weak, but appreciative smile, "thanks Kirsten."
"Mom," Seth snaps once Marissa has closed her door.
"Seth," Kirsten sighs.
"You just gave Marissa free pass to come and go in my house..."
"Seth, you have to give up this grudge you have against Marissa, she had nothing to do with Ryan leaving."
"She..."
Kirsten shakes her head, "no, she had nothing to do with it no matter what kind of conclusion you would like to come to. Secondly, Ryan is going to need all the support he can get whenever we can bring him home and it'll be nice to have help with Aurora. And finally, imagine how stressful it must be to be living with Julie and your grandfather, we both know that Marissa doesn't handle stress well. I guess I'm being a good step-sister."
"First of all I'm not even touching on the good step-sister thing...and second what ever happened to being a good mother?"
"Seth, just forgive Marissa it'd be a lot easier on everyone if you would." Kirsten glances over at Seth and taking notice of the scowl on his face she chooses to ask him about Summer later.
"How's Ryan?" Julie Nichols questions when Marissa finally walks into the house.
Marissa turns to glare at her mother, "like you care."
"I do care," Julie responds. "I know how much you care about him and he's family."
"Just stop," Marissa responds. "Just stop pretending you care about me or my life, okay? I just don't want to hear it anymore." With her words on the verge of tears Marissa quickly takes the stairs up to the second floor of the sprawling house and straight into her own room.
Behind the safety of the locked door Marissa moves toward her dresser and pushing her various bathing suits around until her hands hit something cold and solid. Marissa sighs deeply, glad that she still had a bottle of alcohol in her room, but when she pulls the glass bottle out she finds that it's completely empty. "Dammit!" Marissa sends the bottle flying against her wall, the release of energy doesn't have the desired effect. With a sob Marissa sinks to the carpeted floor, pulling her knees to her chest and crying.
"Sandy Cohen?" An older doctor approaches Sandy in the ICU waiting room.
"Yes, you must be Dr. Abrams." Sandy stands to shake the doctor's hand.
He nods, "yes. I'm sure your anxious to know about Ryan's condition."
Sandy nods, "I saw him a few minutes ago but I didn't see him yesterday so I don't know if he looks better or worse..."
"He's doing much better," Dr. Abrams assures. "I've read in his charts that you are requesting that he be moved to a hospital in New Port."
Sandy nods, "we live in New Port, we'd like him to be close to home."
Dr. Abrams nods, "we are moving him out of ICU today if he shows enough progress in the morning then we can have him transferred first thing tomorrow morning."
"Really?" Sandy asks mildly surprised at how soon Ryan could be moved.
"Yes, he's a strong boy, very healthy he's recovering quickly from surgery. He'll be in the hospital awhile longer but he's very lucky, considering the fatalities resulting from the other passengers."
Sandy nods, "thank you doctor."
"Sugar, you're home. How's your friend?" Mr. Roberts greets his daughter, after finding her aimlessly flipping through channels on the television.
"He's alright," Summer responds aimlessly.
"That's good," sitting next to his daughter Mr. Roberts takes note of her expression. "What's wrong?"
Summer bites her lip, "Seth and I broke up."
"That idiot dumped you?" Mr. Robert's asks sharply.
Summer shakes her head, tears threatening to fall, "no, I broke up with him."
"That's my girl," Mr. Robert's says proudly. "Lara and I have dinner plans with the Sinclaires tonight, but why don't you come along."
"I don't think so Daddy..."
"I don't even know the Sinclaires."
"That's right," Mr. Roberts muses, "you know they have a son your age, I'll see if they could bring him along. It could be a family affair."
"Daddy..."
"Oh come on, honeybee," Mr. Roberts urges, "it'll be fun. For me?" Taking in Summer's unwilling expression Mr. Roberts suggests, "why don't you pick up a nice dress to wear to dinner tonight? That should cheer you up."
Summer shrugs, "I guess..."
"I thought you said three o'clock?" A 7-year-old blonde girl bounces from foot to foot staring at her parents expectantly.
"We did, Elisha you need to calm down."
The girl, Elisha bites her lip, "but I want her to be here now. I've missed her. It's been forever since I've seen her."
Elisha's father gently ruffles her hair, "she'll be here, her flight is probably just late, that happens a lot in airports."
"Well why does her flight have to be late? Why can't one of the other planes be late? I've been waiting for her flight for hours."
"Look," Elisha's father kneels down next to her and points to the TV screen in front of them. "See that, it says that her flight landed, she'll be here in just a couple minutes now."
Elisha turns to face her father, her face deadly serious, "she's really staying, right? She's not going to move away again?"
"She's really staying," Elisha's father nods, "she's not going to move away again."
Elisha looks relieved, "good, she's my favorite sister."
"I'm your only sister squirt, I better be your favorite."
Elisha's eyes go wide and she turns around quickly to face her older sister, "Anna! I missed you!"