Chapter 4
---7 years later---
Seth closed his eyes as the cool fall air brushed against his face. He was standing outside the iron gates that surrounded Harbor Elementary, waiting patiently for the school bell to ring, just like he did every Monday. He preoccupied himself with the unraveling piece of fabric on the trim of his overcoat, glancing up at the school steps every now and then as he pulled at the seams. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he wrapped his fingers around the fuzzy object inside. Giving it a gentle squeeze, he smiled when the doors finally flew open and a herd of children rushed outside.
Walking along the gates, he watched as the kids made their way to the school busses and out past the parking lot. He caught sight of a little boy with a baseball cap over a head of potruding curls run down past the gate and into the arms of what appeared to be his mother, a pretty woman with long brown hair and a nice smile.
Seth pulled the stuffed blue bear, worn from age out of his pocket and stared as the woman took off the boys hat and ruffled his curls.
"Mr. Cohen?"
Turning abruptly, Seth quickly shoved the bear back into his pocket as he saw Nurse Murphy.
"Hey, I was...just..."
She walked slowly toward him, catching his gaze that lead to the woman and her son, now walking hand in hand down the sidewalk.
"You have to stop coming here, Seth."
Nodding slightly, he stepped towards the nurse.
"I know."
"Come on," she said, gently placing her hand on his shoulder. "She's done with her bath, you can visit her now."
He followed the nurse back to the entrance of the hospital, back towards the familiar double glass doors that he'd been walking through day in and day out since that fateful night. A heavy sigh pushed past his lips and with a quick glance back at the school, he pushed through the doors once again, his soul a little heavier than before.
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"...and I quit my job at the publishing company, it just...wasn't for me." Seth stood up and began pacing around the room. "Now I know you might not be happy about that, but I'm gonna find something new, I promise. Something better."
No movement came from the body on the hospital bed, as Seth was quite used to. But still, he continued talking as if she had responded.
"I know, but at least I quit smoking, huh? I did something right. I did what you wanted, the last thing you wanted, so you can still be proud of me for something."
Sitting on the edge of the bed, he took her hand in his.
"I miss you. You know that," he said stroking her hand. "Dominic misses you too. He's...getting so big. I've been...teaching him stuff. You know, like...playing sports with him. I was never much of an athlete," he said chuckling, "but we might actually have a Cohen who can throw a ball."
A wet tear fell from the corner of his eye and onto her outstretched hand. He quickly wiped his eyes, and forced another smile.
"You'd be proud of him. Don't worry about us, because we're fine. Dominic will visit you soon...I promise." He clasped his hands around her fingers and kissed her palm before getting up and, after one last glimpse at his wife, walked out of the hospital room.
Summer still hadn't woken up from her coma. Seth visited her almost everyday and most of the people in the hospital knew who he was. Although Seth had been offered a high paying position in Chicago at the time of his son's birth, he had stayed in Newport to be near Summer. He took the 'for sale' sign off of their house and had gone from job to job ever since. Seth still hadn't fully recovered from the night of the accident, and just about everybody thought he was a little crazy.
Everyone knew he still thought he had a son. Harbor Elementary was only a few blocks from the hospital and every Monday, just as school was letting out, Seth would watch the children, imagining that one of them might be Dominic. Nurse Murphy in particular had taken a liking to Seth and the two had become close friends. Though even she found it hard to believe that Seth had had a child who'd been abducted, she was the only one he spoke about it with, and some days she actually found herself believing the crazy story.
Today was another one of those days.
"I told her I've been teaching him sports," Seth said as he took a bite out of his sandwich. He had gone down to the Nurse's lounge to have lunch, something he often did. "She'll probably find that hard to believe, I mean, knowing me."
Nurse Murphy gave a laugh as Seth took another bite from his sandwich, his face a little brighter than she'd seen in a long time.
"Don't you think he'd be good at sports?" he asked whimsically. "I mean, it's gotta skip a generation right?"
She grew quiet as she watched the dazed look on his face. "Seth, I don't know why you do this."
Looking up from his food, he raised his eyebrows. "Do what?"
"Talk to her like....like he's here."
He stared back at her for a moment before looking to his feet. She looked regretful for saying it, but still looked to him for an explanation.
"Look," he said carefully, "I just don't want her knowing...that he's not with me. That....he's gone."
"But Seth, she doesn't kn--"
"I know!" he snapped. His face softened and he shook his head slightly. "Listen, Summer was the best thing that ever happened to me. I was never happier than when I was with her...and then Dominic came into our lives. My wife and my son were....ARE the most important things in my life."
She looked at him skeptically.
"I know you don't believe it, you don't think I have a son, but the thing is, I do. And I know Summer can hear me. I know it. I just don't want to upset her that he's not here..."
"Okay Seth," she said softly. "Um...I have to go. Will you be all right here?"
Nodding, Seth finished off his sandwich and watched her go, an empty feeling in the pit of his stomach.
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"It's been long enough."
"It's not time yet."
"Look, I did what you wanted me to do. She's out of the picture and we got the kid, I want the rest of my money."
"In due time, my friend."
His hand flicked the embers from the cigerette and a puff of smoke escaped from his lips.
"I've BEEN waiting! For 7 years I've been waiting, you said that the time would be worth it!"
The other man held his hand up to silence him, and he watched carefully as he took a briefcase from beneath his desk and held it before him.
"Patience...is key." Flipping open the brief case, the man's mouth fell open at the sight of it's contents. "This...is what you will get. If you are patient."
"S--sure," the man stuttered, "That's definitely, that's--patience, okay."
"He's going to pay for what he did." he said more to himself than to the other man. "And I want him to suffer." The smoke billowed out of his mouth as he let out a throaty cackle. "There is no worse pain than happiness. If you get the best of life...you'll always know what you're missing when it's taken away."
His voice took an ominous tone and he smiled sinisterly at the man before him.
"His suffering has only just begun..."
---7 years later---
Seth closed his eyes as the cool fall air brushed against his face. He was standing outside the iron gates that surrounded Harbor Elementary, waiting patiently for the school bell to ring, just like he did every Monday. He preoccupied himself with the unraveling piece of fabric on the trim of his overcoat, glancing up at the school steps every now and then as he pulled at the seams. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he wrapped his fingers around the fuzzy object inside. Giving it a gentle squeeze, he smiled when the doors finally flew open and a herd of children rushed outside.
Walking along the gates, he watched as the kids made their way to the school busses and out past the parking lot. He caught sight of a little boy with a baseball cap over a head of potruding curls run down past the gate and into the arms of what appeared to be his mother, a pretty woman with long brown hair and a nice smile.
Seth pulled the stuffed blue bear, worn from age out of his pocket and stared as the woman took off the boys hat and ruffled his curls.
"Mr. Cohen?"
Turning abruptly, Seth quickly shoved the bear back into his pocket as he saw Nurse Murphy.
"Hey, I was...just..."
She walked slowly toward him, catching his gaze that lead to the woman and her son, now walking hand in hand down the sidewalk.
"You have to stop coming here, Seth."
Nodding slightly, he stepped towards the nurse.
"I know."
"Come on," she said, gently placing her hand on his shoulder. "She's done with her bath, you can visit her now."
He followed the nurse back to the entrance of the hospital, back towards the familiar double glass doors that he'd been walking through day in and day out since that fateful night. A heavy sigh pushed past his lips and with a quick glance back at the school, he pushed through the doors once again, his soul a little heavier than before.
-------------------------------------------------------------
"...and I quit my job at the publishing company, it just...wasn't for me." Seth stood up and began pacing around the room. "Now I know you might not be happy about that, but I'm gonna find something new, I promise. Something better."
No movement came from the body on the hospital bed, as Seth was quite used to. But still, he continued talking as if she had responded.
"I know, but at least I quit smoking, huh? I did something right. I did what you wanted, the last thing you wanted, so you can still be proud of me for something."
Sitting on the edge of the bed, he took her hand in his.
"I miss you. You know that," he said stroking her hand. "Dominic misses you too. He's...getting so big. I've been...teaching him stuff. You know, like...playing sports with him. I was never much of an athlete," he said chuckling, "but we might actually have a Cohen who can throw a ball."
A wet tear fell from the corner of his eye and onto her outstretched hand. He quickly wiped his eyes, and forced another smile.
"You'd be proud of him. Don't worry about us, because we're fine. Dominic will visit you soon...I promise." He clasped his hands around her fingers and kissed her palm before getting up and, after one last glimpse at his wife, walked out of the hospital room.
Summer still hadn't woken up from her coma. Seth visited her almost everyday and most of the people in the hospital knew who he was. Although Seth had been offered a high paying position in Chicago at the time of his son's birth, he had stayed in Newport to be near Summer. He took the 'for sale' sign off of their house and had gone from job to job ever since. Seth still hadn't fully recovered from the night of the accident, and just about everybody thought he was a little crazy.
Everyone knew he still thought he had a son. Harbor Elementary was only a few blocks from the hospital and every Monday, just as school was letting out, Seth would watch the children, imagining that one of them might be Dominic. Nurse Murphy in particular had taken a liking to Seth and the two had become close friends. Though even she found it hard to believe that Seth had had a child who'd been abducted, she was the only one he spoke about it with, and some days she actually found herself believing the crazy story.
Today was another one of those days.
"I told her I've been teaching him sports," Seth said as he took a bite out of his sandwich. He had gone down to the Nurse's lounge to have lunch, something he often did. "She'll probably find that hard to believe, I mean, knowing me."
Nurse Murphy gave a laugh as Seth took another bite from his sandwich, his face a little brighter than she'd seen in a long time.
"Don't you think he'd be good at sports?" he asked whimsically. "I mean, it's gotta skip a generation right?"
She grew quiet as she watched the dazed look on his face. "Seth, I don't know why you do this."
Looking up from his food, he raised his eyebrows. "Do what?"
"Talk to her like....like he's here."
He stared back at her for a moment before looking to his feet. She looked regretful for saying it, but still looked to him for an explanation.
"Look," he said carefully, "I just don't want her knowing...that he's not with me. That....he's gone."
"But Seth, she doesn't kn--"
"I know!" he snapped. His face softened and he shook his head slightly. "Listen, Summer was the best thing that ever happened to me. I was never happier than when I was with her...and then Dominic came into our lives. My wife and my son were....ARE the most important things in my life."
She looked at him skeptically.
"I know you don't believe it, you don't think I have a son, but the thing is, I do. And I know Summer can hear me. I know it. I just don't want to upset her that he's not here..."
"Okay Seth," she said softly. "Um...I have to go. Will you be all right here?"
Nodding, Seth finished off his sandwich and watched her go, an empty feeling in the pit of his stomach.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
"It's been long enough."
"It's not time yet."
"Look, I did what you wanted me to do. She's out of the picture and we got the kid, I want the rest of my money."
"In due time, my friend."
His hand flicked the embers from the cigerette and a puff of smoke escaped from his lips.
"I've BEEN waiting! For 7 years I've been waiting, you said that the time would be worth it!"
The other man held his hand up to silence him, and he watched carefully as he took a briefcase from beneath his desk and held it before him.
"Patience...is key." Flipping open the brief case, the man's mouth fell open at the sight of it's contents. "This...is what you will get. If you are patient."
"S--sure," the man stuttered, "That's definitely, that's--patience, okay."
"He's going to pay for what he did." he said more to himself than to the other man. "And I want him to suffer." The smoke billowed out of his mouth as he let out a throaty cackle. "There is no worse pain than happiness. If you get the best of life...you'll always know what you're missing when it's taken away."
His voice took an ominous tone and he smiled sinisterly at the man before him.
"His suffering has only just begun..."