Title: Home

Author(s): Sara and Lizzie

Rating: R

Disclaimer: The only thing we own is the psychotic plot that came from reading way to many Mary Higgins Clark books.

"Pull myself back together just to fall once more." -Sugarcult

Kirsten made her way back to the room. She stood behind Summer, still sitting next to Seth. She gently touched the girls shoulder. Summer looked behind her, startled.

"Kirsten." The mother of the boy lying in the bed looked at the girl that indirectly put him there. She saw a child. Summer stood up. "Kirsten, this is all my fault." She said as tears started to fall again.

Kirsten Cohen shook her head and hugged Summer tightly. "This is not your fault." She said firmly.

Summer didn't seem to hear her. "I'm sorry." She sobbed.

Kirsten held her at arms length and shook her firmly. "Summer." She said in a stern voice. "You have got to pull yourself together. I'm going to take you home. You're going to take a shower. Change clothes. Take a nap. Eat something. Then we will come back here and wait."

Summer shook her head. "There's no way I can leave him."

Kirsten steered her towards the door. "You won't do him any good if you're hysterical all the time."

Marissa and Ryan watched in awe as Kirsten steered Summer, who had regressed into that zombie like state out of the room, and down the hall.

"Damn." Ryan muttered. Normally, Marissa would have smiled. But neither of them could.

Summer couldn't feel anything anymore. She had thought it would be better than being terrified or guilty, but she still knew exactly what was wrong, now she was just numb.

When they got back to the Cohen's house, Kirsten ushered her upstairs, and she crawled into Seth's bed and miraculously feel asleep.

The miraculous part ended several hours later. She stirred and woke up and immediately knew something was wrong. She saw Marissa hovering nervously outside the door.

Summer shivered under Seth's covers. She still felt incredibly lifeless.

"Coop?" She whispered.

"Your awake."

"What's going on? Where's Kirsten?" Summer asked, sitting up.

Marissa came over to the bed and sat down. She looked at Summer, trying to find a way to put it gently. Summer locked eyes with her best friend.

"Coop. In the last week, I've been kidnapped, forced to do things I only ever wanted to do to Cohen with Oliver, and physically tortured. Then I watched my boyfriend get shot. I shot someone. Don't sugarcoat."

Marissa took a deep breath. "He flat lined Sum."

Time stopped. It was more than she could take. Cohen. Flat line. That means your heart stops. Cohen. Heart stop. And then all she could see was darkness.

Ryan was pacing. He, Kirsten and Sandy were in a private waiting room directly outside of surgery. It was big enough for him to take fifteen steps before he had to turn.

Seth was behind the steel doors, dying. Ryan had wanted to tell himself that he was behind there pulling through, but you don't flat line for no reason. It means your dying.

It was funny. To realize that your brother was dying. Ok, not brother, but it felt that way. Ryan paused, noting how irrelevant these thoughts were. He stopped pacing and sank down in a chair. Seth was dying. Weird. He felt just like Summer had looked earlier that night.

Summer's eyes fluttered open. What the hell? Then she remembered. 'He flat lined Sum.'

"Jesus Christ Summer! You scared me."

"Is he dead?"

Marissa looked taken aback. "I don't know. No one's called yet."

"Take me to the hospital."

"Summer, you don't wanna be there."

"Take me to the hospital."

"Summer, if he...." She trailed off and started again. "If the worst should happen, you don't want to be-"

Summer cut her off. "Damn it Coop! He's dying, because he didn't want your crazy old buddy to shoot me. He's lying there because of me. And if you don't take me to the fucking hospital, I'll drive myself, and I think we both know that won't bode well."

Marissa looked at Summer. She nodded. "Let's go."

Summer's anger faded. "Thanks Coop." She whispered. "I need to be there. I can't not know."

"I know."

Marissa grabbed Summers hand and squeezed it. There was something about best friends. They always knew.