Kirsten and Sandy each took a day to fly back to Newport to take care of their respective work matters and pick up some essentials from the house. Then it was back to Seattle, where they found a hotel room near the hospital. They spent the next week practically glued to Seth's bedside. As Dr. Arden had predicted, he'd fallen into a coma.
Kirsten told him funny stories from work that had happened over the last month and reminisced about family holidays they'd taken together. She focused on the positive and told him how much they'd missed him while he'd sailed away. She wanted to know all about his adventures and pleaded for him to wake up so he could tell her what he'd been doing for the past month. At one point, his eyes had opened for two seconds and then closed. Overjoyed, she'd shaken his arm and called his name but those deep brown eyes remained closed. Sandy had disappeared to get a coffee, so she'd run to the nurse's station to tell them her son was coming out of it. To her utter disappointment, they'd explained to her that it was just a spontaneous body movement and meant nothing. Not entirely convinced, she'd returned to his side and waited for something to happen again. Other than a jerk of his shoulder, which she'd witnessed before and had already been explained as an involuntary movement, the eyes didn't open again.
Sandy gave him messages from people that had been asking about him. Nana was doing well and sent her love. Julie and Caleb seemed happy, of all things, since their wedding and conveyed their wishes for a speedy recovery. Caleb had even come in for a short visit. They had, of course, gotten into an argument over the blame of Seth's condition falling on Sandy's shoulders. Because he still felt partially responsible, he hadn't put up much of a defense. But Kirsten had nearly taken her father's head off and ordered him out of the hospital unless he could keep a civil tongue. The whole unpleasant exchange had taken place outside of Seth's room, with the door firmly shut. Caleb had eventually calmed down but he'd left shortly afterwards anyway. Sandy had been surprised to hear from Marissa. She'd called to ask how Seth was doing and that she hoped he would be okay. That had been unexpected and sweet. When he'd mentioned that he was going to call Summer to let her know what had happened, Marissa had informed him that she already knew.
Since Ryan had returned to Chino, Sandy and Kirsten had agreed to give him space. They'd only called to check on him once. The second call to him had been about Seth's accident. Ryan had been dismayed and worried, immediately saying that he'd make his way up to Seattle. Sandy had put the brakes on that plan, trying to reassure him that Seth's condition was stabilizing and soon, they would be able to move him to a hospital in Newport. "You're sure he's going to be okay?" Ryan had asked. "Because, you know, if you even think he might...might not make it...I want to be there."
Sandy had assured him that Seth would indeed make it, as much for Ryan's sake as his own. When he'd asked how Theresa was doing, Ryan had been somewhat vague, simply saying that she was fine. Everything was fine. Sensing that Ryan didn't want to expand on the subject, he'd let it go. At least for now.
On day eight since the accident, Dr. Arden gave them the good news. Seth's vital signs were good, the swelling in his brain had receded and he was stable enough to be transported to Newport. It was time to move on.
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Ryan slowly walked down the hall, feeling pulled in opposite directions. He wanted to see Seth and yet he didn't. He cared for the guy a lot and wanted to visit with him, of course. But he was afraid of what he'd find. He wasn't sure if Seth would just look like he was sleeping or if he was wasting away. But they'd been through a lot together. He owed him this much.
He knocked quietly on the open door. "Hi."
Sandy looked up and came to the door to greet him. "Hey." They embraced quickly with a seemingly casual pat on the other's back. "How are you?"
"Good," Ryan responded. "How are you holding up?"
"Okay."
"And Kirsten?"
Sandy paused ever so slightly. "Not quite as good but she's hanging in there. She's at the office today, pretending to get some work done."
Ryan stepped further into the room. "And uh, how's he doing?"
"The same. No change."
"How long has it been now? The coma?"
"Thirteen days."
Ryan felt himself nudged forward by Sandy's hand. "Don't be afraid. Just sit yourself down." He obeyed the direction, sitting stiffly on the chair by the bed. He hadn't quite brought himself to look at Seth directly yet. Instead, he was distracted by all the machines and wires hooked into the patient. "Stay as long or as little as you like. I know Seth would be glad you're here. Thanks for coming."
"Sure," Ryan mumbled.
"Just let him know you're here. He'll hear you. I'll leave you alone so you can talk. I need a bite to eat anyway so I'll be down in the cafeteria. Come and see me before you leave, okay?"
"Yeah, okay."
Fingers fidgeting in his lap, he finally looked at Seth and felt some relief. Apart from some obvious weight loss, it did seem like he was just sleeping. It took some time before he started speaking. Once he did, he couldn't seem to stop.
"Hey, buddy. It's me. Ryan. Sorry it's taken me a while to come and see you but things have been kind of hectic. You've really messed yourself up here, kid. I'm the one that's supposed to cause all the trouble, remember? Not you. So you need to snap out of this coma and come back to us." He shifted a little in the chair. "You probably want an update on what's been happening with me. Or then again, the last time I saw you, you made it pretty clear you couldn't care less that I was leaving. Maybe you're still mad at me. I don't know. If it's any consolation, I wish I hadn't gone back. I wish Theresa had never come into my life again. You're not gonna believe this, but the baby isn't mine. She's known for a month now that the baby is Eddie's. A timing thing. But she didn't tell me. That's what I can't stand. The lying. I could handle the fact that I'm not the real father. I could still do the right thing. But she lied about it." A bitter laugh escaped his lips as he hunched over. "And then, get this, she chooses Eddie anyway. They're getting back together. With counselling, of course. He's working on his anger issues. They fucking deserve each other, don't you think?"
Ryan blinked, running a hand through his hair. "Sorry, I didn't mean to lay this all out on you. I guess I...actually needed to get that out. I really wish you could talk to me, Seth. You'd say something ironic to make me laugh. Believe me, I haven't laughed since I left. I know you're resting, or whatever but please...wake up. It's just not the same without you here."
Running out of words at last, Ryan sat back in the chair. With a final pat on Seth's hand, he walked out and headed for the elevator. He needed to talk to Sandy about coming home.
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When Summer saw Ryan striding towards her, his gaze to the floor, she ducked to her right down another hallway. Pressed against the wall, she peeked around the corner and saw him step into an elevator.
When the coast was clear, she started down the hall again. She wasn't sure why she'd just done that. Instinct or something. She wasn't even sure why she was here at all. Seth had left her behind. He hadn't cared that she'd been hurt. He hadn't even tried to call her. Why should she still care about him?
She checked the numbers outside the rooms as she walked. This was the one. She stood uncertainly in the doorway and forced herself to take each step, closer to the bed. Her eyes came to focus on his face and she bit her lip. "What have you done, Cohen?" she whispered.
He looked surprisingly peaceful. His curls fanned around his face, longer than she'd ever seen them. His cheekbones were more defined than usual, making the fine features of his face more pronounced. She came even closer to the bed, until she was practically looming over him. She felt her anger ebbing away until nothing was left. Nothing but confusion. She started to reach out to brush a lock of hair out of his eyes but stopped, afraid to touch him. Her hand fell limply to her side. "I don't even know what to say to you. I hope you wake up. I hope you're all right. But don't expect me to come running back to you. You need to give me a reason. Wake up, Cohen. Just wake up!" She took a breath. "I've never...you're the first..." But her sentence trailed off into thin air. She was babbling. What was the point? Her being here didn't make any difference.
Backing away, she turned and fled. She pushed the down button repeatedly until the elevator doors opened. Relieved to find it empty, she jumped inside and waited until the doors slid shut before allowing herself to cry.
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If one had been watching over the patient carefully, one would have noticed the change in his breathing pattern and EEG monitor. The patient was slowly swimming his way out of the coma.
Hours later, opening his eyes, he found his world blurry and distorted. After less than a minute, his vision focused but he was still disoriented. Confused and alone. He said the first word that came to mind.
"Mommy?" Seth Cohen croaked.
A/N: To HOTTERTHNU: No, I'm definitely not a doctor. I'll take that as a compliment! I just wanted to sound somewhat realistic, so I did a little research on head injuries.
To Revi: Seth's being in Seattle is not really a plot point. To be honest, it just made it easier for me to write. There is reasoning behind it, which may or may not be revealed. Good question though!
Thanks to everyone again for the reviews. I'm a little overwhelmed by the enthusiastic response, which I wasn't quite expecting. But please don't kill me, no matter what happens! LOL!!