"Call homicide, take the case to court
'Cause her lips taste like a loaded gun
I'm her number one chalk outline on the floor"

                --Brand New

Ryan was standing beside the opened door of the Range Rover in the driveway to the Cohen house.  He had explained to Summer that he couldn't take her to a hotel, that she needed to get cleaned up.  She had started crying and hadn't stopped.

"Ryan?" Sandy's voice was low and gentle from the doorway.

"Please don't tell him…"

"I have to…Summer…your nose might be broken…please…you have to trust me…" Ryan whispered, giving Sandy a helpless look as he approached warily.  He kept his distance from the truck, respecting Ryan's privacy. 

"I do trust you…"

"And I trust Sandy.  Please, Summer…" Ryan urged.

Summer's tear-filled eyes gave Ryan the permission he needed.  He lifted her gingerly from the car and turned to face Sandy. 

"Oh, god…does she need a hospital?" Sandy asked, holding the door to the house open for Ryan. 

"I don't know yet…" Ryan admitted as he carried her inside. 

"I'll get the first aid kit…" Sandy said immediately.  He had many questions but he knew that this wasn't the time.  He'd heard Ryan's words earlier, 'he hit her again', but he'd allowed the boy to leave.  He knew that Ryan and Summer would die for each other and he'd accepted that Seth had talked him out of physical violence, so he trusted Ryan to do the right thing.  He'd find out everything soon enough.

Ryan placed Summer on the bed, still wrapped in the blanket.  He gently pulled the blanket away from her for a moment and examined her with his eyes.  Her arms and wrists were bruised and her face was swelling.  Her lip was cut and still oozing blood.  He was angry at her father for hurting her but he was more worried about her state of mind.  He had never seen her so fragile.  She was strong, she kept her emotions in control but right now, it was like something had broken inside. 

"Hey…look at me…you're safe now, okay?" Ryan said gently.  She laced her arms around him. 

"Thanks…"

Sandy knocked quietly on the door. 

"We're going to help you get cleaned up, okay?" Ryan said.  She nodded.  "It's okay…"

"Seth's getting your things out of the car," Sandy said as he entered.

"Mr. Cohen…" Summer started.

"I'm not going to pester you yet, Summer, just relax, okay?  Where are you hurt?" Sandy asked.

"Just my face…" She whispered.

"Her arms are bruised…" Ryan added.

Sandy gave Ryan a worried look when he realized that she was only in her undergarments beneath the blanket.  Ryan shook his head in response, warning Sandy not to ask.

Ryan began wiping her face clean of blood.  His hands were shaking as he revealed more of her swollen skin.  She was already starting to bruise. 

"My nose…is it…"

"It's okay, I think…" Ryan started.

"We'll have to take you to the hospital to be sure, Summer…" Sandy said gently.

Ryan took her trembling shoulders in his hands and made her look at him.  "Are you sure that he didn't…"

"He didn't, I swear…"

"Then where are your clothes?" Ryan asked.  He had to ask, he couldn't get it out of his mind.

"Ryan…"

"What happened tonight?" Ryan asked urgently.

"He…he's crazy…he's lost his fucking mind…he made me take off my clothes…" She started.  Ryan's entire posture changed as he was consumed with anger. 

"Okay, Summer…" Sandy gave Ryan a concerned look but Ryan wouldn't meet his gaze.

"And he made me…stand there…he made me turn around…he said I was fat…that I had to go on a diet…" She whispered, unaware of the effect of her words on her boyfriend. 

Ryan didn't speak. 

"Ryan.  Maybe you should step outside a second," Sandy said quietly. 

"Please don't leave me…" Summer gasped, reaching for him. 

"I'm not leaving you…you know better than that…I just need a minute, Summer…I'll be right back…" Ryan embraced her desperately and after a minute, she released him.

"Okay…I'll be here…" Summer said. 

Ryan stepped outside.  Seth and Kirsten were talking quietly in the hallway.  Ryan leaned his back against the wall.

"Ryan…is she okay?"

"She's…he fucked up her face…cut her lip…I'm going to kill him…"

Kirsten put her hands on Ryan's shoulders, gently.  "Who, Ryan?  Who did it?"

"Her father," Sandy said, stepping out.  "She's getting a shower."

"Ryan, you have to be with Summer right now…you can't go after him…let Sandy handle it, okay?" Kirsten said quietly.

"Ryan, I need to know that you're not going to go after him.  I know you want to punish him…but you can't do that.  This is out of your hands, okay?" Sandy said to the boy.

Ryan was tense.  "I know…but I…twice, this is the second fucking time he put his hands on her and I…I…"

"You care about her and you want to protect her.  I totally understand," Sandy replied.  "But if you go over there and beat the hell out of him, it's just going to complicate things even more…"

"I know…"

"I know you do.  Let me take care of it."

Ryan nodded.  He relaxed slightly and Kirsten released his shoulders and pulled him into a hug. 

"Okay.  You should get back to her," Kirsten said quietly. 

He picked up the bags that Seth had brought in.  "Is it okay if she…"

"She can stay as long as she needs.  Tell her to make the guest room her own," Kirsten smiled. 

"Thank you." Ryan stepped back into the room.  He could hear the shower running in the bathroom.  He knocked and stepped inside.  Summer was sitting in the floor of the shower stall with her arms around her knees.

"It's okay, baby…" Ryan got into the shower with her and helped her stand up.  He gently washed her hair and her body before helping her out and wrapping her in one of the large towels.  She was trembling.

"Ryan…"

"I'm right here…"

"What do you want me to do?" She whispered. 

"I want you to be safe…that's all…"

"Okay…" She closed her eyes and leaned against his chest.  His clothes were wet from the shower but he hadn't felt right stripping when he got in with her, he just wanted to take care of her.  "Can we just lie down a little while?"

"Okay.  Let me just tell the Cohens that you're okay…"

"I have to talk to them, don't I?"

"Eventually.  Just lie down for now.  They'll be plenty of time later, okay?"

She nodded and curled up on the bed. 

Ryan opened the door and found Seth and his parents in the den, talking quietly.

"Hey.  How is  she?"

"She's tired."

"You're wet."

"She was just…sitting in the shower when I went to check on her.  I got her cleaned up.  She wants to lie down a while."

"You should stay with her.  Let us know if there's anything you guys need," Kirsten said immediately.

"Thanks," Ryan replied, surprised.

"I will need to talk to her, Ryan.  To find out what she wants to do."

"Okay.  She knows.  She's just…she's not okay yet." Ryan nodded to them and then returned to the guest room.