A/N Sorry I haven't written in awhile. I've been so busy with school. OH! Whenever you see Alex, that's Summer's boyfriend, not the lesbian. LOL, just kiddin. anyways, on with the story...

Chapter Five: The Thought Alone Kills Him

Marissa stood by him, wondering amazedly how quickly their places had been switched. Wasn't she supposed to be the one laying in the hospital bed with him watching over her? Wasn't he supposed to be the one who was worried out of his mind and not vice versa? Marissa ran a hand through her wavy blonde locks and suddenly had the sneaking suspicion that she desperately needed a drink. But then again, a drink was what got them into this situation in the first place.

"So, I wasn't really paying attention and as soon as we pulled into the intersection-WHAM- somebody hits us. And I know exactly what you're going to say Summer, 'Oh, Cohen, it wasn't your fault'. Yeah, well I'm pretty sure that it was."

"How was it your fault if someone else hit you?"

"Summer, you wouldn't understand. You weren't in the car that night."

"Well then make me understand." Summer said this with her usual I'm-going-to-get-my-way-no-matter-what voice, and Seth just sighed, continuing.

"We were arguing about something- it was so stupid that I can't even remember what it was about- and we just crashed. I blacked out and when I woke up, they told me that my best friend was in a coma. It was swell, Summer," Seth said this with his usual sarcasm, but Summer could tell that it hurt him a lot to tell her all this. Absentmindedly, she put her hand on his arm and went over everything he had just told her in her mind. She muttered some of the things out loud, but Seth was too concerned with her hand on his arm to care.

Some guy hit us.

"Wait, Cohen, you don't know who hit you?" Seth looked at her with tired eyes and shook his head. "The police tried to find him but they couldn't locate the car. I remember it though. It was a red pickup, with two people in it. They were both drunk, I think. Summer, I really don't want to talk about it, okay?"

"Seth..."

"Summer, god, please I really just don't ever want to think about it again."

Summer sighed and looked at her hands. "I'm sorry." She was surprised that he had yelled at her; it was usually her yelling at him. Seth saw this and sighed again.

"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you. I just hate to think about it."

"I know," she said, and put her hand on his arm again. There was a silence and then Seth spoke again.

"Have you seen Ryan?" he asked her, with a sort of pleading/accusing look in his eyes.

"No," she whispered and looked away. "Have you?"

"Nope and I don't intend to."

"That's nice, Cohen. You don't even go see your friend- your brother- and you expect me to feel sorry for you? Hell no, Cohen. That's not the way to handle things."

"Yeah, and what do you suppose I do? Go see him? And then what? I'm Jewish Summer- there's enough guilt in me already."

Summer had to crack a smile at his weak joke. It seemed as if the crash had zapped him of all sense of humor. She suddenly found herself wanting him to be sarcastic like he had been a few minutes ago, something she used to hate.

"So," he burst out, as if their previous conversation had not taken place. "Why not talk about you? I mean, it's something we both love to do." Summer gave him a sidelong glance and smacked his arm.

"What? It's true. So... anything new going on in your life?" Summer looked away. She knew what he was asking. She had told Marissa about Alex, Marissa had let it slip to Ryan and Ryan had inevitably told Seth. That was when she didn't care what Seth thought. And when Ryan could talk.

"Why do you ask if you already know?"

"Well, I just wanted to see if you would tell me yourself."

Summer cringed. She couldn't meet his eyes.

"I guess not," he said.