Disclaimer: I don't own anything regarding "The O.C." nor am I affiliated with any of the cast and characters used in the story. Anyone or anything that you don't recognize is mine, and anyone and anything else that you do recognize is not mine.
Note: I'm doing the best I can to update regularly on a weekly basis. I haven't missed a week yet, and hopefully I won't have to, but I'll do my best. Writing this fic is always the highlight of my week nowadays. Thanks again for the reviews and for reading!
Against All Odds
Chapter 18 – Family Ties
For the next few weeks, Summer underwent one chemo session after another. The side effects did not come as shocking or as traumatic this time around. She was quite aware about the nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and all the other physical changes that she had to go through, including hair loss in particular. Her hair didn't all fall out at once; they only thinned. Nonetheless, she knew that sooner or later she would lose them all. Marissa was kind enough to bring her a selection of scarves that she could wear for the mean time. Seth, on the other hand, was taken aback by all the changes once they were all too obvious to ignore. It's not that he loved her less because she looked different; he just felt sorry for her, which was the last thing that she wanted. He voiced his feelings as Summer listened and thanked him afterwards for being honest.
"It will all grow back," Summer told him several times. "Besides, I think the scarf is a nice touch."
"Did you wear a wig before?"
"I tried it, but it was rather itchy to be quite honest."
"Did go blonde or become a redhead?"
"None of the above."
"Good, because I like your hair, and that would be kind of creepy."
"I guess."
"I should go bald too."
"Don't do that."
"Why not?"
"Because I like your hair, and that would be creepy."
During Summer's chemotherapy, Seth asked Marissa's help in contacting her work and informing them about the situation. Seth also managed to get in touch with the tenant of her apartment and paid off Summer's rent for the month. Summer was pretty much unaware of the situation, and they both figured that her work and rent are the last things that she needed to worry about.
Although he had been working with Marissa in handling Summer's affairs, Seth had his own agenda. He had been researching Summer's condition for about a month now, reading books and articles, and even talking to Dr. Abney to learn more about Summer's specific condition. He also learned more about the bone marrow transplant process, and the chances of finding a match. While he knew all too well that Summer was an only child, his thoughts wandered towards her mother.
As far as he was concerned, she left when Summer was still an infant. He didn't know much about her, mostly in part because Summer had nothing to say about her. He didn't even know her name. About three weeks ago, he hired Rick Nolan, a private investigator, to track down Summer's mother. However, before the investigation went on, he still needed to talk to Dr. Neil Roberts to inquire some information about his wife.
Their encounter was not pleasant to say the least, but they were both civil to each other. Seth told him about Summer's current state, and although Seth knew that he was worried, Neil Roberts tried his best not too look shaken. Seth continued to talk about the bone marrow transplant and eventually brought up Summer's mother. Neil was hesitant at first, saying that he did not know her whereabouts nor has he seen or heard her ever since she left. Seth informed him that he was only doing it to help Summer. While Dr. Roberts was quite adamant that he did not want a part in Seth's plan, he did give them her name and some information regarding her side of the family.
A couple of days ago, Seth received a call from Rick. There was finally a breakthrough in the search. Ironically, Elizabeth Roberts was last seen in New York. She had apparently remarried and resided in Albany. When Seth heard the news, he immediately made plans to travel to New York, telling Summer that it was a work-related affair and that he should be back in a day or two. Ryan was suspicious, but Seth told him and Marissa the same story and asked them to take care of Summer while he was away.
A few hours before his departure, however, he had an unexpected visitor.
"Dr. Roberts?" Seth said in disbelief as he opened the door.
"Call me Neil."
"What are you doing here?"
"I'm coming with you."
"You're what?"
"I got in touch with Rick Nolan the other day," he said. "I was just wondering if he needed any more help, but he told me about his discovery, and now here I am."
"Neil, I don't think…"
"I know we've had our differences, but I need to see her as well."
"Well, you were married to her once," Seth said. "Maybe you can get through to her."
"So I can come?"
"I'm leaving in a couple of hours," Seth told him. "Meet me at the airport."
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
"I'm really sorry," Neil spoke up in mid-flight.
"For what?" Seth asked.
"For treating you badly years ago and blaming you for Summer leaving Newport Beach."
"Well, I kind of knew that."
"I just wanted you to know that it wasn't about you," he said. "For a long time, it was always Summer and me. I was there for her, and she was there for me. It made me feel good knowing that I was the most important man in her life, and she was the most important woman in mine. It was the case for years until you came along."
"I love your daughter so much, and I care about her deeply."
"I know you do," he smiled at him half-heartedly. "I guess I just wasn't ready to let her go, you know."
"So you pushed her away?" he asked incredulously.
"It was more of my pride getting the best of me," he said. "I didn't want to accept the fact that she wanted to leave me, so I made it seem like I didn't want to have anything to do with her anymore. I even blamed you for the process."
"She misses you a lot, even if she won't admit it," Seth informed him. "I guess stubbornness runs in the family."
"I guess so."
"Can I ask you something?"
"Is it about Elizabeth?"
"What exactly happened?"
"She was ill," Dr. Roberts said frankly. "A few weeks after Summer's birth, she showed signs of postpartum depression. It was actually worse than that. She developed postpartum psychosis. She started having these hallucinations, and soon, she started acting on them. She almost hurt and even almost killed Summer twice when she was a baby."
"That explains why you're so overly protective of her."
"I assume that triggered it all," he said. "I tried to get her help, but she refused, and the last thing I wanted to happen was make her all upset. One day, she left with nothing but a note saying that she was an unfit mother and an unfit wife. She said something about how I could live with someone like her. Lastly, she said to let her be."
"Did you try to find her?"
"Of course," Neil said. "At first, I thought that she was just moving in with some family, but as it turned out, no one heard or was able to find her. Personally, I thought she was suffering from something else more than anything. I truly believed that she had gone insane, or even killed herself. There was a search for her whereabouts for a year, but we didn't find her."
"Does Summer know all of this?"
"I didn't want to tell her to protect her."
"Don't you think she has the right to know?"
"She has a lot of things to deal with right now."
Seth was about to say something until the pilot announced that they had arrived. He wanted to talk to Neil about the topic later, but for right now, all they really needed to do was find Elizabeth Roberts.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
Rick Nolan was waiting for them at the airport exit. He brought his own car and told them that they will be arriving at their destination in less than an hour. The duration of the car ride was quiet, with a few words exchanged between Rick and Seth on the way. Once it appeared that they were nearing Elizabeth's house, Seth could sense the apprehension rise within him and in Dr. Roberts as well.
"We're here," Rick announced. "I'll introduce myself first, and then the two of you can take it from there."
Seth and Neil just nodded as they followed Rick towards the house. Rick rang the doorbell three times until someone finally opened the door. The man looked skeptically as Rick introduced himself.
"Hello Mr. Wyman," he greeted him. "I'm not going to sugarcoat any of this, so I'm going to be straight with you. I'm Rick Nolan. I'm a private investigator, and I'm here to see Elizabeth."
"What do you want?"
"I just need to ask Elizabeth a few questions."
"Who are you two?" the guy asked, looking towards Seth and Neil.
"I'm Seth Cohen."
"And I'm Neil Roberts."
"Look, buddy, we just want to talk to her," Rick said. "It's a matter of life and death."
"What are you talking about?"
"My daughter is sick," Neil spoke up. "She's Elizabeth's daughter."
"What?"
"Many years ago, Elizabeth left our family out of the blue," Neil explained. "We haven't heard from her since, or seen her for that matter. She just said to leave her alone, but now, our daughter is ill, and Elizabeth may be the only one who could help her."
"You can't see her."
"Why not?" Seth asked. "Are you that selfish?"
"Elizabeth died a few years ago," Mr. Wyman retorted. "I didn't even know that she was married."
Seth's looks fell as he heard the news.
"What about kids?" Rick asked. "Did you two have any children?"
"We have children, but they were all adopted."
"Well, that's that," Rick said. "Thanks for your time."
"How did she die?" Neil asked.
"She died in a car accident."
"So she didn't mention anything about me or her daughter?"
"No," he said apologetically. "I'm sorry about your daughter though."
"Me too," Neil said as he retreated back to his car.
Seth thanked him for speaking to them and apologized for his accusation. Before he left, Mr. Wyman stopped him and asked him to wait a while. A part of him thought that he would bring out Elizabeth, but he knew that it was out of the question. However, he did bring out something of Elizabeth.
"It's one of the last pictures that were taken of her," the man explained. "Maybe her daughter would like it."
"Thanks. It would mean a lot."
As Seth walked back to the car, he couldn't help but be in awe at Summer's resemblance to her mother. Even though they didn't exactly get what they want, at least the trip was worth something.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
"I'm really sorry for everything," Rick told them as he dropped them off at the airport. "I didn't even think to check the death records with her husband's last name."
"It's okay," Seth said. "Either way, she would have been dead. Thanks for everything though."
"Are you two going to be okay?"
"It's going to be a long flight home, but we'll be okay."
Neither man spoke to each other on the way back to Newport. They separated ways upon leaving the airport, and only met up again at the hospital.
"You're finally here to see her, huh?" Seth said.
"Would she want to see me?"
"I think she would," Seth said. "I'll go talk to her first, but in the mean time, can I say something?"
"Why not?"
"I think it's time for you to tell Summer the truth," he said. "You owe her that much. All this time, she always thought that her mother hated her."
Seth didn't wait for a reply. Instead, he left him out in the lobby to think while he went to see Summer. She looked tired, but she greeted him with a smile nonetheless.
"How was New York?"
"Cold and snowy."
"I have some great news."
"Really?"
"Dr. Abney said that I'm almost in my induction phase, and soon, I should be ready to go home."
"In that case, I'll set everything up in the house."
"The house?"
"You're staying with me."
"But…"
"There is no way that I would let you travel all the way across the country."
"What about my job? And my apartment?"
"Marissa and I already took care of that."
"I don't know what to say."
"I'm not trying to make decisions for you or anything," Seth explained. "I just think it's for the best, especially with your family around here."
"I know," Summer smiled. "Thank you."
"There is someone here who would like to see you."
"Who?"
"I'll go get him."
Summer wondered about who the mystery guest was. She knew that the person was male, but her mind was drawing a blank. The person who entered the room, however, didn't even enter her mind.
"Daddy?"
"Hello Summer," he said as he tentatively approached her.
"What are you doing here?" she asked. "You talked to Cohen?"
"I'm here to see you, and he's not such a bad guy," he said. "He's a great guy."
"I know, but…"
"I'm so sorry, Summer," he said emotionally. "I should have been there for you through everything. I'm sorry for not helping. I'm sorry for pushing you away."
"Dad…"
"I blamed Seth, and I pushed you away. It wasn't your fault nor was it his. I just didn't want to admit that you didn't need me anymore."
"I still need you."
"But not as much," he said. "I was afraid of letting you go."
"I had to leave some time, Daddy."
"I have to tell you something."
"What about?"
"It's about your mother."
"I don't want to talk about her."
"You deserve to know the truth," he explained. "Your mother did not leave because she hated you. Your mother loved you very much, but she was ill, and she didn't want to do anything to hurt you."
"What are you saying?"
"Your mother was suffering from postpartum psychosis, and maybe even more. She had all these hallucinations, and in the process, she ended up trying to hurt you. She almost killed you twice when you were little."
"Did she get any help?" she asked, now curious about her more than angry at her.
"She refused any help when I approached her about it, and one day, she was just gone. She just left a note saying that she was an unfit mother, and that she didn't understand why I wanted to live with someone like her, and that she wanted me to leave her alone."
"Did you?"
"Not in the beginning, but after a year, it was hopeless. Not even her family knew of her whereabouts."
"Do you think she's still alive?"
"As Seth and I found out, she passed away a few years ago."
"What do you mean Seth and you?"
"He had been trying to find your mother for the past month as I was told in hopes of finding possible donors for you. Since I didn't have any more kids, the other likely matches would be the children of your mother if she had any. We went to New York to see her, but like I said, it was all too late. Your mother did have children, but they were all adopted."
"How… How did she die?"
"A car accident," Neil told her. "I don't really know a lot of details. I'm just telling you all of this because I know you might be wondering why she didn't return. Honestly, I don't know the answer to that. All I know is that your mother lives in you."
"How?" she looked at her father inquisitively.
"I never told you this, but your mother was a great interior designer. She was at the top of her game, and only until we got married did she give that up. She wanted to be a full-time mother."
"Really?"
"It's the truth," he said. "I would never make something like this up."
"Can you tell me more?"
"Whatever you want to know."
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
"How come you never mentioned this to us before?" asked Ryan.
"I was planning to tell you guys, but not until I was sure about it. I didn't want to give anyone hope, and then have it all taken away."
"I'm sorry that it had to end that way," Marissa said.
"I was crushed to find out, but it wasn't all for a lost cause," Seth said. "I made amends with Dr. Roberts in the process, and now, I understand a little why he acted the way he did after all those years."
"That one was a shocker too," exclaimed Marissa. "Is he okay?"
"He's doing fine," Seth told them. "He's talking to Summer right now."
"So now what?" Ryan said.
"I guess we just have to keep waiting and hoping that a matching donor will come."
They were interrupted when Neil left Summer's room.
"How did it go?" Seth asked as he stood up.
"I think it went well, or at least better than I could have imagined," he said. "Thank you."
"I didn't do anything."
"You did more than you think," Neil told him. "She's waiting for you in there."
"I shouldn't keep her waiting then."
Seth left the trio to chat as he entered Summer's room. She looked like she had been crying, and as she turned her attention towards him, Seth couldn't help but start explaining himself.
"Before you get angry, just know that I did it all for you. I was going to tell you, but…"
"I'm not angry," Summer said as she wiped her tears away. "I just can't believe that she's dead."
Seth put his arms around her to calm her down. He whispered soothing words to her until she stopped crying.
"I have something to give you," Seth said. "Actually, your mother's husband thought you might want to keep it."
Seth took out the picture and handed it to Summer. She reached out for it and took it from him as though it was going to disappear if she held on to it too tightly.
"Is this really…"
"That's your mom."
"She looks just like me."
"Or you look just like her," Seth joked a little. "She didn't hate you, you know?"
"I know," Summer said. "It's just that I always thought…"
"I know."
"Thank you, Cohen. I think I needed this more than anything. Deep down, I always wanted to know."
"You deserved to know."
"I think it took a lot of guts for you to approach my dad."
"Anything for you."
"He said you were a great guy."
"Well, I'll tell him that I'm taken," Seth smiled at her.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
A half hour later, Seth left the room and went to meet Ryan and Marissa outside the hospital.
"Did Summer tell you the news?"
"She did," Marissa said. "She was so excited about it."
"Well, since you already know, I need to get the house ready."
"She's staying here?" asked Ryan.
"I told her this is where her family is," Seth told them. "Any helpers?"
Marissa raised her hand playfully and raised Ryan's hand for him.
"Excellent," Seth said. "I know I could count on you both, especially you bro."
"I'm always here for you, man."
"Is that you talking, or Marissa playing ventriloquist?"
"Do you want my help or not?"
"Meet me at my house at nine tomorrow morning," Seth laughed. "Thanks Marissa, and as for you, I'll thank you later in case you don't show up."
"It better be a big thank you."
