The O.C
A Life Half Lived
A/N: I just wanted to explain something. I originally wanted this story to be different. I was going to have the prologue and then I was going to right back to the beginning and write the story from the end of Season One up until now. Do you like the way I've done it better? Having the story and then the flashbacks to explain?SORRY I TOOK SO LONG TO UPDATE!Happy reading! Genevra xxox
Summary: "I don't look sick. I am sick."
Setting: This is set eight years in the future when the gang are twenty-five. Ryan and Marissa have been married for five years and their daughter is four. Seth and Summer have been married for three years.
Disclaimer: I do not own nor am I affiliated with The OC. Sigh. I do however own any characters or scenarios you don't recognize. Yay!
Chapter Four: Fragile
Marissa woke up the next morning and found two little clear, blue eyes staring at her. They blinked and then were narrowed and then widened again. She saw a little nose pop up the side of the bed and rest on the quilt. Marissa leant over and grabbed the nose carefully. Her four-year-old daughter giggled and climbed into bed next to her mother.
"Hello, Mummy," she said. She snuggled into he mother and Marissa sighed.
"Hello, baby," she said. "What are you doing here?"
"I need you to do my hair," she said, holding out an elastic. "Daddy tried and he couldn't do it and Aunty Summer was asleep when I went into her room."
"So, she's sleeping?" Marissa asked, sitting up. Her daughter nodded. "That's good."
She took the elastic band from her daughter's hand and started to plait her ash blonde hair.
"Mummy, why did you stay here last night?"
"Because Aunty Summer's sick and she needed someone to look after her," Marissa said. She was holding the elastic in her mouth and her words were muffled.
"Kinda like when you take care of me when I'm sick?" her daughter asked, her feet bouncing.
"Hold still," Marissa said, as she finished the plait. "Yes, kind of like when I take care of you when I'm sick."
She leant down and turned her daughter's face towards her and proceeded to tell her that Aunty Summer was going to be sick for a long time and she might need to stay here for quite awhile and would Alexis be ok with Daddy for awhile when Ryan appeared at the door.
"Is Aunty Summer going to be ok?" Alexis asked, her eyes wide in concern. Marissa knew she didn't fully understand but she didn't want to ruin her daughter's day. Summer was her 'best friend' and her favorite aunt. "And is the baby going to be ok?"
"I think she's going to be fine," Marissa said. "But…"
"We got to go, Lexie. You're going to be late for kinder," Ryan interjected. He winked at Marissa who beamed up at him tiredly. She had fallen into an exhausted sleep in Seth and Summer's luxurious bedroom sometime in the early hours of the morning.
"Kiss," she said, turning her cheek to her. She felt her daughter's lips brush against her cheek and she repeated the gesture. "Have fun at school. I love you."
Kirsten appeared at the door holding a bagel and a glass of orange juice.
"I bought you breakfast," she said, smiling. Alexis grabbed onto her grandmother's legs and wouldn't let go. "Alexis, Aunty Summer's awake. Why don't you go say hello?"
"Quickly," Ryan called out after her. "Or we're going to be late."
Kirsten handed Ryan Marissa's makeshift breakfast and headed after her.
"I'll go with her," she said. "Keep an eye on her. In fact, Ryan, I'll take her to school and you and Marissa can spend some time together."
"What about work?" Ryan asked, warmly. Alexis's kindergarten was well out of the way.
"I'm not going in today," Kirsten answered. "I thought I might be needed here."
"You're the greatest," Marissa smiled. Kirsten smiled back and Ryan sensed a private joke between them.
"I'll check in on you when I get back," Kirsten said to Marissa. "You must be exhausted."
"Thanks, Kirsten," she smiled. Ryan stood up and kissed his adopted mother on the cheek.
"Thanks for taking Lexie," he said.
"It's ok," she said. She turned and closed the door behind her. They heard her yelling to their four year-old daughter who was down the hall. "Lexie it's time to go!"
"Are you taking me to school, Grandma?" he excited reply came.
"Yes, sweetie," was the last thing they heard before Ryan came and snuggled in next to his wife of five years.
"I looked in on Summer this morning," he said.
"Yeah?" Marissa replied, settling herself in more comfortably.
"She looked so small and so helpless. So fragile," he said. "She needs all the help she can get and it's unusual. I've only seen her like that once."
"I know," Marissa whispered. She rubbed her husband's back.
"Seeing her like that makes me want to do everything I can for her. And I will do anything I can for her. That's not going to change. I just want to help. Fix it somehow."
"I think this is something you can't even fix," Marissa smiled.
"And why not?" he asked.
"Because it isn't something you can beat with your fists," Marissa remarked dryly.
"I just want to find him and kill him," Ryan said. His fists were clenched and he was angrily pacing the room. "I want to pound him and smash him into the ground for doing this to her."
"I know you do," Marissa said. She scooted back when Ryan pushed a small stack of books of his chest of drawers. "Ryan, I know you're angry but you're scaring me."
"I'm sorry," he said, forcefully. He looked at her continued quieter. "I'm sorry. It's just that, this is the sort of thing I grew up with. When I moved to Newport, I was getting away from all this crap. I just don't like the idea that Zach can be allowed to get away with this."
"He won't," Marissa remarked. "Believe me."
"How can you be so calm about this?" Ryan spat.
"Because I am trying to think of Summer," Marissa said, through gritted teeth and Ryan softened. "I am angry. I am furious but I happen to know that hurting Zach isn't going to make it any better."
"She just looked so fragile," Ryan said, after a moment. "So scared and so alone. He reduced Summer to tears. He broke her. He should have to pay for that."
Seth ambled into the room. He looked physically and emotionally exhausted.
"I want to kill him," he said, quietly. His voice was full of pure, un-adulterated and deadly anger.
"I know," Ryan answered.
"But killing him would be to easy," Seth countered. "He wouldn't have to pay for what he'd done."
"That's true," someone answered.
"We should beat him to a bloody pulp so that he is permanently disfigured and so everyone will know what he's one," Seth said.
"Stop!" Marissa cried out. She covered her face with her arms. "You two are scaring me."
The boys just looked at her.
"You can't kill Zach, you can't hurt Zach. You can't even touch him," Marissa said, hot tears streaming from her eyes. The boys looked at her with blank disbelieving faces. "Don't think that I don't want him to pay. Believe me, I do. But if you touch him, you won't be any better than he is."
they were silent for a moment before Marissa stood up.
"I'm going to check on Summer. I'll be back soon and I expect you to be here. Don't try anything."
"Coffee?" Sandy asked.
"Hey, Sandy," Marissa said, accepting the red mug full of dark brown liquid.
"How did you sleep?" he asked her.
"Not very well," she admitted. "Did Ryan go to work?"
"He left about an hour ago. He said you were asleep," Sandy replied. "He also said he'd be back after work and that he'd called your mother and asked if Lexie could stay with her for a few nights."
"I'd rather she went to my Dad's," Marissa replied.
"And she suggested Lexie go to your father's so I said I'd take her there myself," Sandy replied immediately.
Marissa gulped her coffee down and thanked Sandy. She headed upstairs and took a shower before heading to her best friend's room. It seemed like they hadn't had a moment alone since Summer told Marissa her news.
"Coop," Summer said. "I have something to tell you."
"What is it?" Marissa asked. They were sitting outside in vaguely the same position Kirsten and Summer had been in when they'd cried. It was only two hour later.
"I'm sick," Summer said. She paused and looked at her Marissa who knew by Summer's tone that this was serious.
"How sick?" Marissa asked, swallowing. Her voice was slightly hoarse and Summer could see she was trying to keep a grip on her emotions.
"I have acute leukemia," Summer replied. Marissa's wall fell and she began to quietly sob.
"But, how?" Marissa asked. "Are you going to be okay? Is the baby? Are you going to have chemo?"
"The baby is going to be fine," Summer said, calmly. "And yes, I will have chemo. The treatments are perfectly safe and won't harm the baby."
"But what about you?" Marissa asked. "Are you going to be okay?"
"Acute leukemia is really rare in pregnant women," Summer said, as she began to cry softly. "And so is survival. But it's not impossible."
"Oh, Summer," Marissa said. And they sat together and cried again because there was nothing else to do. There was nothing else to say.
"How are you feeling?" Marissa asked, sitting carefully on the side of Summer's bed.
"Lousy," Summer said. "I suddenly feel tired and cranky."
Marissa nudged her best friend over slightly and crawled into bed next to her.
"Ryan said he saw you quickly this morning," she said. "He said you looked really fragile and it reminded him of the whole Zach saga."
"Ugh," Summer said, closing her eyes. "You had to bring that up. It was nearly seven years ago."
"Eight," Marissa corrected. "He said that seeing you like that made him want to fight for you. that he wanted to help and he wanted to fix it."
"If only he could this time," Summer murmured.
"I told him it wasn't something he could fix with his fists," Marissa said, softly. "But that it would mean something to you to know he cared. He really loves you Summer. We all do."
"I know," Summer answered. She yawned and looked at her best friend. "I'm sorry, Coop but I'm really tired."
Marissa leant down and kissed her cheek.
"I'll let you sleep," she said, walking towards the door. She turned and looked down at Summer before she left the room.
Ryan was right. Seeing her in this position again, so small and fragile made you to fight. It made you want to kill whatever it was that had made her so helpless. And it would drive them crazy to know that this could never actually be fixed by anything they did. This couldn't be punched up, or threatened. An example couldn't be made of this horrible disease that had taken over her. Nothing could be done.
And that made them feel helpless.