The O.C

A Life Half Lived

A/N: Look, look! An update two days after! SHOCK HORROR! Thanks SO much again for your reviews. They make what I'm doing seem worthwhile, even though I'd do it anyway. Happy reading! Genevra xxox

YellyBelly, Lil Aussie Alias Chick (My fellow Aussie. We have to stick together :)): What do you two have in common? You all bought up something I hadn't even thought about which will be addressed in this chapter. This is dedicated to you guys because you inspired me. I don't want to give it away just yet so exactly what it is (if you haven't figured it out by the time you finish) is written in another A/N at the bottom. Thanks guys!

Conaleigh Leonhart: I just wanted to say thank you for not pleading with me to save Summer and for letting me write what I want. That's unusual, lol, but thanks.

svocfanatic: I'm glad to hear you appreciate the updates. Like I said, even though I'd do it anyway, it makes it worthwhile. If someone can enjoy it, that makes me happy.

Summary: "I don't look sick. I am sick."

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 Fourteen: One Step At A Time

"Summer, you look beautiful," Sandy said, as he walked to the bedroom to help carry her down the stairs.

"Yeah, you do," Ryan agreed, his eyes meeting Marissa's. They smiled softly at each other, sadness looming in their eyes.

"Thanks," Summer said quietly. She held her arm out to her husband who practically ran to her side. "I had help."

"You ready to go?" Sandy asked. "Seth and I can carry you down the stairs."

"Wait," Summer called lightly as Seth and Sandy prepared to pick her up. They paused and stood back. "I want to walk."

"Summer, do you think that's such a good idea?" Kirsten asked. She had pasted her concerned mother look on her face but Summer could tell she was secretly proud of her daughter in-law. Summer looked over at Marissa, who had the same expression as Kirsten pasted on her own face.

"I don't care if it's a good idea," Summer said, as loudly as her body would let her. "But I want too. I need too."

"I think it'll be okay," Ryan piped up, standing up for her. "Dr Roberts never said she couldn't walk down the stairs. He didn't encourage it but I don't think just once will matter."

"Thank you, Ryan," Summer said, shooting him a smile.

"I think Ryan's right," Marissa agreed.

"You would," Seth shot back, half-joking, half… not.

"No, I really do," Marissa replied. "I think that it's Summer's choice and that walking down one set of stairs will be okay. I mean, she'll need help so it'll basically be like she's not walking down them anyway."

"Thanks, Coop," Summer said, rolling her eyes. Kirsten hid a smile but then opened her own mouth to talk.

"I tend to agree with Ryan and Marissa," she said.

"Kirsten," Sandy warned before he looked at the four that had ganged up on him and his son. "The doctor said no unnecessary physical movement."

"He also told me to make sure that morale was kept up and not to upset the patient," Ryan shot back. "She's walking down those stairs."

"Let's not get violent about it," Summer spoke up. "I just want to walk down a set of ten stairs."

"And you will," Ryan said, glaring at Sandy and Seth who had finally relented.

"Fine," Seth said. "Since you get everything you want anyway, you can walk down the stairs."

"Hey," she said, weakly swinging her bag at him and whipping him across the chest.

"Oh, because that really hurt Summer," he said.

"I tried," she said.

"Not very well."

"I'm sick," she shot-back. "I'm very weak. Just you wait until I'm better then I'll kick your pervy little ass."

The whole room paused as everyone's eyes somehow seemed to meet. Kirsten and Marissa glanced at each other, Ryan and Seth, Sandy and Summer, Sandy and Kirsten, Marissa and Seth, Ryan and Summer. All until everyone had looked each other in the eye. 'Just you wait until I'm better.'

"Don't all look so surprised," she said, finally. Marissa turned away, turned into Ryan so her best friend didn't see her start to cry. "It's moments like these that make me not want to give up. All this time, I thought I was being realistic by saying I was going to die and all along, all I've been doing is hurting everyone and giving up. You all say I'm the strong one because I'm the only one who's able to focus on the inevitable but I'm not. I'm the weak one because I'm not fighting. I'm letting this disease take over me. I'm not being strong. But not anymore. I'm going to fight it."

"You don't know how happy it makes me to hear you say that," Kirsten said, finally breaking the silence. She had happy tears in her eyes and her voice cracked on certain words but throughout it, she smiled.

"I think I do," Summer smiled back. she sighed and ran a hand over her face to rub away any traces of make-up. Marissa was clinging onto Ryan and not letting go. Seth and Sandy were standing next to each other, staring at each other but Summer and Kirsten's eyes never left each other's. Eventually, Summer broke the silence. "Are we ready to go?"

"I think so," Sandy said finally. He offered Summer his arm.

"Thank you," she smiled as she took the steps necessary to exit the room. She walked slowly down the hallway and stopped when she got to the stairs. "Wait."

"What for?" Ryan asked, widening his eyes at her. "It's not that hard, Sum. You simply put one foot in front of the other and step down. Come on. Mariss and I will show you."

Marissa looked at her husband with incredulity. She shrugged her shoulders but followed him down the stairs.

"Come on, Sum," Ryan cajoled. "You've come this far. Don't stop now. And if you fall, Marissa and I will catch you."

"It's not that," Summer said, looking down at them. "It's just this is the last time I'm going to walk down these stairs for awhile."

"Yes," said Ryan. "And it's not going to be any different this time than it is the next time you do it except that next time, you'll be walking up and you'll probably have a baby in your arms. Let's go. I'm hungry."

Marissa lifted her hand to hit her husband but then she stopped and smiled at him instead.

"You're my hero," she whispered to him.

"Is that so?" he whispered back, his mouth barely moving. he knew that if Summer didn't walk down the steps now, she never would. Someone would get tired of waiting or would decide she didn't have the strength and they would carry her. But not Ryan, and not Marissa. They knew how important it was for her to do this.

Summer smiled at her husband bravely, who had yet to leave her side. She let him take her hand and she took her first step down, grateful she wasn't wearing heels.

"You're doing well," Ryan called up the stairs as he and Marissa walked down backwards. They took a step each time Summer did, keeping a fair distance away but close enough that if she fell, they could catch her before any damage was done.

"You're doing great, honey," Kirsten called down from the top where she and Sandy were standing so as not to overwhelm their daughter in-law.

"I'm walking down stairs," Summer said, in between breaths. "It's not exactly news-worthy."

"We're nearly there," Seth said, when they had three steps to go. "One. Two. Three."

When she reached the bottom, Ryan scooped her up in his arms and swung her around.

"Well done," he smiled. "You did it."

Summer squealed but swung her arms out as Ryan swung her around.

"Uh, when your done man-handling my wife," Seth said, pretending to be concerned. "Can you maybe put her down?"

"Sure," Ryan said, walking over to the front door. He placed her down. "You going to walk to the car?"

Summer turned to look at the rest of the family who shrugged.

"You made it this far, kiddo," Sandy said, imparting his sage wisdom. "You may as well go the whole way."

"This is fighting?" Kirsten said under her breath.

"Sure," Sandy answered. "She's walking."

"I can see that," Kirsten smiled. "I meant I'm glad she's doing it but its so sad that walking has to be such a big deal."

"I know," Sandy replied, putting an arm around his wife and pulling her closer. "But look how happy she is."

And it was true, they knew. Summer had never looked so happy, had never shone so bright. She finally looked like someone who would fight.

A/N for YellyBelly and Lil Aussie Alias Chick: In case you didn't pick it up, which I'm sure you did, the issue was Summer giving up and not fighting.

General A/N: You may have noticed there were no flashback scenes and that I didn't go into detail about the dinner but you'll see why soon. Gen. xxox