Caught In Suspension: Chapter 13
Disclaimer: In no way, shape, or form do I have a legal right over the original O.C. characters.
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Summer hung up her phone and leaned back on her chair. It was her last working day and after she leaves the office early to go to her doctor's appointment later that day, she would be starting her maternity leave. She was relieved to have a ten week break from work but she knew that within a month of being bounded at home, she would want to come back.
Summer felt exhausted. The baby thought it was fun to keep mommy up all night by hitting her painfully hard when she always tried to get comfortable. Whatever position she tried out, the baby always disagreed. She had the whole king size bed to herself too and she still couldn't get cozy. Seth couldn't take all of the moving around and he had a very important meeting early that day, so he just resorted to crashing at one of the guest bedrooms.
Her hormones were all over the place and it was poor Seth who had to be the person to always feel the wrath. She sometimes felt sorry that she snapped at him because he ate the last bagel that she had her eye on, but there were times when he truly deserved it. How hard was it to put the floor towel that you step on when you get out of the tub back on the side of the tub to dry? After living with her for so many years, Seth should know that Summer could never stand leaving it on the floor. Summer would've done the task herself but with her pregnant belly, it's a task for her to bend down and pick it up. If she can recall, she never used the word 'jackass' so much within the past couple of months.
Her office phone beeped and a voice was heard on the speaker.
"Mrs. Cohen, Mr. Sharp would like you to see him in his office." Jen, her secretary, spoke.
"Do you know what it's about?"
"Sorry, he didn't say."
Summer sighed. "Thanks Jen."
Summer pressed a button to disconnect and stood up. Before heading to her boss's office, she felt like it was a good idea to use the bathroom first.
After her quick bathroom break, she knocked on the door of her boss's office and waited patiently for his response. Opening the door, she noticed that Mr. Sharp wasn't alone. There was a woman sitting across from him.
"You wanted to see me sir?" Summer asked as she remained standing beside the door.
He nodded. "Yes. I would like you to meet your next client when you return."
The woman stood up from her seat and turned around.
Summer was in shock when she came face to face with the person in front of her. The woman was equally stunned as well.
"Mom?" Summer asked softly.
It's been more than twenty years since she seen or heard about the whereabouts of her mother and she never thought that she would ever come face to face with her again.
"Wow Summer, you look great." Her eyes noticed her belly. "How far along are you?"
"Why would you care?" Summer started to grow defensive. After years of avoiding contact, now she wanted to know about her life. What a fucking bitch!
Summer's mother was silent at this point. This was the most uncomfortable situation she ever been in. She nervously played with her hands and wanted to say something but Summer cut her off.
"Don't say anything because I don't want to hear it. You know what you said and did Mom and that doesn't change anything. Don't think that I don't know what I'm talking about because I heard it with my own ears. You chose the path that you wanted to take and now you would have to live with it for the rest of your life. Yes, I am pregnant and happily married to a husband that I couldn't ask for anyone better. Fuck, I almost didn't give this guy a chance because of you. Affecting me psychologically and emotionally, causing me to build a wall to keep the sometimes good guys away. It wasn't a walk in the park for my husband, but I love him for his determination to not give up and finding a way to conquer the wall. So, sorry for squishing your dreams of having a sappy reunion because you are most definitely not getting one from me you bitch."
Summer took a breath and faced her boss. "Sorry Mr. Sharp, I refuse to take this client."
Summer didn't wait for Mr. Sharp to say anything and just walked out of his office. Her boss stood behind his desk, shocked with what just happened in front of him. Summer definitely felt a bit of eased after telling her mom off. She wouldn't let her tears fall because she already spent too many on her mother and it wasn't worth it. She definitely wasn't worth it.
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Seth sat in a chair, drumming his hands on his lap as he and Summer waited for the doctor. They definitely switched doctors after being misinformed about the pregnancy test results. Sure, mixups do happen but she didn't want that doctor to deliver her baby because what if he stupidly mixed her baby with another? She was probably being over dramatic but she couldn't risk that chance and decided to go with a younger doctor.
Seth had to tell his wife something that he had a feeling that she wouldn't like. Summer would probably kill him but he had no choice, he had to go. Behind closed doors wasn't where Seth wanted to tell her but it was better telling her at that moment instead of home because someone could easily hear him call for help when she was strangling him.
"Seth, can you please stop that." Summer asked as she sat on the examination table, reading a parenting magazine.
Seth looked at her confused and realized that he was still drumming his hands. He sheepishly smiled and shoved his hands in his pocket to stop himself from doing it again.
Seth cleared his throat. "Hey Sum, I have to tell you something."
Summer looked up from her magazine and stared at him. The last time he was that serious was the time when he asked if they could try for a baby. Seeing that she's already pregnant, that couldn't be it or so she hoped because she wanted to wait a year or two before they started to try for another.
Seeing that he had her attention, he gulped. "Okay, but please don't be mad at me when I tell you this-"
Summer interrupted. "Let me tell you that when you start your sentence like that, it's a dead giveaway that most likely I will get mad anyways. Tell me now and you'll have the comfort of knowing that if I kill you because of your news, you'll already have a medical staff no less than five minutes away." She told him straight forward.
Seth nodded. Quick and painless, just like ripping off a band-aid.
"I have to go to Seattle." He quickly told her but slow enough for her to make out what he was saying.
"What?" Summer exclaimed. She wanted, no, more like needed Seth to be there no matter what because her due date was right around the corner. He couldn't miss the birth of his child if she had it while he was gone just because he couldn't get a flight back in time.
She would've asked him for more details but their conversation got interrupted when the doctor entered the room.
"Hello Summer, how are you feeling?" Dr. Henderson asked, oblivious to the talk that they were having.
Summer shot Seth a look before turning her attention to her doctor. "Tired because the little one refuse to stay put when I'm trying to sleep but other than that, I'm great."
Dr. Henderson smiled as she just finished with her check-up. "That's good to hear. You're coming along nicely but it may be a while."
Summer smiled. "Thank you."
"Congratulations you two, you're about to be parents." Dr. Henderson said as she left the room.
Seth smiled widely. He couldn't hear that enough.
"I'm going to get dressed and we'll talk about this when we get home." Summer ordered.
Seth nodded and stood up. He prayed that she wouldn't be too pissed and he would be able to live to see the next day.
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Seth grabbed a can of green tea for him and a bottle of water for Summer from the refrigerator as he waited for her from using the bathroom. The talks on the car ride from the doctors office was kept to a mum and they had the radio to fill in for the silence.
Seth walked out of the kitchen and settled on the couch in the living room, placing Summer's drink on the coffee table and drinking out of his. It wasn't too long until Summer entered the room and sat next to Seth.
"For how long do you have to be in Seattle?" Summer asked.
Seth sighed. "I leave on Friday and come back on Sunday."
She raised a brow. "You do realize that my due date is on Friday, right?"
"Yes I do, but it's a statistical fact that like only five percent of babies are actually born on their due date." Seth pointed out. He wasn't lying, he read it in an article on the internet.
"What if I'm one of those five percent? What if I go into labor while your gone?"
"Then I'll try to make it back before the baby is born."
Summer shook her head. "Trying is not good enough Seth, you have to be here." She could start to feel her eyes beginning to water. This was part of the pregnancy that Summer didn't like, making her feel like a blubbering baby over something that wouldn't get her that way if she wasn't pregnant.
Seth cupped her face and looked straight into her eyes. "I promise you that I will be here, by your side by the time you're in that delivery room."
Summer sniffled and wiped her eyes. "You better or else I'll kick your ass."
Seth chuckled and kissed her. No doubt in his mind that she would personally hunt him down and kick his ass.
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Wallet? Check.
Bags? Got it.
Tickets? In the front inside pocket of his jacket.
Seth mentally made sure that he got all of the important items that he needed as he frantically moved around the bedroom. Summer woke up after all of the commotion from Seth and remained in bed, watching him scramble. Finally satisfied, Seth walked towards Summer and kissed her.
"I have to go Sum, but do me a favor and try to keep the baby in until I get back."
Summer raised a brow. "And how do you suppose I do that?"
Seth shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe you should try closing your legs tightly shut, deny the kid entrance into the world until I return."
Summer shook her head at his suggestion. "Maybe you shouldn't go to Seattle at all. In fact, you still haven't told me why you had to go there in the first place."
"It's all business and I have to be there because Dean can't. He has his father's funeral back east and I not only had to take care of business, but I have to fill in for him on the guest speaking back at the university we attended."
Summer sighed. "Go, get out of here or else your going to miss your flight." She sadly told him.
Seth nodded and kissed her goodbye. "I love you."
Summer slightly smiled. "Love you too."
Seth placed his hand on Summer's abdomen. "Be good for Mommy and please stay in there until Daddy gets back home. Love you little one." Seth kissed her belly and waved one more time before exiting the room.
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Two days passed and still no baby. It was now a late Sunday morning and Summer just bummed on the new reclining chair that Seth bought the week before. There was a cooler on one of the arm rests and she took advantage of that, loading it up with a couple of refreshments so she didn't need to get up for something to drink if she got thirsty. The only time she would get up is if she would have to use the bathroom and that was approximately every hour.
Flipping through the channels, she finally saw something that was worth watching. The doorbell started to ring but Summer felt too lazy to get up to get it. If it was someone she knew, then that person would most likely call her cell after they quit trying the doorbell. After a matter of seconds after the doorbell stopped ringing, Summer's cell started to ring and she picked it up.
"Just open the door, it's unlock." Summer said after recognizing the caller and snapped her cell phone shut. She remained seated and didn't bother to get up to greet her guest.
Marissa entered the livingroom and plopped on the couch next to the recliner.
"So, what are we doing today?" Marissa asked.
"Same thing we did yesterday and the day before that one." Summer answered as her eyes remained on the television.
Marissa reached to get a drink from the recliner like she did the past two days. She took it upon herself to be with Summer just in case she needed to be driven to the hospital. Ryan was a little reluctant with the idea because that would mean that he would have to watch the kids. He realized that he recently haven't been spending enough time with the kids because of the craziness of work and agreed with his wife.
Marissa lifted up her legs and crossed them on the coffee table in front of her while sipping on her drink. She hasn't been watching TV for a minute when she heard Summer curse. Marissa's attention went completely to her and she realized that Summer started to breathe in deeply.
"Summer, did you feel a contraction?" Marissa curiously asked.
Summer shot her a look. "No, I just breathe like this normally." She said sarcastically.
Marissa immediately jumped off the couch. "Alright, just breathe and try to relax."
"How can I relax when I feel like sharp needles piercing my body once in a while?"
"Did you start having any type of pains before I got here?"
"Maybe an hour after I had my after-midnight snack but I didn't think anything about it. The jalapeños in the refrigerator looked good and I thought that my body was pissed at me for eating it when I usually can't stand it."
"Sum, how far apart are the contractions?"
Summer shrugged. "I don't know but can you help me up because I have to pee."
Marissa helped Summer get out of the chair and watched her waddle towards the bathroom. Marissa ran upstairs to fetch a duffel bag after remembering that Summer mentioned something about having one ready to go when she went into labor. Grabbing the bag from the bedroom closet, Marissa noticed Summer leaning on to the couch for support when she reached the midpoint of the stairs.
"Coop, I think we definitely need to go to the hospital. My water just broke."
Marissa ran down the remaining steps and started to lead her towards the car.
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The eight ball dropped into the corner pocket that Seth stood close to and as he watched that ball drop in front of him, he knew that he lost. Times didn't change as he just lost for the second straight time to David, his former college roommate. They were hanging out and killing time at a popular local hangout that they always flocked to when the attended college.
Seth started to empty out the pockets and rolled the balls as David started to rack it up.
"How about we make this three out of five." Seth said as he started to chalk up the tip of his cue stick.
"What time is your flight?" David asked.
Seth quickly looked at his watch. "Not 'til another three hours."
Seth did the break and managed to get a stripped ball in a pocket. He decided on his next shot and was about to hit the ball when his cell phone started to ring, resulting in him to mishit the cue ball.
"I should get a mulligan for that on the grounds of interference." Seth argued.
David disagreed as he shook his head. "Shut up Seth. This is pool, not golf. Quit your bitching and answer you phone dumbass. Isn't your wife pregnant?"
Seth's eyes went wide when he realized that he was right. Seth answered and motioned for David that they had to go as soon as he hung up. All he heard his wife say was "Get your ass back to Newport" and he knew that it was time. He already had his things in the back of David's car and he was ready to go. He prayed that everything would run smoothly and he'll get to her on time. She really wasn't kidding when she said that she would kick his ass.
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It's been hours since Summer called Seth and he still hasn't arrive. Even if he stuck to his original flight, he would've gotten back to Newport by now. She was half-mad and half-worried about him. Ryan said that he tried calling his cell but he immediately got his voicemail.
Summer took a deep breath as she felt another contraction. It started to get closer together and the doctor said that she should reach ten centimeters within the hour.
Marissa came back into the room with a cup of crushed ice and placed it on a table.
"Coop, where the hell is that jackass who did this to me?" Summer cried in pain. She knew that it was going to hurt but she didn't expect it to be this bad.
Marissa was about to reply when Seth appeared at the doorway. Looking at him from top to bottom, Marissa would say that he looked like shit. Maybe she was over exaggerating but he certainly did look banged up. Seth had a gash above the eye that was obvious that it needed to be stitched up and his right leg was in a cast.
Picking up on the questioning faces on both of the women, Seth started to answer before they could ask.
"Let's just say that I obviously had to go through some obstacles before reaching to the end. There was a whole lot of 'back to home' cards being drawn than 'advance to three spaces'."
Amused, Marissa nodded. "Now that you're here Seth, I'll just wait in the lobby."
Marissa gave Summer a kiss on the forehead and left the room.
Seth made his way to the chair that Marissa previously occupied and leaned his crutches on the wall that was close enough for him to reach for when he needed it.
"Glad to see that you made it Dad." Dr. Henderson greeted as she went to check up on Summer. "Looks like you're ready. Let's get you in the delivery room."
Seth and Summer looked at each other and smiled. This was it, time to finally meet their bundle of joy.
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Seth stood at the viewing window, happily looking into the nursery. The nurse just changed the diaper and placed the baby back in the appropriate clear nursery cradle. Seth started to tap on the glass and smiled when the baby looked at him in the eyes. He could happily state that the baby he was lovingly gazing at was his daughter. He, Seth Cohen, had a beautiful, healthy daughter named Keira Riley Roberts Cohen. He doesn't know how long he's been watching his beautiful daughter but he felt like he could just look at her for hours. Suddenly he felt a hand placed on his shoulder and turned his head to acknowledge the person.
"So that's my granddaughter." Neil said as he looked through the glass. "Wow, she definitely looks like her mother."
It was clearly evident that she looked like her mother.
Seth nodded and stared right back in the nursery. "I know, she's gorgeous."
"So have you come to a decision?" Neil seriously asked as he faced Seth.
Seth knew that he would have to give an answer sooner or later. The meeting at the country club wasn't a usual drink together. He proposed something to Seth that he haven't spoken to Summer about because she never knew about it and he had to give his answer right now.
"I don't know if I, we could accept it sir." Seth politely stated.
Neil shook his head. "It's my gift to you my boy as a thank you."
Seth confusedly looked at Neil. "A thank you for what?"
"For giving my daughter the best life that she deserves even if I wasn't totally behind you in the beginning. I know that I was a prick when we met up again after you and my daughter got back together after college and I thought that your degree wasn't good enough. I see it in her eyes, hear it in her voice that you truly make her happy. You have fulfilled your promise you made on that day that you ask me for permission to marry her and now it's time that I honor my word." Neil pulled a key out of his pocket and held it up to give to Seth.
Seth just stared at the key presented in front of him.
That night when Seth went to talk to Dr. Roberts to tell him about his intentions with Summer, Dr. Roberts scoffed at the ideas. Neil questioned Seth about how they were going to live and how he was going to support her. Seth's company just launched after minor setbacks and Dr. Roberts was totally against the whole thing because to him, it wasn't secure enough. They got into an argument after Dr. Roberts laughed at the promises Seth was making. In the heat of the argument, Neil challenged Seth. The deal was that they would have to stay married for a year because Neil was so sure that it wouldn't last past that. If Seth were to succeed, then Neil would give him a house as an award. Seth was definitely surprised at the challenge and without hesitation, he walked away from it. He felt like it was a lost cause trying to explain why he was good enough for his daughter. Seth had the courage to say what was on his mind and satisfyingly walked out of the door by the time he was finished.
Neil was definitely stunned after being told off because he honestly didn't think that Seth had the testicular fortitude to do it. It took him months after hearing the news of their engagement to realize that Seth was right. Neil met only a few of his daughter's boyfriends but he always purposely pushed them away, with the exceptions of only one boy he met while his daughter was still in high school. He was just afraid of losing his only daughter and he wanted to be the only guy in her life as long as he could hold on. Intimidating and scaring the guys was the only way he knew how and that worked until a boy named Seth Cohen came in the picture. It worked on him at first but he wasn't being affected by it the second time around.
"I know that you have the money to get one for yourself but I really want you to have it, even if you didn't agree to it." Neil tried to offer again and Seth looked at him.
By looking at the expression that his father in-law wore, Seth couldn't say no. "Thank you."
Neil placed the key in Seth's hand and patted his back. "Enjoy that house in Aspen. I'm glad that you kids had a good time at that house."
Seth nodded and tucked the key into his pocket. A nurse wheeled out the crying baby Cohen and approached Seth.
"She's hungry. Would you like to take her to your wife?" The nurse asked.
"We both will." Neil answered as he looked over the cradle and smiled at the baby in front of him. Seth smiled gratefully and they started to move towards Summer's room.
"So you gonna tell me what happened to you?" Summer asked as she started to rock the baby to sleep after nursing.
It was just Seth in the room and he stood beside Summer, watching the baby as she started to close her eyes.
"What, this?" Seth pointed to his broken leg. "It's no big deal."
"Uh-huh. But what about the cut above your eye? How do you explain that?"
Seth shrugged. "It's not as bad as it looks, but I am kind of bummed that blood found it's way on my T-shirt." He joked.
"You're okay though. Right?" She worriedly asked.
Summer still looked concerned and Seth reassuringly smiled.
"Couldn't feel better."
It was true though. Getting hit by a car because he forgot the golden rule of always looking left and right before crossing the street because his main focus was to get to Summer in time, waiting in the emergency room at the hospital for hours because other people had more serious injuries than he had, a bad traffic jam on the road that would lead him to the main airport in Seattle, and trying to find a flight back to Newport because he missed his flight which was the only one to the John Wayne Airport. After all of the challenges that he had to go through, he seriously couldn't feel any better as he did at the moment. The injuries on his body may tell a different story but on the inside, he didn't feel bruised and battered whatsoever. Instead, he felt warm and wholesome. Nothing could bring him down from cloud nine.
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Told you guys it was a long one. Go ahead and take a deep breath. The next chapter will be the epilogue and the last one to this story. I'm giving it a final read and it would be posted after I feel that it's ready. Can't believe my summer vacation is quickly coming to a close after I realize I start school in a week. Sigh...