A/N - I'm sorry I teased you all with the quick updates before. I had 2
days off for Christmas and was able to knock out chapters pretty quickly.
Please be patient with me. And thank you all for commenting. I love hearing
what you think.
A/N - I have no knowledge of any medical personnel behaving in the manner I've written in this chapter. I mean no disrespect and am not implying that any would break the rules, if in fact, these actions are wrong. It's fiction, people.
~Lies-10~
One of the EMT's stopped at a door inside the ER, as the gurney carrying Summer and the emergency team following it continued on. "Sorry, Seth. End of the line. You can't go in here with her. I know it sucks, but that's the way it is."
The ambulance driver always attempted to distract ride-alongs on the drive to the hospital. He had tried to ease the lanky kid's tension by getting him to talk about the girl and details of their relationship. Seth never took his eyes off of her or the medic treating her, but when pressed, he'd haltingly delivered the short version of his long romantic pursuit, then loss, and latest attempt to win back the injured girl in the back of the van; also describing their friend's breakdown that resulted in her injuries. Seth had unloaded his fears and worry about his missing brother and the troubled girl he was trapped in a car with, and the driver felt awful for the kid. He was 10 years older but still had memories of the horrors of being a teenager. All this to deal with and no parents around. Who said rich kids had it easy?
"Look, just go to the waiting room and try to relax. They'll probably bring you some papers to fill out, since you're the only person here with Summer. It's gonna seem like forever, but the doctor will come out and tell you as soon as they know something about her condition. I'll make sure they know her parents aren't available and neither are yours just yet, so they'll give you the information." He winked at Seth and lowered his voice. "I've got connections here, kid. The doctor on duty is my wife. And I'll keep an ear on my radio. If I hear anything about the red Corvette I'll try to get a message to you. Can you handle it if it's bad news?"
Seth thought for half a second, then nodded. "I want to know, even if it's bad. Thank you so much, Dave. This - all this is really cool of you. Uh - thank you."
"No problem. Now try to relax, everything's gonna work out." A voice came through some static on his radio, and he turned it down a little. His partner came out and told him they had another call. "I gotta go. You take care, Seth."
He nodded and looked around for a pay phone. He spotted them outside the waiting room and headed down the hall to call his parents. He debated a moment, then dialed his father's cell phone. When he answered, Seth determined that they were still on their way home and his father was driving.
"Ok, Dad? I need you to pull over. Get to the side of the road." Seth didn't need any more trauma involving cars today.
"All right, son." Sandy knew by his tone of voice that Seth wasn't playing around. He pulled over, shrugging at Kirsten's questioning look. "The car's stopped, Seth. What's happened?"
"I'm at the hospital with Summer. To make a long story short, Marissa flipped out, and was trying to take off in Summer's car. Ryan got in with her to try to get the key out of the ignition and Marissa took off, hitting Summer. So I don't know where Ryan and Marissa are, or if they're all right. Unstable is too kind of a word for Miss Cooper's state of mind right now."
Sandy's face went white, and Kirsten felt her heart sink. Whatever Seth was saying had to be very bad to put that look on her husband's face.
"She hit her with the car? Is Summer ok?" Sandy was having a hard time processing this.
"I - uh - don't know. When the car hit her, it - it knocked her into one of those pillar things at the end of the drive. She wouldn't wake up... I couldn't wake her up, Dad. She looked so -" Seth swallowed hard and Sandy knew he was trying not to cry. "I'm scared."
"I know, Seth. I am too. We have to think positive thoughts about all three of them. Are Summer's parents aware of what's happened?"
"They're out of the country and I have no idea how to reach them. Can you guys call Marissa's Dad?" Seth didn't think he had the stomach to tell Jimmy what happened. Everyone had believed Marissa was getting well. The guy couldn't catch a break lately.
"We'll take care of it, son. We got a late start, so we're still a few hours from home. We'll come to the hospital as soon as we hit town. Let us know if you get any word on Ryan and Marissa, ok? Hang tough, kid."
"I'll try. See you soon." He hung up and walked to the waiting room. There was only one other person there, a middle aged man staring blankly at the news on the TV. Seth guessed the blank look was because the volume was so low you could barely hear it. He sat down and grabbed a magazine, leafing through the pages and realizing he was seeing nothing on them. He glanced over to the man again in solidarity.
An idea occurred to him and he dropped the magazine, rising and searching the hall for the reception desk. "Excuse me. Has anyone else been brought in recently? My brother is - well, it would have a male and a female both 16, possibly injured in a car accident."
The nurse pulled up a screen on the computer and shook her head. "No, sir. No one of that description has come in."
"Thanks for looking." He was relieved to know they weren't hurt, but still in agony not knowing what had happened to them. He told himself Ryan was strong, and if anyone could get through to Marissa it would be him.
"Are you Mr. Cohen?" At Seth's nod, she continued. "I need you to fill out these forms for Miss Roberts. There may be several things you won't be able to answer, but just do the best you can, then bring them back to me. Ok?"
Seth nodded again and took the clipboard back to the waiting area. Apparently the nurse wasn't aware that six years of unrequited adoration and a few weeks of actual dating left a guy with vast amounts of personal information discovered here and there and committed to memory. As long as they didn't want to know female-ish stuff, like when her last period was, he was pretty sure he had the paperwork under control. A wave of nausea rolled through him and he leaned back in the chair with his eyes closed until it passed. He absolutely could not give into his fear or tension and break down. He had to stay strong for Summer, and whatever happened next with Ryan and Marissa. He continued filling out the forms and when finished, took them back to the desk. "Has there been any word on Summer? Do you know how she is?"
She shook her head and looked at him with pity. "I'm sorry, I don't. The doctor will be out as soon as she can, though."
"Yeah. Thanks." As he headed slowly back to the waiting area again, Seth was thinking the doctor had taken plenty of freaking time and needed to be making an appearance with some news pretty damned soon. The urge to shove his fist into a cement hospital wall was growing with each second that ticked by, and despite the pain he knew that little maneuver would cause him, it STILL sounded like a truly splendid idea. Another revelation he could to relate to Ryan with. He settled in the chair and leaned back against the cool wall again, closing his eyes. Instantly he saw the silent image of Ryan's shoulders and blonde hair disappearing from view as he lowered himself into the Corvette. Just like he'd hit a play button, the image faded into Marissa's terrified uncomprehending face as she pushed the gas pedal to the floor. Unable to stop the inevitable progression, that picture dissipated into one of Summer, the car sliding too quickly for her to even acknowledge it, being struck and flying in slow motion to hit the pillar with sickening force. Summer, lying unmoving and pale as he'd run to her, each step he took bringing him closer to the fact that she may be dead. Beautiful, vibrant, sarcastic, wounded and sweet Summer, gone. Nothing left but her twisted, broken body lying in sharp contrast against the dark asphalt road.
He opened his eyes, trying to rid himself of that image. He leaned forward with his head in his hands and blinked water from his eyes.
"Good Lord, that's a horrible crash. My Mary was just in a car crash too. I've been waiting an hour to get some word on how she is."
Seth looked up quickly at the other man in the room with him, and followed his gaze to the TV. There was a "Breaking News" banner at the bottom of the screen, and shaky video of a wrecked car upside down and on fire, two others scattered nearby with terrible front-end damage . He was across the room in an instant, turning up the volume. The local newscaster informed his TV audience that eyewitnesses told of a red sports car speeding through a red light earlier, at a busy intersection, then being hit in the driver's side by oncoming traffic. Five people had been removed from the scene by ambulance, no word yet on any of their conditions. The newsman gave alternate routes to take as the two roads had been closed, and he would update his audience on the story as details came in.
"Are you all right, son? You don't look so good." The man got up and grabbed Seth's elbow, guiding him back to a chair. "Is that why you're here? You're with someone that was in that wreck?"
Seth was in a daze and slowly shook his head no, staring straight ahead. "M- my girlfriend was hit by the car. I brought her here." He lifted his eyes to the TV screen. "My brother - our friend was driving. Ryan was in that car with her."
"You stay right there. I'll be back with a glass of water for you." The older man ran out of the waiting room as Seth nodded absently.
He was back a few minutes later with a nurse. Seth was staring straight ahead, expressionless with silent tears coursing down his cheeks. The nurse looked back to the man. "What happened?"
"They just showed video of a car crash on the news, and if I understood him correctly, his brother and a friend were in one of the cars that wrecked. And his girlfriend was hit by a car earlier. The girl that just came in?" He pointed down the hall. "He lost all his color and started shaking. Poor kid's having a rough day."
The nurse put a hand on Seth's shoulder. "You've had too many shocks today. Would you like to lie down until you feel better?"
He turned his head, looked at her hand on his shoulder, and his eyes slowly traveled up her arm to her face. He took a deep breath and forced himself to focus. "No, thank you. I'll be ok." Keep it together, Cohen. Be strong for everyone else. You're going to have to tell your parents about the wreck now. Summer might be awake and need you. A bottle of cold water appeared in front of his face, and he took it gratefully. "Thanks." He turned to the nurse. "Do you know of any way I can get details about the accident?"
"I'm sorry. I can't help you with that. Are you sure you wouldn't like to relax for a little while?"
"No. I'm ok now. Thanks, but I'm sure you're needed elsewhere more than here." He was not being truthful; he was far from ok, but he didn't see the point in lying down. Everything would still be the same. She smiled at him and left.
"Mr. Johnson?" A doctor was standing in the doorway. The man he'd been sharing the waiting room with got to his feet. "That's me. Good luck, son. I hope everyone is ok." Seth nodded and watched him leave.
"Seth Cohen?" A stranger was in the doorway now.
"I'm Seth Cohen." He looked up, puzzled.
"This is for you, then." The man stepped in and handed him a folded piece of paper.
He looked at it and back up, thanking the guy but he was gone already. He opened the note.
"Seth - The Corvette was involved in a collision. Your brother will be ok." It was signed "Dave".
Seth let out a long breath. He had forgotten about the ambulance driver, Dave, saying he'd try to let him know if he heard anything. Thank God. Ryan was ok. Actually, the note said he would be ok. Did that mean he was hurt badly, but would live? And did the fact that he didn't mention Marissa mean she wasn't ok? Or wouldn't make it? Stop it. Think positive. Didn't his dad say that? Be grateful for the news about Ryan and don't jump to any conclusions.
"Mr. Cohen?"
Seth looked up again and jumped to his feet. This lady was dressed like the doctor that had just been there, and he was assuming this was Dave's wife. "I'm - uh - Seth. Cohen."
"I'm Dr. Mead. Have any parents arrived yet? Miss Roberts', or yours?" She seemed too young to be a doctor, and was very pretty. Also very serious.
"No, ma'am. Summer's parents are out of the country, and mine are still on their way here. Is she all right?" Seth could barely breathe; he was so worried about what she would say.
"Who is she staying with, then? Does she have a legal guardian?"
"She stays by herself mostly. Her father and step-mom are usually always gone on business. There's a housekeeper during the day I think. No legal guardian."
The doctor shook her head and came into the waiting room. She motioned Seth into a chair and sat next to him. "I'm breaking approximately 643 rules by talking to you instead of a family member or guardian, but these are extenuating circumstances. Miss Roberts will be fine. She's suffered a dislocated shoulder, broken arm, bruised ribs and hip, and a concussion. From what I understand of the accident, she's a very lucky girl. Apparently she absorbed the impact with her arm and shoulder. If she'd hit her head, well, we wouldn't be talking right now."
"Why was she unconscious? I couldn't wake her up."
"She's still not conscious, but none of our tests found anything to indicate that will be a permanent condition. She did hit her head when she fell to the pavement, but that impact wasn't nearly as hard as the one with the pillar. That could be the cause, or it could be that the pain was just too much. The body protects itself by shutting down sometimes in circumstances like these. We need to make her comfortable and she'll wake up when she's ready. Trust me." She smiled at Seth. "Have you heard anything about your brother?"
Seth sat back in the chair. "Yeah. The car he was in wrecked, I saw it on the news. Your husband sent me a message saying Ryan would be ok." He looked down at the floor, then back up at her. "I'm really grateful, to both of you. Thank you."
She stood up and pretended to look bewildered. "Don't thank me. I never told you a thing, right?"
He nodded. "Right. While you're not telling me anything, could you not tell me if I can see Summer now?"
"We set her arm and "relocated" her shoulder, if you will, so she'll be going up to a room as soon as they finish casting her. We'll be keeping her for observation and to make sure there's no internal bleeding. It might not be apparent right now. Someone will come and get you when she goes to a room."
He thanked her again, and she left him with a squeeze on the shoulder. Seth went back to the payphones and dialed his father.
"Dad? Where are you guys now? I've got some news."
"We're almost there, Seth. We've been trying to call you. Where is your cell phone?"
"At home on my nightstand. Look, I heard Marissa wrecked the car, but Ryan's going to be ok. Why are you calling me?"
"That's a helpful place for your phone, son. I was trying to call you because WE heard that Marissa wrecked the car, but Ryan's going to be ok. Ryan changed the emergency contact number in his wallet from his mother to us, so the authorities let us know what's happening. Is Summer ok? Have you heard yet?"
"She's pretty messed up, but she'll be ok. I'm waiting for them to take her up to a room. Did they say anything about Marissa?"
"No, they wouldn't give us that information. They'll call Jimmy and Julie. Jimmy's trying to catch a flight out of Denver, and Julie's in Italy with Caleb, though. How'd you find about Ryan, anyway? Did the ER doctor give you information about Summer?"
"I made a connected friend who has a wife in high places. Are you guys coming here?"
"You WILL be explaining that later. They took Ryan and I'm assuming Marissa to a different hospital. We're waiting for Jimmy to call us. As his attorney, I can be responsible for Marissa until he gets here."
"I got you on that one, Dad. I'm nobody's attorney, but I'm responsible for Summer now. There is no one else."
"Well, I guess you're handling things there, then. I'm proud of you, son. I'll make some calls, and we'll put her under our care too. Are you going to be ok there by yourself for a while?"
"Yeah, I'm good now, except for not knowing about Marissa. Don't worry about us; take care of Ryan and Cooper. Just call me with details about them as soon as you can. I guess they'll page me. I don't know what Summer's room number is yet."
"We'll track you down. Talk to you soon."
Seth hung up and made his way back to the waiting area. He felt infinitely better knowing Summer and Ryan were ok, and as much as he hated to admit it, talking to his father had helped a lot also. It was like connecting to home base after spending a week exploring a completely foreign planet. Or something equally weird, like maybe spending a week underwater talking only to fish. Or spending the day wondering if three people you cared about were dead.
A nurse came in and told him they were transferring Summer to a room now, if he'd like to follow. Seth decided that was a fairly stupid thing to say, since obviously he'd like to follow. Did she think he'd been freaking out in the waiting room for the last two hours because he wasn't interested in seeing her?
He bit his tongue and trailed along after the caravan, thankful when they finally reached a room and wheeled Summer in. He stayed out of the way, against a wall while they slid her onto the bed, fiddled with her IV, and wrote things down on a chart. They showed him how to work the call button and the TV, and he thanked them brightly as they filed out, then collapsed in a chair. He was exhausted and realized he hadn't eaten today. He watched her breathe for a few minutes, torn between the need for food, and his need to be there with her if she woke up. He finally went to the nurse's station, where he was told she would probably sleep through the night. He asked for directions to the cafeteria, and as soon he rounded a corner and could no longer be seen by them, he ran through the hospital. Just in case. She might wake up earlier. And truthfully, he didn't want to be anywhere but with her, whether she was awake or asleep.
He got some food to go, and raced past the gift shop, slid to a halt, and backtracked through the door. He scanned the shop, then moved quickly through it, picking up things and depositing them on the counter. He tapped his foot impatiently while the nice old lady that didn't know any of the prices ambled over to her associate and they discussed it at length. They finally wandered back over, and one rang up his items, while the other bagged them. Seth was proud of his restraint, as he'd wanted nothing more than to jump up on the counter and bellow at the top of his lungs for them to shift their ancient asses into a gear faster than peanut butter's. He thanked them sweetly and sprinted back through the hospital to Summer's room.
He closed the door quietly behind him. She was still asleep. He ate, and when he was done he pulled the chair up next to her bed. She had a scrape on one side of her face, and a bruise was coming through on the cheek. He lifted the sleeve of her gown, and her arm was already a solid purple above the cast. Her other arm was scratched and scraped, and he wondered what her side looked like. The bruised ribs and hip must have been from where the car hit her, if the pillar had broken her arm. It sickened him to see her so damaged; he felt so bad for her, and he quickly reminded himself to be thankful she was alive.
The phone rang, and he answered it quickly, watching to see if it woke her. It didn't. It was his mom, with news about Ryan. He had a broken ankle, was burned on his hand and arm, and a concussion. He had lost consciousness, but not until after he'd pulled Marissa out of the burning car and away from it. He woke up at the hospital and had spoken with she and Sandy briefly before falling asleep. He was worried about Seth, and didn't know Summer had been hit until they told him. The news about Marissa wasn't so good. Two cars had hit her side of the Corvette, and she was in pretty bad shape. She'd been in surgery for hours and they were still waiting for the doctors to come out and talk to them. Would he be all right there for a while longer?
"Mom, I told Dad you guys don't need to worry about us. Stay there and take care of them, they need you there. I'm fine here. I don't want to leave, she still isn't awake, and I don't want her to wake up alone. If they kick me out, I'll sleep in the hall. If Ryan wakes up, tell him I'm glad he's ok and - you know. That I love him. Call me as soon as you know anything about Marissa...I love you guys, too. Bye."
He sat forward in the chair and took her hand, being careful of the IV and her scrapes. "I'm still right here with you, Summer. They're gonna have to drag me out of here to get me to leave you. Ryan's ok, isn't that good news? He's worried about us, can you believe that after what he just went through? We're still waiting to hear about Marissa. They're at another hospital, and Mom and Dad are there with them. It's just you and me, sweetheart. I'm gonna stay here and take care of you. You just sleep, and I'll be right here when you wake up." He was so tired. He lowered his head to rest on the blanket next to her for a minute, and when the nurse came in later to check on Summer, he was asleep, still holding her hand.
****
A/N - I have no knowledge of any medical personnel behaving in the manner I've written in this chapter. I mean no disrespect and am not implying that any would break the rules, if in fact, these actions are wrong. It's fiction, people.
~Lies-10~
One of the EMT's stopped at a door inside the ER, as the gurney carrying Summer and the emergency team following it continued on. "Sorry, Seth. End of the line. You can't go in here with her. I know it sucks, but that's the way it is."
The ambulance driver always attempted to distract ride-alongs on the drive to the hospital. He had tried to ease the lanky kid's tension by getting him to talk about the girl and details of their relationship. Seth never took his eyes off of her or the medic treating her, but when pressed, he'd haltingly delivered the short version of his long romantic pursuit, then loss, and latest attempt to win back the injured girl in the back of the van; also describing their friend's breakdown that resulted in her injuries. Seth had unloaded his fears and worry about his missing brother and the troubled girl he was trapped in a car with, and the driver felt awful for the kid. He was 10 years older but still had memories of the horrors of being a teenager. All this to deal with and no parents around. Who said rich kids had it easy?
"Look, just go to the waiting room and try to relax. They'll probably bring you some papers to fill out, since you're the only person here with Summer. It's gonna seem like forever, but the doctor will come out and tell you as soon as they know something about her condition. I'll make sure they know her parents aren't available and neither are yours just yet, so they'll give you the information." He winked at Seth and lowered his voice. "I've got connections here, kid. The doctor on duty is my wife. And I'll keep an ear on my radio. If I hear anything about the red Corvette I'll try to get a message to you. Can you handle it if it's bad news?"
Seth thought for half a second, then nodded. "I want to know, even if it's bad. Thank you so much, Dave. This - all this is really cool of you. Uh - thank you."
"No problem. Now try to relax, everything's gonna work out." A voice came through some static on his radio, and he turned it down a little. His partner came out and told him they had another call. "I gotta go. You take care, Seth."
He nodded and looked around for a pay phone. He spotted them outside the waiting room and headed down the hall to call his parents. He debated a moment, then dialed his father's cell phone. When he answered, Seth determined that they were still on their way home and his father was driving.
"Ok, Dad? I need you to pull over. Get to the side of the road." Seth didn't need any more trauma involving cars today.
"All right, son." Sandy knew by his tone of voice that Seth wasn't playing around. He pulled over, shrugging at Kirsten's questioning look. "The car's stopped, Seth. What's happened?"
"I'm at the hospital with Summer. To make a long story short, Marissa flipped out, and was trying to take off in Summer's car. Ryan got in with her to try to get the key out of the ignition and Marissa took off, hitting Summer. So I don't know where Ryan and Marissa are, or if they're all right. Unstable is too kind of a word for Miss Cooper's state of mind right now."
Sandy's face went white, and Kirsten felt her heart sink. Whatever Seth was saying had to be very bad to put that look on her husband's face.
"She hit her with the car? Is Summer ok?" Sandy was having a hard time processing this.
"I - uh - don't know. When the car hit her, it - it knocked her into one of those pillar things at the end of the drive. She wouldn't wake up... I couldn't wake her up, Dad. She looked so -" Seth swallowed hard and Sandy knew he was trying not to cry. "I'm scared."
"I know, Seth. I am too. We have to think positive thoughts about all three of them. Are Summer's parents aware of what's happened?"
"They're out of the country and I have no idea how to reach them. Can you guys call Marissa's Dad?" Seth didn't think he had the stomach to tell Jimmy what happened. Everyone had believed Marissa was getting well. The guy couldn't catch a break lately.
"We'll take care of it, son. We got a late start, so we're still a few hours from home. We'll come to the hospital as soon as we hit town. Let us know if you get any word on Ryan and Marissa, ok? Hang tough, kid."
"I'll try. See you soon." He hung up and walked to the waiting room. There was only one other person there, a middle aged man staring blankly at the news on the TV. Seth guessed the blank look was because the volume was so low you could barely hear it. He sat down and grabbed a magazine, leafing through the pages and realizing he was seeing nothing on them. He glanced over to the man again in solidarity.
An idea occurred to him and he dropped the magazine, rising and searching the hall for the reception desk. "Excuse me. Has anyone else been brought in recently? My brother is - well, it would have a male and a female both 16, possibly injured in a car accident."
The nurse pulled up a screen on the computer and shook her head. "No, sir. No one of that description has come in."
"Thanks for looking." He was relieved to know they weren't hurt, but still in agony not knowing what had happened to them. He told himself Ryan was strong, and if anyone could get through to Marissa it would be him.
"Are you Mr. Cohen?" At Seth's nod, she continued. "I need you to fill out these forms for Miss Roberts. There may be several things you won't be able to answer, but just do the best you can, then bring them back to me. Ok?"
Seth nodded again and took the clipboard back to the waiting area. Apparently the nurse wasn't aware that six years of unrequited adoration and a few weeks of actual dating left a guy with vast amounts of personal information discovered here and there and committed to memory. As long as they didn't want to know female-ish stuff, like when her last period was, he was pretty sure he had the paperwork under control. A wave of nausea rolled through him and he leaned back in the chair with his eyes closed until it passed. He absolutely could not give into his fear or tension and break down. He had to stay strong for Summer, and whatever happened next with Ryan and Marissa. He continued filling out the forms and when finished, took them back to the desk. "Has there been any word on Summer? Do you know how she is?"
She shook her head and looked at him with pity. "I'm sorry, I don't. The doctor will be out as soon as she can, though."
"Yeah. Thanks." As he headed slowly back to the waiting area again, Seth was thinking the doctor had taken plenty of freaking time and needed to be making an appearance with some news pretty damned soon. The urge to shove his fist into a cement hospital wall was growing with each second that ticked by, and despite the pain he knew that little maneuver would cause him, it STILL sounded like a truly splendid idea. Another revelation he could to relate to Ryan with. He settled in the chair and leaned back against the cool wall again, closing his eyes. Instantly he saw the silent image of Ryan's shoulders and blonde hair disappearing from view as he lowered himself into the Corvette. Just like he'd hit a play button, the image faded into Marissa's terrified uncomprehending face as she pushed the gas pedal to the floor. Unable to stop the inevitable progression, that picture dissipated into one of Summer, the car sliding too quickly for her to even acknowledge it, being struck and flying in slow motion to hit the pillar with sickening force. Summer, lying unmoving and pale as he'd run to her, each step he took bringing him closer to the fact that she may be dead. Beautiful, vibrant, sarcastic, wounded and sweet Summer, gone. Nothing left but her twisted, broken body lying in sharp contrast against the dark asphalt road.
He opened his eyes, trying to rid himself of that image. He leaned forward with his head in his hands and blinked water from his eyes.
"Good Lord, that's a horrible crash. My Mary was just in a car crash too. I've been waiting an hour to get some word on how she is."
Seth looked up quickly at the other man in the room with him, and followed his gaze to the TV. There was a "Breaking News" banner at the bottom of the screen, and shaky video of a wrecked car upside down and on fire, two others scattered nearby with terrible front-end damage . He was across the room in an instant, turning up the volume. The local newscaster informed his TV audience that eyewitnesses told of a red sports car speeding through a red light earlier, at a busy intersection, then being hit in the driver's side by oncoming traffic. Five people had been removed from the scene by ambulance, no word yet on any of their conditions. The newsman gave alternate routes to take as the two roads had been closed, and he would update his audience on the story as details came in.
"Are you all right, son? You don't look so good." The man got up and grabbed Seth's elbow, guiding him back to a chair. "Is that why you're here? You're with someone that was in that wreck?"
Seth was in a daze and slowly shook his head no, staring straight ahead. "M- my girlfriend was hit by the car. I brought her here." He lifted his eyes to the TV screen. "My brother - our friend was driving. Ryan was in that car with her."
"You stay right there. I'll be back with a glass of water for you." The older man ran out of the waiting room as Seth nodded absently.
He was back a few minutes later with a nurse. Seth was staring straight ahead, expressionless with silent tears coursing down his cheeks. The nurse looked back to the man. "What happened?"
"They just showed video of a car crash on the news, and if I understood him correctly, his brother and a friend were in one of the cars that wrecked. And his girlfriend was hit by a car earlier. The girl that just came in?" He pointed down the hall. "He lost all his color and started shaking. Poor kid's having a rough day."
The nurse put a hand on Seth's shoulder. "You've had too many shocks today. Would you like to lie down until you feel better?"
He turned his head, looked at her hand on his shoulder, and his eyes slowly traveled up her arm to her face. He took a deep breath and forced himself to focus. "No, thank you. I'll be ok." Keep it together, Cohen. Be strong for everyone else. You're going to have to tell your parents about the wreck now. Summer might be awake and need you. A bottle of cold water appeared in front of his face, and he took it gratefully. "Thanks." He turned to the nurse. "Do you know of any way I can get details about the accident?"
"I'm sorry. I can't help you with that. Are you sure you wouldn't like to relax for a little while?"
"No. I'm ok now. Thanks, but I'm sure you're needed elsewhere more than here." He was not being truthful; he was far from ok, but he didn't see the point in lying down. Everything would still be the same. She smiled at him and left.
"Mr. Johnson?" A doctor was standing in the doorway. The man he'd been sharing the waiting room with got to his feet. "That's me. Good luck, son. I hope everyone is ok." Seth nodded and watched him leave.
"Seth Cohen?" A stranger was in the doorway now.
"I'm Seth Cohen." He looked up, puzzled.
"This is for you, then." The man stepped in and handed him a folded piece of paper.
He looked at it and back up, thanking the guy but he was gone already. He opened the note.
"Seth - The Corvette was involved in a collision. Your brother will be ok." It was signed "Dave".
Seth let out a long breath. He had forgotten about the ambulance driver, Dave, saying he'd try to let him know if he heard anything. Thank God. Ryan was ok. Actually, the note said he would be ok. Did that mean he was hurt badly, but would live? And did the fact that he didn't mention Marissa mean she wasn't ok? Or wouldn't make it? Stop it. Think positive. Didn't his dad say that? Be grateful for the news about Ryan and don't jump to any conclusions.
"Mr. Cohen?"
Seth looked up again and jumped to his feet. This lady was dressed like the doctor that had just been there, and he was assuming this was Dave's wife. "I'm - uh - Seth. Cohen."
"I'm Dr. Mead. Have any parents arrived yet? Miss Roberts', or yours?" She seemed too young to be a doctor, and was very pretty. Also very serious.
"No, ma'am. Summer's parents are out of the country, and mine are still on their way here. Is she all right?" Seth could barely breathe; he was so worried about what she would say.
"Who is she staying with, then? Does she have a legal guardian?"
"She stays by herself mostly. Her father and step-mom are usually always gone on business. There's a housekeeper during the day I think. No legal guardian."
The doctor shook her head and came into the waiting room. She motioned Seth into a chair and sat next to him. "I'm breaking approximately 643 rules by talking to you instead of a family member or guardian, but these are extenuating circumstances. Miss Roberts will be fine. She's suffered a dislocated shoulder, broken arm, bruised ribs and hip, and a concussion. From what I understand of the accident, she's a very lucky girl. Apparently she absorbed the impact with her arm and shoulder. If she'd hit her head, well, we wouldn't be talking right now."
"Why was she unconscious? I couldn't wake her up."
"She's still not conscious, but none of our tests found anything to indicate that will be a permanent condition. She did hit her head when she fell to the pavement, but that impact wasn't nearly as hard as the one with the pillar. That could be the cause, or it could be that the pain was just too much. The body protects itself by shutting down sometimes in circumstances like these. We need to make her comfortable and she'll wake up when she's ready. Trust me." She smiled at Seth. "Have you heard anything about your brother?"
Seth sat back in the chair. "Yeah. The car he was in wrecked, I saw it on the news. Your husband sent me a message saying Ryan would be ok." He looked down at the floor, then back up at her. "I'm really grateful, to both of you. Thank you."
She stood up and pretended to look bewildered. "Don't thank me. I never told you a thing, right?"
He nodded. "Right. While you're not telling me anything, could you not tell me if I can see Summer now?"
"We set her arm and "relocated" her shoulder, if you will, so she'll be going up to a room as soon as they finish casting her. We'll be keeping her for observation and to make sure there's no internal bleeding. It might not be apparent right now. Someone will come and get you when she goes to a room."
He thanked her again, and she left him with a squeeze on the shoulder. Seth went back to the payphones and dialed his father.
"Dad? Where are you guys now? I've got some news."
"We're almost there, Seth. We've been trying to call you. Where is your cell phone?"
"At home on my nightstand. Look, I heard Marissa wrecked the car, but Ryan's going to be ok. Why are you calling me?"
"That's a helpful place for your phone, son. I was trying to call you because WE heard that Marissa wrecked the car, but Ryan's going to be ok. Ryan changed the emergency contact number in his wallet from his mother to us, so the authorities let us know what's happening. Is Summer ok? Have you heard yet?"
"She's pretty messed up, but she'll be ok. I'm waiting for them to take her up to a room. Did they say anything about Marissa?"
"No, they wouldn't give us that information. They'll call Jimmy and Julie. Jimmy's trying to catch a flight out of Denver, and Julie's in Italy with Caleb, though. How'd you find about Ryan, anyway? Did the ER doctor give you information about Summer?"
"I made a connected friend who has a wife in high places. Are you guys coming here?"
"You WILL be explaining that later. They took Ryan and I'm assuming Marissa to a different hospital. We're waiting for Jimmy to call us. As his attorney, I can be responsible for Marissa until he gets here."
"I got you on that one, Dad. I'm nobody's attorney, but I'm responsible for Summer now. There is no one else."
"Well, I guess you're handling things there, then. I'm proud of you, son. I'll make some calls, and we'll put her under our care too. Are you going to be ok there by yourself for a while?"
"Yeah, I'm good now, except for not knowing about Marissa. Don't worry about us; take care of Ryan and Cooper. Just call me with details about them as soon as you can. I guess they'll page me. I don't know what Summer's room number is yet."
"We'll track you down. Talk to you soon."
Seth hung up and made his way back to the waiting area. He felt infinitely better knowing Summer and Ryan were ok, and as much as he hated to admit it, talking to his father had helped a lot also. It was like connecting to home base after spending a week exploring a completely foreign planet. Or something equally weird, like maybe spending a week underwater talking only to fish. Or spending the day wondering if three people you cared about were dead.
A nurse came in and told him they were transferring Summer to a room now, if he'd like to follow. Seth decided that was a fairly stupid thing to say, since obviously he'd like to follow. Did she think he'd been freaking out in the waiting room for the last two hours because he wasn't interested in seeing her?
He bit his tongue and trailed along after the caravan, thankful when they finally reached a room and wheeled Summer in. He stayed out of the way, against a wall while they slid her onto the bed, fiddled with her IV, and wrote things down on a chart. They showed him how to work the call button and the TV, and he thanked them brightly as they filed out, then collapsed in a chair. He was exhausted and realized he hadn't eaten today. He watched her breathe for a few minutes, torn between the need for food, and his need to be there with her if she woke up. He finally went to the nurse's station, where he was told she would probably sleep through the night. He asked for directions to the cafeteria, and as soon he rounded a corner and could no longer be seen by them, he ran through the hospital. Just in case. She might wake up earlier. And truthfully, he didn't want to be anywhere but with her, whether she was awake or asleep.
He got some food to go, and raced past the gift shop, slid to a halt, and backtracked through the door. He scanned the shop, then moved quickly through it, picking up things and depositing them on the counter. He tapped his foot impatiently while the nice old lady that didn't know any of the prices ambled over to her associate and they discussed it at length. They finally wandered back over, and one rang up his items, while the other bagged them. Seth was proud of his restraint, as he'd wanted nothing more than to jump up on the counter and bellow at the top of his lungs for them to shift their ancient asses into a gear faster than peanut butter's. He thanked them sweetly and sprinted back through the hospital to Summer's room.
He closed the door quietly behind him. She was still asleep. He ate, and when he was done he pulled the chair up next to her bed. She had a scrape on one side of her face, and a bruise was coming through on the cheek. He lifted the sleeve of her gown, and her arm was already a solid purple above the cast. Her other arm was scratched and scraped, and he wondered what her side looked like. The bruised ribs and hip must have been from where the car hit her, if the pillar had broken her arm. It sickened him to see her so damaged; he felt so bad for her, and he quickly reminded himself to be thankful she was alive.
The phone rang, and he answered it quickly, watching to see if it woke her. It didn't. It was his mom, with news about Ryan. He had a broken ankle, was burned on his hand and arm, and a concussion. He had lost consciousness, but not until after he'd pulled Marissa out of the burning car and away from it. He woke up at the hospital and had spoken with she and Sandy briefly before falling asleep. He was worried about Seth, and didn't know Summer had been hit until they told him. The news about Marissa wasn't so good. Two cars had hit her side of the Corvette, and she was in pretty bad shape. She'd been in surgery for hours and they were still waiting for the doctors to come out and talk to them. Would he be all right there for a while longer?
"Mom, I told Dad you guys don't need to worry about us. Stay there and take care of them, they need you there. I'm fine here. I don't want to leave, she still isn't awake, and I don't want her to wake up alone. If they kick me out, I'll sleep in the hall. If Ryan wakes up, tell him I'm glad he's ok and - you know. That I love him. Call me as soon as you know anything about Marissa...I love you guys, too. Bye."
He sat forward in the chair and took her hand, being careful of the IV and her scrapes. "I'm still right here with you, Summer. They're gonna have to drag me out of here to get me to leave you. Ryan's ok, isn't that good news? He's worried about us, can you believe that after what he just went through? We're still waiting to hear about Marissa. They're at another hospital, and Mom and Dad are there with them. It's just you and me, sweetheart. I'm gonna stay here and take care of you. You just sleep, and I'll be right here when you wake up." He was so tired. He lowered his head to rest on the blanket next to her for a minute, and when the nurse came in later to check on Summer, he was asleep, still holding her hand.
****