Lies 34
Sandy parked the car and ran for the double sliding doors to the ER. Jimmy had always told him he was lucky to have a son instead of daughters, and right now he realized he was living out every father's worst nightmare when it came to their female offspring. The caller had been sparse with information, but the word "beaten" had furnished him with a grim warning of Summer's health, both mental and physical.
She'd been pretty upbeat by the time they finished their afternoon meeting, and he knew that finally allowing herself to feel outraged and take control of the abuse situation had set her free from years of oppression and manipulation by her father. While his first impression of her when they met long ago was typical "O.C. society princess", he'd known his son well enough to understand that there must be something more to her for Seth to have been interested in her his entire educated life. He'd heard their banter and hilarious arguments when they'd dated before, and he'd seen how well their personalities both meshed and collided with each other's. He'd found her shy, sweet, funny, and vulnerable, yet tough as nails today, and if his kid loved her, well then, she was family and he loved her, too. Just like Ryan. He was sure he was required to act like a rational, confident attorney and legal guardian when he got inside, but right now he felt like a shaky daddy, monumentally pissed off that someone had done this to his family's little girl, terrified to see the damage that the lowlife brute had inflicted on her, and worried about how he could help her.
He reached the doors and seconds later slid to a stop at the reception desk. "Summer Roberts? I'm her –"
The nurse was already out of her chair, having seen him enter the building. "I'll see if the doctor is still examining her, Mr. Cohen. I'm so sorry to hear about the young lady. Have a seat in the waiting area and I'll be right back." She vanished around a corner before he could say anything else.
He stuck his head in the waiting room, and after finding it blessedly empty, took a seat near the door. A minute later he was up and pacing, not able to sit still with so much anxiety. Seth had been so sure her father was involved, which was eerie considering he hadn't given him any details at all. The ER hadn't told Sandy who'd done it; they'd simply notified him that she was here and the condition she'd been found in, as he was her legal guardian. He had a nauseated feeling in his gut that Seth was right. The nurse finally came into the room.
"I'm sorry, but the Dr. is still with Miss Roberts. She knows you're here, and she'll be out to speak with you as soon as she finishes up. There's also an officer here that – Oh, here he is now." She ducked out of the room as the detective came in.
"Hey Sandy, how are you?"
"Hello, Paul. I've been better, obviously. What the hell happened here?"
Paul pulled out his notepad and gestured to a chair. "You might want to sit down for this. I thought you and Kirsten had a son?"
"We do. Summer is his girlfriend; she had an accident last week and her father and step-mom were supposedly out of the country and unreachable, so I took legal guardianship. Now what happened?" Sandy didn't really feel like telling their life story. He told himself to remember not to ask stupid questions of his clients when more important things needed discussed. He sat down, and the cop settled next to him.
"She has a step-mother, huh? Ok, Here's what happened. The victim made an unclear, vague 911 call; the operator had to trace her location. Upon our arrival, there was no answer at the door, so we went in and searched the home, finding her unconscious at the rear of the house. She was badly beaten and partially clothed."
Sandy felt the room tilt and closed his eyes until gravity kicked in again. "Raped?"
"We don't think so, but won't know for sure until she regains consciousness."
"What, exactly, does 'we don't think so' mean?"
"Her jeans were found outside near the pool, but she was still wearing her panties, for the most part. There was definitely a rape attempt, as the perp was found half naked next to her jeans, his pants, and his underwear."
"He was still there?" Sandy was horrified.
"Yes sir. Your girl hit him where it hurts, very effectively putting the bastard out of commission. Hopefully before he got want he wanted." He allowed himself a small smile. "As terrible as the situation is for Miss Roberts, we cops are always happy to see a rapist holding onto his johnson in the fetal position, puking his guts out from the pain."
Sandy nodded grimly. "The very thought is bringing me extreme happiness right now."
"What do you know about the mother, Sandy?" Paul checked his notebook quickly.
"Summer's mother?" Sandy thought hard. "It seems like I heard she left when Summer was very young. Why?"
The cop scribbled something in his book. "I mentioned the garbled 911 call, right?"
Sandy nodded.
"Apparently the victim said something to the effect that the perp killed her mother. We're searching the area right now."
"Are you serious?! My God!" Sandy was glad he was sitting down. "Why didn't I ask this before now? 'The perp' is Summer's dad, right?"
Paul nodded sadly. "What makes a father do something like this?"
"I can answer that, unfortunately. He sexually abused the girl throughout her childhood, and had so thoroughly messed with her head that it wasn't until earlier today that she finally confronted him."
"Ah. The confrontation sent him over the edge." Paul wrote for a few minutes in his notebook. "Poor kid. She's having a rough day, all right."
Sandy snorted. "You don't know the half of it. She was hit by a car last week – her own car, that her best friend was driving, who got in a horrible wreck, and now she's brain dead. My other boy, Ryan, was in the car too."
"Did I hear my name?" Ryan entered the room as Paul shook his head in sympathy, followed by an impatient Seth.
"Is she ok, Dad? Have you seen her?"
Sandy looked from Seth to Ryan. "I thought I told you to stay home, and the doctor hasn't come out yet."
"Sorry." Ryan looked contrite. "It's my fault. We were just going to her house to get some things for her, you know, so Seth could feel…useful."
"And when we got there, there were cops all over the place, and one of them told us what happened. After we dropped your name, of course, and uh, someone may have overstated the significance of her diamond ring." Seth still looked grim.
Ryan looked imploringly at Sandy, gesturing toward Seth. "So we came here, because -"
"Because there's no way in hell that Seth would have gone home after finding out that Summer was attacked. Yeah. You're off the hook, Ryan." Sandy smiled at him.
Paul looked confused. "You have two sons?"
Sandy looked warmly at the boys. "Yes, I do. Ryan favors Kirsten; Seth looks more like me." It was a true statement. "Seth, Ryan, this is Detective Allen."
Seth elbowed Ryan. "Mama's boy." He shook hands with Paul
Ryan smiled, embarrassed but enjoying the family references. "Nice to meet you." He shrugged, holding up a bandaged hand.
Paul waved it off. "No problem. So Fuller told you what happened at the house?"
Seth nodded. "Yeah. Attempted ra…I can't even say it, and he – Hit. Her." His words came through gritted teeth. He stared down his dad. "I TOLD you it was him. I TOLD you he was a slimebag."
"You were right, son. Did Fuller tell you what she did to him?"
"He just said she defended herself, and injured him. Why? "
Sandy exchanged a look with Paul. "Tell them. Tell them how you found him."
Kirsten walked into the waiting room to find all the guys laughing and high-fiving each other. "I hope this means she's ok."
All four of them suddenly had another place to look besides at her.
Seth spoke up. "Um, we were just……celebrating the fact that Summer fought back. We don't know how she is yet."
Kirsten shook her head sadly. "The poor thing." Sadness turned to anger. "I hope she kicked his nuts up into one of his lungs."
Seth's eyes widened to the point of bugging out, Ryan's jaw dropped, and the cop lowered his head to hide his smile.
"Honey, I wish you'd tell us how you REALLY feel." Sandy was a little taken aback himself.
"What? He deserves worse than that! The girl's seen enough pain for a lifetime, thanks to him, and she's only seventeen." She looked from Seth to Ryan to Sandy. "Am I wrong?"
"No! No, you're not Mom, we're just – I've never – well, how do I say this? Imagine that. Me – at a loss for words." Seth looked to Ryan for help. Ryan held both hands up and shook his head, looking away quickly. "Thanks, man. For nothing." He turned back to Kirsten and spoke carefully. "I think the word describing almonds, macadamia, and people a little less than sane is a word that one never expects to hear from their high-society-bred mother," he gestured to his dad, "or possibly wife, as it may be, especially in the context that it was used in, and of course, with such violent imagery. That's all. And for the record, I agree with you completely."
Kirsten rolled her eyes. "Oh, screw the high society crap. This isn't everyday conversation – that monster tried to rape his own daughter, and knocked her around in the process." She hitched in a breath, suddenly near tears.
"Ah, I get it now." Seth put his arm around his mom. "I'm sensing that your mothering instinct has kicked into high gear over Summer. Which is really cool." He kissed her on the cheek. "Would it help to know that the cops found him… uuhhhh… hanging on to his macadamias in the fetal position while puking up his relocated lung?"
Kirsten smiled a little and wiped an eye. "Yes. It helps a lot." Ryan solemnly raised his hand and she high-fived him, then Seth, Sandy, and Paul. "Summer is one tough girl."
The doctor came in finally. "A tough girl I have seen in my ER way too often lately."
"Dr. Mead! How is she?" Seth was beyond relieved to see that she was on duty.
"She's going to be all right, Seth. We're taking good care of her."
Seth blew out a long breath. "Thank you, Jesus, Moses, and anyone else that contributed," he muttered.
The doctor looked to Sandy. "Hello again, mr. Cohen."
"Hi, Dr. Mead. I'm so glad you're here. This is my wife, Kirsten, and Seth's brother, Ryan."
She nodded to both of them. "It's a pleasure to meet the rest of the family. And so nice to see that you're all here for Summer. She's one of our favorite's around here. How are you feeling, Ryan? I heard you were in a nasty car wreck."
"I'm better, thanks." He smiled shyly at her.
Seth jumped in, talking quickly. "Oh, you don't know the story, do you? Or did I tell you? Anyway, Dr. Mead's husband is an EMT and he brought me and Summer here the first time. He listened on his radio for news about you and Cooper, and sent me word that you were ok after the Corvette wrecked. Don't be surprised if she knows your middle name, because Dave kind of knows……well, everything about you. And Summer."
Ryan raised one eyebrow.
Seth defended himself. "Dude, I was freaking out in the ambulance, and he was asking me questions, and you know how I talk when I'm nervous. Just a little prompting and I was off and running the motormouth marathon. Anyway, Dave and Dr. Mead are like, the coolest."
"Well, thank you, Seth, that's high praise from a teenager! We were happy to help." Dr. Mead turned to the detective. "Miss Roberts is awake now, and should be settled in her room. She knows you want to talk to her."
"Thank you, Doctor. Sandy, you'll need to come with me."
"Of course." Sandy stood up, and Kirsten cleared her throat. "I'd like to come, too. Please."
"I don't have a problem with it, as long as it's ok with the doc." Paul looked questioningly at Dr. Mead.
She smiled at Kirsten. "I think Summer would feel more comfortable with you there also, Mrs. Cohen; thank you for asking. This may be rather difficult for her." Seth raised his hand, trying his best hopeful puppy dog eyes, but she shook her head. "I'm sorry, Seth. She won't be able to have visitors at all tonight - probably not tomorrow either. And while your father is her legal guardian, the entire hospital knows that you're not Summer's brother." She winked at him. "I have $600 as proof."
"$600 bucks, huh? That's quite a pot you won. Oh well, it was worth a try." Seth suddenly looked annoyed. "Now I know how celebrities feel. I can't go anywhere in the hospital without being recognized."
Kirsten and Ryan looked at each other, confused.
"I'll fill you guys in later. Mom? Dad? Would you please tell her, you know…?" He looked down at the tile; unconsciously twisting the ring she'd bought him around on his finger.
"We'll tell her, son."
The nurse came back with a clipboard and Summer's paperwork, looking hopefully at Seth after she saw Sandy and Kirsten heading down the hallway.
"Oh man, not again. You can't just make a copy of the last two sets?"
"I'm sorry, Mr. Cohen, it just doesn't work like that. And I'd like to tell you how sorry I am that this happened to Miss Roberts."
"Please, it's Seth. And thank you, Margaret. It is Margaret, right?" Seth held his hand out for the clipboard.
She nodded.
Seth stared at the paperwork in front of him, obviously not seeing it. "I'm sorry, too." He finally looked up. "But I'm glad she's here with people she knows, instead of a hospital full of strangers. That will help her a lot, I think."
She smiled warmly. "Don't you worry, Seth. Everyone here is going to take extra-special care of her."
He nodded. "I know you will. Hey, can you answer a question?"
"I'll try."
"I don't understand why she can't have visitors. Is she…like, is she hurt really bad? Is that why?" He was almost afraid to ask, not wanting to hear the answer but needing to. "The doctor didn't give us any details; she just said she'd be all right."
"I don't know her condition, but I can tell you that after someone suffers a trauma like this it's customary for the doctors to restrict visitors until they've had time to evaluate the victim's mental state. It can do damage in ways that aren't just physical." She smiled sadly.
Seth sighed. "Oh, I know that all too well. Thanks a lot, Margaret. I'll get busy on this, now." He held up the clipboard.
She went back to her desk and Seth sat down next to Ryan. "Welcome to my world, Ryan. Sitting in waiting rooms filling out little blanks on questionnaires over and over again." He suddenly threw the clipboard across the room, both of them watching as it hit the wall, bounced into a bookrack, knocking paperbacks and magazines in all directions, then clattered to the floor.
"She's gonna be ok, Seth. She's tough." Ryan spoke quietly, still staring at the clipboard.
Seth lowered elbows to knees and dropped his head in his hands. "I shouldn't have left her there alone. I could have camped out in the main house, or, or sat in the driveway."
Ryan could barely hear him. He laid a hand on Seth's shoulder. "Cut it out. It's not your fault."
Seth looked up at Ryan, tormented. "Why does it feel like it, then? How am I supposed to help her through this when I couldn't even handle the stuff that happened a long time ago? She deserves someone better than me, Ryan. I'd already managed to make her feel like crap before this even happened!"
"You also managed to make her trust you; she told you about her dad being a freak. You made her fall in love with you. Those count way more. And it's a pretty normal reaction to throw up at the thought of the girl you love being molested by her father when she was little. I don't think anyone could be better for her than you, Seth. Otherwise you guys would still be at square one. Try to remember all that, not just what happened this morning."
"OhmyGod."
The boys looked up to find Anna standing in the doorway with her hand over her mouth.
Ryan stood quickly. "Anna? What are you doing here?"
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to – hear that. I'll just go. Oh. My. God. Her father did that? I'm so sorry…I'll go."
Ryan turned to Seth, who closed his eyes and shook his head. "You don't have to go."
Ryan grabbed her hand and led her to the chair next to them. "How did you know we were here?"
"Your - Kirsten called me. She said Summer was hurt and, and you guys were here, and thought maybe it would be good if I came, too. I'm sorry." She looked bewildered. "Is Summer ok? You look – Seth – are you ok?"
He sat back and leaned his head against the wall, eyes still closed. "No. And no."
Anna saw the mess on the floor and went over, picking up the clipboard. She set it on a chair, then collected the books and magazines, piling them on a table.
Seth managed a tiny smile. "Thanks." He got up and grabbed the clipboard, sliding into another seat and staring at the task before him. He didn't look up. "You might as well tell her why Summer's here, Ryan. Just please, keep all this to yourself, Anna."
"Of course. I would never… " Anna was still too horrified to finish her sentence.
Seth bent to rescue the pen from under another chair and concentrated on filling out the heap of papers while Ryan filled Anna in.
Sandy stepped through the doorway, steeling himself for how she might look. When he saw her, her head turned to the side as if studying the window blinds; he forced himself not to comment as his heart broke. One eye had swollen completely shut; from what he could tell, the other looked about the same. Both lips were split open and it was obvious the man had hit her many times in the face; she was nearly unrecognizable from the swelling. The need to feel Mr. Roberts' throat in his hands while squeezing as hard as he could suddenly filled him. He shook it off. "Summer?"
She didn't move. The doctor had told them on the way to the room that the girl had yet to speak, communicating only in nods or shakes of her head when absolutely necessary.
"I'm so sorry this happened to you, kiddo." He let out a long sigh. "The whole family's here at the hospital, and we're gonna do anything we can to help you through this. Ok? Seth's here - he wanted me to tell you that he loves you very much. They won't let him in to see you and he's not too happy about that. Ryan's here, and Kirsten too, because you're part of our family and we all love you. Everything's going to be ok, Summer, I promise."
She didn't respond.
"I know how hard it will be to talk about this, but there's a detective here that wants to get a statement from you, so we can prosecute your attacker and punish him for what he did to you. Do you feel up to it?"
She nodded, just a small movement of her head.
"Ok, that's good, honey. I'm proud of you. I'm gonna be right here, and Kirsten wants to be with you too, if that's ok. It might be easier for you with another woman here."
Summer nodded again.
"Ok. I'll let them in." He opened the door for the cop and Kirsten.
As she came in, Kirsten stopped for a split second after seeing Summer, stiffening, then continued across the room, dragging a chair next to the bed, sitting down and grabbing one of Summer hands in her own. "Hi, baby. I'm going to stay right here with you, ok? We're gonna get through this together."
"Hi, Miss Roberts, I'm Detective Allen." He pulled a chair up on the other side and got out his notebook and a pen. "The doctor told me it might hurt for you to talk, so I'll try to get as much information as I can with questions you can answer yes or no to. I'll be as brief as possible, I know you need to rest." He quickly confirmed that her father was her attacker, and that Summer had injured him before a rape took place.
Kirsten and Sandy exchanged an immensely relieved look while the detective continued asking about details that she could answer with a shake or nod of her head.
"Ok, Miss Roberts, you're doing very well. Now I need to know exactly what happened from the time he arrived at the house."
It was quiet for a moment, then she spoke haltingly, with difficulty, never looking away from the blinds or making eye contact with anyone. "I was on the patio and he showed up. He asked about my white knight and why he wasn't there to save me."
"Your white knight?"
"Seth. Earlier today he made my dad stop calling me names."
"How?"
"Grabbed him by the throat - was gonna hit him. I made him stop." Her voice was low and dull, with no inflections on the words.
Sandy looked proudly at Kirsten. He never would have guessed Seth had it in him; he just wasn't that kind of person. Amazing what love does to a guy.
"You didn't want Seth to hurt your dad?"
"I wanted to hurt him… My fight, not Seth's."
"I see. What happened next?"
"I hit him. Twice."
"On the patio?"
He could see her furrow her brow, confused.
"No, earlier….On the patio, I said I take care of myself. He said that Cohen…… must have left me. And other… bad stuff. He was jealous. Of Seth." A lone tear slipped down her cheek. She was quiet until the cop prompted her again.
"Then what happened?"
"He kept coming at me, and I was backing away from him. Told him Seth was coming back. Knew he was crazy and would try – something. I ran – he caught me, I kicked him, he hit me, I fell backwards. He sat on me; hit me some more. Said sorry; did it so I'd be good. Then …… that he had to make sure …… I'm not a problem anymore …… like mom. Had to teach us a lesson."
Kirsten and Sandy looked at each other, sickened as Summer spoke in monotones about her assault.
Detective Allen sat up straight, wanting to make sure he understood her. "Are you saying that he planned to kill you?"
She nodded. "Like mom. Think he pushed her ……off patio."
"What were his exact words? Can you remember?"
She thought for a moment. " 'I'm sorry that I have to make sure you won't be a problem anymore, just like I did your mama. Have to teach…you women a lesson. ' "
Kirsten looked up at Sandy in horror; he grabbed her free hand and shook his head in disbelief. "Are you ok, Summer? You can stop if you want to. We can finish this later." Sandy had no idea the nut job had planned to kill her after he raped her.
Summer shook her head. "Finish now. He said …… take off clothes and show daddy………..how much I love him." She shuddered involuntarily. "I almost got away, but he caught my foot and I fell down. Hit me again. Took off my pants……….." Another tear fell. "Took his off, kind of sat up – I hit him with my cast. Crawled inside, locked doors to patio and bathroom ……then I'm here."
"Did he actually touch you anywhere that was inappropriate?"
Hesitation, then a slow nod as her cheeks burned red.
Detective Allen stood, shoving his notebook into his shirt pocket. "All right, that's all I need for now. Thank you very much, Miss Roberts. I know that was tough, but you did a great job. I'm sorry that this happened to you, and I hope you feel better soon." He dropped one his cards on her table. "Call if you think of anything else, or have any questions." He shook hands with Sandy and Kirsten, and left the room.
"Good job, Summer… Is there anything I can get you?" Sandy wasn't sure what to do now. He'd heard of so many cases like this as a public defender, but being on the intensely personal side instead of the desk side had him at a loss.
He got no response, and figured she was either worn out, or only responding to the police so she could put her dad away. He doubted like hell that he'd feel like talking if he was in her situation.
"Could you get us something cold to drink, Sandy? It might make her mouth feel better." Kirsten just wanted him out of the room.
Sandy was glad to have something to do. "Sure thing. And I'll talk to the boys for a minute, too."
She watched him leave, then got up and took the chair the cop had been sitting in, as Summer's face was turned that direction. She ran a hand lovingly over the girl's dark hair. "Does Sandy scare you, Summer?"
She still wouldn't make eye contact, but shook her head no, giving Kirsten a feeling of success. "If anyone frightens you, like an orderly or a nurse, or even a doctor, you make sure and let me know. I'll throw them out. I'm guessing that being around men could make you uncomfortable for a while."
Summer sighed.
"Everything's going to be ok, sweetie, I swear. Things will get easier for you. Are you in a lot of pain?"
She nodded, and Kirsten hit the call button. "I'll take care of that." She rose and grabbed a cloth from the bathroom, running it under cool water. Returning to the bed, she very gently blotted the cloth over Summer's cheeks and forehead. "Does that hurt?"
A quick no.
"Feel good?"
Small nod.
"Good." Kirsten grabbed the small basin from the table and ran cold water into it from the sink, returning to dip the cloth in and continue smoothing it over the girl's swollen face.
The nurse came in, looking worried. "Is everything all right?"
"Summer's in a lot of pain. Has Dr. Mead prescribed anything for her?"
"Yes, she did, Mrs. Cohen; I'll be right back." She fairly sprinted for the door, and Kirsten barely caught her.
"Can we get a cup of ice, too, please?"
"Right away, ma'am."
Kirsten almost laughed. "Well, you certainly are getting the royal treatment. Not that you don't deserve it." She took Summer's hand again. "Are you tired, baby?"
Summer nodded.
"The medication will relax you so you can rest." Kirsten kissed her on the forehead gently. "Everything's gonna be ok." She sat back and quickly brushed her own tears away with her free hand. "I hate so much that this happened, Summer. It must have been awful for you."
The nurse came in with a cup of ice and a hypodermic needle. "This will make you feel better, sweetheart." She lifted the blanket and gave Summer the shot in her hip. "It'll start working very soon." She turned to Kirsten. "Anything else, Mrs. Cohen?"
"No, but thank you. I'm hoping she can get some sleep now."
"That will do her a world of good, for sure. Don't hesitate to call if the two of you need anything. Anything at all." She smiled and backed out of the room.
Kirsten fed Summer some ice chips, and a couple of minutes later, the traumatized girl seemed to be less tense. "Feel better now?"
Summer nodded slowly.
"Don't be afraid to go to sleep, because I'm not leaving. I'll stay right here and make sure nothing bad happens to you. I'll be here when you wake up."
Summer sighed again, and seemed to relax into her pillow. Kirsten watched her for a moment, then smiled, elated as she felt Summer squeeze her hand.