Chapter Four

"Miss, are you sure you feel okay?" A doctor approached her, when he noticed that she had been in the room for quite some time, laughing, crying, talking. He didn't bother ask if she was feeling at all sane. He tapped her on the back, a second after he didn't hear her answer.

"What?" Summer snapped, after being rudely interrupted. So what if she was carrying on a one-person conversation with her boyfriend who was in coma? So what if she was remembering all the wonderful time they had spent together? Did it mean she was worthy of an interruption? Did it mean she had to conjure up the right mood once more? Summer groaned, "What do you want? I am fine. Now leave me alone. I am going to talk to him all I want, because obviously I'm not doing anything wrong." Summer said.

"Ditto. But I was wondering if you were okay? Are you?" He asked casually. Summer looked up,

"Yeah. Of course I'm okay; I'm with my boyfriend now. I'm finally okay." Summer said, as she smiled gratefully toward Seth.

"Touché. You two love each other lots don't cha?" He asked.

"Of course. What's not to love?" Summer smiled.

"About him? Or about you?" The doctor asked. Summer shot him a glare.

"About him." Summer nodded, "You know, you're kinda creepy for a doctor. What's it to you if we love each other? Not that I'm saying we don't, but why would you care?" Summer asked coldly.

"I have a mission," The doctor said, and before Summer could ask what kind of mission he continued, "Other doctors sent me hear to make conversation with you to see if you're sane or not. You can tell these things from a simple conversation." Summer grimaced, as she glared at the doctor.

"Excuse me?" She asked in her quirky, yet angered tone, "I've been through enough, so just shut up!" Summer squealed.

"Shut up!" The doctor imitated Summer, in a high-pitched, 'girly' voice.

"You know what? Spare me the trouble of getting a restraining order against you. Just leave, for your own sake. I dunno what the hell you're trying to pull here, but you're getting be so mad it's hard to speak." The doctor laughed, but in turn, he just left. Summer sighed. That could not have been scarier.

"Seth," She continued to say, "I wish you were wide-awake so you could protect me. I miss you, and I'm right beside you. But things couldn't be worse, seeing that I can't hear what you're saying. I wonder if you can hear me. I wish you could give me a sign, that you can hear exactly what I'm saying," Ironically, the phone started to ring loud and clear. Summer jumped at the noise, and she fretted to pick it up. She shivered- who could it be, calling Seth, knowing that he was in coma? Summer touched the cold phone, and she picked it up.

"Hello?" She breathed, her chest pounding still from the shock of the ear-piercing call. There was no one on the other line- absolutely no one. Then Summer laughed, "Seth!" She touched his shoulder, "Is this your idea of a sign?" Summer laughed again. "Well at least I know I'm not talking to a rock, Seth. Not that you're a rock or anything, but you know what I mean." Summer was grinning long and hard. After a while, Summer seemed to swallow up the silence, and in turn exert a voice so soft, if breathed against a baby's belly, the baby would certainly giggle- it was like a delicate touch against the air. Summer could have sworn that she saw Seth's mouth twitch once he heard her again, "How long are you just going to lay there? While I'm freaking out internally, you're just going to pleasingly have a nice vacation, and when you're ready to come back, you just, come? Remember that night, when we went totally whacko, and we started to sing like hobos?" Summer laughed with a tense humiliation being evident on her reddening cheeks, "Stop right now, thank you very much! I need somebody with a human touch . . Hey you! Always on the run, gotta slow it down baby gotta have some fun!" Summer sang slowly, and very quietly, so that only Seth could hear. "And you sang me, 'Hit me baby one more time'. Oh Gosh, that was the most beautiful night. I still can't believe we sang like that, underneath the stars, right before the ocean's waves. I had a 'groovy night'," Summer quoted, as she imagined Seth laughing, "Wake up already, Sleepyhead. I need to know that you're going to be okay!" Summer said, with slight annoyance.

"My loneliness is killing me, I must confess, I still believe! When I'm not with you I lose my mind! Give me a sign! Hit me baby one more time!" Summer heard a voice as weak as a little rodent's. She looked around to make sure it was 'him'. Summer gasped, as tears flowed down her cheek in lightning speed.

"Seth!" Summer shrieked as she grasped his hand, and gave him a peck on his cheek- knowing he was too weak to kiss her the way they'd kissed before. "Seth!" Summer started to bawl, "Thank you! THANK YOU SO MUCH! Seth! I love you! Oh my GOD! You're okay!" Summer was crying from endearing happiness. Summer's grin was as wide as the European continent. She was just swelling with joy, heart pounding with relief, and hands trembling from excitement.

"Calm down, sugar." Seth said faintly, as he gave her a feeble smile- only Summer knew it was a smile, because to a bystander, it looked like nothing more than a tiny expansion of the lips.

"I'm so glad you're alright!" Summer buried her head, in his hand as she cried excessively. Summer was bursting with ecstasy; nobody could be this happy. It was like paradise- perfect, without worries, and blissful. Summer felt like she was flying six feet above the ground. She only felt like she was four feet above the ground after her first kiss. This was nothing compared to that. It was honest happiness, and thankfulness for Seth's life. "So you heard everything I said to you?" Summer looked up at him, her face streaked from tears.

"Every word," Seth started to slowly regain his ground, as his voice was a tad more projective, and powerful. Summer didn't want him to waste all his energy though; he had a lot of things to do, one of which being a victim, and witness at the court case against Tray Atwood that was probably already stirring. "I want to be with you for the rest of my life, too." Seth said slowly. He grinned slowly, "Look in the pocket," Seth pointed to a t-shirt he was wearing earlier, spattered with some of his own blood. Summer walked over carefully, as she pulled out a wrapped box. "Give it to me." Seth said eagerly, his eyes flaring with excitement. Summer looked at the box in shock- a tiny, wrapped box only meant one thing!

Seth handed Summer the box, "I meant to give you this before Tray came along. I mean it with my heart, and I hope you accept. I love you." Summer looked at him excitedly. She grasped the tiny box in her hand, as she touched the corners with her fingers tips. She started to pull open the well-wrapped box. Inside, she discovered a royal-blue box, that could hold only one thing . . . a ring.

When Summer opened the littler box, her heart jumped as she looked at Seth for a long time. "I, I don't know what to say." Summer stuttered, as she went to kiss Seth long, but gently- kind of like their first kiss.

"You can say that, or you can say yes." Seth said proudly, "Summer Roberts, will you, marry me?" Summer's eyes flared, the question echoed in her mind. Summer bit her lip, as she tried to wipe away the biggest smile- ever; bigger than the European continent, even.

"Yes, Seth." Summer said excitedly. "Of course."