The Blame Game

Julie Cooper knows how to make an entrance. She exercises that knowledge now, storming through the emergency's room entrance like a woman on a mission. Three orderlies and one neurosurgeon are cornered, questioned, and have scurried out of harm's way before the receptionist arrives back at her station with a fresh cup of coffee in hand.

"I'm looking for Marissa Cooper," Julie says, looking down her nose at the mousy-haired woman in scrubs. "I'm going to ask one last time and then I'm going to get mean and, trust me, you won't like me mean."

Down the hall, the small crowd stares in awe as Julie is personally escorted to them by two trembling nurses. "Julie Cooper, kicking ass and taking names," Seth mutters to Ryan, trying to lighten the mood. "She's kinda hot as a hardass."

"Not the time, Seth," Summer reprimands without looking at him. She has her hands full comforting Marissa, who has not said a word since the ambulance first arrived at the scene. "Why don't you go get us all some coffee? It's been a long night and I'm sure we could all use a little caffeine in our systems."

"You got it, boss lady." Standing, he stretches the muscles that ache from tension and leaning against the cool tile walls for the past hour. "Two coffees with cream for the chickadees and, Ryan, you like it black, right, man? Ryan?"

His friend, his brother in all but blood, looks confused when he raises his eyes, as if he's not sure where he is or how he got there. "What? Oh, yeah, black. No. None for me, thanks. I'm all set."

Seth's brows furrow in concern. "Alright, buddy, you want to come for the walk or anything? You need some fresh air?"

"No. I need to stay here," Ryan insists quietly. "I need to wait here for him."

"Okay. I'll be right back, then." He heads down the hallway in search of the nearest vending machine, bumps into Julie as she strides confidently in their direction. "Hi, Mrs. Cooper. Excellent work with that secretary, might I add. You really had her shaking in her rubber-soled sneakers."

The stare she gives him could freeze the blood in his veins. Come to think of it, it's Julie freakin' Cooper, queen of heartless bitches, so it probably has. "My daughter?" she asks icily, and he steps aside and points out Marissa.

"You're welcome," he says under his breath after she's swept past him, but cannot gather the courage to raise his voice. Instead, he turns on his heel and reaches into his pocket for his phone, trying his dad's cell for the fourth time.

Sandy answers with his lawyer voice, even though it's past midnight and he had to have been sound asleep. Seth is torn between leaping for joy and breaking down in tears at his father's voice, so calm and professional, coming in across the line.

"Dad, you have to get down to the hospital," he says all in a rush. "Ryan and Trey had a fight and –"

"Is Ryan okay?" Sandy interrupts, his tone changing to that of a parent, worried and resigned and rueful all at the same time.

"Physically, yeah, but I'm pretty sure the internal battle scars are gonna go pretty deep on this one. Dad, Trey's in surgery. He's got a bullet in his back and the doctors didn't look real hopeful."

"Ryan shot him?"

"No." He glances around to make sure no one can hear him and then explains, "Marissa did."

"I'll be right there."

Seth hangs up feeling better already. There is no legal bind his father can't find a loophole for, no good cause he can't champion to a victory. As soon as Sandy gets here, he'll sort everything out and life will go back to normal. His step is a little more jaunty as he focuses on his search for coffee and leaves the tragedy unfolding behind him in the distance.

Julie reaches the three remaining teenagers and makes a beeline for her flesh and blood. "Marissa, God, I was so worried when the police called. They wouldn't tell me anything, just that there'd been an incident and I needed to get here. What happened?"

Marissa is slow to respond, wringing her hands nervously as she looks anywhere but at her mother's face. "Ryan was in a fight. Trey … Trey was on top of him, choking him. He was going to kill him. So I …"

"You what? Marissa, you what? What happened?"

"I shot him." She sounds as horrified as her mother looks as understanding dawns. "I killed him."

"Oh my God," Julie whispers, bringing one hand to her mouth. She looks like she might be sick. "Oh my God. You … you killed a boy?"

"He was hurting Ryan, Mrs. Cooper," Summer jumps in, standing up to offer her best friend some moral support. "We were all there, we saw what was going to happen. Marissa saved his life."

"Oh. Well, then. That makes it all just peachy keen, doesn't it? As long as he's fine." It doesn't take long for the fury to unleash itself on its favorite target. Julie whirls to face Ryan, who sits dejectedly on the floor, and points a damning finger at him. "This is all your fault. You've caused nothing but trouble since the minute you showed up and now this? Bringing my daughter into your sick life of delinquency? This is –"

"Mrs. Cooper, you're angry, I get that, but really, we can't do this right now. Look at him." Summer's eyes dart to Ryan, then back again. "He's in no shape to –"

"Oh, he's in no shape?" Julie's voice, carefully controlled up to this point, raises to an ear-splitting level. "He'll be in no shape by the time I'm done with him! My daughter is not a criminal. Her life was about as violent as a public service announcement until she got involved with him."

"Please, Mrs. Cooper," Summer tries again. Ryan has closed his eyes but made no other attempt at defending himself against Julie's attack. Marissa is shivering, her eyes glazing over as her mother works herself into a tangent. "Marissa's had a horrible experience tonight. The last thing she needs is you reaming someone out right now. Just … talk to her. Please."

Julie pauses in her tangent and takes a good look at her daughter. Though she hates to admit it, Summer is right. Marissa looks terrible. She is shaking so hard that it's a wonder she'd staying on her feet and her face is completely drained of any color. "Oh, honey."

"Excuse me, we're looking for Marissa Cooper."

Everyone except Ryan turns at the sound of the new voice. A pair of uniformed police officers look at the group expectantly, the woman dangling a notepad and pen from one hand, the man younger and clenching his hat tightly in his hands.

"Th – that's me," Marissa finally volunteers.

The woman nods, her eyes unreadable. "We're going to need to speak with you, Ms. Cooper – alone."

"I'm coming with you," Julie states firmly and at the officers' hesitation, continues, "I am Julie Cooper-Nichols and she is my daughter. I'll stay with her until her lawyer arrives, at which time you may proceed."

Caleb may be dead and buried, but his name still carries all the necessary weight. The woman blinks once, twice, then sighs resignedly. "Fine, ma'am. Can the two of you please come with us?"

Julie steers Marissa around Ryan's sprawled out legs, stopping in front of Summer. "When Sandy gets here, you tell him to find me. Immediately."

"Will do, Mrs. Cooper." When they have disappeared around the corner, an exhausted Summer slides back down to the floor. "Whew. And then there were two."

"She's right, you know," Ryan says casually. Summer does a double take at the sound of his voice. He's barely spoken since they arrived at the ER. "It is my fault. Marissa never should have been there tonight. None of you should have."

"Ryan, this isn't anyone's fault. There's no way we could've seen all this coming."

"I could have. I know Trey. He's my brother, he's part of me. I know exactly how he is. Trouble always finds him." He chuckles a little, the noise devoid of any real humor. "Must run in the family or something. I should've told him to get the hell out of town when he got here."

"He's your family, Ryan," Summer points out. "No one expected you to do that. No one asks that you turn your back on family."

"No. The Cohens are my family now. Sandy and Kirsten and Seth. And you," he adds, and looks at her for the first time, his eyes so intense that she can feel them on her face even after she breaks their gaze. "And Marissa. You guys are what counts. And I turned my back on all of you."

She is touched that he considers her a part of that small, special group. There have not been many people to get anywhere close to Ryan's heart, and to be on the privileged few warms hers. "Ryan. You didn't betray any of us. You were trying to protect Marissa. Seth would've done the same for me. Sandy would do the same for Kirsten."

He falls silent at that, but she can tell he is not convinced.