Bridges of Time
"That's my dad's car," Summer muttered as Ryan swung into the Cohen's driveway after a few hours of driving around giving Summer time to think.
Ryan looked at her nervously, "want to go someplace else?"
She shook her head, "no. I need to face him at some point."
"Summer!" Neil Roberts jumped up as Ryan and Summer entered the room. He engulfed her in a massive hug, "I've been so worried, when you ran out this morning -"
Sandy and Kirsten stood in greeting too. Everyone looked awkward as Summer pulled away from her father, "I'm fine, Daddy."
"Summer, sweetheart. I've been talking to Sandy and I know how you feel. But without even being tested we don't even need to be having this conversation; you might not even be a match for your mom."
"And what if I am, Dad. This argument starts all over again. I don't want to do it."
Neil suddenly looked cross, "it's your mother Summer," he growled, and gestured across the room.
The movement brought Ryan and Summer's gaze to the corner of the room, where it seemed Summer's mother was sat, wringing her hands in her lap and looking nervous, scared and well, ill.
Ryan was shocked to see the woman; she resembled Summer but looked far far older than the age he had pictured in his head. He supposed her kidney failure had something to do with that.
Summer swallowed, "I don't have a mother."
Summer moved to in front of her mother, "I might have done something if you'd had come a year ago, hell, six months ago, wanting to get to know me in your last days. But you come to me, literally on your death bed - so you say - to ask me for something. For something that's not my love. You've come here and you're causing pain. All you ever do is cause me pain. You know what you are? You're a selfish bitch," Summer spat the words.
Her mother didn't react; she just sat there looking at her daughter, her face expressionless.
Summer laughed, "and I guess I'm more you're daughter than I'd ever like to admit. Because I'm a selfish bitch too. I am not being tested to see if I'm a match. I am not giving you an organ. You can go and -"
"Summer!" Neil scolded.
Slowly the frail woman stood and pulled her purse from her bag, "then don't do it for me, do it for your brother and sister. I'm not ready to leave them yet."
From where Ryan stood he could see she was showing Summer some pictures. Summer didn't drop her gaze from her mother's face to look, she was shocked.
"This is Brooke and Adam. Brooke is four and Adam is 18 months," she looked back up to Summer, "please, just see if you're a match I... I can't leave them motherless."
Ryan gulped; this wasn't going to have a good ending.
Summer stared at her mother flabbergasted for a minute and then turned to look at her father, she let out a sound of disgust, "I don't know how I'm supposed to respond to that..."
"Hey!" A loud voice boomed at the door, "we having a party?!" Seth bounded in and he moved to his mom, swinging an arm around her and looking at everyone gleefully. His eyes stilled at Summer and his eyes flickered in concern; the smile quickly changing to a frown.
"Seth," Kirsten warned and her son quietened down his eyes roaming around the room trying to figure out what was going on.
"What's going on?" Seth asked, but no one had chance to explain the situation before the drama began again.
Neil looked back to his daughter, "you need to be tested, Summer. Then when we know the results we can - "
Summer was shaking her head, "Daddy - no -"
Suddenly Summer's mom was in front of her, grasping at her arms and thrusting the photo back under her nose, "Please Summer - just look at them!" The woman was starting to cry.
Neil moved to comfort her, "don't get upset, it isn't good for you," he looked to Summer again, angry, "Summer," his voice stern.
"Neil, Autumn," Sandy suddenly barked, drawing the attention to him, "I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
Neil shook his head, "we are not leaving without Summer."
Sandy drew himself up to his full height and he moved forward "yes, yes you are."
Summer let out a strangled gasp, "I need some air," she acknowledged.
"Boys, please take Summer outside," Kirsten said to her sons, as she moved to beside her husband to put up a united front.
Ryan, Seth and Summer stumbled out onto the patio, Seth shut the door quietly behind them and they could just hear some stern words being passed between Neil and Sandy.
Ryan sat himself and Summer down on a sun lounger and Seth sat crossed legged in front of them.
Summer took her face in her hands and took in a shaky breath as Ryan put an arm around her.
"OK, so in usual Seth Cohen style I have no idea what is going on. But I am guessing by the resemblance that that lady is your mom - and whatever she is doing back is going to cause you some heartache... but can we just confirm that she is called Autumn?"
Summer, from under her hands let out a weird sounding giggle.
Seth caught Ryan's eye and decided that eliciting a giggle from Summer was at least a step in the right direction, and continued, "you never told me that. And that is just comedy gold, Summer Roberts."
Summer looked up, a few tears had escaped and were running down her cheeks, Seth pulled himself onto his knees so he was closer to his ex - the girl he still loved, and reached up to wipe them away as she spoke. "She should have called her other kids Winter and Spring, we'd be a full set," she laughed.
Seth's gaze turned dark, "seriously though, your mom's had other kids?"
Summer sniffled, "that's not the half of it, Cohen."
The voices inside the house got louder and Summer grimaced, "I'm going to have to go with them."
"Not if you don't want to Summer," Seth shook his head, "my dad will -"
"My dad won't go without me. I'm causing problems for your parents by being here -"
"Hey," Ryan squeezed her with the arm that was lazily over shoulders, "Sandy and Kirsten don't mind. Trust me. I think they kinda like taking care of other people's kids..." he gave her a small smile of encouragement. "Sandy won't back down; he'll ring the police to get them off his property if he has to."
"My dad will say they won't give him his daughter back. I don't want to be escorted out by the cops, Ryan," Summer said in dismay.
"And you won't be. If it comes to that, we'll explain the situation. They can't make you go with them if you don't want, if they are bulling you into giving away body parts," Ryan spat out the later pary, giving in to his anger at the situation.
Seth's jaw dropped, "one of you is going to have to bring me up to speed," he eyed Summer up and down, "what body part do they want?" he asked, confused.
Please please review! Shall I continue? Is it good, bad, ugly? lol.