molly Paul, who usually wasn't bothered by the sight of blood, felt dizzy when he looked at the scene before him. Summer was lying on her back, a slit near her collar bone that obviously needed stitches. She was a mess with cuts and bruises everywhere, and she had absolutely no clothes on. He cringed thinking of what she must have gone through and hoped to god that she was still alive. He hardly knew her, but he wanted to. Then he saw the guy that must have been Eric. His face looked fine, but there was a gash across his stomach. Thinking quickly, Paul turned and grabbed Sadie by the shoulders.
molly "Please don't go over there." he pleaded, but She shook him off. It was a good thing that Paul had been so close to her because she almost fell backwards when she saw it all.
molly "Oh my God. Oh my God." she repeated several times. Paul put his arms around her and turned her head away. Her tears soaked his tee-shirt, but he hardly noticed.
molly "It's ok."
molly While Paul took care of Sadie, Rob knelt down beside Summer. He lightly touched her cheek which was swollen. She was crying even harder than she had been that night in his kitchen. Her eyelids fluttered and she whispered his name. Then her eyes closed. Rob checked for a pulse but couldn't find one. Refusing to believe that she was dead, he tried again. "Yes!" he whispered as he felt the pulsing blood vessel on her wrist. It was weak, but it was there. Now what. He reached into his pocket for his cell phone. "Oh fuck!" He'd left it in the car. Now what. He managed to tare his eyes away from Summer's face and called to Sadie and Paul. "Someone run to the car and call an ambulance." He instructed turning back to Summer. "Hold on baby. Just a little longer. Just do this one thing for me."
molly "She's not doing anything for you." came a harsh voice from behind Rob. It was soon followed by a loud thud. Rob Whirled around to see Eric lying on the ground again with Paul brandishing a flashlight.
molly "You owe me one, man." he said. "I saved your life. I'm a hero now." Rob couldn't help but smile. Paul had a way of making him feel better even in the worst of situations.
molly "Thanks, Paul."
molly "No problem. By the way, Sadie just went to get the phone from your car." He came and knelt down beside Rob. "Ya think she'll be ok?"
molly "God, I hope so." he replied, staring at the girl who had made his life so much more complicated in the past two days than it had ever been. I'll never forgive myself if... She'll make it. Don't even consider what'll happen if she doesn't cuz she's gonna.
molly Ten more minutes passed in silence with Paul watching Rob and Rob watching Summer, checking her pulse about every thirty seconds. Finally they heard the scream of a siren in the distance, coming closer. Rob and Paul both let out relieved sighs at the same time and waited impatiently for the paramedics to arrive.***
molly I drifted in and out of consciousness. I was aware of being carried and of Rob's voice saying "I'm right here." and then I fell back into the darkness. I awoke in a hospital bed with the lights turned off. I had no idea how or why I was there, but when I tried to sit up and felt the pain stab my arm, I remembered. I turned my head at the sound of movement across the room.
molly "Hey baby. You awake?" Rob asked me, relief in his voice. I smiled wondering how long he had been there. Even that hurt.
molly "Yeah." Yuck! My voice sounded terrible. I needed something to drink. As if reading my mind, Rob put a straw between my parched lips. It was apple juice. I smiled again, drinking the entire thing without even taking a breath. "Thanks." I said, my voice sounding better already. "Now just pick me up and take me out of this place and I'll be fine." I hated hospitals. the smell, the doctors that were a little too nice and a little to curious. The sooner I was out of here the better.
molly "Yeah right. The doctor said you might be able to leave tomorrow if you're lucky." I carefully moved over and patted the space on the bed beside me. Rob sat down gently. "How do you feel?" he asked, taking my hand.
molly "Like shit." I answered. "Is there any way you could hook me up with a mirror? I need to know if I look as awful as I feel." Rob laughed.
molly "I have to admit, you looked much better when I was watching you get dressed in your room that night at your birthday party." His hand flew to his mouth as if he had not meant to say it. "Oops!"
molly "You really are an ass hole." With my good arm I hit him, but I had virtually no energy and it was more like a pat on the arm than anything else.
molly "Oh, please don't hurt me." he teased jumping up off the bed and walking to the other side of the room. He returned holding a small mirror. Reaching for it I looked at my reflection and nearly started crying. Both of my cheeks were swollen and I had a fat lip. "Holy shit!" I exclaimed. "I knew I looked bad, but..." Rob snatched the mirror from me.
molly "It's not that bad."
molly "Yeah right. I don't even know how you can look at me without laughing." He leaned down and kissed me so softly that I hardly felt it. "What the hell was that?" I asked him, disappointed.
molly "I don't wanna hurt you."
molly "I can handle that kind of pain." I looked at him expectantly. He sighed and again leaned over me. The kiss only hurt a little, but it had been well worth the pain. I sighed happily when it was over. "I feel better already." Rob smiled
molly "good. The sooner you feel better the sooner we can get out of here." I could tell by the way that Rob said this that he too hated hospitals.
molly "What happened to Eric?" I shuddered just saying his name, but I needed to know. Rob's face clouded.
molly "You don't have to worry about him anymore, I promise you." he said finally. Then he dragged the cot that he had obviously been sleeping on, next to the bed and lay down on it. I moved closer to that side and turned my face towards his. "Good night." I whispered closing my eyes.***
molly "No!" Summer argued stubbornly.
molly "Please?" Rob was giving her puppy dog eyes now.
molly "Not the puppy dog eyes. That's not fair." However, he continued to stare at her until she gave in. "Fine, but only because I'm a sucker for a hot guy." Rob looked triumphant. "What about Sadie?" I asked. It was my last argument. Rob glanced over his shoulder into the back seat of the Toyota.
molly "I don't think she'll mind staying at our house for a few days." He smiled. Paul and Sadie were kissing in the back oblivious to everything around them.
molly "All right, all right. You win. But I'm sleeping in the guest room. The last thing I need is you rolling over in the middle of the night and hurting me." Rob tried to pull the puppy dog eyes again but she didn't even look at him.
molly "I guess that means no..."
molly "None." Summer interrupted him. "Do you want me to get better or not." Rob sighed.
molly "Sorry."
molly After stopping at Sadie and Summer's house to pick up some things, The four arrived at Paul and Rob's place. Summer and Rob climbed out of the car. Paul and Sadie, however, didn't look like they were going anywhere.
molly "If you think that you're doing anything in my car you're crazy." He opened the back door which Paul had been leaning on. He almost fell out.
molly "Ok ok, We're coming." He climbed out and Sadie followed. Once inside, Paul and Sadie went upstairs. "They're certainly not wasting any time." Rob commented. He sounded a little jealous, but didn't say anything else about it. He and Summer went into the living room where they sat down on the couch, staring in silence at the blank TV screen. A sudden wave of exhaustion washed over Summer and she laid her head on Rob's lap.
molly "I love this." she said breaking the silence.
molly "What?"
molly "Just laying here and not having to say anything. it's nice." Rob didn't answer. "What're you thinking?" She asked him.
molly "Nothing. Just how much I want you to get better." He carefully ran his finger along the stitches on her collar bone.
molly "Same here." She felt so relaxed that the second she closed her eyes, she fell asleep.
molly Summer awoke the next morning in a spare bedroom in Rob's house. She was shaking a little. She had had another nightmare, only this one was worse than the rest had been because all of the events that took place in it had actually happened only a few days before. Glancing at the bedside clock, Summer saw that it was five-thirty, her favorite time of the day. It was always quiet around this time and was the perfect time for thinking. Getting out of bed, she went into the bathroom attached to the room she was staying in and, undressing, she stepped under a hot shower. It felt great and helped to wake her up.
molly After the shower, Summer returned to the bedroom and dressed in one of the last good outfits she owned. Then she went into the kitchen and started the coffee. While waiting for it to percolate, she sat down at the table, but jumped to her feet at the sound of footsteps outside coming towards the back door. She sighed with relief when Paul opened it and walked in.
molly "Damn it Paul. You almost gave me a heart attack." Paul looked hurt.
molly "Well good morning to you too." Quickly Summer apologized.
molly "I'm a little freaked out lately."
molly "That's understandable considering..." He stopped and abruptly changed the subject. "How you feelin this morning?"
molly "Ok, I guess. Why are you up so early? I thought that you'd sleep till at least ten." She smiled knowingly at Paul.
molly "I wanted a cigarette." he said defensively. "What about you?"
molly "Couldn't sleep. I keep having these nightmares." She sighed exhaustedly.
molly "That sucks. Sleep's probably the one thing you need right now. If there's anything I can do..." Summer saw a chance to ask Paul the one question who's answer she prayed could put her nerves to rest.
molly "Actually there is. Paul, I need you to answer one thing for me. What happened to...Eric." For some reason she found it difficult to say his name. Paul shifted uncomfortably in his chair, avoiding Summer's eyes. "I need to know. It's the only way I can start to feel safe again."
molly "Ok," He hesitated. "But you can't tell Rob I told you. I promised him I wouldn't." He paused, uncertain if this was the best thing to do. He decided that he should just say it and get it over with. "He's...um...well...The ass hole's dead." Paul spat out the last four words as quickly as possible. And looked into Summer's face to see her reaction. She got up suddenly and, running over to him, gave him a huge hug. A few tears slipped down her cheeks.
molly "You have no idea how happy I am to hear that." She stood up then, the fear that she had become so accustomed to disappearing. The dark shadows of the morning seemed less threatening and she didn't feel as though she had to look over her shoulder every five seconds. Paul was glad that he had told Summer about Eric's "unfortunate" fate. He grinned, looking at her face which shone with happiness. "This calls for a celebration." Summer told him, beginning to look through the cabinets until she came up with the pancake mix.
molly "Yum!" Paul exclaimed. He hadn't had homemade pancakes in a long time. Just then, Paul heard someone coming down the stairs and looked up from his coffee. It was Rob. Summer turned from the stove as he entered.
molly "Hey baby. You look really good this morning." he commented as his eyes trailed down her body. She went to him.
molly "You too." she said as she kissed him happily.
molly "Thanks." Rob said, referring to the kiss. "What was that for?"
molly "I just want you to feel as good as I do today." She turned back to making the breakfast. Rob gave Paul a questioning look as he wondered where Summer's sudden energy boost had come from, but Paul just shrugged and took a sip of coffee. The coffee looked so good that Rob went over and poured himself a cup. Summer turned to Paul and called, "Think fast!" as she flung a pancake at him. Paul was quick to lift his plate into the air and caught it easily.
molly "Paulie, Paulie, he's our man! If he can't do it no one can!" Sadie cheered as she came into the room, pretending to shake pompoms. "Where's mine?" She asked, eyeing Paul's breakfast hungrily.
molly "Right here." Summer flicked another Pancake in her cousin's direction. She was totally unprepared, but Paul reached out with his plate and caught it expertly. "I'm impressed." Summer said happily. She handed a pancake to Rob and they too sat down at the table to eat. Rob watched Summer for a few minutes, trying to figure out what had happened between now and the time since he had brought her into the spare bedroom last night, but soon gave up. If she wanted to be in a good mood and kiss him like that for no reason, who was he to complain. He ate his breakfast along with everyone else, a smile on his face.***
molly "Ok," Sadie called as she and Paul left. "See ya in a few days." The door closed behind them and the key turned in the lock. It was two weeks after the morning Summer had found out about Eric's death. Paul and Sadie were going down to Key West for a few days and had invited Summer and Rob to join them, but Summer felt too self-conscious about the fading bruises she still had, to go walking around in a bathing suit. Rob had sworn to her that she looked gorgeous, but she still turned down the offer. She had considered telling Rob that he could go without her, but she knew that he would never even consider doing that. Plus, she didn't think that she was ready to be left alone yet, even if she did know Eric was dead.
molly Walking back to the couch, she laid down across Rob's lap, sighing.
molly "I love this house. She commented, looking around herself. "It's so big."
molly "And empty." Rob added with a small grin. Summer knew exactly what he meant by that. She got up and stretched. "Where are you going?" Rob asked as she left the room.
molly "To take a shower."
molly "You just took one like two hours ago." Summer couldn't explain to Rob the way she felt. No matter how many showers she took a day, she still felt dirty. She would scrub her skin till it turned red but she couldn't wash away the memories of Eric raping her that night in the woods. She hadn't told anyone about it, but she was sure they all knew.
molly "I'll be out in ten minutes." She promised, going into the bathroom. When she was finished, she felt a little better. It was already nine o'clock and the shower had made her drowsy. Leaving the bathroom, she went back into the living room to tell Rob she was going to bed, but he wasn't there. She called his name several times but there was no response. He's probably watching TV in his room, she told herself climbing the stairs quietly. Rob's door was closed, so she knocked. When he did not answer the knock, Summer carefully opened the door and stepped into the room, which would have been pitch black if not for the full moon shining through the open window. In the dim light, she could make out a shape lying on the bed. Tiptoeing over, Summer climbed in beside Rob. For the most part, she was healed enough that Rob couldn't hurt her unless he really tried.
molly "Hey baby, looking for something?" he said into her ear.
molly "Faker!" Summer accused as Rob began to take her clothes off. "That was a low thing to do."
molly "I know, but it worked." She laughed, stopping him for a moment.
molly "There's something you probably want to know before..."
molly "Can't you just shut up for once?" he pleaded.
molly "No, not this time. I want you to know everything." Rob sighed in exasperation.
molly "Ok, what is it?"
molly "The ring."
molly "I don't give a fuck about the damn ring." He continued with what he had been doing before.
molly "I know you don't, but I do. The only reason I wore it was to remind myself of what an ass I had been to stay with that jerk for as long as I did. It was a sort of self-punishment."
molly "You're really too hard on yourself." Summer was surprised. She sat up abruptly to Rob's annoyance.
molly "You mean to tell me that you weren't pissed that I still wore my ex's engagement ring?"
molly "I told you, I don't give a fuck about that ring. Did you think that I was going to blow up at you and hit you or something for a stupid reason like that? Summer, I'm not that kinda guy. I would never physically hurt a girl, especially you." Had she thought that he was going to hit her? Summer didn't know. What she did know was that Rob had made her lay back down and was kissing her all over.
molly "Are you sure you're not mad even a little bit? I mean, I only lied to you because I was..." A kiss on the mouth cut off the rest of her sentence.
molly "Listen," Rob finally said, pausing. "You don't have to explain everything you do. It's a hell of a lot more fun trying to figure you out." He gave a short laugh and went on with what he had started. Summer hadn't realized how much she wanted Rob until right now. I could have died if Rob hadn't found me, she thought, and this wouldn't be happening. That was the last thing relating to the events two weeks ago that she thought of. After that, it was very difficult to think at all, but Summer didn't want to. She just wanted to forget everything, and Rob was making it so easy. One look into his eyes which were filled with so much emotion and it was long passed her.
molly Rob smiled to himself. He knew now that this girl was his. He could tell just by looking at her that she wanted him almost as much as he wanted her. He knew that she'd give in and come into his room that night. He hadn't pushed her. Summer wouldn't have come up there if she didn't want to, but he knew that she wanted to. When they were finished, Rob took Summer into his arms and held her tightly. He'd never let her get hurt like that ever again, and they both knew it. There were no nightmares that night, and Summer had a feeling that there wouldn't be for awhile. For once in her life, thing's were going right. The physical evidence of that horrible night in the woods were already fading, and the mental bruises were beginning to heal as well. Closing her eyes, Summer breathed in the warm air and remembered the first time she had met Rob. She started to laugh.
molly "What?"
molly "I was just thinking of writing a thank you letter to the guy who invented Bounty." They both laughed and soon fell asleep.


To Be Continued...