Fun fact, I have another account called tutorgirlandboytoy that I share with my best friend and we co-write stories. Four are up right now Kiss Me, 24, Evermore, and Stillness and Bravery. Go check them out!
This story takes place right after Nathan's accident in season 2.
Haley frantically lifted her bags to get in line at the airport. She needed a seat on the first flight home. She had messed up big time but when she got that call from Lucas she knew she needed to go home. She could hear her phone ringing and quickly moved to answer it, if she could find it in one of her many pockets.
"Hello? It's me, Nathan." She heard his voice say on the other end of the line, she missed hearing him.
"Thank god. What happened?"
"I'm gonna be okay."
"Well, I'm glad. I'm coming home tomorrow, okay?" She said sliding her bags on the floor as she moved up another spot in line.
"Actually, no, it's not okay. Don't come home, Haley."
"Nathan, I have to come home."
"No, you don't. You have to go after your dream; just like I have to go after mine. Because if we don't, then we're just gonna end up regretting it then we're gonna end up resenting each other."
"Nathan I wouldn't" She interrupted.
"Yeah, but we don't know that. Nobody knows what's gonna happen. Whatever choice you make today is gonna affect the rest of your life. So don't come home, Haley."
"Nathan, listen" She tried to please.
"Because I don't want you to."
"Nathan you were in a massive car crash and almost died. I am coming home, it's where I belong. It's where I'm supposed to be. You're not in the right state of mind."
"I don't want you coming home cause it's what you have to do because then you will hate yourself for it later." He argued once more as Haley smiled slightly, even though he was angry at her, he still wanted her to be happy.
"It's where I want to be. Aside from the half an hour a day when I'm on stage I am miserable. And it's final Nathan I will be home tomorrow." She said hanging up before he could argue with her.
Haley bit her lip slowly walking the halls of the hospital. She didn't know what she was going to say. None of her words would ever be enough to explain how sorry she was or for him to forgive her. She rounded another corner to end up face to face with him as he was rolled down the hall in a wheelchair.
"Hi" She said quietly.
"Hi." He said looking at the wall, she looked up at his nurse.
"I'm his wife, Haley."
"I am taking him for a CT but he should be back in a half an hour."
"Okay thanks." She said as the nurse rolled him away. "And Nathan. I'm sorry." She said quickly. It was a start.
"Hey" Haley said slowly stepping into his hospital room.
He looked away and stared out the window, ignoring her completely.
"I'm not going to put up with this Nathan. I'm your wife. I'm sorry. I would give you a more sympathetic apology and explain everything but I know you don't care right now." She said moving to shut the blind, he sent her an icy glare.
"You're right, I don't."
"Because I know you Nathan Scott. For days or weeks your going to be guarded and mean but then your shell will start to fall, you'll start to let me in because we've both made our mistakes. But just know...I'm not going anyway." She said ending in a whisper, kissing his forehead. "I'm going to go sign some paperwork, then we're going home. Together."
"Are you sure your okay, you don't need any more help?" Lucas asked as Nathan got situated on the couch and he put down one of Haley's bags on the floor.
"Yeah, we'll be fine." She sighed quietly before going over and lifting up Nathan's leg, placing a pillow under it. "After all, I am his wife."
Lucas looked over at Haley as he bit his lip. He wasn't mad at her but they did need to talk at some point.
"Are you sure of that?" Nathan muttered but Haley only ignored him. She moved to the kitchen and started to make him lunch. She grabbed a bottle of powerade and placed it on a tray and put his plate with the sandwich on it as well.
"Alright, I'll be going then. Don't kill each other." He said muttering the end part.
"Bye Luke." Haley smiled
"Thanks" Nathan said.
"Here you go." Haley said placing the tray in front of her before going for his pill bottles and placing the ones he was supposed to take out. "Do you need anything else?" She asked as he didn't answer. "Alright, well if you need me just shout, I'll be unpacking and doing my wash."
Three days went by where Nathan didn't speak to Haley at all. She would make him meal after meal, bring him anything she thought he needed, get the shower set up for him, and helped him get in, but he didn't say a word. And it was that day, when she asked him if he was hungry that she finally lost it. "I've been waiting on you hand and foot like a fucking slave the least I deserve is for you to give me a god damned reply Nathan." She said throwing a glass in the sink as it broke.
"And I deserved for you not to leave me." He shouted back with equal anger. "I gave you everything you needed and you left me. How does it feel to have the person you love not talk to you?"
"Nathan I just...I really don't understand why you are mad at me. I get it, I left. But you pushed me out the door practically. You were the one that wanted me to follow my dreams and that was my dream. But suddenly once it came around you didn't want me to go for it."
"Haley you didn't invite me to go with you. You left me. You didn't even say goodbye you just left and...and I gave up everything for you. I was vulnerable around you and I just. It hurt too much when you left I can't do this again." He said as Haley knew he was holding back tears, she wasn't holding them back as they rolled down her face.
"I know I left and I'm sorry but...I just wanted it so badly."
"But what you don't get is that I wanted it for you. I wanted you to go. But I didn't want you to leave me for it the way you did."
Haley took a step back from where she stood and thought about it. This man was perfect and she never deserved him. "I'm sorry. I should've..." She said quietly. "I was so selfish. I'm sorry for what I put you through. You didn't deserve any of that."
"You're damn right I didn't I gave you the fucking world only to have it be thrown back in my face." He said before shutting down once more. She didn't have a reply to him because all he was saying was the truth. Haley took one more step back before walking down the hall to sit by herself.
An hour later she stepped out, taking a deep breath. She moved into the living room where he sat watching an old game. She turned off the tv before taking a seat on the coffee table in front of him. "Let me talk." She whispered. "When I left I was being selfish but...I was also afraid. Afraid of us. Not that we would break up surprisingly but that I loved you too much. I relied on you too much. I wanted to see if I could be something without you because before you I was just nerdy Haley with no friends and suddenly I'm hanging out with the captain of the cheerleading team and singing in front of all my peers. I was worried about who I was...but I was also afraid because of how fast we moved. You were the only man I had ever dated and we got married months later. You've dated all these girls and I felt that I could never compare to them. It didn't help that they were constantly hitting on you and it only made me think about the fact that they were better at the whole girlfriend thing, and the whole sex thing than me and that I wasn't good enough. I was being self conscious and I should have talked to you about it but I couldn't. I didn't know how. It was also that I didn't have the chance to explore, and now I realize that I wasn't missing anything. I got lucky with you and no other man compares. And Nathan I really am sorry, for all of this."
"You had my heart. No other girl ever did before. You never needed to compare to them because they were forgotten around you. They didn't matter. You were the only thing that did." He said not looking up as she noticed the use of past tense verbs. She wouldn't force him to love her back. That wouldn't be fair. So she stood up and moved to the kitchen. He looked up and their eyes connected. He saw the sincerity in her eyes and he just wanted to hug her. He wanted to forgive her and take all her pain away, but she hurt him too much to do that.
The next morning Haley woke up early, with a song melody already in her head. She had barely slept but she just couldn't focus on anything but this song. She quietly crept through the living room to grab her guitar before moving past Nathan asleep on the couch to sit in the balcony as the sun rose. She started playing the melody as she wrote down lyrics on a piece of paper next to her. As she fiddled around with her guitar, Nathan woke up and stumbled to lean on the door frame. "Play the whole thing for me." He whispered as she looked up at him in shock.
"Okay, it's kind of rough though." She said.
"I'm used to it." He said with a slight chuckle, he would do this all the time with her and honestly he missed her voice anymore.
She took a deep breath before playing.
All night staring at the ceiling
counting for minutes I've been feeling this way
So far away and so alone
But you know it's alright
I came to my senses
Letting go of my defenses
There's no way I'm giving up this time
Yeah, you know I'm right here
I'm not losing you this time
And I'm all in, nothing left to hide
I've fallen harder than a landslide
I spent a week away from you last night
And now I'm calling, calling out your name
Even if I lose the game, I'm all in
I'm all in tonight, yeah I'm all in, I'm all in for life
There's no taking back
what we've got's too strong,
we've had each other's back for too long
There's no breaking up this time
And you know it's okay, I came to my senses
Letting go of my defenses
There's no way I'm giving up this time
And I'm all in, nothing left to hide
I've fallen harder than a landslide
I spent a week away from you last night
And now I'm calling, calling out your name
Even if I lose the game, I'm all in
I'm all in tonight, yeah I'm all in, I'm all in for life
I want it, I want it, I want it
I want it, I want it, I want it, yeah
I want it, I want it, I want it, yeah
And I'm all in, calling out your name
Even if I lose the game, I'm all in, I'm all in for life
And I'm all in, nothing left to hide
I've fallen harder than a landslide
I spent a week away from you last night
And now I'm calling, calling out your name
Even if I lose the game, I'm all in
I'm all in tonight, yeah I'm all in, I'm all in for life
Yeah I'm all in, I'm all in for life
"I'm so sorry Nathan." She said looking up at him as her heart broke and her voice cracked. "But I need you." Haley let one tear escape from her eyes before she wiped at them.
"Get up." He said, as she did. "I need you too." He admitted quietly reaching out to hold her in his arms. It felt so good to hold her once more and feel her warm skin against his. She relished in the feeling of being held in his strong arms once more. If their was one thing Nathan learned in all the time he knew Haley it was that any song she wrote came directly form her heart. And so did this one, without a doubt.
"Just please, don't give up on me. Give me another chance. I love you too much to let you go." She said into him.
"Always." He said kissing the top of her head. "And forever."