The Push and Pull
"You were supposed to wake up for Peyton—not me." Brooke reflects on a tragic day. (Brucus, one-shot).
Brooke walked through the snow white halls of the hospital as they seemed to coax and taunt her in the opposite direction—the direction of his cubical.
She finally gave into the temptation and made an abrupt turn, walking nervously down the halls. She paused and peered into his room. The brunette saw him laying there, the oxygen mask blocking half of his face from her view. She let a ping of selfishness take over her and was grateful for the mask. If she had seen his full face, there was no doubt that she would have broken down in tears right there in the doorway.
Peyton had been crying uncontrollably for the past few hours. She had shrugged everyone off and refused to be consoled. Brooke refused to cry. She would not allow herself to cry. Brooke Davis was nothing if not strong in character. She had cried one too many times, especially for him.
She wrapped her arms around herself tightly, trying to block out the chill she felt from watching his chest move up and down at a slow pace. She closed the door shut before sitting down beside his form.
"Hey, you. If this was a cry for attention then you succeeded." She let out a chuckle which much too suddenly transformed into a painful sob as her hand reached out to stroke his hair. "Lucas, wake up. Wake up for Peyton, for Nathan—wake up for me."
Her eyes released tears and they cascaded down her cheeks like waterfalls. She did not bother to wipe them off. She let them fall freely, and gave herself the opportunity to grieve for her ex-boyfriend. "Please Lucas. Open your eyes, move your hand—beg to see Peyton, anything. Do anything."
Her hand remained by his blonde hair and she tugged at it gently. She closed her eyes, getting lost in the feeling of his hair brushing against her fingertips. "I love you." It was barely audible, but he somehow heard it. His eyes fluttered open and he found himself looking at her. Her eyes were closed, her cheeks flushed from the salty tears, her lips were parted and he could feel her hand.
"I love you too." He murmured through the mask, before slowly tugging it off.
Her head shot up and she peered into his dazed eyes. She bit her bottom lip to keep her emotions in check. Standing she shook her head violently. "No—No don't say that." Her voice quivered from her sobbing. "Lucas, Peyton—you love Peyton. You were supposed to wake up for her, not for me."
Lucas smiled dimly. "Pretty girl, I heard you. I was listening to your every word from someplace other than earth." He reached out his hand to her. "You brought me back."
Brooke stared at his pleading hand. Her heart turned over and was aching for her to touch his hand. She gave into her desire and placed her hand in his. "I just said what you already knew."
Lucas smiled. "I know how you feel about me—it's how I feel about you. I love you so much that even God himself wouldn't let me into heaven without you by my side."
Brooke let go of her fear. She let go of her reserves and when her lips met his she forgot why she had broken up with him in the fist place. Smiling she pulled back.
"And just how did they guy upstairs look like?"