A/N: The summary is very vague, I know, but it's like that for a reason. This fanfic is going to be very new and different. I've lost count of how many times I've said that, but I guess every fic I write is different in it's own right. I guess what I mean is that this is going to be very drama-filled with a lot of surprises thrown in (Hey, it's me so that's basically a given). You won't be disappointed in the end, though.
Happily Ever After or Faking It? (Chapter 1)
"Lucas, where the hell are you?" Nathan asked, walking into the apartment as his sister-in-law, Peyton Scott opened the door.
"He's getting ten more minutes of beauty sleep," Peyton commented, leading Nathan into the kitchen of their two-bedroom apartment.
"Well, please tell His Highness that if he doesn't get his butt up in ten minutes, not only am I going to kill him but our new coach is as well," Nathan said.
"Calm down, Nathan. I'm awake," Lucas said, coming out of the room fully dressed. Nathan looked at Peyton.
"I thought you said he was still asleep," he said.
"So I lied. Sue me," she said, shrugging. Lucas came over and kissed Peyton.
"She's a mischievous brat my wife can be sometimes. I hate to think of how our son is going to turn out," Lucas said, putting his hand on Peyton's stomach.
"Daughter," Peyton corrected him as she removed his hand and went to get some ice cream from the freezer. Lucas and Nathan looked at her in a way that suggested she was dreaming. "Mother's intuition," she told them. Lucas rolled his eyes.
"Well, father's intuition says that we're having a son," he said.
"We'll know in a day, won't we?" Peyton asked. "And when I'm right, I promise I won't hold it against you for ever doubting me." Nathan burst out laughing. Just then, the front door opened and Brooke Davis walked in. She looked at all of them and smiled. "Brooke, what's wrong?" Brooke shrugged. Nathan walked over and put his arm around her and held her against him. She relaxed against him and put rested her head against his shoulder.
Nathan and Brooke had been dating for three months now and while they weren't an epic romance right now, Nathan had a feeling that they were going to last. At least, he hoped they would. He had underestimated just how special Brooke was until they'd gotten to know each other. They worked for the same magazine. He was a sports writer while Brooke was a fashion writer. Nathan usually sent his articles in since he was on the road so much playing basketball.
"I just found out something," she announced. They all looked at her in confusion.
"What?" Nathan asked, looking down at her. Brooke hesitated. "Come on, Brooke, tell us."
"It's about Olivia," she explained. They all looked at her in understanding and nodded. Brooke was a nursing student at a hospital in town and had come to know Olivia James very well.
Olivia was a patient who had been in a tragic car accident seven years prior that had left her paralysed and very sick. She sometimes slipped in and out of consciousness and due to unforeseen injuries; she was now on dialysis for kidney problems as well. In other words, Olivia was very sick. "I was talking to Taylor earlier about what her family planned to do about Olivia. Olivia has requested that she wants her DNR to be put into action," Brooke said brokenly.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, sweetie," Nathan said.
"It gets worse. See, the hospital can't just do that, they need Olivia's beneficiary, or whatever, to come and execute the order," Brooke said.
"Poor Taylor," Peyton said. Brooke shook her head.
"It's not Taylor. I mean, you'd think it would be since Taylor is a nurse at the hospital. It makes sense that way. But Taylor had made it clear from the beginning that if it came down to that, she'd never be able to go through with it. In fact, none of them would," Brooke said, referring to the other James. Their parents had died in that same car crash so it was only the kids left. Olivia, Craig, Quinn, John, Eric, Taylor and the estranged Haley were the only ones left.
"Then, who is?" Lucas asked in confusion.
"Haley," Brooke said. They all looked at her in disbelief.
"Are you sure it's Haley? I don't see her being able to do that," Lucas said. Brooke shrugged. Nathan nodded in agreement. It had been a long time since any of them had seen Haley. He and Haley had dated for a while in high school but had broken up after realizing that they wanted different things. Nathan wanted to pursue basketball and Haley wanted to pursue music. There were no hard feelings and he wished her the best of luck. After graduating about a year early, Haley had left school to embark on the opportunity of a lifetime.
She had sung at TRIC and collaborated with fellow musician Chris Keller, whom Nathan didn't really know from what he heard was good, on a song. Chris had left town and somehow ended up on tour with Jessica Harp and Michelle Branch who formed the Wreckers as well as Gavin DeGraw. He had played the demo for them and when Haley met Michelle and Jessica a few months when Chris returned, Michelle had offered Haley a spot on the tour immediately.
The James were incredibly proud of her and for a while they had praised at how well Haley was doing on the tour but when she received word of Olivia and her parents' car accident, Haley had taken a break from touring and returned home for about a week just in time to learn that her parents had died and her sister was on her deathbed. Haley had disagreed with prolonging Olivia's suffering against her wishes and had helped her sister get a DNR put in place, but since Haley had left, the other siblings had managed to refute it. "When will she be coming?" Peyton asked.
"She's on a plane right now," Brooke said.
"Well, I know the circumstances are bad, but I'll be glad to see her again. I haven't heard anything about her in a while," Peyton replied.
"Yeah, how is she?" Nathan asked. Brooke shrugged.
"That I don't know so I asked Taylor. She just shrugged," Brooke said.
Nathan, Brooke, Peyton, and Lucas had walked into the hospital to visit Olivia three hours later and stopped dead in their tracks as they saw all of the James' siblings, minus Olivia, including Haley, and Olivia's boyfriend, Derek Smith arguing outside their sister's room. "This is what she wants. I don't know how many times you have to hear that before you get it!" Haley exclaimed.
"She's confused and miserable and that's understandable. But there's still hope," Derek said. Taylor shook her head as well as Haley. "Yes, there is. There's still a chance that she could pull through."
"No," Taylor said.
"There was a jump in her brain activity yesterday and they think they might have found a donor match," Derek said.
"You're grasping at straws," Taylor informed him.
"Shut up, Taylor! I'm not going to let her go like you guys seem to want to," Derek said.
"You forget that you don't have much of a choice here, Derek. We're her family, not you. Haley is the one that decides what happens, not you," Quinn said. Derek looked at Haley.
"Please, Haley. Please give her a chance. There is still hope," Derek said. Haley shook her head.
"No, there's not. I don't like the idea of pulling the plug on her anymore than you do, Derek, but it's what she wants," Haley said.
"So, you have the final say. You can choose not to do it," he said.
"Except that I won't prolong her suffering anymore," Haley said. Derek looked at her in hate, but Haley's face softened as she came over to him and looked at him seriously. "You need to face reality, Derek. She's been like this for years now. Years and if she was ever going to recover, she already would have, but she hasn't," Haley said.
"She's still alive," Derek argued. Haley looked at him.
"No. The only thing that is keeping her 'alive' are the machines that she's hooked up to. That is not being alive," Taylor said.
"I'm sorry, Derek. My hands are tied on this matter. I'm going to do what my sister wanted," Haley said firmly before walking into Olivia's room. Lucas stood looking at where his old best friend had been standing. Haley had changed so much. She was taller, thinner, tanned and the biggest change of all was her blond hair. He's seen her pictures in magazines before with her hair dyed, but it was different seeing her again in person. She was a real-life celebrity now but it didn't seem to have broken her resolve. He walked into the room with Peyton. Haley was sitting by her sister's side. "Hey, Olivia," she said.
Olivia opened her bruised eyes and they were full of surprise as she asked, "Haley?" Haley smiled and nodded at her big sister. Olivia had been like her protector growing up. She had made sure that their other siblings didn't pick on Haley too much and became her safe haven. "What are you doing here?" Haley looked down. Then she looked back up.
"I think you know why I'm here, Liv," Haley replied. Olivia exhaled sharply.
"Yeah, I do. So that was you and Derek arguing outside?" Olivia asked. Haley nodded.
"He really doesn't want to let you go," Haley commented.
"I know and I love him for it but…" Olivia said, "It's time." Haley's face crumpled as she nodded. There were tears streaming down her face and Olivia reached her good hand up and touched Haley's head. "It's good to see you, Haley-Bop," Olivia said, chuckling. Haley looked up at her and smirked. Then her sister's grip faded and her hand dropped.
"Olivia?" Haley called to her sister but she realized that she had slipped into a deep slumber once again. Her cell phone rang and Haley cringed when she saw that it was Chris. She immediately pressed the end button. Then she looked at her left hand and sighed as she once again recognized her wedding ring. As she turned around she saw that Peyton and Lucas were at the door and they smiled as their gazes locked. Haley felt like they were strangers to her. So much had happened in the past seven years and there was so much they didn't know about her life. Yes, a lot of people knew that she and Chris had gotten married but they didn't know what went on when they left the stage and were in the privacy of their own apartment. If they knew the truth about what happened, they would be horrified. So, Haley put on a smile and walked over to them.