Author's Note: This is my first multichapter story and I am excited. I have to warn you guys ahead of time with updating. I start school next week so it will be hard for me to update often. I do not plan to let you guys wait over 2 weeks. I plan on really working on the weekends and on weekdays when I have time. I am also an athlete so I'm just asking that you be patient with me.

This first chapter you see more of Nathan dealing with Haley's injuries. In the next chapter or so, you will start to see Haley trying to deal with everything.

Thank you for reading and review!

Chapter 1

"Haley Scott! Haley Scott! Where is my wife?!" Nathan Scott yelled as he came running through the hospital doors. His hair was a mess and his gray dress shirt and black pants were all wrinkly from his plane ride.

"Mr. Scott?" A doctor asked, "I'm doctor Ross"

"Yes, where is Haley?! Is she okay?!" Nathan asked with tear stained cheeks

"Come with me, sir"

Nathan followed the doctor down to Haley's room. The two-minute walk felt like two years. With every step Nathan took, more horrible images formed in his mind. Images of Haley passed out on the floor with blood covering her. Replaying scenes of Carrie attacking her. And himself just being powerless. All he could do was pray and hope she would be okay. He would never forgive himself if-. No, he wasn't going to think that way. As far as he knew, Haley was alive and breathing. Haley is strong, she would fight and come back to him.

All confidence of Haley being fine left his body when he saw her. He felt like someone had ripped his heart out of his chest and stepped on it. His Haley, his world, looked weaker than he had ever seen. And it killed him.

Her skin was pale with cuts and bruises all over her body. Her leg was lifted and she had a bandage wrapped around her head. There were multiple tubes and machines hooked around her. The one that caught Nathan's attention was the one that monitored her heart.

Nathan immediately ran to her side and took her hand into his. He glanced up her arm, there were bruises all the way up. His sobs started again as he remembered sitting like this after the State Championship game. It may have been years ago, but seeing Haley like this made it feel like yesterday. She was in the hospital because someone had purposely hurt her, and it was all his fault.

Nathan choked back a sob and asked, "Is she going to be okay?"

"Your wife is stable. But she is in very critical condition with her broken leg, head injuries, stab wounds, and her amount of blood loss…we are going to do everything we can, Mr. Scott"

"What do you mean you're going to do everything you can?" Nathan gritted through his teeth

"Mr. Scott, your wife's heartrate is not strong. We have her on a machine that every time her heart stops, it pumps the blood for her."

Nathan felt as though the wind had been knocked out of him. Did he just say her heart wasn't beating? "Wait a minute, are you telling me that my wife's heart is not beating?!" Nathan grew angry and scared at the same time.

"Not exactly, you see because she is so weak her heart does stop at times. So, our machine makes sure she stays alive by pumping the blood throughout her body."

Nathan kissed Haley's hand. He felt like he couldn't breathe, "So what does that mean for Haley?"

"The next few hours are critical. We watch her carefully and make sure her heartrate doesn't drop."

Nathan looked at the doctor, "And if it does?"

Dr. Ross sighed, "If her heartrate drops below 70, her chances are not very high."

"What chances? I want numbers." Nathan demanded

"The chances of her heartrate dropping are about 90% right now because she is so weak. Once she gets stronger, her heartrate will also become stronger."

Nathan squeezed Haley's hand a little harder. "And if her heartrate drops?"

Dr. Ross sighed again, making Nathan's lip quiver with tears threatening to spill over. He knew exactly what the older man in front of him was about to say. And they were the words he dreaded to hear since he got the call Haley was in the hospital. They were words Nathan never wanted to hear in his life. "If Haley's heartrate drops her chances of living are slim to none."

Nathan laid his head on her hand and started to sob all over again. He felt as though he might be sick. Life without Haley is too much to bare. A world he didn't want to live in.

"I'm so sorry." The doctor said before leaving the room.

After a few minutes of crying, Nathan picked his head up and said, "I'm so sorry, baby. This is all my fault. I should have answered the phone when you called. I should have been home... I need you to come back to me. I-I can't do this without you. I need to see those brown eyes, your beautiful smile. Please…" Nathan put his head on her hand again and continued to sob.

His was interrupted when he heard, "Daddy!"

Jamie Scott, his 5-year-old son, came running to his arms. Deb came following closely behind the little boy.

Nathan tried to wipe away his tears but they were still falling as he held his son.

"Hey buddy. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Nanny Deb saved me. Why are you crying daddy?" Jamie asked putting his hand on Nathan's face.

"I'm just so worried about you and mama."

Jamie's attention immediately turned to his mom in the hospital bed. "Is mama gonna be okay?" he asked fearfully

Nathan felt Jamie needed to know some detail in case of certain situations. So, he said, "Listen buddy, um mama is really sick. Her heart isn't working the way it should. And um the doctors are trying to make her better, but they don't know if they can."

Jamie suddenly became petrified, "Is mama going to die?!"

Nathan closed his eyes and held back the tears. Those words stung his heart. He never ever wanted to hear those words again. "I don't know buddy."

Jamie leaned in to hug his dad when they heard, "Hey, Nathan. How is she?" Luke said as he and Peyton walked in the room. "I flew in as soon as I heard"

Nathan looked up and said, "Um Peyton can you stay here with Jamie?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Luke, mom, can I see you outside?" Nathan lifted Jamie off his lap and gave him a kiss on the head. He whispered in Jamie's ear, "I'll be right back" and headed outside

Lucas and Deb glanced at each other. They knew it had to be bad if he needed to talk to them without Jamie in the room. And it scared them. They headed out to the hallway and found him pacing back and forth with his right hand over his lips.

"What's going on, Nathan?" Deb asked her son, "Is Haley okay?"

Nathan rubbed his face with his hand and sniffed back some tears before saying, "No, um, she's not. She's in critical condition and her a heart isn't good. It stops beating sometimes because she is so weak. They have her hooked up to a machine that pumps blood for her when that happens. But her a heartrate could drop and if it does she could." Nathan took a deep breath. Saying those words allowed felt like someone stabbed him in the chest. "She could die."

"Oh honey" Deb started, "I'm so sorry"

"What am I going to do? I can't lose her." Nathan cried and slid to the floor, putting his face in his hands.

Flashback to this morning

"You ready to go?" Haley asked as she leaned against the doorframe of the bedroom she shared with her husband.

Nathan sighed, "Yeah, just about."

Haley was confused her husband was going to meet someone about playing in the NBA, his dream! And yet, he looked upset. When just twenty minutes ago, he was ecstatic.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I just... I don't know. I just have this feeling like I should stay here."

Haley laughed and walked towards her husband. Wrapping her arms around his torso and he reciprocated. "Why? What are you going to do here?"

Nathan smiled, "Be with you."

Haley rolled her eyes, "Come on Nathan! This is your dream! Why aren't you more excited?"

"I don't know. I maybe the reality of a dream coming true just doesn't seem real."

"It's real Nathan. I am so proud of you. You've worked so hard to make this happen." Haley smiled meaning every single word.

"Thanks, baby I'm proud of you, too"

"What? Why?" Haley questioned making her eyebrows nit

"After everything we've been through these past few months, you've stayed so strong and that amazes me. You always have and you always will." Nathan smiled

Their lips met for a sweet kiss. After they parted, Nathan said, "You smell good"

"You do, too" Haley keeping her eyes closed

"Maybe I can pull you on this bed and smell you for a proper goodbye" Nathan challenged pulling her closer to him

"Mmm as tempting as that sounds. Jamie is going walk in any minute."

"No, he won't" Nathan almost whispered as he placed kisses down her neck.

Just on cue the little 5-year-old walked into his parent's room. "Hey daddy!"

Nathan jumped away from Haley causing her to laugh and send him the 'I told you so look'

"Hey, what's up Jimmy-Jam?" Nathan asked as Haley laughed at his bright red face

"Are you excited?" Jamie asked beaming

"Yeah, I am. Come on let's go downstairs. I gotta go soon."

Jamie jumped off the bed and headed downstairs as Nathan grabbed his bag and Haley's hand. Once they made it downstairs, Nathan gave Jamie a hug and kiss but not before Jamie said, "Go get em daddy!"

Nathan nodded and stood up wrapping Haley in a hug. Haley spoke in his shoulder, "I'm so proud of you, Nathan." She pulled away to look into his eyes, "Text me when you get there and call me tonight."

"I will, I love you"

"I love you, too"

They met for a kiss and Nathan walked out the door

End flashback

"I knew I should have stayed home." Nathan said in his hands

"What?" Lucas asked confused

Nathan sniffed and pulled his head out of his hands before saying, "Right before I left, I got this feeling like I shouldn't go. My stupid pride about basketball got in the way of my family. If I had just trusted myself and stayed home this wouldn't be happening right now. I would have told Haley not to go and she would be fine. God, this is all my fault." Nathan started crying again.

Lucas sat down next to him and put his hand on Nathan's shoulder, "This is not your fault, Nate. Maybe if you had stayed home Haley wouldn't be here right now. But Carrie was messed up, man. She would have found a way to hurt your family another way. Just be thankful, it could have been worse."

Nathan whipped his head up, "Worse?! My wife is lying in a hospital room with her chances of survival decreasing every second!"

"Hey, okay" Lucas whispered looking around, "Just calm down."

Nathan glared at his older brother, "You did NOT just tell me to calm down. How would you feel if Peyton was the one in that hospital room, not knowing if she would be okay, huh?! Plus, having a five-year-old asking if his mom is going to die!"

All Lucas could do was stare. He knew he should had said something but with the way Nathan was right now, nothing would settle him down. He needed Haley and wouldn't be okay until she was.

"Yeah, that's what I thought" Nathan said as he got off the floor and walked back into Haley's room.

What he saw broke his heart, Jamie was curled up next to Haley on the bed. He was sleeping, although the tear tracks on his checks were obvious. Nathan walked over and kissed Jamie on the forehead, then Haley. He sat down in the chair next to the bed folding his hands together. New thoughts started to form in his head. 'I can't raise Jamie alone. Haley's always been the better parent. She always knows what to do. I can't do this alone. Jamie needs his mom.'

Nathan's thoughts were interrupted when Peyton said, "He said he wanted to snuggle with her because whenever he feels sick it always makes him feel better."

That did it. Nathan broke down for the thousandth time today. His head was in his hands with his elbows resting on his thighs. "What am I going to do if she doesn't make it, Peyton?"

The blonde woman didn't know how to answer her friends question. How do you answer a question like that? So, she walked over to him and knelt on the floor.

"Haley is strong, Nathan. You really think she would leave you?! She would leave Jamie? No. She loves you two more than anything else in this world. She would do anything for you and Jamie. She's not ready to leave you guys yet. Don't lose faith, okay"

Nathan nodded his head and whipped his face. Even though his fears of losing Haley still weighed in his heart, he felt slightly better somehow.

"This may not be the right time to ask" Peyton started to say "but um how did you find out Haley was here. Lucas said you were in Fort Wayne today."

Nathan looked at Jamie and Haley, then Peyton and said, "My mom called me."

Flashback

"Nathan! Thank God!" Deb said franticly though the phone

Nathan stood up from his seat in the stands, clutching the phone in his hand. "What is it, mom? Is it Jamie?"

"No, it's Haley"

In the moment, his heart stopped beating. He became weak and his legs started to wobble. A million possibilities ran through his mind. "What happened? Is she okay?"

"It was Carrie" No other words needed to be said. His blood started to boil. He pushed the phone closer to his ear, he grabbed his bag and started running towards his car.

"Carrie what? Carrie what?" Nathan yelled. By this point, Nathan was already by his car. In one quick motion he unlocked the doors, got in, and started speeding down the road.

"She pretended to be Dan's hospice nurse. She said Dan was dying and wanted to see Jamie so Haley took Jamie to see him. I knew something was wrong when I saw the address so I followed them." She stopped to take a deep breath, "Haley left Jamie in the car and when she didn't come out of the house for a while I went in. Haley was on the floor covered in blood. I immediately ran over and made sure she was breathing, then called 911."

Nathan had tears running down his face and pressed the gas a little more. God, His Haley. Someone hurt her. The most precious thing he has next to Jamie. He couldn't get to the airport fast enough. He couldn't get to her fast enough. He felt he was to blame seeing her missed call and not calling her back right away. His thoughts were intruded when he heard his mom's voice come through the phone again

"I raced back outside to make sure Jamie was safe. I found Carrie yelling at Jamie through the car window. I had a wine bottle that I hit Carrie in the back of the head with. I moved Jamie to my car when I heard a gunshot go off. I turned around to see Dan and he shot Carrie. She's dead. Haley's in the hospital and Jamie's with me."

All the information was being thrown at Nathan. He had a thousand questions forming in his brain. He just wanted to be at the hospital holding Haley's hand, keeping her safe. He wanted to hold Jamie in his arms and make sure he was okay. So, he started with the simple, "How's Jamie?"

"He's okay for now."

"Let me talk to him" Nathan demanded

Nathan could here Deb in the background, "Hey Jame, it's daddy." He then heard the sweet voice of his son, "DADDY!" Nathan could hear the fear in his voice. It only made him cry harder.

"Hey Jamie. Are you okay?"

"I'm scared, daddy. They took mama away. Nanny Deb says she's sick."

Nathan's heart kept breaking into pieces, "It's okay Jamie. Mama is going to be okay. I'm on my way. I'll be there soon. I love you, Jamie"

"I love you, too"

"Put Nanny Deb back on the phone"

"Nathan."

"Mom, how's Haley?"

Deb took a deep breath. "I don't really know, honey. I know she is alive. But she's not good. I've been keeping Jamie occupied, trying to calm him down."

"I'll be there in 3 ½ hours."

"Nathan, that's about a 3-hour plan ride and the airport is like an hour from the hospital"

"Mom, I'll be there in 3 ½ hours." Nathan said matter-of-factly

Deb sighed, understanding her son, "Okay, just be careful. I'll keep Jamie here with me until you get here."

"Okay. Thanks mom" Nathan said before slamming his phone shut. He grabbed the wheel with two hands and pressed the gas pedal down more. He had one thing on his mind…Haley. And he HAD to get to her.

End Flashback