Chapter 1: Summing Up the Pain

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Brooke was about to go to Nathan's apartment when she heard a loud crash from behind his door. She immediately got so damn worried that she opened the locked door. Good thing she still has the key. She saw Nathan holding a porcelain lamp ready to aim at the wall as he turned red with anger and pain. Haley died. A lot of people have given him condolences with full sincerity. Everyone knew how much the golden couple love each other. But he had to be an idiot to ask help from Daunte. Daunte hit Haley with is car when they won the State Championship as a revenge. She was in coma for 3 whole months. Their baby was removed from her womb immediately since their son died. It could infect Haley's body if it wasn't done immediately. The doctors sadly told him that they could only keep a person in coma in maximum of three months. If the person doesn't luckily survive, they'd have to pull the plug. Haley's family, her friends and her husband Nathan, knew how much Haley has gone through. He had to give her up in such horrible way that he wasn't in the room when they pulled the plug. He just heard a long beep. After a few seconds, she flatlined.

During her funeral, almost all the people in THHS attended like Whitey and Turner. Hell even some of her few fans and Keller and the crew she has worked with during the tour. Her parents and family were all there. All sobbing hysterically. Peyton and Brooke was crying frantically together with Lucas and Nathan. Jake was there, weeping too. Karen cried. Really cried. Haley was like her daughter. She's met her since Lucas and Haley were 7 years old. Even Rachel, Bevin, Mouth, Skillz, Junk, and Fergie are visibly crying. Fall Out Boy has sent there condolences through Peyton. Nathan can't bear it so much he even tried to wake Haley up by shaking her cold body when she was in the morgue. Nothing worked. Nothing more will ever wake her up. The last thing he did to her was give Haley's lifeless body a passionate kiss. He didn't care if she didn't kiss back or if it's dead person's lips. All he knew is that e'd want to be with her. Always and Forever. After that unfateful day, Nathan's always in a dark and bad place. He misses practice, fails school, and becomes a broody loner. No party will ever cheer him up when the person he married at 16 died after two years. See you wouldn't marry someone at 16 unless you got them pregnant. This here, is true love.

"Nathan! Stop!" Brooke exclaimed as she rushed over Nathan and strongly stopped his mad hand. "Please..don't..it's not gonna help.." And Brooke hugged her friend. Surprisingly, Nathan hugged back as he cried more and more. He didn't care if it was in front of a girl. He dropped the lamp in a box as Brooke led him to the couch. Nathan cried on her for almost two hours. And Brooke just let him. She knows what kind of hell he's been going through. It's been one whole month eversince the funeral happened. His friends would check on him everyday and his things were getting less and less by the day. He has cried on Peyton. On Lucas. On Brooke. On Mouth and Skillz. Karen. Deb. All the people that gave a damn about him and Haley. And everyone knew that this kind of Nathan was gonna happen. Moving on is very hard. Especially this kind of moving on. No closure at all. But Nathan knew that he has to move on. But not fast. Everyone else thought so too.

"Brooke," Nathan said for the first time. "I know you'd be surprised to hear this from me, but thanks so much. I think I could use a friend."

Brooke nodded in understanding. "You've lots of friends, Nate. Me, Luke, Peyton, Mouth, Skillz and all. All you had to do was ask for company."

"I know I have them. But they're all busy with their goddamn lives, y'know?" Nathan replied as he wiped some of his tears.

Brooke sighed. "I know you love her, Nate. And I also know that you'd have a hard time moving on but if you need someone to cry onto, I'm here. Just call me okay?"

Nathan nodded. "My apartment's a mess," he said quite sarcastically.

"You don't want memories don't you?"

"I do but if, if I left some, it'd kill me, and if, if I didn't it'd kill me too!" Nathan cried.

"Sshh..it's ok. I understand what you mean. You might wanna leave some at all. For you and for us," Brooke comforted. Nathan nodded.

"I'm such an idiot!" He exclaimed.

"No, Nathan! You're wrong. You are so not an idiot! Why'd you say that?" Brooke asked in full shock.

"I am, y'see, if I didn't win the State, Daunte woulda never killed her! If I didn't ask for money from him, she'd still be alive! And so does my son!" Nathan said, certain words in full emphasis.

"Nathan, listen," Brooke said. Her voice suddenly drop dead more serious than before. "You did what you thought was right, okay? That's what matters. Not the consequences of your choices. You tried to make your family have a better life and that's good enough reason not to call yourself an idiot. So don't ever blame yourself in whatever happened to Haley as if the whole thing's your fault. Because it isn't. It's mostly that Daunte guy. And you know it."

Nathan sighed. "We never had a closure. I need a sign from her saying that I have to move on. I need motivation from her but she's... gone."

"I know that Nathan. But what if the signs you're looking for are just around you? Or is just about to come?" Brooke suggested without any actual thought. "Haley's probably happy with all the little angels around her as she sings Halo. She probably still loves you from up there but I think, she'd want you to go back to your usual demeanor when you guys got together. I bet Haley's really broken seeing you like this! I know she wants you to be happy like she is up there."

"How'd you know she's happy up there? What if she wanted to come back but the people there didn't want her to, huh?"

"All those people up there are always happy Nate. They don't live in this wicked world anymore, and that, is saying something," Brooke replied. Nathan nodded.

"Maybe I just need a lot of alone time to think and try to move on," Nathan said, coming near to conclusions. "But it'd hurt like hell. And it won't be that fast. I married her by 16 and that is something. It can't be gone that fast."

"I know Nate. I know."

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A/N: What d'you guys think?? I am a Brucaser but I'd rather Brathan than PukeAss..I'd rather Brase than PukeAss too..I like Haley and Naley, but I can't help it.. This is my first Brathan fic. ENJOY! RnR!