Welcome to Shattered, my new one tree hill story. It's supposed to be a NP fic with minor hints of LB. I hope you all review. This chapter is more a sneak peak than anything else.
I DO NOT OWN ONE TREE HILL. This works for all chapters.
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"What do you mean he's in the hospital?" Dan Scott asked, leaning forward in his office chair, his hand clenched on the phone.
"His left arm is burned pretty bad--we're going to have to leave it in a sling for awhile. I know you don't have legal custody of Nathan Lee, but you are his only other known relative---"
"What about his parents?" Dan questioned, suddenly feeling uneasy.
"Arrested--parental rights revoked," the voice over the phone explained. "Please meet me at the hospital, Mr. Scott. I'll explain everything there. I'm Marc Henderson--I'm Nathan's doctor."
"Of course," Dan replied, hanging up the phone with an uneasy feeling in his gut. He'd tried pursuing custody of Nathan, but Deb had insisted that she'd do a good job raising him, then moved him out of state, refusing to allow Dan visitation rights.
He exhaled slowly, wondering what on earth he was getting himself into. He shook his head, pulling out his cell phone. "Come on, Lucas!" he said, calling to his fifteen-year-old son, who was home from school that day. "We've gotta hit the hospital."
"I thought Mom said I wasn't sick enough to need the hospital?" Lucas asked, but grabbed his Tree Hill hoodie anyway and then threw on his shoes, following his father out the door.
"No, remember how I told you about your half brother, Nathan?" Dan questioned, knowing he had, but also remembering that it had been nearly two years since he talked about it.
"Yeah, I remember you talking about him. Why?"
"He's in the hospital," Dan replied, feeling bile rise up in his throat at Keith. He forced himself to shake it off, knowing that wouldn't help the situation. "Alright, come on, Lucas, we gotta get going."
--
"Alright, Nathan's waking up," the nurse replied as she gently wrapped a cloth around Nathan's arm. "How are you feeling today?"
"Fine," Nathan replied, not offering any more information. Truth be told, it stung a lot, but he tried not to offer any more information than he had too.
"Nathan, we need you to tell us the truth, honey," the nurse replied as she placed the arm in a sling.
"It stings," he admitted, not revealing any more information then he had too.
"It's alright--everyone has some sort of stinging reaction to that," the nurse reassured him. "Your father will be here soon--""
At that, Nathan yanked himself away, not wanting to see Keith anytime soon. "Okay." he said, worried what remarks Keith would have to make to the doctors, that he or Deb would no doubt have to make up for.
"Dan Scott? Right this way."
At that, Nathan winced, wondering what he'd done for Dan Scott, Mighty Of Mighties, to come down. He rolled his eyes. Keith had always warned him that the end of the line was with Dan--and then, he was out on the streets.
"Hi, you must be Nathan," Dan Scott greeted him. Nathan chose not to respond, but did offer his hand, trying to swallow the rather large lump in his throat. "What treatment is he going to need, Doctor?"
Locked up in a prison cell, no doubt, Nathan thought to himself. He knew that if was what Keith was here, that was what he would do.
"Rest," the doctor replied with a firm voice. "A lot of rest. Normally, I would have Nathan stay in the hospital a night or two for observation, but his bruises don't look too bad, and if he's going to a house, not a group home--"
"He'll be staying with me," Dan reassured the doctor.
"Good. Then I've got no qualms letting him go home early. I'll notify the people at the front desk, and you can help Nathan get his things--"
"They're together," Nathan's caseworker snapped. Her name was Kerry Nicholas and already Nathan hated her. "We didn't unpack them."
"I didn't imply that you did," the doctor replied with a tense smile. "Actually, Kerry, I think once Dan signs the release papers, you're free to go."
--
Nathan remained quiet as the car pulled up to the house. Lucas had let him sit in the front seat, although he really wasn't sure what good it was doing. His arm still hurt, and the sling made it hard to manuver around. Mom, I miss you, he thought, trying to blink away his tears.
Despite what the social worker said, Deb had always done her best for Nathan. And he had always done his best for her. When Keith was drunk, Nathan usually stepped in, yelling at Keith to get his attention away from Deb, and Deb would sneak away, getting the first aid kit ready for when Keith passed out.
This time, though, Keith had gone too far. Nathan had burned Keith's supper, and rather than wait for it, Keith took Nathan's arm and pressed it against the on-fire burner for several seconds, causing it to become red. Deb had rushed him to the hospital, and finally told them the truth. She told them to call Dan, Nathan's birth father, and that she couldn't keep him, and that Keith was an "SOB who was abusing them both."
Nathan had broken down in tears--why couldn't Deb keep him? But social services had come, anyway, and found several of Deb's drugs. Even if Nathan had wanted her to raise him--which he did, rather than this rich, Dan guy--it wasn't an option, thanks to Deb's chemical dependency.
"Anyone home?" Dan asked, and Nathan jumped slightly, surprised at the sudden attention. "You okay, Nathan? How does your arm feel?"
"Fine," Nathan replied. He tried to keep his answers to one word only, not wanting to reveal any more than he had to.
Dan glanced at Nathan, trying to judge if the boy was telling the truth or not. "We're home, Nathan," he said with a half-smile, pulling into the driveway.