Chapter 1
This story takes place during the school shooting in season three. This is a Dan and Karen story. This is my adaptation of the events. Jimmy Edwards is in fact dead but Dan did not shoot him or Keith. Keith is not dead.
This is a story about a man [Dan Scott] Who lost his way and married the wrong woman. He is now found what and who is missing in his life. Is it to late to reclaim the love of his life. Maybe? Maybe not? Read and review.
Exterior Tree Hill High School
The tree hill parents are already swarming the school along with news cameras and reporters. Karen and Keith run over to Dan.
"What the hell is going on?'' Karen asks "Why won't they let us inside."
"There is an active shooter inside the school. If we go in to soon this thing could get a lot worse than it already is." Dan says trying to maintain order.
"My son is in there." Karen says trying to push past Dan.
Dan grabs Karen by the waist and gently urges her back. "Karen you can't go in there it is not safe."
Karen was taking a back by the familiar gentleness that Dan showed when moving her back. She couldn't help but be transported back in time to when those same arms represented a passion and a love that she had never experienced before.
"Let me go in Danny. It's Lucas and Nathan in there. Let me go in and help find them." Keith asked.
"I go in with you. We will have better luck finding them together." Dan said as he and Keith go by the caution tape and head in the school.
"Look you go left and I'll go right. We'll meet back in the library" Keith says as he and Dan split.
Interior Library
Peyton and Lucas were laying against the bookshelves of the library wrapped together trying to control the bleeding in Peyton's leg. They are overwhelmed with emotion lost in a world of fear and pain.
"I'm sorry Lucas I just wanted you to know how I feel before I die." Peyton breathed trying desperately to stay conscious.
"Peyton, It's ok just focus on getting out of here." Lucas whispered.
Just as the two former flames were beginning to fully understand their true connection they were interrupted by the sound of someone entering the library.
"Lucas are you in here?'' Dan asked entering the Library.
"Dan we are over here." Lucas whispered back through a pain that he had not noticed until now."
Dan made his way around to the library to find an unconscious Peyton and a breathless Lucas.
"Lucas, you're bleeding. We've got to get you out of here." Dan says trying to get Lucas up on his feet.
"No you've got to get Peyton out first she's been unconscious for awhile now." Lucas says firmly struggling for breath.
"Lucas listen to me I promise I will come back for her." Dan says sincerely.
"Am I supposed to believe that you care about me. You left me and my mom. Why the hell should I believe that you want to save my life." Lucas said angerly falling back to the floor.
Dan kneeled beside him. "I want to save your life because you are my son and I never wanted to leave you or your mom. I was scared and I ran but the night before I married Deb I came back to Tree Hill and I watched you and your mom. I wanted to just run back to her and you but then I saw her with Keith and I realized that a man like me. A man who was having a baby with another woman could never make her happy."
Lucas coughed. "You hate me. You cannot stand me."
Dan took Lucas's face in his hands. "You are my son. I love you. When I see you it reminds me what I could have had and how much pain I caused by not standing up to my father or telling your mother how I really felt."
Lucas leans back against the bookcase. "Promise me you will come back for her."
Dan helps lucas off of the floor. "I promise."
Just then Keith also enters the library. "Lucas are you ok?" Keith tries to help Lucas.
"I've got him. Get Peyton out of here." Dan says motioning toward Peyton.
Keith picks up Peyton as Dan leads Lucas out of the Library.
Lucas and Dan reach the outside of the school and Karen runs up to them and takes Lucas's other arm so that they are both supporting Lucas's weight.
The paramedics come over and take Lucas onto a gurney.
"Mom find Brooke." Lucas said as they load him into an ambulance.
"Can I go with him?" Karen asked as Lucas is loaded into the ambulance.
"No mam I'm sorry we have to go. His condition is getting worse." The paramedic said shutting the ambulance doors.
Karen turned to Dan and in one swift movement both of them were in a powerful embrace. "Thank you for bringing my son to me."
Before Dan had a chance to reply Keith came out with a barely conscious Peyton. Paramedics take Peyton to another awaiting ambulance.
Karen runs into Keith's arms expecting the feeling of being at home with him only to be disappointed to have the same feeling that she had felt moments earlier with Dan.
"They've taken Lucas to the hospital. We should go." Karen said trying to hide her discovery from Keith.
"Yeah let's go." Keith said taking Karen's hand and leading her away from the school. Dan stood there just like years before and watched his entire world walk away from him arm and arm with his brother.
Moments later Dan felt a sharp pain in his chest and simultaneously with the sound of a gun shot inside the school mayor Dan Scott fell to the ground clutching his chest.
Transition to Karen and Keith sitting inside Lucas's hospital room. He is conscious but still very weak from the blood loss and the trauma had put a strain on his heart complicating matters from his heart condition.
"Luke how are you feeling?" Keith asked taking Lucas's hand.
"Tired." Lucas said grabbing his chest.
"I figured you would have some questions." Keith said looking at Lucas curiously.
"About what?" Lucas asked making sure they were talking about the same thing.
"The things Dan said to you. Your mom is talking to your doctors outside." Keith said.
"You heard what he said. Don't sweat it Keith I might have kinda bought it in the moment but I know Dan doesn't care about me." Lucas said behind his oxygen mask.
"Lucas, Dan did come to the house that night I saw him. He loved you and your mom. You see when he left for college he did it because he was afraid. I didn't understand it then but thinking back on it now it makes more sense." Keith said.
"What are you talking about?" Lucas asked coughing.
"Dan and your mom were so in love. The closer your mom got to Dan the more afraid Dan got. You see Senior year your mom told Dan she was in love with him and that she saw them getting married one day and having a family. He was afraid of your mom and his feelings for her. Everything was so real. When Dan found out she was pregnant he wasn't just afraid of disappointing her but he was afraid of becoming our Dad and he knew that no one deserved that." Keith said.
"Then why did he marry Deb and raise Nathan?" Lucas asked becoming more and more curious.
"Because he never loved Deb and he had already abandoned one son. He didn't want to do it to another one." Keith said hanging his head because his next revelation was one that could not be taken back. "I knew Dan was in love with your mom and he asked me was she still in love with him mom moments before he married Deb and I told him she wasn't but I knew she was."
Nathan entered the room along with Hayley
"Hey man. I'm glad to see you're still in one piece. You too Hales." Lucas says as Hayley hugs him and Nathan shakes his hand.
"You too. How long are you going to be in here." Hayley asks.
"I got to have some more tests ran on my heart so the doctor is really not sure when I'll get to get out of here." Lucas says trying to put on a brave face.
"Peyton wanted me to tell you that she is doing just fine. She is with her dad." Nathan said trying to change the subject.
"I'm going to make sure that your mom is ok Lucas." Keith said getting up and leaving the room.
"I didn't know if you guys would care or not but Dan is in the hospital too. He collapsed at the school earlier right after Jimmy killed himself. " Nathan said trying to show any emotion or concern for his dad.
"How serious is it?" Lucas asked growing concerned.
"I don't know I haven't went to see him. I'm sure he's fine." Nathan said taking a seat across the room.
"I'm going to go see what I can find out." Lucas said trying to get out of bed.
"You are in no shape to go check on anyone." Hayley said trying to get Lucas back in bed. "Nathan will you tell him."
"You don't understand Hayley I just found out some things about Dan that I never knew before." Lucas said laying back into his bed.
"What are you talking about Lucas? What did you find out?" Hayley asked.
"Lucas found out the reason why I used to hate him." Nathan said solemnly.
Cut to
Emergency Room
Karen was standing in the hall of the hospital watching as the doctors worked endlessly on Dan. They had been behind closed doors for what felt like ages when Deb came out of the hospital room with a very concerned look on her face.
"Deb how is Dan?' Karen asked trying maintain her composure.
"He's suffered a massive heart attack. He's on life support. The doctors say that the only thing that can save him is a heart transplant." Deb said taking Karen's hand for support. "Karen, you've been such a great friend to me but I'm afraid I haven't been one to you."
"Deb, let's not talk about that right now. Ok you should find Nathan and tell him about Dan." Karen said.
"No I have to tell you something first. The reason that I was so mean to you when I first moved here to Tree Hill with Dan was because I was scared. Scared that one day Dan would wake up and stand up to his father and walk away from me." Deb said as tears began to form.
"Deb, Dan loved you and he chose you." Karen said trying to reassure Deb.
"No, Dan never loved me. He came to college just to please his father. Then he came to me out of loneliness. Trying to fill the void of what he was too afraid to take for himself. I knew the only way to make Dan stay with me was to get pregnant. I knew abandoning you and Lucas was the biggest mistake of his life and he wouldn't do it again. So that's what I did." Deb cried. "The night of our rehearsal dinner he drove to tree hill to see you and I knew he was going to leave me so I did what I had to do. I told him that there was a complication with the pregnancy and he needed to come back."
Karen paused for a minute and then she drew her arm back and slapped Deb. "What the hell is wrong with you? Why would you do this to me and my son?"
Deb backed away from Karen.
"Ask yourself Karen. Why the hell do you still care? If you were over Dan for so long and so happy with Keith then why are so angry with me."
Keith comes in from the other end of the hall and breaks the two women apart.
"Karen I think we should go home and get Lucas some of his things and bring them back to him." Keith said leading Karen away. "Deb keep me posted on Dan."
Karen and Keith lead out of the hospital.
Cut to hospital bathroom..
Brooke takes a plastic bag out of her purse and pulls out an early detection pregnancy test.
"This can't be happening."
Cut to Lucas's room.
Lucas's doctors come in.
"Mr. Scott I'm afraid I have some bad news."
"What is it?" Lucas asks breathing hard.
"Your heart has suffered so much strain and coupled with your heart condition I'm afraid the only option we have is to give you a new heart."
Lucas grows instantly anxious. "How long will it take to find a new heart?"
"We have a heart in the hospital? A donor heart but there is another patient in the hospital who needs a heart as well. We are going to have to run tests to see who is the best candidate for transplant."
"What happens if I don't get the heart?" Lucas asks.
"You will have a month maybe two."
"Who is the other patient who needs the heart?" Nathan asks.
"Your father Dan Scott."