Here's to the Night
"Brooke hurry up, free period ends in 25 minutes and we still have to buy this test, go back to the apartment so I can take the test, and then get back to school before anyone notices we're gone!" Haley reminded her friend on her cell phone. Haley was sitting in the car, while Brooke was inside the convenient store.
"Okay, well they're too many choices! Do you want early detection or first response or epi? You know what, I'm just getting first response and getting out of here before someone sees me."
"Good idea." Haley hung up the phone and sat impatiently in Brooke's black Escalade. Brooke finally emerged from the store with a bag in her hands.
"Finally!" Haley said as she ripped the bag out of Brooke's hands.
"Geez possible tutor-mom, someone's hormonal. "
"I just want to know Brooke, okay?" Haley spit out a response. Haley seemed irritated, but in actuality, she was thankful that Brooke was here with her. Brooke drove Haley to the apartment that she shared with Nathan. Haley ran inside and into the bathroom. Brooke sat on the couch a little anxious to see if she would have a little niece or nephew or not. Haley came out with a stick in her hands and she fixed the timer for 3 minutes.
"So will it be a good thing if you're pregnant?" Brooke asked as they waited on the couch together.
"Yeah, I really think so. But you know even if I'm not then that'll be okay, it will give me and Nathan a little more time to settle into our new apartment at Duke." Haley answered, seemingly hoping for the first to be true. The timer went off, startling the two girls.
"Um…I can't do it, you check." Haley gave Brooke the stick. Brooke took a breath and looked down. She let out a silent sigh.
"You know Hales, I guess now just wasn't the right time for you and Nathan." Brooke gave Haley a sympathetic face. Brooke could tell Haley was upset. She pulled her into a hug.
"You're right, I'm fine, it wouldn't be good timing anyway." Haley stood up and collected her stuff to go back to school. The car ride back was silent as Haley's silent tears slipped down her face. She had gotten her hopes up, only to have them crushed. Brooke pulled into the student president parking spot and Haley jumped out of the car. She knew that Nathan would be able to tell she's upset, so she would have to avoid him until the end of school. She walked with Brooke into school, but they part ways when Haley went to her locker and Brooke to hers. Lockers were alphabetical, so her locker was next to Lucas's and next to Lucas's was Nathan's, so she hoped that neither of them were at their lockers. Haley didn't get so lucky because when she rounded the corner, they were both there. Haley paused quickly and thought about what to do, if she turned away, they wouldn't see her, but they would surely ask her about it later. If she went to her locker, they would see she was upset. She took too long making her decision because both Lucas and Nathan turned around and saw her standing in the hallway, so she continued to her locker.
"Hey Hales, where were you and Brooke?" Nathan asked wrapping his arms around her waist from behind as she opened her locker.
"Um, we went to lunch." Haley said rubbing her irritated eyes.
"Oh, you okay? You look kinda upset?" Nathan asked her.
"Yeah, my eyes just hurt. You know, I never wear my glasses like I should." Haley shook off the question. She didn't know yet if she would tell Nathan.
"Oh, okay, so I'll wait for you after basketball until you're done with cheering?" Nathan asked walking Haley to her class.
"Yeah, sounds good." Nathan popped his head into her classroom.
"Alright , I'm handing her over to you now. You better watch her, she can get a little out of hand." Nathan joked with the teacher. Haley laughed and rolled her eyes.
"Cya babe."
"Bye Mr. Scott." Mr. Bechtal laughed and shut his classroom door. The whole class laughed. It was only 6 out of 9 periods for Haley. She had her next class with Peyton and Lucas though, and the class after that with Nathan, Mouth and Skills. Haley lived through the boring rest of her day and it was time for cheerleading, and then she finally got to go home and sleep. She got her bag from her locker and headed to the locker room. Brooke caught up with her on their way in and pulled her aside.
"Hey, you alright?"
"Yeah Brooke, I'll be fine, I promise." Haley changed into her sports bra and tank top and her shorts and pulled her hair into a ponytail and headed out into the gym just in time to be catching Whitey's talk to the boys.
"Alright boys, since we all know that you aren't focused with these lovely ladies in the same gym as you, you're practicing outside today." Whitey said with a big smile while all the boys groaned because it was 90 degrees out. The boys all headed outside, which gave the girls more room to practice. They warmed up and stretched first then Brooke got into captain mode and told everyone to get into their position.
The front row went from left to right, Bevin, Rachael, Brooke, Haley, Peyton. The back row from left to right went Theresa, Molly, Shannon, Britney, then Maddy. Mouth waited until everyone was in their positions to start the music. It was a cheer mix of Tik Tok, Love is Your Drug, Go Girl, and other songs. Haley, Brooke and Peyton each are flyers, which means they are the one being tossed in the air because they're the lightest. The music started and Haley did all of the routine emotionless. If she began to think anyway, she would start thinking about it again. It being the baby she and Nathan almost made, the baby that almost changed their lives. Haley thrust her body up with one leg on Maddy's shoulder and Brooke was holding her other foot, while she was in the air. That's how they ended, with Brooke holding Peyton's one foot and Peyton and Haley doing the same pose. The music ended and Haley could breathe again. She just wanted to get this right so she could go home.
"Okay girls, it's looking good, but we have to be great for the sparkle classic in two weeks. We will not lose to Bear Creek again. Those hoe-bags are going down this year. So let's run it a few more times and then maybe I'll let you go home early!" Brooke announced. This excited the girls so they worked extra hard and Brooke let them go home. Haley took her time changing until soon it was Peyton, Brooke, and her left.
"Hey Hales, do you want us to wait for you?" Peyton asked collecting her things.
"Um…no, I think I'll grab a shower in here first cause Nathan won't be done yet anyway."
"Okay, well I'll call you later." Brooke said as she left with Peyton.
"Cya." Haley plastered a fake smile on. When Haley knew she was alone she went over to the bathroom mirror. She looked at herself for a long time.
"This is all your fault Haley." She said out loud to herself. She thought not being pregnant was her fault. Haley suddenly didn't know why she was upset, she didn't even know if Nathan wanted a baby now. Haley wiped away a few stray tears and stripped down and got in the shower. She turned the water on and it was much hotter than Haley had expected. Haley jumped backwards out of the water in shock and slipped. She let out a blood curdling scream and then nothing.
Meanwhile
"Hey Nathan, can you give me a ride home, my car is at the shop and my mom's still working the dinner shift." Lucas asked Nathan as they were changing into their regular clothes out of their sweaty basketball stuff.
"Yeah, we just have to wait for Haley." Nathan answered.
"Peyton texted me and Brooke let them go like 40 minutes ago, so I guess she went home with one of them or something cause she would've came and watched practice or something."
"Yeah you're probably right, I'll call her hold on." Nathan whipped out his cell and dialed Haley's cell number and didn't get an answer. Next he tried their home phone and again got no answer. So he decided to call Brooke.
"Hello?" Brooke answered on almost the second ring.
"Hey Brooke, did you give Haley a ride home?"
"Nope, she said she was going to shower quick and then wait for you, why can't you find her?"
"Well I didn't really look, but I haven't seen her and you guys finished a while ago, so I was just curious. Okay, well thanks."
"Anytime, and just for the heads up, you, your wife, Lucas, Peyton, Chase, and I are all going camping this week, like in tents!" Brooke laughed adding the last part.
"Hahaha, Brooke Davis and tents, not something you usually hear, but hey I'm in. It should be fun!" Nathan said.
"Yeah I know, well tell tutor-wife to call me when you guys get home!"
"Got it, bye Brooke."
"Bye." Nathan hung up the phone.
"Nope, no one took her home, she should be out there." Nathan said gathering his things as him and Lucas headed out of the locker room doors. They walked out to the parking lot to see if she was waiting at the car. She wasn't there either.
"Okay Lucas, you go check the locker room, I'll go check the tutor center." Nathan instructed.
"Woah…No way. She's your wife, if she's changing well you've…seen her naked before. Gross. I'll go check the tutor center, you check the locker room."
"Fine." They split ways. Nathan cracked open the door to the locker rooms.
"Hello? Haley?" Nathan yelled making sure no one else was in there. He didn't get a response but he heard water running. Nathan navigated his way to the showers.
"Haley!" Nathan yelled out loud when he saw her small body lying on the cool floor with a puddle of blood around her head and water pouring out from the shower head. Nathan quickly ran and got a bunch of towels and picked Haley up from the floor and wrapped her in towels and put pressure on her head where it was cut with another towel.
"C'mon Hales, you gotta wake up." He was holding the still wet Haley in his arms.
"Dude, she wasn't in there!" Lucas yelled coming in the doors. He rounded the corner and saw Nathan holding Haley's body and looking scared and there was blood everywhere.
"Lucas, call an ambulance!" Nathan instructed as Lucas as he whipped out his cell phone.
"911 what's your emergency?" The operator answered.
"Hi, um we need an ambulance, my friend, uh I don't, I guess she fell and hit her head. She was in the shower at school and I don't know what happened, but there's blood everywhere."
"What's your location sir?"
"Tree Hill High."
"An ambulance is en route. Is she breathing?"
"Uh I don't know. Nathan is she breathing?" Lucas called back to Nathan.
"Um I think so yeah." Nathan said sounding panicked.
"Okay good, sir I'm going to stay with you until the ambulance gets there. Can you see the wound?"
"Yeah, there-there's blood everywhere."
"Okay sir, stay calm and apply pressure to the wound."
"Yeah, he is, with a towel." Lucas said turning around to look at Nathan and Haley.
"Okay, go meet the ambulance out front and direct them where to go." The operator instructed. Lucas hung up the phone and rushed out of the room. While Lucas was gone, Nathan quickly slipped pair of shorts on Haley and he put a tank top on her, being careful to not touch her head. He laid Haley on the floor, still holding the towel to her head. The paramedics rushed in with a stretcher and Lucas was not far behind. Nathan backed away and let the paramedics do their job. The loaded Haley on the stretcher and put an oxygen mask on her and wheeled her out. They go outside and loaded Haley in the ambulance as Nathan gave Lucas his keys.
"Lucas, take my car, go get Brooke, and come to the hospital." Nathan instructed, hopping in the back of the ambulance with Haley. Lucas nodded and got into Nathan's car while the ambulance sped away.