An Ending To A Story

Just a short one shot that takes place during season 2, when Nathan gets in his car accident, with a different ending.

It's kinda sad though. Might be a tear jerker. Quote at end comes from Punkin-- a user on the site . Credits to chapter title go to Neverending White Lights.

I do not own One Tree Hill!

Nathan told me not to come home, but of course I am going to come home anyway. Even though I went on tour, and I wanted to be there when I left, I realize now where I am truly needed. I need to be by my husbands side, because I haven't been, and I have had to live with that everyday since I left. Looking back on that day now, I realized that when Nathan gave me an ultimatum, the tour or him, he was confused. And when I chose the tour, I was confused too. It's a hard thing to choose between. Your dream and your love. And because it all came at one time, it only made the choice that much harder to make.

Now here I am, sitting in the waiting room of a hospital in Tree Hill. My husband doesn't even want me here. He didn't want to tell me, but Lucas said something to me anyway. Nathan is in that hospital bed and I'm in the waiting room, trying to build up the courage to go and sit with him. If I can't go and sit with him when he is sleeping, then how am I going to be able to talk to him when he is awake?

I have to go and see him. I can't keep avoiding him, it will only make things worse. So here I go, I get up from my chair and walk into Nathan's room. There he is, sleeping soundly. Even though he is not awake, and not showing much emotion, I can see it in his face, how hurt he actually is. If I was him, I guess I would be hurt to. I sit down next to him and pray that he wakes up. I call out his name-- nothing. I figure that if I have something important to say, I am going to say it now.

"Hi, Nathan. Can you hear me?"

Silence...

"This is a million times easier to do when I know you can't react. I know that you didn't want me to come, but I wanted to be here. You're my husband and as hard as it might be for you to believe, I still love you. This road that I have taken, that we have taken, was a pretty rough one. We just got married so young, and I felt like when we got married, that my life was finished, and I was putting so much effort into keeping us together, that I forgot about me. But, I realize now, that that was a stupid thing to even consider, Nathan. I have realized that with all the fame and success, that I was still not doing it for me. I wasn't doing it for me because without you, a huge part of me was missing... and it still is. If I could go back to the night I left, I would change my decision in a heartbeat. I love you so much, Nathan. I am not me without you, I am just a poor example and memory of what we used to be. That is why you need to come back to me, Nathan. You have to wake up, because if you don't-- I'm nothing without you."

Silence...

That's all there was... just silence and the sound of a heart monitor. It was louder than anything I had ever heard before. I wanted so bad for Nathan to open his eyes and say something-- anything. What I would give to hear his voice. Even if he was going to yell at me, I just want to know that he will be okay again.

"How can I live without you? How can I live when the best part of me dies?"

Silence...

Sometimes our feelings can take on a life of their own. Mine sure were. The worst part of any situation is waiting. Waiting to get on a ride, anticipating the fear and consequences that lie ahead. Waiting for the scary movie to start, just because you know that something bad is going to happen. And waiting for your husband to wake up, with your biggest fear being that he doesn't open his eyes and tell you that it is all going to be okay.

"Please, Nathan. Please wake up. I'll never be able to forgive myself if you don't wake up. I don't want the last thing you say to me to be, 'I don't want you to come', you need to wake up".

Silence...

Grief is all to much accompanied by guilt. I can't help that I feel guilty. I just somehow feel that this is my fault. Just another problem to add to my list that already has so much written on it. The fact that I didn't deny that Chris and I were in a relationship on live TV. The fact that I left the love of my life for a career that I already regret.

"I love you so much Nathan, I need you to know that. These last months have been nothing without you. I have been nothing without you... I need you to know that I love you, and I'm sorry. I'm so sorry..."

"It's okay."

I looked up to see Nathan staring at me. He stared at me and gave a slight smile and repeated...

"It's okay...".

I looked at him once more with tears in my eyes and said...

"Always?"

He smiled at me and nodded...

"and forever...I will love you forever."

He squeezed my hand.

Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep...

The sound of a flatline filled the room, but all I could hear...was Silence...

"Nothing loved is ever truly lost, and pain is a small price to pay for memories..."