I'll Walk

A Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina Fan Fiction Story by Sarah Pegues

Based on the Country Song 'I'll Walk,' by Bucky Covington

We were eighteen. It was prom night. We had our first big fight.

"You are being so ridiculous right now, Scotty! Honestly, I can't even believe it!"

"I'm being ridiculous? Me? Oh, that's a laugh! You're the one being ridiculous!"

"Well, if getting mad about seeing some slut wrapped around your boyfriend in a hotel elevator on prom night is ridiculous, then you're right. But I think for the said boyfriend not to push the said slut away is pretty ridiculous, too."

"I told you, I tried to get her off me! But she wouldn't let go! And then, she started kissing me, and-"

"Oh, please. Spare me the gory details. I really don't care to hear them."

"I was not kissing her back. I swear. I figured you would believe me. I mean, you know how much I love you."

"Yeah, well, right now, I I don't think love is enough."

"Lauren...what are you saying?"

She said, "Pull this car over." I did, and then, I told her, "I don't know what you are crying for."

"Pull over." She demanded sharply. Even though she was staring straight ahead and refusing to look at me, I could tell that she had tears gathering in her eyes. The sight shattered my heart. I couldn't believe that this was actually happening. We had been dating for a little over two years, and this was the first time that we had ever seriously fought. And what better night for that milestone to take place than on the night of our senior prom? Yeah...note the sarcasm in that last sentence. The fight had only been going on for about five minutes, but already, I was absolutely sick of it. All I wanted was to make up with her; for everything between us to go back to being perfect the way that it usually was.

Knowing that it was pretty much useless to keep on driving (Lauren can be pretty stubborn whenever she really wants to be), I slowed down and brought the truck to a stop on the side of the road. I looked over at her and saw that her tears were now slipping from her eyes and making their way down her cheeks, taking her mascara along with them. "I don't know why you're crying," I told her with a sigh. "I mean, you know I didn't want Sienna to come onto me like that. You know I didn't kiss her back. You know that I would never even so much as think about ever doing something like that to you."

"I've heard all of those lines before," she spat in response. Now, it was her turn to sigh as she finally brought her gaze to meet mine, her voice breaking as she continued to speak. "God...I actually thought that you were different. I really and truly did. I thought that I could seriously trust you. I never expected for you to hurt me like this."

"I didn't do anything!" I protested, still trying desperately to convince her to believe me. "It was all Sienna. She's the one who did all the flirting. She's the one who did all the touching. She's the one who did all the kissing. She's the one who did everything! I told her to leave me alone when she started flirting with me. I tried to push her away when she started touching me. But she wouldn't give up. Please, Lauren. You have to believe me."

I grabbed her hand as she reached for the door.

She just stared at me, her big, beautiful blue eyes still full of tears as she shook her head softly. "I can't deal with this right now," she said quietly, and then tore her gaze away from mine. With her face downcast, she lifted her purse from the floorboard and reached for the door handle.

"Woah..." I placed my hand on top of hers before she could open the door. I gave her hand a gentle squeeze, trying to pull it away from the handle. "Lauren...what are you doing?"

She said, "I'll walk. Let go of my hand. Right now, I'm hurt, and you don't understand. So, just be quiet. And later, we will talk. Just leave. Don't worry. I'll walk."

"I'm going to walk the rest of the way home," she informed me in a very determined, matter-of-fact tone of voice. "I just need some time to think."

"Lauren, you can't walk five miles in the dark!" I protested, still trying to pry her hand from the door handle. "Your parents-and my parents-would kill me if I let you do that! Plus, if anything happened to you-"

"You would just go running off to Sienna, wouldn't you?" she interrupted, glaring at me. The cold, hard edge in her voice and in her eyes had me stunned. I had never seen her look or heard her sound so...harsh. She wrenched her hand free and pushed mine away sharply. "Let go of my hand, Justin."

"Lauren!" I sputtered, wracking my brain for a solution to this problem. I had to convince her to stay somehow. "You can't do this! I can't let you! It's too dangerous!"

"I can take care of myself," she insisted, her hand finding its way back to the door handle. "I'm really hurt right now, and apparently, you can't understand that. So, why don't you just shut up, leave me alone, and let me walk the rest of the way home? I'll let you know when I'm ready to talk." Before I even had the chance to respond, she flung open the door and slipped out of the truck, slamming the door behind her before taking off at a brisk pace.

I knew that convincing her to get back into the truck would be next to impossible (like I said before, Lauren can be stubborn), so I just drove off toward my house. Tears blurring my vision, I watched Lauren fade into the distance and started praying to God that everything was going to turn out okay.

It was a dark night; a black dress. That driver never saw her 'round the bend. I never will forget the call or driving to the hospital, where they told me her legs still wouldn't move.

As soon as I reached home, I went straight into my bedroom, stripped out of my tux and down to my boxers, and fell into bed. I just laid there staring at my cell phone, silently praying that it would start ringing with a call or text from Lauren. Plus, my background was a picture of the two of us, and I couldn't stop looking at it. We both looked so incredibly happy. She looked like she trusted me with all of her heart. It looked like everything was completely perfect.

I felt more tears sting my eyes as I continued to gaze at that picture, still praying like crazy in my head. I can't lose her, God. I love her, and I need her. She's my everything. I honestly don't know what I would do without her. There's nobody else that I want to be with. I've seriously never felt this way about anybody before.

Just then, the phone started to vibrate. Caller ID reported that the call was coming from Lauren's mother's cell phone. Maybe it's Lauren, not her mom, I thought hopefully. Maybe her phone died or something, and she just had to use her mom's phone. Well...I guess there's only one way to find out. Drawing in a deep breath, I pressed the Talk button and brought the phone to my ear, nervously chewing on my bottom lip. "Hello?"

The sound of weeping was the only response that I got at first. "Oh, Scotty, it's terrible!" Mrs. Suddeth's voice wailed after a moment of silence. "Lauren...she...oh, my God!" she broke off as she started to cry even harder.

I heard some muffled rustling sounds on her end of the line, and after a few moments, her husband's voice took over the conversation. "Scotty..." he said, sounding as if he, too, were in tears. "About ten minutes ago, Lauren called her mother to come and pick her up. When he got to where she was waiting for him, there were police cars and an ambulance and an SUV there, too."

He paused for a moment, and I heard him draw in a deep, shaky breath. "Lauren got hit by the SUV. The driver wasn't drunk or anything; he just couldn't see her in that black dress. The doctors are working on her right now. They think she's going to make it, but...they're really concerned about her legs. She can't move them or even feel them." He paused for a moment longer, sniffling. "I know that the two of you are kind of at odds right now...but I also know that she would really appreciate you being here."

"Okay, I'm about to leave the house right now," I somehow managed to choke out through my sobs. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

We said good-bye, and I immediately threw on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt and stuffed my feet into a pair of tennis shoes before grabbing my keys off of the bedside table. I bolted out of my bedroom and down the hallway to my sister's room and then to my parents' room. After waking them up, I practically pushed them all down the stairs as I frantically explained to them what was going on.

The drive to the hospital only took about five minutes, but it felt like so much longer. It was absolutely the most incredibly miserable drive of my life. My family was doing their best to get me to calm down, but I was way past the point of being consoled in any way, shape, or form. There was only one thing that could stop me from freaking out...and that was Lauren being completely, one-hundred percent fine.

I saw Lauren's parents and brother as soon as my family and I entered the emergency room. They were talking to a doctor, and they looked absolutely horrified. As the doctor walked away, Mrs. Suddeth collapsed against Mr. Suddeth, and he hugged her tightly as their son tried to comfort them, all three of them crying.

"You guys..." I approached them timidly, not sure that I really and truly wanted to know what the doctor had just said to them. My family was behind me, looking just as nervous as I felt. "Is she okay? What did the doctor say?"

Mr. Suddeth looked at me with a pained expression on his face, his chin trembling and his eyes collecting fresh tears. "She still can't move her legs," he informed me softly. "At this point in time, there's a pretty strong chance that she won't ever be able to move them again."

I felt like I had just been punched in the stomach. My parents and sister wrapped their arms around me, and I buried my face in my mother's shoulder as I started to sob. I felt absolutely horrible. I never should have let her get out of the truck; I should have forced her to stay there with me...no matter how much she hated it or how mad it made her. Dear Lord, what have I done? I wondered silently, feeling my heart break all over again.

At that moment, the doctor returned to our little group. "The nurses have her settled into a room. I can show you to it if you would like to see her. And she keeps asking for Scotty."

"That's me." I lifted my head and looked at him momentarily before turning my gaze to Mr. and Mrs. Suddeth. "Is it okay with you guys if I go in and see her?"

"Of course, honey," Mrs. Suddeth told me as Mr. Suddeth nodded his head in agreement. The two of them hugged me, and she continued speaking. "And we just want you to know that we most certainly do not blame you for this. None of it is your fault."

"I wish I could say that I felt the same way," I responded, returning their hugs before hugging my family. Sniffling and wiping at my eyes, I turned my attention back to the doctor. "Okay...I'm ready," I told him, even though I didn't really feel ready at all.

He showed me to her room and told me to call for the nurse if she needed anything. I nodded and thanked him before drawing in a deep breath and preparing myself to open the door. Dear Lord Jesus, please be with me now, I prayed silently as I placed my hand on the knob.

I cried when I walked into her room.

As soon as I stepped into the room and saw her lying there in the hospital bed, I burst into tears. I just couldn't control myself. She just looked so weak; so fragile; so...helpless. And regardless of what everyone else had said, it was my fault. If I wouldn't have ever let her get out of the truck, she wouldn't be in this position right now. She would still be healthy and fully-functional...not all pained and broken.

She said, "I'll walk. Please come and hold my hand. Right now, I'm hurt, and I don't understand. Let's just be quiet. And later, we can talk. Please stay. Don't worry. I'll walk."

"Scotty." Her soft voice sounded from the bed. I looked up and saw her beckoning to me with a solemn expression on her face. Sniffling, wiping at my eyes, and trying to pull myself together, I walked over and sat in the chair that was next to her bed. She offered me her hand, and I carefully took hold of her fingers, just barely touching them in fear of hurting her.

"Honey...the problem is with my legs, not my hands," she said, somehow managing to smile as she took my hand in her grasp all the way.

"Lauren..." I wept, feeling my heart break yet again as I gazed down at her legs. "I am so sorry. I never should have let you get out of the truck. Or, I should have at least gone back for you. Better yet, I should have slapped Sienna across the face when she was coming onto me in the elevator."

"Scotty Cooke, listen to me." She reached out and took my chin in her hand, staring into my eyes intently. "This is not your fault. You're not to blame for any of it. Not even for Sienna coming onto you in the elevator. The more I think about it, the more I believe that you were really telling me the truth. I was so stupid to think that you could have actually been lying to me."

"Well, the part about Sienna might not be my fault," I sniffled in response, "but the part about you being in the hospital right now is. Like I said, I shouldn't have let you out of the truck in the first place. The doctors are afraid that you won't ever walk again...and it's all because of me."

"Just because someone is a doctor doesn't mean that they're right twenty-four seven," she replied. "While they're being all pessimistic and saying that I won't ever walk again, I'm being optimistic and holding onto the hope that someday, I will walk again."

"How can you do that?" I asked, sniffling once more as I wiped at my eyes. "How can you be so positive? Everybody's falling apart-me, your parents, my family. But you...you're being so strong. How?"

"Because I know that this is all part of God's plan for me," she answered without missing a beat, still looking into my eyes intently and somehow managing another smile. "I can't lie and say that I'm not hurting because of this. And I really don't understand why it happened to me. But I know that God is going to use it somehow." She paused for a moment, running her hand through my hair before caressing my cheek. "But for the time being, let's not worry about anything. Let's just be quiet. We can talk later; there's plenty of time."

"Well, I'm sure your parents and my family would probably like to come in and talk to you for at least a little while," I responded. "They're all really concerned about you, too."

"I can talk to them later," she insisted. "Right now, I really don't feel like talking to anyone, though. I just want to sit here and enjoy being close to you."

I finally managed a smile of my own as I gave her hand a gentle squeeze and leaned in to place a gentle kiss on her lips. "I love you," I whispered. "And I'm so glad that you're alive."

"I love you, too," she whispered back, caressing my face once more with a smile on her lips. "And don't worry about me at all. Because I promise you...someday, I'm going to walk again. You just wait and see. I promise."

I held her hand through everything; the weeks and months of therapy.

"Come on, darling...you're doing great. That's it...just a few more steps. You're almost there..."

I bit my lip as I slowly inched alongside Lauren, who was clinging to the metal bars on either side for dear life. She stopped moving, closing her eyes and bowing her head as she sucked in a deep breath, beads of sweat slipping down her beautiful, but obviously tired, face. "Scotty..." she whimpered, her grip tightening on the bars as she tried to catch her breath.

"Come on, Laina." I took her hand in my own, putting my arm around her shoulder to give her more support. "You're doing so great! You're almost all the way to the end; there's only, like, three more steps left. And I know you can make it. Remember what you told me on your first night in the hospital?"

She didn't say anything out loud, just nodded and sniffled as a tear fell off of her cheek. "I want to hear you say that again," I told her, gently wiping away the sweat and tears that were mingling on her face. "And I want you to sound exactly the way that you did on that night. I want you to sound like a girl who has all of her faith in God and in herself."

She sniffled once more before drawing in a deep breath and slowly beginning to speak. "I promise you...someday, I'm going to walk again. You just wait and see. I promise."

I snorted at that. "Come on...you and I both know you can do way better than that!" I told her. "Say it like you really mean it. Say it like you really believe that it's true."

She lifted her head, looked into my eyes, and smiled. "I promise you, someday, I'm going to walk again! You just wait and see! I promise!" her words were much more convincing this time, and the expression on her face made the attempt even better.

"There's my girl!" I smiled back at her, kissing her forehead and ruffling her hair slightly. "Now, what do you say we get you to the end of these bars?" She nodded and smiled once more, and I kept supporting her as she slowly began putting one foot in front of the other.

Around ten minutes later, we had finally reached our destination. "Oh, my gosh-you did it!" being careful not to hurt her or make her lose her footing, I hugged her and kissed the top of her head. Tears began to slip down my cheeks as I silently sent up a prayer of gratitude to God. Lauren had walked! After three weeks, she had finally walked. Sure, it had only been about ten steps, and it had taken her almost an hour, but it was a sign that she was really making progress.

"I couldn't have done it without you," she said with a smile, her own eyes producing fresh tears. She looked over at the physical therapist, who had been standing a few feet away and watching the progression. "Thank you so much for letting him help me," she said. "I really appreciate that. It was so special to have him by my side when I took my first steps." Her words made both of us start crying again, and we shared one more hug and kiss.

The physical therapist smiled at that. "Hey, no problem," he said in response. "I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make my patients happy. Congratulations, by the way. You've come a really long way over these past three weeks. Now, why don't we get you back to your room so that you can rest up for tomorrow's session?"

He brought Lauren's wheelchair over, and I helped him get her situated into it. He got behind her and started to push her out of the room, while I remained at her side and took her hand in my own, giving it a gentle squeeze as we started for the elevator. "I'm really proud of you, baby," I told her with a smile. "You've come so far."

"Once again...I couldn't have done it without you." She beamed up at me, her eyes shining even though I could tell that she was wiped out. "I mean, my family and your family and our friends have all been really awesome, and the doctors and nurses have been great, too...but if I didn't have you here with me, I honestly don't think I would be able to do anything. Thank you so much."

"Where else would I go?" I asked, returning her smile as I leaned down to kiss her forehead. "There's nowhere in this world that I would rather be than right here with you. I mean, this is where I belong."

About five minutes later, the physical therapist and I had gotten her settled in her bed. "Get some rest, babe," I encouraged her, carefully sliding in next to her and wrapping my arms around her. "You look like you need it."

"Yeah, rest does sound pretty good right about now," she chuckled. "And I know that this is probably going to be the only chance I have to really get it. I mean, everybody else is going to be coming in later on, and they're probably all going to go into party mode when they find out that I walked today."

"Yeah, they probably will," I laughed along with her, then kissed the top of her head and started stroking her hair. "Sweet dreams, beautiful. I love you."

"I love you, too," she responded, snuggling closer to me and burying her face in the crook of my neck. I placed one more kiss on the top of her head and continued stroking her hair until her breathing became even with sleep. Smiling at the peaceful expression on her beautiful face, I rested my cheek against the top of her head and joined her in Dreamland.

And I held her hand and asked her to be my bride.

We graduated from high school a week later. Lauren had been out of the hospital since three days after she walked, but the doctor had instructed her to take it easy...meaning that unless she was in physical therapy, she was to remain in her wheelchair. Naturally, she was pretty bummed out about that, but at the same time, she managed to remain so optimistic. "The right time will come," she always said with a shrug. "God's going to help me walk again."

I thought that it was kind of funny for her to mention waiting for "the right time." I myself had been doing exactly that. Of course, what I was waiting for was not the right time to use my legs again. No, my heart was set on doing something else entirely. I was waiting for the right time to propose to the love of my life.

That right time arrived on the night after our graduation ceremony. Our families had spent the day together at my house, partying away. And as we all sat around on the back patio, laughing and talking and just enjoying each other's company, I decided that what I planned on doing could only add to the happiness of that day.

I cleared my throat, feeling a wave of apprehension wash over me as I rose from my chair. "Hey, everybody...I have something to say," I told them. They all turned their attention to me, and I felt my breath catch in my throat when I saw Lauren's face. Her eyes were sparkling brilliantly as she smiled up at me, biting down on her lower lip slightly while all of them waited to hear what I was about to say.

I smiled around the circle at everyone briefly before turning my gaze to Lauren and leaving it there. "Um...well...as you all know, Lauren and I have been together for a little over two years now," I said. I smiled at her, and she returned my smile, the sparkle in her eyes seemed to grow even more radiant. "And honestly, they have been absolutely the best two years of my whole entire life."

I took a step closer to Lauren and reached downward for her hands. Never taking her gaze away from my eyes, she reached up to grasp my hands in return, giving them a gentle squeeze. "Lauren..." I said, feeling myself become even more nervous for some reason. "I love you. No one else has ever made me feel the way that you do. And that's a feeling that I don't ever want to lose."

I paused for a moment, drawing in a deep breath and getting down on one knee in front of her wheelchair. She gasped, along with everyone else, and she, our mothers, and my sister all started crying. I felt tears begin to slip down my own cheeks as I reached into my shirt pocket and brought out the engagement ring that I had bought her, holding it in one of my trembling hands while the other found its way back to hers. "Lauren..." my voice broke as I looked into her beautiful eyes and prayed for this to go the way that I wanted it to. "Lauren Alaina Suddeth...will you marry me?"

At first, all she did was cry. Then, she smiled through her tears and started nodding her head. "Yes," she whispered in response, her eyes still shining beautifully. "Yes, Scotty Cooke McCreery. I will marry you."

Our family memebers burst into cheers and applause, and the two of us threw our arms around each other, still crying. I couldn't have been happier in that moment. And I knew that for the rest of my life, I was only going to get happier. Because for the rest of my life...Lauren was going to be mine.

***NO POINT OF VIEW***

She's dreamed from a little girl to have her daddy bring her down the aisle.

Two months later, in a church packed with family members and friends, Scotty and Lauren prepared to begin their lives together. As he had done on the night of the engagement, Scotty honestly didn't think that it was possible for him to feel any happier than he already did as he stood there at the altar, waiting for his beautiful bride-to-be. Little did he know that he was in for a big surprise.

Lauren was feeling absolutely overjoyed. She had been dreaming of this day since long before she met Scotty; ever since she was just a little girl. She had always loved the idea of weddings, and she had always had very specific plans for her own wedding. So far, everything was matching up to those plans perfectly. Scotty was an amazing guy, her closest friends were her bridesmaids, his closest friends were his groomsmen, everybody and everything looked beautiful, the church was packed, and her daddy was going to be the one to give her away. There was just one little thing that needed to be different.

So, from her wheelchair, she looks up at him and smiles and says, "I'll walk. Please hold my hand. I know that this will hurt. I know you understand."

As 'The Wedding March' began to play, Lauren looked up at her father. "I'm going to walk, Daddy," she told him in a determined, but gentle, voice. "Whenever I would think about my wedding while I was growing up, I always imagined myself walking down the aisle. And I want to be able to look back and remember that my wedding turned out exactly the way that I always dreamed it would."

"Lauren..." Mr. Suddeth was at a loss for words. Although Lauren had been doing well in her physical therapy sessions, she was still pretty weak, and walking remained a difficult and painful task. He swallowed hard as he gazed into his daughter's face. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes, Daddy," she responded. "I'm sure. And I need you to be willing to help me. I need you to hold my hand. I know that it's going to hurt, but I also know that it will be completely worth it. And I know you understand that this is something that I just have to do for myself."

"Please, Daddy, don't cry. This is already hard."

Mr. Suddeth couldn't help himself-he broke down crying. He had always promised himself that he wasn't going to lose his composure like that at his daughter's wedding, but this was just too much for him. He admired her persevereance and determination, but at the same time, he couldn't lie. He was absolutely scared to death.

"Aw, Daddy." Lauren gestured for him to lean down toward her, and when he did, she gently wiped away the tears that were sliding down his cheeks as her own eyes started to spill over. "Please don't cry," she whispered. "It's already hard for me to know that you're upset about giving me away. And honestly, it was kind of hard for me to make the decision to walk. But I really want to do it, Daddy. I really do."

"Let's go. Don't worry."

She continued wiping away her father's tears until he finally spoke. "Okay," he managed to choke out, giving his daughter a nod. "If this is really what you want to do, then I'm more than willing to help you do it."

She smiled through her tears, giving him a kiss on the cheek before taking his hand in hers. "Let's go," she whispered. She drew in a deep breath and, with his help, slowly rose from her wheelchair. Once she was standing, she looked toward the front of the church, where Scotty stood crying as he watched what was going on. Still filled with determination, she spoke once more. "I'll walk."

And that is exactly what she did.

"I'll walk."