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It had been 5 days since Nathan had found out that fateful test result, and his timing at telling people was just not working out. It was like Jamie said, he avoided things..Jamie..how was he going to tell his only son that he had cancer, and was going to have to go into hospital?
Nathan sat down next to Clay, Julian and Chase in the diner, and hoped that his friends would help distract him, even unknowingly
"So you had your check up this morning?" Julian asked, and Nathan frowned..no he didn't
"Yeah" Clay nodded softly, and Nathan breathed a visible sigh of relief..the question wasn't directed at him
"How did it go?" Nathan asked, with a apologetic tone..with all the thinking he had been doing, he had completely forgot about Clay
"Everythings fine" Clay said, with a grin, and the boys all smiled
"Thats great" Nathan nodded, breathing a sigh of relief
"No gunshot touches me" Clay laughed, with a coy wink, and Julian rolled his eyes and laughed
"Hows Brooke?" Clay asked, turning to Julian, and Nathan started to float off into his own world as Julian started to talk about Brooke and the failed adoption
He needed to tell everyone but how..Haley had lost her mother, everyone had stuff to think about..
The conversations flowed until Chases lunch break ended, and he headed back to Tric..shortly after Julian got a call from a irate Brooke, and headed off apologetically, shaking his head as he left, looking scared about his wife and how she was feeling. Nathan turned to Clay
"Fancy going and getting drunk?" Nathan asked outright, and Clay watched him intently..there was obviously something his buddy needed to forget, but what? But maybe that was exactly it, Nathan needed to forget..and he sure as hell had alot to celebrate, so that would tie the two events together
"Sure thing..taxi on me" Clay winked, and high fived Nathan, who was hiding a multitude of sins behind his eyes and masking his fear with a smile, as he always did.
Hours later, and the two guys were sitting at a bar, Nathan downing shots and Clay watching him warily with a bottle of beer
"You gonna tell me whats wrong man?" Clay asked, knitting his eyebrows together and turning to properly face him
"Do I have to have something wrong with me to have a drink now..why aren't you drinking up?" Nathan asked a bit rudely, he was drunk, his eyes were red, and he was hitting out at the world
"Didn't think the newly installed kidney would appreciate binge drinking just yet" Clay said softly, ignoring Nathans barriers like he had done so many times when he was in the midst of becoming his agent
Nathan shook his head "sorry" he sighed a little, and downed the shot of tequila that he had just had put in front of him, ignoring Clay's quizzical glares
"Hows Haley?" Clay asked, deciding that there was no time like the present, and that he needed to try and wield Nathans problem out of him before he drank himself to death
"Fine" Nathan grumbled slightly, he knew Clay and he had seen him like this with other people, he knew he was trying to help, but he just needed some fun
"Nice.." Clay smiled, and Nathan frowned
"How much longer you gonna try and be the agony aunt?" Nathan snapped, and Clay took a breath..Nathan was always rude when he was drunk, don't rise to it..
"As long as it takes for you to open up Nate...ive seen you drink your problems away and all it does is make them worse" Clay sighed, and Nathan closed his eyes, trying to block it..he stood up and went outside, he knew that he was too vulnerable, he couldn't tell Clay, he would tell Quinn and Haley, he needed to be in this alone in order for it to work.
Clay followed him, with a glass of water, and nudged him in a friendly manner, sitting on the wall that Nathan was perched on
"Something bads happened Clay" Nathan thickly said, through the water he was now drinking, to try and cure his "self medication" of alcohol
Clay quickly looked at the pain radiating out of his blue eyes
"How bad Nate?" Clay asked, his forehead creasing into a frown
"Bad enough" Nathan simply answered..he didn't want to go into it
"So, your here drinking it away huh...smart plan" Clay said, looking into the distance
"Right, like you've never sunk a few after something big?" Nathan rolled his eyes at his friend, who immediately looked uncomfortable but recovered
"Yeah Nate, after my wife died I sunk a few and almost killed myself, thats why I know it doesn't work" Clay coldly replied, and Nathan winced, he never really had talked to his friend about his deceased wife, but now he had brought it up, and Nathan felt awkward
"Sorry man" Nathan said, patting Clay on the back
"Don't be, just, whatever it is Nate, you have to open up to someone..im not saying me, im saying your wife..secrets are bad" Clay sighed, carefully placing a hand on Nathans shoulder
"But what if it sends Hales over the edge, after her mum and everything?" Nathan asked, the fierceness in his eyes leaving them as he thought of his wife
"Then you have to risk it buddy, she would rather know what was going on.." Clay nodded, and the two guys got up
"Ive gotta go man" Nathan said, breathing in sharply..he was ready
Nathan stepped in the door
"Hey, is that you Nate?" Haley asked, he could practically hear the joy in her voice, which was going to make this conversation worse
"Yeah" Nathan said, with a hollow smile, quivering slightly at the coldness that he had just shut the door on
"How was your day?" Haley came down the stairs and gave him a gorgeous smile
"Actually Hales..I have something to tell you.." Nathan said, leading her to the lounge and sitting her down
And just like that, everything changed
I know its a bit slow atm guys but stick with me I have a big storyline ready to go!
