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Chapter 2- A Name is a Name is a Name
Disclaimer- OTH belongs to Mark and the CW, but this story...it's mine.
***
May, 2021
Lucas felt one of his knees grow weak. "Your name...your name is James Lucas Scott?"
Jamie smirked a little and nodded. "Yeah."
"And uh, what makes you um...why do you think your parents are Nathan and Haley?"
"Your book."
Lucas sighed. He studied the boy who stood before him and shook his head. He could definitely see some resemblance. "Would you like some coffee? Do you drink coffee?"
"I'd love some." Jamie smiled and then looked back towards Michael who was still drooling over the Mustang. "Can my friend come in?"
"Uh, sure. I guess so." Lucas laughed at the kid who was checking his car out.
"Michael, come on."
The dark headed boy turned toward his friend. "I'm coming."
Lucas and Jamie sat down and then they were joined by Michael. Lucas kept looking at Jamie as if he was about to say something, but he couldn't find the right words. To relieve the awkward tension, Michael broke the silence.
"You're Lucas, right?" Lucas nodded. "So, does that mean you're famous? Are you a celebrity?"
"No, I'm not famous."
Michael furrowed his brow. "Wait...you're not a famous author?"
"Uh...." Lucas shook his head.
"He's just being humble." Jamie looked to Michael and then smiled at Lucas.
"Thanks." Lucas nodded in appreciation. "So James, what..."
"You can call me Jamie."
"Oh. Sorry." Lucas cut his mouth to the side. "Jamie, what do you know about your parents?"
"Not much."
"And why exactly do you think Nathan and Haley are your parents?" Lucas brought his hands together anticipating the answer.
"I'll start with my name. James, that's Haley's last name. Lucas, that's you." Jamie smiled. "You were best friends with Haley. And then there's Scott."
"Tell him about school, Jamie." Michael interjected and it made Lucas shift in his seat.
Lucas raised an eyebrow. "What about school?"
Michael laughed. "That he's the best athlete, smartest kid I've ever known...."
Jamie's ears turned pink. "I'm not that great."
Michael rolled his eyes. "He's just being humble."
Lucas smiled with wide eyes. "I guess that's something we have in common."
"Guess so." Jamie ran his hand over his brow. "So, do you know why they gave me up?"
Lucas took a deep breath. "I'm speaking hypothetically." Jamie nodded. "Your mom and dad...Nathan and Haley were having problems. I can't tell you much about it, but I did try and convince Haley to keep you...to keep the baby"
"So it was her decision? She was the one that gave me up?" Jamie looked hurt. He didn't think Haley, at least the one from the book, would do something like that.
"Jamie, she wanted you, trust me."
"But, what about Nathan? Did he not want a son?"
"It's complicated." Lucas didn't know what he was supposed to say. "Both of your parents wanted you. But a series of events, bad choices...everything snowballed and a baby was the last thing that either of them could handle."
Jamie's eyes were glossy. He had just basically been told that he would have been too much of a burden, an inconvenient annoyance. Michael saw that his friend was hurting and put his hand on Jamie's shoulder.
"Hey man, they don't know what they missed."
Jamie swallowed the hard lump he felt in his throat and smiled. "Thanks." Looking back to Lucas, Jamie sighed heavily. "Did, did anyone try and tell them not to put me up for adoption?"
"Of course we did."
"Really?"
"Yes. When your mom told me, I was the one who argued the most against it. I thought that they, your parents, would get back together. Understand this Jamie, your parents, they loved each other so much, but we were all so young and naive. No one really knew what to do."
"But you thought she should keep me?"
"Yes. I still wish that I was able to get through to her, figure out some plan where everything would have worked out, but I never did, and I'm sorry for that." Lucas looked down, he didn't like to see Jamie's sad blue eyes looking back into his. "I wish everything had turned out differently."
"Well..." Jamie looked around the small coffee shop and smiled. "At least I'm here now."
"Yes you are." Lucas' eyes smiled in sync with his thin lips.
Lucas sat back in his chair and surveyed the boy that sat directly across from him. Dirty blond hair. Blue eyes. Medium height. A little under weight, but healthy. This kid reminded Lucas of himself to be honest. It must have been the Scott blood that they shared, because Lucas somehow felt like he had known the boy for years.
"Lucas?" A small brunette approached the table. "I was closing up and saw your car...."
Lucas looked up and smiled when he saw Brooke. "Hey."
Brooke looked at the two boys and laughed. "I saw the car parked out front. And I see, I see that you're with some fans."
Lucas laughed, "You could say that."
"Well, I'll leave you three alone. I just wanted to say hello and tell you I'm running by your house to see Peyton. Guess I'll see you after while."
As she turned to leave, Lucas took her by the hand. "Brooke, I think I should introduce you to these kids."
Pointing to Jamie she smiled. "This one's name is Michael. He came into the store earlier today." Brooke put her hand on Jamie's shoulder. "This kid came right up to me and...."
Lucas was looking quickly from Jamie to Michael, and the back to Jamie and then Brooke. "Wait, this is Michael." Lucas pointed to the tall dark headed boy.
"No, this is Michael." Brooke patted Jamie's shoulder. "I talked to him in the store."
Jamie's eyes grew large and raised his hand. "I have a confession to make."
"So you're not James Lucas Scott?" Lucas sat up in his chair and stared at the boy across from him.
Brooke looked down to Lucas bewildered. "James Lucas Scott?" She glanced at both guys. "Lucas, is he...?"
"I don't know who he is." Lucas stood up and escorted Brooke out of the coffee shop.
Michael was watching this whole ordeal go down and saw that his best friend was sitting in shock. "Jamie, go after them. Explain why Brooke thinks you're me, that your name isn't Michael." Jamie sat still with his mouth crooked and slightly agape. Michael leaned over to his friend and pushed him. "Go before it's too late."
Blinking a few times, Jamie looked over to Michael and then ran out of the little coffee shop. After exiting the door, Jamie saw Lucas and Brooke talking by the Mustang. He approached them slowly but Lucas stopped him.
"Why did you lie to me? Is it money you want, are you in some kind of trouble?"
"No. I didn't lie to you." Jamie walked a little closer. "I lied to her."
"Me? Why'd you lie to me?" Brooke's eye's widened and her right hand clinched her hip.
"Because...I walked into the store and I heard your voice." Jamie reached to his back pocket. "I knew you were Brooke, and I got nervous. I was afraid if you knew my name, you might be suspicious."
"Suspicious of what?" The small brunette walked from behind Lucas.
"I don't know. Wonder why I was looking for Lucas if I wasn't a fan." He turned to Lucas. "I am by the way." Lucas rolled his eyes and then Jamie looked back to Brooke. "I thought you might put the pieces together."
"I still don't understand." Brooke shook her head and looked to Lucas. He didn't have any answers for her.
"Look." Jamie fumbled in his pocket and presented his wallet. "Here." He handed her his driver's license.
Brooke took the small card and studied the fine print. After reading all of his information she looked back to Jamie
"My name is Jamie Scott, and I'm looking for my family."
Brooke's eyes shot from Jamie to Lucas. She handed Lucas the license and watched him read the information. As she saw his expression change, Brooke touched Lucas' arm.
"Is he? Is this...?"
Lucas nodded with an apologetic smile. "Yeah."
Brooke's eyes began to fill with tears but she wiped them away before she turned to face Jamie.
"I'm sorry." She flung her arms around him before he could utter any words. "I'm really glad you're here."
Feeling the tightness of the embrace Jamie smiled, "Me too."
When Brooke loosened her grip, Lucas cleared his throat. "Jamie, I'm sorry I doubted you."
Jamie shook his head understanding. "It's alright."
"How about I make it up to you? Want to come over and have dinner with us tonight?"
"I'd really like that, but Michael and I have to get back."
Brooke's eyes widened in alarm. "Are you driving back home?"
"No, we're staying at his beach house for the weekend. His mom is expecting us back soon so I can't. Sorry."
Michael walked out of the coffee shop and slowly approached the group of people. "Uh, Jamie?" Everyone's attention turned to the tall boy. "Mom just called me. She wants us to stop by the store and pick up some things. I think we better get going."
"Yeah, alright." Jamie nodded and turned back towards Lucas and Brooke.
"That's my cue."
Lucas nodded. "Can you come back tomorrow?"
"Yeah."
"Well, how about you come over to my place and I'll tell you everything you want to know about your parents." Lucas looked at Brooke. "Yes, you can come too." Everyone laughed.
Jamie shook Lucas' hand and then Brooke engulfed the boy in another monstrous hug. After establishing a plan and swapping phone numbers, Lucas and Brooke watched Jamie and Michael slip around the corner and out of sight.
"Lucas, what are we gonna do? Are you going to call...?"
"I don't know what I'm supposed to do."
"Well, I'm going to head over to the house and see Peyton. Do you mind if I tell her?"
Lucas shook his head. "Nah, I don't mind. Tell her I'll be home soon."
With a reassuring pat on Lucas' shoulder, Brooke crossed the street and got into her car. Lucas watched her drive off and then he got into his car. He drove to the only place where he knew he could be alone.
He parked the Mustang next to the isolated tree and turned off the engine. Grabbing his cell phone, Lucas walked to the picnic table and sat in silence for a few moments. He loved the River Court. Maybe it was because he had grown up playing basketball here, maybe it was the history of the place itself. All that Lucas knew was that this was the one place he could find a stillness, the calmness he needed for what he was about to do. Scrolling through his list of contacts, Lucas pushed the send button with a heavy sigh.
***
The small office was quiet; there were no sounds except the tapping of fingers on a keyboard. It was a steady rhythm of sentences with the occasional backspace pause. The room was full of books, and mounted on the walls were all types of certificates. Centered on the back wall were degrees from Stanford and Vanderbilt, and all of the awards and scholarships seemed endless. Directly below was a table full of more photos and books. All of the pictures showed a thirty something woman with friends. Some people looked more familiar than others, but the most important thing was that the woman looked happy. The woman, a professor at Davidson in the English department, was startled to say the least when her phone rang.
"This is Professor James."
"Haley it's Peter."
"Hi." Haley leaned back in her chair and smiled.
"Are you almost done there?"
Haley moved the receiver from her mouth and yawned. "Just about."
"I got reservations at your favorite place. 8:45pm, does that sound good?"
Haley ran her hand across her forehead. "Peter, I love that you did that, but I'm really tired. Do you mind if we stay in tonight?"
After a slight pause, Peter answered. "Anything for you."
Haley smiled. "I'll be home in an hour."
"I'll be here. Be careful on your way back, looks like it's gonna storm pretty soon."
"I will...and Peter?"
"Yeah?"
"I love you."
"I love you too, Haley. See you in an hour."
"Bye." Haley put the receiver in it's place and sat back in her chair.
She had been with Peter for nearly seven years. He was sweet, kind, and good looking, basically he was perfect. Her friends from Davidson pestered her for not marrying him, but she was happy. She looked down to her left hand and saw a beautifully set diamond ring on her finger. No, it wasn't an engagement ring nor a wedding ring. Peter had given it to her on their three year anniversary asking her not to be his wife, but to be the person he could grow old with. A promise ring sounds cheesy, but Peter wanted Haley for himself, and if she wasn't going to marrying him he at least wanted others to know she was taken. So, as Haley spun the ring on her finger she smiled because it made her feel safe. Her phone rang again and she leaned across her desk to answer it.
"This is Professor James." There was not immediate response. "Hello?"
A quiet voice broke over the receiver. "Hales?"
Haley was caught off guard. "Lucas?"
"Yeah it's me."
"Wha...what are you calling me on a random Friday night for?" Haley's tone was playful.
"Haley, I need to tell you something."
The sound of Lucas' voice was unsettling to Haley. "Lucas, what's wrong? Did something happen to Peyton? Are the kids alright? It's not Brooke is it?"
"No, no," Lucas sighed. "Everyone is fine."
"What is it then?"
"I...I need to tell you...." Lucas was clearly having trouble.
"Lucas, you can tell me anything."
His voice was shaking. "Hales, I saw him today, I spoke to him."
She was confused for a lack of a proper noun in the previous sentence. "Wait, you spoke to whom?"
"Haley, I met...Jamie. I met your son today."
A heavy sigh escaped her mouth. "What?"
"I had coffee with him."
Haley's breathing had increased. "But...how do you know it was him?"
"I just know."
Silent tears fell from Haley's eyes. "Are you sure?"
Lucas laughed. "100%. Well, I'm sure there are tests, but Hales, it's him."
Lucas could hear the catch in Haley's voice as she began to cry. "Oh my God."
"I know."
"What should I do?" Haley was wiping the tears from her face and reached for a tissue. "What am I supposed to do?"
"Come home."
"But I have finals I have to grade, Peter is here...."
"They can wait."
Haley sniffed and then sighed. "Have you talked to...."
"No. I haven't called him yet. But Hales, he deserves to know."
"I know." Haley breathed heavily. "I can't believe this is happening."
"Hales, we're all here for you."
"I'm a...I'm going to drive over tonight. Is that alright?"
"It's fine."
After a pause, Haley spoke again. "Hey Lucas?"
"Yeah?"
"What does he look like?"
Lucas laughed. "Ah well...."
As she listened to Lucas describe the son she had never met, she couldn't help but cry. There were happy tears, sad tears, tears of regret, and Haley couldn't stop. She wished she could see his face. She wanted to see Jamie so badly that her bones ached. When Lucas stopped, he could tell she needed a hug but he couldn't do that over the phone.
"Hales, he's a great kid."
She sighed. "Yeah?"
"Listen, drive safe. I'll see you in a couple hours."
Practically breathless, Haley hung up the phone. She was shaking and trembling all over. As she sat back in her chair she looked towards the night's sky as rain splashed against the windowpanes. The steady pattern of the water's taps helped to calm her down. She closed her eyes thinking of the revelations that had literally turned her Friday night upside down. Picking up her purse, Haley turned off the computer and the lights. She needed to get home to pack. She needed to explain to Peter, but knew he wasn't going to understand. But most of all, she needed to get back to Tree Hill.
***
Lucas shut his phone and took a moment to collect his thoughts. Maybe he was on the verge of prideful tears, because this was a very proud moment. He was so happy to have his nephew a few miles down the road, for Haley to be coming back, all he needed now was to call his brother. Nathan Scott was a very busy man, though. He was a regular analysis for Sports Center in New York, founder of Camp Scott, a basketball organization for underprivileged kids, and a celebrity in his own right. So, as Lucas scrolled through his contact list, he doubted he'd get to speak to Nathan directly. It just so happened Lucas was right. Nathan's cell phone went strait to voice mail, so Lucas tried the apartment.
"You've reached Nathan Scott. Sorry I wasn't able to get to the phone right now, but if you leave a name and number, I'll get back in touch. BEEP."
Lucas rolled his eyes and began to leave his message.
"Hey Nate." Lucas paused for a moment. "I'm calling to check in, tell you about some interesting developments down here in Tree Hill." Another pause. "Today I met a kid, Nate. But he's not just any kid." Lucas sighed heavily. "He's your kid, your son. He's in Tree Hill oddly enough, and he said he read the book and just knew who he was. His name is Jamie. I know you're a busy man, but Nathan...you should come home. Call me when you get back from wherever you are. Bye."
Lucas ended the call and turned towards downtown. The buildings all reflected the purple and brown haze that was dusk. He breathed in the fresh air and smiled at the river that slowly crept in the direction of the ocean. Putting his phone in his pocket, Lucas got off the table and walked to his car. With the turn of the key the engine roared alive and Lucas headed towards the fiery sky. He couldn't wait to get home to see Peyton, to see Sawyer, Keith and Harper. He loved his family very much, and he was thrilled his children were going to have a cousin they never knew they had. Lucas looked down at his phone to check the time; it was 6:50pm. He was guessing he'd get a call within the hour from Nathan. He was right.
***
Nathan left the restaurant and walked to his car. Before he could get in, a little boy stopped him.
"Excuse me sir, are you Nathan Scott?"
"Uh, yeah. Yes I am."
Nathan looked down to a small little boy who couldn't have been much older than nine. The boy's grin widened.
"Could I get you to si-sign this for me?"
"Sure." Nathan took the jersey from the boy's arms and grinned. It was a Bobcat jersey with the number twelve on it. Taking the Sharpie from the kid, Nathan smiled. "What's you're name?"
"I'm Vaughn."
"That's an interesting name."
The boy smiled wider. "Thanks."
As Nathan wrote, he smiled at the boy's parents who stood a few feet away. "So Vaughn, do you play ball?"
"Oh, yes sir. I love the game."
Nathan laughed. "That's great."
Clicking the top back on the marker, Nathan handed the little boy the jersey.
Surveying the note and signature, Vaughn's mouth dropped. "Wow."
Placing a hand on the boy's shoulder Nathan spoke. "Have a good night, Vaughn." Nathan waved at the parents and then got into his car.
The ride wasn't long, he just had to drive a couple blocks to his apartment, but Nathan drove with a feeling of emptiness. He was going home alone to an empty apartment. He'd had his fair share of girlfriends, some super models even, but he never found the one to settle down with. He had actually, but he had lost her many years ago.
When he got up to his floor Nathan fumbled with his keys. As he walked through the door, Nathan hit his answering machine and began to listen to his messages as he poured scotch into a glass. The first was a message from his super telling him that his air conditioning was leaking. The second was from his assistant reminding him he had a dinner meeting he had just come back from. He walked away from the bar and listened to the third. That one was from Lucas.
As he listened to his brother say, "he's your kid, your son," Nathan dropped his drink. Shards of glass, ice, and scotch flew across the hardwood but Nathan remained still. He wasn't sure if he was hearing things correctly.
"Jamie?"
Nathan reached for the phone and dialed Lucas' number. Anxiety filled his gut as the rings went unanswered. Finally, after the sixth one, Lucas picked up.
"Nathan."
"You...you saw him today?"
"With my own two eyes."
Nathan sighed so heavily, Lucas thought there my have been tears. "I'm coming to Tree Hill."
"That's great."
"I've got to call the airport, see if there are any flights."
Lucas laughed. "I've already done that. One leaves from La Guardia at 8:35pm to Charlotte. And then there is a connecting flight to Tree Hill at...."
"I don't care what time it is, I'm getting on that plane."
Lucas laughed. "Alright, I'll pick you up from the airport."
"Thanks man." Nathan was pacing the room. "Hey Luke?"
"Yeah?"
"What's he like?"
Lucas sighed. "He's great."
Nathan smiled. "I'll call you when I get to Tree Hill."
"See you later little brother."
"Wait..." Nathan put his hand over his mouth. "Did you...did you call her?
"I did."
"Is she...is she...." Nathan was mumbling but Lucas knew what he needed to know.
"Yeah. She's on her way."
Nathan stood still and silent. He couldn't believe he was going to meet his son. He also couldn't believe he was going to see Haley again.
"I've got to pack."
Nathan ended the call and rushed to his bedroom. He threw some clothes into a suitcase and then went into his office. Opening a desk drawer, he grabbed a large envelope. Placing it on top of his clothes, Nathan zipped the bag shut. He surveyed the room where his glass had shattered and decided against cleaning it up. His number one priority was to get to the airport and back home to Tree Hill.
***
So...both Nathan and Haley are coming back to Tree Hill. Exciting!
I wonder when/if/how their first interaction will go down???
And what about Jamie??? When will he meet his parents???
You'll just have to stay tuned to find out. ;)
Reviews are greatly appreciated.