A Love To Remember

Chapter 3 - Awake

"What do you mean she was awake and now she is in coma again?" asked Peyton mad

"Peyton, I talked to the doctor and she was in so much pain, her body needs to heal from the deep damages it got and it would be cruel to let her feel this"

"You had no right to make this decision, Julian, you are no one to her, you may be the guy she is sleeping with but you shouldn't take his decision alone" Peyton yelled

"I didn't take any decision Peyton, I just supported what the doctor said was the best to her. They didn't have her family opinion and they certainly wouldn't change their mind because her best friend thought otherwise. I am sorry" he answered not really feeling hurt by her harsh words. If he couldn't fully understand what he felt for Brooke and what she was to him why would others? Though he was sure she more than just the girl he has been sleeping with

"She has been sleeping for three days Julian and when she finally wakes they put her to sleep again"

"They have total control of her condition, Peyton" said Lucas trying to make his fiancée to reason it

"It doesn't matter"

"Honey, we all want to talk to Brooke but right now we need to let the doctors do what is best for her" said Haley rubbing her arm

"I just wanted to talk to her before they put her to sleep again, to say her that we love her and that we will take care of her. She doesn't deserve it, Haley, she has been attacked, she has been hurt by Victoria and now she has been physically broken"

"I know she doesn't but she is tough and she will get over it and hopefully someone up there will agree that she has already had enough"

Peyton finally calmed down. That morning was only her, Lucas, Haley and Julian. Sam was at school much to Julian's insistence. He let her stay with Brooke for two days but in the third he said she needed to get back. Nathan had taken her and Jamie and he would come later. Haley didn't have to be in the school this morning but she had also resumed her activities. Dixon and Lucas were taking care of the movie in Julian's absence as he was unable to leave the hospital. He has been released in the morning following Brooke's accident but he was there as much as he has been the day before. He has only come at night to sleep in the house with Sam but he hasn't been able to sleep at all. He tossed and turned in her bed. He would sleep at the couch but Sam insisted for him to sleep on Brooke's bedroom. Her smell was there, as strong as it had been a few days ago when she last slept there. Laid on her bed he tried to understand what really happened that night between the two of them but he couldn't come to any conclusion different from the previous days. He would need Brooke to figure out, they would have to figure it together. As he couldn't get any sleeping he would leave before dawn, letting Sam's breakfast ready for when she woke up and then head to the hospital.

He has been there this morning when Brooke woke up, he has been on her ICU room when he heard her painful moan. She hasn't been sedated and when she woke up she felt the pain of her injuries and her cries had haunted him ever since then.

"Did you talk to her?" Peyton asked some minutes later

"I tried but it was no use. She was in deep pain, Peyton, she only cried and moaned of pain. They took me out of her room while they managed the drugs but still outside I could listen to her screams"

"Oh my God" said Peyton bringing her hands to her face

"Did they say how long will she stay like these?"

"They said the worse would be gone in five or six days, so in a couple of days they hope to be able to keep her awake by managing only morphine"

"Did she recognize you?" Haley asked

"I don't know. The doctor said they prefer to do all tests they need to do when she is awake for good"

"Did you let Sam know?" she asked

"No. I will wait for her to come later. I don't want her to be more scared than she has already been"

"Okay"

"I am going to the set" said Lucas

"I'll be there this afternoon" Julian answered

"Are you sure?" he asked

"Yes. The worst risk is gone. She is awake and now according to her doctors is just about waiting for time to heal her injuries and for her to be released"

"Did they estimate her recovery?"

"Once she is on bearable pain she will be released. Then it will be only about the casts though they think she will need them for months, especially on her left leg"

"What about her head?" Peyton asked

"The moment she woke up it proved the surgery to be successful. They will only check for permanent damages that could be affect her motor or speak abilities and maybe her memory"

"I think her speak abilities are okay, according to the screams you said"

"Yeah but it weren't exactly words it was more like moans of pain"

"Ohh" said Haley

Somehow her friends were comforted that she at least wasn't in pain and the risk has already passed.

Julian knew he needed to resume the movie production if they want to able to keep the schedule. Reluctantly he went to the set that afternoon and in the following days but he would ensure he was in the hospital when they stopped managing the drugs that were keeping her on induced coma. He has asked the doctors about when they would wake up her because he didn't want to work that day but they said it depended on how her body reacted. It could be the next day or in the following. Regardless of the day, they ensure him it would be done very early in the morning and he could resume his daily activities if they postponed it.

This past week he felt he has been walking awake in his worst nightmare. For someone that always had control over everything this was something new, he didn't think twice about breaking up with Peyton when he realized she was still emotionally involved with Lucas. He wasted no time moving on from her to the next girl merely twenty four hours after their breakup. Julian learned how to be practical with his life whether it was business whether it was feelings. If somehow things didn't work out the best for him, he would just look to his possibilities and just pick the next try. He knew how it was to keep investing in something for nothing. He accepted defeat and loss as they came. He would shake the dust of his feet and go on, the loss long forgotten. He knew sometimes things would work out perfectly and sometimes they just wouldn't.

He was supposed to get over Brooke. What they had was great, amazing even but now she was in no place to keep it going, he should just hope for her to recover well and move on with his life either producing his movie either meeting someone else but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He would just head to the hospital, like he has done the past days and wait for her.

"Hey" Sam said from the doorway

"Why are you awake, Sam?" he said confirming on his watch that it was barely past 5am

"I am going with you, she could wake this morning, couldn't she?"

"Sam, they don't know. They said it could be today, tomorrow, it depends on her healing. They would interrupt the medication but it doesn't mean she will immediately wake up. It will take some hours" he said

"But I want to be there when she awakes" she insisted

"Sam, I know that I am in no place to ask you what I've been asking this week and I am sorry if I am a pain for you but you need to go to school. Brooke would be really upset if she knew you missed three days of school"

"First, you are not a pain, Julian. I am thankful you are here with me and Brooke can't be upset because she is still sleeping, so I am going"

"Come here" said Julian from the bed

She sat by his side and he moved his hand to her shoulder

"The moment they stop the medication, I will let you know. You stay alert and when she is awake, you'll come, I'll write a note to the principal" he said

"Am I on kindergarten for you to send notes to my teacher?" she asked

"No, but I don't want you to have to explain anything for them. I can't go with you otherwise we both could miss the moment she awakes so I'll write a note and make a call at 7am, okay?"

"But Julian it is not fair"

"Sam, nothing of what happened is fair but still we cope as we can"

"Right" she said annoyed

"Thank you. You have been an amazing kid this week and I will ensure Brooke knows it"

"And I will ensure she knows how great you were to me" she said hugging him and leaving

Julian made her breakfast and headed to the hospital. He was informed that they stopped her medication during the night and that she could be awake at any moment. He sat by her side and waited. He didn't know what to expect but he was sure that the following events weren't any close of the worst scenario he imagined.

"Ouch" she said from her bed and he immediately stood up from his chair.

AN: First of all, thanks for the reviews. I answer each of them but the anonymous I can't, so I thank you here ;-)

I know you expected more of this chapter and I had more at first but then it was too long and I decided to split into two chapters one titled Awake - in which Brooke is unconscious and the next is titled Unconscious in which she is awake and you will realize why they are named opposite to the situation. This first part felt like a filler but I'll keep this way. You have a great cliff waiting for you and I'll post the next chapter in two days so you will find out why the scenario is worse than Julian imagined, though I am sure you already know given the synopsis. So far I only prepared the ground with necessary background, the real actions starts next chapter and from there on expect a lot of development, emotions and confusion to the major characters

Answering a specific request of a reader: there is no way I can drop Owen from the fic, this how the primary plot develops. But I'll make it more bearable for you. We will see him only once, in the moment he goes to see Brooke after she is released home. From there on, there will be only mentions of what is going on with the two of them.

I also want some opinions: Should Sam go with her birth mother like in the show? Do you want Victoria in this fic? What would you think of pregnant Brooke (regardless of the father)? Should Lucas and Peyton leave as in the show? Should the movie be canceled as well?

I already have an opinion about some of these ideas (it doesn't mean I wouldn't change my mind) and some of them I have no idea of what to do. My original plan is for this to be a mirror of the events on season 6, so I was considering the major events that happened there to happen here as well but maybe you guys have better ideas ;-). thank you