Blood Brothers
Chapter 4
Dan watched in silence as two fireman prepared to board the bus in search of the missing kids. He'd heard one of them mention the gas tank on the bus, and watched as the rest of the officials herded the kids away from the wreck. He and Coach Durham had refused to move so that they could watch the outcome of the rescue attempt.
Dan glanced uneasily at his Rolex. By his calculations, it had only been about 13 minutes since the crash occurred. That wasn't too long for the kids to survive. He paced a few moments, wondering how he'd break this news to his wife, in case the worst happened. Or how he'd deal with it himself. He'd put so much of his life into Nathan's that he wasn't sure he'd survive if his son died.
"Hey, we got one," a fireman yelled, gaining the attention of the entire group. The fireman reached up and pulled a shaking figure from the smoke filled emergency doorway. The EMT's immediately rushed over, shoving Dan out of the way and proceeded to work on Peyton. Dan watched with concern as the girl was moved onto a gurney and given a battery of quick tests.
Peyton couldn't stop shaking, no matter how many blankets they covered her with. She did her best to answer their questions, but her voice cracked and her throat ached and it hurt to breathe. Someone covered her face with an oxygen mask and started to move her away from the bus when Dan stopped them. "Peyton, did you see Nathan in there," he begged, wondering how bad his son was if she looked this bad after being rescued. He looked down at her and quietly added, "Or Lucas?"
The EMT's tried shoving the man out of their way, but Peyton raised a hand to stop them. A fireman leaned in as she took off her mask and hoarsely told Dan, "Luke. . . Nate…inside," before she leaned over and coughed. She looked at Dan with pleading eyes. "Help Brooke. . . front of bus. Need help."
The fireman nodded to Dan and Whitey, and motioned two of his men to go into the bus. He turned to Dan and Whitey. "That helps pinpoint their location. I figure we have a few minutes before that gas tank explodes. We'll do our best," he promised, moving toward the wreck. They watched him go, as Peyton was moved toward a waiting ambulance. Only time would tell if they would find patients or victims.
The two firemen boarded the bus and went different directions when they hit the aisle. Finding no one trapped in the back, he gave a signal on his radio instructing the rescue efforts to the front of the bus.
Moving down the aisle one of the rescuers saw some faint movement in the light of his high-powered lamp. He reached down to find Nathan crawling toward the light. Reaching down he swiftly pulled the boy up and moved quickly down the aisle to the exit door.
Dan watched in fear as he saw someone being lowered to the ground. He ran over to find EMT's swarming around Nathan. Sighing in relief, Dan watched as Nathan coughed and gasped for air. The EMT's slipped an oxygen mask over his nose and Nathan slumped back as the pure oxygen reached his lungs. Seeing his father, he pointed a shaky finger toward the bus. "help them, trapped." His voice was broken and scratchy, but he hoped that his meaning was understood. Dan gently shoved him back onto the gurney, and then grasped his son's shoulder. "I was so worried, Nathan. You have no idea how scared I was every minute you didn't get off that bus," he confided, as tears filled his eyes.
Nathan nodded slightly, as lightheadedness overtook him. He pointed back to the bus with a weak gesture as the EMT's started rolling him toward the ambulance. "Make sure they get out."
Dan switched looks between the burning vehicle and his son, not sure what matter to attend to first. Whitey appeared beside him, and said, "Let them work on the boy, Danny. You'll just be in the way."
They turned and watched as the rescue attempt continued.
The heat on the bus was growing more intense, causing the firemen concern. About to give up hope, one of them bumped into something obscured in the dense smoke and quickly called for back up. Relieved to find last two missing kids, he and his partner hoisted them up and moved quickly to the escape door.
Hearing Jake call out in excitement, Dan and Whitey moved toward the bus and watched as Brooke and Lucas were carried to waiting gurneys. Whitey looked on in concern, noticing that both kids were covered in soot and gasping for air. Dan hesitated as Whitey walked over to comfort Brooke, but then slowly moved to where his oldest child lay strapped to a gurney. The boy's face had a strange blue tint to it, and even in the glow of the burning bus, he looked pale and lifeless. He watched the EMT's assess the boy's injuries, noting in concern that they put a c-collar on him. Dan had seen too many sports injuries not to know that meant Lucas could have a serious spinal injury.
Telling himself that he was just getting information for Nathan, Dan walked to the ambulance along with the boy.
"We've got a puncture wound on the upper back, contributing to possible internal bleeding," a worker called out. They loaded Lucas onto the waiting ambulance next to Nathan, while workers swarmed around the boys, preparing them for transport to the Tree Hill Hospital. A worker stopped Dan as he tried to get in the vehicle. "Sir, we are at capacity, you'll have to wait for the transports that are taking the rest of the victims." She smiled emphatically at him, noting the concern on his face and the seriousness of the injuries both boys faced. "Which one is your son?" she asked as she walked away, not hearing as Dan quietly said "both of them".
Whitey watched as the ambulances drove off toward town and quietly steered Dan back to the road. "You know, Danny. I don't think I have ever seen so much concern from you before," he casually commented. "So much concern that you might just have enough to give to two boys."
Dan shrugged the older man's hand off his shoulder and gave him an evil look. As he got to the Jag, he turned and faced his former coach. "Did anyone ever tell you that you are a pompous, overblown windbag?"
Whitey smirked at him before replying. "Yeah. You did several times when you were in school."
Dan watched as the older man limped back to where the rest of the players were massed, waiting for another bus to take them back to town. Shaking his head and got in the Jag and grabbed his cell phone. As he waited for his wife to pick up, he thought about Whitey's words. Maybe he did have enough concern for more than one son.
Karen stood patiently beside the payphone, waiting for Lucas to pick up. She looked down at her watch in concern. It was getting late and Lucas should have been home by now. Keith walked up and noticed the crease in her brow. "Relax, we've only been gone a few hours."
She sighed, realizing Keith was right. "I know, but I hate leaving him alone. I have this bad feeling that won't go away," she admitted, taking a cup of coffee from him. The gas station was nearly deserted at this time of night, except for the two figures camped out by the payphones. Keith could see the logic of cell phones at times like this, but for the most part, he and Karen hated the devices with a passion.
Keith herded her back to his Jeep, laughing at her mother hen routine. "You do realize that he's going off to college and that there will be days when he doesn't call to check in. You have to let go sometime, Karen."
She thought about his words as they got in the Jeep. "You're right. He's probably out with one of his new teammates, foraging for food or something," she said, somewhat uncertainly.
Keith gave her a knowing smile. "Or maybe he's out with the half nekkid cheerleader," he suggested, eyebrows raised in innuendo.
Karen's heart dropped at his words. She remembered only too clearly what she and Dan did after basketball games. Maybe it was time to have another safe sex talk with her son. "If you are trying to comfort me with those words, you're failing miserably."
Haley walked home after closing the café down for the night. She'd forgotten how long the end of night process took when there was only one person doing it. She pulled her coat closer to her, thankful that her house was only a few blocks away. Winter was closing in with a vengeance, or as much as it could on the Carolina coastline.
Hearing sirens, she turned and watched two ambulances fly by on the way to hospital down the street. As they drove off, she briefly wondered if there had been an accident or something. Problem with Tree Hill and wrecks was that you inevitably knew most of the casualties. As they disappeared in the distance, she walked faster, intent on getting home.
Dan stood waiting in the E.R. He'd seen both Nathan and Lucas wheeled into examining rooms before being ushered out to the waiting room. He watched as various basketball players and cheerleaders walked out with their parents, and wondered when he'd be able to do the same with his son. Sons. Nathan. He shook his head in confusion as he continued to pace. When had things gotten so complicated?
He talked briefly with some of the other parents, trying to piece together what had happened. Dan had already spoken to the police about what he'd seen, being one of the first people on the scene of the wreck. The police were writing this off as a drunk driver crossing the median of the highway.
He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned around to find Jake and his stepfather standing next to him. Dan examined the boy for injuries, not wanting to imagine what his own boy looked like right now. Jake smiled at the older man, attempting to be polite even if he secretly didn't respect the man. "I just wanted to see if you had heard anything about Nathan or Lucas," he said, not sure how to include Luke without causing problems. Jake knew first hand how touchy extended and stepfamilies could be about that kind of stuff.
Dan shook his head. "I haven't heard anything about either of them. I overheard some nurse say something about severe smoke inhalation and CAT scans, but other than that, no one's seen fit to tell me anything," Dan declared, his frustration at the medical staff clearly showing. He'd already been warned to stop harassing the intake nurses.
Jake nodded, having tried to get information about his teammates as well. "Well, they did get thrown pretty far down the aisle when the wreck happened. If they'd been sitting down, they might have gotten out faster," he speculated, gaining Dan's attention. "What? They were standing up in the aisle?" he not heard this bit of information yet.
Deb walked up behind them, overhearing their conversation. Jake looked at all the adults sheepishly. "Uh, yeah. Luke and Nate were having a slight . . . discussion when the bus was hit." He didn't want to lie, but he was fairly sure that neither Luke nor Nathan wanted their parents to know what they'd be screaming at each other.
Jake's stepfather put a hand on his shoulder. "Jake, I believe Dan would like to know what was going on when this happened, so can you stop being subtle," he said, gently reproaching the boy before Dan popped a blood vessel.
"Yes Jake, I would love to know what they were fighting about," Deb said, staring her husband in the eye. She'd known the boys were not getting along, but Dan had failed to tell her that things were getting violent. And she could tell by his expression that fighting was not a new issue between Lucas and Nathan.
Jake shifted uncomfortably under the scrutiny. "I think they had an issue with birthdays and fathers and stuff," he lamely offered, avoiding looking Mr. Scott in the eye. Dan took in Jake's word, barely nodding when he and his father excused themselves. Deb sighed and then took his hand. "Are you happy now? All this "take out your competitor" talk has Nathan attacking his own brother."
Dan took issue with her words. "Why is it always Nathan's fault? Why do you always take Karen's son's side?" he demanded, feeling that her rejection of their son was a rejection of him. Deb attempted to explain her words. "How many times has Nathan gotten in trouble for fighting at school? How many hazing attempts has Whitey accused him of? I can't say that it was all Nathan's fault, but I do know he's creating a lot of this conflict with his brother."
"Lucas is NOT Nathan's brother," he argued, tried of having this same conversation with his wife. She thought all they had to do to end this conflict between the boys was to build a campfire and sing Kumbya.
Deb turned him around to face her. "He is Nathan's brother and he's your son. And once you're able to admit that, you might find that life is a lot easier." She sighed and looked for any trace of understanding in Dan's eyes. "When will you admit to failure, Dan? Just admit that you were a scared kid who made a mistake years ago by not taking responsibility for Lucas when he was born. Instead you isolated and ignored him, and now you think that if you don't acknowledge his presence that he's not a problem," she accused, summing up the past 17 years. "But it is a problem, especially for Nathan. For better or worse, Nathan has to live and work with your other son. As soon as both of you learn how to do that, life will be a lot better for all the Scott's in this town."
Dan considered her words, along with the fear he'd felt earlier that night when Lucas had still be lost in the wreckage. What had formerly been a black and white issue with him was getting increasingly more confusing. He noticed that people listening to their conversation and sighed. People in this town had nothing better to do than gossip about Dan Scott and his family.
Haley ran into the waiting room at break neck speed, trying to find someone she recognized from school. Most of the players and cheerleaders had left with their parents, but she'd not seen Lucas or Nathan outside and nobody seemed to know what was wrong with them. She'd barely gotten inside her door when her mom informed her that it was all over the news that the basketball team had been in an accident on the way home from the game. Her heart clutched in fear as she came across Dan and Deb. A door opened and Whitey came out with an E.R. doctor. Looking at their expressions, Haley's stomach dropped. She edged up behind the group, listening in using her best eavesdropping techniques.
Whitey rushed over to Deb and grasped her hand in a comforting gesture. Dr. Spencer appraised the situation, realizing this was not going to be easy. He'd known Danny since he was a little boy, and convincing the man to do anything was a major effort. Dan and Deb both began plying the doctor with questions until Whitey asked them to be quiet.
Realizing that he had the room's attention, Dr. Spencer cleared his throat. "We have a serious issue," he said, watching, as both parents grew pale.
"We've run several tests on Nathan," the doctor began. "He's got a cracked rib, a serious cut on his head, and a dangerous case of smoke inhalation. The CAT scan shows that he's not got any internal injuries, and we've already stitched him up," Dr. Spencer told his concerned parents.
Dan sighed, relieved that the worst was over. "So it's basically just bumps and bruises?"
The doctor shook his head. "That's not all. The worst injury he sustained was on his hands. He's got first and second degree burns over most of his palms". Deb grabbed Dan's hand, not sure what the prognosis meant. Dan immediately caught the doctor's implications. "Are you saying he'll never play basketball again?" The idea of his son never playing basketball on the next level stunned Dan.
Whitey rolled his eyes at Dan's words. "Focus here, Danny. It's not about basketball," he gruffly said. Deb nodded at Whitey's words. "Will he be okay?"
Dr. Spencer nodded, much to the Scott's relief. "There is also the smoke inhalation. Nathan will need to spend the next few days in bed with an oxygen mask on. We don't think he'll have any complications with his hands, but the damage to his lungs can morph into pneumonia at the drop of a hat."
Haley closed her eyes at hearing that Nathan would be okay. She wasn't sure what was going on between her and Nathan, but she did know she'd miss their daily tutoring appointments if he were seriously injured. She leaned closer, trying to hear what else the doctor was tell Nathan's parents.
Dan sighed in relief, thankful that his son had been spared. Deb looked at the doctor and prompted, "and? What else aren't you telling us about Nathan?" she asked in concern. She'd worked with Dr. Spencer for many years on various charity committees, and she knew when he was about to delivery bad news.
Both Whitey and the doctor exchanged uneasy looks. Whitey decided to go for bluntness. "We have an issue with the consent to treat forms that the team signed at the beginning of the year," he started, not sure how to broach this subject.
Dan looked at his former coach in confusion. "I signed that form, along with a dozen others giving the school the right to seek medical treatment for Nathan in case there was an accident," Dan looked at Deb in confusion.
Whitey slowly nodded. "You signed one for Nathan, but we don't have one signed for Lucas, because he wasn't with the team at the beginning of the year." Haley frowned in confusion, not understanding what the doctor and coach were hinting about.
Dan looked at both men, not understanding their point. "What does that have to do with Nathan?" The doctor answered for Whitey. "It has nothing to do with Nathan. We are currently treating him and will release him to you in a few hours," he stated. "But we can't treat Lucas until his legal guardian signs a consent form, per hospital regulations. And the boy needs to have surgery ASAP. He's got some internal bleeding that we have to stop or he'll deteriorate quickly."
Deb closed her eyes in concern. She'd not realized that Lucas was so seriously injured. Then again, Dan hadn't said much to her outside of there had been an accident and Nathan was hurt. She slowly realized what the men were alluding to, but Dan failed to see their point. "You both know Karen. Call her and tell her there is a problem and she'll come down and sign the release," Dan said, as if explaining something to two overly dense children. He'd actually been surprised that he'd not run into Karen and Keith yet, seeing how seriously injured their son appeared to be.
Whitey resisted the urge the knock some sense into Dan. "We can't call Karen because she's on her way to Florida. Keith is with her. That leaves one person who can legally sign the treatment release, so that we can get Luke into surgery. And that's you, Dan."
I'm concerned that there's not enough interest in this story for me to keep posting it. Please let me know if I should reconsider. Thank you for reading and replying.