four.

The sound of knocking at the door still haunted her. Haley's heartbeat accelerated, but she relaxed when she saw Peyton and Brooke through the window. "Hey guys, what's up?"

"Nothing," Peyton said, and Haley gave her a suspicious look. Brooke cut in, "Look, Haley, we know you're a big girl but with Jamie back in school we just didn't want you to be alone."

"Unneeded but sweet, thank you. Come in!"

Not two seconds before Peyton and Brooke stepped through the door, Brooke said excitedly, "Oh my god, did you see who got eliminated on Dancing with the Stars last night?!"

"Brooke, I think you're the only remaining fan of that show in Tree Hill. Besides, I haven't watched TV in forever." She said as she pulled a bottle of wine out of the cupboard to pour for the girls.

Peyton and Brooke shared a look. "So, you haven't watched the news lately?" Peyton asked tentatively.

"Uhh, no, why?"

Brooke laid her hand on Haley's shoulder. "They, uh, found a survivor from Nathan's flight."

Haley took a deep breath. "Wow," was the only thing she could say.

"Yeah."

Haley took the TV remote and switched to the news channel. "The survivor of flight 432, 6'2" in height, dark hair, blue eyes, and 23 years old, was identified as Steven Montgomery of –"

A shattering interrupted the broadcast. The bottle of wine Haley was holding fell to the tile floor.

"More on his condition later tonight," the news reporter finished.

"I'm sorry," Haley reacted, running to get paper towels and a broom. "I'm still pretty affected by it all...I just can't imagine what that family is going through…to think he was dead and realize he's alive. It's incredible." Peyton and Brooke both patted Haley's arm and kneeled down to start cleaning up the mess.

After talking for a few hours, Peyton and Brooke hugged Haley goodbye and left. "How scary was that when the wine bottle shattered?" Peyton laughed as they walked to the car.

"Oh my god I almost screamed. So scary."

"Okay…scariest moment of your life," Nathan questioned Haley, who was draped across his lap.

She thought for a minute, "Hmm. It's a tie. When you jumped off that bridge after Rachel and Cooper being the idiot you are…and when we found Jamie in the pool after that godawful fight." She shuddered, and he squeezed her tighter.

"Ditto for the second one. But, wait, not when you pushed me out of the way of Daunte's car being the idiot you are and got hit?"

"No, I mean, that was scary as hell, but not nearly as scary as the thought of losing you or Jamie. Definitely not the scariest moment of my life."

"It was for me. I can't explain the heart-stopping, sheer terror I felt then. Still gives me chills."

"Really? What about when you crashed that racecar?"

"Trust me, Hales, no comparison."

Haley sat up and hugged him. They just sat there holding each other for the entire night, thankful for surviving everything life had thrown them.


She sighed. Her scariest moments she described to Nathan came nowhere near the moment the police officer had said "no survivors." Jamie's pool accident and Nathan's dive off the bridge had only threatened to knock down the walls of her world, but they both survived. That day in her doorway, the walls of her world came crashing down, and they never really stood up again. Sighing, she looked at the clock, time to pick up Jamie.

In the car, she remembered Jamie's very first day of school.

"Momma, I gotta go," Jamie said, struggling out of her hug.

"Right, okay, love you buddy." Haley stood up to hold Nathan's hand as they watched their son walk into his kindergarten class.

"I thought he was supposed to be the one crying," Haley said, wiping tears from her eyes.

"Aw, Hales…" Nathan pulled her into a hug.

"But no, he was fine, no problem, just marched right in there away from me," she whimpered into his shirt.

"Hales, he loves you, I know he'd rather be home with you all day. But he's excited for school. Clearly, he's taking after you on that one."

Haley laughed into his chest but it sounded more like a muffled sob.

"He's so old," she said in wonder as she turned to look into the classroom.

"I know, it sucks," Nathan replied. "But think of all the alone time we'll have with him in school everyday," he hinted, kissing her hair.

"I know, it's just hard." She leaned into Nathan and they stood in silence, admiring their son in his new school.

"Come on, we've been standing outside the classroom window for like 20 minutes, they're gonna start thinking we're creeps."

Haley held her ground.

"Baby, he's fine, look, he's laughing, he already has friends. And he's got his mom's brains. He'll be okay."

She sighed, and they walked away from the school arm in arm.


An annoying ringing disturbed her blissful memory as she and Jamie walked into their house. Jamie headed for the TV and Haley rushed to answer it. "Hello?"

"Mrs. Scott?"

"Yes, who's calling please?"

"I'm Dr. Gilmore, from Tree Hill Hospital, I just received a call from the Indianapolis hospital, and I have a rather startling discovery regarding your husband, Nathan Scott."

"Um, Doctor, I mean no disrespect but I buried my husband, and I really can't handle that wound being opened again."

Hearing the doctor's response, Haley's eyes nearly popped out of her head.

"I-I'll be right there." She slammed the phone on the receiver and grabbed her keys. "Jamie, let's go!" she shouted and held out her arm for her son, clutched his hand, and dragged him along as she ran to the car.