Chapter 3

The Answer

Lucas opened his eyes and looked around not recognizing the room. He looked out the window and saw nurses up and down the halls. He touched his head softly as it was pounding a horrific pain. He looked down the bed and saw a cast around his leg. He looked over at the chair in the corner and there she slept. Her long dark hair fell off her shoulders just perfectly. She looked like an angel with the sun glaring in through the window. "Brooke" he could barely call out her name. His throat was so dry. He tried to reach for a bottle of water on the table next to his bed but couldn't reach. He tipped it over and it caused a loud sound when it hit the floor causing it to wake up Brooke.

Brooke abruptly got up when hearing the bottle drop. "Oh my God" she said startled. She looked over at Lucas and saw he was awake. "Lucas, oh my God you're awake" She rushed to his bedside and gave him a soft kiss. She couldn't believe he was finally awake after a 5 days. "I was so scared" she cried, "I was scared you were never going to wake up." Lucas looked at her confused.

"What happened, Brooke? Why am I here?" Lucas questioned.

"You don't remember?" Brooke replied. Lucas shook his head. Brooke didn't know how he was going to take the news. She couldn't tell him now. She didn't know how he was going to react. He had just woken up. It was going to devastate him. It just wasn't the right time. "Baby, I'm going to get the doctor in here to check up on you. We'll talk about it later but I need to know you'll be okay. I need the doctor to look at you. I'll be right back" She walked out of the room and went in search for a doctor.

Lucas tried hard to remember what it could've been that got him in there. He remembered he was driving. He blinked a few times and furrowed his eyebrows. His head was hurting. "Lily" he whispered. "She was in the back seat." Bits and pieces were coming back to him but nothing was clear. "Watch out!" He remembered those words so clearly as if they were being yelled right next to him in that moment he was in bed. The voice belong to Karen, his mother. Karen and Lily were in the car with him. "Brooke" he managed to let out a little loud. "Brooke" he repeated. "Brooke!" he said again.

A nurse and doctor came rushing in to the room. Lucas was uneasy and anxious he wanted to get off the bed and see where his mom and sister were. "I need to see my mom. Where is she? Where's Lily?!" he yelled.

"Lucas, calm down take it easy" the doctor said. Lucas began pulling off the IVs out of his skin. "Lucas, calm down!" The machines beeping noises started going off. "We need to stabilize him stat" the nurse nodded. She injected him and he slowly began to nod off. Brooke stood in the doorway with her hand over her mouth in tears. She couldn't believe the sight.

The doctor and nurse came out of the room to speak with Brooke. She was devastated. The nurse went to her desk and the doctor stayed with Brooke. "Is he going to be okay, Doctor? Please tell me he is going to be okay." Brooke pleaded.

"He's going to wake up shortly and you will have to tell him. I can be there with you in case he gets anxious again. It's going to be hard. Try to keep him as calm as possible. Is there anyone else who can be here with you?"

"I can call his brother, Nathan. I need to let them know what's going on anyways." Brooke informed him. The doctor nodded and walked off. Brooke went to the cafeteria for some hot tea. She sat at one of the tables and then got her phone out and dialed Nathan's number. She heard the rings and waited for him to pick up. "Nathan, hi." She said. "Yes, he woke up but they had to put him out because he was trying to get out of bed…No, I haven't told him yet. He started remembering and that's what got him uneasy. Can you and Haley come by so you can be there when he wakes up and I need to tell him…Thank you Nate., I'll see you guys soon" Brooke hung up the phone.

A couple hours passed and Brooke just sat there watching her boyfriend lay asleep. Even asleep he looked anxious. Haley came next to her and placed her hand on Brooke's shoulder as reassurance that everything would be okay. "We're here for you, Brooke. For both of you" Haley told her.

"Anything you need, Brooke, just let us know" Nathan said to her. He stood against one of the room's walls. Waiting for both girls for Lucas to wake up. Lucas stirred in the hospital bed and slowly opened his eyes. He blinked a few times until his vision cleared. He saw his brother, best friend, and girlfriend there in the room. Brooke stood up and walked to his bedside and took a seat on the edge of the bed.

"Hi baby," Brooke whispered, "How are you feeling?" she asked. She took a hold of his hand. Lucas shrugged his shoulders. "I need to tell you something, Luke." She felt a lump in her throat form. "I just want you to know that I'm here for you and I always will be. We all are" She looked at both Nathan and Haley. "And I love you so much" She urged.

"What is it, Brooke?" He said groggily and with a worried look on his face. He knew what was coming. He had an idea of what was coming at least. His heart was beating fast and his stomach was in knots.

"You were in a car accident, Lucas." Brooke stated. "You had just picked up your mom from her café. She needed a ride that night."

"And Lily?" Lucas questioned.

"You were watching her for the day so she was in the back seat." Brooke paused and took a deep breath, "A drunk driver T-boned you're car at an intersection, Lucas." Brooke choked up.

"Are they going to be okay? I want to see my mom and Lily. Where are they?" Lucas asked.

Brooke's voice cracked, "Lucas, baby." She pressed her lips together struggling to get the words out. Nathan and Haley looked on tears stung their eyes. Tears escaped from the corner of Brooke's eyes. "Honey, I'm so sorry. They…they didn't make it. The injuries were too severe." Brooke sobbed. "I'm here okay baby, I'm here." She said with her hand running through his hair. "We're going to get through this together." Lucas had a blank stare. He looked frozen. He couldn't believe it.

"Yeah, Luke, anything you need we're here for you" Nathan added. "You just let it know"

Haley had tears rolling down her cheeks. "You won't go through this alone. Like Nathan said anything you need we're here."

Lucas stayed silent. No words escaped his mouth. He didn't know what to say or how to act. It felt surreal. Was he really there? Was this really happening? He just couldn't believe it.

"Lucas, say something" Brooke pleaded.

"I should've seen the driver coming. I should've been more aware. Now they're gone. Just like that" He said flatly. "They're gone."

"Lucas, this isn't your fault. Don't you dare blame yourself for it" Brooke said.

"But it is. I was driving. I should've been more aware of my surroundings. It was late and I should've seen the driver. How could I be so careless?" Lucas said stunned.

Brooke opened the front door of her and Lucas' house. He entered with crutches under her armpits. He hadn't shaved and his hair was messy. "Let's get you into bed," Brooke told him. She took him to their bedroom and he sat back on the bed. Brooke grabbed the crutches and set them against the wall. "Here is some water and your pain medication," she gave him the pills and then the water. "I'm going to tidy up a bit just call my name if you need me sweetie. Get some rest" She placed a soft kiss on his forehead. He nodded.

Lucas hadn't said much since he had woken up at the hospital. Brooke didn't know what else she could do other than be by his side every moment. She tried talking to him getting him to open up but he just gave one-word answers. He showed no emotion. Brooke tried cleaning the house up. She started to tidy up the living room. She was really just pacing the room. She felt anxious. She wanted him to open up to her. She wanted it badly. She fell back on the couch and cried. Her heart was breaking seeing Lucas in that state.

Lucas looked over to one of the bedroom walls. It was picture frame collage that said "Family." There was a picture of him and Brooke in one frame. Then there was one of Nathan, Haley, Brooke, and himself. In the other frame was a picture of him with Lily and Karen. Tears started streaming down his face and he sobbed. "Why" he said to himself "Why did this have to happen? It's my fault, damn it!" He looked over on the nightstand and there was the pill bottle with his pain medication. He opened it and had 2 more. Anger started to fill his body. He didn't understand what he did to deserve this. Why him? Everything was going perfectly. He grabbed the lamp that was on the nightstand and threw it with all his might at the wall. Brooke hurried into the room and saw the shattered lamp on the floor and at the same time he was throwing the glass of water at the same wall causing Brooke to dodge.

"Lucas!" Brooke said shocked. Lucas buried his face in his hands.

"I don't know what to do, Brooke! I don't know what to do! I can't…I don't want to be here…" Lucas sobbed. Brooke rushed to the bed and cradled Lucas.

"Shh…" Brooke said, "I'm here and I'm not going to leave you. Come on, lets lay down" she said as they laid their bodies on the bed. Lucas shortly drifted off to sleep. Those last 2 pills knocked him out. He didn't have to feel anything anymore. He didn't have to hurt if he was asleep. It was better that way he thought. "I love you, Lucas"

Present Day

Lucas was asleep and Brooke sat up on the bed and looked over at him. She couldn't keep coming back to him like this all the time. It was too hard. But she couldn't just leave him like that. She needed to make sure that he was going to be okay and that was going to be taken care of. But she knew she couldn't do it anymore. She got up quietly making sure not to make a noise to not wake him. She snuck out of the room and went to the kitchen where her 4 friends were gathered.

"How are you feeling?" Peyton questioned the brunette.

Brooke sighed, "the best someone could feel at this point..." She took a seat at the table. "I can't do this anymore but I can't just leave him alone. I can't leave him when he doesn't have anyone"

"He won't be alone" Nathan interjected. "I'm his brother and I'll be there for him, Brooke. But you can't keep doing this to yourself. It's not healthy for you."

"Nathan's right," Haley agreed "you need to let go now Brooke before it's too late."

"I'm giving up on him… just like that. We were supposed to be together forever. That's what we said. That's what we told each other. We were going to have 3 kids, live in a big house with our family and be happy and in love. It's all gone now. That dream…that future we wanted. It's just a fantasy now. " Brooke shook her head. "It's too hard. I don't sleep. I don't eat. I don't live anymore"

"Honey, this is why you need to leave him now before it gets any worse. You're killing yourself like this" Peyton told her. Jake placed his hand over Peyton's and nodded.

"I'm going to take care of him, Brooke. I promise you. You can't worry anymore. Take some time to yourself. Live you life. You're young and talented." Nathan assured her.

Brooke let out a soft breath. She knew her friends were right. It just felt so wrong to do this to him. He was the love of her life. He was the boy she thought all their dreams and wishes would come true with. And it all suddenly came to a halt. "You're right. I need to leave. I need to go. " She took a deep breath. "I need to do it now. Before he wakes up if not I won't leave." Her heart was breaking into pieces as she spoke.

Haley and Peyton's eyes stung with tears. Brooke was already crying. She said her goodbyes and gathered her things and loaded them into her car. This was it. This was going to change everything. She had to be on her own. She needed to live again. She trusted in Nathan to watch over Lucas. She got in her car, turned on the ignition, and drove. She didn't know where she was going exactly but she knew it's what she was supposed to do in that moment. She cried as she drove away from her love, Lucas. She didn't know what the future held in store for her or for him. She didn't know if they would get back together in the future. But she was ready to embark the journey that awaited her.