By ten o'clock that night, a very tired Nathan decided that he was done. He'd had enough of the spritzing and the wiping and the vacuuming, and if he never saw another box of baking soda for the rest of his life, it would be too soon. The smell of vomit wasn't completely gone from the Mustang's interior, but that was too damn bad. He'd done the best he could. The convertible top was down and Mother Nature's breeze was just going to have to do the rest.

In the house on the ground floor, the lights were on in almost every room as usual, but neither Dan nor Deb were anywhere to be found. Nathan trudged into the kitchen, went straight to the refrigerator and guzzled a full bottle of water, then tossed the plastic bottle aside, helped himself to another and guzzled that one too inside of a minute. After he'd quenched his thirst, he leaned wearily against the counter for a moment before he dragged his feet into the family room, collapsed onto the closest couch and flipped on the television set. He wasn't really in the mood to watch anything, but it was better than going to his room and probably bumping into his parents along the way. And it wasn't just them Nathan was likely to see. Upstairs was also Lucas and Illness and Guilt.

Within five minutes, however, Nathan couldn't stand it. He needed a shower, but far more important than that, he needed to know how his brother was doing since he couldn't stop thinking about him. He turned off the TV, gathered his courage and went upstairs.

In Luke's bedroom, Dan wasn't there but Deb was seated on the mattress beside her step-son, taking care of him while he slept. From the open doorway, Nathan watched her soak a hand towel in a bowl on Luke's night-stand, then squeeze out the excess water and apply it gently to his face and neck. She was humming tunelessly while she worked, and for a moment, Nathan didn't feel worry or sympathy anymore. He felt jealousy. It had been ages since he had been sick enough himself to get that kind of sustained attention from his mom; somehow it didn't seem fair that she could shift her love so easily to a kid that wasn't even hers.

Nathan was being an idiot, though. He knew that.

He suppressed his envy and took a step into the room, shoving his hands deep inside his front pockets. When Deb sensed him coming close and turned to look up at him, her disappointment in his behavior clear, Nathan met her eyes with difficulty and gave a small shrug.

"I'm sorry, Mom."

"You should be," Deb told him without a trace of understanding. "What you did a few hours ago ... it was inconsiderate and inexcusable, Nathan. You had no right."

Nathan looked away. He waited until Deb's focus was once again on Lucas before he asked, "Did the bath help his fever to go down any?"

"Yes, it did, but not enough."

"Well ... can I help?"

Before Deb could answer, Dan marched into the room and brushed past him. "Sure you can help. You can help by going back outside and washing that expensive car I gave you."

"I did already," Nathan said defensively. "The Mustang is clean, Dad."

"Wash it again."

"Are you serious?"

"You don't want to wash it? Fine. Go to bed then."

"Come on, Dad. It's too early for that. Look, why don't I give you guys a break and stay with Lucas for a—"

"I have a better idea," Dan interrupted, turning to look at him hard. "Why don't you do as you're told for once and go to your room."

"Dad—"

"I suggest you shut your mouth and get out of my sight, son, before I decide to take you downstairs to my office tonight instead of tomorrow."

Nathan's jaw flapped soundlessly for a moment as he stared at his father in complete disbelief. Finally, he found his tongue. "You already flipped out at me when I brought Lucas home, Dad. You don't really think you're gonna —?"

"Gonna what? Spank you again for this screw-up? Put you over my knee for deliberately disobeying me by dragging your brother out of the house when I told you he wasn't well enough to go anywhere? You bet I am, son. Now go to bed."

"But, Dad!"

"Go to bed!"

Nathan did although for the life of him he had no idea why he obeyed. He forgot his need for a shower, somehow made it back to his own room, and sat on his bed in shock, unable to think past anything except what he'd just been told and what was in store for him tomorrow. It had been five weeks since he and Lucas had trashed the Bugatti, but aside from the odd slap for being rude or refusing to cut the attitude, he hadn't really been in trouble since then. Neither brother had. Was Nathan really going to get another spanking at the age of seventeen? What the hell kind of strict-ass father had Dan Scott become?

Nathan couldn't figure it out ... not that it mattered in any case. He had no money saved to move out again, and even if he did have the money, it wouldn't last long; he knew that already from experience. Getting another minimum wage job at the mall was always a possibility, but Nathan didn't want to do that again if he could help it. Living paycheck to paycheck no way to get through high school.

Maybe he could go to a friend's house?

Nathan thought briefly of fleeing to Tim's just to spend a couple of nights until his dad cooled down, but that wouldn't solve anything in the long run and he knew it. His Dudley Do-Right kind of dad would just track him down and bring him home, and then probably still yank him over his knee for running away.

Thinking of his dad's right hand and the burning pain it could inflict, Nathan felt utterly defeated as he stripped down to his boxers and then lay down in bed. Between the embarrassing slaps he'd already received outside and Luke's crappy health, not to mention dumping Haley without warning and the current state of his Mustang, it was official as far as Nathan was concerned.

This day had sucked ass for the last eight hours straight, and the worst was still to come.