A/N Hi guys, sorry for the delay. This is actually quite a happy chapter :) As always reviews= happy nevthebunny
Disclaimer: If I owned One Tree Hill I would not have to do history essays so clearly I don't own it *cries*
"I can't accept this, P. Sawyer," a strangely sober Brooke said.
"You are staying here and not arguing," Peyton said firmly. "We can both help each other through this."
She checked her watch and pulled a face.
"Look, I'm sorry to leave you," she began awkwardly, "but I was going to go see Luke…"
Brooke realised what the problem was.
"No, I'll come too. I need to see him," she said sadly.
Shortly afterwards the two young women were at the hospital. They walked in on quite a surprising sight.
"I didn't know Karen was coming down today," Peyton said, shocked.
"I know I've been out of the loop for a while now but I don't think its Karen you need to worry about," Brooke commented. "It looks like Luke's got himself a new blonde."
For the first time in years and years- practically since high school- Peyton fought the urge to laugh.
"That's just Clare, she's a friend of mine," she informed Brooke.
Karen appeared to be talking to a doctor but looked around as Peyton entered the room.
"Thank you, doctor," the elder of the two women said, and he left.
Without a word the two women hugged.
"It's been too long, Peyton," she sighed. Noticing Brooke, she hugged her too.
"How have you been?" she asked the brunette.
"Not too good," Brooke replied, "but I'm getting better already.
Clare looked on bewilderedly.
"Oh, sorry," Peyton apologised. "Clare, this is my best friend Brooke. Brooke this is Clare," Peyton introduced.
The two strangers shook hands.
"Are all your friends hot?" Clare joked.
Peyton smiled.
"Actually, Clare, you should see them all together," Karen laughed. "Lucas, Peyton, Brooke, Nathan and…"
"Haley," Brooke filled in. Two pairs of eyes stared at her. "Sorry," she muttered.
"I have some news about that," Peyton recovered.
Karen looked about ready to burst. "I think you'll like mine more… the doctors think Lucas might be waking up!"
The entire room was in uproar. Peyton's eyes widened and she dropped her bag to the floor as Brooke shrieked happily.
"Oh my god," Peyton fell back into her chair. "That's great."
"I knew something was going to happen. I went to see Keith earlier and someone had planted some lilies," Karen smiled happily. "What was your news, Peyton?"
The overwhelmed skinny woman was staring at her comatose ex-boyfriend numbly.
"Nathan got a lead on Haley," she said disconnectedly. "They might be together right now."
However, her brain didn't register anyone's reactions; Lucas could wake up!
Just as Nathan returned to the room, the doorbell rang. Jamie ran to answer it and Nate caught a glimpse of the motherly woman on the other side before his son skipped off with her. Haley waved them off.
"One of Jamie's friend's mothers," she gabbled. "We were going to drop him off when you arrived so she came here instead and… yeah."
For a few minutes they just stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to say and very consciously aware that they weren't getting interrupted any time soon. Finally, Haley broke the silence.
"I know it's a long way too late but I'm sorry," she sighed. "I've been an idiot and a coward and…"
"Hales," Nathan cut her off, automatically using her old nickname. "You are many things but the Haley James Scott I remember was no idiot. You did what you thought was best, case closed. We don't wanna keep looking over this and regretting it. We don't want to become Dan and Mom. We need to move forward."
It was hard for Nathan to say those words, but deep down he knew that for Haley there would be no going back to what they were.
Haley looked at him with a new appreciation.
"Yeah, of course," was all she could say.
The little bit of Haley James that was in Nathan gave him the courage to continue.
"I want to have access to Jamie and a divorce so we can move…" he began before Haley interrupted.
"I don't want a divorce," she said in a small voice.
Nathan was confused.
"You're in Atlanta anyway so come and live with us. I can share my room with Quinn and we can see how it goes. Or if you wouldn't be comfortable…" Haley quickly backtracked.
"You felt it too, huh?" Nathan chuckled in shock.
"What?"
"That spark, it's still there. Always and Forever," he grinned. He drew his hand into his pocket and pulled out her wedding ring.
"Don't say I never gave you anything," he said solemnly, closing her fist over it.
At that exact moment, his phone rang.
"Brooke?" Nathan answered it, perplexed. Suddenly his eyes widened. "How long?" he asked nervously. "I'll be there by tomorrow, tell Peyton hi," he said and hung up.
Haley looked expectantly at him.
"That was Brooke," he said rather pointlessly. "She's with Peyton in Tree Hill. Luke's waking up!"
Brooke sighed as she drifted down the long corridor, hugging her coffee cup. She quickly snapped out of her distant reverie as she noticed a smartly dressed man looking around in puzzlement. As soon as she reached him, Brooke stopped, placing her hand on her hip nonchalantly.
"So, my dear sir, you broken any hearts lately? Punched any guys? Gotten embarrassingly drunk?" she teased.
The man turned around. "Brooke!" he exclaimed speechlessly.
"It's been way too long, friend," Brooke commented.
"Absolutely, too long," he agreed. "I thought you were living in New York…"
The haunted female sighed. "Change of plans," she said. "Hey, Mouth, you heard about Luke?"
Mouth sighed too. It was a day he would rather forget.
Two Years Previously
Marvin McFadden dropped into a seat only to notice Nathan Scott drinking at a dangerous rate.
"Whoa, Nate, slow down!" he exclaimed.
"Why should I?" Nathan slurred. "My wife left me; I don't see my son and my brother's in a coma."
An empty silence from his friend alerted the recovering basketball superstar to Mouth's happy ignorance.
"Yeah, Luke's in a coma. It's bloody Peyton's fault," he muttered.
Present Day
"Yeah, Nate told me about it around two days after it happened."
Brooke went to interrupt but he cut her off with a wave of his hand.
"And I know I should've come to see him, I know but I just kept thinking of excuses not to, I mean it's not like he would've known and then I just couldn't bring myself to come up here. I'm such an awful person and a terrible friend. It just led to me distancing myself and losing contact with everyone 'cept Skills and now I just thought I had to see him 'cause he could die and I'd never forgive myself and…"
"Mouth!" Brooke screeched.
He shut up, shocked.
"It's okay. I haven't ever been here either but P. Sawyer dragged my lazy butt down here and Luke's waking up anyway!"
Mouth took in everything Brooke had said and a grin spread across his face. A weight had been lifted from his chest.
