Blood Brothers

Chapter 8


Haley looked around the guest suite and marveled at the enormous room. She wasn't sure how many rooms the house had, but from what she'd seen thus far, she realized half the houses of her relatives could fit inside the Scott home. She slumped against the huge bay window and stared at the glow of the white Christmas lights that adorned most of the house.

Christmas. Haley had nearly forgotten that it was barely three days before Christmas. She had to go out and do some more shopping. Sighing, she realized she should probably get Nathan something. But what do you get the guy that you might or might not be dating? She'd only been tutoring him for a month or so. And she'd only realized they'd gotten gift giving close a few weeks ago.

Somewhere in the massive house, a grandfather clock tolled out, marking the midnight hour. She gave up resisting the urge to see Luke and Nathan, and left the room in search of her friends.


The alarm went off, jolting Dan out of his tenuous sleep. Deb rolled over and muttered, "Your turn or mine?" They had been getting up every hour on the hour to check on the boys. Lucas' concussion was serious enough that the doctors had insisted that they wake him up every hour to make sure he'd not slipped into a coma. Dan reluctantly shrugged off the warm down comforter and stretched. "I'll go. I want to check on Nathan, as well," he offered as he slipped into the hallway.

Hearing voices from inside Nathan's room, Dan hesitated outside his son's door. Peering though the crack in the door, he saw his son and that girl sitting in bed, talking. Sighing, Dan realized that his problems with Haley were just beginning. Figuring that Nathan was well enough to flirt with his girlfriend, Dan moved to the next room, so that he could check on Lucas.

The guest room was bathed in the soft glow of light from the small nightlight that Deb had left in the room, since the doctors had warned them that direct light would aggravate Lucas' concussion. Dan quietly made his way to the bed where Lucas was sleeping. He stared down at the boy, noting how young he looked when he was asleep. Dan was used to seeing the boy's face with the permanent sneer that always seemed in place whenever their paths crossed. Without that conscious anger, Lucas looked peaceful, he thought. How many times had Dan been able to feel peace whenever his oldest son was around?

Reaching out, Dan gently shook the boy's shoulder, not wanting to wake him up, but knowing he had to make sure the kid was all right. All he needed was Karen coming home to find her son back in the hospital. Lucas stirred but didn't wake up. Dan reached out again, nudging Lucas a bit harder.

Lucas rolled over toward him, his face scrunching up as his eyes squinted in the room's low light. "whaatttt?" he groaned, having the sensation of rest leave his body. Dan watched as Lucas curled back up and closed his eyes. That was a good enough indication he wasn't in a coma, he reasoned. He rearranged the nasal canola so that Lucas could breathe oxygen rich air, and then sat back and watched his son sleep.

He wasn't sure how the last few months had changed his view about this boy. He'd spent Luke's entire life justifying his abandonment of both Karen and her son. So why was he now concerned about the boy's emotional and physical well-being? He hesitantly reached out and touched the boy's head. "I'm sorry," he softly said, realizing that Whitey was right. He'd never feel good about this situation until he could admit that he was wrong.

Dan pulled back, suddenly embarrassed by his unguarded reaction. He'd not gotten to where he was in life by being emotional or demonstrative. He paused as he left the room, wondering if he'd ever have the courage to say those words to Lucas when he was actually awake.


Nathan looked down at Haley, who was curled up next to him, intently watching the movie on his flat screen TV. "Do you all have these monster TV's in every room?" she suddenly asked, realizing this was the fourth one she'd seen so far.

Nathan continued playing with her soft hair and smiled. "My dad wanted to make sure that we had high def in every room so that we could watch game tapes," he admitted, thinking it was a totally useless way to spend money. But how many things did they own that were totally useless? I mean, how many houses and cars did one family need? Especially when he had a half brother across town that didn't have most of the basics of life.

Haley giggled at his comment, liking that Nathan was finally noticing his rich boy origins. She smiled up at him, and noticed his thoughtful expression. "What are you thinking?" she suddenly asked.

He smiled at her, not sure how to express his guilt over the differences in his lifestyle and his brother's. "I don't know. I guess I just wondered how fair it is that I grew up in this house with all this stuff, while Lucas lives in that tiny house and has to work just to afford the basics."

Forgetting the movie, she pushed herself up against the headboard, and thought about his words. "It's been hard for them. I mean, Karen has always had to budget everything out. It helped when Luke got a job helping Keith out. But he's definitely not had it easy," she explained, not wanting to add to the guilt that Nathan obviously felt. It warmed her heart to see he was capable of such empathy.

"I guess that my dad has his reasons, but I don't know how he could not worry about whether his own kid was eating or not," Nathan replied. "I just wonder what I would have done in that situation." He glanced down at Haley, and realized that she was not only focused on him, but she was actually listening to what he was saying. His entire relationship with Peyton had consisted of sex and meaningless conversations. It was kind of nice to have someone listen to his thoughts and feelings.

"You are not your dad, Nathan. Hopefully you won't have to worry about taking care of a baby at our age, but if that ever happened, you'd make the right decision," she said, firmly convinced that he would in fact do the right thing.

Reaching out, Nathan pulled her to his chest, carefully making sure that he didn't put a lot of pressure on his bandaged hands. "What are we doing here?" he gently asked, wanting to get an idea of if there was an "us" before he totally gave her his heart. And he was so close to giving her something he'd never given another girl before.

Haley nearly got lost in his eyes. "I don't know," she admitted, afraid to let him know that she'd never felt like this before. Sure she'd nurtured a crush on Luke for years, but what female hadn't? He was kind and sincere and was totally crush worthy. But Nathan sent chills down her back and made her act with recklessness she'd not realized existed before.

"I mean, have you even told Luke about us?" he demanded, knowing that his brother's reaction could make or break their fledgling relationship. She looked down at his comforter for a moment before meeting his eyes. "I haven't told him yet. But he suspects that I have feelings for you, Nathan. He's already accused me of it," she confirmed.

Nathan pulled her closer, not willing to risk letting her get a way from him. "Between your friends and my father, we are so doomed," he muttered, wondering if he'd ever be allowed to be happy.

"I don't want to come between you and Lucas," she admitted, voicing her greatest concern. "If there's anyway that the two of you can find a way to coexist, or even form some kind of relationship, I don't want to want to come between you."

Sighing, Nathan shook his head in confusion. "I think my dad's doing a good enough job of that," he admitted. "It's just that Lucas has totally invaded my space. First the team, then Peyton, and even my group of friends."

"But you didn't really love Peyton, so is that a huge loss?" she challenged.

He considered her words for a minute and then held up his bandaged hands in front of her. "It's not just that. What if I can't play anymore? What if my dad decides that Lucas is the chosen one?"

Haley debated whether now was the time to point out that Dan was an irredeemable ass, or to remain silent. She decided to hedge on that topic. "Nathan, you are so much more than basketball. Maybe it's time you showed everyone, including your dad, what you are capable of."

Moving away from the door, Dan walked back to his room in a daze. He'd realized that Nathan was reacting poorly to Lucas's presence on the team and in his life, but he'd never considered that the boy would view himself as replaceable. Shaking his head, Dan slowly headed downstairs. He needed to clear his head and come up with a game plan for dealing with both of his sons.


2 AM

Nathan yawned as the movie credits finally rolled across the screen. He was so tired that he could barely force himself to keep his eyes open. Haley had stayed with him for the past few hours, as they watched the movie and shared private thoughts with each other.

Yawning, Haley stretched up, not realizing her baby t-shirt moved with her. Nathan leered at her exposed flesh, loving her total ignorance about what she was doing to him. She jumped as she felt his warm hand against her belly. Looking up, she saw his eyes gleaming with lust and she cautiously moved back. "Nathan, it's getting late. . ." she began, not wanting to hurt his feelings, but not sure she could stop anything that he started.

He was confused at the signals she was sending him. He couldn't tell if she wanted him or if she wanted her space. Peyton was never that confusing, he thought. She was either totally ready to go or wasn't speaking to him. Nathan looked at her and realized that maybe it wasn't lack of desire, but lack of experience that was holding Haley back.

"Um…I have to ask…have you and Lucas ever, you know, been together?" he stumbled, forcing the question out despite the sick feeling in his stomach. Did he really want the answer to this question, given how tight Luke and Haley appeared?

Haley looked at him in confusion. "Been together? We've been plenty of places together. We even went to South Carolina once on a weekend trip," she added, not sure of what he wanted to know.

Sighing, Nathan played with the bandages on his hands, in an attempt to avoid her gaze. He had to know the truth though, so he pushed on despite the risk of upsetting Haley. "Um, I guess what I am asking is if you've ever slept with Lucas." He continued to avoid looking at her face.

Hiding a smile, Haley replied, "Oh, yeah. We sleep together all the time." Nathan pulled away from her and moved to the far side of his bed. He'd seen the damage that came from brother's sharing women. His Uncle Keith and his dad had barely spoken the past 15 years because of Karen. He didn't need to repeat history with Luke by sharing Haley. Besides, it made sense as to why Haley and Luke were so tight, and why they were always together. Why else would you hang out with a member of the opposite sex if not for sex?

Watching as Nathan sulked, Haley decided to end his torture. She rolled over on top of him and said "Sleep, Nathan. As in, we have in the past fallen asleep together. Haven't you ever been friends with a girl before, or just liked a girl as a friend?"

Considering her words, Nathan thought back through the past few years. "Nope, no opposite sex friends. Just girl friends," he said casually, not wanting her to think about how many girls there had been. She picked up on that vibe. "Oh yeah, the great Nathan Scott love machine. I hear you're really quite hot," she teased, having heard about his vast conquests at school.

Sitting up, Nathan gave her an earnest look. "Okay, we need to have this talk," he began, wanting to set her straight. "People talk without knowing the truth. And the truth is, I have been with a few girls. But not the numbers that the school gossips give out."

She nodded; relieved that he wasn't the male slut she'd heard about for years. She reached out and squeezed his shoulder. "Thanks for sharing that with me. It's good to know that all the rumors about you aren't true."

Rolling over on his side to face her, he asked, "What about your sex life?" She blushed and moved away from him. "It's not like I have a sex life to talk about," she admitted, nervously waiting for his reaction.

He nodded at her, having already figured that she was a virgin. He didn't care about sex for once, though. She was hot, but she was kind. And she made him feel better about himself, which no one else in his life had ever been able to accomplish. "Don't worry about it, Haley. I don't expect you to do anything or to be experienced, you know?"

She smiled at him. "I didn't say I was Inexperienced. I mean, I have seen Lucas naked and stuff," she offered, noting his immediate jealousy. She continued, "of course we were 12 and we were skinny-dipping…"

"Well, we do have a pool if you suddenly get the urge to go skinny-dipping with me," he offered, pulling her as close to him as his hands would allow. They kissed for a long time, forgetting the rest of the house and the passage of time.


I'm not sure if one's reading, so please let me know so I can decide to keep posting chapters. Replies are appreciated, as it's nice to know what people think. Next up Luke wakes up and realizes he's not where he should be. Nathan and Haley stuff, too.