Chapter 9
Nathan and Haley were lying on their stomachs, side-by-side, on her bed in the apartment, a math book spread out in front of them. Haley was checking Nathan's homework and drawing red crosses all over the page.
"Are they really all wrong!" Nathan whined.
Haley put down the pen and put both hands on his shoulder, resting her chin on her hands, staring at him.
"What's up with you tonight, babe? Where's your head at?"
Nathan propped his head up on his hand and sighed.
"Everywhere…"
Haley nodded and laid on her side, beside him, waiting intently for him to continue.
"You know, falling behind in school and trying to keep up with practice, not getting enough sleep because my head is always spinning. Lucas has his second chemo and has that weird port thing put in tomorrow, you know?"
Haley rubbed his shoulder and nodded understandingly.
"The guys on the team are starting to figure out there's something up and I can't keep lying much longer. You know, Lucas just got over being sick from the last chemo! Now he has to go back? How am I supposed to help him do it all over again! Brooke's hanging around so that's helping I guess, but it just makes him put on the brave face even more. I need him to tell me when he needs help. I can't read his mind anymore. There's too much going on!"
"Whoa, whoa, slow down, Nate," Haley murmured, smiling and running her fingers through his hair.
Nathan sighed sat up, laying back hard on the pillows behind him on the bed, covering his face with both hands and sighing. Haley maneuvered around to lay next to him on the pillows, her hands on his shoulder and her head laying next to his, staring at him.
"Sorry, Hales. I didn't mean to come over here and dump all of this on you," he said quietly, taking his hands from his face and staring up at the ceiling.
"It's really okay, Nate. I want you to have someone to talk to. I don't want you to feel like you're doing this alone, okay?"
Nathan nodded.
"I know, I just feel responsible for him, you know? Like, Keith is still gone and Luke misses him. Dan is no help at all. He's really missing Karen a lot. I feel like I'm the only family he's got during all of this."
"But you're not, Nate. Karen will be home soon, and for now you've got me and Peyton and Brooke and Whitey. We're all here for Lucas and we want to help you out with this, Nate. Don't try to do it all by yourself. Let us help, okay?"
Nathan nodded again as she smiled up at him. He kissed her forehead in response before he slid his arms around her waist allowing her to snuggle up next to him, her head resting on his chest.
"I love you, Hales."
"I love you, too, Nate."
---
Nathan opened his eyes and instantly shut them, rubbing his head as the light filtering in through the window and hit his face. He looked around, taking in his surroundings, and immediately jumped off the bed. He was still at Haley's apartment, he had fallen asleep. He picked up his phone off the table and gasped as he read the glowing screen: 8 missed calls. "Damn it!"
Haley jumped and looked around, disoriented as Nathan fumbled around the room, looking for his keys, still halfway asleep.
"What the…! Nathan, what's wrong!"
"I fell asleep!"
"Yes…that's usually what people do at night…"
"No, I fell asleep here, with you! I told Lucas I'd come home before midnight so Brooke could go home and I could take him to his second chemo this morning!"
"Whoa, whoa, you've still got like, half an hour. Slow down, Nate!"
"No, I promised him I'd be there this time! Damn it, why can't I find my keys?"
Haley stood up and put both her hands on Nathan's shoulders, forcing him to look at her.
"Okay, look, I'll drive you over there, just calm down, okay? Lucas probably fell asleep and didn't even notice. It'll be fine…"
Nathan took a deep breath and kissed her quickly before taking her hand and pulling her towards the door.
"Great. Let's go…"
---
Nathan burst through the doorway breathlessly to find Lucas and Brooke seated casually on the couch. Lucas got up and Nathan went over to him, looking him over.
"Hey man, where were you last night?"
"I'm so sorry, Luke. I fell asleep at Haley's apartment last night…hi Brooke"
Brooke waved from where she sat comfortably on the couch and laughed at his delayed greeting.
"No big deal, Nate. I had um, company, last night too."
Nathan raised his eyebrow at him and Brooke laughed again as he looked at her with a sly expression on his face. As if on cue, they all turned as they heard the dreaded honk from the driveway. Brooke stood up and put her arms around Lucas's waist, kissing him softly.
"C'mon, Broody…"
Lucas laughed and used his good hand to lace his fingers with hers, walking towards the door. They all walked out to the car, ignoring the surprised look on Dan's face. Nathan opened the door and Brooke climbed into the backseat.
"You ready for this?" Nathan whispered to Lucas and he opened his own door.
Lucas smiled and bumped fists with Nathan before climbing into the front seat.
---
Lucas and Brooke laid next to one another on the small hospital bed. She was facing him, one hand softly laid on his hurt shoulder, the other clasped around his hand. Dan was supposedly outside talking to the doctor and Nathan was getting the scoop so he could come back and fill them both in.
"What're you going to do today, Cheery?"
"Wait on you."
"No, Brooke, please. I feel bad enough that you skipped school to come down here. You should go hang out with Peyton and Haley or do something fun, Brooke. I don't want you to feel like you have to hang around here all day."
"I don't feel like I have to, Luke. I want to. Besides, I figured it'd be nice to sit and talk with Nathan for awhile. The last thing he wants to do is talk to Dan all day, right? I think Peyton and Haley are coming to see you tonight anyway so I'll see them then."
"Great…party in the hospital," Lucas remarked dryly.
Brooke took her hand from his and ran her fingers through his hair.
"You know we don't mind, Lucas, really. We all just wanted to hang out tonight. Okay? It's not a big deal, I promise."
Lucas smiled and kissed her softly before showing he understood.
"I love you, you know that?"
Brooke smiled. "I love you too."
They sat in silence for a moment or two before Brooke finally got the nerve to ask the question she'd be longing to ask.
"Are you scared, Luke?" she asked softly.
Lucas's smile fell and he avoided her eyes, staring at the small space of bed between them, before nodding slightly.
She snuggled closer to him and traced the edge of the sling with her finger.
"Your hands are shaking, Luke," she said quietly.
He closed his eyes and nodded, willing them to stop. The embarrassment was getting to be a little too frequent. They both were startled from their thoughts as the door opened and Nathan walked in. He came over to the bed and sat down, laughing as Brooke sat up, seating herself on the edge of the bed casually as if she wasn't being caught doing anything wrong.
"So?" Lucas inquired, wanting to know what Nathan found out.
"It's a two-day thing, Luke."
Lucas groaned and put one hand over his face.
"You get the port today during surgery and the second chemo is tomorrow."
"Surgery?" Brooke asked quickly.
"Yeah, they said it's not a big deal. The port thing has to be put under the skin on Lucas's chest and it connects to a big vein or something near his heart, so then, when they have to draw blood or give chemo, they just stick a needle into the port."
Lucas shut his eyes, not wanting to think about any of it. He rubbed his temples with one hand and sighed. Nathan put a hand on his arm and smiled when Lucas opened his eyes to stare at him.
"It's gonna be fine, Luke."
"Sure it is," Lucas scoffed.
It wasn't long before the doctor came in and explained exactly what Nathan did, except in much more complicated terms as they Scott brothers attempted to listen. Brooke sat intently and Lucas squeezed her hand as the nurse gave him medication to calm down.
"The drugs should start working in a minute or two. We'll put you to sleep right after we take you into the OR. I'll see you there, Lucas. The nurse will be in to get you in a couple minutes," the doctor explained.
When both the nurse and the doctor had left the room, Nathan put a hand on Lucas's shoulder.
"How you doing, Luke?"
Lucas stared up at him and Nathan couldn't help but laugh.
"At least your hands stopped shaking, Broody. What are you laughing at, Nathan?" Brooke asked, confused.
Lucas turned his head to look at Brooke and she started laughing too.
"You okay, Luke?" she asked.
"Peeeerrrrfect!" he slurred, his eyes wandering.
"Luke, I have always pictured how funny you would look totally out of it."
"And this is so much funnier!" Nathan finished, both of them laughing.
Lucas mumbled something neither Brooke nor Nathan understood but they laughed even harder. Lucas stared up at the two, grinning, and his eyes out-of-focus. Brooke held his hand as Lucas kept mumbling nonsense. The nurse came in a minute or two later, smiling.
"Hi, Lucas. You ready to go?"
Lucas nodded, the goofy grin never leaving his face. As the nurse went to wheel the bed out the door, Brooke grabbed Lucas's hand once more.
"I love you, Luke. I'll be here when you get back," she said softly, kissing his forehead before letting go of his hand.
"We'll be here, Luke. Don't worry about it," Nathan added encouragingly.
Lucas grinned and nodded before he was taken away.
---
Brooke sat in the waiting room on a small, overstuffed couch beside Nathan who was fidgeting restlessly. Brooke put a hand on his shoulder and smiled.
"He'll be fine, Nate. I know it," she paused before continuing, "you did say it wasn't a big deal, you know."
"Yeah, they did. I don't know why I'm worried."
Brooke smiled, knowing exactly why he was worried.
"You know, you do a good big-brother act, Nate," she chuckled.
Nathan smirked slightly and nodded, jumping slightly when his phone rang. He motioned to Brooke that he'd be back and walked out of the room and down the hallway so he could answer the call outside.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Nate."
"Hey, Hales. Where are you?"
"The tutoring center. I still have like two hours left before I get off. How's Lucas doing?"
"I don't know. They took him into surgery about an hour ago. He should be out any time now."
"Okay, well, I'm not going to be there when he wakes up like I hoped I would be. I'm going to finish up here and then pick up Peyton. We'll probably snag some dinner for all of us and then head over there. Sound good?"
Nathan smiled as Haley talked faster than ever. Haley always talked fast when she was nervous.
"Sounds good, Hales."
"Okay, well, then, I guess I'll see you later."
"Okay. And Hales? Don't worry, okay? He'll be fine, I promise."
He heard Haley laugh nervously.
"Okay, love you, Nate. Bye."
"Love you, bye."
Nathan hung up the phone and smiled. He walked back inside to find Brooke on the phone and he motioned for her to take the call outside. Brooke laughed and then said good-bye, hanging up the phone.
"You know you're not supposed to use your cell phone in the hospital, right?"
Brooke laughed and shrugged.
"Who was your call from, Nate?"
"Haley, worried about Lucas."
Brooke nodded and Nathan asked her the same question.
"Peyton, worried about Lucas."
They both laughed but immediately looked up as the doctor finally walked in. He walked over to Dan, who had been sitting on the other side of the room, flipping through magazines the entire day without a word. After exchanging a few words, Dan left and the doctor walked over to Brooke and Nathan.
"The surgery went well. The port is in place and Lucas is in recovery. He'll be back in his own room shortly. We'll watch him tonight and then tomorrow. If all goes well, he's have his second chemo treatment and be sent home. He's groggy now and his chest will probably be sore for a few days, but that's nothing out of the ordinary. The nurse will give you a couple of pamphlets about how to care for the new port. Any questions?"
Nathan and Brooke stared blankly before Nathan shook the man's hand.
"Thank you. Can we see him now?"
The man nodded and Brooke and Nathan followed him out of the room.
---
Brooke followed Nathan into the room, grabbing his arm as they rounded the corner.
"Hey, Luke…" Nathan said softly, making their presence known.
Lucas heard Nathan's voice and opened his eyes, squinting as the light hit. He was dizzy and felt like someone was sitting in his chest. Simply breathing hurt like hell, but he managed to smile as his brother and girlfriend entered the room. Brooke and Nathan took seats on either side of the bed, Nathan in a chair and Brooke on the edge of the bed. Nathan put his hand on Lucas's good arm and Brooke ran her fingers through his hair.
"You okay, man?" Nathan asked.
Lucas nodded and swallowed hard before replying.
"Yeah…my chest hurts."
Lucas's voice was raspy and Brooke took his hand, willing herself not to cry as her boyfriend lay still, wincing with each deep breath he took.
"Don't cry, pretty girl. It's okay," Lucas whispered softly, reaching up to wipe the single tear that had run down her cheek.
Brooke gently laid down beside Lucas and ran her finger gently over his chest. Lucas closed his eyes, trying to ignore the nagging pain in his chest every time he took a breath.
"You tired, Broody?"
Lucas nodded, not wanting to open his eyes for fear that the world underneath him would tilt. He felt Brooke run her fingers through his hair and sit up.
"Oh…I'm so sorry, baby," she apologized, noticing the sharp breath he took in as she moved.
Lucas nodded slightly, indicating he forgave her as he let out the breath.
"You get some sleep, man. We'll be back later with Haley and Peyton." Nathan said, taking Brooke arm and leading her out the door.
---
Nathan and Brooke stood outside the hospital almost two hours later, waiting for the two other girls to arrive.
"Nate!"
Both Brooke and Nathan turned to see Haley running towards them and Peyton walking a little slower behind her. Haley ran into Nathan's chest and he immediately wrapped his arms around her. She stared up at him with worried eyes.
"He's okay, Hales."
Haley sighed and rested her head against Nathan's chest and he kissed the top of her head as Peyton finally caught up. Brooke nodded, signaling Lucas's condition to her and she smiled, putting a hand on Nathan's shoulder and hugging Brooke.
---
Later that night, they were all sitting around Lucas's hospital room, half-eaten plates of take-out strewn everywhere. Nathan and Haley were snuggled into the arm-chair which had been pulled beside Lucas's bed. Brooke was lying beside Lucas, his one good arm hugged tightly around her waist, and Peyton was sitting in the chair on the other side of the bed, flipping through channels with the remote. A nurse poked her head around the door and smiled.
"Visiting hours are over, guys; time to say good-bye."
Haley got up from where she sat and grabbed Nathan's hands, pulling him to his feet. Peyton immediately got up and starting throwing away the plates and take-out boxes. Brooke rolled over gently and slowly rose to help Peyton clean up. Haley walked casually over beside the bed and Nathan followed, slipping both arms around her waist as Lucas stared up at the both of them with sleepy eyes. Haley put a hand softly on Lucas's chest and smiled sympathetically.
"Does it still hurt?"
"Only when I breathe…" Lucas joked, smiling weakly.
"It'll get better, man. Don't worry about it, just get some sleep and we'll be here in the morning to check you out, head over to clinic, and then you'll get to go home. Alright?"
Lucas nodded, showing no emotion as his world tilted again. Lucas raised his hand to bump fists with his brother and smiled as Nathan turned to the door. Haley leaned down to hug Lucas, as gently as she could, but she still felt him tense up underneath her as she quickly pulled away.
"I'm sorry, Luke."
"It okay, Hales," he smiled and said softly.
"I'll see you tomorrow when you get home, okay?"
Lucas smiled again and nodded, squeezing her hand before she turned and went after Nathan. Peyton finished with the trash and then walked over to Lucas's bed, putting a hand on his arm.
"You gonna be okay, Luke?"
Lucas nodded and smiled.
"Thanks for coming, Pey," he said softly.
Peyton nodded and smiled, squeezing his hand once before turning towards the door. Knowing she was waiting to be the last one, Lucas waited until Brooke came up to the bed. She walked slowed over and grabbed his hand, smiling at him.
"How you doing, Luke?"
Lucas nodded, smiling at her.
"I had fun tonight, Brooke, really. Thanks for doing this. It was like old times."
Brooke smiled and bent down to kiss his forehead softly.
"It is just like old times, Broody. I'll see you tomorrow, okay? I love you."
He squeezed her hand and nodded.
"I love you too, Pretty Girl, so much…" he trailed off, letting go of her hand as she walked backwards slowly towards the door. She blew him a kiss and smiled once more before turning out the light and leaving the room. Lucas closed his eyes and let the darkness creep in around him
---
The next day seemed to come too soon for Lucas. Before he knew it, he was sitting in the all-too-familiar armchair, except this time, Brooke and Nathan were in the room with him. The same nurse from the previous treatment came into the room and smiled at him.
"Hey, Lucas. How are you today?" she asked, glancing down at the chart and pulling up a stool in front of him to sit on. Lucas nodded, not saying a word.
"Well, you had a port inserted. Yesterday was it?" she asked in a conversational tone, probably already knowing the answer.
Lucas nodded again and Brooke took his hand.
"Well, then, this time will be a little different than the last for you," she explained.
All three teens turned towards her.
"This time, we'll insert a smaller needle right into the skin above the center of the port instead of a needle in your arm."
Brooke felt Lucas's hand tense up inside of hers and cleared her throat.
"Will it hurt?" she asked, knowing Lucas wanted to know the same thing.
"The first couple of times, yes. After awhile, the skin above the port starts to toughen up and he won't even feel it. Until then, he will feel the needle going in. Normally, we would use medicine to numb it a little first, but since he just had the port inserted yesterday, we don't want to irritate the skin any more than we have to. Since the skin is still sore, we're going to use ice this time," the nurse explained, slowly pulling the bandage from Lucas's chest.
Brooke glanced down and saw Lucas's face go pale. She squeezed his hand and Nathan stood behind Lucas, putting a hand on his shoulder. The nurse smiled and handed the ice to Brooke before glancing back down. Brooke held the ice to the tender area on Lucas's chest and rubbed his arm when he winced. When he opened his eyes again, she smiled.
"You okay?"
He nodded, clenching his fists as Brooke took the ice away. Nathan squeezed Lucas's good shoulder and Brooke held his hand as the needle went in. Brooke saw him squeeze his eyes shut and hard him draw in a sharp breath through his teeth. The nurse pulled away and Lucas let out a shaky breath, tears on the brims of his eyes. Brooke continued to squeeze his hand and Nathan patted his shoulder encouragingly.
"Good news is that that was the worst one, Lucas. You did it. It's always the worst just after you get the port. It's all downhill from here," she said, patting his shoulder before getting up to leave. "I'll be back in an hour."
Nathan took a seat in the chair across from Lucas and Brooke staid beside him, holding his hand.
"You okay now?" Nathan asked.
Lucas smiled as best he could and nodded, leaning his head back as Nathan grabbed the remote. Nathan switched on the TV and let Brooke pick a channel as they all restlessly sat back to watch. Every once in awhile Brooke or Nathan would glance over at Lucas. Finally, towards the end of the movie they'd chosen, Brooke looked over at Lucas to find his face pale and his eyes closed.
"Luke? Lucas?" she asked, gently shaking him.
Nathan turned around as Lucas opened his eyes halfway.
"Are you sure you're okay? What's wrong?" Brooke asked.
"Really tired, dizzy," he responded simply.
Nathan opened his mouth to speak but was cut off when the doctor and nurse walked in. Nathan stood behind Lucas again, Brooke holding his hand, as the same routine seemed to occur. Lucas shut his eyes and drew in a sharp breath, letting it out shakily when the nurse was finished. The doctor smiled and motioned for them all to follow him out the door. Lucas used his good arm to push himself up off the chair and stood, swaying back and forth unsteadily. Nathan reached out and caught his back, standing him up straight. Lucas's eyes focused and he instinctively put his arm around his brother's shoulder for support.
"C'mon, man. Let's get you home, okay?"
Lucas nodded and walked forward slowly, his eyes half-closed, with Brooke trailing cautiously behind.
When the teens reached the hallway Nathan met eyes with his father for the second time that day. The car ride to the hospital had been awkward, Dan driving with Nathan and Brooke in the backseat. This time, Nathan was surprised to see worry in his father's eyes as he looked at Lucas walking slowly towards him. The doctor said his final words and walked off as the teens approached Dan. Lucas lifted his head from where he was staring at the floor and met eyes with Dan. Nathan couldn't believe the sympathy in his father's eyes as he stared at Lucas.
"C'mon. Let's get Luke home, okay?" Brooke interrupted, worried by the dazed look in Lucas's eyes.
Nathan took a step forward but Lucas didn't follow, causing him to lose his grip. Dan wrapped a strong arm around Lucas's waist from the other side and glanced over at Nathan.
"Let's go. Let's get your brother to the car," he said awkwardly.
The ride home was slow and just as awkward. Brooke volunteered to sit up front while Lucas sat beside Nathan in the back. Nathan had one hand on Lucas's arm, making sure he didn't fall over, and glanced at Brooke in the rear view mirror.
Lucas felt horrible. His chest and head were throbbing and he felt as if there were tons of brick lying on top of his whole body. Even lifting his head took more effort than he was willing to muster. His stomach was churning and he knew that if they didn't get home, he wouldn't be able to hold his stomach much longer. Dan took a sharp turn onto another street and Lucas felt his stomach lurch. Nathan looked over and immediately hit the back of his father's seat.
"Pull over!" Nathan yelled quickly.
Nathan got up from his seat, running to the other side of the car and opening Lucas's door, helping him out. As soon as Lucas's felt his feet hit the ground beside the car, his legs buckled and he fell to his hands and knees on the side of the road, his stomach violently emptying. Brooke and Nathan kneeled behind him, each with a hand on his back as they waited for Lucas to get control. Finally, after a minute or two Lucas was finished. Nathan helped him stand and Brooke squeezed his hand again.
"Are you okay now? Can you make it home?" she asked.
Lucas nodded and Nathan helped him climb back into the car. They all got back in and Dan took off again.
"Sorry, Dan," Lucas mumbled sleepily.
Dan glanced back in the mirror to see Lucas half-asleep on Nathan's shoulder.
"It's okay, son. It's okay…" he trailed off awkwardly as they pulled into the driveway. Dan and Nathan got out and helped Lucas to the front door. When they reached the door Nathan slid Lucas's arm around Brooke's shoulder and let her lead him inside.
"Nate?" Dan grabbed Nathan's arm and he turned around to face his father.
"Is Lucas feeling that bad? All the time?"
Nathan hesitated before nodding. He knew Lucas wouldn't want Dan knowing how weak he was, that he wanted to act strong for anyone he could, but somehow, Nathan felt that Dan should feel partly guilty for this.
"I'm sorry. Tell him I'm here…if he needs anything," Dan said softly before turning and walking back to the car. Nathan stared after his father in amazement before shaking his head slowly and walking in. He went into the living room to find Lucas and Brooke already fast asleep, Lucas wrapped in Brooke's arms, on the couch. Nathan smirked to himself and threw a blanket over the two, seating himself in the armchair with the remote and the phone, a small smile on his face.