Hello all! I would like to start off by thanking everyone who has read, reviewed and added my story! Here is Chapter 10, a couple of things are happening in this one so I hope you guys like it! And as always, I'd love to hear from you! The good, the bad, anything you want! Thanks for reading!

Kaos2405- thank you very much for reviewing my story! And yes, Lucas is ridiculous in this one, I'm not a huge fan of his, but I'm trying to not be as biased so we'll see what happens with him later on and YES!…I completely agree with you that Haley need Clay!! I'm glad you think so too, I wasn't sure how people would feel about that one! Hope you like Chapter 10!

Bdavisrulz- hey, hope you're doing well!! As always thanks for reviewing! I absolutely love hearing from you! I'm really glad that you liked how the last chapter turned out. And don't you worry, I think at this point Nathan's so fed up with Lucas that if he even comes near Brooke, he'd have more than words to say to him, but I don't know where it's gonna go just yet, I don't really want to make Lucas a big focal point in the next few chapters, more about Brooke's recovery. But who knows! I always have intent to do stuff and then I start writing and end up somewhere completely different! Lol. Anyways, I'm ranting but hope you like this one!

Dizzy0305- hello! Thank you for reviewing this story! Hahaha, I'm glad that you liked the confrontation with Lucas. I was trying not to take it too far, they were in a hospital after all! Lol, I wasn't sure how people would take that one so I'm really glad to hear that you liked it. Sometimes my anti Lucas gets the best of me! Hahaha, yeah he won't be a big part of Brooke's life, don't you worry about that one! Please let me know what you think of chapter 10, I'd love to hear from you and any suggestions you may have!

Sobreyra274- Thanks for reviewing the last chapter! I'm glad you liked it! Again, I wasn't sure how well the last chapter would be received, so here it is, the next chapter, let me know what you think!!

Love me some Julian- Hi! Thanks again for the review! Hope all is well on your end, lol, I know, I know, I'm making Lucas look like a huge bum…but I attempted to explain his point of view a bit in this chapter but I don't know how well it turned out as it's hard for my to be sympathetic towards his character! Let me know how you think I did…I mean, he doesn't maliciously go out to hurt people but he just does. Also I like that you like that he got slapped! You know I'm always so nervous about posting up chapters because I never have a clear path of things and always wonder if it's good or bad. I never know if my writing actually translates into what I want to say. So thank you so much for complimenting my writing! Hope you like this next chapter!! Take care!

Boox914- Thank you very much for reviewing the last chapter! I know that there are a lot of people who feel the same way as you do about what I'm doing to Lucas. I just feel like in this story, he has done some terrible things and has essentially gotten away with them and at that point of the story, the truth had finally come out and he deserved some grief over it. It won't always be everyone vs. Lucas, but I feel like he needed so see that there would be consequences for his actions. I don't know if I think he's a terrible person, he's just done some hurtful things unintentionally. I hope that doesn't deter you from reading, so if you get a chance to read Chapter 10, I'd love to hear from you!

Nikechucks- thank you for reading and reviewing my story!! I am a huge fan of the friendships between Rachel, Peyton and Brooke. And I thought it would be nice to see their friendship extended to Nathan as well. I'm happy that you enjoyed that scene as that one was a really important one to me, for all of those closest to Brooke to come together. I was saying earlier that I know people have mixed feelings about the way I'm treating Lucas in this story, and I'm sure you can tell I'm not a huge fan of that character by now, so I'm glad you enjoyed it! I'm trying not to be so against him, so I thought I'd try something different and write something from his point of view. As a writer, you gotta try new stuff even if you don't necessarily like the character so let me know what you think of it! Be honest! Lol, if it's bad, just say so! Anyhow, thank you again for the review!! Take care!

Leni

Chapter 10:

"Lucas." Haley said gently. She walked with him to his car.

"Haley, what happened to her?" Lucas pleaded to his best friend. They stopped in front of his car.

"She was attacked in her store. She didn't come home for dinner and Nathan assumed that she was working late and when she wasn't answering her phone he decided to go down…" Haley paused momentarily, taking a breath. It gave her chills just talking about what happened to her friend. "And then he found her lying on the ground unconscious."

Lucas looked shocked. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Brooke was attacked in her store, she was unconscious when Nathan found her. The words kept repeating over and over in his head. He suddenly felt nauseas. How could this happen, he wondered to himself.

"Lucas…" started Haley.

"Why didn't you tell me?" asked Lucas glaring at his best friend.

"It really wasn't my place to tell you. I was with Peyton in the studio when Nathan called her." explained Haley. "Honestly, do you really think Brooke would've wanted you there?"

"I expected that from Nathan, Peyton and Rachel but not you. You're my best friend." Lucas said, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Lucas Eugene Scott!" yelled Haley. "Look, I am your best friend and I love you. You know that. Don't you dare accuse me of anything else. But your previous actions have consequences. And at some point you are going to have to take responsibility for those actions."

Lucas looked over at Haley defeated. He knew she was right. He had never meant to hurt Peyton or Brooke but he had. It all started in high school, he had always been in love with Peyton, for as long as he could remember. But then, her spunky best friend came into his life and everything changed at that moment. It changed the course of both their lives forever.

With Brooke, everything was so exciting and there was never a dull moment in their relationship. She was a breath of fresh air and completely different than what one would expect of her. Yes, she was confident and a bitch but underneath at all, she was caring and desired to be loved. And Lucas was lucky enough to see her for who she really was and he was lucky enough to have her love. Though it had always seemed that Brooke was his second choice, he never felt that way because he did love her. He truly loved her. They were amazing together, Broody and Pretty Girl.

Then there was Peyton. The girl that he had loved all his life. He couldn't fight it…even though he loved Brooke, it was a different type of love that he had for Peyton. He couldn't explain it. They made more sense together, they had more things in common and so he left Brooke. His time with Peyton was unforgettable but short lived as he still had Brooke on his mind. And when he was with Brooke, he could never fully let go of Peyton. Thus, the triangle began. The truth was he did love both girls in different ways. But he knew in midst of his indecision, he broke both their hearts and ruined a lifelong friendship in the process, which was thankfully repaired.

"I know Hales." Lucas said, knowing that Haley was right.

"What are you thinking Luke? What about Lindsay?" asked Haley.

"I love Lindsay. I do." started Lucas. With everything that had gone on, he had forgotten about Lindsay. He felt horrible, he knew it wasn't fair to her. But he couldn't get Brooke out of his mind.

"I don't understand Luke, I mean, you were so happy with Lindsay. What happened?" wondered Haley, searching her best friends eyes for an answer. She knew Lucas, she knew he would never intentionally hurt anyone and that his heart was always in the right place.

"I don't know. I can't explain it. I felt terrible about the way things ended with Brooke. I just left her without explanation." sighed Lucas, he looked at Haley before continuing. "I didn't leave her because I didn't love her, it wouldn't have been fair because I still had feelings for Peyton. I know how hurt she must've been and when I saw her, all those old feelings came back. But she looked so hurt and angry, I just want her to be happy. I just thought back to the day I left her. I wanted to finally save her, like I promised."

"Oh Luke. She is happy, she's happy with Nathan. Anyone who can breathe knows she's happy with Nathan. You don't get to be the one that saves her anymore. I don't know if you've noticed, but this Brooke Davis isn't the same as the one from a few years ago. She doesn't need you to save her." Haley gently said. She knew Lucas would forever have a hero complex and she really shouldn't have been surprised, but she wasn't about to let him ruin things with Lindsay.

"I still love her." Lucas said defiantly.

"Do you? I mean, you don't even know her anymore Lucas. A lot of things have changed over the years. She's not the same person she was in high school and I don't think she's the same person you left a few years ago either." stated Haley. "Don't let these pseudo feelings you have ruin things with Lindsay. You love her and she loves you. Don't throw that away."

Lucas took a deep breath. He knew what Haley was saying made sense. How could he love someone he no longer knew. He thought about Lindsay, she was wonderful, beautiful and smart. And he did love her, the moment he met her, he knew she would be important. He suddenly had a moment of clarity. Though he had heard what Haley had said before, it finally sunk in. He no longer knew Brooke anymore, she wasn't the girl he once loved. She hasn't been for a long time. That spot belonged to Lindsay now.

"You're right Haley." said Lucas, as the realization hit him.

Then his mind wandered to his brother. He wished he could be there for Nathan. As much as he was worried about Brooke, he couldn't imagine how Nathan was feeling right now, especially since he was the one that found her. He felt terrible that he had alienated himself from his brother.

"I told Nathan everything today. The proposal, how I left her…and how I still loved her." admitted Lucas. "He's pretty upset, huh?"

Haley smiled sympathetically and rubbed Lucas' arm.

"Well, you told him you were in love with his girlfriend." smirked Haley. "You know Nathan, yeah, he's upset right now but he's your brother, he loves you. Things will work out."

"Thanks Hales." smiled Lucas.

"But I would watch out for Rachel if I were you though." suggested Haley.

Lucas laughed and nodded. He took a final look back towards the hospital and opened the car door.

"You should get back in there. And I need to go home to Lindsay. Just let me know when you hear anything." said Lucas, looking up at Haley as he started the car.

"Ok." smiled Haley. She watched as he pulled out of the parking lot and out of the hospital. She sighed to herself and crossed her arms. She hoped that she had gotten through to Lucas. She took one final deep breath before walking back into the hospital.

Nathan sat quietly as he watched Brooke laying in her hospital bed. She still hadn't woken up from her surgery yet, but that was expected as they had sedated her so she could get some rest. He reached over and held her hand in his. He let out a relieved breath at the warmth that the touch brought, recalling how cold she was hours earlier. He gently kissed her hand, making sure not to disturb the iv in her arm. He looked down at Brooke, both her eyes were swollen and black, the cut on her lip was so deep it had to be stitched and was quite puffy as well, a bandage covered her forehead and there were handprints prominent around her neck. He didn't allow his mind to wonder what her body looked like under the hospital gown. Nathan will never forget how grateful he was when her rape kit came back negative, it was one of the main reasons that kept him from going crazy.

He moved his chair closer to her. He had not left her side since he had given his statement to the police. He made a vow not to leave her until she got out of the hospital. Clay had arranged for Nathan to take a indefinite leave from the team so he could be there for Brooke. Nathan couldn't believe the support from Clay and from the entire Bobcats organization.

"Hey babe, you gave us quite a scare back there." Nathan said, feeling a lump creep up his throat. He hated seeing her like this. "The doctors have said that you're going to be ok, but you're gonna have to take it easy for the next little while so you can recover. Well, they don't know you like I do, I know you can 't sit still for long and I can stay with you, as long as you need me. You're going to be so sick of me. So you get all the rest you need and I'll be here when you wake up. I love you so much."

He sighed as Brooke didn't respond as he reached out and moved some of her hair aside before continuing.

"We could sit in bed and watch movies all day and I can make you breakfast in bed, whatever you want to do, we'll do it. I'll even bring my Nintendo over and we can play Super Mario, but don't think I'll go easy on you Davis, those dimples aren't gonna get you anywhere this time." laughed Nathan as his mind wandered to the memory of Brooke discovering he still had a original Nintendo that functioned.

"Oh my God!" shrieked Brooke, almost choking on her water.

"What? What happened?" asked Nathan alarmed as he quickly made his way to the living room.

"You have an original Nintendo and you didn't tell me!" Brooke said accusingly as she gave him a bewildered look and pointing at the light grey console in front of his tv.

"Jeez Davis, is that what all the commotion was about?" laughed Nathan.

"Uh, yeah! I love Nintendo! Duh!" said Brooke, stating the obvious. "Does it work?"

"Of course it works! Why would I have it if it doesn't work?" scoffed Nathan.

"Well, what games do you have Hot Shot?" asked Brooke, searching the entertainment center for the games.

Nathan walked over and moved aside his X Box games to reveal what must've been 15 different games, all of them in working order, which was something he was quite proud of possessing.

"You have all the Super Mario games!" gasped Brooke excitedly. She had immediately rushed over and started looking over his collection of games. She reached and took out Super Mario 3. "Ok, we have to play this!"

"Yeah, how about after dinner? I was just about to make us something remember?" Nathan asked smiling at how amused his girlfriend was. Her eyes were sparkling with excitement and her dimples out in full force from the huge smile on her face.

"Pfft! Forget that! Neither one of us can cook anyway! Can't we order pizza instead? Then we can play while we wait for it!" pleaded Brooke.

Though she wasn't really asking as she was already putting the game in the console and turning the tv on before Nathan could say anything. He just laughed and shook his head at her.

"I suppose we could. I'll go call for delivery." smirked Nathan as he went to find the phonebook.

"Oh and grab the beer from the fridge!" yelled Brooke.

"Yep!" laughed Nathan.

"Thanks baby, love you!" responded Brooke, already settling in on the couch and starting the game.

An hour and half later, after finishing their pizza and beer, they were at World 6 and Brooke only had 2 lives left while Nathan had 17. Brooke, who was clearly unhappy about the current situation decided that she would click on top of Nathan's Mario and try to steal the two stars he had collected in hopes of gaining 5 lives as she only had one star. He was slightly taken aback at how competitive and aggressive Brooke was. It kinda turned him on.

"Hey! You're cheating!" laughed Nathan when he realized what Brooke was doing. He quickly picked up his contoller he had set down since it was Brooke's turn to play the next level and attempted to beat her to the exposed star.

Brooke laughed triumphantly as she reached the star before him and stuck her tongue out at Nathan.

"No it's not! If it was, why would they let you do it in the game?" she asked laughing and dodging one of the porcupine that had come out of one of the tunnels.

"It's still cheating! You're trying to steal all my stars!" said Nathan, as he tried to pounce on Brooke's Luigi in hopes of freeing one of his stars from her possession.

"But I only have two lives left." pouted Brooke as she leaned closer to Nathan. She looked up at him with a pleading smile, exposing her dimples.

"Fine." caved Nathan, unable to resist how utterly adorable his girlfriend was. He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "I'll let you keep the star you stole from me but you have to get the last star yourself. You can even have the next mushroom house and-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Brooke had stolen his last star from him, gained the extra five lives and Nathan got killed by a porcupine.

"Yes!" exclaimed Brooke victoriously as she smirked at Nathan.

Nathan shook his head at the fond memory and rested his hand gently on her cheek. He knew he had to be patient but he desperately wanted to see her open her beautiful hazel eyes and to smile that perfectly dimpled smile at him. It scared him to see her so lifeless. Brooke was always so vibrant and full of energy and life. He stood up to rearrange her blanket and pillows so she could be more comfortable. Nathan knew how much Brooke liked her pillows cool. He heard the door opening behind him and saw Rachel walk in.

"How is she?" Rachel asked, walking towards the bed. She took in a sharp breath as she looked at Brooke for the first time. She hadn't expected it to be so bad, though Nathan was trying to prepare her for Brooke's appearance. Rachel shakily place her hands on the railing of the bed as the tears started to flow freely down her cheeks.

"It's ok Rachel, it looks worse than it is." reassured Nathan, wrapping an arm around her. "She's not up yet, but she should be soon."

"Ok." nodded Rachel as she calmed down a little. She had been staying strong the whole night but the sight of seeing her best friend in such a state made her come undone. She didn't understand how this could've happened to Brooke. She wondered why this happened, and no matter what she thought, she couldn't make sense of it. "Do you mind if I have a minute with her?"

Rachel knew she was asking a lot from Nathan, she knew how much Nathan had blamed himself for the attack and she knew that Nathan was very reluctant to leave her side. But still, she wanted some time alone with Brooke, just to talk to her.

"No, of course not." said Nathan. "I'm going to grab a coffee and I'll be back."

He looked down at the redhead watching Brooke. She looked just as worn out and tired as he did. Nathan knew that Rachel was the one that was keeping them going but he knew that she was just as scared as the rest of them were underneath it all.

"Thanks Nate, I won't be long." said Rachel, giving Nathan a little smile.

She sat down in the chair beside the bed and remained silent until she heard the door close when Nathan left. She stared at her best friend and sighed deeply.

"Ok, whore you have to wake up now. I think you've been milking this long enough. I mean come on, even for you this is a little dramatic, besides that hospital gown does nothing for your figure." Rachel said firmly. She knew that the doctors had said that she was going to be ok, but Rachel wasn't going to be satisfied until Brooke opened her eyes. She sniffled as she fought back tears. "Julian even flew all the way to Tree Hill from location for you and Nathan has vowed to be by your side until you feel better. I think you get where I'm going with this, so it's time to wake up."

She stared down at her unconscious friend who was still unresponsive, so she decided to continue on.

"We're all here waiting for you. Peyton, Jake, Julian and Haley, they're all outside, no one has left your side. You know who else is even here? Clay, Nathan's hot agent. I totally think he'd be perfect for Haley, so when you get outta here we're gonna have to hatch a plan to make it happen. I think they should be each other's dates for Jeyton's wedding. But we'll work out the details when you get up." smiled Rachel, staring at Brooke in hopes she might wake up. She knew that Brooke would love the idea of Haley and Clay. She decided she would continue talking to Brooke until Nathan got back.

"And you'll never guess who came busting in here like he was somebody. That's right, loser Scott. Honestly I will never get what you and Peyton saw in him. But don't worry, Nathan and Peyton handled him pretty well. Peyton even slapped him!" laughed Rachel. "I know, shocking right? That's something you expected me to do."

Then Rachel became serious for a moment.

"Why didn't you tell me that Lucas came to talk to you? As the role of best friend you suck. You're suppose to tell us these things and don't even think about lying to me and telling me you told Peyton because I know you didn't. Lucas busted himself by admitting it in the middle of his outburst in the hallway. You should've seen him in all his glory. God the guy is so ridiculous!" continued Rachel. "But the point is, you should've told me. Instead, you go all emo, high school Peyton-like on us. And trust me, that's not a good look on you. So when you wake up, we have a lot to talk about."

There was knock on the door and Rachel turned her head to see Peyton come in. Rachel smiled at her and waved her in.

"Hey." Rachel greeted.

"Hey." said Peyton. "Nathan's outside talking to everyone so I decided to come sneak in here for a minute."

Rachel nodded and stood from the chair, allowing Peyton to sit down.

"I'll get outta here so you guys can have some time. But before I go, what do you think of Haley and Clay?" asked Rachel, arching an eyebrow.

"I love it." Peyton responded widening her eyes at Rachel. She smiled at the thought. Clay seemed like a really good guy and they definitely seemed to be comfortable around each other.

"Good. Ok slut, when you wake up, we are going to make this happen." Rachel stated before walking out of the room.

"Clay, thanks man, for organizing everything with the team for me. I just can't leave Brooke right now." Nathan said to his agent. He had come out of Brooke's room to find Clay standing with Julian, Jake and Haley. He was grateful that Clay had taken the first flight into Charlotte to come and support Nathan. Clay was Nathan's first and only agent and over the years, he became one of Nathan's best friends as well. Clay always had Nathan's best interests at heart and was there for him through all the good and the bad, from the day Clay discovered him at one of Duke's games to the day Haley and Nathan divorced and of course the day Nathan got drafted. For Nathan's part, he was there for Clay's wedding, to the day he lost his wife Sara and the day he decided he wouldn't let her die in vain and finally took charge of his life again. And because of everything they had been through together, they were the closest of friends.

"No problem, it's the least I can do. How is she?" asked Clay concerned. In the short few months that he had known Brooke, he really grew to like her. They had gotten to know each other a lot better during the Bobcats home games, as they always sat with each other in the stands. Or from the numerous spontaneous phone calls from Brooke asking if they could arrange surprises for Nathan. He had never met a woman who had it all together the way she did. Sure, she could be a little crazy and was a workaholic but she was caring, funny and smart. And most importantly, she made Nathan happy.

"She's not awake yet, but Rachel and Peyton are in with her right now. I've been talking to her, though I don't know if she can hear me because of the sedatives but I don't think it'd hurt just in case she could hear me. She's going to be ok." Nathan said confidently.

"Good, that's what I expected. It's Brooke after all, before you know it she'll be pissing off fans during road games with her screaming and obnoxiously oversized finger foam in no time!" grinned Clay.

His comment earned a laugh from everyone. They had all at one point or another seen footage of Brooke on ESPN's basketball highlights or better yet, live during the actual games, wearing Nathan's jersey and just being Brooke. Loud, obnoxious, trash talking, the whole bit. The Charlotte fans loved it, she's been voted Fan of the Week, probably about a dozen times now.

"Remember that time she got into it with the ref?" laughed Julian. He thought back to one of the games that he and Brooke attended in LA, where the referee made a bad call against the Bobcats, well according to Brooke it was anyway. There they were, sitting courtside and Brooke stands up and starts yelling at the refs. The girl had a mouth like a sailor when she wanted to. It was actually quite funny to watch.

"0 % effectiveness, 100 % hilarity." snorted Jake. He had heard about Brooke's crazy antics from his team mates later that evening.

"Oh my God, I thought she was going to get kicked out of the arena!" giggled Haley as recalled watching the highlights after Rachel had called her and told her to watch ESPN immediately.

"I thought she'd get Nathan kicked out of the game." smiled Clay, he remembered how he almost had a heart attack when Nathan started approaching the ref and Brooke in hopes to diffuse the situation.

"She dropped that finger foam so fast and before I knew it she was completely in his face!" Julian grinned, shaking his head. "He looked pretty scared at one point."

"Her voice was so raspy after that game. I think she had like 4 cups of tea that night." Nathan chuckled at the memory. Brooke had been so riled up about the ref and couldn't stop talking about it all night. Nathan had just listened in awe as that was the moment he realized that Brooke wasn't at all the game just for him but somewhere along the way she became a true basketball fan.

They all stood silent for a moment, each lost in a their own memories with Brooke. It was when Rachel approached them that brought them all back to reality.

"How are you doing babe?" asked Julian, wrapping his arm around Rachel and kissing her hair.

"Good." replied Rachel optimistically. "I told her she needed to wake her ass up ASAP!"

"She will awake soon. Just need some time for the sedatives to wear off. Where's Peyton?" asked Nathan.

"I thought they could use some time to talk." said Rachel.

Nathan nodded. He looked at everyone around him, grateful that they were all here to support Brooke. It brought a smile to his face knowing how much everyone loved her.

"I think I'm going to head down to the gift shop and get her some flowers." said Julian.

"I'll come with you, I think we need another Starbucks run." said Rachel, noticing how tired everyone looked.

One by one, everyone nodded. They knew it was still going to be a long night and none of them were thinking of going home until Brooke woke up and they knew for sure that she was alright.

"Hey B. Davis." Peyton said softly to her frail looking friend. Her hands shook as she clamped them together in her lap. She put on a brave smile before speaking again.

"You know how much I hate hospitals, so you need to wake up soon ok? I'm so sorry that this happened to you and I need you to promise me that you wont push me away, that you won't push any of us away. We are all going to be here for you, always. Don't ever forget that." she said waiting for any sort of response from Brooke.

She sighed and just sat silently for a few minutes, reaching out and holding Brooke's hand.

"I suppose you've already heard that I slapped Lucas. I'm gonna go ahead and assume Rach told you. Girl's always been a loud mouth." smirked Peyton, squeezing Brooke's hand slightly. "I wish you had come to me about Lucas. We've always had a soft spot for him haven't we? But you know what, it doesn't matter what Lucas says anymore, he doesn't matter. He hasn't mattered since the day Nathan came into your life again. That man loves you Brooke, he loves you so much and that's all that should matter now. You should've seen him, he was frantic with worry about you. I've never seen him like that before. He's been here the entire time, he even got Clay to notify the team that he's taking an indefinite leave until you're better. So you need to fight, not just for you but for him ok? I honestly don't know what would happen to him if you don't get through this. Because he needs you just as much as you need him right now."

Peyton squeezed Brooke's hand even tighter now, hoping for a response. She sighed as she got nothing in return. So she just lowered her head onto the railing and waited silently for Brooke to come to.

After a few minutes, there was a knock on the door. Nathan opened the door slightly and walked in when there was no response. He saw Peyton asleep by Brooke's hand. He walked over to her and gently woke her up.

"Peyton, wake up." Nathan whispered as he gently shook the blonde's shoulders. "You're going to get a sore neck sleeping like that."

"Hmm…" Peyton said groggily as she woke up. "Sorry Nate, I must've fallen asleep."

"Don't worry about it. I have all the time in the world to hog her to myself when she gets out of here." smiled Nathan.

"Not if I can help it, she's my maid of honour you know." smirked Peyton as she got up and pushed Nathan in the arm. "I'm gonna get out of here and let you have some time with her."

"Thanks Peyton." said Nathan as he now took over the seat Peyton was sitting in. He took a deep breath and once again reached over and took Brooke's small hand in his. He had always loved how small her hands were when encased in his. It made him feel as though he could protect her. His jaw clenched as he once again realized he wasn't there to protect her when she needed him the most. Nathan swallowed hard and pushed those thoughts away. He knew there was no point in focusing on that right now, it wasn't going to change what has already happened. He made a silent vow to always be there for her from here on, and to protect from anything that would hurt her.

He brought her hand to his face, brushing his lips against it and that's when it happened. Her hand twitched suddenly in his. Nathan's eyes widened and he jerked his up towards her face.

Her face contorted in discomfort as her eyes slowly opened. It took Brooke a moment to adjust her eyes to the light and to visualize everything as she was only able to open them slightly due to the swelling. She could hear the iv dripping, smell the disinfectant that was signature to all hospitals but then she felt it. She finally felt the warm sensation of someone, no not just anyone, Nathan holding her hand in his. She slowly turned her head and tears welled up her eyes as she saw him. He looked exhausted, he had dark circles under his bloodshot eyes, his hair was in disarray but she had never been more glad to see him in her life.

"Nathan?" she asked, her voice raspy. She tried to swallow but it didn't help as her mouth was dry.

Nathan blinked and for a moment sat frozen, he couldn't believe she was finally awake after all this time. But there she was, the love of his life, she had finally opened her eyes and come back to him. Though she was battered and bruised, she was the still the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Then he sprung into action, standing up so he could touch her face.

"Brooke…oh Brooke. I love you, I love you so much." he broke down, leaning his forehead against hers as tears of joy came streaming down his face. He savoured the moment a little longer, just to make sure he wasn't dreaming. He kissed her gently and pulled away so she could speak.

"I love you too Nate." Brooke responded, feeling his tears on her face and her heart swelling at his words. She had wondered if she would ever hear him say those words to her ever again when she lay unconscious at the store. Brooke looked at his tearstained face and again saw how exhausted he looked. She knew that he must've been so worried about her.

"I'm going to get a doctor. They're going to want to check on you." Nathan said. But Brooke squeezed his hand as he was about to pull away, stopping him instantly.

"Wait." Brooke said softly. "Can you just lay with me for a few minutes first? I need to you to hold me."

He couldn't deny her request and just nodded as he walked to the other side of the hospital bed, lowering the railing so he could climb in without disturbing the side with the iv. Brooke gingerly scooted over, making room Nathan, wincing slightly. He gently climbed in beside her and Brooke snuggled up beside him, laying her head on his chest, inhaling his familiar scent. She immediately relaxed took comfort in hearing the steady beat of his heart and put her hand over it. Nathan placed a hand on the back of head to hold her close as the other one gently rubbed her back. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, thankful to finally have her in his arms again.

They lay silent for a few minutes and Nathan had thought Brooke must've fallen asleep again. He was about to get up and get a nurse when she finally said something.

"Babe, why is your shirt so tight?" she asked curiously, playing with the hem of the dark navy shirt. She moved down and traced his exposed stomach with her fingers.

"Oh, ugh, cuz it's Jake's shirt." laughed Nathan. That was not what he expected her to say but then again it was like Brooke to notice something like that even though she had just had major surgery.

"Hmm…good, I thought maybe I had shrunk your clothes again." she yawned. Sleepiness overcame her again as she closed her eyes, starting to drift off. "Don't go get anyone yet, I just want to be here with you a little longer ok?"

"Ok." nodded Nathan, kissing the top of her head. Before he knew it, his own eyes were drooping closed and he relaxed into a light sleep as well.

Brooke and Nathan were both asleep when Julian and Rachel brought the flowers from the gift shop in. Tears welled up in Rachel's eyes as she realized her best friend had woken up judging by the way she was curled up against Nathan. Rachel felt Julian wrap his arm around her as they quietly walked over and placed the flowers on the counter. They both knew they should notify the doctor but silently decided to give Brooke and Nathan a few more minutes before doing so. They quietly walked out of Brooke's room to share the news with the rest of their friends. They both knew that Brooke would be ok now.