Chapter 10: Everybody hurts

"We're loosing her!"

"Charging… 200... Clear"

Nothing…

"Charging… 300... Clear"

Still Nothing…

This couldn't be the end …could it?

There are some moments in life where time stands still and it feels like everything around you is going in slow motion. This is how Lucas felt as he waited in a complete daze in the corridor for some news, any news on what the hell was going on. The doctors and nurses had ushered him out of the room a half an hour ago so he had just leaned against the wall and begged the tears not to come. He didn't know how but at some point he ended up on the floor, with his head in his hands. Just when he thought things couldn't get any worse… this had to happen. Life's a bitch!

Larry and Brooke had appeared at some point but Lucas didn't know when exactly. He saw their lips move frantically. They were obviously panicked and wondering what had happened but he couldn't hear what they were saying. All their words seemed to blend together into a jumbled mess of sounds. He couldn't do anything but sit there and watch their panicked faces moving. Karen came a few seconds later, after hearing the worried, raised voices of Larry and Brooke. The minute she saw her son she feared the worst. For him to be in this state it had to be bad, REALLY BAD!

-----------------------------

Cooper stood in the doorway baffled as to what was going on. The only thing he did understand, from the look on Rachel's face, was that whatever it was was pretty serious. The question was - did he really want to know what it was?

Of course he did.

"See what?" he said again as he looked between Rachel and the nurse. Rachel avoided his gaze as the nurse quickly realized she had put her foot in it. "See what!" he said again.

"Oh I'm so sorry Miss Gattina… I… I didn't realize…I didn't mean…I thought… Sorry!"

Rachel sighed as she finally looked at the nurse and then turned towards Cooper. She knew she'd have to tell him at some point, but she had been hoping it wasn't this soon.

"Rachel…?"

She looked at the nurse again praying for an escape route but when she saw the machine beside her and the baffled man in front of her, she knew there was no way out now. "It's okay. You should stay Cooper"

"What… why? What's going on?"

"I'll give you two a minute" the nurse said as she began to leave.

"No!" Rachel shouted after her. "I'd… I'd just like to do this now and get it over with" she said as the nurse nodded and began setting up the machine.

"Rachel what's going on? Are you… sss.. sick?"

"Look I know you just broke up with me and it's fine. I just thought…" she looked away. "I thought you'd want to see your baby" she whispered, unsure he'd heard her.

But when she heard the thud and turned to see Cooper passed out on the floor a few minutes later, she knew he'd heard her. This was not good!

-----------------------------

They couldn't seem to get a word out of him, but suddenly they heard something that made everything make sense.

"She's still flat lining. We're loosing her!... Charging to 300!... Clear!... Nothing!"

Peyton Sawyer was crashing, dieing even. Lucas Scott was falling apart at the seams and there was nothing anyone could do about it.

Larry barged into the room demanding to know what was going on but a nurse ushered him out just as a doctor was beginning CPR again. When they reached the hallway the whole group excluding Lucas who was still curled up on the floor in shock, gathered around the nurse, desperate to know what was happening.

That's when the nurse repeated the information that Lucas never wanted to hear in his life… again.

"I'm afraid to tell you there have been some complications in Miss Sawyer's condition"

"What the hell does that mean?" Larry asked impatiently.

"I don't want to panic you; we are doing everything we can but…"

"But what!?" Brooke snapped. She was never one for beating around the bush and she hated that the nurse was doing it now.

"We have been working on Miss Sawyer for about twenty minutes now with no improvement…. Maybe… Maybe you should prepare yourselves" she said quietly. This was the part of her job she hated and as she looked around at all the family and friends gather for the young girl it only made it worse.

Lucas let out another sob and buried his head in his hands.

When the day is long and the night,

the night is yours alone;
when you're sure you've had enough of this life,

well hang on
don't let yourself go,

'cause everybody cries

and everybody hurts sometimes

Everyone just stood there in silence as she spoke the unthinkable. They wished this was just a bad dream and they'd wake up soon and everything would be okay. But they weren't that naive… unfortunately. They knew this was real and they needed to think about all the possibilities, no matter how much it hurt.

Brooke shook her head, refusing to believe what the nurse was telling her. "Prepare ourselves? For what?... She's… she's not going to die… right?!"

The nurse stayed quiet as Lucas glared up at Brooke. They all knew what could happen; he didn't need her or anyone else rubbing it in.

Ten minutes later there was still no word as everyone had taken a seat, except for Lucas who refused to budge. He had just about calmed himself as he sat on the floor in a ball. Minutes past like hours and before long it felt like he had been waiting a lifetime. What had he done to deserve this? What had she done? She was a good person, one of the best he knew. She was selfless, giving and loving, yet bad things kept happening to her. What kind of world was when killers and bad people could walk around without a care in the world and yet good people like Peyton and Keith have to suffer? He needed her to be okay. He needed to believe that it mattered if you were a good person. He needed something to believe in.

Sometimes everything is wrong.

Now it's time to sing along
When your day is night alone, (hold on, hold on)
If you feel like letting go, (hold on)
When you think you've had too much of this life,

well hang on

'Cause everybody hurts.

People had approached him, his mom, Larry, his friends, even hospital staff tried to talk to him. They needed to know at least HE was okay. They tried to get him to take a seat… talk… react somehow… but it was no use. It took all he had just to concentrate on breathing and not falling apart anymore than he already had.

Take comfort in your friends
everybody hurts.

Don't throw your hand.

Oh, no. Don't throw your hand
If you feel like you're alone,

no, no, no, you are not alone

Suddenly he thought back to his dream and he couldn't get her words out of his head.

"Lucas, just know, no matter what happens I love you and I always will! Just don't give up on that, okay!"

What was she trying to tell him? Was she saying goodbye? This made silent tears fall down his face. This couldn't be their goodbye. They hadn't even got their chance yet. They deserved their chance. Why was it even with all his family and friends around him, without Peyton, he still felt so alone?

-----------------------------

"Cooper? Cooper?" Rachel shouted in panic as she saw him lay motionless on the floor.

The nurse rushed around and checked him. Just as she'd expected he was fine. He had just passed out from the shock.

"Is he okay?"

The nurse nodded as she stood up and made her way to the door. "Yes miss, he's fine. He's just passed out… from shock I'm guessing. Please don't worry, give me a minute and we'll have him up and around in no time" she said before walking out the door.

Five minutes later Cooper had come around and he and Rachel were staring at each other uncomfortably. The nurse knew they had to talk so she excused herself from the room.

They sat in silence for a while, as they were both lost in their own thoughts.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Her eyes snapped to him and then she looked away again. "I only found out when I woke up… I was about to tell you but then…"

"I ended things" he said and she nodded sadly.

There was silence again as it finally hit her, this was real. When no one else knew she had been able to ignore it, pretend it was all a big mistake, but now it was out in the open and she… they were talking about it, she knew this was real. She was having a baby… at seventeen…, with a man she barley knew, and was way older than her.

"What… what am I going to do?" she asked as a tear slide down her cheek. She hated being vulnerable like this.

He stood up and walked over to her, taking her hand in his. She looked at him, totally confused with the sudden contact. He smiled at her and rubbed her hand comfortingly. "I don't know what we're going to do but we'll deal with it together" he promised her.

"Wh… what… WE?"

"Yes we. We'll handle this so stop worrying. It's not good for you. Just concentrate on getting better".

She nodded and smiled. "So how's the head macho man?" she teased, while looking to break the serious atmosphere.

If you're on your own in this life,

the days and nights are long,
when you think you've had too much

of this life to hang on

Well, everybody hurts sometimes,
everybody cries.

And everybody hurts sometimes

"Anything?" the doctor asked as she shocked the girl again.

"There is still no change doctor"

"What do you want to do?" an intern asked.

The doctor continued CPR as she thought about what she should do. This girl was so young. She had so much to live for. "How long has she been down?"

"Sixty minutes"

The door opened just as the doctor spoke reluctantly. "I guess we should call it time…"

The nurse couldn't get the picture of the heartbroken boy in the hall way out of her mind. As soon as she walked in and heard the doctor, she knew she had to do something. That boy outside truly loved this girl. They deserved their chance. This girl deserved a chance to fight. "No wait. Give it one more round? She deserves a chance. She's a fighter. Please give it one more round?" the nurse begged.

The doctor took a moment to think before she nodded. "You heard her. One more round, stat!" This girl deserved a chance to fight. They just hoped she took it.

And everybody hurts sometimes.

So, hold on, hold on
Hold on, hold on, hold on,

Hold on, hold on, hold on
Everybody hurts.

You are not alone

He sat there and listened with bated breath for news. He waited and waited. In that hospital corridor the silence was deafening. Someone's life was on the line.

The love of his life's life was on the line and he felt helpless… useless… lost. Was it the end… or their new beginning?

And that's when it happened.