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Chapter Ten –The One You Count On
Nathan chuckled as Jamie made shooting noises with his mouth. They had been playing with Jamie's army men for over an hour now. After breakfast they had come back up to Jamie's room to play. He glanced around the floor of Jamie's room. There were over a hundred little men on each side with a huge space in between them. Jamie continued to make shooting noises as he pushed a few of his men closer up.
"What exactly is your plan?" Nathan chuckled.
Jamie knocked a few of Nathan's men down. "To kill all your men and invade your country."
"Wow," Nathan muttered. "Your mom plays this with you?"
"Uncle Julian plays with me," Jamie explained.
His smile wavered for a second before he went back to defending his men. Was there anything around here that Saint Julian hadn't gotten to first? It was really starting to piss him off. He couldn't escape this guy no matter how much he tried. And it wasn't like Julian was going away. No, Julian was a permanent fixture in Haley and Jamie's lives. The guy would always be there and he would always be reminded that Julian had been here when he hadn't. Maybe that was his punishment.
"What's the matter, Daddy?"
"Nothing," Nathan muttered.
"Aren't you having fun?" Jamie questioned as he glanced up at him.
"Of course I am," Nathan smiled. "I was just planning my counterattack." Jamie giggled loudly as Nathan started making shooting noises as he pretended to fire at Jamie's men. At the sound of his son's laughter, he smiled. It was good to make Jamie laugh. It was actually one of the only things that he looked forward to each day here. It was good to know that no matter what was happening with his life he could still make Jamie laugh.
They continued to play. Once they were done all of Nathan's men were laid out on the floor as Jamie's guards celebrated in victory on the other side. He sat back as he watched Jamie drift off into his own little world. He was a good leader Nathan noticed. After they won he congratulated all of his little men with excitement. It was actually pretty funny. He heard a loud banging noise from downstairs. He glanced at Jamie before he heard another loud bang.
Haley hadn't talked to him all morning. At breakfast she had been so quiet and only talked to Jamie. In fact, she didn't even look at him at all. He didn't know what to do.
"What's Momma doing?" Jamie wondered as he heard another loud bang.
Nathan stood carefully with his hand on Jamie's bed. He reached for his crutches and placed them under his arms before he started for the door.
"You stay and play. I'll go check on your mom," Nathan explained.
"Ok, Daddy."
Nathan took off walking down the hall, then he made it down the stairs, and then started looking for Haley. He glanced in the dinning room. She wasn't there. He took off walking and looked in her music room. She wasn't there either. Once he was down the hall he turned for the living room. Finally he found her in the kitchen.
He took in the sight of her. She was standing there in faded jeans and a white tank top. He noticed that the bottom of her shirt was a little wet and sticking to her skin. Her jeans also looked like they were wet. Her hair was pulled up in a bun on top of her head. She looked frustrated as she held the phone to her ear. In her other hand she held a wrench. She was talking frantically into the phone.
"Just get here," Haley ranted. She hung up the phone and tossed it on the counter before looking back down under the sink. She didn't even bother looking at him.
He glanced down at the floor. There was a puddle of water coming from under the sink. He then noticed the bucket that was under the sink filled with water. He took a few steps closer to get a better look. The floor was all wet.
"What happened?"
She glanced over her shoulder as she bent down. "I don't know. I found water all over the floor and water was just blasting out of the pipes down here." She pulled the bucket out from under the sink before placing another one. She stood up and reached for the towel on the counter before wiping her face. Where the hell was all this water coming from?
"It looks bad," Nathan sighed.
"Yeah, I know," Haley muttered in frustration. "Julian's on his way."
"What?" He couldn't believe this. "Why did you call him?"
"Because I need help," Haley snapped. He took a few steps closer to her.
"I'm here," Nathan pointed out. "I'm right here. You don't have to call him every time you need something fixed. I'm right fucking here!"
She glared at him. "No offense, Nathan. But you're not exactly the most reliable person."
She was right. He knew that. Still it hurt just hearing her say it. He hadn't been the most reliable person over the years. In fact, he wasn't reliable at all. But that was before. He was here now. He was here for them. They didn't need Julian anymore. He was here. They didn't need to keep on calling this guy. He was here for them.
"Give me the wrench," Nathan scowled as he held out his hand.
"Do you even know the first thing about plumbing?"
"Do you?" Nathan retorted.
"Well, no but –"
"Give it to me," Nathan gritted out. She rolled her eyes before handing over the tool in her hand. He pushed quickly by her before tossing his crutches aside. He bent down and stuck his head under the sink. How hard could this be? He noticed the pipe that the water was shooting out from. Lifting the wrench up, he tightened it on the pipe before turning as hard as he could. Water started squirting out harder. He quickly turned it back the way it was before. The water slowed down.
"You ok down there?" Haley questioned.
He ignored her as he continued to think. Yeah, he didn't know what the hell he was doing but he was going to fix this. He had to fix this before Saint Julian showed up on his white horse and saved the day. This was his family. His, not Julian's. He stayed down there and he worked. He wished that he had his cell phone on him. He wished that Clayton was on the phone telling him what to do. Clayton was always good at getting him through things.
It took a while but eventually the water stopped leaking out of the pipe. He smiled proudly as he sat up. He didn't know how he did it but he was thankful that it stopped. He reached for the counter and pulled himself up. Once he was standing he realized how wet he was. Glancing down he noticed that his shirt was drenched. It was clinging to his body. He reached down and pulled it off of him. He didn't like the way if felt again his skin. He tossed it in the sink before reaching for his crutches next to him. Once they were under his arms, he finally glanced towards Haley.
He smirked when he noticed her gawking at his chest. He took off walking towards her with a smug smile on his face. Once he was close enough to her he stopped. Before he could say anything she reached out and touched him. He glanced down as her finger traced the small scar on his chest. Her fingers moved over the scar. He could feel his skin warming wherever her fingers touched, just like it had that first night.
"What's this from?" Haley questioned as she continued to gaze at the scar. "It wasn't there when we…"
"The surgery," Nathan muttered not being able to take his eyes off of her.
"Does it hurt?"
He smiled softly. "No, not anymore." They stayed like that for minutes. "I told you, you didn't need him." Her hand fell from his chest. Just like that the spell had been broken. She shoved the towel into his chest before moving around him. Of course he had to blow it. He silently cursed to himself as he dried his chest. Once he was done, he turned to face her. She was on her hands and knees drying the floor. He smirked. It as a nice view. She had a serious ass if you asked him.
He felt something hard hit his shoulder and it pushed him forward. Julian walked from behind him a second later with a scowl on his face.
"Watch what the fuck you're looking at!"
"She doesn't seem to mind," Nathan pointed out smugly.
They both heard Haley take a deep breath before glaring at the two of them. "Cut it out."
Just like the chump he was, Julian bent down and started helping her clean. Nathan rolled his eyes as he watched the two of them. The only good thing was that Haley seemed to be just as pissed at Julian as she was at him. He hated the guy.
"We don't need you here," Nathan told him.
"Nathan," Haley warned. "Just ignore him Julian."
"Oh, I plan to," Julian stated as he glared at Nathan.
"Pussy," Nathan chuckled before turning and walking away. He heard Haley calming Julian down and it only made it laugh louder. The guy was such a punk. Nathan didn't know why Haley cared about him so much. It bothered him more than anything. He sighed before he went change for physical therapy.
~***~
"The guy is unbelievable!"
"So you keep saying."
"He's such a jerk!"
"I know."
"I hate him," Haley declared in frustration. She finally stopped pacing. She stood in front of her desk and took a deep breath. She glanced at Peyton and noticed that her sister was looking at her amused. "What?"
"He really gets to you," Peyton noted.
She scowled. "He does not! He doesn't do anything to me! He's just a constant pain in my ass that won't go away."
"He does," Peyton nodded with a smile. "I haven't seen you this irritated in years."
"You should have seen him," Haley continued her in rant. "He just stood there looking all smug like he was something and then he makes some comment about me needing Julian. If that wasn't enough he starts in on Julian when he arrived. The both of them were going back and forth like two idiots. I practically had to hold Julian back after Nathan left us alone."
"Two hot guys fighting over you," Peyton deadpanned. "You poor girl."
"They weren't fighting over me. They were being idiots."
"Sounds like they were fighting over you," Peyton pointed out.
She shook her head. "They were not fighting over me, Peyton. They hate each other. I can't help that. It's like I'm constantly trying to keep the two of them away from each other. They're always trying to rip each other's throats out and I can't take it anymore. Julian can't even come over and hang out when Nathan's around. This is just too hard."
"Kick Nathan out," Peyton shrugged.
"I can't," Haley sighed. "No matter how much of an ass he is, he's doing great with Jamie and I can't ask him to leave. It would crush Jamie and I just can't do that." She shook her head. That just wasn't an option. Jamie would be the only one hurt in that situation. She couldn't hurt her son like that.
"That's tough," Peyton muttered. "I guess you're stuck with him until he goes back home. When is he going back home?"
"Then end of the month. I mean that's what Lucas said when he first told me about them coming down here. They haven't really brought it up."
"He hasn't said anything?"
"No."
"But what about basketball?"
"He's still on his crutches but he's walking better now. But Nathan's so determined that I'm sure he'll be walking and playing again soon. I guess he'll go back to his life then," Haley muttered as she took a seat at her desk.
"What about when he leaves?"
"My life will return back to normal," Haley sighed. She wouldn't have to hide out in her room anymore. She wouldn't have to share her time with Jamie anymore. They could go back to the way things used to be with just the two of them. She missed reading to him at night and playing with him during the day. It was like when Nathan was around all Jamie wanted to do was play with his dad. She got it. Jamie thought the world of Nathan.
She instantly felt bad for thinking that she didn't want to share Jamie. She knew it wasn't right. Nathan and Jamie needed to spend time together and she was happy that they were. This is how it should be, the two of them doing this together. She just missed Jamie. She never had to do this before. She always had Jamie to herself and it was weird not being the one he did everything with.
"What about Jamie's?"
Her face fell. "Jamie and I talked about this before Nathan came down here. He knows that Nathan isn't here for good."
"It's one thing for him to know, Hales. It's a whole other thing when it's actually time for Nathan to leave. It's going to break his heart."
"Don't you think I know that? What do you want me to do? He has this whole other life back in New York, Peyton. One without Jamie and me. I can't help that. I'll be there for Jamie when Nathan takes off again, but I can't stop him from leaving."
"I know," Peyton mumbled. "This whole situation sucks."
"All I care about is Jamie," Haley shrugged. "He's all that matters. I'll do my best to keep Jamie in Nathan's life as much as he wants. It's all I can do. If I have to take him up to New York every weekend then I will. I don't want things to go back to like before. Whether I like it or not Nathan is Jamie's father and I can't let my own personal feelings get in the way of that. I'll do whatever I have to do for Nathan to be in Jamie's life."
"You're right," Peyton nodded. "So, what are you going to do about the Nathan and Julian situation?"
"I have no idea," Haley sighed.
They started working again. She tried her best to throw herself into her work but she couldn't take her mind off of earlier. How come Nathan always tried to push her buttons? Why did she let him? Was Julian mad at her for earlier? Was Jamie ok playing with JJ? She wanted to scream at herself to stop thinking so much but she couldn't help it. She couldn't focus on work at all. It was pointless.
"Guess what!"
She noticed Brooke rushing into their office with a huge smile on her face. She held up her sketch pad proudly as she stood between their two desks.
"You finally found the perfect guy?"
"No."
"You've finally fired your mother?"
"I wish."
"You killed Julian?"
"Almost. But no."
"Ok. I quit," Peyton laughed. "Just tell us."
"I finished my new line!"
"Tigger, that's great," Haley smiled as she stood up. She hugged Brooke. She had been so stressed about the new line so much lately. She was happy that Brooke finally finished it so that her mother could get off of her back. Victoria threatened to take a trip down here if Brooke didn't finish the new line soon. Brooke didn't want Victoria anywhere around her. It gave her motivation to work nonstop to finish it.
"Awesome, B. Davis," Peyton congratulated her.
"You know what this means?"
"Enlighten us?"
"Girls' night," Brooke declared. "No boys. Just us celebrating!"
"I'll let Jake know."
"I don't know," Haley muttered.
"Come on, Haley!" Brooke whined.
"Jamie –"
"Will be fine with his dad," Peyton cut her off.
"You're coming," Brooke decided for her. "I'll drag you out if I have to!"
"I've seen her do it plenty of times," Peyton nodded. "Why fight it?"
"Fine," Haley muttered. "Just for a little while."
"Yay!"
"We are going to have so much fun," Brooke beamed. "What am I going to wear?"
Haley stopped listening after that. When Brooke started talking about clothes it usually lasted for hours. She went back to work and this time things went better. She was finished with everything before she left to pick up Nathan then Jamie. She left Brooke and Peyton alone as they decided what to wear. Once she reached the physical therapy building, she parked up front as she waited for Nathan. It wasn't long before she noticed him walking up to the car. He didn't have his crutches anymore, just a small black cane. He got into the car and smiled at her.
"Don't need the crutches anymore."
"That's good. I'm glad you're doing better," Haley stated as she started driving towards Peyton and Jake's house.
"I'll only need this thing for a few days," Nathan pointed out as he held the cane between his legs. He looked happy. She was glad for him.
"Listen, Brooke just finished her new line and she wants me to go out and celebrate with her and Peyton. I tried to get out of it but –"
"You should go," Nathan encouraged. "Jamie and I will be fine."
"You're sure?" Haley questioned.
"Haley, he's my son. I don't mind staying home with him. You don't have to do it all on your own anymore. I'm here. We can do this together and make it work. You don't have to miss out on anything anymore."
She didn't reply back. They sat in silence as they made it to Peyton's. She parked the car on the side of the road. She noticed the four guys playing soccer in the yard. She rolled down her window and waved at them. They all waved back. Then Julian helped Jamie get his stuff before bringing him over to the car. Nathan glanced away as Julian placed Jamie in his car seat. Once he was done Jamie gave Julian a high five.
"Good practice, little man."
"Thanks, Uncle J," Jamie smiled.
"See ya later, buddy," Julian smiled. Jamie waved to him as Julian closed the door and walked over to Haley's door. He grinned at her and she grinned back. She was happy that he wasn't still mad. "How did work go?"
"Good," Haley answered. "Peyton's real nervous because we're meeting with that band she likes tomorrow."
"You guys will do great," Julian grinned.
"I hope so," Haley muttered.
"Well, call me later."
"I will," Haley smiled. He grinned at her before he took off jugging back to Jake and JJ. She waved one last time before pulling away. "What do you want for dinner, Jim Jam?"
"I don't know, Momma."
"I don't know either," Haley muttered.
"I guess we'll have to think of something then," Nathan spoke up. Jamie started giggling as Nathan reached back to tickle him. She smiled as she watched him.
~***~
She looked at herself in the mirror. When she had gotten home, she found a box that Brooke left her on her bed. She read the card on it first. Brooke's simple warning, wear this tonight or else, had her not wanting to open the box. She had unwrapped it nervously, afraid of what she might find. In it was a short black skirt, a white and black tank top, and a pair of black boots. She had taken her time getting ready after finding out what Brooke wanted her to wear. It wasn't exactly her kind of thing. The skirt was way too short but it covered enough that she didn't hate it. The tank top was nice but it showed a little more cleavage then what she would've liked to show.
Once she was done with her makeup and hair she glanced at herself in the mirror. She didn't look that bad and it would make Brooke happy. It was Brooke's night. She took a deep breath before getting the rest of her outfit ready. She placed on a necklace and a few rings before reaching for her purse. Once she was ready she made her way downstairs and into the kitchen.
She had to leave in a few minutes or Brooke would show up ready to force her to Tric. She didn't want to be late. Brooke wasn't big on waiting. She was glad that Nathan and Jamie were playing in Jamie's room again. She had told Jamie bye earlier. She didn't want him seeing her like this. She grabbed a bottle of water out of the refrigerator before she turned. She stopped dead in her tracks when she noticed Nathan standing there watching her. She hadn't even heard him come in. Her heart was pounding out of her chest. Why was he looking at her like that?
"You scared me," Haley breathed as she placed a hand over her heart. She prayed that it would stop pounding in her chest. This was so stupid.
"Please tell me you're not going out like that," Nathan stated as he looked at her up and down.
She stood there nervously. "What?"
"You look like a slut," Nathan continued. "Go put something else on."
"Excuse me?" Haley asked angrily. He did not just call her a slut. He did not just go there. Him of all people calling her a slut! The nerve. Wasn't he the one with the long list of bimbos? Wasn't he the face on every magazine with a different girl every week? He was not going there with her. With his hard glare at her she wanted to laugh.
"You heard me," Nathan replied.
"I thought you like girls like this? You've been with girls that wore less than this and you're calling me a slut?" She laughed sarcastically.
"You're not like them," Nathan gritted out.
"Oh, but according to you I am," Haley laughed. "It was you that accused me of "trapping" you and using you just for your money or don't you remember that?"
"Just go change –"
"No," Haley fired back. "You're not the boss of me, Nathan Scott. Your bimbos might fall to your feet but I won't! I can wear whatever the hell I want."
"You don't understand. Guys will be all over you if you go dressed like that. They'll think you're begging for it," Nathan muttered as he balled up his fists.
"And?" Haley shrugged. "What do you care?"
"You're mine," Nathan shouted angrily.
She glanced at him confused for a second before she started roaring in laughter. She couldn't help it. She couldn't stop laughing. This was just too funny. It was minutes later when she finally got her laughter under control.
"You're out of your mind!"
"That came out wrong," Nathan muttered. "I didn't mean it like that. You look nice. I just…the thought of guys looking at you…I…" he shook his head.
"Whatever," Haley stated as she took off walking towards the door. "I'm not yours."
~***~
It was hours later and she was still pissed. Did she really look like a slut? She couldn't get his voice out of her head and it was driving her crazy. The whole night she had been trying to have fun with her girls but she just couldn't stop picturing the way he looked at her. Brooke and Peyton had assured her that she looked sexy. Even a few guys came up and asked her to dance.
Still, she was in a bad mood.
It's why she started drinking earlier and why she still hadn't stopped. It had been years since she drank this much. She just wanted to forget all about Nathan Scott and the constant way he was making her feel. She didn't look like a slut. Brooke pushed another round of shots in front of each of them. She quickly downed hers. Why did she let him get to her like this?
"I hate him," Haley muttered again.
Peyton giggled. "I hate him, too."
"So do I," Brooke agreed. "Wait. Who are we talking about again?"
"Nathan," Haley laughed. "He's such a stupid jerk."
"Right," Brooke nodded before taking another sip of her beer. "God, he is a jerk. But he's pretty to look at. You know who else is pretty to look at? Lucas. Oh and Julian. He walks around in the morning with no shirt on…he's so sexy!" They all laughed.
"You can have, Nathan," Haley slurred. "I don't want him!"
Brooke giggled. "Well, I don't want him!"
"Don't even look at me," Peyton mumbled. "I'm married!"
"I need to get married," Brooke pouted. "Do you think I ever will?"
"Yes."
"Of course," Haley nodded. "You just have to wait for the right guy. You know who's not the right guy? Nathan. He's bad. Bad news!"
"I think we need to stop with the shots," Peyton decided.
"No," Brooke whined. "We're having fun!"
"You know who's not fun? Nathan."
"Men suck!" Brooke agreed. "Why can't we find a guy like Jakey?"
"He's one of a kind," Peyton giggled as she wiggled her eyebrows.
"It's not fair," Brooke complained.
"We'll find someone for you," Haley smiled.
"And for you."
"As long as it's not that jerk Nathan." They all giggled. They continued drinking and talking.
"I think you ladies had enough," Owen observed as he walked up to them. He stood behind the bar as all girls glared at him. He took a step back.
"What do I pay you for?" Peyton questioned.
"To bartend," Owen answered.
"That's right, buddy," Haley nodded.
"So bring us another round of shots!"
He held up his hands and ran off at Brooke's intense glare. They all started giggling as they watched him. He returned minutes later with their shots before quickly walking away. She felt bad. Owen was a nice guy and he was just looking out for them. Somehow in that moment it just didn't seem to bother them. It was getting late and most of the club was empty already. Just a few people still partying.
"To us!"
"Us!"
"Us!"
They all slammed their shot glasses down. That was her limit, she knew. Any more and she wouldn't be able to walk straight. She didn't like drinking. This was his fault. All his fault. He did this. He was the one that made her want to drink. This is what he pushed her to. She stood up carefully, balancing herself on the bar.
"I'm going use the restroom and then I'm calling Julian to pick us up," Haley told them. They both nodded as she took off walking. She heard them giggling as Brooke reached over the counter and grabbed the tequila bottle. She made a mental note to apologize to Owen in the morning. She didn't mean for things to get like this tonight. Brooke just wanted them to have fun and it worked. They did. She just wished she didn't drink so much.
She reached the hallway that lead to the restrooms. She placed one hand on the wall to help keep her up. She suddenly wished that she had thought this over. She could barely hold herself up. This wasn't good. Why was everything spinning?
"Hey."
She stopped walking and glanced back. The guy was a little blurry and he looked kind of familiar. She tried to get a better look at him.
"Nick?"
"Hey," Nick smiled. "You look hammered."
"What? I'm fine," Haley laughed. "How are things?"
"Good," Nick smiled. "You look real good."
"Thanks. Brooke's here. Do you want me to go get her?" Haley questioned. He took a few steps closer and smiled.
"No," Nick shook his head. "I saw her. I've been watching you guys all night. You seem to be having fun."
"Yeah, Brooke she –"
"Let's not talk about Brooke," Nick stated as he walked closer. "Let me help you." He reached her and placed his arm around her waist as they started walking. Everything was becoming too much and she was tired. Her eyes were getting heavy. She started leaning into him for support. Finally the door opened and she smiled. It faded once the cool night air hit her face. She pushed her eyes opened and noticed that they were behind the club in the alley. How did they get outside? Where was he taking her?
"Come here."
"I've actually got to go," Haley muttered. She started walking off back towards Brooke and Peyton when he caught her hand. He turned her towards him and walked so close to her that she could feel his body pressed into hers. She tried pushing him away. "What are –"
"You look sexy," Nick smirked.
"Cut it out," Haley muttered. She tried pushing him again but his time he grabbed both of her arms and slammed them into the building. He started laughing. Panic started to feel her whole body. He was holding onto her arms so hard that she wanted to scream in pain. What was he doing? When she realized the look in his eyes her heart sank in her chest. "Stop it."
"Come on, Haley. Let's just have a little fun. I know you want it, girl."
"Don't touch me!"
He laughed. "Where's the fun in that?"
She felt his lips on her neck a second later. She tried pushing his body away from hers but he slammed her against the building again. She cried out in pain. His kisses were hard against her skin and she could feel him leaving his mark. She felt sick to her stomach. The alley was empty and quiet. No one heard her yelling. She closed her eyes and prayed for someone to help her. When she realized that no one was coming to her rescue, she did the only thing that she could think of in that moment.