Hello guys. Here is the new chapter.
Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill.
Hi Daddy.
Almost three months after Lucas's surgery everything was falling back to normal. Lucas was feeling better and the recent tests showed a significant improvement in his condition; Nathan was back to being the overprotective little brother who once again had a life outside Lucas and Dan and Deb were back to their normal activities.
It hadn't been easy to take care of Lucas after the surgery. He often was irritated with all the nurses and doctors touching him, when he wasn't grumpy it was because the tiredness hit him hard and the teen couldn't do much than stay in bed sometimes sobbing because he wanted to go outside but wasn't allowed to.
Today was a good day. Nathan was in the Rivercourt with his friends and has taken Lucas with him. Lucas was sitting alone in the benches; the blonde teen watched his brother intently and cheered him every time he scored. His attention was broken by a sudden blast and when he turned and saw the source of the noise he laughed. It wasn't noise, it was music.
Nathan, who was keeping a close eye on his brother smiled when Lucas laughed at the music the ice cream car used to announce itself. Nathan gave Tim the ball and went to Lucas before he called him.
"Nate, ice cream!" Lucas said ecstatic when he saw his brother. "I want."
Nathan raised an eyebrow at his demanding brother. "Ask nicely, Luke."
Lucas frowned trying to remember what he was supposed to say. When he remembered he nodded his head. "Please, I want cream."
"See, that wasn't so hard." Nathan opened his bag and gave his brother the money he needed. "You can go but you have to be careful, okay? Not talking with strangers and if someone comes to your side you yell real hard. Okay, buddy?"
Lucas nodded again, not really understanding what his brother was saying. " 'kay Nate." He just knew that he had to yell if someone he didn't know came near him.
Nathan tried to watch closely his brother but decided that all was well and went back to the game.
Lucas watched with delight how the man with a white apron and top hat fixed his ice cream cone. He gave the man the money, took the cone with shaky hands and before the man could say anything Lucas put it in his mouth.
"Well, kiddo. Just be careful with not letting it melt, okay?" The man laughed at the teen in front of him and his enthusiasm. He has known him for three years now, he didn't know the kid's name but he saw him almost every weekend in the same place, he supposed he came with some of those other kids who practiced sport in that place. "Are you alone? You shouldn't be around here without company."
Lucas shocked his head. "Nate with me," he simply said as if the man should know who Nate was.
The man looked at Lucas and then at the boys playing basketball. He was glad the kid wasn't alone. There were many dangers for someone like him and some of those dangers were humans who wouldn't care hurting him even if he couldn't defend himself.
Nathan decided that Lucas was taking too long. "Lucas, come here," he saw the vender wave at him and relaxed when his brother laughed and started making his way back to the Rivercourt.
"What were you talking with the man?" He asked Lucas when he arrived but he didn't get an answer, his brother just shrugged and ate his ice cream. With a frustrated sigh Nathan went back to the game, it was pointless talking with his brother when he was paying more attention to what he was eating than to what he was being said.
Fifteen minutes later a sticky Lucas tried to clean his hands on his clothes but the stickiness was still present. Nathan and his friends were close to end the game but they stopped when a group of people suddenly appeared. When he saw who it was he went to his brother and put himself in front of him.
"What do you want, Felix?" Nathan asked.
Felix shrugged. "We were just passing by and it would have been rude not to say hello." He was in front of Nathan and laughed when Lucas eyed him with fear. "I didn't know little girls who wet their pants were your type."
Nathan glared but restrained himself. He wouldn't fight with this idiot when he had Lucas with him. "Leave him alone."
Felix looked at Nathan and knew that the other boy wouldn't give him what he wanted. Since the first moment they saw each other the rivalry was evident. Nathan was the popular jerk who every girl wanted to date and who every guy wanted as a friend. Felix was the new bad boy who was used to have what Nathan had but lost it when he moved in to Tree Hill.
Felix looked at Lucas again and with a dark grin said, "Retard."
The pain wasn't surprising; it was what he wanted after all. Nathan hit him with fury.
"You son of a bitch." Nathan shouted. "You leave my brother out of this. You say that again to him and I'll kill you, Felix."
Lucas whimpered. He had never seen his brother act like this. Nathan was yelling and hitting that strange guy. He remembered the strange guy; he was in one of the game where Nathan played.
"Nathan." Skill went to stop the fight but both Nathan and Felix were ignoring their surroundings. "Nathan! Stop it, you're scaring Lucas."
It seemed to work because Nathan stopped and with a heavy breath turned to his brother and immediately went to his side when he saw the tears in his brother's eyes. Lucas whimpered and threw his arms around his brother.
"I'm sorry, buddy." Nathan soothed. "I'm here, Nate is here. Everything's okay."
"I scare. Want da-ddy." Lucas sobbed. "Want da-ddy now."
"The baby wants his daddy. That's so cute." Felix mocked.
"Stop it man. Shut the fuck up." Skill said shouted. "What the hell, man? You're attacking someone who obviously can't fight back. That's low, even for you."
Felix kept his eyes on Nathan and his brother and with a roll of his eyes walked out. One of the boys who came with him said a weak sorry to Skill before following his friends.
"He's gone, Luke." Nathan kissed his brother's head. "Let's go home, daddy's there. Okay?"
Lucas nodded. "Want da-ddy," he was still hiccupping.
Nathan asked Skill and Tim to help him pack his things since Lucas wouldn't let go of him.
"Did you bring your car?" Skill asked. "I could drive you."
Nathan nodded and without much effort pulled himself and his brother to their feet. They walked to the car and after sitting in the backseat Lucas put his head in Nathan's shoulder and closed his eyes.
"Your dad is gonna kill you." Skill said with a nervous voice.
"I know." Nathan responded. Watching his brother who was still slightly whimpering Nathan felt like he deserved it.
When they arrived Skill helped Nathan take Lucas inside and then left. Dan was with Keith in the living room and when he saw Lucas he feared that his son was having a relapse but calmed down when Nathan shocked his head.
Lucas seeing his father let go of Nathan and threw himself at Dan. "Da-ddy, I want you. I scare and Nate hit and that boy mean." Lucas started crying again.
Dan didn't know what had happened but whatever it was Lucas had been there to see it happen. "Daddy's here, Luke. Don't need to cry, daddy is here." If he wanted to find out what was happening then he needed to take care of Lucas first. "Let's go to your room, okay? Let's have a nice bath and then a nice nap."
Lucas let his father take him upstairs. Nathan watched them leave and when they were gone Keith took him by the arm and guided him to the couch.
"Dad is going to kill me."
"Whatever happened, I'm sure it wasn't your intention to hurt Lucas." Keith said quietly. "Your father knows that you'd never hurt Lucas."
"Felix called him a retard." Nathan said with pain evident in his voice.
Keith closed his eyes and took a deep breath. They knew it could happen one day; some people enjoyed hurting others and Lucas was the type of person bullies and uncaring people in general liked to attack and mistreat.
"You know what's funny?" Nathan laughed darkly. "In a few days he won't remember that word but I will."
Keith tried to say something that would calm his nephew but he knew that it wouldn't do any good so he stayed there, close to Nathan, waiting for Dan to come back down so they could talk about what had happened.
TBC