O.K., so with everything going on and with how busy I've been, I still worked on this chapter, so I hope it didn't effect the quality of my writing and that you'll enjoy it anyway... I want to send all of my lovely reviewers a big hug and a huge apology that I haven't responded to their reviews, as I always do. I really didn't have the time to breathe this week, but that still doesn't mean that I don't appreciate your feedback, because that's what's keeping this story alive! In the mess that I've been, I would have seriously stopped writing without your reviews, so please keep sending them to me if you enjoy this... Anyway- this is my new chapter- I really hope that you will like it! ;-)
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.
Chapter 11
"So- to what do I owe the pleasure of meeting with the famous Lucas Scott nowadays?" Haley asked a dumbfounded Lucas, who simply stared at her in silence, taken aback by the anger and disapproval in Haley's tone.
"Haley…" he approached her slowly, trying to soften her up, but the squinty, apologetic expression in his eyes only set Haley off. She realized that Lucas must have known that he had done something wrong, which gave her even more legitimacy to blow up at him.
"Do you know how worried you made me, Luke? You were gone for days! You didn't even bother telling me that you were leaving and every time I tried to call you, there would be no answer on your cell-phone!" Haley let out all the aggravation and tension that had been building up inside of her throughout the tough day that she had faced on her own.
"I left you a message…" Lucas tried to argue, but immediately regretted having spoken, as Haley's features filled with fury.
"So you think that this one message makes your disappearance O.K.?" Haley exclaimed, "I had enough to deal with those past few days, but instead of being completely focused on my son and students, I had to worry about my best friend, who had gone M.I.A!" Haley raised her voice even more, "Lucas- I tried to reach you so many times- what was so important that you had to vanish and be unreachable for?" she demanded to know.
"Look, Hales, I'm really sorry! I know it's gonna sound lame, but Peyton had my phone and she told me that…"
"Damn it, Luke! We needed you here! Jamie needed you here!" Haley burst out and said. After dealing with Quentin's death alone throughout that entire day, everything she had held down inside came out on Lucas.
"What are you talking about, Haley? What happened?" Lucas immediately asked with concern. As Haley took a deep breath, preparing herself to share the bad news regarding Quentin, Lucas' face paled. He understood that Haley was about to tell him something upsetting, and his mind immediately flashed back to the image of Brooke from Las Vegas. "Is it Brooke?" he worriedly asked, just as Haley was about to notify him of Quentin's death.
"I am not going to talk to you about Brooke!" Haley coldly announced. She knew that she was being harsh towards Lucas, but frankly believed that he deserved to be given the cold shoulder after his absence, and was certainly going to respect Brooke's sole request, after everything she had been through, especially considering the fact that she was still mad at Lucas for ignoring Brooke's phone-calls.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Lucas innocently questioned, "Look, Haley, all I did was leave for a few days and now I come back and Brooke's not in her house and you're all mad at me… What's going on?" he asked. Haley sighed, realizing that Lucas was truly completely clueless about what was going on.
"Look, when Brooke comes back, she can explain it to you if she wants" Haley replied.
"But…" Lucas tried to argue, but upon realizing that Haley wasn't going to budge from her refusal, he sighed and raised his hands in defeat, "Alright… I will talk to Brooke…"
"Good…" Haley nodded, "Now, since you're already here, you might as well come in. There's something that you need to know…" she told him and then started walking towards the living room, leaving Lucas no choice but to close the door and follow her. He seated himself across from Haley and stared at her, feeling his heart starting to race as Haley remained silent as she tried to find the right words to tell him about the tragedy that had occurred while he was away.
"Hales, you're starting to scare me… What happened?" he nervously asked as his heartbeats grew stronger and quicker.
"Quentin died yesterday" Haley quietly informed Lucas, yet despite her soft tone, her words were like bricks weighting down Lucas' heart. He immediately paled and put his hand up to his chest, feeling as though his heart had dropped to the floor.
"Luke?" Haley worriedly looked at him. When she saw him slightly wincing, she rushed over to the kitchen and quickly brought him a glass of water. "Come on, Lucas, don't pass out on me…" Haley mumbled as she closed Lucas' shaking fingers around the glass and helped him drink the water. Her anger immediately vanished as she was reminded of Lucas' fragile and overall-golden heart. As she studied the vulnerable-looking boy before her, Haley instantly knew that he couldn't have avoided her and Brooke on purpose, and was beginning to think that her anger should be directed towards a different blond than the one facing her.
Haley continued to study Lucas worriedly and let out a deep breath when she finally saw the color returning to his face. When she noticed that he seemed to remain in shock, though, Haley put her hand on Lucas' shoulder and gently called out, "Luke?"
"What are you talking about, Haley?" Lucas breathed out, staring at her with emotion-filled eyes. When Haley sighed sadly in response, the anger that was floating amongst the other emotions in Lucas' eyes surfaced above the other emotions and clouded his eyes. "How?" he demanded to know.
"Someone shot him, Luke" Haley gently replied and observed the fury taking over Lucas. Before she could react, Lucas rose to his feet and kicked the sofa he had been sitting on.
"Lucas…" Haley rose up to him. She was weary of comforting people when she truly needed comfort herself, but she could never remain indifferent to the agitated, guilt-filled expression that was plastered over Lucas' face.
"I should have been there… I should have saved him…" the anger and guilt were speaking out of Lucas' mouth.
"You couldn't have saved him, Lucas…" Haley sighed, not wanting Lucas to be burdened with self-blame. When Lucas lifted eyes full of sadness, disbelief and shame up to Haley, she came up to him and put her hand on his shoulder. "You can't save Quentin now, Lucas. He's gone… But you can still save those who are still here who are in need of saving. You just have to look around…" she softly guided Lucas, sending him a reassuring smile.
"Where's Brooke, Haley?" Lucas immediately tensed up and questioned, looking at her with alert, nervous eyes. To him, there was no question that Haley was talking about Brooke, and Haley's tip filled him with the immediate need to find Brooke and make sure that she's safe.
"She'll be home in a few days, Luke" Haley calmingly replied, causing Lucas to sigh as he realized that Haley wasn't about to share any more information regarding Brooke with him.
"Haley, please…" he made yet another attempt, but Haley just shook her head.
"Lucas, I'm sorry…" Haley began, but Lucas quickly cut her off.
"I know that something's wrong, Haley, alright? I saw her in Vegas, and it was clear that something had had happened to her, so I need you to tell me what's going on with her!" Lucas pleaded, but Haley had blocked out half of what he had said, amazed by the new information that had reached her ears.
"You saw Brooke in Vegas?!" Haley raised her eyebrows and questioned with disbelief. She couldn't understand how Brooke, in her frail condition, could have crossed the country back and forth, and as she stared at Lucas in amazement, suddenly Brooke's need for hospitalization acquired a new meaning.
"What have you done to her, Lucas?" Haley snapped, causing Lucas to stare at her in shock. She suddenly realized that Lucas knew more than he was letting on and wasn't as innocent or clueless as he seemed.
"What?!" Lucas raised his voice, completely taken aback by Haley's accusation. He couldn't believe that Haley would think that he had hurt Brooke, even though as he thought back to how broken Brooke had seemed when he had last seen her, Lucas was starting to think that maybe he had done something wrong; maybe he truly was part of the reason for the lost girl he had seen.
"What the hell have you done to her, Luke?!" Haley repeated angrily, raising her voice slightly more. The suppressed anger she felt when she first saw Lucas resurfaced and buried her compassion for him deep down.
"I didn't do anything to Brooke! What the hell is going on, Haley?" Lucas retorted, starting to grow impatient.
"Maybe you're the one who should be explaining that, considering everything you seem to know!" Haley snapped, causing Lucas to lose his calm.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" he shouted, turning their argument into a loud, heated one.
"Don't play dumb with me, Lucas!" Haley replied, truly annoyed by now. She was angry at Lucas as it was, for disappearing, that the last thing she needed, when she was dying to finally go to bed and get some sleep, was for him to stand in her living room and yell at her.
"What the hell, Haley?!"
"Oh, this is just classic! You disappear for days, don't answer your phone the whole time, come back and tell me that you saw Brooke in Vegas, and you ask me what the hell?!"
"All I asked was what is going on with Brooke!"
"And I told you that she'll be home in a few days. In the mean time, I suggest that you'll do something productive. Try helping Quentin's family, for an instance…"
"I will, but I need you to tell me what's wrong with Brooke!"
"No!"
"Haley!"
"Momma!" Haley and Lucas' yelling match finally came to an end as Jamie's upset voice called out to Haley. She and Lucas stood in their places in silence for a moment, still breathing heavily due to how loudly they had been shouting. When Haley finally spoke again, her voice was quiet, but the tone that it wore and the glare in her eyes showed Lucas just how mad she still was.
"Thanks a lot, Luke… It took me an entire hour to get Jamie to fall asleep and now he's awake again. I guess I won't be getting any sleep tonight…" she said and turned around in order to head upstairs.
"Haley…" Lucas called after her apologetically, but Haley just shook her head and continued slowly walking up to Jamie, leaving Lucas downstairs alone.
"Damn it…" he mumbled to himself, realizing that he had definitely screwed up with Haley, and apparently with Brooke as well. He couldn't believe how messed up everything was- Quentin was dead, Brooke was hurt and he, himself, was more lost than he had been in a long time…
Rachel gently ran the comb through Brooke's wet hair, wincing slightly every now and then, with each one of Brooke's involuntary, pained flinches, caused by the collision of the comb with the still-sensitive parts of Brooke's head. Three days had passed since Brooke's breakdown, and in those three days she had cooperated with her doctors and friends as much as could be expected- eating and taking her medications when told and rising to her feet for a short walk when given a hand, but continued lying quietly and staring helplessly into space when she didn't receive guidance.
Although Nathan and Rachel were truly worried about her, they decided to acknowledge the fact that Brooke was now willing to accept help and to look upon that as a first step in her healing process. They had hoped that Brooke's breakdown would result in a greater breakthrough, but as they realized that Brooke was trying her best to come back to them from the darkness that had consumed her, they understood that they still needed to keep a firm grasp on her and that they couldn't expect her to stand on her shaky legs on her own just yet. Therefore, in those three days, they had taken care of her the best they could, treating her in a gentle manner and making sure not to push her, and on that morning, the doctors had finally agreed to release Brooke, under Nathan and Rachel's supervision.
Upon hearing the doctors' decision, Rachel had immediately helped Brooke to her feet and guided her to the bathroom, positioning the brunette in the shower and gently telling her that she should get washed up. Rachel had placed clean clothes and a towel she had brought over from Brooke's East Village apartment and left the bathroom, to give Brooke some privacy, hearing the water running after she stepped out of the room, as Brooke did as she had been told.
When Brooke had come out of the bathroom, wearing the clothes that Rachel had picked for her and fashioning wet hair, Rachel had to forcefully bite her lip in order to remain from crying. With her nice clothes, freshly cleaned skin and renewed tidy appearance, Brooke's bruises seemed even more out of place than before. Even though the swelling had gone down and the black and blue marks had turned pink and yellow by now, the marks that were still engraved on her just didn't seem to belong to Brooke's beautiful face. Forcing a smile just so she wouldn't start to cry, Rachel had led Brooke to a seat and had begun brushing her hair in gentle strokes.
"Thank you, Rachel" after she had been brushing Brooke's hair for a while, Rachel suddenly heard Brooke's soft voice say. Her heart warmed up at the sound of the raspy, quiet voice that had been so scarce to the ears those past few days, and a smile formed on her lips as Brooke's words registered to her. She knew that Brooke wasn't only thanking her for the simple task she was currently helping her with, but also for the care and patience she had been treating her with and for not leaving her side when she was so vulnerable and confused.
"You're welcome, Brooke" Rachel replied with a smile. She searched for Brooke's wandering eyes, but when Brooke simply kept her eyes glued to the floor, Rachel opted for grabbing her unharmed hand and giving it a soft squeeze. "I'm always going to be there for you, Brooke" Rachel reminded Brooke, firmly holding onto her hand.
"I know" Brooke gently nodded, unable to lift her eyes up to meet Rachel's. She felt truly comforted and growingly safer with Rachel's presence those past few days, but she was still struggling to open up and knew that if Rachel would take one look into her eyes at that moment, she would immediately see all the pain that she was trying to suppress, which would force her to acknowledge that it was there and that she needed to face it.
The two girls remained silent for several moments, as Brooke tried to push her emotions away, while Rachel was seeking the courage to tell Brooke what she knew she needed to say to her. Taking a deep breath, Rachel finally got over herself and quietly spoke, "I still didn't tell you how sorry I am for what I did…"
"It's fine, Rachel. I understand" Brooke immediately replied. Although her eyes were still planted in the floor, the honest tone of her voice showed Rachel that Brooke had meant what she said and Rachel was, once again, amazed by the goodness of Brooke's heart.
"It's not fine, Brooke- I took your money! I know I shouldn't have done that…" Rachel replied with heavy remorse.
"I know that Victoria pushed you into doing this. I don't blame you, Rachel – I know how she can be…" Brooke softly said, her raspy voice slightly cracking as it stumbled over her mother's name. Rachel looked at her sadly, knowing how hurt Brooke had indeed gotten by her mother over the years. She suddenly began to feel truly awful with herself, that Victoria had sent her some nasty comments just once, and she had already freaked out, while Brooke had been dealing with the woman for her entire life, and still managed to maintain a brave façade and a sense of morality and kindness.
"I'm still sorry, Brooke," Rachel gave Brooke's hand another gentle squeeze before letting go of it altogether and walking over to her purse. "Look, since it was a lot of money, it's gonna take me a while, but I promise to pay you every cent back" Rachel vowed and walked back to Brooke, after retrieving the item that she had been looking for from her purse.
"Here…" Rachel opened Brooke's palm and placed the item in her hand, watching Brooke as she observed the check with the modest amount of money that she had managed to save up. "Let's just call this a start…" Rachel said as Brooke just stared at the check speechlessly.
"I can't take your money, Rachel" Brooke finally replied, placing the check on the bed next to which she was seated.
"Brooke, you're not taking my money… It's your money!" Rachel tried to argue, causing Brooke to look up at her for the very first time.
"I thought that we were better friends than that, Rachel…" Brooke quietly told her, and Rachel understood exactly what she was talking about; throughout their entire friendship, they had never put a price-tag on any of their actions- not when Brooke first befriended Rachel, just so she won't be alone, or when Rachel had allowed Brooke to live in her house, asking for nothing in return, and not even when she had taken the blame for stealing the calculus exam and got expelled, just so Brooke could pursue her dreams. It was never about getting paid or receiving something in return between the two of them, because their friendship was stronger than that, and Rachel understood that Brooke didn't want to change that. Rachel sighed as she looked at the sad girl before her, the shadow of her friend, and couldn't help the tears that were pricking in her eyes.
"I'm so sorry, Brooke… I just don't know how to show you that…" Rachel choked out, struggling to keep the tears that were welling up in her eyes at bay.
"You just did…" Brooke quietly replied, the look in her eyes offering Rachel all the comfort she could currently give.
"I promise that I'll find a way to make it up to you" Rachel sniffled and swore, wanting Brooke to understand how much she cherished their friendship and didn't take Brooke's forgiveness for granted.
"You've done enough for me, Rachel…" Brooke quietly told her, but Rachel's mind was already filling up with ideas as to how she could pay Brooke for what she had taken.
"I know!" Rachel announced as an idea sprang to her mind, "I can help you with the store, with the retail side of it – like you said…" Rachel suggested, thinking that Brooke could probably use some help with the company, at least until she would feel better. She frowned as she, once again, lost Brooke's eyes to the floor.
"It's not mine anymore… The board handed it over to Victoria…" Brooke mumbled, but Rachel didn't have a difficulty to hear what she said as much as she had difficulty accepting it.
"What?!" she exclaimed, looking at Brooke in shock. She was saddened to see that her friend, whose soulful traces had actually reappeared during the conversation that they just held, had retreated back into the shell in which she had been trapped since she had woken up.
"I think that she did this…" Brooke whispered, and as Rachel's gaze at her intensified, she saw that Brooke's hands started to tremble. When the meaning of Brooke's words had finally sunk in to Rachel, she was overcome by shock and felt sick to the pit of her stomach- Brooke believed that her own mother had sent someone to physically hurt her, and the more Rachel thought about it, the more it made terrible sense to her.
"Brooke…" Rachel's eyes became glazed over with anger and tears. Her stomach dropped when she observed the drops that were gliding down her friend's porcelain cheeks. Rachel forcefully pushed her emotions down and came up to Brooke, gently drying up the wet trails that were forming on her face. She was glad that Brooke had finally opened up to her, but also truly horrified to learn what she had been keeping inside and dealing alone with this entire time.
As tears proceeded to flow from Brooke's eyes, Rachel carefully pulled her hurting friend for a tight hug. "It's gonna be O.K., sweetie… We're going home" she soothingly whispered into Brooke's ear, feeling comforted that at least Brooke was finally letting everything out. When Brooke's body seemed to stop shaking, Rachel had thought that her calming words had gotten through to Brooke and pulled away from her, only to find Brooke's eyes wearing the same glassy gaze that she had hoped she had helped her get rid of. Devastated, Rachel could only watch Brooke silently pulling her sunglasses out of her purse and burying her face and emotions back behind them again.
Right at that moment, when she still felt Brooke's pain and was angered both by what had happened to her friend and by the fact that she had, once again, slipped right through her fingers, it finally dawned on Rachel how she was going to pay Brooke back; Just as Brooke's money helped Rachel rebuild her life, Rachel was going to help Brooke get her life back in the only way she understood was possible- she was going to help Brooke get her company back and she was going to make Victoria regret ever laying a finger on her daughter…
AN: I realize that the past few chapters seem pretty slow, but I promise that a lot more drama lays ahead and that the pace of this story will pick up soon. Next time, Rachel, Nathan and Brooke will return to Tree Hill, so things might spice up already! ;-)
