The Truth Shall Set You Free

"The truth will set you free, but first it will make you miserable."

Jim Davis

x~X~x

Chapter 12: In The Blink Of An Eye

Now I know love can turn to hate in the blink of an eye
Another lie another alibi
When your curtain fell heaven turned to hell
What was real I could never tell

The Perishers – In The Blink Of An Eye

x~X~x

Fire.

Even drenched by the rain from the storm outside, she could feel the heat. Burning throughout her failing body, it flared within like a torturous omen. Unfathomable sharpness ripped across her abdomen, her body buckling under the pressure. Eyelids closed tightly, saltwater tears trickling down her porcelain skin like a rover flowing to the sea. Forcing them open, lights flashed above her as her fragile body bounced to the rhythm of her rescuer's footsteps. He called out then, his voice as strong and soothing as she had remembered it.

"Help! Somebody help me!"

The quiet that engulfed them suddenly burst into sound. Gasps and whispers erupted around her but she was too tired and pained to bother to look. Curling into a ball, she wanted nothing more than to have these arms protect her for as long as they could.

"Somebody get me a gurney," came a voice from her left, anxiety dripping every syllable as a new pair of hands clasped around her. She pulled from them, another pained scream escaping her quivering lips. She closed her eyes once more, her head clouding over as the pain roared through her.

"Talk to me, ma'am..."

"So much blood," she mumbled in reply, fighting with all her might to ward off the cloud that threatened to overtake her mind. Her body felt weaker, but the pain never left. "I was upset, and then there was this pain..."

Again the new hands pulled at her, invading her space. Cold metal hit her chest, right above her heart. He was checking her breathing, but it wasn't herself that she was concerned about.

"Ma'am, are you hurt? Did you fall? What injuries do we need to be aware of?"

And then his voice came again, an angel sent to protect her. His breath kissed her face as the words spilled out, definitive and powerful.

"Her name's Peyton, and she's pregnant."

Suddenly the foreign voice changes, Peyton hearing the worry that engulfs his tone. His hands are more gentle this time, a thick thumb leaning over to open her eyes. He flashes a light into them, leaving behind a splash of green and purple dots. A short moan escapes her lips as he speaks, this time more soothing than before.

"Peyton, don't you worry. We're going to take real good care of you and your baby." His words are welcomed, the blonde's eyes fluttering open and closed as she struggled to maintain her focus. It took everything she had not to give in, not to shut down. How weak she felt, the pain almost engulfing her. "How far along is she?"

"Not yet three months," came the concerned reply, Peyton lowered to the bed as it arrived. His hands clasped around hers as the doctors began to move, their warmth the other thing she had to hold onto. The only thing that made her feel safe. She knew then that she had to push, she had to fight. Opening her eyes, she stared into his eyes before turning and looking at the doctor.

"He's right. I'm not yet three months yet. Please, something is wrong, I know it. Please save my baby," she whispered, drowsy but undeterred."Oh god, please save my baby."

Rrrrrrrppppppp.

Tearing through her abdomen, and entirely new stabbing torture threatened to tear her apart. Screaming out in pain, the expectant mother lurched forward and threw her hands over her stomach protectively. Fresh tears sprang to her eyes, hazel orbs big and round with fear.

"We have to move," came a female voice from behind, firm hands grabbing hold of the hospital bed. "She doesn't have much time." The bed began to move then, Peyton now acutely aware that she was being taken away. Fear flowed through her then, the blonde afraid of what was to come next. She didn't want to be alone, not for this. Reaching out desperately, she took hold of the hands that had carried her to help, gazing up at the soft pair of eyes of the man who had never let her down.

"Please, don't leave me. I need you!"

Reaching over, a gentle hand brushed over her forehead as determined eyes stared down at her. "I'll be right here, I promise. I'm not going anywhere this time."

His voice was soothing, calming her as his words hit her ears. She needed to her them to know she wasn't alone. That in spite of everything that had happened, she had someone on her side.

"You promise?"

He smiled then, a smile she had not seen in a very long time. It was then she began to feel just how much she had missed him and how much she still needed him.

"I told you I could hold you in my arms forever..." his words were drenched with sincerity, his hand gripping hers tightly as he willed her to understand. "well... forever starts now." Leaning down, he kissed the top of her forehead and she smiled, the doctor nodding as they wheeled her away and out of his sight. Standing there alone in the depressing hospital corridor, his shirt drenched in Peyton's blood, Jake wondered how on earth it had come to pass that Peyton was left laying in agony on the floor of Brooke's store, and why it had been him she had called? But most importantly, his mind was filled with a question that he most needed an answer to-

Where the hell was Lucas?

x~X~x

Not even the rain was strong enough to wash away the events of that night. Standing in the pouring drops that were usually his solace in times when everything felt like they needed to be washed clean, Lucas couldn't escape the weight that rested on his shoulders. Lead-like in nature, the burden of the night pushed him to his limits of strength. It wasn't until he glanced down at his phone and saw a pair of brilliant emerald eyes gazing back at him, mischievous in the blue and gold cheer-leading uniform, that the brooding writer began to realize why everything felt so dire. The events of the night- hell the events if the past six years- had finally come to a conclusion.

Lucas Scott's heart was finally saying goodbye to Brooke Davis.

He could barely feel the cold as a breeze swept around him and flicked water in his eyes. They were damp anyway with the tears of pain he should have cried all those years ago when she said her goodbye, only then he didn't know why she was leaving him. He wasn't sure whether it would have made a difference to how their lives would have been, but he did know that a choice had now been made. He wasn't going to be another Dan Scott, running away from his responsibilities. He would be the best damn father any kid could have. Haley was right- he needed to be a better guy and he didn't have the right to keep playing with Brooke and Peyton like they were expendable. Glancing down, he stared at the beautiful memories of Brooke for the last time, hitting the delete button. Fog hit the cold air as he breathed out a deep sigh. Sniffling slightly, the brooding writer got himself together and stepped into the nearby convenience store.

If he was going to work on things with Peyton then she needed to know he was there for her.

Grabbing the nearest teddy bear and flowers, Lucas quickly handed over the money and stepped back into the cold street. He powered down the path, determined to bring about that feeling that come with decision. Determination was his new best friend. The cement clicked beneath his shows, the world quiet as he neared his corner. For a moment he pictured his mother sitting on the porch seat, and he wondered what she would have said to him in this moment if she would have been proud.

If Keith would have been?

Stepping onto the wooden floorboards on the front entrance, Lucas reached inside his pocket and pulled out the front door key. He was surprised to find the house completely dark, certain he would have found Peyton in her usual couch position and eating a bowl of ice cream. Placing the stuffed animal and flower on the table, Lucas flicked on the light switch and flooded the room with light. He glanced around for a few seconds, met only with the stillness of the silent house.

"Peyton?"

Silence.

Stepping forward, blue eyes wandered the rooms as he illuminated them, the wavy-haired blonde still nowhere to be seen.

"Peyton?"

He called her name again, the confusion now evident in his tone as he was met with absolute silence. He stopped on the spot, hands gliding down to his hips as he did a complete one-eighty. Where was she? Red flashed in his peripheral vision, the brooder turning to see the answering machine alight with a message. Striding across the room, Lucas hit the button and waited for his fiance's voice the fill the room.

"Lucas, it's Julian," came the gruff reply, Lucas rolling his eyes as he heard the producer's voice. Not someone he wanted to deal with right now. "Just calling to let you know we have a meeting with the financial bankers on Monday. Wear something impressive- we need extra money and these are the people who will give it to us. Oh, and have a good weekend or whatever. Later."

Beeeeeeeeeeeeep.

The machine belted out the noise that signaled the end of the message, Lucas waiting patiently to see if there were anymore. Silence befell the room again though, and it became abundantly clear to the older Scott that Peyton was not at home and had not called. Sighing from sudden weariness, Lucas looked across at the teddy bear and flowers that lay strewn across the oak dining table. Sliding into the chair, Lucas looks deep into the toy's frozen eyes, his reflection gleaming back at him as he gazed.

"Well, looks like it's just you and me tonight."

Reaching out, Lucas cupped the soft, furry animal in his strong hands. He looked around the quiet house, staring at the picture that adorned the frames along the wall. It was like a history of their lives was painted there, images of Lucas and Peyton through the years. Together in the school cafeteria, after the state championship win, on the river court, when they opened Brooke's store, when they opened Red Bedroom Records. She had always been there, like a constant figure he could always depend on. Perhaps that was the way it should have been and maybe Haley, in all her wisdom, did know him well. Maybe it was cold feet. Maybe the intensity of becoming a husband and father so quickly after Lindsay and having everyone back together again had rattled him. Perhaps change, although good, was hard to manage. In the end though, it was change that set their lives on the paths they walked. And in spite of everything that had happened, Lucas' path walked side-by-side with Peyton's. Reaching into his pocket, Lucas pulled out his cell and dialed Peyton's number, her smiling face lighting up his screen as it called. He was surprised when the call was suddenly cut off, eyebrows raising in confusion as ominous words splashed across the screen.

Call denied.

Reaching out to dial again, Lucas jumped a little at the sound of his home phone bellowing throughout the empty house. Echoing throughout the abode, the brooding writer jumped up and jogged to the receiver, clearing his throat as he answered.

"Peyton?"

"Lucas," came a familiar voice, baby blues narrowing in confusion as they spoke. "Where are you?"

"Jake?" Lucas questioned, surprise evident in his tone. Leaning against the kitchen counter for support, he breathed out quickly into the receiver. "Is that you man?"

"Get to the hospital," Jake urged his friend, Lucas now becoming acutely aware of the white noise that surrounded Jake on the other end of the line. "It's Peyton- she's in trouble."

It was as if time had stopped altogether. The world fell away, frozen in fear by what was said. How could this be happening? Was life really that cruel?

How could everything have changed in the blink of an eye?

The receiver dropped from his hands but he barely recognized the thump it made as it hit the floor, Lucas lunging for his keys as he bumped into the table. Flowers dropped and scattered across the wooden boards, petals blowing in the breeze that followed the brooding writer as he ran for the door. Rolling around on the ground, the black eyes of the teddy bear stared at the door as it slammed closed. The house was silent again, nothing but the memories of a life once loved there to keep it company.

The road was slick from the dew but that didn't deter him. Reaching through the streets, Lucas could feel his heart skipping in his chest as if it was about to explode right out of him. His mind was swelling with the fear of what he was driving into, palms sweaty as they tried to grip the steering wheel for support. Lights flew by him like flashes of lightning. Tires squealed as he turned each corner, the hospital never seeming more far away than it did right now.

"Hold on, Peyton," Lucas whispered under his breath, swerving around a car that was going to slow. Horns blared out behind him but he didn't care, their inconvenience nothing in the grand scheme of things. Pulling into the emergency ramp, Lucas bounced as the car came to a halt. The car door slammed as he ran for the emergency department doors. Parting like the red sea when they sensed him, Lucas bounded into the crowded room in panic. Wails sounded out all around him, the sick and needy enveloping him like a plague. Blue eyes darted back and forth through the sea of bodies, landing finally on a face that was both familiar and concerned.

"Jake!"

Calling out the man's name across the crowded room, the single father turned his face towards Lucas and stood. Shoes pounded the linoleum flooring as the blonde raced forward, breathless as the two finally came face to face.

"Jake," Lucas breathed, fear saturating his eyes. "What the hell happened?"

The same fear was found in the eyes that gazed back at him, Jake shaking his head as if he didn't know where to start. "All I know is that I got a frantic call from Peyton begging me for help." He took a deep breath, tilting his head to the side and running a shaky hand through his hair. "She had collapsed at Brooke's store and so I just ran. Man, there was so much blood and I didn't know what to do, so I carried her here."

"She called you?" Lucas questioned, unsure why it even mattered at this point. Thoughts flashed through his mind about the state she must have been in- how scared she would have been. Why then would she call someone whom no-one had seen in years, let alone knew he was back in town? "Why would she call you? I would have been there if she called."

"I don't know Luke," Jake replied in annoyance, disbelief at Lucas' concerns. "Why don't you ask her when we see her. I was more concerned with the fact that she needed me."

It was like his words set off an anger inside Lucas, the brooding man stepping forward. "And what, she didn't need her fiance?"

Shaking his head at the blonde's reply, Jake sighed and calmly spoke to his old friend. He knew Lucas was worried and probably just needed someone to aim his anger at.

"I don't know anything about that. She called, I came." Jake shook his head then, trying his best to calm the man before him. "What goes on between you and Peyton is between you and Peyton."

"And you, apparently," Lucas grunted, blue eyes shooting daggers at the man before them. Stepping back and raising his hands in the air, Jake glared at the worrying fiance like he was an alien from another planet. Truth was, the single father had enough going on with his life at the moment without having someone who was supposed to be his friend throwing him accusatory glances like he had done something wrong.

"What would you have had me do, Lucas? Leave her lying there to die?" Jake fired back, realizing that although his friend might have been sick with worry it still gave him no right to treat him like the enemy. Not after everything he had given up so that Peyton could be happy with him. Lucas winced at the sound of Jake's words, the truth hurting when spoken aloud. "Because that is what she looked like when I got there, man. When I got to her there was blood everywhere and she was in pain- she was dying. I had to do something!" Stepping forward, Jake could feel the rage burning within him as he remembered what she looked like, how fragile and scared she was.

How she was all alone.

"And you know what," Jake spat out, Lucas now completely aware that the man before him was not happy with him in the slightest, "I don't give a damn what you think about that. I make no apologies for being there for her when others failed to be. I make no apologies for being the one she called and I will not stand here and allow you to take your issues out on me when I was the one who sent her home to you because you were supposed to be the one who was the best thing for her." Snarling under his breath, Jake glared at Lucas with eyes the brooding writer had never seen before.

"What a joke that turned out to be, hey Luke?"

Turning away from Lucas, Jake walked across the hall and leaned against the cool cement of the wall. He closed his eyes as he felt his body begin to calm down, unsure if he should have said anything at all. He knew Lucas was probably just worried, but he couldn't help but feel disappointed in how everything had turned out. Hearing a sigh from right beside him, Jake opened his eyes to see Lucas staring at him apologetically, a steady hand reaching out and grabbing onto his shoulder.

"I'm sorry man," Lucas apologized, sincerity dripping from his eyes as he gazed down at his friend. "I guess I'm just afraid of what's going on behind those doors. I can't help her and when you did, it just felt like..." he couldn't finish his sentence, knowing how hypocritical he would sound considering all that he had done lately. "I need to thank you for what you did. If you hadn't been there and something had happened to Peyton, I don't know what I would have done. So, I guess what I'm trying to say is thank-"

"I didn't do it for you," Jake replied, cutting Lucas off before he could finish "I did it or Peyton. And if you're a smart man Lucas then you'll start doing what is right for Peyton too."

Before he could respond, Jake pushed himself off the wall and began jogging up the hall towards a man wrapped in a white doctor's coat, Lucas following closely behind. The older man breathed out deeply, pulling his glasses from his eyes as the two boys waited anxiously for some news.

"We've stabilized her," he began, Lucas jumping in before he could get any further.

"And the baby?"

"I'm sorry, you are?" gazing at the new face, it was apparent that the doctor believed Jake was Peyton's significant other.

"I'm Lucas Scott, Peyton's fiance and the father of her baby."

Glancing over at Jake as if for confirmation, Jake nodded and the doctor continued, going through the motions of what had happened.

"The baby is fine for now. We need to run some further tests however to verify what it was exactly which caused Peyton's bleeding. You understand that bleeding heavily whilst pregnant can cause many complications and our main focus right now is to make sure Peyton is well and safe. Once we have done that, we will be able to determine the best possible way of treating whatever it is that's ailing her."

Absorbing the information, Lucas closed his eyes with relief and took a step back, exhaling deeply as his heart began to calm down. Jake stepped forward though, clearly wanting to know more.

"But Peyton is okay?"

The doctor nodded in reply, Jake's eyes displaying the relief that was rushing through his body in that moment. "Yes, for now Miss Sawyer is responding well and we hope to find out the cause of this incident as soon as possible. Obviously we need to speak to Peyton about this further as well."

Nodding at his words, Jake smiled as Lucas stepped forward, eagerness in his tone.

"Can I see her?"

"I'll let her know you are here," the doctor replied, smiling at them both as they watched him. "And when she is all settled you can come through and see her."

"Thank you, doctor," Jake breathed, reaching out and shaking the man's hand in appreciation. Lucas nodded eagerly as well, reaching out to take the doctor's hand once Jake had released it.

"yes, thank you so much for everything you have done for my fiance and baby."

"Of course," the man replied, stepping backwards as he spoke to them. "All a part of the job." he disappeared down the corridor, Jake and Lucas falling wearily to the waiting room seats in silence. Thick hands grabbed hold of Jake's face as fell into their hold, Lucas gazing at his friend as he did so. They sat in an uncomfortable silence, neither one really knowing what to say. It hurt a little to know that they had come to this, years apart having had a negative impact on their friendship. They used to be so close and the fact that they seemed to be against one-another right now disturbed Lucas. This was the boy who was the first person on that basketball team to welcome him so many years ago. The one who taught him that people aren't always what they seem. The brooding writer opened his mouth to tell him so, but found he couldn't find the words. He closed his mouth again and they continued to sit in silence, the minutes floating by them. Soon enough, the ominous sound of footsteps began treading down the corridor again and both boys stood as the doctor came towards them, Lucas more than ready to see Peyton for himself and make sure she was okay.

She was his priority now.

"Okay, so I've spoken to the patient and let her know you are both her," he began, clearly a little uncomfortable as he looked at the two gentlemen before him. "And she's asked that you comer in and see her."

Lucas nodded in reply, tapping Jake on the back as the single father took his place back in his chair. "Which room is she in?"

"Actually," the doctor stammered, both boys noticing how evidently uncomfortable her was. "she's asked to see Mr. Jagielski."

Getting up form his chair, Jake nodded at the doctor's request and began to move forward. Lucas followed suit, angered by what he had just heard. Turning at the sound of the man behind him, Jake placed his hand on Lucas' chest and halted his advance, the brooding blonde pushing his hand away in anger.

"Jake, I swear to god get your hand off of me or I'll..."

"Think about her," Jake pleaded, gripping onto Lucas' shirt as he pleaded with him. "For once Luke just think about her!" Lucas stopped his advance, nostrils flaring as his angered welled within." She's in hospital right now. She's sick and hurting. Whatever it is I will talk to her but don't make it worse now by barging your way in when she clearly doesn't want to see you right now." releasing Lucas from his grip, Jake tilted his head and pleaded one more time. "Come on man... just back off a little bit."

"Tell her I love her," Lucas replied solemnly, his eyes softening as he took in Jake's words. "Just tell her I love her."

Jake nodded then, Lucas stepping back towards the seats as his old friend turned and made his way down the hall, leaving the brooding writer to wonder what he had done-

and how he was ever going to fix it?

x~X~x

Hello awesome readers! Yes it's true, another update just for you! Thank you to the amazing people who have reviewed this story thus far – it really is my baby because it was the first thing I had ever written and I am just so protective of it. The fact that you spend the time to review it means the absolute world to me and want to thank you all so much. Also, thank you to the people who have added it to their alerts and favorites.

Special thank you to the following people who took the time to review the last chapter:

dianehermans

Princesakarlita411

.oO

DANI OTH

sunshine

You guys rock!

Anyways, you know the drill. PLEASE read and review.

Love always and god bless,

Chrissy

xox