Where Do I Belong?

Chapter 14

Okay, so this chapter is super short. But I felt it was necessary, and I liked how it concluded. I'm already hard at work on the next update. Hopefully it too will be up before the weekend is over.

Nathan smiled as Haley walked towards him and she waved with an equally large smile. Frozen in place, he watched as she stepped off the curb, not seeing the oncoming car. "Haley!"

------FLASH--------

Nathan now sat nervously in the hospital waiting room surrounded by friends and family, awaiting any word on Haley.

"Mr. Scott," the doctor walked in.

"Yes," he stood and Peyton grasped his hand.

"Would you like to step into the other room with me?"

Nathan shook his head, "No, whatever you have to say can be said here," squeezing Peyton's hand he asked, "How is Haley?"

"I'm sorry Mr. Scott, there was nothing we could do for your wife."

Nathan collapsed against the now standing Peyton and let out a sob.

"But we have high hopes for your daughter."

Nathan's head slowly lifted, "My daughter?"

"Yes. We estimated your wife to be at about 20 weeks. Your daughter will remain hospitalized until she meets our release guidelines for premature babies, but we have high hopes for her."

"I have a daughter," Nathan whispered.

"You may go see her when you're ready Mr. Scott."

-------FLASH-------

Nathan sat up in bed, 'It was just a dream,' he told himself. Haley's not dead, and she's not pregnant. Her words echoed in his hears, "…We're not together, we're not pregnant…" To hear her say it really hit him. She was right, they're not together. And it's not her fault anymore. She tried, God how she tried. I'm to blame.

Once again, as he had before the dream, Nathan laid in bed, praying for sleep. Reaching for his cell phone he dialed his voicemail, again. Silently he listened to her message, again. He'd memorized it after the third or fourth time. Now he listened just to hear her voice.

He'd refused to listen to it with Peyton there, afraid he might cry again. But it had then been impossible to convince her that he was fine and she could go.

It had taken every ounce of his strength to walk into the bathroom pretending not to care that Haley had called.

Now he just wishes she'd call again, so that he could talk to her and profess his love to her.

Peyton arrived early the next day, "Hey sleepy head, didya get a good night's sleep?"

"I've had better."

"Care to share?"

"I'd rather not."

"Okay," Peyton pushed him over and sat next to him on the bed. "SO, what are we going to do today?"

"I have to make a decision about the challenge."

"Oh, you can do that tonight. Let's do something today to get your mind off it."

"I had a dream Peyton."

"Wow, really," she pretended to be shocked, "We all dream."

"Haley died Peyton. I stood frozen in place, unable to do anything, and watched her get hit by a car. And I don't think we were a couple."

"What makes you say that?"

"Because at the hospital, when the doctor told me she was dead, he also said they delivered our daughter, four months premature. And had we been together, I wouldn't have been shocked to learn that my wife was five months pregnant."

Peyton couldn't believe how much the real dream mirrored their current situation, "Well, it was just a dream. Don't fret over it."

"But that's just it Peyton. I felt a part of me die when he said Haley was gone. Like when I lost her to the tour. Only this time there was no chance for forgiveness."

"She's not dead Nathan. You can still fix things, if you want to."

"I do want to. I've always wanted to."

Okay, so don't hate me. I know I still haven't resolved the cliffhanger from the last chapter, but I promise it's in the next chapter. Hope you liked this chapter, please review. :0)