Okay, it's been forever and a half. I know. I deserve like "Worst Author Ever" award for it, but I'm back. Thanks to snfan, Mythology, jeyton4ever, symmy, xSmile, AndiK, TVHollywoodDiva, FiveForFighting09, Fieldhockey, lucasscottlover1, and nemo123489 for reviewing and keeping me motivated to come back! This chapter isn't what I wanted to be, but I wanted to post SOMETHING for you. I lost my beta because I haven't updated since August so if you're interested in beta'ing for me, please let me know. Also, I'm looking for someone who is good at writing NC-17 fics to write a scene of next chapter. If you think you're up to it, please let me know and I'll let you know what's going on. I've had this chapter written for about 2 weeks but I've been grounded from the computer so it kind of messed up my plan of posting. Anyway, enough excuses. I hope you like it! Enjoy! justine
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"Oh, Lucas," Karen cried, taking her son in her arms, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Lucas winced slightly at the pressure of Karen's embrace on his aching body, but didn't dare pull away. He closed his eyes and welcomed the safety of his mother's presence. It felt like he hadn't seen her in years. She pulled away and looked into his dazed, tired eyes.
"Lucas, I'm going to go get the doctor, okay?"
Lucas nodded, immediately regretting it as his head lowered and he struggled to hold it up. He laid his head back and sighed deeply, his breath catching in his throat as his chest tightened. He lifted his shirt to find a bandage where his port had once been. The last thing he remembered was being on the rivercourt with Brooke, hearing her call his name and not having the strength to answer her. He was overwhelmed as the memory came flooding back to him. He was abruptly pulled back into reality as the doctor walked in, followed by his mother, brother, and girlfriend.
"Well, Lucas, good to see you finally awake. How are you feeling?"
"Like hell..." Lucas said honestly, putting a hand to his chest.
"Now that you're awake we should be able to give you more medicine for the pain. We're going to give you a day to rest before we go any further with treatment. The port is gone because of the infection you contracted, but you are scheduled to have it put back in the day after tomorrow."
Lucas blinked hard, a lump forming in the back of his throat at the thought of having to go through that again, but bit his tongue to keep his face from falling.
"After that, we will be able to get you back on your chemo treatment schedule and release you to go home in a few days. Sound good?"
"Yes, sir," Lucas tried to say strongly, his cracking voice clearly giving away his fears.
The man smiled sympathetically and quickly called in a nurse to give Lucas medicine for the pain. When she was finished, both she and the doctor smiled once more and left the room.
All at once, his mother, brother, and girlfriend made their way to his bed, Karen sitting on one side, Nathan on the other, Brooke on the edge of the bed. Karen reached out and put a hand to Lucas' arm.
"I'm so glad you're back, Lucas," she said softly.
"You too, Mom. But, how did you know? I mean, when did you know?"
Karen looked to Nathan who looked down at the floor guiltily. "Nathan called me when you were brought in here. I was so happy he did. Lucas, I can't believe you didn't tell me."
"I know. I'm sorry, Mom. It's just, for once, you really seemed happy, and I didn't want to ruin that for you."
"That doesn't matter, Lucas. I'm just happy I'm here now. I don't want you to go through this without me."
"I didn't exactly like going through it without you either, Mom," Lucas joked half-heartedly.
"So, Karen, what about? I mean, how are you? I mean, Andy?" Brooke tried to ask politely.
Karen smiled. "Andy is in New Zealand. We cancelled the wedding."
Lucas felt a pang of guilt hit his in the stomach.
"We both decided that as much as we love each other, there's no way for us to make it work. His dreams are there with his family, to teach university there. My dreams are here, with my son, and my café, and my friends, the life I've built for myself in Tree Hill. I couldn't leave that. I still love Andy, and I probably always will, but I couldn't give up my life, and he couldn't either."
Brooke put a sympathetic hand on the woman's shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Karen."
Karen just nodded and smiled. She then rose from her chair and put a hand on Lucas's aching head. "I have to go take care of some things, but I'll be back, okay?"
Lucas smiled up at her as she left, then turned his attention to his brother who was sitting beside him, still staring at the ground.
Nathan sat in suspense, waiting for his brother to blow up, furious at him for calling Karen against his word. Instead, he watched in awe as Lucas reached out a slightly shaky fist for Nathan to hit. Nathan warily bumped fists with his brother and Lucas smiled.
"Thank you, Nathan," Lucas said simply.
Nathan finally smiled. "I'm sorry, Luke. I know you said not to call her, but I didn't know what else to do. You needed her, man. We all did."
Lucas nodded in agreement. "I know. You did the right thing, Nate. You've had this weight on your shoulders for too long already. You shouldn't have to worry so much about me."
"I do worry about you, Luke. We all do. We just needed to call in backup, something we should've done when this all started."
Both boys laughed and Nathan got up, hugging Lucas before standing.
"I'm glad you're back, big brother. I don't know what I'd do without you."
Lucas smiled and then laughed, nodding towards Brooke.
"Oh, okay, so, I'm going to go?" Nathan questioned.
Lucas smiled mischievously.
"That would be a yes. Okay, I'll see you two later. Bye, Brooke. Bye, Luke."
"Bye, Nate. Tell Haley to come visit. I miss my Bunny Beaugard."
Nathan looked at him and cocked his eyebrow, confused. Lucas laughed and waved him off, not wanting to explain the joke.
As soon as Nathan had left the room, Brooke scooted closer to Lucas and kissed his cheek, running her fingers through his hair, tears clouding her vision. As a tear ran down her cheek, Lucas reached up and wiped it away.
"It's okay. Don't cry, pretty girl," he said softly.
Brooke's lip trembled and she leaned forward, burying her face in his chest.
Lucas groaned slightly when Brooke's weight hit his chest and shifted the sling on his shoulder to the side, but he simply ran his free hand up and down her back, letting her cry. He ran his fingers through her hair and she finally sat up. "I'm so sorry, Lucas."
"For what?"
"For not knowing what to do. You were upset and running and yelling about how you wanted your life back, and then, you collapsed and I had no idea what to do."
"You did help me, Brooke. You were calling my name, I remember. And even though I wasn't responding, that helped me. I was scared, Brooke. I fell and I knew something had happened, something worse than ever, because I couldn't respond to you. I tried, and I couldn't, and it scared me. But you kept talking, even when I didn't answer. You helped me, Brooke. You helped me remember to keep hanging on, Cheery."
Brooke looked to Lucas and kissed him softly. "I'm so glad you're back. I love you, Luke."
"I love you, too, Brooke."
---
The next day, Lucas' friends all came to visit. The guys from the rivercourt, a couple guys from the team, Peyton, Brooke, Nathan, and Haley. They all seemed to be trying their best to treat him as they always had, and he appreciated it. In fact, the one person acting the weirdest was Haley. But he didn't worry about it too much. The day went by all too quickly, and before he knew it, the day was over, his friends were gone, and he was alone, scared of what the next day brought him.
---
Nathan carefully slid his lunch tray onto the top of the round concrete table in the middle of the quad, taking a seat next to Haley, across from Brooke and Peyton. They all sat in silence for a moment before Peyton spoke up.
"Where were you this morning, Nate?"
"Lucas had his surgery this morning. So I went and sat with Karen until he was done. It took longer than I thought it was, so I guess I'll have to make up that test I missed second period."
"Is he okay? I mean, do you know?" Brooke asked anxiously.
"I waited until they were done. They came in and told us that everything went as planned, that he would probably be awake by this afternoon when we leave school. Whitey has already excused me from practice. I'm sure he'd excuse you three also if you asked."
Brooke and Peyton nodded in agreement. "Sounds good. I want to see him. He was so nervous about it. Did he get this nervous the last time and I just didn't notice or something?" Brooke asked.
"I think last time, he didn't know about how much it would hurt. This time, he knew, so he was dreading having to do it again."
Peyton nodded. "Do you think he'll be able to go to the game?"
"I don't know. I hope so. I think it would do him good. Even if he can't play, it would be good for him to be able to be around everyone outside the hospital again, like before."
All four of them got up from the table, throwing away the remains of half-eaten lunches and walking towards the double doors of the school.
"It's so hard, you know. Acting like it's no big deal and acting like you're not worried. He says he doesn't want us to worry, so I try to act like everything's okay, but it's not. I'm scared as hell, and I know he is, too. I just want so badly to believe that everything's going to be okay" Brooke confessed.
Nathan put a friendly arm around Brooke's shoulder and pulled her into a side-hug as they walked. "He knows we're worried, and he knows we can see through his tough-guy act, but he does it anyway. That's just the kind of guy Lucas is. As hard as it may be for us to act like everything's okay, we have to. Because if we don't believe that, then I don't know what else to believe."
Brooke smiled and pulled away. "Thanks, Nate. So, does everyone want to meet up here after school and then head over to see him?"
Nathan, Peyton, and Brooke nodded, but Haley took a step backwards. "I don't think so. I um, I have a student that needs some extra help at the tutoring center, and uh, I should probably go to practice to help out since you two won't be there," Haley said nervously.
"Haley, don't worry about practice. It doesn't matter. Lucas wants to see you," Nathan said.
"I just, I can't, okay?" Haley said quickly, turning and quickly walking into the school. Nathan looked after her, stunned at her reaction. Brooke put a hand on Nathan's arm. "I'll talk to her..."
---
Brooke walked in to the dim, quiet room and smiled at Lucas who was laying on the bed, his eyes closed. "Hey there, Luke."
Lucas' eyes opened and he searched the room, his gaze falling on Brooke. He smiled and waved her over. She stood beside him and kissed him softly, noticing the tired look in his eyes.
"How're you feeling?"
Lucas smiled weakly, debating for a split second whether or not to lie. "Not so good."
Brooke's eyes filled with concern and he immediately regretted telling the truth. "I'm sorry, Broody. Anything I can do?"
Lucas scooted over on the bed and patted the small, open space beside him. Brooke understood the gesture and climbed carefully beside him, enjoying the warmth of his body next to hers. Lucas laid on his back and she laid on her side facing him. She ran her fingers along his chest, slowly lifting his shirt. Clear tape covered the new port and Brooke swallowed hard at the sight of the raised, black bruise surrounding the stitches. She fingered it lightly. "Does it hurt?"
Lucas nodded slowly. Just then, Nathan and Peyton walked into the room. Nathan stopped midstep and laughed. "I'm sorry, are we interrupting something?" he asked and Brooke quickly pulled Lucas' shirt back down and sat up.
"No, hey, Nate. Hey, Peyton," Lucas said.
"Hey, man," Nathan said, greeting his brother with half a hug and a fist. "You feeling any better? I didn't get to see you afterwards this morning."
Lucas shook his head. "They gave me stuff for the pain, but it didn't help much, made me sick earlier."
Nathan's face fell.
"Where's Haley?" Lucas asked quickly.
Nathan looked to Peyton and Brooke for help.
"She had to help out at the tutor center this afternoon and she took over practice so Brooke and I could take the afternoon off," Peyton lied quickly.
"Oh, okay. Tell her to come tomorrow then," Lucas said warily.
The four friends talked for almost a hour, joking and laughing, before they were interrupted again and the doctor walked in. He greeted all four of them, checking over Lucas' charts before addressing him.
"Are you feeling any better, Mr. Scott?"
Lucas shook his head.
"Well, we'll monitor it tonight and see how everything works out. We may keep you off chemo for another day if you don't feel up to it. We don't want you getting sick again."
Lucas nodded and the doctor scribbled on the small clipboard.
"Doctor? Will Lucas be able to come to the game Friday night?" Nathan asked boldly, gaining a sigh from Brooke and Peyton who'd be wanting to ask the same thing.
"I'm afraid not. We'll have to keep Lucas here until Saturday afternoon, or Sunday, depending on when he starts treatment again."
All three faces fell and Lucas felt a knot forming in the pit of his stomach.
"Well, Lucas. You have another visitor outside. You have ten minutes, and then you should get some rest."
Lucas nodded and the doctor left. All four watched the door, awaiting the unexpected visitor. Nathan laughed as the man walked into the room, a grin on his face.
"Well, well, this is where my players and cheerleaders ran off to!" he joked.
"Hey, Coach," Lucas said.
Whitey walked over and waited as Brooke, Nathan, and Peyton said their goodbyes, promising to come back the next afternoon and the room fell silent as the door shut behind them.
Whitey sat down in the chair beside Lucas' bed and propped his elbows on the bed.
"How you doing, son?"
"Not so good, Coach."
Whitey nodded, as if he expected the answer.
"I'm proud of you, Lucas. You'll be able to get through this, just like you've gotten through every other problem thrown your way. You're one of the strongest young men I know, and I have no doubt in my mind that you'll be able to get through this."
"Thank, Coach," Lucas said. "I wish I could go to the game Friday night."
"You shouldn't worry about that."
"I know. I just, wish things would go back to normal, at least, a little normal? Like, before this, when I was still pretending and the team didn't know."
"You have a lot of support. You have the whole team behind you 100 percent now."
"I know, I just, I miss the game," Lucas finally said.
"I know you do, son. But, the game's not going anywhere, and neither is your spot. You promise you'll fight this, and I promise you'll be back on the team in no time, better than ever. The whole team is behind you, Luke. You're never in this alone. Don't ever forget that."
"Thank you, Coach. I mean, thanks for, you know, coming here," Lucas said.
Whitey stood and put an arm on Lucas' shoulder. "No problem. I'll see you soon, son."
Lucas watched the man walk out of the room and smiled slightly to himself, laying back into the pillows. He turned out the light and glanced over at the picture frame beside his bed, shining in the light from the window. The photo was from the regional championship party, all of his friends, his mom, the team, the guys from the rivercourt, everyone was there. The wise coach's words played over and over in his head. You're never in this alone. Lucas smiled to himself and closed his eyes, letting himself fade back into sleep.