Chapter 21: Waking up, phone calls and shrinks
Last Chapter:
It was now 3 in the morning, and Peyton was finally starting to doze of. Her hands her just slackened their hold on Allison's when she suddenly felt Allison's hand move in hers and before she could actually realize what was happening, she heard a small voice say, "Mommy."
Go ahead as you waste your days with thinking
When you fall everyone stands
Another day and you've had your fill of sinking
With the life held in your
Hands are shaking cold
These hands are meant to hold
"Allison?" Peyton whispered breathlessly as he eyes flew open. Hardly daring to hope, Peyton trained her eyes towards her daughter's face, and nearly broke down again when she saw Allison's baby blues staring back at her.
"Mommy," Allison repeated as Peyton flung her arms around her daughter and let tears fall freely in her golden locks.
"Oh my god baby, you're okay. You had us so, so worried. I can't believe you're awake—"
"Peyton who're you—Allison?" Lucas asked stunned jumping up from his place on the couch as he all but ran to his daughter's side finding it hard to believe that she was indeed awake.
"Hey daddy," Allison said softly, coughing slightly because of her dry throat.
"Hey baby," Lucas whispered back feeling tears prick in his eyes as well as he leaned down and softly kissed Allison's bandaged forehead.
"She's awake Peyton, she's okay. Our baby is fine," Lucas whispered comfortingly as he lifted Peyton off Allison and pulled her into a hug.
"She's fine, she's fine" Peyton repeated as she slipped out of Lucas' embrace and turned her attention once more to her daughter.
"Do you want anything honey?" Peyton continued carefully running her hands through Allison's tangled locks making sure not to touch the bandage that covered almost all of her forehead.
"Watah?" Allison choked out.
"Yeah, water of course. One second princess," Lucas said as he hurried towards the water jug and pouring some water in a plastic cup, he hurried back towards Allison's bed.
"Here you go," Lucas said tipping the water down her throat, "Peyton did you push the button to alert the nurses that she was awake?"
"Dammit I knew I wasn't doing something," Peyton mumbled as she leaned back and immediately pushed the blue button behind Allison's bed.
"Its okay Peyt, she's been awake for less than 5 minutes. I am pretty sure it won't make any difference," Lucas said soothingly as he watched Peyton's conflicted expression.
"I know, it's just that I can't believe I forgot. I mean the doctor told us 3 times to make sure that we alert him or any of the nurses as soon as Allison wakes up, and I completely forgot," Peyton berated herself.
"You were so relieved that Allison was awake that you forgot. It happens, stop being so hard upon yourself. Allison is—"
"Mr. Scott? What happened, you pushed the—Oh my, she's awake," the nurse said looking surprised at the awake young girl on the bed.
"Yeah she woke up like 5 minutes ago, I am sorry I didn't alert you—"
"It's fine, it's completely natural for parents to be so caught up in relief that it takes a couple of minutes for them to realize the technicalities," the nurse said kindly as she walked forward and started recording Allison's stats.
"Brenda can you please page Dr. Martinez and tell him that Allison Scott is awake please?" The nurse continued talking to her young assistant who was standing at the door.
"Right away," the nurse nodded taking out her pager.
"Why don't you both go outside for a couple of minutes while I perform her physical examination? We're not allowed to have parents in the room for that," the nurse said apologetically.
"But she just woke up," Peyton said softly.
"She'll be fine, I promise," the nurse promised.
"She'll be okay Peyton," Lucas agreed softly squeezing her hand in a comforting way.
Nodding, Peyton turned to walk away, but turned back again and walked towards Allison's bed instead. Once she was right next to her daughter, she leaned down and softly placed a kiss on both of her cheeks.
"Mommy and daddy are going to go outside for a couple of minutes, okay? This nice lady here is going to check you to make sure you're okay, be good for her. I love you," Peyton said softly and with one last kiss, she straightened up and joined Lucas at the door.
They were about to step out, when Allison's soft voice made them both turn around again.
"I love you too mommy and you too daddy. I love you so, so much," Allison said softly giving her parents a small smile.
"We love you too princess," Lucas said affectionately as she grasped Peyton's hand once more and led her outside leaving the nurse to continue with her examination.
"She's going to be okay, right?" Peyton asked Lucas once they were outside. There was so much hope in her voice that Lucas couldn't help but just stare at her for a couple of seconds. This was one of those times when he had a hard time believing that the Peyton standing in front of him was the same Peyton that he left behind 3 years ago.
"Luke?" Peyton's voice brought him out of his reverie.
"Oh yeah sorry, I was just thinking," Lucas apologized, "And Allison will be okay. Our daughter is a fighter, she's already beaten all the odds by waking up so fast, she'll be running around in no time at all."
"Thanks," Peyton said smiling slightly, "You always have the right thing to say to calm me down."
"What can I say, it's all part of the Lucas Scott charm," Lucas said grinning, the atmosphere much more lighter now that Allison was awake.
"Charm? What charm?" Peyton asked teasingly.
"You're funny, you really are," Lucas said sarcastically playfully nudging Peyton on her shoulder.
"I should call Brooke and Karen," Peyton said suddenly.
"And Nathan and Haley," Lucas added.
"I'll call Brooke and Karen and you call Nate. They won't be able to come here in the middle of the night, but they'll at least be able to have a decent night's sleep," Peyton said as she took out her cell phone and speed dialed Brooke's cell while Lucas did the same thing with Nathan.
Speak to me, when all you got to keep is strong
Move along, move along like I know you do
And even when your hope is gone
Move along, move along just to make it through
Move along
Move along
--
"Peyton," Brooke's frantic voice greeted from the other end of the line, "What happened? Is everything okay? Why are you calling me—"
"Brooke calm down," Peyton said soothingly, "Everything is alright."
"Then why are you calling me in the middle of the night?" Brooke demanded, "You almost gave me a heart attack."
"Sorry B. I just wanted to tell you that Allison is awake," Peyton said smiling slightly, relief evident in her voice.
"SHE'S AWAKE," Brooke screamed from the other end, "She's awake and you take this long to tell me? I have been worried sick here—"
"Brooke she just woke up like 10 minutes ago. The doctor is checking her right now, so I don't have all the details right now, but she's awake and talking, and the fact that she woke up so fast is definitely a good sign," Peyton explained.
"Oh Peyton, I am so relieved," Brooke said softly her voice breaking with emotion.
"I know B. Davis. I know how worried you were, and that's why I you're the first person I am calling with the good news," Peyton said.
"Is there any way I can come to the hospital right now? Julian's here so Sam won't be alone, and I really, really want to see Allison," Brooke pleaded.
"Brooke you know that they don't anyone except for the parents in after visiting hours. And anyways visiting hours start in 9 hours, so you don't have that long of a wait," Peyton said soothingly.
"That is so not fair. I am her godmother, I should be given the same privileges as the parents," Brooke groaned, but Peyton could hear the smile behind her best friend's voice.
"Get some sleep Brooke," Peyton instructed lightly, "We don't want you scaring Allison when you come here in the morning with large bags under your eyes.
"Haha very funny P. Sawyer. I'll be in the hospital at 9 on the dot," Brooke promised.
"I know you will," Peyton agreed, "Anyways I have to call Karen now, so I'll see you in the morning okay?"
"Yeah. Take care P. and give Allison a kiss from me okay?" Brooke asked.
"I will. Bye," Peyton said.
"Bye," Brooke said softly as she hung up the phone.
--
Once Brooke had hung up the phone, Peyton once again speed dialed Karen's number and put the phone back to her ear waiting for someone to pick up the phone.
"Hello," Karen said as she picked up phone from the other side.
"Hey Karen, its Peyton," Peyton greeted softly.
"Peyton?" Karen asked surprised, "What happened? Is everything okay?"
"Everything's fine. I just called to tell you that Allison is awake," Peyton said getting right to the point.
"Allison's awake? She's awake?" Karen echoed hardly daring to believe what she was hearing.
"She is. She woke up about 10 minutes ago," Peyton confirmed.
"But- but the doctors said that she would wake up in 12 hours or something like that. What happened?" Karen inquired.
"She woke up. The doctors are just as surprised, but in Lucas' words, our daughter is a fighter. She likes to beat the odds," Peyton said proudly.
"Peyton that is great. Wow, I am so relieved. Wait one second—Dan Allison's awake," Karen shouted out turning her head away from the phone.
"What? She's awake?" Peyton heard Dan's stunned voice from somewhere behind Peyton.
"Peyton just called. Allison woke up 10 minutes ago," Karen said still talking to Dan.
"Oh thank goodness," Peyton heard Dan sigh in relief from the background as Karen once again turned back to the phone.
"Sorry," Karen apologized.
"It's okay," Peyton said brushing if off, "Dan's at your place?"
"Yeah. It was a hard night and I didn't want to him to be alone in that house especially with his heart condition and all, so—"
"Hey it's okay. You don't have to give me a whole explanation. I was just wondering, that's all. But if there's something that you might want to share with me then…" Peyton trailed off teasingly.
"Very funny Peyton," Karen replied and Peyton could just see her rolling her eyes, her cheeks sporting a light blush.
"Fine fine, don't say anything. Your silence says a thousands words in itself," Peyton said seriously. "Anyways, the doctor just came out of the room, so I'm going to hand up, okay?"
"Yeah sure. I'll see you in the morning. Give Allison a kiss from me will you?" Karen requested.
"I will," Peyton promised, "Bye."
And with that Peyton snapped her cell phone shut as Lucas did the same beside her, and they both turned towards the doctor feeling both eager and apprehensive.
So a day when you've lost yourself completely
Could be a night when your life ends
Such a heart that will lead you to deceiving
All the pain held in your
Hands are shaking cold
Your hands are mine to hold
--
Meanwhile....
As Peyton turned around to call Brooke, Lucas flipped open his own cell phone and speed dialed Nathan's cell.
"Lucas," a very harried sounding Nathan said from the other end of the line.
"Hey man," Lucas greeted.
"What happened? Why are you calling in the middle of the night? Is Allison okay?" Nathan asked worried.
"Allison's fine. In fact, she woke up," Lucas said smiling.
"She woke up? She woke up? When did this happen?" A very excited Haley asked from the other line.
"Haley?" Lucas asked amused, "I thought this was Nathan's cell."
"Sorry man, I have the phone on speaker phone," Nathan explained.
"And anyways whatever belongs to Nathan belongs to me. That's one the basic rules of marriage or have you forgotten?" Haley asked teasingly.
"Lindsay and I don't share everything. You guys are just weird," Lucas joked.
"If being in love means we're weird then so be it. We've never been a normal couple and we never want to be," Nathan said seriously.
"Yeah I guess it all comes down to if you're in love or not," Lucas said bitterly, his cheerful mood disappearing as his thoughts wandered off to his broken marriage.
"Wait, wait, wait. Why are we talking about marriage here? You were telling us about Allison, Luke," Nathan probed obviously trying to change the subject.
"Yeah, she's awake guys. She woke up 10 minutes ago. The doctors said that she would be lucky if she wakes up in 12 hours, and she woke up in a little less than 6 hours. This is good right?" Lucas asked looking for reassurance. He had been reassuring Peyton the whole night, but now he felt the need to be reassured himself.
"That's great Lucas. I always knew my goddaughter was a fighter. She has always been the one to beat all the odds," Nathan said proudly.
"She's going to be fine Lucas. Your daughter is brave, and she has so much to live for, she's going to come out of all this even stronger than before, I promise. It will all be okay," Haley reassured her best friend knowing that this was exactly what he needed to hear.
"Thanks Haley, I really needed that," Lucas said appreciatively.
"They call me your best friend for a reason you know," Haley said teasingly.
"And man, you're doing really good with Peyton. She wouldn't have made it through this without you," Nathan said honestly.
"Thanks Nate. You both are the best," Lucas said gratefully.
"Oh don't we know it," Haley said jokingly.
"Hey listen guys, the doctor just came out of Allison's room. I need to go, okay?" Lucas said hurriedly.
"Oh okay. Take care Luke, we'll see you in the morning," Nathan said.
"And don't forget to give Allison a kiss from us," Haley said as Nathan disconnected the phone.
"I will," Lucas said quietly to himself as he put the phone back in his pocket and turned his attention towards the doctor, Peyton at his side.
Speak to me, when all you got to keep is strong
Move along, move along like I know you do
And even when your hope is gone
Move along, move along just to make it through
Move along
--
"Mr. Scott, Ms. Sawyer," Dr. Martinez greeted once he had both of their attention.
"Dr. Martinez," Lucas nodded, "How is Allison?"
"Well I have got to say. Your daughter is one hell of a fighter. I cannot believe that she woke up just within 6 hours. I knew little kids recovered fast, but Allison beat all the odds," Dr. Martinez said, smiling at the relieved looks on the parents' faces.
"Are there going to be any permanent damages?" Peyton probed.
"Well from what we can tell so far from her stats, your daughter is expected to make a full recovery very soon. I am pretty sure there is going to be no long term damage, but we are going to send her for an MRI tomorrow to be completely sure. The fact that she woke up so fast obviously means that her brain is working much better than we expected it to be, and that's always a good sign," Dr. Martinez explained.
"She's going to be okay Luke. You were right, our baby is going to be alright," Peyton said turning towards Lucas with a big smile on her face that made his heart soar.
"Thank you so much Dr. Martinez. I owe my daughter's life to you," Peyton continued as she stepped forward and pulled the doctor into a brief hug.
"Yeah, thank you. You saved our daughter, we're forever indebted to you," Lucas agreed shaking the doctor's hand once Peyton had stepped back from him.
"I was just doing my job. But you're welcome," Dr. Martinez said smiling at the couple in front of him.
"So can we go inside now?" Peyton asked eagerly, excited to see her daughter again.
"Yes, you can. I gave her a pretty high dose of pain medication for her arm, so she is sleeping right now. But you can definitely go back in," Dr. Martinez said. The words hadn't completely left his mouth before Peyton turned and started walking towards the door leading to Allison's room.
Lucas quickly mouthed another thank you and made to follow Peyton, but Dr. Martinez interrupted him.
"Mr. Scott, can I have a word with you," he asked once Peyton was out of earshot.
"Um yeah sure. What is it?" Lucas asked confused, "Does it have something to do with Allison? Something bad that you didn't—"
"No, no, it has nothing to do with Allison. I just had a question for you," Dr. Martinez clarified.
"Okay," Lucas asked hesitantly.
"What is Ms. Sawyer to you? Other than your daughter's mother, what is she to you?" Dr. Martinez asked curiously.
"A friend, I guess. I can't exactly name our relationship. We kind of have a very messy past, so it's hard to determine who were really are," Lucas said honestly.
"I hope you don't mind me saying this, because it is really none of my business, but being a pediatric surgeon for 15 years have taught me a thing or two about people. Not kids, but just people in general. And from what I can see, you and Ms. Sawyer are way more than just friends. I saw the way you two interacted with each other, noticed the looks you sent her way. They're all way more intimate than the glances shared between two people who are just friends. And I think I am correct when I say that you're in love with Ms. Sawyer," Dr. Martinez finished.
"Okay one, I am not in love with Peyton. The only interaction you saw between us was me comforting her today. We've had a very rough day and both of us being parents' of Allison's, just kind of leaned onto each other. There was nothing other than that," Lucas said firmly.
"Why did you want to comfort her? There were a ton of other people that could have comforted her, like say her best friend. Why did you have to be the big guy and push aside your feelings so that you could be strong for her?" Dr. Martinez probed.
"Dude what are you, my shrink?" Lucas asked annoyed.
"I am just pointing a few things I noticed. I have never seen two people so in sync as you and Ms. Sawyer are. The kind of bond you guys share is something I have rarely seen, and trust me when I say that you can't find a connection like this with just anyone," Dr. Martinez said wisely.
"What makes you such an expert on love? And why are you telling me all this?" Lucas asked.
"I am telling you this because I know what it feels like to lose your one true love. And I also know how it feels to live with the regret on knowing that it is your fault that that person is no longer in your life. My fiancée and I broke up 20 years ago because I was too prideful to realize that sometimes others were right, to realize that sometimes you have to look under the surface to realize exactly what someone means. By the time I realized my mistake, it was too late. She was gone. She committed suicide and the only thing I had left of her were memories. And now I am 45 years old, still unmarried and living in a one bedroom apartment with just a dog for my company. I don't that for anyone, especially not for two people who are so right for each other," Dr. Martinez explained.
"But I am married," Lucas whispered softly unable to come up with any other response.
"Obviously to the wrong person," Dr. Martinez said simply before bidding him goodnight and turning around and walking away leaving a stunned Lucas behind.
When everything is wrong, we move along
When everything is wrong, we move along
Along, along, along
--
"Lucas, where were you? I was just about to come outside looking for you," Peyton said as Lucas walked into Allison's room.
"Dr. Martinez wanted to have a word with me, that's all," Lucas said trying to appear nonchalant about it.
"Dr. Martinez?" Peyton asked confused, "What did he want? Is everything okay?"
"Everything's fine. He had just had a long day and wanted to talk to somebody, that's all," Lucas lied, not wanting to go into details about the real topic of their conversation.
"You're not lying to me, are you? This better not be something about Allison that the doctor didn't—"
"Hey, hey calm down. It's not about Allison. I promise," Lucas assured her, and with just one look in his eyes, Peyton knew he was telling the truth.
"I believe you. But are you okay? You look upset," Peyton guessed.
"Nah, I am just tired. And speaking on tired, how the hell are you still sitting up? If I were you, I would have passed out such a long time ago," Lucas said admiringly.
"Trust me, I am this close to passing out," Peyton said holding her fingers, "I am planning to take a little nap. The nurse brought in this reclining chair so I could be comfortable and be next to Allison at the same time."
"That's nice of her. But are you sure you don't want the sofa? I can sleep on the reclining chair," Lucas offered.
"No, it's okay. I want to be able to hold her hand, or I won't be able to relax," Peyton said as she pointed to her hand that was intervened with Allison.
"Alright whatever you want," Lucas agreed as walked towards Allison's bed to give her a kiss goodnight.
"Goodnight baby," Lucas whispered kissing his daughter softly on her cheeks letting his lips linger on her skin for a little while. Allison had always given him some sort a strange comfort that seemed to calm his every nerve.
"Goodnight Luke," Peyton whispered when he had finally straightened up.
"Night Peyton," Lucas said softly, and acting on impulse, he leaned down and lightly kissed her cheek. He hadn't meant to do that, he really hadn't. But she was so close to him that he just couldn't resist. Maybe Dr. Martinez did have a point.
As he straightened up, he braced himself for a lecture, but it never came. Instead, by the little light coming from the window, Lucas could have sworn that he saw a small smile on Peyton's face.
Smiling to himself, Lucas went towards the couch and was just making himself comfortable when Peyton's voice once again broke the calm silence of the room.
"Luke?" Peyton asked.
"Yeah," Lucas asked.
"Thank you," Peyton said softly.
"For what?" Lucas asked confused.
"For everything. Just everything," Peyton replied, and Lucas didn't need any more explanation.
When all you got to keep is strong
Move along, move along like I know you do
And even when your hope is gone
Move along, move along just to make it through
A/N: Here we go, Chapter 21 of Too Far Gone.
Let me start of by saying I am so, so sorry for the long delay, I have a ridiculous week last week in school and I had no time to sit down and write. However, this week looks pretty light so if you're really lucky, you'll have the next chapter by Friday, and if not then definitely by Sunday!
Second, I have been very lax in my author notes for the past 2 chapters, and I want to clarify something that have been a big issue in the reviews for the past 2 chapters:
Lindsay DID NOT hit Allison. I know that she's not a likable person, but I don't think that she has in her to hit an innocent 3 years old. The purpose of the accident was to bring Lucas/Peyton closer and there's nothing more to it. The accident will be a hit & run because we already have more than enough drama going on! And since the divorce is SO CLOSE, trust me, we don't need a reason to have Lindsay stick around for more than necessary!
Highlights for next chapter: This is the chapter you guys have been waiting forever. Two major things happen next chapter…one obviously is Lindsay's exit and the second….well I can't spoil it all for you! There's got to be something to keep you on the edge of your seat for the next chapter! But I promise, you're going to like it (or I hope).
With that said, I hope you liked the chapter, and please, please REVIEW! (I have been getting 40+ reviews for the last 4 chapters, so I am not expecting any less even though this was sort of a filler chapter)
Song: Move along- All American Rejects