Reviews
Tpassions – Glad you liked the conversations taking place in this chapter, especially between Peyton and Caroline the bartender! I've had her in mind from the very beginning – Caroline appears at the very beginning of chapter two trying to talk to Peyton right after her accident. And yes, Peyton isn't opposed to the idea of being in love with Lucas someday and that's a huge step for her to admit! As for me writing more Peyton stories, it's funny that you ask that! Initially I was just planning on writing out this fic and then taking a break from OTH because I've been wanting to take a stab at writing a TVD fic (it's my other favorite fandom next to OTH). A few weeks ago a random idea for a new story popped into my head and it's been mulling in my head since. At first I tried weaving it into the TVD universe, but for some reason my brain keeps visualizing it as a Leyton fic. So to answer your question…yes, I will be writing another Leyton centric story. It's so different from Strangers and I'm really excited about it. I haven't written down a word yet, so I have no idea when I'll be unveiling this story, but it is coming. Also, thank you so much for your last comment. I figure you guys take the time to read my story and write a review, the least I could do is take a few minutes out of my day to reply. Thanks again!
Daydreamerdb – Welcome new reader! It's always exciting to have someone new on board and reading their feedback. Thanks for being here! Looking forward to reading your thoughts on this story as it progresses.
thibbs65 – You'll have to keep reading to find out what will happen to Peyton!
S. Jamedra - Glad to hear I'm not the only one that's emotional invested in this story! I love writing these characters and it makes me feel so good to see that others are supporting them and their journey in this story – both during the highs and lows.
leyte – Aww sorry I killed you with the cliffhanger, but sometimes I just gotta keep you guys on your toes!
Annie – Yay for double reviews! Lol. As usual you're always hitting the nail on the head with your comments regarding Leyton's relationship. They're still figuring out how to be the best versions of themselves for the other person in this situation and it's gonna take a lot of work on both sides, but at least they're not giving up on being together. As for Brooke, she really is the best character to be the voice of reason within this story. I know that role tends to fall on Haley on the show and while I love me some Hales, she can get a little self-righteous at times, and I just feel like Brooke is more approachable and less judge-y with her friends – something that I think both Lucas and Peyton are more likely to gravitate towards when seeking advice. I'm not entirely sure how much of Brooke's backstory I'll be able to include without dragging the storyline, but I will do my best, same goes for Nathan and Haley. There's actually a lot of Brooke featured in the first half of this chapter – her and Julian. So hopefully you're a fan of Brulian!
jordana60 – I wouldn't say that Lucas has forgotten about his hurt and anger towards Peyton, but her getting sick most definitely opens the doors for reconciliation. He still loves her and obviously he wants her to stay safe and healthy, but her being sick doesn't magically make their issues disappear.
JuJuB7 – Awesome how amazing you found the last chapter to be! Thank you!
Rosek124 – On the edge of your seat?! That's what I like to hear! As I've mention about a million times already, I LOVE writing the flashbacks. They are so much fun!
Mufc87 – Thank you so much! It's not always easy keeping this story fresh and exciting, especially 25 chapters in, but I do my best and it really is wonderful to hear that people are still invested in this story and these characters. It means the world, so thank you.
LeytonFan4Eva – Hope your butterflies have settled in! Keep reading to find out if Peyton's going to be okay!
Guest – Ahh! I love it when I can surprise readers with something they didn't see coming! Thanks for reading and reviewing.
Guest – Writing that last scene was tough, not to mention it took a lot longer to write (despite it being the shortest scene) than all the other scenes in that chapter because I wanted to get the emotion just right. I'm glad you were able to pick on that emotion and what Lucas was feeling. Peyton being in the hospital will obviously force a change in their relationship and I'm looking forward to everyone reading how that all plays out.
Guest – I see you picked up on the tiny hints I dropped with Peyton not feeling well!
Guest – Hope I didn't leave you hanging for too long! Tried to update as fast as I could! Also love the fact that this fic leaves you craving more. Thank you!
Guest – Loving keeping you in suspense with the last chapter!
Guest – While Luke may not be angry anymore with Peyton after her collapse, you'll have to keep reading to see if all is actually right as rain between these two.
Hey guys! I'm here with the latest update. Thanks to everyone who took the time to comment on the last chapter, much appreciated.
Chapter 25: Overwhelmingly Safe And Complicated
Her hands slid up from the base of his neck and into his brown hair. She tugged his hair in appreciation when he deepened their kiss, his expert tongue stroking against hers in the best possible way. He retracted his lips allowing her to catch her breath and made his way down to her neck. She angled her head back giving him better access as he ran his tongue along the side of her neck.
She tugged at his short curls once more. "Could you hurry it up?" She barked out growing impatient. It wasn't that she didn't love it when he took his time to take care of her – she did – but the rising heat of desire currently taking place between her legs just wanted to get to the main event already.
She felt his lips still and he pulled back to look at her with a scowl on his face. "You seriously want me to rush through this?" He said incredulously and looking highly annoyed at his wife.
She shrugged slightly. "Don't be such a girl, we can do foreplay later."
The scowl on his face didn't waver.
"I can't help it. I'm really horny!" She defended.
"Yea I picked up on that when you practically manhandled me in my sleep."
The brunette cracked a smile. Now that Brooke was in her second trimester those pregnancy hormones had reawakened her sex drive, which had taken a bit of a hiatus the first three months of her pregnancy. Now it was like she couldn't control herself at all. She woke up in the middle of night aching to be touched and had not so gently woken up her husband for sex. "Are you really complaining here?" She asked with raised eyebrows.
"Of course not." Julian replied. He really wasn't. They rarely had sex during the first trimester because Brooke was so tired and feeling crappy most of the time, but now she wanted to all the time and Julian had zero complaints, even though Brooke tended to get a little demanding when she wasn't being satisfied fast enough. "Can you just trust that I know what I'm doing here?" He said as his hand landed on her hip.
"Hunny I'm well aware of what you are capable of and you're very good at what you do, but if you don't fuck me right now you're sleeping somewhere else." She squeezed her legs together in a futile attempt to alleviate the ache down there.
Julian scoffed and rolled his eyes. "You're really killing the mood here Brooke."
"I'll make it up to you later." She gave Julian that sexy smirk she knew that he loved so much. "Please?"
Julian chuckled. "Get over here." Clearly he wasn't going to deny her. Julian rolled on to his back pulling Brooke on top of him. His large hands skimmed down the back of her t-shirt until they reached her backside, where he slipped them past her underwear and cupped her ass.
Brooke moaned in Julian's ear as he pushed her underwear past her hips and down her bare legs. She pressed herself harder against him, her lips seeking his as her hands went to work freeing him from his boxers.
Her phone rang from the nightstand.
Julian pulled his lips back. "You've got to be kidding me. I thought I told you to turn that thing off." He muttered out loud in frustration. "Who the fuck keeps calling you?" Her phone had been ringing on and off for the past fifteen minutes, but they had ignored it preferring to get lost in each other instead.
Brooke huffed. "I'm just gonna get it." She pulled back going for the phone.
Julian immediately pulled her back to him. "Leave it." He ordered not at all happy that her hands were no longer on him.
"They're just gonna keep calling." She said rolling her eyes as her cell continued to ring.
"I don't care."
"It could be work." She reasoned.
Julian scoffed. "The only employee you have insane enough to call you at this hour is Victoria and I'll be damned if I'm gonna start letting your mother get in the way of us having sex right now." It was no big secret that he and Victoria Davis had never gotten along. The woman hated him for absolutely no logical reason.
Brooke made a face. "Could you not mention my mother and sex in the same sentence?"
The phone stopped ringing.
"See?" Julian said with a grin. "They gave up." His hands went back to her ass and he pressed down on it hard. They both groaned loudly at the feel of their hips tightly pressed up against each other.
"Julian." Brooke's voice was low and husky as she begged her husband to keep going. She needed him so badly.
One of his hands traveled up to the side of Brooke's face and he pulled her into a kiss, while the other slipped down between them, positioning himself at her entrance.
Brooke's phone went off again just as Julian was about to push in.
"I'm gonna kill them." Julian announced angrily. "I'm gonna kill whoever it is at the end of that line."
"I'm getting the fucking phone." Brooke growled not at all happy with the interruption either.
Was she ever going to get laid tonight?
Julian grabbed his wife by the arm, yanking her back to his side. "Brooke Baker don't you dare answer that phone."
"I'm just gonna see who it is."
"Babe c'mon you've got me all worked up here." He slightly whined taking her hand and placing it over his hardness.
She smirked at his actions. "I'm just gonna see who it is. If it's no one important I won't answer and I'll turn off the phone." She promised.
"Brooke." Julian growled displeased when she pulled her hand away from his length.
"It'll be real quick." She rolled off him grabbing her cell, but Julian pulled her right back on top of him.
"You're not taking that call." He grabbed both of her hands, knocking the phone out of her hold and locking them in his grip.
"Julian." She chuckled slightly amused at his behavior. "It's just gonna keep ringing."
"Not if I break it it won't." He suggested.
Brooke gasped. "Don't you dare!" Her whole life was literally in that phone.
"You can afford a new one." He teased.
Brooke looked at down at her husband distrustfully. She yanked her hands away with all her might making a break for her phone that sat at the other end of the bed. She needed to save her precious phone from her husband's wrath. But Julian caught on quick and tugging the back of her shirt effortlessly, sending Brooke flying back into this chest with a loud thump. He was still holding on to the back of her shirt, but Brooke quickly ducked her head underneath the collar, pulling off the t-shirt before he had a chance to lock his arms around her waist.
"Julian!" Brooke shrieked as they both began to wrestle each other for the phone that was still ringing loudly. Julian laughed hysterically as he caught Brooke's hand before she could reach the phone again. He had flipped them over now and she was trapped beneath his weight.
"How come we don't wrestle naked more often?" Julian quipped, his brown eyes giving off a mischievous glow as he admired her naked form now that her shirt was out of the way.
"Get off of me!" The brunette insisted as she pressed the palms of her hands against his chest attempting to push him off.
"Nope." He said playfully. "Weren't you the one who demanded that I fuck you only five seconds ago?"
Brooke scowled. "Maybe I changed my mind. I can always just take care of business on my own." She teased while wiggling her fingers at him.
The phone stopped ringing.
"No you didn't." Julian said confidently. "And no you won't. You are not allowed to Brooke yourself this evening dear." He pressed his hips against hers again.
Brooke bit back a moan. "Well maybe if you hadn't taken so long – "
Julian cut her off. "Are we really going to bicker while we're in the middle of having sex?"
"Well technically we're not in the middle of anything since you keep taking your sweet ass time." She countered smirking up at him.
"Quiet woman." He grumbled right before attacking her mouth.
Brooke's phone resumed its ringing.
She could only laugh.
Julian grunted irritably into her mouth but said nothing. He continued to hold Brooke down with his weight preventing her escape. She huffed knowing that he was far too strong for her to beat, but there were other ways to outmaneuver her husband. Brooke trailed her hand across the left side of Julian's stomach until she reached that specific spot where he was insanely ticklish. She paused for a brief moment before digging her fingers against his skin and tickling him. Julian instantly jerked back and Brooke cackled at him as she rolled out from underneath him.
"That was dirty trick wife." Julian pouted as he watched Brooke's dimpled grin as she grabbed her cell phone. "Just answer the damn phone already." He said giving up and rolling on to his back, dragging his hands over his face in frustration. "Who is it?" He grumbled when he noticed that Brooke had yet to answer the call.
Brooke held the phone in her hands, her face faltering.
"Baby who is it?" Julian repeated noticing her hesitation.
She bit at her bottom lip. "It's Lucas." She said meekly.
Julian sat up immediately. The last time Lucas had called Brooke at this hour was the night of Peyton's accident. This wasn't a good sign.
"Brooke answer the call." Julian told his wife, who seemed to be frozen in place.
"But…" Honestly she was terrified to hear whatever Lucas had to tell her at the end of that line.
"Brooke take the call." He spoke more forcibly this time, trying to snap Brooke out of her trance. His hand landed on her left shoulder giving it a tight squeeze. "I'm right here." He said encouragingly.
Brooke quickly nodded. She swallowed hard, took a deep breath and answered the phone. "Hello, Luke?"
Julian watched his wife run frantically, while naked, around their bedroom trying to get ready. He'd be laughing right now if the circumstances surrounding her behavior weren't so sucky. She slipped on some underwear before disappearing into the walk-in closet in search of pants. "Brooke what are you doing?" He asked her when she returned with a pair of black jeans in hand.
"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm getting dressed so we can go to the hospital." She moved to her dresser and began digging for a bra.
"Lucas told us to stay put." He reminded her.
Brooke glowered over at her husband. "So I'm just supposed to twiddle my thumbs here and wait around? I'm sorry but that's just not happening."
"Wouldn't you be doing exactly the same thing at the hospital?"He pointed out. "Peyton's stable, which is the important part, and the doctors are still trying to figuring out if anything is wrong, but so far everything is looking good according to Luke."
"That could change, they're still running tests Julian!" Brooke hissed.
"I know that babe, and Lucas said he would call us the minute he hears back about Peyton's brain scans."
"But I should be there when she wakes up!" Brooke stammered. "She needs me."
Julian quickly tugged on his boxers from the bed and went to her. "Brooke, Lucas is there with her. He's her husband. He's the one that needs to be there when she wakes up." He gently tried to reason with Brooke as he rubbed her upper arms with his hands.
"But I'm her best friend!" Brooke retorted. "I should be there too!"
"You gotta calm down hun. I know you're feeling a bit frazzled right now, but you gotta take it easy. Let's just do what Lucas is asking. There's nothing we can do for Peyton at the moment and besides Lucas knows you're pregnant. He doesn't want you on your feet all night stressing out and being uncomfortable, when you can be at home in bed. And I'm gonna have to agree with him, you should be resting babe. It's pretty late and unless something comes up, we'll go to the hospital first thing in the morning. I promise."
"I'm pregnant Julian, not immobile. I'm not this fragile thing." The brunette rolled her eyes. Although she was touched by Lucas' concern over her wellbeing, she didn't think it warranted her being banned from the hospital until morning.
"You're just gonna stress out Lucas with the way you're freaking out Brooke and that's something he doesn't need right now. He just wants to be alone with Peyton right now. We have to respect that. That is how we support him through this."
Brooke blew out a breath. "You're right." She admitted with closed eyes and nodded her head. She couldn't imagine what was going through Lucas' mind right now. Of course she wanted to support him and apparently that meant keeping her distance for a few more hours.
"Let's go to bed okay?" Julian offered hoping she wouldn't fight him on this. Brooke nodded dropping the pair of pants in her hands on the ground. Julian tucked her into his side, placing a quick kiss at the top of her head before leading her back to their bed. They crawled into bed and he handed his wife back her t-shirt. Brooke slipped it on and curled on top of Julian's bare chest as he pulled the covers over their bodies. "You okay?" He questioned after some time had passed.
"Not really."
"I know. I'm sorry baby."
"I just saw her today you know? She was feeling sick and I took care of her for a bit. She said it was a stomach bug." Brooke informed him sadly. "Had I known…I could have taken her to the hospital before it got worse."
"This isn't your fault." Julian spoke sternly. "Don't let your mind wander down that route Brooke. These things just happen. Okay?"
"Yea, I guess." She solemnly replied.
"Hey." Julian's hand went to Brooke's chin gently tilting her head up in his direction. "I love you."
Brooke smiled softly. "I love you too." She moved forward planting a kiss on his lips. "Thank you." He always knew exactly what to say to make her feel better. Sometimes the brunette couldn't believe how lucky she had gotten with this man. She kissed him once more before setting her head back on his chest.
"We can still have sex if you want." Brooke said nonchalantly after a beat.
They both burst out laughing.
"I'm pretty good right now." Julian wrapped an arm around her, while his other hand laid directly over her growing baby bump. "I've got everything I need right here."
Brooke sighed contently snuggling up further into his side.
"Did you think more about what we talked about?"
Brooke nodded. "I did." She replied quietly.
"And?" Julian frowned. "You don't think it's a good idea?"
"Of course I do. I want exactly what you want."
"Then why aren't you more excited about it?"
Brooke shrugged. "Well with everything that's happened…" She trailed off.
"You'd feel bad leaving Peyton behind." Julian guessed correctly.
"Maybe we can just postpone?" She said in a hopeful tone. "Just until things settle down a bit more." She felt guilty just up and leaving her best friend in her time of need.
"Brooke you are an amazing friend and I love you for that, I really do. And Peyton's like family, her and Lucas, but babe we've got our own little family now and I want what's best for the four of us. Don't you?"
"You know I do."
"I love New York, but I don't see us raising our kids here. We've talked about this." He reminded her.
"I know. I don't wanna raise them here either."
"So then we really gotta start planning this move. You're almost five months pregnant. We're kind of running on a tight schedule here."
Brooke nodded running a hand through her hair. "I know, I know. You're right." They really did need to start getting shit done. There were a lot of moving parts that needed to be handled in preparation of their departure.
"So we're doing this then? Like really doing this?" Julian asked seeking a final confirmation. He was eager to start this new chapter of their lives already.
"Yes." Brooke said reassuringly."I'm ready to come home. Let's move back to Tree Hill."
Peyton opened her heavy eyelids, releasing a tired breath as she took in her surroundings. It was obvious that she was in the hospital now, though she couldn't recall the trip over. The last thing she remembered was Lucas holding her close. Her green eyes traveled down to her left side. Lucas was sitting in a chair slumped over at her side. His head was resting against her thigh while his hand was linked with hers. From this angle Peyton could only see the top of his head, but the steady rise and fall of his upper body let her know that he was fast asleep.
She smiled weakly, taking her other free hand and lovingly running it through his short blond locks. She hummed slightly as she did so. It didn't take long for Lucas to stir awake.
His blue eyes shot open reaching her sleepy green ones. "You're up." Lucas spoke lifting his head off her thigh and giving Peyton a tired smile.
"Hi." She said quietly. Him being awake didn't stop Peyton from continuing to run her hand through his hair. "How long have I been out?"
"A few hours." Lucas admitted as he checked the time on his phone. They had arrived at the hospital a little before one in the morning in the ambulance. It was six thirty now. He sighed softly enjoying the feeling of her fingers stroking his hair. "How do you feel?"
"Tired. Groggy."
"It's probably from the medication." He explained while nodding over at the IV drip. "They had you on some fluids earlier too. You were a little dehydrated when you first arrived."
"How bad is it?" Peyton questioned suddenly remembering the terrible pain she had experienced in her head, not to mention the small amount of blood coming from her nose. Fear took over her features as she held on to a breath preparing for the worst.
"You're fine baby." Lucas took the hand she had tangled in his hair. He pressed his lips over her knuckles, holding it there for a moment before speaking again. "Everything is fine."
"What? But I thought…"
Lucas shook his head. "All your scans came back clean."
Relief washed over her immediately. "What happened then?" Peyton replied as she tried to sit up and get comfortable.
Lucas jumped up from his chair at once to assist her. "Just normal symptoms from your head injury." Lucas reminded her. "You just passed out from the pain." He helped Peyton rearrange the pillows behind her before sitting back down.
Peyton nodded. Of course she knew the typical symptoms that head trauma patients experienced. Dr. Parker had coached her on what signs to watch out for before she had been released from the hospital last month. And she had been lucky, since waking up from the coma Peyton hadn't really experienced any symptoms. The pain from last night however had been so intense that she honestly thought something had gone terribly wrong with her brain. "But the blood." Peyton challenged. She knew nose bleeds could be in relation to her skull fracture and it scared the shit out of her.
Lucas placed another chaste kiss over her hand to calm her. "They found that your blood was a little thin." He answered. "Dr. Parker figures that you probably went a little overboard with the aspirin for your migraine that's all. It's nothing to be concerned about just a common nose bleed. There hasn't been any more blood since. You're okay Peyton." He reassured her.
Peyton swallowed the large lump in throat. She couldn't hold back the tears that began to slide down her face. Lucas gave her a soft smile, his hand traveling up to her face to wipe away those tears. "Peyton, you're fine. Everything is going to be okay. I promise."
Peyton sniveled. "Is it?" She looked up at Lucas feeling unsure. Her body may have been fine, but things between them sure weren't. He was talking to her and touching her as if nothing wrong had happened between them. Just yesterday he could barely look her in the eye. Everything was far from okay.
"Of course it is. I just told you what the doctor's said."
Peyton shook her head. "I'm not talking about that." She said quietly. "I meant about us. Everything is not okay, you hate me." She said pointedly.
Lucas' face fell right away. He took in a deep breath, both of his hands cradling the sides of her face now. "I don't hate you." He stated his face close to hers.
Peyton looked at him skeptically.
Lucas sighed sadly. "Listen, I know things between us right now aren't…they're not great, but I could NEVER hate you. I love you. I'm always gonna love you Peyton."
As soon as the words left his mouth, she was all over him. Peyton practically jumped on him, throwing her arms around Lucas, burying her face deep into the crook of his neck. She could feel Lucas lightly chuckle beneath her as he wrapped his arms around her waist pressing her up against him. "You promise?" She questioned quietly into his ear, still in tears as her bottom lip trembled slightly. She really couldn't handle the thought of Lucas ever hating her.
"I swear it." Lucas promised placing a kiss over her temple.
Peyton relaxed further into Lucas' embrace, resting the side of her head on his shoulder. She took in a deep whiff of his scent, the now very familiar smell that she had missed so much. Her delicate hands clutched at the back of his t-shirt as she continued to enjoy the feel of him.
They quietly held each other for a long while. She didn't know how much time had passed before she finally spoke up again. "I miss you." Peyton told him as he traced circles over her back with his hands. She had whispered the words into his ear timidly, afraid that maybe Lucas hadn't missed her as much as she had missed him this past week.
She couldn't see it, but those three simple words caused a big smile to form across his lips. Truth was as furious and as hurt as he had felt these past few days, he couldn't deny that he had missed her as well. As a couple they rarely got into huge fights. Smaller heated arguments? Sure. All the time, they were both far too stubborn not to have silly little fights. But fights like the one they had in LA, where hurtful statements could be easily tossed around was very rare. When they did fight like that, the couple of days after were always miserable ones until they finally made up again, and this particular fight was no exception. Though he had tried to ignore it, deep down inside he had been missing her like crazy – that wasn't to say that he wasn't still hurt, upset and angry over everything that had gone down in LA, but at the end of the day this was Peyton. This woman had a hold over him that was impossible to break away from and he wanted to fix this. He really did despite having no clue how to even begin doing that. Hell he wasn't even sure if he could really forgive her yet, but the only thing he was sure of was that he couldn't just walk away from her. He couldn't lose her. He had to have her. He always did.
"I've been going crazy without you." Lucas spoke softly into her ear. He was well aware that there were about a million things they needed to work on, but right now Lucas didn't care. Peyton was going to be okay and that's all that mattered at the moment. The rest could be figured out later. When she had passed out in his arms last night, he felt that familiar painful feeling returning. He feared he was losing her for the second time. He was terrified that somehow she wouldn't be waking up this time.
Peyton silently smiled. His words making her feel like she could breathe easy for the first time in days. "I wanna go home." She spoke, her voice suddenly growing desperate. The last place she wanted to be right now was in this hospital room. All Peyton really needed right now was him, just the two of them perfectly huddled together in bed in their apartment. "Take me home." She urged him, her hold on his shirt becoming tighter. "I don't want to be here anymore. I just wanna be home with you."
"I will baby." Lucas promised speaking soothingly into her ear. "As soon as you're clear to leave I'll take you home."
Peyton nodded into his shoulder. "How much longer will that be?"
"I don't know. I should probably go let the nurse know that you're up."
"No." She quickly spoke refusing to untangle herself from him.
"Peyt I gotta go tell someone you're awake so they can check up on you." Lucas chuckled.
She refused. She had just got him back and had no desire to pull away. "I don't want you to go. Someone will come by eventually, just stay here." She tried reasoning with him.
"I'm coming right back." He told her still chuckling. His hands reached back around his neck, clasping them over hers and then gently removing them.
Peyton lift her head off Lucas' shoulder sending him an unhappy pout as they held hands.
"Sorry to interrupt." The couple broke their eye contact, turning their heads over towards the voice that belonged to Dr. Parker. "I just came by to check up on things and it looks like it was perfect timing." Dr. Parker smiled. "Glad to see you awake Peyton."
"Hi doc." Peyton greeted him.
"I was just about to go tell the nurse." Lucas spoke. "She just woke up. We just need a minute together first." He explained.
"Understandable." Dr. Parker nodded. "How are you feeling Peyton? Tired?"
The blonde nodded. She settled back into her pillows, still holding on to Lucas' hand.
"So I'm sure Lucas has already filled you in on things, but I'll go over them anyway in case you have any questions." Dr. Parker began. "All your scans came back clean. Your skull fracture is still healing nicely and there's no cerebral hemorrhaging present. Your blood was a little thin, but nothing serious and it was most likely caused by whatever pain reliever you've been taking for the migraines."
"See Peyt? I told you everything was fine." Lucas spoke. "When can I take her home?" He asked.
"I'd like to keep Peyton under observation for few more hours as a precaution, but we can have you outta here by the end of the day." Dr. Parker replied.
"So what happened to me last night was just a side effect from my accident, right?" Peyton spoke up looking for confirmation.
"Well that brings me to the next part. Yes and no."
Both blonds frowned simultaneously. "What does that mean?" Peyton questioned.
"In addition to your blood being thin, your blood sugar was a bit on the low side." Dr. Parker explained. "That would explain the headaches, dizziness, fatigue and the dehydration. Any other symptoms I'm missing?"
"Nausea." Peyton immediately answered. "I threw up two nights in a row. My vision was blurry too, bright lights didn't help. My skin felt overheated at times as well."
Lucas looked over at Peyton, his eyes wide. "You said it was just a migraine." He had no idea she had been this sick for the past two days. He instantly felt guilty for not taking any notice.
Peyton remained silent. When exactly was she supposed to tell him when he had been dodging her like the plague? Plus she really thought it had just been a simple stomach bug, but she wasn't about to say any of that out loud right now. Peyton didn't really feel comfortable explaining in front of Dr. Parker that she and Lucas had barely been on speaking terms this past week.
Dr. Parker nodded knowingly. "Those are also symptoms associated with low blood sugar. Are you sleeping and eating well?"
"Not recently." She admitted. Ever since their fight in LA she hadn't had much of an appetite or desire to sleep properly.
"Well that explains it then." Dr. Parker sighed. "You have to take care of yourself Peyton. Your body is still recovering from your accident and you are not at one hundred percent just yet. Right now your blood sugar numbers aren't serious – they're very mild – BUT that doesn't mean it can't get worse and the effects will only get progressively worse if you don't take care of your body. You could develop diabetes, have a seizure or a stroke, fall into another coma – and those are just a few of a long list of things that could go wrong."
Peyton swallowed hard. Every word coming out of the doctor's mouth sounding absolutely terrifying. She could feel Lucas tighten his hold over her hand and she squeezed back.
"Under normal circumstances the head pain shouldn't have been so severe, at least not enough to make you pass out, but your head trauma most likely contributed to the intensity of the pain you experienced. Your head is still very fragile despite the progress you've made. So that means eating properly, getting enough sleep and more importantly taking it easy not only physically, but keeping stress levels down as well. This all affects your wellbeing. I don't mean to scare you, but we need to be smart here."
Peyton nodded. "I know, I'm sorry." She said sadly.
"You have to take better care of yourself."
"She will." Lucas said firmly. "You have my word."
"Good. Let's try to avoid any setbacks shall we?"
Both Lucas and Peyton nodded in agreement.
Peyton had fallen asleep not long after they had finished talking to Dr. Parker. Not wanting to disturb her Lucas had stepped out into the hall to make a few calls. He had called Brooke and Julian first, letting them know that Peyton had woken up and for the most part everything was going to be okay. It went without saying that Brooke was obviously relieved and informed Lucas that she and Julian would swing by later that afternoon with the car to drive them home from the hospital. After that Lucas called up Nathan and Haley, and then his mother to give them the update.
After he ended his calls, Lucas ran into Dr. Parker out in the hall.
"Peyton resting?"
Lucas nodded. "Yea she seems pretty tired."
"She'll get her energy back once she starts eating well again." Dr. Parker promised. "But I'm glad I ran into you. I wanted to check in with you to see how Peyton's adjusting with everything at home. She's not much of talker and I just wanna make sure things are okay.
Lucas chuckled. "Yea she's always kind of been like that." He informed the doctor. "I mean it was hard at first, but she's been slowly accepting things. We're okay." So maybe they weren't hundred percent OKAY recently, but Lucas didn't feel the need to share the details with Dr. Parker. It was something he and Peyton needed to sort through on their own.
"That's good to hear. It's important to make sure she's comfortable and not too stressed out. Obviously after what Peyton has been through, she's bound to be confused and stressed to a degree, but we wanna minimize that anxiety as much as possible so that her emotions don't end up overwhelming her. Peyton's mental health is just as important as her physical health."
Lucas slowly nodded. "Peyton mentioned something about you wanting her to go see a therapist?"
The doctor nodded. "It's common for trauma patients to go see someone. I urged her to try it out at least once, but at the end of the day it's her call. I can't force her to go. Now obviously I don't know your wife like you do and if there's one person who'd be able to notice any unusual shifts in her behavior it would be you."
Lucas frowned. "Like what?"
"I've already gone over this with Peyton, but typical behavioral changes found in head trauma patients include aggression, constant mood swings, impulsivity, changes in personality and then of course there's depression and/or anxiety. It'd be normal for Peyton to experience any of these to some degree, but if the behavior persists and inhibits her from functioning in her everyday life then it becomes a problem."
Lucas paused as he considered Dr. Parker's words. He knew Peyton was different in some ways, but perhaps he had been too naïve in believing that her actions sometimes had more to do with her reluctance to let go of the past rather than it being related to her mental health. It could very well explain her behavior in LA. She had been happy with him for the first couple of days and then her behavior had shifted so drastically that it had confused the hell out of him. In the span of one day Peyton went from not being able to keep her hands off him, to desperately begging through tears for him not to hate her for wanting to talk to Jake, and then after they had finally made up at the reunion her mood flipped once more and she was suddenly mad at him, impulsively picking a fight and accusing him of things that she hadn't bothered to confirm whether or not there was any truth to them.
Initially he had just assumed that Peyton just didn't care about him enough, but now he wasn't so sure anymore. Maybe Peyton was struggling with her emotions more than she was letting on.
"I lied before." Lucas suddenly confessed. "Things aren't going so well at home."
Dr. Parker raised an eyebrow in interest.
"We've been fighting and I just feel really disconnected from her most of the time. I don't know what Peyton really wants from me or our marriage. Her behavior is confusing sometimes, even contradicting at some points. I don't know what to do. I love her so much, but it's hard for me to trust her. I have a hard time believing in anything she says right now because I don't know if she's actually going to come through. She says one thing and then acts in another manner." Lucas dragged a hand over his face. "Shit I'm sorry." He mumbled. "I don't know why I just told you all of that. I know it's not your problem to deal with."
"Lucas, if you're concerned about Peyton's behavior then it probably wouldn't be the worst thing in the world for you to encourage her to go see someone. If she's feeling overwhelmed then she needs to talk to someone about it, especially if she's not able to confide in you. Hoping the issue will go away on its own is not a good strategy and it will most likely continue to hinder your relationship in the long run. I'm obviously not a trained psychologist, but that's just my professional opinion. Probably wouldn't hurt if you saw someone as well."
Lucas blew out a breath now feeling completely overwhelmed himself. Evidently he had a lot to think about.
So Peyton's gonna be alright guys! I didn't have the heart to make her really sick, our girl has got enough problems as it is.
Next up: We'll be taking a little break from all the heaviness from the last two chapters. Next chapter will be a total flashback revolving around how Leyton gets back together. Get excited for some serious making up between those two!
As always looking forward to everyone's thoughts on this chapter. Were people feeling the Brulian scenes?