Ch 25

"Hey tutor girl. You were awesome last night," Brooke told her, giving her a hug before leading her toward a table.

"I can't sit yet," Haley said. "We're still busy."

"Have you taken a break yet?" Lucas asked, following them across the room.

"Not yet, but I will," Haley promised him.

"Yes you will," Lucas said, taking the ordering pad from his friend. "Right now. You know you're supposed to make sure you take regular breaks. Now you sit down and I'll get you some food. You need to keep up your strength."

"Those Scott boys," Haley said, taking a seat across from her friend. "Nathan is even worse most of the time. This morning he wouldn't let me carry the laundry basket because he thought it was too heavy."

"That's sweet though," Brooke said. "They love you and want to take care of you. You should just enjoy it. I know I would."

"It would be easier to enjoy if he didn't always turn all the whites pink when he does laundry," Haley laughed, thinking of his chagrin when he realized he'd missed one of his red shirts when sorting.

"Oh, I can see where that would be a problem, especially since you hate pink," Brooke commiserated with a dimpled grin. "I bet he loves all the pink socks."

Lucas brought each of them a lemonade and then disappeared again to go help another customer as the girls started to drink. "So, there were some interesting people at the concert last night," Brooke said, trying to be circumspect.

"I take it you saw Chris," Haley said. "He practically ambushed me in my dressing room and tried to convince me to run away with him. I was totally shocked. I had no idea what made him think I'd want that and just as I started to tell him he was crazy, Nathan walked in. "

"Poor Nathan," Brooke said, "I bet it hurt to see you two together."

"Not as much as Chris' face hurt after Nathan decked him," Haley said.

"Guess Nathan's not so shy anymore," Brooke laughed, enjoying the idea of Chris Keller getting his face smashed in. He'd caused all of them problems in the past.

"It was pretty impressive. I think he might've broken his nose judging by the amount of blood coming out of it," Haley told her. "I should probably feel sorry for him, but frankly, he's lucky Nathan left him alive after the crap he's said and done. I probably would have hit him if Nathan hadn't."

"I'm sorry," Brooke said. "I know you don't need this right now. How did Nathan take it? I'm sure he was upset."

"Better than I did," Haley answered her. "It ended up leading to some tears, but a really good, cleansing conversation. There were some things we needed to say and now it feels good to have it all out."

"Well, at least it ended up okay," Brooke said in relief. She'd been worried for her friends even after they got the text explaining why they'd left and that they were fine. "Sorry you didn't get to enjoy the effects of the dress."

"Who says I didn't?" Haley asked teasingly. "Just not in the dressing room."

"You naughty girl," Brooke giggled. "I really am wearing off on you."

"That is not something I want to think about," Lucas said as he came back and placed a turkey sandwich in front of Haley before sitting next to his girlfriend. "I still prefer to think my niece or nephew is from immaculate conception."

Haley and Brooke looked at each other and rolled their eyes. It was funny how freaked out Lucas still got sometimes when it came to his best friend's love life. She and Nathan had been married over a year now and he still couldn't handle the subject when it came up.

"I need to get back to work," Haley said, finishing her last bite and standing up. "I will talk to you more later."

"Actually," Brooke said, placing her hand on her friend's arm. "We have one more thing we wanted to talk to you about."

"I already told you, we are not naming the baby after you Brooke, " Haley said.

"Why not?" she asked. "You could do Brooke for a girl or Davis for a boy. It would be perfect."

"Brooke," Lucas said, reining his girlfriend in. "Not now. We have something more important to talk about."

"Oh, right," Brooke said, changing gears. "Rachel was at Tric last night. We thought you should know that she's back in town."

"What did they do last night, post a special invitation for people who've screwed over my life?" Haley asked as sat back down.

Lucas reached out and placed his hand on top of his best friends'. "We didn't see her, but Peyton did. We aren't sure why she's back or what is going on with her situation, but we wanted you to be prepared to see her and tell you we are here if you need anything."

"Thanks Luke," Haley said, taking a deep breath. She needed to find out what was going on and could only think of one person that could help her. "Could you drop me off at the dealership instead of home when I get off?"

"If that's what you want," Lucas answered, "just don't expect me to come in with you. I know Nathan said Dan is trying, but I don't want anything to do with him."

"I understand," Haley said. "I'm certainly not his biggest fan either, but Nathan still sees good in him and I know how much it would mean to him if Dan really could change. I'm willing to give him a chance for his son's sake."

"I hate the thought of him anywhere near your baby," he told her. "He has hurt everyone close to him."

"I'm not letting him touch any child of mine until he proves to me that he has changed," Haley agreed. " I guess he has about 6 months to do that."

"Haley," Dan hung up the phone and greeted his unexpected guest. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Give it up Dan," Haley said. "I'm giving you a chance for Nathan's sake, but you don't have to pretend with me."

"I'm not pretending anything. I know we got off to a bad start and that's mostly my fault, but I'm trying to fix things, with all of you. As much as it still bothers me that you two got married so young, you are Nathan's wife and you seem to make him happy. I have accepted that and I'm sorry for the way I have treated you in the past," Dan told her, coming around to lean against his desk in front of her. "You two will always be connected by this child and I know he will be a good father. He will never make the mistakes I've made."

"We are connected because we love each other," Haley said. "This child is just an extension of that."

"I really hope it stays that way," Dan said earnestly, "because no matter what I have done in the past, I love my sons."

"I know you do," Haley admitted reluctantly. "Even if you have done a terrible job of showing it."

"Look, I doubt you came here to chat with me. So what can I do for you?" Dan said, changing the subject. He knew Haley had to have a motive for coming to see him and he really doubted it was for a heart to heart.

"Two things actually. First, Nathan has been acting a little strange lately and I wondered if you'd noticed?" Haley asked him.

"Not particularly," Dan asked, thinking back over the last week or so. "He's been acting a little tired and I know he still occasionally has headaches but I figured that was normal, especially with the schedule he's been keeping lately."

"You're probably right and it's nothing," Haley said. "I've just been so worried since the accident that I'm likely being paranoid. He would tell me if something was really wrong."

"I'll keep an eye on him when he's here," Dan said, "but I'm sure he's fine. What was the other reason?"

"I heard that Rachel Gatina is back in town," Haley told him, wringing her hands. "Nathan almost died in that limo and it was her fault. I already didn't like her, but I can't handle the thought that she might just show back up at school and I would have to see her every day knowing that she got away with what she did."

"I agree with you. She should definitely be punished for her reckless actions that day," Dan told her, reaching out to grasp her tiny hand in his much larger one. "Getting that phone call was one the scariest moments of my life. I thought I was going to lose him without getting a chance to make things right between us. I can't guarantee I'll be able to do anything about it, but I'll try. "

"What are you doing here?" Nathan asked, walking into his father's office and finding his wife there.

"She was warning me that I better treat you right," Dan told him going back behind his desk. "I think we've come to an understanding though."

"Is everything okay? I thought Lucas was going to take you home," he asked, discreetly checking her over. Ever since he found out she was pregnant he worried about her all the time. He didn't think he could survive losing her again.

"I just couldn't wait to see you," she said. "So I had him drop me off here. If figured I could wait until you got off and then maybe we could go for dinner. I just stopped in to talk to Dan while I waited."

"Sounds good, but I hate that you have to wait around for me. I think you should start taking the car and I can ride the bus from now on," he told her.

"Or," Dan said, "I could give you guys another vehicle to drive."

"We don't need your help," Nathan said, "we're doing just fine."

"I'm not trying to cause any problems, but I've been thinking about this for a while. If you hadn't emancipated yourself, I would be providing you with a something to drive," Dan explained. "Since it's my fault that you found that necessary to do, the least I can do is provide you with a mode of transportation."

"Thank you Mr. Scott," Haley said, "but that's not necessary."

"It would really make me feel better if you would accept my help on this," Dan pushed forward, "not because I feel guilty, although I do, but because I'm concerned about you being pregnant without a way to get around in case of emergency."

"We already fixed that dad," Nathan said. "She's going to take the car from now on. There is no reason for you to step in."

"Okay," Dan said, holding his hands up as if surrendering. "but have you thought about car seats? You are going to be parents soon. Have you about thought about how much safer the baby would be in a newer, bigger vehicle? Have you considered the logistics of getting a baby carrier in and out of a car with only two doors?"

Nathan and Haley looked at each other, realizing neither of them had thought that far ahead. "We have time to figure that out," Nathan said.

"Stop being so stubborn," Dan said. "It's the least I can do for you. Consider it a baby shower gift."

"We will think about it," Haley said in appeasement, taking her husband's hand. "Thank you for the offer."

"You're welcome," Dan said, knowing pushing any further wouldn't help. "Why don't you go ahead and take off? You've been here all day. Take your wife somewhere nice and enjoy the evening."

"It's getting cold out here," Nathan said as they walked along the beach after dinner. He took off his coat and placed it over her small shoulders before reaching for her hand again.

"So I've been meaning to ask you how much of your memory has returned" Haley began, turning toward him. "Because when you were talking to Chris it sounded like quite a bit."

"I don't know, but if I had to guess I would say maybe 30-40 percent?" Nathan told her. "It's hard to judge because obviously I don't know what all is missing. I remember a lot more of the last two years than I do the first two. Probably because there have been more things that are similar to trigger those memories."

"Wow," Haley said in surprise. "I didn't realize you had recovered that much."

Nathan shrugged, taking a seat on the sand and carefully pulling his wife down to sit between his outstretched legs. "I know and I'm sorry. I have been having trouble sorting through it so I didn't want to talk about it. Some of them I'm not exactly proud of, you know."

Haley nodded, turning in his arms to kiss him. "You can always talk to me about anything, even the bad stuff."

"I know," he told her, resting his forehead against hers as she sat sideways in his lap. "And I will when I'm ready. I've been thinking about going to see a memory specialist in Wilmington."

"That's a great idea," Haley said, getting excited. "When can you go?"

"I'd have to call and get an appointment," he told her, "but I don't think I'm ready for that yet. Besides, I don't really have time right now with school, work, and basketball."

"If you want to wait then that's okay," Haley said cautiously. There was something about the way Nathan said he wasn't ready that made her think he was scared and she didn't want to push him. She knew he'd been traumatized enough over the last month and if he needed some more time she'd give it to him. "How have you been feeling?"

"I'm okay," he answered. "I've been a little worn out but I feel much better today. I actually got a good night of sleep last night."

"That's good," Haley said, still not convinced. "Any headaches?"

"Not very often," he told her, looking straight into her eyes. "I would let you know if there was any reason for you to worry Hales, but I'm fine, really."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, enjoying the peace, Haley's worries silenced for the moment. "I don't want to go back to school tomorrow," he said, his fingers playing with the strands of her long hair. "I hardly get to see you during the week."

"I know, but cheerleading and basketball will be over soon and then we'll have more time together," Haley reminded him.

"Hopefully not too soon," Nathan told her. "As much as I want more time with you, I still want to win that championship first. It's something my dad never did and I always swore I would. Besides, Coach deserves to win it at least once before he retires."

"And you will, I believe in you," she told him confidently.

"We should probably get going," he said, starting to stand up. "It looks like it's about to rain."

"All the more reason to stay," she said, pulling him back down on top of her. "We've always enjoyed the rain."

"But this is a public beach Hales," he laughed as she started to unbutton his pants, "anyone could come by."

"Who else would be crazy enough to come out here in the rain?" she giggled, silencing any further protests with a kiss. He didn't even try to make any.

"So I'm assuming you haven't told Nathan about your concerns," Dan told Haley as she walked into his Mayoral Office Tuesday morning before school.

"He doesn't even remember her as far as I know," Haley replied. "I don't want him to worry about something he can't control."

"We can't control it either unfortunately," Dan said. "I talked to the DA and she is offering to plead guilty. Her lawyer wants a fine and loss of license to be her only punishments. Because she is a minor and there were no deaths, the DA is inclined to agree and avoid a trial. I am pushing for the maximum sentence of 2 years in jail, but it will probably end in a compromise involving community service instead of jail time."

"So you're saying she'll be free to do whatever she wants," Haley said, pacing the length of the office.

"If she takes it to trial, we have a shot at jail time, but her lawyers are too smart for that and I'm pretty sure she will take the plea."

"Will she be able to come back to school?" Haley asked. This was not going the way she'd hoped at all. It looked like Rachel was going to be coming back as if she'd done nothing wrong.

"I've talked to the school board and they are inclined to let her return as long as there is no jail sentence. Her lawyers have threatened lawsuits against everyone involved and the school isn't willing to risk that. They are treating her time away as her suspension and not letting her make up all her work. I'm sorry," Dan said. "I tried everything I could but knowing Nathan is my son they saw my interference as a grudge and wouldn't take it as seriously as they otherwise would have."

"Thanks for trying," Haley said, "She just better stay the hell away from us."

"If there's something else I can do, don't hesitate to ask," Dan said. "I hate that I'm letting you down."

"You tried," Haley sighed, "I guess that's all any of us can do."

"My Hero," Rachel said as she approached Nathan in the hall before first period on Wednesday morning. "Thanks for saving my life. I'd really like to make it up to you."

"Uh, Rachel right?" Nathan asked, taken aback by her brazenness. He'd had a lot of girls flirt with him since he came back to school, but not one of them had been this forward.

"I knew you'd remember me," she said, placing her hand on his arm.

Nathan shrugged off her touch. "I remember a lot of things I wish didn't," he said. "I'm not interested."

"I love it when guys play hard to get," she laughed, "it never lasts long."

Nathan shook his head and turned away, practically running into Peyton. "I'll see you later," Rachel said, blowing him a kiss as she walked away.

"I see Rachel found you," Peyton said, stepping up next to him. "I figured it wouldn't take long, she's been asking about you ever since she got here this morning."

"Why? We weren't friends or anything were we?"

"Hell no," Peyton laughed. "None of us even like her, but I can tell you to watch out for her tricks. She always goes hard after what she wants and she'll do anything to get it. She pulled some pretty good stunts trying to take Lucas from Brooke. After that little scene, I think she's decided that this time, she wants you."

"But she knows I'm taken right?" Nathan asked in confusion. "I mean I'm not just dating Haley, we're married."

Peyton just shrugged, "Honestly, I don't think she'd care. You better be careful."

"I will," he said, taking his seat and waiting for class to start, "thanks for the warning."

"Did you hear what that skank Rachel did this morning?" Brooke asked as she ran into Haley and Lucas in the hallway after second period. At their confused faces, "She totally came on to Nathan in the hallway. I heard people talking about it."

"She did what?" Haley asked, "I knew I wanted to beat her..."

"Woah Miss Feisty," Brooke said, trying to calm her friend. "Remember you have a bun in the oven. No brawls allowed."

"How did Nathan react?" Lucas asked. "Does he even remember her?"

"I'm not sure but it sounded like he just brushed her off. As much as I hate to say it, Peyton apparently showed up and helped scare her away," Brooke admitted. "I guess she's at least good for something."

"I'm not going to put up with her," Haley said. "First Lucas, then Cooper, now Nathan? What is it with her going after guys she can't have?"

"I don't know, but you don't have to worry," Brooke said. "Nathan would never do anything to hurt you."

"I know," Haley said. "I just hate having to deal with her crap when she should be in jail. Nathan and I have enough going on right now."

"He'll pull through this," Lucas said. "He just needs to get more rest."

"Do you know something I don't?" Haley asked. "I know he's been really tired, but I thought it was just the hectic schedule he's been keeping with getting up so early to train and then practice, school, and work."

"Not really, I just know that he's been getting memories at night that are keeping him from getting enough sleep," Lucas told her.

Haley nodded. She knew about the memories, but she got the feeling her husband had downplayed their effect to her. It sounded like they were bothering him more than she'd thought. She considered confronting him but he'd promised to tell her if anything was wrong and she didn't want to make him doubt her trust in him. She'd give it a few more days and see how it went before she brought it up to him again.

"I can't believe the nerve of her," Brooke said later that afternoon, "showing up here to practice like we actually want her on the squad. I can't believe Principal Turner is giving in to her BS and making us take her back."

"Don't you agree Haley?" Brooke asked in frustration, noticing her friend wasn't paying attention to what she was saying.

"Aren't you pissed off that we have to let Rachel cheer with us?" Brooke asked again. "I hate her."

"I do too, but I'm worried about Nathan right now. Does he look a little off to you?" Haley asked.

"Scott, get your butt over here," Coach Durham called at that moment, pulling Nathan aside. "What's going on?"

"Nothing Coach," he said, "just a little tired. I'm not all the way back in shape yet."

"Take a break," Whitey said, "your health is the most important thing and you're not looking so good right now."

"I told you I'm fine," Nathan argued. "I don't need a damn break."

"Sit down," Whitey said, raising his voice. "You need a rest and a drink."

Nathan walked over to the bleachers and sat down, holding his head in his hands as his shoulders slumping in frustration. She wanted to go talk to him, but figured that would probably do more harm than good right now. He wouldn't want to show weakness of any kind in front of his teammates.

"Looks like Nathan could use some consoling," Rachel said, coming up behind them. "Probably just realized he married a short, chubby girl when he really wants me."

Haley turned around and Brooke held her back, realizing her friend's intention. "Don't do that here," she said, trying to calm Haley down. "You can't let her get to you. That's what she wants. Let's start practice."

The girls started practicing, but Haley kept sneaking looks down the court at her husband. He was back in action taking some shots, but didn't seem as fluid and graceful as normal and she was concerned.

She saw Whitey head toward him and pull him to the side and sighed in relief. She hoped that Coach would be able to find out what was going on with him because she was becoming increasingly certain he was keeping something from her.