25

"When do you come home?" Brooke demanded. "I do not appreciate this doctor business interfering with my murder plots."

"Who are you killing and where are we hiding the body?" Haley asked as she went over the notes of her consultation that she had flown in to give a couple days ago. She had stayed to see how the patient had faired.

"Do you still have that grave that you dug for Tyler back in freshman year?"

"That one wasn't for Tyler; it was for Brian, and mama made me fill it back in." Haley pulled the glasses from the tip of her nose where they had been living for the past hour in a half. She massaged the bridge of her nose while she tried to fight off yet another yawn. "Why? Do we need to put My Little Pony's head in someone's bed?"

"Yup."

"Whose is the unlucky ass for a hat?"

"Your brother."

"You're going to have to be more specific, Dimples." Haley told her. "I have four brothers and two of them you hate."

"Bitch, you aren't listening to me in my time of crisis."

"I'm listening."

"Lying out of your most unfairly perfect ass, Tutor-Baby Doctor Woman." Brooke bellowed in a way that only she could. "Yes, you have four of them. One who is so mysterious he has to be in the CIA, the other is a Lothario, and of the two that I hate, one has all his hair and I have only seen the crowned family jewels of one James male."

Haley gagged. "Dammit."

"I wouldn't have resort to you having to boil your brains and stab your ears to death if you would cooperate, dammit. Your brother is harassing me."

"He wants to apologize, Brooke."

"Traitor!" Brooke accused her friend. "You knew?! The fuck else are you hiding from me you deceitful, about to be buried next to him, ex-best bitch?!"

Haley sighed with feeling. "Brooke-"

"I quit you."

"I will stalk you!" Haley threatened.

"You. Knew."

"No, I didn't...Much."

"Explain yourself."

"Tyler asked after you at our parents' anniversary party. He wanted me to talk to you for him."

"Did you give the dickface my number?"

"How dare you ask?!" Haley swore. "Quit me? Bitch, I will walk."

"Try it and I will break your legs and make sure your casts are wrapped in the ugliest, most headache inducing neon color ever created. Walk?" Brooke scoffed. "You don't get to walk. Continue."

"I got the impression that he was going to make a play. Ty pretty much said so in not so many words."

"And you did nothing?!"

"Again you stab my integrity in the face. I am truly hurt. Seriously. What did you think that I did? I threatened him immense pain if he hurt you again."

"Oh, he's not going to get the chance."

"Brooke-"

"Why didn't you tell me about this, Haley?" Now Brooke sounded genuinely hurt; and she was entitled to it. Haley had dropped the ball and her friend had been unprepared, blindsided by her brother. Haley made a mental note to pay her big brother a visit.

"You know how much he hurt me."

"I know." Haley replied quietly. "And I'm sorry for not giving you a head's up. I honestly forgot about Ty until you told me just now that he had to be buried. I'm sorry, Davis."

Brooke's end of the line was silent until she let loose with a deep sigh. "You're not a traitor." She grumbled. "I don't quit you."

"Okay. I won't walk." There was silence between the two friends again before Haley went out on a limb. "Have you spoken to him?"

"Yes and no."

"Explain."

"He texted me the night of the party. Whoever gave up classified information will have my foot permanently tattooed on their secret spilling ass. When he calls me the first words out of his mouth always start with 'will you let me apologize?' I keep telling him no and he tells me that's he's going to keep calling until I'm ready. This last time was different."

"Why?" Haley asked.

"Because after he told me that he would call again to see if I was ready he told me that he missed me. This morning, he texted that, too."

"What are you going to do?"

Brooke sighed again. "That's why I called you. You're supposed to tell me."

"Nuh-uhm," Haley shook her head. "This is on you. Asking me is a conflict of interest because Tyler is the brother that I probably love the most. Mama should have let me put him in the hole."

"When did she become so damned rational?"

"No clue. My advice let him apologize. Nothing says that you have to do anything more than that, Davis."

"What if I don't want to?" Brooke's tone was mulish. Haley could picture her best friend stomping her foot in agitation.

"Then don't." Haley's shoulder lifted in a shrug, one that Brooke couldn't see but would try to pull Haley's hair out if she could. She knew that Brooke hated that shrug. She hated that shrug because Haley already knew what Brooke was going to do.

"Enough of this 'Back to the Future' shit; I swear to Vera Wang, Haley James if you make another crack about my proclivities involving sci-fi/futuristic entertainment and their connection to geeks, nerds, and or brains such as yourself, I will wound you dearly. How did your date with Deliriously Hot Daddy go?"

"It was…"

What?

It was…Mmmhm.

It was…so intense.

So sexy.

So dramatic.

"Haley Marion James!" Brooke's raucous laughter traveled over the phone line. "You just told on yourself with that 'it was so damn good' sigh. You slept with the neighbor man!"

"I didn't sleep with Nathan."

"You lying, bitch, you." She kept laughing causing Haley to smile and shake her head. "Do I have to ask you the usual questions about time trials, how many places you managed to defile with said loving, and whether or not you had to use your medical know how to stitch up the scratches that you put on his body, or are you give up all the details?"

"We didn't sleep together." Haley tried again.

"You wanted to. I can hear it in your voice; and don't think that I didn't notice that new birthmark you were sporting before you got on the plane. You may not have sexed with your Nathan, but you got pretty damned close. Do you deny it?"

"Brooke-"

"I DARE you to deny it, woman. Go ahead. Lie. Do. You. Deny. It?"

"Lies make Baby Jesus cry."

A crack of lightening, the boom of thunder, and the sound of rain falling maniacally greeted Nathan when he when his eyes slid open.

One hand behind his head, the other draped across the warm skin of his stomach as he stared silently at the ceiling above.

Three days.

It had been three days since he had seen, or spoken to Haley.

"A 'pox pandemic'?"

"Uhm-huh."

"You mean like small pox?"

"No." She laughed getting a genuine kick out of their conversation. He had avoided the topic of relationships. Nathan had put himself out there farther than he ever had for any woman in his life. He had been afraid to venture out any further. If he pushed…He didn't want Haley coming to him because he badgered her into it; because she felt like she owed him something. He hated waiting, but Nathan really had no choice. If he pushed, he could scare Haley away.

"Chicken pox."

"Does Nic need a shot for that?"

"No. Chicken pox used to be a rite of passage to a kid. Now it's a party favor."

"What?"

"Oh yeah." He could practically see Haley's eyes rolling to the sky. She did that a lot. He thought that it was cute, like she was calling stupid people stupid without letting the words fall past her lips. "Parents throw 'pox parties' so that their kids can get sick, and they can get it done and over with."

"I thought that woman in the waiting room was full of shit. I mean who wants their kid to get sick? Did your mom do that?"

"Ohhhoho noooo." Haley drew out. "Their marriage would have ended in divorce, or death. With eight kids my mom would have had to throw two parties. My daddy would have lost his entire mind; my mama, too."

What if it had been more than a bunch of kids with certifiably crazy parents having block parties to get their kids infected?

What if he had scared her off? He'd seen her leave the house with a damned suitcase. Only sixth grade girls would take that to mean something dire. She was a doctor. Just because you achieve something didn't mean that you have nothing left to learn. She told him about her friends from college. She could have been going to one of them. But what if? What if she felt like he didn't mean it because he hadn't said another word to her about it?

"What if-" Nathan started to speak the thought aloud.

The thought process was cut off when his cell phone vibrated to life next to him. Nathan didn't recognize the number, but it was a Tree Hill area code.

"Yeah," he spoke into his phone ripe with impatience and agitation.

"Nathan Scott?"

He sat up in bed at the serious tone in the caller's voice. The blankets that covered him were kicked to the edge of the bed.

"This is him."

"Tree Hill memorial just received your father, Dan Scott into Emergency. You are listed atop of his contact list. As of this moment all that we know is that your father has been bought in responsive."

"Responsive? You telling me that there was a time that he wasn't?"

"No sir." The disembodied voice replied. "I'm just handing off the information that was relayed to me."

"Thank you."

Nathan clicked off. Tossing the phone to the bed behind him, he stepped into his sweats pulling the up over his naked form as he stood. In fifteen minutes Nathan had he and Nic ready and out of the house.

The drive to the hospital should have only been a fifteen minute drive, but it felt like it took forever. Nic slept in the back like he hadn't been pissed about being woke up to leave the house.

The HCM. That was the first thing to pop into Nathan's mind. Dan had HCM. It was genetic. Nathan's grandfather, Dan's father Royal, had HCM, too. Nathan didn't even know about the possibility of having HCM himself until heard Keith and Dan arguing about it years ago when he had been high school...

"You hate me so much that you want me dead?!" Keith demanded.

"What are you talking about?" Dan sat behind his desk in his office sipping on scotch like Keith hadn't stormed into his home demanding answers.

"How long have you known about Daddy having a heart condition?" Keith wanted to know. "Have you been tested? Where you ever going to tell me before or after I dropped dead from a heart attack?"

"You would know about family medical problems if you were family." Dan replied calmly, a gleam of triumph flashed in his eyes. The first he had felt since his world, his family, his life, had been blown to shit.

He knew how much Keith was hurting and he relished in it. It was nothing less than Keith had deserved. Dan didn't even try to hide his pleasure. Their parents had made no bones about distancing themselves from Keith when he had decided to carry on behind Dan's back with his wife.

They weren't speaking to him. No one was, but not even that justified them playing God with Keith's life, or Dan with the lives of his sons in Keith's mind. Hell in any rational human mind.

"What about your kids?" Keith finally asked. "If Royal has it, and you have it-"

"I don't have it."

"Mama called me, Daniel." Keith cut in, his voice hard. Apparently Royal hadn't told his own wife he had a heart condition. "You're playing with these boys' lives. Lucas or Nathan out there and have a fucking heart attack because you want to ignore what is right in front of your face, that's on you. You own that. You can't call yourself a father, let alone a man, or even a human being, if you don't get Nathan tested."

"Get out of my house;" Dan told him. "Before I have you arrested for trespassing and breaking and entering."

"Danny, Nathan-"

"Don't you dare speak my son's name!" Dan roared shooting up from his seat. "You don't have the right. Danny? Only family has the right, the privilege, to use that name. You lost that when you decided destroy my family by FUCKING MY WIFE"

"Nathan is Deb's son, too." Keith spoke quietly but his words vibrated with deep anger. "By not telling Nathan about the danger, you are putting his health, his life, at risk. I may have blown his family apart by falling in love with his mother, but I have never risked his life the way that you are right now."

"Are you sick?" The question shocked both of the adults into silence. They turned to see Nathan standing behind them.

"Nathan-"

"Are you sick, Dad? Are you going to die?" He was scared to death. He didn't want his dad to die.

"Keith, you son of a bitch." Dan spat.

"What is HCM? Do I have it? Am I going to die?"

"You're fine, son."

"How do you know?" Nathan challenged. "I haven't been tested."

"You don't need to be tested," Dan told him. "I'm fine."

"No you're not." Keith growled. "You're lying to this boy the same way that Daddy lied to us!"

"Get out, Keith!"

"Nate," Keith turned to his nephew. "You need to be tested today. Now."

"Get away from my son!" Dan broke the glass in his hand and rounded his desk shoving Keith into the wall behind him. Keith shoved right back.

"Nathan?"

He turned, they all turned, to see Deb in the opening of the front doorway. As angry as he was at her, seeing her…there had been no words to explain how happy Nathan had been to see his mom. It was like she was a light slashing through all his fear.

"I have custody, Deb." Dan pointed a finger at her. "Nathan chose me; not you. You don't get to come in here and make a mess after I cleaned up after you. Again."

"You don't get to put our son's life in danger." Deb shot, her eyes dark; stark with anger. "I am taking Nathan to be tested. You get in the way and I'll take you back to court for full custody and win. You know it. Play with your own life. You don't get to gamble with Nathan's." Deb turned to her son and held out her hand.

"Come with me, baby boy."

Nathan took it.

Dan had been lying. He did have HCM, and so did Lucas. That was why Lucas hadn't played college ball, why he had walked away from the game in their senior year. He'd had to. That was probably the real reason Dan had quit the game after his own knee injury; because they had found it. What if this diagnosis had been the real reason that he hadn't been able to mount a decent comeback?

Dan may have known for years, that's how little faith he had in the man. Their parents, Nathan's grandfather had known and hadn't said anything to Keith. He didn't even tell his own wife. Who knows how long she had known about any of it. If they could lie to one son, they could lie to both; and there was still that possibility that Dan knew about this ailment, the family flaw, and decided to keep up the lie. Maybe he didn't want to believe it. Maybe Dan had refused his diagnosis. He denied it until he couldn't deny it anymore.

Nathan was fine. His heart had been spared. He was healthy.

Would Nic's heart be?

"Nathan? Nate?"

Nathan glanced up from releasing Nic from the damned contraption masquerading as a car seat to see Jake headed his way.

"Whaa…" His words trailed off in laughter at the bandage on Jake's face. Both his eyes were black and his nose was swollen.

"Oh-ho, man." Nathan sniggered.

"Fuck you." Jake declared without heat. His dark gaze jumped to Nic who was bouncing on Nathan's thighs, best as his little legs could, looking at Jake like he was a completely different person.

Jake took the baby from Nathan's arms. "Still me, Godson." He murmured. Nic began his start-stop cooing trying to have a conversation, then did something new that neither one of them expected.

Nic laughed.

"Was that-"

"Did he?" Nathan stood taking Nic from Jake's arms. He tried to put his hands in Nathan's mouth his movements jerky as his brain was becoming aware, learning that his muscles could move and his body tried to see how much. Nathan feigned taking a shot to the face.

"You laughing at Uncle Jakes?" Nathan turned around in his arms so that is legs had the space in front of him to kick out and get stronger.

He laughed again then stopped looking around for where that sound had come from. Then he smiled kicking those legs.

"Et tu, Godson?" Jake asked touching his fingers to his rebuilt nose. "Still fuck you, Nate. Why are you here? You guys okay?"

"Dan."

"Dan?"

"Mr. Scott?"

The crack of lightening and boom of thunder behind them outside caused Nic to jump in Nathan's arms. He started to cry but settled when his dad started talking to him.

"Just a storm, Nic. It happens when God is helping Mother Nature move the furniture." He had his lips poked out like he didn't care about what was going on up in the clouds that he couldn't see. He wanted the madness to stop. There were no tears, it was like his little baby brain as considering what his dad had said to him. Nic's lip went in then he started to eat Nathan's face.

"Jake, could you?"

"Yeah."

"Why are you in Emergency?" Nathan asked while Jake searched the baby's diaper bag for a bottle.

"Had to reset my nose. Don't. Ask."

"Mr. Scott?" The man in the little white lab coat asked again. "About your father?"

"I'm sorry. Go ahead."

"He's in surgery."

"Surgery? Why? Did he have a heart attack?" Nathan handed his starving son off to his godfather then pulled a hand thought his hair unconsciously.

"I'm not certain whether you are aware of your father's condition-"

"The HCM?"

"Yes," The be speckled man in front of him pushed his glasses up his nose. "It seems that your father's condition worsened and paramedics brought him in this morning after he was found unresponsive at his dealership."

"How found him?"

"His brother was there."

"Keith was there?"

"If Keith is his brother, then yes. Dan was thrown in his brother's, Keith's, truck and he got him here. Paramedics helped get him in these doors. Nathan, your father is in surgery because he stopped taking the medications needed to moderate his HCM then he pushed himself on the treadmill that he had at his place of business."

"He stopped…"

"Taking his medication, yes; there is absolutely no traces of the mediations prescribed, needed to regulate the heartbeat due to the HCM in his blood. If he missed a day, even a week, there would still be some sort of trace, even if it was faint. There is none. I don't know why that is, only that it has happened."

"Is he going to die?"

Are you going to die, Dad?

"The situation, while bad, is not dire. Your father is going to have a long road ahead of him."

He stopped taking is mediation.

Why?

Nathan paced the surgical waiting room volleying between anger and frustration. He would gladly feel either one of those rather than feel fear.

He didn't want anything to do with Dan. That much was true, and Nathan had a right to that, but he didn't want the man dead. Nathan adamantly refused to acknowledge that part of him, that miniscule part of him that hoped that Dan would come out of this and be at least part way human. Nathan almost laughed to himself. Seemed that he was forgetting that long ago lesson about setting himself up for failure.

"Nate?"

Why was Dan not taking his damn mediation? What did he hope to gain? What the hell was he trying to do? Was this on purpose? Did he just forget? What was Keith doing there? Why did he save him?

"Nathan?"

"Huh?" He glanced over his shoulder then turned to face Haley. He was starting to believe that she had nothing in her closet that toned down the ridiculous sexiness that surrounded her; followed her, and snatched up others when she happened to pass by.

Turtle necks were not supposed to be sexy. They were on Haley. That damned lab coat didn't help. At least she had taken mercy on him and wore slacks instead of a damned skirt. Last thing he needed was to have an audience in a hospital waiting room.

Some things were private.

"Is everything okay?"

"Not sure."

"What can I do?"

"Nothing." He sighed. "Everything is being done that can be. Dan's in surgery."

"Dan?"

"My father."

"I'm sorry."

There were questions in her eyes, he saw them, but he had no more space inside his head to even attempt to deal with it. Nathan ran a hand over his face. He wanted to barge in that damn operating room, wake Dan's ass up and ask him what the hell he was doing. If he did this shit on purpose…

"Come on."

"I need-"

"The doctors will find you if there is news." Haley told him. "Right now you need to take care of yourself or you'll be no good to your dad."

"Please," Nathan said to her. "Don't…Don't call him that."

"Whatever you need."

They got lucky. There was no one in the elevator when they stepped in the car. The door shut and it was like everything was closed out. Silence. It didn't keep out Nathan's own thoughts, but it kept out everyone else's. He could work with that.

Nathan leaned a shoulder in the wall of the elevator beside him. Eyes closed, he concentrated on his breathing. Earlier he had been soaked by the storm as he moved Nic's car seat from Nathans rig to Jake's. His clothes were uncomfortable now. Shoulda just given Jake my keys and taken his, he thought. His clothes were damp, and drying against his skin. He could feel the headache starting between his eyes.

What the fuck was going on?

Her palm slid against his, their fingers entwining and it was like there was this instant calm. No, not calm. That wasn't right. He didn't know what it was, what it was about this woman, but every time she touched him it was like there wasn't any room for anything else. Nathan didn't open his eyes. He wanted to savor the feeling, the heat that slowly moved through him. I missed you, was on the tip of his tongue, but he held it. Haley, her skin was so soft, so warm. He would be lying if the feeling didn't invoke thoughts of skin, his on hers, heated touches, twisted sheets, whispered words, and answered pleas. Those were bonuses because that wasn't what he needed right now. This was enough; more than enough, her hand in his.

The door opened and they walked out, their hands still joined. They found a spot at a semi-secluded table.

"Sit." She told him.

"Haley-"

"Let me take care of you." Haley spoke softly.

Nathan nodded silently. She walked away from him to get whatever it was that she needed to while Nathan waited.

It would be so easy to say that coming back here, home, was a mistake, but it wasn't. It couldn't be; could it? He was happy to be home even with all the bullshit.

"Whatever you're thinking about," Haley told him as she slid into the booth across from him, "Stop. This is a 'no worry' zone."

"That so?"

"Oh absolutely." She smiled.

"What's a girl like you doing in a place like this?" His lips tipped handsomely at her quiet laughter for his stupid joke.

"Appendectomy. Got a fourth grader out of a spelling test."

"Well, if you have to get cut open you should get something out of it." He replied absently.

She didn't like the worry in his eyes. It was hesitant like he didn't know whether he should be worrying and was arguing about why he was.

"Nathan, not all days have to be hard. You'll have to deal with the situation with your father eventually, but right now, you can just be." She pushed the blueberry muffin toward him. "Fuel your body."

"Doctor, teacher, okay tutor; do you have any other occupations under that lab coat, Doc?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Oh most definitely."

She cleared her throat.

"Made you smile." His lips twitched.

"Alright, Casanova."

"You started it. Again."

Haley pulled in a deep breath letting it out slowly then she looked at him. "Can't be all bad."

"No, it can't." He smiled to himself again and Haley felt another piece of herself melt. "Nic laughed today. A real laugh."

"That's-"

"Awesome." Nathan chuckled. "He was laughing at Jake and his busted new nose."

"The friend you called me about?"

"Yep. Had to have his face reset." He chuckled some more.

"Do I want to know?" Haley smiled wryly.

"Hell, I don't even know, but I have an idea."

"Do tell."

Nathan looked at her for long seconds. She was beautiful. He was becoming addicted to the mischievous sparkle in those doe eyes.

The way that he was looking at her now, it wasn't sexual. It was considering, inquiring almost. She wanted to know what he was thinking about. What was with that small adorable smile?

"Jake and Peyton," he began. "There's always been something between them. Even when she and I were together-"

Haley's brows rose in surprise. "So you and Peyton do have history?"

"Dated in high school. You know how it is. The jock is supposed to date the cheerleader. If he's the captain, then he's supposed to date the hottest cheerleader. High school BS."

"You became friends."

"Yeah." Nathan nodded, that small smile lifting his lips again. "I don't know how that happened. I was a dick in high school, too."

"Everyone's a dick in high school."

"Were you?"

"Oh, heavens no." Haley batted her eyelashes. "But I'm not everyone." She winked.

"You most certainly are not."

The two sat in silence unable to look away from each other. Haley was the first to recover. "You can't start a story and not finish it."

"Okay. Peyton she was probably the one true friend that I had, besides Tim, and even then she was the better friend. She was there when I needed her to be, even though I didn't ask her for it, didn't deserve it."

"And Jake?"

"Spent high school hating each other. He was in love with Peyton even then. We became friends in college. Bar fight."

"Nice."

"Right? It's amazing how being smashed and brawling can mend rivalries."

"Peyton and Jake?"

"Went into business together. Something is there, and now she may walk away; from him, from me, from us, if Jake doesn't figure out what the hell he wants. Even then," Nathan shook his head in dismay for his friends. "It may be too late."

"Too late for Jake," Haley wanted to know. "Or too late for you?"