Chapter 25 – Things to live for

A few minutes had turned into half an hour. She tried to make herself go to the waiting room but she couldn't, a part of herself was holding her back. She didn't feel like facing everyone right now and she knew it would feel tense and claustrophobic and that was definitely something she couldn't deal with. What she needed right now was to be in Luke's comforting arms, she had never felt so safe, his embrace made everything seem okay, like she could get through anything but unfortunately he was the reason she was in this mess. His life was hanging in the balance and she felt so scared for him, she had never felt this scared before not in a real long time not since she found out her mother died and she realised she had to grow up without a mom. She couldn't imagine losing him as well; she had already lost so much in her life, she had already gone through more pain than the average teenager and she didn't feel she could cope with much more. She felt physically drained and to make matters worse she had this sickening feeling in her stomach that wouldn't seem to go away.

Meanwhile in the waiting room. "I thought you said she'd be here by now?" Haley asked Brooke feeling worried.

"She said a few minutes"

"Hate to burst your bubble Brooke but its been 45 minutes" Nathan said.

"I'm worried about her" Haley added.

"Me too I've never seen her like this before" Brooke replied.

"Maybe you guys should go look for her she needs all the support she can get right now" Karen said. She had remained silent since she had gotten to the hospital but she had Keith to make her feel better, she couldn't imagine how she would cope if she were alone.

"Yeah come on let's go" Nathan said pulling Haley up with him.

"We'll be back soon" Brooke said as she left with Nathan and Haley.

"So do you guys want to split up we'll probably find her quicker that way?" Brooke asked.

"Yeah sounds good" Nathan said.

"Where was the last place you saw her?" Haley asked.

"She was here" Brooke replied as they reached the chairs near reception.

"Great she's gone" Haley replied sarcastically.

"We have to find her you guys she's a wreck" Brooke said starting to panic "She was blaming herself and everything"

"Okay me and Haley will go this way you go that way we'll meet back here in an hour, if we find her before then we'll call you on your cell" Nathan said taking charge of the situation. He too was feeling extremely worried for her, he remembered what she was like when she realised it was Ryan in the car, he didn't want her to do something stupid.

"Okay" Brooke replied as she headed in the opposite direction to Nathan and Haley.

They had been searching for a good twenty minutes. Brooke was looking through the ward, she even checked the cafeteria in case she felt hungry but with no luck. Meanwhile Nathan and Haley had checked the opposite end of the ward they even checked outside they both knew how Peyton hated hospitals but again she was nowhere to be seen, it was like she had vanished. They were now back in the hospital and Haley decided to start checking the rest rooms.

"I'm starting to worry Nathan" Haley said after she came out of the third bathroom they had tried.

"Me too but we've got to keep looking"

They continued walking through the hospital and had taken the elevator to the next floor.

"You know its times like these that make me realise how lucky I am to have you Nathan because I don't know what I'd do if that was you"

"I know what you mean I don't know what I'd do if it was you either"

They reached the next floor and began searching they were bout to walk past a bathroom.

"Hey check in here first" Nathan said

"What's the point Nathan every other bathroom I've been in she hasn't been there"

"Just check you never know"

"Okay" she kissed him on the cheek and then entered the bathroom. She looked through the first two cubicles and found no one she was about to enter the third when she saw her with her head over the toilet.

"Oh my god Peyton are you okay?" she said as she ran over to her and pulled her hair out of her face.

"I'm fine I just can't stop throwing up"

"Maybe I should get a doctor to check you over"

"No I think it was just something I ate at the restaurant"

"Are you sure because you're not looking so good"

"Thanks"

"No I didn't mean anything by it you just look really pale and"

"Haley its okay" she replied laughing slightly at her rambling friend.

"So you think you're ready to come to the waiting room?"

"Yeah I guess" she replied realising she couldn't avoid it forever. Haley started helping her up "I'm okay Haley" she said as she got herself up. They were about to leave the cubicle when Peyton suddenly ducked back down and emptied the contents of her stomach for the third time since she had been at the hospital. Haley immediately knelt down beside her and held her hair back.

"You sure you don't want that doctor?"

"I'm sure" she replied once she had finished vomiting. "I'm done now" she added as she got back up and left the bathroom with her friend.

"Look who I found" Haley said cheerily to her husband.

"Thank god" Nathan replied as he pulled her into an embrace. Once they pulled apart he noticed how pale she looked. "Jeez Sawyer you're not looking so good"

"Thanks I've already been told"

"You sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine" she replied emphasising the word 'fine'. She was getting sick of having to keep telling everyone that.

"Okay well let's get you back we were worried about you"

"Its nice to know you all care I just needed some time alone you know?"

"Yeah I get it" Nathan said.

"We better call Brooke" Haley said.

"Why?" Peyton asked confused.

"Well we split up to look for you and we said we would call if we found you" Haley replied.

"You guys were that worried?"

"Yeah you're one of our best friends Sawyer"

Brooke had been back at the waiting room for a few minutes she felt extremely relieved to hear that Nathan and Haley had found Peyton she was so worried about her. A few minutes later and the waiting room door opened and Nathan, Haley and Peyton walked through. Brooke jumped up and practically pounced on Peyton.

"Brooke I kinda need to breathe"

"Sorry P, I was just so worried don't ever take off like that again"

"I didn't take off I just needed some time alone." she turned her attention over to Karen "Are you okay Karen?" Peyton asked as she took a seat and sat down.

"I'm hanging in there. How about you?" she replied.

"Hanging in there I guess"

"He'll be okay" Keith said trying to offer some sort of comfort to both Karen and Peyton.

"What makes you so sure?" Peyton asked.

"Because its Lucas, he's not a quitter"

"Keith's right" Haley said "He didn't give up when he was in that car accident last year and he won't give up now, he's a fighter"

Everyone smiled at her words and then silence loomed over the room once again.

Everyone had been sitting there for hours, the tension in the room was evident and everyone seemed to remain quiet afraid to speak in case they made the situation worse. Peyton was nervously flicking through a magazine she had found on the coffee table and Brooke noticed her actions. She placed her hand on top of Peyton's to try and steady her nerves and offer some sort of comfort. Peyton turned to her and smiled appreciatively. Brooke was about to speak when the door opened revealing a doctor in a white lab coat.

"Who's here for Lucas Scott?" he asked

"We are" Karen said as everyone looked on nervously.

"How is he?" Peyton asked tired of waiting.

"Well he's just gotten out of surgery"

"How'd it go?" Keith asked giving Karen's hand a gentle squeeze.

"It went quite well we managed to stop the internal bleeding, he also suffered a hit to the head"

"Oh my god is he okay?" Peyton said her eyes becoming glossy.

"Luckily it's a minor head injury just a little bit of bleeding. He also broke his left arm in two places due to the impact of the car and fall." The doctor saw everyone's nervous eyes so carried on "But its in a cast now and should be as good as new in a month or two"

"So is he awake?" Nathan asked it was the question on everyone's mind.

"Not right now he's only just gotten out of surgery"

"When will he wake up?" Karen asked a little nervous at what the answer would be.

"It could be anywhere from a few hours to a few days its all up to him"

"So he's going to be okay?" Peyton asked needing confirmation.

"Well we will be able to assess him more when he wakes up I can't say anything for certain until then but I have high hopes for him"

"Can we see him?" Peyton asked rather quickly. She needed to see his face; she needed to tell him she loved him and that she was here for him.

"Yes but please only a few at a time" he said looking around at the number of people here for him. "He's in room 305"

Karen got up and looked at Peyton "Do you want to come with me?" she asked she knew how much Peyton wanted to see him and how much this had affected her.

"No Keith you go I'd rather see him alone if that's okay?"

"Sure that's fine you can go when we get back" Karen replied as she left the waiting room with Keith.

Karen felt her whole body tense up as she and Keith reached his room. Keith sensing this gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and opened the door. They both slowly approached him and Karen took a hold of his right hand. Keith sat beside her and stroked her back trying to support her.

"Please wake up Lucas you've got everybody worried, Nathan, Haley, Brooke and don't even get me started on the state Peyton's in. It was bad enough last year when I thought you weren't gonna wake up, you can't do this to me again" her eyes started to fill with tears as she looked at her son's lifeless body that seemed so fragile. Karen couldn't seem to open her mouth to speak anymore, she had so many things she wanted to say but she couldn't string a sentence together, she slowly rested her head on Keith's shoulder as Keith began to speak.

"Your mom needs you Luke, I need you and your fiancé needs you not to mention your brother and friends. Don't stop fighting okay, you've got a lot to live for"

They stayed there sitting in silence for about half an hour when Karen suddenly started to think about Peyton and how she would want to see him. "Come on lets go" she said quietly to Keith.

"You sure?"

"Yeah I know Peyton's dying to see him and I could do with some fresh air"

"Okay" they both got up and said their goodbyes to Lucas and then made their way back to the waiting room.

Back in the waiting room "He's going to be okay Peyt" Nathan said he could still see the worry and nervousness in her eyes.

"I know the doctors said he should be fine but that's what they said about my mom and look what happened there I'm sorry but I can't be sure of anything until he wakes up"

"And he'll wake up Peyton you heard what the doctors said" Brooke said

"I know but doctors aren't always right"

Before anyone could reply the door opened revealing Karen and Keith.

"You can go and see him now Peyton, we're going to get some fresh air"

"Thanks…how…how is he?" she asked nervously as she stood up.

"He's still asleep" Keith replied gently. Peyton nodded and then said goodbye to her friends as she made her way to the room where the love of her life was fighting for his life.

She had been stood outside his room for a few minutes, she couldn't get her hands to stop shaking, she was so nervous about seeing him. She eventually steadied her hand and opened the door. She walked over to the bed and let out a sob, as she looked him over. He had a bandage on his head; a cast on his left arm and a few cuts and bruises to his face. She slowly sat herself down taking his hand in her own. She couldn't stop crying, he had gone through all of this saving her life and he could lose his own as a consequence of that decision. She knew he loved her and would gladly give his life for hers but she couldn't help feeling responsible for everything. She eventually stopped crying, the shock of his injuries now lessening.

"Please wake up Lucas I miss you and I need you more than ever. I can't go on without you……you're my everything" a few silent tears streamed down her cheeks as she continued talking. "I love you so much and I'm not ready for you to leave me yet, I'll never be ready for you to leave me. We should be celebrating are engagement right now but no we're in the hospital and its all my fault" she couldn't bring herself to speak anymore the tears had taken over her. She sobbed for a long time never letting go of his hand. She eventually pulled herself together and got up kissing him on the forehead and then softly on his lips. "I'll be back soon" she whispered.

She needed to get out of there it was bringing back so many memories of when her mother was in hospital and her mother never made it back out alive. She couldn't bear it she felt like she couldn't breathe. She closed the door behind her and tried to steady her breathing but she couldn't, it was all too much for her to handle. Before she could do anything else she fell to the floor and everything went black.

Nathan, Haley and Brooke had just seen the curly blonde collapse and rushed over to her side. They were worried about her and had decided to offer her some support they didn't expect to see her body collapse to the ground.

"Peyton!" they all shouted as they reached her side.

AN: Hope you liked it. Thankyou for reading and please review I really appreciate it. I'll try to update asap!