Chapter 36
This world was never meant for one as beautiful as you – Don McLean
"Hey pretty girl," Lucas whispered as he kissed Brooke's forehead. Her eyes flickered open as she smiled up at him. "How are you feeling?" he asked taking a seat next to her, rubbing her arm.
"Okay, a little foolish." He looked at her confused. "I should have told you I wasn't feeling well."
"Babe it's fine. All that matters is that you're okay now," he reassured her.
"What did the doctor say?"
"He said that your right lung has given out and that you need a transplant." He didn't want to tell her about Dan being a match because that would put too much extra stress on her.
She nodded her head and swallowed hard. "That could take a while, right?"
"Yeah babe, but it will be okay. You're gonna get better and we're all gonna move past this like nothing was wrong. You're gonna have our beautiful baby girl, and we're gonna raise her and live happily ever after." He tried to smile as he kissed her forehead again.
"That's good. I've always wanted the fairy tale ending." Lucas looked at her with curious eyes. "You know, the one where the prince and the princess live happily ever after. I never thought I deserved that until I met you." she smiled. Nathan, Haley, and Peyton stood in the doorway, tears in the girls' eyes as they heard Brooke's dream. "It would just be nice to know I've done something right in order to get that happy ending after all."
Peyton lingered in the doorway of Brooke's room long after the rest had gone home to get some rest. The only reason Lucas left being to get Brooke some make-up. The frail brunette looked up at her blonde best friend and smiled. "How are you?"
Peyton couldn't help but snicker and roll her eyes. "I'm pretty sure I'm supposed to be asking you that, not the other way around."
"Peyton," Brooke began but was soon cutoff.
"Brooke," she breathed as she grabbed her hand and cradled it in hers, a small tear escaping her eye. "I'm so sorry," she sobbed. "Lucas told me you were worried about me, and…and now you're in here…and I'm just sorry."
"Peyton this is not your fault. I was worried because I care about you. But I'll believe you if you say you're okay."
Peyton hesitated. Obviously Lucas had not told her about the pills. She didn't want Brooke to worry about her, not until she was at least better and could handle it. Mustering up all the courage she had, Peyton wiped away the few tears and choked back her sobs. "I'm fine Brooke, I promise."
Brooke smiled as she caressed her hand. "Good."
A few days later, Brooke was able to convince her doctors that she would prefer to wait at home for her transplant instead of lying in a hospital bed. After much persuasion, they had finally agreed, on one condition. If anything were to change, even the slightest headache, she had to come in immediately.
Running the race
Like a mouse in a cage
Getting nowhere but I'm trying
Forging ahead
But I'm stuck in the bed
That I made so I'm lying
"Nathan," Haley called as she entered their apartment. He appeared in the entrance of the bathroom, a toothbrush in his mouth, a white towel around his lower abdomen.
"What's up," he mumbled as a drop of toothpaste leaked from his lips. He immediately noticed her facial expression. "Hales?"
"I think we should get married tomorrow," she blurted, and uneasiness to her voice.
Nathan looked at her stunned. Their wedding date was still almost two months away. "I…" he began, quickly turning to spit the remaining toothpaste into the sink and rinse his mouth.
"I know it's soon," she continued, taking his break to finish his teeth as a way to explain herself. "But with everything going on around here, I don't want to wait anymore. All we ever do is wait for something bad to happen to us. We know it's gonne come, it's Tree Hill, I swear this town is cursed or something," she rambled as she rolled her eyes. Noticing she was going on a tangent, she regained her focus, "anyways, I want to be happy Nathan. I want our friends to be happy. We all deserve to be. So I don't want to wait. I want to marry you tomorrow. I want to have our wedding tomorrow."
Nathan stared at her for a few seconds, realizing why he had fallen in love with her in the first place. He smiled at her and responded with a simple "okay."
Brooke heard a knock on her door as she turned to see Haley and Peyton entering. "So we have some news," Haley began.
"They want to get married tomorrow," Peyton finished, unable to hide her excitement.
Brooke smiled and shrieked for joy. "That's great, but oh wait…I haven't finished your dress," Brooke's happiness quickly diminishing.
"I don't care about that," Haley quickly answered. "We just want to make sure you're strong enough to still be my maid of honor."
"Of course, I wouldn't miss it for the world. But what are you going to wear?"
"We've decided that it's not gonna be anything too fancy. We just want all of you guys present." Haley smiled. "Plus Peyton has a huge closet full of killer vintage dresses I figured we could all find something to wear in there."
The girls smiled and nodded in agreement. "So I need your guy's help in getting everything together tonight," Haley added.
Brooke quickly stumbled off the bed, or at least as quickly as a woman could who was only two months from her due date. Haley followed her to her closet as she began spouting off ideas. Peyton ventured in the opposite direction to the pristine bathroom down the hall. She locked the door behind her as she reached into her purse and fondled the little silver pillbox. Her cold, vacant eyes met her reflection in the vanity mirror. She promised herself she wouldn't do this anymore. She had sworn to herself that after Lucas had spoken to her, and after she had so boldly lied to Brooke's face that she could quit this addiction. She swallowed every urge she had, forcing the pillbox back in her purse, and headed back to Brooke's bedroom.
But if you keep real close
Yeah, you stay real close
I will reach you
The rest of the evening was spent in preparation for the following day. The girls worked on wardrobe, music, and decorations, while the boys worked on location and guests. By the next morning, the wedding was successfully prepared, and the five of them were literally exhausted from all the hard work. Of course Lucas had insisted that Brooke take frequent breaks so she wouldn't overwork herself.
Brooke finished the last loose curl of blonde hair as she sprayed Peyton's head with hairspray. Haley's auburn hair contained similar curls, as a few strands were pinned discreetly in the back. Brooke opted to straighten her hair, adding a braid to frame the left side of her face. Peyton handed her a simple black headband that contained an elegant bow, and Brooke flawlessly placed it on her head. A sheer cream-colored dress snug perfectly to all the right places on Haley's body. It contained thick straps, pinching slightly under the bodice, and then flowing elegantly outward until it ended at her knees. Peyton wore a deep green spaghetti strap dress, fitting tightly to her small frame. Brooke managed to find a dark purple strapless gown made of material that easily allowed room for her large baby bump.
Before Nathan and Lucas joined the girls at the church, they decided to make a pit stop at the hospital to see Dan. The doctors continued to tell them that no change had been made. Dan's vitals were still stable, his brain continued to show signs of neurological function. However, he was still laying on the hospital bed unconscious.
"We understand that you guys have not come to a conclusion yet about Dan's lung, but we must urge that it's not a matter that can wait forever." Both Lucas and Nathan looked at the doctor in a confused manner. "The longer Dan is unconscious, the more his body begins to slowly shut down. So far everything is fine, but the longer he's under, the worse things will get. This means that if we wait too long for him to wake up, his lung won't be healthy enough to be used as a transplant."
The boys nodded in understand before slowly turning to exit the dark room. "One last thing," the doctor began. They turned again to retain their previous position. "I understand this is all very hard for you two young boys, but sometimes it's nice to reminisce on all the good memories you two have with your father in order to prepare for the worst."
They knew the doctor was only trying to help, but ultimately he didn't know the fact that Dan was far from a good father, and therefore neither boy could think of memories that sufficed as happy ones.
I'm down to a whisper
In a daydream on a hill
Shut down to a whisper
Can you hear me still
"Nathan, do you take Haley James as your lawfully wedded wife…" Brooke smiled at the happy couple as the preacher began to finish the ceremony. She held both hers and Haley's bouquets as Nathan effortlessly placed a ring on her delicate finger. Brooke stood amazed at the beauty unfolding before her. She looked up at the beautiful sun held high in the sky, and immediately her temple began to tense up. Coupling this with the brightness of the sun, she didn't think anything of it. Brooke was pulled out of her thoughts as Haley lightly tapped her for the ring in her hand.
Brooke smiled and gracefully placed the silver band in her pale palm. Haley returned the smile before turning and guiding the ring onto Nathan's finger. "I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride." The few guests in attendance applauded as Haley and Nathan shared a sweet kiss before they turned and walked down the aisle.
Eager to please
Trying to be what they need
But I'm so very tired
I've stopped trying to find
Any peace in my mind
Because it tangles the wires
The reception was held at Brooke's house, only fitting because her back yard was large enough for them to celebrate. It wasn't hard to manage a couple of bottles of liquor, and the young crowd was more than eager to have a reason to drink. Haley and Nathan enjoyed a dance to Make You Feel My Love by Adele as the rest of the group adored from the patio. Once the second verse began, a bunch of people began to join the couple on the dance floor, including Brooke and Lucas. Mouth managed to convince Peyton for a dance, and they too joined the crowd. Once the song ended, Brooke excused herself to go to the bathroom, convincing Lucas that baby Lena was pressing on her bladder. She gave him an innocent peck on the cheek before she retreated into her house.
Once upstairs, her head began to pulsate again. The tiny amount of pain had remained ever since it began, but she tried her best to push it aside as she concentrated on making sure Haley and Nathan had their perfect day. She opened the bathroom mirror and searched for a bottle of Advil or Tylenol. Unable to find anything to stop her headache, she scanned the room before ending on Peyton's purse. Hoping her blonde friend carried some medicine in her bag, she began to search through it. She soon found a small silver pillbox that contained several white pills. Satisfied that she had found some Tylenol, Brooke easily swallowed two with a glass of water before returning to the party.
But if you keep real close
Yeah, you stay real close
I will reach you
It didn't take long for the pills to course through Brooke's system. She began to feel a little dizzy, and then her senses intensified. The colors of the outside became brighter, but they began to string together into one giant mass of color. The sounds around her pulsed through her, causing her heart and pulse to beat to the rhythm of life. She closed her eyes in an attempt to blink away the change in her surroundings. When it didn't go away, the pit of her stomach knew what this feeling was. She was Brooke Davis, she had been high before. But this was different. This high was new, more intense. She placed a shaky hand on the patio chair next to her before she fell to the ground.
I'm down to a whisper
In a daydream on a hill
Shut down to a whisper
Can you hear me
Can you hear me still
Peyton was the first to notice, turning in slow motion as she tried to get to her friend as fast as she could. Everything seemed to move too slowly, her feet wouldn't allow her to move any faster than a crawl. Lucas saw the urgency in Peyton's movements and facial features and turned in the direction of her attention. It was then that he saw Brooke seizing on the ground. He dropped the beer bottle in his hand and scrambled to get to her, screaming for someone to call 911.
As his hand slipped underneath her head, Peyton knelt beside her. "Baby, Brooke…what's wrong? Can you hear? Baby…" Lucas spat, immense panic evident in every word.
The sound tires on my lips
To fade away into forgetting
Brooke tried to speak, but no words came out. As she continued to shake uncontrollably, the world around her faded into black.
I'm down to a whisper
In a daydream on a hill
Shut down to a whisper
Can you hear me
Can you hear me still