Rebuilding and Crumbling Chapter 49!
By: Matt91

Disclaimer: Lucas Scott, Nathan Scott, Brooke Davis, Peyton Sawyer, and Haley James don't belong to me, as do Karen Roe, Deb Scott, Dan Scott, Andy Hargrove, Jake Jagielski, Bevin, Whitey, and any other characters that appear on the show. David Foster and Kelly Clarkson also do not belong to me. Please e-mail me with any comments you may have.

****Roe Home-Wednesday Afternoon-1:00****
Andy is sitting in the living room on the phone.

There is a small velvet box sitting on the living room table.

"Yes, that's a dinner reservation for two at 7 o'clock," says Andy, opening the box to reveal an 8-½-carat diamond ring. "The name's Andy Hargrove. Ok, thank you."

Andy hangs up the phone and picks up the velvet box and smiles. Tonight, he's going to take Karen to a romantic dinner and he's going to ask her to marry him.

After all they've been through, Andy could not be any happier that he was with Karen. She is the most special woman in the world. Beautiful, smart, funny, kind, sweet, caring, she was everything Andy had ever looked for and more. He loves her with all of his heart and all of his soul and nothing in this world would make him happier than to spend the rest of his life with her, until death do they part.

Lucas passes by the living room.

"Andy," calls Lucas, entering the living room. "What are you doing?"

Andy quickly closes the box.

"What is that?" asks Lucas, referring to the box, as he sits across from Andy.

"Luke," says Andy, gently. "I'm going to ask your mom to marry me tonight."

"Really?" asks Lucas, a smile forming.

"Yes," says Andy, a bit hesitantly. "I hope that's ok with you."

"Are you kidding?" asks Lucas, happily. "That's amazing. You're a great guy Andy and I know how much my mom loves you and how much you love her. I couldn't be any happier that you are gonna get married. You guys are perfect for each other."

Andy smiles. "I'm glad you're ok with it. I don't want you to think I'm intruding on your life or anything."

"Absolutely not," says Lucas, smiling. "This is really great."

Andy smiles. "Thanks Luke."

Lucas smiles and they divulge into discussion about Andy's proposal.

****Tree Hill High-Gymnasium-3:30****
Nathan and Jake are there, waiting for Lucas.

Lucas enters and approaches them.

"What's up Luke?" asks Nathan.

"Yeah," says Jake, concerned. "What's the big emergency?"

"Please, sit," says Lucas, as they all sit on the bleachers.

Lucas looks at both Nathan and Jake, who have concerned expressions on their faces.

"Guys, fighting for my life has opened to my eyes to a lot of things and made me realize that I have to be honest about something," says Lucas, forming each word carefully. "I have HCM."

"What?" asks Jake, his eyes widening. "You can't be serious."

"Unfortunately I am," says Lucas, not sure of what else to say.

"Luke," says Nathan, in surprise. "You've had it all this time?"

"Yeah," says Lucas, guiltily.

"You've could've killed yourself by playing basketball," says Jake.

"I guess that explains how you played," says Nathan, leaning forward. "You took a really big risk Luke."

"I know," says Lucas, nodding his head. "I was on my medicine and I thought I would somehow be able to handle it but after getting shot and fighting to survive, I realize that nothing is worth risking my life for. Not even basketball."

"You know you gotta tell Whitey, right?" asks Jake, stating the obvious.

"I already did," says Lucas, reassuringly. "Now I just have to tell Peyton and my mom."

Nathan puts his hand on Lucas' shoulder. "It'll be all right, Lucas. They love you and they'll understand."

"Thanks guys," says Lucas, smiling.

"Of course," says Jake, smiling.

"I'm gonna go," says Lucas, getting up. "I'll catch you guys later."

"Good Luck," calls Jake, as Lucas exits the gym.

Nathan and Jake look at each other, both thinking the same thing. They want Lucas to be ok. HCM is no joke.

****Scott Home-4:00****
Karen is standing on the front porch, having just rung the doorbell.

Deb opens the front door, surprised to see Karen.

"Karen," says Deb, surprised to see her. "What are you doing here?"

"I really need to talk to you," says a distressed Karen.

"Of course," says a concerned Deb, ushering her inside. "Come in."

They enter the living room and Karen sits down on the couch.

She breaks down crying while Deb picks up a pill bottle from the coffee table, unbeknownst to Karen.

"What's the matter, Karen?" asks Deb sitting on the coffee table across from her and slipping the pill bottle into her back pocket.

"I'm pregnant," says Karen, wiping away her tears.

"Wow," says Deb, a bit shocked. "And that's a bad thing?"

"Yes, no, I don't know," says Karen, shaking her head. "Deb, I'm not ready to have another child. Andy and I aren't ready. We've just started to re-build our relationship."

"What do you wanna do?" asks Deb, sympathetically.

"I don't know," says Karen, breaking down in tears.

Deb, unsure of what to say, pulls Karen in for a hug, to comfort her.

She thinks about the pills in her back pocket. At least Karen was too upset to notice.

****Tree Hill Courtyard-5:30****
Bryce is sitting at one of the tables, listening to his IPod and working on his homework. But he can't really concentrate on his homework as his mind keeps wandering back to Haley.

Bryce sighs as he feels a hand on his shoulder.

He turns around and sees Brooke.

"Hey Brooke," says Bryce, taking his headphones out of his ears.

"Hey Bryce," as she sits down next to him at the table.

"What's up?" asks Bryce, nervously tapping his pencil. Brooke's Haley's best friend and he's sure Haley told her what happened when Bryce went to see her.

"Nothing," says Brooke, trying to get a read on Bryce. "I was just finishing up the cheerleading schedule and posting it on the bulletin board when I saw you sitting over here."

"Oh, yeah," says Bryce, still wondering whether or not Haley told Brooke what happened between them. "Just working on some homework."

"Are you sure you're ok?" asks Brooke, concerned. "You look kinda sad."

"I could be better," says Bryce, shrugging his shoulders. "Yesterday wasn't exactly the best day of my life."

"Yeah," says Brooke, sympathetically. "Haley told me what happened. I'm so sorry."

"Thanks," says Bryce, faking a smile.

"For what it's worth," says Brooke, trying to make Bryce feel better. "Haley feels awful; she knows she hurt you when she told you how she feels about Nathan. She never meant to hurt you and she's very sorry."

"I know," says Bryce, trying to look on the bright side. "But, hey, you win some and you lose some, right?"

"Yeah," says Brooke, unsure of what to say.

"I'll be ok," says Bryce, looking down sadly. "It's just gonna take some time."

"Hey," says Brooke, coming up with an idea. "Why don't we go to the movies and hang out for a couple of hours? Maybe it'll help you feel better."

"Thanks Brooke," says Bryce, looking at her. "But I don't need a pity hang out."

"It's not a pity hang out," Brooke assures him. "I want to hang out with you."

"If you're sure," says Bryce, sheepishly.

"I'm sure," says Brooke, smiling as she gets up and grabs Bryce's hand. "Now grab your books and let's go.

Bryce laughs as he grabs his books and he and Brooke head off together to hang out.

****Sawyer Home-6:00****
Peyton is sitting on the couch, watching some television.

The doorbell rings.

"Come in," calls Peyton, focusing on the episode of 'Desperate Housewives' that she is watching. "Oh, yeah, Bree, you let that son of a bitch have it."

The door opens and Peyton looks up to see a distressed Lucas enter.

"Hey Luke," says Peyton, taking notice of his expression. "What's wrong?"

"Peyton," says Lucas, sitting next to her on the couch. "You know I love you, right?"

"Of course I do," says Peyton, really worried. "You're scaring me Luke, what's going on?"

"Peyton…" starts Lucas, unsure of how to say this. "I have HCM."

Peyton's eyes widen and single tears form. "Luke, you can't be serious."

"I'm serious Peyton. I am so sorry but I've had it this whole time," says Lucas, distraught.

Peyton buries her head in her hands, tears flowing. "I can't believe this. Lucas I love you, I can't lose you. Not now, we just got together."

"Hey," says Lucas, lifting her head to make her look at him. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm on my medicine and I'm done with basketball. Everything's gonna be fine. I love you and I'm always gonna be here with you."

"I'd be devastated if I ever lost you," says Peyton, through tears.

"Peyton," says a teary-eyed Lucas, grabbing her hands. "I promise you that you are not gonna lose me. I love you too much to ever leave you."

"I love you so much Luke," says Peyton, hot tears spewing.

Lucas pulls Peyton into a comforting hug.

****La Pallina-7:00****
Andy, wearing a white dress shirt and black slacks, and Karen, wearing a beautiful black dress with her hair down and gold earrings, are seated at a table in this very elegant restaurant, which is dimly light and has beautiful paintings on the wall. There is a bottle of champagne on their table as well as two candles.

"This place is beautiful," says Andy, looking around.

"It is," says a preoccupied Karen. Her mind is still on her pregnancy.

"I propose a toast," says Andy, as he lifts up his glass of champagne and Karen does the same. "To us."

"To us," says a smiling Karen, as Andy takes a sip of his champagne and Karen puts her glass to her lips but does not take a sip.

Andy signals to the violinist and he walks over to the table and begins playing a beautiful song.

Karen smiles at the violinist, while Andy proceeds to get down on one knee.

"Andy, what are you doing?" asks a surprised Karen, looking around.

Andy pulls the velvet box out of his pocket and opens it to reveal the ring. "Karen Roe, you are the most special woman in this world. I love you with all my heart and all my soul and you make me happier than I ever thought possible. Will you marry me?"

Karen stares at him, shocked. "Andy, I'm pregnant."

"What?" asks Andy, not believing his ears.

"I'm pregnant," repeats Karen.

A flustered Andy sits back in his chair and takes a sip of his water. "The hits just keep on coming."

Karen looks at him, knowing they need to talk.

****Roe Home-7:45****
Lucas is sitting in the living room, deep in thought. So far today, he has told Whitey, Keith and Jules, Nathan, Jake, and Peyton about his having HCM. Now, only his mom and Andy were left. He didn't wanna spoil their night, though, considering he knows Andy's proposing, so he was gonna tell them tomorrow.

Andy and Karen walk through the front door, silently.

"Hey," calls Lucas.

"Hi," says a distracted Karen, walking into the kitchen.

Andy closes the door and looks at Lucas. "It didn't happen."

"Why?" asks Lucas, upset. "What happened?"

"Apparently your mom's pregnant," says Andy, looking towards the kitchen. "So, when I was proposed, she told me."

The phone rings.

"I got it," calls Karen.

"Wow," says Lucas, at a loss of words. "What are you guys gonna do?"

"I don't know," says Andy, sounding unsure. "We came home right after that. Your mom wasn't up for dinner."

Lucas gets up from the couch and walks into the kitchen, followed by Andy.

They enter to find Karen sitting at the kitchen table, crying.

"Mom, what's wrong?" asks Lucas, concerned.

"That was Keith," says Karen, clearly upset. "He wanted to know if I had the number of the doctor to find out more about your HCM."

Lucas' eyes widen.

"Lucas, do you have HCM?" asks Karen, wiping away her tears.

"Yes," says Lucas, taking a deep breath. "I am so sorry, mom. I meant to tell you but I've had HCM this whole time."

"I can't believe this," says Karen, tears flowing. "How…how could you do this to me? And more importantly to yourself? You took such a huge risk by continuing to play basketball. You could've killed yourself."

"I am so sorry, mom," says Lucas, single tears dripping down his face.

Andy begins to approach the table but Karen stops him.

"No," says Karen, firmly. "Leave me alone. Both of you."

She silently gets up, walks out of the kitchen and into her bedroom, slamming the door shut.

Lucas turns around to face Andy. "I'm so sorry, Andy. I didn't mean for it to happen like this. I didn't mean to lie to you guys for so long and I certainly didn't mean to make my mom so upset."

"It's ok," says Andy, reassuringly. "I understand why you did what you did. And besides, it's not just this that your mom's upset over. She's pregnant so add her hormones to my proposal to all of this and that's what's gotten to her. She'll get over it, she just needs time."

"I hope," says Lucas, as he sits himself at the kitchen table and Andy heads into the living room.

Lucas sighs and puts his head in his hands. Everyone knows about his HCM now and while it's important, he's most concerned about his mom. Would she be ok?

Author's Note: Wow, what a chapter! Major stuff going on! I hope you enjoyed it! So much going on, so much more still to come! What's going to happen next? Chapter 50, coming soon! Stay tuned! In the meantime, please REVIEW!