Why had he survived? There he was in the middle of nowhere without any chance of survival and for what? So he could die of drowning? Of pain? Why hadn't he croaked in that plane crash? Would've been quicker. Easier. But there he was, alive, the little hope of seeing Haley again slipping further and further away.

Then, Nathan saw a figure, a few feet away, in a horizontal positon, amidst a pool of blood, that was growing by the second. Nathan squinted, trying to bring the blurry shape into cohesion.

"Jake!" gasped Nathan, his eyes widening as his pal came into view. He was in worse shape than Nathan or so it looked, whilst Nathan could move a little, Jake was lain against fallen debris like the one Nathan was using for support, from the position he was in, it seemed like he had fallen on it, rather than climbed on by choice, a huge shard of glass was impaled into his side and blood was seeping out of the wound.

His right arm wasn't working, so Nathan attempted to swim towards Jake, with one arm only. His body was tipped to the side and his movements were disoriented and lumbering. Panting, Nathan found it getting harder to kick his legs, going under a few times, and when he wasn't under, water splashed into his face; Nathan partially choked on the salt, nostrils burning up. He cursed himself for abandoning his safety debris, but there wasn't any other way to get to Jake, it was impossible to drag the weight along.

The current was pulling his friend away and Nathan started to call for him, as though Jake could do something about it.

Please don't be dead.

After what had seemed like a lifetime, he stretched out his arm as far as it could, wiggling his fingers to grab onto Jake, grunting as the pain in his back hit tenfold. Almost so close, with one more grunt, the tip of Nathan's finger grazed Jake's uniform and curled around his belt loop. Finally, he managed to pull himself towards Jake.

The sight of Jake sent chills down Nathan's spine and knotted his stomach. Blood foamed at his lips and he made gurgling sounds that would never cease to haunt Nathan. He raised a bloody hand to Nathan's face, tears filling his eyes to the brim.

"No, no." Nathan lied, a lump forming in his throat "it will be okay, Jake, you will be okay."

"J-j-jen.." Jake couldn't complete before he was overcome with fits of cough.

"Don't you dare do it, Jake!" pleaded Nathan. "Don't you dare die. Come on, brother."

"Jenny." Jake wheezed out, tears having fallen freely. Blood dribbled down his chin.

Nathan shook his head, his airway constricted as he forbade himself from crying. "You will be returning to your daughter, Jake! Everything will be fine." Then his voice grew weaker and Nathan whispered shakily "you can't leave me here alone."

Jake simply wept more, holding out a quivery hand, which Nathan took hold of "please." He begged, staring into Nathan's soul by path of his misty blue eyes.

He couldn't say no; he couldn't say anything actually. Reluctantly, Nathan nodded.

"Brother." Jake uttered, and drew in one last shuddering breath before falling silent. Relief and gratitude plastered on his face, as his eyes glazed over and a small smile danced on the corner of his lips.

Nathan's chest was caving in; each breath felt like someone was forcefully and tortuously slowly squeezing his heart and ripping it out of his chest, with great struggle, sobs raked his entire body as he held onto Jake's lifeless form.

With a heavy heart and heavier hands, Nathan reached and closed his friend's eyes. Then he dug into Jake's pocket and pulled out the picture.

It was slightly faded at the edges, owing to Jake's fingerprints. Nathan's heart dropped when the blood on his fingers tarnished the black and white picture; it was Jake's most cherished possession, he mumbled an apology to his friend.

After all his effortsto clean it, the photo was smeared with blood, tears and ocean salt. The baby in the picture still had such an adorable toothless smile, it made Nathan's heart clench, would she know of her father's love and yearning? How he did everything for her… or the way he had prayed every single night for her safety; not his own.

What about her mother? Nathan couldn't recall ever Jake saying anything about her except that they weren't together anymore. Would she care for the baby? Why would Jake make Nathan promise… actually he wasn't sure of what he had promised, or how he would find her, or even the way out of the peril he was in.

"I know I promised," he breathed heavily, his head having fallen against Jake's chest; too heavy for him to lift it. "but, I-I-I c-c-an't…"

When the sun lessened its plowing on his head; giving relief to the mind splitting headache he was having, by the way his fingers shriveled up, and how Jake's body turned a frozen ashy white; contrasting against the blood on his chin, which had clotted; Nathan knew that a couple of hours must have passed. He had tried to wash Jake's face from the blood, but the second he moved his arms, a stabbing sensation hit; the pain increasing significantly, paralyzing him instantly and rendering him unable to do anything except try to remember how to breathe again.

The pain continued to grow and spread all over his body, Nathan was baffled he had survived for so long but knew it wouldn't be much longer, he prayed, asking his wife would find solace after him and that he would be forgiven for breaking his promise. His eyes sagged, and Nathan had a hard time opening them, a loud honking noise invaded his ears but his eyesight had begun to fail him and he involuntarily let go.

"Sorry."

The water engulfed him, entering his lungs with rushed force. Darkness hit and the last thing he could feel were the cold hands of death wrap around his torso.

"Congratulations, Mrs. Scott."

At these words, Haley felt the ground vanish beneath her and she was soaring to unlimited skies, her stomach having a hard time keeping up. She was enthralled, bewildered and most importantly in love.

A little girl just like you…A son… We could name him James.

Their vision for the future had come a lot sooner than expected.

"Are you absolutely certain?" Haley asked the doctor with wide-eyed hopefulness.

"As certain we are talking now." He said with a smile, "we are talking right now, Mrs. Scott, aren't we?"

Haley's hands went over her mouth as she squealed in delight, her eyes filling with tears of joy "I am with child. I am carrying Nathan's child!"

She almost screamed that last sentence, and the nurse who was standing in the corner, laughed and nodded her head. Suddenly, Haley jumped up and threw her arms around her; she wanted so badly to hug anyone, to share what she was feeling and couldn't fathom into words. The nurse froze for a second, seemingly shocked at the unexpected display of affection, before laughing louder and patting her back.

"Sorry! Sorry!" Haley pulled back abruptly, her face flushed with embarrassment as she made a noise somewhat between chuckling and blubbering, tears ran down her face, everyone else in the room seemed to be amused by her flustered demeanor.

"Now, Mrs. Scott, I advise you smoke in moderation during your pregnancy, just four cigarettes per day should be enough, try to use it whenever your nerves are jittery but let's not go over the top…"

The doctor continued to give her pointers for her pregnancy term, but her mind wouldn't stop drifting to what Nathan's reaction would be when she gives him the news, she thought of several ways she could do it. Perhaps she ought to wait until she was able to actually see his face, but who knew how long that would take? Perhaps a few months, that damn war has been going on for two years, and even if America had only joined around a year before, Haley didn't feel any better about it. How she wished someone was here to help her out, maybe Brooke who had left discreetly, leaving a very disappointed Haley, she had counted on Brooke coming with her to the gynecologist. Maybe it was for the best though, Haley didn't know how comfortable she would have been with Julian- even if unconscious, being in her apartment alone.

Nevertheless, she had to tell Nathan. She couldn't wait.

"I have to tell my husband." Exclaimed Haley, proudly lifting her head, she wasn't sure if she had interrupted the doctor or not "thank you dr. Morton."

She was over the moon for the first time ever since Nathan had left, finally, Haley could see a bright warm light at the end of the tunnel, like somehow this one little miracle could fix everything; for Haley, Nathan would be back from war very soon, Lucas would be out of jail while Dan would be back in, Brooke would be alright and Peyton's rights would be returned.

With a skip in her step, Haley marched out of the clinic, and caught the streetcar just in time as it began to pour; Her small saucer hat hardly protecting the pompadour hairstyle from the drops. Puddles began to mud up potholes and cracks in the sidewalk.

Luckily, the streetcar had just arrived and Haley managed to catch it.

As she rested her head against the windowsill, the wheels of the streetcar gave some sort of creaky sound against the railway. It bewildered her. Not in a terrifying way, but almost in a comical sense. Brooke had moved an entire hospital bed, out of the hospital ward, out into the street, then a good amount of blocks to Nathan and Haley's place, all going unnoticed, then this morning, she had moved right out of the house without waking Haley up. She had to admire Brooke's craftiness, even if she was off her rocker.

When Haley had awoken that morning, Brooke was gone, along with Julian, leaving Haley a little note over the novel she has been reading; Anne of Green Gables.

Thank you for everything, Haley. I'm sorry I had to leave without saying it in person, but I am sure you understand, also you are quite the heavy sleeper. I will contact you when it's safe.

Love,

Brooke.

P.s. burn this note, but make sure to take it off the book first.

The note had appeared strange, but then Brooke was a peculiar person, always saying things that didn't make sense. There was one thing Brooke said that made sense though, it also made guilt bubble in Haley's insides, the fact that she hadn't seen Lucas yet, those damned regulations, she knew that she would be able to see him the day after tomorrow. And she had gone out to get him the best lawyer she could afford, but the fact that her friend was locked up in a prison cell, in mourning, just broke her heart.

Then there was Antwon, he was also arrested but the search for a lawyer for him was harder than it was for Lucas, charged with the murder of Peyton. Skills was a wonderful pal, but the long line of attorneys she had gone to seemed to disagree, as soon as they caught sight of him, they would call Haley and drop the case; some tried to be all discreet and say the case wasn't within their specialty; even though they knew of the case beforehand, others flat out said they wouldn't help a 'non-white', Haley actually spat in the face of who said that, well, spat in the phone's handset. She had found him one, eventually, but he was washed-out, with a bad reputation and he asked for extravagant amounts of money with no guarantees.

Also Karen's café wasn't doing so well, Haley ran it partially but with Lucas, Skills and Nathan gone, it didn't have the same spirit, nor did it have the same rush of customers.

How had things changed so much in such little time? How could she possibly be feeling lost, joyful, frightened, livid and in love all at once?

Just a short while ago, Haley was a singer at Karen's and now she was a wife, who was responsible for the café and carrying a little miracle within her.

Ever since Nathan had gone off to war, Haley had dreamed of this day, where she would be pregnant and through the different scenarios, all of them involved Nathan being home, she never imagined that he would get the news in a telegram, however, it seemed like there wasn't another option.

Still, she was adamant on making it special for him. As she molded and shaped the wording of the letter in her head, Haley almost missed her stop.

Haley jumped out of the streetcar one block away from her home, the rains had stopped, thankfully, and she could take her time sauntering back. She avoided looking at the newsstand, instead walking towards the other edge of the sidewalk. Oh, it was all so grim, news of martyrs and victims, of negotiations between country leaders moving soldiers and citizens like puppeteers, and Haley was in too good a mood to let some newspapers bother her. She focused her sight on the little dews lingering on her neighbor's rose bushes, and the scent of freshness in the air.

When she reached the house, Haley stood there for a minute, it was such a cozy little place, never devoid of life, even if the house was empty, the streets never were. She smiled a little at the boys and girls playing a game of marbles, women gossiping as they pushed their baby buggies; there was this one particular baby, whose tiny foot stuck out of the buggy, wiggling his toes and rubbing his feet together so much that the woolen sock fell to the ground. Instinctively, Haley rushed over there, and bent to pick it up; it was the tiniest and most adorable crème colored sock she had ever seen, matching the bonnet on the fussy plump baby. Her heart leapt when the baby reached tiny dimple hands towards her, asking to be carried.

"He likes you." The mother commented.

"A darling little one, aren't you?" Cooed Haley, slipping the socks onto his tiny feet "better keep these on, we don't want you catching a cold."

"Listen to the nice lady, James" said the mother.

Haley's head shot up, her warm eyes had a soft glint in them. "We could name him James, like Haley James." Nathan's voice rang in her head.

"Jamie" she turned her head and smiled at the babbling baby, her hand subconsciously running across her stomach "we have the same name."

Gleefully, Haley walked up the stairs, digging for the keys in her purse, she thought with affection how their own child would look like, oh, how she longed for one with innocently wide blue eyes, raven dark hair and pouty lips like Nathan, their baby would also be well-behaved, Haley nodded to herself, maybe a little mischievous too, like baby Jamie she had just met downstairs, always fussing around and making trouble for Nathan and her, he would be loud in laughs and cries, ticklish, and he would be very much loved. Or maybe they would have a little girl; the loveliest thing, all sweet looking, with bows and dresses, but then aunt Brooke would teach her the sneaky and rebellious ways; Haley would pretend to object, but secretly would encourage the rascal to explore this world. The little one would try on her mother's shoes as soon as she took her first step, smearing her toddler face with Haley's cosmetics, and putting on her cocktail gowns; dragging around the floor from being ten sizes too big, Haley knew that she couldn't reprimand her even if she wanted to, this would just be too adorable. She would also be daddy's little princess, if they were to have a girl, Nathan would just spoil her rotten, it would make Haley a teensy bit jealous and a big hunk of enamored.

She rolled her eyes, she was over thinking everything, just like her grandmother, and the baby wasn't any bigger than a peanut in her womb.

Haley stopped in her tracks, her smile dropped; the front door was ajar. Perhaps she had forgotten to close it, but that seemed unlikely, Haley always obsessed over locking the door and turning off the stove. She walked in cautiously, and her face paled; the entire apartment was a mess, like someone had turned it over, Haley tiptoed inside, reached a shaky arm and pulled a knife from the kitchen drawer.

Her good couch was flipped over and the cushions were tossed all over the living room's floor, Haley's books were scattered and the coffee table's leg was broken; leaving it lopsided. Her homemade plum jam was knocked over the kitchen counter, splattering the rug with the viscous stain and tiny shards of glass.

"H-hello" Haley nervously called out, the knife held in a tight grip; her knuckles turning white. "Is someone there? Brooke? Have you returned?"

Walking past the radio and her vase, both broken as well, Haley entered the bedroom. Everything was also disorderly, but nothing appeared to be missing, her jewels were still intact, the mink fur coat she had inherited from her mother was thrown sloppily over the mangled sheets of the bed; which she had made that morning, and the ornate mirror was cracked but still there. Nothing was stolen; even the wad of cash which she left out on the dresser for anyone to see. This made Haley feel queasier, if nobody was there to steal, then why were they here?

Hastily, she picked up the phone, her fingers pushing the switch hook until Haley finally heard a dial tone, she rotated the finger wheel, then someone answered, "Operator, operator" she whispered frantically, almost as if there was someone listening "give me the police."

There we have it. I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter, like I enjoyed writing it. Do you have any questions? Suggestions? Predictions? Is there something you want to see more of? Less of? Please leave a review and tell me all you think. Much love to you.