Chapter 3- I need you

A/N: I lied! Sorry, my family went away this weekend and there was no computer, no anything! Hey, that sounds like my disclaimer!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything!

"Help!" Peyton's voice echoed through the school. She screamed. The English class came running out of the room.

"Omigod." "What happened?" The whispers spread, until Lucas and Nathan burst through the crowd at the same time, having recognized the scream.

"Haley," Nathan whispered. He ran to her side. Lucas went to Peyton, who was crying, and swaying back and forth.

"Quick, someone call an ambulance!" he yelled. Brooke whipped out her cell-phone, and dialed 911.

Nathan was cradling Haley's body in his, rocking it close to him. "Haley, you have to wake up. Please look at me. Oh god, Haley!"

She opened her eyes briefly before slipping out of his reach again. She stopped breathing.

"Everybody out of the way!" The paramedics pushed through the masses of students standing in the hallway. "Somebody give the basics on what happened here."

Peyton spoke up. "We were just walking into the classroom, when she collapsed. I don't know what's wrong with her." She was crying.

"Ok, sweetie," said the woman, as she lowered the stretcher to lift Haley onto it. "What's her name?"

"Haley James." Nathan spoke up for the first time. "She's sixteen and 9 months."

"Ok kids, you're going to have to move out of the way so we can get her out of here." The paramedics rolled the stretcher out of the hallway, loaded it into the ambulance, and drove away, lights blaring.

"Come on! Quick!" Lucas grabbed Nathan and ran out the parking lot, and got into the truck.

3 hours later Nathan, Lucas, Brooke, Peyton, and Karen sat in the waiting room of the hospital. As the doctor walked out, the five of them stood up, and waited to here.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Follari, and I took care of Ms. James when she was brought in. She's currently stable, but we had to admit her. She has Lyme Menengitis, which is a brain disease. It is curable, and we caught it in the early stages, so she should be up and about soon, but she will be weak. Ms. James is still in a coma, but she should wake up soon And yes, you can visit her now, but ONE at a time!"

Nathan didn't even wait to hear what else Dr. Follari had to say. He was already walking down the hall to go see Haley.

He walked into her hospital room, and had to stop and take a deep breath. She looked so vulnerable lying there on the bed, fast asleep. Nathan thought to himself. *She's supposed to be the strong one. How did I not notice that she was so sick? I'm a horrible person. Oh man, she needs to get better. I'm nothing without her."

He pulled a chair up to the bedside, and reached out for her hand. Grasping it tightly, he began to speak.

"Haley, wow, where to start. I am so sorry I didn't notice this. Look, I can't do this without you, so you have to wake up really soon, like now. Hales, I need..." Something squeezed his hand. "Nathan?" He only caught a whisper.

Things were coming back into focus. A pair of brown eyes swam into sight. She knew those eyes. "Nathan?" she asked again.

"Hales, it's ok. You're in the hospital, and I was so worried about you, you passed out in the hallway, and"

"Nathan." Tears were running down Haley's face, and at the sight of them Nathan stopped dead. Haley was not supposed to cry, and seeing her at her most defenseless moment made his heart break. She reached out, and he grabbed her, and held her as tight as he could.

You like? Review please!!! I love people who review, and I reward them with more chapters, and drama. Hehehehe! ~DizzyLizzy