Chapter Three

AN Thank you Jasmine to point out that I've been spelling Haley's name wrong...so I've corrected it in this chapter!

Nathan stares at his group of friends that sit in his living room in a shocked silence, Nathan had known most of these people his entire life and he'd never known them to be shocked into silence. "You're...you're kidding me right?" Brooke stutters.

Nathan shakes his head, "no. Um, she had it when she was in middle school and it's recurring." Nathan quickly regains his composure so he can explain things fully to his and Haley's best friends, "she had a type of cancer called Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia and it's very serious. They are running a bunch of tests on her right now to see just how serious and if it's spread out of her blood system."

"Then what?" Peyton murmurs.

"Then they find out how to treat it," Nathan responds, "and we go from there."

"Nate..." Tim begins but he can't come up with any other words to support his best friend.

Nathan shakes his head, "I don't want you guys offering your condolences. Hales and I, we're gonna get enough of that from everyone else, we just want you to be our friends."

"Of course," Jake agrees and everyone nods with him.

"Listen, I've got to get a shower and get some sleep so I can get back to the hospital before Haley gets out of her tests...and I've got to call her parents...so if you guys don't mind..."

"We'll clear out," Tim promises.

"Oh Nathan," Brooke stops Nathan on his way to the shower.

"Yeah Brooke?"

"I know it doesn't seem important now, but we took care of the Hazel situation, she won't be coming anywhere near you in the future."

Nathan nods subtly, "thanks."

The group makes their way silently through the apartment and are stepping outside just as Lucas walks up, "Luke..." Tim greets softly.

"What are you guys doing here?" Lucas asks looking across the group.

"We came to see Nate," Tim responds, the silently nominated spokesperson of the group. "He explained about Haley...Man it sucks, is there anything we can do?"

Lucas thinks for a second, "actually yeah. Haley hates being alone in the hospital, but she hates being coddled if you could..."

Brooke nods shortly, "of course, we'll hang with her, that's not even a question."

Lucas nods, "thanks. Listen, I've got to talk to Nathan, I'll talk to you guys later."

"Hey guys," Karen sadly greets the solemn group when they shuffle into her café not to long after leaving Nathan

The group barely acknowledges Lucas' mother as they take the table they tended to frequent several times a week and they sit in their silence until Karen comes over juggling a tray with their four favorite drinks. "Everything's on the house today guys, just give me a shout if you need anything. Even if it's just to talk."

Brooke bites her lip and looks down as, once again, Tim speaks for the group, "thanks Karen."

"Brooke, you okay?" Karen questions brunette fighting back tears.

Brooke shakes her head, "I just keep thinking that Haley's going to pop up and say, just kidding guys, it's just a joke I don't have cancer, it's just an April Fools joke a couple months early. It was Nathan's idea, the idiot."

"Listen to me, all of you," Karen's words are gentle but serious. "She's not dead, she's sick and it sucks, it majorly sucks. But you guys have to stop acting like she's dead, she's not and she beat this before and she will again...You just have to keep that in mind."

"Thanks Karen," Peyton nods and smiles weakly at the older woman just as Deb Scott walks in.

"What happened?" Deb asks taking one look at the group and her thoughts immediately go to her son she rarely had contact with. "Did something happen to Nathan?"

The group exchanges glances and finally Karen speaks up, "Deb, why don't we talk in the back?" Karen suggests.

Deb nods nervously, "okay."

"Karen's right you guys," Peyton states once the women have disappeared into the back of the café. "Haley is our friend and we have to treat her like we normally do, or it's going to drive her crazy."

"So we're what just supposed to walk into her hospital and be all normal?" Brooke demands. "I can't do that."

Jake sighs, "come on Brooke."

"No," Brooke snaps, "I can't just go along pretending nothing's wrong with Haley...she has cancer and people die from cancer...I'm sorry I just can't do it..." With her words Brooke jumps up from the table and storms out of the café.

Peyton sighs when the door slams shut behind her and then explains to Jake and Tim, "her grandmother died, when she was little, of cancer. She was an amazing woman and she was Brooke's entire world for the first 10 years of her life, when she died it really hit her hard and the Brooke you see now is a result of that. I should go after her."

Jake grabs Peyton's hand, "let her calm, she's probably has to get her thoughts together."

Brooke beats her steering wheel with the palm of her hand, she couldn't go through this shit again...sit around and watch someone she cared about suffer painfully and then die. Haley was a good friend, one of Brooke's best, but Brooke couldn't stand to sit around and watch her suffer.

"You have a visitor," the candy striper, who's name Haley had learned to be Tess, states as she wheels Haley back to her room. "Are you up for visitors?"

Haley who had been resisting the urge to vomit, a side effect from the painful spinal tap, for the entire ride questions, "who is it?"

"I'm not sure," Tess responds. "The head nurse just wanted me to let you know that you have a visitor."

"You look like shit," Brooke's words come before she appears walking out of the bathroom.

"Thanks Brooke," Haley snaps.

"So can I see the baby?" Brooke asks.

"I thought you said you didn't have a baby?" Tess asks.

"I don't," Haley can't help but smile at Brooke. "How many times do I have to tell you Nathan and I didn't get married because we're pregnant?"

"I'll let you guys visit," Tess makes her exit.

"Well I guess it's a good thing that you didn't just have a baby," Brooke states, "because it's so not socially acceptable to look bad after having a baby anymore...So how do you feel?"

"Like I look, which apparently is like shit." Haley sighs.

"Well it's a good thing I'm here then, huh?" Brooke asks.

"Umm...Yes?"

"Of course it's yes, I come with gifts." Brooke picks up the bag that she'd had tucked behind the door.

"Gifts?" Haley asks perking up, her mind completely taken away from her pain and sick feeling.

"Yup," Brooke nods grabbing the large shopping bag. "Firstly I raided my home theater and I bring you the first season of Beverly Hills 90210 on DVD because the unrealistic-ness is entertaining to watch, plus it takes your mind off reality."

Haley wrinkles her nose, "Beverly Hills though?"

"I have the Brady Bunch too, would you like that better?" Brooke questions.

"Nah, I'll stick with the first one..." Haley responds. "So what else is in there?"

"Magazines," Brooke pulls out a stack of magazines probably six inches thick and drops them on the bed. "I figured you'd have fun making fun of the models. Plus CD's I stole from your collection at the apartment," Brooke lays those on the bed.

"Thanks Brooke."

"I'm not done," it's Brooke's turn to wrinkle her nose, "I brought books."

"Brooke that's really sweet," Haley is obviously touched, "but..."

"You probably won't feel up to reading most the time because the chemo makes you so sick, I know." Brooke nods and then shrugs, "so I figured I could read to you. You've spent so much time tutoring me in school I figured it's my turn."

"Brooke that's really amazing..." Haley begins before Brooke cuts her off.

"Don't try to thank me...cause we both know that as soon as you're better you're back to being Tutor Girl..."