Chapter 19
All We Ever Find

Haley looked around the waiting occasionally glancing at Peyton or the man across the room. He had dark brown hair and his glasses slid down his nose so he would casually push them back up. She watched him tap his foot. The doctor walked toward him and his eyes lit up. A smile crossed his face and he made eye contact with Haley. She smiled back and pushed her hair behind her ear.

"It's a boy. Eight pounds, three ounces." He said. Haley watched him jump up and run into the operating room that his wife and new son were in.

"Congratulations!" Haley called after him. He turned around; the smile had not vanished from his face.

Haley longed so desperately for that, for a husband who had a smile you couldn't wipe off. She had Nathan. A husband who was never there, a husband she wouldn't let back in.

A sharp pain shot through Haley's abdomen. "Oh." She said, clutching at her side. She ran her fingers through her hair, but before her hand reached her side another pain his. "Ow."

Jake glanced over at her, "Hales? You okay?"

She took a deep breath, "Fine." She nodded her head and glanced over at him. She smiled, "This just happens sometimes." He looked worried. "Really I'm fine." She reassured him.

A hot burst of wind rushed through the room. Haley's forehead started to bead up a little and her stomach tied up in knots. She shook her head and lowered it into her hands. Peyton ran her hands over Haley's head as her eyes danced around the room searching for a familiar face; a familiar face that just might take her mind away from her fiancé.

The heat continued to flow through the hospital until Haley finally looked up. Her eyes met with her familiar face. He stood nearly six feet two inches and had the blue eyes that made her heart lurch. She tried to move her eyes away from his. She didn't want to feel this. She didn't want to see him. She didn't want him.

"What are you doing here?" She asked his as her eyes remained on the floor.

Jake stood up as Nathan walked toward Haley, "Dude, I think that maybe you should…"

"I think that maybe you should stay out of this. This is between me and my wife Jagielski."

"Nathan, stop." Haley said, putting her hands on the chair and trying to stand up. She stumbled a little but continued walking toward Nathan.

A nurse emerged from a room down the hall. Haley's vision became blurred and she called out to Peyton, "Peyton… help me…"

Peyton jumped out of her chair and ran toward Haley.

Haley couldn't stand any longer and started to fall.

Nathan put his arms out. His love for her still evident as he ran her toward the nurse, "My wife… she needs help…"

The nurse put her fingers to Haley's neck, "Okay sir how far along is she?"

Nathan counted on his fingers.

"Six months… yesterday." Jake interrupted as he followed right behind the nurse.

"And who are you?" The nurse, named Beatrice by the tag on her smock, asked.

"I'm…" He looked up at Nathan and then down at Haley, "I'm her boyfriend."

Beatrice pointed to Nathan, "And you're the husband?"

Nathan nodded.

She looked back at Jake, "And you're the boyfriend?"

Jake nodded and looked at Nathan, "Not his boyfriend… her boyfriend." He said quickly, "But her," He pointed to Haley, "She needs help and it doesn't really matter who we are…"

"Okay, boyfriend calm down. We will get her in a room and checked out."

Haley's eyes fluttered a bit and she slowly opened them. She looked up at Nathan, "What's going on?"

"We are going to get you into a room Hales to see what is going on, okay?" Nathan said as he ran his hand over her head.

She nodded slowly and looked over at Jake, "How is Brooke? Is she okay?"

Jake shrugged his shoulders, "We don't know. No one has heard."

"Will you go check for me?" She whispered to him.

He winked at her and whispered back, "For you… anything." He kissed her on the forehead and walked back toward the lobby.

Nathan looked down at Haley. "He really loves you." He paused, nervous about what he was about to say. He didn't know whether to hold the words back or just let them flow. "Hales, I know I have made some mistakes and I will regret them forever. Hurting you was the last thing I ever wanted to do…" He looked behind him, toward the direction that Jake went, "and now I know I really screwed up and someone else loves you just as much as I always did."

She quickly glanced up at him and then back down at her feet, "I don't know what I am supposed to do Nathan."

"About what?" He asked as he followed the nurse toward a wheelchair.

"Everything." She took the nurse's hand which led her to the chair. She shook her head and lowered her eyes to her new balance tennis shoes. "I never expected things to get so complicated. I never in the slightest bit wanted things to be complicated. I was the girl who always wanted everything to run smoothly. The girl who had her papers in order, her clothes color coordinated, and everything scheduled." She looked up at him as Beatrice pushed her into a room, "Now look at me."

"Haley, everything happens for a reason and I am sure that everything will work out."

"How can you say that and mean it?" She asked him.

He helped her onto the bed and then sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for a doctor. Nathan shrugged his shoulder, "I don't know… I guess, I really don't know. I guess I just figure things will eventually start going my way."

She tried to manage a smile. Her eyes slowly moved to the door where a doctor stood. He ran his fingers through his salt and pepper hair. He put his hand out to hers. "Haley Scott, I'm Doctor Carlson. I heard you were having some problems out there. How far along are you?"

"A little over six months." She said, slowly sitting up. She grabbed her side. "Oh."

"Okay, well… um, let's get you checked out shall we?" Haley nodded and Dr. Carlson put his hand out to Nathan, "You are?"

"Her husband." He said, sitting a little taller than he had been before.

For the first time in months Haley didn't cringe at the sound of him saying that.

She glanced at him and then back at the doctor.

"Well it is always good to have the partner here in times like this." He smiled at Haley and Nathan. Dr. Carlson handed Haley a robe, "Okay Haley well we are going to get you ready. Please put this on for me and then we will check everything out, okay?"

Haley stared at him nervously. "Not to be rude, but I have a doctor… Dr. Green…"

"Haley, Its okay I promise. This is just going to be a little check up. I am sure everything is fine."

She nodded and watched him leave the room.

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Jake sat in the lobby with Peyton. Peyton looked over at him, "So what's up with you and Haley?"

His head whipped toward her, "Uh… I… uh, don't really know."

"Oh." Peyton said her eyes getting wide.

"It's complicated."

"It tends to be when there is a husband and a baby involved."

"I know about the baby complication."

"I do too." Peyton said, leaning forward, her elbows on her knees.

Lucas suddenly appeared in the hallway. Peyton and Jake sat up. A smile crept across his face.

"I take that as a sign that everything is going well?" Peyton asked as she stood up and walked toward Lucas.

Lucas nodded and Jake followed Peyton. "Really well."

"So?" Jake asked.

"Twins. One boy, one girl. Aiden Ryan and Morgan Paige."

Peyton wrapped her arms around Lucas neck. "Congratulations Luke."

"Yeah, congrats man." Jake said, patting him on the arm.

Lucas looked around the waiting room, "Where's Haley?"

"Oh, she was having some stomach problems so she went off with a nurse." Peyton said.

"I need to go find her." Jake said as he walked down the hallway.

"I do too." Lucas said following after Jake.

Beatrice was standing outside a room with a pen in her hand, "Do you know where Haley James is?"

"Haley Scott is in this room. Is that the same person?" Beatrice asked, with a southern twang.

"Yes that's the same person." Lucas said. "Is she okay?" He asked crossing his arms over his chest.

As if on cue, Nathan emerged from the room. He looked at Lucas and then at Jake. "Haley is almost seven centimeters dilated. She is going into labor."

Lucas and Jake looked at each other and then peeked into the room. Haley was squeezing the handlebars of the bed. She looked at the door, "Nathan!" She screamed, "You got me in this situation now you get in here right now!"

Nathan looked back at Beatrice, Jake, and Lucas and said, "Sorry guys... duty calls."

He walked back into the room and ran his hands over Haley's sweating forehead. "It's okay sweetie." He kissed her hand, "You'll be fine."

For a moment her squeezing ceased and she looked into his ice blue eyes, "I am really glad you are here for this."

He looked down at her, "I wouldn't miss it for the world."