Brooke was jogging down the halls of Tree Hill High. Her locker had gotten jammed, and the janitor had to come open it. That alone took ten minutes, so she was already late for her math class. As she was turning the final corner, she heard familiar voices.

"Nathan, you have to tell Brooke," Peyton said. "She'll be more pissed when she finds out that you kept this from her."

"Trust me, Peyton, I know all about Brooke being pissed. I just don't want to upset her right now. We're so happy, Peyton," Nathan told his ex-girlfriend.

"Yeah, I know. She'll find out soon, though. You should be the one to tell her," Peyton replied as they both walked toward their class.

Brooke stood there, watching the two walk down the hall together. She was confused, to say the least. She knew that Peyton would never betray her like she had before, but it was obvious that Nathan was keeping something from her.

"Screw math class. I am so out of her," Brooke mumbled to herself as she headed for the doors.

Nathan walked into Brooke's house and headed straight up to her room. He walked in to find her sitting on the bed, flipping through a magazine. He gave her a quick peck and laid beside her.

"Where'd you go during school today?" he asked.

"Oh... I took a shopping trip," she said.

"Why didn't you call me? We could've hung out."

"I just had some stuff on my mind. I needed to clear my head," she explained.

"Is something wrong?" Nathan asked, worried by the tone of her voice.

"Of course not, baby. You'd be the first to know. I tell you everything," Brooke said, tossing her magazine to the side and laying to face her boyfriend.

"I know," Nathan started. "Look, baby, there's something I have to tell you. It's not that big of a deal, but you should know."

"What is it, Nathan?" Brooke asked.

"The other day-" Nathan was interrupted by his cell phone ringing. "Sorry, baby," he said to Brooke before answering it. "Hello." "Hey, dad, what's up?" "What?! Is she okay?!" "Yeah, I'll be right there," he said before hanging up.

"What's wrong, babe?" Brooke asked, sitting up next to her boyfriend.

"My mom crashed her car into a tree. She's in the hospital," Nathan explained, still shocked.

"Oh my God. Come on, babe. I'll drive you," Brooke offered, getting up and leading the way to her car.

Nathan and Brooke ran into the hospital and went straight to the nurse's station.

"Hi. I'm looking for Deb Scott. She's my mom. She was brought in awhile ago for crashing into a tree," Nathan quickly explained.

The nurse typed in a few letters onto her computer before talking. "She just got transferred into her own room on the second floor. Number 218. I believe your father is up there with her right now. You guys can go on up to see her."

"Thank you," Brooke said, trying to catch up with Nathan. He had taken off as soon as he got the room number. They caught up in the elevator. Brooke looked over to see Nathan's chest rising and falling at increasing speed. She slowly grasped his hand into hers and looked over to him.

Nathan looked down at their linked hands and then back up to his girlfriend's beautiful face. He pulled her to him and kissed her on the forehead. "Thank you, Brooke," he whispered into her ear, knowing she would understand.

The elevator doors opened, and they took off in the direction of Deb's hospital room. They saw Dan sitting outside in the waiting area. He immediately rose and went to hug his son.

"How's she doing, Dad?" Nathan asked.

"She's stable. The nurse is in there now, making her comfortable. She's still unconscious, but she should be coming out of it within the next few hours. A witness said that she was swerving to miss a dog, and she just lost control of the car. Good thing I own a car lot, because that damn convertible is totaled," Dan said, trying to lighten the mood.

Nathan said nothing. He just stood there, staring at the hospital room door, waiting for it to open. Brooke wrapped her arm around his waist and snuggled into him, offering what support and comfort she could. He rested his head on top of hers and closed his eyes, eagerly taking all she offered.

The nurse came out a minute later and told them that only immediate family was allowed to go in right now.

"I'll wait out here, baby. Go see your mom," Brooke told Nathan. She gave him a peck on the cheek before taking a seat in the waiting area.

Nathan and Dan both went in to see Deb. There were a few scratches on her face and her arm was in a sling. Other than that, she looked okay. Nathan took a seat next to her bed and grabbed her hand.

"Hey, mom," he said. "I'm sorry we haven't talked in awhile. I've been busy with school and everything, and I know that's not an excuse, but... it's the truth. You scared the hell out of me today, though. Now I know how you felt when I was six and broke my leg on the playground. Brooke made record time in getting here, though," Nathan paused. "Look, you have to wake up soon, okay? I have some great news to tell you and Dad. I know you'll be pissed if I tell him before I tell you, so wake up."

Dan looked at his son and smiled. He hadn't felt this much like family in a long time. Even though the circumstances weren't exactly the best, Dan couldn't control the happiness he felt. Nathan had rushed straight to the hospital when he had told him the news. Maybe there was a chance for their family after all.

Brooke sat in the waiting area, staring at the framed pictures that decorated the bare walls. Before Nathan's dad had called him, Nathan had been about to come clean about something. The deja vu feeling that crept into her stomach was enough to make her sick. "It's just like what happened with Lucas," she said quietly.

The hospital room door opened, and she stood up. Nathan walked out, his eyes tearing up. Brooke immediately walked over to him and hugged him to her body. She let him sob onto her shoulder, cradling his head to her. Nathan lifted his head and looked down at her. He grinned at kissed her, thankful that he had someone as special and caring as Brooke.

They walked down to the cafeteria to sit for awhile. When they returned, they saw Dan running out of the room, looking for a doctor.

"Dad, what's wrong?" Nathan asked, running up to his father.

"Your mother's waking up, Nathan. She's coming to right now," Dan explained.

Nathan ran into the room and smiled when he saw his mother stirring in her bed. He stood there as she slowly opened her eyes. She adjusted to her surroundings and noticed her son standing in the doorway.

"Na-" she tried to say. She coughed a little.

Nathan grabbed the pitcher of water off the table by her bed and poured some into a glass. He helped his mother take a drink and sat down beside her. Dan walked into the room with a nurse. The nurse checked Deb to make sure she was feeling okay and was comfortable. She quickly left the room, giving the family some privacy.

"Now you know why I never bought you a puppy," Deb joked. Her husband and son chuckled at her and smiled. Everything would be alright.