"Can you feel that?" Dr. Gellar asked Lucas as she bent his leg at the knee.

Lucas grimaced in pain.

"Ouch! Damn that hurts!"

"Did you just hear what you said?" she grinned.

Lucas stopped brooding long enough to take it all in.

"Yeah…I said, I said it hurts. It hurts. Oh shit, Dr. Gellar. I felt it! I felt the pain!"

"Believe it or not, that's a good sign. It's going to hurt for a while unfortunately, but at least you have started to regain almost all your sensations from the waist down."

She pulled him up to a standing position and steadied him.

"Doc, you sure I'm ready for this?" he asked nervously.

"I think you can do anything you set your mind to, Lucas Scott. Here, grab on to these two crutches for support. Take your time and steady yourself because I'm gonna let go."

Luke's arms were shaking furiously but he was bound and determined not to fall or fail. After a few questionable minutes, he seemed to have balance.

"Good job", the doctor complemented as she backed up.

"Now, very slowly, just like we practiced, I want you to try to come to me. Slow...easy...deep breath, one foot in front of the other."

Lucas began but quickly learned he had no sense of balance in motion without the assistance of a spotter.

"Damn", he said, almost falling over. "I don't think I can do this."

"Yes, you can. You can do anything. Focus and think positively. Come on. Concentrate Lucas and take your time. You can do it."

It seemed like forever but Lucas finally put his left foot forward, then the right. After so many months of being bed ridden and confined to a chair, he was walking for the first time and doing it all by himself. Elated, he kept going and was doing well until he got too caught up in the excitement and his determined mind got ahead of his body and he tumbled forward. Tears of frustration and embarrassment spilled down his cheeks as Dr. Gellar rushed to help.

"You alright?"

"Yeah, I caught myself", Lucas sniffled.

The doctor smiled and held him.

"You did good, sweetheart, real good. I mean it. I'm proud of you, Scott. You've come a long way not only physically but that attitude of yours is much better as well. Your progress is really coming along faster and better than I originally hoped. It's alright to get pissed off and frustrated sometimes and cry about it. But with how well you've been doing, you have nothing to be upset about. Just remember this is a bit of a process. You got a little ahead of yourself, that's all. I'm real proud of you."

"So am I", a voice said coming from the entranceway.

Lucas looked up and smiled.

"Keith!"

Keith came over and hugged his nephew.

"Long time, no see, huh? You were looking pretty good out there, man. Let's say we take a lunch break."

The men grabbed food from a nearby deli and sat to eat and catch up on old times.

"How have you been, Keith?"

"Honestly? Missing the hell out of you and your mom. Been beating myself up for letting you get hurt like that."

"It wasn't your fault. I told you. I never blamed you and Mom shouldn't have either."

"She just loves you, Lucas. You're all she has. She trusted me with you and I let her down. Hell, I let myself down, too but it got me to thinking. I've been going to those AA meetings in town, you know, just to keep things under control."

"How is it?"

"It helps."

"Good. I'm glad you're okay, man. I've missed you."

"Guess what else? Your mom and I have been talking."

"Really?" Lucas asked hopefully.

"Yeah. It's still awkward and she's still upset about what happened but we're trying. It's a start, I guess, trying to build back the friendship we once had."

"Good for you. I mean it, Keith. I'm glad."

"Enough about me. What's with you? I heard you were back here at school and I wanted to check on you. Now look at you. In and out of the chair, starting to walk again. That's great."

"Yeah, it's hard but it's been a long time coming. I'm determined though."

"I know you are. You always were a tough kid", Keith remembered with a smile. "Now, anything else going on?"

Lucas sat quietly eating for a minute. Yes, there was something else going on, something Lucas had yet to share with another living soul. It had been tearing him up inside and he was about to explode. If anyone else would understand, it would be Uncle Keith.

"Yeah, I met this girl."

"A girl? Really? Is she cute?"

"She's uh…she's more than cute. More than pretty even. She's beautiful actually."

"Anyone I know?"

Lucas smiled sheepishly. Now came the confusing and embarrassing part.

"Only if you watch soap operas."

"Come again."

"She's an actress. She played this character on a show called Guiding Light. Well, I guess she's still on the show but she's been in a coma for like ever now."

"Wait a minute. You know Savannah Spaulding?"

Lucas laughed out loud.

"Dude, don't tell me you watch soaps."

"No. No, of course I don't. I'm a man. Football and wrestling and Sports Center and blood and guts CSI for me. I'd never watch that crap."

"Then how did you know the character's name?"

"Okay, I admit maybe once or twice I had some female customers in the shop and while they were waiting, the TV might have been turned to that channel at that particular time and maybe, possibly I might have caught a glimpse or two or three of the show. But it's not like a regular thing for me or anything."

"Riiiigggghhhhttt", Lucas chuckled. "If that's your story, dude."

"Anyway. Get back to the story. How did you meet Savannah?"

"It's Brooke, actually. That's her real name. Anyway, I was bored as hell and I started surfing the Web. I came across her site and it had pictures and cool stuff. Anyway, it was something to pass the time. So she had this thing on the site, like a contest to write a poem and the best one would win a date with her. So I entered. Not to win, just to stay busy and it was something I wrote off the top of my head in minutes. And I won. And her assistant e-mailed me about collecting my prize."

"Holy shit! Are you kidding me?"

"No. But I didn't want to go and I couldn't go…not like this anyway. So I politely turned down the offer. A few weeks later, out of the blue, Brooke e-mails me just to say hi. So I write back. Then she did too. And so on and so on. For months we were e-mailing and IM'ing back and forth."

"Damn!"

"So it was cool for a while because I like her and I like talking to her. Then she wanted to meet. I kept getting out of it and she kept asking. Anyway, one day I'm at the school library minding my own damn business and guess who shows up out of the fucking blue?"

"Get out!" Keith laughed. "No fucking way! How did she find you?"

"I don't know. I think it's the first case of a celebrity stalking a fan instead of vice versa."

"Luke, that is wild!"

"Can you believe that? I'm telling you, she's got balls the size of grapefruits."

"Balls?" Keith asked. "Sounds to me like the girl's got heart. She probably went through a lot of trouble just to find you."

Lucas rolled his eyes.

"Yeah and they have a name for that nowadays, it's called stalking."

"Luke, don't take this the wrong way but don't you think you're overreacting just a bit?"

"Me?"

"Yes! Obviously this girl really cares for you. You like her, too, so what's the big deal?"

"No, you didn't see her eyes, Keith. She was so shocked when she saw that wheelchair. Then just like everyone else, as soon as the surprise wears off, next comes the pity. Well, if Brooke Davis wants a charity case, I suggest she go donate to the Make A Wish fund or something because it damned sure won't be me."

"You're not the only person in a wheelchair, Luke. We had a freak accident, you were temporarily confined and now, thank God, you have the chance to walk again. I don't know exactly what you're going through but I'm sure it's a tough road. You can't keep shutting people out of your life that care about you and being angry at everyone all the time doesn't help either. Stop pretending that you don't need people because it's okay. You're human. I love you to death and I'll always be here for you and I might, but the rest of the world doesn't owe you a damned thing because of what happened. Luke, you're a brave young man and just like you picked yourself up today, you have to do that with the whole rest of your life."

Lucas didn't know what to do or say. Sometimes it was easier to just ignore the truth.

"Look, man. It was good to see you and I appreciate you coming up but I have to get back to therapy before Dr. Feelgood over there has a fit."

"Alright", Keith said, knocking fists with his nephew. "If you have to go but uh…just remember what I said, okay?"

"Okay, whatever."

"I'm serious. Plus, um…if you and Brooke get together or whatever, maybe she could tell you and you could somehow tell me if Phillip is really dead and if uh…if Harley really did it."

"I thought you didn't watch the show", Lucas said with one raised eyebrow,

"I don't. I…I heard some of the customers talking about it. Yeah…that's it."

"Whatever you say", he smiled.

"No, I'm serious, Luke. Maybe you could ask…"

Lucas smiled and shook his head as his uncle walked away dejected.

"Hey Keith!"

"Yeah?"

"I already tried man. Uh, no spoilers here. Brooke's not telling", he winked.