"Nathan. What did you hear?" Lucas asked frozen.
"Enough to know that my brother has been lying about his health to everyone. How could you Luke? I thought we were closer now. Does Haley even know?" Nathan replied with a look of hurt across his face.
"I'm sorry I thought it would be better for everyone if I just kept it to myself. We are closer I just didn't want anyone to know, and no Haley doesn't know."
"Well are you going to tell her? I mean if anyone besides your mom deserves the truth it's her. She's your best friend. God you're like soul mates."
"What are you talking about? If anyone is her soul mate it's you because you're her husband."
"Not in about two hours. We're getting divorced. Didn't she tell you? We love each other but we just aren't IN love with each other you know? I mean something changed when she left. I realized that I was more in love with loving her and knowing some one loved me back, I mean I love her and if anyone hurts her I will beat the shit out of them but there's no spark anymore. She knew it to; I think she always knew it. She is still living in the apartment because she doesn't really have anywhere to go with her parents gone but we are just friends." Nathan explained slowly a look of relief washing over him.
"Oh. I'm sorry man I didn't know I can't believe she didn't tell me. Then again I wouldn't tell me either I guess. Listen promise me you won't tell Hales about me I can't bear the pain of her knowing. She would just get mad at me for not telling her right away and I don't want to lose her over something stupid like this."
"Something stupid like this? Luke what are you talking about? You have the condition don't you think she would want to know about that? You have to have the thickest skull of anyone I've ever met! She loves you she wants to be there for you! You can't push Haley out of your life, you should know that better than anyone." Nathan exclaimed surprised by his brothers reasoning.
"I can't tell her! So just promise me that you won't tell her either!" Lucas replied with his voice steadily rising
"Why can't you tell her?"
"Because I love her to much to hurt her." Luke's voice dropping to a whisper
By this time Karen had cleaned up the broken dish tears still shimmering in her eyes ready to fall.
"Luke you need to tell her. She is going to find out sooner or later. I think it's best if it comes from you. Tell her everything, she loves you and she will stay with you no matter what we all know that." Karen said softly as she entered into the brothers' conversation.
"I'm scared." Was the only thing Lucas could say at this point.
"Hey we are all scared but we'll help you through this. I can't lose my big brother now because we just got close I'm not letting you down." Nathan said staring into Lucas's eyes with a determination within his own.
"No I'm not scared about that. I'm scared that Hales will leave me. I don't know what I would do if she left, she's my angel." Luke said walking out of the café needing to be alone.
"Well I have to go. This day is just getting harder and harder to live through." Nathan said heading out as a tear rolled down his cheek. 'Dan sure knows how to ruin Luke's life. God how am I going to hide this from Haley, I can't lie like that to her. One look into her eyes and I'll break.' Thought Nathan as he headed back to his apartment with Haley waiting for him to sign the papers.
"Hales? Are you here?" questioned Nathan as he opened the front door.
"Yeah Nathan I'm just signing the papers now. Where were you?" asked Haley as she looked up from the divorce papers sitting on the table.
"Oh I went to Karen's Café I needed to think for a while." He replied as he sat down at the table.
"Are you ok? You look nervous."
"Yeah I'm fine Hales I've just got a lot on my mind." He said as he put the finishing touches onto his signature.
"Well I guess it's final now. Well it was nice being married to you." Haley joked as she stuck out her hand for Nathan to shake it. Nathan laughed as he took her hand.
"Leave it to you to joke about our divorce."
"Well we are still good friends so why don't we look back on this and laugh about it. I mean we were young and in love we just fell out of love and into friendship, which is sometimes the best thing you can be with a person. I like being your friend it's a lot more fun." She replied giving him her genuine Haley grin.
"Yeah." He said slowly.
"Hey what's wrong? Did something happen at the café?" Haley asked concerned.
"Yeah you could say that. I just heard something I wasn't expecting."
"What did you hear?"
"Nothing that I can tell you." He said looking down at his hands.
"So then I take it it's about Lucas." She said anger starting to build.
"How did you come up with that?" Nathan's head shot up by the sound of her voice.
"He's the only one that would make you promise not to tell me something. So what is it Nathan? What's wrong?"
"I can't tell you. I promised all I can say is that it's about his living situation with Dan and that he is going to move back in with Karen."
"Really? Well that must mean he told her the truth. I only wish he would tell me." Haley said.
"He's afraid that if he tells you, you'll leave him and he can't handle that. I told him that you would never leave him no matter what."
"You shouldn't have had to tell him he should know that I wouldn't leave him or you or any of my friends."
"I know but he is just scared. He will tell you when he's ready." Nathan said getting up to go take a shower and relax after the day from hell leaving Haley to think.
'What is so bad that he feels he wouldn't be able to tell me? Why would he live with Dan? What would make him lie to me and Karen? Haley thought as she made herself a cup of hot chocolate. Suddenly everything made sense. There was only one thing that Luke would ever try to hide from them and that was only if he were sick. He wouldn't want to worry anyone.
"NATHAN! Get out of the bathroom now!" Haley yelled to Nathan hoping that he could confirm her suspicions.
"What is it? What's wrong?" Nathan questioned as he ran out of the bathroom in his jeans soaking wet as the shower was still going. As he took one look at Haley he knew that she figured it out. She was on the verge of tears with a look as if everything had fallen into place.
"He has the heart condition doesn't he? DOESN'T HE?" Haley screamed now the tears running down her cheeks. At this all Nathan could do was nod as he led her to the couch and let her cry trying to comfort her as he held her in his arms.
"Why? Why wouldn't he tell me? I thought we were best friends and he couldn't even tell me this? I love him, I can't lose him. I love him." Haley cried over and over again letting everything out.
"Don't worry Hales everything is going to be alright. You're not going to lose him. It's going to be okay. He loves you Hales, I love you too. You have us don't worry everything's going to fine." Nathan whispered as he slowly rocked her back and forth.
"I need to go talk to him." Haley said as she got up and headed to the door as Nathan watched sadly knowing there was no way of stopping her.
"Good luck Haley." He whispered as she left out the door and he headed back to his shower hoping to forget this day ever happened.
