Author's Note: Hey everybody. I've decided to update this one so soon
because I just found out that it won two Tangled Web Awards. It won for
best drama and best POV fic. I can't believe that it actually won, so I'm
beyond happy right now. So it's because of that high that I'm going to
write this next chapter. I know that everybody is waiting for Brooke's
confrontation with Nathan, but I think that one is two chapters off. I
still am drawing a blank as to how that one is going to go, but I'm sure
I'll think of something. If you have any ideas, please leave them in a
review. Thanks.
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Haley's POV
This is very uncomfortable. And I don't just mean because I'm sitting on a bedpan. But let me tell you, that is very uncomfortable. I'm more uncomfortable about the fact that people I barely even know are coming in to see me. Like Dan for example. What the hell us that about? I mean, sure, it's really sweet that he wanted to come over and talk to me, make sure that I'm all right, but I don't know him. I went out with Nathan for almost a year and I think that I maybe had two conversations with Dan, and both of those were in the company of either Nathan or Deb. When I saw him come into my room with Peyton I was floored. I still kind of am. Maybe I shouldn't have been, he has been a better guy after Luke's accident and he did leave Nathan in jail. So, I guess it shouldn't have been such a shock. As nice as it was though, it was a little bit insulting. All these people don't say more than two words to me every other day of my life, but all of sudden just because I'm laying in a hospital bed, they feel the sudden urge to come and talk to me. To tell you the truth, it actually pisses me off. When Theresa and Bevin tried to come into this hospital room, I was so glad that Peyton was there to stop them, or I would have lost it. They treat me like crap when I'm at school, they completely ignore me at all cost and now they suddenly want to be the best of friends? Not going to happen. I don't need them. I have Karen, I have Peyton and I have Brooke. That's all the people I'll ever need. Why? Because they were there even when I didn't need them.
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"Love you too, Tigger," I tell her with a smile. She smiles back at me and waves to Dan before she walks out the door. And now we're alone. Well, this is uncomfortable, isn't it? Come back in here, Brookie! Nope, she ain't coming back.
"So, I see you guys are good friends," Dan comments. Oh my God, he is so nervous. I think he might even be more nervous than I am right now. Who would have thought that little Haley James would make big bad Dan Scott nervous?
"Yeah," I reply, not knowing what else to say. "The best." He nods his head.
"That's good," he smiles. "You always need one of those."
"And I got two," I add, with a smile. He lets out a nervous laugh. "Look, Mr. Scott..."
"Dan, remember?"
"Look, Dan," I say, emphasizing his name. "Not to be rude or anything, but what are you doing here? I mean, we've never really talked before. Why would you ever come here to see me?" He lets out a breath of frustration. Does he look hurt?
"Maybe this was a bad idea," he mumbles as he starts to get up. Oh, now I feel bad. And if there's one thing I hate, it's hurting people's feelings. "I should go."
"Wait," I call out to him. He immediately stops his movements and sits back down. "I'm sorry, that was really rude of me. I didn't mean it like that." He still looks a little doubtful. "I was just surprise and more than a little confused to see you here is all."
"I can understand that," he says. I think I hear a little regret in his voice, maybe. I don't know him well enough to tell what he's feeling just by his voice. "I know that I've always been kind of a jackass to you and I just wanted to apologize for that."
"You really don't have to..."
"No, I really do," he corrects me. "The way I treated you and the thing I said where completely out of line and should have never happened. I just wanted you to know that I regret every thing and every word I said." I smile at him. I don't know how, but I know that he means it.
"Thanks," I accept. I look over at the flowers he brought in earlier. "But this sudden need to make things right with me, wouldn't happen to have anything to do with what your youngest son did to me, would it?"
"No, don't be..." he begins, but stops when he sees the look I'm giving him. I don't buy it and he knows it. He lowers his head. "I know it's sad and I shouldn't have come here, but I wanted to say sorry on his behalf too."
"I can't believe you," I sigh. I should have known. Of course this had to do with Nathan. "Do you think you're going to talk me into dropping the charges or something? Let me guess, you couldn't afford to bail him out, so now you have to come and..."
"Of course not," he cuts me off. A really mad look crosses his face of a second, but it's gone before I can react. He calms down a bit. "Okay, look. This whole thing, everything that Nathan did to you, it's my fault."
"No, it's..."
"It is," he repeats. Okay, I'll just let him finish I guess. But boy am I getting really sick of this blaming thing. "It's no secret in this town that I'm a bad father. I treated Nathan horribly and I treated Deb horribly. He saw the way I treated them and then he turned around and did it to you."
"Okay, I've heard enough," I tell him. And I really have heard enough. "Look, Dan. Everybody who has come in to see me, has thought it was their fault, including me and after listening to how foolish we all sound I've dome to a conclusion."
"Which is..."
"It's Nathan's fault," I state. I know you would think that is the obvious answer, but it really isn't. "That's it. He was the only one that made himself go into that room with me and do what he did. Not you, not me, not Brooke and not Peyton. He made that choice. Okay?"
"Yeah," he finally says. "I guess." I can tell that he doesn't fully accept that. But to tell you the truth, I don't fully believe it either. There is just some part of me that can't believe that none of this is my fault.
"Good," I whisper. We sit in silence for a few moments, before it's broken by the sound of him getting up. I follow his actions.
"I should probably get out there," he comments, as he bends down and kisses me on the cheek again like he did when he first came in. I'm as shocked as I was then, but I try not to show it, not wanting him to take it personally. "Wouldn't want to keep Brooke waiting."
"No, you certainly wouldn't want to do that," I agree with a smile. "Not unless you want lose something very valuable." He laughs and pulls back away from me. He straightens his suit out a bit and head to the down. "Thanks for coming by, Dan."
"It's no trouble," he assures me. "I hope you feel better soon. I'll see you later, Haley." With that he's out the door. Well, that was certainly an experience. Not everyone can say they had a heart to heart with Dan Scott, now can they? I'm alone for a moment, I can hear voices outside as Peyton, Brooke and Dan converse. After a about a minute, Peyton sticks her head in.
"Hey, babe," she says, not knowing what kind of mood I'll be in. I smile at her, glad to have someone to talk to. I can't stand to be left alone; I'm scared of where my thoughts may take me. I guess that's the response she was looking for because she steps the rest of the way into the room and moves over to the bed.
"Hey, Pey." She makes herself comfortable in the chair that everyone keeps occupying. "Is Brookie gonna be okay?"
"I think so," Peyton assures me. "She's a little worried about what she'll do when she sees him, but I think she'll be able to handle herself. She's a strong girl."
"That she is," I agree. I don't know whether to be glad or sad that I can't be there. On one hand, I really want to see that bastard just to let him know that he didn't destroy me, to show him that he has no power over me. On the other hand, I know that I would completely break down if I saw him.
"Dan's driving her over and he's going to stay there with her," she explains. "I think he's going in to talk to Nathan too. He can't bring Brooke back, so I think Jake's going to pick her up and drive her back."
"I can't wait to see Jenny," I cheer. I notice her flinch when I mention her, but I decide not to question her on it. "Do you think he'll come up to see me?"
"If I ask him, I'm sure he will."
"Good," I smile. "I really want to see Jenny. Nothing cheers me up faster than seeing that little face." Okay, that look is still on her face. What's her deal? "Peyton, are you okay? You kind of have this look going on."
"It's nothing," she tries to tell me. I give her my best pressuring look and she falls for it. She lets out a huge puff of air and sits up. "Okay, Hales. There is something I have to tell you." She leans forward and takes my hand. Okay, really starting to worry now.
"What is it?" I ask. She looks down at our linked hands. I tug on them, which brings her attention back up to me. "Come on Peyton, just tell me. You know you can tell me anything."
"I ah, I don't really know how to tell you this," she begins. Oh no, she's stuttering. Peyton Sawyer never stutters. Never. This is so not going to be good. "But, there's something you should really know."
"Then tell me." She nods her head.
"Last night, before any of us came up to see you, the doctor told us something."
"Oh?" That's all I can say because there's a huge lump in my throat. "What, what did he say?"
"He told us that because of what Nathan did to you..." She stopped. Come on, Pey. I'm dying over here. "That ah, that now you can't...you won't be able to... you won't be able to have children anymore." Wow. This day just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it?
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I know it's not really the best chapter ever, but that's all I can do at the moment. I'm really tired. Anyway, please tell me what you think, and if you have any ideas or suggestions, please leave them. As long as they don't involve Nathan and Haley getting back together, cause that ain't happening. Peace.
OTH
Haley's POV
This is very uncomfortable. And I don't just mean because I'm sitting on a bedpan. But let me tell you, that is very uncomfortable. I'm more uncomfortable about the fact that people I barely even know are coming in to see me. Like Dan for example. What the hell us that about? I mean, sure, it's really sweet that he wanted to come over and talk to me, make sure that I'm all right, but I don't know him. I went out with Nathan for almost a year and I think that I maybe had two conversations with Dan, and both of those were in the company of either Nathan or Deb. When I saw him come into my room with Peyton I was floored. I still kind of am. Maybe I shouldn't have been, he has been a better guy after Luke's accident and he did leave Nathan in jail. So, I guess it shouldn't have been such a shock. As nice as it was though, it was a little bit insulting. All these people don't say more than two words to me every other day of my life, but all of sudden just because I'm laying in a hospital bed, they feel the sudden urge to come and talk to me. To tell you the truth, it actually pisses me off. When Theresa and Bevin tried to come into this hospital room, I was so glad that Peyton was there to stop them, or I would have lost it. They treat me like crap when I'm at school, they completely ignore me at all cost and now they suddenly want to be the best of friends? Not going to happen. I don't need them. I have Karen, I have Peyton and I have Brooke. That's all the people I'll ever need. Why? Because they were there even when I didn't need them.
OTH
"Love you too, Tigger," I tell her with a smile. She smiles back at me and waves to Dan before she walks out the door. And now we're alone. Well, this is uncomfortable, isn't it? Come back in here, Brookie! Nope, she ain't coming back.
"So, I see you guys are good friends," Dan comments. Oh my God, he is so nervous. I think he might even be more nervous than I am right now. Who would have thought that little Haley James would make big bad Dan Scott nervous?
"Yeah," I reply, not knowing what else to say. "The best." He nods his head.
"That's good," he smiles. "You always need one of those."
"And I got two," I add, with a smile. He lets out a nervous laugh. "Look, Mr. Scott..."
"Dan, remember?"
"Look, Dan," I say, emphasizing his name. "Not to be rude or anything, but what are you doing here? I mean, we've never really talked before. Why would you ever come here to see me?" He lets out a breath of frustration. Does he look hurt?
"Maybe this was a bad idea," he mumbles as he starts to get up. Oh, now I feel bad. And if there's one thing I hate, it's hurting people's feelings. "I should go."
"Wait," I call out to him. He immediately stops his movements and sits back down. "I'm sorry, that was really rude of me. I didn't mean it like that." He still looks a little doubtful. "I was just surprise and more than a little confused to see you here is all."
"I can understand that," he says. I think I hear a little regret in his voice, maybe. I don't know him well enough to tell what he's feeling just by his voice. "I know that I've always been kind of a jackass to you and I just wanted to apologize for that."
"You really don't have to..."
"No, I really do," he corrects me. "The way I treated you and the thing I said where completely out of line and should have never happened. I just wanted you to know that I regret every thing and every word I said." I smile at him. I don't know how, but I know that he means it.
"Thanks," I accept. I look over at the flowers he brought in earlier. "But this sudden need to make things right with me, wouldn't happen to have anything to do with what your youngest son did to me, would it?"
"No, don't be..." he begins, but stops when he sees the look I'm giving him. I don't buy it and he knows it. He lowers his head. "I know it's sad and I shouldn't have come here, but I wanted to say sorry on his behalf too."
"I can't believe you," I sigh. I should have known. Of course this had to do with Nathan. "Do you think you're going to talk me into dropping the charges or something? Let me guess, you couldn't afford to bail him out, so now you have to come and..."
"Of course not," he cuts me off. A really mad look crosses his face of a second, but it's gone before I can react. He calms down a bit. "Okay, look. This whole thing, everything that Nathan did to you, it's my fault."
"No, it's..."
"It is," he repeats. Okay, I'll just let him finish I guess. But boy am I getting really sick of this blaming thing. "It's no secret in this town that I'm a bad father. I treated Nathan horribly and I treated Deb horribly. He saw the way I treated them and then he turned around and did it to you."
"Okay, I've heard enough," I tell him. And I really have heard enough. "Look, Dan. Everybody who has come in to see me, has thought it was their fault, including me and after listening to how foolish we all sound I've dome to a conclusion."
"Which is..."
"It's Nathan's fault," I state. I know you would think that is the obvious answer, but it really isn't. "That's it. He was the only one that made himself go into that room with me and do what he did. Not you, not me, not Brooke and not Peyton. He made that choice. Okay?"
"Yeah," he finally says. "I guess." I can tell that he doesn't fully accept that. But to tell you the truth, I don't fully believe it either. There is just some part of me that can't believe that none of this is my fault.
"Good," I whisper. We sit in silence for a few moments, before it's broken by the sound of him getting up. I follow his actions.
"I should probably get out there," he comments, as he bends down and kisses me on the cheek again like he did when he first came in. I'm as shocked as I was then, but I try not to show it, not wanting him to take it personally. "Wouldn't want to keep Brooke waiting."
"No, you certainly wouldn't want to do that," I agree with a smile. "Not unless you want lose something very valuable." He laughs and pulls back away from me. He straightens his suit out a bit and head to the down. "Thanks for coming by, Dan."
"It's no trouble," he assures me. "I hope you feel better soon. I'll see you later, Haley." With that he's out the door. Well, that was certainly an experience. Not everyone can say they had a heart to heart with Dan Scott, now can they? I'm alone for a moment, I can hear voices outside as Peyton, Brooke and Dan converse. After a about a minute, Peyton sticks her head in.
"Hey, babe," she says, not knowing what kind of mood I'll be in. I smile at her, glad to have someone to talk to. I can't stand to be left alone; I'm scared of where my thoughts may take me. I guess that's the response she was looking for because she steps the rest of the way into the room and moves over to the bed.
"Hey, Pey." She makes herself comfortable in the chair that everyone keeps occupying. "Is Brookie gonna be okay?"
"I think so," Peyton assures me. "She's a little worried about what she'll do when she sees him, but I think she'll be able to handle herself. She's a strong girl."
"That she is," I agree. I don't know whether to be glad or sad that I can't be there. On one hand, I really want to see that bastard just to let him know that he didn't destroy me, to show him that he has no power over me. On the other hand, I know that I would completely break down if I saw him.
"Dan's driving her over and he's going to stay there with her," she explains. "I think he's going in to talk to Nathan too. He can't bring Brooke back, so I think Jake's going to pick her up and drive her back."
"I can't wait to see Jenny," I cheer. I notice her flinch when I mention her, but I decide not to question her on it. "Do you think he'll come up to see me?"
"If I ask him, I'm sure he will."
"Good," I smile. "I really want to see Jenny. Nothing cheers me up faster than seeing that little face." Okay, that look is still on her face. What's her deal? "Peyton, are you okay? You kind of have this look going on."
"It's nothing," she tries to tell me. I give her my best pressuring look and she falls for it. She lets out a huge puff of air and sits up. "Okay, Hales. There is something I have to tell you." She leans forward and takes my hand. Okay, really starting to worry now.
"What is it?" I ask. She looks down at our linked hands. I tug on them, which brings her attention back up to me. "Come on Peyton, just tell me. You know you can tell me anything."
"I ah, I don't really know how to tell you this," she begins. Oh no, she's stuttering. Peyton Sawyer never stutters. Never. This is so not going to be good. "But, there's something you should really know."
"Then tell me." She nods her head.
"Last night, before any of us came up to see you, the doctor told us something."
"Oh?" That's all I can say because there's a huge lump in my throat. "What, what did he say?"
"He told us that because of what Nathan did to you..." She stopped. Come on, Pey. I'm dying over here. "That ah, that now you can't...you won't be able to... you won't be able to have children anymore." Wow. This day just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it?
OTH
I know it's not really the best chapter ever, but that's all I can do at the moment. I'm really tired. Anyway, please tell me what you think, and if you have any ideas or suggestions, please leave them. As long as they don't involve Nathan and Haley getting back together, cause that ain't happening. Peace.