Only in the News

By: caramelo

I do not own One Tree Hill or anything related to it.

Chapter Seven: Sorrows Enough for the Whole World's End

Two days later, Lucas stood in his bedroom, straightening out his tie in front of the mirror. His expression spoke of a boy who had grown into a man in a frighteningly short time, and a man that had lost everything in the process. He had seen too much too soon for his young age, and his innocence was the price.

This was the day his best friend would be buried.

He would have to make a speech that day. Her parents had requested it of him, and who was he to say no to the people who had just lost their youngest daughter? Besides, he was possibly the closest out of anyone to Haley, except for maybe Nathan, but he, of course, was in no condition to give a speech, and Haley deserved to have somebody who would really remember her for who she was speak at her funeral.

Lucas had spent hours pouring over this speech, knowing it was perhaps the most important thing he would ever have to say. Normally an above average writer, he had run into problems with this particular assignment, with his overflowing trashcan as proof to the fact. In the end, he had finally written something that, while he did not feel it did Haley's memory complete justice, it paid his respects nicely. Truth be told, nothing could be said to give Haley's memory justice.

He buttoned his jacket mechanically, staring at his reflection in the mirror. He was dressed smartly enough, in a black suit and dark tie, but all in all, he looked like a mess. His hair was combed down, of course, and his face was washed, desperate to look good for his best friend's funeral for a reason he wasn't exactly sure of, but something wasn't coming together. His eyes were still red-rimmed and black bags from lack of sleep hung underneath them, his cheeks were still blotchy from wiping away all the times he had cried within the past couple days, and his lips were still pressed tightly together as if this would keep the sobs inside him.

Haley had meant so much to him. He was just beginning to come to terms with the fact that she was gone.

There had been so many memories they had shared together over the years. Traipsing through the woods, playing miniature golf, birthdays, Christmases, laughter, smiles, hugs, tears, and even a kiss. Albeit, it was a short kiss and only one, one of the guidelines of the auction the basketball team had hosted a couple weeks ago, but it was still one more memory they had had.

And on this day, this perfect, sunny, miserable day, Lucas and Haley would share another memory to add to the millions they already had. But this one would be different. This would be their last memory.

A tear-streaked Karen walked in the room a few moments later to see her son's shoulders shaking violently as he tried to suppress his own tears. "Oh, Lucas," she murmured as she walked up to him and wrapped him in her arms. "My poor baby."


Brooke sat at the end of Peyton's hospital bed, staring out the window blankly, while Peyton watched her. It had been a harrowing two days for Peyton, and she was told she nearly hadn't made it through. She would have to stay in the hospital the next few days for observation, and much to her dismay, would not be released for Haley's funeral. To be fair, she had only awoken late last night, but she thought it a great injustice that she would not be able to pay her final respects to a good friend.

But the greater injustice was that she would have to say goodbye at all, when they were still so young.

But despite everything, it was still hard to cry, Peyton mused.

No doubt, she had had her fair share of hysterics earlier, when she had finally been told, but the initial reaction had faded, leaving her numb. She was trying hard not to bury herself under false smiles and facades of bravery like she had done after the death of her mom, but it was so easy to slip into the act she knew so well.

The act she had let protect her for so many years while at the same time causing her so much misery and pain. She was confronting her feelings, she told herself as tears began to stream out of her eyes. This was a good thing. A good thing.

It wasn't until the sobs came that Brooke snapped out her trance. She immediately moved to comfort her friend. "Peyton," she whispered. Her voice was scared, tentative. It had been that way ever since Peyton had woken, causing her to worry. "Peyton, please, don't cry."

"No," Peyton managed to say through her tears. "You don't understand, Brooke. I need to do this. You should too."

Brooke's smile was pained. "I've cried enough. But you go ahead."

Something had changed in Brooke, Peyton knew, as Brooke began to fade away again even while comforting her. It had started in that damned closet as Brooke pushed herself away, but something else had acted as a catalyst to put Brooke far out of reach of all of them, alone in her own world. Lucas had told her that Brooke had been in bad shape that first day after, most of the time not even aware of where she was or who she was with. She had retreated into some dark corner, leaving behind only the physical appearance of who she had been.

Peyton cried harder and pulled her best friend closer.


Brooke was numb.

She wasn't sure how it had happened, but it had. Her world had been tragically overturned a few days ago, and it had left her cold. The hours immediately following the shooting had been the worst. She had been so scared, so confused. Nothing had made sense to her, and nobody had even resembled the person they had been before.

The only thing that had clearly registered in her mind was that her best friend was dying.

They wouldn't tell her this, of course, but she knew as she curled herself into the hospital chair that Peyton was in bad shape. She wasn't waking up. Apparently, she had been shot very close to some internal organ that Brooke could no longer name.

Lucas had been there, but at the time she hadn't known. He had been just another stranger in a room that was full of them. Even after the cloud in her mind had faded, she couldn't shake the feeling that this wasn't the Lucas she had known. He wasn't the same person anymore. Nobody was.

In her eyes, at least. And Brooke wasn't sure she could trust even herself anymore. Strange people had come to talk to her those last couple days, psychologists hired by her parents. Psychologists were for people with problems. Bad problems.

She did have to admit, however, that she had taken it all rather badly when Haley's death had been discussed with her. Coupled with her fear that Peyton would soon die as well, Brooke had broken down completely. It had been the only emotion she had shown since the shooting, but while short-lived, it had been tremendous. She had pulled away again minutes later, trapped in her own world. Lucas had tried to sit down with her a couple times and while she would have normally pulled him in and tried to share her pain, Brooke found herself unable to escape her burden. So she blocked everything out again.

People thought she had cracked, gone completely insane with grief. It might have been true.

Peyton continued to cry on Brooke's shoulder. It was awkward and new, but despite her previous protests, Brooke didn't mind so much. Peyton had been her rock these past few hours, slowly pulling her back to reality. It was a lot to ask of someone who had been so close to dying less than a day earlier.

Then her gaze happened to catch the clock. Her stomach twisted. "Time for Haley's funeral," she whispered. Peyton lifted a tearful gaze up to her, and Brooke hurried to add, "I'll stay if you want me to."

She didn't know if she could handle a funeral, Haley's funeral, without her best friend beside her.

But Peyton shook her head. "I'm not making you stay here just because I can't go. You should have your chance to say goodbye to Haley."

"We can go together later," Brooke offered.

"I think you should go, Brooke. You'll regret it later if you don't."

Reluctantly, Brooke pulled herself off Peyton's bed. "I'll come straight back. I promise," Brooke said.

Peyton gave a strained smile. "I know you will. Thanks, Brooke." Brooke nodded and turned to go, but Peyton had one last request. "C-could you tell Haley I'll come say goodbye as soon as I can? I don't want her to think I skipped out on her funeral on purpose."

"She'll know," Brooke said. "But I'll do it anyway."

"Thanks."


It was a beautiful service, really. Flowers and candles and a fancy church—an ideal setting if there ever was one for a funeral. Not that Nathan took notice of any of it. His eyes were trained on the casket that held the girl he loved so much.

Loved? Had loved?

Some type of minister or priest or somebody was saying something about being welcomed into the kingdom of heaven or something to that effect. He had heard the same words at the funeral of a distant aunt before. The guy went onto praise Haley for what she had accomplished in life, how much good she had done. It angered Nathan that a person who didn't even know the real Haley could spend so long speaking about her. His nails dug into his palms.

Just before the skin had split, the man called for speakers who had known Haley in her life, and Nathan's fist was able to unclench. Her dad walked up to the platform, his gait unsteady and slow. Nathan could tell he was dreading what he had to do.

"Haley James was my daughter, as you all know," Mr. James began, clearing his throat. "Even from the beginning, she was…she was…" he faltered and swallowed hard. "S-she…" Nathan had to look away. The man's pain was displayed for the world, and he knew Haley's father didn't deserve to have his grief observed in such a manner.

"Haley was my daughter," Mr. James said again. His voice was weak, but he seemed determined to finish what he had to say. "She was always loving and caring, forever looking out for her siblings, even if she was the youngest. She was bright, both in school and in spirit. I used to…I used to say…tell her…" His voice choked abruptly and a sudden bout of tears was covered in a handkerchief. He took a few deep breaths, but to no avail. "I'm sorry," he finally whispered, stumbling down from the stage, assisted by a couple family friends.

It was time for the next speaker. Lucas.

One glance at Lucas told Nathan he too had simply gone through the motions that morning, while an ugly grief twisted his efforts. When Lucas reached the podium, he unwrinkled a paper from his pocket and smoothed it while he cleared his throat a couple times.

He stared down hard at his paper in silence. Nathan half-mused that he might breakdown as Haley's father had. Slowly, deliberately, Lucas took the paper and folded it again before putting it back in his pocket. He cleared his throat again.

"Haley was my best friend," he said, almost uncertainly as he struggled to find his stride. "I knew her since she and I were little enough to fit in sandboxes. She was always very independent. I remember, we would go on adventures in the woods, and I would run ahead and pull aside the branches for her as she passed through. What did she say to me?" He paused for a moment, searching his mind. A small, bittersweet smile appeared. "Don't try to be my hero, Luke. She was never interested in getting help for herself, only in helping others, right until the…end. She was brave. She risked her life on what all appearances should have been a lost cause. It wasn't."

Nathan followed Lucas's gaze to Brooke. He remembered Haley's voice.

"Brooke needs you more than I do."

Nathan felt sick. Who was in the greatest need now?

"When I say Haley sacrificed everything for her friends, it isn't an exaggeration," Lucas continued. "Because she really did. She was so loyal and brave. They say you don't really know what a person's like until you've seen them so afraid they can hardly breathe. Well, from what I saw, Haley was able to hold herself up and still have strength to spare. Strength for others to use.

"I can honestly say that Haley loved and was loved in return. She left behind so many people who care about her. Parents, siblings, good friends, new friends, teachers, a boyfriend, and me. She paid a positive role in all of our lives. It's been said before, I know, but in Haley's case it couldn't be truer. There are people in this crowd who can stand without a doubt and say that she changed them for the better. I can say she changed me for the better.

"She's taught me so much over the years, about life and morals and accomplishment. I won't let her teachings be forgotten. Haley deserves for her voice to be heard, even after death. She's not as out of reach as it may seem."

Lucas bowed his head. He was finished.

Nathan sighed and leaned back. A couple of girls, conceivably Haley's sisters, walked up to the podium as Lucas descended the stairs. He wasn't interested. They would give a touching speech about their sister, of course, maybe sweet, maybe sad. It would likely even be both. But there was no point to any of it. Their words wouldn't undo the sin committed; they wouldn't change the fact that Haley was lying in a casket only a few feet behind them for the whole room to see. All the touching speeches in the world wouldn't bring her back.

It was all so meaningless, Nathan raged internally as he raked a hand through his hair. The James's had probably spent so much money on making this all so perfect and beautiful for their precious baby daughter, but when it came down to it, nothing about this was beautiful. Haley had died a tragic, undeserved death, and they were supposed to be commemorating it? Was that what they were doing?

If they were, Nathan wanted no part in it. He had to step outside before he exploded.

"Excuse me," he whispered as he grabbed hold of his crutches and stepped in front of an aunt Haley had adored and her children. He may not have seen the purpose of the funeral, but he knew for some it was bringing closure, and he had no desire to disrespect Haley. Therefore, he hobbled out as quickly and quietly as possible.

Once outside, Nathan took in a deep breath as if he had been submerged underwater for a very long time. The church had been so stuffy, so tight. He raked his hand through his hair roughly and leaned back against the brick wall, still panting, his crutches dropped to the ground beside him. He was close to tears now, perhaps even hysterics. But he couldn't afford that. Not now. Maybe later when the pain Haley's death caused faded, when he could be sure that he would be able to stop himself once he started. Maybe then he could allow himself to give into the grief that tore at him from the inside and wreaked havoc on his heart and mind.

Tears pooled at the corners of his tightly shut eyes, and he brought up a hand to wipe them away. A sob was gathering in his throat, and he tried to concentrate on other things to attempt to block out the all-encompassing thoughts of Haley. He watched as an ant crawled across the smooth sidewalk across him. It was red and carried a crumb in its mouth. He counted its legs and the sections on its body and how many seconds it took it to reach his foot to no avail. The tears continued to leak, and the sob lingered painfully in his throat. Nathan clenched his fists. He couldn't give in.

"It's okay, you know," a voice spoke up hesitantly, "to cry, I mean." Nathan's head shot up to see a decidedly uncomfortable girl fidgeting before him, her fingers twirling around a loose string on her black dress. Brooke shrank back under his hard stare. "At least, that's what Peyton says. She says it's a good thing to cry. I guess she should know."

Nathan's eyes bored holes into Brooke. She wasn't at all the self-confident, perky girl she had been a few days ago. He remembered how it had been when she and Lucas had visited him. After an awkward hug and a quick inquiry as to how he was doing, she had remained virtually silent throughout the whole conversation.

Not that the conversation he and Lucas had could really constitute as talking. It had mostly been Lucas trying to mourn Haley with him, while Nathan staunchly refused to broach the subject. It wasn't long after that the two had left his room.

Now, it was apparent Brooke had made an improvement. The good news had leaked out that Peyton had awoken last night, and Nathan suspected that that had played a major role. She seemed to have found herself, though she was obviously still trying to accustom to her own skin again.

Just when Brooke appeared to be on the verge of running away from the stoic Nathan, he replied. "I don't need to cry."

"I don't believe that."

Nathan's eyes shot up to see the real Brooke, the Brooke he remembered, shine through with a defiant stare, if only for a second. It happened so fast, however, that only moments later he doubted whether or not he had seen it. She was struggling again. "Peyton tried to shut herself off after her mom died," Brooke tried to explain. "She was miserable. She says it was a mistake."

"Peyton says this. Peyton says that. What do you say, Brooke?" Nathan barked harshly. "I haven't seen you crying."

"Doesn't mean it didn't happen," Brooke said, kicking at a rock on the ground.

"And did it help?"

Brooke tucked a lock of hair behind her ear self-consciously. She avoided his gaze. "I'm not sure."

"Exactly," Nathan said bitterly. "Peyton was wrong."

"You know that isn't true," a voice spoke up from behind. Nathan and Brooke spun around to find Lucas standing just in front of the church doors, hands shoved in his pocket. He looked ragged and weary, even more so than before, as if his speech had drained most of the energy he had left.

"Actually, I don't," Nathan seethed.

Lucas held up a hand in a sign of peace. "Nathan…"

"Oh, here we go," Nathan barked bitterly, effectively cutting Lucas off, "another wise Lucas-lecture, custom-made just for me. It'll be so insightful and so logical that I'll be forced to see the error of my ways and begin bawling immediately. Thanks, but no thanks, I'm not interested."

"I wasn't offering," Lucas said. His voice was quiet, but there was a distinct edge to it.

Nathan pretended to act shocked. "No way. Lucas is speechless. Not fucking possible."

"What the fuck is your problem, man?" Lucas burst out as he finally broke. "We're trying to help you."

"I don't need your help," Nathan said.

"The hell you don't," Lucas scoffed, "Why can't you realize that we're all hurting the same as you? Haley was my best friend. I know what you're going through because I'm going through it too."

"Really?" Nathan sneered. "Then what exactly is it that I'm going through?"

Lucas didn't pause. "Hell. Worse than hell, even." His voice was flat as he continued. "It's dark, and it's lonely, and it's ripping your heart out piece by piece. You want to scream and tear something apart and even kill yourself at times. You know it's crazy, and you'll never do it, but the temptation is still there, just so you can get out of it."

Nathan froze. It was fast, but it was obviously a struggle to maintain his scornful air afterwards. "I think you need a shrink, Lucas." He jerked a thumb in Brooke's direction. "I hear she's got a good one."

Brooke tried to glare but was unable to stop the hurt from flooding through her expression. Lucas was quick to jump to her defense. "That was low, Nathan."

The younger Scott brother shook his head, trying to clear his mind. It had suddenly clouded over with a haze of guilt and pain at seeing such obvious hurt in a close friend's eyes, and he sighed as the feelings only intensified the longer he stayed quiet. "I know, okay?" he said sharply. Nathan turned to Brooke. He genuinely appeared to be apologetic. "I'm sorry."

Brooke shrugged, but the nonchalant act failed to hit its mark as it was delivered stiffly, with none of the usual ease and grace she usually had. "I know," she said. "It's okay."

"No, it's not," Lucas said tightly. Two pairs of eyes shot towards him, shocked. Nathan seemed ready to rise up again and argue, but Lucas wouldn't let him have the chance. "I don't know why you're trying to push all of us away so bad when you obviously need help, but it's complete bullshit, Nathan. You're trying to make us hate you and stay away from you on purpose. It won't work."

"Oh, stop being such a saint, Lucas," Nathan said, exasperated. "There is no deeper meaning here. I just want to be alone."

"What happened to all that brother stuff, then?" Lucas demanded. "What happened to 'oh yeah, we've got each other's backs, man'? Does that just fly out the window now?"

Nathan looked away. His expression was cold and emotionless. "Maybe it does."

Lucas's shoulders slumped, defeated. "I thought we were more than that."

Nathan refused to look at Lucas. He shrugged uncaringly and kicked at a small rock near his shoe. He could tell his brother was hurting right now, but he couldn't bring himself to reach out. Right now, he needed to stay strong, stay detached. Showing any sort of emotion could be disastrous. It would inevitably lead to feeling stronger, more destructive emotions that he couldn't deal with at the moment. Maybe he'd never be able to deal with them.

A voice spoke up, immediately catching his attention. "Stop acting like you don't have a heart, Nate," Brooke said. Her eyes were hard when his rose up to meet them. "I know it's there, even if you're trying to hide it. And I know it's hurting, even if you're trying to pretend it isn't."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Nathan said stubbornly. He looked surprisingly vulnerable in that instant, and Lucas saw and knew Brooke was onto something. He remained silent.

"You do," Brooke countered. She seemed to be gaining strength and confidence in herself as she continued. "You're trying to lock away your heart and pretend that none of this is having any affect on you. You're afraid to feel because you know how much it hurts. And you're afraid once you really let it start hurting, it'll never stop hurting."

"Well, will it?" Nathan demanded. His guard was still up, but it was slowly cracking open, and Brooke could see tears glittering in his eyes.

"What?" Brooke asked.

Nathan swallowed. "Stop hurting," he said. His voice was a hoarse whisper, overcome with suppressed emotion. He wiped his hands at his eyes angrily as the tears continued to pool and blur his vision.

Brooke considered him carefully as she pulled together an answer. "No, not completely," she said honestly. Her voice was soft and empathetic. "But it should fade over time. It will still hurt, just not as much. But holding back will just make it worse. You'll never give it the chance to fade away then. It'll just keep building up and hurting more."

Nathan said nothing. He seemed to be struggling with himself. Brooke took a small step towards him. She repeated her words from earlier. "It's okay to cry, Nate."

He took a deep breath and then another when the first didn't work. "And what if you're wrong? What if it doesn't stop hurting? What if I don't stop crying?" His voice was barely controlled, and his tongue felt thick and unfamiliar. It was hard to get the words out.

"You will," Brooke assured him, "when you're ready."

A tear streaked down his face, unhindered by a frustrated swipe of a hand or shirt sleeve. Then another. And another. And another. They spilled from his eyes as Nathan bowed his head. His shoulders shook uncontrollably. Brooke found herself incredibly moved and dangerously close to tears herself. She wanted to reach out to him, to help him somehow, but she was frozen in place. An arm wrapped around her shoulders.

"Don't push yourself, Brooke," Lucas whispered in her ear. "One step at a time, and only when you're ready."

Brooke inclined her head towards him with a sad smile. He sounded like her psychiatrist. But he was right. Maybe she wasn't ready to give so much yet. Not when she was already so incredibly drained. It was a lot to handle. She nodded in reluctant agreement and gestured off in towards the street. "I should…"

"Go," Lucas murmured. A tired smile passed over his face. "I understand." He glanced at Nathan. "I have to…"

"Stay, I know," Brooke said. Lucas smiled at her again and gave her arm a squeeze before letting her go. Brooke watched as he stepped towards Nathan, hesitantly at first but then with more conviction. Nathan looked up, and Lucas swallowed.

"I've still got your back."

It wasn't exactly a smile, but it was close as Nathan stared at Lucas through his tears. No further words had to be said. In unison, the brothers wrapped their arms around each other in a tight embrace just as the church doors burst open. Brooke was heartened to see that this didn't faze them in the slightest. She turned away, feeling as if she had intruded on their private moment long enough. She had somewhere else she needed to be. Her car glinted temptingly in the church parking lot, but Brooke continued to walk past. The hospital was within walking distance.


Later that night, the gang, minus one sorely missed member, was crowded into Peyton's tiny hospital room. They were breaking every single visitation rule by being here so late and in such a large number, but nobody had harassed them yet.

"It was a beautiful service," Brooke told Peyton. "It was perfect for Haley."

Peyton smiled softly. It had been a long day, and she was on the verge of falling asleep, although she was fighting staunchly not to. "I'm glad. She deserved the best." Brooke nodded in agreement from her place on the bed sitting beside her. Peyton was delighted to see some life in her best friend's eyes, some of the spark she had had before. She didn't know how exactly it had happened, but that didn't matter right then. Just that it had happened was the important thing. She and Brooke could go into the details later, when Brooke was ready to share, which might have been sooner than they all thought. Peyton looked around at the rest of the occupants of the room, trying desperately to keep her eyes open. She didn't want to end this just yet.

Nathan and Lucas were standing beside each other against the wall. Lucas was still so the same in some ways, still dependable, still a shoulder to cry on, but in others, he was so changed. She saw the sadness in his eyes, and though muted, it was strong. He looked just as tired as she was, but she doubted he'd sleep tonight. There was something else there too, she mused, something that made him startlingly unfamiliar to her. Wisdom, maybe? True anguish? A broken heart? She didn't know. She may never have known.

Nathan was easier to read, maybe because she knew him better. She could see the raw pain in his eyes, but she could also see the strength that didn't let him give up. She was proud of him, so proud. Brooke had told her all about the giant leaps he had made earlier. That was the boy she had grown up so madly infatuated with. His strength had always been what attracted her to him. Lord knew how much he'd need it now.

Then there was Jake, pure, kind, real Jake sitting in the uncomfortable hospital chair beside the bed. He had always been so firmly grounded and so helpful to anybody that wasn't. He had helped her stand more than once before. Haley's death had hit him just as hard as the rest of them, of course, as he had grown up a close friend to both Lucas and her, but he hadn't lost his footing. He still knew what was real and what needed to be done to move past such a tragedy. Peyton hadn't expected anything less of him.

He had come to her as well when she had first awoken. Technically, he was still under hospital observation, but he had disregarded all the nurses' protests that he should stay in bed to visit her. It had been shortly after she had been told of Haley's death, and she was still in a very fragile state. Brooke had curled into herself, unable to handle such a display of emotion, and Jake had come and held Peyton together when Brooke couldn't to keep her from shattering into a million tiny pieces. He had whispered words of comfort in her ear and even cried some with her, making her feel less alone. When she was calmer, he talked with her about their own injuries and prognosis's. She had been gladdened to hear how lucky he had been. The bullet he had suffered had avoided all major organs, and he was expected to make a very fast recovery.

And finally the circle came back to her, lying on her starch, white hospital bed, tangled in the sheets with her head sinking into the pillow. Her curls were fanned out around her, and Peyton cringed to think of what mess they may have been in. But she knew nobody cared. They were just happy she was alive.

It was strange to know she had survived such a near death experience. People had asked if she had seen anything while she was unconscious, eager to know if she had caught a glimpse of heaven, no doubt. People liked to hear those sorts of things. It was something to give them hope, something to brighten whatever their current outlook was. She supposed she could have lied and made up a story about clouds and bright lights and pearly gates, but she didn't.

The truth was, she hadn't seen much of anything. It had been dark, and the occasional images that had passed behind her closed eyes were blurry and fleeting. There had been murmurs and whispers around her, strange things that didn't make much sense. She suspected she had picked up a few words from her actual surroundings at the time, as the words tissue and liver and trauma kept popping in her head now, along with a few other terms she couldn't pronounce. But really, the only time she actually saw something was when she woke up. The sorrow that had followed made her almost wish she had remained unconscious. She was alive, but she desperately wished Haley was there to share the feeling with her.

"Tim's funeral is tomorrow at one," Nathan said suddenly, breaking the silence. All eyes shot towards him. It had been one of the first full sentences he had spoken all evening. He shrank back from the attention, his knuckles whitening as he tightened his grip on the crutches. Most of the people in the room didn't actually know Tim that well, not like he had. Why should they have to suffer through another funeral? It would only bring back memories of…

A firm hand squeezed Nathan's shoulder. "I'll be there," Lucas said. He was sincere, without question. Nathan's gaze shot to his. It was encouraging.

"I will too," Jake spoke up from across the small room. "Tim was a great guy."

"Me too," Brooke said.

Everybody looked at Peyton. She nodded. "Tim was my friend too. I won't let the hospital make me miss another funeral. I'll fight them if I have to."

"There are going to be a lot of funerals the next few days," Lucas sighed. "Mouth's is tomorrow too, later that evening."

It was an unspoken agreement that they'd all be there to pay their respects to Mouth too. Peyton tried to think of how she could convince her doctors to let her stay out for so long. It was hard to come up with a persuasive argument when her mind was already hazed with sleepiness. Maybe she'd ask Lucas in the morning. He was always good at that kind of speech stuff.

"I want to…to…" Peyton struggled against the sleep that was closing her eyes even as she spoke, "I want to visit H-Haley too since I didn't get to…I mean, you guys don't have to…"

"I will," Nathan said. He looked down at the ground. "I didn't really pay my respects either."

"We all will," Lucas assured her.

Peyton smiled. Her eyelids were even heavier now as her head sunk further into the pillow. "Thanks," she said in a near whisper.

Jake stood, with some difficulty, from his seat. He leaned heavily against the wall, winded by even that small action, and Lucas moved quickly to help him, which he accepted without fuss. "I think it's time for the lady to get some sleep," he said quietly. His expression was fond as he studied her.

"It's late," Lucas agreed.

Peyton wanted to protest, but her tongue was sluggish and refused to cooperate. "Shhh," Brooke silenced her. "I'll stay here with you."

"You sure, Brooke?" Lucas questioned. He had spent the past few nights in a hospital chair, and he knew how uncomfortable that was.

Brooke nodded. "My car's back at the church, and anyway, I really want to be here."

"Okay," Lucas said. He understood. He bent across the bed to give her a quick hug and then kneeled beside Peyton. All the petty drama the three had been involved in before had been completely erased from their minds. "You get better soon, okay?" he said as he straightened out the sheets around her in an effort to make her feel more at home.

Peyton clutched his hand. It had been a while since anybody had tucked her in. Her brain was addled with slumber, but her words were surprisingly perceptive. "You too."

Lucas looked surprised, but he recovered quickly. He grasped her hand tighter, held it for one, two seconds, and then let go. Then he steadied Jake as he leaned down to say his goodbyes.

Nathan was the last. He struggled some with his crutches, but in true Nathan fashion, tried as hard as he could to resist the hands of assistance that came in. Peyton would have rolled her eyes if she had the energy. He was making progress, but he still had a long way to go.

He seemed at a loss for words, so Peyton took this as her chance to spread a little more wisdom. "You have nothing to regret. Don't focus on the bad stuff or the shoulda's or coulda's. Haley loved you. Remember that."

"Past experience speaking?" Nathan guessed.

Peyton's throat tightened painfully. It always did when she talked about her mom. She supposed it would talking about her friend now too. She nodded. "Yeah," she finally choked out. "I guess so."

He hugged her, something he hadn't done since they had dated, and somehow Peyton found spare energy to wrap her arms around him just as tightly. "I may not have all the answers all the time, Nate, but come to me anyway, okay? I can try to help you."

"I will," Nathan promised before pulling away. His eyes fell on Brooke. She seemed uncertain, as they had always been the two with the least interaction with each other before everything, but he hugged her as well. Peyton could barely make out his whisper. "It still hurts."

"I know," Brooke whispered back.

"Thanks," he said. She smiled, although her eyes were watering again, and they let go of each other. Peyton didn't exactly understand the exchange that had gone on in front of her, but it didn't matter. She knew her friends were healing, in whatever ways they could.

"Bye, Peyton. Get well soon," the boys called one last time as they filed out of the room. Nathan was in front, hobbling ahead in his crutches, while Lucas and Jake lagged slightly behind as Jake walked with a noticeable limp. Peyton watched them with wide eyes until the last of Jake's white shirt disappeared through the door. She turned to look at Brooke when fatigue hit her with a second wave. Still, it was important that she made certain of something first.

"You'll really stay with me?" she asked groggily. She blinked a few times as Brooke's face went out of focus.

"Until they kick me out," Brooke promised her. And even then I'll fight them, she thought. She may not have had the full Brooke ass-kicking persona back yet, but she knew she had enough in her for at least one good argument. Peyton had been her rock when she had been out floating god-knows-where, and now that Brooke felt anchored, no matter how tentatively, she intended to return the favor.

One step at a time. She would regain what she had lost.

Peyton was drifting now, in and out, between the planes of consciousness. She was so tired. Vaguely, she considered how easy it would be to fall asleep and never wake up again. It certainly felt to be within her capability. If she did, she wouldn't have to face tomorrow or the next day or the one after that even. There would be no tears to face, no funerals, and no heartbreaks. The ache she felt stinging at her constantly, day in and day out, would be gone. It would be peaceful, she mused, as clouds and bright lights and pearly gates danced behind her closed eyelids.

She turned away from the images and saw her friends. They were imperfect and full of the tears and heartbreak that she dreaded so much. One of them was even gone. Where her mom was, she supposed. Somewhere behind the veil of clouds and bright lights and pearly gates. She could follow them now, if she wanted.

She looked at the image of her friends again. They exuded none of the warmth and comfort of what was floating around behind her. Their experiences had left them scarred and cracked and broken. Nevertheless, it was them she reached for. This was where she belonged. Everything dissolved into black.

Peyton drifted off into a peaceful sleep. Her choice was made. Facing tomorrow would be hard, and she would need all the strength she could get.

Author's Note: I finished. Wow, it's so weird to actually say that. This is my first ever completed story, unless you count the LP one-shot I did a while back. This is the first completed multi-chapter story I have anyway. It's been, well, not exactly fun writing this considering the subject matter and everything, but I'm glad I did it. I never, ever expected it to get the reaction it did, and I'm so grateful to all of the people who reviewed. The encouragement really pushed this story along. Double thanks goes out to the people who have been on board for a while now and put up with all my slooooow updates. I know it was a pain. I guess this is shameless plugging, but I do have another OTH story posted right now, She Don't Dream for Me, if any of you are interested. It's a Nathan/Brooke story that is in sore need of an update which will happen soon (I promise) now that I can focus my full attention on that. After that, I do have a few other stories in the works, but who knows? I'm open to suggestions. Email if you want. And, of course, please, please review the last chapter of Only in the News. Come on, it's your last chance. You know you want to. ;)

Reviewer Responses for Chapter 7…

BrookenLucas12: Quite possibly my favorite reviewer. It's weird, but some parts of your summary made me laugh. ;) The whole "gunman went for the screaming girl because it annoyed him"...good analysis. I've never heard the song you mentioned, but if that was a recommendation then I'll have to check it out. I know what you mean about the Brooke/Nathan. But like I've said, I'm trying my hardest to be fair. Even if it is hard lol. And you better update soon! I'm going to have to take a look at, and review of course, the stories that are being worked on instead of Secret Love.

CutieRay: Not forever. Just longer than I intended lol. I'm glad you like it anyway.

AngstRiddenAnimeLover: Eh. I toyed with the idea of Peyton, but in the end, I did say one (although there was some unfortunate confusion on my part with that), and I'll be damned if it wasn't one. Besides, she was much too important this chapter. While the shirt guy was one of the gunmen, it wasn't the reason that Brooke was spared. The best explanation that I can offer is simply, that she was missed.

countrybutterfly: Okay, first off, I really want to apologize. I was wrong, and even worse, I'm reading over what I wrote to you last chapter, and I'm pretty sure I came off as a bitch while responding, which was totally not my intention. I did type in at least one in one of the drafts of the story, but that one was not the one posted, and I should have gone back to the first chapter to double check. It was my mistake, and I'm really sorry. Your suggestions were all really good, and while I'd like to have written them out, I couldn't picture myself stretching out the story much longer than it already was. The word sequel comes to mind but…I don't know. You know what they say about sequels. Hard to pull off. While the "I'm a little teapot" idea sounded tempting as soon as I read it, I'm sorry to say it was impossible to include, no matter how hard I tried lol. Thanks for the review!

harrylover01: Sorry. Hoped you liked the fic otherwise.

Dot Cubed: Don't cry. Please. I hope you didn't. I'm glad you thought so highly of this fiction. It really does mean a lot. And I don't mind yelling. I know Haley's death sucked for a lot of people since she was their favorite character. I'm okay with hearing what people think.

tp96: Thanks for the review! It's nice to see that so many people, like you, managed to keep perspective while reading the story and know that it was only fiction.

Nice-one: Believe it or not, most of Nathan's reaction to Haley's death, particularly the line about the breaking heart you mentioned, was completely last minute. I was about to post it, and I went through to edit it one last time, and I was way unhappy with Haley's death because I thought it lacked detail, so I put a few more lines in on the spot. I wasn't sure about them, so I'm glad people seemed to like them.

Cait: Incredible? Way flattering, thanks so much. It was hard to keep things under wraps for so long. (Believe me) So I'm glad you thought it was unexpected.

mackenzie175: Thanks so much! It actually did happen fast, although for Nathan and the gang it certainly didn't seem like it. I'm glad you liked the story.

Ashley: Poor everyone, right? LOL…I'm sorry I made you cry. (When people say this, I feel so guilty). I just sent the email, so hopefully it went through.

Mony19: Thanks for the review. It hit one of the areas I was most unsure about, the scene between Nathan and his mom, and I'm happy for the reassurance. I hope you like this chapter as much as the last.

l-a-c-18: That twist would have been interesting but…I don't know. I don't think I could kill off Brooke and Peyton. Lots of people reading this were major Brooke fans, so that seemed to turn out pretty good. Haley's death was planned from the beginning, mostly because that was one of the first scenes I pictured—her being selfless and admitting she didn't need Nathan, and then wham! irony comes in. Thanks for leaving such a great review!

IluvCarson17: Thanks for the review! I'm really flattered that this was a story you checked up on regularly. It's cool, you know? I hope you're happy with Peyton and Jake making it through (I have a feeling lots of people will be). Thanks for all the nice compliments, and I'm hoping you catch the next date change, so you can review the final chapter.

IntentionallyCruel: Haha, morbid is okay. We all have those characters we want to strangle sometimes. While I don't have any right now in the Tree Hill section, I definitely know how you feel. I will definitely be checking Gooseles out, thanks for the recommendation. And I have to say this: 154 chapters in 2 months? OMG. I'm lucky if I get 2 chapters out in two months. That is so freaking amazing.

animeperfect: Nathan was pretty messed up by her death, yeah, but I think he'll get through now…Thanks for the review!

xocmmox: Whatever your reasoning was, it worked. Haha. I know what you mean about the whole repeating "it's not real" thing. I get caught up like that too lol. And YES, I will be updating She Don't Dream for Me! Soon, hopefully. I'm really looking forward to working on it now that this is out of the way. ;)

lovinleyton320: Your review was so cool. Seriously. I'm glad you liked the story so much. I tried my best to make it as real as I could, and while I don't think anything can really catch that kind of drama, I'm glad it got such positive reactions. I wasn't really happy killing off any of the characters (I've said it before, but I want to emphasize how much I really hated writing Tim and Haley's deaths), but it was necessary as you've pointed out. It's true that I am a BL fan, but I'm not entirely opposed to LP either, and I really tried to keep things balanced in the story. I hope you liked the LP moments I threw in there.

Nobody: Thanks for the review! I hope this chapter did not disappoint.

rubie: Talented writer. You have no idea how flattering that is. I guess it's all subjective, really, but still it's cool that you like what I've written. Haley's dying wasn't my favorite part to write, yeah, but who actually likes to write about somebody dying anyway?

geniunexchild: Wow, thanks! I'm glad you thought I kept the Haley dying thing from being obvious.

say another word: First off, I really like your pen name. I don't know why, but it's just cool. ;) Okay, now that I've gotten that out of the way…You were a read-but-not-reviewer? Aww. LOL anyway, I'm glad you came out of hiding to leave me one for this chapter. Really. And I think it's really cool that a Naley fan had such a positive reaction to the story. I was worried that I'd get lots of just YOU MADE HALEY DIE!BITCH reviews, but that really didn't happen. It's awesome that people, like you, were able to stay mature about it.

xxxkattxtienxxx: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you like the story!

SoUnoriginal: Thanks! I'm glad I could provide a decent distraction lol. I know, I'm always trying to put off working.

TutorGirlTigger: Aww! I didn't want you to cry. Gosh, way to make me feel guilty. :P Anyway, I'm really glad you liked the story. Reading your reviews (even if they made me feel like a horrible person) was nice. Thanks for taking the time to tell me what you thought.

Faith: Another story at this intensity level? I don't know if I can handle that haha. Anyway, like I said before, I'm totally open to suggestions. Leave a review if you've got anything in mind that you really want to read, and I'll see what I can do.

Lady Piper1: Oooh, I love thunderstorms. And yeah, Peyton dying had crossed my mind (very, very briefly) but I really like her character, and I realized just how important she'd be in this chapter. I hope you like how she was written in the story.

LALA: Thanks for the review! This soon enough? It's been what? About three weeks?

brucasfanatic: Always one of the longer reviewers, which pretty much makes you one of the coolest people ever. I'm glad things worked out okay with your essay. Josie and the Pussycats is a good movie (or at least I thought it was back then, but I was like 11 lol) so it was a good thing. I promised myself from the beginning I wouldn't put any obvious romance in here, besides the Nathan/Haley because it was absolutely necessary, but I did leave a few nice little hints for everybody at some point. And there are a few Brucas moments in this chapter that I can think of. Of course, there is some Leyton too, but there ya go. Oh yeah, I almost forgot (not!), you're welcome on the whole Brooke not dying thing, lol.

HipHopper92: Oooh I want a sundae too now. It's only, what, midnight? I could go for it.

Emilie: The first person to ever say my story put them in a good mood ;). Lots of people were rooting for Brooke in this story. Thanks for the great compliments, and I hope the final chapter does not disappoint.

LilAngel413: School is scary period without having to worry about this kind of stuff. Really, the best way to avoid it I guess is just to, like you said, be nice to people. Thanks for the review.

dolcegrazia: You missed the part where Haley died? Uhh…lol maybe I should go back and bold it for people or something? I can kinda see how it'd be easy to pass over it on accident.

x0 bebixkat 0xThanks for the review! I'm glad you liked it!

Casandra: Your review made me laugh. At the risked of getting stoned by the Naley and Haley fans…I don't know maybe it's just me lol. I'm glad you think so highly of the story. I was actually worried I was a little too vague sometimes, but it's nice to know somebody could picture what I was talking about.