Lucas bounced the basketball as he kept the quick pace of his jog. He had intended the early morning work out to stretch a few miles across the beach at the most but somehow he had ended up in town and in front of the church where in mere hours, his little brother was to be married. To his surprise, Nathan, hands shoved in khaki shorts that could have stood a meeting with an iron, was also standing there.
"Hey."
"Hey."
"You are way early and way underdressed", Lucas commented as he removed his headphones. "What's up?"
"Nothing. I just felt like getting out of the house. Wanted to come down here and make sure everything was okay."
"Anything I can help you with?"
"No. No, man. I'm fine. Everything is good."
"Is it?" Lucas questioned.
"Yeah dude, that's what I said."
"I know what you said but uh…your face tells another story.
Nathan sighed. It was no getting around it.
"Luke…"
"We haven't had much of a chance to talk and stuff the last few days and all but I'm assuming you talked to Meg and uh…everything is true, you know, about the baby."
"Yeah. She's pregnant. Almost two months along."
"Wow. Um, are congratulations in order?"
Nathan smiled but it was obviously, painfully forced.
"Yeah. I mean, I'm gonna be a dad. We'll have another hoopster in the family. I'm excited."
"And Meg? She's okay?"
"She's great. The morning sickness is kicking her ass but other than that, she is looking forward to Europe."
Lucas nodded.
"Um…you, you didn't confess, did you? I mean, did you tell Megan? Everything, I mean, about Hales and the Dominican and all that happened?"
"No and I'm not gonna", he said quietly.
"Okay. That's your right. I understand."
"Thanks."
Lucas couldn't just leave it that. So much had happened. Just days before Nathan had admitted his love for Haley. He had hopped in his car and headed for Nashville to try to save what love that had left. And then one statement from Brooke, one fateful phone call had changed everything. Now it wasn't a star crossed love triangle between Nathan, Haley and Megan. There was another factor in the equation, a tiny, helpless, innocent, defenseless little baby. And that baby had changed everything.
"Look, man, about the other night…"
"It's done, Luke."
"But what about Hales?"
"What about her? Everything I said that night is true but what can I do? Megan is pregnant with my kid and that changes everything."
"I know. Look, I know what you're trying to do. You just want to do the right thing and who could blame you, Nate? But you can still do the right thing by your baby and that doesn't mean you have to marry Megan."
"What?"
Lucas shook his head. It was a tough situation all the way around. No matter how you looked at it, someone was bound to get hurt. Lives of the people he really cared about would be changed forever. The decisions Nathan made in the present would somehow have an effect on all their futures.
"I know how crazy this all has been for you, Nathan. Whatever you do, whatever you decide, I am still your brother and I'll still stand by you 100 percent…even if you don't marry Meg."
"Dude, look, I am marrying Megan, okay? The wedding is in a couple of hours. The church is ready, 500 guests are ready and Megan is ready."
"What about you, little brother? Is Nathan ready?"
Nathan stared at the ground and shrugged.
"She's pregnant with my kid, man."
"I know but that doesn't mean you have to marry her. That's the wrong reason especially when you love someone else so much so that a few nights ago you were willing to leave everything and everybody to drive nine hours and tell her so. You can still be there for Meg and you can still be a good dad without marrying her."
"Can I?"
"Yes. Yes you can."
Nathan sighed as he looked at the church.
"Remember every little league team you played for or soccer or football or basketball? You know all those trophies and awards at your mom's place. Remember how you felt you won them? Or when you won the second grade spelling bee? Or forget that, how about the times you just wanted someone to go out and toss a ball with or a man to talk to about things you couldn't talk about with Karen?"
"Nate…"
"No, just think back to all those times I just mentioned and all the stories you told me about growing up with a single mother. You missed out on the love and the time and the attention of a dad. That's not right, Luke. Granted, sometimes I think you didn't miss much because we both know Dan Scott is no Cliff Huxtable but at least he was there for me. How many times did you wake up on Christmas mornings or your birthday and he wasn't there? Man, I can't do that to my child. My son or daughter will never wake up on their special day and have to wonder where their father is."
"You're right. You're absolutely right but I needed a father in my life. That's it, Nathan. I didn't need for them to be married."
"That's what you think but maybe you didn't miss it because you never had it in the first place. When I was real little, I can remember how happy our family was. It was great. Mom and Dad were great with me but I saw how much they loved each other. I had a stable home, a real family. Children need two parents together in the same house."
"You may have been happy then but what about when things changed, dude? You told me living with Dad and Deb became a nightmare. When she filed for divorce before the heart attack and kicked him out, you were actually happy. Why? Because it was better than seeing those two fight. Is that what you want for you kid? Man, little kids are smart, they pick up on stuff. You want them to see their dad drinking or arguing all the time with their mom?"
"It won't be like that."
"Then how will it be? Because you won't be happy, Nate. And Megan might be a Haley clone but you don't want that. It's not the same and you know that. You want the real thing and your heart will never be right until you and Hales settle things."
Nathan looked his older brother in the eye.
"When I was living at home and playing for Whitey when you joined the team, I was just a selfish, cocky, immature kid. When I got emancipated and later on married Haley, I became a man. Even at 16. When she left, it really hurt me. I couldn't deal so I found comfort in booze, ball, and a bunch of one night stands. And mentally I went back to being that selfish, cocky, immature kid again. I guess deep down inside I have been that guy for a while now…even with Meg. But I don't want to be him anymore, Luke. And now with a baby thrown into the mix, I can't be him. It's time to grow up again…this time for real. I have to step up. Honor, dedication, sacrifice…it's always tears when you combine those words but I'll do what I have to do. And I'll be fine. I thought I could have a second chance with Haley, one more chance at a possible future together but sometimes you don't always get what you want. Sometimes you just don't get that second chance."
Lucas opened his mouth to speak but he didn't quite know what to say. His heart was breaking for his brother. He could only imagine how difficult it must have been to be in such a situation. It was even harder to consciously make the choice to forgo self happiness in lieu of stepping up and doing the right thing. And Nathan, the egotistical bully who had been born with a silver spoon in his mouth, had finally come full circle. There was no more advice Lucas could give him. Whether he agreed with the decision or not, he did respect it. And he respected his younger more than he ever had anyone at that one moment.
"Whatever you do, whatever happens, I'm here for you, Nate. I might not understand what you're doing, but I sure as hell get why you're doing it."
Nathan took a deep breath as he turned to walk away.
"It's not about me anymore, Luke. It's not about Haley or Megan or true love or money or any of that crap. It's all about this baby now. That's what matters most. I'm gonna be a dad. I have a chance to love and raise something that's mine and pray I do a better job than my parents did and that my kid turns out a lot less screwed up than I did. This is my one shot, man. It's the most important thing I'll ever do and it's going to change my life. Hell, it already has. Now…now I have someone to be good for."