Chapter Twenty-Five: Who We'd Be If We Had the Chance
Author's note: The following cliffhanger is inspired mostly by pinkpony. And by 'Mean Girls'.
Nathan stared at the grouping of pictures on his desk. One was Lucas, Damian and Peyton, playing together at a park. A second one showed Brooke and him on their wedding day, looking young, beautiful and in love.
The third photograph stood by itself, away from the other two. It was partially obscured by a potted plant. When the mood took him, it was fully obscured. The picture was of a beautiful young woman, holding her daughter's hands, helping her to take a step. The baby was laughing. The woman was looking directly at the man who took the picture, smiling at him with love. Most days Nathan couldn't force himself to look at Haley with Nati.
He thought about Nati more and more. He pictured the baby he'd known, but he knew she must be older. Two and a half, almost three. She'd be talking, walking. She'd be able to feed herself and probably even dress herself. Did Haley manage okay, with whatever money she made? Did Natalya call another man Daddy?
Nathan jumped slightly in his seat when his secretary entered. She smiled at him. He had a new secretary, Janet. She was blonde, buxom, almost ridiculously attractive. She was every man's dream. But she wasn't his Haley.
"Mr. Scott, I have a Mr. Bentley on line four for you," she said. He nodded. She left, miffed that he hadn't properly acknowledged her.
"Mr. Scott!" boomed a voice through the phone.
"Mr. Bentley? What is this in reference to?" he asked impatiently.
"An interview I had the other day. A woman had you on her resume as a reference," continued Edward Bentley.
"Who? Allison Grey? She's a great worker, I can give her the highest recommendation," said Nathan.
"No, I have not interviewed Ms. Grey. This is a former secretary of yours-Miss, uh, Haley James," said Edward, glancing down at the form in front of him.
The phone slipped out of Nathan's hand and dropped heavily on to the floor. Nathan's eyes immediately darted toward the framed photograph and met Haley's eyes. It was a name no one had dared utter around him for two years. A name he'd said in his head a thousand times. A woman he'd longed for a thousand times over.
Edward Bentley clicked off his phone, annoyed by Mr. Scott's apparent indifference
Nathan gripped the photograph on his desk, glancing between his child and her mother before come to the sudden, inevitable conclusion.
Everyone in the office looked up when their boss, Nathan, charged into the hall and ran into his secretary's office, loosening his tie and shrugging off his jacket as he ran.
"Janet, where was that call from?" he demanded urgently. She looked up sharply in bewilderment, and he noticed she'd been painting her long, curved fingernails a deep red colour.
"Uh, the Edward Bentley one? Uh…" she reached for her phone and pressed a few buttons, accessing the callers list. "California. Long Beach California."
Nathan was out of her office before she could ask what he wanted, and had left the building before anyone knew where he was going. Without the time to call his own, chauffeured, car he hailed a taxi.
"JFK airport," he said hurriedly. The yellow taxi took off.
The ride was interminably long, but Nathan fired out of it as soon as they arrived, and ran in. Hurriedly he booked a first class ticket for San Diego California on a plane that was heading out in an hour.
By the time he was several hours into the long plane flight, he was running out of steam. He was faced with harsh realities. Haley had been gone for two years. She'd never written, called, emailed. She obviously wanted nothing to do with his old life. She obviously wanted nothing to do with him. But she didn't know-didn't know that Brooke had died years ago, died as the acknowledged love of Lucas Scott, giving birth to his son. Didn't know that he hadn't passed a day without thinking of her since the one she left in. Didn't know he'd do anything in the world to be with her and their daughter.
Nathan caught a bus after the plane finally landed and rode for several hours to Long Beach.
He picked up momentum when he arrived. She was so close now. He fancied that he could actually feel his presence, hear his daughter's laugh.
He ran down the long stretch of boardwalk toward her apartment building. He caught the door as a resident came out and ran in. Quickly locating the stairs, he sprinted up three flights before he arrived at her door.
Nathan hesitated for a moment. He still had yet to come to the terrifying, hopeless instance that her refusal would bring. She hadn't been so close to her in two years, he couldn't face the thought of leaving without her.
His heart rose as he heard the call of a child inside. With new resolve he knocked on the door.
Haley looked up in annoyance. She and Chris were alternately reading Natalya a Thomas the Train engine book. Nati was giggling and reciting the bits of it she knew. Haley didn't want to disrupt the happy family moment.
"Hell…" the word died on her lips before she could get the greeting out.
"Hales," he said. He stared at her for a moment. She looked the same. Her blonde hair had grown a few inches, her style was more relaxed than it had been, her eyes less bright, but she was the same. In a step he could have her in his arms, her lips on his.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, her voice a whisper.
"Edward Bentley told me where you were when he called for a reference. I came to see you," said Nathan.
"What about Brooke?" asked Haley. The sight of Nathan in her doorway still seemed like an illusion to her. One she was not yet willing to give in to. She was a different girl than she'd been four years ago. One not willing to be a man's whore.
"Hales, Brooke died. Two years ago," said Nathan.
"I'm sorry," breathed Haley.
"The day you left, she went back to Lucas. Damian's his child, not mine. They were together until her end. She died happy. Peyton was hired by Lucas to take care of Damian and now they're together," he said. Without her response, he reached forward and tugged his heart necklace out of her high-necked shirt. She shivered at the familiar feel of his fingers on her skin.
"I couldn't take it off. So now…"
"Now it's you. Only you," he said. Willing himself to have courage, he reached forward and made to take her in his arms. Haley's heart rose as he took hold of her, and how close he was.
"Hey, you're Nathan?" came a familiar, arrogant voice. Both heads swiveled around to him.
"Chris, don't," warned Haley. Furious with him for interrupting everything she'd wanted for four years.
"Chris?" asked Nathan, his voice hollow. He dropped his hands from her hips. Haley's eyes widened in shock and a contradiction rose in her throat.
"Nathan Scott. You're the guy you said was the father?" asked Chris. Haley's confusion grew as he wrapped his arms around her neck.
"What are you..?" asked Haley. She looked as Nathan's face gradually darkened.
"Who are you?" asked Nathan, his voice speaking with hers.
"Chris Keller. I'm Nati's father," he said, taking one arm down from Haley's neck to stick it out to Nathan.
Nathan paused for exactly three seconds. He looked at the stunned, disbelieving look on Haley's face, misinterpreted it, looked at the victorious smirk on Chris' cocky face, and turned around. Walking, not running, he began to proceed back down the hall.
Haley began to run after him but Chris caught her arm. She turned, suddenly afraid of the man who'd been such a friend to her for so long.
"What the hell was that?" she demanded. He stared down at her for a moment, aware that he was losing her.
"I'm in love with you," he said. He was surprised at his own words. Chris Keller wasn't generally one to make sudden romantic announcements. Haley's look softened, and for a moment he had hope.
"Chris, you're my best friend. I just don't…" her words were halted when he scooped down and lightly kissed her. For a moment she considered giving in to him. But then Nathan came back into her head. His fervent words of love. The hurt look in his eyes.
"I have to go after him," she said. "Natalya!"
The toddler came running and Haley scooped her up into her arms. Haley looked into Chris' eyes for a moment longer, as if memorizing them, before awkwardly patting his shoulder and leaving at a run.
The street outside wasn't busy, but she couldn't see Nathan. A horrific thought occurred to her-if he'd gotten a cab, he could be miles away. Or at least yards.
Suddenly she saw him disappearing into the distance, his back to her. She began to run, awkwardly with Natalya on her hip. Behind her, she heard Chris call out her name. She ignored him, intent on her target.
Glancing in either direction, she sped across the street, hoping Chris was no longer following her. She was breathless as she caught up to him.
"Nathan… he's lying…" she said. Nathan stared down at her.
"I called once, two years ago. It was him that answered. He said you weren't around," said Nathan.
"It doesn't matter. Just look Nathan. How can this child possibly not be yours?" asked Haley, holding her up to him. Natalya giggled in surprise and reached out to touch Nathan's face, taken with him once again. Their eyes met-their identical blue eyes. In that moment, both Haley and Nathan knew.
Neither of them were looking at the road when Chris continued after Haley, hoping against hope for a second chance. His hope and desire blinded him: when a public transit bus rounded the corner onto the street, he didn't see it.
And it didn't see him, either.