Author's Note: Hey. Nothing much to say. Just dropping by with a drive by update. Hope you guys like this. And I'm glad that you've been liking this so far. Please review.

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"Brooke, will you slow the hell down!"

The entire car ride over to the hospital consisted of Nathan and Jake begin Brooke to tell them what the hell was going on, but she managed to keep her mouth shut. All the boys knew was Peyton was at the hospital and that was enough to drive Jake insane. He was so overwhelmed with worry; he hadn't felt this scared since the first time Jenny got a cold. Nathan on the other hand was a lot calmer considering he didn't know it was Haley they were going to go see and Brooke wanted to keep it that way. Not only did she not want to have to deal with a distraught Nathan, she didn't want to have to be the one to tell him that Haley was hurt because she didn't think she would be able to stay mad at him when he looked at broken. So she kept them in the dark even as she ran down the main hallway of the small hospital with them jogging behind her.

"I need to get to Peyton," she called back. She was scared of how Peyton was handling all of this. When Brooke talked to her on the phone, she could tell that the blonde was already starting to freak out so she could just imagine what she's like now. Peyton was never good under this kind of stress.

"Oh God, it is her," Jake mumbled under his breath. He knew that Peyton went out looking for Haley, so he was aware that the person hurt could either be Haley or his girlfriend. Nathan heard his friend's words, and felt tremendously sorry for him. He had no idea what he would do if Haley were in the hospital.

"It'll be okay, man," he tried to assure him as they picked up speed to meet Brooke where she was standing at the front desk, talking to the nurse.

"What room is Haley James in?" Brooke asked just before Nathan and Jake got to her side. The nurse quickly typed in the name and waited for the number to come on the screen.

"She will be in room 203, but she's currently being worked on," the nurse answered her in what she hoped was a calming tone. Brooke let the horrible feeling wash over her as she heard those words. She tried to push the image of Haley on an operating table to the back of her mind. "She should be done within the hour, though."

"Okay," was all Brooke could get out at the moment. She did a quick sweep of the waiting room to find Peyton, but she couldn't spot her. Brooke decided she must be up in Haley's room. She took a deep breath and nodded. "Um, is that on the second floor?"

"It sure is," the nurse replied. With a quick thank you, the three teenagers were off, running towards the elevator. The ride up was silent with the exception of Brooke's quiet crying. As soon as she heard the ding, Brooke bolted out the door in the direction she hoped was the right on, Nathan and Jake following quickly behind her.

"Peyton!" she called out, looking around the hall for her friend. She glanced at all the room numbers; glad to see them getting smaller which meant they were going in the right direction.

"Brooke, slow down," Nathan called after her, afraid that she was going to either slip and crack her head open or run into a patient. He was really starting to get worried, if Brooke was freaking out this much, Peyton must really be in bad condition. Brooke ignored his warning and continued at her speed.

"Pey!" As soon as she rounded the corner she saw that familiar head of blonde hair. When she heard her name being called, Peyton turned her head and felt her stomach unclenched slightly when she saw Brooke barreling towards her. She jumped out of her seat and ran towards the brunette.

"Brooke," she cried. Within a second, they were wrapped in each other's arms and crying like there was no tomorrow, which they were terrified was true for their best friend. After a moment of hugging, Brooke pulled back and took Peyton's face in her hands.

"Are you okay, hun?" she asked, trying to wipe some of the tears off Peyton's face with the pad of her thumbs. Peyton bit her bottom lips in an attempt to hold back another round of tears and shook her head.

"She looked so small," Peyton told her, shaking slightly as she remembered what Haley looked like as the paramedics loaded her into the ambulance. "I'll never forget it for the rest of my life…"

"Peyton!" Jake exclaimed as he and Nathan finally came around the corner. He felt all the fear leave his body when he saw his girlfriend standing there, unharmed. She pulled away from Brooke at the sound of her boyfriend's voice.

"Jake?" she asked, confusion laced in her voice. She looked at him strangely as he came running towards her, looking like he was going to swallow her in his arms. He finally reached her and completely pushed Brooke out of the way as he gathered Peyton in his arms.

"God, I've never been happier to see you," he cried, tightening his hold on her. She wasn't sure what was going on, but she wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her hands in his shaggy hair. "I'm never letting you out of my sight again."

"Are you okay?" she asked in confusion, eyeing Brooke for answers. Brooke smiled sadly at her and moved to stand beside Nathan to watch the couple. Jake nodded his head, but didn't say anything. She pulled back slightly to look at his face and was a little surprised to see tears forming in his eyes. "Baby, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," he sighed, giving her a reassuring smile. He shook his head and pulled her back into a hug. "You're okay so I'm okay." Brooke and Nathan let the couple enjoy their moment for a moment longer before interrupting.

"So, what's going on exactly?" Nathan questioned, glancing at the couple before looking down at Brooke. Jake and Peyton pulled apart to look at him. Peyton's eyes start to water up again and she leans into Jake who is also looking at Brooke for answers. Then it dawns on him; Haley.

"Nathan," Brooke begins, turning towards him. He can tell by the look on her face and the tone in her voice the she's about to say something that was going to kill him. "I think you should sit down for this."

"Brooke, you're scaring me," he stated in a wavering voice. He already knew what was going on, for the most part. There was only one thing that could get Brooke and Peyton so worked up; if something was wrong with Haley. Not to mention the fact that they were both looking at him like he was a wounded puppy dog. "What's going on?"

"I really think you should…"

"Are you all here for Miss James?" came a voice from behind them. The four teens wiped around and came face to face with the doctor that held Haley's fate in his hands. Deciding that the other three wouldn't be able to speak up, Jake stepped forward, making sure he had a hold of Peyton's hand.

"That's us," he answered in a steady voice then he thought would come out. He half expected it to crack from his crying just a few moments before. "How is she doing?" The doctor looked at the teens skeptically, trying to decide if any of them were related to his patient.

"Is anyone here related to her?" he questioned. They all looked at each other, expected someone to speak up. They should have thought this up before they got there; they always ask for a family member.

"I am," Brooke volunteered, raising her hand slightly. She figured that she was the best bet considering more than a few people had mistake her and Haley for sisters. "She's my sister."

"Very well," he said with a nod. He glanced down at his clipboard and back up at Brooke. "If you'll just come with me, Miss James, I'll tell you how your sister is doing."

"Okay," Brooke replied. She glanced at her friends before following where the doctor was going a little ways down the hall. She rubbed Peyton's arm on her way by and sent her a sad smile. She didn't look back because she couldn't stand to see the broken look on Nathan's face.

"We'll be right here," Jake assured her, but she was already with the doctor down the hall. Brooke walked over on shaky legs and stood in front of the doctor to find out if Haley was going to live or not.

"So, what's the what, Doc?" she asked. It took all her strength not to cry in front of him, she was trying her hardest to seem cool, but she was literally dying inside. She prayed to whatever God there was that Haley was okay because there was no way she was going to be able to survive this if Haley wasn't.

"First," the doctor began, pushing his glasses to rest on the top of his head. "My name's Dr. Jordan Hayes, I will be your sister's doctor for the entire time she stays here."

"I'm Brooke," she replied, shaking hands with him. She could feel her friend's gazes on her back, but she tried to ignore them. "Is my sister going to be okay?"

"Yes, she'll be fine," was his answer. It was as if a huge rock had been lifted off Brooke's shoulders and she felt like she could finally breathe again for the fist time since she went looking for Haley. Just when Brooke was about to hug him, she remembered that okay was completely different for doctors than it was for family and friends.

"Define what you mean by fine," Brooke asked carefully, not wanting to get her hopes up only to have them shoot down when he tells her that Haley has some sort of brain damage. "Because when doctors say people are fine, they really mean they have broken bones or bruised brains or…"

"There's no catch, Miss James," the doctor insisted. He understood that she was nervous and very obviously worried about her sister, but he didn't need to be second-guessed like that. "I assure you, your sister is going to be just fine."

"Oh God," Brooke breathed out, a smile of pure happiness gracing her lips. "And you're one hundred percent sure that she's fine? And I mean perfectly fine, not even a scratch on her."

"Not a scratch," he repeated. The biggest and brightest smile he had even seen spread across Brooke's lips and it took all her self-control not to hug him. "Your friend over there, the blonde, she got your sister help just in time. She was just about to go into completely cardiac arrest when she got here. Another minute without medical service and she might not have been so lucky."

"Are you saying that she almost died?" The smile on Brooke's face slowly started to fade as she thought about what could have happened to Haley, about how worse this situation could be. The doctor looked at her sympathetically and nodded. He wished he hadn't said anything in the first place, but it was part of his job, as was what he was going to have to tell Brooke next. "God, Hales…"

"She did, actually," he said quietly, not sure of how Brooke would react to the news. If he had the choice, he would tell the family this when it happens to a patient, but it was hospital policy encase something were to go wrong later on in the recovery.

"What?"

"Technically and medically speaking, she did die," he explained slowly. He watched as Brooke's face fell completely and the little light he had seen her eyes vanished as if it were never there. "While we were getting her warmed up, we lost her for a few moments, but we got everything under control quickly enough and got her heart started again."

"But she did die?" Brooke asked. She didn't know why this was hurting her so much, it's not like Haley was still dead, she had been assured that Haley was alive and healthy, but just the thought that she had died, even for a minute, was more than Brooke could handle at the moment.

"Yes." Brooke nodded her head and fought to keep the tears in, but of course they won out and soon she was crying. Jordan glanced over her shoulder to the other three and noticed that they were all getting the wrong idea from Brooke's crying. "I think you're friends are starting to get worried."

"Yeah, probably," Brooke whispered, quickly wiping at her eyes to get the tears off her cheeks. Brooke sniffled, took a deep breath and looked back up at the good doctor. "So, we can all see her?"

"No more than two people in at a time," he instructed her. "While she is in stable condition and is doing fine, she's still really weak and needs as much rest as possible." Brooke nodded, still wiping her face dry. "She's out right now, so she won't be able to respond and I doubt she'll be able to hear you, but if you're that kind of person, feel free to talk to her, it usually helps."

"How long will she be out?"

"Most of the night, I think," Jordan answered. He caught sight of a nurse that was waving him over to check on one of his patients. He nodded, telling her that he'd be right there. "I have to go for now and check up on another patient, but you and your friends can take turns visiting with your sister."

"Thank you," she said. They both knew she was talking about more than just the permission to see Haley. She was thanking him for saving Haley's life and that was something she would be eternally grateful for. He nodded and slipped passed her, giving Nathan, Jake and Peyton and slight nod of the head as he walked by. He soon disappeared behind the door with the nurse. The gang waited all of three seconds before they rushed over and started bombarding her with questions.

"What did he say?" asked Jake.

"Is she okay?" Nathan begged.

"When can I see her?" questioned Peyton.

"Oh, all of you need to take a pill," she teased in a light tone. That was all the answer they needed; Haley was fine. Brooke would never be joking around if she weren't. Even if they knew the answer, Brooke knew they still needed to hear it in so many words. "He said she was going to be fine."

"Thank God," came the chorus of voices, all overpower the other. Brooke let out a laugh and gave them all a watery smile. Seeing how happy they all were, she just couldn't imagine what they all would have done if Haley hadn't been okay.

"Yeah," she wholeheartedly agreed. "He said they lost her for a few moments there, but she came back and everything's good now."

"She died?" Nathan asked, his voice just barely above a whisper. Peyton and Jake both looked to the ground, but Brooke forced herself to make eye contact with him. If her heart hadn't already been broken at the news, it would have been after seeing the look in his eyes. She had never seen him like that before, not ever. It was like someone had taken all the life out of him.

"A little bit," she answered quickly. "But they got her back really quick, it's like it never happened." Nathan didn't say anything, he didn't even nod; he just stared at the wall behind Brooke. She looked at him sympathetically for a moment, before she remembered what an ass he was and turned to talk to talk to Jake and Peyton. "The doc said we could go in and see her now, just two at a time though."

"I'm going," Peyton decided before anyone else had a chance. "I need to see her with my own eyes. After seeing her like she was… I need to do this or I'm never going to feel better." Brooke nodded her head even though she was never going to argue with her.

"Okay," Brooke replied, looking expectantly at Jake. "You wanna go in with her?" Jake glanced over at Nathan as he plopped down in one of the chairs. Nathan leaned forward and buried his face in his hands, letting out a puff of air. Jake looked at Peyton, silently asking if she'd be okay without him and she nodded, understanding what was going on.

"You go ahead," he said, speaking to Brooke, but looking at Nathan. "I'll just hang back here." Brooke nodded, glad she didn't have to deal with Nathan, and took Peyton's hand, leading her into the room Haley was in. Once the girls were gone, Jake walked over to Nathan and slumped down into the chair beside Nathan. "Hey."

"Hey."

"You okay, man?" Jake asked, eyeing Nathan with concern. For a moment there he actually thought he was crying, but that thought quickly disappeared when Nathan looked up at him with dry eyes.

"She died, Jake," he whispered, his voice full of raw emotion. Jake was taken aback by the shear volume of pain that could be heard in his voice. Jake didn't know what to say.

"Yeah, she did," he responded with a slight nod. "But she came back. She knew you were here waiting for her so she came back."

"But…"

"Dude, you gotta stop looking at the negative side," Jake suggested. "Haley is right inside that room, one hundred percent fine. Just focus on that." Nathan tore his gaze from the wall across from him and looked over at the door the girls had gone through. "Maybe this was the wake up call that both of you needed."

That thought had crossed Nathan's mind already. He realized when he found out that it was Haley that he would die if anything happened to her. It wasn't until he almost lost her that he realized he needed to do everything in his power to keep her with him. He had gone about getting her back all wrong; he needed to step up. He needed to do something for Haley that proved to her just how much he loved her and he knew just the thing.

"Yeah," Nathan mumbled, his eyes locked on the closed door that was the only thing keeping him from all that made him whole. "Maybe."

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All done. Hope you enjoyed it. Tell me what you thought and I'll update sooner. Later.