Author's Note: Okay. I'm kinda on a major high right now, due to the cutest picture ever, so I figured that I'd drop of an update. I hope you guys like this one. Enjoy.
--OTH--
"And you're sure that they're gone?"
The night at the hospital had gone by quickly for the girls. They stayed up all night, just talking and laughing about old times. Haley's doctor had come in a couple times to tell them to get some rest, but of course they didn't listen. Lucas had called around six, telling them he would be there to pick them up as soon as Haley was released at noon that day. When Brooke talked to him, she made sure to tell him that Jake was not to come with him. During the night, Brooke had told Peyton about her argument with Jake so now the blonde wasn't exactly too excited to see her boyfriend either.
"Yeah, I saw them leave not more than two hours ago," Lucas promised Brooke, glancing at his girlfriend for a moment before letting his eyes drift back to the road. Since he figured it would be crowded in Brooke little car, he decided on taking Jake's car to go and pick them up.
"You kicked them out?" Peyton questioned from her position in the back seat of the car beside Haley, who was looking more than a little sleepy. "Cause, I have to say that I'm sorry I missed that."
"Actually, it was Nathan's decision," Luke explained, still confused at the way things went last night. When Jake and Nathan came back, neither boy would talk so he wasn't sure what was going on. "When I woke up this morning, him and Nicki were getting breakfast before they left."
"That's surprisingly considerate of him," Haley mumbled, only half listening to the conversation. All she needed to know was that Nathan and Nicki weren't going to be there and that was all that mattered to her at the moment. Neither Brooke nor Lucas heard it from the front seats, but Peyton smirked at the comment.
"He just said that he made a huge mistake by coming here," Luke retold, blinking a few times in an attempt to shake the creepy feeling he got when he saw the look in Nathan's eyes. He had never seen his brother look so upset and regretful before. "And he wanted me to tell you that he's really sorry."
"I'll bet he is," Haley said, this time loud enough for her friends in the front seat to hear. Brooke nodded her head, finding it hard to believe that the Nathan Scott would apologize to anyone about anything.
"What about Britney and Kevin?" Brooke asked, knowing that Haley originally didn't want to see Lacy either. She understood that it must be hard for her friend, to have to see the woman that is having your boyfriend's baby, but she couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the poor girl. After all, Lacy really didn't do anything wrong, so it wasn't fair that she lose a good friend over this.
"The newlyweds are still at the cabin with Jake," Lucas answered hesitantly. He also knew that Haley probably still didn't want to see Lacy, but there was nothing he could do.
"Tim and Lacy are still there?"
"Yeah, sorry, Hales," Luke replied with a sad smile, looking at her through the rear view mirror. He had to admit, she looked a lot better than he thought she would. When he found out what had happened to her, he was afraid of how bad she might look. "I tried to get them to leave, even Lacy knew she shouldn't be there, but Tim refused to leave until he saw that you were okay."
"Aw," both Peyton and Brooke gushed at the same time. They had to admit, even though he was Tim and more often than not he was an idiot, he did havemoments where he could be the sweetest guy in the world.
"That's so cute," Haley even admitted. She always liked Tim. He was Nathan's best friend, and she always felt bad for the way Nathan treated him. Haley had always thought that if he just stopped living in Nathan's shadow, he could be a really cool guy on his own.
"You'll have to give him a big hug and kiss when we get back," Peyton said, throwing Haley an amused grin. She too thought he was just a harmless cutie and was glad that he had finally found a girl that made him happy. Now, she just wished Haley could do the same.
"Yeah," Haley said with a grin. "I'll be sure to do that." As much as she was dreading seeing Lacy, she was starting to think that it might not be as bad as she thought. She still didn't want them staying the weekend or anything, but maybe seeing Lacy wouldn't be the end of the world. Plus, it's not like she was seven months pregnant, she wouldn't even be able to tell that the blonde was having a baby.
"Is Jake still there?" Brooke asked, attempting to keep the anger out of her voice. It didn't matter if she was angry with him; he was still Peyton's boyfriend so she was going to have to control herself. That was the one good thing about the Nathan and Haley break up; now she could bitch at Nathan all she wanted without having to worry about her best friend getting upset about it. "Cause I would hope that he got the message from our little conversation."
"He's there," Luke nodded, rolling his eyes at Brooke's attitude. He loved her to death, but even he couldn't argue the fact that Brooke could be a bitch. Hell, she was one of the biggest, if not the biggest, bitch he had ever meet. "He's acting kind of weird though."
"Weird?" Peyton questioned, surprised at the word Lucas used to describe her boyfriend's mood. Sure, Jake could act a little strange, but usually not so much that someone as obliviously as Lucas could tell. Then again, yelling at Brooke that way he did was very out of character as well. "What do you mean?"
"I don't know," Luke answered. "He was just really quiet last night. When he and Nathan came back, neither of them said a word, just went straight to bed. Something definitely went down between them in the car ride home."
"Maybe they're lovers," Brooke guessed with a funny smirk on her face, dimples in full swing. She turned around in her chair so she was looking at Haley. "I mean, if the guy could give up someone as sexy as you, he'd have to be gay."
"Thanks, Tigger," Haley said with a sad smile. Brooke smiled back at her and winked, telling her that everything would be okay. Haley would never know how she did it, but Brooke could always tell what she was thinking and always found a way to make her feel better. "You're a sweetheart."
"I know," Brooke said, brushing it off like it was nothing. She blew Haley a kiss and glanced at her blonde friend sitting behind her. "Not to mention the fact that P. Sawyer could turn anyone gay…"
"Do not make me smack you," Peyton warned with a giggle. She could tell that Brooke wasn't being serious, that it was all an attempt to keep Haley's mind off of a certain Scott brother. Peyton was more than willing to take a little teasing if it would make Haley feel even a little bit better.
"As much as I love chick fights," Luke interrupted before Peyton could swat Brooke in the back of the head. "I'm gonna have to ask you to stop since I'm driving down a wet road in Jake's piece of crap car. I don't think it will do me any good if you two are going at it."
"Alright," Peyton gave in.
"Ruin my fun."
The remaining part of the short drive was spent singing along to old pop music that Brooke had found in the glove compartment of the car. After finding a Spice Girls cassette buried in the back and agreements to make fun of Jake's old musictaste when they got back, they finally arrived at the cabin. Luke carefully pulled the car back into its parking spot and they started to get out. Before Peyton and Brooke had a chance to help Haley out of the car, the door of the cabin burst open and Tim came charging out.
"You're alive!" he screamed, running towards them at full speed. He spread open his arms to as he ran, preparing to smother Haley in a bone crushing hug. Just as he was no more than a foot away from her, Luke reached out and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, holding him in place.
"Slow down there," he suggested, using his other hand to get a better grip on his friend's shirt.
"Dude!" Tim shrieked, struggling against his grip to get free. All he wanted to do was give Haley a hug; he didn't understand why Lucas was stopping him. "Let me go!"
"Not until you calm down," Lucas told him, talking to him like he was a five year old who refused to eat his vegetables. The girls watched them with amusement, huge smiles on all three of their faces. Nothing made them feel better than some Tim Time, though they'd never tell him that.
"I am calm," Tim protested. He grabbed at Luke's hands, trying to prey them off of his shirt. When that didn't work, he started kicking at his shins. Finally, he gave up and slumped his shoulders, signaling that he was calm. "There, are you happy?"
"I was just trying to protect Haley," Luke explained, biting his bottom lip to stop from laughing. He glanced back at the giggling girls before turning back to Tim. "I mean, the poor girl just got out of the hospital and you were barreling towards her at full speed. It wasn't going to end well."
"Yeah, I guess," Tim mumbled. He pushed Lucas before darting away from him and towards the girls. He slowly walked up to Haley and gently wrapped his arms around her and brought her into a hug, lifting her off the ground a foot or two.
"Hey, Timmy," she laughed, finding the way he was acting to be unbelievably sweet. Normally she would have felt weird, what being crushed in a Tim hug and all, but right now, after everything that happened, it felt really good. She was happy that she wasn't alone; she still had great friends.
"I'm glad you're okay, Hales," Tim whispered into her ear. He would never admit it to anyone, but his friends were his family and there was nothing more important to him than family. "You gave us all a big scare."
"Sorry," Haley mumbled, pulling out of his arms and giving him a kiss on the cheek. "So, I hear Lacy made an honest man out of you?"
"No, I don't think so," Tim answered, his eyebrows scrunched up in the cutest way as he tried to figure out what she was talking about. After giving it a little thought, he shook his head. "Oh, but we did get married." Brooke and Peyton laughed and shook their heads.
"Just when I was starting to think we were wrong about him," Brooke commented as she linked arms with Haley on one side, Peyton taking the other. "As cute as this little display is, I think we should get Hales off her feet. She didn't get any sleep last night."
"And who's fault was that?" Haley asked as they led her towards the steps of the cabin. Brooke and Peyton started arguing over who talked more the night before and Haley just enjoyed the feeling of not having to think about Nathan. It was a nice feeling, just listening to her two best friends argue over something that didn't even matter. It had a familiar feel to it that made Haley feel better some how.
"Hey, Haley." Haley was snapped out of her thought by the familiar sweet voice. She was surprised that she wasn't suddenly filled with the sudden urge to either cry or maim the blonde. Haley looked around, surprised to find that they were already inside the cabin without her realizing it.
"Lacy, hi," Haley replied in an equally sweet voice. The girls shared nothing more than a small wave, both aware of the weirdness between them. Peyton, noticing the tension in the room, cleared her throat.
"So, ah, where's Jake?"
"I think he's still in his room," she answered, sending Peyton a thankful smile for breaking the obvious tension. Peyton nodded and they continued walking towards the bedrooms.
"Thanks," Brooke answered before Peyton had a chance to. "We're just going to go put Miss James down to bed." Lacy nodded and went off in search of Tim and Lucas. The girls continued down the hall.
"See," Peyton teased, bumping Haley with her hip. "That wasn't so bad, now was it?" Haley rolled her eyes, but didn't answer. Haley had to admit, seeing Lacy wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. She didn't get any flashes of her and Nathan going at it, she didn't get light headed or anything. She saw the other woman and she lived through it.
"Just shut up, Blondie."
"That's my girl," Brooke cheered, wrapping her arm around Haley's waist as they walked. Haley kept insisting that she could walk on her own, but neither Peyton nor Brooke listened to her. Once they finally reached Haley's room, they opened the door to find all of Haley's stuff the way she had left it yesterday. "Time for bed?"
"I don't think so," Haley answered. While she was tired, she would never admit it to them. She always felt weird napping in the middle of the day, it made herfeel so unproductive.Brooke ignored her and led her over to the bed before gently pushing her down on it. "Tigger, come on…"
"Nope, no arguing with me, Missy," Brooke told her as she started tucking her best friend in. Haley finally gave up and let Brooke pull the covers over her. Despite wanting to stay up, sleep soon overtook her and Haley was knocked out the second her head hit the pillow. "I told her so."
"Alright, we better get going," Peyton suggested, moving back towards the door. She stopped when she noticed that Brooke was still sitting on the bed. "Brooke?"
"I think I should stay," she answered. "I'll just lay here with her." Peyton raised an eyebrow at her friend and Brooke slumped her shoulders. "She hasn't been sleeping the past week. She shakes and keeps waking up in tears. I'm not sure if she's having nightmares or if it's a subconscious thing, but I think I need to be here with her."
"You sure?" Brooke nodded and moved up the bed, getting in position to lay down beside the already sleeping girl.
"Yeah, you go talk to Jake," Brooke instructed her with a wave of her hand. "Try to find out why he's got a stick up his ass all of a sudden."
"Kay," Peyton nodded, opening the door and stepping out. "Call me if you need anything." Brooke nodded again and smiled as Peyton left the room. As soon as the blonde was gone, the smile disappeared and was replaced by a frown. She slid down the backboard until she was flat on her back. This was the first time she had been allowed to deal with her feelings. She couldn't shake that terrified feeling that had shot through her when she got that phone call from Peyton.
She tilted her head to the side to look at Haley's face and her frown got worse. She could practically see Haley's brain working over time in her sleep and she knew that her thoughts were not good ones. She knew that her friend was going to wake up soon in tears and it killed her to think about it. She wasn't sure how much longer she could take seeing her best friend so broken like that.
She waited a moment longer and tore her gaze away, finally allowing herself to cry.
--OTH--
"So, are you like back together with that girl now?" Nicki asked as she watched the trees go by. The entire ride had been made in silence so far and it was starting to drive her crazy. When Nathan didn't answer right away, she glanced at him to grudge his reaction.
"No," was all he said. There was no emotion in his voice anymore and even Nicki had noticed that. He didn't know what he had been thinking when he had brought her up there, but he knew that he wasn't feeling it anymore. He wasn't even attracted to Nicki any longer. She was just some skank to him now and as soon as they got back to Tree Hill, he hoped he'd never have to see her again.
"Did you try?" It took everything in Nathan not to snap at her. He bit his tongue and didn't say anything. She noticed that he was fighting the urge to say something and it only fueled her curiosity.
"No."
"Are you going to?"
"Would you just shut up?" he snapped, having enough of this conversation. It was none of her damn business if he was going to get back together with Haley or not. He had no idea what he saw in her before.
"Oh, this is going to be better than I thought," she commented. Nicki had been with enough guys to know how to read them. Just by looking at Nathan, seeing the tension in his hands as he held the steering wheel. He was planning something big. "What are you going to do?"
"I'm not talking about his with you."
"Come on," she begged. There was nothing she loved more than good gossip and she knew that she was certain to find some in him. "You know you want to tell me. You're just dying to tell someone, I can tell."
"You're wrong." She wasn't, of course. He had thought about telling Jake about his plan last night, but Jake had dropped the marriage bomb on him and it sort of slipped his mind. "And even if I did, I wouldn't tell you."
"Fine," she sighed, sensing that he was going to give in any minute. She had yet to meet a guy that could resist her nagging. She let out a huge sigh and slumped down in her chair, looking back out the window.
Nathan glanced over at her quickly before looking back at the road. He knew he shouldn't be telling her about this, she didn't even know Haley. He should be asking Lucas about this. Hell, even Tim would be better suited for this, but he really needed to tell someone. He needed to know if his plan was going to work because this was his last chance. If he blew this, that was it. Him and Haley were done. It was all he had left. He sighed and loosened his grip on the steer wheel, but didn't look at her.
"I'm gonna ask her to marry me."
--OTH--
Okay, that is all. Remember, I have it all written out and the sequel has already been started, so no amount of begging for them to get together or stay apart is going to help because I already have the end written. Just so you guys know, the people that reviewed on the board I posted at shared my personal opinion on Nathan and what he'd done and what Haley should do about it, so they were pleased with the ending.
Please review.
