Author's Note: Hey guys! I'm finally back with another chapter of The Sweetest Sin! We've got lots of drama in this one! I'll be updated ITPOAA and FOWB next. I'm trying to think of what I want to happen for both stories so it may take me a couple days to get it out. I'm hoping to get them out by sometime Monday though. Anyways, I hope you like this chapter! As always, please read and review!
Disclaimer: I own nothing. One Tree Hill and its characters are property of the WB.
Rating: K+ to T
The Sweetest Sin
Chapter 16
Once Lucas had gotten Haley to calm down a little and put her to bed for some rest, Lucas drove to his mother's house. Earlier, he had wondered how Haley's parents had found out where they lived because as far as he knew, Haley had left no notice at her house as to their whereabouts.
"Mom!" Lucas shouted as he entered the house. "Lucas," Karen came into the room, a smile on her face because lately her son had been busy and she hadn't seen much of him. She started to wrap him in a hug, but he pulled away. "Did you tell them," he asked, anger rising in his voice. "Tell who, what," Karen inquired with confusion. "Haley's parents, Mom! They-They came to the house! Did you tell them where we were?" "Well yeah, they wanted to see Haley and Krissy so I told them you were at the house…" She was cut off by Lucas screaming, throwing his hands out in anger, "They want to take Kris away from us, Mom! That's why they came! Didn't it concern you at all that they just showed up out of the blue? God Mom, we can't lose Kris!" Karen gasped and a horrified look appeared on her face as she placed a hand to her mouth, "What? Why?" "They came to the house and they said they wanted Krissy to come live with them. They said that since they'd made a mistake in raising Haley, they wanted to make it right with Krissy. They meant Haley being pregnant, but they didn't say it. We can't lose Kris, Mom, it would kill both of us. We can't let Kris go with them. They don't even know her! For God sakes, they've only seen her about twice in her life!"
"Calm down Luke. We'll figure something out. I'll give my lawyer a call and see what we can do, okay?" she patted his arm in comfort, "How's Haley taking it?" "Haley nearly had a breakdown after they left. She was hyperventilating and she was just, utterly shocked, as was I. She was so freaked out and breathing heavily…It took me awhile to finally get her somewhat calmed down and then I made her go rest. She was so stressed out and I didn't want it to hurt her or the baby, so I made her lie down for a little bit," Lucas ran a hand through his hair. "Good. Let me go call my lawyer and talk with him. He'll want to speak with you. Can you stick around for awhile?" He nodded as he sat down at the kitchen table and started tapping his foot anxiously. They couldn't lose Krissy and he would do everything in his power to keep his little girl from going to those horrible people who had abandoned their children.
Several hours later, Lucas returned home and when he entered, he found Haley on the couch, crying. She looked up when she heard the door click shut and met his eyes. "Where were you," she asked shakily as she sniffled through her tears. There was both anger and fright in her voice. "I was at my mom's. I wanted to talk to her about the, uh, situation. She talked to her lawyer and then had me talk to him to explain what was going on…that's why I was gone so long. Sorry," he replied as he set his keys on the table near the door and slowly walked over to her. Haley struggled to stand from the couch and he quickly strode to her side, helping her up. They stared into each other's saddened eyes then held each other in a tight embrace for several long moments, both trying to cope with the grief and despair they had been faced with.
"W-What did the lawyer say," Haley asked once they pulled away. He lowered them both back onto the couch and Haley laid her head against his chest. He stroked her hair then kissed her forehead, "He says we have a pretty good case, but they are Krissy's parents, so they do still have legal rights on her custody. We have to petition to the courts to become legal guardians of Krissy and strip your parents of their legal rights and then Krissy will be ours… But what it all comes down to, is the judge's decision. He has to hear all the information, the story, how they abandoned Kris shortly after she was born and left you to care for her all by yourself. How they've only visited you guys like twice since they left you and Kris. Stuff like that. We will also have to tell about us and Krissy. How we have taken care of her together since she was born and that we're basically the only parents she's ever known." "Why are they doing this," Haley cried as she buried her head into his chest. "I don't know baby," he replied as he rubbed her back in soothing circles, "I don't know."
The next day Haley and Lucas returned from talking with the lawyer and giving him their story. While Lucas had been somewhat reassured that Krissy would stay with them, Haley was still stressed and uncertain. She paced the living room floor for several minutes until Lucas gently took both her hands into his and tenderly squeezed them. "Hales, come here," he said as he wrapped his arms around her, "Everything will be alright." She pulled away, fear in her eyes, "How do you know that? I know the lawyer said that we'll most likely get to keep Krissy, but that isn't good enough. I need to know. God, this situation is-is just crazy! We're not fighting for custody of a dog or family pet, this is human being, my sister for god sakes-" "Hales, you need to calm down. All this stress isn't good for the baby. Or for you. You need to take it easy. Let's go relax on the couch for awhile," he suggested as he guided her to the large couch. He positioned her so her back was to the armrest and he lifted her legs, placing them in his lap when he sat down beside her.
He began massage her feet and she groaned in satisfaction, "Oh, that feels so good." He continued for about ten more minutes until he stood and gestured her to move, "Scoot forward a little." He sat behind her, starting to rub and massage her back. She felt very tense under his fingers and he worked the knots loose with his thumbs and knuckles. Since she couldn't lay on her stomach, Lucas had her lie on the couch with her back to the edge so he could work on her middle and lower back. Haley flinched when he touched a tender spot on her lower back. "Sorry," he responded as he began to rub the spot more gently. He continued to massage her body for another twenty minutes and he finally stopped when he thought she'd fallen asleep.
Haley yawned as she sat up and stretched then wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him, "Thank you. That felt wonderful. You should be a masseuse." "Nope, these fingers are only reserved for you," he replied as he smiled and softly pressed his lips to hers. When they pulled away, Haley ran her tongue over her bottom lip, tasting him on her. She looked to his lips, his eyes, then his lips again. She leaned forward and hungrily captured his lips with hers in a heated, passionate kiss. The kiss became even more feverish as Haley pushed him back to lie down on the couch and she straddled him. She slowly began to kiss down his bare chest as she unbuttoned the shirt he wore. He rubbed her stomach and up and down the sides of her body then began to caress her breasts. Then the phone rang. "Don't answer that," she whispered as she placed another soft kiss on his mouth.
"The hearing is in two days," Lucas responded the next day as he hung up the phone from talking with their lawyer. Haley sucked in a large, long breath. "So soon," she asked shakily the responded more steadily, "soon is good. The sooner this is over the sooner Kris will be all ours." He nodded and hugged her.
The day of the hearing finally came and just before they left the house to go pick up Karen, Lucas tried to calm Haley down, who was beginning to get nervous. "Hales remember, stress isn't good for either of you," he responded as he placed a hand on her stomach. "I can't help but think that the worst will happen. It's all up to the judge, Luke. What if we get a bad judge? What if they don't think we're fit to raise Kris by ourselves? What if the judge gives custody to my parents?" "They won't. After they hear what they did you and Kris, abandoning you two when you were just a kid and Kris a baby, there's no judge that would allow the custody to go to them," Lucas replied as he placed his hands on her shoulders. He kissed her forehead and she leaned into his embrace for a few moments then pulled away. "Come on, let's go get Kris and pick up Karen. We don't want to be late," she replied as she took his hand into her own.
"Docket number 1207, James and Scott vs. James, Judge Williams presiding. Will you all please stand," the bailiff announced to the small group of people in the courtroom. When the judge entered and reached her desk, she said after she had sat down, "You may be seated." After a few minutes while everyone waited for the judge to get situated, she called out, "Opposing counsel, please give your opening statement." "Your honor, my clients are parents to Ms. Haley James, one of the defendants, and to Kristina Summer James. While Haley is eighteen, Kristina is only three years old. They want Kristina to come live with them and they are here today to get their daughter back because Ms. James refuses to let them take her," Mr. Bailey, the James' lawyer, stated. The judge nodded once then turned to Mr. Moore, Haley and Lucas' lawyer, "Defending counsel, your opening statement." "Your honor, my clients, Haley James and Lucas Scott, are petitioning to the court for sole custody of Kristina Summer James on the grounds of abandonment by the plaintiffs, Abigail and Steven James."
"Prosecuting counsel, call your first witness," the judge called. "I call Abigail James to the stand," Mr. Bailey said aloud. Abigail gave her testimony then Mr. Moore did cross examination. This happened again with Steven James then it was defending counsel's turn to call their witnesses. "The defense calls Haley James to the stand," Mr. Moore replied. Haley gave a nervous look to Lucas and he gently squeezed her hand before helping her stand. Haley walked up to the platform and sat in the chair, waiting for him to start the questioning after she was sworn in. "Ms. James, how often are your parents home," Mr. Moore asked. "Never," Haley replied, "I haven't seen them for about a year and a half. I'm basically living on my own, well, without parental support from them anyway. They live out of a suitcase traveling all over the country." "How old were you when your parents abandoned you and Krissy?" "Well, my parents abandoned me when I was six years old. I went to live with my best friend's mom, Karen Roe, and I hardly saw hide nor hair of them until I was about fourteen when my mom came back for a little while because she was pregnant with Kristina. Soon after she was born, my mom split to go back to her job and I was left to take care of her by myself. Well, not by myself really, Lucas has been there for both of us ever since Kristina was born. Lucas and I have been best friends since we were four years old. We've taken care of her together. She knows us; she doesn't know my parents. I don't want Krissy to have to go through the pain of them abandoning her like they did me; I've tried to protect her from that."
"Did they give you any reason why they wanted to take Kristina with them," Mr. Moore inquired. "Yeah, they just showed up on our doorstep about two weeks ago and said they wanted Kristina to come live with them. They told me they'd made a mistake in raising me and wanted to make it right with their other daughter. But in actuality, they didn't raise me, my boyfriend's mother, Karen Roe, did. I think part of their reasoning behind 'making a mistake in raising me' was that I'm pregnant. They probably think I'm some slut who sleeps around and got knocked up as a consequence for my stupid and reckless actions, but they don't know me. I'm not like that. I've only been with one person and although my pregnancy was an unexpected surprise, all of us are happy about the baby, even Kris. You see, if Kris went with my parents, she'd be living out of hotels, spending time by herself, and have no real friends because they move around a lot. A kid has to have roots to grow up and those roots are here in Tree Hill. This place is her home. I don't want the kind of life for her that my parents would give her. She belongs in Tree Hill with me, and Lucas, and everyone that loves her."
"Thank you Ms. James," Mr. Moore replied as he went back to his seat and Mr. Bailey stood for the cross examination. "Ms. James, earlier you said they showed up on your doorstep. Where do you live? Do you still live with Karen Roe?" "I used to live at my parents house from the time I was fourteen up until a couple months ago when Krissy and I moved in with Lucas. We have a house out on Chestnut Ave.," Haley replied. "Who pays for the house? Do you and Lucas pay for it by yourselves?" "No, we help pay for it, but the majority of the payment is taken care of by Karen and Lucas' uncle, Keith Scott. Karen felt that we needed a bigger place than an apartment because with Kris growing up and now with the baby coming, we would need the space." "Ms. James, did you know that since you removed Kristina from the James home, and took her somewhere where your parents couldn't find her, you could be arrested and go to jail for kidnapping," Mr. Bailey asked. Panic coursed through every part of her body. 'No, this can't be happening,' Haley thought as her eyes widened and she stood and screamed, "You can't do that! Krissy belongs with me!" Mr. Moore stood as well as he called out, "Objection, your honor, prosecution is threatening the witness." Judge Williams responded to Mr. Bailey, "Counselor, be careful what you say or I'll have to hold you in contempt." "I'm sorry, your honor. I have no more questions, your honor," Mr. Bailey replied as he sat back down. "You may step down Ms. James," the judge replied. Haley was still panicked. Could they really charge her for kidnapping? She was acting in Krissy's best interest! Haley began to breath heavily and she felt a large migraine settling in.
Haley stood shakily and as she stepped down from the stand, she felt an enormous amount of pain flood through her stomach and she clutched her belly tightly as she doubled over and fell to her knees then to her side on the floor, screaming out in agony. Krissy shot from her place beside Karen behind the swinging doors and ran to her, "Mommy!" Lucas stood up quickly and rushed over to Haley too, "Oh my god, Hales!" Haley had curled into a ball and was crying hysterically, "Luke, it hurts so much… t-there's something wrong with the baby…" Those six words made his heart stop beating, his lungs stop breathing, and his blood run cold. "Someone call an ambulance," he shouted. Karen came up behind them and tried to pick Krissy up, to get her out of the way, but she resisted. "No, Mommy! I want to be with Mommy! Please," the little girl begged, sobbing as Karen finally grabbed her and cradled her in her arms. "Sh, you can't see mommy right now. You have to be a big girl for Mommy and Daddy. Can you do that, sweetie," Karen asked, brushing a few stray strands of hair away from her face. She nodded and looked sadly at Haley as Karen took her away from the scene.
"Hang in there honey," Lucas stroked the top of Haley's head as she sobbed into his chest, "the ambulance will be here in a few minutes." He held her tightly yet gently against his body, not wanting to cause her more pain as he prayed to God that Haley and the baby would be alright and tears flowed freely down his cheeks. Haley's parents tried to come near, but Lucas shouted at them, "Stay away from her!" "She is our daughter," Abigail stated angrily. "You may have given birth to her, but you two are in no way her parents!" "I think you should go back to your side of the courtroom," Karen said tersely as she walked up beside her son and placed her hand on his shoulder. "The ambulance is here," a guard shouted from near the doors. "We'll be at the hospital soon sweetie," Lucas said softly to her as the paramedics rushed in.
Three hours later, Lucas was still worriedly pacing the waiting room, awaiting news on Haley. His face and eyes were red from crying and he was a nervous wreck. Karen was sitting in one of the chairs as she kept an eye on her son and Krissy, who had cried herself into a fitful slumber in the chair next to her. The doctor finally entered and Lucas rushed over to him, "How is she?" "We got her stabilized and gave her some fluids. She's calmed down now. You may see her if you'd like," the doctor explained as he gestured for Lucas to follow him. "And the baby? Is the baby alright," he asked, swallowing hard. "The baby is fine. The tests we took on Miss James show that she has been under extreme stress lately, correct?" Lucas sighed and rubbed his forehead, "Yeah, she and I are fighting for custody of her sister with her parents and she's- we're worried that we might lose her." "Well, from the results of the tests, it was determined that Miss James' episode was caused from the amount of stress she has been under. It's not right now, but it could be potentially dangerous to her and the baby if these pains continue or intensify. Now, I suggest that she be put on strict bed rest for four days. No walking, don't even let her get out of bed. If she has to use the restroom, carry her. She needs to have as little stress as possible." "I will do that. Thank you doctor," Lucas shook his hand then the doctor left. He stood outside Haley's hospital room for a minute, gathering his thoughts and registering what the doctor had told him. Tears welled in his eyes at the thought of the pains getting worse and putting Haley and their child in danger.
After a few minutes of pulling himself together, he finally entered the hospital room and Haley immediately looked up and, seeing the tears still in his eyes, she looked down again. "I lost the baby, didn't I," she said softly in a broken voice, burying her head in her hands as she began to sob, "I'm sorry Luke, I'm so sorry. I couldn't protect our baby. I'm such a horrible mother. I couldn't even keep our baby safe while it was inside me…" Lucas rushed over to her and gathered her in his arms. "Sh sh… It's alright. Our baby is right here," he said, placing a hand on her stomach, "still inside you. You didn't lose the baby, Hales." She wrapped her arms around his neck and back and pulled him tight to her body, crying into his chest.
There was a knock on the door and Karen entered but stayed by the door, "Hey Haley, how are you feeling?" "Better now," she smiled through her tears. "Krissy wants to see you. Is it okay for her to come in," Karen asked. Haley nodded and Karen stepped outside then brought the little girl in by the hand. At seeing Haley, she raced over to the bed and Lucas scooped her up, placing her carefully beside Haley, "Mommy! Mommy, I was so scared…" The little girl wrapped her arms around Haley's neck and laid her head on Haley's chest. Haley kissed Krissy's forehead and stroked her hair, "I know baby, I was too. I'm okay now. You don't have to be scared anymore." "Is Baby okay," she asked as she gently touched Haley's stomach. Haley smiled, "Yeah, Baby's fine." "Good," Krissy replied as she laid her head on Haley's belly and kissed it.
Haley was kept overnight for observation but was allowed to go home the next morning as long as she followed all the instructions the doctor had given them. And Lucas would make sure she did. Lucas called their lawyer and had the trial postponed until Haley was feeling better although he didn't really want her to go back there, fearing she would have another episode again if she got too stressed out.
When they arrived home, Lucas carefully carried Haley to their bedroom and gently laid her down. "I'm sorry that you have to carry me around everywhere. I probably feel like a dead weight," she said as she adjusted a pillow under her back. "Nah, it just gives me a chance to build up my muscles," he grinned as he flexed his arms. She laughed then patted the vacant spot beside her, "Come lay down with me." He nodded and lay down next to her. She snuggled into him, her back to his chest, and she kissed the knuckles on his hand as he wrapped his other arm around her and began to rub her stomach in slow, soothing circles. "I love you," she whispered as she began to fall asleep. "I love you too," Lucas replied as he placed a soft kiss on her temple and pulled her closer to him.