Karen was working at the café as the phone rang, she picked it up.
"Karen's café, Karen speaking."
"Yes, this is um… Nathan."
"Oh, hi Nathan. What can I do for you?"
"I think you should come and pick Lucas up from school." Nathan said with a nervous voice.
"Why what happened?" Karen asked worried.
"There was an accident…"
"What! Is he okay? What happened?" Karen started to panic.
"He's fine, at least physically. Mentally is another story, he won't let them take her body to the hospital. He won't let anyone come near them."
"What happened!" Karen almost screamed.
"Haley was… um… hit by a car and…" Nathan tried to fight back his tears but did not manage to do so. "She didn't make it." Nathan sobbed, he had really started to like Haley and she made his brother happy. Karen was quiet for a long time, so long that Nathan spoke again. "Karen? Are you still there?"
"Yeah, I'm here… She's… she's… gone?" She managed to get out.
"Yes." Nathan replied as he sobbed harder only to hear the dial tone on the other end when Karen hung up the phone.
A few minutes later Karen ran across the road to get to Lucas, she could see all the people standing around something on the ground and she pushed herself through the crowd. What she found in the middle made her stop in shock. She had not realized what had happened until that very moment, that moment when she saw her broken son sitting on the ground clutching to Haley's lifeless body. She fell to the ground beside him.
"Lucas? Lucas, honey? We have to let them take her. We have to get back to the café and go and pick Oliver up. You have to be strong for him Lucas. He needs a father, now more than ever." Karen kept talking until Lucas finally gave in and rose from the ground; he walked toward the café with his mother behind him. As they entered Deb came up behind the counter.
"Karen? Why did you leave like that, it's the beginning of the rush." She asked as she saw the sorrow in their faces. Karen turned to the customers.
"Leave! The café is closed until further notice, due to family tragedy." She said and the customers left.
"Karen what happened? Why did you ask them to leave?" She asked but Karen took no notice to her words, instead she turned to Lucas.
"Honey? We should get Oliver from Mrs. Morrison." She said and tried to hug him but he pulled away. She tried again but with the same result, she tried a third time and this time she refused to let him go even if he tried to pull away. He finally relaxed and fell into her arms crying.
"Why mom? Why?" He sobbed.
"I don't know sweetie, we can't control the universe. You remember what Haley used to say? Everything happens for a reason even though we might not be able to see it." Karen said as she stroked his back in an attempt to comfort him.
"Karen?" Deb asked in a soft voice. "What happened?" Karen turned her head but still held Lucas close as if he wouldn't break as much if she did.
"There was a caraccident outside the school, Haley was hit… She's gone." Karen whispered.
"Gone?" Deb asked shocked.
"Gone! As in she left us, no longer here, no longer alive. No longer with me." Lucas screamed and sunk to the floor, sobbing he put his head in his hands.
"Dad? Why have you never told me why mom isn't with us? I mean you always talk about how great, sweet and beautiful she was." A 16 year old Oliver asked his father.
"I just don't like to talk about it but if you really want to know I'll tell you. You're old enough to be able to handle it and to remember what I will tell you." Lucas answered.
"Okay, what happened?"
"When you were about six months old I was in school and your mother was late. I assumed you'd kept her up all night and didn't think more about it. There was a cheerleader that drove past the classroom window really fast and I soon heard the shrieking brakes. I don't know how but I just knew something bad had happened so I ran out the door and over to the car that was no longer moving and in front of it was…" Lucas swallowed hard before continuing. "In front of it on the ground was your mother, Haley James…" He swallowed again as tears escaped from his eyes. "I watched her die; she died right there in my arms." Lucas buried his face in his hands as he cried for his lost love. Oliver hugged his dad.
"I'm sorry dad." He whispered.
"It's okay son, I want you to know that she loved you very much. More than any mother has ever loved a child, you were her everything." Lucas said between sobs as he hugged his son tight. "It was 16 years ago today." He told Oliver.
"I'm sorry dad, are you okay?"
"Yeah, I will be tomorrow anyway. I'm just going to make a phone call okay?"
"Yeah, sure." Oliver left the room as Lucas dialled a familiar number. He dialed it every once in a while when the grieve was too deep to handle alone. A familiar voice soon answered.
"Hello?"
"Hey Brooke. How are you doing today?" Lucas asked.
"I have been better, how are you?"
"Same. I just told Oliver what happened to Haley, though I did not mention any names. I don't want him to hate you; you are a good person Brooke. A great friend who stands by my side in my week moments, like today."
"Thank you Lucas, I still can't believe you forgave me. Why did you do that?"
"Hating you isn't going to give me Haley back and I needed to forgive you so that I could move on. Having you as a friend was just a bonus."
"Oh, thanks." Brooke smiled. "You are one of the best guy's I've ever met, you know that?"
"Thank you. What are you doing tonight? Want to have dinner with me and Oliver?"
"You sure?"
"Yeah, you shouldn't be alone tonight. Who knows what you'll do, right?" Brooke let out a small laugh at his comment.
"Right, I'd love to."
"Great. Don't let the guilt take over okay?"
"I won't, thanks again Lucas. Say hi to Lucas Jr. for me okay?" Lucas laughed at her nickname for his son.
"I will. We'll see you tonight then."
"Yeah, bye."
"Bye."
Later that evening Lucas excused himself from the table at the café and walked up to the roof. Neither Oliver, nor Brooke followed him because they both knew that Lucas only went up there to be alone. They knew that it used to be his and Haley's own place and that it held a lot of memories.
As Lucas opened the door he felt the night air hit his face and make its way through his hair. He sat down on a table with a miniature golf putter in his hand. He though about himself, about Oliver but mostly he thought about Haley. Where would they be if she hadn't left this earth? Would they still love each other or would their early parenthood have torn them apart? He hoped that they would have stayed together because he could still feel the same love, if not stronger, for her as he did 16 years ago. He sat there for a long time, staring at the darkening sky and the more and more visible stars. "I know that you're up there somewhere." He whispered to no one. "I love you now more than ever, I miss you." He whispered to the now nearly black sky. He felt a calm wash over him and he couldn't explain it but he felt Haley's presence. He had had the same feeling every year at the anniversary of her death; he could feel her comfort even if he could not see her. He felt a hand on his shoulder and he knew he would make it, he would be okay. He had gotten something beautiful from his lost love, he had a son. A son that was so much alike both himself and his lost love. Then he could hear a soft voice singing in the distance, he knew the words by heart since he had heard the same song every time he felt her presence and it reflected his own feelings like a mirror reflected his face…
Constantly
girl you're on my mind,
and girl I think about you all of the
time
and even though words are hard to say,
girl I miss you,
never thought I'd feel this way.
If you keep on taking, my
heart you'll be breaking so why do you do this to me?
You know
how I'm feeling it's you I believe in baby can't you see that I need
you?
You know that it's true.
Every time I see your face
I miss you baby
You know that it's you.
I want to let you
know you're driving me crazy.
I'd do anything to help you to see,
I don't think you understand what you're doing to me.
You know
that it's true.
Every now and then I want to call you baby.
You
know that it's you.
I say a prayer that you'll come back to me
lady.
Oh yeah.
Life ain't anything alone can't you see you're
an angel in my eyes,
everyday you're closer to me.
Nobody's
there when I call your name,
and nights are cold girl without
your flame.
But if I could girl I'd make you see.
That I'm
sorry, and that I need you here with me.
If you
keep on taking, my heart you'll be breaking so why do you do this to
me?
You know how I'm feeling it's you I believe in baby can't you
see that I need you?
You
know that it's true.
Every time I see your face I miss you baby
You know that it's you.
I want to let you know you're driving
me crazy.
I'd do anything to help you to see, I don't think you
understand what you're doing to me.
You know that it's true.
Every now and then I want to call you baby.
You know that
it's you.
I say a prayer that you'll come back to me lady.
Oh
yeah.
Life ain't anything alone can't you see you're an angel in
my eyes,
everyday you're closer to me
Every day reminisce
with the past
of a love that we thought would last.
How we
used to be when it was you and me.
How did it all disappear so
fast?
There are days that I can't forget
there are things
that I now regret.
I was there for you when you were there for
me, and I was thinkin' we were set.
Every night when I'm laying
in my bed
I hear your voice going round in my head, think of all
the things
I could have done and all those things I could have
said.
I really will make it up to you
I know now what I've
got to do,
It took time but now I've realised how much I'm
missing you.
If you
keep on taking, my heart you'll be breaking so why do you do this to
me?
You know how I'm feeling it's you I believe in baby can't you
see that I need you?
You
know that it's true.
Every time I see your face I miss you baby
You know that it's you.
I want to let you know you're driving
me crazy.
I'd do anything to help you to see, I don't think you
understand what you're doing to me.
You know that it's true.
Every now and then I want to call you baby.
You know that
it's you.
I say a prayer that you'll come back to me lady.
Oh
yeah.
Life ain't anything alone can't you see you're an angel in
my eyes,
everyday
The end…