Brooke couldn't sleep. It was one of her rare days off and she had worked the late shift the night before. At the crack of dawn, the petite beauty should have been zonked out, dead to the world, so to speak but there was no such luck. She was wide awake even before the sun rose. After hours of tossing and turning, she finally got up and donned a jogging suit. Putting her hair up in a loose knit bun and skipping the whole make up application, she quietly let herself out of the door. The pink and yellow rays had just splashed across the early morning sky so she felt safe enough to take a walk. Besides, the air smelled great and it was something calming about Tree Hill that seemed to call out to her.

She ended up at the River Walk. It was quite a sight to see the sun rise over the water. It was quiet and peaceful and she was alone except for a few birds chirping in the crisp autumn morning. Hugging her arms close to her, she took in the beauty of the scene. Brooke could stay in the serenity of the moment forever but she was taken aback when she saw a lone figure sitting at one of the tables a few feet away by the docks. The closer she approached, the more familiar it became. She would recognize that tattered old gray Deb's Den hoodie anywhere.

"Nathan? Is that you?"

She startled him.

"Brooke?"

"Hey", she stopped. "God, I never expected to run into you out here. What are you doing?"

He shrugged.

"I don't know. Couldn't sleep so I took a walk to clear my head."

"Me to, I guess."

"I used to come out here all the time when I was a kid. This table was a favorite of me and Haley's."

"Do you mind if I sit down?"

"No", he shook his head. "Sit down."

Brooke smiled and plopped down beside him.

"It's really pretty out here", she observed.

"Yeah. It's the second best place to watch the sun rise and set around here."

"Where's the best?"

"Wrightsville Beach. It's pretty awesome. I used to get up early and jog out there sometimes."

"Sounds nice. I'd like to go sometime."

"Yeah. Um, whenever you can't sleep again, just knock on the door. I'm a regular insomniac."

Brooke chuckled.

"Really? I guess you're contagious because I've turned into one as of late. But I'll take you up on that offer one day. I'm just surprised to see you. I thought you were going back to South Carolina. Then all of a sudden I hear you're sticking around for a while but I hadn't had a chance to talk to you."

"Yeah…"

"So is it true? Are you sticking around?"

"I guess, yeah. For a while."

"That's cool. And you still get to do your race thingy."

Nathan looked away.

"Um, about that…"

"Uh oh. What happened?"

"There might not be a race, Brooke."

"Did it get cancelled?"

He chuckled lightly.

"For me."

"What does that mean?" she made a face.

"It means I'm just not going to do it. It didn't get cancelled or anything."

Brooke nodded.

"Okay. But can I please ask why and ask without you pulling a Lucas and biting my head off?"

"It's a long, complicated story."

She looked around.

"I have nowhere else to be. And I did ask, didn't I?"

"Yeah. I guess you did. Um, it's not really easy for me to say this, to say it to you or to anybody."

"What is it?"

He took a deep breath.

"I lied. I lied to my mom."

Brooke could see that admitting it loud was tearing him apart.

"What did you lie about?"

"Why I'm staying."

"Why are you staying?"

"Because she's sick."

Brooke's eyes widened.

"Oh no. What happened? Is she going back in the hospital? Is she gonna die? What…"

"No. I mean, Lupus is a chronic condition and that means it's something she has to live with basically forever. She'll have good days and bad days but the symptoms will always be there and sometimes she will get sick. Anyway, the other day I was leaving and I went to say good bye to her and I found her in her room crying. Her hair was falling out. That sometimes happens to Lupus patients, especially if they're recovering from an attack. I read up about it. It doesn't necessarily mean all her hair is going to fall out but enough comes out to scare the piss out of you."

"Gosh. That's so sad. Poor Deb."

"I know. She never knew that I was standing there but it made me realize she's not out of the woods yet. It's still gonna take time. She needs me. I know Mom would never admit that or ask me to give up my dreams."

"So you lied to her. You made up some story about not really having to go."

"Yeah."

"Wow", she stretched.

"It's okay. Sometimes you do what you have to do."

"How long do you plan on staying?"

He shrugged.

"I don't know. As long as it takes. Until I know in my heart she's better and she can handle this more."

"For what it's worth, can I just say I think you're a pretty great guy? I mean, what you're doing is so unselfish and I know it's not easy."

"It's cool."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah."

"Did you tell your uncle yet?"

"Bits and pieces. He's taking it well. I mean, he's worried about Mom obviously but he's glad I'm here to take care of her. But at the same time he says I should live my own life."

"What about Daytona? What does she say?"

Nathan sighed.

"She knows what I have to do and why. Daytona really supports me."

"It must be nice to have someone in your life like that. Daytona's cool. I'm glad that she understands and that she isn't mad."

"I kind of wish she would be", he chuckled.

"Why?"

"I don't like people being mad at me but I can deal with it. Know what's worse? When they're disappointed. I hate that. When I was little and I'd do something stupid and get caught, I'd almost want Mom to spank me or ground me or yell at me. Any of that was better than having her cry or just giving me that look where I know I let her down. Same thing with Daytona. I called her and told her what's up. I know she's trying to understand and I know she cares about me but I know she'd rather have me in Charleston. And she's probably wondering when this is all gonna end."

"She'll be okay, Nate. Trust me. You're a good guy and trust me again, good guys are a dying breed. Daytona knows what she has. She understands how close you and your mother are and I know she respects it. We all do. Yeah, she misses you and she'd rather have you there…what girlfriend wouldn't? But she knows she has to be patient and in the end it will be worth it and everything will work itself out. Besides, when a guy is as good to his mom as you are to Deb, that says a lot about his character. Daytona knows that."

"I hope so."

"I know so. And you know what else? I'll tell you. You don't have to give up on all your dreams, Nathan."

"What do you mean?"

"Okay. I am so clueless when it comes to Nascar and Randy Petty…"

"Richard Petty."

"Whatever. You catch my drift. Anyway, explain to me what goes into preparing for something like the Darlington race."

"It depends on the race itself and the level. The competition factors in a lot. Then there is the car you're driving and the track you're racing on. You have to make sure the car is ready and all the safety features are checked out. There's also a lot of mental preparation. You rely a lot on your crew chief before the big race."

"What does a crew chief do?" Brooke asked.

"Everything. They are the driver's right hand man. They have know what's best for the performance of the car and the driver, all the while keeping safety the most important factor. The crew chief is head mechanic. They direct the pit stops during the race. Let's see, car prepping, engine testing, coordinating training programs…you name it."

"Wow. Sounds complicated. Who's your crew chief?"

"Don't really have a permanent one. My last guy moved up North. The last few races Coop and Daytona have really stepped up and Ray Green who is Cooper's crew chief and Daytona's dad has helped me out. So has her little brother, Garrett."

"Who was going to do it this race coming up?"

"Garrett and Daytona were handling stuff while I was away but I was really hoping Lucas would do this with me."

"He is your brother so I'll refrain from the vulgar list of four letter words I'd like to use to describe him."

"We're probably reading from the same list these days but thanks."

"But can't you still do it? I mean, it's possible, right?"

"I guess but…"

"No buts. Where there's a will, there is a way. You can totally do this, Nathan. Have someone in South Carolina prep your car and do all the physical stuff you can't do while you're here. And on the days you can sneak away, you can drive down and check out how it's going."

Nathan looked at her. For someone who knew squat about racing, she sure made a lot of sense.

"Damn. You make it sound so simple."

"It can be", she smiled proudly. "Now what do you say? Huh? Say yes! Come on, Nate. You know you want to."

He couldn't help but smile.

"Okay", he finally grinned.

"Is that a yes?"

"Yes. Yes it's a yes."

Brooke clapped her hands.

"Yes! PH this is going to be so fun! You got your car keys on you now?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Because we have work to do that we can't do here. We have to get going. You have calls to make and I have plans to make."

"What plans are you making?" he wrinkled his eyebrow.

She winked at him.

"Just think of me as your mental, in house, on call crew chief. Leave it to me. I am very good at management, you know."

"I'm sure."

"Then it's settled. I'll help you. You can do this. From here on out, we're a team. You and I are the home team. What do you say?"

She extended her hand and he looked at it. Something told him it would be an unforgettable adventure. Something told him he'd be in for a lot of work as she had no idea what she was getting herself into. But something else told him he could trust her. They could have fun together.

Nathan grinned and shook her hand.

"Here's to the home team."

Brooke sat back and smiled, overly satisfied with herself.

"Nathan Lee, it looks like this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."