An Hour Later
Lucas stood outside the 'Operating Room' doors waiting. He looked inside at the girl lying motionless on the cold metal table. He watched the doctor's linger over her body, calling out different orders, looking back and forth at the various monitors. Lucas's head was spinning. He didn't know what was going on, he didn't even know whether Peyton was going to be okay.
"Mr. Sawyer" Lucas looked up to see a doctor standing patiently before him. "Miss. Sawyer is in stable condition. We are going to have to keep her for a couple of days to monitor her condition; she lost a lot of blood. Over the next couple of days you and everyone else around her are going to have to make sure she remains calm. She had a stomach ulcer and the severity of it seemed to drastically change of the last hour or so. Her bode was under so much stress that the ulcer grew and blood found its way into her stomach and then into her lungs which is what stopped her breathing. Something set her emotions off and that can't happen again." The doctor began to walk into a nearby unoccupied room and he motioned for Lucas to follow him.
"She is going to be okay though. I mean as long as she stays relatively calm." Lucas bit his lower lip as the doctor closed the door behind them.
"Yes she is." Lucas grew worried as a grim expression was displayed over the doctor's face. "Mr. Sawyer during our examination we discovered that her body had undergone serious trauma. One thing that has caught my attention was a lot of damage done to her genital region." Lucas couldn't hold back the pained expression that crossed his face.
"I think that's what caused her body to get so stressed all of a sudden" Lucas commented quietly, looking at the floor.
"You're not her brother are you?" Lucas shook his head slowly.
"Boyfriend, Lucas Scott. She just got out of a pretty abusive relationship not too long ago and she was telling me about how the guy…" Lucas let his voice trail. He couldn't bring himself to say it.
"Well Mr. Scott she is over 16 so if she doesn't want to press charges we can't make her. All I can say is that it's better if she does. Her body will heal itself in time, but she has to keep her body from going into that kind of shock again." Lucas lifted his head to look at the white coated man staring back at him.
"Telling me about it…do you think that helped her any?" He hoped it had. He hated seeing Peyton in so much pain.
"In most cases it does. Miss Sawyer is in room 235. Just tell them you're her brother, you shouldn't have a problem getting through" The doctor smiled lightly at the heart broken teen.
"Thank you" Lucas's voice was barley above a whisper as he walked out the door. He made his way to the elevator and up to Peyton's room. His eyes scanned the room numbers as he walked down the long hall. He stopped in front of her door. He hesitantly went inside, unsure of what to expect. He walked into the single room and closed the door soundly behind him. He forced himself to slowly turn around and look at Peyton. He crept quietly over to her frail body. He pulled the chair from the corner and sat next to her.
Lucas looked around the bed and examined all the different machines and stands. Her arms were pale and full of needles. She had a blood transfusion, and three IVs. He started at the monitors but he couldn't understand either or them. She had an oxygen tube under her nose as she slept peacefully. Lucas felt better knowing that Peyton was resting and she was calm. He took her hand in his and kissed each of her protruding knuckles gently. He laid his head down on their entangled hands, feeling the burning return to his eyes. He felt the salty tears break free from his eyes and slip down his rough cheeks, silently splashing onto their fingers.
"Hey you" Lucas lifted his head to the hushed voice that vibrated along his ears. The sweet sound rang though his head causing a brief sense of pleasure
"Hey" Lucas smiled weakly imitating Peyton. He watched her close her eyes and inhale the fresh oxygen into her deprived body.
"I'm sorry I scared you. I think I've been doing that a lot lately." She gave a weak laugh with abruptly turned into a harsh cough. Lucas quickly leaned into her with a worried expression. "Luke I'm fine" she gave his hand a small squeeze for assurance.
Lucas lifted his head to look at her. They both became quickly lost in the other's eyes. Lucas stood from his chair and placed a small kiss soundly on her lips. Peyton smiled as he pulled back. "I love you Peyton" She watched a lone tear slipped from his eye.
"I love you too. Please don't cry Luke." She took her other hand and wiped away the tear.
"Party still private" They both looked towards the door to see Nathan with white roses and Haley behind him with 'Get Well Soon' balloons.
"Hey you two, howd you know we were here." Lucas cringed at how low her voice was. Nathan set the flowers down on the table. He walked over to the bed and patted Lucas on the back before leaning over and kissing Peyton lightly on the head.
"Lucas called us. How you feeling Pey?" He looked down at her.
"I've been better, but I'm okay, plus you bought me roses, white roses" She smiled coyly at him causing them all to laugh.
"I guess that puts mine to shame" He said pulling out a single yellow rose from the unnoticed bag next to him. He tapped her nose with it before holding it in front of him with a sad look on his face.
"I love yellow roses." Peyton gasped. Lucas smiled and bent down to kiss her again.
"I figured the above average girl would like the above average rose." He kissed her again.
"My turn" Haley complained breaking them apart. She leaned down and gave Peyton and warm hug. "You better not stay here too long" She stuck her bottom lip out. "Who am I going complain to when Nathan over there gets on my nerves?" Peyton couldn't help but to laugh at this, but she felt a sharp pain in her chest when she did. She coughed allowing a small amount of blood to escape her mouth. Lucas quickly wiped it away with the edge of his shirt.
"Hey you okay?" His face was overcome with worry as he waited for her response.
"Yeah, the doctor said that was gunna happen for a little while. As long as it's not too much there's nothing to worry about." Peyton gave her best effort to smile for him and everyone else. She didn't want them to worry about her; she was doing that enough for everyone.
"Listen we just wanted to stop by and give our regards. But we're gunna head off, visiting hours are almost over. Oh and Luke we stopped by your house to let your mom know what happened and we picked up some clothes for you" Nathan informed him, pointing to the gym bag beside the table. He walked over to Peyton kissed her on the cheek. "Get better babe."
"Nathan Luke and I are right here." Haley rolled her eyes while swatting her boyfriend in the arm.
"Yeah well Pey and I aren't gunna be able to do our thing for a while so…"
"Nathan Scott!" Haley hit him over the head with a look of shock apparent on her face. They all laughed, Lucas stealing a quick glance at Peyton to make sure she was alright.
"Bye you two. I'm going to go beat Nathan all the way to the car, and then all the way home." She gave him an innocent smirk.
"Don't worry I love you Hales, and besides you opened that door. It doesn't matter how long ago." Nathan wrapped his arms around her and kissed her passionately.
"Not interested in the PDAs you two." Peyton smiled obnoxiously in their direction.
"Fine we'll take it elsewhere" Haley stuck her tongue out towards her two friends. "Get better Peyt" her tone was suddenly very genuine as a sad expressing crossed her face, but it disappeared as soon as it came. Lucas watched as they left the room closing the door behind them. Peyton felt the sudden urge to share everything she was feeling with Lucas.
"Luke, I'm scared." She looked at him, the fear clear in her hazel eyes.
"Hey I'm here Peyt. I'm not gunna let anything happen to you, I promise." He took her hands in his once again kissing them gently.
"Lucas can you do me a favor."
"Anything gorgeous." He forced a smile.
"Hold me" He looked into her pleading eyes, feeling a sense of sorrow wash over him.
"Peyt I don't think I'm allowed to." He felt the guilt sting his heart.
"I don't care" He listened as her breath grew heavy. He heard the beeping of the machine increase its pace. Lucas carefully pulled the covers away from her body. He lifted her body from the moderately soft mattress and slid behind her. He felt Peyton relax her body into his after she turned herself around so that her chest rested against his. Lucas intertwined his fingers with her fragile ones as she quickly fell asleep.
Lucas watched intently as her chest rose and fell with each breath. His eyes eventually grew too heavy for him to keep them open and he was forced to succumb to sleep. Peyton's doctor walked in to check her vitals and found the pair cuddled together. He and the nurse looking in behind them could not help but smile at the two teenagers. Their love for each other obvious to anyone who happened to look in on the scene.
Lucas awoke in the morning as the nurse was changing Peyton's blood bag. "Good morning Mr. Scott." The nurse smiled in his direction.
"Morning" He said while returning the gesture. He watched as the nurse finished and got ready to leave the room. Before she shut the door she turned around and looked as him.
"Ohh just thought you'd like to know. The nurses on shift last night decided that you two are the cutest couple we've seen in a long time." She shot another smile at him, before leaving the room. Lucas laughed light-heartedly as he looked down at a still sleeping Peyton. He kissed the top of her head lovingly.
"I'm so glad I have you" he whispered into her golden curls as he squeezed her delicate hands. A smile spread across Peyton's face as Lucas drifted back off, unaware of a smiling Brooke outside the door. She found herself content with the scene in front of her, glad that two of the people she loved had finally found happiness. She turned and walked down the hall leaving her animosity behind.