Chapter 6- In Love With You
It had been two weeks since Nathan left and Haley was a complete wreck. She had been physically sick for the past week and it took way too much energy every day just to get out of bed. Even though the days were bad, the nights were the worst. All she did was long for Nathan's arms to be around her, holding her closely to him. The only thing that made it easier was the fact that they talked to each other on the phone every night before they went to bed. It was no where near the same, but it was enough to get her through the day.
As Haley was lying in bed, impatiently awaiting sleep, a thought came to her. Pretty much the greatest idea that she ever had. She quickly sat up in bed and looked over at the clock. It was 2:30 in the morning. Pausing slightly, worried about waking Lucas up, she shot out of bed anyway and ran to his room. She didn't bother to knock on his door, just walked right in and jumped on his bed.
"Haley, what's wrong?" he asked, as he forced himself awake.
"I want to get married again."
"Hales: first of all I really only like you as a friend, and second of all I think that would make Nathan really mad."
"No!" she laughed, and slapped his arm. "I want to get married again- to Nathan! I was just lying in bed thinking about how we never really got to share our marriage with all of you. It was just me and Nathan and my parents. I think it would be fun if we could take a little trip, go pick up Brooke, and go to Florida to surprise Nathan."
"Now you're talking…" Lucas smiled.
"Yeah, I knew the promise of picking up Brooke on the way would definitely make you say yes. I mean, Nathan would love it and then maybe we could even figure out a way for me to live in Florida too for the summer. And maybe if you go make the big gesture to Brooke, she'll want to come back for the summer. And as for Peyton, I don't think really any of us can help her with her problems, but maybe she'll get a little happier when I ask her to be my maid of honor. But we might need to really convince her that it's a good idea to go."
"Wow, Hales, you've really been thinking about this."
"Actually, no, I haven't. It just came to me and I thought- hey, that's a wonderful idea! So, what do you say?"
"I say, let's book three tickets to California! Peyton won't be able to say no when we tell her we're going to see Brooke and that we've already bought her a ticket."
"Okay, let's go!" Haley said, jumping to her feet.
"Uh, how about in the morning, Haley? I'm really tired."
"Lucas Eugene Scott, get out of bed right this instant! Don't you want to go see Brooke? I'm dying here without Nathan, and you should be the same way! Besides, you can get cheaper flights at this time of day!"
"What? Haley, you're lying."
"No, I saw it on the View the other day. So come on, let's go book a flight!"
"Yeah, because the View is a really reliable source of info," Lucas said as he was dragged to his computer.
Not much later they had booked three nonstop tickets to California for the next evening, at only a moderate price if you asked Lucas. "Hales, can I go to bed now?"
"Lucas, how can you think about going to bed right now! There's so much to do. I'm just too excited to even think about sleeping. I think I'll go start packing, and then I'm going to need to find somewhere to have the wedding and someone to do the service." She stood up and continued talking to herself as she left his room. "And then I need to find some flowers, a caterer, and figure out who to invite. There's way too much to do!"
Lucas threw himself back down on his bed and brought his hand up to his forehead. "Oh no, what did I get myself into?"
Nathan woke up bright and early, ready for his daily run. He looked to the picture of him and Haley on the nightstand next to his bed and softly whispered, "Only two months, one week, and six days left to go Hales."
"You know you are pretty pathetic, man."
Nathan looked up to see his roommate, JR, walking out of the bathroom. "Why?"
"Every morning I hear you say hello to that gorgeous wife of yours and I honestly think you're crazy. I mean I can't even think about seriously dating someone, and here you are married in high school."
"It's different when you meet the right person, JR. When I met Haley I was a completely different person, a party animal to be completely honest. But she really changed me and made me see the good in life. It's a completely different lifestyle, but I wouldn't change it for a thing."
"I think that has to be the cheesiest thing I've ever heard."
Nathan threw his pillow at JR and laughed. "I wish you could meet her, maybe then you would understand it. Anyway, are we running this morning?"
"Yes, don't worry, we are running and you can work off your pent up sexual tension. We have to run, otherwise I'm afraid you'll jump me while I'm sleeping."
"No, I'm pretty sure it's the other way around." Nathan took out his cell phone as they walked downstairs and dialed Haley's number. When she didn't pick up, he left a short message on her voice mail. "Hey Hales, just calling to say good morning. You're probably still sleeping, you lazy bum, but I'm jealous and wish I could be there lying next to you. I love you and I'll call you later tonight after practice. Say hi to Lucas for me."
"So, is Lucas the child you had while still in high school who made you that crappy bracelet you wear all the time?" JR asked.
"Okay, first of all this bracelet was given to me by my wife and second of all Lucas is actually my older brother. Haley's staying with him at home until I get back and we find somewhere to live."
"Well then I'm guessing you guys aren't exactly rolling in the dough if you have to buy each other presents that look like that."
"Hey! This bracelet has a story behind it, Haley has one exactly like it except its pink."
"How cute, it's like the boy and girl versions! So, you aren't worried that your wife is all alone back home with your brother? I mean, two brothers was kind of the plot of a porno I was watching the other night."
"JR, you are so gross. You remind me a lot of my friend Tim, just a lot smarter. And no, I'm not worried. They're best friends and she actually knew him before she knew me. I kind of only started hanging out with her in order to piss him off and then I fell for her."
"Well this sounds like a story I'd like to hear. "
"Haley, come on, we have to go kidnap Peyton or we're going to miss our flight!" Lucas screamed upstairs.
"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Haley screamed back, walking down the stairs with a duffle bag slung over her shoulder. "There's something I have to do first. Do you think you could go to Peyton's without me and I'll meet you guys there in a little while?"
"We only have one hour to convince Peyton to go, won't you be cutting it a little close?"
"No, I'll only be about a half an hour, probably less. I promise you that it will all be okay and that we won't miss our plane to California." Lucas had been completely calm last night, but as soon as he woke up this morning and realized he would be seeing Brooke- he went crazy. He had been running all around the house and hadn't sat still the whole day. Haley understood exactly how he felt, she just dealt with the restlessness in a different way. Yet again, she had been sick to her stomach for most of the day. She almost wished that she was running around like a maniac.
"Haley James Scott, if you are late you will probably give me a heart attack."
"Lucas, I know where the airport is and what time our flight leaves. I have my ticket and if I take longer than I think I will, I will meet you two at the airport. Just drag Peyton there if you have to and don't give in if she says no."
"Hales…"
"Luke, it will all be okay." She placed her hands on his shoulders and shook him gently. "You will be seeing Brooke tonight, just try to picture that moment."
Lucas smiled and relaxed momentarily, but not even two seconds later he straightened up and looked Haley in the eye. "If you are not at the airport, we are leaving without you. You got me really excited about seeing Brooke and this is my chance to make things right with her."
"Lucas, I won't screw this up for you. Trust me, I need to make that plane just as much as you do."
Haley paused outside of the door, suddenly unsure of her decision to come here. She took a deep breather and walked into the room anyway, knowing it was something she had to do for Nathan. Mr. Scott was sitting up in his bed, his burns looking so much better than the first time she had seen him. Mrs. Scott was sitting in the chair next to his bed, which was where she had been sitting every time Haley came to visit.
She looked up as Haley walked into the room and a smile formed on her face. "Haley, I was wondering if you were going to come visit. Have you talked to Nathan today?"
"Well, he called this morning and left a message on my phone. He said he was going to call back later tonight after practice. He sounds like he's doing okay, I know that he's made a few friends. The training sounds really strenuous though."
"I'm sure he misses you. Before you know it, he'll be back home and you guys will have picked up right where you left off."
"Well, that's the thing. I came here today because I wanted to ask you something, both of you something," she said, looking at Dan. "I'm flying down to Florida to surprise Nathan, and I have this whole plan for us to get married again on the beach. He doesn't know about it and I just think it would be perfect for us, kind of a fresh start. The thing is, I know you two weren't there for the first ceremony and it would really mean a lot to me, and I'm sure Nathan, if you could come to this one. I know it's a lot to ask considering it's in Florida, but I just thought that maybe you would want to be there to share it with us."
"Haley, that's really sweet of you and I'm sure Nate will really enjoy it, but I don't know if we'll be able to make it out there. With Dan's condition right now…"
"We'll do our best to be there." Dan interrupted her, causing both Deb and Haley to give him looks of confusion. "I know we haven't done our best to support your marriage, and if my doctor gives the okay, then we'll fly out there. Just tell us the date and time, and we'll do our best to get there."
"I don't know exactly…" Haley said slowly, her mind still working on the fact that Dan was being so accepting. "I have to try and find a priest when I get down there without Nathan finding out, and then I need to figure out where the ceremony will be. I can call you as soon as I know all of the details."
"That sounds good. Now you probably want to hurry up, I'm sure you have a few things to do before you leave. And I'm sure hanging out with an old man in a hospital isn't at the top of that list."
Haley forced a smile and looked to Deb. "I'll call you as soon as I plan everything out."
Deb nodded and stood so that she could pull Haley into a hug. "Say hello to Nathan for us and have a safe flight."
Deb watched as Haley walked slowly out of the room, clearly just as confused as she was at what they just witnessed. She sat down next to Dan and gave him a questioning look. "What was that all about?"
"Well the last time that we didn't support their marriage, it cost us our son. I figure the best thing to do is finally accept the fact that they are married and to support them. If we go to Florida, it will show Nathan that we do care and that we love him."
"Where is this coming from? You've barely said two words while you've been in the hospital, and now you're preaching about how we need to support our son. Where was this mana year ago?"
"Things just kind of fell into perspective the moment my wife and brother tried to kill me."
The look on Deb's face was enough to confirm what Dan had just said. "Come on, Deb, after all we've been through I knew you must have a pretty big reason to stay with me every second in the hospital. And then I figured it out: guilt. I also realized it after the doctor told me they found traces of painkillers in my blood, which I had also discovered on the wine bottle. It didn't take a genius to put two and two together on that one. And Keith probably should have done a little better job covering himself up as he started my office on fire. I guess he figured I wouldn't make it, but here I am with the answers right in front of my face."
Deb finally formed a thought in her head. "So, why didn't you tell the police?"
"Because while I was unconscious, I began thinking about the fact that I must have done some pretty horrible things in my life if the two people I should love the most were trying to kill me. And that hurt, it really hurt, but I was okay with that because I finally felt something. After all these years I understood what the other side felt like, what everyone felt when I hurt them."
"So, what do we do?"
"We pretend it never happened."
"Dan, we can't just do that."
"Yes, Deb, we can. Now, I'm going to try and get some sleep. Why don't you go get yourself some food, you've barely eaten while you've been here."
Deb nodded and stood up. She paused right before she left the room, turning around to say one last thing. "Keith pulled you out of the fire, I just thought you should know."
Lucas' leg wouldn't stop shaking so Haley placed a hand on his knee to calm him down. "Luke, there's only twenty minutes left of this flight, but if I have to put up with that shaking anymore- you're not going to make it to the landing."
Lucas relaxed his knee as Haley removed her hand. "You know, Peyton's been in the bathroom for quite some time, do you think she's okay?"
"She's probably fine, I'm sure there was just a line or something. Or she just needs some alone time."
"In the bathroom? Whatever, I'm just glad that she came with. I didn't think she was going to say yes."
"Well, we really didn't leave her much choice. I think it will be good for her though."
"Hales, you think it will be good for her to see me hook up with Brooke and for you and Nathan to get remarried? Her boyfriend left town and she's not going to be seeing him for a long time."
"You have a point there… Who knows, maybe this kid that Nathan's been telling me about, his roommate JR, will be really cute and they'll connect."
"I think that's wishful thinking. This is the longest plane ride in the history of the world!"
Haley laughed. "Well, you at least get to see Brooke soon. I have to wait another two days before I can see Nathan."
"Yeah, but it'll be here before you know it. Two days will go fast."
"Luke, two weeks has been torture! All I have to say is that it has been a really good lesson to me, I'm never leaving again."
"Good, that's exactly what I like to hear. I think I would be just as lost as Nathan if you left again. We need you, Hales."
"And that is what I like to hear." She smiled and rested her head on Lucas' shoulder. "Thanks for doing this with me, Lucas. It really means a lot to me."
"I leave you guys alone for five minutes and look at you." Peyton said as she came back to her seat.
Haley lifted her head up so that she could talk to Peyton. "Hey, is everything okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just needed some time alone, I'll be okay."
Haley opened her mouth to respond, but as she did the captain came over the intercom to tell the plane to prepare for landing. It took them about a half hour to get off their plane and get their luggage, but they quickly found a taxi and Peyton gave the driver Brooke's address.
The weather in Santa Monica was perfect and it didn't take them long to get from LAX to Brooke's new place. They pulled into the driveway of a house right on the beach, not too far from the pier. Peyton was the one to ring the doorbell, excited to see her best friend after two weeks being away from her. Lucas stood a few feet behind her and Haley, unsure as to how Brooke was going to react when she saw him.
Brooke answered the door with a forced smile that quickly changed into a genuine one. "Oh my god, hi!" She pulled Peyton and Haley into a hug, revealing Lucas behind them as she did. She pulled back slowly as Haley and Peyton moved to the side so that she could walk towards Lucas. Standing in front of him she smiled and said simply, "Hey."
Lucas laughed and pulled her into his arms. "Hey yourself."
"What are you guys doing here, what are you doing here?"
Lucas pulled back and smiled. "Well, they came here because Haley has something to ask you. I came here because I wanted to say," he paused slightly so that he could look into her eyes, "that I love you. And I know that before you left you said you just wanted to be friends, but I hope that you don't mean that. Because I really want to be with you and I hope you want it to. I've spent these past few months fighting this, knowing that you were with Felix and that you probably hated me. But I can't fight it anymore, Brooke. I can't…"
He would have continued, but when Brooke placed her lips over his it became a little difficult to talk. "I want that too, trust me I've wanted it more than anything in my entire life. I love you, too."
Lucas laughed. "Well, good, because you're the first girl that I've really ever given a rat's ass about and I'm glad you feel the same way."
I cannot help it
I couldn't stop it if I tried
The same old heartbeat
Fills the emptiness I have inside
And with it you can't fight love so I won't complain
So why would I stop the fire that keeps me going on
Cause when there's you I feel whole
And there's no better feeling in the world
Without you I'm alone
And I'd rather be in love..ohh
Turn out the lights now
To see is to believe
I just want you near me
I just want you here with me
And I'd give up everything only for you
It's the least that I could do
And when there's you I feel whole
And there's no better feeling in the world
Without you I'm alone
And I'd rather be in love..ohh
I'd rather be in love with you
Feel you holding me
Why are we afraid to be in love..to be loved
I Can't explain it I know it's tough..to be loved
And I feel you holding me
OH ohhh And when there's you I feel whole
And there's no better feeling in the world
Cause without you I'm alone
And I'd rather be in love..ohh
I'd rather be in love yes I'd rather be in love
Ow I'd rather be in love with you
Feel you holding me
-"In Love With You" by Vanessa Carlton
OKay soI have to say first of all thanks to everyone who sent me feedback after part five! I live off of feedback. I'm not so sure about this part- I think my Dan storyline is what's bugging me a little. What do you guys think? Also- I picked Santa Monica to be Brooke's new home in California considering we don't know where she actually went. Or at least I was told we never found out. Okay well I will enjoy posting the next installment of this story more and hopefully you will enjoy reading it!
Kylie
