A.N Well here's the latest chapter. I hope you all enjoy it. Reviews have dropped off a bit for the last few chapters so hope to see some more this chapter to give me incentive to keep writing.

Chapter Forty-four

The day had finally come that Lucas was to be released from hospital. He was not entirely healed of course and would need significant rest in order for his ribs to heal not to mention the physiotherapy that would be required on his fractured leg. But the truth was he didn't care all he cared about at that moment was that he would finally be getting out of this hell hole and get to go home to his baby. Not that he wouldn't still be spending most of his time at the hospital anyway between going there for his physiotherapy sessions and visiting Brooke he knew he would be a regular visitor for at least a while longer. But at least he would no longer be there as a patient. Best of all he would no longer have to eat their food. It was well past time for him to be home in his own house as far as he was concerned. He had tried to convince the doctors' that he was well enough to go home a week ago but they had been having none of that. When he tried to argue they simply reminded him that his brother and Haley had more than enough on their plate at the moment without having to deal with an invalid also. He had given in at that point knowing that they spoke the truth. There was no doubt he would still require a significant amount of help from the two of them for a while longer but at least now he had regained some of his strength.

He sat on the bed impatiently waiting for Nathan and Haley to arrive to take him home. He could hardly wait to be back in his own bed. He sobered at the thought as he realised that this would be the first time that he had ever spent more than a night in that bed without Brooke. It was killing him knowing that she was lying in that room hooked up to so many machines and seemingly oblivious to his presence when he went to visit her. He couldn't count the amount of times he had sat with her in the past week alone holding her hand and begging her to wake up or to at least somehow let him know that she could hear him. But it hadn't happened and his heart had sunk every time he left the room.

Things were so crazy right now and he wanted nothing more than to be able to share what had been occurring with his wife. Grimacing he remembered the scene that had played out less than two weeks ago in this very room between his parents and his uncle. When Keith had turned up Lucas had been shocked to see him but also partially relieved to know that he was ok at least physically. But Lucas had been able to see the pain emanating from the older man's eyes every time he had looked in Karen's direction and it had torn him apart inside. He had seen his mother's discomfort with the situation and had felt like lashing out at her but knew it wouldn't accomplish anything good. The situation had been volatile enough without him adding to it. Dan standing in the corner with his arm around Karen and that ever present smirk gracing his lips as he regarded his brother was without doubt making a bad situation worse and Lucas had felt powerless to do anything about it. But as he watched his mother with Dan he had been overcome with a sense of things perhaps being the way they should have always been. It was horrible that Keith and Deb had ended up being so hurt by everything that had occurred but perhaps it was all for the best in the long run. As he looked at his parents he was struck by how happy they appeared and could not ever remember another time in his life where he had seen either of them looking so content and peaceful.

Keith had remained at the hospital for a while supposedly with the intent of visiting Lucas but very little of his attention had been focused on his young nephew and instead he had stood glowering at his brother and the woman that he himself had married mere months before. Finally Lucas had had enough of the tension in the room and had asked them all to leave citing tiredness as a reason but in reality he had just wanted to forget about the problems of the elder members of his family. He had more than enough going on in his own life without adding their dramas into it and so he had asked them to leave and since then the visits had been very few and far between. The few occasions that they had come to visit they had come separately and the visits had been brief and uncomfortable.

Shaking his head to clear it of these thoughts he looked towards the door once more hoping to see Nathan and Haley but still they had not arrived. He was growing more impatient by the second; he just wanted to go home to his house and try to pretend that the last few weeks had just been some horrible dream. As much as he wanted to believe that maybe it was possible he knew instinctively that it wasn't. He didn't even know why he was acting this way. All his life he had faced life's obstacles head on and now when confronted with perhaps the biggest obstacle ever all he wanted to do was run away and bury his head in the sand and wait for it all to be over. The thought crossed his mind that Brooke would be disappointed in him if she knew the way he was thinking right now and silently he berated himself. He could not let her down now. Looking up once more he saw that there was still no sign of Nathan and Haley and impatiently reached for the buzzer that would call a nurse.

Twenty minutes later he sat at her bedside her hand held gently in his, his thumb rubbing softly back and forth over the almost translucent skin of her hand. He doubted there was a single person in his life who could possibly understand just how scared he was at that moment. How terrified he had been ever since he had woken up and been given the devastating news that Brooke was in a coma and her prognosis was uncertain. He knew that Nathan had done his best to be understanding and to provide a shoulder for him to lean on but the truth was he couldn't discuss his real feelings with Nathan. Sure he could talk about how he wanted Brooke to wake up but he couldn't tell him how guilty he felt for taking her out on that dark and rainy night. The police had been by and told him that as far as the legalities were concerned he held no responsibility for Brooke's condition but that had done little to lessen his own sense of culpability. The constant string of 'What ifs' had been plaguing him for days and seeing Brooke lying in that bed it was all he could do not to turn tail and get the hell out of there. 'What if he had made her wait till morning to see Deb?' 'What if he had refused to drive anywhere while she was not wearing a seatbelt?' But the biggest 'What if' that had been keeping him awake at nights was the 'What if he never got the chance again to tell her how much he loved her?' It was only through sheer force of will that he remained by her bed for at least two hours each day and dragged himself back there again the next day. Perhaps partially it was the guilt that led him there so frequently but more than anything it was the incredible love he felt for the woman lying so deathly still in her bed.

Hearing a noise behind him he turned to see Haley and Nathan standing unsurely in the doorway. Using every ounce of strength he possessed he forced a smile to his lips that served to invite them into the room. He watched as Nathan wheeled Cory's pram up beside the bed, Haley close beside him. Peering in he felt the first genuine smile he had worn all day come to his lips as he looked at his son. He reached a hand out towards him and grimaced at the pain shooting through his chest from his injured ribs.

Haley moved into action instantly deliberately brushing up against Nathan as she walked to the side of the pram not by the bed and bent to get Cory. She heard Nathan's sharp intake of breath as her ass brushed up against his leg but acted as if nothing was out of the ordinary. Picking up Cory she handed him to Lucas allowing him to cradle his son in his one good arm. Lucas looked between her and Nathan strangely for a moment before turning his attention to his son.

"Wow Cory, look at you. You look bigger every time I see you I guess your Uncle Nate and Aunt Haley have been taking good care of you huh? I just wish your mommy would wake up and see you now. She was looking forward to meeting you so much but I promise you that very soon the two of you are going to be getting to know each other. She loves you so much Cory." His face fell for a moment as he wondered whether he could truly keep the promise he was making to his son but he had to believe that the words he had spoken were the truth. Without them he had little to hold onto. The hope that Brooke would soon wake up was the only thing that was standing between him and a serious breakdown at the moment.

Looking up from his son he glanced towards Nathan and Haley noticing the way she stood close to him her hand gently resting on his arm. Lucas could see the tension in his brother and wondered about it. Resolving to speak to him about it later he broke the silence in the room. "Would you guys mind giving me and Cory some time alone with Brooke? I know it sounds stupid what with Brooke being in a coma and all but I would just really like to have some time just the three of us, as a family." Nathan looked quizzically at him and for a moment Lucas thought he might refuse but then Haley took his hand in hers and led him out of the room.

As soon as they were out of the room Nathan jerked his hand away from her. "What's going on Haley? Why are you suddenly unable to keep your hands to yourself?"

Haley smiled at him coquettishly and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know what you're talking about Nathan," she said resting a reassuring hand on his arm.

"This," he said shaking her arm off, "this is what I'm talking about."

Haley looked at him apparently mystified by his behaviour. "It's just an innocent touch between friends Nathan. We are friends aren't we?"

Nathan stared at her unsure of how to respond. When this arrangement had first began friends was the last thing he would have thought of them as but then gradually they had started to find a certain level of comfort with each other and things had progressed to a level where they could communicate in a friendly manner. He wondered if perhaps he was over reacting to her proximity but the memory of what had happened the day before was far too fresh in his mind. She said she wanted them to be friends but the way they had been on that sofa yesterday had gone far beyond the limits of simple friendship. Plus what she had done to him in the kitchen was not something he would descrive as the actions of a friend. He'd nearly had a heart attack when he felt her hand in his pants stroking him like that. Never in his life had he imagined that Haley would do something like that even when things had been great between them it had almost always been him that had instigated any sexual activity.

He looked at her and found her staring up at him waiting for his response. "I would like us to be friends too Haley but I just don't know how we do that. In all the time that we've known each other we've never just been friends."

"Well then," she said "I think now is the perfect time for us to start. Lucas is coming home with us today and I'm sure the last thing he needs is for there to be any tension between us. He has more than enough going on at the moment don't you think?"

Haley could see him processing her words and knew she had gained the upper hand. There was no way that he would want to do anything that might make things any more difficult for his brother. Finally he looked at her and nodded slightly. "Friends it is," he agreed.

"Good," she said moving to where he stood and stepping in close to him wrapping her arms around him. He stiffened in her embrace but she remained where she was stroking her hands over his back in a soothing fashion.

"What are you doing now," he groaned finding the way her hands were roaming over his back anything but soothing.

"Just giving you a friendly hug," she told him smiling to herself. This was working out even better than she had predicted. She knew she couldn't push Nathan too hard at the moment or he would withdraw from her but she also knew that if she kept her advances subtle then he couldn't accuse her of anything untoward. Her hands continued their exploration of his back and she felt him begin to relax against her. His hands moving from where they had hung stiffly by his sides to lightly caress the skin of her arms. She pressed herself in more closely against him burying her face in his chest and inhaling his scent. She had always loved the way he smelt and was gratified to find that nothing had changed. His aftershave was still the one she had once bought him as a Christmas present. Ever since that day it had been the only one he had worn.

Nathan stood with her in his arms once again and wondered why it was that he could never stay away from her try as he might. He was doing his best to remain unaffected by her proximity but could feel his body stirring in its natural reaction to her presence. The smell of her perfume was invading his senses and he wanted nothing more at that moment then to dip his head and taste her skin. He felt his head lowering and was powerless to stop it she had some sort of hold over him that he could never fight. His lips were inching closer and closer to the exposed skin of her neck. He was barely inches from her and could feel the excitement coursing through her body as he held her and knew she was aware of what he was planning. His mouth continued closer and closer then just as they made contact Lucas' voice came to them from inside the room.

The exasperation in his tone was obvious and Nathan wondered just how many times he had attempted to call them back into the room. Stepping back from her he moved out of her embrace and moved towards the room not looking back, not wanting to see the longing that he was sure was now present in her eyes. After a moment he could feel her start to follow him and lengthened his strides wanting to be back in the room with Lucas and Cory before she reached him. He truly didn't know how much more of this temptation he could take.

Lucas looked at him strangely when he entered but apparently decided against asking what it was that led to him looking so bothered. There was now no doubt that he and his brother had to sit down and have a serious chat some time soon but that could wait until they had some time alone. Looking once more back at Brooke he turned to the pair standing in front of him. "I'm ready to go when you are," he said quietly.

"Uh sure," Nathan agreed.

"Why don't the two of you go upstairs and collect Lucas' things and take Cory with you I want to spend a few minutes with Brooke before we leave." Haley told them.

Nathan and Lucas nodded and Nathan wheeled Lucas towards the elevator with Cory cradled in his father's arms. "I'm going to be so glad to get rid of this wheelchair man," Lucas told him.

"Yeah I'm sure you will be," Nathan said distractedly as he punched at the button that would call the elevator.

"So you going to tell me what's going on?" Lucas asked calmly. Although he couldn't see him he could feel the tension emanating from his brother and knew that he had been right in thinking that there was something he needed to talk about.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Nathan tried to tell him but Lucas cut him off with a derisive laugh.

"Don't bother man now come on tell me what's going on. I could use the distraction."

Nathan sighed resignedly. "What do you want to know?"

"Well you can start by telling me what's going on between you and Haley. It's obvious that there is something happening between the two of you. Not to mention the fact that from what I saw today she's pregnant. What the hell is that about? Just tell me where you guys stand at the moment. Last time I spoke to you about this you never wanted to speak to her again. So tell me what's changed?"

"I wish I could Luke but I don't even know where to begin. You're right though she is pregnant. I'm going to be a father in about four months time."

"Well that's good news at least isn't it? Surely this gives you and Haley something to build upon. Maybe there is hope for your relationship after all."

Nathan shrugged and grunted noncommittally. Lucas looked at him and could see he wasn't going to get a real answer from him just then. Nathan obviously had a lot going on in his head and only he could sort out just what his feelings were for Haley right now.

"Alright but you know if you do want to talk I'm here for you man." Lucas told him quietly. He knew his brother would not appreciate any sentimentality and decided to leave it up to him to come to him when he was ready to talk.

Nathan nodded quietly and exited the elevator as it came to a stop. "I do need to talk to someone but I just need to try and sort it out in my own head first." There was no way he could talk to Lucas about this when he didn't even understand it himself. Sighing he paused outside Lucas' room "All I know man is that she's driving me insane."