A Gift of Love (Chapter Eight)

EARLY SATURDAY MORNING

Nathan yawned. At the same time, Haley opened her eyes and smiled when she saw him. When he saw her, he smiled back in embarrassment. "How long have you been watching me?" she asked.

"All night," he admitted. Haley laughed.

"How the heck are you going to stay awake tonight?" she asked.

"I don't think I'd be able to even if I had some sleep," he said. Haley looked at him in confusion.

"Tomorrow is our wedding, Haley," he said. Haley stopped to think for a minute and then she smiled widely.

"So, you sorted everything out?" she asked.

"Not exactly," he said.

"Nathan, what did you do?" she asked. "Uh, well, I switched the location," he admitted. Haley looked at him in shock.

"You what!" she exclaimed.

"Well, you're not going to be out of the hospital tomorrow, so we can't have it at the church in Tree Hill," he started to explain. Haley looked at him warningly.

"Nathan, if you're about to tell me that we're having the wedding at your dad's house, sick or not, I'll put you in the hospital myself," she said. He laughed.

"Of course it's not at my dad's," he said.

"Then, where is it?" she demanded.

"Here," he said.

"Why the heck would you want to have it at this chapel?" she asked.

"Not the chapel, Haley," he said.

"Then where?" she asked.

"Near the admitting desk of the ER," he said. Haley looked at him in disbelief. "Before you get mad, let me explain why," he said.

"This had better be good," she said, folding her arms across her chest, which was a classic sign of Haley being angry.

"I don't have to tell you that this is the hospital where you came back into my life. And I don't have to tell you that I thank God every day for bringing me to that hospital and, yes, I realize that means I'm actually glad that one of my friends was almost killed but I can't help it. Haley, you mean everything to me and people get second chances in this hospital every day. And we got a second chance too," he said. Haley smiled, but then it faltered.

"But why in front of the ER admitting desk?" Haley asked.

"Because that's where we saw each other again," he said. Haley's smile reappeared and she motioned for him to come closer. He sat on the edge of the bed and carefully moved closer to her.

"I love you," she said.

"I love you too," he said. She held his face and brought it to her as she kissed him deeply. He moved his arms around her and pulled her closer.

SUNDAY MORNING

Haley finished getting dressed into the pale blue sundress Peyton had brought with her. "You guys knew all along, didn't you?" she asked, looking at Brooke and Peyton. Brooke had tears streaming out of her eyes.

"Yes," she blubbered. Haley laughed and handed her a tissue. "Thank you. I'm such a sucker for weddings," she said. Haley let Taylor put her IV in and when she was finished, Haley brought her IV pole to her side. She swallowed a 6-MP and cringed at the taste. She slowly drank water.

"I wonder how many brides have had to take pills to get through their wedding?" Peyton joked. Haley laughed. Peyton handed her a bouquet of flowers.

"Are you going to have to drag that thing with you while you're getting married?" Brooke asked, gesturing to the IV pole. Haley nodded. Peyton smirked.

"The pole can give you away," Taylor joked. Haley swatted her with her right hand.

Nathan smiled as he fixed his tie. "This is probably weirder than when I found out you were married the first time," Lucas said, walking over.

"Oh, come off it, Lucas. You should've seen Haley's face when I explained it to her. She was glowing," he said.

"I was just kidding," Lucas said, laughing. Nathan nodded and rolled his eyes.

"So, how are you feeling?" Dan asked as he came into this room.

"Well, I was on cloud nine until a few seconds ago," Nathan said.

"Oh, calm down, Nathan. This is your wedding day. It's supposed to be a happy day," Dan said.

"Yeah, I know," he said.

TEN MINUTES LATER

The priest had already introduced that it was the wedding between Nathan Scott and Haley James. Now it was time for them to both say their vows. Nathan took a deep breath as he looked at Haley deep in her eyes.

"I love you, Haley and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. It's not every day that you get a second chance, but I'm glad that we were given one. I will love you until my last breath and I promise to cherish you every single day that we're together whether it be for ten years or ten months," he said. Haley smiled.

"When I first found out that I was sick, I was all alone. And when they told me that I was out of remission again, I gave up. I didn't want to go through it alone anymore. But then a funny thing happened: You. You came out of nowhere and taught me to treasure life. You refused to accept my decision to just lie down and die and even though at the time, I know I wasn't very receptive, I'm so glad you did that. Because I would've missed out on the third chance that God has given both of us," she said. He looked at her in confusion.

"Nathan, this morning, my doctor came to talk to me with a big smile on his face. He told me that I was in remission again. So, I don't know exactly what your plans were, but we're in this for the long haul. I love you," she said, smiling. Nathan looked at her in shock. He didn't even wait for the priest to say the famous words. He closed the distance between them and crushed her lips with his. When the kiss ended, he looked at her and smiled.

"I love you too," he said.

"By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride again," the priest said, smirking with amusement. Nathan smiled and leaned down and kissed Haley again.

The End