Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with One Tree Hill.

Chapter Eight

Someday (I will understand)

by: D. Sollers

Brooke tossed a moment, before opening her eyes. The sunlight shining through the blinds had caused her to wake up and she felt like her head was throbbing. Forgetting the night before, she brought her hand to her head and felt the bandages.

As she looked around the room, she noticed that Lucas was asleep on the chair beside her. She smiled slightly, as the memories from the night before came back to her. Lucas had promised he would stay the night and he had. She could tell by the way he was sleeping that he hadn't had a good night sleep and she giggled at the makeshift blanket he had made with his jacket. He snuggled against the pillow and only opened his eyes at the sound of her giggle.

"Hey," he whispered huskily.

She smiled slightly and waved towards him. "Hey yourself."

Lucas sat up, stretching his back as he stood. He sat down on the end of her bed and ran his hand over her leg. "How are you doing? You want me to get you some breakfast?" He asked.

Brooke shook her head. "No, I'm not really hungry. Maybe you should go home and get some sleep," she offered. He shook his head no and yawned. Brooke laughed before continuing. "I mean it Lucas, you don't have to stay here. Go home and get some sleep, I'll see you later."

"Brooke…"

She smiled at Lucas and took a hold of his hand. "I know we have a lot to talk about Lucas. But I'm not really up to it right now. Can it just wait until I am out of here?" She questioned him. He nodded his head, but was still not leaving her side.

"Brooke we're going to get through this."

Brooke looked down at their joined hands and sighed. "I know Lucas," she said finally. Lucas bent down to retrieve the box beside her bed. He handed it to her and she shook her head. "What are you…"

"Look Brooke, you need to read these. These letters aren't the ones you gave me, they're ones that I wrote…" he explained.

A smile formed on Brooke's face and she realized that she had been wrong in judging him. He wasn't being mean by giving him back her letters, he simply wanted her to read his own. She nodded her head softly and took the box. "It'll be good reading material until they release me," she smiled at him.

He nodded his head and ran his hands down his jeans. "I should go and check on my mom, but I will be back in a little while okay?" He asked.

Brooke smiled at him. "Goodbye Luke."

……

"It's over with," Dan muttered to himself as he got up from the chair. It had been a few months since Keith's funeral and he had somehow managed to weasel his way back into both of his sons lives. He had also managed to become closer to Karen, which was the reason behind everything anyway. "I can finally let it go."

He made his way over to his safe and dialed in the numbers. As he opened the door handle, he stared at the black gun hidden safely inside and sighed. He had switched the gun at the police station months ago, and to this day no one had noticed. Dan Scott had actually gotten away with murder.

And he was proud of it.

Dan placed a photograph inside the safe and shut the door. Dialing a familiar number, he grinned as Karen's voice came through the phone line. "Hello Dan," Karen sighed.

"Hi. How are you doing today?" He asked.

Karen held her breath for a moment before she continued. "I'm fine, waiting for Lucas to come home that's all."

"Where is he?"

Dan sat down on the couch and listened for her response. "Brooke Davis was in a car accident last night. Lucas spent the night," she explained.

"Is she going to be okay?" Dan asked, faking concern for the brunette. She had never been someone he had particularly cared for, or even gave any thought to. Sure, she was gorgeous and he had teased her constantly over the years. But he had never really given her another thought.

He heard Karen groan from the other end. "Is everything okay Karen?" He asked again.

"Yeah, I'm sorry Dan. The baby is just really feisty today. And from what I hear, Brooke's doing fine. But I should really be going, I want to cook Lucas some breakfast."

Dan smiled. "Alright. I will talk with you later today. Take care Karen," Dan said as he hung up the phone. He didn't give her a chance to say anything and that was how he liked it. His mind drifted to his ex and he could picture her making Lucas breakfast, while rubbing her swollen stomach. He smiled briefly, aware of the moments he had missed with her.

This was where his life was supposed to have been. He had been in love with Karen, she was his life. When he had gone to college and met Deb, he had no intention of ever staying with her. And then she too had gotten pregnant. He wanted so badly to return to Karen, to have a life with her and her son. But he had made his choice and money had been the reasoning behind it.

But years later, he had managed to find his way back to her. He would be there for her as she went through her second pregnancy, and he would be the father to this baby. It wouldn't be Keith's, because Keith should never have been in the picture.

Karen was Dan's.

Not Keith's.

"I finally won Keith," Dan grinned in satisfaction. He was proud of himself, proud of finally getting what had rightfully belonged to him. Dan poured himself a glass of cognac and took a sip, unaware that in the hallway of his house, Nathan listened in.

……

Peyton knocked gently on the hospital room and opened the door. "Hey Brooke, I bought you goodies," Peyton said as she slid into the room. She saw Haley and Brooke sitting on the bed and her smile fell from her lips. Brooke looked up, smiling at her friend.

"Hey P. Sawyer, come on in."

Peyton made her way over to the bed and sat on the opposite side of Haley. She handed Brooke the brown paper bag and the brunette peered inside. There were several magazines inside and even a candy bar. She pulled out the snickers and pulled open the wrapper. "Thanks, the food in here is seriously lame."

"I know, I remember…" Peyton whispered softly.

Brooke smiled sympathetically. She had forgotten how hard it was for Peyton to be in a hospital and she reached out to hug her friend. "I'm sorry Peyton. For everything," Brooke said. Peyton nodded her head and turned towards Haley, bringing her into the hug as well. "This is great, my two best friends."

"So about these letters," Haley said as she pulled one off of the bed. She lifted it up and was about to read it, when Brooke snatched it from her hands. Brooke smiled happily and held it against her chest.

"You can't read these."

Haley rolled her eyes as she stood up. "Whatever Brooke, I was just teasing you. Neither Peyton or I want to hear about Lucas's summer. We were here, we know about it."

Peyton nodded her head in agreement.

"But I should get going, I promised to meet Nathan at Dan's house."

Brooke sighed. "Good luck with that. Can you send a nurse in on your way out? I really want to get out of here."

Haley nodded her head and left the room, leaving Peyton and Brooke in uncomfortable silence. "So, I know we haven't been exactly close recently…" Brooke started. She looked down at the letters, knowing it was Lucas that was the reason of the strain in their friendship. "But I want you to know I hate it. I miss you Peyton. You're my Peyton."

"And you're my Brooke," Peyton said, touching Brooke's knee. "I know we haven't spent a lot of time together. But I promise that's going to change. We're going to go back to how it was."

"Hoe's over bro's?"

Peyton nodded her head. "Buds over studs."

……

"Mom, are you home?" Lucas said, as he let himself into the house. He called out to her again and was surprised to not hear her moving around. "Mom?" He questioned once again as he walked into the kitchen.

Lucas felt panic run through him as he saw his mother sitting on the kitchen chair, doubled over in pain. He rushed towards her and stooped down. "Mom, are you okay? Is it the baby?" He asked, trying his best to understand what was going on. Karen looked up at him with tears in her eyes.

"It's okay, I am just having contractions…"

Lucas nodded his head and stood up. "Then why are you crying?"

"I was thinking about when I was pregnant with you. When I went into labor, Keith was there for me. I was in his living room when my water broke. He was so nervous and scared that he actually fainted," Karen managed to say. A laugh escaped her lips and she smiled up at her boy. "I'll never forget how happy he was, when we brought you home."

Lucas shut his eyes, wishing more than anything that he could have one moment with Keith again. To tell the man who had practically raised him, how much he had meant to everyone. To have him wrap his arms around his mother and kiss her. He had wanted their relationship to succeed for so long, and just as it finally had… it had fallen apart.

He was still angry at Jimmy for killing Keith and he was sure he would never understand why it had happened the way it had. "Maybe we should take you to the doctors," Lucas offered his mother.

Karen shook her head no and sighed as she stood up. "You know what I would like though… I'd like to go to the cemetery." Lucas nodded his head and grabbed a hold of his car keys. It had been an everyday occurrence for his mother to go to Keith's grave, and he wasn't sure when it would ever stop. But if it was what she needed, he was able to give it to her.

Lucas held open the car door for Karen and shut it closed behind her. He ran his fingers over the mustang, knowing that the car had once been his uncles. Karen had decided that Keith would have wanted him to have it and Lucas loved it. It gave him a daily reminder of Keith and all the years they had spent in the body shop together.

They drove to the cemetery in silence and once they had arrived, Karen walked quietly towards Keith's grave. She held her hands over her stomach and began to talk to the grave. "Hi Keith… Lucas is in the car… He really misses you. Lucas never says anything but I know he does. Brooke's in the hospital and I am sure he would want you here… to tell him what to do. We all want you here."

She rubbed her stomach and smiled slightly. "One more month and our baby is going to be here Keith. I don't know what we're having but whatever the sex is… the baby will be beautiful. I just wish you were here with us…"

Karen felt Lucas reach out and touch her arm and she leaned against her son. He was so strong for everyone and she had to constantly wonder, who was going to be there for him when he finally broke. To this day, he still hadn't fallen apart. He was doing a good job holding it all in and no one had been able to break through. She prayed that he would let Brooke in.

"Lucas…" Karen cried as she held her stomach in pain.

Lucas looked down at his mom and questioned her. "Are you okay? What's going on?"

"My water just broke…"

……

"Nathan, what are you doing?" Haley said as she joined him on the other side of his father's office. He held up his finger to his mouth in an effort to silence her and she stood in confusion.

"You hear me Keith? It's over!" Dan screamed. He threw his glass across the room and it shattered into pieces. "No one suspects that I killed you, they all blame that Jimmy kid."

Haley let out a gasp and Nathan turned towards her. He was about to say something when Dan came to the door. "What the hell are you two doing here?" Dan demanded. Haley's eyes filled with tears as she looked from Dan to Nathan. Had she just heard what she thought she had?

Did Dan kill Keith?

TBC...
Okay, so that is the last chapter for tonight. I hope you all enjoy it, and you know the drill. Review please!