Where You Need to Be (Chapter Nine)
One doctor stepped forward and tried to move Nathan out of the way. "Son, you need to give us room to work on her. If you don't let us do our job, then your girlfriend will die," he said. It took him a second to respond, but he moved out of the way. They shocked Haley once. It didn't work. Then he said to charge at a higher number. They shocked her twice. The first time, nothing happened.
But a few seconds after the second time, the flat line changed to a line that went up and down again. He put down the paddles and smiled at Nathan. "She's back," he said.
"Oh, thank God," Nathan said, coming immediately over to the hospital bed and hugging her motionless body.
"This is all my fault," Jimmy James told his wife in their daughter's hospital room.
"Jimmy, don't be ridiculous. You didn't pull the trigger," Lydia said.
"No, I loaded the gun and pointed it in the right direction and our daughter was caught in the crossfire," he said. His wife looked at him in confusion. "That shooter was after me and we both know why," he said. Lydia shook her head.
"You don't know that for sure," she said.
"What other explanation could there possibly be?" Jimmy asked.
"There's no way it could be because of that. No one else knows about it," Lydia said. Jimmy looked at her in shock.
"There are no certainties in this business and you know it," he said. Lydia shook her head.
"Don't be ridiculous. Our lives are at stake, not our families'. The Bureau assured us when we signed on," Lydia said.
"Well, the bureau was wrong," he said. Jimmy and Lydia James were agents for the FBI. They worked for a black ops division that was designed to bring down criminals, such as drug lords, terrorist groups, etc, using any means necessary, including taking illegal action. They kept their true jobs a secret from their children until they reached the age of nineteen. Haley was the only one who didn't know and she was the only who might have to pay the ultimate price. Lydia looked over at her damaged daughter who was straddling a rope between life and death. According to the doctors and Nathan, Haley had almost lost the battle several times. "When she wakes up, we need to tell her the truth," Jimmy said.
"Jimmy, no. She didn't know and look at her now. Imagine the kind of danger we'll be putting her into if she finds out," Lydia said.
"But at least she'll have a fighting chance," Jimmy said.
Nathan sat by Haley's bedside, reading a magazine. She'd been in a coma for over three weeks now and he was slowly sinking into his own version of a coma without her. He still went to practice every now and then, but once Whitey saw him there, he'd tell him to leave to go see Haley. Apparently, it was written all over his face that that's where he wanted to be and Whitey adored Haley. Every one did. At first, Nathan had been confused as to how Whitey even knew Haley but then he told him and it filled him with pride to know that he was with such a loving and caring person.
When his wife was in the hospital with severe lung cancer, Haley was a volunteer and always brought food or books to cheer her up. Since Whitey was always at work after school, Haley would spend time with Camilla until Whitey showed up after practice. Camilla could be wide awake or sleeping soundly and every day after practice when Whitey came to visit his wife, Haley would be sitting in the chair beside her bed. Whether she was reading, singing a song for Camilla, or just simply sitting and chatting, she was always there.
Ever since her heart had stopped beating that one time, Nathan had been terrified that Haley could actually die. He didn't want to miss one second of the time he had with her. He was grateful that his coach understood and had even taken him aside to give him a few words of wisdom earlier.
/Flashback/
"Nathan, come here," he said. Nathan had just thrown the ball out of bounds the fourth time that practice and that was something he never did. He knew Whitey was probably going to tear him a new one, but he didn't really care. He was silently hoping he would throw him out of practice so he could go see Haley. "What do you think you're doing?" Whitey asked, his deep voice booming throughout the gymnasium.
"I'm sorry, Coach. I'm just a little preoccupied today. I'm trying to stay focused on the game," Nathan said.
"Well, stop. I wasn't talking about your crap-ass attempts at playing basketball. I'm wondering what the heck you're doing here when there's someone who needs you and right now, it sure as hell isn't the team, especially with the way you've been playing," Whitey said. Nathan stopped to look at him for a second. He had no idea what Whitey is talking about. "How is Haley?" Whitey asked. Whitey felt a wave of a sympathy as Nathan deflated. In that moment, he looked distraught than he had ever seen him. Actually, come to think of it, Whitey didn't remember ever seeing Nathan look distraught since Haley had gotten shot.
"She's not doing so good," he said.
"She's still in a coma, right?" Whitey asked. Nathan nodded. "Then, what the hell are you doing here, you knucklehead? Go and be with your girlfriend," he yelled.
/End of Flashback/
Lydia walked in and smiled when she saw Nathan. "I'm glad you're here, Nathan. I have to go home and talk to Haley's older brother, Anthony, is on his way to the house. He doesn't know yet," Lydia said. From what Haley told him of her family, he knew that Anthony was the second child, but oldest son. He was about twenty-seven or so and he was in the military.
"I'll stay with her," he promised, following her line of thought. Lydia smiled at him gratefully as she grabbed a coat and left. Nathan put his magazine down on the tray that held Haley's breakfast that like all the other days, she hadn't touched. He didn't understand why the staff kept bringing it to her when she was in a coma. He took her cold hand and put it between both of his and rubbed it, hoping to warm it up. It didn't work. "Haley?" he called to her. His spirits dropped. He looked at the monitor. A while ago, a nurse had told him that sometimes coma patients' blood pressure spike when you speak to them, but there was no spike in Haley's.
The door to her room opened and he almost dropped her hand when his mother and father walked into the room. Nathan got up and led them over to the corner of the room. He had a feeling there was going to be an argument and he didn't want his parents to disrupt Haley's recovery. "Mom. Dad. How did you get in here?" he asked.
"I'm the mayor of this town, Nathan. Do you honestly think there's a place in this town that I can't get into?" Dan asked. Nathan looked down for a second.
"I'm sorry. Is everything ok?" he asked. Deb looked at Dan in caution.
"We just wanted to make sure you were ok," Deb said.
"I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" Nathan asked. Dan snorted.
"I got a call from the principal and he told me that you left practice early today," Dan said.
"So?" Nathan asked.
"So!" Dan repeated, his deep voice booming throughout the room. Nathan looked over to check to see if Haley was still asleep.
"Dad, Whitey knows that I left. I'm not in trouble; I'm still on the team, if that's what you're upset about," Nathan explained, though he could tell just by the way his father's face hardened that it didn't matter.
"Why did you leave?" Deb asked.
"Well, I was preoccupied and Whitey noticed. He was actually mad that I was there," Nathan said.
"Answer your mother's question," Dan ordered.
"I wanted to see Haley," he said.
"Who?" Dan asked. Nathan scoffed.
"Haley James," Nathan said. His father still seemed confused. "My girlfriend?" he said.
"I thought you were dating that Rihanna girl," Deb said.
"I didn't know you dated girls. I thought you just…" Dan started to say but his sentence trailed off when Deb turned to look at him questioningly. Nathan shook his head.
"Well, I've been dating Haley for a few months now," he said.
"And where is Haley?" Deb asked. Nathan sighed as he walked over to the bed and touched Haley's hand.
"She's right here," he said.
"You're dating a coma patient?" his father exploded in disbelief.
"She wasn't always in a coma, Dad. This happened a few weeks ago. She was shot twice and she hasn't woken up yet," Nathan said. Deb walked over and put her hand on Nathan's shoulder.
"Oh, honey, I'm so sorry," she said. Nathan nodded and hugged his mother.
"How is her progress?" Deb asked.
"Slow," Nathan replied. His father walked over and looked down at Haley with a critical eye.
"She's not as attractive as some of your other girlfriends," Dan said.
"Dan!" Deb exclaimed.
"What?" Dan asked.
"Well, for starters, that is hardly a nice thing to say at anytime, much less right in front of the person you're talking about," Deb said.
"She can't hear me," Dan said.
"Sometimes they can hear you," Deb reminded him. Dan rolled his eyes.
A week later…
Lucas opened the door and was shocked to see Dan and Deb Scott in Haley's hospital room. Dan turned around and smiled at him sarcastically. "Well, if it isn't my pride and joy. Oh, wait. You're not him," he said. Lucas rolled his eyes and looked at Nathan. Nathan shook his head in embarrassment.
"How is she doing?" he asked, ignoring Deb and Dan completely. The only thing that mattered to him in that moment was how his best friend was doing. Deb and Dan weren't his problem. They were Nathan's and in that moment, he actually felt sorry for Nathan. Nathan shook his head at him in misery. Lucas nodded. He understood that Nathan was telling him that either there was no change or Haley had gotten worse. Either way, it was bad news. He and Nathan had reached some sort of solid ground ever since Haley had gotten hurt. Lucas hated seeing Haley looking so weak and being powerless to help her. He imagined that Nathan felt the same way. In some way, he must have felt worse because he had been there when Haley was hurt and he was unable to protect her. Lucas would feel the same way if he had been in Nathan's position.
He walked over to Haley's still form, pushing his way past Dan and leaned down to whisper in Haley's ear. "Hey, Hales, it's Luke. If you can hear me, please come back to us. You'll be so shocked to see that Nathan and I have spent at least three hours in this room with you together and not one of us has a mark on our body. Weird, huh? You were right; Nathan is a good guy," he said.
"This is pathetic. Seeing the two of you so broken over a girl like her is so embarrassing," Dan said.
"A girl like her?" Lucas repeated, though he knew exactly what Dan had meant. It was his subtle way of saying that Haley wasn't worth anything simply because she wasn't as rich as he was.
"And to think that you walked out of practice for her…" Dan started.
"Dan," Deb warned him.
"Enough of this crap, Nathan. Tomorrow, I want you in the gym where you belong. If I get another phone call from the principal, I'm going to revoke all of your privileges," Dan said.
"Dad, I don't care what you threaten. Whitey knows I'm not coming to practice this week. I'm staying with Haley," he said.
"Like hell you are. You're not going to waste one more minute of your time over her. She's clearly not worth it," Dan said.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Lucas demanded.
"Take a look at her. She's practically at Death's door. I feel as though as I should pull the plug to put her out of her misery. That would be the humane thing to do, but it seems as if you and her parents wish to prolong her suffering," Dan said. Nathan got up and walked over to his father. He stared at him for a minute and then he raised his arm. Deb stepped in between them.
"Don't do it, Nathan. Don't you dare hit your father. You'll regret it if you do," she said. Nathan backed down.
"Yeah, Nathan. Allow me," Lucas said, punching Dan square across the face. Dan laughed as he held his face in pain.
"Hitting him is not going to change that girl's situation. She's still dying and the sooner you come to accept that, the better off you'll be," Deb said.
"Mom, are you seriously siding with Dad?" Nathan asked in shock. Deb looked at him sympathetically.
"Do I think that girl is a waste of time? Of course not. Do I think you're wasting your time visiting her all the time? Yes," Deb asked. Nathan stood back from her and shook his head in amazement. "Honey, your father's right. If you continue to visit her and watch her slip away from you a little more every day, it's going to destroy you. You'll be devastated and I know you; you'll blame yourself when she dies. But it wouldn't be your fault," Deb said. Nathan shook his head, but Deb continued. "If she's as good as you say, then she wouldn't want you to be doing this," Deb said.
"No, she wouldn't want to be alone," he said.
"She's not alone. She's got Lucas and her family by her side," Deb said.
"None of them are me," he reminded her.
"Nathan, think about where you need to be," she said.
"Mom, I'm exactly where I need to be right now," he said and walked back to Haley.
"I'm going to go home and try to somehow make peace," Nathan said. Lucas laughed.
"Want to know what I think?" he asked. Nathan shrugged. "I think the only way to make peace with your father is to break up with her," Lucas said.
"That's not going to happen. Besides, I was talking about making peace with my mom," Nathan said. Lucas laughed. Nathan chuckled and got up and grabbed his coat and put it on. He came over and kissed Haley on the forehead. "I'll see you tomorrow," he said. Then, he kissed her on the forehead again and started to leave. As he opened the door he heard someone call his name.
"Nathan," the voice said. Nathan stopped and turned around to look at Lucas expectantly. Lucas wasn't even looking at him. He was looking down at Haley in shock. Nathan shook his head in disbelief and was about to turn around when he saw Haley open her mouth and speak again. "Nathan," she said softly.