The Diagnosis (Chapter Three)

FOUR HOURS LATER

Taylor quietly shut the door to Haley's hospital room behind her. Her sister was really wiped after her treatments. She was surprised to see Lucas down the hall. He came towards her. "Hey, Lucas," she said.

"Hi. Is that Haley's room?" he asked. Taylor nodded.

"Is she awake?" he asked. Taylor nodded. Lucas nodded. He was about to open the door.

"Lucas, I don't think she's really up to seeing you right now," Taylor said. "She saw you," Lucas said.

"Well, true, but I'm also a nurse. She doesn't have a choice if I come in," Taylor said.

"Well, I'm an old friend who wants to see how his friend is doing after just learning that she's in the hospital," he said. Taylor hesitated but opened the door for him. Lucas smiled at her appreciatively. Lucas walked into Haley's room and saw that there were actually two beds in the room. He noticed that her guitar was on the other one and he smiled.

"Taylor?" Haley said uncertainly from the far bed. She was turned on her side and faced towards the window.

"No, it's Lucas," he said. Haley made no effort to turn around and face him. He was insulted. He walked over to her and around to the side of the bed that she was facing. Her eyes were barely open and her covers were pulled up all the way up to her face.

"Lucas, this isn't a good time," she said weakly.

"Haley, what's going on?" Lucas asked.

"I'm tired. I just got back from a round of treatment and I'm really wiped," Haley said.

"What kind of treatment?" Lucas asked. Haley smirked.

"It's nothing that you need to worry about. Just go be with Brooke," Haley said.

"Haley! Just tell me what's wrong with you," Lucas said. Haley sat up.

"I just came back from a round of chemotherapy, Lucas," Haley said. Lucas' face went slack.

"That would mean that you have cancer," Lucas said, smirking in disbelief. Haley nodded. He looked at her in shock. "No," he said. Haley nodded again.

"I have leukemia, Lucas," Haley said. Lucas knew it was a horrible thing to do but he just stood up and walked out of the room. "Lucas, wait!" Haley yelled after him. He was just so shocked that he couldn't be around her. She had cancer and hadn't told him. He thought they were supposed to be best friends once upon a time. He knew they weren't exactly close anymore, but he had told her of his marriage to Brooke a few months ago. He'd written it in a letter that he sent to her. He walked back to where Peyton was.

"Lucas, come here. We can see Peyton now," Brooke said. He nodded as he walked in. He put on a smile for Peyton as he walked into her hospital room.

"Luke!" Peyton exclaimed. She was wide-awake and her eyes were full of excitement. Her surgery had obviously been a success, just like Haley had said it would be.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, gesturing to her leg.

"Oh, I'm fine. I can barely feel it. Anaesthetic and all," she said. Lucas laughed.

"We're glad you pulled through," Jake said. His voice was full of love.

"Well, I know I was in bad shape for a while. I had to be in order to get a visit from Haley James," Peyton said. Everyone looked down. "Was it something I said?" Peyton asked.

"You saw Haley?" Jake asked. Peyton shook her head.

"No, the nurse said that she had been here for a while," Peyton replied.

"Peyton, she wasn't here to see you," Brooke said.

"Really? The nurse said that she was outside my room for quite a while," Peyton said.

"Brooke means that the reason she was in the hospital wasn't because she heard you were in a car accident. She found out when I told her after we ran into her in the hall," Lucas said.

"Ok, I'm confused," Peyton said.

"Oh, for God's sake, guys. I figured it out on my own. I know she's a patient here," Nathan said. Peyton looked worried.

"Is she ok?" Peyton asked.

"She seemed fine. A little tired and pale, maybe," Brooke replied.

"Well, what's wrong with her?" Peyton asked.

"Hell if I know. I tried to ask her what was wrong, but she avoided answering like the plague. I might've gotten it out of her if that nurse hadn't come to bring her to her treatments," Brooke said.

"So no one knows?" Peyton asked. Nathan shook his head.

"No, we don't know," he said.

"Actually, that's not true," Lucas said. Peyton looked at him in confusion. "I just got back from visiting her," he admitted.

"Did you find out what's wrong with her?" Nathan asked, surprising even himself at the eagerness in his voice. Lucas nodded.

"Well?" Brooke prodded. Lucas sighed.

"It's not good, guys," Luke said. Nathan looked at him expectantly. "Haley has leukemia," Lucas finally said. Nathan sat back in the chair that he had taken from the hallway.

"No way," Peyton said. Lucas nodded.

"That treatment that she went to was chemotherapy," he said. Brooke exhaled sharply.

"And here I was thinking that a car accident was the worst thing in the world," Peyton said. Nathan got up and left the room. He walked down the hall. He didn't know how he knew but he knew that the door he was about to open was the door to Haley's room. He walked in and stood in front of her bed. She was sitting up in bed and was stretching her legs out as she looked up at him. She sighed.

"Lucas has a big mouth," she said.