Nathan didn't get much sleep last night, and little did he know both girls hadn't either. (Haley had woken up at about two in the morning to a screaming Haley, and after that ordeal neither bothered to even close their eyes.)He thought about what Brooke Had said "don't act like we're helpless, Nathan. That's really important." The words ran thought his head one hundred times over, but not once was able to catch them. However, before Nathan could settle down into a restful slumber, the dawn crept through the beneath of the shades. So all he did was sit. Sit, and watch the sun came into the living room and slowly cast a warm light.
"Ah!" Haley yelped. She had expected to be able to go out onto porch and rid her head of the images that had imprinted themselves inside during her nightmares, but now she would have no such luck.
"Haley- I, Brooke- called me" he stammered, not able to find words that went together to make any kind of sense.
"Oh, um- it's ok. Do you want some coffee?" She hoped and prayed that he would say no, say he had to go. She didn't want to see him. It hurt far too much, but then it hit her. She loved him, but more importantly he loved her. Haley knew that Nathan would never hurt her, like Jack did. Never. She knew that sooner or later she would have to step outside, face the music. So why not sooner, rather than later?
"Um, yea. If that's ok?" Haley flashed him a smile, but Nathan knew better. He could see the fakeness of her smile, the pain, and fear it held. And it took everything than Nathan had not to run up to her and hold her in his arms forever.
"Did Brooke tell you? About everything?" As Haley slept that night she could hear the murmur of voices. She had called to them for help but no one had come. It just happened all over again.
"Yea. We talked." Nathan didn't really want to talk about it rights now. He needed to find a way to deal with what happened, find a way to pickup all of Haley's pieces. The pieces that that asshole had smashed. Nathan casually took his coffee and when to sit on the couch, leaving Haley facing him at the breakfast bar. He wanted the tension in the room to disappear; and figured it might if he pretended it wasn't there.
"Nathan, when I called you yesterday, I-I meant what I said. But I need to say something else." Nathan got nervous, he prepared himself for the worst. "Nathan I don't want you to think that- I don't-" It was so hard to find the right words. "I love you. And I know that you love me, but" A but, but's are never good. "I don't want you to take me back again out of pity. I don't want you to ever feel sorry for me." Well that wasn't so bad. But wait, what did she mean? Of course I'm going to take her back now. "I got what I deserved." Haley whispered, looking at the small ripples in her coffee that were caused from her walking closed over to the sofa where Nathan sat. It was funny how those little ripples mirrored her life. How her one decision- to leave that night for the tour, had changed everything. How that one decision had brought on so many bad things- lonely nights, heart ache, pain, suffering. It was a sorrowful, endless cycle that she had created for herself.
"Haley, don't ever think that. Don't ever say that. You didn't deserve any of this. Please" Nathan's voice began to crack. It hurt so much to hear Haley say those five little words- I got what I deserved.
"But I hurt you. I left. I gave up." The tears she was holding back were now starting to revolt. The salty drops were slowly making their way down her pale cheeks. Leaving a glistening trial behind. "I made the biggest mistake of my life. And-" It hurt to much she couldn't finish.
Nathan gingerly removed the forest green coffee mug from the death grip she had placed it in, and set it on the glass coffee table in front of him. Hoping that she would be comfortable enough to sit down next to him, whishing that she would be comfortable enough to sit next to her own husband
As soon as he took it, the warmth was gone from her hands… and she wanted it back. She longed for the feeling of being held again. Not in Brooke's little arms, but in Nathan's strong ones. She wanted to be able to snuggle her petite body up to his muscular one, she wanted to have to smell of his lingering cologne on her pajama shirts again. But what she wanted the most was to cry on his shoulder and have him tell her that he would always protect her. She couldn't dream of those things any more, dream that he would hold her again. Dream that he could hold her and think of her a pure and beautiful, not tainted. Haley walked over to the couch and sat next to Nathan. She slowly put her thin arms around his neck, making sure that he would let her. Haley was delighted when his was response was instantly wrapping his arms around her. And all she could manage to do was cry on his shoulder.
"I love you Haley. I love you so much." He needed to take a breath. What Haley had just done meant a lot to Nathan. Especially after she had flinched under his touch last night. "I promise I'll always protect you Hales, I promised you that. I'll always protect you. Always and forever, remember." Those words just made Haley latch on tighter and sob hared, and Nathan pull her closer into him.
"Hey." Quietly stating her presence. She made her way over to Haley, putting a hand on her shoulder. "C'mon time to get ready." Brooke's voice still quiet and meek.
"Please don't make me go." Haley whispered into Nathan's ear, her voice cracking as she tried to hold her tears back. Brooke had told him last night that today Haley had to go to the police station to file a report, and hearing her protest like this was killing him. "Please." She said a little louder, however not intending Brooke to hear- she did anyways. Nathan could feel warm drops on his shoulder now, he assumed that they were Haley's tears. He had to Force his own eyelids down now, to make sure his own didn't spill out.
"Hales. Come on get up. I'll be with you the whole time, too." Brooke didn't want Nathan to say anything. She didn't want Haley to thin that he wasn't on her side. She didn't want Haley to push Nathan away.
"Please Haley. I don't just want him to get a way with what he did. Please." Nathan coaxed her, bedded her. Haley knew that she had to go, that she had to put him away behind bars. That she had to protect other girls. But the thought of retelling the story word for word, action for action- to say the least it made her want to vomit.
"Will you come too?" Haley questioned him. She spoke so softly that Nathan had to strain to here the words even thought her delicate mouth was right next to his ear.
"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else." Nathan felt Haley nod on his shoulder. Haley go of Nathan. Yet she was slow in doing so, she didn't want that moment to end. Not ever
"Brooke what does someone where to go to the police station?" Nathan heard Haley asked Brooke as the girls walked arm in arm into their bedroom. And he couldn't help but smile. Not at Haley's quirky question. But that maybe, just maybe, after Haley dealt with this that they could get back together.