Septemeber Rain

Chapter Eight - Time to go home

I don't own anything.

Nathan had been asleep most of the day. He woke up to see a beautiful young woman smile at him. He smiled back at her and tried to laugh but his side ached with pain when he did. He made a strained face and touched where it hurt, he noticed there was a large gauze over it.

"No funny business." She said walking over to him. "You cut your side right open with one of those metal things that they put on wheels. You know what I mean." She smiled and Nathan was glad that someone was there with him.

"Thanks for being here with me Brooke." He smiled and she tapped his arm. Immediately he thought of the other guys. "Wait. What about the rest of them? Jake? Lucas? Keith? My Dad?" His mind was a blaze and he was so worried for them that he thought he was going to be sick. Brooke reached for his hand. She had to tell him one of the hardest things you could ever tell anyone.

"Nathan, Lucas got Keith got out, they're okay. Jake got you out, and he's fine but…" The words didn't seem to want to come out. Nathan looked around the room no one was there except Brooke. Why wasn't his mom there? Why wasn't Haley there? What about Dan?

"My dad's okay." He said calmly. "He's an insanely lucky guy. I mean he's escaped death so many times. He's not…" He looked at Brooke for reassurance but her eyes were filled with tears from just looking at him. "Brooke, he's okay." He thought if he said it enough it would be true. It had to be true.

"Nathan," Brooke said once again trying to tell him the truth.

"Where is my mom?" He interrupted. He almost knew what she was going to say but he didn't want to believe that. Dan was immortal to Nathan. He had escaped death before and he did it again.

"She's…" Brooke started. She knew well where Deb was. Deb was with the police identifying Dan's body.

"She's probably with my dad." He said.

"Yeah." Brooke sighed.

Chris and Haley were talking to their Tour Manager, Charlie. "No way!" He screamed. "Do you know how much money I'm going to lose? They are going to sue my behind! NO WAY! You both stay!"

"My husband was in a fire! I have to go home and see if he's okay." Haley protested. Charlie shook his head.

"No." He said throwing his hands in the air. "N.O. NO!" Haley left the room in protest. How could this be happening?

"Charlie, it's her husband!" Chris pleaded.

"And who the hell is going to help me when they sue me? If he's dead, he's dead and if not the sucker has his family." Charlie sat down and glared at Chris. "The only way I'll let her go is if she pays for it."

"What?" Chris asked.

"When they sue, and they will. When they sue me, she's going to pay. I'm not spending one red dime because of her little hubby." He said. Chris watched him.

"Haley doesn't have any money." He said.

"Well, then she either stays or finds the money." Charlie answered.

"Wait. What if I give you the money?" Chris said.

"Where the hell are you going to get that kind of dough? You don't have a penny to your name boy, all this touring and nothing." Charlie laughed.

"I'll get it by the end of the month but Haley and I go now." Chris bargained. Charlie looked at him and laughed.

"Fine. But if you don't," He grabbed Chris' guitar and smashed it against the wall. "You are as dead as your guitar."

Jake walked slowly into Nathan's room. He had a few cuts on his arms and legs. "Hey Nate." Jake said with a smiled.

"Hey," Nathan smiled. "You look like shit." He laughed and then grabbed his side in pain. Jake laughed.

"So do you." He sat down next to Brooke. She gave him a kiss on the cheek and Nathan felt a twinge in his heart. Jake had Brooke to be there for him but he didn't have anyone right now. Haley was away with Chris Keller and she had left him as simple as that. Deb walked into the room.

"Nathan! Oh my baby. You are awake." She gave him a big hug. He was glad she was there, he needed his mom now more that ever.

"Where is my dad?" Nathan asked. Deb looked down at him.

"We're going to go now." Brooke said helping Jake out of the room. Nathan watched them go.

"Where mom?" He asked again. She caressed his cheek.

"Honey, Dan is, well, he's gone." She said sadly. It broke her heart to see Nathan's face. She was sure he would cry.

"You are a liar." He said.

"What? Nathan, no." Deb replied.

"My dad is not dead!" He screamed. "Get out!"

"Nathan" She said.

"GET OUT!" He yelled he took a pillow and threw it. Deb decided to give him some time to cool down. She did as he wanted and left the room. Nathan put his head in his hands and cried. Dan was gone.

Haley was pacing back and forth. Chris walked into the room. "Can you believe that no good son of a…"

"Haley!" Chris said stopping her. She looked at him. "I talked to him. He said we could go to Tree Hill."

Haley looked confused. "What?"

"He said we could go." Chris replied. He decided not to tell her about the money, that was his problem.

Peyton was walked to Lucas' house. "Hey Luke." She smiled.

"Oh, hey Peyt." He smiled. "Have you seen Brooke?" He asked. Peyton frowned slightly.

"She's with Jake." She said bluntly. She knew that those words would hurt him. He looked down for a second and she knew that those words would always be burned into his heart. She watched as he placed his hand on the back of his neck and leaned on the doorway.

"How is he?" Lucas asked. She stared at him for a moment.

"He's recovering. Nathan too." He motioned for her to come in and she did. They sat on the couch and he offered her a coke. She accepted and he returned with two cokes, one for her and one for him. He took a sip as she looked around the living room. "How is Keith?" She asked.

"He's good. He's with my mom. She took him out to see the park, he needed some fresh air." Lucas answered. Peyton nodded.

Nathan and Jake were released from the hospital later that day. There was nothing else left except recovery, which meant no basketball for a good while. Nathan took that as a blow to the heart. Basketball was all he had. Brooke picked them both up from the hospital. Nathan made a funny comment about her car and she threatened to leave them both there, Nathan for making the comment and Jake for laughing. She took them to Karen's Café for some food, which made Nathan really happy. The idea that Dan was gone was pushed to the back of his brain; he didn't want to think about that. He just wanted to spend time with the two people that were there when he needed them, Brooke and Jake. Nathan stole a few of Brooke's fries as she walked over to grab some napkins from the counter.

"She's going to kill you if she notices you ate her fries." Jake warned. Nathan smiled.

"Please, that girl so skinny yet she eats all this?" Nathan pointed Brooke's plate. Jake grabbed a few fries himself.

"Hey!" Brooke said returning. "Jacob Jagielski! You frie-eating thief!" She smacked his hand away from her food.

"He did it too!" Jake said pointing at Nathan. Nathan's jaw dropped. Brooke looked from one boy to the other.

"You two are horrible!" She said. She grabbed Jake's sandwich and took a big bite out of it. "Wow, that's really good." She said.

"Really? Let me try." Nathan said as Brooke passed the sandwich to him. He took a bite. "That is good." He agreed as he took another bite.

"That's also mine!" Jake said loudly as he took back the sandwich after Nathan had stolen his third bite. They spent the rest of the night laughing. To Nathan's surprise Brooke ate everything on her plate.

"That's amazing. You eat like a guy." He laughed. The pain in his side was almost gone now.

Brooke smiled, "I'll take that as a compliment." Jake finished his soda and looked outside.

"It's a beautiful night." He said.

"Yeah," Nathan agreed, he knew it was time. Time to go home.

In the next chapter Haley will finally return to Tree Hill but how will Nathan react to her and how will he deal with Dan's death? Please Review!