Chapter Thirty-Five

Time will Reveal Us All

Haley

We spend the car trip in silence. I don't know about everybody else, but the only thing I can see whenever I close my eyes is Nathan's body – bruised and bloody. Broken.

God, even in that state he was beautiful, his eyes closed like he was peaceful… Oh God, I can't blink because whenever I do, it's right there. No matter how much I try to tell myself that he's okay, that awful image flashes into my head. I don't want to say it, and I know nobody else does, but… he looked dead. Nathan Scott, so full of life and energy – too much sometimes – looked dead.

Another sob escapes my lips and I feel Peyton's arm close around my shoulder. God, I've tried to be so strong all night, and I just can't. It's like I've turned back into a little girl whose brother has stole her Barbie doll, only it's much, much worse. Nathan might be gone. The words on the text message are just as graffitied into my brain as the image – If you want to say goodbye, come to the only place he's not a God – what does that mean? If you want to say goodbye… I hope to God that won't be necessary. I pray that he's not already dead. I'm wishing that the picture that's seared on my brain now is not some twisted death picture.

And Rob Klein. Lucas reckons its Rob Klein who's done this, because Nathan hurt his pride. My sobs grow louder. Nathan was changing, he was changing because he thought he wasn't good enough for me, and I did nothing to stop him thinking that. In fact, I encouraged it. God, what if… I always thought it was so stupid when people did that. Oh what if I'd done this instead of that. I was always of the belief that our choices make us who we are, so there's no need for regret… but now, I'm not so sure. If I hadn't been so resistant to the idea of 'Nathan-and-Haley', we would be together by now, and maybe Nathan wouldn't have felt the need to change. Maybe he would have beat Rob up like he normally would, and Rob would be in hospital right now, unable to do any of this.

And the fact that Nathan didn't beat Rob up because he thought I would have thought less of him for it… It makes my heart hurt like hell. He was changing, and I barely even got a chance to see it.

"Oh my God!"

Brooke's voice makes me look up. She's staring out of the window with her hand over her mouth. Lucas doesn't even take the key out of the ignition, he opens the car door and runs like hell.

I look towards where Brooke is looking and where Lucas is running, and scream. Peyton pulls me closer to her as she stares wordlessly. We're all struck with horror at the sight in front of us.

An old Ford Escort is parked in the centre of the basketball court, and standing on top of it with a plastic petrol can is Rob Klein, smoking a cigarette and grinning like a maniac. I can't make it out, but I know that Nathan is in that car, and that the plastic can contains gasoline.

I can't stay in here, not while Nathan is in danger. I'm not stupid enough to think I can take on an athletic basketball player by myself, but I'm sick of feeling so helpless. Without a word I shrug Peyton off me and go to open the car door.

"Haley, no," Peyton says simply, tears filling her hazel eyes as she grabs on to my wrist.

Brooke turns to me and shakes her head. She can't speak. I look at both of them, pleading with my eyes for them to let me go. Peyton won't let go of my wrist, and Brooke slams her hand down on the lock. I know the doors won't unlock form the back.

"I need to go," I say, my voice shaking from crying so much.

"Haley, if you go out there… you might get hurt too," Brooke manages. "You can't risk it. We can't risk it. Nathan's hurt, but we won't let you get hurt too. And…" she trails off as she looks like she's struggling with herself to say something. "And Lucas can handle it. They'll be okay."

I shake my head still. I need to be there. Lucas can't do this on his own. He just can't.

I turn to Peyton, pleading again with my eyes, only this time I speak. "What if it was Jake in that car?" I ask, glancing back and watching as Rob jumps down from the car and Lucas holds his hands out like he's trying to keep the peace. No flames yet. "And Brooke, what if Lucas wasn't outside that car, but inside it. What if it was Jake or Lucas? You'd resent me if I kept you here." I look back again as Rob throws a punch at Lucas, which he manages to dodge. The three of us let out a small gasp of fright. My voice rises. "I need to be out there!"

Peyton looks at Brooke, and Brooke lifts her hand of the lock, but still doesn't pull it up. I'm still trapped.

"Okay, look," Peyton says, lowering her voice and staring past me at the car. "You need to get Nate out of that car before Rob can do anything to it…"

"Peyton!" Brooke exclaims, like she can't believe what her friend is saying. I think if the adrenaline wasn't pumping so loudly through my body, I wouldn't believe it either.

"So you need to sneak over there," Peyton goes on, like Brooke hasn't even spoken. "While Rob is busy with Lucas, and pull Nathan out of the car. I'll come with you."

I open my mouth to protest, but Peyton cuts me off. "Between the two of us, we might be able to pull Nathan back here quicker."

"And it'll be even quicker with three of us," Brooke adds, her voice edged with resignation, but her features showing determination. She pulls the lock open, and with a satisfying click, the doors are unlocked. The three of us open our doors as quietly as we can and walk as fast and as quiet as we can along the shrubs surrounding the River Court.

Luke and Rob are full on fighting now, and Rob's cigarette has fallen to the floor – thankfully away from the car – and the wind is pushing it further and further away. As we get closer to the car, the smell of gasoline is overwhelming, and my eyes water as the pungent fragrance is carried along to us by the soft breeze. Peyton puts her hand on my shoulder. She's trying to calm me down, stop me from getting hysterical. I give a weak smile to show that I'm focused, that I'm not about to start screaming when I see Nathan.

A loud groan makes us look towards Rob and Lucas again, Lucas is doubled over grabbing his stomach as Rob jumps on him. Brooke clamps her hand over her mouth to stop from screaming. I try to tell myself that Lucas will be all right. It's the only way to stay sane, and I need my sanity to save Nathan.

We all but crawl to the opposite side of Rob's car, the side where both Rob and Lucas can't see us. A brief glimpse through the windows shows that Lucas isn't doing so well. He's on the floor and Rob is on top of him. Brooke is crying quietly, trying to hide it from us.

"Brooke," I whisper, making a decision on the spot. "Have you got your cell phone on you? Either of you" I direct the question at Peyton as well. Brooke shakes her head.

"Mine's in the car," Peyton whispers softly. I look at Brooke.

"Okay, go back to the car and call the police. I can't believe we haven't done it before now."

Brooke shakes her head. "No, you two can't carry Nathan on your own."

She's right, of course, but I'm stubborn, and there's no way we can pull this of on our own. "Brooke, we won't need to if you call the police. Lucas can't hold his own against all of that adrenaline. Rob's psychotic for God's sake. We need the police."

Brooke takes one look at the car, and then at Lucas, who is still lying on the floor with blood on his clothes. She let's out a quiet sob and then clamps her hand over her mouth and nods, making her way back to Lucas's car through the shrubs.

I look at Peyton and we both swallow nervously, turning to look at the car door at the same time. I look in for the first time and my blood runs ice cold. Nathan's eyes are wide open, and he's not moving.

He's dead.

I feel the hysteria rising, my chest tightening and a bubble trying to burst out of my throat. Peyton hasn't seen yet, she's looking at me with a questioning look in her eyes. I can't take my eyes away, and then… then something amazing happens.

He blinks.

It's slow, and groggy, and he's eyes stay closed for longer than they should, but they open again, and he continues his lifeless stare at the back of the drivers seat.

I fall back down to the floor and feel tears streaming down my face, but my mouth is tilted into a smile.

"He's alive," I mouth. Peyton tries the door and finds it locked. I search for the keys and see them inside the car, at the front. Rob's locked them in.

I tap my index finger on the window, trying to grab Nathan's attention and only Nathan's attention. He blink's again, and his eyes move a fraction towards me, but not all the way. I tap a little louder and Nathan's eyes finally shift the whole way, and lock with mine.

I can't explain the feeling of joy when he looks at me, and his eyes widen with disbelief. My chest explodes with relief and love.

"Haley," Peyton whispers.

"Get me a rock," I order.

"What? Are you serious? Rob will hear you."

"The keys are inside, we can't get in any other way."

Peyton looks at the car, like she's trying to think of an alternative. She leans up and sees Nathan, still staring at us with unblinking eyes. I can tell the image unnerves her, because she stops breathing. He looks as he did when I first saw him. Dead.

Thankfully, he blinks again, and Peyton gives a breath of relief. "Nathan," she says. He opens his mouth, but no words come out. He looks lost, and scared. It's heart-breaking.

"He can't move," she whispers, and I nod. "He can't open the car from inside…"

I look back and spot what I'm looking for. A medium sized grey rock. I crawl over and grab it between my fingers, trying to crawl back on one hand as the weight pushes me down. I look up and see Brooke get back in Lucas's car, reaching immediately for her bag on the passenger seat. Good, then the police will be here soon, and hopefully Rob won't hear the glass break. I risk another look and see that Lucas has recovered, and it looks like he's got the upper hand. I breathe a sigh of relief, and grab the rock in both hands.

The window shatters a lot easier than it probably should, and some of the shards fall on Nathan, but less than if I had smashed the back window instead of the front. I look over and see Lucas and Rob looking towards us. Oh God. I pray for Lucas to carry on fighting as I reach into the car and pull up the lock, dropping the rock on the hard tarmac of the court. All of the doors open with a click, and Peyton pulls open the back door.

I jump in front of her and lean in, wiping shards of glass off Nathan's clothes.

"Are you okay?" I gasp, putting my hand on his cheek and staring into his eyes. They're dilated, which from my limited knowledge of first aid means he's concussed. It's amazing that he's awake.

"Haley?" he croaks, his cut lips moving slowly and stiffly. My eyes fill with tears and I stroke his hair. He winces and my hand meets a mass of stickiness. I pull my hand away and stare at it. Red. Blood.

"Shh," I whisper, shifting a little so Peyton can reach in too. "We're going to get you out of here." I turn to Peyton and nod. "Are you ready?" I ask, knowing that we shouldn't move Nathan, but knowing that we can't leave him in this gasoline covered car. Rob could throw a light at it any minute now.

We each take an arm and wrap it around our necks, pulling Nathan out as carefully as we can. Suddenly there's another smash as the petrol can breaks the driver window, causing the glass to explode everywhere. Peyton and I scream, and pull Nathan out quicker.

As soon as he's out of the car, we head straight for the shrubs, trying to get away.

We're not quick enough. I feel someone grasping at my hair and I drop Nathan on the tarmac, and Peyton can't hold his weight by herself. The two of them collapse as I scream. The pain on my scalp is excruciating, and I'm surprised my hair hasn't given up and snapped.

"Haley!"

Three voices. Peyton's loud, Lucas's croaky from somewhere behind me, and Nathan – his voice so quiet that it's drowned out by the other two, but I can hear it clearest of all.

Finally the tugging on my hair stops, but instead a strong arm curls around my throat, pulling tight so that it hurts to breathe.

"Get off her!" Lucas shouts, his voice still coming from behind me.

I look down at the floor and spot the rock that I opened the window with. I stare at that as Peyton and Lucas yell at Rob, whose grip gets tighter around my throat.

"Shut up!" he screams. I hear something flick and then feel something cool against the skin on my cheek. A glint of silver tells me that he's holding a knife. "Shut up or I'll drag this straight down to her throat, do you hear?"

Peyton's mouth flies open, but she doesn't speak, and behind I can feel Lucas's presence, but I can't see him.

Rob starts laughing. "Oh, this is so much fun, you know that Nate?"

I look at Nathan, who is slumped on the ground. He can't move, but his eyes are more alive than I've ever seen them, brimming with fire and anger. He stares straight at Rob and won't meet my eyes.

"Why…" he croaks. "Why are you doing this?"

Rob starts laughing again. He sounds like a maniac and the knife cuts into my face as he does so. I give a gasp of pain, but try to keep a stoic posture. I won't show how frightened I am. I need to be strong, for me, for Lucas, for Peyton. For Nathan.

"Oh Nathan! Don't you get it? You don't get to ask the questions here! You don't own this place like you own just about everywhere else. You're just a mortal here Nate." He takes the knife from my face and lowers it to my neck. "But you know what? I'm in a good mood, so I'll answer your 'why'. See, I'm sick of being one of the pathetic masses to worship you. I'm sick of allowing you to rule the whole Goddamn school! I'm sick of the fact that you can have any girl in the school, including tutor girl here."

He stops talking and I feel his breath on my face. Hot and thick and it smells of smoke and alcohol. Suddenly, the stabbing pain on my cheek is replaced by something rough and wet. I close my eyes in disgust as Rob licks my face.

"Let her go," Nathan says, his voice so frail and weak that my heart breaks all over again. Rob laughs again.

"No Nathan! You don't get to make orders here. I'm the king here, and this is my kingdom."

"Please," Nathan goes on, his voice pleading. "Please let her go. Do what you want to me but…" he stops talking and closes his eyes.

"Nathan!" I cry, but Rob tightens his arm and my air supply is cut off. I start choking as Nathan opens his eye again, his face contorted in pain.

"Hale…" He starts, but he can't manage anymore as his eyes close again. I start to panic as my oxygen supply is harder and harder to grasp, and my vision blurs.

Peyton's eyes widen, and she jumps up, but Rob jabs the knife towards her and she steps back. "Please stop!" she cries. I briefly wonder where Lucas is, but can't think for long as my vision seems to close in on itself.

With one last burst of energy, I force all of my power into my elbow, and thrust downwards.

Rob's eyes fly open and my elbow connects with his groin. He gasps in pain and I fall to the floor, gulping in great chunks of air. I turn and see Lucas has passed out, and blood is surrounding him on the tarmac. He was fighting unconsciousness for me, but it won out in the end.

Rob starts to pull himself to his feet, but I grab the rock from the floor and aim with all of my force at the back of his head. He lets out a whoosh of air and collapses to the ground. Peyton is leaning over Nathan, and he's staring straight at me. I walk to him but his eyes move towards Lucas and then back to me. He wants me to check on Lucas. I nod and step over Rob's lifeless body.

Brooke runs over the Basketball court towards us and drops down beside Lucas at the same time I do. I can see a knife wound in his leg and his stomach. I rip off the silk at the bottom of my dress and wrap it tight around the leg wound, and Brooke follows my example, ripping her own dress and bunching it up in a ball, applying pressure to his stomach.

"Lucas?" She cries, shifting her legs so that she's lying down beside him. "Lucas, can you hear me?"

Luke's eyes flutter open. "Is it over?" he asks.

"Yeah," Brooke says. "Yeah, it's over. The police will be here any second."

Sure enough, at her words the sound of sirens pierces the silence of the River Court.

Lucas looks at me and reaches up to touch my cheek. "Does it hurt?" he asks. I give an unintentional laugh. I've got a scratch on my face and Lucas has deep stab wounds, and he's asking me if it hurts. I lean down and hug him, my tears mingling with his hair.

"Oh, please be okay," I whisper. Lucas smiles.

"You're not getting rid of me that easily," he says. I laugh again.

"Nathan? Nathan!"

My blood freezes again, and my spine tenses up at Peyton's frantic voice. I jump up and run towards her and Nathan. Nathan's eyes are closed, and his chest isn't rising and falling.

"No," I whisper, shaking my head. Peyton starts sobbing.

I ignore the sounds of the police cars driving onto the court and collapse beside Nathan.

"Nathan, don't," I cry, putting my head on his chest. No heartbeat. "Please," I cry. "Please don't die! You can't die… I haven't told you I love you yet, or that I want there to be a 'Nathan-and-Haley'. You can't go, you can't leave me."

I put my hands on his shirt and bury my face in it, feeling the tears fall until it feels like I'm made entirely of water.

"Excuse me miss," a paramedic says, but I won't move. He's not dead. He's… he can't be. We've got so much to do, so much to say. He can't leave with all of these unspoken words.

I feel a pair of strong arms lift me up but I can't see anything. In my mind I'm still on Nathan's chest, and his eyes are open with his arms around me, stroking my hair and telling me that everything is going to be alright.

"No heartbeat!" the paramedic shouts, breaking through my foggy mind. I snap back to reality and feel Peyton crying on my shoulder. I stare straight ahead as the hustle and bustle fades into nothing.

It feels like I can hear everything, but I'm not listening. I don't listen to the shouts and the crying, the sound of the paramedics giving Nathan CPR, or the yells for help.

And I hear the words, "He's back!" but I don't listen to them. I don't want to believe them. It's like my whole body has turned to stone and nothing matters.

"He's back!"