Chapter 566: Raven Hill
Tuesday, February 28th, Night
He walked out of the bathroom with some effort and landed roughly on his bed. The landing had so much force that his wife bounced on the bed. Upon landing, she looked over at him.
"That's a bit rude," Haley James Scott said.
"Sorry, I had to get off my feet," Nathan Scott said as he started to adjust himself on the bed.
"How long until the surgery?" Haley asked.
"About three weeks, and they'll do the knee replacement," Nathan said and sighed.
"It's for the best," Haley said.
"I know, hopefully, I didn't damage the other one," Nathan said.
"We'll handle it like anything else, Nate; we'll cross that bridge when we get to it," Haley said.
Nathan nodded, stretched out his sore leg, and put a pillow under his knee. "Yeah, like we always do," he said.
"It's not even March first. Are you worried about April first?" Haley asked.
"I think about it, sometimes, like if I don't get in, or who will present me if I do," Nathan said.
"Who?" Haley asked.
"It has to be a Hall Member, and my first choice would have been Kobe," Nathan said.
Haley nodded, "Yeah, sad what happened," she said.
"That was Kobe," Nathan said, "But I don't know."
"MJ?" Haley asked.
"That's a tough one since I only played for him that one year," Nathan said.
"Yeah, you're still friends with Shaquille," Haley said.
"Shaq? That could be interesting," Nathan said.
"But that's not what is really bothering you," Haley said.
"How do you know that?" Nathan asked.
"We've been married how long, Nate? We know each other and our moods," Haley said.
"Yeah, that we do," Nathan said.
"So, what is bothering you?" Haley asked.
"It's unknown territory we're heading into," Nathan said.
"You mean Krisztofer," Haley said.
"Yeah, I don't know if everything is above board," Nathan said.
"She's accepted everything we're asked from her," Haley said.
"Also fought us every step of the way," Nathan said.
"Nate, this is going to sound cliche, but she's truly a strong independent woman; we don't know how much Brian was involved; we could easily assume not much," Haley said.
"Because of Wyatt?" Nathan asked.
"Yes," Nathan said.
"Wyatt's a different case; Trin, well, Trin channeled her mom's highland stubbornness and refused anything from Brian, even his involvement," Haley said.
"Yeah," Nathan said.
"It still hurts you ow Brian turned out," Haley said.
Nathan nodded, "It makes me feel like a failure. They say there are no bad kids, just bad parents," he said.
"That's a loaded statement because sometimes you end up with bad eggs," Haley said.
"Are you sure?" Nathan asked.
"Nate, Brian never spoke to us about his feelings; when we tried, he would shut us down. The stage and the crowds seduced him," Haley said.
"How? Why?" Nathan asked.
"In one of his journals, Brian described being on stage; he likened it to being a living god and feeding off the crowd's energy like a vampire," Haley said.
"Does Filicia know this?" Nathan asked.
"I have her a digital copy of all his journals," Haley said.
"Ugh! Our son was, was…." Nathan said.
"A deeply troubled young man," Haley said.
"Where are Brian's journals?" Nathan asked.
"They're in the secure room, in unmarked bins," Haley said.
"Why down there?" Nathan asked.
"Even Brian deserves his privacy," Haley said.
"Did he mention Mélina?" Nathan asked.
Haley shrugged, "I don't know; I've not read them all; also, they are wildly disorganized, many updated," she said.
"Should I read them?" Nathan asked.
"If you want, but ask yourself, do you really want to know," Haley said.
Nathan shrugged, "I don't know," he said.
"So, back to the beginning," Haley said.
"Okay?" Nathan said.
"So, when do you want to meet our new grandson?" Haley asked.
"He's nine; I wouldn't call him new," Nathan said.
"New to us," Haley said.
Nathan laughed and smiled, "True," he said.
"So, when do you?" Haley asked.
"My guess would be the weekend after we get everything settled," Nathan said.
"Where?" Haley asked.
"Someplace public, but where we could also be private, and somewhere they have things for a nine-year-old to do. Neutral ground, as well; we don't want to show any advantages," Nathan said.
"Well, I can ask around about venues," Haley said.
Nathan nodded, "Yeah, the ones here are simple; take them out on the basketball court," he said.
"Even Lacy?" Haley asked.
"Yes, give her sidewalk chalk, and she's fine," Nathan said.
Haley chuckled, "I always worry about Lacy," she said.
"Lacy will be just fine," Nathan said.
"Get some sleep, Nathan," Haley said.
"Yes, ma'am," Nathan said.
The married couple got comfortable in bed and shut off the lights in the dying hours of the day and the month as the lion waited to turn the corner.
