Okay…I just needed to make a quick comment, aside from the million thank yous to those who reviewed! You guys rock!

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CHAPTER 2: Returning Home, and a Secret is Revealed

Lucas walked into his mother's cafe with a sad smile. Andy was behind the counter, consoling his distressed mother. Ever since Keith's ruined wedding, Karen had been in low spirits, and there were only two people who could make her feel better: her boyfriend and her son.

"Hey Mom, hey Andy," Luke murmured, sitting at the barstool. Andy looked up at him and smiled, and Karen sighed heavily.

"Hey, honey. How are you doing today? It's great to see you again; I've missed you so much." She reached over and took Lucas' hand tightly, trying to smile through her tears. After a moment of looking at him adoringly, she hesitated. "What happened to your lip?"

"Felix wasn't happy because I was with Brooke today. He doesn't like me much, especially when I'm around her. But…that's not going to be possible for much longer," Lucas explained heavily, feeling his own eyes fill with tears. It killed him to think that she would be going to the other side of the country, and she wouldn't know how he truly felt. It wasn't like he could tell her, right after she'd broken up with Felix.

"Why not? What's wrong, Luke?" Andy questioned softly. Lucas appreciated how Andy had cared enough to get to know him and befriend him quickly. He was even starting to become a good father figure to him.

"Brooke…she's…she's moving to California in two days. Her father got the job he had been looking for, so they all have to move." As soon as the words left his lips, the tears spilled onto his cheeks. Karen gasped softly, then made her way around the counter and hugged Lucas tightly. He sobbed silently into her shoulder, grateful for the comfort.

"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that. There's no way for her to stay here? She hasn't even graduated from school yet."

Luke pulled back and looked up at his mother. "No, there's nowhere for her to stay."

Karen stroked Luke's hair, and watched him sadly. His already-expressive eyes showed his intense grief, and it broke her heart. He had already been through so much, why did he have to lose one if his best friends too?

"Um…Mom…I have a question. Ever since the wedding, I've been thinking…would it be okay if I moved back in? I miss you so much…I would completely understand if you don't want me to…I know I might be intruding." A voice in the back of his head told him that Dan wouldn't pay for the HCM medication anymore

Karen stared at him in shock for a moment, and then shook her head vigorously. "Oh, honey, you could never intrude. Of course you can move back in…I've been waiting for you to say that ever since you'd moved out to begin with. Do you want me to talk to Dan?"

"No! No…I'll do it...I'll tell him," Lucas insisted quickly. He glanced at Andy, who smiled warmly at him, and smiled back. "I'm going to go tell him now, and get my things…ok?" Karen nodded. Lucas kissed her on the cheek, nodded to Andy, and then made his way out of the café.

As Lucas walked to Dan's, he thought about Brooke, and her leaving. He was going to miss her so much…he'd realized in the time that she was with Felix that he was in love with her. And he hated Felix for not treating her the way he should have. She deserved the best treatment…hell, she in the least deserved a gentleman. He was too self-centered to be that to her.

"Lucas! Lucas, wait up!" a voice called from down the road. Luke turned around to see Nathan jogging up to him, and stopped. His half-brother slowed to a walk as he reached him, and they continued in the direction of Dan's. "Hey, man. I heard about Brooke moving. I'm sorry to hear that. What happened to your lip?"

Lucas smiled wryly. "Felix didn't want me near his girlfriend, and I told him that he didn't deserve her, so he punched me a few times. Brooke kicked him out of her house after that. I can't believe she's leaving in two days…I'm going to miss her so much."

"I know, man…I know. Hey, where're you headed? We could go to the Rivercourt to shoot some hoops," Nathan suggested softly, trying to help keep his brother's mind off of the girl he knew that he loved.

"I'm going to Dan's…I'm going to tell him that I'm going back to my mom's house. I wanted to keep him from screwing with Keith and Jules' wedding, so there's no more reason for me to be there." Lucas felt bad not telling his brother the whole truth, but he knew things wouldn't be the same if anyone knew. "You can come too…wait outside if you want to…and then we can go shoot some hoops afterwards. I have a feeling I'm going to want to get away from the house as soon as possible anyway."

Nathan nodded his agreement. When they reached Dan's, he did wait outside when Lucas went in.

"Dad?" Luke called, finding him in the living room. Dan looked up at him and smiled his usual, fake-looking grin. "I just wanted to let you know…that I'm going to live with my mother again. She needs me right now, and I don't have any reason to be here anymore."

Dan smirked. "Is that so? Do you forget that I'm paying for your medication? How do you intend to pay for it if you live with your mother? Are you going to tell her the truth?"

Lucas scowled at his father, knowing that Dan was going to play as dirty as he had to in order to get him to stay. "Yes, I am. She deserves to know the truth more than anyone."

"Suit yourself. But I expect all of your things out of here before noon tomorrow," Dan stated coldly. Lucas was surprised that he didn't fight him anymore, and wondered what card he was hiding in his sleeve now. Without another word, he got up and went out to his brother.

"How'd it go?" Nathan asked once they got to the Rivercourt. Lucas sighed, and shook his head.

"Too easy. He's going to try to pull something, I can feel it. He just let me go. There's too much involved for it to just be over for him."

"I thought you were just there for Keith?" Nathan questioned, shooting the ball over Lucas' fingers and making a basket. Lucas grabbed the ball, and then stood still.

"Nate, there's another reason I was there. I didn't tell anyone this…but I tested positive for HCM. I'd used Keith's results paper to show everyone that I hadn't. Dan…Dan had agreed to pay for my medication if I lived with him."

Nathan stared at him in shock for a few minutes before he could move. "You what! And you haven't told anyone but our father? Yet you're playing basketball? Lucas, are you stupid? You know the risks of HCM…it could kill you," Nathan snapped, grabbing the basketball from Lucas.

"I know that…but what would you do if you found out you had the HCM? Would you have been able to give up something you love so much?" Lucas questioned sharply, sitting down on the bleachers heavily. Nathan sat next to him slowly, disbelief clear on his face.

"No, I guess I wouldn't have been…but Lucas, how could you hide this from all of us? This is a big deal, it's bigger than the secret you kept about Jules and Dan's deal. How are you going to pay for those medications?"

"I don't know, man…I've just been more worried about how I'm going to tell my mom in the first place…I haven't even thought about paying for them. Dan most likely won't pay for them anymore, so I will have to figure something out."

Nathan nodded, and patted his brother's back comfortingly. "Well, why don't you start with telling your mom first, then you and her can figure something out. I think I'm going to go find my wife."

Lucas looked up at his brother with a surprised look, until a smile graced his features. "Good...I'm glad you're finally coming to your senses and going to find out for sure if you really are over. Tell her I miss her for me, okay?"

"I will. Take care, Luke. I'll be back soon," Nate sighed. Both brothers went their separate ways without another word.

Lucas took a deep breath as he re-entered the café. His mother spotted him instantly, and walked over to greet him at the door. He pulled her off to the side a little bit, then saw Andy out of the corner of his eye and gestured him over. "I told Dan…it's over, I'm coming back…but there's something I have to tell you…so I figured you should be here too, Andy. Mom, I think you might want to…sit down," Lucas advised softly, dreading what he was about to say.

"Why, Lucas, what's going on?" Karen asked sharply, but obeyed nonetheless. Lucas sighed.

"Well…do you remember when I showed you the results for the HCM test and told you that I didn't have it? Well…those results weren't mine. They were Keith's. Mom…I have HCM."

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Sorry there's no Brooke in this chapter, but I promise she'll be in the next one...but that was important for the story! lol I'll put up the next one soon I promise!