Me's sorry for being mean to Luke…but if there was no problem, where would the story be? I hate to say that it's going to get more complicated from here, so please bear with me. I hope you'll like it still! And thank you so much for your awesome reviews!

OOH! If anyone happened to see the episode from last week when It came on over the weekend, can you please tell me what happened at the very end? I saw up to where they were at the rivercourt and Luke was about to play with the guys, and then my VCR cut off there, so I don't know how much/what I missed. If you can help me out, I would greatly, greatly appreciate it! Thanks!
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CHAPTER 7: New Med Student…

It took three days for Brooke to be well enough to leave the hospital. Nathan, Haley, Jake, Peyton, and even Felix all came to visit her several times, but could never stay long. She hated looking over and seeing the man she loved still unconscious, cuts all over his face and arms.

"Miss? You are allowed to leave now," a deep voice announced from the door. She looked up to see a handsome young man, who couldn't be more than three years older than her, standing in the doorway. His gaze scanned her body, making her slightly uncomfortable. She simply nodded, and sat up. "Is there someone that will help you get out of here?"

Brooke nodded. "Yes…they're on their way."

The young man smiled. "In that case, we could talk to pass the time," he offered. She saw a look in her eyes that bothered her. She could tell that he was interested in getting to know her better because he liked what he saw. She tried to decline, but he sat at the foot of her bed, and held out his hand. "Hi, I'm Tyler, a med student here."

Brooke sighed, and shook his hand quickly. "Brooke. Uh…can you tell me how he's doing?" she questioned softly, gesturing towards Lucas. She tried to think of something else that could distract him until Nathan and Haley got there as he stood and checked on Lucas.

"There's no change. He your bother?"

Brooke shook her head with a wry smile. "No…I…I don't know exactly what he is to me right now."

Tyler smiled. "In that case…since you're out of the hospital, would it be okay if I took you out sometime?"

Brooke hesitated. "I…but…he-"

"Great…I'll take you out to dinner tomorrow. Where do you live so I can pick you up?" he questioned, cutting off her objection forcefully.

"Well…I'll most likely be here with Lucas…," she informed. Brooke began to panic when she saw him about to continue. She couldn't go out with him…she would never do that to Lucas… "But I-"

"Brooke! Oh, it's so great to see you sitting up…how are you doing?" Haley questioned enthusiastically, once again successfully cutting off her attempt at rejecting the med student in front of her. She sighed as Haley hugged her gently, careful of her broken wrist.

"I've been better," she muttered. Her eyes traveled to Lucas, and she stood to walk up to his bedside. It was like everything had suddenly disappeared, save for her and him, lying still in his hospital bed. For a moment, she escaped Tyler, Haley, and Nathan completely, and just focused on Lucas.

Her trance was shattered when Tyler took her arm gently. "I'm taking her out to eat tomorrow," he told Haley. Nathan shot her a glare, and she gave him a look, pleading for his help. He nodded his understanding, but didn't speak. She then desperately turned to Haley, who was looking at her, shocked.

"W-well…that sounds like a good idea, get her out of the hospital for a while. Right, Brooke?" she asked with forced enthusiasm. Brooke looked over at Lucas, then down at the floor. "We have to go for now, though. We've got places to be."

Tyler nodded, and turned Brooke to face him. "I'll see you tomorrow then, Brooke."

She nodded feebly, then turned to Lucas, and bent down and kissed his cheek. She was the first to walk out, with Haley and Nathan close behind, all carrying her get-well presents. As he left the room, he sent Tyler a dangerous glare.

"Brooke, what the hell were you thinking! You are going on a date with him? How could you do that to Lucas! How-"

"Hales, give her a chance to explain," Nathan suggested softly. Haley scoffed, but fell silent as she continued to walk in step with Brooke and her husband.

"I tried to turn him down…but he seriously wouldn't let me get a word in…and then you two came in and I didn't get a chance to speak again. I don't know what I'm going to do…I love Lucas."

Haley sighed, accepting her explanation. "Well…as long as you don't kiss him, you'll be okay," she half-joked. Brooke couldn't help but chuckle. "But really…you love Lucas, so it won't be too hard to keep this guy from going too far with anything, so you should be fine."

Brooke sighed and nodded. The rest of the ride back to Karen's was generally silent. Once she got there and Haley and Nathan left her with her gifts, Karen helped her settle into her new room and left her to rest.

-

The next day, Brooke spent the day with Haley at Lucas' side. They passed most of the time talking, about memories of Lucas, and about Brooke's leaving and returning again. When five rolled around, Brooke heard someone come in, and knew it was Tyler. She turned, and smiled half-heartedly at him.

"Now, I would've thought that you'd be out of the hospital for good after being able to leave yesterday."

Brooke's smile quickly faded from her face, and was replaced by a frown. "Lucas is still here…and as long as he's here, I'll be here too," she snapped. Tyler raised his hands in mock surrender, and then offered her his arm.

"Shall we?" he questioned. Brooke rolled her eyes a little, and gave Haley a final, defeated glance before Tyler tugged her out of the room.

They ended up going to a burger place, where Brooke could easily pick up her food with one hand. For the first few minutes, they were silent. Brooke decided to break the silence, when it became too much for her. "So…what do you enjoy to do?"

"I love to help people, and meet women, and things like that. What about you?" Tyler questioned cheerfully. Brooke sighed. This was going to be a long night.

-

And it was a long night. They stayed in the burger place for two hours, Tyler talking most of the time. It was late before Brooke was back at Lucas' bedside, and Karen and Andy were there as well. She took Lucas' free hand, the one Karen wasn't holding, and just thought about how much she wanted him to wake up and save her from the grief she was feeling over his state. She needed him so much, she missed him, and she loved him more than she had ever realized. It killed her to see him like this.