THERE YOU WERE

Learn to write your hurts in sand.
Learn to carve your blessings in stone!

-Unknown (submitted by merrylegs)

I get home, throw my books down look around the apartment and sigh. This place once so full of laughter and happiness was now silent. "Just you and me now little one." I whisper to my stomach.

I check my answering machine. "One new message" "Hey Haley, it's me, Lucas. Um, I was just wanting to how you were holding up. Well, uh, if you need some place to go, if you don't wanna be alone or whatever, your welcome to stay here. Bye."

I smile, sweet Lucas, my buddy, always there for me no matter what. It's sweet of him to think of me when he's going through so much, himself. His brother is dead, his mother is pregnant, not to mention that Keith is dead, as well. Yet, it's me that Lucas is worried about, but I can't burden him with my problem, especially about the baby. He already has the weigh of the world on his shoulders, he needs no more baggage.

I hear a knock at the door. I open it cautiously, imagine my surprise, when I saw Dan Scott standing in my doorway. "Can I come in?" he asked. I motioned wordlessly for him to enter. I was amazed he was actually here. I had assumed that after the funeral Dan would return to the bastard he was before, that the one night of vulnerability, of actually caring would be quickly forgotten, pushed into the abyss of his mind. Yet, here he was. No it seems I was very much mistaken about Dan Scott.

"Mr. Scott, what are you doing here?" He looked at me in surprise. "Obviously I'm here to check on my daughter-in-law since she is the only one here, unless you have already moved a new boy in here." he said in his usual sarcastic tone. Hum, maybe I wasn't so wrong about him after all. Then, he shocked me yet again. "I'm sorry, that just slipped out." Then he asked in a voice that could almost pass for tender, "How are you, and don't say your fine because I know your not." That answer died on my lips. "How are you really?" Dan asked. "You want the truth about how I feel Mr. Scott? The truth is that my husband is dead, I feel like my entire life is over before I really had a chance to begin it, and now, all the plans I had for myself are ruined and I don't know what to do."

Dan looked at me. "What were your plans before You meet Nathan?" I looked at him confused before replying. "I don't know, go to college, get a job, meet a guy, marry him, have two kids, one boy, one girl, grow old with the guy." Dan looked at me, "So do it." "What?" I managed to get out.

"Go to college, any money you need I'll provide, live your dreams, be happy, Nathan would want that." "It's not that simple Mr. Scott." "I didn't mean right away, Haley, give yourself time to grieve for him, take all the time you need and, when you decide you ready to move on, my offer will still stand."

Dan turned to leave. "That's not the only reason." I said, my voice barley above a whisper, and my eyes filling with tears. Dan turned and looked at me with concern. "What is the reason?" I looked up into his eyes, eyes that were so like Nathan's. "I'm pregnant."