A/N Hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday! Okay so I need to apologize for a little error in the last chapter when I said that live Brucas lives in Charleston…they don't they live in Charlotte. This chapter is kind of sad, so I apologize but just keep in mind that I'm a FIRM believer in happy endings…so everything will be alright in the end just be patient

Chapter Eight: The Worst Thanksgiving…EVER

Haley and Nathan had decided to drive to One Tree Hill from Boston because Nathan was worried about Haley traveling by plane being pregnant. She was three months pregnant and so far everything was going wonderfully.

"Oh my gosh, Nate I've got the best idea!" Haley said suddenly.

Nathan laughed, "What is it baby?" He couldn't wait until this baby was born and then he could somehow relax.

"We should go and see Brooke and Lucas and the boys…we can all drive down together. Please Nathan." She missed Lucas and Brooke and she was dying to their kids.

"Yeah sure baby, why don't you call them we'll be in Charlotte in a couple hours." They'd been driving for so long Nathan felt like his legs were going numb and it would be good to have an excuse to stop and just rest a while.

Haley shook her head, "Nope I think we should surprise them!" Nathan laughed, his wife was becoming a lot like Brooke.

Neither one was prepared for what they'd find…

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It was two days before Thanksgiving, Lucas was on the road with the team and Brooke was bored, she wondered if she should wake her sons up and then thought better of it. She went to the bathroom and started the bathwater and put some bubbles in, it felt great to just relax without any interruptions. She had the stereo playing Christmas songs, from November through December she always had Christmas music playing it made her happy. She was four months pregnant and finally the puking had stopped and her baby was doing great, in two months she'd find out if she was having a boy or a girl.

She groaned when she heard the doorbell, she wrapped her hair in a towel and slipped her bathrobe on with pictures of her son's on the pockets that Lucas had given her for Mother's Day. She was going to kill whoever was on the other side of that door if they woke up her sons. She peeked through the open crack and smiled, they were both sound asleep.

"Alright I'm coming." She grumbled. She opened the door and glared, "What the hell are you doing here?"

Rachel smiled, "Well Brooke it's good to see you too. Aren't you going to let me in?"

"No, as you can see I was taking a bath and my kids are asleep so you need to go." Brooke told her, ever since high school they'd hated each other with a passion. She tried to slam the door but Rachel pushed it open. "What the hell? If you don't leave I'm calling the cops!" Brooke was beyond annoyed she was pissed.

The two women got into a yelling match and neither noticed the small shadow in the doorway behind his mother.

"Don't worry I'll be back." Rachel said glaring at Brooke. Brooke heard her son sneeze and she turned around. "You bitch!" Rachel yelled and attacked Brooke from behind.

They fought more until Rachel brought out a gun, Brooke was stunned and really regretting that she'd answered the door, now here she was four months pregnant fighting on the floor with a psycho and the psycho had just whipped out a gun. She thought of Austin in the doorway, no matter what she had to protect her babies.

He saw the mean lady hit his mommy and she fell down, the mean lady hadn't seen him yet, so maybe he could call 9-1-1 he remembered what the numbers looked like on the phone.

It all happened so fast, first she was on the floor fighting with Brooke and she saw the movement and got startled, the gun shot thundered through the air.

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Peyton was sick and tired of being on bed rest, ever since Jake had found out about her and Jenny's sneaking out to go shopping he'd taken to calling every hour on the hour. It was driving her nuts, their last check up had shown that the baby was doing great. She'd found out what she was having but she wasn't going to say anything until Thanksgiving when she'd be with all her friends.

"Mama what's wrong?" Jenny asked sitting beside her mom on the couch.

"Nothing, I'm just bored and I really want to go shopping." Jenny smiled and shook her head, she'd gotten an hour long lecture about the last shopping spree. "Thankfully the doctor said that I could go home for Thanksgiving." Jake wasn't sure they should go but both she and Jenny had begged until they were blue in the face and he'd finally said okay but she had a huge list of rules to follow.

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Nathan and Haley pulled into the driveway of Lucas and Brooke's house, "Is that Seth?" Nathan asked seeing a little boy sitting on the front porch. "He looks like he's crying."

"Maybe Luke and Brooke have had a fight." Haley got out of the car and called Seth's name. He flew into her arms sobbing, "What's wrong baby?"

"Mama…Austin…mean lady." They were the only words that Haley could make out. Nathan saw blood on Seth's shirt and he checked him over, the boy was fine.

"Hales stay here with him." Nathan said in a tone that she knew was serious.

Nathan walked towards the house wondering what he'd fine, nothing could've prepared him for what he saw. Blood was everywhere on the floor and the walls, "Brooke? Luke?" He walked further into the house and then stopped, Brooke had a black eye and a bloody lip she was leaning against counters in the kitchen holding something in her arms, she was sobbing. "Brooke! What happened?" As he got closer he could tell what was in her arms, it was Austin. The little boy was covered in blood.

Brooke just looked at him but didn't say anything, she just stared at him with tears streaming down her cheeks. She handed him her cell phone which was covered in blood, it was dead.

He looked behind him and saw the door was still open, "Haley call 9-1-1! NOW! Put Seth in our car and get in here!" He hoped that she'd heard him. He knelt by Brooke, "Where's Luke?" She still wasn't talking, soon Haley was by him. "She won't tell me what happened. Did you call the police?"

"Yeah I did, they're on the way." Haley wanted to cry for her friend and the little boy in her arms. She knelt on the other side of Brooke. "Nathan why don't you go and comfort Seth?" He nodded and walked back to the car.

Haley sat still, "He's gone…now come on and tell me what happened? Can I hold Austin?" Her voice began to quiver and she told herself that she had to keep it together for her friend.

Brooke looked at her and cried harder but she handed her baby over to her friend. It was the first step Haley knew and she held Austin close her, she pressed two fingers against his neck looking for a pulse she almost jumped for joy when she found one…it was very light. She lifted up his shirt and almost screamed, the bullet had gone through his side and there wasn't an exit wound. She grabbed a fresh towel from the counter above them and pressed it to the wound. "He's got a pulse sweetie, feel." She said taking Brooke fingers and placing them to her son's neck. "Where's Lucas?"

"He…he's at…at…a basketball game with the team." Brooke said quietly, if Haley hadn't been listening she might've missed it. Haley nodded and picked her phone up.

"Sweetie does he have his phone with him?" Brooke nodded and Haley began dialing.

"This is Luke." Haley heard the familiar voice and almost began sobbing herself.

"This is Haley, you need to come home." She knew that it wasn't a time for small talk, he needed to get home and as soon as possible. "Nathan and I were driving to Tree Hill and we decided to stop and see you, Brooke, and the boys…and oh God Lucas."

Lucas saw his coach getting agitated with him but something in Haley's voice scared him, "Haley is Brooke there? Let me talk to her." Haley said okay and handed the phone to Brooke.

"Brooke baby, are you there?"

"Lucas." She sobbed his name, "I…need you, I was..taking a bath and the boys…the boys were taking a nap and the doorbell rang and so I answered it and it was Rachel and we argued and then I heard….I heard Au..Austin sneeze and I turned and she attacked me and got out a gun…then…then…she shot him…she shot Austin!" Tears were pouring, "I…I…so scared, he…he's so pale."

Lucas couldn't believe what he was hearing, his coach had walked over and was standing next to him. "Baby I'll be home soon, it's going to be okay. Austin's tough…are you going to be okay with Haley and Nathan until I get there?"

"Y..Yes. Please hurry." She hung up and the phone and continued to cry, she leaned against Haley.

They both heard the sirens and Haley thanked the Lord, "The ambulance is here Brooke, everything's going to be okay now."

Nathan was holding a crying Seth when the police and ambulance arrived, "Hurry they're in here, we were afraid to move Austin."

The paramedics started to pick up Austin from Haley's arms but Brooke started screaming, "No! Don't take my baby! He needs me!"

"Brooke they're not going to hurt him, they're going to help him but you have to let them, and you need to let him look at you, to make sure that you and the baby are okay." Haley told her softly, "Go with them and I'll stay right here with Austin, you trust me right?" Brooke nodded and reluctantly allowed herself to be placed on a stretcher. "Nate, I'll go with Austin you follow behind with Seth."

Haley sat in the ambulance quiet holding onto Austin's hand, he seemed so small and fragile, the police had tried to ask her what she knew but she asked them to back off for just a little while until they knew if Austin and Brooke's unborn child were okay. "Just hang in there buddy."

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Lucas had told his coach everything and was allowed to go back home, he felt like he could kill Rachel with his bare hands. He ran through the airport and was allowed the last seat on the last flight available to Charlotte.

"Oh my gosh! Lucas!" Brooke screamed from the living room, she'd come in from the kitchen and found Austin trying to walk and sure enough now he was.

"What's the matter?" He ran in but stopped when he saw his baby boy walking, he grabbed Austin and threw him in the air, "You were walking buddy! You did it!" Ever since Seth had begun walking a month ago Austin had tried and tried but never made it and he'd so frustrated and cry. Now his smile lit up the room.

Lucas could see that smile and hear his laugh, he sobbed into his hands, when he got to the hospital he wouldn't be able to cry because Brooke would need him to be the strong one. He hoped that their unborn child was alright, what if they lost both of them? Brooke hadn't said anything about Seth so he prayed he was alright.

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Brooke had been checked out while Austin began surgery to remove the bullet and repair the damage, they were given little hope of his survival, during surgery he was given a blood transfusion.

Dr. Ryan had been on call and she was the one checking Brooke out, "Okay you and the baby are alright but I need you to stay here for observation. Is Lucas on his way?" Brooke nodded.

"Where's Austin…how's my baby? And Seth…is Seth alright? Can I see him?" She remembered hearing Haley tell Nathan to follow them with Seth. Dr. Ryan smiled and nodded and left to find Seth.

Seth held her hand tightly, he'd been so afraid hearing the loud noise and the mean lady and his mommy screaming and all the red stuff. They walked into a bright room, he saw his mommy lying on a bed in a white gown. The nice lady picked him up and placed him on the chair by the bed. "Mama?" He asked tentatively.

Brooke looked over into his blue eyes, his cheeks were damp as though he'd been crying. She looked at Dr. Ryan standing behind him, "Could you place him on the bedside me? It'll be alright."

Soon Seth was lying next to her, "I was scared." He told her softly and he felt her embrace tighten.

"I was scared too, but everything will be alright now." She told him softly, she prayed that it would. "We need to pray that God will make your brother all better and thank him for protecting the baby."

Austin's surgery was so far 18 hours long, Haley was nervous what if they lost him? How could she tell Brooke and Lucas?

"Mrs. Scott?" She turned around to see a police officer, " I was wondering if I could speak with your sister-in-law, I know that she's been through hell but the sooner we talk to sooner we can look for the person who did this."

Haley nodded, "Alright follow me." She led him to Brooke's room and peeked through the window on the door, Seth was sound asleep but Brooke was awake.

"Brooke this officer needs to talk to you." Brooke nodded and Haley asked to stay with her friend.

"My name is Officer Brandon Michaels and first let me say that I'm praying your son will come through this." Brooke nodded and thanked him. "Do you know who did this?"

"Yeah…it was Rachel Giatta."

A/N How was it? In the next chapter Lucas gets to the hospital, please leave some reviews