Chapter Three

Brooke and Chase both walked down the long hallway of the recovery wing of Tree Hill Hospital's surgical floor and stopped a few feet away from Haley's room Monday afternoon, two days after her exploratory surgery.

"Why are we standing outside the room?" Chase asked looking at his girlfriend curiously while he fiddled with the bouquet of white roses they had bought for Haley.

"I'm just preparing myself," Brooke replied.

"For what?" Chase raised his eyebrows at her in confusion.

"For what might be in there," she replied, her eyes darting to the partly opened door. "The last time I visited Haley in the hospital, it was right after her accident and she was in a coma."

"But she's not in a coma, she's in recovery," Chase pointed out.

"I know that, I just don't want to be the friend who looks like she's visiting a ghost," Brooke explained.

"Oh, would you quit your posturing; there are no cameras in here!" The voice sounded as strong as ever and slightly amused. Sometimes Haley was really annoying.

Now angered by the criticism of her character and the insinuation that she would use her talents as an actress to make visiting her friend in the hospital seem like an audition, Brooke made a beeline for the door, pushing it open so hard, it had smacked into the concrete wall with a loud thud.

"Why do you insist on putting me down for being an actress every chance you get, Haley?" Brooke demanded of her so-called friend with flared nostrils, throwing the flowers her boyfriend had held for her down on the floor carelessly.

Haley's eyes were bright with amusement. "Because it's entertaining to watch your colourful reactions- I bet you're going to be fantastic in that play of yours next year," she replied, her smile widening at her friend's appearance.

"Too bad you're not going to see it!" Brooke exclaimed hotly.

"You know very well that I think you're an excellent actress, Brooke, I only said that to get you through the door, behold my success," Haley said, gesturing to her friend's presence in the room.

Brooke was beat into silence.

"You're looking well for someone who just had surgery," Chase commented.

Haley nodded at him thankfully. "I'm on pain medication right now."

"What did the doctors say about your surgery?" Brooke asked curiously.

"I can't tell you before I've told Nathan," Haley replied.

"Nathan doesn't know?" Brooke asked, looking at her disbelievingly. "Hasn't he been at your side for the past few days?"

"He left last night to see his mom and dad so he wasn't here when the doctor came by this morning," Haley replied.

"Her doctor is a real piece of work," Anthony commented from the window.

"That's my brother," Haley explained to Chase who looked at him suspiciously.

"Where's Zach?" Brooke asked.

Anthony made a loud snort while Haley shook her head, signalling that it was not a good time to talk about her other brother.

"I thought Doctor Anderson was nice," Haley said, changing the subject.

"I was talking about Doctor Cutler," Anthony said.

"Ooh, Nathan told me about him," Brooke said, crinkling her nose.

"Uptight, British ass," Anthony spat.

"Hello, hello," Lucas greeted everyone as he entered the room with Rachel on his tale. "How are you feeling, Hales?"

Haley eyed Rachel dangerously and the redhead moved behind Lucas as if to shield herself from the hate radiating her stare. "I was feeling pretty good until about five seconds ago."

"Are you in pain?" Anthony asked, looking at his sister worriedly. "I can go get the nurse to give you another dose or something."

Her brother was so hilariously clueless.

He was on his feet heading towards the door but Brooke managed to stop him, by grabbing his hand as he passed her by. "No, she was talking about something else," she replied, subtly glancing at Rachel in response to his confused expression.

"I am standing right here," Rachel said incredulously, putting her hands on her hip in anger at her boyfriend's friends.

"Yeah, that would be the problem," Peyton replied from the chair beside Haley's bed, being the first person to actually come visit Haley, she had grabbed the best seat.

"We came to visit you," Rachel pointed out.

"Do we look stupid to you?" Brooke retorted.

"He came to visit Haley because he cares about her," Peyton explained. "You came here for a different reason."

"Enlighten me," Rachel challenged, stepping out from behind Lucas looking ready for a fight.

"Don't bother," Lucas said, glaring at the both of them. "I don't know what your problem is with each other and I don't care but whatever it is; put it aside for now because I'm here for Haley."

"I was just," Peyton began meekly, looking at Lucas helplessly.

"I don't care what you were doing, Peyton!" Lucas exclaimed. "Just mind your own business."

"Yeah, just mind your own business," Rachel repeated, smiling at her triumphantly.

"Could you not talk so much? You have a really annoying voice," Peyton retorted.

"Excuse me?" Rachel demanded, her raspy voice dripping with anger.

"Hey, you're right," Brooke said in a sugary sweet tone. "Did something happen to you as a child or have you always sounded like that?"

"Would you shut your mouth, please?" Lucas asked, his gaze darting back and forth between Peyton and Brooke.

"Could you grow a pair?" Brooke retorted.

"Hey!" Haley threw her tray full of the flowers they had given her on the floor to grab their attention.H"All of you grow up and get along for my sake before I throw all your asses out the door."

"Those flowers cost a fortune, Haley," Brooke complained.

"Consider it a lesson not to put expensive things within my reach and then start yelling at each other," Haley replied, shrugging carelessly at the enraged expressions on their faces. "You three are worse than rival basketball fans."

They all turned to look at her in confusion.

"You don't like Rachel anymore than we do," Peyton defended.

"Is that true, Haley?" Lucas asked, looking ready to start yelling at her.

"Of course it's true," Brooke replied before Haley could even form a response. "How can you like someone that called you a cripple the first time she saw you?"

"I didn't call her a cripple," Rachel said, shaking her head.

"Actually, you did," Chase said, nodding when Rachel began to shake her head again.

"Get out!" They all stopped arguing and looked at her in disbelief. "Get out of my room. I don't want to see any of you right now."

"Hales, come on," Lucas said.

"Out!" Haley exclaimed, pointing towards the door of her room for emphasis.

"You're being ridiculous," Peyton said.

"And you're getting on my nerves," Haley retorted.

"We came to visit you," Brooke reminded her.

"I'm supposed to be recovering, not playing referee so take it somewhere else," Haley said, waving them all off again.

"Maybe they messed with her brain or something," Rachel muttered to Lucas on her way out when she thought she was out of Haley's range of hearing.

"Yeah, and maybe they messed with yours during one of your procedures," Haley called back.

Rachel stopped walking and turned around to look at the hospital room. "What did you say?" She was probably wondering how Haley knew she had work done.

"That might explain why you don't think before you speak," Haley continued.

"Excuse me?" Rachel demanded now right outside the partly opened door to Haley's hospital room.

"Hey, or maybe you were just born stupid," Haley replied, smiling to herself because even though she couldn't see Rachel's face, she could imagine the look on it.

"You know, you're lucky you're paralysed, Haley," Rachel said, coming back into the room to glare at her with a furious expression on her face.

"That's the first time I've ever heard that before," Haley said.

"Because if you could walk and you'd said that to me, you'd be in serious need of work of your own," Rachel finished.

"Well, at least it'd be for a legitimate reason and not just my own vanity," Haley retorted.

"What are you talking about?" Rachel asked.

"Rach, come on, did you really think someone wouldn't remember you?" Haley replied.

Rachel's face paled as she stared at Haley in fear.

Lucas looked at his friend curiously. "Where do you remember her from?"

"I remember her from…" Haley started to reply.

"Haley, please, don't answer that!" Rachel pleaded desperately but she was too late.

"Grade school," she finished.

"You went to school in Tree Hill and you never told me?" Lucas asked, looking at his girlfriend strangely.

"You didn't remember me," Rachel replied in her defence.

"Can't really blame him, can you?" Haley interjected, earning her a glare from Rachel.

"What are you getting at?" Lucas asked.

"Figure it out on your own or wait for her to tell you, Luke," Haley replied.

"Rach?" Lucas asked, looking at her expectantly.

"I need to talk to Haley for a minute alone," Rachel said.

"Sure," Lucas said, leaving immediately.

"I don't want to talk to you," Haley said.

"You owe me for what you just pulled," Rachel said.

Haley scoffed. "I don't owe you anything, Rachel, except a black eye."

"You embarrassed me," Rachel argued.

"And I've got one mean right hook," Haley continued, ignoring her. "Just ask Peyton."

"You had no right telling him anything," Rachel screeched.

Haley looked at her seriously. "Are you really that ashamed of being a little overweight when you were a kid?" she asked.

Rachel chuckled. "I wasn't just a little overweight, Haley, I looked like a walrus."

"I guess that's a yes," Haley concluded.

"Yes, I admit it, I'm shallow," Rachel said.

"Colour me stunned," Haley replied, smirking.

"And you almost let Lucas know about something I've worked very hard to overcome," Rachel replied.

"Am I supposed to be sorry?" she asked, raising an inquiring eyebrow at her.

"Yes," Rachel replied exasperated.

"Well, I'm not sorry that I nearly ousted you as a hypocrite," Haley said.

"What are you talking about?" Rachel asked.

"I'm talking about what happened in the café, when you saw that I was in a wheelchair and acted so horrified," Haley replied.

"I was surprised," Rachel said.

"No, you were looking down at me!" Haley exclaimed.

"I was not," Rachel replied.

"I've been paralyzed for a few years now so do you really think I can't tell when someone has a problem with it?" Haley asked.

"I don't care," Rachel shrugged.

"You know, I remember you very well. I know you were teased mercilessly about your weight. Do you remember how they made you feel?" Haley asked.

"They made me feel like a freak," Rachel replied bitterly.

"And your reaction to my paralysis made me feel the same way," Haley said.

"It is not the same thing," Rachel said.

"You're right, it's not," Haley said, nodding in agreement. "You fixed yourself so you're not fat anymore but paralysis is rarely ever fixed."

Rachel looked at her. "Then what the hell did you have surgery for?"

"I said rarely, and if the doctors hadn't made a mistake, there would be no chance for recovery for me," Haley replied.

"But there is a chance," Rachel said.

"That's not the point," Haley said.

"Of course it is," Rachel said.

"No, it's not because when you made that crack, I didn't know that I could feel anything in my foot and neither did you," Haley said.

"I'm entitled to my opinion," Rachel argued.

"Yes, and so were the people that made fun of you but that doesn't mean they have to express it just to be mean," Haley said.

"What happened to me is not the same thing," Rachel said.

"No, it's worse," Haley exclaimed angrily. "Because you know what it's like and yet you still did the same thing to me!" Her voice thundered through the hallways.

Nathan passed the waiting room of the floor that Haley was on but stopped walking when he spotted Peyton, Brooke and Chase sitting in a secluded corner.

"What are you guys doing out here?" he asked.

"Haley asked us to leave the room," Chase replied after Peyton and Brooke just glared at him.

"Why?" Nathan asked.

"Rachel," Brooke and Peyton replied simultaneously.

"Luke's girlfriend?" Nathan asked.

"They got into a fight with her and Lucas," Chase explained.

"Aha," Nathan said, smirking now because he could imagine Haley's response to fighting when they were supposed to be visiting her.

"In a way, Haley's the one that started it," Brooke said defensively.

"I doubt that," Nathan said.

"It's true," Peyton insisted.

"When Lucas asked her how she was, she said that she was fine until a few seconds before," Brooke explained.

"You were the ones who took things too far," Chase said.

"What?" Brooke asked glaring at him in disbelief.

"Haley never said that it was because of Rachel that she wasn't feeling well, you assumed that's what she meant and then got into a fight with Rachel and Lucas," Chase replied.

"Hey, Boyfriend, you're supposed to be on my side," Brooke said.

"So where are Luke and Rachel?" Nathan asked, ignoring the lovers' spat.

Peyton shrugged. "I think they're still outside the hall of Haley's room."

"Why?" Nathan asked cautiously.

"Rachel made a feeble comment on the way out," Brooke replied.

"And Haley didn't appreciate it," Peyton added.

"Uh oh," Nathan sighed, turning back around and heading to his girlfriend's room with the other three following.

When they finally reached her room, the fight had escalated from just Rachel and Haley to Lucas, Rachel and Haley.

Lucas had one of his arms wrapped around Rachel's back, hugging her to him as he glared at Haley angrily. "Haley, you need to stop attacking her every time she's around," Lucas demanded.

Haley was sitting up in bed, looking pissed off. "And you should put a muzzle on her when you're out in public," she retorted.

"I am not a dog," Rachel exclaimed.

"Really, cause the resemblance is uncanny!" Brooke chimed in.

"No, you're a bitch with a big mouth," Haley said.

"Maybe you should stop ridiculing Rachel, Haley, before you go too far," Lucas said.

"Why are you taking her side?" Haley asked of her best friend.

"She's my girlfriend," Lucas said.

"And I am your best friend," Haley reminded him.

"My best friend wouldn't attack people like this," Lucas said.

"No, but I don't let people who look down at me get away with treating me like garbage," Haley said.

"Rachel never said anything negative about you," Lucas said.

"What are you talking about? The first thing that came out of her mouth was not only negative, it was hateful," Haley said.

"You took it the wrong way," Lucas said.

"How was I supposed to take being called a cripple then, Luke?" Haley asked.

"Rachel was caught off guard never having seen someone in a wheelchair before. She was shocked so she said the first thing that came to mind," Lucas said.

"So when the first thing that comes to her mind when referring to someone in a wheelchair is the word cripple, I'm not supposed to have a problem with that?" Haley asked.

"That wasn't the first word that came to my mind, the first one was gimp!" Rachel exclaimed.

"Get her out of here before I put her through the window, Lucas," Anthony said, rising to his sister's defence.

"You better take him up on the offer because I'm about to throw this pitcher of water all over her," Haley warned, picking up the pitcher of water with very little effort.

"If you would just calm down, Haley," Lucas began slowly.

"Now, Lucas!" Haley thundered.

"Don't put me in this position again, Haley," Lucas said.

"I'm not making you choose sides, Luke," Haley said.

"If you make me walk away with her now, you are," Lucas said.

"I said for you to take her out of here, not for you to leave with her," Haley said.

"That's a given," Lucas said.

"Then I guess you've already chosen a side," Haley said, looking at him sadly now.

Lucas nodded and grabbed a hold of Rachel's hand before starting to leave.

His brother caught him and pulled him back by the shoulder. "Don't leave things like this, Luke," Nathan said.

"She's my girlfriend," Lucas said.

"And that wins out with you every time," Haley said.

"Come on, you two are best friends," Peyton said, looking at both of them. "Don't do this again."

"It's already done," Haley replied, shaking her head as tears sprang to her eyes. "I see how little I mean to him now."

"My surgery was a success," Haley announced a half hour later to Chase, Brooke, Peyton and Nathan.

"What does that mean?" Peyton asked.

"It means that the damage is repairable," Anthony replied.

"With or without that surgery," Haley added.

Nathan's head snapped up at the news. "Does that mean you're not going to have it?" he asked.

"I've been thinking about that and I really want to have it," Haley replied.

"But you could die," Anthony reminded her.

"And I could get better quicker," Haley replied.

"Are you sure that's worth the risk?" Nathan asked.

"I think it is but there's still five more weeks until the operation," Haley replied.

"I don't want to lose you, Hales," Nathan admitted.

"I don't plan on going anywhere," Haley said, giving him some assurance.

Then a nurse came in the room and shooed them all out. "Visiting hours were over ten minutes ago," she said.

"Bye," Haley called to them as they were being pushed out the door.