Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill.

Author's Note: This chapter is the same as the last chapter (Ch.21), it's just from Haley's point of view.

Also, good job to the people who realized that Sebastian and Brooke had the same dream.

Chapter 22

"...It is human nature to feel emotion. That spectrum widely ranges from pride and gratification to regret and remorse. Mark Twain once said, "Man is the only animal that blushes, or needs to..."

Very good use of Mark Twain's quote. Haley thought as she continued to read the essay. She couldn't wait to get to the end to see whose paper she was grading. Her philosophy was never to read the names of the assignments first; that way she could give a fair grading without prejudging who wrote it, no matter how the student behaves in her classroom. Haley's philosophy was definitely proving itself because as she read the end of the last sentence, she gave it an "A"; then she turned back to the first page and read the name at the top: Sam Walker. This was Samantha's paper. Sam was a bit rough around the edges, she was sarcastic, had a smart mouth, and she always did the bare minimum in class; just enough to get by. But from this essay, she definitely had potential; and Haley was going to make sure that she used it.

"Mama, ready to go." Jamie skipped down the stairs.

Haley looked up at her son. He was so excited going to Karen's house. Jamie, Sebastian, and Lily had become inseparable since they've all met each other.

"That's good honey, but I'm not taking you; your dad is." She told him. Nathan was going to drop Jamie off to Karen on his way to visit Brooke in the hospital; leaving Haley the whole house to herself, which she was going to spend the day grading her students papers.

Nathan came downstairs, looking for his car keys. "Babe, have you seen my-"

Haley held the keys up with a smirk. "You lose them every time."

Nathan went over and kissed her. "What would I do without you?"

"Walk." Haley laughed.

Nathan tackled her on the couch and began kissing and tickling her.

"Daddy come on! We have to go." Jamie said impatiently.

"Alright, alright."

Haley walked them to the door. "Tell Brooke we love her."

"I will." Nathan kissed her again.

"Jamie, be good and listen to Karen."

"Okay mama." He was tugging his dad's arm, pulling him towards the car.

Haley watched her boys leave; then she headed back to the living room to grade more papers.

About 10 minutes later, she heard keys in the door. She figured Nathan forgot something and had to turn around and come back to the house. "What did you forget?" She called out as the door opened.

"My mind."

"Luke?" She looked up and saw Lucas walking into the room.

"What the hell happened to you?" She looked him over. His clothes were dirty. His hair was wild and his eyes were bloodshot red. He looked disheveled and depressed.

"It's a long story. Can I use the shower?" He asked.

"Yes please! You stink!" She could smell the alcohol seeping out of his pores.

Lucas went upstairs to take a shower and wash away last night's events.

Haley set the papers aside. She had so many questions for her best friend and he had better answer every single one.

After a while, Lucas came downstairs wearing one of Nathan's tracksuits. He flopped down on the couch. His hangover was killing him. The silence was killing Haley.

"Uhmm...so are we not going to talk about this?"

"I'd rather we not." Lucas said, tilting his head back and closing his eyes.

"Wrong answer."

"Haley please not right now! My head is killing me and my stomach hurts." He pleaded.

"Probably because you've been drinking all night on an empty stomach, I presume." She dared him to deny it.

Lucas sighed. Haley really was too smart for her own good sometimes.

"I'll go fix us something to eat." She said and headed for the kitchen. She heard Lucas give out a weak "thank you" behind her.

...

Haley put their plates on the table and sat down to eat. Lucas joined her. They ate in silence for a few minutes.

Her phone buzzed; it was a text from Nathan.

Hubby:i'm here with Brooke, still no change. going to grab a quick bite, want anything?

Wifey:No, thanks. Just cooked chicken alfredo. [yummy emoji]

Hubby:save me some please

Wifey:[thumbs up emoji]

Haley put her phone down and watched Lucas eat slowly. She could tell that he was trying to keep his food down. With the way Lucas picked at his plate, she would've doubted her cooking skills, but she knew better. She knew it had more to do with his hangover than her impeccable culinary skills.

"So…" Haley started.

Lucas stayed quiet, hoping to eat in silence.

"So, do you want to tell me why you showed up looking the way you did?"

Lucas sighed, he knew he had no such luck. So much for eating in silence. "Well, I had a rough night."

Haley smirked. "Thanks a lot Captain Obvious. You're gonna have to elaborate." Just then her phone rang. She looked at the screen and saw that it was Mia calling her. "Hold on a sec." She told him as she took the call in the other room.

Lucas was so grateful that her phone rang. He really didn't want to talk about this right now. He leaned his head on his arm struggling to stay awake.

"Hey Mia, how are you?" Haley asked.

"I don't know what to do!" Mia was freaking out.

"What's going on?" Haley could hear the anxiety in Mia's voice.

"Peyton booked me a show at this club, and she's not here!"

"What do you mean she's not there?"

"She's not here! I called her and she's not answering her phone. The manager is asking for her. I don't know what to say..."

"Hold on a sec." Haley clicked over and dialed Peyton's number. It went straight to voicemail. After leaving a message. She walked back into the kitchen. "Luke?" He was asleep at the table. "Lucas!" She yelled louder.

His head shot up. "Why are you so loud?" He grumbled at her.

Haley rolled her eyes. "Do you know where your fiancée is? She's not answering her phone."

"Probably won't be my fiancée for long." He mumbled lowly, laying his head back down on the table.

"Lucas! Where is Peyton?" Haley was getting irritated.

"I don't know. She's not talking to me." He said pathetically.

"Haley, I'm supposed to perform in 30 minutes. What do I do?" Mia asked through the phone.

Haley huffed. She didn't know what was going on. She didn't know Mia had a performance today and it's not like Peyton to just not show up. Lucas was being unhelpful and impossible.

Haley wondered why she always ended up being in the middle of things? She took a deep breath. She was going to focus on one thing at a time; and right now Mia needed her. "Send me the address; I'm on my way." She told her.

After hanging up, she glared at Lucas. "We'll finish this conversation when I get back. Make yourself useful and put up the food and clean the kitchen."

He mumbled something to her about not being the boss of him. She responded by slamming the door on her way out.

…

A Few Hours Later..

Haley sat at a table in a nearby diner, savoring a forkful of caramel cheesecake. She watched as Mia bit hungrily into a burger and fries. She worked up a big appetite after her performance. Haley had just arrived right before Mia took the stage. She was a nervous wreck; she was visibly shaking with fear. Haley grabbed her by her shoulders and forced her to take a deep breath. After a few motivational words and a trick she used to tune out the crowd noise, Mia was ready. She absolutely killed it.! The crowd was begging for more. The manager was pleased and offered Mia another opportunity to come back and perform whenever she wanted. All in all, it was a success.

The waitress came by the table to refill their cups. "Thank you." Haley said as she looked around the diner. It had a cozy feel to it. It kind of reminded her of Karen's Cafe. That thought made her smile. Those were the simpler times; the good ol' days.

Haley's phone vibrated, an incoming text message.

Hubby:do u think she can hear me?

Wifey:Who?

Hubby:Brooke

Wifey:You're still there? I thought visiting hours were over and that you were going to pick up Jamie

Hubby:Karen said he can stay. They're having movie night. [film emoji, popcorn emoji]. So we'll have the house to ourselves.

Wifey:Not exactly; we have a house guest.

Hubby:who?

Wifey:Luke

Hubby:he must've told you then.

Wifey:Told me what?

Hubby:he and Victoria visited Brooke at the same time. [bomb emoji, explosion emoji]

Wifey:Victoria is back?

Haley took a sip of her water. "So, that's what's wrong with Lucas." She said aloud.

"Huh?" Mia asked.

Haley looked up and saw Mia looking at her. "Oh, sorry. I'm just thinking out loud. How's the burger?"

"It's delish-" Mia stopped to chew her food. She knew it was impolite to talk with her mouth full. After swallowing a bite; "It's delicious." She said.

Haley laughed. "Would you like another one? She signaled for the waitress.

"Oh, no, I couldn't-" Mia looked embarrassed.

"It's okay. You can take it home with you."

The waitress came to the table. "Is there anything else I can get ya?"

"Yes, thank you. I would like 2 more cheesecakes to go. And my friend here would like to order some more off the menu." "Mia, get whatever you want, really. You had such a good performance. It's my treat."

The waitress turned to Mia. "What else can I get for you rockstar?"

While Mia ordered, Haley looked at her phone. Nathan had already texted back.

Hubby:yea, she's back and she and Lucas had a big blow up at the hospital, that's why the staff is strictly enforcing visiting hours and restrictions. I'm only able to stay longer because I promised to be quiet. And Nurse Allie is a fan of the team, so I might have to sign a few autographs.

Wifey:My poor famous husband. *insert sarcasm here* [laugh emoji]. For real tho, I wonder why Lucas didn't tell me any of this?

Hubby:maybe the same reason he didn't tell you that he's been visiting Brooke everyday, since the attack, except today of course…

Okay, so that wasn't really much of a surprise to Haley. She knew that when Brooke came back to town, Lucas would be falling all over himself to get to her. Her best friend just had it bad for Brooke. What was a surprise however, is how blatantly Lucas showcased his feelings for Brooke in front of Peyton.

Wifey:Yeah well, it's good that Brooke hasn't been alone. And I love you for being there for her right now…And as for the question you asked me earlier, she might be able to hear you, so keep talking to her. It gives her comfort.

Hubby:ok babe, see u later

Wifey:[smiley face blowing a kiss emoji]

…

"So, what happened with you and Victoria?"

Haley asked Lucas as she walked in the door.

Lucas looked up from the couch where he was watching tv. "What do you mean?"

"My sources tell me that you and the wicked witch had some sort of confrontation at the hospital."

He put the tv on mute. "Your source huh?" He thought for a second. "It's Nathan. The both of you tell each other everything." He rolled his eyes.

"Hey, you watch it mister! I brought back you and Nathan some caramel cheesecake. I will gladly eat your slice. So, what happened?" Haley looked at him.

Lucas sighed. "I was visiting Brooke and then Mrs. Davis just showed up. I thought she was in New York. They should really alert people when she's coming to town. Sound the alarm or something!"

"Luke."

"Okay, so she shows up and starts yelling at me saying I shouldn't be there. So I yelled back at her."

"So you both were having a shouting match over Brooke's head while she's supposed to be resting and healing peacefully?" Haley asked.

Lucas was taken aback. He hadn't thought about that. That must've looked pretty bad.

"But she started it. Then she called me a stranger and said that Sebastian, my own son, shouldn't be with me!"

"She said that?"

Lucas just gave her a look.

"Of course she said that. So, what happened next?"

"Well, Peyton, who didn't tell me that she was going to be visiting Brooke; she was standing outside the door so she heard the whole thing."

Haley gasped. "So, Peyton knows about Sebastian?"

Lucas nodded his head. "Yup, she knows."

"Well, she had to find out sooner or later."

"Yeah, but I didn't want her to find out like this. She was so hurt and so angry. I really messed up."

"So, that's why you went on a drinking binge?"

Lucas rubbed the back of his neck. "I mean..I..I had a few drinks."

"Did it help?"

"Nah. Talking to Keith did."

Haley was confused.

"I went to visit his grave."

That explained the dirty disheveled look from earlier. Haley thought. "You were missing him huh?"

"I just needed someone to talk to. Someone that would listen and not talk back. Someone who wouldn't judge me."

Haley looked at his pained expression. Her best friend was going through a lot. Maybe she did come off as a little too judgmental sometimes.

"Luke, I'm sorry if I made you feel like you couldn't come and talk to me. I know it hasn't been easy for you. I mean, you just found out you have a kid with the love of your life…"

Lucas looked at her. She gave him a knowing look back. He just nodded.

"And raising kids is not easy. You saw how Nathan and I was when we had Jamie. We were finishing high school, starting college and a family at the same time."

Lucas remembered how tough it was. "No, it wasn't easy at all. I remember all the sleepless nights. But I can't help but think that that could've been me and Brooke. That should've been me and Brooke! Why couldn't she just tell me? Was I really that bad?" His voice cracked. He tried his hardest to contain his emotions, but those tears fell. "I swear I would've been there for her and Sebastian."

Haley hugged him. She knew Lucas had a way of self loathing. The heart of the matter was that Lucas saw himself as being Keith to Jamie and being Dan unintentionally to Sebastian. It was time to clear that up.

"We all know you would've been there for Brooke and Sebastian. But guess what? You're here for them now. And Keith would be so proud." Haley told him.

They sat there and talked for a while, occasionally watching tv, and occasionally nodding off to sleep.

They both were awaken by the chime of Haley's phone. She fumbled around the couch looking for it.

When she found it, there was a text message from Nathan.

Hubby:Brooke is awake! Please come to the hospital now!

"OH MY GOD!" Haley shouted.

Lucas looked at her. "What's going on?"

"Brooke is awake.!"

Lucas jumped up. "Let's go!"

Wifey:On our way!

Haley sent the text and she followed Lucas out the door.