Julian's POV
We had been driving down the road for a while when Haley suddenly screamed.
"Stop the car, Nathan! There she is!"
Nathan had barely stopped the car when I jumped out and walked to the spot where Haley had pointed. My breath caught as I saw a body lying in the mud, and my joy for finding Brooke turned into naked fear and horror.
"Is she... she...?" Haley stopped in the middle of the sentence and stared down at Brooke, who lay there motionless.
I went to my knees and pulled her onto my lap. The situation reminded me of the day when I had found my mother lifeless in the bathtub. I felt for her pulse and was relieved to feel a faint throb. "She's alive!" I shouted to Haley. "But her pulse is very weak and she's completely undercooled."
Haley turned to Nathan, who was now approaching. "Do you have a blanket in the car?" She asked.
Nathan nodded. "Bring her over. We can wrap her in the blanket there."
I took Brooke into my arms, lifted her out of the mud and brought her to the car. Carefully, I laid her down on the backseat and wrapped the blanket around her.
"Stay with her, Julian!" Haley instructed.
I did as she had said and climbed into the back to Brooke. In the sight of the inside light, I could see Brooke's deathly pale face and fear came over me. "Please don't die!" I stammered, feeling tears running down my cheeks. "Please, Brooke! You can't leave me alone!"
"Everything will be fine, Julian," Haley said, then turned to Nathan. "Drive faster! We have to bring her to the hospital as soon as possible!"
As we headed back towards the city, I held Brooke in my arms, praying we would make it in time. Her skin felt ice cold under my warm hands and her lips had turned slightly bluish.
"Is she still breathing?" Haley asked worriedly.
I nodded. "She's breathing, but weakly." I looked ahead to the speedometer. "Can we drive faster?"
"I'm afraid, no." Nathan shook his head. "The roads are too slippery. If I drive faster, we'll end up in the ditch as well."
It felt like an eternity as we finally arrived at the hospital. I lifted Brooke in my arms and carried her to the emergency room. Haley explained to the paramedics what had happened, and then somebody took Brooke out of my arms and put her on a mobile stretcher. "I'll go with her," I decided as they took her away. "I'm her husband." But just like back then, after my mother's suicide attempt, I had to wait outside until the exam was completed. And just like then the waiting had been unbearable for me. Haley sat down beside me and put her hand on my shoulder. "It's going to be okay, Julian," she said soothingly. "Brooke is tough. She survived worse."
I sat there, my head buried in my hands, tears streaming down my cheeks. I felt again like the 18-year-old boy who couldn't have prevented his mother's suicide attempt. Just like then I felt remorse.
"Mr. Baker?"
I looked up as a doctor approached me. "Yes?"
"Your wife is out of danger. She suffers from hyperthermia and her ankle is sprained. We've taken care of the ankle and now we're warming her up back to her normal body temperature. So far, she's still unconscious, but she's showing reflexes. We put her on a drip to stabilize her circulation."
"Can I see her?"
The doctor nodded, then turned to Haley and Nathan, who got up immediately. "Only the next of kin," he said.
I gave the two of them an apologetic look. "You wait here, okay? I'll let you know how Brooke's condition is as soon as possible."
Haley nodded. "Of course, we're waiting here."
When I entered Brooke's hospital room and saw her lying there, pale, lifeless, being on a drip, I had to fight back tears again. It was my fault she was here! If I hadn't told her that Justin was my son, then she wouldn't have felt compelled to run away. I should have known what this confession would trigger in her. I went to the bed and sat on the chair next to her, reaching for her limp hand. "I'm so sorry!" I stammered. "Can you ever forgive me?" I rested my head on her chest and just let the tears run. I didn't know how long I'd stayed in that position when I felt Brooke's hand on my head and heard her whisper my name...
"J-Julian?"
Brooke's POV
When Julian lifted his head and looked at me, I saw tears in his eyes. Immediately I had a bad conscience. It was my fault he was feeling so bad! Running away and putting myself in danger had been stupid and childish. I knew he loved me. He had kept saying it over and over again. How could I have doubted it for just a second? And all because I was jealous of a girl that he hadn't seen in 5 years! He had just learned that he had a son. I should have helped him to deal with it instead of making his life miserable. "I'm... sorry!" I stammered.
"Shh... don't talk," he said softly. "You need to rest."
"No... please, listen to me!" I managed weakly and squeezed his hand. "I'm really sorry. I just... acted on impulse. I never should have run away, and certainly not in this weather."
"Luckily we were able to find you in time," he said in a low voice.
"Who is we?" I asked, frowning.
"Haley and Nathan were looking for you too," he explained and took a deep breath. "When I saw you lying there motionless, I thought that you were dead."
His face was distorted with pain, making me feel even worse.
"Promise me you'll never do that again! Not knowing where you were, whether you were alive or dead, almost killed me!"
He had come so close that I could feel his breath, and I put my hand around his neck and pulled him to me until our lips almost touched. "I promise," I whispered and then kissed him. "From now on, I will be a supportive wife. And I will help you to get to know your son better."
"I swear to you that this won't change anything between us. I love you, and only you! Did you think I still had feelings for Chelsea?" He asked astonished.
"Yeah, I thought so," I confessed hesitantly, trying to avoid his scrutinizing gaze. When he took my hands and turned me towards him, I looked up again.
"It was different than you might think," he began. "I just got involved with Chelsea because she reminded me so much of you. I had just returned from Tree Hill and learned that you were together with Lucas and had a terrible heartache. My dad suggested to accompany him to his set. And there I saw Chelsea the first time."
I listened to him with interest, but there was one thing I didn't understand. "How did you know that I was with Lucas?" I asked, frowning.
"Several months had passed since our last meeting," he confided to me. "And I still hadn't forgotten you. So I decided to return to Tree Hill to ask you for another chance."
"You were in Tree Hill?" I exclaimed in disbelief. "Why didn't you get in touch with me?" He paused, and I could see he wasn't sure what to say next.
"You seemed happy with Lucas," he said, shrugging.
I shook my head. "I wasn't happy with him. I just needed a friend, and he was there," I clarified. "Lucas was in love with Peyton. I knew that, but I didn't want to be alone either." I looked at him with an earnest expression. "I dated him for purely selfish reasons. And Lucas allowed it."
"You mean if I had contacted you back then we would have had a chance?"
I nodded, suddenly noticing tears in my eyes. All that wasted time! We could have been happy much sooner.
"I'm truly sorry, Brooke! If I had known before, I would have fought for you."
"We can't change the past." I forced myself to smile. "Now you're here, and I hope you'll never leave me again."
"Never again," he promised, leaning over and gently wiping the tears from my cheeks.
"I love you," I said softly. He smiled in response and gently raised my chin and kissed me.
"We should notify Haley and Nathan," he suggested after a while. "They're waiting in the waiting area. I should go and tell them that you're awake now."
I nodded. "Yes, go and tell them. I owe them my life as much as I owe you."
"I'll be right back. Don't go away." He grinned at me, gave me a quick kiss again and then left the room to go to Haley and Nathan.