Hey guys, sorry it took forever! Please enjoy this chapter. R&R.

Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or any related characters.

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Chapter 4

The crisp wind whispered in the harsh cold, blowing in all sorts of directions at an unstoppable pace. The petitie girl sitting on the only hard stub seen for miles tucked her hands loosely in her pockets and cowered her face into the hood of her wool coat. The water in front of her shimmered and swished back and forth in soft rhythm with the wind. The leaveless tree branches tugged against the freezing currents. The cloudy sky was dark and lifeless.

Exactly how Haley James felt.

This girl was barely recognizable. Her non-water proof mascara left black, blotchy stains on her cheeks. Haley's usually bog brown eyes were dark with bloodshot red rims. The tears that had overflowed her eyes had dried up. She had cried to such an extent that she couldn't feel them coming anymore and there were no more tears left to cry. Her pale face was dull and hard.

Not a single sound was heard. Not a single thought was made.

--

Brooke Davis was broken and bruised, shattered and confused. Her already breaking heart was slowing tearing to pieces as she stared wordlessly down at her wonderful boyfriend lying still in the hospital bed. The beeping monitor was the only sound that could overrun her quiet sobs as she wept.

How could something this awful happen to him? How could his perfect, smoky voice not be heard? How could his adorable squinty eyes not be seen?

The dark-brunette shakily grasped Lucas's hand with her own, crushing it tightly to her heart. "Come on Luke...feel me." Brooke squeezed her eyes shut and leaned down to kiss their linked hands lovingly. "Feel me." Her voice croaked with need.

Not one twitch, wince, or squeeze. Brooke stuttered out an emotional sob and tore their connected fingers apart. Two soft, warm hands held the high school girl's shoulders up just before they shrugged down. Brooke reached up to grasp the hands comfortingly, needing something to hold onto as her eyes racked out an endless array of tears.

The woman rewrapped her arm to gather her up against her chest as she cried. Brooke took a second to look into the eyes of Karen Scott, before feeling foolish about showing her vulnerable side in front of her boyfriend's mother. She got up hastily, trying hard to wipe away the tears that shed her pain.

"He'll come through this" Karen whispered defectively, posting a fake, battered smile onto her white face reassuringly.

Brooke nodded solemnly. "I'll-leave you two alone" She managed to mutter hoarsely, wanting desperately to escape the suddenly crowded and suffocating room that was enclosing quickly on her. The annoying beeping that filled the room constantly rang deep in her ears.

The door closed quietly shut behind the brunette and for a false moment, Karen stared blankly at the colorless wall. She had known this room for a mere 24 hours and was already accustomed to its apathetic meaning. The definition for the callous place clearly spelt out hospital. It was so...heavy. Empty. Flat.

Karen gazed back to her son, lying motionless under the twisted sheets that covered his fragile body. She raised her hand to cover her mouth, safe from bursting out with loud sobs. Her young little boy...only 17 years old. Just one day ago he was teasing her about treating him like a little kid. And now here he was in this dreadful place...not sure if he would ever wake up again. Her heart broke almost immediately, thinking about how much life he still has left to go. It wouldn't be fair to have to bury her own son.

No She forced the thought to leave her head. She can't think like that; she won't. Karen Scott would not predict her son's fate. She would only hope, dream, and pray every night that he return to his family and friends.

Her heart ached for her son as she reached over to brush his cheek with her hand softly. "Oh, my baby boy..." Karen's voice cracked brokenly just shortly before burying her face in his neck.

--

The water shot through her foot veins like a mixture of fire and ice. Haley stood on the top of small, granite rocks with the cool water swishing lightly at her feet. Her toes froze in the water and her whole body felt numb. But that was okay, because she already felt frozen and numb anyway.

Haley's heart only throbbed and pulsed faintly. She couldn't feel it; she couldn't feel any of it. Her best friend...she couldn't even think about it. Much less go to see him.

Spots of sand tickled the places in between her toes. She was barely breathing, her breath only coming out in short inaudible gasps. Her fingers grazed her smooth, icy cold forehead, sending signals of memories shooting like flames through her head.

--

FLASHBACK

"Hales! No!" A young, 11-year old Lucas Scott called out vivaciously to his best friend. He ran his short legs through the soggy brown mud, using all of his possible strength to reach Haley by the rocks. Lucas's eyes lit up with anticipation as he watched the young brown-haired girl turn sharply at his prompt voice.

Haley scrunched her eyebrows in confusion. "Luke, what are you doing here?" Her tiny voice trolled and Lucas sighed with relief. He had reached her by now and was grabbing her by the shoulders, giving her a brief shake. Haley's deep brown eyes stared widely back into her best friend's, alarmed.

"Don't do it Hales! I'm here for you!" He begged over and over again and Haley just stared back out the blonde with amusement. She was slightly unable to comprehend what he was talking about, but he sounded weirdly funny to her.

She giggled ever so quietly. Lucas paused in the middle of his rant to lock his eyes on her in bewilderment. "What could possibly be funny right now?" A dent creased in his forehead, his tone anxious.

"You!" Haley laughed cheekily.

The small boy grimaced but didn't release any pressure on his shoulders. "Haley…don't ever do that to me. I was so scared for you…" Lucas's lower lip trembled, apprehensive about the thought of losing his best friend. Haley's smile froze and her mouth turned downward into a frown.

"Lukey…I'm okay. What are you talking about?" Her adolescent stance immediately straightened maturely. Haley was at a loss for words, puzzled at the fear and anxiety that she knew she heard in his voice. It took her a second to comprehend her surroundings, seeing her tiny, bare feet crimpling under the rocks. The water behind her roared viciously as if it was calling her. Then a light dawned in her head…the confusion…the dread…her rushed and frazzled best friend. Her eyes widened, "Oh…" She murmured quietly, feeling suddenly exposed.

"Yeah. Talk about panic attack, Hales" Lucas aroused absently. His arm curled around her neck protectively, helping her down from the hard-like rocks that were starting to batter her feet unpleasantly.

"Luke...no, I wasn't..." Haley stuttered, staring towards her feet. She felt sheepishly ashamed of frightening him so, which made her almost sick to her core whenever she thought about it. And about the real reason she was out here..."I'm not going to dive in." She was determined to assure her friend of the truth.

Confusion flickered on young Lucas's already hazy face. "What are you talking about, Hales?" He laughed out of spite of the sudden awkwardness, though it was hardly appropriate.

Haley sighed and bit her lip subconsciously, "This is the spot where I do all my thinking. I wanted to come here and be by myself..." She whispered her confession as if she were afraid someone else would hear and tell. And that was the last thing she wanted.

Realization spread across the blonde's face and Haley waited impatiently for his reaction. "So...you weren't..." He couldn't bring himself to continue his sentence but she shook her head violently without hesitation to confirm. He seemed to let out a shaky breath he didn't know he had been holding. "Whoo."

The two friends giggled and wrapped their arms around each other, just like they did any other normal day. "I'm sorry, Hales." Lucas apologised softly into Haley's ear. "Your dad meant a lot to me, too."

Tears welled up into the petite girl's bog brown eyes and clouded them almost immediately. She forced a smile on her face as she pulled back to glance at Lucas, but her response was genuine. "S'okay, Luke."

That was all it took for Lucas to gather the girl he thought of as his little sister into his arms and let her cry gently on his shoulder.

END OF FLASHBACK

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The hours spent in the waiting room ticked by ever so slowly, stringing the four teenagers crowded in the wretched space on the edge of doubt and hope.

"It's been hours..." Brooke mumbled sleepily against Peyton's shoulder and the curly-haired blonde just tucked the blistered girl into her arms more securely in response. No one spoke, but they all answered with the same thoughts. It had been hours, over a day in fact and still no reaction from their loved one.

"Maybe you should go home and get some rest, Brooke." Jake leaned over Peyton to look worriedly into Brooke's now darkened eyes, showing no signs of life. The brunette only shook her head and buried her face into Peyton's shoulder to hide her face. Jake and Peyton exchanged helpless glances.

Peyton would be lying if she said she wasn't afraid. Afraid for Lucas, afraid for Brooke...

A thought crossed Peyton's mind slowly and left her uneasy. "Does...does anyone know where Haley is?" She almost whispered the question but it was enough to grab the attention of Nathan Scott. The blonde watched his eyes lift from the spot on the couch which he had been staring at for the past hour. An expression of uncertainty crossed his shadowed face and Peyton's hope crumbled.

"I tried calling her cell five times..." Brooke's voice cracked as she shrugged her head lazily off of Peyton's arm. "It's off. She knows though..." Her face twisted in discomfort from resting on the cold, hard couches for hours. Then her face masked into concern for her absent best friend. "Someone should probably go look for her." Rubbing her eyes tiredly, Brooke yawned as she rose to a sitting position as if preparing to get up.

Peyton agreed immediately, her eyebrows scrunched together as she rubbed Brooke's back soothingly. "I agree. Jake and I can probably go though Brooke, if you'd rather stay here..." She offered, looking back towards her boyfriend for approval. Out of the corner of her eye, her eyes connected with Nathan's and she watched his face go blank, as if he were searching for answers he didn't have...

--

The dark-haired, 5 foot tall boy watched mysteriously from afar as the two best friends embraced tightly. His eyes softened as he watched Haley James pull back with tears puring down her cheeks. However, he couldn't help but feel that ping of jealousy when she ran straight back into Lucas's comforting arms.

In truth, he wouldn't be able to lie if someone knew that he had always been watching her, looking out for her, even if she never knew it. This was her spot and he knew that. As far as he had thought, no one else did either. Apparently that all changes though, especially when a best friend is involved.

When news of Jimmy James's death spread throughout Tree Hill, Nathan's first reaction was of where Haley was, what she could possibly be feeling. He knew where he could find her and the young boy was unable to help himself and hunt her down in the one spot he knew she could feel comfortable. Though she never was aware that he had been watching her, he felt a sense of relief to know that wherever she was she was safe and not alone.

--

And then Peyton was startled by Nathan's sudden choice of movement as he almost sprang up from his chair and glanced around at his three friends. "I'm...I'll go look for Haley. I'm pretty sure I know where she is..." He said it more to himself than he did to the three curious people around him obliviously.

No one had the chance to utter another word before the dark-haired man disappeared from their sight.

--

The gray skies began to cloud over and darken, afflicting sunset in the near-off distance. Haley was oblivious to the passing of time. In one moment it seemed to drag on slowly but at the same time she was wondering where the time had gone. Her seat was beginning to get uncomfortable and her face felt dry and numb from the cold. She was certain her friends would be worried about her, even her mother. But no one knew of her secret hiding place; except Lucas.

"Haley."

That woke her up. Haley swiveled around to meet Nathan's leveling gaze. He was crouched down beside her, staring into her eyes with...what was that? Concern, maybe, or even fright.

"What are you doing here?" Her non-coherent voice was raspy and dull. She broke their eye contact and turned back around to stare off towards the shore. Great, he found her at her most vulnerable level. Nathan Scott of all people, figured out that she had been hiding.

She heard his low, deep sigh behind her but she didn't let that befuddle her. She continued to stare off at the blue water around her until she heard him speak. "When you didn't show up at the hospital, answer any of our calls, or didn't return home, we all got worried." His velvet voice was so soft and soothing that Haley couldn't help but feel superior. She knew he meant her friends. They were all most likely at the hospital right now, sitting in the waiting room for answers...that Haley knew she never had the courage to do.

Her rosy cheeks grew even redder as she bowed her head protected her face with her sandy hair to keep from letting Nathan catch sight of it. "How's Brooke and Karen doing?" She managed to whisper hoarsely.

"They're handling it. But I'm more concerned about you."

Haley steered her head around again to catch Nathan's blue-green eyes and saw the determination in them. She wanted to laugh, it all seemed silly to her. Nathan Scott was worried about her...what a surprise. "Of course you are..." Haley uttered her piece, taking the time to let out a weak chuckle.

Nathan's eyes immediately darkened with anger. "I am. Everyone is, I mean Haley, you disappeared and no one knew where you were. It's kind of hard not to be terrified. You were supposed to be at the hospital and I'm certain that you would have been there if something wasn't going on."

He was right of course, about all of it. She fought to roll her eyes at the irony of all of it. It was hard for her to admit to herself that she was running herself scared, away from the reality of it all. So she avoided the subject entirely. "How did you find me?" She asked instead. Of course, she was rather curious.

He exhaled slowly. What did he say to that? Certainly not 'I followed you' or 'I've always watched you while you were here'. No, definitely not that. "When you were seven..." Haley's face went blank. "Your first pet Marley died. You came here, sat on this very same ledge and cried your face blue." He watched her brown eyes widen, the curve of her lips part in shock. "When you were nine, your grandmother underwent a terrible surgery. You are close with her...you sat on this very stump and prayed until it was dark out that she would be okay."

"How-how..." Haley was purely speechless. She had never even told Lucas any of that...

Nathan smiled faintly. He turned his head towards the direction of the wind to avoid meeting her gaze. "I'm not even sure. I guess when I saw you run past me crying that first time when you were seven, I followed you to make sure you were okay. Then I guess it just became..." He wasn't sure how to finish his sentence. But she knew what he meant anyway.

This wasn't real, she told herself. Her heart was not reaching out to touch Nathan's shoulder delicately, and turn him towards her. But when she watched his pool of eyes glaze over hers, she saw the glistening tears in them. Haley's pale, skinny fingers glided upward into his hair in an affectionate manner. This was no longer about her or her secret place that he ended up being aware of for years.

Nathan was hesitant to take the first look into her big, anxious eyes and he knew that for once they were both on the same page. In some way, they had managed to connect on such an emotional level. They now had the same problems, the same feelings. Nathan was aghast to discover that he was now panicked at the thought of not being around her now. He needed her to help him through Luke's accident and deep down, she obliged the same need.

"You've been...you've known..." She stammered more to herself than to Nathan, but he said nothing, knowing she knew the truth.

The next thing she knew a big, muscular hand clouded her view in front of her face. Haley glanced up to look at Nathan, standing there with a hand held out for her to take. All she had to do was enclose her skin onto his. "Come on, Haley. Come see Lucas. He would want his best friend to be there."

Haley gulped with fear bubbling deep in her stomach. But as she flickered her gaze down on that welcoming hand of his, she wasn't afraid anymore. And then she reached her own out and laid it atop of his.

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