Nathan and Haley had a good time the next couple of days visiting in Atlanta. It reminded them of the various times they had visited the city as a couple but it was a fact that neither wanted to mention at the time.
Time passed quickly and before they knew it, they were saying their good-byes to Lydia and James and heading home so Nathan could prepare for his inevitable trip back to Seattle.
~~~
Haley drove him to the airport to meet his flight.
"It really meant a lot to me that you came to Atlanta with me to tell my parents," Haley smiled.
Nathan grinned, "I had a nice time seeing them and I figured you could use the moral support."
Haley smiled, "You're right...well, have a nice trip."
The two sat there in the car for a moment in silence. There were things Nathan wanted to say to her but he knew it wasn't the right time.
Instead, he grabbed his carry-on from the floor of the car. "Take care, alright? I'll call you to check on you when I get there."
"Have a safe flight," Haley smiled.
Nathan jumped out of the car and began the grueling task of airport security checks.
~~
Nathan was getting settled into his place back in Seattle when he remembered what he'd wanted to do since he was on the airplane- he picked up his cell phone and dialed.
"Hello," a voice answered.
"Hey Hales, its me. I'm back in Seattle and wanted to check on ya," Nathan said.
Haley laughed lightly, "well, not much has changed since you flew out today."
Nathan smiled, "I know, I'm probably overprotective...but I can't help it. Even though I'm away for now, I just want you to know that I'm here for you. Don't hesitate to call me if you need me to come home -- if anything happens. I'll get on the next flight out."
"I know and thank you...but I'm sure I will be fine. The baby is fine too," Haley said.
Haley was quiet a minute.
Nathan sensed the silence. "Is everything alright?" she asked.
"Just some people here in Tree Hill doing what they do best," Haley said in a sad tone. "Gossip."
"What?! Who? What are they saying?" Nathan could feel his blood pressure rising.
"I guess people sort of learned through the grapevine about the circumstances of all of this and rumors are circulating that Chris Keller is the father,"Haley replied.
Nathan's heart leapt into his throat. He had believed Haley from the moment she told him the baby was his and he didn't even want to hear such things to the contrary- at this point, if Haley was somehow wrong, it had the ability to destroy him.
"Haley, you can't listen to other people," Nathan tried to reason. "I believe you and the people who know you and love you believe you."
"I know but having people wonder about me or my unborn child...that's not something that sits well with me," Haley said.
Nathan was starting to feel bad. Haley had a lot going on without the weight of people's skepticism on her shoulders. As much as he could tell her to forget about it and not worry, he knew it would be in vain. Haley James was too conscientious to just let this slide.
Haley was quiet for a moment. "I have been thinking...and there's something I would like to do. I want to have a paternity test taken."
"Haley, are you sure about this? No one is expecting you to do that, least of all me," Nathan said.
"Nathan, I can't blame people for wondering....and if that will solve the problems here and clear up any possible fears or misunderstandings then I think we need to do it. This baby doesn't need to be born under a cloud of suspicion and I don't have anything to hide."
Sometimes it amazed Nathan how sensible and wise Haley could be, even in times of extreme stress and pressure (like this).
"You know you have my support and we'll do what you want to do," Nathan said.
"Thank you," Haley said.
~~
Time passed and Nathan made regular trips home to see Haley and accompany her to doctor's appointments. Nathan and Haley had decided to talk over the paternity test with Dr. Bader to discuss the options for such a test during pregnancy.
Nathan had arranged to managed to fly in to go to Haley's doctor's appointment.
Haley had already told Dr. Bader of the circumstances when she originally started going for visits, so the request for formal proof in the form of a paternity test wasn't a surprise to Dr. Bader.
She was very understanding. "The procedure is called an amniocentesis," she explained. "A sample of amniotic fluid will be taken with the use of a needle and an ultrasound scan. The DNA will then be tested from the amniotic fluid. We will get a DNA sample from Nathan by buccal swab from the mouth."
"Okay, so I'm not going to be pricked with any needles," Nathan confirmed nervously eyeing some of the sharp instruments present in the office.
Haley stifled a giggle while Dr. Bader explained that his portion of the test would not require the use of needles.
Nathan looked at Haley and she confirmed with Dr. Bader. "I would like to set up an appointment to have the paternity test...preferably as soon as possible."
Haley and the doctor confirmed the details and decided to have the test procedure performed the following week. Nathan would be back for a visit and would have his portion of the test.
Nathan and Haley left the doctor's office soon after.
"Are you sure you're okay with all of this?" Nathan asked.
Haley smiled and nodded.
"I mean, I know this has to be strange...having people doubt what you say, and I feel terrible about all of it," Nathan said quietly.
Haley stopped, "please don't feel bad alright? You have nothing to feel bad about...this is for me and our baby. I don't want our baby growing up in Tree Hill surrounded by rumors and suspicions. We live in a small town and that child would be known as the one with two possible fathers."
Nathan was quiet, not really arguing. Tree Hill was a small town and people did talk. No one in the small town had quite managed to wrap their minds around the 'Dan Scott impregnating two girls within three months of one another' scandal --
"Looking at the situation objectively, of course people will have doubts," Haley explained. "I have to admit, I would have had questions about it myself if Chris and I had been intimate more than once..."
Nathan stopped. "Wait a minute....this isn't my business anyway....but....are you saying that you were with Chris only one time?"
Haley looked down at the ground, "yes, that's what I am saying. Chris and I began dating right after you and I broke up. We slept together one time - one time after we'd been dating a week....and the truth is, it just didn't seem right to me."
Nathan was silent, waiting for her to continue.
"I suppose that's not a huge surprise. Sex has always been a huge deal for me," Haley said to which Nathan agreed.
"It took me such a long time to get close to you, remember?" she asked.
Nathan nodded. They had for almost eight months before they had really even been able to broach the subject of sex. Haley's virginity was something she had valued and had wanted to wait to truly be in love. She had lost her virginity to Nathan after a year of dating when they had already talked about the idea of eventually being married once they were out of school.
"I guess, I had gotten to this point of feeling totally safe and loved by you and I guess somehow when I developed feelings for Chris, I thought I could feel that same way with him, but it just never happened. I could never connect with him on that level. He tried to be understanding about it, but I know it bothered him."
"So, when did this happen then?" Nathan asked, trying to put it together in his mind.
"I slept with Chris in February, right after we broke up," Haley explained.
"We slept together in April...." Nathan trailed off.
It was just as she had originally said, competely. There was no possible way Chris could have been the father.
"I am so sorry," Nathan said, looking at the sky.
"What for?" Haley asked.
"...that you have to go through all of this; people accusing you of being a liar."
"It's just words, Nathan. I can't prove any of this to you...I can't prove to you that I only slept with Chris once. I know that. That's why I wanted this test....I still want to prove this to everyone and I know you never asked me to but I don't want you to ever doubt me. So I need to do this."
Nathan shook his head.
Next week, they would go and have the test. Dr. Bader said the results would come in within 14 business days....but Nathan didn't even care. In his heart, he already knew the answer.