A/N: Heeeeeyyy! This is an update. I know it's been forever since the last one. Here it is. I'm having a hard time moving forward with the story; you might notice this story is moving too slow, but after this, maybe it'll go a lot smoother. Please bear with me.
Title: Dinner Turned Engagement
Chapter 7: Tree Hill And His Father
Six hours later, the three girls found themselves sitting on a plane, on their way to Tree Hill, North Carolina. It's late and there's no surprise if the three of them were knocked out, but Brooke wasn't. Then again, sleep wasn't something that easily came to her. In her attempt to forget about things earlier, she brought out a copy of VOGUE, one that is yet to be published. The company had sent her a copy and mailed it to Lucas' house, which she only saw after she had gone through the trouble of getting the keys from Millicent, and taking a two hour drive to the house, on the intent of getting some clothes.
She held it in front of her, and there she saw herself. She's in a red dress, smiling brightly at the camera. It went down just a few inches below her knee, the white of her skin contrasting perfectly with the color. It was neither accentuated with beads and sequins, nor was it ruffled. Rather, it was short, straight and simple, yet it could be the most elegant dress you'd ever see. And then she reads the captions, the ones just below her name.
BROOKE DAVIS BARES IT ALL:
Her life, career, and fiancé Lucas Scott.
She scoffed at the words. It was supposed to be her life, career, and singlehood, but that came right out of the window since their 'engagement'. She shook her head, nothing is going the way she had planned them too. She stuffed the magazine back to the side. Reading about the interview wouldn't take her mind off a particular blue eyed blonde. She leaned back at her seat. Two hours seemed longer than she expected.
She closed her eyes, hoping she'd at least stop thinking about him. Please let me sleep, she says to herself.
-
They both stared at him as he tossed and turned in bed. Her arms draped across her chest, while him only shaking his head. "That'll be one hell of a hangover tomorrow." Nathan says as he scratches his head.
"I just don't get it. I know it's hard, but he knows he can come to us." Haley contemplated as she then got a blanket and covered Lucas with it.
"I guess it's just different, when you have someone." Nathan replies, as he drapes an arm around Haley's shoulder, still looking at his blonde brother.
"But he has us!" She argues, still not getting as to why the blonde had decided to drown himself in alcohol again.
"It's just different Hales, you know? I mean, I wouldn't know what to do if you're not here." Nathan explains, and finally, she nods because she understands.
"I'm not going to take that test." They both hear Lucas grumble, as if he knows they're watching him. They both sighed, tomorrow's going to be a long day, and they still have a lot of convincing to do.
-
A couple more hours later, three ladies found themselves checking in at the hotel in Tree Hill. They still have a few hours left before the sun rises again. Not one of them had the energy to talk about other things. It had been one long day. It's about time they got some rest.
He woke up to a head splitting hangover. The events from last night are still a little too vague for him. He does remember coming to the Blue Post, and then ordering a drink, and then another, and another. Yeah, it really went downhill from there.
He winced in pain when he heard the door to his room open. He squinted his eyes when the curtains were pushed aside, letting the bright rays of the sun in. Still, he felt as if his whole world was spinning.
Squinting his eyes in an attempt to see whom the person is, he let's out a grumble. It's Deb, and she doesn't look very pleased. He sees her approach him, and suddenly, the feeling of anger and somewhat, of defeat goes back to him. He remembers the news the doctor had given them, and he becomes bitter again.
He sees his mother motion towards the side table. There he saw what he assumed as a hangover medicine, which he immediately took. If Deb starts to speak, he wouldn't know what to say. Thankfully, she doesn't ask him anything.
"If you're feeling better, you could come visit your father. He's awake." It was all she said, and then she was gone.
He's left alone to wonder once again. Should he really take the test? Would he be able to handle it if it comes out positive? He really didn't know. He tossed and turned in bed, and when he got his mind set to proving to everyone that nothing's wrong with him, he dragged himself towards the bathroom.
-
Waking up to see his wife by his bedside was one thing he didn't expect. After all the times he had wronged her in the past, he didn't think she'd stick by his side. But she did, and for that, he was thankful. He too was thankful that he decided to change. One day, he just found out that he could die, and that he doesn't want any of his sons ending up like him.
He's awake, but the only person in the room with him is Haley. Deb had left to go to their house. He has yet to see any of his sons. He looks at Haley once again, but she refuses to meet his eyes. Finally, he decides to speak.
"Where's Nathan?" He asks, a little too authoritative. Haley shots her eyes up to look at him. He really hasn't had the soft approach down yet. After all, he had always been a demanding person, always pressing for answers the minute he asked the question.
"He's uh, he's just outside." Haley shook her head waving a hand in the process. Her voice trembled a bit, and Dan doesn't know why. She's usually confident around him.
"You really did good." He began, and he doesn't feel that he's saying the right words; then again, right and Dan Scott never really went well together before. Haley's confused, had Deb told him about his condition and he already wants redemption? "With Nathan I mean, you did good for him." He continues with a slight smile.
Haley feels awkward. She didn't think she'd see the day that Dan Scott would thank her. In an attempt to be polite she shrugs. "Thanks, I guess." She says and offers him a rather sloppy smile. She sees Nathan coming and she feels the need to get up on her feet.
"Hey Nate, your dad's awake." She says as soon as he enters the room. Outside, there were still reporters, but she didn't care, she felt too awkward being in the same room as Dan Scott. "I'll just head out and give you time to talk." She smiles at the two and Nathan nods.
"How are you feeling?" Nathan asks, as he stood in front of Dan's bed. His voice wasn't soft, like he was trying to restrain any kind of emotion. It's like he was talking just for the sake of talking.
"I'm fine now. I'll be out of this place in no time." Dan answers cockily, a smirk crossing his lips. "You know, because of my accident, I realized that life is short."
Nathan wanted to laugh at this. He never imagined those words would come from his father's mouth. It sounded stupid, just listening to it, but he was able to stop himself. "Look dad, you may have realized things after the accident, but that doesn't change the fact that you've done some things in the past that are just really hard to forget, so don't act like we're buddies, because we're not." He says, and he didn't actually think Dan Scott would let him speak.
"In fact, Lucas and I had a hard time to even come here, hell, you should thank Haley for knocking some sense in both of us, because the sad part is, no matter what happens, you're still our father." He continues and he wonders if his mom already told Dan about his condition. He guesses, she already did, because he sure as hell is acting like a dying man already.
"I know I wasn't the best father, but I'll prove to you Nathan, I'll prove to you and Lucas that I've changed." Dan explains. His voice was firm. Nathan wanted to believe him, but he doesn't.
"Too bad you're only realizing that just now." Nathan replies. He didn't know why, but Dan being all caring and loving angers him. Maybe it was the fact that he's said that one too many times before, and he's just had enough of it.
-
"Okay, first of all, you did not make me call my contacts to find out where the hell his address is, just so you could sit in a rental all day!" Rachel ranted as she faced Brooke who sat beside her on the passenger seat.
"What if he doesn't want me here? Or maybe he's not there, maybe he's in the hospital." Brooke replies, still looking to the closed door.
"Well, we'll never find out if you don't get your ass up and ring the door bell!" Peyton butted in from behind. They had been waiting there an hour too long already.
"Wait, someone's coming." Rachel says as the other two followed her gaze. "That's Lucas, right?" She says, and then looks towards Brooke.
He was dressed in a grey hoodie, one Brooke thought she'd never be caught wearing. They could all see him soaking wet. "Wait, is that water, or is he just soaked in sweat?" Peyton wondered as the three of them continued to watch the blonde.
The next thing that happened got Brooke running out from the car to Lucas' side. Lucas had collapsed on the ground. "Oh my God. Lucas!" She called out, rushing towards his side, but he couldn't have heard her, he had his iPod on.
Rachel and Peyton followed shortly after, and Brooke shook Lucas' body in an attempt to wake him up, she even run a hand through his hair. To her surprise and to Rachel and Peyton's as well, Lucas' eyes opened with a very confused look on.
"Brooke?" He asks as he got up from his position, and tried to sit. Brooke immediately backed away, being caught a little off guard.
"You're fine?" Peyton says as soon as he had removed his earphones. A slight nod came from him and Rachel couldn't help but snort, Peyton followed shortly after. Brooke on the other hand has yet to regain composure.
"What are you guys doing here?" He asked, but he focused solely on Brooke, who was about to panic if he asks them to leave after she answers.
"We…we heard from the news. We'll just leave if you don't want us here." She immediately says, and Rachel and Peyton's eyes grew big as the brunette got up on her feet, about to walk away.
"Hey wait." Lucas immediately speaks. He wouldn't say he wants Brooke there, mostly because he just doesn't want her involved in his family problems, that, and because he doesn't want her to know about his possible condition. "Don't leave." He continues. "I mean I appreciate you being here." He adds, and finally, he's on his feet.
"Good, now that we have that settled, why don't you invite us in?" Rachel proposes, as Brooke just offered Lucas an apologetic smile. He happily obliged, there was no way he would've said no anyway.
-
"Hey." He saw his wife sitting on one of the benches just outside the hospital. There were a few paparazzo's but thankfully, they had decided to give the two some privacy, even though their cameras were still clicking away. Haley just gave him a tight-lipped smile. "What's wrong?" He asks, noticing his wife's odd behavior.
"I was just thinking, about Dan." She shares and Nathan gives her an amused look in an attempt to cheer her up.
"Okay, what did my dying father do now?" He asks worriedly.
"Nothing. He was actually nice to me, which is weird." She says, and then pauses for a bit. "I just realized how serious the situation is, you know, and now I understand why Luke did what he did." She continued and Nathan too continues to listen. "I'm just scared, I guess." She finally admits, and he pulls her closer to him.
He knows she's worried about him. "I'll be fine Hales. I've been playing basketball all my life, and not once did I have an attack close to what my dad had. We're going to be fine." He says, and he doesn't know whom he's trying to convince, himself, or Haley. He kissed her head and she hoped he's right.
-
He heard a knock on the door, and a doctor emerges. He guesses he's the one handling his case. "Good day Mr. Scott." The doctor greets him, while Dan only looked at him quizzically. "I believe I haven't introduced myself to you yet, I'm Dr. Jekyll, and I'm currently your attending doctor." He explains and then views the room as if trying to see if there are other people there.
"I'm alone." Dan tells him when he notices Dr. Jekyll surveying the room. Dr. Jekyll nods and began checking his vitals. "How long do I have?" He asks and that quite catches the doctor a little off guard.
"I'm not sure you want to be hearing it from me." Dr. Jekyll hesitates but Dan looks at him seriously.
"I'm your patient; your responsibility is to me, not to my family or to anyone for that matter, I'm sure you know that doctor." He says and Dr. Jekyll nods, and then continues. "You don't need to tell me about my condition, I am aware that I have HCM." He finishes and that surprises the doctor a bit.
"Very well, the best chance you have is a heart transplant, if not; the longest you have is about six months." Dr. Jekyll says and got a slight nod from Dan. It surprises him a bit, because Dan Scott might be the first man who took the news of his possible death too well. Hell, even his family had a violent reaction.
"What are my chances in getting a heart transplant?" He asks, looking at Dr. Jekyll straight in the eye.
"One in fifty." He answers quickly, and Dan couldn't look anymore calmer.
-
He hurried out of the bathroom, digging furiously into his suitcase. What he should be wearing should be the last thing on his mind right now, but it isn't. Having Brooke Davis and her friends waiting for him in the living room does that to him. After not so much thought, he finally got to the three girls who were already busy browsing some of their family albums, laughing a little in the process.
He looks at them, and for a while he forgets about his troubles. That was until they noticed his presence and Brooke approached him. "Hey." She smiles at him. "Sorry, about that…we got a little curious about what you guys looked like when you were kids." She says referring to the album which Peyton and Rachel put back already.
"That's okay." He says, returning her smile. "I guess I should be going." He says, not really knowing if the three would want to go to the hospital with them.
"Right." Brooke says, as she nodded, not sure if she should ask him if he wants her to go with him.
"Actually, Peyton and I decided to head back to the hotel first." Rachel says and Brooke's eyes grow wider at this.
"Okay. I'm actually heading to the hospital right now, so…" His voice trailed off, and then Rachel started speaking again.
"Actually, Brooke told us she wants to visit your dad." She says raising an eyebrow at the brunette whose eyes almost popped out. "Can you take her with you?"
-
Lucas looks over to Brooke who seemed to be squirming and embarrassed. He smiled at the thought. "Sure, yeah…I mean, sure you can come with me." He says, stammering a bit.
Rachel and Peyton had long gone to the hotel, and from a far she could see the hospital building. "So can I ask you a question?" She finally speaks. Their ride had been awfully silent, almost deafening.
"Finally! I wasn't sure if you wanted to talk at all." He teased, and she smiles slightly. "Sure, ask anything."
"Why didn't you tell me?" She says, and suddenly, his driving slows down. He looks at her, and she continues. "You know, about your dad? I would've been here for you in a heartbeat." Her words surprised him. Hell, it surprised her too.
"I guess…I guess I just don't want you to worry. I mean, if not for my dad, you could be living your carefree life, and I'm just not sure if you'll worry yourself about him." He explains, and it's the truth. He finds the urge to confide in her, but something stops him.
"You're right." She focuses her eyes on the road. "If not for your dad, I could be in New York right now, doing God knows what." She laughs a little. "I may not have been there for him, but I'd surely be there for you." She smiles at him. "We're friends, right?"
It hurts him to hear her say those words. Though it was the truth, they're just friends, friends who kissed a couple of times. Yeah, that was it. "Yeah, we're friends." He replies, and he too focuses his eyes on the road.
He finally had the car parked, but before they got out he told her something. "I appreciate it you know, you coming down here, as my friend." He says with a forced smile, but she doesn't notice that. "But those reporters…" His voice drifted off as Brooke followed his gaze.
"They'll think I'm here as your fiancée." Brooke concluded, and then a smile crossed her lips. It was the least thing she could do. "That's okay, I'm kind of getting used to playing the part. I think I actually like playing it." She says cheerfully, and even though he thinks she says that only to make him smile, he feels like she really means it.
They got out of the car, and walked towards the hospital hand in hand. The entertainment society has yet another thing to talk about.
-
"Rachel! Brooke is going to kill us!" Peyton hissed as she dragged her suitcase, and loaded it into the trunk of a cab.
"Well, do you have any other plan in mind?" The red head shot her a questioning look, which Peyton just returned with a glare.
"But we said we'd stay with her! She'll go commando on both of us once she gets back to New York!" Peyton argued again, not agreeing with Rachel's idea.
"Well, our plane tickets say otherwise." Rachel replies, then closing the trunk. "Come on, we're running late." She says, getting in the cab. "Plus, she's here for herself too, even though she doesn't know that yet." She adds.
"Well have you informed her that you just checked her out of a hotel and she has no place to stay?" Peyton spats. Sometimes, she really didn't get Rachel's crazy ideas, although most of them work out in the end.
"No. When she finds out, then I'll tell her." She says, smirking to herself.
"Rachel!"
-
The moment they entered the hospital, another click fest ensued, that was until they got into Dan's room. To their surprise, Dan was already dressed in his usual clothes. Lucas notices a smile cross his father's face when he sees Brooke is with him.
"It's so nice of you to see me Ms. Davis." Dan says, and this causes Lucas to almost want to punch him in the face. Luckily, he had stopped himself.
Brooke didn't know how to reply. Just how exactly do you reply to something like that? But instead of being bitchy, she opted to be polite. "I'm glad you're fine now, Mr. Scott." She says, and then she greets Haley, Nathan and Deb who were in the room too.
"It's nice to see you son." Dan speaks again, this time looking at the blonde Scott. Lucas doesn't know what it is about his father that just makes him so angry. He doesn't bother to reply. Instead, he greets Nathan, Haley and his mom.
The door opens one more time, this time, it's Dr. Jekyll. "I see there's an addition to the group." He tried to joke, obviously referring to Brooke which made her feel uneasy. "I'm just here to tell you I have scheduled the tests and Nathan and Lucas can take them now."
The room was silent, and Brooke was curious to death what they are going to be tested for. Uneasy as she is already, she tried to excuse herself from the conversation; knowing only family members should hear it.
"I'll just wait outside, if you don't mind." She says, waving a hand in front of them all. Lucas couldn't be more relieved, he doesn't want her finding out anything.
"Actually, I'll go with you." Haley adds, eyeing Nathan who just nods. Brooke appreciates her gesture with a smile and then the two girls were out.
"Like I said, the schedules had been prepared and the two of you can take them now." Dr. Jekyll repeated once more.
"I see. My sons will have themselves tested now." Dan replies, eyeing both Lucas and Nathan as if it was his call.
"Actually dad, you don't get to call the shots here." He speaks up, and Nathan almost cuts him off, but he speaks again. "Like I said, I'm not taking that test."
"HCM is a very serious disease Mr. Scott; I strongly suggest you have yourself tested." Dr. Jekyll spoke one more time, seeing how Deb couldn't speak a word due to anxiety.
"Go on and take the test Nathan, your mother and I would like to have a word with your brother first." Dan says and even though he doesn't want to leave Lucas with them, he's willing to, if it meant getting him to take the test.
"I'll see you guys later." He says, but before he left, Deb just needed to hug him, and it felt good.
As soon as Dr. Jekyll and Nathan were out, Lucas braced himself for a mouthful from his father. "This is not for discussion Lucas, you are going to take that test whether you like it or not."
He spoke through his gritted teeth. Even though he went there for his father, it doesn't take out the fact that he's still angry at him. "You're right dad, this isn't for discussion, coz whether you like it or not, I'm not taking that test." He stormed out of the room before he does something he'll regret.
She'd seen him storm out of the room, and at first she was hesitant to follow him, mostly because she thinks it's not her place, but thankfully, Haley had requested for her to do so, and she was more than willing to.
-
She sees him from a far, sitting inside his car, hitting the wheel madly. Honestly, she has no clue whatsoever of what happened in the room, all she knows is that she wants to be there for him. Slowly, she approaches his car, and eventually, taps on his window.
He's embarrassed to let her see him in his current state, but he forces an apologetic smile anyway. "Do you mind if I sit with you?" She asks a small smile on her face. He nods, and opens the passenger door for her.
"I'm sorry." He begins, and her eyebrows furrow. "You came here for my dad, and I'm sure it ruined your schedule, only to see how screwed up my family is." He explains letting out a heavy sigh.
It surprises him because he though she'd be disappointed, and yet, she was smiling at him. "It's okay, like I said, we're friends."
"It's just that, he makes it so easy for me to hate him, you know?" He explains, and somehow she understands.
"I'd probably say the same thing if I'm so angry at my dad, but you know, sometimes, we don't know half of the things that they do for us." She shares, remembering what Rachel and Peyton had told her about her dad.
The talk was interrupted when Lucas' phone started ringing. When he checked to see who it was, it read: Rachel Gattina. "It's Rachel." He mouthed towards Brooke and suddenly, the brunette's face turns into confusion.
"Hello?" He finally answers as the brunette looks at him quizzically.
"Lucas, is Brooke with you right now?" She asks and Lucas could hear boarding flight calls.
"Yeah, she is." He answers carefully, looking at Brooke who seems to want to snag his phone from his hands.
"Okay, don't tell her it's me calling." Lucas wanted to laugh; it's a little late for that now. "I need you to pick her things up at the hotel. We're leaving her with you for a while." Before he could even manage a reply, the line went dead.
"Why is Rachel calling you?" Brooke immediately asked the moment the blonde ended the call. He started the car, confused as hell to what he'll do.
"It's weird actually, which hotel are you guys staying in again?" He asks, and Brooke replies. He starts to drive and then begins to tell the brunette what the red head had told him.
"You're kidding me right? They didn't just leave me here!" She shrieked, and almost panicked. But when she found out Lucas was dead serious, she angrily snaps her phone out, dialing the red heads number furiously.
"Hi you've reached Rachel, I can't answer your call right now, so, leave a message." Rachel's voicemail said and Brooke angrily shuts her phone off.
"I can't believe they did this to me!" She rants and Lucas can't help but stifle a laugh. "This is so not funny Lucas! They checked me out of the hotel!"
"It's a little funny." He replies and then looks at her with sympathy. "Your friends have the weirdest ideas." He adds.
"We barely got that reservation! I'd be lucky to share a room with a guest! I swear I'm going to kill both of them when I get back to New York."' She says, and Lucas could only see she was dead serious about it.
"I'm sure they wouldn't mind if you stay with us, we have plenty of room." Lucas offered and suddenly it struck Brooke.
That sneaky Gattina, this is what she's planning to do. "Just because the fortune teller said so, doesn't mean it has to happen." She muttered onto herself. Luckily, Lucas didn't hear.
"No." It was her first answer, but after realizing she doesn't know the place, and that sleeping on the streets is a very bad idea, she had to continue. "I mean, are you sure? Your parents might not approve."
"What am I, in high school? Besides, aren't you my fiancé? Nothing wrong about my fiancé staying at our house, is there?" He concludes and she couldn't argue with him more.
"I promise to help out, and I'll be out first thing tomorrow." She says thinking about she'll get back to Rachel and Peyton.
"Brooke, don't be ridiculous. I know you travel a lot, but I'd really appreciate it if we go back to New York together." He says, and he doesn't meet her eyes, mostly because he worries she might see thru him, and he's not sure he wants her to know just yet.
"What really happened back there anyway?" She asks, and she surprises herself, because just minutes ago, she told herself she won't ask him anything if he doesn't talks about it first.
It takes him a little longer to answer, but he does. "It's really nothing to worry about. My dad just wants Nathan and me to stay for a couple more days, and well, you know how I feel about that." He feels bad, but he just doesn't want her to worry.
"Oh." It was her only reaction. Somehow, she thinks he's not telling her the truth. They arrive at the hotel and in no time, they manage to get to Brooke's things, which Lucas thinks is a lot more than what she should've just brought.
A magazine drops and Lucas picks it up. He sees Brooke on the cover, and if he could say so himself, the brunette looked like a goddess in red. "Wow, nice cover." He muses, loud enough for the brunette to hear.
She sees him with the magazine and panics a little. She hadn't told him about the interview, so before he asks, she beats him to it and tells him about it. "There's actually an interview of me there. They asked me about you, so, I had to make some things…up…if you know what I mean."
He shakes his head. He can remember when the interview was. He's even introduced to the ones who did it. It was his first time in Brooke's office. Yeah, that was an interesting day for him. "Good things I hope?" He asks and she just nods.
"You can read it if you want." She says, forgetting how truthful she had been when the reporters had asked her about herself. Then again, it wasn't something she's ashamed of; rather, it was something she's proud of.
They loaded Brooke's things in the trunk and got into the car again. "So I'm guessing by the time we get to the house, everyone's going to be there, just a heads up." He says and she just nods. This could turn out to be an interesting day.
"Actually, could we get something to eat, I'm starved." She says and smiles meekly at him. He returned it with a wide grin and nods.
"I know a place." He replies and starts to drive.
This is shorter compared to the other chapters. I really don't want to put everything in it already. So, yeah. I'm so sorry for updating so late. Anyways, I hope you guys keep reading, and feel free to leave some reviews. :)
Should they stay in Tree Hill? Or should they head back to New York already?
othfan326 – I know, I said Tuesday, but you have me all motivated, and well, here it is. I really, really appreciate the support. I haven't revealed if Lucas has HCM though. He's still being stubborn. Lol.
theduckone – I hope you're not too tired of waiting. I'm really glad that you like DTE so much. :) I'm looking forward to what you have to say. Lucas was definitely sober when he was with Brooke in this chapter. I have yet to get to the 'confide' part.
PeterClaire – I'm glad you like their friendship. For Lucas though, he's yet to take the test.
Amalisa– Hey. I'm so glad you like DTE. Lol. Anyway, as for the next update, it might be for a while again. I'm a little slow. I know.
flipflopgal- Thanks! Thanks! Thanks!
oth234234 – I hope you weren't too bored with the wait. Thanks for reviewing.
rosseyanna – I'm glad that you're still interested in this. I'm so sorry for making you wait so long.
psiek - Yeah. I love how their relationship works too. One moment their fighting, the next their hugging each other. Brooke did tell Lucas she'd be there in a heartbeat. :)
Brucas True Love – I have yet to tell you what Brooke's fortune is about, but we'll get to that. Thanks for reviewing.
PrettyGirl101 – I'm glad you gave this story a chance. Hehe. Lucas has yet to know if he has HCM, llike I said, he's still being subborn. But maybe Brooke could knock some sense into him…maybe…
Brucasforever09 – I'm so sorry for getting you confused. I've already placed marks so I hope I made things easier for you. Thanks for reading and reviewing.
LuluMcPhee – I'm glad that I got you to read fics of this kind. It means a lot.
ILoveYouTooPrettyGirl – So, I hope you're not too disappointed. I'm looking forward to what you have to say.
To everyone who read this, thank you!!