Hey guys! Here's the next chapter written by the lovely Manda Panda (Ali-Chan). And what a wonderful job that she did too. Next up is Elena (typokween) and let me tell you that things are just now heating up! Read and enjoy!
Chapter Eleven - June 2016
Sunday
Tree Hill's ER waiting room wasn't built for a large amount of people—it very rarely saw the action that hospital dramas on the television liked to depict. Mostly they treated minor injuries since most the people who could make it were rushed to the larger, better hospital in the next town over. But when there was a serious emergency that couldn't risk the extra fifteen minutes the friends and family members of the injured would crowd into the tiny room, in the 12 hard chairs, and wait.
That's how the waiting room came to see six people crammed into half of the chairs along one wall. Silently they'd been waiting for hours to find out an answer to the well being of one of their own. Brooke Davis and Haley James-Scott clung to each other, one lending the other the support she so desperately needed. They'd both fallen in love with Scott brothers, and yet neither of them was there to offer support. One was beyond the swinging doors with a team of doctors and nurses trying to save his life while the other claimed he didn't care enough to wait around for answers.
Saturday
"Ten years ago I stood up in front of all of you and gave a speech about growing up. About graduating and taking life by storm - becoming the people we were meant to be. You know what though? It's ten years later and I think I could give the same speech all over again. I won't," Haley smiles briefly before continuing, "it was long enough ten years ago. So I'm not giving a speech about how much we've all grown up or even how much growing we still have to do. Because let's face it, we still make the same type of mistakes as we did in high school, only now there are bigger consequences and that's not about to change. So instead, I encourage all of you to have fun. For one night forget about climbing the ladder of success at work or being the best soccer mom in the neighborhood. It's an open bar until ten, so take advantage of it!" Haley smiles one last time, adjusts the strap on her dress and makes her way off of the stage to be mobbed by people who she hardly remembers from high school.
"That was a great speech."
Several people she had tutored once upon a time had surrounded Haley, and it isn't until they've begun moving away that she catches Nathan lingering on the fringe. She didn't expect him to be there. Jake had said that Nathan had sworn to keep his distance tonight and that he was taking anger management classes. Jake also said that wasn't going to cause trouble. "What do you want Nathan?" Her voice is a carefully calculated mixture of cool indifference.
"You look great Mrs. Scott," Nathan's bright blue eyes darken, "or is it James now?"
"It will be as soon as you sign the damn papers Nathan," Haley's voice remains firm, but her eyes rove the crowd for someone to save her; but Brooke, Lucas and Jake are locked into conversation at the bar oblivious to her situation.
"You're my wife Haley," Nathan grips Haley's arm; he was desperate to hold onto her. He loved her, had always loved her and he needed her in his life. "I can't just let you go."
"Just sign the damn papers Nathan, I'm not Deb. I won't let you hold this divorce over my head forever like Dan did to her." Her heart pounded in her chest as the words rushed out of her mouth, she was goading him and hell if she knew why. His arm twitched and she knew without thinking that he would hit her, here, in the middle of everyone they had gone to high school with.
Haley closes her eyes and braces herself for the connection that never comes, "Nathan!" Haley's eyes fly open at the sound of Peyton's voice, she's placed herself between Nathan and Haley, "back the fuck off."
Both girls watch Nathan and Haley is almost positive she sees fear cross his features before he turns on his heel and flees. "Are you okay?" Peyton grips Haley's hand, both are visibly shaking from the surge of adrenaline.
"I'm," Haley took a deep breath, how was she? To say she was fine would obviously be a lie, but it was more seeing Nathan that had her unnerved than his violence toward her. She's promised herself she was moving on from him and within seconds she's proved herself wrong.
"Don't answer that," Peyton shakes her head, "it was a dumb question."
"I didn't realize you were coming, you should have flown down with us." Haley means it genuinely but she knows the reason that Peyton hadn't. To be honest Haley couldn't remember when she had last seen Peyton, it had been months at least. Haley knew it had little to do with her and everything to do with the healthy baby boy she'd delivered four months ago.
Peyton shrugs, they both knew why so did she really need to tell Haley that when she looked at Brennan she no longer saw the dark haired infant but her own blonde song that had stolen a piece of her heart? "I should go. I see Mouth I want to see what he's been up to."
"Yeah okay, it was nice seeing you. And, thanks." Haley lets out a breath as she watches Peyton walk away, she felt awful for feeling relieved but there was just so much between them now.
"God, I can't believe we're here," Brooke leans back against the bar taking in the mass of people moving around her. Some she recognized, some she knew she should recognize and others she could only guess were spouses of Tree Hill's 2006 graduates.
"The place looks great," Lucas, mutters, "Mom would have loved having the ten year reunion here."
Brooke slips an arm through Luke's and rests her head on his shoulder, "it's hard to believe we're here at all, together, at our ten year high school reunion." Brooke takes a deep breath as she turns to face Lucas fully, "about last night."
Lucas cringes at the mention of the previous night, the rose petals covering the floor of their hotel room and of him down on one knee and the look of terror that had clouded Brooke's eyes before he could even get the question out. "Brooke we don't have to talk about it, I understand you wanting to keep things the way they are. We have a great life, we don't have to get married."
"Luke, shut up. I do want to marry you, I do. I was just scared; it's taken us so long to get there I didn't know how to react. I want to marry you, and spend the rest of my life with you, if the offer still stands."
"You know it does, Pretty Girl," Lucas gently touches Brooke's cheek. "Actually," she slips his free hand into his pants pocket and pulls out the velvet box Brooke had faced the night before, "I was hoping you'd change your mind."
Once he's slipped the diamond ring onto Brooke's finger she throws her arms around his neck, "I love you!"
"Hey guys," Jake calls out as he crosses the floor to meet them, "did I miss Haley's speech?"
Brooke untangles herself from Lucas, "actually, yeah you did. What took you so long?"
Jake sighs at the first part but he can't help the smile that spreads across his face at the second, "Jack, Emma and Lyn disappeared on my mom so she called, when I was halfway here, frantic. I found them in the attic they were giving Jack a makeover with my mom's make-up. I think it goes without saying that our daughter was the ring leader."
Both Brooke and Lucas laugh at this. Jake had returned to his normal self, he was once again the devoted father, and it hadn't gone unnoticed. Things between the three of them had finally settled down and they managed to find the friendship the three had once shared. He and Peyton had parted amicably and there had been something about letting go of his past with Peyton that had helped him finally let go of Jenny. The fact that he had taken a job running Nathan's Chicago branch was still a sore spot, but he had been up-front about it and informed Brooke and Lucas that, yes, Nathan was bastard for what he did to Haley. Not to mention that he was an ass of a boss, but the job offered a flexible schedule that allowed him to be a part of the twin's daily lives.
"You look much too happy about our daughter the make-up queen, what's going on?"
Brooke sends Lucas a brief glance before flashing her engagement ring, "Lucas asked me to marry him."
"Congratulations!" Jake hugs Brooke, "I'm so happy for you."
"You don't look surprised," Brooke pouts.
"I talked it over with him last week," Luke confesses with a guilty smirk.
"And I told him that he was an idiot for not doing it sooner."
"You knew!" Brooke screeches, smacking Jake lightly, "I can't believe you."
"I'm happy for you Brooke," Jake kisses Brooke lightly on the cheek. "I'm glad you're finally going to get what you want."
"Thanks Jake," it meant a lot to Brooke to know that Jake would support her in her marriage. "Now what about you, you and Peyton are over no more some day's, right?"
Jake shakes his head, "no more some day's."
"Great then..." Brooke's eyes gleam and Luke rolls his eye, he'd already heard all about the girl that Brooke wanted to set Jake up with.
"Before you offer to set me up with anyone you know, you should know that I've actually been seeing someone."
"You've been seeing someone?"
"Yeah, I didn't want to make a big deal about it, in case it didn't work out."
"But it's working out?" Brooke smiles easily abandoning her previous plans. This was good news. She'd always wanted Peyton and Jake to work out, wanted the two of them to make each other happy but it had become apparent a long time ago that they just weren't meant to be together in the end.
"Who is she?" Luke questions.
"Livvie Reynolds," Jake monitors both Luke and Brooke's expression to gauge their reactions at the name.
"You're kidding!"
"Do we know her?" Lucas asks puzzled by Brooke's reaction, the name sounded familiar but not familiar enough to warrant such a response.
"Miss Reynolds this, Miss Reynolds that..." Brooke mimics Emma's voice.
"Emma's teacher from last year?"
"That's the one."
"Jake, she's absolutely adorable. I want to meet her."
"Brooke, you've met her," Jake rolls his eyes but he's relieved that she's so thrilled with the idea. He'd run a thousand different situations through his head, each of Brooke's reactions worse then the last. She was mad that he was dating again, she was made that he was dating one of Emma's teachers they were endless.
"We'll have a dinner part, Em will be thrilled. We'll do it two Saturday's from now because Emma has a ballet recital next Saturday. Or, actually scratch that. Bring her to the recital, Haley's going too, and we'll take all of you out to dinner afterwards. This is so exciting," Brooke claps her hands together and grins."
"Jake, I really appreciate you doing this," Haley smiles at Jake from the passenger seat of his mom's car.
"Are you sure you don't want me to go in with you?" Jake glances suspiciously at the Scott beach house that Nathan was occupying while he stayed in Tree Hill.
Haley shakes her head, "we have a plane to catch and I'm not going to stay for long. I'm just going to tell him that he needs to either sign the papers or I'll take further legal action."
"Haley," Jake didn't like this, he didn't trust Nathan with Haley and especially not with the message she was going to deliver to him. "Please let me come with you."
"Five minutes Jake, that's it. You can even stand out here and listen for trouble, but I need to do this alone." Slowly Haley unbuckles her seatbelt and offers Jake a reassuring smile, "I'll be fine I promise." Cautiously she makes her way up to the front door, trying to fight back the memories that threaten consume her.
Once she's stopped in front of the door she turns to offer a smile to Jake that says 'see, I'm fine'. They both know it's a lie, she's a nervous wreck but this was something she needed to do. She couldn't let herself be one of those women that went back to their abusive husbands because they weren't strong enough to stand on their own two feet. Sucking in a deep breath Haley rings the doorbell and waits, silently listening for any sort of movement behind the door. She glances to the driveway and sure enough Nathan's rented car is parked there a brief glance at her watch reveals that it's just after noon. Maybe he was still sleeping?
Weighing her options Haley finally rests her hand on the door handle and after giving it a soft turn he finds that it's unlocked. Pushing the door open tentatively Haley steps in, "Nathan?" She prays that he's in a good mood, and with that thought in a rush all the emotions she'd pushed away from before sweep over. The uncertainty of whether he'd been in a good mood when he came home from work, if he'd yell or be extra affectionate. If he'd throw things, if he'd hit. "Nathan?" She calls out again, newly assured that she was doing the right thing. She's headed to the bedroom when she catches sight of the figure collapsed on the floor, "Nathan!"
Sunday
"Mrs. Scott," both Haley and Deb jump to their feet as a doctor comes into the waiting room, a sober expression across his face. "I'm Dr. Carmichael."
"How is he," Haley instinctively reaches for Brooke who's appeared beside her.
"Why don't you come with me to a meeting room and we can discuss your husband's condition, if you'll just follow me." The doctor's words are clipped and he turns to head down the hallway, all it takes is a look from Haley though for everyone else, Peyton, Jake, Brooke, Deb and Dan, to follow as well.
"What's the matter with Nathan?" Haley questions when they've been led into a cramped meeting room where another, slightly older, doctor is waiting.
"This is Doctor Sutton, he's a neurologist at Silver Cross Hospital in Wilmington."
"A neurologist?" Dan asks the words as Haley sinks into one of the available chairs, in her heart she'd known it would be the worst news, she'd known since she'd seen Nathan's collapsed form in the kitchen so many hours ago. "What's wrong with my son? Why does he need a neurologist? He's always been perfectly healthy."
"Your son," Doctor Carmichael begins, "has had a minor stroke."
"A stroke? That's ridiculous, he's not even thirty years old," Dan's voice shakes and his fears are evident. Haley closes her eyes she doesn't want to hear anymore. Doesn't want to know what is wrong with Nathan to have caused him to have a stroke. Both Jake and Brooke take positions on either side of her to offer her the strength she's going to need to hear the rest of what the doctor has to say.
"We ran a CAT scan and found a mass at the stem of the spinal cord, that's why we have called Doctor Sutton in to consult."
"Are you saying my son has a brain tumor?"
"That's what we believe yes," Doctor Sutton finally speaks; his voice has a slow southern drawl that some might find comforting. "Mrs. Scott, are you aware of any health related problems with your husband."
Haley shakes her head struggling to find her voice, "no."
"Has he had any seizures?"
"No.I don't think so...I..."
"Nausea, vomiting, weakness, loss of feeling in arms or legs, lack of coordination, changes in vision, extreme drowsiness, changes in speech or personality or memory they are all symptoms of a brain tumor. Can you recall any of these?"
"No," Haley can't think straight, can't process anything that the doctor in front of her is saying. All she can think about is that Nathan is sick, possibly dying and she'd wanted to leave him. Had he known? Had he needed her and she hadn't been there?
"Wait, hold on just a second," Brooke speaks up, "changes in personality?"
"Yes," Dr. Sutton nods, "that is a very common symptom of certain kinds of brain tumors."
Brooke glances at Jake and his eyes tell her that he thinks she's on to something, "his personality has definitely changed, but I mean it's been a long process. A couple years even."
"We can't tell you anything about the actual type of tumor until we've done more tests, and we have to have Mrs. Scott's approval to do so. But it is possible that he's had a slow growing undiagnosed brain tumor. We need you to sign these papers authorizing the hospital to run the appropriate tests."
"Is he awake?" Haley asks disregarding the pervious words or the clipboard held out to her, her voice sounds faint and faraway.
"He isn't."
Brooke curses Lucas for not being here for Haley as she crouches down in front of her, "Sweetie, you have to sign the papers so they can further treat Nathan okay?"
"We shouldn't have left her," Brooke frowns as they pull into Jake's parent's driveway, "I mean she's a mess and."
"Hey, hey," Jake's voice is soothing, "she wants us to explain to Lyn what's going on with Nathan. You got a hold of Luke and he's on his way over there, right?"
"Yeah but..."
"But nothing," Jake opens his door and Brooke mimics the action, "Luke will take care of her, Peyton's there and so are Dan and Deb."
"Jake this is just awful," Brooke had been strong for the three hours following the meeting with the doctor; she'd taken care of Haley who'd pulled into herself. She had made sure that Haley understood everything that the doctors were saying, had helped her fill out the various paperwork but she couldn't hold it together anymore.
"Hey," Jake pulls Brooke into his embrace, "everything will work out."
"He can't die Jake, he can't. If he dies everything is going to fall apart and there will be no coming back from it." Brooke buries her face in Jake's neck and continues her speech muffled, "no matter how much of an ass Nathan is he's still a part of us. It's always going to be the six of us, always. Our lives are so intertwined. If he dies everything will be over."
"Listen, we don't know if he's doing to die," Jake pulls away slightly so that he can see Brooke's face, "we don't know anything yet."
"Aww isn't this a tender moment?" The voice behind Jake is chilling; he doesn't need to turn around to identify it because the look of shock on Brooke's face confirms it. "Are you two planning on having another kid?"
"Nikki," Jake turns slowly, he's not sure he wants to know why she is here or what she wants. Once he has turned around fully though and is facing her it's not Nikki that his eyes are focused on, it's the little girl beside Nikki. She's not a little girl anymore and she's tall for her age, make-up is brushed across her delicate pre-teen features and her light brown hair falls just beyond her shoulders. "Jenny."