Author's Note: Hey guys! I am back with Chapter 11! This chapter is mostly filler the following chapters will continue to be fillers up until the big moment, which is coming soon, I promise! I've gotta say that I'm little disappointed in my writing of this chapter, but it's mostly due to my lack of sleep the past week and stress. I had a major paper and presentation last week, finals this week, my grandma has been in the hospital for surgery, and to top it all off, I've had to take over a higher position than mine at work while the person is on vacation. Don't get me wrong, I'm honored that they chose me to do the job, but I'm a little stressed and worried about doing a good job because I am work almost directly under, and right next to the office of, the Senior Vice President of the company. Anyways, even though I think this chapter sucks, I hope you guys like it! As always, please read and review!
Disclaimer: I own nothing. One Tree Hill and its characters are the property of the WB.
Rating: PG to PG-13
P.S. – One Tree Hill Season 1 DVD comes out January 25th!!!!
In the Presence of an Angel
Chapter 11
The next day, Haley arrived at the hospital promptly at eight when visiting hours began and the nurse from the night before greeted her with a tired smile. "She's still out cold and probably won't wake for a couple hours. We gave her some more pain medication around three this morning and she's been asleep ever since," the nurse said. "That's fine. I brought a book and some work with me so I'll just do that until she wakes up," Haley responded as she turned her shoulder a little to show her backpack. The nurse nodded then said, "If you need anything, juice, a muffin or a bagel, let me know." "Thank you," Haley replied as she gave the older woman a smile.
She entered the hospital room and stared at Brooke's sleeping form. She wasn't as pale as yesterday and she had a small smile on her lips. Haley quietly walked over to her bed and sat on the edge, just simply gazing at her. She pushed aside some of Brooke's hair then stroked it; she was amazed at how beautiful Brooke looked even after all that she had experienced yesterday.
Haley sighed and smiled softly at the sight before her. These were the times she loved best; when she could just sit and stare at this amazing and beautiful woman without the fear of being caught watching. She looked so innocent lying there with that peaceful smile and curled up in the fetal position, one of her hands underneath her head and the other wrapped around her own waist. She carefully leaned down and brushed her lips softly against Brooke's then pressed a little harder, needing her touch. After the thought of almost losing her, it seemed that she couldn't get enough of Brooke's touch, her hugs, her hand rubbing her back. She sat there for a few more minutes before she sat down in the chair by the bed and pulled the rolling table in front of her to work on her schoolwork.
It was past eleven when Brooke finally woke and Haley greeted her with a smile, "Hey sleepyhead, how are you feeling?" Brooke lifted herself up into a sitting position after she adjusted the head of the bed and responded in a sleepy, raspy voice that Haley so loved, "Groggy and my head still hurts a little but better than yesterday." "Those pills must have really knocked you out. A plane could have crashed outside and you probably wouldn't have woken up," Haley said as she remembered her kiss that morning then told her, "I dropped one of my textbooks earlier and you didn't even move a muscle." "Wow. So when do I get out of here," Brooke asked. "The doctor has to check you out and give me your medicine then he'll sign your discharge papers and we can go," Haley replied as she put down her book and stood.
"Why would he give you my medication," Brooke inquired confusedly. "You are staying with me for a week, maybe a week and a half, while you recover. You are to be on strict bed rest for the remainder of today and two more days. That means no getting out of bed, walking around, or strenuous activity. After those two days, then you may move around a little bit but still no strenuous activity. Next week we have an appointment with doctor to evaluate your recovery and if you are okay, he'll allow you to go back to school, but there will be no cheerleading for a while," Haley explained. "No getting out of bed? No walking around? Wait, NO CHEERLEADING," Brooke exclaimed as she bolted upright then quickly clutched her head.
Haley rushed over and gently pushed her back down onto the bed, "And another requirement to your recovery is that you have NO stress. Peyton is going to run the squad in the mean time, so you don't have to worry about Teresa taking over or the team getting out of practice. And I'm telling you here and now Brooke Davis, if you give me any trouble or if I catch you out of bed when you're not supposed to be, so help me god I swear I will tie you to the bed," Haley warned in a stern tone as she pointed to her. "Ooh, bondage fun," Brooke let slip as she thought of Haley's last words, not realizing she had said them out loud. Brooke then burst out laughing to cover up her nervousness and after Haley had become a bright shade of red, she started laughing too.
After they had calmed down a bit, Brooke said, "Haley, you can't miss a whole week or week and a half of school. Especially on little ole me. I'll be fine by myself." "Did you not just hear me, Brooke," Haley responded loudly, "you aren't allowed to get out of bed by yourself for two days! Then only very little after that! They gave me the medication because you aren't allowed to self-medicate with these kinds of pills; they're too strong. Why can't you just accept someone's help when you need it? I'm trying to help you here and all you're doing is pushing me away!"
"I'm sorry, okay! I grew up without parents who even gave a damn about me so I'm used to being alone, doing stuff on my own. I have a hard time letting people in because every time I do, I get burned or they leave." Brooke began to cry openly and Haley gently hugged her, "I won't leave you Brooke, you're my best friend. When you stayed at my house last week, you showed me a side of yourself that I have never seen before and you told me things that I never knew about you. You let me in, Brooke, and I didn't leave you." Brooke thought to herself as she hugged Haley back, 'You left me last week when I stayed at your house. You left me when you distanced yourself from me those last few days…'
They were interrupted when someone cleared their throat behind them and both turned to see who it was. The nurse said, "Good morning Ms. Davis, it looks like you're feeling better. Are you ready to go home today?" Brooke smiled and gave her a thumbs-up sign on both of her hands, "You betcha! No offense, but I hate hospitals." The nurse chuckled and walked over to them saying to them in a hushed voice, "I do too, but as long as I'm not a patient then I'm fine. There may be sad times and good times, but I still love my job because I get to help people and that is one of the most rewarding things for me." Both the young girls smiled at her and the woman responded, "Now, I'm going to check you over and make sure you're okay to leave. After I'm done with the examination, I will take that catheter out." Brooke replied sheepishly, "This may be a stupid question, but what is a catheter? As I said before, I hate hospitals so I try to steer clear of them as much as I can."
"A catheter is a needle connected to a tube that goes into your bladder and it drains your bladder of the urine into a bag since you aren't able to get out of bed," the nurse explained and Haley chuckled in amusement as she watched Brooke's expression change from confused to horrified then to disgusted. "You stuck a needle in me?! I hate needles! Ugh, I shouldn't have asked…" "You didn't feel a thing; you were unconscious when we did it. Now, I must examine you," the nurse turned to Haley, "I'm sorry, but I have to ask you to leave. Hospital procedure." Haley nodded and gave Brooke's hand one last squeeze before exiting the room.
"First I'm going to check your eyes, then your ears," the nurse explained as she pulled a small flashlight the size of a pen from her pocket and held open the lids of Brooke's eyes as she flashed the little light in them and instructed, "open your eyes wide." Once she was done, she wrote on her chart and said, "Equal and reactive." "That's good, right," Brooke asked. The nurse nodded, "Now, your ears." She stuck the otoscope in Brooke's ears and checked them, "All clear. How is your head this morning, Ms. Davis?" "It still hurts a little and I get dizzy when I sit up too fast, but other than that, I think it's okay," Brooke replied. The nurse nodded and wrote some things down on the chart.
"She loves you a lot, you know, your girlfriend. She was here at eight this morning when visiting hours started and has never left your side. I can see that she cares a lot about you and you do too from the way you two react and talk to each other. You two make a great couple. Not many people find a love like that so young; you do everything in your power to hold on to it," the nurse smiled softly at the young girl as she nodded towards the door in which Haley had exited.
Brooke had tried to protest, that Haley wasn't her girlfriend, but decided that she wanted to hang onto that wonderful thought for just a moment longer. "Thank you and I will," Brooke responded sincerely. "Well Ms. Davis, you are all cleared to go. I just have to get the doctor to sign your discharge papers then I will give your medication to your girlfriend and then you can leave, okay? I'm sure your girlfriend has explained to you what you need to do, but I cannot stress enough to you the importance of adequate bed rest, both confined and limited after experiencing something like this. These heart spikes are like tiny strokes or very small heart attacks that can worsen if they continue. So you need to be careful; confined bed rest for two days, then limited walking distances after that, lots of liquids, and NO stress. Don't think about school or anything that might excite or anger you too much. Just relax and take it easy okay?" Brooke only nodded, the nurse's words somewhat a jumble as one word spun around in her head over and over, 'Girlfriend…girlfriend…girlfriend…'
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After receiving the instructions and medication from the doctor and nurse, Haley returned to Brooke's hospital room. She saw that Brooke was sitting on the edge of the bed and trying to get down. Haley raced to her side, "Brooke, you shouldn't be out of bed! You're not supposed to strain yourself!" "Chill Hales, I'm taking it easy. I just need to go to the bathroom before we leave," she replied nonchalantly. "What part of STRICT BED REST and NO WALKING for two days do you not understand," Haley yelled in frustration and fright. She didn't want Brooke to have another spike and collapse again.
"Then how the hell will I go to the bathroom," Brooke asked, a slightly mad and confused expression on her face. "I'm supposed to either carry you or use the wheelchair," Haley replied. "I don't want to use a damn wheelchair," Brooke protested as she folded her arms across her chest. "Then I guess I'll have to carry you," Haley responded as she placed an arm under Brooke's knees and her other arm behind her back. She carefully picked her up and brought her to the bathroom and sat her on the toilet. "You gonna pull my pants down too or can I do that by myself," Brooke replied bitterly. "Brooke…" Haley started with a sigh.
"Look, I'm sorry, okay? I'm used to doing things on my own. I don't like to be dependent on other people because, in the end, they always let me down or leave…" "We talked about this before…" Haley placed her hands on the sides of Brooke's shoulders, "if you need something... anything… you can always come to me and I promise I won't leave you." Brooke lowered her head to stare at her hands, her long brunette hair shielding her face from view, and nodded. "Can you please go," she asked quietly then said a little louder, "I want to get out of here as soon as possible." "Call me when you're done and I'll carry you out," Haley responded before closing the door behind her.
Once Haley had returned Brooke to the bed in an upright position, like she had found her when she first entered the room, she pulled some clothes out of a bag she had brought with her. "I got some nice and comfy sweats for you to wear out of this joint," Haley said as she raised the clothes in question for Brooke to see. "Great, I can't wait to get out of this," she replied as she pointed to the gown she was wearing, "if there's one thing I hate most at hospitals besides needles, it's these gowns. They're so airy and revealing… and drab." She said this last sentence with a disgusted expression and distaste in her voice. Haley smirked, "I'm sure you've been in more revealing clothes… and situations…than this."
"True," Brooke amended then replied, "but I don't like it when people can just walk in here at all times of the day and night. You never know who it could be. It could be some geriatric old man with Alzheimer's wandering around the halls and happens to come in here then walks out with a smile and a hard-on with one glance at my hiney. I swear, even just a little bit of skin will make one of those old guys happy down below." Haley burst out laughing then it turned into an uncomfortable chuckle. Brooke noticed this and said, "Oh, sorry about my little schpeel there. I didn't mean to upset you." "Um, it's okay. Get dressed," she handed the sweats over and turned her back to Brooke so she could dress in privacy. "Oh wow, I get to dress all by myself! I don't feel like I'm two years old anymore," Brooke said sarcastically in a cheerful voice. Haley just rolled her eyes.
"Ow," Brooke said in a strained voice and Haley quickly turned around. "Are you okay," she asked. She noticed that Brooke was having trouble pulling on the sweatshirt and cursed herself for not thinking clearly. "Sorry, I probably should have brought a button down shirt. Here, let me help you. Did you hurt your shoulder or your arm?" Brooke replied as Haley pulled the shirt down over her head first then proceeded to slide each arm carefully into its sleeve. "My left arm still feels a little weird from being numb yesterday but when I lifted my arms to pull on the shirt, my chest tightened up a bit and it hurt a little."
Brooke finished getting dressed and Haley gathered both of their belongings together and placed them next to the door. "You ready to go," Haley asked. Brooke flashed her a smile and a thumbs up sign on both hands, "I was born ready. Now let's hit the road!" Haley laughed and walked over to her, "Okay, I have to pick you up and put you in the wheelchair. Yes, I know you hate them, but it's hospital policy that you be escorted out of the hospital in one." Brooke grumbled something incoherent as Haley once again picked her up and carried her over to the wheelchair then gently set her in it.
Just as they were about to leave, the nurse entered, "Oh, you guys are already to leave? I was just going to help Ms. Davis here get dressed, but I see you've already done that." She gave Haley a warm smile then turned back to Brooke, "You take it easy, okay Ms. Davis?" Brooke nodded then shook the older woman's hand, "It's Brooke. Thank you for taking care of me. What's your name again?" "Tonya, but everybody calls me Toni. Now, I don't want to see you back here for another one of these spikes; only for your checkup next week. Got it?" The brunette nodded, "Thanks again Toni." "It was my pleasure," Toni patted Brooke on the shoulder then focused her attention on Haley, "you take good care of her." The woman said it more as a statement rather than a question, but Haley took it as both the same, "Of course. Even if I have to tie her to a bed for two days, I'll make sure she stays on strict bed rest." Toni laughed, "Well, maybe I'll see you next week when you come in. Until then, I guess it's goodbye." "Bye," both said as Haley grabbed their bags and pushed Brooke out of the hospital room in the wheelchair.
Once they got to the car, Haley gently sat Brooke in the seat and helped her get her seatbelt on as her arms still hurt. They drove home and as Haley carried Brooke to her bedroom, Brooke looked around her at the house and stated, "I missed this house. It's so homey unlike mine. Sometimes I wish I lived in a smaller house like yours." "Living in this 'homey' house isn't all that it's cracked up to be. To me, a house can only be a home with a family and as you can see, there's no family living here," Haley said sadly as they reached her room.
As soon as Haley laid her down, she began hovering over her and fussing like a mother hen, "Are you comfortable? Do you need anything? Something to eat or drink?" Brooke shook her head, "No, I'm fine. I'm kind of tired, though. I think I'm going to take a nap." "Okay, get some rest," Haley replied quietly as Brooke's eyes had begun to droop closed. Brooke reached out and softly grabbed her hand, whispering sleepily, "Will you lay with me?" Haley nodded and climbed under the covers beside her. Brooke wrapped her arms around Haley's waist and rested her head on Haley's shoulder. "Thank you for taking care of me," Brooke mumbled quietly as she gave Haley a light squeeze and then drifted off to sleep, the pills she'd taken at the hospital finally taking effect. Haley lightly brushed her lips against Brooke's forehead as she pushed some of the hair that had fallen away from Brooke's face. "I'd do anything for you…" Haley whispered quietly to her as she laid her head back against the pillows and closed her eyes.