Hey guys, I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. As promised I am back with an update, and it's a long one, so hold on, I think your going to like this one. And remember if you do like it, let me know, you guys really inspire me and encourage me to update faster with your kind words.
As always I do not own One Tree Hill or any of its characters.
Chapter 8- When You Come Back to Me Again
On a prayer, in a song
I hear your voice and it keeps me hanging on
Raining down, against the wind
I'm reaching out 'til we reach the circle's end
When you come back to me again
Brooke sat in the waiting room of Tree Hill General about to make a phone call that could possibly change her life yet again. Deciding not to prolong it any longer, she picked up her cell phone and dialed the familiar number.
"Mom, hey its Brooke, how is France?" she asked, not really caring what her parents were doing this week. They made her move to California and practically left her there, thinking that a maid would make up for their absence.
"Wonderful, honey how is everything at home? Is everything alright? You sound funny."
"Ummm….actually Mom, I'm not in California"
"Brooke" Her mother scolded, "Where in earth have you run off to? You should be at home."
"I am Mom. I'm in Tree Hill. That is my home," Brooke defiantly answered. She didn't belong in California, it wasn't home. Hell, she had been gone two days and they never would have noticed if she didn't call to tell them.
"Something happened to Lucas…he…he's sick," her voice almost broke as the words came out of her mouth. It had been almost 48 hours and there had been no change in Lucas's condition. They were all still waiting to see if he woke up to survey the damage on his heart.
"Brooke, sweetheart, I'm sorry, but you can't stay in Tree Hill much longer, you have school. You have to go back to California."
"That's the thing mom; I don't want to go back. This is where I belong. I never should have agreed to stay in California in the first place. I should have gone back after the summer."
"Brooke, do you honestly expect me to just let you move across country on a whim. Where would you even stay?"
"Mom, this isn't on a whim, I've thought about this and my whole life is here. You and Dad are only at the house a week out of the month tops, and I have nobody there. Here I have Peyton, Lucas, Haley, and Karen. She even agreed to co-sign a lease for Haley and me and watch out for us if you would let me stay here. Please, ya'll are never home, and I need to be in Tree Hill."
Her mother hesitated and then let out a sigh. "Brooke, are you sure this is what you want. You're not just doing this for some boy, right?"
"No Mom, he's not the only reason, everything that means anything to me is here and I'm not going to leave it again. I just can't."
"Alright Brooke, but don't make me regret this. I'll talk to Karen once everything calms down, and you can stay in Tree Hill. I'll have your father reenroll you in school tomorrow. But I mean it Brooke; you better behave yourself, and do not make us have to come back there."
Brooke almost keeled over from excitement. She was getting to stay. Tree Hill was once again her home. "Thank You so much, I promise I will behave. It will all be fine, Karen will watch out for me. Thanks again Mom."
It was done, she was getting to stay. She was so happy, but her happiness was overshadowed by the fact that the one person she wanted to tell of her return the most was still unconscious in the damn hospital. If only he would wake up, then she would finally be able to breathe again.
Haley stood outside the door of the hospital room that was currently occupied by her best friend, desperately trying to find the courage to just go in. She was terrified, she didn't know if she could see him like this, especially since she had been such a horrible friend to him for the past six months or so. She hadn't seen him since the day she told him that she wasn't coming home; it had been too hard on her to talk to him so she just quit talking to him all together. She realized that was stupid now, considering she would do anything to have him tell her one of his ridiculous quotes, or have him chase her with milk balloons. He really meant the world to her and she had let him down. A small part of her couldn't help but think that if she hadn't left, that maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't be in this situation. Maybe if she hadn't abandoned him and everyone else that meant something to her, he wouldn't be here fighting for his life.
She was broken from her thoughts by the opening of the door, and was immediately face to face with Karen, who just smiled sadly at her.
"Haley honey, what are you doing out here, you're wearing a hole in the tile," she said as she slipped her arm around Haley, stilling her from her constant pacing.
"I don't know if I can do this Karen… what if he doesn't want me in there. I mean I've been a horrible friend, what if he hates me…. I…"
"Haley," Karen sighed as she pulled the young girl into her arms. "He couldn't hate you, he loves you too much, now go ahead, it will be good for both of you if you just talked to him. The doctors said that it would help. Plus, remember what I said before, best friends can forgive each other anything."
She gave Haley one last squeeze and gently nudged her towards the door.
Haley sighed, it was now or never. She had let him down before, and now she vowed to make it up to him in any way possible.
"Hey Buddy" she whispered as she gingerly climbed onto the bed with him and grasped his still hand. It was so cold, and that scared her. Lucas was always filled with so much warmth. He always looked so strong, and now he just looked so pale and fragile, that it hurt her heart to see him like that.
"So I guess you got your wish, I'm back," she choked out. "I…I'm so sorry Lucas, I've been such a horrible person, I've been such a horrible friend. I wish you would have told me there was something wrong. I wish you wouldn't have held it all in, I just wish you would have let me be there for you. But, who am I kidding, I probably would have just told you I would call you back." She was in tears by this point, but at least she was here. She was telling him everything she needed to.
"God, Luke, I've really messed up. I never should have left. I left everyone that was important to me, and for what? To be a singer, please, I needed to be a wife and a friend before I tried to be a star."
She half expected him to open his eyes and agree with her. To tell her that she was right, that she should have stayed put and not run off, but he just laid there, the steady beeping of the heart monitor keeping in sync with Haley's tears.
"I'm sure you hate me now. You have every right to. Everyone else probably does too. Nathan won't even look at me; he just turned and walked away. And the truth was, I deserved it. I walked out on him, so why shouldn't he walk away from me. I still love him Luke, I never stopped. I just never imagined it would be this hard. I used Chris as an excuse, because I was scared, and I ran away because it was the easy way out. I realize this now, probably a little too late, but I'm going to do everything I can to make it up to all of you. I'm not running anymore. I promise you that. I'm going to fight to earn back your friendship and I'm going to fight to earn back Nathan's trust."
She stopped her rambling as the tears just overtook her body. She was finally letting it all out. Luke was there for her even now, and his accident was the catalyst she needed to get her life in order. She had said everything she needed to, and now she just had to hope that he could hear her, and that he would come back to her soon, because she planned on keeping her promise. Haley James-Scott was back, and she was going to do anything she could to make it up to those she had left behind.
She just looked at him once her tears had subsided, and squeezed his hand. He would come back to them all, she knew it, now all they had to do was wait.
Nathan walked back into the hospital hoping that he could just slip in unnoticed. He had to see Lucas, but he didn't want to deal with anyone else who would be in the waiting room, especially her.
He couldn't think about that right now though, he would just drive himself crazy with thoughts of Haley. Now, he had to apologize to Lucas, and hope that somehow his brother would open his eyes again, and like last time, that he would be the one there when it happened.
He walked to the door and went in, surprised that Karen wasn't camped out inside the room, but thankful that he would at least have a chance to say what he needed to Lucas.
"Hey man, it's me, Nate… I don't know if you can hear me or not, but I need to tell you some things."
Nathan walked fully into the room, and pulled up a chair next to Lucas. He needed to tell Lucas that he was sorry, and now was his chance. He just hoped he could get out everything he needed to say.
"First off, I'm sorry. I've been a complete jackhole to you, and you didn't deserve most of it. I just couldn't handle another person lying to me. I just feel bad that I held a grudge for this long. I just feel bad that I pushed you so hard….I… I'm just sorry man, for everything."
And that was it. Nathan couldn't bring himself to say anymore. To say he was sorry for taking his frustrations out on Lucas, to say he was jealous that Lucas had told Haley goodbye, when he couldn't bear to face her. To tell him he was sorry for disowning him over Dan. But that was the thing about brothers. Nathan hoped that Lucas would get it all in one word, and he knew that his brother would understand him like so few others could.
So he just sat there in silence, watching Lucas lie there, and hoped that maybe he would open his eyes and make a smart ass remark, or just tell Nathan that it was okay, and that they could be brothers and friends again.
"So Luke, man, wake up, we all need you here. I need you to tell me that we are okay, that we can be brothers again, and more importantly that we can be friends again. I need you man, I'm sorry it took me so long to figure it out."
Nathan didn't know how long he sat there just watching the monitor, and hoping that Lucas would wake up, but he knew that he needed Lucas as much as Lucas was going to need him. He just hoped that his brother was a better person than he was, and could forgive him for all the things he had done.
"So are you going to go in and see him, or are you going to drill a hole in the door with your eyes" Peyton asked as she nudged the brunette who had all of her attention focused on the door where Lucas was.
"I'm going to drill a hole in the door with my mind," Brooke sarcastically replied.
"Peyt, I'm scared, I hate hospitals, and I just can't bear to see him like this again. It just brings back so many bad memories of last time."
Peyton winced as she heard those words come out of Brooke's mouth. She still regretted that point in her life, and she knew now that she had to get Brooke to face her fears and walk into that room.
"Brooke, this isn't like last time, this time its way more screwed up." Peyton attempted a little humor, but immediately regretted it when she saw the crestfallen look on Brooke's face.
"Seriously Brooke, go and see him, you're going to drive yourself crazy if you don't. It would do him good to hear your voice. He missed you Brooke, we could all tell."
That was all she needed to hear in order to gain the little bit of strength it would take to make it into that room. She didn't say anything, just gave Peyton's hand a squeeze, and hesitantly got up from her seat. She was going to do it; finally she had the courage to tell Lucas how much she really needed him to open his eyes.
"Hey Broody," Brooke whispered as she gingerly entered the hospital room. She had thought it would be so hard to see him, and that she would feel so much worse when she did, but she was surprised to feel comfort. She was here, in his presence, and just seeing him, knowing he was close, was enough to calm her frazzled nerves.
"So, I'm back, and I just want to let you know that I came back for you. I'm here for you, whatever you need, but mostly I just want you to be okay. You're too important to me for you not to be alright. So you have to get better Broody, you just have to, because I… I don't know what I would do without you." And then she burst into sobs.
She cried for the boy in front of her, she cried for herself, and she cried for all the messed up situations her and her friends had managed to find themselves in lately. Once she had shed her tears, she noticed that she had linked their hands together, and that like always, they were a perfect fit, and somehow, that thought comforted her more than anything else.
"Luke, I messed up, I never should have run away, but I was scared and hurt and I was afraid to let you in again. It wasn't that I didn't care, in fact it was the opposite. You meant too much to me and I freaked out. I should have called I should have told you that I felt the same way."
"I love you Lucas Scott. I just wish you were awake to hear it."
She waited, hoping that maybe her confession would make him wake up, and that maybe somewhere in his land of dreams, he would hear her voice and he would come back. He would come back to her. But all of her hopes were dashed as he continued to lie there in the bed not opening those blue eyes that pierced right into her soul.
Lucas found himself sitting in a theatre alone. No one around, nothing making a single sound. He looked up at the screen as images began to flicker on and off. At first the images were blurry, but soon he could make them out. As he watched them closely he could tell that they were images from his life.
As the first one flickered on he could make out his mom and his Uncle Keith. They were standing at the Rivercourt, teaching a young Lucas how to play basketball for the first time. He remembered that day, it was the day he fell in love with the game of basketball, and the first time he really felt like he was good at something.
The image was slowly erased, and a new one began to appear. This time it was of a slightly older Lucas and a little brunette girl with almond eyes and wavy hair. The little boy walked over and helped the little girl pick up her books that some bully had knocked from her hands.
He watched as the little girl smiled at the younger version of himself, stuck out her hand and said, "Hi, I'm Haley James. You're going to be my new best friend and we are always going to do everything together, okay." And from that day on they had. Haley and Lucas's friendship had been strong from the moment they met, and from that moment on it was them against the world.
Like the last one, this image slowly began to fade to be replaced with yet another old memory. This time Lucas was ten and he had just won his first basketball game for his little league team. He looked over at the opposing team, and saw a dark haired boy about his age being pulled by an older man. A man that seemed oddly familiar to Lucas. "Damn Nathan, you should have won that game, you should have been the best. I will not have some bastard outperform you." That memory still made Lucas shutter. It was the first time he had realized that Nathan was his half brother and Dan was the father whom had abandoned him and his mom.
The next scene on the screen was much later. It was the infamous basketball game between him and Nathan. He watched the scene play out on the screen, and he saw the ball fly thought the air and into the hoop. That was the moment where everything had changed. In that moment he had become a Raven, been thrust into his brother's world and ultimately had his turned upside down.
More images flashed onto the screen, the fight with Nathan in school, the time he found Brooke half naked in his car, scenes with Haley on the roof of his mom's café, the whole mess with Brooke and Peyton, every moment that had an impact on his life was flashing before his eyes.
One last scene flashed on the screen. It was of him and Brooke, walking along the street drinking hot chocolate. It was right before he had gotten caught with Peyton, before he had messed up everything, before his first accident. He was worrying about his mom and Keith and she had looked at him and flashed her million dollar smile, and told him something that he had believed in ever since. "People that are meant to be together always find their way in the end."
And with that the screen went blank and he was left in complete darkness. Suddenly he heard voices, faint voices and they sounded like they were talking to him.
He could make out Haley's voice, and then Nathan's, even his mom's voice singing 'You are my Sunshine,' then he heard her and that changed everything.
'I love you Lucas Scott. I just wish you were awake to hear it.'
That was all he needed to hear. The lights in the theatre flickered on, but it wasn't a theatre anymore. He couldn't quite make out where he was, and then everything seemed to finally come in focus.
Lucas blinked a couple of times before he realized where he was. In an instant, it all came rushing back to him. Basketball game, winning shot, collapse, hospital. It took a moment to register. Moments before he could have sworn he heard voices, but the seemingly empty hospital room seemed to reveal the contrary. Maybe he was just imagining things. He really had no idea how long he had been out for, and he wasn't completely sure what was going on.
He could have sworn he had heard Haley and Brooke talking to him, but he guessed that it was just his subconscious trying to play ticks on him.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a slight movement, and finally he saw something he had only dreamt about for months. There she was, wrapped in a thin blanket, hair a mess, no make-up, looking like she had been up for days; she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Brooke Davis actually had come back.
'So maybe what you heard in your dream was real, maybe she does care about you,' the little voice in his head repeated. And for the first time in a while he had hope, maybe everything was going to be okay after all.
Another slight movement broke him out of his thoughts and he was met with the most gorgeous pair brown eyes he had ever seen.
She let out a small gasp, and in a moment she was by his side, clinging to him for dear life, tears streaming down her face. He was awake; he had really come back to her, and judging by the look on his face, he was just as happy to see her as she was so see him.
"Broody, I missed you so much. Thank God you are awake." She cried as she wrapped her arms gently around him.
He pulled her small frame even tighter as he took in her scent and was just happy to have her in his arms again. He couldn't help the smile that broke out on his face as he realized that she had indeed come back for him.
"I missed you too, pretty girl."
They didn't know how long they stayed in that position, just hugging each other; content to know that they had each come back to the other, that they had found their way.
And for a moment it was perfect.
There's a moment we all come to
In our own time and our own space
Where all that we've done, we can undo
If our heart's in the right place
On a prayer, in a song
I hear your voice and it keeps me hanging on
Raining down, against the wind
I'm reaching out 'til we reach the circle's end
When you come back to me again