Brooke paused to look into Lucas's room, seeing Peyton asleep in the chair. No changes from him, she thought bitterly. Just as she was about to move, however, she saw something; those blue eyes of his opened. She'd seen it, if only it was for a brief moment.
She pushed open the door, hitting it against the wall with the force of the action, causing Peyton to awake in surprise. She looked around at the brunette, confusion showing on her face. "Brooke?" she asked, her voice scratchy, "what is it?"
She ignored the questions from the blonde, even as she stood up and walked over to her. Brooke pushed past her, making her way to the bed. "Lucas?" she asked, her tone hopefully. Peyton turned around, looking at the bed where her boyfriend lay, his eyes open and staring up at her friend.
"Hey," he said, his voice scratchier than Peyton's had been. Brooke, out of instinct, wrapped her arms tightly around Lucas. "Don't you ever do that to me again," she whispered in his ear. Her heart raced wildly in her chest as his arms wrapped back around her.
He eyes looked over to Peyton, seeing the surprised look on her face. When the brunette pulled away, Lucas left his arms open for his girlfriend. Brooke stepped away, averting her eyes as the two blondes hugged. Sure, she'd given them her blessing, but it didn't make the pain go away.
Lucas's eyes, unknown to Brooke, stayed on her as he hugged Peyton. He could hear Keith's words echoing in his mind, "Don't confuse caring for people that matter with love..." What was that supposed to mean, anyways?
"I'm so glad you're okay!" Peyton exclaimed, bringing Lucas back to the present. He was still a bit confused about his guide, but chose not to bring it up with his girlfriend. He stole one last look at Brooke as she slipped out of the room before he smiled up at Peyton.
"I had to come back," he said, his voice still a bit off, "people need me." The blonde hugged him again, tears of joy spilling down her cheeks. Lucas stroked her back gently, trying to push the thoughts from his mind. He was too exhausted to be dealing with all of this.
When she pulled away he gently brushed away her tears with his thumb, feeling a soft ache in his chest. He knew that it wasn't from the lack of HCM medicine, either. "How's Haley?" he asked softly.
Peyton's eyes lit up once again as she carefully sat on the bed beside him. "She's good. She had to go into surgery, but she's alright now," Peyton explained animatedly, "she's getting an ultra sound done right now. That will tell us if the baby made it or not."
Lucas could feel his heart aching again, this time with happiness. His best friend, and hopefully his nephew, was alright. He took Peyton's hand in his own, lacing their fingers together. She smiled happily at him before lying down beside him, snuggling close to him.
He held her close to him and closed his eyes. Soon Peyton could hear his soft, even breathing against her ear, signaling that he was asleep. She carefully slid out of the bed, placing a soft kiss onto his lips before disappearing into the hallway again.
Peyton opened the door slowly, making sure she didn't wake Lucas. She stepped into the hallway, only to be greeted by an anxious Karen. "I just got the news from Brooke," she said softly, happiness and relief filling her tone. Peyton gave a slight nod, stepping away from the door.
"He's sleeping right now," the blonde said softly, "but you should go in. I know he'd love to see you this time when he wakes up." Peyton gave Karen a tentative hug before walking away, hearing the familiar click of the door opening and then closing as Lucas's mom went into his room.
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