"Excuse me, nurse, when will I be able to change into something with a bit more material in the back? This piece of cloth is too breezy for my taste."

The nurse laughed. "The doctor will be in in a moment or two, he'll be able to answer that for you. Good luck."

It was strange, Lucas was just beginning to get nervous about everyone coming into see him in this pathetic excuse for a hospital gown yet it didn't phase him when he and Peyton laid together.

There was a knock at the door and a man in a long white lab coat and a stethoscope around his neck walked right in.

"Hello Lucas, I'm Doctor Katapano."

"Hey doc"

"You're a very lucky boy Mr. Scott, you went into a cardiac arrest; you're heart stopped beating. It says here that you suffer from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, HCM. Your blood work shows no trace of Disopyramide... is there a reason you didn't take your medication? You are aware that this is a very serious medical condition Lucas."

Doctor Katapano went on to badger Lucas about staying on his meds and to stay healthy. He was happy to hear that basketball season was complete, there was less chance of physical exertion.

"Your friend Ms. Sawyer was very concerned about you, she's a very intelligent girl."

"Peyton... she's my girlfriend." Lucas said bashfully, blushing slightly.

"She remained by your side the whole time. Again; you're a lucky young man Lucas." Doctor Katapano winked at Lucas. While shuffling through papers he told told Lucas that he would remain in the hospital overnight, as a precaution. Lucas had an excellent chance of going home the next day and he knew exactly how he'd be spending it. As the doctor was exiting the room, Lucas asked a final question.

"Dr. Katapano, about this gown..."

"Oh yes, terribly embarassing to wear, aren't they? Remember this moment anytime you're thinking about not taking your Disopyramide." He flashed a sarcastic grin. He signaled to the group outside Lucas' door. "I'm done with him, you can visit now. But please, no more than two visitors at a time. I'll be seeing you."

Karen walked in with glassy eyes and her protruding baby bump.

"Mom, don't cry. I'm fine."

"You had me worried half to death" she said, brushing her hair out of her eyes. "I lost Keith, I'm not going to lose you too! I never should have let you play."

"Mom, I'm not going anywhere. Come here." Lucas gave his mother an enormous hug. Karen lightly squeezed back; afraid that Lucas would crumble in her arms as if he was the most fragile thing in the world. They talked about the new baby and Lucas broke the news of his and Peyton's new relationship. He couldn't tell his mom about seeing Keith, he wasn't sure how she'd react or she'd even believe him. Karen was thrilled to see her son happy again, genuinely happy. She gently kissed Lucas on the top of his head and she said her goodbyes. Next in was Nathan and Brooke. Nathan looked horrible, his face was a sickly shade of white and his blood was seeping through the bandage wrapped around his hand but he was in good spirits. Brooke looked carefully put together. Brooke and Lucas talked first, he wanted to speak with Nathan alone. Brooke reiterated what Karen has said, she was happy for Lucas and Peyton. She gave him a kiss on the cheek and walked out leaving Lucas and Nathan alone.

"How are you and Haley?"

"She and the baby are alive, that's all the matters. What did you want to talk about?"

"I saw Keith."

The two brothers talked about everything, how Lucas saw Nathan at the bridge crying out Keith's name.

"How did you know I was-"

A familiar face appeared at the door, eager to see Lucas. He couldn't believe she was all his. Nathan promised Lucas they'd finish talking later.

"Hey Nate... Lucas, I didn't mean to interrupt."

"Nah, we were just finishing up. I'm going to see Haley anyway. They're not allowing anyone in besides me yet, so I'll send your love." And with that Nathan left, leaving Lucas and Peyton together and alone once again.

"I missed you" she said with a glimmer in her eyes. "I caught up with Dr. Katapano and he filled me in on everything. He's an amazing doctor and it's a miracle how quickly you've improved within the last twelve hours."

Lucas just watched and listened to her, smiling. She was "the one" for him. No one had ever cared for him as much as she had. Peyton had noticed that while they were talking, Lucas kept yawning. She figured he must be tired from seeing everyone. She decided to let him get some rest, which would give her the chance to run home, shower and change. Peyton sat on the bed, facing Lucas, and handed him her iPod. Confused, Lucas asked "What are you doing?"

"I'm gonna run home for a little while and clean up."

"But you never go anywhere without your iPod."

"I made a playlist of songs that reminded me of you after I got home from the cafe last night. Kissing you makes me weak in the knees, Luke. I'm in love with you and I wanted to give you a piece of myself - music."

She and Lucas shared a passionate kiss before she left, with a magnificent smile on her face. This was a big deal, Peyton being separated from her iPod. As Lucas scrolled through the menu, he found and clicked the playlist "Luke". The first song listed was "Joey" by Concrete Blonde. He recalled that day so fondly; he and Peyton were cruising and it came on the radio. They belted it out and it felt so good even though it was such a sad song. Her emerald eyes glistened in the sun and her hair flowed so perfectly in the warm air. While he listened to "Joey" he hit "MENU" and carefully looked at the songs listed. Travis' songs "driftwood" was there, Pete Yorn's "Ice age" and 8mm's "Forever and ever amen"; Lucas stopped at track seven, La Rocca's "Non-believer". Pressing the "PLAY" button at the bottom of the wheel, the song erupted through the earbuds and traveled through his entire body. He somehow knew the song but couldn't remember ever listening to it. This was the best mix Lucas ever heard. Peyton had such an eclectic taste in music, he could listen to his mix forever. It also featured Annie Stela's "It's you", Vast's "Don't take your love away from me", They Fray's "How to save a life", Mazzy Star's "Fade into you", Butterfly Boucher's "Another white dash", Descendents's "Good good things" and selection of other artists. It meant a lot to Lucas that Peyton had put so much effort into this, and from just the other night. This was a big deal, this was different

©Greene 2006-2007