Okay.. I can't get the ruler thingy to work.. i dunno why.. anyways... I know its been a little while...but... without any further wait... here is chapter 14... enjoy.. and review Please!

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Chapter Fourteen: Scared

"What's going on?" Haley cried as she struggled to see into her daughter's roomnoticing them hooking up wires to a big machine in her room. Her voice shook as she panicked. "What are they doing to her?" She screamed. Nathan closed his eyes tight with pain as he heard the pain in Haley's voice. He let his head fall into his hands and shook it sadly as he heard the doctors inside panic with them.

Haley's heart was racing, as she tried to catch her breath, her knees getting wobbly, and her throat aching from the huge, growing lump in it. She looked at Nathan, noticing the pain and weakness in his body, and it angered her. If he was actually going to be around this time, he couldn't give up, not now, but already she saw him throwing in the towel and letting the world rip their daughter away from them. Nathan turned and walked away from the window, as the panic went on inside. The doctors seemed to be moving around so quickly, like the room was stuck in fast forward, while the clock outside on the wall seemed to barely drag along, like time itself had stopped, and they were stuck on the outside looking in, with no control. He went and sat on the couch, his elbows on his knees as he rubbed his hands over his face stressfully.

"How did this happen Haley?" Nathan whispered, as Haley still stood in the window, crying uncontrollably. Her body stopped shaking as she turned around and gave him a weird look . She opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the voice over the intercom.

"Assistance is needed in room 323. Code blue." The voice said in a calm and casual voice, as if it happened everyday. But this didn't happen everyday, it shouldn't have happened at all, not to their daughter. Haley was pushed away from the room door by a crowd of doctors squeezing into the already flooded room.

Nathan just watched and shook his head, and Haley got the slightfeeling that he blamed her, for not taking good enough care of her. Nathan looked up at her as she stared at him, mouth gaping open as tears flooded her eyes once more and she fell apart. He gave her a questioning look, as she went pale and became weak, walking over and falling into the couch next to him.

"I know what you're thinking, and you're absolutely right." She cried, her voice going high as she leaned over, her elbows on her knees just as Nathan's had been, but her hands gripping tightly into her hair. Her back shook as she let dreadful sobs fill the empty waiting room.

"What are you talking about?" Nathan whispered as he rubbed her back and leaned in to look her in the eye. He saw so much horror and pain in her eyes that he had to close his own and pray for that image to go away.

"It's all my fault. I wasn't taking good enough care of her, if I were, this wouldn't have happened."Haley continued between sobs. Nathan couldn't find the words to tell her that it wasn't her that he blamed, it was himself. But he also knew that words wouldn't be enough right now, words wouldn't save their daughter, and that's the only thing that Haley really needed right now. Instead he just pulled Haley back into his arms as he leaned back on the couch. She fell apart, sobbing into his chest as he kissed her forehead comfortingly.

Brooke was still knelt in front of Michael, his hands in her's as she looked at him with confusion. He was still angry at them, so she couldn't pick out just how sick Natalie was."Mikey, sweety, I know you're angry at us right now, and I understand." Brooke smiled nervously and nodded at him to get him to understand. His face was still twisted with jealousy as he glanced over at Erica, tired eyed, sucking her thumb, clinging to his bunny, and leaning into Lucas's chest.

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"What do you mean she's sick?" Brooke asked him again. Michael just shrugged.

"What happened at Uncle Nathan's than?" Lucas tried. Michael shot him a look and turned away from him, not wanting to talk to him.

"Michael!" Brooke said in a stern voice, which made his eyes open wide, as he turned to her, his lips pouted.

"I don't know." He said sadly in a whining voice. "We were sleeping, and the phone ringed and aunt Haley asked him to come to the hospital with him. And when he was bringing me here, he was..." Michael searched for the appropriate word, confused if that one simple word could possibly be right, though Nathan told him it was.

They all watched him, waiting for him to continue. He looked at Brooke, across at Lucas, than back at Brooke with confusion, like even if he said it, it couldn't possibly be true. "He was what?" Lucas asked him gently, trying to get back on his good side.

"I think he was scared." Michael whispered sadly. "I didn't think he would ever be scared, but he told me he does get scared. So in the car, he had the same look aunt Haley did when uncle Nathan went for his trip." He stammered, he acted as though he believed it was just a trip, like his mother used to tell him, but he knew it wasn't, he knew Nathan had gotten scared.

"We should go." Lucas struggled to say, his fear for his niece becoming apparent also. Michael looked between Lucas and his mother, his eyes widening as he saw the looks on their faces. Brooke swallowed hard after hearing Lucas's suggestion, but shook her head in disagreement.

"I want to be there too, but I think we should just call them. Because I get the slightest feeling that they need to deal with this together. At least until the morning." Brooke whispered. She fixed her eyes on Michael, who was looking at them was a sad disappointed look.

"Mommy?" he asked sadly, his eyes fixed on the floor as he moved nervously in front of them all. Brooke just looked at him, waiting for him to continue. "Are you scared?" He asked, his voice crackled as he whispered.

"Yea... I am..." Brooke whispered back, as if talking any higher would break his fragile moment.

"Is Lucas scared?" He asked Brooke, not wanting to direct the question at Lucas. Michael was still angry at Lucas and Erica, they invaded his life and stole his mommy, and being the child he was, he couldn't forgive them for that.

"Yea." Lucas whispered, still wanting Michael to trust him and let him in, or at least acknowledge him.

Michael began to cry, and at Lucas side, upon hearing that her parents were afraid, Erica cried too. Brooke and Lucas looked at each other, not knowing why they were crying, or if they had done anything to cause it. "What's wrong?" Brooke asked them with confusion.

"Are Aunt Haley and Uncle Nathan scared too?" Erica asked, with a scared tone in her voice. She looked over at Michael, who also had the same frightened feeling she had. Her parents nodded.

"Probably... of course." Lucas added, wanting to know what the point of it all was.

Erica stopped crying long enough to explain in her own way. "If you guys are all scared than it must be really bad, because parents aren't supposed to be scared." Michael thought about this and remembered what Nathan had told him. His sobs became quiet and soon non-existent as he looked at Erica, the only child in his world right now, the only one who's see it his way. And he saw it all in a different light right now, not as though he'd admit that.

"That's not true Erica." Michael whispered, both Brooke and Lucas turned their heads from Erica and looked at Michael who was looking at them, not frightened this time, just a little disappointed. "Uncle Nathan said grown ups get scared too. But it's okay, is that right mommy?" He asked her as he let go of his anger towards her and leaned into her arms.

"Yea, it is." Brooke smiled as she cried happily at Michael's wisdom. Michael nodded with disappointment, in a way he still wished that he could see grown ups as he always did, strong fearless fighters. But now he could see that his mommy was scared for Natalie, and so was Lucas, and it was okay.

"Erica?" Michael asked as he went over and stood in front of her, and sad, yet nice smile on his face. "Can I have my bunny back please?" He whispered, afraid she'd say no.

"Okay..." She whispered, handing him the bunny. Michael smiled and went over to his book shelf, pulling out his favorite DVD. He looked around at his parents, and over at his sister.

"Want to watch Batman with me?" He suggested to Erica, trying to make an effort to be nice, at least for his mom. Erica's smile grew as she nodded excitedly, jumping onto Michael's bed, Michael right behind her. They sat up as Lucas put the DVD on for them on Michael's tv. Brooke and Lucas just watched them for a little while, how they were finally starting to get along, they weren't sure how long it would last, but right now was enough to give them hope. Brooke turned and walked out the door, Lucas in tow, shutting it behind them.

"I think he finally sees her as just a kid like him, and not an enemy." Lucas laughed.

"I hope so." Brooke smiled, standing on her tippy toes to kiss Lucas softly. Then as she pulled away she realized what had just happened and rushed to the phone, tears of panic forming in her eyes. Her fingers shook as she dialed the number.

"Haley Scott please." She choked into the phone. There was a long pause.

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"Haley Scott, can you please come to the front desk for a telephone call please. Haley Scott." A voice echoed over the telecom. Haley was still crying into Nathan's chest as they watched the doctors work on Natalie, sweat beaded from their foreheads as they gripped them with frustration. She looked around and up at the front desk, shaking as she walked up and picked up the phone.

"Hello?" She whispered in a shattered voice. Nathan watched her as she let out a small sigh and her back shook as she spoke to the person on the other line.

"It's not good Brooke. Im so scared." She cried. On the other line, Brooke listened to her words, and took wisdom from her son, and from Nathan, thankful in that moment that Nathan had taught him so much about life, remembering what Nathan told her son, she whispered.

"It's okay." And the two just kept the phone to their ears, as a long pause went between them.

"Brooke?" Haley finally broke the silence, her voice high and shaky.

"Yea?" Brooke whispered back at her, Lucas by her side waiting for some answers about what was going on.

"It was just a fever, how could it get so serious?" Haley began to cry louder, as Nathan rushed to her side. She dropped the phone and fell to her knees. She could hear Brooke calling her name on the line, but couldn't find the strength anymore to pick it back up. Nathan kneeled next to her, his arms wrapped around her as he cried with her. "It was just a fever!" She shouted angrily.

And through these eyes I've seen a thousand lies
And it's taken years to realise
Nothing stays the same
No one is to blame but I
I'd do it all again

Doesn't really matter if you got it right
Doesn't really matter who was wrong or right
Yeah
All I know is I know that I can make it through
What about you

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Alrite... hope you liked... please PLEASE... review! LOL...

Michelley P.