Notes: Special thanks to Renee for her beta work and Kayla. Thanks for all the reviews and you know, you can send more. It's fine with me. I used the word 'drugs' five time and that's a personal record. Kudos for me.

When Peyton opened her eyes no one was there, and she was glad for that. It seemed like these days she was never alone. She found it strange, but not very hard to believe that Karen was always by her side… and if Karen wasn't by her side, Lucas or Nathan was.

She tried to remember what had happen and how many days she had been in the hospital, but her mind was foggy from the drugs. Considering that Nathan was back, she figured it must have been at least four or five days.

She missed being alone. Sure she spent a large amount of time with others, but that never changed the fact that she also treasured her alone time. The times when she didn't have to put a smile on her face or pretend to hear things she didn't care to hear in the first place. Socialization was never her forte.

She swallowed hard, her throat still sore, possibly just as sore as it was the first couple of days. She felt light-headed and thirsty. She could reach the cup on the table by her bed, but she was too high from the drugs to really care about anything.

She closed her eyes, hearing the rhythmical beep of the IV monitor. Her whole body was in pain but thanks to whatever drugs she was on, she didn't feel a thing. Actually, she felt the pain, she just didn't give a damn.

The doctors had said she was lucky…again. She knew that they were probably right. She made it with the shooting and she had made it this time too. Twice she had been lucky. They had explained to her that she had a rare blood type. 'The universal donor' they had said, 'but not the universal recipient'. They gave her lots of fluids, said it was to avoid a blood transfusion, but in her current state, it all sounded like gibberish.

After the shooting, her dad had made her go and give some blood…just in case. He didn't want to think about what would happen if the hospital didn't have the blood that she needed. So, a month after she was out of the hospital, even though she knew she shouldn't, she went and gave blood.

She had never thought of blood until that time. She had thought a lot about cancer though, and she drove her gynecologist crazy with her questions. At the end, he had told her that she had to learn to live with that fear but not let the fear 'live' with her.

Fucked up doctors and their riddles of life.

Peyton opened her eyes, the need for water too much for her to ignore any longer. She tried to reach the cup but she was too tired to lift her arm. She tried again anyway, too stubborn to give up. After her third attempt, she was too exhausted to stay awake any longer and sleep took her once again.

The next time she woke up, Haley and Lucas were talking quietly, but Haley's expression hinted that the conversation would be a lot louder if it was outside the hospital. Peyton watched them for a minute, too drugged out of her mind to pay any real attention, until Haley noticed that she was awake.

"Hey Peyton," she said quickly, not giving Lucas time to answer back.

"Ready for another round?" Lucas joked, hiding his disappointment behind that joke and helped her with the water. After she took few swallows, she turned her head and Lucas pushed the straw away and removed it.

"Thanks," her voice unfamiliar even to her own ears. "You're back," her words slurred and slow. It might have taken every once of strength for her to talk, but she was determined to speak anyway.

"They've been here a couple of days now Peyton, don't you remember talking with Nathan?" Lucas gave Haley a worried look before turning his attention back to Payton, "You talked with him not even six hours ago—"

"Luke, calm down, okay?" Haley tried to hide a smile but couldn't. It was such a Lucas thing to over-analyze everything that she had to smile. She could easily guess what he was thinking, but she didn't have to because Lucas by vocalized his worries.

"Hales it could be brain damage," and Haley rolled her eyes at that.

"Or it could be the fact that she's in outer space," he looked at her like she was an idiot and Haley let out a sigh, "Drugs Luke! You remember the nice lady with the green dress, carrying a syringe? She's called a 'nurse' Luke and that syringe was full of drugs."

"I still think…" and once again Haley shut him up.

"Look at her pupils," and when he didn't Haley gave him a nasty look, leaving Lucas no choice but to bend and look at Peyton's eyes, and Haley did the same.

"Peyton, your eyes are green," Haley said after a while and Peyton offered a weak smile.

"Seventeen years now," she looked at Haley and then Lucas. He wasn't surprised and the only reason for that was that two years ago he had said the same thing to her. Of course, back then, Peyton gave him the finger and stormed out of the library, leaving a speechless Lucas behind.

"I always thought that your eyes had that 'all color-no color' color."

"And what color is that exactly?" Peyton asked as Lucas smirked.

"Answer her, Hales."

"You are the artist here Peyton, you know what I mean."

"What did they do to me?" Peyton asked after a while. No one was prepared for that question. They knew that at some point questions would be asked, but they didn't expect to be the ones to answer those questions. Haley looked at Lucas but all he did was look back at her.

"What did they do to me?" Peyton asked again, this time her voice a little louder.

"Peyt-" Lucas didn't want to upset her and there was no way for that not to happen if they told her what they knew.

"They hit you, tide you up and left you to die," Haley raised her hand to stop any protest coming from Lucas, "The police found you two days later. They came searching for you because your car was involved in a hit and run."

Swallowing hard Peyton asked, "The house?"

"They took everything they could sell Peyton," sensing Peyton's next question she added, "Most of your CDs and few of the vinyl's. The police think it was an organized action."

"Did they…" her voice cracked and she had to fight to find her it again "Did they...?"

"No!" Haley said at once and Lucas once again felt anger run through his veins. Those animals hadn't raped her, not physically at least, but what about mentally? What about when she started to remember? What about then?

"Get out," her voice barely above whisper.

"Peyton—"

"Get the fuck out."

And they did. Haley was the first to leave and Lucas followed her shortly after.

"What the hell was that?" he asked.

"If it was you, wouldn't you want to know?"

"Haley, I…" he let the sentence hang before shaking his head and walking away, leaving her standing there. Maybe she was right. She was probably right, but he couldn't accept that. Not now. Not when he had seen the empty look in Peyton eyes.

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She was sleeping. She looked so small with all the medical equipment around her. And she looked tired, like she had run a marathon under the hot, summer sun. She had lost weight; Brooke could see that from where she was standing.

Not that Peyton needed to lose weight. She was so damn thin already. The girl could eat, a lot. She could eat a bucket full of cheeseburgers and still not gain a pound. If Brooke did the same…well, she would never do the same. P.Saywer and her metabolism.

Standing at the door, not daring to go closer, not after the last time. Peyton had woken up when Brooke was in the room and went nuts, screaming at her to go away, pulling her IV out of her hand.

Nathan had joked, an attempt to break the tension, saying something about 'the emo who went screamo' but Brooke knew then that it was all over. Their friendship was over, because as much as Brooke wanted to be there for Peyton, Peyton wanted nothing to do with Brooke.

And despite what Lucas said, it wasn't because of the traumatic experience or because of the drugs. Peyton didn't snap at everyone, just at Brooke and that meant something. Right now, that meant that Brooke had to watch her best friend sleeping from a distance.

But Brooke was determined to do better than that.

TBC…