Peyton slowly and awkwardly maneuvered the wheelchair down the hall. She had complained that it was the last thing she needed but the doctors as well as her father had insisted. If she intended to travel any further than from her hospital bed to the bathroom, she would need the use of a wheelchair. Still hospitalized for observation, she had insisted on making the trek two floors up all by her lonesome. Although she would never admit it, thank God for wheelchairs. It was a dizzying and winding journey but a necessary one as well. She had to do it. She had to go. She had to see him. But she stopped just short of the room. She had already been warned by the nurses. Lucas was still asleep, as they had so gently put it and the most important thing was for Peyton to not get upset. How could she not? He was lying there helpless and no matter what her father said, she couldn't help but think that she was to blame.

"Peyton…"

She turned in the direction of the voice and saw a pregnant and tired looking Karen walking towards her. She leaned down and the two women embraced.

"I am so sorry, Karen…"

"Oh honey, it's so good to see you. Thank God you're safe."

"But..."

"You have nothing to be sorry for. You didn't do anything wrong, Peyton. None of this was your fault."

"But Lucas…"

"Lucas is stubborn, you know that. Once that boy makes up his mind, there is no stopping him. And finding you, helping you…well, that was definitely on his mind. He would have done anything to make sure you were safe," her voice sadly trailed off.

"I didn't mean for this to happen, for it to end up like it did. You have been through so much with losing Keith and you already almost lost Lucas once. I'm sorry this happened and he got hurt because of me. If it hadn't been for me…"

"Don't say that. I don't want you to think like that and you know Lucas wouldn't either. He's going to be okay. He's strong and he'll pull through. We have to believe that. But you have to be strong, too, Peyton. We want you to be okay."

Peyton craned her neck to peer in at Lucas in the bed. He was so quiet, so still. The time he had accompanied her to identify what she thought was her father's dead body, they had slept beside each other in the same bed. He had dozed off a few times that night and Peyton remembered watching him. He was so peaceful, so beautiful even in sleep.

"I'm just worried about him."

Karen gave a worn and exhausted smile.

"I am, too. I'm proud of him, though. He's a good kid."

"Yeah," she swallowed hard. "He is."

"Would you like to go in and see him? It's okay."

Peyton thought for a minute, guilt, fear and anxiety temporarily hindering her movements.

"What, what's wrong with him? I mean, I know everything that happened but it's been three days already. Why won't he wake up? Is he in a coma?"

"You could sort of call it that. It's different stages to a coma, not what you might think. Right now Lucas is in a very deep sleep. He is aware and responds to certain things, like pain. He has good reflexes, too. It's very close, too close, to the situation from before with his car accident with Keith. Anyway, he made it through the surgery and he's stable. Basically, we're just waiting for him to wake up."

"Will he? Soon?"

Karen touched her shoulder.

"I hope so but you know Lucas. Just like last time, he'll do it when he's ready. Why don't you go on in and pay him a visit?"

"Do you think he can hear me?"

"I know so," she rubbed Peyton's shoulder

Peyton nodded. She was afraid but suddenly she felt very stupid. She was afraid to go to Lucas because of all those tubes and machines. Yet she had been kidnapped by a sadistic, gun wielding maniac and Lucas hadn't let his fears get in the way. He had gone right to her without hesitation and she knew she had to do the same. She owed him that much. She wheeled herself over to his bedside. He lay flat on his back, dressed in a simple hospital gown with the covers pulled to his chest. Both arms were at his sides, multiple IVs attached to his arms and a tube securely in his nose. The noisy machines beeped steadily as for a few minutes Peyton was content to just sit there and watch the rise and fall of his chest.

"Hey, Lucas. Um, I don't know if you can hear right now but it's me. It's Peyton. I, um…I don't know. I guess I just wanted to see you. You know, I've thought about this day a lot lately. Sometimes, it could get pretty bad and the only thing that got me through it was thinking of the next time I'd see your face. I just, I just never dreamed that it'd be like this.

My dad told me what happened, what you did. That was pretty great. It's really brave, too but I guess I shouldn't be so surprised. That's just the kind of person you are, the kind of man you are. I feel like I should say thank your or something but a word as simple as thanks seems kind of silly and pointless now. How can I thank you for what you've done? You saved my life, Luke…again. You're always saving me. I know I say that a lot but it's so true.

You're a good person, Lucas Scott. I feel so bad for you right now and I wish it was me in that bed, not you. You don't deserve it. You don't deserve to be hurt but I guess there is nothing I can do about it. It's just not fair, you know? You are a good person and I try to be one but it's like no matter what we do, tragedy and bad luck just seem to kind of follow us somehow. I, I don't want it to be that way anymore.

Last time you were in a hospital like this, was when you and Keith got in that wreck. It was pretty bad. We all were so scared. I…I know I wasn't there for you then. It wasn't because I didn't want to be, more like that I didn't know how to be. But that's the difference between you and me. You always know exactly what to do and say. And you're so unselfish and you say you'd do anything for the people you love and, uh, you always do.

I've been hurt a lot. I have been through a lot. And what just happened with Derek…God, it's hard to even think about it. I can't even process that now because if I allow myself to relive it, I just, I can't handle it. I know I'm gonna have to face that one day. I'm prepared for that. Partly, it's because of you. Before we met, I had this wall around myself and I didn't need or want anything but um…you saw right through me and right through that ridiculous wall. You taught me how to feel again. You've taught me so much and you've done so much for me. I, I don't want to waste anymore time. I love you. I am so in love with you for just so many reasons and I wish I'd had the chance to tell you before. I promised myself if I survived that mess with Derek, that I would tell you, that I'd look into your eyes and tell you everything. I still want that. I want that more than you know because you mean the world to me…"

There was a noise at the doorway and a tearful Peyton turned around expecting Karen. It wasn't. Instead, it was Brooke.

"Sorry," she apologized sheepishly, shoving her hands into the pockets of her jeans as she turned to leave.

"Brooke, wait!"

She stopped and looked right at the young woman who had been her best friend for almost half her life.

"Um, I just wanted to stop by and see how he was doing…and um, how you were doing."

"Come in," Peyton invited her with a soft voice. "He's better. We're just uh, basically waiting now."

"And you?"

Peyton shrugged.

"I'm okay…okay as I can be."

"So is it true?" Brooke carefully asked. "Did Derek really kidnap you and do all those awful things to you?"

Peyton shuddered at the very memories.

"Yeah. Um, I, I don't know what people are saying but it's probably all true. It was pretty bad."

"Jesus. I knew he was weird but I never thought…"

"Me either."

"I'm sorry, Peyton."

"Don't worry about it…"

"I do worry about it. I can't help it. I am sorry. I'm sorry for everything. I'm sorry for what just happened to you. And I'm sorry about the whole Lucas thing, too."

"It's okay. It's over."

"Just let me say this. From the beginning, it was always you. I saw it. But when you didn't go for him, he was such a great guy, I thought I had a chance. No one has ever respected me and treated me like he did. I fell head over heels for him and what girl wouldn't? I know Lucas loved me too but I can't blame either of you anymore for the way things ended. Lucas loved me a lot but never the way he was in love with you. You guys are soul mates and you can't help how you feel. I was angry about a lot of stuff but this puts so much into perspective now. None of that matters anymore. I'm over, Lucas and I know one day I'm gonna meet the man for me. It's not him, because he is the man for you and he always was. I'm not bitter anymore, I know I can be happy for you both because you both deserve it. I didn't mean to eavesdrop on you today but I heard every word you just said to him and it was beautiful. You ever hear Whitey talk about the love he and Camilla shared? Well, that's the kind of love you and Luke have and it's this rare and totally special thing that doesn't happen every day. So...so I hope you do get that second chance because…because he wanted it just as much as you do."

Tears rolled down both their cheeks.

"Brooke…"

"I'm sorry for the hurtful things I said and the mean things I did. I didn't mean them, I was just so mad, you know?"

"And I'm sorry for hurting you, too."

Brooke slowly walked over to her.

"You're my best friend, P. Sawyer and you always will be. I love you."

"I love you, too," Peyton cried as they embraced.

"We've been down this road before and it took some time but I hope we can get back to the way things were."

"Me too," Peyton wiped her eyes.

"I, I'm gonna leave now. You and Lucas need your privacy but I'll stick around and I'll check on you."

"Thanks."

Brooke leaned down and gave Lucas a kiss on the cheek.

"We miss you, Broody. Hurry up and open those eyes."

"I'd like that," Peyton said as Brooke was exiting the door. "If you'd come visit me later."

She looked at the two, the tortured artist and the tortured athlete. It was a love so strong and real yet so tragic, even Shakespeare himself couldn't have written it better.

"Me too," she whispered.

Brooke left and Lucas and Peyton were once again alone. She had been instructed to make her visit short but she couldn't leave him just yet. No way she could leave him alone because he had never left her. Even in the worst of times with Derek, Lucas had been there in spirit doing everything thing in his power to safely bring her back home. Drying her eyes, she lowered the rails on his bed and pulled herself out of the chair. Moving the IV stands to the side, she climbed in his bed, lying beside him, gently placing her tear stained face against his chest. All she could do was be with him, pray for him and wait for him. She'd wait forever if she had to.