Disclaimer: OTH and its characters do not belong to me. Neither does the song quoted in this chapter. Its 'Bleeding Love' by Leona Lewis.
Please take the time to let me know what you think. This story will contain multiple flashbacks which will be in italics! Xx
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This Wasn't Supposed to Happen
Chapter Sixteen – Bleeding Love
Haley stood at the window, her arm snaked across her own stomach, her head thumping, her ribs aching.
"Haley?" a sleepy voice sounded from the hospital bed where she should have been. "Haley" he repeated, coughing slightly to clear his throat. Haley turned, her pained eyes meeting his.
"Haley, you're awake" Nathan stepped out of the bed, taking an uneasy step toward her. "Oh my god, Haley I'm so sorry" Nathan stopped, noticing cold pain in her eyes.
"Where's my son?" Haley demanded; her voice heavy with anger, uncertainty.
"I left him at the apartment. Luke had brought him round…" his voice trailed off. It was difficult to comprehend the events of the day, the week, the recent months. "Luke's with him"
Haley turned to look out the window again. Time was measured by cruel silence as she prepared her words. "Get Brooke" she eventually whispered. "Get Brooke and have her go get Tyler. Tell her to take him to her house."
"Haley" Nathan questioned, "I'll take you home, to our home. Tyler should be there with us."
Haley didn't respond; her eyes still searching out the window, her arms tightly wrapped around herself.
"Haley" Nathan eventually whispered, unsure of what to do, or what to say.
Finally turning her eyes met with his. "Do you know what he said?" she began, her eyes filling with tears, the cuts, bruises on her face stabbing a sharp pain in Nathan's stomach. "He said" Tears began to fall freely down her face, Nathan stepped forward to wipe them dry, but she stepped back, shaking herself from his touch. "He said 'Tell those Scott brothers that's a reminder'"
Nathan closed his eyes. "Haley, let me explain." Nathan tried to step toward her again, his hands reaching for her.
Haley shook her head again, shaking her hands at him to step back. "Explain?" she spoke, questioning him ever so softly, the calm, and rationality in her voice scaring Nathan.
"Yes" he urged, his own tone laced with need. "Let me explain, I need to tell you what happened, why it happened."
Haley laughed a little, raising a hand to clutch at her side as the pain of her injuries shot its way through her. "Explain" she repeated, as though she had never heard the word before. "Tell you what" she laughed again, "Let me explain something."
Nathan opened his eyes widely as he waited for her to speak.
Inching her way toward him she stared deep into his eyes, grasping his hand tightly between both of hers. "When I got the phone call" Haley's words choked their way out as tears resurfaced, falling quickly and freely down her face. "When I got the phone call, the phone call that said one of my boys was in the hospital" Haley stopped again, the memory eating away painfully at her. "My whole world crashed in around me."
Haley woke to the sound of her four month old baby, gurgling and singing, contently enjoying his own company. Stretching her arm out, she remembered Nathan's goodbye, just a few minutes before.
"Tyler!" Haley began to shout, climbing out of bed and walking to her son's room. "Tyler, baby. Want to play with mommy?" Walking toward her son's crib, Haley reached into it and picked up her baby boy.
"Woah baby" she spoke. "Could you look any more like you're daddy?"
Haley turned on the radio, beginning to sway Tyler in her arms to the music.
Haley stopped dead, confusion flushing through her mind. She read the clock. And read it again. 10.53am.
Haley ran to the phone and picked it up, dialing a familiar number.
"Hey you've reached Nathan Scott, leave a message."
Haley took a deep breath. "Babe, it's me. You've been out for ages? Bit worried. You know me, worrying all the time. Come home. Ty and I are gonna make pancakes."
Haley hung up the phone, placing the receiver against her forehead.
Haley looked at the clock again. 11.02am. Where was he?
Picking up the phone again, Haley dialed another familiar number.
"Hey?"
A deep voice answered.
"Luke, it's me. Have you heard from Nate? He went out running really early this morning? Its just he's not back yet, Am I being silly? I'm being silly aren't I?"
Lucas laughed at the other end of the phone.
"Oh wait" Haley spoke before Lucas had a chance. "That's call waiting, told you I was being silly, that'll be him. Love you Uncle Luke."
Haley switched the line.
"Hey baby" she spoke. "Where are you?"
There was a long pause.
"Miss James?"
"Yes?" Haley spoke nervously.
"Miss James, I'm calling from Tree Hill ER. There's been an accident."
Haley shook her head, tightening her hold on Nathan's hand. He opened his mouth to speak, but she shushed him, fighting her emotion to find her own words.
"I thought I'd lost you" she choked, coughing to regain her composure. "I thought I'd lost you and it hurt Nathan, it was pain like no other. I couldn't look at Tyler. Our son. I shut him out, I shut Brooke out, Peyton, and I disappeared inside myself. Because that's how much I love you, how much I need you."
Nathan's stomach ached only harder as she spoke, suddenly aware of how hurt she was. Aside from the cuts on her body, the bruises on her skin, she was hurting and it was his fault.
"But now" Haley's expression changed, confusion now evident in the lines of her face, "But now I realize that there was no accident. Just lies."
"Haley listen" Nathan spat out, "Let me explain."
Haley ignored his words. "The accident, the death threats and now someone attacks me? Throws me to the ground and slams his fist against my face? How can you explain that? Someone hurt you. And now they've hurt me. Who next? Tyler?"
Nathan looked to his feet. "Haley, please" he begged, feeling her hands squeeze tightly around one of his. "Haley there's so much to say, I need to tell…"
"No" she sighed, a single tear tracing its lonely way down her cheek. "I don't want you to explain"
"What? Haley please, you have to"
"No" she repeated, "No I don't. You had time Nathan, time to explain, time to tell me the truth. But all you fed me were lies."
"Haley, stop this. You love me, I know you do. I love you. This is wrong, this is all wrong."
Haley turned to face the window again, letting Nathan's hand go as it fell to his side. "Baby" she sighed. "It's too late. I want you to leave."
"Haley" Nathan's own tears fell as he spoke, begging her.
"I need you to leave Nathan. Take Tyler to Brooke's or get Brooke to get him then go home. I need time to think."
"Haley" Nathan urged. "Leave Tyler with me. He's my son. We'll work through this."
Haley turned again, "Tyler goes to Brooke."
At that moment, a doctor walked into the room, shaking both Nathan and Haley from the world they were lost in.
"Haley" the doctor spoke sternly "You should be in bed."
Haley smiled sweetly at the doctor, before turning back to Nathan. "I need you to leave. Take Tyler to Brooke, do that for me, please."
Pain shot itself again in Nathan's stomach. "Haley" he whispered, silently begging her to change her mind.
"Please" she repeated, staring directly at him.
Nathan wiped a tear from his face as he left the room, pushing past the doctor.
Closed off from love
I didn't need the pain
Once or twice was enough
And it was all in vain
Time starts to pass
Before you know it you're frozen
"You ready?" the doctor asked Haley as he motioned toward the door.
Several more tears fell as Haley nodded; following closely behind him as together, the doctor and Haley left the room and made their way down the corridor.
But something happened
For the very first time with you
My heart melts into the ground
Found something true
And everyone's looking round
Thinking I'm going crazy
But I don't care what they say
I'm in love with you
They try to pull me away
But they don't know the truth
My heart's crippled by the vein
That I keep on closing
You cut me open and I
Difficult memories flooded through Haley's mind as they walked. Memories she wished she'd never earned.
Haley opened her eyes, taking a huge breath when she was faced with her reality. He lay there, so motionless, cuts over his face and down his arms. Haley couldn't make sense of it, it didn't make sense. He'd been there this morning, his usual self, laughing and joking, smirking away in the way only he could. But now, now he'd gone and left a shell, a broken shell.
"Don't leave me Nate. Baby, don't leave me?"
Brooke re-entered the waiting area, Tyler in hand. Luke and Peyton sat, upset and waiting. Waiting on news, waiting to wake up, similarly praying that this was little more than a bad dream.
Luke stood up, taking the heavy car seat from Brooke. "Well?" he asked. "How is she?"
"Broken" Brooke replied. Kneeling down to meet Tyler's face in his seat she looked right into his eyes, her own welling with tears.
"This was never supposed to happen this way, not to them" She spoke, reaching for Tyler's tiny hand.
Keep bleeding
Keep, keep bleeding love
I keep bleeding
I keep, keep bleeding love
Keep bleeding
Keep, keep bleeding love
You cut me open
Trying hard not to hear
But they talk so loud
Their piercing sounds fill my ears
Try to fill me with doubt
Yet I know that the goal
Is to keep me from falling
As she walked the length of the corridor her past at the hospital kept attacking her, painful memories charging her mind.
Hales?" a familiar voice woke Haley from her thoughts.
"Me again" Brooke spoke.
"What time is it?" Haley asked.
"It's about eleven" Brooke replied. "How are you feeling?" Brooke didn't know the words to use.
Haley ignored Brooke's question, not in anger, but with a lack of response. She didn't know what she felt.
"Where's…" Haley stopped, unable to finish her sentence.
Brooke knew what she was thinking, what she needed to know.
"Tyler's with Luke. He misses you."
Haley turned as far from Brooke as she could, unable to deal with her words, unable to cope with her own guilt.
"He's ok though" Brooke continued. "But he won't sleep."
Haley's tears fell faster.
"I've tried everything, rocking him, playing music, singing to him" Brooke knew Haley's pain, "Any hints or tips, tutor-mom?"
Something inside Haley snapped. Whether it was the talk of her baby son, or the use of the nickname she adored, Haley's emotions surfaced.
"Brooke" she yelled, her voice raised so loudly. "I can't help Tyler right now. I can't help myself right now" she was screaming. "Can't you just hold him? Can't you just be the godmother you're supposed to be?" Haley was shaking, as she rose to her feet to meet Brooke's eyes.
"Haley…" Brooke began. "Hales I just need to help him sleep…" Brooke's voice began to break. "And I…I need your help to do that"
Haley began to tug at her own hair, running her hands through it, her tears becoming hysterical.
"I can't do that…" Haley's tears intensified.
"Haley please "Brooke pushed further. "What can I do?"
Haley stared hard at Brooke, before beginning to hit her, softly thumping her arms, her chest. "You can't do anything" she screamed, continuing in her rage of violence.
Brooke grabbed Haley's wrists, stopping her from hitting her, but allowing her to continue in her movements of punching. "Hales"
"You can't help" Haley screamed, "I can't help" The fear in Haley's eyes scared Brooke. "He needs Nate. He needs Nate" Haley collapsed into Brooke's arms. "He needs Nate. He needs Nate' Haley continued, sobbing into her friend's shoulder. Brooke held her tightly. "He needs Nate."
But nothing's greater
Than the rush that comes with your embrace
And in this world of loneliness
I see your face
Yet everyone around me
Thinks that I'm going crazy, maybe, maybe
But I don't care what they say
I'm in love with you
They try to pull me away
But they don't know the truth
My heart's crippled by the vein
That I keep on closing
You cut me open and I
Haley shook her head from her difficult memories as she lay back on the bed in the room she and the doctor had entered. Lifting her gown, the doctor squeezed the gel over her stomach. She laid back and closed her eyes.
Keep bleeding
Keep, keep bleeding love
I keep bleeding
I keep, keep bleeding love
Keep bleeding
Keep, keep bleeding love
You cut me open
And it's draining all of me
Oh they find it hard to believe
I'll be wearing these scars
For everyone to see
"Lucas!" Brooke called from her position on the front porch. Banging her fist against the glass of the door, she shouted again. "Lucas Scott, you in there?"
Undeterred by the lack of response, Brooke reached for the door handle. "Well, I did live here at one point." Turning it easily, she pushed the door ajar, her eyes meeting with the totally unexpected and her worst nightmare.
"Haley!" she screamed, getting to her knees, beside her friend's bleeding, fragile body. "Haley, Oh my god, what happened? Who did this?"
Brooke pulled her phone from her bad and frantically dialed. Rushing her words she called for the ambulance, before returning her attention back to Haley.
"Brooke" Haley choked, clutching at her stomach. "You have to help me, I'm pregnant again." Brooke's face dropped as the severity of the situation increased.
"I can't lose my baby" Haley sobbed, as Brooke pulled her to her, stroking a hand through her hair.
I don't care what they say
I'm in love with you
They try to pull me away
But they don't know the truth
My heart's crippled by the vein
That I keep on closing
You cut me open and I
Haley looked around the room as she remembered when Brooke had found her, the cold gel on her stomach making her squirm, until suddenly she heard it.
Keep bleeding
Keep, keep bleeding love
I keep bleeding
I keep, keep bleeding love
Keep bleeding
Keep, keep bleeding love
You cut me open and I
Keep bleeding
Keep, keep bleeding love
I keep bleeding
I keep, keep bleeding love
Keep bleeding
Keep, keep bleeding love
The sound resonated through the room as Haley released a deep breath she hadn't been aware she was holding.
"And that" the doctor smiled widely "Is your baby's heartbeat. Everything is ok."
Haley began to cry again, sobs making her body shake.
The doctor repeated himself. "Everything is ok."
You cut me open and I
Keep bleeding
Keep, keep bleeding love