The mood was solemn and quiet inside the Scott house. It was the morning after the morning after and an exhausted Haley was still in bed, sleeping late. Dan Scott, ever the opportunist, had taken full advantage. He had called an impromptu family meeting that included, Lucas, Brooke, Nathan and of course their randy sidekick, Peyton Sawyer. She arrived right on time as expected and joined them all in the privacy of the study.

"How nice of you to make it," Dan snidely remarked.

"What's this about?" Peyton demanded.

"Damage control. You are aware of the unfortunate little incident that occurred here the night before last?"

Peyton frowned.

"I heard but I still don't understand. What the hell happened?"

"My wife decided to overdose…again."

"Unfortunately that has not been a real rare occurrence. I mean, what did you expect, Dan? I tried to warn Haley. It scared the hell out of the other nurses."

Brooke shook her head.

"It wasn't like that, Peyton. You weren't here, you didn't see it. It was worse, way worse than all the other times. Deb…Deb was dying. She almost did die. It was awful. Haley saved her life, I mean, she had to stick a straw down Deb's throat just to get her to breathe again."

"What?"

"Let's not be so dramatic, eh, Brooke?" Dan raised his eyebrows.

"Don't talk to my wife like that and don't make jokes about what nearly happened to yours," Lucas admonished with disgust.

"Now, now, son. No need to get our jock straps in a bunch."

"Are you serious right now, man? How can you keep a straight face? How can you even sleep at night? What Deb did was serious. It was damned serious and it was too close for comfort, if you ask me."

"We should have just called 911," Brooke muttered.

"You're right," Lucas agreed. "We should have."

"We certainly should not have!" Dan objected.

Lucas slammed his fist down onto the table.

"Dan, are you blind? Did you see what we saw? What would have happened if Haley couldn't get her back? That's a chance I don't want to take."

Peyton took a deep breath.

"Your dad is right, Luke."

"What? Peyton…"

Dan smirked.

"Glad to see I'm not the only voice of reason and sanity around here."

"You're both nuts!" Lucas pointed out.

"Lucas, I know how you feel," Peyton began. "But I have to go with Dan on this. 911 is not an option."

"Why the hell not?"

"Do you understand the amount of negative press and unneeded attention that would bring to this family?"

"Not to mention the embarrassment," Dan chimed in. "None of us need that, especially Nathan."

Nathan shifted his weight and made a face but never said a word.

"Screw embarrassment and all that other crap," an angry Brooke spoke out. "Are you people even hearing yourselves? Dan, nothing you do surprises me anymore but you, Peyton? Damn, I thought you had more of a heart or at least a brain."

"Brooke…"

"No. Don't you Brooke me. What happens if there is a next time and let's face it, we all know there will be. What then? Do we just let Deb die to save face?"

Peyton folded her arms.

"No, that's not what any of us want and you know it. Haley may seem a little nervous and overwhelmed and under confident but when it comes down to it, her credentials speak for themselves. She is well trained and highly qualified. That's why we hired her."

"You mean to tell me apart from helping Nathan, she's here to clean up Deb's messes, too?"

"If that's the way you choose to put it."

"Oh that's nice, Peyton. Qualified or not, that surprised the hell out of Haley and it scared her, too. Could you blame her? You're lucky she didn't quit already. The least you could have done was given her fair warning."

"What's done is done, Brooke. I'll speak to Haley."

"Come on, guys, we've got to do better than this," Lucas rubbed his eyes. "We owe it to Deb."

"What are you suggesting, Lucas?" Peyton asked.

"Rehab. There's a private center in Connecticut. It's low key and they have a pretty good success rate. I think it would be good for her and most importantly, she can get the help she needs."

"Absolutely not!" Dan objected yet again.

"Come on, man. At least hear me out. Brooke and I did some research and…"

"I don't care what you and your wife have done. This is a dead issue. Inpatient treatment is not an option at this time."

"Why don't we stage an intervention here? Do something to try to get her off the pills."

"You must be mad," Dan smirked. "Have you ever been around Deb when she doesn't have her pills? Well, I have and it's not very pleasant. No thanks to making my life and everyone else's around here a living hell, Brooke."

"How husbandly of you, Dan. So you're gonna wait and pray something real bad doesn't happen the next time? Or you're prepared to leave that burden to Haley?"

Dan shook his head.

"No and that's precisely why I called this little meeting. Haley Webb has got to go."

"Unbelievable," Brooke threw her hands up in the air.

"Dan, what are you talking about?" Peyton inquired. "Haley is a good nurse. I think you saw that firsthand for yourself the other night."

"It's beside the point and if you ask me, she's not all that great, just a little lucky."

"Dan…"

"She knows too much. What happens in this family, stays in this family. Everyone knows that. Loyalty and trust are our foundation. All of a sudden this stranger comes in like a fly on the wall. She knows too much and she found out too soon."

"She did sign the confidentiality agreement," Peyton pointed out.

"What do we really know about her? Nothing, I tell you."

"Dan, Haley was carefully screened because we knew we were bringing her in for the long haul. I think she understands more than you know. She could be good for this family and it is in everyone's best interest that she stay."

"That's ridiculous."

"What are you worried about?"

"Haley Webb is in a dangerous position with the potential to learn many dangerous secrets."

"Now who's being dramatic?" Brooke sneered.

"Bottom line, I don't trust her. There's something about that girl that isn't right."

"She's fine," Peyton insisted.

The conversation temporarily ceased as the door opened. In walked a radiant and put together Deb Scott, no visible signs showing of the nightmare she had endured some 36 hours earlier.

"Hello everyone."

Dan shook his head in disgust.

"Well, well, if isn't my lovely wife, the junkie."

"Good morning to you too, dear," Deb sarcastically replied. "Peyton, it's nice to see you, honey."

"Deb."

"What's going on? What is everyone doing?"

"Devising a plan to rid ourselves of this nuisance that calls herself a nurse," Dan volunteered.

"Haley? But why? She's such a sweet girl and I thought she was doing so well."

Brooke could no longer hold her peace.

"She's great and Deb forgive me for stating the obvious as you walk in here looking like a million bucks and pretending that you didn't almost have a face to face with the Big Guy upstairs, but Haley literally saved your life the other night."

Deb simply flipped her hair and put her best face forward.

"I'm sure it wasn't as dire as you make it out to be, dear but I am very grateful to Haley for what she did. I don't see what the problem is."

No one saw her behavior as a problem and that in itself was the main problem.

"Your husband seems to think she can't be trusted," Peyton pointed out.

"That's nonsense, Dan", Deb shook it off. "What gives you that reason? The girl has done nothing wrong, besides she has been checked out and a confidentiality agreement was signed. What more do you want?"

Peyton took a seat.

"I think Haley should stay. Obviously Deb agrees and I assume Lucas and Brooke do as well. Dan, you beg to differ. But it's out of all of our hands really. The real say in this goes to the man that signs the checks around here and that's you, Nathan. So it's your call. You've been pretty quiet today. What do you think?"

He was always a man of few words at the family meetings. It just worked out better that way. But Peyton was right. Sometimes they all forgot it but he was the boss around there and ultimately his word was final. And the latest decision placed in his hands was a big one. On one side, as much as he hated to admit it, his father may have had a point. But there were always two sides to every story.

"She's alright," he shrugged. "I guess it's cool to keep her around for now, you know, see how it goes or whatever."

"Nathan!" Dan gritted his teeth.

Peyton couldn't help but smile in victory.

"Nathan has spoken. You heard your son, Dan. Looks like Haley is safe for the time being."

Dan was not one to be defeated.

"Time being are the operative words. This is a mistake. Nathan, son, I think you are being very foolish about this."

"Dad, sometimes it's not all about you. Get over it."

Furious that he had lost the battle, Dan Scott was determined to keep fighting the war. His decision had been temporarily vetoed and they'd all had the nerve to mock his feelings. But it was an issue he would not let die. Getting rid of Haley Webb would be a top priority. And if it didn't happen, keeping her on would be a choice Nathan would soon regret. Dan was absolutely sure of it.