Haley sighed as she walked down the hallway. It was the last of a very necessary but nonetheless three days off. Breaks like that wouldn't come often with Nathan's NBA schedule but the 72 hours had been a lifesaver after Haley had been forced to perform the biblical miracle in Dan and Deb's bedroom. It had only been a few days before but at times it felt like ages, like Haley had been carrying around the burden and horror forever. Then on the other hand it felt like it had just happened five minutes before, the sights, the sounds and the fear constantly haunting her like a relentless entity of evil.

But tomorrow would be a new day. Barely praised by her FBI bosses, she'd already had to put up the front that the incident hadn't phased her. In fact, it was just the exact opposite. Haley had been shaken to her very core. Then it would be on a plane to a new city, Minneapolis, she thought but she couldn't be sure. Again she'd have to assume the rule of dutiful, wise nurse Haley Webb. Closing her eyes, she cursed to herself. What had started out as a fun and exciting opportunity of a lifetime was turning into a living nightmare. She'd be glad when all the medical drama was out of the way so she could get down to the real business. More than ever she was ready to bust those Scotts so she could get back to Phoenix and Mouth and Tobey and some sense of what was normal.

"You okay, Haley?"

She turned around from the open refrigerator where she was digging for a Dr. Pepper. In the kitchen behind her, stood Lucas looking just as worn and spent as she felt.

"Hey. Um, yeah. I, I'm fine."

She grabbed the soda and headed for a quick exit until he reached for her arm.

"Do you have a minute?"

"I…"

"Please, Haley. It'll only take a second."

His blue eyes were so warm and sincere and pleading.

"Sure," she sighed. "Um, what's up?"

"I've been meaning to talk to you but I hadn't seen you around since, you know…"

"The incident?" she sarcastically raised her eyebrows.

"You could call it that. Look, I'm really sorry. All of us owe you an apology really. I'm sorry you got dragged into all that and I just wanted to thank you as well. You were amazing but I don't have to tell you that."

"It's fine, it's just, I don't know…"

"Yeah," he looked away. "I feel like that, too. Look, like I said and I know it probably doesn't count for a whole lot in your eyes right now but I just wanted to say thanks and sorry on behalf of myself and everybody. And uh, I hope, I hope this doesn't make you want to leave. You do a great job around here, Haley, and we really like you. I can't blame you for wanting to leave if you do but um, I hope you don't."

She nodded.

"I appreciate that. Um, I've thought about it and yeah, I guess I will be staying on…at least for a little while."

"That's good. That's great. If, if you need anything…"

"I know," she said as she walked away.

She hated to be short with him. Lucas Scott was a good guy and she really did like him. He and Brooke did appear to have the most heart and common sense out of the group but considering the group itself, that didn't really say much. Haley was still reeling. She was angry. She was upset. She was confused. Worst of all, she didn't know how to deal with it all and she had no one to talk to. She longed for Mouth and just the thought brought a lump to her throat and a tear to her eye. He would know what to do or at least what to say to make her feel better.

Haley drudged back to the confines of her room. With the door closed at least she was safe there for the time being. When she was alone, she could read or listen to music. Since the "incident" she had abandoned her diligent studying of the case file. In fact, she just wanted to forget. But no matter how hard she tried, it was impossible. And if she thought anything but, the wire taped to her skin was a tangible reminder. Walking through the massive halls of the mansion, it was eerily quiet. Physically and financially speaking, it was a grand house but it was not a home. Where was the family? Where was the happiness? Where was the laughter? Haley herself had had a happy, if not wacky childhood. Her parents were nut cases and with six kids running wild, there was never a dull or quiet moment. That was a home.

On her way back to her room, she came to a stop at the living room. She peeked in the corner, past the expensive art work and furniture. Haley's eyes fell upon that beautiful baby grand piano. She had seen it many times before and it always brought back memories. She had come from a musical family. There was always the sounds of a guitar or keyboard or even bongos coming from one area of the house. Once when Haley was eight years old, she had been playing outside when she heard the most glorious sound she had ever heard. It was coming from the house next door and her curiosity got the best of her. There was old Mrs. Harris sitting in her living room playing classical music on her piano. Haley had never listened to anything like it. Her parents had taught their children the rock and roll of the Stones and The Beatles. Suddenly she was being introduced to the wonderful world of Johann Sebastian Bach and Ludwig van Beethoven. From that day forward she had continued to visit the woman who had turned her into a bit of a protégé. Though college and career ambitions would always come first, Haley had never forgotten those days.

She took a seat at the piano, setting the open can of soda nearby. She smiled. She could still see and hear Mrs. Harris. She remembered the pointer the old woman used to read the sheet music. But reading music had never been one of Haley's fortes. She had the unique ability to listen to a musician over and over again and then recreate what she had heard. Haley had learned to play by ear but it had been years since she had sat before a piano. Using her right index finger, she pressed the middle C note. The loud noise stunned her. Then her other fingers found the keys. It was awkward and out of tune at first but slowly it came back. Within seconds, the breathtaking classical melody began to play. She played and played, forgetting where she was and losing track of time. She played until her fingers ached, finally stopping with a satisfied smile on her face.

"What was that?"

The question and the voice that had asked it, stunned her. She turned quickly hitting the can and gasping as the dark carbonated beverage spilled onto the plush white carpet.

"Shit!" she yelled out, jumping up, frantically looking for something to clean it up.

"It's okay."

Haley looked up. She wanted to make sure it was actually Nathan standing above her. It was. But there was none of the usual anger and tension. Instead, he removed the practice Nike shirt covering his plain white tee and helped her soak up the mess.

"I am so sorry. Gosh, all over your beautiful white carpet. I'm such a dummy sometimes. I can, I mean, I'll totally pay for it…"

He dismissed it with a wave and frown.

"Who cares? It's just carpet, right? Beatrice is running around here somewhere. She's pretty good about that stuff. Last year I spilled red Gatorade right around this spot and now you can't even tell."

"I'm sorry…"

"I said it was cool."

"I know but I guess I'm not supposed to be in here."

"What?"

"Like last time? You know, when I got caught playing around on your court. Um, I'm sorry. I know you don't like people touching your things. It's just I saw the piano and…"

"I heard you," he shoved his hands deep in the pockets of his basketball shorts. "Play, I mean. It was, you know, it sounded alright."

He shuffled his feet and stared down at the floor. Haley made a face. Was Nathan Scott actually trying to give her a compliment?

"Thank you."

"My dad likes that stuff. He used to listen to classical music all the time…"

"Yeah…" she looked away uneasily.

"So I guess, uh, he isn't one of your favorite people."

"Your dad?"

He half smirked.

"It's cool. He tends to rub people the wrong way sometimes."

That was an understatement.

"Yeah...sometimes."

"Look, um, about the other night, with what happened to my mom and all, well, if he or anybody says anything, just don't pay attention to it."

"Okay…"

He looked nervous and uncomfortable like he wanted to say something but didn't quite know how.

"I guess I never got around to thanking you for what you did. It was pretty great. You saved her and all."

"You're welcome."

"Hitting a game winning shot is what I used to think made a hero but…"

"Stop it."

"What?" he furrowed his brow.

"I'm sorry. It's just that I'm not a hero, okay?"

"The way you handled that…"

"I was scared out of my mind the whole time. What I saw, what I did…it was crazy."

"It's never been that bad before," he looked away.

She could see that far off, sad look in his eye.

"How often does it happen?" Haley asked.

He shrugged.

"Depends. I mean, she's always on something but for the most part, she controls it. Nobody outside the immediate family even knows. She's gone for years and everything will be fine, then ever so often comes that time when she takes too much or she gets sick or stays in bed for days at a time."

"Has she ever tried to stop?"

"Not really," he shook his head. "She gets really crazy without them."

"That's no excuse," Haley blurted out before catching herself. "I'm sorry. That was kind of rude. I shouldn't have said it."

"It's okay. I get how you feel."

"I just don't understand why. Something really awful could happen to her and its like nobody does anything to stop it. When something bad does happen, nobody even calls for an ambulance. I'm sorry but I don't get that. Your mother needed a doctor, Nathan."

"I know that now but I didn't really know it then. I know it seemed kind of cruel or whatever but that's probably how everybody felt. Maybe we were too freaked out. Like I said, it was never that bad before."

"Well, now you know. Listen, you have to help her…"

"I've tried. I really have but nothing is gonna work until she wants to help herself. Hell, sometimes I think she wants something bad to happen to herself. I don't know. I've talked to her. I even had one of those private detox doctors come in but nothing works. So this one time I got so fed up, so pissed off I just grabbed her and I screamed at her and I shook her as hard as I could and I told her it was either me or the pills. Just like that. I mean, she's a mom, right? What real mom would choose drugs over their kid but that…that's exactly what she did. It sucked. After that, it kind of changed things. It made me see just how addicted she was and it sort of changed the way I felt about her. What can you do, right?"

He was opening up, probably spilling more to her, a stranger, than he had to anyone else in a long time. For the first time, Haley felt sorry for him. His fears and vulnerabilities were on full display with a hint of sadness that couldn't be explained. All that glitters wasn't gold.

"I'm sorry. Look, Nathan…"

"I'm late. Dad's meeting me outside on the court and if I'm not out there like now, he'll be in here running his mouth."

"We wouldn't want that, would we?" she cracked a joke, smiling for the first time in what felt like ages.

"Guess not. So um, I'll see you around, you know the house and stuff, and practice tomorrow."

" Minneapolis, right? My flight leaves at seven, I think."

"Cool. So I'm gonna go play now and uh…maybe you should too. You can finish up, if you want."

"You like it? It's Chopin's Cantabile In B Flat Major."

He gave a small smile.

"Whatever all that means. But it was okay. You, um, you been playing long?"

"Not for a while but I first learned when I was eight."

"Okay," Nathan nodded. "I'll leave you alone. Um, I'll send Beatrice in to get out that stain."

"Okay. I'll see you around."

"Yeah. See you."

She watched him walk away in silence. Yet another curve ball thrown her way. He had offered her a rare glimpse inside his head. It would be hard figuring out the real Nathan Scott but Haley hoped she was somehow on the way.