Disclaimer: I do not own OTH or any of it characters places or such. I am simply borrowing them.

AN/ Here is the next chapter. I wanted to get this up as soon as possible. I am hoping to have the next chapter up in a few days. Thanks to everyone who has stuck with me. Thanks for all the reviews and all of the encouragement. Please don't forget to review for this chapter.

As always suggestions are welcome!

"No, she isn't" Andy replied his arm wavering from the weight of the gun. Nathan chose this moment to leap for the gun.

"I wonder what is taking them so long," Haley said

"I don't know. I'll go find out," Jake said

Before Jake could reach the café door, two shots rang out.

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Trent rushed to Jake's side his gun already in his right hand. Trent stepped in front of Jake to pull open the door. Before the door could be opened, a ear piercing scream came from the little girl inside, "NATHAN!"

Haley tried to rush to the door as Peyton grabbed her from behind and held her tightly.

"Peyton, let go. I have to get to Nathan" Haley screamed as she tried her best to get away from the person holding her.

"No, Haley. We have to wait. You can't just rush in there," Peyton said struggling to hold her frantic friend

"I need to get to Nathan" Haley said still struggling

Jake and Trent heard the fight going on behind them and both turned as Chris grabbed Haley still struggling from Peyton and held her against her chest. Tears flowing down her face as her struggling stopped. He nodded to the guys as Trent reached for the door once more.

Trent had his gun ready not knowing what was going to meet him when he stepped into the café. He took the first step and poked his head in, gun out in front of him. Karen was bent over her son with her hands pressed against his abdomen trying to stop the gushing blood. Lucas was no where to be found neither was Meredith. Laying a few feet from Nathan was Andy Hargrove, laying on his back with his eyes wide-open staring, gun still in his right hand. Trent stepped fully inside, pointed Jake towards Karen and walked slowly towards Andy, his gun still raised. Andy Hargrove didn't move as Trent approached him, Trent bent down to check for a pulse and found none. Andy Hargrove was dead.

Trent placed his gun back in his holder and walked towards Karen, Nathan and Jake. Jake was talking on his cell phone with the 911 operator as Karen was still trying to stop the uncontrollable bleeding.

"Karen, where's Lucas?" Trent asked

"He…He…um…I don't know" Karen replied

"Okay, let me take over here. Go find me some towels, so I can stop this bleeding" Trent said bending down beside Nathan and placing his hands over Karen's

Karen removed her hands from beneath Trent and ran towards the back in search of towels.

"It took me a few seconds to find his pulse, but it is there" Jake said to his long time friend as he closed his cell phone

"Someone needs to go tell Peyton what is going on before the ambulance gets here and we need to find Lucas" Trent said taking control of the horrible situation.

"I will go look in the back. I know Meredith was in here, he may have her with him somewhere" Jake said standing from his spot as Karen came running back towards Trent and Nathan with a stack of towels.

"Thank you Karen" Trent said placing one of the towels under his two hands and against Nathan's abdomen

"What…what can I do?" Karen asked her voice shaking

"First, just breathe" Trent said afraid that the woman before him was going to faint

Karen took a deep breath and then looked back towards Trent. Tears began welling in her eyes as she looked from Trent to her son.

"Why did you have to be so brave?" Karen asked her unconscious son, "Why?"

"Lucas! Meredith!" Jake yelled running through the back of the café, "Luke!"

"Right here" Lucas said opening the office door slightly

"Are you guys okay?"

"Yea, we are fine" Lucas answered as Jake opened the door further. Lucas was sitting in the rolling chair used for his mom's desk. His young sister was clutching on to his neck, tears rolling down her face. Jake know that they were not hurt, but that they were far from fine, "Is Nate…?" Lucas could not finish his question.

"It is bad, Luke, but Nate is strong. He has a lot to live for." Jake said, "Come on let's get you two out front with the others. I need to tell Peyton what is going on."

Lucas nodded before standing, his sister still clutching to his neck. Jake moved to let them out of the office and then walked towards the backdoor. He opened it and walked out behind Lucas before closing it back. The three walked around the building towards their friends.

"Jake" Peyton yelled running as her fiancée came around the building, "Lucas, Meredith, are you okay?"

"We are fine" Lucas answered

Peyton looked in his eyes and decided not to press the issue. "Missy, Come here" Meredith looked up still clutching her brother's neck. Peyton held out her arms and Meredith shook her head.

"She is okay," Lucas said as he moved towards the rest of the group

Chris was still holding the hysterical Haley as Lucas walked up to them. He knew that she had heard Meredith's scream

"Hales…" Lucas, said. Haley turned her head to look at Lucas.

"Nathan…" was all Haley could manage to say.

"He will be okay," Lucas said trying to convince himself as much as Haley. Before anyone could say anything else the ambulance and two police cars arrived. The paramedics jumped out of the ambulance and Jake ran over to them.

"We got a DOA and an injured 25 year old." Jake said as the two paramedics grabbed their gear and run inside the café. Two uniformed officers followed.

Trent was more than relived as the two paramedics rushed through the door. One of them came over to him and placed their gloved hands on the towel that he was pressing on. The other stepped to check Nathan's vitals. Trent moved from his spot and went around to Karen. He placed his hands in hers and pulled her to her feet. "Come on Karen. Let them do their job" Trent said pulling the mother away from her dying son.

Karen walked with Trent willingly. She looked towards their linked hands and started crying as the sight of the blood that consumed them.

"Let's go get your hands washed" Trent said leading Karen towards the bathrooms across the café. He had been in this kind of situation before and knew that it was best not to keep the reminder around too long.

Fifteen minutes later, the group stood outside as the paramedic wheeled Nathan out of the café on a stretcher. Haley still being held by Chris turned her head toward the scene, Nathan had his eyes closed, and he looked like he was dead. She quickly turned her head back in to Chris's chest as new tears began rushing from her face. Lucas couldn't look towards his brother; he turned his back so that neither he nor his sister, still clutching to him, could see their brother. Peyton was standing with her right arm comfortingly around Sam. As Nathan was brought out, Sam quickly turned her head into Peyton's shoulder as tears fell, Peyton leaned her head on Sam's and closed her eyes. Jake and Chris watched as the young NBA star was loaded into the back of the ambulance. One of the paramedic jumped in the back as the other ran towards the front. Soon, sirens and flashing lights were driving away from the café and towards Tree Hill General.

Jake stepped away from the group as Trent and Karen came walking out of the café followed by two officers.

Karen looked into Jake's eyes and asked, "Where are Lucas and Meredith?"

"Over there" Jake answered turning and pointing towards her children.

"I…I need…I need to get to the hospital" Karen said towards Jake.

"Okay, we will get you there." Jake said taking Karen in his arms and walking towards the group.

Nathan was wheeled in to the emergency room of Tree Hill General Hospital as the paramedic ran beside the stretcher. His time was growing shorter with each passing minute. The trauma surgeon on call that night rushed to meet him. They already knew he was coming, the paramedics had called in route to the hospital. The trauma doctor instructed them to wheel the gurney into the trauma room off to the side of the ER. Nurses began rushing around trying to establish IV lines and check vitals. A breathing tub had been inserted during the ambulance ride as Nathan had stopped breathing on his own. The nurses worked quickly as the trauma doctor began inspecting the gunshot to Nathan's abdomen. "I need X-ray in here STAT" The X-ray machine was wheeled over to the bedside and soon X-rays were taken. "Alright, get him up to the OR. Bring those X-rays to me up there. I need to know what I dealing with. Call the blood bank. I am going to need blood and STAT," The trauma surgeon yelled before walking out to prep for surgery.

Two hours later, the frantic family and friends of Nathan Scott sat in the waiting room anxious for news. All they had been told upon their arrival was that he had been taken to surgery. Meredith had finally released her hold on Lucas and was sitting with Peyton and Jake. Lucas sat with his Mom, Brooke on his other side. Theresa, Mouth, Skills and Erica sat in a small group quietly talking. Sam and Chris sat on the other side of Karen neither speaking with their arms linked. Lydia, Anna, Larry and John were down in the cafeteria getting some food and drinks for the others. They knew that no one was hungry, but they also knew they needed to eat.

Haley sat by herself in a corner far from her friends with her knees drawn up to her chest lost in a daze. She had stopped crying shortly after they arrived at the hospital. She was just numb now. Her mind was flashing back to earlier that day and their conversation on the beach.

"Haley…"

"Nathan…"

"You go first," Nathan said realizing that they both had something to say

"Okay" Haley said taking a deep breath and sitting down in the sand. Nathan sat next to her, "Nathan, I know that we haven't talked about this yet, but do you think that we will be able to make a long distance relationship work?"

"I think we are thinking the same thing." Nathan said before continuing, " I was talking with Lucas last night about it. I think we can do it. I know it is going to be hard. Not being able to see each other all the time, but that is why they invented phones, email and planes."

"Do you really think we can make it?"

"Yes, we have both seen a lot of long distance relationships fail, but we are not those people. Hales, you and I have known each other since we were in diapers. We have a lot of history together. We would not have started this relationship if we didn't think we could make it. We both knew that it would be a long distance relationship when we are started it."

"When did you get to be so smart?"

"You are rubbing off on me," Nathan said smiling, "Let's just enjoy the rest of the time that we are here together and leave this stuff for later. I don't want anything to mess up the time that I have left with you"

Haley smiled as she looked into Nathan's blue eyes. "I don't either" Haley said as she leaned in to kiss Nathan before jumping up. "Let's see who can get back to your house the fastest" Haley said before taking off

They had been so worried about if they were going to be able to hold on to their long distance relationship and now they may never get the chance. All Haley wanted was that chance. Nathan needed to be okay. She was not sure what she would do without him.

"Alright, let's close this up. We have done all we can" The trauma surgeon said as he began to staple Nathan's abdomen back together, the look on his face grim.

Lydia, Larry, Anna and John stepped off the elevator and walked towards the waiting room. Everyone was in the same spots that they had been left in. No one was talking.

"We brought some food and drinks," Anna said sitting the drink in her hands down on the table in front of Karen.

"Thanks, Lydia, but I am not hungry," Karen said looking up towards her high school friend

"Karen, please at least drink something" Anna tried to plead

"Haley-bub" John said as he walked towards his daughter. Haley didn't answer nor move from her current position, "Haley, you need to eat something. Nathan is gonna need you to be strong" Haley stayed still. John sighed before sitting in the chair nearest his daughter and hoping she would break from her daze soon.

Trent stepped off of the elevator and walked towards the waiting room. He had been at the café with the local police trying to clean up the crime scene and figure out what may have happened in the seconds the gun had gone off. He walked in and looked around. He caught Jake's glance and nodded towards the hallway. Jake stood from his seat as Peyton looked to see where he was going. Jake followed Trent into the hallway

"How's Nathan?"

"Still in surgery. We don't know anything yet"

"How is everyone holding up?"

"As well as can be expected. I am worried the most about Haley though. She hasn't spoken a word since we left the café. Did you find out anything?"

"Just that there were only two shots fired, one at Nathan and the other at Andy Hargrove. We need to talk to Lucas, Karen and Nathan. I know it is going to be very difficult, but we need to know what happened in that café"

"Can we wait until after there is news on Nathan? I know they won't be able to give their full concentration until we know something more"

"That is what I figured. It will wait"

"Thank you" Jake said

"Let's get back in there." Trent said as the two men walked back into the waiting room

The doors to the operating room opened as the trauma surgeon stepped out and took off his cap. He stopped at the nurse's station and asked where to find the family of Nathan Scott. The attending nurse pointed towards the waiting room.

The trauma surgeon walked into the waiting room; everyone stood to their feet except Haley. The surgeon walked towards Karen and stuck out his hand, "Ms. Scott, my name is Dr. Jenkins. I operated on your son, Nathan. I have some bad news"