Chapter 5
Unexpected Turn
Dean sat in the chair next to the bed and stared at Brooke as she slept. It was close to six o'clock in the morning. She had only been asleep for a few hours.
After Brooke's emotional breakdown, Dean had wrapped her in a towel and carried her to the bedroom. He lightly laid her down on the bed and pulled the covers up over her. Although she was physically and emotionally exhausted, she didn't want to give in to sleep.
"I don't want to close my eyes." Brooke softly said as she stared at the ceiling, "I'm afraid I'll see it all again."
"Brooke, " Dean leaned in closer, "I know you're scared right now. I can't imagine what you're feeling. But you need to get some sleep. Haley is going to need your support tomorrow and I know you want to be there for her."
Brooke slowly nodded and her eyes began to fill with tears again. Dean resisted the urge to crawl in the bed with her and hold her all night. He had already gone too far by allowing himself to get too close to her. Something that he knew he would eventually regret. He lightly swept her hair away from her eyes.
"Close your eyes," Dean whispered. "I'm right here."
Brooke stared into Dean's eyes, looking for reassurance. She wanted to trust him so badly, but trusting someone never came easily for Brooke Davis. Maybe she was stubborn, but she guarded herself very carefully when it came to men. She never allowed herself to be vulnerable in front of anyone. Until tonight.
Unable to resist any longer, she slowly closed her eyes and a few moments later, she was asleep.
Dean had been awake ever since then. He listened closely to every sound, making sure there were no surprise visits. All he heard was Brooke's soft breathing as she slept.
No matter how hard he tried not to, his eyes kept drifting back to Brooke. He didn't think it was possible, but she was even more beautiful when she was sleeping.
Dean looks toward the sound of his phone vibrating on the nightstand. He quickly answers and says in a low tone, "Hey Sam. Hold on a second."
Dean walks out into the hallway and speaks quietly, "Any changes?"
"No. Nothing has changed." Sam replies with a sigh. "It doesn't look good, Dean."
"How's Haley?"
"She's trying to be strong for Jamie, but I can tell this is killing her." There's a slight pause on the other end of the phone. "Dean…I can't help but have a bad feeling."
Dean turns and looks inside the bedroom at Brooke, who is still asleep.
"Yeah." He sighs, "I know what you mean."
*****
Haley sits at Nathan's bedside, holding his hand. She stares at him through swollen, red eyes. The night had been one of the longest nights she had ever had to endure. She was afraid to close her eyes, even for a second. Her mind was set that if she stayed awake and kept talking to Nathan, eventually he would open his eyes and everything would be okay again.
"Nathan..." she whispers, "Just open your eyes, baby. I'm right here."
She watches him closely, waiting for the littlest gesture. Nothing happens. She quickly wipes away the tears that are about to fall. She can't lose it. Not now.
There's a knock at the door and Sam pokes his head in.
"Hey."
Haley takes in a deep breath and looks up to meet his eyes. "Hi."
Sam walks in and closes the door behind him. He holds up a cup of coffee.
"I brought you some coffee. I figured you would need a pick-me-up." He softly smiles as he hands her the cup.
Haley forces a smile of her own. "Thanks, Sam. I really appreciate it." She takes a small sip. "Thank you for taking Jamie to school. He really wanted to stay with me, but I just think being at school and around his friends is the best thing for him right now."
Sam nods, "No thanks necessary. He's a great kid."
Haley slowly nods and a genuine smile appears on her face. "He gets more and more like his father every single day." She looks up at Sam, "What about you? Which parent did you take after?"
Sam is caught off guard by her question, "Uh…" He looks down and nervously laughs.
Haley realizes she might have asked the wrong question, "I'm really sorry, Sam. I shouldn't have…"
"No. No, it's fine." Sam slowly looks up. "My mom." He gives a hesitant smile, "I'd like to say I take after my mom."
Haley could see a pain in his eyes. It was obvious that Dean and Sam had a past that maybe no one could understand. She softly says, "I'm sure your mom is very proud of you."
Sam shakes his head, "I'm not so sure about that. I tried to make her proud, but I've fallen short these past few months." He tries to swallow the lump that's building in this throat, "I don't think she'd like the man I've become."
Haley stares at Sam. He had a look of frustration and terror on his face. It was unlike anything she had ever seen. "Sam—"
"You know—" Sam says hesitantly, "Your relationship with Nathan reminds me of my parents'."
"Really?" Haley looks at Sam curiously, then back to Nathan.
"Yeah." Sam sits down in the chair at the foot of the bed, "They shared a love that not many people find. It was pure and it was true." He smiles, "I was told that every time they looked at each other, if was as if they were the only ones in the room."
Haley smiles through her tear-filled eyes, "That's lovely." She squeezes Nathan's hand. A few moments later, she looks back at Sam with confusion. "Wait…you were talking about them as if…as if that were in the past. What happened?"
Sam realizes his mistake. He was trying to make Haley feel better, but really he was only about to make it worse. There was no going back now. "My mom was murdered when I was only a baby."
Haley gasps, "Sam, I'm so sorry. I…"
"By a demon."
Haley stops abruptly, trying to comprehend what Sam had just told her. "Wow—"
"Haley, I—" Sam gets up and walks toward Haley.
She looks up at him sadly, "I guess our love stories really are very similar."
"No!" Sam kneels down to where Haley is. She continues to look at Nathan. "That's where the similarities end. Listen to me, Haley. You still have Nathan. He still has a chance. Do not give up."
Haley nods, but never takes her eyes off of Nathan.
*****
Brooke slowly opens her eyes to find an empty chair beside her bed. Had she dreamt it all? Was Dean ever really here? She carefully lifts up and leans her back against the headboard. Her head was swimming and she wasn't sure what actually happened the night before. Of course, she remembered all the horrible parts. The demons, Nathan's mangled body at the bottom of the stairs, Dean and Sam, the doctor telling Haley that Nathan was in a coma. But everything after that was a blur. She vaguely remembered turning on the shower, getting in…
Then it all starts flooding back. She remembers the unexpected tears, two strong arms enveloping her, being carried to her bed. Brooke looks confused as she looks down to find herself in her rubber ducky pajamas. She didn't remember changing into these. Dean…did he…
"Oh my God!" Brooke covers her face in embarrassment.
"You're awake."
Brooke quickly drops her hands and pulls the sheets up over her chest the moment she hears Dean's voice.
"Don't you knock?!"
"Oh come on, Brooke. It's not anything I haven't seen before."
Brooke's mouth gapes open and she glares at him, "That's not funny!"
Dean smirks as he hands her a cup of coffee, "Good morning to you, too."
Brooke carefully watches Dean as he sits down in the chair, "Did you do this?"
Dean looks at Brooke, confused. "Do what?"
Brooke waves her hand over her body, to indicate her pajamas.
"Oh that." A goofy smile appears on his face, "Yeah, the ducks were just too good to resist."
Brooke rolls her eyes and takes a sip of the coffee. She notices the mug is one of her own. "I see you made yourself at home."
"You really aren't a morning person are you?" Dean says dryly, agitated by her tone.
Brooke sighs and softens, "I'm really sorry. There's just so many things I'm trying to get sorted in my head." She pauses a moment, "The crazy thing is, I was kind of hoping that it was all a dream."
Dean shakes his head, "That's not crazy at all."
"When I woke up and I didn't see you there, a part of me felt relieved because I was convinced it actually was a dream. But then a part of me started to panic because…I thought you were gone."
Dean stares at Brooke, "I told you I'm not going anywhere."
Brooke nods, "I know, but…I happen to know that people have a hard time keeping their word."
Dean leans in closer, never taking his eyes off Brooke. "Not me."
A small smile slowly appears on Brooke's face. It's silent for a few moments as Dean and Brooke start to get lost in the moment. Then Brooke breaks the stare and starts looking around frantically, "What time is it?"
"It's after 9."
"Oh my God! I've got to get to the hospital! Haley needs me! Jamie…"
"Woah, woah, woah!" Dean lightly grabs Brooke by the arms and sits her back down on the bed. "Wait just a minute."
"But I need to--"
Brooke is cut off by Dean's finger on her lips, "I talked to Sam earlier. He's with Haley. There's been no change, but Haley is staying strong."
"And Jamie?"
"Sam took Jamie to school."
Brooke slowly nods. She suddenly becomes aware of how close Dean's face is to hers. There's only three inches separating their lips. Brooke feels her mouth go dry. She suddenly felt thirsty and the way her heart was pounding in her chest, it seemed the only way to quench that thirst would be for Dean's lips to touch her own.
Dean finds himself staring into Brooke's eyes. Everything else seemed to fade away. His eyes slowly wander down to her lips. It would be so easy to kiss her. Normally, he would just go for it. But this time was so much different. He couldn't allow himself to be close to her. They would both end up getting hurt.
Dean looks away as the cold realization hits him. He could never be with her like that.
"So, um—" Dean clears his throat and stands up. "How long have you known Lucas and Peyton?"
Brooke watches him walk across the room, confused. What the hell just happened?
"You're talking as if they're still alive."
Dean looks at Brooke and shrugs, "You never know."
"Dean, "Brooke says softly, "Don't play games with me like that. I'm not going to be naïve about this anymore. They're gone." She pauses and looks away, "And talking about them isn't going to bring them back."
"No, it won't." He sits back down in the chair, "But talking about them might just ease the pain."
"You're not going to let me go see Haley until I give in to this "group therapy" session. Are you?"
Dean just smiles and shrugs.
Brooke rolls her eyes, "Fine."
Dean props his feet up on the bed and leans back in the chair, making himself comfortable.
"Well, Peyton was my best friend and Lucas was my first love."
Dean arches his eyebrows in amusement. Brooke smiles at Dean's expression, "You look surprised."
"Well, I'm wondering if this is going to be one of those really confusing stories where you have to keep up."
Brooke laughs, "You should be fine."
Dean wasn't sure about that. The thought of having to hear about Brooke's first love made him tense up. He would have to hear about a guy who was actually able to have a relationship with her – A guy who would always occupy a special place in Brooke's heart. Something Dean could never have.
Brooke continued on for the next hour, telling Dean all about the tangled web her and her friends had weaved. Once she finished she looked over at Dean, who had been silent the whole time. Except asking a few questions here and there.
"That's my story. And that's why I have a hard time trusting people."
"I just don't see how you could forgive both of them for betraying you like that."
Brooke shrugs, "Peyton was my best friend. She couldn't help how she felt. And neither could Lucas. Who am I to tell two people that I love that they can't be together? If I truly loved them, I would want them to be happy."
"Even if it means sacrificing your own happiness?"
Brooke looks down, obviously saddened by Dean's statement. "I know it may seem crazy, but I truly believe that my happiness will come one day. Maybe my destiny is written and maybe it's not. Either way, I just want to live life to the fullest. You know?"
She looks back up at Dean, forcing a smile. Dean nods. Brooke quickly gets up and starts walking to the door. "I need to get ready so I can go see Haley."
Dean stands up, "Yeah, of course."
Brooke stops at the doorway and turns back around to look at Dean, "I didn't tell you the whole truth about why I was in such a bad mood this morning. The truth is, I was angry at myself."
Dean looks at Brooke, confused.
"I told you before that I have a hard time trusting people. I keep my guard up all the time. Even if I'm in a relationship with someone. It never lasts because I never let them completely in." She pauses and lets out a light laugh, "I've only known you for a few days and yet you saw me in my most vulnerable state last night. I let my guard down and I shouldn't have."
"Brooke—"
"But this morning I was also scared. I was scared because—" Brooke looks in straight in the eyes. "You're still here."
She softly smiles and then quickly turns to walk down the hallway.
Dean stands there, trying to absorb everything she had just said. He couldn't help but think that it was a good thing Lucas Scott was dead. Because if he wasn't, Dean might have had to kill him with his bare hands for hurting Brooke like he did. Because of his betrayal, Brooke's life would be forever scarred.
But he also couldn't help but feel a sense of giddiness knowing that he seemed to put a crack in that wall of hers. Maybe he could help her tear the wall down for good. Even if it wasn't for him, but for some lucky guy in the future that was worthy to have the love of the beautiful, Brooke Davis.
"Hello Dean."
Dean looks back up to find Castiel standing in front of the bedroom door.
"Cas! Are you crazy?"
Dean quickly goes to the door and looks outside to make sure Brooke isn't in earshot. He shuts the door behind him and looks at Castiel, angrily.
"You know, it's bad enough that you just pop in on me out of nowhere all the time, but you can't do that when I'm in someone else's house."
Castiel is unfazed by Dean's anger. "There's been a change of plans, Dean."
Dean's expression goes from anger to concern in just a second, "What does that mean?"
"It means your task here is done."
Dean is shaken by the unexpected anger that has suddenly built up inside him. "Wait just a damned minute here, Cas! You can't just send me here to protect this girl and then all of a sudden ask me to leave when it's obvious whatever is going on here isn't even close to being finished!"
"Dean, I'm sorry."
Dean looks at Cas with determination in his eyes, "I'm not leaving."
Dean starts toward the door.
"There's no negotiating this, Dean." Cas raises his voice in a warning tone, "You must leave Tree Hill tonight!"
