Lucas was the first to get to the hospital.

"Lucas…" Brooke breathed, her tears never having dried since after the blurry trip to this place. She burrowed as deep into Lucas' arms as she could, trying desperately to dismiss the pain. Lucas held her tightly.

"Have they said anything?" he asked, not letting Brooke go. The brunette shook her head, not willing to move either.

"No," she whispered, a ghost's voice. She went quite for a long time, the frantic thoughts in her head muted, as if they were under water. She couldn't compute anything. "There's no way she's gonna make it…"

"Brooke, don't-"

"No. You didn't see her," Brooke snapped viciously. The sudden venom in her voice was startling, and the two separated for a split second before reattaching to each other. But Brooke couldn't stay in her boyfriend's arms after that, Peyton's image burning through the backs of her eyes. "There was blood everywhere!" she cried. "…and her eyes…. God, Luke her eyes they we just…." Brooke fell against a near-by wall, leaning her head back and staring unseeingly up at the bright white ceiling of the waiting room. She slumped ungracefully to the floor, her knees curled to her chest. Lucas knelt down beside her. "I can't lose her." She breathed.

There were suddenly new footsteps in the room, and Lucas looked up away from Brooke's face.

"Haley, Nathan…" Lucas started, not getting up to greet his friends. They stopped once they were a few inches away, smiling weakly at Brooke once the brunette finally looked up to acknowledge them.

"Have you heard anything?" Haley asked, her eyes continuously darting back to Brooke as she waited for Lucas to answer her question.

"…Not since they got her here."

* * *

A doctor emerged from around the corner.

"Davis?" he called gently. His voice was comforting, warm. "Brooke Davis?" The group of four, particularly said brunette, all looked over in the direction of the voice. Brooke finally stood up. "Ms Davis, Peyton has made it awfully difficult for us to reverse what she's done. Difficulty however does not mean impossibility, though. She had blood alcohol levels high above the legal limit for driving, and she overdosed on what we found to be ibuprofen. Combine that with the amount of blood lost from her wrists-"

"But she's okay?" Brooke asked impatiently, breathing deeply to fight back the new wave of tears. The doctor nodded, frowning a little.

"She'll live," he said. "But she's far from okay."

"Can I see her?"

"I'm sorry but only close family is permitted to visit, considering her condi-"

"Look," Brooke started, the tears dying down behind her lids. She was not about to put up with this crap. "My best friend tried to kill herself today for reasons you won't even be able to understand, one of which I can name. Her mother just died a few days ago of breast cancer, and her dad's never around. So, with that in mind, not to mention that she doesn't have any siblings, I am her family. Now if you don't let me see my Peyton Sawyer right now, I will have lawsuits all over this hospital and I promise you it will not be pretty." A few feet away, Nathan, Haley and Lucas stared at the back of Brooke's head in shock, surprised by the sudden ferocity Brooke was displaying. They decided to keep their distance until the doctor gave her permission to see Peyton… Assuming he would after such a threat.

The doctor pointed Brooke in the direction of Peyton's room.