A/N: You guys are amazing with the reviews. Thanks! Enjoy and leave some more!
Hell And Consequences
Haley let out a labored breath; one hand supporting her aching back and another resting on her swollen belly. She was determined to walk the six flights of stairs to the hospital room. It was hard, but no harder than most of the other things she had to do in her life. It had been several days since the shooting, the near death experience still fresh in her young mind.
She still woke up from nightmares nearly every night. It was the partial reason she was at the hospital now. She wasn't sure if she would be able to see him, but then again, she needed to try. Peace of mind was something she needed desperately and this was going to be the only way she could gain that.
Finally, she reached her floor and let the door slam behind her as she stood a minute to catch her breath. Looking down either way in the long hallway, she settled to head towards the left. She wasn't sure where she was going or how she was going to do this, but she was determined.
"Oh my God, I'm so sorry." Haley stammered as she turned into a solid body.
"No, dude, don't worry about it." The girl sniffled, continued to look down at the floor. Haley studied her for a moment before realizing who she was.
"Peyton? Is it?"
"Oh God. You're that girl." Peyton cried locking eyes with the pregnant girl in front of her.
"Are you okay?" Haley inquired, running her hand down Peyton's arm.
"No, yeah I'm fine. It's just Jake…"
"You're boyfriend." Haley clarified as Peyton nodded. "He was shot."
Peyton nodded once more. "He's paralyzed; from the waist down. He just woke up and they told him." she began sobbing. "He sent me away. He doesn't want to see me."
Haley readily accepted the wailing girl into her arms as best she could before she could think of anything to do. She didn't know Peyton; only by name, yet here she was, in the midst of a tragedy comforting her. After a few minutes, she hastily pulled away, running down the hallway, leaving Haley alone once more.
Feeling a little shell shocked, Haley once again set off in search of a destination. She found what she was looking for fairly quickly and struggled to come up with some sort of explanation or excuse to get her into that particular hospital room.
"Um, is he allowed to receive visitors?" she question the police man stationed outside the door.
"Not that I'm aware of." He informed her not even looking up from the magazine in his hands.
"Look, I uh," she started and frowned realizing that the man was not paying her much attention. "Pardon me sir but could you look at me when I'm speaking to you?"
"Look lady…" he looked up annoyed and softened seeing the pregnant teenager in front of him. Realization suddenly dawned on him as she stood there studying him. "You're that…"
"Yes, I'm that girl." She snapped rolling her eyes. "Now do you think it might be alright if I ask the guy who nearly killed me why?"
X-x-X
"Mom!"
Nathan fell back on his bed, completely exasperated. His mother had now come in for the fifth time in half an hour. No, wait. The fifth time was when she brought in the flowers. This would be the sixth time she had found some kind of lame excuse to make her way into his bedroom.
It was getting old.
Actually it got old on the second visit.
"Don't take that tone with me young man!" Deb Scott admonished as she set the tray of food down. "Just because you're the town hero doesn't mean you're God Son."
"Son?" Nathan asked in disbelief. This was the most he'd seen his mom in a year. "Mom, you're being ridiculous. If I promise not to jump in front of any more bullets will you leave me alone?"
"Nathan!"
"I mean I can't even get to my stash of liquor to handle you." Nathan continued as Deb gasped dropping the vase she was moving. It shattered on impact and Deb just looked from the glass to Nathan without saying a word. "I didn't drop it!"
"When did you become so surly?" She wondered out loud, finally bending down to pick up the pieces of sharp glass.
"When did you become a mom?" Nathan retorted as Deb looked up, hurt evident in her eyes.
"Damn it." She winced, bringing her finger up to her mouth and gently sucking it to release the blood. "Do you feel up to come down for dinner or do you want Greta to bring you up some food?"
"Is Dad going to be there?"
"Probably." She scoffed, picking up the last of the glass and dumping in the trash can.
"Well, don't sound too enthused there Mom." Nathan muttered sarcastically, intentionally trying to rack his mother's nerves.
"Why do you think I stay away so goddamned much?" she snapped, much to Nathan's surprise. Almost instantly she softened, composing herself and sighing. "I'm going to get dinner started. Are you eating up here?"
"I'll eat up here. I need to be away from you and Dad as much as possible." He answered after a few moments of contemplation. "That's what I'm used to anyway."
"I don't think you're going to be too thrilled about the news I have." She told him, looking around the room and placing her hands on her hips. She didn't know her son at all. When did he start liking hip hop?
"What news?" he asked, his curiosity slightly peaked.
"I faxed my resignation in today."
"So you're serious about this whole mom thing?"
"For someone who just threw themselves in front of a gun to save a stranger, you sure are trying to be really difficult to your mother." Deb pointed out, her frustration with her son, beyond anything she had ever felt before. "And regardless to the fact that I haven't been around that much, I am still your mother. Got it? Good."
"Fine Mom. Whatever." He grumbled turning the television on to which she immediately turned off. "MOM!"
"Why'd you do it?"
"Do what?"
"Save a complete stranger." She stated matter of factly. "You were nearly killed!"
"Dad's going to be pissed if you don't have dinner ready." Nathan said, ignoring his mother's question.
He simply didn't have an answer.
X-x-X
Haley quietly slipped into the darkened hospital room, gently shutting the door behind her. She stood there for what seemed like a small eternity, debating whether or not to go through with it. She wanted to know why this boy, this kid felt the need to bring a loaded gun into store and try to kidnap a pregnant teenager.
"Hello?" he asked into the blackness that constantly plagued him. He had heard the door open and shut and usually by now that meant that a nurse, a doctor, or an officer would have approached his bed.
"Hi-hi." Haley nervously stumbled out. She took a step forward noticing his left arm cuffed to the bed.
"Who's there?"
"Ha-Haley. My name's Haley." She answered taking a seat next to the bed. "I'm really not supposed to be in here and I can't really stay long…"
"Then why are you here?"
"I'm not; well I'm not really sure." She admitted with an uneasy laugh. "I guess I just wanted to know why you pointed a gun at my face when I never did anything to you."
"I'm sorry…"
"And you put the life of my unborn child in your hands. How dare you!"
"Look, I never meant for any of that to happen!" he tried to explain, his voice cracking with emotion. "I'm so sorry."
"What could you possibly need so much that you would willingly do that?" she inquired, her temper simmering just a bit.
"My mom." He responded sadly. "I was never going to hurt you. You understand that?"
She nodded before she realized that he couldn't see her. So she didn't say anything at all. She had a feeling that he never would've hurt her but at the same time, accidents happen. If anything was proof of that fact, it was the other boy lying in the same hospital, paralyzed for life.
"What about you're Mom?" She cleared her throat and patiently waited for an answer. He sighed and she felt like if she could've seen his eyes, they would've been greatly saddened.
"My dad was an army sergeant. Two years ago, he was deployed to Iraq and killed in the line of duty. My mom, she struggled for a while after that because she had just had my little sister. She got sick, really sick last year and I had to drop out of school a few months ago to get a job and take care of my sister."
"The job wasn't enough?"
"Not by far." He replied and she could hear him chocking back tears. "My mom had to stop chemo because we couldn't afford it and we got kicked out of our house."
"Oh my God."
"I tried to do everything I could. I took two other jobs but I was getting maybe three hours of sleep every two days and it was never enough. Just never enough."
"So you decided to rob the convenience store?" she concluded and he nodded. "That's horrible. You know, it may not seem like it and it's really cliché, but I kinda know exactly how you feel."
"You couldn't possibly." He muttered shaking his head.
"I'm a pregnant teenager." She smiled despite herself. "Try me."
"I'm really sorry about everything. I am." He apologized once more and Haley heard the relinquishment in his voice.
"The boy I loved, " she started and stopped herself, almost laughing. "The boy I thought I loved left me the day after he found out I was pregnant. See, he was the star shooting guard and I was the head cheerleader at our school. Cliché, I know. But of course he couldn't have a baby. His life would be over."
"Sounds like a douche bag."
Haley giggled. "Yeah, I guess he kinda was. My parents? They were furious. They're socialites and the fact that they're baby daughter was pregnant just didn't fly to well with them."
"No offense, but I can see their point." He smirked eliciting one from her as well.
"Yeah well, they don't really qualify as parents. They were never around." She scoffed at first and then relented. She had forgiven her parents long ago. "Anyway, my best friend, Chris lives here so I moved in with him."
"Boyfriend?"
"Eww. God no!" she yelped, wiggling her nose in disgust. "He's like my brother. But he's gone a lot; on the road mostly. He's a musician and he stays gone probably six days out of seven."
"He takes care of you though."
"The very best." She chirped feeling very fortunate to have him as a friend. "I've never told anyone all that."
She was honest about that part; she really never had told anyone about her past. Not even Chris knew the full story. She just showed up on his doorstep one morning five months pregnant. Why she felt like she could tell all of this to a stranger, she had no idea. A stranger who very well could have killed her.
"I forgive you." She said suddenly, very unsure of herself but at the same time, feeling very right about it. "I mean, I believe you when you say you weren't going to hurt me. I also trust that you needed the money; I do honestly believe that you were very desperate."
"Thank you." He whispered, feeling very content. It didn't last long before guilt set in. "The boy I shot? Is he going to be okay?"
"I haven't seen him since he woke up, but yes. I think he'll be fine."
"Ma'am? I think its time for you to go." The police officer notified Haley sticking his head in the doorway.
"I guess that's my cue." She told the boy lying in the bed. She got up and patted his hand softly. "I'll be seeing you around okay?"
"Will you?"
She thought for a moment. "Yeah, I think so."
"Haley?" he called out, gently latching on to her wrist. "I'm Lucas."
"Feel better Lucas."
