A/N: Sorry it's taken so long to update. I'm not entirely happy about this but hopefully you'll disagree and leave me lots and lots of reviews. Thanks for the ones I've already gotten. Enjoy!
Hero Of The Day
The thing Nathan Scott loved most about his hometown of Tree Hill was it was a bit on the small side and it made him feel larger than life. The thing he hated most about this town was it was a bit on the small side and right at this moment; he didn't want to feel larger than life. He felt anything but during and since the shooting. He fiddled with the brakes of his wheelchair some more as he frowned on the crowd gathered in front of the stage he was currently sitting on.
Hometown Hero
He rolled his eyes at the gaudy and tacky banner hanging from the ceiling in the center of the room. This whole debacle was annoying and nothing more than a ploy for his father to get more votes. Dan Scott wasn't happy to see his only child had made it out alive and for the most part unscathed; he was thrilled at the publicity it produced. His basketball prodigy son throwing himself in front of a bullet meant for a pregnant, unwed teenager and nearly dying?
Priceless.
Nathan was anything but amused by the whole thing. His mother was playing the perfect wife with perfect hair and a perfect smile and a perfect ensemble to portray the picture of the perfect family they were rumored to be. Him nearly getting killed wasn't something to celebrate. Some would call it humble but he just considered the fact that he was more than alive and another kid was paralyzed for saving his girlfriend. He didn't see any banners for him hanging from the rooftops.
"Ladies and Gentlemen…"
Nathan tried his damndest to drown out his father's incessant voice. It always humored him that in front of he and his mom, his father was just shy of cruel but in front of his public, his sugary sweet voice and cheeky smile would almost make any woman in Tree Hill leave their husbands for him and for their husbands to shake his hand to seal the deal. That's just the kind of person Dan Scott was.
He got what he wanted.
His thoughts drifted oddly enough to the kid who had nearly taken his life. His father was what he would call ruthless in pursuing that he get the maximum amount of jail time aloud. His father proclaimed otherwise; it was simply justice. Nathan didn't think that prison could be much worse than being blind for the rest of your life. He hadn't thought much about the kid being a real person; a kid his age, having to go through something and be that desperate to put people in harm's way.
That's when he saw her. The room was packed to capacity with people, all grinning ear to ear to him and out of everyone he saw her. She was giving him the most sincere smile. She was in the back, standing against a wall, obviously uncomfortable in the situation. He nodded his head in her direction and she gave him a small wave in return, her other hand firmly underneath her bulging belly. He would've given anything to walk of the stage and to her but ultimately decided against it. His father would force some kind of awkward publicity stunt with the two of them and that wasn't something he wanted to subject her to.
"Now, my son Nathan would like to say a few words." Dan motioned towards Nathan and carefully, he shakily stood up from his wheel chair and somewhat stumbled to the podium. Dan pulled him into a hug that caught him off guard, clutching him tightly. "I love you son."
A collective 'aww' could be heard throughout the room and it made Nathan want to gag. His father could be such a self righteous son of a bitch that it was sickening. The fact was, he didn't want to say anything. He was being forced to recite a speech Dan had practically forced him to memorize. So he placed either one of his hands on the side of the podium for support and gave his father one of his infamous smirks.
"So, I'm supposed to be a hero." He started and waited at the applause from his one short statement died down. He glanced at her and she motioned her hand for him to continue, smiling in the process. She always seemed to be smiling. "But I'm just a human. I just did what any other decent human being would do in that situation. I saw someone in need of help; and let's face it. We all need a little help every now and again. I'd like to say that I was totally selfless and didn't think about myself but that wouldn't be the truth. I was terrified; more so than I have ever been in my life. As much as it would be cool to be true, I wasn't thinking when I through myself in front of that bullet. I can't honestly say that if I had been thinking I would've done the same thing because I simply don't know. But looking back, I can't say that I regret it. Because it did save someone's life; two lives really and I'm honored to be a part of that. I shouldn't be considered the hero in this. The real hero is lying in a hospital paralyzed because he willingly thought about taking a bullet for his girlfriend who is alive today. But thank you for you're time and for all of this."
The applause was deafening and the standing ovation was a bit much in his opinion. He tried to be honest about the whole thing and that seemed to just blow up in his face a bit. Now he seemed even more humble, even more so the hero they all perceived him to be. His father was clearly pissed that he deviated from the script he had so painstakingly written but that was the last thing on Nathan's mind. He didn't immediately settle into his wheelchair, instead working his way through the crowd, handshakes, pats on the back, and even hugs to find her.
It had been two weeks since the shooting and even though had wanted to see her, the opportunity hadn't presented itself. He was ordered on strict bed rest and she, unfortunately hadn't popped by. His father was consumed with planning this particular shindig and his mother with him nearly every waking moment; coddling him and tending to his every whim and desire. Except the great desire for her to leave him the hell alone in peace.
"Thank you." Peyton flung her arms around his neck, squeezing him tightly as she cried into his shoulder. She pulled away and laughed as she wiped away her tears. "For saying that about Jake. That means the world to me."
"It's just the truth. That's all." Nathan responded lamely tugging at his shirt collar. "He deserves all this, not me."
She smiled sadly. "Well thanks. Again. For everything."
"You're welcome." He said simply. He knew of Peyton but didn't really know her. They shared a few of the same classes, ran in a few of the same circles but other than that, were practically strangers. "How's Jake?"
"He's…" she trailed off in search of the right words. How did you say someone was absolutely miserable? "Coping. He's got a long road ahead of him."
"There's no improvement?"
"They, uh, moved him into the hospice." She informed him and he could tell it was tearing the blonde apart. "It's an hour away though and I won't be able to get out there a whole lot to see him. Even though he refuses to see me anyway."
"Why is he so far away?"
"Parents can't quite their jobs to help him. Listen, I've gotta go. I didn't want to stay long, but thanks again for everything Nate." He watched her walk away the surveyed the room for his father.
"Dad?" he tapped his father on the shoulder, not really looking forward to throwing himself in the lion's den.
"Son! What are you doing out of you're wheelchair?" Dan exclaimed, spinning around to face Nathan.
Nathan rolled his eyes. "I'm fine Dad. Can I talk to you about something?"
"Excuse me gentlemen." Dan smiled, excusing himself from the small circle around him. Placing an arm over his son's shoulder, they walked to a small office off the main room. "Now, what's on your mind son? Oh that's right, you lost it up there when you when spitting off from the mouth."
"And would you look at that." His arms flew up and he motioned to the room around them. "The earth didn't explode. Now, I need to talk to you about something." His father gave him and annoyed look for him to continue. "Jake. The guy who got shot from the rogue police bullet? He's paralyzed and his parents had to put him in a hospice an hour away."
"What do you want from me?"
"Okay put it this way." He frowned, knowing he was going to have to stroke his father's ego and appeal to his sense of publicity. "Kid gets paralyzed from a policeman's bullet. His parents can't help him because they have to work. What can Dan Scott, the mayor of Tree Hill do to rectify this cruel injustice? Give the kid in home care. So he's not away from his friends. Hire a tutor for his schooling so he doesn't fail high school. Then you'll look like the hero for saving this kid's youth when everything else was taken away from him."
"You'll make one hell of a business man one day."
X-x-X
Nathan smiled to himself once he stepped out of the office. He had never necessarily been a bad person, but the caring and nice person he was becoming was slowly growing on him. It felt good to do good things and even though he wasn't completely okay with the fact that he had saved a strangers life, he had no doubt that we wouldn't have done it any differently. He instantly began searching the room for a certain petite and pregnant brunette.
"Need an escape route?" she tapped him on his shoulder and he spun around to face her. She hesitantly opened up her arms and it took a moment but he pulled her into a hug. "Hi."
"How are you?" he asked, pulling away from her reluctantly. Something always felt really warm about her.
She rubbed her stomach and groaned. "Well, as of today, he's two weeks late."
Nathan grimaced. "Eww. That's gotta be tough." He scratched his head in thought. "Did you try walking?"
"You know, last time I tried walking I ended up getting shot at." She laughed somewhat nervously as he smacked his hand on his head. "It's okay. That was a joke."
"So you wanna get out of here?" he asked, his eyes scanning the room. "I'll spring for ice cream."
"Dude, lead the way."
X-x-X
Haley took a seat on the bench as Nathan grabbed their ice cream from the vendor. She pushed the hair out of her face and leaned back, her feet slightly kicking from where her small legs couldn't reach the boardwalk. It seemed really odd, and somewhat weird to her that before this entire incident they hadn't muttered a word to one another. She couldn't shake the feeling though that something really good came out of that horrifying experience.
"Thank you." She grinned taking the ice cream cone out of his hand as he took a seat beside her.
"You're welcome, it was my pleasure."
"So, you think they'll send a search party out for you? You don't look quite as pitiful without your wheelchair."
"That's because I don't need the damn thing." He scoffed, making her laugh in the process. "That was my dad's genius PR stunt. Which speaking of, he tried to get in touch with you. He's was pretty pissed when he couldn't."
"Good." She smiled, continuing to eat her ice cream. "I wouldn't want me or my child to be part of that debacle. I get enough looks and stares as it is without anything added onto that."
"Do you really get that much flak?" he asked, his curiosity peaked. If he was honest, he had wondered about her, about where the father was, but he didn't judge her because of her condition. "I mean, I know we're a small town and people talk…"
"They're nice to my face." She explained, shrugging slightly. "The first thing they do is clock my ring finger at least three times." She held up her hand and wiggled her bare fingers. "And after that, its text book 'be nice to the pregnant, unwed teenage.'"
"They shouldn't judge you. They don't know your story."
"Do you want to know my story?"
The question caught him off guard and he wasn't sure he knew the answer. He didn't speak and after a minute she didn't want to hear the answer. They settled into a silence; albeit it wasn't comfortable, it wasn't necessarily awkward either. It wasn't that her past didn't confuse him; it was he just didn't understand how any boy, any one so close to claiming to being a man would just up and abandon is unborn child. He, by no means, had ever thought of having a baby at his age, but he was positive he wouldn't run in the other direction if it indeed happen to him.
"I think you'll tell me if and when you'll ready." He finally spoke and she nodded, happy with the answer. "Can I tell you a secret?"
"Secret safe with me." She ran her pinched fingers across her lips and mimicked throwing away a key. She then placed her hands on her belly. "And him."
"I haven't been able to sleep. That night, it just keeps playing over and over in my head. People think I'm a hero, but I can't help but think maybe something is wrong with me, with my life to make me willingly throw myself in front of a bullet. Even though I don't regret saving you or your baby, it just seems a little bit…stupid?"
She winched as she tried to manicure her swollen body to face him better. It was a question she had struggled with too. The moment she heard the bullet pierce through the air, she didn't move. She vividly remembered squeezing her eyes shut really tight, praying for the best and preparing for the worse. It had plagued her sense. Why hadn't instinct, human or maternal, taken over? Maybe she hadn't wanted to survive.
"Do you believe in God?"
"We went to church when I was little…"
She laughed. "No. Going to church and believe in God are two different things. Do I believe in God? I don't know. I know there is something so far over my head that I couldn't even begin to comprehend. And I believe that higher power is a big fan of chess. I think we're masters of our own fate but I also believe that every once in a while something intervenes and moves and shifts our destiny just slightly."
"So you're saying I might not have had anything to do with it? That somehow I was destined to save you?"
"Maybe." she rubbed her stomach soothingly. "I think we all have a purpose in this life even if we don't have a clue what it is."
"Are you okay?" he asked as she clutched her stomach in apparent pain. "Haley?"
"No, yeah, I'm fine." She responded as she blew out her breath and leaned back. "Just some slight pain."
"Do you think that maybe you're going into labor?" Nathan cautiously asked as Haley gripped his hand as another pain ripped through her body.
"No, no. My water didn't…" she glanced down at her shorts and groaned. "…break. Oh God."
"It's okay. We're going to get you to the hospital." He promised, helping her up as she gripped onto his body. She stopped him, chuckling to herself and smiling up at him.
"Are you going to be my hero again?"
