Disclaimer: I do not own OTH

This one is pretty long, hope you like it ;)

Chapter 12: Beautiful Disaster

"Nathan..." Haley said as she looked down at the love of her life. His eyes were searching the room with a confused look on his face, "You were in an accident" Haley told him knowing that he had no idea what was going on.

"What... Happened?" He managed to get out as his eyes settled on her.

"Some drunken dick head hit you in the parking lot of the liquor store" Haley told him as she felt tears slowly sliding down her face. He just nodded as he remembered walking in the parking lot and seeing the headlights. "I'm really glad your awake".

"A lot of pain" Nathan whispered. Right now he was in pain just from breathing.

"Yeah you would be, your pretty banged up Nate" Haley told him as she squeezed his hand, "I should go get a Doctor".

"...Stay" Was all Nathan said. Haley looked around not sure if she should stay or go get the Doctor. But in the end she decided to sit down on the bed next to him and wait, a nurse would be dropping by soon anyway.

"You really scared us" Haley told him, he just continued to look at her. They stayed like that for a few minutes, just sitting and looking at each other. And then came that storm.

"Haley... What the hell are you doing here!" Deb yelled when she walked into her son's room and saw Haley sitting on his bed. But then she saw something else, Nathan. He was looking at her with pain in his eyes. "Nathan"

"He woke up about five minuted ago" Haley said uncomfortably as she got up off the bed and let go of his hand. She took a few steps away from him while watching Deb run over to his bed and kiss his forehead.

"Hey, mom" Nathan said the aching he was feeling was evident in his voice.

"Thank-god" Deb was crying now as she held her son. Her arms wrapped around him were causing him a huge amount of discomfort but he didn't say anything to her. After a few minutes she let go and stood up to face Haley, "I think you should go".

"It's okay" Nathan mumbled, but Deb ignored him.

"Now!" Deb said in a firm voice. Haley just looked at Nathan with sad eyes before turning around and leaving. "How are you feeling?" Deb asked as she turned back around to face her son. Her whole body had changed in an instant she had gone from being angry and determined to sweet and loving.

------------------------------------------------------

"Lucas!" Haley yelled as she ran into the cafe. She saw a very tired looking Lucas, Brooke, Jake and Peyton sitting down at one of the tables.

"Haley whats wrong is it Nathan" Lucas's heart skipped a beat waiting to hear her answer.

"He's awake" Haley told him as she tried to catch her breath.

"What... He's awake" Lucas said as he pulled Haley into a huge hug. Relief swept over him. "How is he?"

"In a lot of pain, he can barely talk. But he's alive and awake" Haley said she was still crying but they were tears of happiness.

"Thank-god" Peyton said as she hugged Jake.

"We have to tell Deb" Brooke mentioned.

"Deb knows... She kicked me out of his room actually" Haley said, her voice losing the happiness it had contained only seconds ago.

"What" Brooke said.

"She doesn't want me around him" Haley said sadly, "He actually seemed fine with me being there".

"Did he say much?" Lucas asked he wanted to know every thing.

"No, I think it hurts to much to speak".

"We should go see him" Brooke said to Lucas.

"Definitely" Lucas said with joy. He couldn't wait to see his younger brother awake and talking.

"Come with us" Brooke said to Haley.

"I don't think that's a good idea... But you should all go" Haley told them. "I'll be fine, he's awake now and that's all I need".

"See you soon" Lucas said as he gave her another quick hug.

--------------------------------------------

"Hey little brother you scared us" Lucas said as he and Brooke walked into Nathan's room. Nathan just smiled at them best he could. The bruises on his face hurt every time he made a facial expression.

"Lucas, I'm glad your here" Deb said with a warm smile. "I'm just going to talk with your doctor honey, I'll be back in a minute".

"Yeah" Nathan said lightly. Deb smiled at him and kissed his forehead again before she left the room.

"You sure know who to scare the crap at of us" Brooke said as she sat on the seat next to his bed. "How you feeling".

"Like I was" Nathan paused for a second as he winced in pain, "hit by a car".

"It'll be alright man, you'll be as good as new in no time" Lucas said in a positive tone.

"You know almost brother in law, I would hug you but I think I would hurt you" Brooke told him a she picked up his hand.

"You... Would" Nathan replied he was thank-thankful that she had thought of that. His mother had almost killed him with all the hugs she was giving him. But he was also thinking about Haley. His mind hadn't stopped racing since she left. He had been confused when he first saw her, but then he had been happy. Happy that she was there and now that she was gone all he wanted was for her to come back. "Where's Haley?"

"At the diner, she told us that Deb kicked her out" Brooke told him. Nathan nodded to confirm that fact. Nathan was wondering what had happened over the past few days to make her kick Haley out, only a week ago she was trying to convince him to go and talk to Haley, now she wants her as far away as possible it didn't make any sense.

"I think... She is... Why I woke up" Nathan struggled to say.

-------------------------------

"Dan what are you doing here?" Deb asked in an annoyed tone when she saw Dan approaching her and Doctor Clark.

"I went to the cafe and heard Haley and Karen talking about how my son is awake, how nice of you to let me know" Dan told her.

"Any time" She replied sarcastically.

"We could continue this later" Doctor Clark said as he sensed the tension between the two of them.

"Actually I have a few question" Dan told him, "How long till my son is ready to start playing basketball again?" Deb rolled her eyes at this.

"Mr Scott. Your son's body is seriously damaged, he may never play at the level he was again".

"What?" Deb asked. This had caught her attention. Basketball wasn't only her son's career but it was also his life. If he couldn't play anymore, Deb couldn't imagine what would happen.

"Of course he will" Dan said.

"I'm sorry but your son's knee is in extremely bad shape not to mention the rest of his body has various injury's. I don't want to have to say this but I think Nathan is seriously going to have to consider a new career".

"Oh god" Deb said to herself. She was scared that this would become the last nail in the coffin.

----------------------------------------

"Well we should all go and let you get some rest" Deb said to her son. She Lucas, and Brooke were all sitting around his bed. Deb didn't tell Nathan what the doctor had told her and Dan about basketball. She wanted to wait until he was feeling a bit better before she broke that news to him.

"See you soon" Brooke said as she leaned down and gave him a light kiss on the cheek.

"We'll be back tomorrow" Lucas told him.

"Bye" Nathan said to them as they left. Now it was just him and the darkness. In a way it had always been him and darkness, they had become old friends after all these years. His thought wondered back to Haley, how beautiful she was, how caring she was. If he could just forgive her then it wouldn't have to be just him and the darkness anymore. He could be with her in the light. He could be happy and smiling again. He was sure that it had been to long and that it wasn't possible for them to be them again. But he still couldn't stop thinking about her. His smart, funny, beautiful Haley.

He moved a little to try and get a little more comfortable but regretted the decision instantly. Pain shot through his body and he felt as though there was truck on his chest. They had offered him stronger pain killers but the memory of his mother's pill addiction had caused him to decline.

"Hey... Are you awake" Haley whispered through the slightly opened door.

"Yeah" Nathan replied. Haley walked over to him and turned on the lamp that was beside the bed. She smiled at him and Nathan felt his heart melt.

"Brooke sent me a message saying that Deb was gone so I managed to convince the nurse to let me come and see you even though visiting hours are over" Haley told him. She hesitated for a moment before placing his hand in her own.

"You have, a way with people" Nathan softly spoke.

"Not really... Most of the time they give me what I want just to shut me up" Haley said with a small laugh. Nathan smiled, he loved her laugh.

"I'm really glad you came" Nathan told her.

"I'm glad that your glad" Haley replied.

"I think I heard you... While I was asleep, unconscious... Whatever. I remember hearing your voice" Nathan told her.

"I hope you didn't" Haley laughed, "I was rambling".

"Somethings never change" Nathan said with a laugh that turned into a groan as the pain hit him again.

"Are you okay?" Haley asked. The concern was written all over her face.

"Better now that your here" Nathan said to her.

---------------------------------------------------------

"I don't know when I should tell him" Deb had just told Keith and Karen about the basketball issue.

"He could have died Deb, do you think he would really care about a game?" Karen asked her. Deb just looked at Karen. They both already knew that he would care.

"You need to tell him Deb. Doctor Clark will tell him soon and I think it would be better coming from you rather then from a stranger" Keith told her.

"Nathan has already had so many things taken away from him... I don't think he'll survive with out basketball" Deb told them.

"You never know. Nathan is very dedicated. He may get it back" Karen suggested.

"This is the third time he has injured that knee. It would be a miracle if he makes a full recovery" Deb said as she sighed in frustration. "This is all Haley's fault".

"Deb, you know that's not true" Karen told her. She was getting a little tired of this 'attack Haley' faze Deb was going through.

"She's the reason he drove into the wall. He's knee would be fine if she hadn't run away to go on tour" Deb said.

"... Deb, you can't keep blaming Haley for everything that goes wrong in Nathan's life. The race car was an accident. Jumping off that bridge was brave and his choice and getting hit by this car was the drivers fault, not Haley's. Your looking for people to blame in all the wrong places" Karen told her.

"I know... I'm just scared" Deb replied as she looked down at the floor.

"Scared of what?" Keith asked her.

"Scared that he will take her back and that she'll hurt him again. He can't handle it happening a third time, especially not now" Deb told them, "So I'm trying to keep her away, I'm trying to keep my son from losing it".

"Haley loves him Deb. I don't know if Nathan would take her back, but I know that if he did. She would protect him with her life" Karen tried to reassure her friend.

"But who's going to protect him from her?" Deb asked.

-----------------------------------------------------------

A few days later Nathan was being pushed around in a wheel chair by Lucas. They were going along one of the corridors in the hospital with Brooke following behind. Nathan had been going stir crazy in his room so Brooke had asked the doctor if they could take him for a walk.

"Lucas please... I can't be here anymore" Nathan told his brother. Nathan had been trying to convince Lucas to help him get an early release from this hell hole.

"Nathan, your in bad shape. What if there is a complication, you could die" Lucas said as he ignored the pleading look his brother was giving him.

"I'm fine, really I am. But I swear to god if i spend one more night here I'll kill myself" Nathan whined.

"That's not funny" Lucas replied.

"Lucas... Maybe we should try and see if he can leave" Brooke said and Nathan gave her a grateful smile.

"Deb will never go for it" Lucas reminded them of Nathan's over baring mother who had hardly let him out of her sight over the past few days.

"I'm a big boy now Lucas I don't need my mommy's permission" Nathan said. Lucas looked down at his brother. The bruises had faded a fair amount in a few short days. He couldn't walk because of his broken leg and the fact the his chest was still extremely tender. But he really wanted out. Lucas sighed.

"I'll see what I can do" Lucas was defeated.

"Thank-you" Nathan replied.

-----------------------------------------------------

"Hey, where's Lucas and Brooke?" Haley asked when she walked into Nathan's room. He was still in his wheel chair at his own request.

"Talking to my Doctor, seeing if I can get out of here today" Nathan told her.

"Today... Do you think that's a good idea?" Haley asked with a worried voice and expression.

"I need to get out of here Haley, I'm going crazy" Nathan said to her as he tried to wheel himself over towards her but the pain in his chest stopped him. Haley, seeing his discomfort walked over to him and kneeled down so that she was out his level. He smiled at her and was thankful for her gesture. "I've missed you, you haven't been around in a while".

"Your mom" Haley simply answered as she took his hand, "... Nathan I know this isn't the best time to ask but I've been thinking a lot. I really need to know what we are now. Are you just being nice to me because your board... Are we friends... Are we more then friends?"

"We will always be more then friends Haley" Nathan answered. He had been thinking about it a lot lately and he knew he wasn't ready to jump back into a relationship with her but he also knew that he wanted to be around her. "I was thinking, I'm not going to be able to go back to LA until I've healed up a bit. So maybe we can spend more time with each other while I'm here. I don't know what will happen or where we will be, but I also know that I need you in my life".

"I'd really like that Nathan, but how will we spend time with each other. Your mom won't let me near you" Haley replied him as she rubbed the back of his hand with her thumb.

"Well I'm going to talk to her, if she doesn't change her attitude then I'm going to ask Keith and Karen if I can stay with them till I'm better. I don't want to put them out but if my mom won't listen to me then it's just something I'll have to do. I know Keith won't mind".

"Keith loves you, of course he won't mind. He will be excited that he can spend some more time with you before you leave again" Haley said sadly. She and Nathan were actually getting along and it made her more then happy. But the thought that he would be leaving some time in the future made her heart sink.

"Yeah... Plus they love you so that's a bonus... Who knew that at 23 my life would still be getting dictated by my mother" Nathan laughed.

"It is pretty funny" Haley agreed and also laughed a little. She looked up into Nathan's eyes and felt love in them for the first time in a long time. She pushed her self up a little and kissed his lips lightly.

"Why did you do that?" Nathan whispered.

"Because I wanted to" She answered and searched his face for a reaction. He grabbed both her arms and pulled her up so that she was almost sitting in his lap. He lightly brushed his thumb over her lips before kissing them softly with his own. Haley kissed him back eagerly.

After a few minutes they stopped kissing and just watched each other, "There are a lot of things that we need to talk about Haley, but after this near death experience I'm not sure if any of it matters anymore... All I know is I never truly let you go, a part of me has always loved you and I think it always will. But I can't handle another heart break Haley".

"I know that we still have a lot of things to sought out. But I promise you Nathan, I will never, and I mean NEVER hurt you like that again" Haley replied.

"Maybe we should just wait until I'm settled in, where ever it is I end up. And then talk about how we want to do this" Nathan suggested to her.

"I agree" Haley said with a smile. They both leaned in a little and were about to kiss.

"Hey Hales" Lucas said as he and Brooke walked into the room. Haley moved away from Nathan a little, feeling like a teenager getting caught making out on the front lawn.

"What the verdict?" Nathan asked with a hopeful tone.

"We can take you home as long as their is somebody to look after you" Brooke told him with a smile.

"Thank-you" Nathan grinned.

"Don't thank me yet... We still have to tell your mom" Lucas reminded him.

TBC

Hehehehe, Naley fluff oh how I love it. I actually wasn't planning on having anything happen between to for another two chapter or so. But I needed a fix and this was the end product.

As always thanks for reading.

And a really huge big thank-you to everybody who has reviewed so far, it means the world to me.