Chapter Five: What You Won't Do For Love
It's funny how life can change in an instant. One minute you're on top of the world with everything you've ever wanted just at your finger tips and the next thing you know you're lying flat on your back with nothing but your own guilt eating away at you. This was the life he had chosen for himself the second he decided to keep his condition a secret and continue to put basketball above his own life.
Even in his current condition he wasn't completely naïve to the fact that it was his own stupidity that put him where he was at this moment. A prisoner of his own body which refused to move, eyes that kept him trapped within the darkness and lips that remained stubbornly sealed tight. The only sense that he was allowed to keep was his hearing.
Some people would consider this to be a blessing. Being able to hear how much their family and friends love and miss them, but not him. If anything he saw it as a curse. Penitence if you will for his selfish actions that led to the tearful prayers of his mother, sister in law and brother. He heard every word they spoke and cried silent tears right along with them, all the while trying desperately to fight his way back, but nothing worked. So he did the only thing he could, he just listened.
His mother tried to make a deal with God on his behalf, promising to be a better person, a better mother if only he would return her son to her and the family that loved him. He wanted to reach out and hold her and tell her that she couldn't improve on something that bore no imperfections. It hurt like hell to listen to her weep and it was something that he would carry with him all the days of his life that was if lived long enough.
Haley had come in and sat with him for a while. At first she was quiet, just holding his hand and listening to the sounds of the machines beeping but after a while she began to sing. Knowing the girl in the way that he did he remembered that she would always sing some crazy show tune whenever she was upset about something so when she started to sing he became painfully aware of what the situation was doing her.
She then started to tell him what her day had been like without watching him play basketball or hearing the sound of his laughter. That he was her best friend and that no matter how the situation turned out she would always love him. It was at this point that the young bride's voice began to crack and she did the one thing that he kept praying she wouldn't. Haley was crying and pouring out her heart to him, begging him to wake up and come back to her. That was before a cold, masculine voice he couldn't recognize interrupted her, telling the girl to leave.
At first he believed that it was a rude doctor or a male nurse but these theories were put to rest the moment Haley called the new comer by name. That's when he realized that it had been Nathan who gave the order.
After a short exchange between the two it was only he and his brother who remained. He was surprised at how open and honest Nathan was being with him. He spoke about their relationship and how it stared. He reminisced about their ups and downs and one on one games (especially the first game that he "allowed" him to win) and everything the two of they went through to become brothers before he went and screwed things up. By HE Nathan didn't mean him, but rather himself. He said that he had overreacted with the Haley and Dan fiascos and that he knew Lucas was just trying to protect him like any good big brother would.
Then the silence that he hated some much returned again. It took him a while to understand what was taking place but when he heard the faint sound of whimpering he became instantly shocked. Never once had he ever heard his little brother cry and now that he had he wished that he never did.
Everything after that was a mixture of grief stricken family members (mainly his mother and brother) and heated words of hate, blame and anguish. First it was Haley verses Nathan followed by Nathan verses Dan with his mother thrown in to play devils advocate.
Then another longer stretch of silence that brought with it a strange yet familiar voice into things. It was the voice of his father.
Next thing he knew his already damaged heart began to beat harder and faster then it should have and he wanted desperately to call out to someone, anyone who could save him from the monster sitting beside him but that would soon change. With no vocal power to cry out with and no use of his limbs the boy listened to what the elder Scott had to say.
The man had gone on to tell him how sorry he was for not being in his life and for keeping such a deadly secret. He continued on stating that he should have stopped him from playing basketball and how much he loved him even if he never actually said the words or acted on them. He listened on in astonishment as his estranged father vowed to bring him back to the land of the living no matter what he had to do and for the first time in the boy's life he actually believed every single word.
From that point on he had slipped into a peaceful slumber but now he was as awake as he could possibly be (although still in a deep sleep as it would appear to the untrained eye) and forced to think about his HMC, apparent heart attack, the suffering of his loved ones and with the walls closing in on him he felt as though he were about to go over the edge and with a bright shinning light coming into view it would seem as if haven's gates were awaiting him.
It was so bright, so beautiful and tempting that he was just about to walk towards the golden rays when a soft voice called out to him.
"Hey there my sweet angel"
He recognized the voice as his mother's, Karen.
"I'm so sorry that it has to end this way. I'm sorry that I couldn't do more for you"
Off her words he stopped heading into the light and turned back to hear her out, he owed her at least that much.
"I'm not sure if you can hear me or not but here goes. You know that I love you more then anything in the world Lucas and I am trying my hardest to keep you with us, but I don't think I can hold on much longer. Neither can you it seems"
She swallowed hard before continuing.
"For starters there was a little girl who needed a heart desperately so they gave it to her and moved you down further on the list"
He could the pain in her voice. It was so real, so vivid he could almost reach out and touch it as if it were a tangible object.
"And with the insurance due to run out in about a week's time it doesn't look like we'll be able to save you" she inhaled sharply "I tried so hard Luke. I called every bank to refinance the house and the café but I couldn't I just…I just don't have the money sweet heart. We've done everything we could Luke, Keith and I. No matter what you have to believe that I would not let you go without a fight"
Hearing this broke his heart in two but in an odd way he felt relieved. If he had chosen to stick around it would have taken his mother years to pay off the debt and it may have cost them everything they own which included his mother's business and their family home. It would have been a disaster and she didn't need any more difficulties as it was, maybe him dying would be a blessing in disguise.
The light was calling to him again and he was ready to take another step when he heard yet another voice.
"Karen"
It was his uncle Keith.
"I'm so sorry I wish…I just wish that there was something I could do to help"
"I know Keith, so do I"
She sounded so lost, so broken that Lucas almost wouldn't forgive himself if he didn't give it once last try. Maybe if he tried hard enough he could wake up long enough to tell his mother that he loved her and that he knows she tried her best if for no other reasons then to give her some sort of closure.
He first tried to move his fingers but they wouldn't budge. Next he decided to try and open his eyes or move his toes but these attempts too failed. He was so frustrated when nothing happened but then again what could he do?
"Ms. Roe" another voice interrupted.
"Yes doctor"
"I don't want to sound uncaring nor do I mean to rush you but we need to know if you have made your decision yet as to whether or not you would like to remove Lucas from the ventilator now or the end of next week?"
"I umm…" she trailed off while trying to choke back tears "I'm still not sure. I'm just hoping…maybe"
"That he'll wake up on his own" the doctor finished for her.
When she nodded her head in response the young man shook his head and sighed.
"Ms. Roe we discussed this. Lucas's heart was damaged beyond repair and without a transplant your son will not be waking up. I know that this is hard to hear but…"
"There are no buts because you will not be laying one single hand on my son"
Everyone in the room turned around to see Dan standing in the doorway with an emotionally drained Nathan.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me doc. From now on Lucas will be in the care of my physician Dr. Richard Marks and he will be moved to Tree Hill General Hospital in the morning where I will be taking over all of his medical expenses"
Karen had a mixture of apprehension and sheer joy on her face, as did Keith.
"I believe the documentations are on your desk and waiting for your signature" he continued with a smug grin.
No matter what situation Dan found himself in he always loved gaining the upper hand and today was no different.
The doctor instantly left the room in order to confirm Dan's words, leaving only the members of the Scott family behind.
"Thank you so much Dan" began the mother but furrowed her brow the moment the man in question raised his hand to silence her.
"Don't thank me just yet Karen" he said handing her blue and white documents.
"Dan what the hell is this?" questioned Keith.
"Oh my God. This can't be happening"
"Oh but it is"
"What Karen? What are those papers?"
"They're a restraining order against us. This bastard is trying to keep me away from my own child"
"Are you out of your mind Dan?" screamed the boy's uncle.
"No, actually I'm seeing clearly for the first time in my life. You see Karen here is a danger to my son and I have to protect him. Isn't that right Nathan?"
The boy shifted his gaze downward in an attempt to hide his guilt.
"Nathan? You don't believe any of this do you?"
"Yes I do. I know that you love him but I'm sorry Karen, you just can't take care of Lucas right now. You don't have the money"
"Besides, Lucas had a heart attack in your care Karen. How could you not have known that he had HCM?"
"He lied to me! How is that my fault!"
"As his mother you should have doubled checked when he gave you the God damn test results!"
"I should lay you out right where you stand"
"Are you threatening me big brother? If so this leads me to wonder if you've ever laid a hand on Lucas, or Karen for that matter. I mean I've always known that you were white trash but I didn't think you were the domestically violent type"
"Go to hell you son of a bitch!"
"Officers!" shouted Dan as two uniformed cops entered the room. "Would you please escort Ms. Roe and her…friend out of MY son's room?"
"I swear to God Dan I will make you pay for this!"
"Yeah love you to Kar" the man said as he shut the door behind him.
"Oh gees, that was great"
"Did you have to be such an ass Dad!"
The elder man laughed.
"Hee, yeah. Anyway aren't you glad that your brother is going to live? I did save his ass you know"
"Yeah and all you wanted to do in return is for me to help you keep his mother away from him"
"Hey everything comes with a price tag son and you said that you would help me keep Karen and Keith away from Lucas if I helped to save his life. So it's something that you're just going to have to deal with. But let's not focus on that right now, ok. Just sit here with your brother until visiting hours are over while I head back home to finish the rest of the paperwork"
"Whatever" Nathan said waving the older man off as he exited the room.
"Hey man, I'm sorry about this, you know the stuff with your mom and Keith but I didn't know how else to save you"
Hearing this made Lucas angry but not with Nathan, with Dan. He was manipulating Nathan over something he was going to do anyway but what he couldn't understand was why his father didn't want his uncle or mother around him. It wasn't making any sense. It also made him wonder just what Dan really wanted.
With the light in front of him beginning to fade the boy had to make a quick decision. Was he going to stay around, now that his father had given him a better chance at survival or was he going to leave their world and enter the after life?
"Lucas" Nathan spoke. "I have anther confession to make"
At this Lucas became intrigued so once again he found himself turning away from the light.
"I also told Dan that I would end things with Haley and move back into the beach house"
That son of a bitch! Lucas thought.
"I know you may not approve of this but it's something I have to do. But don't worry I'm going to let Haley in on it so the second you're better things will go back to normal. Or as normal as things could be with us anyway" he laughed a little.
Hearing this Lucas reluctantly made his way back to the darkness where he would wait until his body was well enough to join the rest of the consciousness world and when he did, Dan Scott was going to pay one hell of a price.
This was perfect. Everything was working out better then he thought it would and now as he sat in the comfortable leather chair he waited for her to arrive. He knew it would only be a matter of time before she knocked on his door, begging and pleading with him to see their child and once she did he would be one step closer to getting everything he wanted.
It was only by way of pure luck that Nathan had come and asks for his help when he did, giving him the perfect opportunity to destroy his son's marriage to that leach of a wife of his before she could trap him with a kid, like Deb had done to him. His life would have been so much better had she not come into the picture but the past was just that, the past and now Dan Scott was about to get what he deserved (at least what he thought he deserved) and nothing was going to stand in his way.
He smiled to himself just as the door bell rang, sooner then he would have expected but he was happy that she was finally here none the less. He sprang to his feet and walked casually over to the door wearing nothing but his boxer shorts and a white tee shirt. After all he didn't want anything too restricting getting in way. He had waited too long for this.
He opened the door and pretended to surprised to see her there. He felt slightly bad that she was crying but soon she would be grinning from ear to ear and they were going to be living the life that they were always meant to.
"Did you come here alone or is Keith waiting in the wings to take a swing at me?" he questioned. He didn't need his idiot brother getting in the way of things.
"No I came alone" she spoke through tears.
"Dan please, I'm begging you to let me see Lucas. I'm his mother and I should be there for him"
The man wanted to take her right then and there but he would be extremely careful, which meant waiting for just the right moment. He did however notice her looking him up and down, obviously liking what she saw. He grinned, yeah he was hot, besides it's not like he was fifty for God sakes, he was only thirty seven.
"I may be willing to you to do that, but first come in and have a seat"
She walked in without hesitation and sat down on the couch where he took a seat right next to her. Now they were only a few inches apart.
"So Karen what are you willing to do in order to see Lucas?"
"Don't play games with me Dan. Can I see him or not?"
He smiled at the woman and he could that being this close to him made her uneasy.
"Well you have messed up pretty badly Karen. Lucas is in the hospital because of you"
She turned towards him and stared him straight in the eyes.
"How dare you?" she questioned softly. "You know you're not completely innocent in all of this. After he showed me those results it was YOU he lived with for months and YOU didn't know he had it either"
"No, but I trusted that you knew for a FACT that he didn't. You know with you being his only parent at the time. But let's not play the blame game any more. I think it's time we've gotten down to business which at this point in time is whether or not I'm going to allow you to see Lucas"
"So are you going to let me see him? You know as well as I do that Lucas loves me, I'm his mother Dan. I'm all he's ever known and you can't take him away from me. Don't you know that you'll only be hurting him?"
"That may be true but I'm willing to allow you to visit Lucas and you'll be able to do so quiet often"
Her eyes lit up at this.
"However there are two small stipulations"
"Anything"
"Keith cannot go anywhere near him"
Karen nodded reluctantly.
"Secondly you know as Mayor of Tree Hill it doesn't look good that I'm now divorced and single. The voters put me in office because of the fact that I was just like them, that I was a family man" he said giving her a knowing look.
"So what do you want with me Dan?"
"I want you to marry me"
"WHAT! Are you out of your mind? There is no way in hell I'm marrying you" she stood up with lightening quick speed and headed for the door.
Dan quickly caught up and seized hold of her arm, forcing her to turn back and lock eyes with him.
"I guess that I'll be telling Lucas you send your love everyday until he wakes up and that can take weeks, months or even a year or two. Wow he'll be a grown man by the time you see him again, if you ever see him again"
"Don't you threaten him!"
"Oh I wouldn't dream of it. After all he is my son and seeing as how I only want the best for him there is an amazing hospital in Australia that specializes in heart disease. Maybe I should send him there"
"Dan please don't do this. Why don't you just get back with Deb?"
"I don't want Deb. I want you"
Before she had the chance to respond his lips crashed passionately into hers. For a moment she fought hard against him but after a while her struggles subsided and she allowed him to take control.
"So" he said after he broke their kiss. "Do we have a deal or not?"
He was wearing one of his trademark cocky grins and Karen found herself wanting to die. Dan had just too much power and control over the situation for her to do anything but give in and she would forever hate herself for it.
"Yes"
The words came out as a faint whisper but she knew he heard it from the look on his face.
"Good. So what do you say we seal the deal?"
"How?" she knew the answer but she was praying that it was something other then what she was thinking.
"You're not a stupid woman Karen so figure it out"
Her heart sank at his words but knowing that there was nothing she could do, the woman took a deep breath and allowed him to lead her to his bedroom which was soon to be theirs.
I know it took forever to get an update and I am so sorry for that. However I do have a new webpage that I would like everyone to check out, the link is in my profile so don't be afaraid to stop by and say hello!