A/N: So I've seen Monday's night's episode like a zillion times! It still gets to me! Ahhh OTH is love! Leyton is even more love! Oh and the reason for the a/n is just to let you know I don't know a thing about medical stuff, I only know a bit from Grey's Anatomy ;), so please bare with me on this.

Chapter Eight:

It's a common saying that when you have a life and death situation your life flashes before your eyes. To Leighton this couldn't be more true except for the fact that she wasn't dying; well maybe not physically, but emotionally she was. As her brother's limp body was moved from street to gurney every single memory of them played through her mind in the span of ten seconds; over and over again.

The ordeal of what just occurred happened in such a blur that Leighton hadn't even realized they were in the hospital waiting room; waiting for any kind of news. Her sobs could be heard throughout the hospital that nurses and doctors began to worry as her body violently shook, worried that the young girl might have an anxiety attack.

Jamie stroked his younger cousins back, he remembered when he was a kid his mom would do the same to calm him down; he hoped that it would ease her pain. Lily had just returned from making the horrible phone calls she hoped she'd never have to make ever again and plummeted on the hard hospital chair.

Lily speed dialed number five.

The ringing didn't last long as the worry free voice on the other end answered.

"Lily, how are things going?" Lucas asked, but no one responded. He heard sniffling on the other end and the sounds of soft crying. He began to worry. "Lily, what's wrong?"

"There was an accident."

His sister's voice breaking and Lucas' heart stopped for about five seconds.

"What happened? Is everyone okay? Where are you?"

"Luke it's Preston, you need to get down to Tree Hill Memorial."

The name of the hospital gave him chills as he quickly shut his phone and jumped into his car, driving towards the god forsaken place where he'd spent more time than necessary. He broke a couple; okay a ton of driving rules doing illegal everything that was in his way.

"He has to be okay. He just has to be."

The jumble of words leaving the sixteen year olds mouth weren't understood by anyone, but as she kept repeating them like a broken record player Lily was finally able to decode what the sobbing girl was saying. She was only eighteen, but her motherly instincts automatically kicked in.

"He's going to make it through this. He's a fighter."

Elliot walked towards his three relatives quietly hoping not to be noticed. His pediatrician just finished looking over his superficial wounds and gave him the green light to be discharged. Before he was able to make the ten extra feet he was pushed back again and again.

"You stupid, stupid idiot! This is your fault. Who the hell jumps in front of a moving car?"

Leighton's vision was blurred by her nonstop tears, but she didn't care. As long as she could make out the figure in front of her she wasn't about to stop. Her pushing became shoving.

"You freaking stupid dumb son of a bitch. Go jump off of the roof!"

She didn't realize it until seconds later when her hand began to ache. She had punched her younger brother in the jaw and quickly after in his right eye. If it was one thing Peyton Sawyer taught her daughter was when she felt threatened then you knock the guy out because as she'd explain that a bitch slap won't do any harm in the moment of danger.

Before Leighton was able to throw another blow strong arms pulled her away from the object of were her anger was being ejected on and brought her to his chest. She began to throw her fists against the strong chest, but soon her exhausted body began to give up when she was shushed by a very familiar voice.

"He has to be okay, dad."

She crumbled into her father's chest, her legs giving up as he held onto her for dear life. Lucas had remained calm up until that very moment, feeling his daughter's body jolt against his and hearing her heartbroken sobs was the last straw as he too began to cry. When he had gotten the call from his little sister he was scared as hell, but he didn't cry; he couldn't, he needed to be strong for when he made the call to the mother of his children.

Lucas dialed the familiar number; he wasn't sure what he was going to say as he tried to steady his breathing the silent tears still falling down his cheeks as he waited for her to pick up the phone.

"Peyton Sawyer speaking."

Peyton hadn't bothered looking at the color ID, but when the person on the other line refused to respond she wished she had.

"Hello?"

"Peyt…"

She recognized the voice immediately, but she also noted the pain and heartbreak in the way he said her shortened name.

"Luke? What's the matter?" She only heard crying and it took her less than a second to realize it was her daughter's. "Luke you're scaring me. Tell me what's wrong!"

"Preston's in the hospital. There was an accident"

"I'm on my way there."

Peyton quickly ended the call and informed Julian of the phone call she had just had. The duo went straight to the airport not bothering to grab any kind of luggage She didn't say a word as numbness overcame her on the ten hour flight to her home town.

It took Lucas more than half an hour to calm his daughter down, the sobs turned into silent cries and her breathing became even. By then he knew exactly what had happened and so did everyone else as they began to arrive; Nathan and Haley, Karen, and Lindsay. When Lindsay heard that her son had been assaulted by the young girl she insisted that Elliot see a doctor to make sure everything was okay.

"Mr. Lucas Scott?"

The doctor asked looking around the full room, his hands in his pockets of the bright white coat.

"I'm Lucas Scott."

Lucas stood looking at the man and woman at the door, but stopped when he noticed his daughter still clinging to him; her finger's grabbing onto his shirt.

"I'll be back."

He told the startled girl before walking over to meet the PhD.

"I'm Dr. Hughes and this is Dr. Stevenson, the surgeon."

"Surgeon?"

Lucas asked his vocal cords distraught. Dr. Stevenson brought her hand out to shake the father's hand.

"Yes. It turns out the Preston's going to need surgery. We've found that he has internal bleeding in some of his major organs and we need to get in there right now. We just need your approval."

"Do whatever you can to save my son."

The surgeon nodded her head before taking off towards the operating room. Lucas returned to his previous seat and as if on cue Leighton's hands held onto her father.

It had been at least three and a half hours since Preston was taken into surgery. The only occupants in the waiting room hadn't changed; Lindsay and Elliot were still not back. Suddenly the flash of brown locks went flying across the room.

"Oh, Elle, baby. What happened?"

Leighton whipped her eyes with the back of her hand. Her eyes blotchy and red, her head began to hurt with the headache that was coming along with all the tears she had shed.

"Aunt Brooke?" she asked confused, but as soon as the sad dimpled smile formed Leighton wrapped her arms around her godmother. "Aunt Brooke!"

It felt like Elle hadn't stopped crying for the past five hours and wondered when her eyes would dry up. Brooke didn't let go as the young girl cried on her shoulder mumbling incoherently.

"Brooke, what are you doing here?"

It was Lucas who asked as she turned her head to look over her goddaughter.

She had been busy with her newest fall/winter sketches for her clothing line when her phone began to ring. She glanced at the name that read across the screen the smile played on her lips.

"Hey P. Sawyer."

"Brooke?"

Brooke was confused she could have sworn it had said Peyton.

"Julian? So I know you want me…" she joked as they always would when the two spoke to each other. "But you're with my best friend."

"Preston was in an accident." Brooke's smile suddenly fell. "Peyton and I are on our way to Tree Hill, but it's going to be awhile before we get there. I already called Keller, but you're closer only three hours away and..."

"I'm on my way."

At the moment she didn't know that she had just repeated the same words that Peyton had.

"Julian called me. And Chris' on his way."

Lucas usually cringed at the thought of the egocentric musician, but today was different and he just nodded. Brooke turned her attention back to her quite niece.

"Elle, what happened?"

Of course anyone else could have told her, but she needed it to hear it from the young girl because if not then she wouldn't believe it.

"P…P…Pres." She was stuttering. "Wa…wa…was…"

"Breathe, Leighton." Godmother ordered. "Just breathe."

She inhaled and exhaled showing the girl how, as if she never took a single breath of air in her life, but she repeated none the less.

"So tell me again what happened."

"Elliot jumped in front of a freaking car. And Preston had to be the freaking hero and freaking save him. It's my entire fault."

"It's not your fault." Brooke assured as she moved a piece of blonde hair that had fallen onto the girl's face and placed it behind her ear. "It isn't."

"But I'm the one who told that stupid idiot to go and jump in front of the car. If I hadn't then Preston wouldn't be in the O.R."

"It's not your fault." Brooke repeated. "Don't place blame where it isn't needed. You didn't push Elliot in the street did you?" Leighton shook her head no. "Then it's not your fault for his bad judgment."

"The kid had to inherit your ability to save people even when neither of you are bullet proof."

The group hadn't realized it, but the spiky haired musician had walked into the quite room.

"Uncle Chris."

Elle jumped out of her seat and into the waiting arms of her brother's godfather.

"How you holding up mini Blondie?" he wrapped his arms around the small frame, but she said nothing. "It's going to be okay, the Keller's here."

Usually when he referred to himself as the third person it would bring a smile to her face, but not today. Brooke informed Chris of how his godson ended up in the hospital and he just cringed at the thought. Lucas had somehow managed to get the rest of his family down to the cafeteria to eat after ten minutes of objections they finally agreed. That left Lucas, Elle, Brooke, and Chris.

"Dad, what's taking so long?"

Leighton looked up at her father. Before he could respond the surgeon, Dr. Stevenson, appeared at the door way asking to talk to Lucas in private.

"Mr. Scott. We were able to get the bleeding to stop and with the transfusions that your daughter gave saved his life. The concussion he suffered was serious, but not serious enough to cause any damage. He's breathing on his own which is very good, but he's unconscious for the moment and he'll wake up when he's ready."

Lucas let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He thanked the doctor numerous of times.

"When can we see him?"

"As soon as we get him set up in his own room. I'll have a nurse come and let you know."

He thanked her once again before making his way to his family a smile actually displayed on his face. Haley, Nathan, Jamie, Lily, and Karen were already back in the waiting room anticipating for good news.

"The surgery went through without a hitch."

And the smiles in the room were on every face as they all thanked god for the wonderful turn out. Another hour had passed before they were finally able to see the young teenager. Lucas was the first to walk into the dark room. The beeping of the heart monitor calmed him knowing that his son was breathing just fine. He took a seat by the bed as he looked at his sleeping boy. Preston looked like he was a kid again, sleeping peacefully.

"Pres, do you remember when you were seven?" Lucas wasn't waiting for a response, but hoped he'd get one. When he didn't he continued. "And I took you to go watch the Bob Cat's play for your birthday; you said that it was the best gift ever. Well you need to wake up because who else am I going to take to the championship game?"

The steady sounds of the machine were engulfed the room and Lucas began to break down.

"You need to wake up for me, for Elle, and especially for your mom. I think she still assumes that people leave her, but you can't be another person to add to her statistics. You need to wake up, son."

The knocking on the window caught his attention as he quickly tried to compose himself. His daughter standing outside of the door her look begging to be let in. Lucas walked out the door and gave his daughter a tight hug before letting her in.

She took the seat that her father previously occupied and as Lucas walked away he heard her plead to her twin to wake up and giving him the speech that he just had.

"I've been looking everywhere for you." Lucas practically ran into Lindsay as she spoke. "Elliot's asking for you."

He followed her towards room 156 and glanced at his son sitting on top of the hospital bed before he could stop himself he began to yell at his smallest child.

"What is wrong with you, Eli? How ignorant can you be to do what you did? You could have killed your brother."

His anger was getting the best of him, his shouting becoming louder and louder as the nurses began to peer through the open door.

"Lucas stop." Lindsay hissed. "If Elle wouldn't have made her little comment we wouldn't be in this predicament in the first place."

Lucas stared at Lindsay with such pure hate, that Lindsay took a step back. It was never a look he'd ever given her.

"I'm sorry dad."

Father turned back to look at sun.

"Do you think 'I'm sorry' is going to make Pres wake up any sooner. Do you think sorry is going to heal his broken arm? Do you think…?"

"Enough." Lindsay almost screamed. "Lucas, your son, Elliot has HCM."

Lucas looked shocked. "I'm sorry." This time it was father who was apologizing to son. The current anger he held faded completely.

Another couple of hours had passed; Elle hadn't left her brother's room for a second as she held onto his hands, sleep over coming her as her lids began to heavily drift close.

She suddenly awoke to the sound of her name being called, her name was being called as if the person who was calling her was being mauled by a bear. Her eyes opened to the women standing next to her.

"Mom?"

Lucas finally walked out of Elliot's room and into the doctor who was attending to the smallest Scott child.

"Doctor, I was wondering if we would be able to get the prescription for my son, Elliot Scott's HCM."

The doctor in the clean coat grabbed Elliot's file and flipped through it a couple of times looking confused.

"I'm sorry, but it doesn't say anywhere in his medical file that he has the heart condition."

A/N: Dum Dum Dum….So there you have it! What do you think?? I know how I will know! Push that little green Review button :D Okay so I did promise Peyton would be back in Tree Hill...and she it, but not really much conversation with her in this one...but next one will be :D