A/N: Hey everyone, first of all a special thank you to xoxcallie18xox, Sichy, My23, kutebloo, ravens23fan for your kind words regarding my authors note. I'm feeling much better, still a little fatigued and head achy but im at least able to sit in front of a computer to edit chapters I wrote before the surgery. Also a big thank-you to everyone else who has been patient, and I hope this chapter is worth the wait. Please review!-Lydia xoxo
Chapter 16-Little Wonders
Lucas wheeled an exhausted Brooke into Haley's room. In the corner of the room, Nathan lay asleep quite awkwardly in one of the hospital chairs.
Also sleeping soundly was Brooke and Lucas' 8 hour old baby daughter, who was happily nestling in her mother's arms.
Lucas wheeled Brooke next to the bed, and put the brakes on before taking the seat next to Brooke.
The new parents looked briefly at each other before Brooke started speaking.
"Hi Grammy Girl, its Brooke here, and baby Isabella, I hope you can hear us.
Haley I need you to come back to us, Nathan needs you to come back" She said looking briefly at Nathan's sleeping form
A sob escaped from Brooke, and the tears just kept coming. She tried several times to start speaking but the words couldn't form. Whether it was exhaustion from the labour, hormones or seeing one of her best friends in such a life threatening position, it was all too much to bear.
Lucas put his arm supportively around his wife and spoke up.
"Hey Buddy, it's Lucas, and you need to wake up. For me, for Brooke, for Nathan, and especially for baby Isabella. It's been hard not having you around the last 10 years, someone to talk to, to hang out with. I've miss you Haley and I don't want Isabella to miss everything you can bring into her life. I want you to be the person who she can run to if doesn't want to talk to us, or just for some advice. You were there so many times for me growing up; I don't know if I could have survived it without you. You have to wake up because without you, Isabella won't have a godmother. Are you listening Haley, because you mean the world to me" Lucas said in one breath.
At that moment, Isabella let out a loud wail, sensing her parent's pain. Brooke was still sobbing quietly, but tried to soothe the new born, to no avail. Nathan woke with a start, hearing the commotion.
"Haley?" he said sleepily
"She's still the same, Nathan, go back to sleep" Lucas said to his brother
"No, no, why is the baby here?" he said confused
"Brooke wanted Isabella to meet her godparents"
"Who?"
"You and Haley, silly" Brooke sniffled
"Really?" Nathan replied sitting up straighter, leaning towards the couple.
"Ok can we have this conversation later, Bella is still crying" Lucas said
"What's wrong with her?"
"Maybe she's hungry" Lucas offered as he handed the baby to his wife
"No I just fed her" Brooke said juggling Isabella slightly
"Well maybe she needs a you-know" Nathan said pointing to Isabella's diaper.
Brooke placed her on Haley's bed, ready to check her diaper. The baby's small digits grazed Haley's injured left hand. Through the wailing of the baby, there was an unmistakable sound of a loud groan.
"What was that?" Brooke asked
Nathan shot up from the his seated position and rushed to Haley's side
"Haley? Haley? Can you hear me?" he said watching for any sign of movement
Moments passed without any sign of life. The look on Nathan's face everything. Love coupled with disappointment and just a hint of desperation.
Nathan slumped into a nearby chair, as a sign of defeat.
"Isabella"
Brooke's eyes grew the size of saucers, and picked up the baby from Haley's bed
"Haley"
"Isabella" she rasped again
"Lucas, quick give her some water" Brooke cried
Lucas rushed to the bedside table and bought the cup of water to Haley's lips. She gratefully guzzled the water.
"I'll get the doctor" Nathan said before exiting the room.
"Haley, are you ok?" Lucas asked
"It hurts"
"Where?" Brooke asked worryingly
"Everywhere"
"Its going to be ok, Nathan is getting the doctor" Brooke replied patting Haley gently on the hand, before shooting Lucas a concerned glance.
"Nathan?" she said trying to move her head
"He hasn't left your side, Hales" Lucas stated
Haley rested her head back on the pillows and closed her eyes
"Haley?"
"It's ok"
Haley breathed in for a few moments before opening her eyes once more.
"Is this Isabella?" she asked weakly
"Yes, this is Isabella Haley Scott" Brooke said, moving the baby towards her friend.
"Haley?" she asked softly
"Yes named after her godmother" Lucas said, squeezing Haley on the hand.
"Oh guys" she said tears spilling onto her pillow
"How did you know we named her Isabella?' Brooke asked
"I heard it when I was asleep"
"You heard us?"
"And Nathan"
Just as Haley spoke, Nathan walked in with a doctor.
Lucas looked into his wife's eyes, and both silently agreed to leave the former married couple alone with the doctor. Lucas kissed Haley on the cheek, and removed the breaks of Brooke's wheelchair.
"We'll come by again soon, ok, Grammy girl" Brooke said as she waved from her chair
"Bye Buddy" Lucas said as he pushed Brooke and Isabella out of the room.
The doctor moved to the foot of the bed and removed Haley's bed chart
"Ms James it's nice to see you back in the land of the living"
"Thanks, it's nice to be back"
"My name is Doctor Dunne, your consulting doctor. How are you feeling?"
"Like hell"
"That's to be expected. Do you have any recollection of what happened to you?"
Haley closed her eyes and concentrated hard. All she could remember arriving at the airport, getting into Lucas' car and finally crashing.
"The car accident"
"Yes. It is positive that you are able to remember the accident. Now I don't want you to be alarmed but you have a long road of rehabilitation ahead of you. You have extensive injuries to your legs including multiple fractures, and I removed your spleen."
"Oh"
"I also want to warn you that you will suffer from the fatigue due to the blood loss and the time spent in a coma"
Haley remained silent. It was hard to comprehend what happened and how much she got injured. For the first time since she woke up she noticed the bruising on her arms, and her legs up in a brace.
"Ms James, you will need to be in the hospital for at the next couple of days and then need assistance at home until you fully recover" the doctor said, scribing something in Haley's chart.
"Oh that's ok I'll just hire some help"
"No, I'll stay with her" Nathan spoke up
"Ok, Ms James it seems to be all sorted. I will come and check on you tomorrow"
"Thank you doctor" she said quietly
The doctor replaced the chart at the end of the bed and exited the room.
"Look Nathan, you don't have to-" Haley started
"No I want to"
"Nathan-"
"Haley-" they said in unison.
"You go first" Haley said
"I read what you wrote in the folder" Nathan said slowly
Haley looked confused for a moment before realising the folder Nathan was referring to.
"Nathan
I am hardly dead am I" she said jokingly
"Don't joke about
that" he said, his eyes turning dark in sorrow.
"Come on, Nathan. I wrote that when I was 16. A lot has changed since then" she reminded him.
"But if Peyton didn't happen or Chris Keller or music would what you wrote be the same?" he asked
"Yes" she said straight away
"But it's changed"
"Yes"
"What's changed?" he asked
"We have Nate. When we first got married I believed without a doubt that we were going to spend our lives together. It didn't end up that way. We didn't have the life I imagined. We didn't have the kids or the house by the beach. This isn't the Cinderella story I imagined."
"It doesn't mean we still can't have it, Hales"
"I just need some more time, Nathan. It's all a little too much" Haley said, gesturing to her hospital bed.
"Ok, take as much time as you need" he said
Haley saw the pain on Nathan's face as he said it.
"Hey come here" she said moving over to one side of the bed, patting the space next to her. He slowly moved towards bed and gently laid next to her, wrapping his arms around her tiny frame.
Hmm this feels nice she thought. She might not be able to let Nathan in, but for now, there wasn't any other place Haley wanted him to be.