AN – The first chapter was pretty short, just wanted to see what people thought about the story really. Hope you're enjoying it, thank you to those who reviewed! Keep reviewing
Nathan stared at the clock all night watching the little red numbers slowly change.
At 4:36 he got up, lying there worrying about it wasn't going to change anything.
He showered and got dressed, being quiet as he didn't want to wake Brooke
Grabbing a basketball he left the flat and ran the 2 miles to the river court knowing it would be empty so early in the morning
Basketball had always been a big part of his life
Ever since he made his first basket at the age of 4 he'd wanted to be in the NBA
And now when he was so close to the championship and a scholarship he felt his dream slipping away
He made 10 free throws in a row before sitting on the bench
That's when he saw Dan stood on the other side of the court, walking out from the bushes
"Nice free throws son" Dan smiled, one of his very rare genuine smiles
"What do you want Dan?" Nathan didn't return the smile.
"Nothing"
"You always want something!" Nathan felt himself getting angry and without Brooke here he didn't know how to calm himself down
Dan didn't reply.
Nathan quickly sprinted off from the court not trusting himself to be anywhere near Dan
He sprinted as fast as he could until he reached his home, and he didn't feel his anger sliding until he saw Brooke curled up in bed where he'd left her
He crouched down next to her and ran his fingers threw her hair,
"You're so beautiful" he whispered
"Now that is a nice way to be woken up!" he heard, not expecting a reply
"Sorry I thought you were asleep. I'll go and make us some breakfast."
Before he could leave she pulled him into her arms and into a deep kiss
"You're not going anywhere!" she said kinking her eyebrow
He climbed back into bed and wrapped his arms around her
Softly kissing her on the top of the head
She looked up and him and smiled
"Are you happy?" He questioned, taking her by surprise
"Of course! Are you?" She looked almost shy as she waited for his answer
"Sometimes, I saw Dan at the Court and he makes me so angry you know? And then I come home to you and all that anger goes."
She leant up and slowly placed her lips against his. The alarm went off just as she pulled away.
They were both nervous about what today would bring
There wasn't going to be a good result.
If Nathan had the condition, he could lose his dream. Brooke could lose him.
But if Nathan was ok, that meant Lucas wasn't.
It would mean that Karen could lose her son, and Nathan would lose the brother he never got to know.
He wrapped his arms around her and smiled, trying to hide how scared he really was.
After all, he was Nathan Scott, and he was never scared.
Lucas got into Keith's car and tried to pretend he was ok.
Keith attempted to make conversation but didn't get much response.
Pulling up outside Nathans house, he saw Brooke and Nathan waiting outside.
They climbed in the car and an awkward silence soon followed
"Hi, you must be Keith, I'm Brooke, Nathans Girlfriend." She introduced herself to Keith as it seemed nobody else was going to
Nathan and Lucas both just stared out the window, not even hearing her speak
They were so alike in many ways, yet so different.
Keith smiled at Brooke in the rear view mirror and Brooke felt herself relax
The hospital wasn't far away, but the journey seemed to drag
As soon as they got there, Lucas and Nathan shot out the car leaving Brooke and Keith hurrying after them.
"Luke, I'll wait out here for you." Keith said as they reached the waiting room
Luke nodded and started to check in at the desk
"Nathan, I'll wait here too. I just want you to know that no matter what I…."
Brooke was interrupted by the Nurse calling for the Scott brothers
Nathan got up, wishing he knew the end to Brooke's sentence
Brooke was pacing back and forth across the waiting room for less than 5 minutes before she flopped down next to Keith.
"Waiting sucks." She said, as Keith just laughed at her
Meanwhile, Lucas and Nathan sat in chairs listening to the doctor.
"I'm just waiting for the results to come back from the lab, usually they take a lot longer but as HCM can be such a lift threatening condition I've managed to speed up the process.
With the right medication and lifestyle you can live a relatively long and happy life with HCM which is a good start.
But I'm afraid for one of you; it will mean the end of your basketball careers. Sport will be strictly prohibited."
Nathan put his head in his hands. Basketball was his dream, it was his life. He didn't know what he'd do without it.
"What's the chances that neither of us have it?" Nathan asked,
"I'm afraid that's very unlikely, the chances of having HCM in brothers are 1 in 2. As you share different mothers, it's possible that neither of you will get it, but I don't want to raise your hopes, it's much more likely that one of you will have it."
The nurse walked in holding the folder, which held the news that would destroy a Scotts life.
"Would you like your family in here when you find out?" Both brothers nodded and the nurse called for Brooke and Keith.
"Ok, I've got the results. Lucas it's good news and you're in the clear." Relief swept over Keith, but Lucas didn't look up from the floor.
The doctor took the next folder and opened it,
"I'm sorry Nathan; the results show that you do have HCM. I'll give you a minute to be with your family. I'll just be down the corridor, come and find me shortly and we'll discuss the best action we can take."
The doctor left the room, leaving behind a silent and scared group
Brooke sat on a chair and didn't even realise she was crying until Nathan came over and gently wiped a tear away
"Nathan, I'd just like you to know if you ever need anything, I'm only a phone call away, I know my Brother isn't exactly the best father in the world and I'd like to make up for that. You'll be okay Nate."
Nathan smiled weakly at Keith
Keith slipped out of the room, not knowing what to say
"Luke..." Nathan began before he was interrupted
"Look Nate, I know we haven't been there for each other, but if there was any way I would change this I would!" Lucas was shaking, his little brother had a life threatening illness and there was nothing he could do
"Thanks Luke. Do you mind if I have a minute with Brooke?"
Lucas nodded and left the room
"Brooke, I just want to tell you that I…"
The Doctor came back in the room telling Nathan he urgently needed to talk to him,
Leaving Brooke sitting alone imagining the worst
"Nathan, I've just been looking at the results. I've got some bad news; the HCM has been undiagnosed for over 3 years now. The faster we get a sufferer on medication the greater the chance of survival. The fact that you've had HCM untreated for this long, whilst playing Basketball and training every day, will have decreased the chance the medication will help.
I want to be honest with you Nate, the signs aren't looking good."
Nathan took a deep breath "How long do I have left?"
The Doctor shrugged "It could be anything from a week to a year. But the chance of you surviving a year, even on medication is slim."
"And without medication?"
"It's hard to say, a few months at most. I highly recommend you take the meds, people live long and happy lives with HCM and there is still a chance you could too."
Nathan nodded and thanked the doctor before going to find Brooke
He saw her stood at the coffee machine talking to Lucas
He could see the fear in her eyes, and how much she needed someone,
Nathan slipped into the chapel, he needed time to think
He had two choices
One, he give up basketball, the sport he loved more than anything, and took the medication and hopes for a miracle and survives maybe a year.
Or two, he didn't take the meds and he carried on playing, he might only live for two weeks, but he would be doing the things that he loved
He got up, already making his choice
"Brooke!" he called
She turned round, and he couldn't help but notice the fear in her eyes
She ran into his arms "Is everything ok?"
He nodded and gently kissed her
"Everything is ok; they said they had a mix up. It turns out I don't have HCM at all! The results got tainted in the lab or something and the Doctor just ran some more and I'm fine."
Nathan was shocked at how easily the lie came out
"Really? Nathan, oh God you can't imagine how happy that makes me!" She kissed him, hard and passionately, letting the kiss tell him how she really felt
"Come on, let's go find Keith and tell him the good news!"
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