It had been a week since Sam was admitted into the hospital, and a week since Sawyer was almost discovered. Sam was about to be discharged. She was able to walk on her own, although carefully because she was still very sore. She was to stay home for a week or so, to Brooke's great relief and Sam's chagrin.

Sawyer decided to try and stop taking the pills just three days ago. Unfortunately, this was easier said than done. Her mind could only focus on getting a hold of them. She was irritable and schoolwork was no longer a priority…neither was cheerleading. Justin kept pushing her to just take some Vicodin and accept the fact that it helped her, but she refused every time.

… … …. ….

Peyton felt increasingly tired as the days wore on. She had a big deal to close for her record label and the cranky teenager in her house was no help either. She sat with her eyes wide open in bed. Lucas came out of the bathroom and planted her a kiss.

"Hey baby." He whispered in her ear.

Peyton turned over, "I'm not in the mood Luke."

Frowning he got off of her, "What's wrong?...is it the stress of the deal?"

"I guess so. I'm fine Lucas, I'm just not in the mood okay?" She said.

He put his hands up showing innocence, "Alright. Alright. Look, I have to go. The boy's big game is today at Creek High. I scheduled an early morning run to get them pumped."

Peyton smiled at his excitement, "Are the cheerleaders going?"

"Yes they are." He mumbled unhappily, "Sawyer's definitely sitting next to me on the bus."

"NO she's not!" Peyton reprimanded him, "Do you want her to flip out on you? It's embarrassing as it is to have your father be the one in charge of all the hot guys on the bus. Do you want to make it worse?"

Lucas bowed his head, "No, but-"

"No buts Lucas Scott, just watch her without being too obvious." She said giving him a kiss on the cheek, "Bye handsome Love you."

He went out mumbling, "I'll kill them if they set a hand on her, oh you just…."

She chuckled at his overprotectiveness.

Peyton got up to wake Sawyer. She saw her outline underneath all the covers. Sawyer was balled up, dead asleep. The night before she was shivering tremendously. She just needed Vicodin.

"Sweetheart it's time to wake up." Peyton said softly while shaking her.

"Ugh" She mumbled, still under the covers, "Leave mom."

Peyton rolled her eyes, "Sorry, but you gotta get up kid. "

"We have a late-start today. I don't go in until 10:00. Let me sleep!" She whined sleepily under her covers.

Peyton yanked the covers and turned Sawyer over from her sleeping position. Sawyer was now lying on her back, "Mom!" she yelled annoyed.

She shrugged, "You're still grounded remember? You're coming with me to work until it's time for you to go to school."

Sawyer sat up while Peyton opened her curtains. This allowed for Peyton to see her daughter clearly,

"Sawyer!" She said surprised.

"WHAT?!" Sawyer spit out frustrated that she had to be awake at 7:00. Her whole body ached.

Peyton put her hand on Sawyer's forehead. "You have a fever Soy."

She turned to look at herself in the mirror, "She had bags under her blood-shot red eyes, and she looked flushed and pale."

Peyton massaged her temples feeling overwhelmed, "Okay you're staying with me the whole day then."

"WHAT?! NO!" Sawyer protested. She felt angry and combative all of a sudden. She didn't think she could take another moment without her pills.

Peyton looked at her surprised. She never argued over something as trivial as this, "Sawyer. You're sick. What do you expect to do? Stay home by yourself? You're grounded until the end of the week. I'm busy and drowning in work. So sorry, but you're coming with me."

"This is so stupid!" She said back.

Peyton narrowed her eyes, "I'm going to assume that what you just said was your fever talking."

Sawyer rolled her eyes and laid down. Everything hurt.

Peyton went over to her daughter's dresser and took out black sweat pants and a school sweater.

"Put these on baby. We gotta go in a bit."

Sawyer got up and stared at Peyton.

"What?" Peyton asked her.

Sawyer scoffed, "Well can you get out now? How do you expect me to change if you're right there?"
"Alright! My gosh Sawyer what is wrong with you today?" Peyton said on her way out the door.

Once out, Sawyer dashed to where she kept her pills, but she had thrown them all out. She was desperate. Like a miracle, she found one lone pill. She played with it in her hands and was about to drink it but remembered Sam's words. She put it back and quickly changed.

"Alright mom I'm ready." Sawyer said. She felt dizzy every time she walked. Peyton saw how weak her daughter was, "Oh sweetie" she said sympathetically, "Come here sit on the chair."

She handed her a shake, something she could hold down as well as medication.

'Drink up Soy. We're leaving once you're done."

Sawyer groaned and put her head down.

Peyton chuckled and rubbed her daughter's back, "I love you too Soy."

"I never said I loved you." She mumbled with her head still on the counter.

Peyton kissed the top of her head, "But you meant it." She said laughing.

… …. ….

Sam woke up from a nightmare terrified. She was in a sweat and had wet the bed.

"Ugh DAMN IT!" She grumbled frustrated with herself. Brooke and Julian were still asleep. Brooke told her to wake her up if anything happened but she was too embarrassed. This was the third time it happened, and the doctor said it was normal for her trauma, but for a 14 year old this was definitely NOT something they wanted to face. She got up put her sheets and clothes in the wash. She changed into new shorts and a sweatshirt, and put new sheets on her bed. She sat on her bed and turned on her TV.

Brooke awoke to the whirring sound of the laundry machine. She sleepily checked the clock it was 7:00. She smacked Julian from where she was, "Wake up." She groaned.

Julian pushed her hand, "Babe it's early."

"I hear something. Go check what it is." She responded.

He groaned loudly and got up, "It's probably in your dreams."

He walked out and realized it was the laundry machine. When he opened it and saw Sam's sheets he realized what happened.

"Sammy." He said sighing sympathetically.

He walked over towards Sam's room and heard the TV drone on. Lightly, he knocked on her door.

"Sam?" He asked.

"I don't want to talk about it. "

He opened the door and stood in the doorway, "Sammy it's okay."

She looked at him, "Julian, I really don't want to talk about it. Please don't. I know it's normal, blah blah blah. But it doesn't make it any less embarrassing. So just stop."

She went back to the show she was watching. Julian went up and kissed her on the forehead. Then went back to their bedroom.

Brooke was up reading the e-mails on her computer.

"What was it?" She asked.

Julian sat down next to her, "The laundry machine."

She looked up from the computer, "Oh no." She said putting the pieces together, "Did Sam wet the bed? I'll go talk to her."

Julian stopped her from getting up, "Babe she doesn't want to talk about it. She's too embarrassed."

She sighed, "She must've had a nightmare."

"Yeah I think so too. But she seems fine. She was watching TV."

Brooke looked at him and laughed then punched his arm.

"What was that for?!" He said grabbing his arm.

"She's fine Julian, really?" Brooke said unbelievingly.

"Well you know what I mean geez. She's calm. Is that better?"

"I guess so." Brooke finally said, "I won't bring it up unless she does."

"Thank you!" He said giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"It's her first night back and already she's having nightmares. I thought leaving the hospital would help her." Brooke said slightly disappointed.

Julian massaged her shoulders, "Don't overthink it Brooke. At least it's not as bad as we thought it would be. I gotta go to work. I'm staying with her tomorrow right?"

"Yeah you are. I'll see you soon babe."

After he left Brooke made breakfast and prepared all the pills that Sam needed to take. Two for infection and another for the pain.

Sam walked out slowly and saw her mom.

'Damn it.' She thought, 'She's gonna want to talk.'

Brooke looked up, "You shouldn't be walking around Sam." She said going back to making food. Sam stopped surprised, but relieved that she didn't say anything else,

"Oh, Well I was just going to the sofa." She replied.

Brooked nodded and put a plate on the counter, "Eat first Sammy. Then you can take your medicine and relax on the couch."

She trudged to the counter and ate sparingly, only to appease Brooke. She took her medicine, "There. Can I go now?"

Brooke frowned at how little she ate, "Sam you're wasting away! You gotta eat more…how'd you sleep?" Brooke knew the answer and she knew she didn't want to talk about it, but she still tried.

Sam rolled her eyes. Julian told her for sure. "Just fine. Can I go now?"

"Of course. You're not tied to the chair Sam."

Brooke watched her limp to the living room and wince as she laid down.

A while later Sam called to Brooke who was on the phone with one of her investors, "This house is so boring Brooke! I wanna go to school tomorrow!"

Brooke acted like she didn't hear her and continued on the phone.

"BROOKE! BROOKE!"

Annoyed she put down the phone, "Excuse me for a sec Don. I have to take care of a PEST!" she yelled towards Sam's direction.

Sam laughed at Brooke's frustrated voice.

"Samantha I am on the PHONE. Give me a freaking second. My goodness." She said once in front of her.

Sam rolled her eyes, "But I wanted to tell you that I loved you." She said jokingly.

"Well when I'm on the phone go love someone else! Preferably your father!" She said going back to her office.

"Love you too!" Sam called back content with making Brooke frustrated.

… …. …. ….

Peyton drove humming to the music on the radio.

"CAN YOU STOP?" Sawyer said tired of hearing it.

Peyton stopped humming and furrowed her eyebrows, "Soy I know you're sick, but you need to tone it down."

Sawyer just turned to look out the window.

"Afterwards, if you're up for it we can visit Sam. She's out of the hospital."

Sawyer got excited, "YEAH!"

"Only if your fever goes down." Peyton said in a motherly tone.

"Aww mom. Please, please, please!" Sawyer said.

"We'll see." Peyton said ending the conversation.

At TRIC Sawyer was in the backroom while Peyton was working in front. She got a phone call. It was from Haley.

"Hey Hales. What's up?" Peyton said picking up.

"Peyton, Sawyer wasn't in class today."

"I know. She got sick. She's with me."

Haley sighed, "Oh. Okay."

Peyton knew there was something on her mind, "Hales what's wrong?"

"P. I don't wanna make things worse for no reason."

"Haley tell me. What's going on?" She said seriously.

"Sawyer hasn't turned in any of her assignments for a whole month especially these two weeks. I checked her other classes and it's the same pattern. Her grades are suffering tremendously because it's the end of the quarter. Do you think it's because of Sam?"

Peyton swallowed back hard, "So you mean to tell me every time she's gone to her room to 'work' on homework, she's been lying to me?"

"Peyton I'm sorry. Maybe you should talk to her?" She said hesitantly.

"Excuse me Hales but I have to go. "

"Alright. Peyton calm down first, before you talk to her."

"Don't worry Hales. Bye. Love you."

Peyton looked at the work she had on her desk, then at the door that led to the backroom. She went towards it. Sawyer was asleep.

"Sawyer wake up." Peyton said with a swipe to her butt.

"Ouch!" Sawyer yelped, "What is wrong with you?"

Peyton crossed her arms, "I'd like to ask you the same question."

She sat up, "Wha-what do you mean?"

"Why haven't you been doing your work? Haley called, your grades are horrible for this quarter."

Sawyer scoffed, "Oh my God dude. It's not a big deal! I feel sick can we talk about this later?"

Peyton squeezed her hands into fists, "Yes it is a big deal! You've been lying to us. What have you been doing every time you said you were doing homework? I cannot believe you Sawyer! You're gonna make damn sure those grades improve."

"Mom! I said I feel sick. Let's talk about it later!" Suddenly she felt like throwing up. Peyton quickly noticed. She picked Sawyer up from the bed and led her to the restroom.

After throwing up Sawyer felt radically weak. Peyton helped her back to the couch in the backroom. Without her pills, her emotions were crazy. Now she felt vulnerable. Peyton was about to leave angry with her daughter, but Sawyer grabbed onto her hand, "Momma don't leave!" She said.

Peyton really didn't want to, but she sat down anyways. Sawyer curled into her mother, "I'm sorry mom!" She said, her words muffled by Peyton's shirt, "I'll do my work I promise. I'll do better."

Peyton rubbed circles onto her back, "Calm down Soy. You're sick. We'll talk about it later." She said in a tired voice.

… … …

Lucas was on the bus heading towards Creek High. He had to tell Jessica, the head cheerleader, that Sawyer was sick and wouldn't be able to cheer.

"Hey Jessica!" He went up to her as the

She looked at him uncomfortably, "Hey Mr. Scott."

"Sawyer won't be able to cheer tonight. She got sick. I'm really sorry."

Jessica looked at him slightly confused, "Umm this is awkward."

"What's wrong?" Lucas asked confused.

She hesitated, "I already told Sawyer she couldn't cheer today. She hasn't been to practice this week, and we just learned the choreography so…umm I'm sorry."

Lucas's face turned grave. He took a deep breath, "Thanks Jess."

He went to sit down. He wanted to leave the bus and go straight home, but he couldn't. He decided against texting Peyton. They'd talk once he got home.

Drama for the next chapter :D...I needed to set it up in this chapter, so sorry for the lack of action. But I still hope you liked it. Please remember to review! You are all awesome!...Also, if you have any ideas or suggestions. SOmething you'd like to see, feel free to write it in! I'll gladly do it.