Thank you to everybody who reviewed! It definitely inspired me to finish this sooner! And as for where Rachel is, this story takes place almost right after Brooke and Lucas's breakup...therefore, Brooke and Rachel aren't quite best friends yet. Rachel is still in the hospital after the accident.

The next morning, Lucas arrived at the hospital slightly more composed, a bouquet of yellow roses in his hand. He could only hope that she would receive him better this time. He approached the front desk, where a redheaded woman was seated, giving approved visitors passes.

"I'm here to see Brooke Davis," he said.

"Brooke Davis," the woman repeated, typing the name into the computer. "Ah, yes. Psychiatric ward, level four. You'll need to push the red button when you reach the white doors. Someone will come and let you in."

Lucas was slightly surprised at her location, but tried to disguise it. "Oh, okay. Thank you." She handed him a sticker with his destination printed on it, which he stuck to his chest.

He got in the elevator and made his way up to the fourth floor of the hospital. When he reached it, he wandered down until he found a pair of imposing white doors. Nervously pressing the white button, he waited until a broad woman in green scrubs opened them with an access code. She looked at his visitor's sticker and beckoned for him to enter.

"I'm here for Brooke Davis?" he said uncertainly.

The woman nodded. "Follow me."

He followed her into a room with a few small couches, a tiny television, and a large desk that overlooked it all. There were several dazed looking teenagers sitting in various places, but Brooke was nowhere to be seen.

"Miss Davis is in here," the woman said, leading the way to a smaller room off of the main room. She was sitting on a twin bed, her knees drawn up to her chest and her arms wrapped around them. He resisted the urge to wince as he saw the gauze still wrapped around her small wrists.

"Hey Brooke," he said weakly. She glanced up from what she was staring at. She didn't really acknowledge him, going back to staring at whatever was laying in front of her bare feet. Lucas approached her. He saw that the picture was from the end of summer, when he and Brooke had been nonexclusive. They were kissing at the beach, and she had snapped it with her cell phone picture. He loved that picture.

"I like to look at this," she said suddenly, her voice sounding far away. "It reminds me that things weren't always so shitty."

"Things aren't shitty, Brooke," was his immediate response. Her hazel eyes snapped to him, narrowing into a glare.

"I'm dying, Lucas," she growled. "That might not suck for you, but it sure as hell sucks for me."

"Brooke, I didn't mean.."

"As if you ever do."

"Brooke..."

"Why are you here, Lucas?"

"Because, I want to be here for you," he begged. "Please, Brooke. We can try getting you treatment. Maybe you can get better. Don't write yourself off yet."

Brooke shook her head. "There isn't that much they can do for me, Luke."

"There has to be something."

"I'm scared to do it," Brooke said after almost a minute of silence.

"Scared to do what?"

"To have chemo," Brooke explained. "Ya know, all I really am is a pretty face. With no hair, being so tired, being so worn out...I wouldn't be that anymore. I don't think I would be able to cheer. And then, if I were to die anyway...I wouldn't be able to die pretty."

"You'll always be beautiful, Brooke," Lucas said, approaching the bed where she sat. "And you know that you're more than just pretty. You're smart, and funny. You're loyal and fun. You've kept our friends together with your spirit alone. Without you, we'll all fall apart."

Brooke shook her head. "You all think you need me, but you really don't."

"Yes, we do. Especially me," Lucas said. He sat beside her, and was relieved when she didn't move away from him. "I lost Keith, the only father I ever had. Don't make me lose you, too."

"You already lost me," she croaked out, her eyes beginning to fill with tears.

"Don't say that," Lucas said, his voice full of pain. "I know that I haven't yet."

"We're done, Lucas. It's over," Brooke said, swallowing hard. "I'm sick. I'm going to die."

"Stop it!" he exclaimed, grabbing her around the shoulders and turning her to face him. "You are not going to die. And we are not over, Brooke Davis. Because I'm the guy for you, and I thought you had realized that."

"I don't deny that you're the guy for me," Brooke said, "but I'm not the girl for you, Luke. And we both know it."

"Yes, you are," Lucas argued.

"I'm tired, Lucas," Brooke said. "And I don't want to keep fighting this way. It's exhausting."

"Just...can you just let me be here for you? Even just as your friend. I need to be here for you," Lucas said. She hesitated for a moment, before nodding. "Will you at least try treatment, Brooke? Just try."

"I...I'll think about it," she said. "For now, I just...I want to rest."

"That's all right. Take some time to think about it," he said gently. He slowly took her into his arms and released the breath he felt he had been holding forever. It felt amazing to have Brooke in his arms again. She meant everything to him, and he wished more than anything that she would see that. He wished more than anything that she would just let him all the way in, because he was finally ready to do the same for her. He smiled as she nuzzled into his neck.

"Lucas?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't give up on me quite yet," she murmured. He smiled.

"Never, pretty girl. Never."

He watched her fall asleep, a smile on his face. She looked so peaceful, so content. It looked as if nothing could hurt her. He knew that this was just the beginning to a long haul. But at least he knew that he was going to be a part of it, that he could try and save her like he had promised. He had been stupid enough to let her break up with him, but he wouldn't be stupid enough to watch her get away again. He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, and began talking quietly to her.

"I guess I have to say this while you're asleep, cause I know you won't let me when you're awake. I really do love you, Brooke Davis, and I know that I'm the guy for you. I know I've hurt you so many times before, but I want to be with you and only you. Not Peyton. I could never love her like I love you. You're everything I ever dreamed of having in my life, Brooke. I just...I want to be able to have the chance to love you forever. But I can't do that if you don't fight."

"Luke?" Haley's quite voice interuppted him. She was standing before him, a sticker that matched Lucas's on her shirt.

"Hey Hales," he whispered, indicating with a nod of his head that Brooke was asleep.

"How is she?"

"I think I had a breakthrough with her," Lucas said proudly. "She agreed to try chemo."

"Lucas, that's great!" Haley excitedly whispered. "I came up to tell you that Nathan is doing better, and he should be able to go home soon."

"I'm gonna go see him once I'm done with Brooke," Lucas said, feeling slightly guilty that he had yet to actually visit his younger brother since Brooke was brought in days ago.

"He'll be happy to see you," Haley said with a smile. "So I stopped by Rachel's today, to grab some of Brooke's things..."

"And?"

"And she seems to have skipped town," Haley said, her voice completely void of any kind of sadness at this thought. "I started packing Brooke's things, because she'll be out of here tomorrow morning. She can come stay with me and Nathan."

"Hales, are you sure you can handle caring for both of them?" Lucas asked. "That's taking on a lot."

"Brooke can't be on her own right now," Haley said with a shrug. "I'm sure I can handle it."

"You know, I'm sure my mom would be okay with Brooke staying with us."

"But would Brooke be okay with that?" she asked.

The brunette girl in Lucas's arms began to stir. "Haley?" she croaked.

"Hey, Tig," Haley said with a smile. "So you get busted out tomorrow."

"Yeah," Brooke yawned, still unaware of her position with Lucas.

"Nathan does, too. I already got your stuff from Rachel's, so you can come stay with us."

"But," Lucas interuppted, "I was telling Haley that you could also come stay with me and my mom."

Brooke suddenly turned in alarm at her proximity with Lucas, but she could not deny that staying with Karen and Lucas was appealing. She knew that, without a parental figure, she really did not stand a chance against cancer.

Cancer. She hated that word. She thought of the advertisement she had made against breast cancer, and wondered if maybe lymphoma was now targeting her like some kind of enemy to its cause.

"Brooke?" Lucas asked slowly. She was shaken from her thoughts with a jolt.

"Oh. Um. Yeah, I think I'd like to stay with Karen," Brooke said softly. "I mean, I'm sorry Hales, it's just..."

"It's fine, babe," Haley said, giving her friend's hand a little squeeze.

Brooke began to cough excessively, much to the horror of both Lucas and Haley. They both began to try and soothe her, Haley jumping up to get a cup of water from the tray in the corner. Luke gently patted her back, hoping to help.

A wheezing, gasping Brooke fell into Luke's arms after a good three straight minutes of violent coughing. He stroked her chocolate locks, planting a gentle kiss on the top of her head. To his surprise, she simply held the hand that was wrapped around her body, clutching it to her posessively.

"Should I go get a nurse?" Haley asked nervously.

"No," Brooke panted. "This happens."

"Why does that happen?" Lucas asked gently.

"My immune system is basically shit," Brooke explained tiredly. "So I get coughing spells and stuff."

"Okay, pretty girl," he soothed. "You should take another nap.

"Okay," she whispered, already beginning to fall asleep.

Haley watched from the doorway, nervously playing with her hands, but a small smile spread its way across her lips. She had been rooting for Lucas and Brooke for a long time now, and she was glad to see that maybe there was a little bit of beauty from this tragedy.