Hi guys. I'm really really sorry for not updating for so long. Between packing my stuff to go back home and jetlag, there just wasn't time to do this but fortunately things have settled down somewhat. So here's the next chapter. I hope it's worth the wait. Keep on reviewing guys. You guys rock! Cheers!

Chapter 23

Nathan didn't sleep a wink last night. He spent the night alternating his eyes from the ceiling and to Haley, watching her every move. Every move she made triggered an alarm in his head. He couldn't explain his fear. He just knew that he wouldn't be able to live with himself if anything happened to her or to their baby. The sun had started to rise, its ray gently hitting Haley in her face, perfectly illuminating her smooth skin. He gently ran his fingers on her face and felt her stir. She rubbed her eyes groggily and batted her eyelashes a few times before opening her brown eyes. She smiled as soon as she saw his face.

"You're up early," she commented before kissing him.

He closed his eyes to her touch. "Yeah, I just got up," he lied. He smoothed her hair and kissed her forehead tenderly. "Hey, what do you say I make the phone call to Dr. Montgomery today?"

She went quiet for a moment. "Yeah, sure," she shrugged. She propped herself on her elbows and looked at him. "You look worried. About the baby?" she asked, voicing out his thoughts.

He didn't want to worry her. He knew that her strength came from him. "I'm sure there's nothing to worry about. Why don't you get ready while I make breakfast?" he offered.

She laughed appreciatively. "Are you sure? I mean this is our first morning as husband and wife, and you're the one who ends up making breakfast."

"It's fine. I like doing things for you. It feels nice," he said. He saw that she was starting to get and grabbed her arm. "Hey, wait," he said. He pulled her close and kissed her deeply, tasting every inch of her. "I love you so much Haley. Don't ever forget that," he said huskily. He felt his voice starting to tremble and quickly cleared his throat before releasing her. "Now go get your sexy ass in the shower," he said.

She laughed and wriggled her ass in front of him, making him laugh. She then turned to him and said before hopping in the shower, "I love you too Nathan." He smiled wanly before making his way to the kitchen. As soon as he got there, he dialed the number that he had come to know by heart and waited patiently.

"Hello? Doctor Montgomery? It's Nathan Scott. I was just wondering, would it possible for me and Haley to come see this morning?" he asked.

"Yeah sure. I was just about to call you. I've got the results of the scan ready, so could you come in at ten?"

Nathan nodded and said, "couldn't you just tell me the results over the phone?"

"No, I'd rather you and Haley come in first," she said.

"Ok, we'll be there at ten. We'll see you then." He hung up and stared out of the window, feeling incredibly anxious. He shook his head in an attempt to discard any bad thought and concentrated on making a healthy breakfast for his new wife.

An hour later the car cruised along the parking lot at the hospital as Nathan looked for an empty spot. Haley tapped her fingers anxiously on her seat as she watched his brows furrowed. She knew that he was as nervous as she was. She was hoping that the pain in her stomach would go away, but it didn't although she didn't want to tell Nathan, fearing that it would worry him more. She got out of the car as Nathan rushed to her side to hold her hand. She felt him squeeze her hand and smiled reassuringly at him.

"Are you ready?" she asked.

"Yeah, I think so. Come on," he said and led her to Dr. Montgomery's office. As soon as they entered the doctor came in with a file in her hands.

"Good morning Haley. Nathan," she greeted them warmly. "Why don't you two have a seat."

Haley sat down next to Nathan and they exchanged nervous looks. "Doctor," she said. "I don't mean to be rude but could you tell us the results please? I've been having this pain in my stomach and I guess I'm just worried that something's wrong with the baby."

Doctor Montgomery looked at them and said with a straight face, "I don't want to alarm you but from the scan the other day, it looks like your baby might have a hole in her heart. It's still too early to tell but I just would like to prepare you."

"A hole? In her heart?" Nathan stammered and watched as Haley's hand flew to her mouth.

"Oh God," she whimpered and felt the tears starting to fall. Nathan put an arm around her and pulled her close as he let her cry. He felt too numb to react and just stared at the doctor blankly.

"How? Why?" he managed to say.

"There's no explanation for this condition and I'm really sorry to have to tell you this. But she could have a surgery after she is born but let's just take it one step at a time, shall we?" the doctor said.

Haley turned her head and looked at her. "She? Our baby's a girl?"

The doctor looked stricken as she realized that she just let out that information when they told her that they didn't want to find out the baby's sex earlier on. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have told you."

Haley shook her head through her tears. "No, it's fine." She looked at Nathan and gave him a watery smile. "We're gonna have a girl," she whispered softly and starting crying again.

"So what do you think we should do?" Nathan asked the doctor.

"I will monitor Haley's pregnancy to make sure that there's no complications, but she might have to deliver earlier than scheduled. You both will have to come and see me every week and we'll keep track of the progress together."

"What about her survival rate?" Nathan asked. His heart felt like a heavy stone had pulled it right down to the pits of his stomach as soon as he heard the doctor tell him about the baby, but most of all he was concerned about Haley. He knew that if anything happened to their baby girl, it would kill her inside.

"Like I said, we'll take it one step at a time but we may have to perform a surgery on her at one point after she is born."

Haley continued to listen with one ear. The rest of the morning felt like a blur to her. All she could think about was her unborn little girl and what the future held for her. She could already feel a tear threatening to fall and took a deep breath. Next to her, she could sense the worry and fear Nathan had but she felt helpless herself. A few minutes later, she felt him rise from his chair and she followed suit, his voice and the doctor's intermingling although she didn't really hear what they were saying. All she wanted to do right now was to go home and lay in bed where she could at least feel some form of safety and comfort.

She went straight to the bedroom as soon as they got home. Nathan watched her carefully from the corner of his eyes. She had been quiet in the car throughout the journey home and he didn't want to push her. He knew that she was thinking about what the doctor said. A jumble of emotions ran through him at that moment. Fear and anger kept mingling until he didn't know which one was greater than the other. He made his way tentatively to their bedroom, unsure of what state he would find Haley in. He found her lying on the bed with her eyes open, staring at the empty ceiling.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked and sat down next to her. She turned to face him and smiled wanly.

"I'm not sure. It's still a big shock to me," she said softly and sat up and leaned against the bedpost.

He caressed her face softly. "I know baby. But it's gonna be alright. I promise," he said. He didn't know why he said that. He just knew that he would say anything to make her feel better.

She smiled and took his hand. "Thank you for being here Nathan. It means a lot to me."

He shook his head vehemently. "You have nothing to thank for. I love you. I would do anything for you. You know that, don't you?" He felt reassured when he saw her nod. He bent his head and kissed her softly, wishing that that one single kiss could erase the nightmare that they had fallen into. He pulled back when he felt the tear threatening to fall. He didn't want her to see him cry.

"Hey, is it okay if I go to the Rivercourt for a bit?" he asked.

"Yeah, sure," Haley said, knowing full well that Rivercourt had always been a place that could offer him some sort of sanctuary. She wanted him to be with her, but decided to let him go.

"Will you be alright on your own? I promise I'll be back soon," he said and kissed her again. He didn't want to leave her, but he needed to get away for a while.

She cupped his face in her hand, loving the way his handsome face fit in her palm. "I'll be fine. I'll make us some lunch while you're gone." He nodded and left before she could say anything else.

Nathan bounced his basketball absentmindedly while sitting on the small bleachers at the Riverside. There was nobody there which was how he liked it. Usually there would be some of his friends, Skills, Mouth or even Lucas playing basketball at the court. It was as if they knew that he needed the space. He mind kept going back to the conversation he had with the doctor about their baby. How could a baby that small have a hole in her heart. How was it fair that it had to be their baby? How was it fair to Haley after all that she went through.

His heart almost dropped when he heard the doctor tell him about their unborn baby's condition. She had warned them that there could be complications during the delivery and his heart went cold as he thought about it. He couldn't let anything happen to Haley or their baby. He wouldn't. With a start he realized how much Haley and their baby meant to him. Sure he knew without a doubt that he loved her, with all his heart he did. But now he knew that he couldn't live without either one of them. He felt anger creeping back in his veins. With a frustrated scream, he threw his basketball as hard as he could to no one in particular.

"Hey little brother. What's with the anger?" Lucas's voice shook him out of his reverie. He chased after the ball and managed to catch and brought it back to his brother, who was looking more and more upset by the minute. "What's bugging you?" he asked as he sat down next to Nathan.

"Haley and I just got back from the doctor's," Nathan said absentmindedly.

"Is everything okay?" Lucas asked, his voice filled with concern.

Nathan shook his head. "No, everything is not alright," he said angrily. "Nothing's alright!"

Lucas put a hand on his arm to calm him down. "Hey hey. Talk to me," he said.

Nathan took a deep breath to calm himself down. "The doctor said that our baby could possibly have a hole in her heart," he said, struggling to get the words out.

"What?" Lucas asked disbelievingly. "Oh God Nate. I'm so sorry. Is there anything I can do?" Lucas offered. Nathan kept silent and shook his head dejectedly.

"No, I can't do anything. What makes you think you can?" he said angrily. He then realized that his words might have sounded a bit harsh. "I'm sorry Luke. I didn't mean to-"

"Hey, it's okay," Lucas said, cutting him off mid-sentence. "How's Haley taking it?"

"She cried when she first heard it, but she looked fine when I left her at home justnow. I just wish there was something I could do. Haley looks up to me for strength and honestly, right now, I don't feel all that strong. It's just so unfair. Everything is going so well. And now this?"

Lucas squeezed his arm and said, "hey, you'll get through this. You both will. What did the doctor say was gonna happen next?"

"She just said that she would monitor Haley's pregnancy and that there's a possibility that there could be complications later on. And when the baby's born, she's gonna have to go through a surgery to correct her heart." There was a pregnant pause before Nathan started crying. "I can't lose her Luke. And I can't lose the baby. God I love her so much," he said brokenly as the tears ran down his cheeks unchecked.

Lucas put his arm around him and patted him gently. "You won't lose them. Everything's gonna be alright."

"That's what I said to Haley. The thing is I don't even believe that everything's gonna be alright anymore. I've been having this feeling for quite some time, like something bad was gonna happen and I couldn't shake it off. And now I know what it is and there's nothing I can do to stop it."

"There is something you could do Nate," Lucas said.

Nathan looked up to him questioningly. "What? Just tell me what I can do and I'll do it."

"You can go home and be with Haley. She needs you right now Nate. You can't make it all go away by running here. Go home. Go be with your wife." Nathan looked at his older brother and realized that he was right. He needed to be home with Haley. He nodded and clutching his basketball tightly in his arm, made his way to his car.

He called her name as soon as he got home. "Haley?" There was no answer and panic rushed through him. Did something happen to her while he was gone. His fears were allayed when he heard her call out to him from the kitchen.

"I'm in the kitchen. How does mac and cheese for lunch sound?" she asked. He breathed a sigh of relief and walked hurriedly to where she was standing at the kitchen sink and wound his arms around her waist protectively.

He buried his face in her neck and breathed in her scent. "I've missed you," he declared and spun her around before kissing her long and hard. He then pulled away and rested his forehead against hers. "How are you feeling? Are you feeling any pain? Anything at all?" he asked worriedly.

Haley laughed dismissively. "Nathan, stop it. I'm fine."

"But you will tell me if you're in pain, right? Promise me you will," he said urgently.

She saw how worried he was and nodded in agreement. "I promise." She saw that he was reassured somewhat and said, "so mac and cheese?"

"Anything you want baby," he said without letting her go.

"Emm...Nathan. It's gonna be a bit difficult for me to make lunch when you won't let go of my hand," she said pointedly. He stared at their hands clasped together and reluctantly let her go although he still wouldn't leave her side.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he suddenly asked.

Her hand went still from chopping onions and she took in a deep breath before turning to face him. "Do you?" He kept silent at her question. "Nathan, I'm scared," she suddenly said. "I don't care about what's gonna happen to me. I'm just worried about the baby."

"Don't say that. Don't you ever say that anything's gonna happen to you! Do you hear me? I can't Haley. I can't lose you. I just can't." He sobbed brokenly in her arms as she held him close. "I'm sorry. I'm supposed to be strong and here I am bawling like a kid."

"It's okay Nathan. You don't have to be strong all the time," she said. "Listen to me. If anything happens to me-"

"No, don't," he said warningly.

"Nathan," she said and took his face in her hands. "If anything happens to me," she repeated. "Promise me that you'll take care of our baby, that you'll love her with all your heart. Promise me."

He stared at her beautiful face and wondered again how anything so cruel could happen to such a beautiful angel that was her wife. He nodded reluctantly and said, "I promise."

"Good. By the way, I told my parents that they don't have to move back to Tree Hill," she said in an attempt to change the subject.

"What? Why? You need them especially with all this going on," he said in protest.

"Nathan, my dad loves his job too much and I can't let him move back here just for me. It sounds pretty selfish."

"And did they agree?" he asked.

"I managed to persuade them, so they're only staying here a week at most." She saw again the worry etched in his face. "I'll be fine. I have you to take care of me, don't I?"

He pulled her into his arms again and said in her ear, "You will always have me, no matter what."

A/N: Well, what do you think? Love it or do you feel like killing me already? Let me know guys! :)