A Season in Purgatory
Chapter 33

Luke sat on the porch swing, still staring at the printed documents in front of him. He looked over at Brooke and shook his head in disbelief. "There has to be a mistake, Brooke. This can't be right." He literally felt like someone had just punched him in the stomach.

She gave him a sad smile, hating that she had to be the bearer of bad news. She ached at the look of absolute betrayal that was written on his face. "Look at the signature at the bottom, Lucas. Those documents were scanned into your official hospital file from the night of the accident." She might not be a medical records expert but anyone could see that the consent to operate form was signed by Dan Scott, as was the credit card receipt for his entire hospital bill.

Lucas shook his head in complete shock. "This can't be true. I've asked about that night repeatedly and no one ever mentioned Dan being there," he emphatically stated, his memory slicing and dicing every conversation he'd ever had about the accident. He frowned slightly, remembering something Keith said last week about talking to Dan the night of the accident. But he'd said that was on the cell phone, not that Dan had been at the hospital.

Brooke shrugged her shoulders, pretty sure that the hospital documents told the true story. On the other hand, that meant that the people closest to Lucas were lying. "I think you need to have a long talk with your mom, Lucas, because these documents clearly say that Dan brought you and Keith to the hospital after the wreck and that he signed for you to have surgery."

Disbelief settled in quickly. He couldn't understand why his mom and Keith would lie about something that was ultimately so unimportant. Yes, he hated Dan, but why would they all conspire to lie to him about his father's involvement with the accident? He slumped back against the swing, letting silence descend around them.

"I knew they were lying about something," he suddenly said, drawing Brooke's attention from her own deep thoughts about not wanting to go home to that horrible house. "It just sat in the back of my brain and wouldn't go away." Lucas had given up on ever recovering his memories from that time. There was a good month or so of time that he simply couldn't remember, no matter how hard he tried. But he also knew there was a good reason he couldn't let the night of the accident go. His instincts had always told him there was something more to the story than he knew.

She reached out and held his hand. "What are you going to do now?" she asked, aching for the pain she saw written on his face. Brooke knew what it felt like to have your trust violated and to not feel safe around those you lived with.

"I'm going to sit down and have a long talk with my mother tomorrow," he decided, knowing he was too angry to actually talk to Karen about it now. He was afraid of what he'd say to her while his wounds were still fresh from the argument at the Café. He pulled Brooke closer to where he sat and put his arm around her.

"Can I stay here tonight?" she asked in a small voice, knowing that he was upset and could use her company. The idea of spending the night curled up next to Lucas warmed her like no down comforter could.

He thought about how horrible his day had been and how calm she made him feel. There was no use being alone when it wouldn't take much effort to hide Brooke's presence from his mother. Karen was more than likely not going to speak to him the rest of the night anyway. Lucas pulled her up off the swing and opened the door to his room. "Come on, I've got some tequila left over from last weekend's party," he said, knowing that at least for tonight they'd have a good time.

Karen stood uncertainly next to her car, not sure how to end her conversation with Dan. Things were going so well between the two of them that she was almost hesitant to get in her car and drive home.

Silently observing her deliberation, Dan finally smiled down at her slight form and spoke. "I'd be flattered that you wanted to stay and talk to me longer, but I have a feeling you are using me to avoid going home," he said, a flirtatious smirk lighting up his handsome features. He'd drawn out their conversation, relishing the opportunity to connect with the woman who was such a fundamental part of his early life. Dan was reluctant to leave the warmth of her Café to go back to his dark, empty house.

Sighing, Karen leaned against her old Volvo and considered his words. "You know me too well, Danny," she said, looking up into his eyes. "He's going to be so angry and I'm too tired to deal with his attitude tonight."

"I can't blame him for being upset," Dan admitted, knowing that he was the source of the boy's recent misbehavior. "He's just reacting to me, Karen. I can't help but think all of this is my fault." Dan Scott was not one to feel regret but in that instance, his heart was full of it. Lucas, Deb, Daniel . . . He'd betrayed the trust of those who should have loved him most. And in the end, the only person to blame was himself.

He looked down at her face, beautifully bathed in the diffused light of the streetlamp. "I'll understand if you want to stop the plan." He didn't want to stop trying to be part of his son's life, but he'd respect Karen's decision if she felt that was best. He could be egotistical and ruthless at times, but he didn't have the heart to cause this woman any more distress.

"No, I pushed Lucas too hard tonight. We'll stick with the dinners and go from there," she asserted, knowing that in the end Lucas would have the security of an extended family. It was all she'd ever wanted for her son and it was now seemed possible, if she could just help him work through his anger.

He smiled at her, washing himself in her purity. She'd always had that affect on him, she'd always taken the lesser parts of his personality and made them better, kinder, nicer. Being around her always made him a more optimistic person. "It's going to be okay Karen. I may not win father of the year but I will eventually get him to talk to me. Have you ever known anyone to resist my charms for long?" he teased, encouraged by the playful smile that finally emerged from her.

"Mrs. Stanton," she replied, a matter of fact smirk spread across her face. Her smile grew at his confusion.

"Mrs. Who?" he asked. Dan wasn't one to linger on names of people who drifted in and out of his life.

"Our 8th grade math teacher. I think she went as far as calling you a vile snake in class once," she reminded him. The woman had warned Karen about Dan all those years ago, as she'd seen that he was going to bring her heartache.

He nodded in remembrance. "I haven't thought about that woman in 20 years," Dan recalled, pulling up the memories of an old woman in stretch polyester suits who had it out for him.

"It was a long time ago," she agreed, suddenly feeling the chill of the night creeping around them. She shook the past off and looked at her ex with trepidation. "I have to go home eventually, unless you are giving me your beach house," she joked, tears suddenly springing to her eyes. The beach was one of Luke's favorite places.

Dan saw the anxiety written on her face and moved closer toward her. "It's going to be okay, Kar," he said, impulsively drawing her into a hug. His spontaneous move shocked them both, even as she relaxed into his embrace. He moved his hand against her hair, relishing the feel of her small body next to his, no matter how inappropriate it was. It had been a long time since he'd held a woman and he couldn't prevent the flood of past memories from washing over them.

"It will work out," he repeated, feeling her nod into his chest. He continued holding her, ignoring how much it scared him that he didn't want to let her go.

Brooke giggled as she killed the last of the tequila and accidentally dropped the empty bottle on the hardwood floor of Luke's bedroom. "See, all gone," She said, giggling as Lucas flipped over the edge of the bed to see where the rolling bottle went.

"Oh god," he said, as the room spun in and out of focus. Brooke helped pull him back onto the bed, the empty bottle forgotten as he felt her silky skin move over his. His lips found hers and the spinning room was momentarily blotted out by her searching tongue against his.

She felt a sudden touch, as a hand slid up her shirt and she let out an involuntary shriek. Lucas pulled away and looked at her, feeling the tension in her body despite his drunken state. "Brooke, are you okay?" he asked, concerned filling his slurred words. They'd fooled around before and she'd never reacted that way before. If he'd been sober he might have attributed the reaction to fear.

"I'm fine," she softly said, rolling over on her back. She felt his weight shift as he settled beside her, raised up on one elbow so he could look at her. "I didn't mean to scare you," he offered, confused by her heated passion and cold withdrawal in such a brief moment. His compromised sobriety complicated the situation, as he wasn't sure what was the booze and what was reality.

Brooke took a few steadying breaths and forced her heart to stop pounding… forcing the images of another drunken tryst and roving hands from her mind. She suddenly craved another shot…anything to make the memories go away.

He looked at her doubtfully, realizing that something important had just happened even if he wasn't sober enough to understand it. She reached over and gently kissed him, trying to reassure him. "We need to get some sleep, Broody." His concerned lowered a bit and he pulled up the worn quilt, covering her slight body with it. Their buzz was fleeting, but still enough to deaden the pain. Some nights that's all you could ask for, he reasoned, as they drifted off to sleep.

Thanks for reading.