Sorry for the long wait, school is killing me...

So remember how I said I was writing for last chapter and I had a test the next day? Well, yeah, I failed it... oops...

Thanks for all the amazing and kind reviews. I am so inspired by all of your support and kind words. Seriously because this story would still be in my brain if it wasn't for all of you... Thank you for sticking with it, and I'm glad you guys like it. Only three more chapters left... I'm kind of sad because this has been really fun to write BUT I have more ideas for stories..

Speaking of which, I will probably begin finishing "Give Your Heart a Break" and because pretty much every review for "Sweeter Than Fiction" told me to write an epilogue, I will do that, too... probably some time next week.

BTW I know NOTHING about medical terms and I completely made everything up, so sorry if it's wrong...

Thanks :)

*This chapter is based on the song "Forever and Always" by Parachute... I listened to it while writing.

PART ONE: THE BEGINNING OF THE END

About Three months later:

Haley walked through her apartment door carrying a few bags of groceries, and sighed deeply when she walked further into the living room. She dropped the heavy bags on the kitchen counter, and stared at the lifeless form sprawled across the living room couch. She once again let out a small sigh, and ran a hand through her wavy hair. She closed her eyes tightly as she gathered in the scene in front of her.

Nathan was lying flat on his back, with empty beer cans scattered around him next to the couch. He had a five o'clock shadow, and his raven black hair was shaggy and grew past his ears. His right knee was propped up on a large pillow, and a brace was wrapped around it. An empty pizza box was sitting on the coffee table, and dirty napkins were rolled into balls, and thrown around the room. The television was flashing with scenes of men in army suits, which Haley presumed to be some action movie.

Haley's gaze fell back on Nathan, and she had to blink rapidly to stop the tears from falling. She had cried herself to sleep every night for the past three months.

She missed Nathan.

The old Nathan.

She wasn't used to the lifeless Nathan who would lie on the couch all day, and barely say one word to her.

This wasn't supposed to happen... it wasn't part of the plan.

She wanted the old Nathan.

The one who would make her blush, and smile, and give her butterflies.

She still loved him. She would always love him. But her patience was running thin. She didn't want to give up on him- or them. But she was starting to question how much longer she could do this. Everyday she would come home from work, and Nathan would be in the same position she had seen him since the morning. He wouldn't talk to her, and when he did, he would have an attitude, and grunt less then five words. She would constantly bring him food, and clean up after him, but he never did anything.

In the beginning, she put up with it- figuring it was just part of the healing process- but it has gotten to the part where she didn't know if she could do it anymore.

This wasn't the Nathan she fell in love with. She wanted that Nathan back. The one who swept her off her feet. The one who went out of his way to make her happy.

She didn't know this Nathan.

She tried everything in her power to help him. She really did. Everyday she would make an attempt to try and get him to go out, but he would always say no... he wasn't 'ready', and he didn't want people to see him like 'that'. Everyone came to their apartment, but no one could get through to him. Not Brooke, Not Peyton, not Jake, not Deb, Karen, Keith, Dan, and not even Lucas, nor Clay. Haley didn't know what else to do. She just wanted him to be okay again.

While she was at work, Lucas would take Nathan to the doctor or physical therapy, but he wouldn't even say a word to Lucas the whole day. Lucas was not like Haley... he didn't take any shit from Nathan.

Nathan felt another presence in the room, and he slowly opened his blood shot eyes. He watched as Haley started to pick up the beer bottles.

"I want another one." He grunted in a low voice.

Haley turned around at the sound of his strained voice. "I think you've had enough for the day." She said in a low, yet firm tone.

"I want another one." Nathan bit out harshly.

Haley inhaled deeply, and exhaled slowly, in order to calm herself down. "No."

"Haley." Nathan bellowed. "Get me a beer!"

Haley jumped a little, as she felt the house shake from Nathan's shout. She swallowed the lump in her throat. She was trying not to cry, but she couldn't fight it. Nathan never raised his voice to her like that. She was actually quite frightened.

Nathan could tell he had scared her, and he shut his eyes tightly. He didn't want to act like this, but he couldn't help it.

"I said no, Nathan." Haley said sternly.

"Alcohol is the only thing that heals the pain." Nathan whispered.

"I'm trying to help you, Nathan!" Haley shouted. "What do you want from me?"

"I want a beer." He said in monotone voice.

Haley keeled down next to the couch and placed her small hand on Nathan's arm."I'm worried about you Nathan." She said as she blinked rapidly in attempt to stop the tears from falling out of her watery eyes.

Nathan had to look away from her. His heart was wrenching at the sight of her breaking. He could feel it. He was hurting her. He never wanted to be the one to hurt her. He hated it. He hated making her cry. He would hear her cry every night when she thought he was asleep. He felt like the biggest ass on the planet. He didn't think he deserved her. He didn't want to admit it, but he knew it. He was causing her pain.

"Just go." Nathan sighed, and pushed her hand off of him.

Haley stood up and felt a tear cascade down her soft cheek. "I want to help you. I love y-"

"There's nothing you can do!" Nathan shouted again. "I lost everything! I can't play in the NBA anymore. I'm a nobody! I'm never getting it back! I have nothing!" He said in a frustrated voice.

Haley's heart shattered into a million pieces. At this rate, more tears were falling, and she couldn't stop it. "You have nothing?" She cried incredulously. "Do I mean nothing to you? Did you forget that I was here for you all this time? I am trying to help you Nathan! I miss you!" She screamed as her voice cracked, and she choked out a loud sob. "God, I miss you so much! I don't even know who you are anymore." She said sadly. "But, I promise you, one more night of this, and you will nothing!" Haley shouted as she threw a beer can, and it shattered into a million pieces. "I just want the old Nathan back. I want everything we dreamed of to come true..."

"That Nathan is gone." Nathan said gruffly.

Haley furiously wiped her tears away. "Nathan you need to figure out what you want to do because I don't know how much longer I can do this-"

"Just go." Nathan said sadly as a small tear fell from the corner of his eye. "You'll be better off without me."

Haley choked out a loud sob, and felt her knees start to give out. "So this is it?" She said as her bottom lip quivered. "You're willing to throw away everything we've worked so hard for? Do I really mean nothing to you?" Haley cried.

Nathan clenched his jaw, and he wanted to get up and hold Haley in his arms and tell her everything would be okay... "All I do is hurt you. Just go Haley. Be happy, you don't need me." He said those words, and felt his heart breaking. He wanted to die. He never felt worse than he did at this moment.

Haley closed her eyes, and sniffled. She bent down and picked up her purse, and walked towards the door. She suddenly stopped and turned around to see Nathan wiping tears from his eyes.

"Do you even know that our one year anniversary is next week?" She whispered in a broken voice.

Nathan sighed and put his hands over his face. He didn't say anything. He couldn't. There was a giant lump in his throat, and he wanted to scream and cry, but he waited until Haley left to break down. Haley looked at him, and shook her head as she walked out the door, and ran to her car. Of course it had to be raining. It was ironic, really. It would always rain whenever Nathan and Haley had gotten into a fight, but ten minutes later, they would make up in the rain. This time, Haley didn't think they'd be making up...

She got into her car and broke down. She could barely breathe. She was choking violently on air, and her mascara was running down her face. How did things get like this? Everything was his injury.

Nathan was lying flat on his back with his hands rubbing furiously at his eyes. He wanted the pain to stop. He didn't think it could get worse, but it did. The minute Haley walked out the door, he blubbered like a baby. He cried for what felt like hours. This time, he didn't care about losing his job. He only cared about Haley, and now she was gone too. She was right... she was the only good thing he had left, and now he royally 'fucked' that up to. He didn't know what he was going to do. Haley was gone. He knew it was better for her, but he didn't know how he'd survive without her. He knew he should have been more appreciative of her, especially since she has been doing everything for him over the past few months, but he thought that if he kept things to himself he wouldn't hurt her. It ended up blowing up in his face anyway because she still got hurt. She was the only thing that had been keeping him alive, because he knew in the back of his mind he still had her, but he took advantage of her. She deserved so much more than Nathan. The truth is, he knew Haley would eventually leave him because he was now a dead beat, so when she thought he was sulking over losing his career, he was really just thinking about how eventually she would leave him. He just wanted her to do it already... he didn't want to wait. Nathan felt she should be with someone who had a real job.. could be a real man.. and treat her right. At the thought of Haley being with another man, Nathan choked out a blood curdling cry. It sounded like he was dying... he felt like he was dying.

He squeezed his eyes shut, and instantly his mind flash backed to the moment everything changed:

It was a clear path straight to the basket. His heart pounded with every step he took. He got closer and closer to the basket, and he got seconds away from obtaining his dream. He could see it in his mind. Haley would rush over to him, and he'd spin her around, and kiss her with everything he had in him. Nathan was a foot away from the basket, and in the corner of his mind he could see a tall man rushing straight towards him. The adrenaline was rushing through his veins, and he knew it was now or never.

Nathan quickly threw the ball up in the air- a second before the opposing player rammed him onto his side- and Nathan's world went black. He never even knew if the ball made it in or not.

Once everyone realized the player who shot the winning basket, was on the ground, paramedics ran out onto court and checked to see if he was okay. Nathan's eyes were closed, and he cracked his skull open onto the hard court, so a puddle of blood was forming. He landed on his right knee, and the bone was slightly protruded through the skin. The referee immediately called everyone off the court, and people were gathering around to see what was happening. Haley couldn't see through the mass of people, but she pushed her way through and when she saw the blood, she immediately started to cry. She felt Tanya clasp her hand around her waist in attempt to steady her.

"He's gonna be okay." She said soothingly.

Haley just squeezed her eyes shut, hoping this would be all a bad dream. When she opened her eyes, she still saw Nathan passed out on the court. She needed to know if he was okay. She then noticed Brooke and Lucas come up behind her, but they had no idea what was happening.

"Hales, where's Nate?"

Haley's face turned white, and she couldn't speak.

Lucas followed her gaze, and he felt his heart stop. "Holy shit!" She screamed, and grabbed Haley's hand to get closer to the paramedics who were lifting Nathan onto a stretcher.

"Excuse me, you two are not allowed to be here." A gruff security guard said in a deep voice.

Haley's tears were pouring out of her eyes at a rapid pace. "He-He-He's my boy-boyfriend!" She blubbered. "Is he okay?"

"I don't know ma'am, you're going to have to talk to the paramedic."

Haley sniffled, and screamed for a paramedic. "Ma'am, you're going to have to leave." He quickly dismissed.

"NATHAN IS MY BOYFRIEND! SOMEBODY PLEASE JUST TELL ME IF HE IS OKAY!" She shouted as her voice cracked.

The paramedic gave her a sympathetic look. "We don't know yet. He's breathing, but he's unconscious, and he needs stitches in his scalp. We don't know if there is brain damage, and we're going to need to get an X-ray on his knee. We're taking him to St. William's Hospital. We'll give you more information as soon as we can."

Haley couldn't say anything, she was still processing the red headed man's words. She couldn't remember anything that happened after that. She was in a daze. All she could think about was how she and Nathan should be celebrating the Bobcat's sweet victory, but instead, she some how ended up in the hospital waiting room. Lucas and Brooke took her, and shortly after, Dan, Deb, Karen, and Keith made it to the hospital.

Haley was rolled up in a ball, and had her head in her knees, sobbing violently. Dan immediately went over to find doctors and make sure his son was being treated properly, and Deb was crying hysterically. Haley slowly got up and made it over to her, and fell apart in her boyfriend's mother's arms.

"Oh.. Haley!" Deb cried. "He's going to be okay."

Haley sniffled, and embraced the older woman. "I just- I love him so much- I.. I can't live without him.."
"I know, Haley." Deb said sympathetically, and wiped her tears. "But the doctor said he was going to be okay."

Haley nodded solemnly and went back to sit on the bench. She laid down and Brooke wrapped a sweatshirt around her, in attempt to stop her from shaking.

Hours- which felt like years, decades, even- passed, and the doctor finally came out with Nathan's results.

"We had to give him thirty two stitches in his skull because there was a large crack in the back of his head. He's still unconscious and unfortunately there is nothing we can do to wake him up... it has to be a natural thing. It could take anywhere from the next few hours to the next few months. He has to be on a breathing ventilator just in case he stops breathing. We ran a CT scan, and all activity seems to be normal- besides the fact he is not woken up yet- but we also ran an X-Ray on his knee, and because he landed directly on the knee, the knee cap twisted a full three hundred and sixty degrees, so we had to put a brace around the knee. The bone also bent on a ninety degree angle, so the bone is poking through the skin. So we had to do a surgical procedure in order to place it back into place. However, a part of the bone has tore through the muscle, which is going to take recovery much longer than normal." The doctor finally finished in his sophisticated voice.

Dan took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair, "What about his basketball career?"

Deb instantly smacked her husband in the chest, and rolled her eyes, "Is that really what you're thinking about right now?" She snapped harshly.

The doctor gave a sympathetic smile, and blew out a deep breath. "Well it really depends on the rehab that Nathan will endure. With some people, they are never able to walk right again. We need to see how he walks when he gets up, so we are waiting. He may need to walk with a crutch for the rest of his life, but it may not be as bad as we think, so after about a year of rehab he may be able to walk normal, but I would not encourage to play on a professional level anymore. I'm sorry." The elderly, white haired doctor said.

Dan's eyes shot closed, "So you're saying he's never going to play again."

"We still don't know yet, Mr. Scott. I'm sorry. The good news is that your son is alive, and you can go in a visit him."

Everyone let the doctor's words process through their minds, and took turn's going into his room.

A few hours later, everyone left to get a few hours of sleep- except Haley. She stayed in Nathan's room.

She pulled up a chair next to his bed and never took her eyes off of him. Her eyes were swollen, and red, and probably had mascara all over her face, but she didn't care. She just wanted Nathan to wake up so she could look into his blue eyes and tell him how much she loved him, and needed him.

She took his hand in her smaller hand and kissed it gently. Tears were still falling from her eyes.

She finally cleared her throat and decided to talk to him- even f he couldn't hear.

"Nathan..." She choked. "I need you to wake up. I love you so much. I need you to be okay. You're my everything. No matter what happens, I will always be here for you. Forever." She managed a small smile through her tears. "I need you to wake up, so we can celebrate your win. You won the championship baby. You did it. I knew you could. You were amazing." Haley took another deep breath, and glanced over his pale face. His features were softened, and he had dried blood in his hair. "You need to wake up because so many people love you. I love you! Your parents are so worried about you. Lucas- god he's a mess. So is Brooke. We all are. I need you to wake up because we made a promise. Always and forever. Remember? We're going to get married, and have five kids. Three boys, and two little girls. They're all going to look like you. I hope they have those beautiful blue eyes of yous. God I love those eyes. They're beautiful. I want to see you open those eyes so I can get lost in them. We're going to build a big house on the beach, with ten bedroom. Remember? And we can even get a dog if you want. We can get anything you want. I just... please.. Nathan.. baby.. I love you more than you will ever know. Please wake up." Haley said as a final tear rolled down her cheek.

She stared at his motionless body, and swore she felt his finger wiggle.

She bit her lip, and waited patiently to see if he would wake up.

Nathan remembered hearing a soft angelic voice telling him to wake up. His life flashed before his eyes: He and Haley would get married on the beach, build their dream home together, and have four- possibly five had to wake up. He wanted that more than anything. The first thing he saw was a bright light, and let out a small groan. Once his eyes adjusted to the light, he saw Haley leaning over him with a tear-stained face, and a wide smile.

"Oh my god! Nathan! You're awake!" She exclaimed.

Nathan could only say the first thing he thought of: "Am I in heaven?" He said and attempted to give her his trademark smirk.

Haley's exhaled sharply and started to cry again. She leaned down and captured Nathan's lips in a gentle, yet passionate kiss. She then pulled away, and looked at him.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

Nathan's eyes closed again, "I don't know. I can't feel anything."

"That's normal. You're on strong medicine to heal the pain." Haley said matter-of-factly.

"What happened?" Nathan groaned, and it instantly dawned on him, that the last thing he remembered was him dribbling the ball down the court, and throwing the ball in the air. He instantly tried to sit up, but he couldn't so his eyes widened, "Oh my god! Did the ball go in? Did we win?"

Haley laughed through her tears, and rolled her eyes playfully. She smiled widely and rubbed her thumb over his cheek. "The Charlotte Bobcats won the Championship, all because of you baby. The ball went in! You scored the winning basket."

Nathan smiled through the pain. "All i remember was seeing a Laker sprinting toward me..."

Haley frowned, "He knocked you down, and you got hurt. Baby, I was so worried about you!" Haley cried again, and Nathan tried his best to embrace her.

"It's okay. I'm okay." He assured her. "I love you Haley James."

"I love you too, Nathan Scott."

Nathan smiled softly, but it didn't remain long. The doctors came rushing in, and broke the news that would forever change his life.

Haley held his hand in a tight grasp, and Nathan completely zoned out as the doctor told him everything that happened. The only words that registered with Nathan were, "You may not be able to walk the same."

Nathan didn't even have to ask. He knew his career was over.

He had a vacant look in his eye, and he could feel Haley kiss his cheek, but he didn't do anything. He heard her say everything would be okay, and that they would get through this.

His mind was racing a million miles a second. He wanted to go back to sleep- and he never wanted to wake up.

Nathan finally snapped out of his flashback and groaned. He took a deep breath and mustered every strength he had in him, and pushed himself off the couch. He grabbed his crutches and hopped over to his and Haley's bedroom. His eyes snapped shut as he let the smell of Haley's perfume invade his nostrils. He continued over to his side of the dresser, and pulled out the top drawer. He lifted up a few shirts and grabbed the square black box in his palm. Despite the excruciating pain- He hobbled over to the bed and sat down, taking the black box with him. He inhaled deeply, and slowly opened the box, revealing the large diamond ring. When it was ready, he had picked it up from the jeweler in Charlotte months before his accident, and stored it in his drawer. Nathan's eyes mulled over the ring, and smiled softly. In one week, he planned on proposing to Haley. The smile that adjourned on his face, quickly turned into a frown now that he realized he would never be able to accomplish his dream.

The ring was absolutely beautiful. He had his grandma's old band; she said to give it to the woman he would marry one day, and he was only allowed to give it to one girl. The right girl. Of course, Nathan laughed and rolled his eyes. He was only seventeen when she gave him that ring, and at that time he never thought about marriage- until Haley. He replaced the ring with new diamonds, and he picked out a larger, cushion cut setting, with a diamond halo around it. The ring was perfect. He knew Haley would have loved it. It was sentimental, subtle, sparkly, elegant, classy, and the perfect size: not too small, and not too big.

Nathan sighed and ran his palm over his face. He snapped the box closed, and placed it on the bed next to him. He let out a loud groan, and decided to fall asleep on the bed.

Haley knocked loudly on Brooke and Lucas's door. She desperately tried to wipe away her tears, but it was no use because they continued to fall anyway.

A few seconds later, Brooke answered the door with a perky smile, which soon faltered when she noticed her crying best friend.

"Hales, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

"Can I come in?" She asked sadly.

"Of course, come here." Brooke said as she lightly dragged Haley into the living room. She then ushered her to the couch, and immediately brewed a cup of hot cocoa to bring to Haley.

"What's going on?" Brooke asked as she handed Haley a hot mug.

Haley bit down on her lip and sighed deeply. She didn't want to break down again.

"Nathan-" Was all she was able to say before she cried.

"Is he okay?" Brooke asked concerned.

Haley shook her head, "No Brooke, he's like a different person. He told me to leave... he said- he said he has nothing-"

"Hales, I'm sure he didn't mean it..." Brooke said tentatively

Haley sniffled and shrugged softly, "I can't keep living like that Brooke! It's like I'm living with a stranger... I just miss him so much!"

"Do you still love him?" Brooke inquired.

:Of course." Haley said with a gently smile. "I always will... I just... this isn't him... I hate seeing him so miserable. I just want to help him!"

"He'll come around Haley.. he just needs time to realize that he still has you. Basketball was always the one thing Nathan had to fall back on, and he's just scared."

"What if he doesn't love me anymore?" Haley cried. "He told me to leave!"

"He just doesn't want to hurt you. I know he loves you, Hales. Just wait.. he will come around, because he will realize without you, he will have nothing. You just had to give him a little wake up call. Give him some time to think, and then go and see him tomorrow, and I bet he'll snap back to his old self."

Haley took a deep breath. "Yeah.." She said breathlessly.

Haley ran a hand through her hair and bit down on her lip. She then looked down at her naked ring finger and sighed. A few months ago, she would have thought she and Nathan would be engaged by now... she wanted it more than anything...

Brooke smiled softly "It'll be okay, Hales."

Haley just sighed softly and closed her eyes. "I hope you're right."

.

I originally planned on making this longer but I wanted to split the two chapters because I didn't want to keep you guys waiting since I didn't have time to finish my original idea and plus I wanted the next chapter to be on it's own since something big happens... stay tuned

I'll try to post the second half sometime this week because I'm almost done writing it..