Nathan's Perspective
I stared at Haley sleeping and my mind and heart felt so at ease. Her breathing was steady, her mouth opened like usual, a piece of her wavy blonde hair caressing her face.
"I love you angel" I whispered to her as my fingers found their way to her cheek.
"Natey, come look at this!" Haley yelled at Nathan as she stood in the sandbox of the playground.
"What is it?" Nathan said catching his breath from running.
And suddenly Haley threw handfuls of sand into his eyes.
"Oww" Nathan cried as he rubbed his eyes that were now filled with sand.
Haley stood in front of her best friend and was laughing her butt off until she realized he was really hurt by what she had just done.
"Natey?" she said with a comforting hand approaching him. But due to his anger he pulled his hand away before she could come in contact with him.
In that moment Haley knew how much she needed Nathan. That if she ever had to live a life without him that it'd be the end of her. At the time, she was 5 years old.
"Why'd you do that Haley?" he said after getting all remnants of sand out of his eyes.
"I'm sorry don't be mad please" she said hugging him tight.
"Why'd you do that if you don't want me to get mad?" he questioned.
"I don't know. I was being stupid." She said on the verge of tears.
"You're one strange girl Haley James." He shook his head in amusement.
"You're one strange boy Nathan Scott" Haley said in a soft tone as she nestled her head closer into my chest.
"Good morning baby" I said as I kissed her on the forehead.
"Correction, babies" I added as I kissed her belly shortly after.
"I heard you call me angel" she smiled with a quirky grin.
"I thought you were asleep you little trouble maker."
"Well I can't help but wake up to such kind words"
"They're absolutely true though. You are my angel. You are the love of my life" I said kissing her on the lips.
"How is my baby girl doing?!" Jimmy James exclaimed as he walked towards Haley.
Seeing her family was great. They took me in when my parents died. But they were also a constant reminder that my parents were indeed gone. I didn't want to blame anyone for their deaths, but at times like this, with Haley being pregnant and everything, I can't help but want them to be here with us.
"Daddy!" I watched Haley act in such a girlish way with her father. She'd always been a daddy's girl. I know I want that relationship with my daughter.
"Aunt Lydia" I said greeting her with a warm hug.
"Nate, glad to have you back in Tree Hill" she returned.
"How you holding up? Scared for the baby's arrival?" she questioned me.
"You mean baby's as in babies', right?" I asked grinning.
"What? Baby's means the boy in Haley's stomach"
"The boy and girl" I corrected.
"You're having twins?!" Jimmy blurted.
"OH MY GOD!" Aunt Lydia said excitedly as she approached Haley to touch her growing belly.
I looked over to Haley and the expression on her face was priceless. Her calmness, yet at the same time the nervousness I knew she was feeling as the due date of the babies were approaching. Three months may seem long but I know, and she knows that those three months will go by in a breeze. Also, her happiness was radiating. There's nothing more I wished for than Haley's happiness.
"I'm going to go out for a bit" I told her as I headed for the door.
"What? Where are you going?" she asked concerned.
"Just going for a little walk, I'll be back soon. I promise" I said as I smiled at her.
"Ok. Be careful."
"I will, don't worry."
As I got outside I had no idea where I was heading but I knew I needed air. All of these things that were so overwhelming and the thoughts of their importance only caught up to me a few minutes ago. I was going to be becoming a father of two children before I graduate high school, I just gave up an assured spot to Duke for Haley and our family, plus I was just scared shitless. Not of my dreams of going to Duke being ruined, but of becoming a father. I didn't think that I'd be so scared, but I was. What if I screwed up somehow?
"One, two, one, two" I said as I looked at my feet as I kept walking. What was I doing? Looking for answers? I guess so. Looking where? Who knows.
I finally looked up from the ground and found myself in front of a beautiful garden. I usually wasn't the type to think gardens were beautiful but one look at this garden and there just wasn't any other adjective to describe it. I've never been to this garden before and I didn't know how long it took me to get here. I observed the flowers and all its variety. Lilies, orchids, violets, petunias, they were all there. What was I doing here? Why the hell was I staring at these flowers? And right then and there I found my answer in the roses.
"Rose. Rose Deborah Scott" I said to myself.
"Nathan, where the hell are you? It's getting really late and I'm scared something happened to you. Call me back when you get this." Haley said nervously as she hung up.
10:05PM. Where the hell is he? He's been walking for 5 hours now…
"Hales love, calm down. He'll be back soon" her father assured her.
"Where can he be? What if something bad happened to him?" she said freaking out.
"This worry of yours will do no good for the babies." Lydia scolded her daughter.
"Hey mom, hey dad. It's Nate. Did you hear? I'm having twins!" I told them as I set the bouquet of roses in between their stone settings.
"I was thinking of naming my daughter Rose, but don't worry mom… I'll give your name to her as well" I smiled to myself as I remember my mom harassing me about when I have a daughter to make sure her name is Deborah.
"Haley is doing good. She's so strong and I didn't realize it until recently…" my voice trailed as I began to pity myself all over again.
"Dad… I'm sorry for quitting High Flyers, I can't imagine how upset you'd be with me right now. But I have a family to think about now. And my heart… I don't think Haley can handle another heart attack of mine."
"Mom, dad, what do I do now though? I'm so scared to become a dad. I feel like a coward while Haley is practically superwoman." The truth hurt to say out loud but I needed to let it out somehow. After confessing to at least my dead parents I'd get some sort of relief. And after that I drifted. My eyes drooped and right there in between my parents, I fell asleep.
"Nathan. Natey baby, please wake up." I heard Haley's soothing voice plead as she gently rocked my arm.
"Hales?" I looked up at her to see the dark night sky.
"What are you doing here silly?" she said as she looked at me with worried eyes.
Quickly I got to my feet and put her into a warm embrace. I knew I must've scared her.
"I'm sorry." I told her as I squeezed.
"You scared me Nathan. I thought you left me…" she cried.
In between us I could feel her big belly rubbing against my stomach.
"You can't just leave and not come back like this Nathan… were you mad at something I did? My parents?" she said frustrated.
"No. you or your parents didn't do anything."
"Then what is this? Why are you here in the cemetery alone?" she said with tears rolling down her pink cheeks.
"I was talking to my parents and I fell asleep." I told her honestly.
She shook her head in disappointment. I understood why she was so upset with me but I guess I just didn't want my assumptions to be true.
"This." She said with her hands gesturing to the cemetery. "This can't happen again… I can't handle i-it" she teared up.
"Baby, look I feel terrible about this. I don't know what got into me" I replied hoping she'd understand.
"Let's just go home and sleep this off…" she said walking back to her parent's car.
"What happened tonight Nathan?" she said as she laid in bed next to me.
"If I could answer you, I would Hales."
"Well start with what you remember."
"I was walking…" I started.
"And I came upon this garden." She looked at me intently.
"Ok…" she looked at me confused.
"I want to name our daughter Rose" I blurted randomly.
"What?"
"I took a walk because I felt so scared, for all of this" I said implying the babies.
"But I stood in front of the roses, and felt clarity."
"I'm scared too Natey. Having one baby is already scary as hell… imagine two." She said as she sniffled.
"Rose. Rose Deborah Scott. She'll be as beautiful as her mommy" I said as I imagined our baby.
"I like it. Rose Deborah Scott and James Lucas Scott" she recited to herself.
"Rose and James, the Scott duo" I said excitedly.
"Rosie and Jamie" she giggled as she said the nicknames.
"That's just too precious" she said as she cuddled next to me.
"Next!" The library aide exclaimed as we stood at the end of the extremely long book line.
"God… we're gonna have to wait forever!" Haley complained as she put her hand on her aching back.
We got sympathetic [and judgmental] looks from everyone.
"This line will go by quickly" I said looking at Haley's schedule.
"We luckily have two classes together!" She said to me excitedly as she handed my schedule back to me.
"English and Government! These were the only classes we signed up for that were alike. Maybe they know we're married and did that on purpose" I said in a disingenuous tone.
"Maybe, oh and our free periods!" she said as she clapped her hands enthusiastically.
"Hey, married couple. You can cut me." Rachel said as she stood third in line.
"Really?" Haley asked happily.
"How can anyone let a pregnant girl stand in this horrid line?" Rachel announced to everyone behind her.
"Go ahead Haley!" the crowd said in unison.
"Thanks guys!" she said dragging my hand towards the front of the line.
"Can I see your schedule Tutor Mom?" Rachel asked nosily.
"Sure." She smiled her sweet smile. Haley was even nice to the bitchiest of girls in the school.
"AP Government, AP English, AP Environmental Science, AP Chem, AP Art, and free period." Rachel recited.
"We have any classes in common?"
"Yeah, art" Rachel chuckled.
"You're crazy taking all AP classes while you have the bun in the oven."
"well I'm not taking a math class this year so that's why…"
"But you're doubling up sciences…" Rachel questioned.
"It's just because I feel like colleges will think I'm lazy if I have two free periods."
"But you're pregnant."
"Haley is an over-achiever" I put my thought into the conversation.
"Clearly… and what about you, slacker?" Rachel teased.
"AP Government, AP English, CP Chemistry, Precalculus, Art 2, and free period with your wifey. What's your reason for the free period?" Rachel asked.
"Haley's pregnant." I smiled.
"Principal Turner let you because Haley is preggers? So not fair…" Rachel sighed.
"Well I am her husband so I think he understood the circumstances."
"Whatever, you two are up next."
"I'm sorry you have to hold all of my books Natey…" she said apologetically to me as I dragged the ten textbooks in my hands.
"I am most definitely not going to let my pregnant wife do this." I told her as we finally got to the lockers.
"Good thing I changed my last name to Scott officially." She smiled as our lockers were next to each other.
"Here you go" I said putting the five textbooks inside of her locker.
"Thank you very much" she said as she kissed me on the cheek.
"I wonder how Senior year will be for us" I said slamming my locker shut.
"Lucas. I can't believe we don't have any classes together!" Brooke complained on the phone with Luke.
"Hey Brooke." We said interrupting her phone call.
"One sec married couple" she said as she smiled at us.
"But Lucas it's not fairrrrr" she whined as she pouted.
Haley and I just stared at each other and laughed at the unchanged Brooke Davis
"Whatever, I'm hanging up now Lucas. BYE!" she said ending the call.
"Well hello to you too, B. Davis" Haley giggled as she looked at the fuming Brooke.
"You know, I'm really not liking how senior year is starting. I get in my car and my cd player is broken, can you believe that?!" she complained.
"It's ok Brooke, you can get it fixed" I assured her.
"And now Lucas and I don't have a SINGLE class together, and it's just soooo not fair." She said with arms crossed.
"What is your schedule anyways?" I asked her.
"CP Government, AP English, CP Chemistry, Precalculus, Art 2, and Home economics!" Brooke stated happily.
"We all have English together! But you have a ton of classes with Natey" Haley said happily.
"I'll keep an eye out on him for you Hales" she giggled as she winked at me.
"Thanks a lot Brooke" I said with fake sorrow.
"Senior year and we're not starting it with my baby" Brooke frowned.
"But I'm having two babies!" Haley chanted in an innocent tone.
I shook my head in amusement with Haley. She was really something.
"Oh Tutor mom you're so cute" Brooke said as she pinched her tummy.
"How many people have done that to you today?" I asked Haley.
"Like a thousand. I swear I need to sanitize my belly after this" she answered cutely.
"Have you decided on the girls name yet?" Brooke asked us curiously.
"Rose" I stated proudly.
"Rose Deborah Scott"
"It's a beautiful name" she said as she started to walk out to the parking lot with us.
"Let's hope Rose and James treat you two nicely our last year of high school" Brooke laughed.
"Yeah, let's hope!" Haley and I said in unison.
A/N: Rose is one of my favorite names for babies! I don't know why but I just love flower names for babies. Like Rose, Lily, Violet, etc. they're just such nice names! Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! It was very fluffy. LOL. Please review!