Chapter Thirteen: A Rush of Blood To The Head

Haley was just about ready to meet Brooke & Peyton for lunch when the doorbell rang. She was pretty surprised, considering she wasn't expecting any company.

She opened up the door, groaning when she saw her ex-fiancé.

"What do you want,Clay?" she asked without any patience.

"I just wanted to know what you thought about the offer," he said persistently.

Haley sighed. "The answer is no, no, no, hell no. I'm not going to have a child with you! If you want one so much, why don't you adopt? Or find someone who's willing to have a kid with you? I don't , I don't want to have a child with you. but that doesn't mean I want to have another kid with you," she insisted.

"So what? Now you're scared to get pregnant? You need to face a fear."

"No, I'm not. I just don't want your child," she said bluntly. "And being pregnant is not like lightning—you're not going to get over that fear by being pregnant," she responded as-a-matter-of-factly.

"Hales—"

"No,Clay, you really need to leave me alone. I'm not interested in whatever you're selling."

"Selling? When did this turn into a business transaction?"

"I don't know. When did everything in your life turn into a business transaction?" she asked sharply. "Aren't you forgetting that that's when we started falling apart in the first place?"

He thought about it. Haley abruptly pushed him out the door and locked it behind him.

She turned around and headed towards her kitchen and the one thing that caught her eye was the bouquet of red roses that Nathan had given her, as a part of his apology. She smiled and watered them.

Haley put on her favourite song as she danced she got lost in the music, she didn't even here Nathan come in.

"Hey." He said laughing.

Embrassesment filled Haley's face did I really just embrass myself in front of my ex-boyfriend?

"Hey." She replied smiling.

"So what brings you here to the James home?" She said sarcastically.

"I wanna talk to you about yesterday?" He answered this time more seriously.

"What about yesterday?"

"If there will be a us," "Look I know you said you couldn't forgive me, but just here me out."

"Okay, but one question who was at your door last night?" She asked curiously.

"Oh, umm err well my ex-wife." He said quietly but calmly.

"Ex-Wife?!" She replied shockingly.

"You know what's funny? I feel like you know everything about my relationship with Clay, yet I know next to nothing about your relationship with your ex-wife," Haley said absentmindedly.

Nathan contemplated whether or not he should address that comment, probably opening up a can of worms, or simply ignore it. "I didn't think it really mattered."

"Well…it kind of does. I mean, she was your last serious relationship, right?" she asked.

He looked at her, this time with more concern. "Haley…my relationship with her happened a while ago. We dated when I was twenty-one, Two years ago. She's insignificant in my life." He got up, sitting down next to her and taking her hand. "You're important, much more important than she was and she ever will be. You are my life," he insisted.

"Yeah, okay. If you want me to believe that." She responded sarcastically, as she got up and left to meet Peyton and Brooke.

Haley sighed as Brooke pushed back a piece of her best friend's hair. Lucas quickly came over with water for the two them.

"What happened,Hales?" Brooke asked, her voice sodden with concern.

Haley sighed once more. "I don't know what to say about it…Clay wants to have a baby."

Brooke and Lucas's eyes nearly popped out of their heads. "With you? Is he out of his freaking mind?"

"That's what I said," Haley replied.

"If he wants to have a baby, he could use a surrogate or adopt or get an egg donor or…I don't know…use Sara or something. Why would he ask you that?" Peyton inquired.

"Maybe he thinks that it's subtly asking me if I'll break up with Nathan and choose him instead," Haley speculated.

Lucas finally spoke. "You already chose Nathan over him. What makes him think that you'll suddenly change your mind?"

"I don't know. He's always been a little…arrogant," she explained.

Brooke put her hand protectively on Haley's. "We'll all always be here for you," she reminded her.

Haley smiled slightly. "I know,Tigger."

"Are you going to tell Nathan about all of this?" Lucas inquired nervously. He had both of their interests at heart. Over time, he had grown to truly love Nathan, and Haley was his best friend.

Haley bit her lip nervously. "I can't because were not together anymore , but…I almost feel like I can't now. He didn't even tell me about his ex-wife. It makes me wonder if he realizes how deep we were in this relationship. I thought we told each other everything, but…I guess not…"

"Haley, don't say that. You and Nathan both love each other a lot. He was just scared. Believe me. I know this, as a guy…he made a mistake," Lucas said defensively over Nathan .

"Wait what he had an ex-wife? When did this happen?" Brooke said.

"This happened when he was Twenty-One." She answered bluntly.

"OH!"

"Yeah oh."

Haley contemplated this for a moment.

Nathan sat on his bed at his one bedroom apartment as he thought of his ex-wife Lindsey.

Flashback

"What do you want?" he asked coldly to the green-eyed snake before him.

The blonde crept slowly to her ex, who was obviously feeling very vulnerable. "I just wanted to talk to you."

"Well, I don't want to talk to you," he responded with a slur. Even though his eyes were glazed over and cloudy from the alcohol, a clear sadness was depicted in his blue irises, the windows to his soul.

She sat down next to him anyway. "Are you okay? Is there something wrong between you and Haley?" she asked, portraying sincerity.

He was very reluctant to believe it, however. "You don't really care. You don't have to pretend. You just want things to end badly between the both of us," he said venomously.

She sighed. "Just remember that I'm still here, Nathan. When things don't work out—"

"If things don't work out," he amended.

"When things don't work out," she continued, ignoring his interjection, "you need to know that I'll be here, just like I've been waiting to do for you. Just remember that, Nathan I've known you. I feel like I've known you for a long time. You've barely known Haley a year. You've been dating for like eight months. How is she supposed to love you more than I will?"

"Because she knows how to love more than you do. You just know how to be loved."

Suddenly his thoughts were gone when he heard a knock on the door.

"Brooke? What are you doing here?" He asked.

"Oh just thought I'd pay my brother in-law a visit."

"Really?"

"No, but we didn't really talk about it. You dismissed it." She said about the whole Naley situation.

"I know that. You've said it, and I understand. I don't blame you and I shouldn't have rushed into things so quickly." She paused before looking her over once more and speaking again. "Maybe this distance is what you guys need right now."

"We already had distance!" He exclaimed, not really yelling at anybody in particular, but wanting to get her frustration out. "Please. I don't like it. I miss her. I just wish things could go back to the way they were," he pleaded.

"But they can't go back now. You need to learn to move forward," she said before going into his bedroom.

"But we can't move forward until we deal with this. We can't just push it aside. I hate this. I feel like when we make up, we're not really making up," he said with a pout.

He sighed. "Why is that,Brooke?"

She opened her mouth, a small noise coming out. She just sighed for an answer. "I think you may be right; I'm overreacting," she mumbled.

It seemed she was the only one who realized that wasn't the truth.

"Have you tried to talk to her?" She asked taking a seat on his blue tacky couch.

"Yeah, she was doing this crazy dance and I watched her she smiled and we talked about my ex Lindsey."

"Wait, Lucas's book editor Lindsey?"

He nodded. "Oh my god, Nathan do you miss Haley at all anymore?"

"How could you say that?! Of course I miss her and I miss Jamie and out relationship, if I could erase the mistake I made I would take it back." He explained.

"Then you should go tell her that."

"I can't... It's not that easy she's been though a lot with Jamie, her dad's death and more it's not easy she needed you with you, but her boyfriend was to busy screwing some other girl."

Brooke left. She turned around and told him "By the way Jamie's still unconious, and Clay wants a baby with your ex-girlfriend, and by ex-girlfriend I mean Haley.

"I don't know about you, but I am very worried about Haley and Nathan," Brooke said absentmindedly as she shuffled though the clothes rack

Peyton nodded. "I am, too. And poor Nathan. I know Hales is going through a lot but she's pushing away the one person who would do anything in the world for her. She needs him. He needs her," she said.

"Poor Haley! I know Nathan is going through a lot, but God, is Haley going through hell and back. She's getting harassed by her ex-boyfriend's ex-wife.

Peyton looked back at Brooke , her eyebrow raised.

"Bless your heart,Peyt, but I already want to kill you and I've been filling in for Haley for like two hours. She has to deal with you for another six months," she explained.

Peyrob accepted this. "I'm just worried that she's going to push him away to the point of no return. He's a golden retriever, but his loyalty will only go so far. And then, Haley will be even more devastated. We have to get her to realize he's the only one who will help her out of this rut," she explained.

"This is just a phase; it'll pass, eventually," Brooke agreed.

"But we have to hope it'll pass before he leaves." Peyton shuffle through racks of dresses. Brooke thought they ranged from atrocious to hideous to downright repulsive.

"Enough about Naley, what's going on with Julian and you?" She asked putting her hand on a gorgeous black strapless dress.

"Eh, not much I'm just gonna have to give my ring back and go to court for the joint custody of Dylan, Anna and Juliana, but he seemed to moved on already! And the divorce is not even finalized yet."

"It's okay Peyton, and besides the girl he's dating is probably ten times uglier then you. Not saying your ugly your goregous it's just that yeah I'll stop talking."

Peyton gave her a dirty look " Yeah I think you should." Standing at the register with Brooke as she purchased the Nintey-Eight Dollar dress.

Haley sat by James's bedside.

"Hey baby, it's momma. I just wanted to tell you that I love you and I miss that smile and those baby blue eyes, so can you please wake up, and show me those again." Haley said softly.

"Look your dad is outside with Sara and Brooke and Lucas and they'd like to see there godson and son wake up."

Suddenly his monitor went to a straight line, and the nurses came in.

Few Minutes Later

Ms. James your son's...

Review. What did you think about this chapter? What do you want to happen? Great news is that Naley will be getting back together in the next two chapters and then I promise you no more Naley fights!-Sidney James