Chapter 2

Well I just heard; the news today

Nathan sat on the bleachers, and ran a hand through his hair. He had gone to the school gym to practice with Lucas, his brother, and the team. It turned out that, once you get out of the game, it's hard to get back in.

His back hurt a lot right now, and he was more tired than most of the guys on the team. He wasn't Nathan Scott right now; at least, not the Nathan Scott he used to be.

Then again, the Nathan Scott he used to be was too greedy and cocky to make it to the NBA, to win over his wife, Haley, and to be a father to his four children.

Taking his cell phone from his pocket, he threw his head back, as the eighteen year olds piled out of the gym. After looking at his phone, just for a few seconds, his hand ran through his dark locks.

We need to talk. Can you come home? Hales x

Whenever she sent a cryptic message like this, something bad always followed. Standing up, he replied that he was on his way, before jogging out of the gym, calling his farewell's to his brother on the way.

She watched, as her Ma and Pa fought in the living room. They couldn't see her; if they could, they'd have stopped, but they couldn't. She was hiding behind the door. They were fighting about money…again.

She just wished that she could get them some money. She was a big girl now. She could get a job! She could sell her toys on the playground; she didn't mind. She just wanted mommy and daddy to stop fighting…

As he entered the foyer of their home, Nathan removed his coat and hung it up. Looking through the glass door, he could see the silhouette of his wife in the living room. She had her computer out, something that wasn't unusual for Haley.

Beside her, their daughter, Libby, lay with her head on the arm. She looked to be asleep, so he carefully tiptoed in.

The only thing that lit up the room, was the LED screen from Haley's laptop, he noted, with a frown.

"Hey." The 38 year old said quietly, as he approached his wife. "What's happening?" He asked, referring to the message that she had previously sent him.

Haley looked up and closed her laptop screen, sighing with a look at her daughter. "Let's go into the den." She stood and allowed her husband to lead the way, silently trying to work out a way of building up to this.

Closing the door behind them, Nathan watched Haley put the laptop on the desk, leaving it closed, and turn to him.

"Oh god." She mumbled, running her hand through her hair. "Alright, you um, you have to promise me, that you will not speak until I'm done." She said quickly, making her way towards the door, so that if he tried to leave, she could stop him.

"Um…okay." He frowned, as more of a question than an answer. "Should I sit down."

"Yes." Haley laughed dryly. "Yes I really think you should just…sit down." She breathed lightly. "Okay, so there's two things." She began. Better to rip the Band-Aid off, right?

"Alright." Nathan sat in a chair by the desk and swiveled around to his wife. "Is this about-"

"Actually there's three things." Haley corrected herself quickly, as she made her way over to her husband. "Four if you count the fact that you still haven't kissed me yet." She raised an eyebrow and waited for her husband to softly touch her lips with his own.

"I'm sorry." He smirked. "Now, go ahead."

"Okay. First, you need to have a conversation with your son." She told Nathan. Sticking a hand in her pocket, she pulled something out and put it on the desk.

"Oh, come on Hales, he doesn't even come home very often, why are we bother-"

"Not Jamie. These are Andy's." She told her husband. "They were in his room."

"Oh." Nathan frowned. "They're…they're the ones for-"

"I know." Haley interrupted him. "Just talk to him, see if he's okay, find out if he's gay-"

"Haley, come on." Nathan laughed. "So because he has flavoured condoms it makes him gay?"

"Will you please, just talk to him?" Haley asked, frustrated. "I have had a lot to deal with today, and I do not need you telling me that you're not talking to our son about being gay being added to the top of it, I was just throwing it in as a possibility!" She ranted, clearly a little stressed.

"Okay." Nathan nodded. "I'll talk to him. What else?"

"Well." Haley paused, and took a deep breath. "Shit." She cursed, as she heard the door go. "Ignore that. Who ever it is'll come back later."

"Alright." Nathan laughed. "Baby, calm down. Don't stress yourself out about it." He insisted, speaking softly.

"Libby's pregnant." Nathan was extremely still for several moments, as Haley watched him. His baby girl…gone?

It seems my life, is gonna change

She looked back at the shack, one last time, as her mama waved at her.

Stepping out into the road, in her new high heels, she knew this was her only chance, as she stepped carefully, trying not to scuff her new shoes.

It wasn't long before she arrived at a main street and a driver by stopped her.

"You lookin' for business, kid?" He asked her, leering over her dress. "I got $300 to send your way." He waved a wad of money and Haley bit her lip. Seeing that much money…it was more than she ever saw at one time, even at Christmas or her birthday.

With a quick swish of her hair, she batted her eyelids at the driver. "Alright, Y'all got yourself a date." She stepped towards the car, her nerves going at a faster rate than ever before.

"Wow, kid." They man laughed. "Most girls would have tried to get $450, at least."

"Well, I guess I'm not most kids." Haley opened the car door and climbed into the vehicle, the man resting his hand on her leg, as they drove off.

"What do you mean, 'She's Pregnant'? She's seventeen, she's not pregnant!" Nathan exclaimed, loudly, standing up.

"Nathan, just…just listen." She told him. "You promised." She reminded him, as he seethed, looking at the door.

"Is that why you let her stay off school? Because she's pregnant?" He asked immediately.

"No!" Haley exclaimed. "She was sick this morning. Morning sickness, Nathan." She said pointedly. "You do remember what that is, right?"

"Of course I do." He spat. "When did she tell you?" He began to calm a little, as his breathing evened out.

"This morning, after you went to practice." She told her husband. "She's scared, Nate. They…she said they used one of these." She lifted a condom from the desk. "That's how I found them."

"You said there were three things." He looked at his wife, not quite wanting to take in the news of his grandchild. "Who is it? Jamie or Lydia?" He asked her, bringing up their eldest and youngest child.

"Neither." Haley smiled softly. "It's…it's me." She told him, making her way to the laptop.

"What?" He questioned loudly. "Again? Haley you're not pre-"

"No." Haley laughed. "I think four is just about enough." She smiled coyly. "I…It's my mom's birthday." She told Nathan, biting her lip.

"Oh." Nathan looked to his wife, nodding slowly, unsure of what to say, even after twenty years of knowing each other. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah." Haley nodded, as she opened the laptop and turned for him to see. "I…I think I want to find her again." She looked to her husband. "I've been looking up the area, and it seems like nothing's changed…I want…I want to see if she's still there." Haley confessed quietly, wondering what her husband was thinking right now.

"Okay." He told her. "If it's what you want, then I'll support you. She's your mother, and no matter what, you love her. Maybe you two can have a relationship if you find her." He told Haley. "Now, if you'll excuse me." He opened the den door and stormed into the living room.

"Mama!" She came running into the shack, her eyes streaming with tears. As she reached her mama, she broke down, as she jumped into her arms. Her leg was pouring with blood, a piece of broken glass sticking out.

"Haley James! Where did this happen?!" Lydia scolded, knowing the only things around with any glass were the…

"I…Tommy threw a…a dirt clod at…at…the w..window." Haley sobbed in her mother's arms. "It hurts mama."

Lydia sighed, and sat her daughter down on the couch. Pinching the cut, she checked how deep the cut was. They weren't going to the hospital unless they needed to. There was no money for that!

So, taking a rag from the kitchen, she pressed down on the cut, around the glass, and told Haley to count to ten. Not that it made it hurt any less, as she yanked the glass out, her hand moving with the rag to immediately cover the gushing wound.

"OW!" Haley exclaimed, screaming loudly. "Mama!" She cried out loudly.

"It's okay baby." Lydia promised, rubbing her daughters head, as she pushed her hair back. "Come on, you can be a brave girl, right?" Lydia watched her daughter nod, tears streaming from her eyes. "Alright, I need you to hold this real tight, while I gets the Whiskey." She sighed as she walked away, muttering about wasting a $30 bottle of liquor on things like this.

"What do you mean, 'is it yours', Duke?" Nathan heard his eldest daughter yell. "Of course it's your baby! I've never been with anyone else!" She screamed loudly, not knowing her father was home yet.

"So you say!" Came a deeper voice. "We always used condoms." He countered.

"Yeah, well one fucking broke." Libby let her voice break. "You know what? Just get out." She shook her head, shooing him with her hands, as she walked closer. "I have bigger things to worry about than you deciding that I cheated now that things get serious. Get out." She opened the door for him and watched him leave without a single protest. Once the door was closed, she swallowed back and let herself slide down the door, sobs overcoming her, as they had done before she fell asleep.

Nathan saw this and took a deep breath. Striding into the living room, he lifted his daughter into his arms and held her close, as he guided her to the couch.

"Daddy." She cried out, holding tightly to his chest. "I'm so sorry." She sobbed. "I'm s-s-sorry."

"It's alright, we'll talk later." He mumbled, holding her close. "I have some things to do before hand." He replied quietly, gently stroking her hair. "Just go back to sleep."

He continued like that for another fifteen minutes or so, until he heard her breathing even out, and knew for sure she was asleep.

"Thank you." He heard his wife say, from the door. He looked up, confused. "For not chewin' her out just yet." Nathan sighed and nodded slowly…contemplating his life as a grandfather…wow…that actually sounded like a horrible word. He couldn't even imagine it…Grandpa Nathan.