AN: See Previous Disclaimer. Many thanks to my loyal readers and reviewers. I enjoyed hearing what you think about each chapter and what you liked or didn't. Hopefully this chapter won't disappoint you all after waiting so long for it. This chapter is pretty important and I really wanted to get it right...hope I did.
Please review so I know you're still out there :)
~~~ "I'm Never Alone, I'm Alone All the Time" ~~~
* Chapter Thirty-One*
Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion around him. He knew the police officer was giving him a bullshit reason for not being able to release any real information to him over the phone.
"I don't understand why you can't tell me if it was Haley James that was sent to the hospital. Man, if she was there she would have answered her phone. I need to know where she is!" he finally shouted into his phone. He hadn't noticed as his team mates began to filter into the locker room no doubt hearing about what was going on.
Parker saw a reporter begin to head towards Nathan's locker and quickly intervened.
"Look man, have a little respect and give him some privacy right now." Parker ordered looking down at the reporter sternly. He was pleased when two other fellow players took note and created an additional barrier between the press and Nathan by standing next to Parker trying to keep Nathan out of sight.
"Sir, that's bullshit can't you just tell…" Nathan began to say but abruptly stopped when his other line buzzed in. He promptly hung up on the officer and switched over to is incoming call.
"What the hell is going on?" Nathan barked into the phone.
"Nate! Oh God, Haley was in a car accident tonight and she's being taken to Cedars hospital right now by ambulance. I'm on my way there."
"Keller, what the hell happened? How is she?" Nathan asked while he quickly changed out of his uniform into his regular clothes at the speed of a fire fighter dressing to go out on an emergency call.
"Quinn didn't have any real details when she called me so I don't know anything for sure. I heard something about possible paparazzi being involved in the crash. Quinn was pretty much hysterical when I talked to her so Clay had to take over the conversation. They were already on their way to there by the time they called me." Chris replied in a shaken tone of voice.
"Fuck!" was all Nathan could say in response. There was a long pause of silence on the line until Chris spoke again.
"Nate?" He said his voice breaking.
"Yeah…"
"It's bad man…..Quinn said she uhhh…..she was unresponsive and having trouble breathing when EMTs arrived on the scene." Chris finally said still trying to come to terms with the gruesome news. It just didn't seem real.
"Oh God." Nathan said in a tone barely above a whisper. He paused from tying his shoes again after Chris had shared the state of her condition and sat there in shock.
"I'm just about to the hospital. I'll call you once I know something I promise." Chris said hoping he'd offered some reassurance to Nathan. He felt for him being miles away and feeling completely helpless.
"Thanks. I'm gonna get home as soon as I can. If you see her, please tell her…."
"I will Nate." Chris agreed and then hung up.
Nathan ended the call and shoved his phone back into his jeans pocket. He stood up and threw what remaining personal items he'd brought from the hotel into his bag. He barely noticed when Parker walked up to him and began speaking.
"Is it true?"
Nathan tossed the last item in his bag and zipped it up quickly. He looked at Parker briefly before responding, "Yeah". He surprised himself with how broken his voice already sounded.
"How is she?" Parker asked.
"Not good. I gotta get the hell out of here. " He said as he looped his bag over his head and let it rest on his shoulder. And with that Nathan bolted towards the door.
Chris threw his car into park and flew out of the car towards the hospital door. He rushed down the hall towards the waiting area looking for Quinn and was thankful didn't take long to find her.
"Quinn!" He called out as he approached Quinn and Clay. She rose to her feet immediately and wrapped her arms around Chris pulling him tight. He held her tight finding what little comfort he could in her embrace. Her body shook as she tried to stifle back another sob from escaping.
"Thank God you're here. I haven't been able to reach our parents yet. I can't believe they don't even know yet. This isn't happening…" She started to say but stopped once Clay spoke.
"I'm still trying to reach them." Clay said as he brought his smartphone back up to his ear no doubt trying Lydia and Jimmy James again. Clay held a worried look on his face trying his best to be strong for Quinn.
Chris pulled away from Quinn and gestured for her to sit back down. He took the seat next to her and gently rubbed her back.
"Walker is down in San Francisco but is planning on taking the next available flight back. He texted me while I was on the phone." Chris stated.
Quinn wiped away yet another trail of tears that had fallen down her cheek. It seemed rather pointless as another fresh set of tears poured out of her eyes. Quinn watched Clay pace back and forth as he tried to reach their parents again. Clay was actually glad he had something to do while they waited. It was the waiting that was driving them insane.
"Oh my God Nathan! Did you…" Quinn exclaimed all of the sudden out of the blue. Her hand flew up to her mouth in shock and it was as if her heart broke all over again at the thought of Nathan.
"I just spoke to him on my way here. I told him I would let him know once I found something out." Chris interjected trying to reassure her somewhat knowing it was rather pointless in their current situation.
Quinn and Chris sat together in silence as they waited. Waited for good news or bad, they weren't quite sure which.
Nathan sat in the car convinced he was barely moving. It felt like an hour had passed from when he left the arena until now. He glanced down at his phone again to check the time once more. He was grateful he was able to arrange for a private plane to take him back to Los Angeles without too much trouble. He couldn't even imagine waiting at the airport for a commercial flight under his current circumstances.
"Sir could you please hurry it's an emergency." He muttered to the driver probably for the fourth time. He knew he sounded like an asshole but he didn't care. He pulled up Chris' number again wanting to speak to him once more before his flight took off.
Chris answered after the first ring, "Hey Nate"
Nathan rubbed his spare hand over his buzzed hair in desperation as he replied, "Any news?"
"We're still waiting to hear from the doctor who assessed her once they brought her in."
"OK, I've got a private plane waiting for me at the airport and I'll be at the hospital as soon as I can once I land." Nathan said. He heard Chris sigh with relief loudly through the phone.
Nathan ended his call quickly once the car arrived at the landing strip. He boarded the plane and it was off the ground in less than five minutes. It wasn't until the plane was in flight did he feel the urge to call Dan. He was his manager after all but it was in that moment he craved comfort and reassurance. Who was he kidding? But then again Dan Scott was a man of surprises. His finger hovered over the call button on his iPhone as he battled internally with what to do.
Damien slammed his front door and threw his sports coat on the back of his couch. He headed straight for his liquor cabinet but didn't bother with a glass. He brought the bottle of Jack Daniels straight to his lips and took a long swig. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and then set the bottle on the countertop. He still couldn't believe what had happened in the last hour. He flipped on his television and wasn't surprised to see it being covered by the bottom news ticker that ran along the screen.
'Lead singer of The Fire Pistols, Haley James, was involved in a serious car crash this evening in downtown LA. It was reported she was unresponsive on the scene and was rushed to Cedars Sinai Hospital in critical condition. Stay tunes for the most up to date information.'
"Shit!" Damien said to himself as he read the screen again. His thoughts went back to the commotion as he made his way out of the club with the paparazzi once word got out Haley James had been in an accident after leaving that very club minutes earlier. He pulled out his phone and tried to reach Dan Scott again.
"Scott here."
Damien nearly erupted the moment he heard a voice on the other end. He felt as if he heart was beating right out of his chest.
"This was not part of the deal Dan!"
Dan rolled his eyes after listening to Damien's whiney voice.
"West, grow a pair of balls already. You sound like a school girl bitch! I think you're over reacting." Dan replied.
"Over-reacting? How can you even say that? She's in the fucking hospital in critical condition!" Damien shouted into the phone his voice breaking at the end of his statement.
Dan sat up in his chair and surrendered his full attention to Damien. "What the hell are you talking about?" He demanded back in a growl.
"Haley is! It's only a matter of time before I get linked to the crash story no thanks to you." Damien replied in a huff.
While listening to Damien's rant Dan began to research Haley's accident. It took only a few moments and the brutal details were laid out in front of him. He scanned over the information trying to piece it all together.
"You said you just needed a photograph with her that's it. This is something different. I didn't mean….." Damien protested only to be cut off by Dan.
"West you need to settle down and lay low. According to the initial reports, there was a paparazzi car on the scene. Why do you care about her anyway? You said you wanted to destroy her image no matter what. This is what it's like to play with the big boys."
"This isn't what I meant. I didn't want her dead! God, what have we done?" Damien questioned is sheer disbelief over how the evening had turned out. He stood in his living room with the phone up to his ear while he watched Haley's face on the television. Images of Haley smiling on stage and at different band appearances danced across the screen until footage from the crash site began to pop up. The last image Damien saw before he shut the television off was the ambulance driving off with the lights and siren blaring.
"We didn't do anything and I never want to hear you say that again. Wait for me to call you from here on out and keep your mouth shut West! You better hold up on your end of this deal or consider your payments non-existent." Dan ordered coldly.
Damien began to mutter a response but words failed him. He had never done business with someone as ruthless as Dan Scott and now he knew why.
"I'll be in touch." Dan stated and then hung up his phone.
Within seconds his phone began to ring again catching him off guard. He looked at the number and debated whether or not to answer it. He let out a loud sigh before he finally answered his phone.
"Scott.."
"Turn on the news."
"It's already on. What in the hell happened tonight?" Dan asked back trying his best not to allow his anxiety come through.
"A completely incompetent overzealous employee can't drive a damn car and now we're both fucked!" said Dan's press source.
Dan's eyes widened as full panic fully set in. He'd never heard his paparazzi contact sound so defeated before. He'd taken a risk with getting personal involved in this particular business transaction to ensure everything went as planned.
"Relax, I can't sell you out without incriminating myself in this mess. The same goes for you so just keep quiet and we should be fine." Dan barked into the phone loudly hoping his confidence in his reasoning would build the louder he spoke. "Just stick to the plan and you said it yourself. Your employee was driving so we'll make sure he takes the fall if it comes down to it."
"Let's just hope she doesn't end up dead when all of this is said and done," He said to Dan and then hung up the phone.
Dan set his phone down on his desk and let his head fall in his hands. How did he get here? He'd wanted to do what was best for Nathan. He made every decision with Nathan in mind. He did what any father would do. He wanted his son to succeed and prosper. It didn't hurt that the more his son prospered so did he. 'Would it be so bad if she was out of the picture for good?' Dan thought to himself.
"Who's here for Ms. James?"
Quinn shot up out of her chair so quickly she became a bit dizzy. Another thing about being pregnant she'd had yet to get used to. She paused for just a moment to get her bearings and then continued over to the doctor. Chris and Clay followed nearly a step behind her as they approached the man dressed in sky blue scrubs.
"I'm her sister….uhhh… hhhhow is she?" Quinn asked in a shaky voice not even thinking about who could over hear.
The doctor looked at three worried faces for a moment and then finally spoke, "Let's step in here for some privacy ok?" He turned around and led them through the double doors of the emergency room into a small conference room.
"Why don't you all sit down?" The doctor suggested as he motioned towards the chairs around the table.
Quinn looked at Clay with questioning eyes trying not to fear the worst. She was barely holding herself together and feared if she gave in just a little bit everything would fall apart.
"No I think I'll stand for this." She tried to protest and then crossed her arms in front of her chest.
"Please Ms. James, why don't you just sit down." The doctor said again as he looked at Quinn's serious face. He glanced over at the two gentlemen standing on either side of her hoping for some assistance. He could tell the woman before him was visibly frazzled and in distress.
Clay reached out and rubbed her back lightly. "Come on and sit baby." Clay whispered quietly.
After a delayed pause, the doctor let out a sigh of relief as Clay had managed to convince Quinn to sit down for the moment. He set his iPad on the table and pulled up what appeared to be test results, no doubt for Haley.
"I'm Dr. Bennett and I evaluated Haley upon arrival. Here's the situation; when Haley arrived she was unconscious and was requiring assistance breathing during transport in the ambulance. She had a CT scan which showed her brain is swelling from the trauma of the accident. We're going to watch the pressure in her brain closely and may need to remove part of her skull to relieve that pressure if it doesn't start to level out in the next few hours. She has a large bump on her forehead most likely from hitting the steering wheel upon impact. There was also a large gash near her hairline that required stiches." Dr. Bennett said as he looked at three terrified faces. He pulled up her CT scan and briefly explained what areas were concerning right now. Quinn, Clay and Chris exchanged looks after looking at Haley's brain scan forced to the realization of just how serious her condition was.
"Has her breathing improved now?" Chris asked once Dr. Bennett paused to take a breath.
Dr. Bennett pursed his lips together tightly and looked back at Chris with sympathetic eyes.
"Her oxygen stats were low and she really seemed to be struggling to breathe. After further examination and X-ray, we discovered she has four broken ribs on her left side also I suspect from the impact of the crash. One of the broken ribs has unfortunately punctured her left lung causing traumatic pneumothorax otherwise known as a collapsed lung. I was able to remove access air by inserting a needle between her ribs without too much difficulty. We're hoping the lung tissue will heal itself however if it doesn't, I'll have no choice but to insert a tube down her throat into the bronchial airways to repair it. I'm watching the lung closely to ensure it isn't putting too much pressure on her heart until it begins to inflate again. The next few hours are critical for stabilizing Haley's condition and keeping it that way." Dr. Bennett concluded.
Quinn sat quietly trying to process everything Haley's doctor had just said. She wiped the tears off her cheeks and then cleared her throat.
"Can we at least see her?" she asked hopefully.
Dr. Bennett offered a weak smile and nodded his head.
"Of course. She's still unconscious which is a good sign. That way her brain can continue to heal itself. We've moved her room to a more secure area of ICU ensure her privacy." Dr. Bennett answered.
They followed Dr. Bennett down the white hallway through a secured entry and soon stood outside her door. They looked through the glass and saw her small body motionless on the hospital bed. Quinn pushed through the door first and paused at the foot of the bed.
The nurse that stood next to Haley's bed side looked over as she hung up a new bag of fluids for Haley's IV.
"Hi, you must be Haley's family." The nurse said warmly.
"I'm her sister Quinn."
"I'm Haley's nurse Julie and I'll be on for the next 12 hours. If you need anything don't hesitate to push the nurse call button over here. I'll be in and out monitoring her vitals for a while." Julie said.
"Thank you." Quinn mumbled not really knowing what else to say. Her eyes remained glued to her baby sister and she couldn't break her stare.
"When you get a moment, I need someone to verify some of Haley's health history and information. I'll come back in a little while for that ok?" Julie stated quietly and then left the room.
Clay, Chris and Quinn stood around Haley's bed and took in the sight before them. A large bandage wrapped around Haley's head no doubt covering where her head hit the steering wheel. She had a few cuts on her cheeks that were red from fresh blood. Her bare thin arms had various cuts and bruises scattered over her exposed skin.
"Oh Hales!" Quinn finally spoke breaking the silence in the room. She stepped closer to the bed and touched Haley's arm. Her eyes fell upon the device in Haley's mouth distributing the oxygen she so desperately needed until her lung could function properly on its own. The corners of her lips had a faintish blue color that matched her now gray skin tone a large contrast from her usual rosy hue.
They spent the next few minutes talking to Haley and reassuring her that she was going to be fine. Clay excused himself for a few minutes to head to the lobby to try to reach the James' once more by phone.
"I'm going to see the nurse about the health information they need about Hales. You're not leaving her right? " Quinn asked.
"Nope, I got her." Chris answered with a proud smile shifting his gaze from one James sister to the other.
He waited until Quinn left the room before he finally spoke again to Haley.
"Hales, I'm sure you've uhh notice that someone's missing here at your bedside. But I promise you, he's moving heaven and earth to get to you. Nate loves you so much…we all do... You should've heard him when I told him…" Chris started as he fought back tears. He paused once more as he gave Haley's hand a light squeeze. His tears wouldn't help her heal any faster. He had to remain strong for her.
"Please uhhh just don't take too long to wake up because I don't think Chris Keller can take this one sided conversation too much longer." Chris concluded before his voice cracked again. He looked her body up and down once more trying to memorize everything before him. He felt a vibration in his pocket and within seconds he retrieved his phone.
'Any news? Plane landed. On my way now'
A small smile swept over Chris' face as he read the words again feeling a tiny sense of relief. Even if it was only in the moment, he'd take anything over the moment he discovered Haley had been in an accident.
"That was Nathan. I told you he'd be here before you know it. So hurry up and wake up so you can see it with your own eyes." Chris added tenderly.
Nathan couldn't remember the last time he'd been so demanding and rude. He knew he was being a jerk but he just didn't see any other way to get across the rush he was in. It seemed whenever he asked someone to move faster the exact opposite seemed to unfold. He hated feeling out of control. Nathan unlocked his iPhone again and read over Chris' text message once more.
'Moved to private area of ICU #1210. You've been cleared to visit her. Will give you full update when you get here. She's still not awake but I told her you're coming.'
He took a deep breath and let his eyes close while he tried to center himself. He went from feeling consumed with game day adrenaline to sheer panic and fear after discovering Haley had been in an accident. He couldn't really recall moving through the airport and hailing a cab at LAX but he had. His instinct took over similar to when he was on the basketball court playing the sport he loved so much. He didn't need to think what he was going to do next, his body just responded accordingly. He needed to be with Haley. He wouldn't be ok again until he saw her with his own two eyes.
His eyes flew open when his phone began to ring in his hands.
"Hey Luke."
"Nathan, have you heard anything yet?" Lucas asked referring to the first time he'd called to check on Nathan.
"I'm almost at the hospital. Chris won't tell me anything via text and I'm trying not to fear the worst but I can't help it. What if she.." Nathan replied quietly.
"I know how you can get and don't go there until you know what her condition is. Don't even let yourself go there." Lucas said trying to his best to comfort his old friend.
Nathan rubbed his free hand over his buzzed head, a nervous habit he'd developed some time ago. "I can't believe this is happening. When I find out how this happened I swear to God…" Nathan stated before Lucas interjected.
"Nate it hasn't been confirmed yet that the other car was the paparazzi or not from what's on T.V. and the net."
"That's bull shit Luke. You know how they are, they've been hounding her constantly lately." Nathan replied with disgust.
The line remained silent for a few moments until Lucas broke the silence.
"Hate to bring this up but have you called Dan yet?" Lucas asked.
Nathan glanced up noting the street sign as he answered, "I tried but I just couldn't bring myself to call. I know what he's going to say and I can't hear it right now. He's not exactly supportive of my relationship with Haley. He'll go on about the game and how distracting this is."
"I just don't get it, he's your father. He seems to lack the capability of dealing with human emotion."
The taxi cab pulled up to the hospital only to be surrounded by several media outlets that were already camped out at the hospital desperate to report a break in the story.
"Holy shit! The press is already here in full force. Luke I gotta go if I have a chance of getting through this crowd. I'll call you with an update later ok. Give my love to Brooke." Nathan said. He tried to shield his eyes from the flashing lights as he finished up his call, threw some cash in the front seat to cover the fare and gathered himself before moving to exit. The taxi cab driver put the cab into park and shut the engine off as Nathan forcefully pushed the car door open.
"NATHAN!"
"How's Haley doing?"
"Do you have any news?"
"Just a few words Nathan please…"
He pushed the door closed as he continued to shield his eyes from the constant bright light from the cameras that were being shoved in his face. It took everything in him to fight off the urge to lay everyone of the press outside of the hospital to the ground. To Nathan's surprise, the taxi cab driver moved in front of him and began to push through the press creating a clear path for Nathan to follow.
"Out of the way! Coming through! Move!"The driver called out as bodies parted ways for Nathan to get to the hospital door. Nathan followed closely behind truly touched by the kindness of a complete stranger in his time of need. He didn't leave Nathan's side until they were inside the front door.
"Sir, thank you so much for your help." Nathan offered breathlessly still somewhat in shock of the scene outside.
The driver nodded with a small smile before replying, "My pleasure Mr. Scott. I hope your girlfriend is ok."
And with that the driver turned quickly and disappeared into the crowd swarming outside. It was clear the driver knew who Haley was and had yet respected her privacy. Nathan found himself literally jogging through the hospital trying to navigate his way through while quickly reading different signs. He ignored the hard looks he received from the people he passed knowing he was only attracting more attention for running. He knew he looked like a maniac.
His feet finally stopped when he arrived to the reception desk at ICU.
"May I help you?"
"I'm looking for Haley James. She was brought in a few hours ago after a car accident." Nathan answered as he worked to catch his breath. Oddly enough, he was used to running constant for over 40 minutes during a game however currently he couldn't seem to slow his breathing.
"I'm sorry sir I can't give out information about any possible patients in this hospital."
In that moment Nathan remembered the security clearance and quickly retrieved his wallet. He ripped out his license and slammed it on the desk.
"My name is Nathan Scott and I should be cleared to obtain information about her. Now tell me where is she?" Nathan stated harshly. His crystal blue eyes stared the woman down as she looked at his identification and then looked at a clipboard on her desk top. Her eyes widened signaling she now realized who he was.
She looked back at him now with softer eyes after reading the notes indicating he was the patient in question's boyfriend and said, "Follow me."
Nathan followed closely, his shoes squeaking on the floor as he walked down the long hallway. The reception nurse handed him a visitor badge and instructed him to clip it to his clothing to be visible at all times. She swiped her badge and led him through the double doors then pointed to #1210. Nathan faintly saw through the glass the shadow of three bodies huddled next to a bed behind a curtain. He felt his anxiety rise and his hands began to shake. His heart beat faster as he took in his surroundings and the fact he was finally there. He took a deep breath and pushed the door to Haley's room open. Three heads shot over at the sound not sure who to anticipate entering.
"Nathan!" Quinn replied and rushed over to hug him. He gave Quinn a quick hug before she pulled away to walk over to where Clay had stepped back to. Chris had moved to the side as well creating space for Nathan next to her bed. It was then Haley's body came into his line of sight. He felt his knees weakened as he took in the true impact of the accident on his love. He studied the cuts and bruises he could see with the skin that was exposed until his eyes moved to her face. He vaguely remembered hearing Chris explain the detail of her injuries while he studied her body. Four broken ribs, punctured and collapsed lung, swelling in her brain….
"Dr. Bennett isn't sure when she'll wake up but the nurse told us to talk to her as though she can hear us. You know Chris hasn't shut up to let anyone else get a word in edgewise." Quinn added with a forced smile. She was trying to stay positive and not break down in Haley's presence.
She opened her mouth to speak again but was halted by Clay's ringing phone.
"It's your mom!" Clay said and then handed Quinn the phone. Clay followed Quinn as she quickly stepped out of Haley's room to go to the private family lounge.
Chris looked at Nathan and noticed his eyes were fixed on Haley since the moment she came into his view. Chris gave Nathan a friendly pat on the back and then announced, "I'm going to give you a few minutes alone with her and try to reach Peyton again."
Finally finding the ability to move, Nathan found himself seated in the chair next to the bed. He looked at the machines and IVs Haley was hooked up to and noted the different beeping sounds playing around him. He reached out and carefully took her small hand in his careful not to squeeze too tightly. Her lifeless hand lay limp in his calloused hand. She looked unbelievably fragile laid out before him.
"Hi Hales.." he finally spoke in a broken voice.
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