AN:
Thank you so much for continuing to read and review. Thanks to any new readers out there too! I loved hearing what all of you thought and found each review motivating to continue. I appreciate you taking the time read and offer up comments too. I'm almost to 300 reviews...can you all help me get there or past it? :) That would be sweet :)
Hope you enjoy the next chapter...let me know what you think :) Lots of Naley and drama at the end...
~~~ "I'm Never Alone, I'm Alone All the Time" ~~~
* Chapter Thirty- Five*
Dan Scott was the type of person who always had a game plan. Always had the upper hand and always found himself one step ahead of his opponent. He took great care and paid attention to all details when preparing for battle in the business world. He studied all the angles of his opponent and developed a plan A, B, and C when needed. He always had an out for any possible situation which had thus far proved to be beneficial for Nathan's career and of course his own band account. That is until he made the ultimate error in judgment in teaming up with Damien West. Normally he only associated himself with professionals but figured exposing Haley James for the whore he thought she was wouldn't be that difficult. Certainly not after he discovered there was physical proof of her indiscretions with Damien.
It seemed almost too good to be true when he'd uncovered the details about the break up between Damien and Haley. Once he met gathered more information about Damien, he knew just how easy it would be to convince him to work together to destroy Haley James. Putting together the piece of Peyton Sawyer was a no brainer. Dan had been able to push and manipulate women all his life and knew Peyton would be no different. That is until Peyton started to fight back which was something Dan hadn't anticipated happening.
He'd been glued to his office desk since he arrived early in the morning. He'd been scouring the internet for any information he might have missed on Peyton Sawyer. Dan began to get frustrated when he came up with very little "dirt" on the record executive. If she did have any skeletons in her past she'd covered her tracks with sheer perfection. Dan sat staring at his computer screen with mixed feelings. Rage with a hint of jealousy at how good she was at her job.
Quinn has arrived back at the hospital the next morning just in time to bring Haley a chocolate covered donut for breakfast. The James Sisters enjoyed their quiet morning together in spite of being cooped up in a hospital room. Quinn waited while Haley's nurse assisted her with taking a shower and was on hand to help comb out her sister's now wet hair. Haley was still unable to raise her left arm above her head without causing shooting pain to her broken ribs.
"Are you sure you and the baby are ok?" Haley asked after Quinn had finally disclosed her slightly jump in her blood pressure the day before.
Quinn smiled kindly in response to her younger sister's question as she continued to run the comb through Haley's hair.
"I have an appointment with my OB this afternoon just to make sure everything is on track. I feel a million times better today than I did yesterday that's for sure." Quinn answered.
"Oh Quinny if I did anything to harm the baby or you…I'll never" Haley exclaimed only to be cut off by her older sister.
"Haley stop right there!" Quinn said and moved herself on Haley's bed so they were now face to face. "The accident wasn't even your fault so don't even go there. High blood pressure in pregnancy is in our family anyway, you know that. It probably means I'll just end up on bed rest or something like that towards the end."
Haley looked back at Quinn with questioning eyes but failed to say anything. She knew her sister was right and genetics were something she couldn't argue with.
"Just promise me you're taking care of yourself. I'm fine now so you don't need to worry about me so much." Haley finally said with a small smile.
"Clay's making sure I'm taking care of myself but you can't get rid of me so easily Hales. Lord knows we can't count on our parents to offer love and support during tough times." Quinn replied with a sigh.
"Ain't that the truth! Our parents took the literal meaning of empty nest and seem to have forgotten their parental responsibilities the moment we hit 18 and left the "nest"." Haley added with a chuckle. The James sisters had spent several years harboring resentment and anger towards their parents and their involvement in their daughter's lives. Eventually it got to a point where Haley and Quinn finally let it go and accepted their parents as they were. It was around that same time their bond of sisterhood strengthened by leaps and bounds.
"Besides it's clear Nathan will move heaven and earth to be there for you. Hales, you should've seen him when he first got here. God, it broke my heart. He never left your side from the moment he was able to see you. And then Peyton got here and all hell broke loose." Quinn said and expressed a grimacing face near the end of her comment.
Haley looked back with concerned eyes and asked, "Are you gonna tell me what really happened when she got here?"
"I did tell you what happened." Quinn answered too quickly.
Quinn debated on whether or not to disclose the full details she knew about what she'd witnessed of Peyton and Nathan's argument.
"Quinn tell me please! I need to know if something happened between them." Haley pushed again.
"I don't know everything that happened but what I did hear, it wasn't pretty. Chris, Clay and I walked in on the two of them yelling at each other about him still being at the hospital. Peyton wasn't too keen on Nathan hanging around as you can imagine and she was trying to get him to leave. Things calmed down once the two of them were separated for a bit." Quinn concluded.
Haley bit her lip slightly as she mulled over what her sister had just said.
"So who finally won then? Peyton or Nathan?" Haley asked.
"Well, you see…when I walked in on them screaming at each other while you were lying unconscious I just kinda lost it. Everything was coming to a head and I couldn't handle the yelling. I'm sorry if you're mad at me but I was the one who suggested for him to leave for a bit."
"You did?"
Quinn nodded and then added, "Hales, I didn't know what else to do. I hope he's not too pissed at me. He just looked so angry…and I didn't want security to be called or for him to get asked to leave by the hospital staff. Nate ended up taking a walk with Clay for a while and came back in a better place."
Haley listened to Quinn's explanation of what she'd missed and it sounded as bad as she imagined it might.
"Thanks for making sure he didn't get thrown out of the hospital. I just wish I could have been there to somehow diffuse the situation between the two of them before it escalated. There's a reason I kept the two of them apart you know?" Haley expressed with a small sigh.
Nathan rolled over and slowly opened his eyes to greet the day. It took a couple blinks before he was able to register his surroundings and that his iPhone had been ringing.
'Haley' He thought to himself when he saw the empty bed next to him. He fumbled for his iPhone he remembered leaving on his bedside table. He checked his phone for any possible missed calls from Haley or the hospital. He couldn't believe how hard he'd slept.
One call from Dan and one from Lucas.
He chose to get the bad news over with first and tapped on Dan's number. It took but two rings before Dan picked up on the other end.
"Scott here."
"Hey it's Nathan."
"Son, thanks for calling me back so soon." Dan said with a small hint of sarcasm.
Nathan muttered, "You literally called me not even five minutes ago. Give me a break Dad, what did you want?"
"I wanted to touch base with you about your press release regarding missing the next five games and your absence. You received an offer to host a charity auction to raise money for juvenile cancer patients. They just secured that sexy actress who won an Oscar for Best Actress last year to co-host with you. Then there's also the Haley situation that needs to be handled." Dan answered.
Nathan bolted up in bed like a trap door and said, "What "Haley situation" do you think needs to be handled?"
"Get off it Nathan, you know exactly what I'm talking about. The press is all over the accident and believe me it's not the kind we want." Dan snapped back.
"I don't really think my girlfriend's car accident is missed opportunity for good press. As far as I can see, the only press you need to be concerned about is the press about the charity event, me walking off the court and my missed games. Stay out of the rest of it!"
"Son, your image is my business from the moment you delegated me to be your agent." Dan shot back.
Nathan was finding it more and more difficult to carry on any conversation with his father.
"I'm only looking out for your wellbeing. The latest suggestion today is that alcohol was involved in her inability to drive safely. The press is painted her as another drunk rocker who can't drive."
"That's complete bull shit! She wasn't drunk!" Nathan spat back clearly in anger.
"At this point it may not matter what she says about it…once the idea is out there it can have a snowball effect and be impossible to stop. This is exactly what you don't need to even be dealing with. Your relationship with her is causing too much of a distraction from what's really important. You need to secure a contract to keep playing." Dan fired back at his son.
"I can't believe I'm hearing this right now. It's like you don't even have a human soul anymore. What's happened to you Dad?" Nathan asked in disbelief.
Nathan didn't wait for a response and then added, "Dan, I've got to return some calls. I'll talk to you later. Leave Haley alone!" Nathan prayed his father took his warning seriously.
He ended the call and within seconds was already placing his next one. He waited patiently and let out a sigh of relief when the other end finally picked up.
"Hello?"
"Luke, look man I need your help." Nathan remarked with pure honesty.
"What do you need?" Lucas answered back.
"Remember when you said something to me about the agent who works with the same firm as your publicist? I think I'm gonna need that number after all." Nathan managed to say with more certainty than he first expected.
Haley couldn't have been more relieved when she was finally cleared to discharge from the hospital. A few days felt like weeks when all she wanted to go was sleep in a comfortable bed and get rid of that hospital smell that seemed to set up residence in her clothing, bedding and even her hair no matter how many times she washed it. Nathan visited Haley every day she was in the hospital and most nights she had to force him to leave. Peyton had managed to steer clear of Nathan during her brief visits with Haley. She'd stayed in touch with Haley by phone once she retrieved her phone from the police who discovered it when they arrived on the accident scene. The upcoming tour overseas had been postponed to allow Haley adequate time for her lung to fully recover. The band had noticed Peyton's demeanor had shifted somewhat and she'd become rather distant. They figured she was overwhelmed with trying to piece together the delayed tour while managing the added press resulting from Haley's accident. Little did they know her energy and time had been focused on one thing only. Haley.
Haley was discharged from the hospital and went right to Nathan's house again. He was excited for her to return and had to admit his house seemed empty without her. In the short time she'd been staying with him full time, Haley had managed to create a home for them. She hadn't redecorated or purchased new furniture for his house. It was the little things that seemed to make the difference for Nathan. Things like having someone else's toothbrush resting in the holder next to his, two sets of dishes to wash after dinner, and someone to greet him when he returned home at the end of the day.
Damien West had followed Dan Scott's directions and made a point to lay low after Haley's accident. He had expected that someone that night had managed to get a photograph of him and Haley when they were in the club together but nothing had been released yet. He'd spent a good two days completely drunk and scared of Dan Scott and what he might do. When Damien had finally managed to sober up, he gained a new perspective and developed a new plan. Once he collected his last payment from Dan Scott he was going to cut ties for good with the devil.
Damien tried Dan's number while he finished getting dressed for the day.
"Scott."
"Dan, it's Damien. Look I've done what you asked me to do and now it's time for you to hold up your end. I'm tired of waiting!" Damien started off with a strong confident tone to his voice.
The brief silence followed but a devious cackle should have given Damien the answer he was looking for but he missed it completely.
"I want the last installment of payment." He declared.
"Payment? What was that for exactly? Because if I recall, you were to break them up and that has yet to happen." Dan fired back without missing a beat this time.
"I did everything you asked for and more. You owe me money Scott."
Dan leaned back in his office desk chair and looked over at the person sitting across from him listening in on his conversation with Damien. They exchanged a look and head nod before Dan continued, "You know what, I'm not 100% satisfied with the services you supplied so I'm not paying for them."
"Are you fucking kidding me? I put my neck on the line for you! You owe me and you're gonna pay up!" Damien shouted.
"First rule of business West, always be one step ahead of your opponent. Our relationship is now over. Do not attempt to contact me again. If you breathe one word of this to the press, I will guarantee an eye witness will suddenly come forward with new information about the accident incriminating you." Dan threatened. Damien was now speechless and couldn't find the words to respond to such a statement. Dan smiled back at the individual sitting across from him and had a sense of relief the last loose end was about to be tied up.
"You will get what's coming to you someday Scott and I'm going to enjoy every minute watching you fall from grace." Damien replied and then ended the call not know what else to say to Dan.
After a few moments of silence, Dan looked back at his guest with a satisfied grin.
"I think it's safe to say West is taken care of and we can move forward." Dan remarked as he picked up his small glass of whiskey. He held it out in front of him and waited for another glass to cheers with.
"I'll be glad when this is finally complete."
Dan nodded as he agreed. He was looking forward to having his client all to himself again. Oh yeah and his son too.
"It was surprisingly interesting consulting with you regarding this problem." Dan said.
"You too."
Peyton reached forward and tapped her glass with Dan's and they both downed the remainder of the alcohol in their glasses. She looked back at Dan and was grateful the problem they shared together would soon be resolved.
Haley sat next to Nathan in his car as they drove to the police impound lot to retrieve the remaining person items that were in her car. The police had concluded their review of evidence in Haley's car and had called her to come collect her items.
"What do you think the "new" information about the accident is?" Haley asked Nathan as he pulled the car into the parking lot and then into a parking space.
Nathan put the vehicle into park and then replied, "Hopefully they've got a real lead on the other driver and they will finally be able to nail that asshole."
Haley nodded in agreement as she slowly moved to unbuckle her seat belt. Nathan had unfastened his and jogged around to the passenger side. He opened the door and held his hand out for Haley to reach as she climbed out of the car.
"Thanks baby." She said to him once she was standing next to him.
He leaned forward and placed a quick kiss on her cheer before they headed into the police station. They met with Detective Allen who had already prepared the bags containing Haley's personal items from her car. The detective was surprised when she'd asked if she could actually see her car. Nathan had to admit he was slightly taken aback by her request. Within a few moments, they were following Detective Allen through the back door and towards the impound lot. As they slowly approached Haley's vehicle, she found herself reaching for Nathan's hand.
"Oh my God." She gasped as she finally came face to face with the aftermath of her car accident.
The couple stood in front of the mangled frame that once resembled a functioning car. The driver's side was directly in front of them and Haley couldn't bring herself to look anywhere other than the driver's door. The window had been blown out and the entire door panel was crushed and pushed far into the inside of the actual car. Like Haley, Nathan was shocked to see the destruction before him and felt even more grateful she managed to survive without further injuries. He reached his left arm around her tiny frame and pulled her into a one armed hug while she let her head rest against her chest. They stood in silence for another minute before Detective Allen broke the silence.
"Haley, are you aware that a tracking GPS device was install and active on your car?" Detective Allen asked.
"What?" She said somewhat startled as she shifted her attention towards the Detective.
"Upon further investigation of the vehicle to rule out any mechanical problems that might have contributed to the accident we discovered the device. Unfortunately I'm unable to determine how long exactly the device had been there. It was noted in the report the make and model of the device has only been on the market for the last 3 months." Allen added.
"How long have you had your car?" Nathan asked.
"I got it almost 2 years ago." She answered quietly.
"Can you recall the last time you had the car serviced?" Allen asked as he looked up from his small notebook he'd been jotting notes down in.
Haley looked back at Nathan in confusion as she desperately tried to recall.
"I've never been good about remember to get my oil changed every three months like you're supposed to. I usually don't hit the 3,000 mile mark within the three months because I'm on the road so much. I can't remember off the top of my head." Haley confessed.
"What if…" Nathan said and then he released his hold on Haley's body. He walked closer to the car and crouched down to peer inside the car. He carefully rested his hands on the door making sure to avoid any sharp glass sticking out of the window frame from cutting his hands. He took in the sight of shattered glass all over the front seats, floor and center counsel. He couldn't help but notice the dried blood on the driver's seat. Haley's blood. He froze in place and shook his head and then forced himself to move forward. He looked up at the sticker on the cracked windshield.
"9 months ago." Nathan called out to the pair standing behind him. He studied the interior of the car once more before he turned around to see Haley walking towards him.
"No Hales, don't come any closer. You don't need to see the inside of the car." Nathan pleaded with her. He knew the previous images he'd just seen would now haunt his dreams at night. If he could prevent adding any more details to the nightmares she'd been having since the accident he would do anything. He stood in front of her and placed both his hands on her shoulders to stop her from walking any further.
"Nathan, I want to …"
He moved his hands up from her shoulders to her face holding it in his hands. He looked her in the eyes and said, "Please don't…" Haley looked into his crystal blue eyes that were filled with heart ache and sorrow. She hadn't neglected the impact her accident had had on him. She gave him a nod and then looked away from the car. Nathan slipped his arm around her and rested on her lower back as they walked together towards Detective Allen.
"If her car hasn't been serviced in 9 months, then that means someone else installed the device in your car. Do you have any idea who would want to know where Haley's car is 24/7?" Detective Allen asked both of them.
Nathan and Haley both replied in unison, "Yes."
Neither Nathan nor Haley spoke much in the car on the way back to Nathan's. Truth be told both of their minds were racing with the possibilities of who could have done that to Haley's car. Their thoughts consumed them their entire drive back to Nathan's house. Haley busied herself making a cup of tea while Nathan checked his voicemail.
'Nate, it's Luke just calling to check in and see how things are going. Hope Haley is feeling better too. Listen, There's uhh…there's something I wanna talk to you about. Call me when you can. Later man.'
Nathan glanced over at Haley and saw her retreating form as she appeared to head towards their bedroom. He pulled up Lucas' number and waited for him to answer.
"Hey Nate!"
"Hi Luke, how's it going?"
"Not too bad. How's Haley doing?" Lucas asked.
Nathan sighed a bit before he answered, "She's glad to be out of the hospital that's for sure. We just got back from the police station to pick up some of her stuff from her car. They let us see the remnants of her car."
Lucas grimaced as the vision of what that might look like filled his thoughts.
"How bad was it?"
"Oh God Luke, it was awful. Her car was nearly folded in two from where she was hit. Seeing the wreckage kinda makes it even more real for me I guess." Nathan confessed pausing for a moment to gather his thoughts before he continued. "There was glass all over and there was so much blood all over the car…"
Lucas interjected after detecting the struggle in his best friend's voice as he recalled the gruesome details.
"What are you two up to tonight?" Lucas asked.
"Hales seems worn out from earlier so I figure we're gonna order in and lay low tonight."
Lucas nodded and then said, "Listen, I know you told me you've got everything under control but I couldn't just sit back and do nothing. I wanted to do something to help you and Haley and managed to uncover some information I thought I'd pass on to you. It's not much but.."
Nathan stopped in place from his previous path he'd been pacing.
"What is it?" He asked.
"Brooke actually is the one who found it. She got in touch with Damien's agent and got his contact information. She pretended to be interested in dressing him for an upcoming award show appearance." Luke answered.
"She did?" Nathan stated in surprise.
"Yeah, his agent told her that Damien has been battling a "virus" and was too sick to even leave his house to make a meeting with her. You know how Brooke can be, before their conversation was over she managed to get his home address out of his agent so she could send a "Get Well" basket to Damien." Lucas concluded.
"What is it?" Nathan demanded in a low growl like voice.
"No dice man! You're not going there alone."
"God dammit Luke! You can't tell me you have information and then not give it to me."
Lucas took a deep breath and then replied, "That's why I'm going with you."
Haley had tried to keep her thoughts at bay while she attempted to relax while sipping her Chamomiles tea. She could hear the low rumble of Nathan's voice in the living room while he spoke on the phone. Her eyes opened when she heard him being to yell at the person on the phone. She pushed herself off the bed and set her cup on the bedside table. She winced and held her side as stood up still noting the discomfort. She carefully removed her long sleeve shirt and left her camisole on as she headed into the bathroom. She pushed the door shut with her elbow not bothering to ensure it latched closed.
She looked up into the mirror and studied her reflection carefully. The cuts on her face were no longer bright red in color and had scabbed over "nicely" according her doctor. He assured her the laceration on her forehead that required stitching wouldn't scar. Her eyes appeared sunken in and anyone could notice the dark circles. She'd been having trouble sleeping for more than a couple hours at a time due to the nightmares haunting her dreams. Her eyes moved down and focused on the large bandage across her left collarbone all the way up to her shoulder. The seatbelt had held her from sustaining more serious internal injuries however it caused a painful laceration on the outside.
Haley slowly pulled her loose wavy hair up into a messy bun on the top of her head. She then washed and dried her hands before she opened a new set of gauze. She covered the fresh gauze with just the right amount of medicated ointment and set it to the side. Her brows wrinkled as she began to peel back the medical tape that held the current gauze in place. She'd had yet to change this bandage since being discharged by herself. Quinn had been over the day before to assist her.
"Ouch!" she mumbled to herself as she worked away.
Nathan had stood in the doorway silent for a few moments after hearing his girlfriend rummaging around in the bathroom. Since she'd discharged, she'd been resistant to allowing Nathan to help her with her wound care. She'd accepted his help with getting in and out of the car, carrying her bags, and with various other little things but not this. He'd offered several times but she blatantly refused. For reasons he'd had yet to understand. The door was cracked just enough to see her hands moving about preparing her bandages but he couldn't make anything else out. He felt conflicted with respecting her privacy and wanting to help ease her pain. Once he heard her cry out in pain, he quietly tapped on the door with his fingertips.
"Hales? You alright?"
She instantly reached for a towel to cover the exposed skin around her tank top. She glanced over and saw the door was actually cracked.
"Uhhh…I'm fine. I'll be out in a few minutes." She called to him and gently pushed the door closed suddenly worried he'd looked in on her.
Nathan let his head rest against the now closed door that separated the two of them. His mind was racing as he continued to process the news Lucas had shared with him as well as the offer he'd proposed before their conversation ended. He could barely make out the rustling sounds from the other side of the door as he tried his best to wait patiently. After a few minutes, he gave up his post and decided to sit on the edge of the bed while he waited.
Haley looked at her reflection as her thoughts consumed her once more. She'd always prided herself with being confident with her appearance. However, as she stood in front of the mirror examining her tiny bruised and battered body with a critical eye, her insecurities were shining through. She'd gone out of her way to prevent Nathan from seeing just how bad the rest of her injuries were. As she struggled trying to tend to her wound, she felt tears of frustration escape her eyes. After a failed third attempt, she knew she'd had no choice.
Nathan looked up when the bathroom door slowly opened and Haley's head appeared. He could tell she'd been crying once their eyes met.
"Nathan….I uhh I need your help." She called to him with a defeated tone of voice.
He sprung to his feet and slowly walked over to the bathroom. He pushed the door open just enough for him to get through and saw Haley standing in front of him with a large bath towel draped over her shoulders. He took note of the various medical supplies laid out on the counter top next to the sink before he looked back at her.
"I hate to ask you this but I tried to do it myself and I just can't lift my arm high enough yet." Haley explained nervously.
"What do I do?" Nathan asked quickly eager to please her.
"I know this is completely gross and this is the last thing you probably want to do. I could always try Quinn again to see if she could help me instead." Haley continued to ramble on completely ignoring Nathan's initial request.
"I have to change my bandage and I can't do it myself. I'm just so sorry to bother you even more than I already have…" Haley started again but was finally successfully cut off by Nathan.
"For the hundredth time, you are not a bother! I want to do whatever I can to help you. I know I'm not Quinn but I'm sure with your instruction we can figure this out together if you'll have me." Nathan said tenderly while softly touching her cheek with his hand. She looked into his eyes feeling completely exposed and defeated.
She slowly nodded in agreement and he offered a hint of a smile that she'd finally accepted his help with this part of her recovery. She let go of the towel she'd been holding closed around her body and it fell at their feet. Haley's eyes looked away from his and found a spot on the floor to study instead. Nathan couldn't help but allow his eyes to explore the now exposed skin before him. She'd made it at point to keep herself covered up until now. He felt his heart sink into his stomach as he saw mark after mark covering his love's body. It was no doubt she'd been in excruciating pain before.
"First you need to take the old bandage off and clean the wound with this." Haley said gesturing to her shoulder wound and a bottle of wound cleaner.
"OK." Nathan replied and then moved to the sink to quickly wash his hands. Haley turned her body so she could watch his face in the mirror while he began to remove the medical tape slowly and finally the gauze. He glanced up at Haley's face in the mirror as he began to clean the wound hoping he wasn't causing her further discomfort. Then Nathan picked up the gauze she'd already prepared with ointment and placed it over the wound.
"I know I'm completely repulsing right now. I'm sorry you have to see me like this and do this for me." She said to him in a small voice trying her best not to break down and completely cry once more in front of him.
"Hales, you are
anything but repulsing to me." He said as he stopped what he was doing. He brought his lips to hers and kissed her tenderly.
"I love you so much." He added as he looked deeply into her eyes. Haley bit at her bottom lip to hold back a sob from escaping. She could see the same look in his eyes similar to the way he'd looked at her when they were on their first date.
"I love you too." Haley finally said back.
Nathan remained quiet and tried his hardest to keep his face from reacting as he continued to take in the full damage to her body. Once he secured the last piece of tape on the back of her shoulder and slowly moved the strap of her tank back up to her shoulder were it rested loosely. She started to slowly lift her tank top up and motioned for him to help. He followed her lead and raised it up just below her breast to expose another area covered with a smaller piece of gauze. The contrast between the stark white gauze and the deep purple bruising on her side was evident. His own rib cage suddenly ached as he carefully ran his fingers over the bruised area. Nathan completed the same steps he did prior however more efficiently this time. He carefully rolled her tank top back down when he was finished and placed a tender kiss on top of her shoulder.
"Maybe it was Peyton who did it." Haley said out of the blue as she continued to study his face for a reaction when he looked up at her.
"Did what? Installed the tracker in your car?"
Haley merely nodded in response.
"It's possible it was her. My money is on that prick Damien." Nathan added in a sudden angered tone of voice.
Haley stepped forward settling directly in front of Nathan and looked up into his blue eyes. Her hands settled onto his chest while his hands naturally ended up supporting her lower back.
"Thank you for helping me with all of that. I'm used to being so independent and it's just hard to have to rely on someone else to do something so simple. I don't mean to be difficult or stubborn….I just…this has all been so hard. I feel like my life has been completed ripped from my control and no matter what I do it doesn't seem to matter. I swear if one more thing happens, I just might lose it completely." Haley confessed.
Nathan leaned down and placed a quick kiss on her forehead before he said, "I'm here for you no matter what. With all this stuff going on too, it's ok to lean on me a little bit. That's what I'm here for Hales. Let me bear some of the weight for you."
She moved her lips to touch his when her ringing phone startled both of them. She pulled it out from her back pocket and looked at the screen to identify the caller.
"It's Peyton, I should take this." Haley said quietly and then moved to step out of the bathroom.
"Don't say anything about the tracker yet." Nathan cautioned her as she passed by him. Haley nodded in response before she answered her incoming call.
"Hey Peyton what's up?"
"Haley, how are you feeling?" Peyton asked with a surprising concerned voice.
"I'm doing much better all things considered. What's up?" Haley asked again wanting to get to the point of Peyton's call.
"That's good to hear. I was hoping you'd be up to coming by my office for a quick meeting this evening. I finally received the finalized stuff from the postponed tour as well as a couple magazine offers wanting an exclusive about your accident we should discuss." Peyton commented.
"Does it really need to be done tonight? I sort of had plans tonight…" Haley started but was cut off by Peyton.
"I'm afraid so Haley. I've delayed what I could for a few days now but we really need to get the new tour dates confirmed. How about I send a car for you since I know you and you're probably too scared to drive yet?" Peyton offered in her best convincing helpful voice.
Haley spun around to look at Nathan in shock.
"You want to send a car to pick me up?" She asked out loud intentionally to gage his reaction.
His eyes widened and he immediately shook his head no. Something didn't seem quite right to her.
"Of course, I don't want you to worry about a thing. If you'd rather I hire a permanent driver for you until you're ready to drive again it's not a problem at all. I could have a car out to you in less than 30 minutes." Peyton pushed again.
"No need to send a car. I can be at your office in about 45 minutes if that's ok?"
Peyton paused for a moment at her refusal but quickly recovered, "That sounds great. See you soon." And with that Peyton ended their call. She set her phone down on her desk next to a fairly large stack of papers. She patted the papers and took a deep breathe to get herself back on track while she waited for Haley's arrival.
Haley tossed her phone to her side on the bed and looked over at Nathan.
"Why do you need to go to her office this late at night?" Nathan asked once she was off the phone.
"Something about the postponed tour and other press related to my accident. She seemed rather insistent on the phone too. A little bit odd but whatever. Any chance you could drive me there?" She asked hopefully.
He paused for a moment before he answered, "I would Hales but something's come up and I need to go meet Lucas for a little bit. I shouldn't be too late. Could Chris or Quinn take you? I'm sure they probably need to be there as well."
"Oh ok, that's fine." Haley replied hoping she didn't sound too disappointed about his new plans. It was then she noticed he had changed from his old basketball t-shirt into a solid black one and covered it with a black leather jacket. She watched him emerge again from his closet with his black converse shoes in hand. He sat on the edge of the bed while he put his shoes on. Once he was finished he looked back over at her and it was then he noticed she'd been watching him.
"You sure it's ok?" He asked her.
She forced a smile but could only nod in response. Something didn't feel right and he definitely didn't look like himself.
"I can take care of myself." She added.
"I know you can. I'll try and take care of this problem as fast as I can. Hopefully we'll both be back around the same time." He said.
"Problem, is Lucas ok?"
Shit. He hadn't realized what he'd just said. "Yes, he's just fine. I gotta go Hales."
He moved to give her a quick kiss on the lips before he left the bedroom. Haley sat for a moment thinking while she contemplated to herself. She finally stood up and walked over to the closet she'd been storing her stuff in. She pulled out a button up shirt and put it on over her tank top before stopping in the bathroom once more to touch up her make up. She grabbed her purse off the counter in the kitchen and went to open the door leading into the garage. She glanced up at the hook next to the light switch.
"Fuck it!" She muttered to herself and grabbed Nathan's car keys off the hook and proceeded to his car parked in the garage.
"I can't thank Brooke enough for doing this for me. I still can't believe she was able to find out so much information. You didn't need to come with me though." Nathan said to look as he glanced over at his best friend who was currently behind the wheel.
"You and I both know the various ways this could go down tonight. Like hell I'm letting you go into this solo." Lucas answered while he made note of the street signs as he continued to drive them to their destination.
Lucas took one final left hand turn onto a residential street and then killed his headlights while he proceeded slowly down the street.
"1240 should be on the left side of the road." Lucas declared.
After a moment Nathan called out, "Right there. Pull over!"
Lucas obeyed and within a second he'd pulled the car over and turned the engine off.
"So what's the plan?" Lucas asked Nathan as he looked at him for a sign of what to expect next.
Nathan looked back at Lucas with a cold hard stare and then answered, "His agent said he'd be home tonight so I'm gonna pay him a long overdue visit."
Nathan got out of the car and quietly shut the car door behind him. Lucas was a few steps behind him as they made their way across the street and up to the door. Lucas stepped in front of the door holding a plastic wrapped fruit basket and rang the doorbell. Nathan stood anxiously just to the right of the door making sure he was out of sight but still able to watch Lucas as they waited for the door to open. His ears perked up when he heard the deadbolt unlock and the door slowly open stopping once the door chain reached it's limit.
"Yes?"
Nathan's blood boiled the moment he heard him speak. The voice of the maniac who'd terrorized and tormented Haley was right next to him. The man who took inappropriate photographs of her and threatened her with them was close enough he could reach out and touch him. Just not yet.
Lucas offered a friendly smile and then said, "Hi, I'm from the office of Brooke Davis and Clothes over Bros. She personally asked that I deliver this get well basket to a Mr. Damien West. Would you be able to sign for it? I'm sorry it's so late sir but you know how downtown L.A. traffic can be sometimes."
Damien looked at Lucas and down to the basket. He then saw a large card with the very famous Clothes over Bros logo on the front addressed to him.
"No shit! The basket's actually for me, I'm Damien."
"Great man, I just need you to sign the receipt for me." Lucas said as he waved an old grocery receipt he'd found in his wallet quickly in front of cracked door figuring Damien wouldn't be able to look close enough. The wooden door then closed completely and Lucas snuck one last look over at Nathan. Nathan gave him a nod as he unconsciously continued to ball up his hands into tight fists. Adrenaline was freely flowing through his body at a rate he hadn't felt in a long time. As he heard the chain unhook from the door, Nathan took one last deep breathe. The door opened again and Damien stepped out from behind it.
"Alright where do I sign?" Damien asked as he looked at Lucas.
Nathan appeared out of nowhere pushing himself in front of Lucas.
"Right here!" Nathan said and then punched Damien with a sharp right hook forcing him to fall back into his house.