"Mr. and Mrs. James, Haley would like to see you," Nathan announced entering the waiting room.
Jimmy and Lydia felt like they'd been waiting hours to see their daughter. Jimmy argued to the doctor that he should have seen Haley already, not the guy who left her pregnant. He made sure to stress that Nathan had left Haley.
Lydia, as well as the doctor, had explained that bringing Nathan back was standard procedure since he was the father. They thought he could answer some questions on her medical chart but soon realized that he was absolutely clueless.
"Julian, you could come with us," Lydia offered.
"It's okay," Julian politely turned down. He figured this was an emotional day for everyone. His aunt and uncle should spend some alone time with their daughter. "I'll see her soon."
Lydia nodded understanding Julian's decision and went off with Jimmy to head towards Haley's room.
Nathan recognized Julian as the kid on the River Court the other day. He wondered if Haley had found herself a new boyfriend while he'd been running around Tree Hill with Rachel. He had no clue what Haley potentially saw in him. The boy wasn't even a good basketball. Nathan masked his jealousy quite well and kept a straight, unwavering face.
"How's Haley?" Deb asked, inching closer to her son.
"She's good," Nathan replied, cracking his fingers. All eyes were on him. "Just a little stressed. Nothing the doctor thinks she can't bounce back from."
"And the baby?" Lucas questioned, curious to see Nathan's response. Since Haley collapsed, Nathan's behavior had been surprising Lucas around every corner. He actually seemed like a genuinely caring guy. Lucas was apprehensive to trust it. This could all just be an act and Haley would be back to a puddle of tears.
"The baby's fine," Nathan answered. "We won't know anything for sure until her appointment Wednesday but everything's fine."
Deb and Karen sighed in relief knowing that Haley and the baby were alright. Though not planned, the two women had grown attached to the baby. They knew Haley would be wrecked if something happened to it.
"Nathan," Dan called, gesturing for his son to come over. Dan and Royal had kept their distance from the group, not engaging in the hysterics that the rest of them had bought into. The doctor had explained everything was alright, there was no need for them to still be at the hospital. Begrudgingly, Nathan went over to his dad and grandpa, knowing very well that it would not end on a positive note. "It's time to go."
"You two can go. I drove myself. I promised Haley that I was staying," Nathan argued. Haley asked him, before he left her room, if he was staying. Without hesitation, he told her yes. He wanted to prove to her that he was serious about making an effort.
"Do you hear yourself? This is the same girl you were complaining about for the past week. The same girl who you didn't feel a bit of remorse for," Dan said. His son was up in arms about Deb inviting her to dinner, dreading even seeing the girl, now he didn't want to leave her side. Trying to emphasize his point, he put his arm on Nathan's shoulder and stared into his eyes. "This isn't you, Nathan. This isn't your future. Basketball, that's your future."
Nathan shook his father off him. "It still can be," Nathan suggested, uttering the similar phrase that Haley had told him earlier.
"You're ready to give up everything we've worked for, for some girl? Girls like Haley James are a dime a dozen. You'll run into millions of them once you are in the NBA and then you can take your pick. But right now basketball should be your main priority."
Dan didn't notice anything particularly interesting about Haley. Aside from the fact that she was incredibly smart. Dan still was unsure how such a brainiac could have ended up in bed with his son.
However, the girl he met at dinner, Rachel, was more Nathan's speed. She was a cheerleader and came from a rich family. She may not have many interests besides hooking up with guys but that didn't matter. It seemed like Rachel was gearing up to be a trophy wife.
"It is," Nathan said. Basketball would always be towards the top of his priorities; however, as current situations have unfolded, his priorities have shifted slightly. "And so is the baby."
"The baby? Just three hours ago you wanted nothing to do with the baby," Dan reminded.
"I've changed my mind," Nathan insisted. After seeing Haley unconscious in his arms, Nathan knew he couldn't lose her and that meant the baby too. Then seeing her in the hospital bed and listening to their child's heartbeat confirmed everything he had been thinking. If Haley was going to have the baby, she wasn't going to be doing it alone.
"You can't be serious." The son he raised would have never given a second thought to abandon the girl he got pregnant in high school. They would just hold him back from his fullest potential. "Remember that I was in your shoes once, and look at the life I have now - all because of my choices. I have you. Your mother. The car dealership. And the respect of everyone in Tree Hill."
Nathan glanced over to Karen and Lucas. She had her arm wrapped around him lovingly as they talked to Keith. Their relationship was much better and healthier than Nathan's relationship with both of his parents combined. Nathan had contemplated whether or not his mom and him would be like that if Dan wasn't in control, lurking his head around every corner.
"I don't want to be like you, Dad!" Nathan erupted. He was trained his entire life to be just like his father. Basketball skills aside, Nathan's personality was starting to take after Dan's. He was becoming someone he vowed to never be like.
"Nathan, keep your voice down," Royal warned, stepping in. People were starting to look. He didn't want his family to be another spectacle yet again. "You don't want to cause a scene."
"Maybe I do, Grandpa!" Nathan fired back. Turning back to face his father, he continued. "My entire life, you've always pushed me to be the best and be just like you. You missed out on having a career in the NBA because of your knee, so I get that you want me to have what you never could, but in the end you turned me into you. A guy who puts himself before others and walks out on his kid."
"I never walked out on you," Dan argued.
"I wasn't talking about me," Nathan said.
Lucas had tried his best to keep neutral and out of Nathan's conversation with Dan; however, as the volume between the two increase, Lucas found it harder to ignore them.
"I chose you Nathan. What more do you want from me? I gave you and your mother a wonderful life. Why don't you see that?" Dan pressed. After his knee injury and with Deb pregnant with Nathan, he did his best to bounce back and provide a stable environment for his wife and son. He'd scarified so much for Nathan, yet Nathan was ungrateful, in Dan's eyes, to see that.
"Do you realize how screwed up I am because of you?" Nathan implored. He'd been holding in all this pent up emotion for far too long. It was about time that he burst. "I can't commit to a relationship because you taught me that to make it into the NBA, I can't have any baggage. I hate my only sibling because you told me to. I hurt Haley just to get back at Lucas. And the one person who is supposed to love me more than anyone else in this world isn't even born yet and I almost abandoned them."
Nathan knew that no matter how hard he tried, he wasn't good enough for anyone. His father wanted him to be better. His mom despised his choice. His uncle chose his brother over him. His brother hated him. And the mother of his child was disappointed in him. The only person who wouldn't know how much of a screw he was would be his child. He wanted his kid to see him as a hero, someone to look up to.
"You can leave, but I'm staying here," Nathan said, planting himself firmly to the ground.
Dan withheld himself from making any more snide remarks or a quick comeback to attack Nathan. He could feel everyone was waiting for his reaction and another outburst. Instead, Dan remained stoic. "Would you mind taking your mother home?" Dan asked.
"Not at all," Nathan replied.
Dan walked off with his father, who went to collect his wife from the group, and they headed to the car. Dan and Royal didn't want to stay any longer around those people. And Royal would not subject May to their presence any longer.
Nathan took a seat in a nearby chair. He anxiously tapped his foot while waiting for Haley to request his presence. Nathan reached into his back pocket to look at the sonogram the tech gave him. He hadn't had a chance to look at it himself since leaving Haley's room.
Deb noticed her son's distance from the group. He hadn't returned to the fold after his argument with Dan. She hoped everything was alright. He'd been quiet from most of the night and kept to himself.
She excused herself from Karen, Keith, and the kids to see Nathan. Taking the empty seat next to him, she went to his side. Deb peered over her shoulder and noticed Nathan holding on tightly to a picture.
"What's this?" Deb asked, trying to make out the picture in Nathan's hands.
"It's the baby," Nathan explained, handing over his copy over to his mother to look.
Deb's fingers traced over the shape of her grandbaby. Hearing about it was one thing, seeing it was another. "I can't believe my baby's having a baby," Deb marveled.
"Me either," Nathan admitted.
"Time flies. One minute you're holding them in your arms, the next minute they're having kids of their own." Deb started to tear up at her words. It seemed like yesterday, Nathan was running around the yard with a plastic basketball in his hands. Now he was going to be a father himself.
"Mom..."
"I'm alright." Deb sniffled and wiped away her tears quickly. "It just gets me, you know. Despite all this, I want you to know that I'm really proud of you, Nate."
"Really?"
"You stood up to your father and took full responsibility for your actions." Dan had bullied Nathan into submission for years, she was glad her son finally found his voice. "I've been holding out hope that you'd come around and make the right decision."
"I'm really scared, Mom." Nathan never confided in anyone, with the exception of Haley, especially his parents. Seeing as his mother had been supportive throughout this situation, Nathan figured she would be the best person to talk to.
"What new parent isn't? I was terrified when I had you. You'll figure it out," Deb reassured him. If there was anything true about her son, he was a quick learner and a hard worker. Give him a couple of months of prep and he would be the best father ever.
"I just don't want to screw up."
"Parents screw up all the time, Nathan. No one's perfect."
"I just don't want to turn out like Dad."
"And you won't. You know why?" Nathan shook his head. "Because you know what not to do. As long as you love your child and constantly remind him or her of that, then you'll never be like him."
"Thanks, Mom."
"Any time." Deb kissed her son on the head and gave him and hug for reassurance. "I love you, Nate."
During his embrace with Deb, Nathan noticed Lucas glancing his way every so often. Lucas had not been able to keep his eyes off Nathan. He didn't want Haley to get hurt again at the hands of his brother.
Nathan had a strange urge inside him to talk to Lucas. If he was really going to make an effort and be there for Haley, he would need to clear the air with his brother and her best friend.
Nathan stood up from his seat on the opposite side of the room and walked over to Lucas, who was in conversation with Karen, Keith, Brooke, Julian, and Peyton. "Lucas, could we talk?" Nathan interrupted.
From the glares each person was giving him, it was evident that none of them were fans of his. Lucas eyed Nathan suspiciously. His instincts told him no, but curious to learn of Nathan's intentions, Lucas ignored his gut.
"Outside," Lucas said leading the way. It was a precaution. If Nathan said something unsavory, then they wouldn't break out into a fight in the middle of the hospital and get kicked out before seeing Haley.
Once outside, the brothers stood in silence for a moment, neither sure what to say or do. Avoiding eye contact and keeping their hands in their pockets, Nathan decided to take the first step. "I'm glad Haley has you," Nathan admitted. He hated to say it, but Nathan knew that if something were to happen, Lucas could always be counted on to be there for Haley and the baby.
"That's not what you wanted to talk about, is it?" Lucas deduced. And like always, Lucas was right.
"I'm sorry," Nathan apologized. "If it wasn't for me, Haley wouldn't be in this mess. I involved her in our stupid war with each other when I should have left her alone." He had felt bad that this was a result of his attack on Lucas. The permanent thing was supposed to be Lucas quitting the basketball team not Haley getting pregnant.
"Why did you?" Lucas asked. He'd tried to figure out for weeks why he chose Haley as his point of attack.
"Because of Dan." Nathan paused. "We both wanted you off the team. You took my position as shooting guard. And on top of it, I was losing my girlfriend to you. I was fed up. Dan convinced me that to get you off the team I must find your weakness. I've seen you and Haley together around in the halls. I heard from a couple guys she was a friend of yours and a tutor. Ironically enough, I needed a one but had been too prideful to get one. The plan was to get her to tutor me and then sleep with her. However, when I had gone to see her at the tutoring center, she rejected me, rambling on and on about your friendship and how it was inappropriate. It wasn't until the beach house that everything changed."
Nathan's confession did not change anything for Lucas. He'd known most of this information already through Haley. And that he didn't know, he could have inferred himself. "Is that all?" Lucas asked.
"I know you don't like me and I certainly don't like you, but we both care about Haley. And despite what you think, I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to her. I made a mistake when I snapped at her the other day. I don't want to be like Dan and abandon my kid. You know firsthand how shitty that must feel." Though Lucas hated Dan with every fiber of his being, he still wished he had a better relationship with him and knew him as a father rather than the guy who left. "Like it or not, we're going to be stuck together for the rest of our lives because neither one of us is going to abandon Haley."
"Aren't you?" Lucas closed the distance between him and Nathan. "She told me everything you said. You're just a bad as Dan, the only difference is that you didn't try to bribe her into it."
"I've changed," Nathan argued.
"People don't change in less than twenty-four hours. You need to prove yourself, not only to me, but also to Haley, because she deserves a whole lot better than you," Lucas spat.
"Lucas!" Peyton called as she ran towards him out of the front doors. "Haley wants to see you. Lydia told me to come get you."
"I'll be right there," Lucas promised Peyton, following her. He could feel Nathan trailing behind him and swung around to meet him in the eyes one more time. "Haley asked for me. Not you. You have a long way to go if you want to be the one she calls for."