Chapter 128: Grandma Rachel

Saturday, January 7th, Morning

They were up before the sun and loaded into the mini-van. Nathan Scott looked in the back and saw three of his grandchildren sitting all buckled in. The youngest of the three, Darren was already asleep by the time they left Tree Hill. Nathan looked in the back and nodded, as they drove on.

Nathan reflected that this trip wasn't new to them, at least once a month, Nathan would load them up and bring them here for the weekend. These kids showed their veteran edge, as they've done this over the past three years, multiple times. Hard to believe that Lennon was now eleven-years-old.

He was the quiet of the two older ones. Lacy was the one with the mouth. Nathan loved these kids as if they were his own, not just his grandchildren. Now they were practically his own kids, anyways.

As the road slinked by, Nathan would glance back every so often and now he saw all three had dropped off to sleep. They were not even halfway there. That was good, they needed their sleep, and staying up to watch a basketball game helped to make them tired.

Even as the trip would start to see that it would never end, Nathan turned off the road onto a gravel private road. Part of him wished Haley had come along with him, but she rarely made these treks. Part of it was she didn't want to go where they were going, Nathan corrected that is most of the reason. The rest was she didn't want to leave LK home alone, but LK was fine and showed she could survive on her own. Haley, Nathan reflected, was using LK as an excused, and Nathan couldn't blame her. If not for the deal, he wouldn't be coming here at all.

As Nathan finished his latest reflection, they reached their destination. He parked the mini-van and looked over the "cabin". It wasn't a small cabin, it was a large rich person's vacation cabin in the woods, with a barn with a hot tub on a lake. Nathan had been here before, long before he had to bring his grandkids, here. In fact, this was where he re-proposed to Haley in his senior year of high school.

Looking in the backseat he sighed, "Okay, guys we're here," Nathan said, loud enough so that the grandkids stirred awake.

"We're here already?" Lacy asked.

"Yes, we are," Nathan said.

"I have to pee," Lennon said.

"Well then," Nathan said, "Let's get unloaded now so we can quickly get inside."

"Do we have too?" Lacy asked.

"Yes, we do," Nathan said, "And Lacy, help unbuckle Darren."

"Okay Papa Nate," Lacy said.

Nathan pressed a button and the back hatch of the mini-van opened. Nathan got out and limped a little to the back of the mini-van. The unseasonably wintry weather has been playing hell on his surgically rebuilt knee and his back. Please hold out for the summer before I need a replacement, he thought. Nathan collected his grandchildren's bags and closed the back hatch. He met up with his grandkids by the side door of the van. After one more quick check, he led them up the long staircase to the front door of the cabin. There he stood, took three deep breathes and rang the doorbell.

Nathan checked his Apple Watch out of habit. The time was accurate but there was no cell phone signal, nor WIFI. This was perfect for someone who was hiding from the world. That was the way he described the person living here, that they had retreated from the world.

The door opened and a woman, approximately Nathan's age was standing there. The last couple of years hadn't been good to her. Her once smooth face took a slacked look, making her look older than her actual years of age. Her red hair was now grey going to white, and the once mischievous twinkle in her eyes had burned out, four years ago.

"Nathan, right on time," Rachel Gatina said, and she slowly lowered herself to one knee and looked at her three grandchildren, "Come here and give grandma a hug."

Darren led the way and with a thump of a mini-linebacker, he ran into Rachel's hug. Lacy and Lennon followed and joined the group hug after Rachel regained her balance. Rachel took her time and kissed each one of them.

"Grandma," all three kids said, "We love you."

"Grandma loves you too," Rachel said and broke their hug. Rachel slowly stood up, "Please come in, and Nate you could leave their stuff in the living room. I'll bring it to their rooms later."

"Okay," Nathan said, and lead the way in the cabin.

"Okay, go find your toys or a game to play, Grandma and Papa Nathan need to have an adult talk," Rachel said.

"Okay Grandma," Lennon said and walked off.

"Bye Grandma," Darren said and followed his brother.

"Lennon has to go to the bathroom," Nathan said.

"He knows where the bathroom is," Rachel said.

"Why do I have to go play, Grandma?" Lacy asked.

"Lacy, we need to talk the boring talk," Rachel said.

"Really Grandma?" Lacy asked.

"Yes, really, go join your brothers," Rachel said.

"Fine! Grandma," Lacy said and stormed off.

Once the kids were gone Rachel shook her head, "She's going to be a handful when she's a teenager," Rachel said.

"Going to be?" Nathan asked.

Rachel chuckled lightly, "I see your point," she said.

"Rachel, why do you choose to live out here? You don't have the internet or a cellphone, god forbid something happens to you," Nathan said.

Rachel shrugged, "Thanks for your concern, we should take this out onto the deck, not to disturb the kids," Rachel said, "It's beautiful out there this time of year."

"Rachel?" Nathan asked.

"Yes, come, follow me," Rachel said and walked away from Nathan towards the porch.

Nathan shrugged and followed her onto the porch. She leaned on the rail. Nathan stood next to her.

"The lake is beautiful this time of year, we usually get ducks here, it's so peaceful," Rachel said.

"Rach, why don't you just move back to Tree Hill, you won't be alone, and you could see the kids more often," Nathan said.

Rachel exhaled, "No, Nate, I'm not returning to Tree Hill. There are too many bad memories there, too many ghosts," she said.

"New York? New Orleans? Anywhere to be around people?" Nathan asked.

"This is the only place for me," Rachel said, and sighed, "I came here after Tom died, and I was pregnant with Gabi. I also came here after it broke that Chris cheated on me with an underage girl. This, Nate is my safe place."

"It can't be that bad?" Nathan asked.

Rachel nodded, "It is, Nate. It's better for me to be here, alone. Away from the world that wants to peck at me. I have nothing more to give, Nate," she said.

"What about the grandkids?" Nathan asked.

Rachel nodded, "I love them, but as I said four years ago, it's better than you and Haley raise them. But I do love them and the time I spend with them is magical," she said.

"They want to see you more often," Nathan said, "As well."

"I would love to see them more often, but I can't be in Tree Hill, too much pain," Rachel said, "Bradley Gregg is dead."

Nathan looked at Rachel questioning, "I saw that, and how does that affect you?"

"Nate, I do go into town, for groceries and occasionally to see movies. I saw it in the newspaper, still don't know why it was in the paper," Rachel said.

"So? Why does this matter?" Nathan asked.

Rachel sighed, "When his wife was murdered, god fifteen-years ago, we were having an affair, it was part of the reason, I dropped out of the public eye for a while," she said.

"You never mentioned it before," Nathan said.

"It wasn't important, Nate, but it's just another brick in the wall," Rachel said, "I bought that issue and read the article, he committed suicide. A gunshot to the chest, and wanted his brain donated to Boston University School of Medicine to test it for CTE."

Nathan nodded, "Kind of sad," he said.

"It also was mentioned he had three surviving kids," Rachel said.

Nathan nodded, "That's sad," he said.

"Yeah, there's Brenna who is a lobbyist. Coy, who is playing pro football, and his youngest, a fourteen-year-old daughter, Alesha, who's in high school," Rachel said.

"Is Alesha your daughter?" Nathan asked, after doing the math in his head.

Rachel laughed, "Not hardly, Alesha is his daughter from his third wife, Gail, according to the article. I broke it off after it went public, that his second wife was murdered," she said, "I wanted no part of the reported abuse."

"Everything changed four years ago," Rachel said, "and that's why I'm here and not coming back."

Nathan nodded, "Everything changed for us back then, as well," Nathan said.

Rachel nodded, and her hard face cracked into an uneasy and possibly a false smile, "Enough with that sort of stuff," Rachel said, "I'm going in to see the grandchildren."

Nathan nodded, "I'll join you, to say goodbye," he said.

They walked into the house and headed to the playroom Rachel had set up. The three grandchildren were playing. Rachel went right over to Lacy. Nathan had noted if Rachel had a favorite grandchild, it would be Lacy. Nathan knew why too, Lacy looked the most like her mom, Gabi, where Lennon and Darren looked more like Brian.

"Okay, guys, I'll see you tomorrow," Nathan said.

"Bye, Papa Nate," Darren said.

"Bye, Papa Nate," Lennon said.

"You're still here, Papa Nate?" Lacy asked.

"Lacy, that's not nice to say," Rachel said.

"Sorry," Lacy said, "Bye Papa Nate."

Nathan smiled and hugged his three grandkids. He looked at Rachel and quietly said goodbye. Slowly he left the playroom to give Rachel her time with the grandkids. He showed himself out, got into the mini-van and started to head back to Tree Hill.