Back To The Start (One Tree Hill)

Chapter 17

Julian's POV

We had been driving down the road for a while when Haley suddenly screamed.

"Stop the car, Nathan! There she is!"

Nathan had barely stopped the car when I jumped out and walked to the spot where Haley had pointed. My breath caught as I saw a body lying in the mud, and my joy for finding Brooke turned into naked fear and horror.

"Is she... she...?" Haley stopped in the middle of the sentence and stared down at Brooke, who lay there motionless.

I went to my knees and pulled her onto my lap. The situation reminded me of the day when I had found my mother lifeless in the bathtub. I felt for her pulse and was relieved to feel a faint throb. "She's alive!" I shouted to Haley. "But her pulse is very weak and she's completely undercooled."

Haley turned to Nathan, who was now approaching. "Do you have a blanket in the car?" She asked.

Nathan nodded. "Bring her over. We can wrap her in the blanket there."

I took Brooke into my arms, lifted her out of the mud and brought her to the car. Carefully, I laid her down on the backseat and wrapped the blanket around her.

"Stay with her, Julian!" Haley instructed.

I did as she had said and climbed into the back to Brooke. In the sight of the inside light, I could see Brooke's deathly pale face and fear came over me. "Please don't die!" I stammered, feeling tears running down my cheeks. "Please, Brooke! You can't leave me alone!"

"Everything will be fine, Julian," Haley said, then turned to Nathan. "Drive faster! We have to bring her to the hospital as soon as possible!"

As we headed back towards the city, I held Brooke in my arms, praying we would make it in time. Her skin felt ice cold under my warm hands and her lips had turned slightly bluish.

"Is she still breathing?" Haley asked worriedly.

I nodded. "She's breathing, but weakly." I looked ahead to the speedometer. "Can we drive faster?"

"I'm afraid, no." Nathan shook his head. "The roads are too slippery. If I drive faster, we'll end up in the ditch as well."

It felt like an eternity as we finally arrived at the hospital. I lifted Brooke in my arms and carried her to the emergency room. Haley explained to the paramedics what had happened, and then somebody took Brooke out of my arms and put her on a mobile stretcher. "I'll go with her," I decided as they took her away. "I'm her husband." But just like back then, after my mother's suicide attempt, I had to wait outside until the exam was completed. And just like then the waiting had been unbearable for me. Haley sat down beside me and put her hand on my shoulder. "It's going to be okay, Julian," she said soothingly. "Brooke is tough. She survived worse."

I sat there, my head buried in my hands, tears streaming down my cheeks. I felt again like the 18-year-old boy who couldn't have prevented his mother's suicide attempt. Just like then I felt remorse.

"Mr. Baker?"

I looked up as a doctor approached me. "Yes?"

"Your wife is out of danger. She suffers from hyperthermia and her ankle is sprained. We've taken care of the ankle and now we're warming her up back to her normal body temperature. So far, she's still unconscious, but she's showing reflexes. We put her on a drip to stabilize her circulation."

"Can I see her?"

The doctor nodded, then turned to Haley and Nathan, who got up immediately. "Only the next of kin," he said.