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"Thanks for letting me tag along, Nathan's been MIA and I don't really have any other friends at the moment." Hope chirps despondently from the back seat as she leans forward drawing the attention of the two men seated in front of her.
"Yeah, of course Hope. My mom loves you, she'll be happy to see you there." Lucas reassures, it didn't take long for Nathan to tell him exactly what occurred between her, Ethan, and Riley. They might not be best friends but they always agree on keeping her safe and happy.
"Happy to have you here, kiddo." Keith smiles back at her briefly before returning his eyes to the dark road. "So you excited to see your mom?"
"Yeah." Lucas mutters distractedly as he glances back and noticed Hope not wearing her seatbelt. "Put your seatbelt on." He orders but she ignores him with an eye roll.
"It seems like just yesterday I was kissing her goodbye at the airport." Keith sighs and Hope lets out a noise of surprise before slapping her hands over her mouth.
Lucas sends her a look once again before turning back to Keith. "Wait you were kissing my mother?"
"Yeah, saying goodbye." He replies nonchalantly as though it is something that has happened multiple times and Hope can't stop her self from wondering if it did.
"Okay, Keith could you just do me a favor and keep the PDA to a minimum." Lucas pleads and Hope giggles from the background.
"Well, I think you two are really cute together." Hope voices her support and fails to doge Lucas's hand that pushes her head back against his seat before he points sharply at her still undone seatbelt.
"Thank you, Hope." Keith smiles at the bubbly blonde again as she makes a show of playing with the seatbelt, dragging it out but never actually clipping it. "You think maybe you could keep that tattoo covered up for a while? Like, say, the rest of your life."
He jokes with Lucas as they stop at a red light. "Listen, Luke, I know it wasn't always smooth sailing between us, but, whatever your mom wants us to be, I just want you to know that..."
"I love you too, Keith." Lucas smiles softly back at his uncle that practically raised him as his son.
The Light turns green to go straight but the left turn light is still red. Keith turns anyway and a truck smashes into Lucas' side and throws Hope across the car, smashing her head into the opposite window.
Dan sees the accident and runs to the car while Keith struggles to get out his side of the car. "Keith!" Dan screams for his brother and begins helping him out of the car. "Easy, easy Keith I got you. Come on." He tries to calm his rapidly beating heart at the sight of the crash and the blood.
"The kids. Get Lucas and Hope!" Keith pleads pushing the help away and towards Lucas' unconscious body while he tries to pry the door open and get Hope out of the car. She's awake, but is quickly losing consciousness as blood trails out of a would on her head.
Dan tries to feel Lucas' pulse trying not to panic and run toward his other child. He tries to call 911 but it doesn't connect.
"Dan. Is Luke okay?" Keith calls out as he helps Hope stumble out of the car with a cry of pain. Her wrist is twisted in an odd angle and there is glass embedded in her skin.
"Luke! Daddy is Lucas gonna die?" Hope screams out as tears run down her face, further agitating her head and increasing the pain.
"He's going to be okay, baby." He consoles and reaches his arm out for her. "Are you okay, Hope?" He cradles her head softly when she finally reaches him with some assistance from Keith.
"I'm fine, what about Lucas." Hope cries into her fathers arms and doesn't answer her but instead goes to the passenger's side and pulls Lucas out to put him in his car.
"Let's go baby, we're going to the hospital." He helps her into the car, alongside a still unconscious Lucas. "Come on Keith!" Dan yells at his brother to move faster. He is not losing any children tonight.
〰️
In front of the hospital the car comes to a screeching stop and Dan jumps out and carries Lucas inside. "I need a doctor. My brother's in the car, with my daughter they need some help."
"What happened?" A doctor rushes towards him and takes Lucas from his hands placing him on a bed.
"Car Accident. He was on the passenger's side. Nearest point of impact." Dan replies through his labored breathing, still panicking at the sight of Lucas.
"Set up for a chest tube. Cross in time for 4 units. He's a minor?" The doctor orders the other medical professionals around him while questioning Dan. "He's going to need surgery."
"Do whatever you need to do, Doc." Dan nods at the man in front of him.
"You're his legal guardian?"
Dan pauses for a second before nodding "He's my son." He confirms and the Doctors wheel him away just as Keith and Hope burst through the door.
"Lucas!" She screams trying to hobble her way to him. "Where are they taking him?!" She cries to her father as he grabs her and tries to calm her down. "No, I need to be with him. Luke!"
"He's gonna be okay, baby." He tries to soothe his daughter but petting her blonde hair that is now tainted with blood, from her still bleeding head. "They're taking him to surgery right now, everything's going to be okay."
"Surgery?" Her voice comes out scared and as a whisper. "He has to be okay, Dad. He has to be."
"He will be." Dan soothes as he hands her off to a nurse for a check up. "You just focus on you right now."
"Come on sweetie." A nurse tries to kindly lead Hope to a bed. "Let's take a look, okay."
"What about my brother, Lucas Scott. Can someone check on him please." She pleads to the nurse flinching away as she tries to touch the badly damaged wrist.
"We will keep you updated." The nurse promises but Hope is unable to relax. Yet she begrudgingly allows the nurse to do her job while impatiently awaiting news of Lucas' fate.
