"Hi"

Haley couldn't believe it. The long hair and beard were gone, it was like looking into the past. Haley stepped forward tentatively, crushing the phone under her feet, as she stared at him in shock.

"You're walking?"

Nathan shrugged and made his crutches obvious

"Not on my own but I'm getting there"

"Yeah, he's doing great!" Jamie butted in, looking up at his dad proudly.

Haley looked down at her beloved four year old.

"You knew about this?"

Jamie nodded "Daddy said that if I helped teach him how to walk he'd teach me cool basketball tricks!"

Jamie then resumed dribbling and then lifted his leg over the ball, without even messing up his dribbling.

"See! I'm gonna be a blue Raven one day, right daddy?"

Nathan smiled and ruffled his son's hair "Of course you are. You're a Scott. All Scotts are born Ravens."

Haley watched as her husband and son interacted. It's been so long since she's seen Jamie this happy. It's been so long since she's seen Nathan this happy. As she watched the scene, she realized not crying would be an impossibility. It was inevitable.

Nathan and Jamie both look at Haley as she starts to sniff and then burst into tears.

"Momma, why are you crying?" Jamie then looks up at Nathan confused "Do I play that bad?"

"You play great Jamie. Mommy's just happy." Nathan pats his head "Why don't you finish practicing while I talk to your mom?"

"Okay daddy" As he walked away, dribbling his ball, Jamie mumbled to himself "Girls cry when they're sad? Weird."

Placing her hand on her forehead she asked "Who else knew about this, besides Jamie?"

"Lucas"

Haley put the pieces together "So that's why he called about giving you another chance"

Nathan smiled guiltily "Yeah I kinda asked him to do that"

----

Lucas shut his phone feeling triumphant. He had managed to convince Haley to give Nathan more time. Looking at his watch, he quickly reopened his phone before pressing two on his speed dial. A deep voice answered the phone "Hey Luke. So how'd it go?" "Good. It was like pulling teeth at first but I eventually convinced her. She's giving you another chance." Lucas heard a sigh of relief across the line "Thanks man, for everything. You're a good brother." Lucas smiled "You too Nate. Now just don't screw it up." "I won't."

---

Haley laughed to herself

"I'm going to kill Lucas"

"Don't. He was just helping me out."

Haley looked at Nathan and for the first time in almost five months, she felt like her old self. She felt like the young wife and mother she used to be before the accident. She began to cry again.

"Hey, don't cry. I know my walking sucks but I'll be running in no time."

He could always make her laugh during the difficult times, she missed that. She turned her head to the side and smiled "Nathan"

As Nathan hobbled over to her, he stumbled but Haley rushed forward and caught him before he fell. Nathan chuckled, he was still a little self-conscious about the crutches.

"Sorry. I'm still getting the hang of these things"

Haley laughed nervously "It's okay"

Nathan realized she was avoiding his eyes.

"Haley?"

"Yeah"

"Look at me"

It had been so long since they've been this close to each other, it was like they were awkward teenagers again. Shyly, Haley's eyes met Nathan's. His eyes were different, no longer cold and dead but now they were the eyes of the man she married. The man she fell in love with.

Overcome with emotions, she forgot about her shyness.

"Oh god. I've missed you. I've missed you so much."

Nathan smiled as he hugged her just as fiercely, his crutches falling to the ground. She was all that supported him now, just like she always had been.

"I missed you too."

He felt her begin to shake with sobs as tears wet his shirt. "Don't cry Hales. This is a good thing."

Haley sniffed "I know. I just," she looked down "I can't help it."

After a moment, Haley's tears subsided and she looked up at him. "What made you decide to start walking?"

Nathan sighed and rubbed her arms.

"The other night, when you said you couldn't keep living like this, I realized that you were really going to leave me if I didn't straighten myself out. I remembered the last time you left and I don't think I could ever go through that again." Nathan wiped a tear from her cheek "I had to do it. I had too much to lose. I-" he stopped himself and frowned. Haley looked at him concerned,

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, it's just...I've got more but I need to sit. My back is killing me."

"Oh, sorry. Come on."

Haley helped him over to his wheelchair. She looked around for a chair "I'll be right back" and began to walk away but he grabbed her hand

"Just sit"

"Where? The floor?"

Nathan smiled "No. My lap"

"Nathan"

"Just sit. It's okay"

Haley bit her bottom lip "I don't want to hurt you."

"Haley, you could never hurt me."

Haley gently lowered herself onto her husband's lap. Placing a hand on her back, Nathan continued,

"I know I've been a real ass for the last four months, like the jerk I was when you first met me and I'm sorry. I'm sorry for putting you through all that. I'm sorry that I let you down"

Haley saw the heartbreak etched all over his face and cupped his cheek

"Nathan,"

"And I let Jamie down. I never wanted him to see me like that. I wanted him to be proud that I'm his father."

Haley smiles and smooths back his newly cropped hair "He is proud of you"

Nathan closes his eyes savoring every moment. It's been so long since she's touched him.

"I was just so scared of failing Haley and I thought that fear was my problem. But when I heard that Jamie didn't race I realized I haven't been a good role model for him. I never wanted him to be scared and yet I couldn't teach him that. But I'm going to teach him now. From this moment on, I'm going to be that man you married. I'm never going to let you down again."

Haley leaned forward and kissed him slowly as he wrapped his arms tightly around her.

Pulling back with closed eyes she smiled "You're so sexy when you talk like that"

Nathan laughed and rubbed his nose with hers before kissing her once more.

---

Neither one had noticed that an audience had started to form. It seems Jamie hadn't been practicing his basketball. When he saw his parents hugging, he knew it was time to call Uncle Lucas. Uncle Lucas told him that if they were acting nice to call and he thought hugging was nice.

"Hey guys, why don't you get a room" Peyton called out.

Nathan and Haley broke apart and blushed when they saw their friends had been watching them. Skills clasped his hands together

"Yeah, Brooke's got cake and I'm hungry" Lucas hit him in the shoulder

"Hey man, I haven't eaten all day and that cake is looking good right about now."

Skills looked back into the house and smiled "Speak of the devil"

Brooke walked outside, "Okay cake is on the table, everyone inside!"

Nathan waited until everyone had walked back into the house before kissing her again but Haley pulled back.

"You remembered?"

"Of course I did. I've been walking for a week, why do you think I waited until now to show you?"

He then smiled "Happy Anniversary Mrs. Scott. Don't say I never gave you anything"

Haley smiled through the tears that began to fall.

"I love you"

"I love you too," he said, brushing her hair back "Always and forever."