A/N: So this is the first chapter of the first story. Don't be too harsh now! ;) but please do read and review. If ya like it, I'll continue.. input on what to change and anything you'd like to see, don't hesitate to tell me. Hopefully somebody'll wanna see this vision I have in my head! Thanks y'all!

What would happen if (Season 2) Nathan were to find out that HE had HCM, not Lucas? How would this affect the Tree Hill world? What would happen to Nathan's basketball career?

Nathan walked up to the RiverCourt, watching Lucas shoot around. He slowed as Lucas shot the ball, effortlessly making it into the net. Nathan started to feel a lump in his throat. Basketball; the sound as rubber meets concrete, the smell of fresh air off the river, the feel of a size 7 Spalding. God, he was going to miss this. It was his dream. Ever since he was a kid he ate, drank, and slept basketball. It was the center of his world.

At least it was until Haley came along. …Haley… How would he tell her? What would she say? Would she still love him for the man he was or would she stay with him out of pity for the broken man he would soon become?

This felt like a death sentence. Death to him and Haley, to his basketball career, to his hopes, to his dreams… to him..

Suddenly, Nathan was pulled out of his thoughts.

"Nate! You alive in there, man?" Lucas yelled.

"Oh…. Yeah, sorry… I'm still here." Nathan said. For now at least… He was so deeply lost in wondering that he hadn't realized he had stopped a few feet in front of the RiverCourt. Lucas had been waving his hand in front of Nathan's face and he still hadn't noticed.

"Where's your head at, Nate? You look lost." Lucas said.

"Just been a long day. Whadda ya say we shoot some ball, big brother? Game to 11?" Nathan said, trying to sound as happy as possible. He didn't want to tell Lucas just yet. He wasn't sure that he wanted to tell anyone yet. Or at all.

"Sure, little brother." Lucas said, not convinced that Nathan was okay. But he wouldn't push the subject. He knew Nathan would talk to him when he was ready. Of course, if that wasn't in the next day or so and Nathan still seemed like a lost little puppy dog, Lucas was going to have to take some serious action. He didn't like seeing his brother upset.

As Nathan and Lucas played, Lucas noticed that Nathan was getting more and more out of breath. They were only at 6 points each and Nathan already looked like he needed a rest. "Nate, you need some water? You're getting really winded and fast. This isn't like you."

"Lucas, back off! I'm fine! There's nothing wrong with me!" Nathan yelled. All he wanted was to play the game he loved and not have to think about anything for a while. Couldn't Lucas just leave it alone? Of course you want to know what's wrong with me. You're healthy and I'm not! You chose not to know and I had to be the stupid one to take the test. Now my life's ruined. God, what am I gunna do?

"If you're fine, then I'm Kobe Bryant, man and I'm definitely not Laker material yet!" Lucas said in a rather harsh tone.

"Drop it or I'll drop you!" Nathan said and he stepped closer to his brother, his fist balled up.

"Nathan, what the hell is wrong with you? You walk up zoned out, you brush that off and play to 6 and you're winded. Now you're pissed at me for being worried and you're going to do what? Hit your brother? Fine then! Hit me if that's what you feel like you should do! Or you could just tell me what's going on and we can talk about this!" Lucas yelled.

Nathan turned around and without a word walked off the RiverCourt. This was too much for him to handle right now. He couldn't hit his brother. Poor Lucas didn't even have a clue what was going on. Nathan guessed that since Lucas hadn't taken the HCM test, the results from it weren't on his mind. At least he was safe from having to worry about living with a heart condition. But Nathan couldn't help the selfish feeling of wishing it wasn't him. He heard Lucas call his name over and over but he kept walking. He wasn't going to turn around and he wasn't about to tell Lucas that he had a heart condition and he would most likely have to quit the Ravens. Nathan was scared more than anything and he hated that feeling. He never wanted to afraid of anything, and now here was this... this heart condition. Something that would require him to take medicine every day for the rest of his life. Something that could cause him to have a heart attack. Something that he was afraid would cause him to lose Haley. She promised to love him always and forever. She promised to be there in sickness and in health. So why was he afraid that he would lose her? He felt like half a man. Like he wasn't sure that he'd be able to keep up with Haley and their future children, if they ever had them. Kids! Nathan stopped dead in his tracks. He had been walking so long that he was almost home and he had just realized something. If he and Haley were to have children, he could pass this on to them! Tears began to run down his cheeks.

God, what am I gunna do?