Work This Out

A/N First of all I am sooooooo sorry that I haven't updated in nearly two whole months and so my way of repaying you is to make this update really long! It is nearly double the size of one of my normal chapters. It makes me a little proud that I was able to write so much! Anyway please keep reviewing. Updates will definitely be very random as it depends on how much work I get from school.

Disclaimer: Sigh I hate having to repeat over and over again how I don't own One Tree Hill and never will.

Haley walked into Peyton's room. Tears started to stream out of her eyes as she studied her friend, lying in the hospital with bandages and heart monitors.

"Hey, you're Haley right?" Peyton asked her voice laced with hesitation.

"Yeah," Haley replied softly, "Oh… right." The woman wiped her tears away, and put out a small smile. "I'm Haley Scott or James if that helps you remember anything. You know Nathan, of course. I guess we're also kind of sisters-in-law." Haley said, proud that she seemed to be feeling more confident.

"Right," Peyton said shyly, and then decided to be bold and ask a question. "I know this is really an awkward question, but, could you tell me how I knew you, is it only because you're my sister-in-law?"

Haley chuckled. "That and we were close friends in high school. You gave me relationship advice with Nathan," Haley explained. For some reason, Peyton found the girl's presence comforting. She could see why they were friends and why Nathan married her.

"Can I ask you something?" Peyton asked quietly wanting to get the question, which had been circling around her head, out.

"Yeah, sure ask away. You can ask me anything." Haley said reassuringly.

"Lucas and I… were we happy? I mean like before you know before the accident. Were we happy or were we going through problems and stuff?" Peyton asked curious to find how her marriage to Lucas was because if it was anything like how her relationship with Nathan used to be, she had no idea how she ever married him. Peyton was shocked by the way Haley reacted. Her laughter could probably be heard down the corridor. Haley tried to gather herself but she couldn't stop bursting out into laughter. Peyton was beginning to grow annoyed at how Haley was acting to her very serious question.

"I'm sorry Peyton, but that is just one of the funniest questions I have heard. I know you're being serious is just that if anyone knew you two, I mean like before the accident they would find this question unbelievably humorous. You and Lucas were very much in love, Peyton. You were blissfully happy. If I remember correctly you guys were actually planning to have another child. You guys go at it like rabbits; you're worse than me and Nathan."

Peyton let the words sink in. It sounded like they were the perfect couple. Now Lucas would have to wait… a very long time if he ever wanted more kids, with Peyton that is. She hated knowing that she was causing such emotional pain in Lucas. She had so many more questions like, 'When was Lucas' and my first kiss together?' But she knew she would have to ask Lucas because it was something that was more personal. That Lucas would know better than anyone else. Something that she should know better than anyone else.

At that moment the door opened and Nathan and Larry walked into the room, smiling at the sight of Haley and Peyton talking to each other.

"Hi Larry! How are you?" Haley asked politely.

"I'm very good. How about you?" he addressed Haley just as politely.

"I'm good. Always worrying about things but what can you do when your life is as hectic as mine especially when you have a crazy six year old?" Haley said asking a rhetorical question.

"You have a six year old kid?" Peyton asked in utter shock.

"Yeah, did I not mention him?" Haley asked

""No. Man I thought it was weird that I'm a twenty-five year old married and with a two year old son whereas you're even weirder since you're married and with a six year old son. Jesus these Scott brothers like to get married and start a family young," Peyton exclaimed.

Larry and Nathan were in a deep convocation about how Lucas was holding up glancing over at his wife who was now intensely engaged in a conversation with a smiling Peyton.

"I don't understand." Larry remarked, looking at his daughter.

"Understand what?" Nathan asked, turning his attention to the two women as well. They were now giggling about something, and Peyton's smile had gotten larger.

"She has no idea who Haley is, and look at how open she's being with her. Lucas came in here yesterday, and it was so… awkward. She didn't know what to say, and he didn't either. I just don't understand why she can open up to Haley but not Lucas."

"It's strange how things like that work out, isn't it? Maybe it's because they're both women." He laughed, momentarily leaving the room to get a coffee. Larry continued to watch the two girls bond. Smiling as he realized that Peyton was comfortable around one more person now. It was a start.

Lucas opened the closet doors and studied his wife's wardrobe. He always went in the closet to pick out his outfits for the day, but had never really paid attention to his wife's side.

A bright blue colour caught his attention, and he pulled out a dress that would go down to Peyton's knees. Suddenly, the piece of clothing clicked in his head, and he remembered where he had seen her wear it.

Lucas sat in his seat, kneading his hands together nervously. On his right was his mother, and Peyton sat on his left. This was the moment that his life depended on. If this didn't fall through, he would have to make a complete u-turn. It would set him back, career-wise, so many years.

Peyton grabbed one of his hands and squeezed it. He looked down and her and saw her giving an encouraging smile. He smiled back. God, he was still nervous though. Most people would have had him picked for number 7, and they just finished number 2.

The commissioner stepped out from behind the wall, and advanced to the podium. He smiled at the room, and then looked down at the piece of paper he was holding.

"With the third pick in the 2004 NBA Draft, the Los Angeles Lakers select… Lucas Scott from Duke University."

Peyton let out a scream as his mouth opened in shock. Keith had a huge smile on his face and patted him on the back. Lucas couldn't believe it. The number three pick in the NBA draft. He was going to play for the LA Lakers. He was going to be a professional basketball player.

Once Lucas woke up from his daze, he turned to Peyton and leaned down, giving her a long, enthusiastic kiss. When he pulled away, she was blushing, and he smiled at how cute she looked.

Advancing to the podium to shake the NBA Commissioner's hand, Lucas looked back in the crowd, his eyes catching the bright blue colour of his girlfriend's dress. It was that moment that Lucas realized, even though he had gotten what he had been working for his entire life, he would give it up in a second for Peyton.

"That was an amazing day." Lucas whipped around at the sound of his mother's voice. He blushed, noticing her gaze on the dress he was holding, and put it back quickly.

"Do you want me to help you?" she asked, walking over to the clothes. Browsing through them, she quickly spotted a pair of black dress pants and a white collared shirt.

"So we're definitely going out tonight?" Lucas asked, looking at the outfit.

"Yep, and Nathan, Haley and Brooke are coming with."

"Really?" Lucas perked up. If Haley was there, at least he would have someone to talk to about Peyton's situation, and a way to escape an awkward situation between them.

"Yeah. Larry called again. They visited Peyton, where Haley and her supposedly hit it off really well. It's like they never stopped being friends…" she trailed off at the comment. Lucas's eyes were immediately cast downwards toward the floor, and Karen started to apologize.

"I'm sorry, Lucas. I didn't mean to tel-"

"It's fine. I'm glad she's warming up to someone. Maybe there is hope." He said, glancing at the outfit one more time. "She'll like that. Let's bring that one for her. If you don't mind, I'm going to get changed for basketball." He told his mother, and she immediately backed out of the room without a word.

Haley and Nathan had left a while ago, and Peyton was getting bored. Her father was reading a book, and she was tired of watching TV.

"It is so boring in here!" Peyton groaned, noticing how her father looked up from her book with a smile on his face.

"You always were so impatient." Larry chuckled, his face then growing serious. "Can I ask you a question, Peyton?"

"Sure." Peyton answered, somewhat surprised at her father's tone.

"When you saw me for the first time, did I look older to you?" Larry looked a little embarrassed to ask the question, but curious at the same time.

"Yeah. I mean, I'm 25 now, and I remembered what you had looked like at 15, but nevertheless, you aged very well Dad." Peyton grinned, seeing her father's happy expression.

"Why thank you, sweetheart… OH!" Larry jumped at the sound of a bird hitting the window behind her. The poor thing must have been flying towards the room, not knowing there was a window there.

Larry put his hand on his heart as he watched the bird fly away, uninjured. Peyton started laughing hysterically and pointed to her father, when she realised that he was staring at her with a weird expression.

"What?" Peyton asked curiously, "why are you looking at me weirdly?"

"It's nothing," Larry replied.

"Da –ad," Peyton whined.

"It's just that you're wearing your rings..." Larry trailed off. Immediately Peyton began putting her walls up not wishing to share her feelings. "Why?" Peyton really didn't want to answer the questions but she felt she owed him answer.

"I found it in my belongings and it attracted my attention and I couldn't bare to just let it sit in a bag and so I placed it on my finger and it just felt right, there on the that finger. It must have been so expensive. It's so beautiful," she let a small tear roll down her face. Larry got out of his seat and walked over to the bed.

"Isn't it? It's even more special. The fact that Lucas bought it before he got drafted into the NBA, I mean." The elder Sawyer commented.

"What?" Peyton looked up and her dad. "He's in the NBA?" She exclaimed. What the hell? She thought.

Larry nodded. "He's a n exceptionally good player. Lucas plays starting guard for the LA Lakers. He got drafted in 2004."

"You have got to be kidding…" Peyton stared at the ring. "How could a guy like him ever see something in a girl like me… the freaky loner who likes dark drawings and weird music?"

"He asks himself the same question everyday, but loves every minute that he spends with you. Lucas can't believe that a girl like you is attracted to him, believe it or not." Larry looked at the clock: 3:49. "Come on, Peyton. We only have about another hour until they come and another three until they release you. Grin and bear it babe." The two Sawyers laughed slightly and then went back to their previous activities.

"Go left!"

Lucas stopped dead in his tracks and back peddled to the left side of the wing. His uncle tossed him the ball, and Lucas took a three-pointer.

Swish

"Nice shot, son!" Keith applauded from half court. Charlie then came running out onto the floor.

"DADDY!" he yelled. Lucas's attention turned to his two-year-old, who had been sitting on the bleachers with his mother for the last twenty minutes.

"Yeah, buddy, what's up?" Lucas asked, kneeling down to the toddler's level.

"Can I try?" he whispered, as if it was a secret. Lucas chuckled and pick up his son. "Daaaad!" Charlie complained, causing Lucas to grin even more.

"Come on, Keith. I think it's time you teach your grandson a few moves." Lucas nodded towards Keith, and then handed the basketball to Charlie. The little boy immediately turned to dribble it and run down the court.

"Wow, Lucas! You really have been training him." Keith complemented as the two men watched Charlie run down the court, bouncing the ball the entire way. He stopped at the block, however, and Lucas immediately sprinted to his son.

"Here you go. Just throw it in there." Lucas lifted up the boy and he shot the ball to the backboard, where it bounced off of it and went into the hoop.

Both Keith and Karen cheered as Lucas set Charlie down. The toddler ran to his grandmother clapping his hands and smiling wide.

Lucas laughed, but stopped as he overheard his son's words.

"Grandma Karen, did you see that? I can't wait to tell Mummy!" he yelled, sitting down next to his grandmother. Both Keith and Karen were quiet. Lucas glanced at Charlie, and then back at the towel he was holding.

"So how are we going to tell him?" he asked his mom with sad eyes. Charlie was now bouncing the basketball in the corner of the gym. Karen immediately took her cue and walked over to him.

"Lucas, I think you should talk to Peyton about this before you say anything. She might not want to tell him, or maybe she just wants to come right out and say it. Whatever you guys decide, the decision should be mutual. Charlie is just as much her son as he is yours, even if she has no idea who he his right now." Karen said in a hushed whisper, and turned around to walk back to the bleachers.

Lucas sighed, and glanced at his watch: 4:37.

"Shit," he mumbled, and called out to his uncle. "We have to go! Let's hit the showers. It's a fifteen minute drive to the hospital from here so we're already late."

Keith gave Charlie to Karen and the two men hit the showers, both exhausted from an intense training session.

Larry looked at his watch, waiting outside the doors. It was 5:12 and his son-in-law had told her that he and his parents would be at the hospital by 5 pm.

He watched as a black suburban pulled into the parking lot, smiling to himself as he saw Lucas get out of the driver's side and open the passenger door. Charlie was sitting in his car seat, and Lucas unbuckled the toddler swiftly and placed him on the ground next to his great-uncle. Larry shook his head at how cute it was.

"Sorry we're late, Larry. The boys got a little carried away with basketball." Karen apologized.

Larry nodded and smiled. "It's fine. I would have been surprised if they didn't." he chuckled.

"Lucas, Peyton paid you a very nice compliment today." Larry said, attracting not only the attention of his daughter's husband, but the attention of his parents as well.

"What did she say?" Lucas asked, truly curious.

"Actually it was about the engagement and wedding rings you bought her. Did you know that she was wearing them again? She said they felt right being on her finger,"

"What did she say about the rings?" Lucas asked. Did she think it was too much? He remembered the day that he proposed, and how she had tears streaming down her face when she saw it.

"She said that it was beautiful, and that it must have been very expensive. She also learned that her husband is in the NBA. Now that is a way to shock a person." Larry smiled.

Lucas laughed. "What did she say after you told her?"

"She couldn't understand why a guy like you would even look at a girl like her. Weird huh? It was like déjà vu for me. When you guys started dating, she would always ask me that."

Lucas shook is head slightly. He needed her more than she would ever need him. She kept him grounded, and happy to be alive. He was the one who was lucky to have her.

"Well, did the doctor still say she was getting out at sevenish?" Keith asked.

"Yeah. He said he may move it up to 6:45, but that would be the earliest." Larry answered. "He still wants to run some last minute tests."

"Well, the doctor changed his mind." The four adults' heads turned around to see Doctor Shepherd with a clipboard in his hands. "Sorry." He laughed at the expression on Larry's face.

"It's fine. What's the news?" Keith asked, speaking up for the group.

"Well," Doctor Shepherd began, "I feel that Peyton is stable enough to leave at 6 tonight, so in about 45 minutes I will wheel her out here, and then she can walk to the car." He smiled, and then looked at Lucas. "Did you bring clothes for her?"

Lucas glanced down at the bag he was holding, momentarily forgetting it was there. "Yeah. We figured she wouldn't want to wear a hospital gown out of here." He smiled a little bit, and then looked back at the doctor.

"Would you like to take that to her room? She can get dressed now, but carefully. I don't want her irritating her ribs or her wrist." The doctor commented, and then looked at the digital clock on the wall. "Well, I must be going, but I will see you guys soon enough."

After the doctor left, Lucas handed the bag to Larry. He gazed back at him with a confused expression.

"Lucas, why are you giving me the bag? Doctor Shepherd said you could take it in." Larry encouraged the young man by putting the bag back into his arms. "Believe it or not, you're going to be spending a lot of time together, alone, so you need some practice. The more practice you have, the less awkward it gets." He said cheerfully, and watched his son-in-law leave the waiting room.

"They always need pushes, don't they?" Karen commented, and the two laughed while Keith continued to play with Charlie.

Peyton was deeply immersed in the book that her father had been reading earlier when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in." she invited, and placed the book on her bedside table. The door opened to reveal Lucas, carrying a bag.

"Hi." She greeted, once again feeling terrible as she saw how he gazed at her for a couple of seconds with sadness in his eyes.

"Hey. How are you?" Lucas asked softly, walking towards the bedside chair and sitting down. Peyton shifted herself so that she was facing him.

"I'm okay. The pain meds are still working for me, but, I have to say that I'm glad to get out of here. It's so boring!" Peyton complained once again, smiling as she saw her husband wear a grin.

"Well, the doctor moved up your release time to six, so you'll have one less hour of boredom."

"That's good. I don't know how much longer I can take this." She joked, glancing down at the bag that was in Lucas's hands. "My clothes?"

"Oh! Yeah, here. Better than a hospital gown, I suppose." Lucas commented, momentary looking at the bag before handing it to her. "I'll let you get dressed." He added, standing up.

What happened next shocked both Lucas and even Peyton a little bit. For once, she did something impulsive.

"Luke, wait! Don't go." She said, and Lucas turned around in surprise, noticing how Peyton blushed at his glance.

"What's wrong?" he asked, still standing in the middle of the room. His blue eyes pierced into hers, taking her aback.

"Well," Peyton began her explanation by looking at his feet. It wasn't just to make him feel better. She really did need help with this particular aspect of daily living. "God, I know this sounds really weird, but…I can't get dressed by myself." The blonde mumbled quickly, unable to look Lucas in the eyes.

"Oh." Lucas's response was actually kind of cute. She looked up at him, and could tell how uncomfortable he was with the situation. Peyton was sure that if she still remembered him, he would have been more than happy to help her.

"I'm sorry Lucas. It's just my shirt, because of my ribs and all. Would you mind helping me?" she asked, suddenly feeling self conscious. She had a lot of bruises from the accident, and didn't look too great to the eye.

What had gotten into her? Letting a man who she met only yesterday help her get dressed? She knew that she still had a bra on, but please!

"Of course." Lucas mumbled, and then strolled over to the bag of clothing. He got out the white shirt, and then looked over at Peyton, who had now swung her legs over so she was sitting on the edge of the bed.

Lucas willed himself to be strong about this. He had to remember that the Peyton in front of him wasn't his "wife".

Lucas set the shirt on the bed, and glanced toward the door to make sure it was closed.

"Well, I can't lift my left arm too high, and my right arm has a broken wrist." Peyton giggled, catching Lucas's attention. "This is going to be a challenge, isn't it?"

There was something about Lucas that made Peyton let down her walls a little. She wasn't able to explain it, but it was comforting.

"Yes it will. Well, let's just see what happens." Lucas gave the blonde an encouraging grin. Peyton removed her dressing gown, surprising Lucas by the fact that she already had her jeans on.

"I scooted into them. It takes talent." She smiled, suddenly feeling butterflies in her stomach once again.

Lucas let out a laugh. She lifted her left arm as high as it could go, and relaxed her right arm. Lucas slowly moved her t-shirt over her head and began to put her arm into it when she sucked in a quick breath, taking Lucas off guard. He stopped.

"Are you okay?" he asked, worry covering his face.

Peyton grinned, "Yeah. Your hands are just a little cold." She said, watching as Lucas blushed.

"Sorry about that." He said, and continued to help her with her shirt.

The tiny blonde watched at how delicate Lucas treated her. She had to admit it was reassuring, the fact that he was gentle. She could see why she had been attracted to him.

Peyton smiled at the fact that Lucas hadn't let his eyes wander to her chest once. She could see that it was taking great effort, but he succeeded, and her shirt was fully on. She wondered how it would work out when she would need help changing her bra the next time. She tried hard not to think about it.

"Thank you, Lucas." He blushed slightly. "Also, thank you for not commenting on my bruises." Peyton cast her eyes downwards in embarrassment. Normally she wouldn't be bothered by the fact that she looked horrible with her bruises but for some reason she wanted to look good for Lucas, for her husband.

"Hey, hey." Lucas whispered, lifting her chin up so he could look her in the eyes. "You're beautiful just the way you are. I didn't even notice the bruises, Peyt." His voice was somewhat soothing, but Peyton suddenly realized how close they were. She began to get uncomfortable, her momentary surge of confidence disappearing.

"Thanks." She said quietly, and looked away. Lucas saw this and let out a sigh. He had believed they were getting somewhere, but in reality they weren't.

Someday, things will start to go back to the way they were Lucas thought as he left the room. Sure, their relationship would get better, but would it ever be the same?

So what did you think? I was getting towards the end when I realised that I still hadn't written a Leyton scene in this chapter or the last and so I added the last scene. Anyway I hope you liked it!

This chapter is named after the song Work This Out in High School Musical 2! Lol