Hi guys! I know I should be focusing on "Bleeding Heart", but after watching episode 8X11 this fic was just plaguing my mind so much that I just needed to write it and get it out there! i don't know about you, but when I watched the Naley and Brulian scene, I felt pretty disturbed to see that Haley and Nathan were just staring at Brooke and doing nothing, as if they accepted that she had died. Also, I felt cheated when the episode ended with Brooke back at home. I mean, come on- the rest of the core five have all been in the hospital- but Brooke doesn't even get one hospital scene, even after nearly losing her life (plus, in reality- no sane doctor would send her home so soon, as it takes 72 hours to ensure that no damage had been caused to the lungs of a person who swallowed so much water...). The only thing that really excited me was finding out who crashed into Brooke's car. My theories are- a. Sylvia- she's been drinking so much and plus, this will make her so guilty that she would have to play nice around Brooke from now on, or b. Victoria- this will make her realize that she loves her daughter and needs to patch things up with her as life's too short... Anyway- in this fic, the reckless driver stays anonymous (and it's neither Sylvia nor Victoria), but the other two things I was ranting about do get adequate attention. I hope you guys will like it and please- tell me what you thought! :-)

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters, storylines, scripts or lines. It's pretty much OTH (with slight changes) in sections BR and the beginning of E, and sections ATHE are all me!

Breathe

Brooke's frantic gasps for air rang in his ears as he searched the car for her crowbar in a frenzy. Even though the surge of water that was threatening to overflow the car was deafeningly loud, all Julian could hear was his racing heartbeat and Brooke's unhealthily strained intakes of breath as she struggled to keep her head above the rising water-level.

"Julian… Julian…" her voice was desperate. All she managed to utter in her current state was his name, but through that single word, she was able to express a million different things; she was telling him that she was truly struggling to breathe, she was telling him that she was terrified that she would drown and she was begging him to save her from the nightmare she wished she could wake up from, yet knew was a reality. As his fingers finally brushed across the tip of the crowbar and he dove to retrieve it, she fought to pronounce three more words, which she knew might be her last words uttered in her life, and to tell him "I love you", but he was underwater and couldn't hear her, and she managed to take one last breath before she was completely engulfed in water.

"Brooke, I got it!" Julian triumphantly exclaimed as he rose back up with the crowbar in his hand and filled his lungs with oxygen, "I got it!". Much to his horror, as he turned to face the spot where he had left Brooke, he saw a rapid flow of water, yet no sign of her.

"Brooke!" with his heart thumping in his chest wildly, Julian speedily made his way back to the front of the car, realizing that it was up to him to get the love of his life out of that car, realizing that if he would fail- she would die and he would spend an entire lifetime feeling inconsolably guilty and heartbroken, if he would ever even be able to breathe without her in this world…

Refusing to give up on her and on the life he was intent on living with her, Julian plunged himself back underwater and strained his eyes so he could assess her state. He found her holding her breath and thankfully, though he could tell that she was growing short of breath, she was still moving, she was still alert. He pressed his lips to hers and shoved some air into her mouth, feeling her greedily filling her body with the much needed substance. During that brief moment, everything was fine again, everything was serene, and even though he wasn't inhaling, but actually exhaling into her mouth, ironically he felt like he could breathe for a moment, because he knew that he had just gained a few more precious moments during which she might be able to hang on and give him time to free her leg. Still, knowing that he needed to act quickly, he broke free from their lip-lock and lowered himself towards her leg, pushing the steering column with all his strength in an attempt to release her, yet failing once again.

As air grew scarce in his body and he sensed Brooke's body beginning to instinctively convulse due to the lack of oxygen in her system as well, Julian once again rose up above water-level, and gasped for air for a moment, muttering "Hold on, Brooke" more as a plea of help to a greater force than him to give her the ability to hang in there than actually to his fiancée, who was trapped underwater. As he reached her again, he could tell she was running out of air, and therefore grabbed onto her neck and urgently fed her with reviving oxygen, feeling her desperate body sagging slightly with relief. Not wasting a moment, he returned to her trapped leg, pulling it and pushing the steering column with all the power he could muster. He could feel her leg finally slightly budging, yet the need for oxygen was growing too great for him to ignore and forced him to rise up for air once again.

"Hold on, Brooke" he begged, like a mantra, keen on rescuing the girl that he loved. Julian frantically dove back into the water, but in his frenzy, he moved straight down to her leg upon believing that he could free it in an instant, and forgot about the need to fill Brooke's body with oxygen first. He was so focused on the task of releasing Brooke's stuck leg that he failed to notice how her body once again convulsed for several moments before she grew completely calm. Only when he failed to achieve his goal without growing short of air and returned underwater after refilling his lungs, did he remember to attempt supplying her with more oxygen, yet he quickly realized he was too late when he noticed that his beautiful Brooke was floating lifelessly, her hazel eyes open and lacking focus and her body unresponsively limp. He momentarily froze in horror, realizing that she was slipping through his fingers, that he would lose her if he wouldn't get her out of there quickly, but he instantly came to his senses, unwilling to accept the possibility that she would just die there in that car, when they had all their lives ahead of them.

With anger surging in his body at the unfairness of the situation he was being put in, Julian shoved the steering column and pulled Brooke's leg with more force than he had ever thought he would use upon her delicate body and finally- her slender leg drooped downwards, floating freely like the rest of her body. Not wasting even a second, Julian fastened his arms around Brooke's unconscious form and began rising back up to the night's stormy air, praying with all his heart that he wasn't too late…

Rising up above water-level, Julian's lungs forced him to quickly inhale air, yet when Brooke's limp body grew heavier in his arms as he lifted her from the water, he felt like he couldn't breathe. He could vaguely hear Jamie's frantic and worried voice begging him to tell him that his Aunt Brooke was alright, but he couldn't find it in him to reassure the young boy when he knew that the girl in his arms, who hadn't moved once since he had pulled her out of the car, might not be O.K. at all…

He quickly raced back up to the bridge and lowered Brooke's motionless body to the asphalt, making sure to cradle her head so it won't get hurt and at the same time- convincing a reluctant Jamie to move to the sidewalk at the end of the bridge, as he didn't want the young boy to be even further traumatized if he would not be successful in his attempts to awaken Brooke. Giving Brooke one short look, Julian realized he couldn't waste even one more second and quickly began performing CPR- giving her chest compressions and afterwards pausing to breathe air into her mouth.

"Come on, Brooke, fight!" he urged her, feeling the blood draining out of his face as time passed by and Brooke didn't seem to be responding at all to his actions.

"Come on, Brooke- don't do this to me, baby!" he pleaded with her in the midst of his actions, feeling as though he was slowly losing her more and more. "Come back to me!" he begged her before once again pressing his mouth to hers and pushing air into her body, hoping that he could bring her back to life from the unconscious state she was slipping more and more into before it would be too late.

As her lips began turning blue and her pulse continued weakening, Julian felt a lump forming in his throat. The love of his life was lying sprawled out in front of him and running out of time all because of him, all because of a stupid fight he should have never picked with her in the first place. He shook his head as he noted to himself that he should have been spending that stormy night cuddling under a blanket with her and planning their wedding, and not getting drenched in the middle of the road as he tried to revive her or possibly- as he spent her last moments with her, maybe making her feel wanted and cherished for one last time…

Shaking his head, Julian tried to rid himself of his disturbing thoughts and bent down, once again blowing oxygen into Brooke's mouth and afterwards continuing to compress her chest. Upon noticing no change in her demeanor, however, his mind wandered over to all the things he wanted to see Brooke doing in her life; he wanted Brooke to get married to him, he wanted Brooke to have the children she was yearning for, he wanted Brooke to regain the feeling of worth in her life, which she lost the moment she gave up Clothes over Bros' and he just wanted Brooke to be happy as she grew old with him. At that moment, however, he only wanted one thing, he was desperately begging her for one thing.

"Come on, Brooke, breathe!"

Easing towards the Gable Bridge slowly, as he was taking no chances driving in the stormy weather with his beloved wife in his car, especially considering the precious cargo she was carrying, Nathan first thought that he was imagining when he spotted a small figure standing on the sidewalk by the entrance to the bridge. However, considering his slow driving speed, Nathan effortlessly stopped before driving over the bridge, to check whether his eyes were deceiving him or not. Much to his horror, he quickly learned that the drenched, trembling and miserable-looking figure was not only real, but was quite familiar…

"Jamie?" he heard Haley gasping in disbelief as she, too, acknowledged the fact that their son truly was standing before them in the middle of the storm. When they both leapt out of their car and approached their trembling child, he finally turned to face them and they were both taken aback by the somber expression on his face.

"Jamie! What are you doing here, sweetheart?" Haley questioned the small boy in shock, never in a million years prepared to hear his honest response.

"Ms. Lauren had a car accident and Aunt Brooke came to help us and saved us all, but now she's dying…" he explained in a catatonic manner, making it clear to both of his parents that he was in a state of shock. They both put their arms around him, trying to help him regain the sense of safety and stability he was obviously lacking, but once they turned to look in the direction that Jamie was facing, both Haley and Nathan felt like the wind had been knocked out of them.

"Oh my god, Brooke…" Haley paled over as she acknowledged how motionless the figure lying slumped over on the bridge truly was. Her hand flew to her mouth as she realized that her son was right, that one of her best friends indeed was in critical condition, but she tried her hardest to refrain from the urge to burst out crying, as she didn't want to further alarm Jamie. She gripped her son's small body and clung onto him, praying that Brooke would be able to pull out of this, praying that she wouldn't need to bid yet another person who was so dear to her heart goodbye so soon. In the background, she could hazily hear Nathan telling her and Jamie to stay put in their spot as he advanced towards Brooke and Julian, wanting to see how he could help, but his words of guidance were truly unnecessary, as even if she had wanted to, she was also too shocked to move, just like her son.

"Haley! Hey, Haley!" only when Nathan slightly shook her, did Haley finally manage to snap out of her state of catatonic distress. She moved her eyes up to Nathan, and upon taking in the urgency in his blue orbs, she immediately came back to her senses and was ready to do something to help her friend.

"What's going on with her, Nate?" she questioned, wanting to know how she could be of assistance, yet Nathan shook his head and tensely replied.

"I need you and Jamie to get into our car and I want you to try reaching 911 while I go to help Julian. I don't care if the phones are down or not- we are not letting this happen!" he said, unwilling to even think about the possibility that Brooke might have run out of time, that it might be too late already to save her.

"But Nathan-" Haley began to protest, feeling uncomfortable with the thought that she would be sitting in the comfort of her car and not helping out more effectively, yet Nathan shook his head and quickly cut her off.

"Haley, please! We don't have time for this…" he pointed out, making her realize that he was right, that this was not the time to argue and that she needed to pull Jamie away from the sight of Julian trying to revive his godmother before he would be emotionally-scarred or get sick with pneumonia. Nodding, she tugged onto her son and helped him into the warmth of their car, while Nathan hurriedly made his way to Julian, who was still performing CPR on Brooke, but seemed to be on the verge of an emotional breakdown.

"Julian!" Nathan made his presence known as he knelt down by the other man's side, "What happened to her?" he asked, needing to know the specifics of the situation.

"The car got pushed over into the water and then the levee broke… They were both stuck and it took me too long to get her out… At first she was still breathing, but then..." Julian's stressed, scattered description didn't provide Nathan with all the details he might have wanted to know, but it gave him a good enough idea of why Brooke wasn't waking up.

"How long has she been like this?" he pressed Julian for an answer as he grabbed Brooke's wrist to check for a pulse and watched Julian continuing to press on her chest.

"I don't know… Four minutes maybe…" Julian tensely replied, pausing to breathe air into Brooke's mouth yet again and turning his attention to Nathan afterwards, when Brooke still remained completely limp "God, Nathan… Do you think that she might already be-"

"No!" Nathan knew better than to allow Julian to finish his sentence, "No, she's weakening, but still has a pulse… We have to work quickly though, O.K.?" Nathan instructed, causing Julian to nod and to utter a fearful "O.K." in response.

"You need to give her 30 quick compressions and then stop for two rescue breaths, alright?" Nathan guided the man before him, causing him to nod once more. When Nathan observed a glimpse of hysteria in Julian's eyes, he offered, "I can keep count for you, or I can switch with you if you want" he said, knowing that Julian might be too emotional to be able to perform the task at hand.

"Just… Just count for me, O.K.?" Julian barely found his voice, yet Nathan nodded and immediately began counting out loudly and helping Julian set a better pace for his actions.

"Come on, Brooke… Come on…" Julian urged her to wake up as he applied pressure to her body according to Nathan's counts. After giving her two rescue breaths in a row, he suddenly sensed her slightly twitching under him. "Nathan!" he frantically called out, realizing that he might have just received a critical opportunity to save the life of his fiancée and getting consumed with such stress that he needed Nathan to tell him what to do, so he wouldn't mess it up.

"Don't stop, Julian- you need to continue the compressions!" Nathan tensely responded, knowing that they couldn't afford to miss the window of opportunities they had been granted. "Come on- one, two, three" he counted off, helping Julian focus back on the task he needed to perform and all the while, keeping a close eye on the unconscious brunette girl before him, hoping to witness her moving once again, as he still wasn't sure whether he had witnessed just a reflex or an actual initiated movement from Brooke's part.

When Brooke suddenly began squirming slightly before him, Nathan's eyes widened in disbelief and anticipation. "Nathan, she's choking!" he heard Julian's panicked voice once again desperately pleading for help and without even thinking, he pulled Brooke's upper body against his form, securing his arms around her stomach in a tight circular grip, and thrust up powerfully. When he could feel Brooke's body convulsing in distress, he once again fastened his arms around her lower abdomen and squeezed her upwards, feeling relief wash over him when his dear friend suddenly coughed out the water in her system and began to gasp for air in frantic wheezes.

"It's O.K., it's O.K…." Nathan reassured her as she struggled to refill her suffocating lungs with much needed oxygen, supporting her frame as she shook with her uncontrollable coughs and sharp intakes of air.

"Thank god, Brooke… You're gonna be O.K., baby…" Julian began crying with relief and gratitude by his side, brushing Brooke's hair out of her face as she struggled to catch her breath and to clear her airway from the water she swallowed. As Nathan gently tapped Brooke's back, helping her cough out more water, Julian stroked her sopping hair soothingly and calmingly guided, "Just breathe, baby, just breathe and everything will be O.K…."

When Brooke finally seemed to have calmed down from her violent coughs and gasps for air and slumped weakly against his chest, Nathan exchanged looks with Julian, who eagerly nodded at him. Gently lifting her tired body slightly off his chest, Nathan carefully allowed Julian to take her from him and to wrap his arms around her withered form in a protective embrace.

"God, baby, you really scared me" Julian mumbled into Brooke's hair as he kissed her on top of her head, grateful to no extent that she was still there with him, that she was breathing, that her previously ghostly pale flesh was slowly regaining a healthier color. When he could see the red lights of an ambulance flickering from a distance as it advanced in their direction, he let go of a breath he didn't even realize he was holding, thinking that their nightmare was finally over, that Brooke was going to be checked by medical personnel and get to come home with him, as good as new.

"I'm gonna go to the end of the bridge and wave them over here, O.K.?" Nathan reminded Julian of his presence, causing him to nod in agreement. "Are you going to be alright with her?" Nathan wanted to make sure, looking at his dear friend with concern as he took in how drained she appeared to be.

"Yeah, man. Thank you" Julian reassured him and watched as his fiancée's long-time friend made his way to the other end of the bridge. When Brooke suddenly slightly trembled and groaned in his arms, Julian slightly loosened up his grip on her and averted his gaze back to her, his eyes widening a little as he observed how drowsy she seemed to be.

"Hey Brooke, I need you to keep those beautiful eyes of your open for me for a little longer, O.K.?" he instructed her, trying to stay calm, but feeling panic beginning to rise in his chest when he noticed how her eyelids were heavily drooping and concealing her soulful hazel orbs.

"Baby, I need you to stay with me, O.K.?" he tensely begged her, glancing up to see the ambulance stopping at the end of the bridge next to Nathan, "The ambulance is right here with paramedics that are here to help you, so I need you to stay awake for them, alright?" he asked of her urgently, yet felt his heart stopping when he noticed that Brooke was once again lifelessly hanging in his arms…

"Aunt Brooke is going to be fine, right?" Jamie's small, worried voice broke the long, tense silence that spread throughout the Scott family's car as they followed the route in which Brooke's ambulance speeded off, over to the "Tree Hill Memorial Hospital".

"Yeah, buddy. I'm sure she'll be O.K." Nathan tried to reassure his son, though his hesitant tone was not all too convincing.

"If she dies- it'll be all because of me…" Jamie suddenly said with such guilt that both of his parents turned to look at him with surprise.

"Sweetie, none of this is your fault, do you understand?" Haley tried to make the matter clear to her son, yet the little boy shook his head with dismissal.

"I should have just listened to you and come with you instead of with Ms. Lauren… If I had, then I wouldn't have gotten stuck and Julian would have gotten Brooke out of Ms. Lauren's car before she drowned" he said, taking fault for the situation and now causing both Haley and Nathan to also feel responsible for their friend's condition.

"Jamie, you're still a kid and we are your parents. We are the ones who said you could go, so don't blame this on yourself, alright?" Nathan tried to reassure his son, yet Jamie wouldn't have it.

"She knew that she might die if Julian would help me first, but she forced him to save me before he freed her leg, even though it made no sense, just because I panicked and asked for help. If I didn't act like such a baby, we'd probably both be fine now…" Jamie said, causing Haley to tear up as she realized that Brooke had indeed been willing to risk her life for Jamie's sake earlier that night.

"James Lucas Scott, you're the bravest kid I know and I promise you that even if you wouldn't have said a word- Brooke would have done the exact same thing" Haley soothingly told her son, the honesty in her tone silencing him at last, "You're her godson and she loves you…" she said, unintentionally causing her son to tear up.

"I love her too, momma" Jamie quietly said as tears trickled down his face, the concern for his beloved godmother now consuming him. In his short life, he had already lost a great friend like Quentin and an extraordinary grandmother like Linda, so he was simply unable to stand the thought of suffering yet another immense loss in such a short time.

As Haley noticed the tears flowing down her son's face, she felt her breath hitch in her throat. She gently brushed the wet trails from his cheeks, yet upon once again realizing that she, too, was at risk of losing one of her best friends, whose dimpled smile shone so brightly, it could easily light up any room she ever walked into, Haley could feel herself tearing up as well.

"We love her too, baby. We both also love Brooke very much…" she barely managed to say, her voice cracking as the severity of the situation hit her full force. Turning back to her seat and feeling Nathan squeeze her knee in an act of comfort, Haley closed her eyes and simply prayed that Brooke would be able to pull through, as she knew she would never be able to handle it if she would be forced to bid her goodbye so soon…

Time in the emergency room's waiting area seemed to be standing still for Julian as he waited for a doctor to update him on Brooke's condition. During the ride to the hospital, he had learned that Brooke actually was breathing and might have just passed out due to exhaustion, yet that she might have suffered damage to her lungs due to the water she inhaled and due to the amount of time she hadn't received a sufficient supply of oxygen. When the paramedics quietly discussed amongst themselves the possibility of a certain level of brain damage- that was it for Julian. He had spent the rest of the ride to the hospital completely zoned out and silent, suddenly realizing that even if Brooke would be able to survive, her life might be changed for good. The thought that she might not be able to talk, to comprehend what he said to her or to remember him simply terrified him, and it plagued him to think that had he not argued with her that evening or had he stopped her before she had walked out of their house in the middle of the storm, she would have been just fine.

Sitting in the middle of the waiting room with his head in his hands, Julian felt like the walls were closing up on him, like he was suffocating. He knew that if the doctor would come out bearing grave news, he would never be able to forgive himself. He knew that if he would never hear Brooke's raspy laughter, if he would never watch her looking like an adorable child as she got worked up over something, his life would pretty much be over.

As the disheartening thoughts became too much for him, Julian pulled his cell-phone out, feeling the need to talk to someone so he wouldn't drown in his sinister thoughts. Groaning upon the realization that he still had no reception due to the storm, Julian rose to his feet and made his way to a payphone by the front desk. After inserting two quarters into the slot and hearing a ring tone, which indicated to him that unlike the rest of Tree Hill, at least the phone-lines in the hospital weren't down, he began to automatically dial the cell-phone number of the woman who was closest to him, other than Brooke.

"Hello?" mixing with his mother's familiar voice, he could hear noise and laughter from the background, and frowned, unable to grasp how the rest of the world could go on happily living while he felt like his life was about to end, while he feared that Brooke's live was literally going to end…

"Are you in a bar?" Julian questioned incredulously, unable to hide his dissatisfaction. While a part of him was upset about how his mother lapsed back to drinking and partying, he was mostly upset that she, too, was living her life while he felt so miserable and scared. Sylvia, however, frowned at the accusing tone of his voice, thinking that her son was once again reprimanding her for her lifestyle.

"Did you call just to scold me, Julian?" she asked with annoyance, yet grew concerned once she heard the tone of his voice as he once again spoke.

"No… No, mom. I need to tell you something…" he said quietly, his voice slightly cracking at the end of his sentence.

"Julian? Honey, what's the matter?" she worriedly inquired, understanding from the sincerity of his voice that something must have happened. As she began walking towards the exit of the bar in order to be able to hear him better, they could both hear Victoria's voice calling her from the background.

"Hey, Sylvie- where are you going? I just ordered us another round of apple martinis!" if he hadn't been in such a state of distress, Julian would have burst out laughing upon hearing the nickname Victoria gave his mother. However, all things considered, he remained silent and only sadly smiled when he heard his mother replying.

"Hold on, Vicky… It's my Julian on the phone…" she said, her motherly referral to him causing him to feel a lump forming in his throat. He quietly listened to her footsteps as she walked away from the source of noise that interfered in their conversation and attempted to get a grip over himself before he would be forced to speak and tell his mother what was going on. However, when his mother softly asked him, "What happened, Julian? Is everything alright?" he couldn't help his quivering lip.

"It's Brooke, mom" he said, barely managing to keep it together.

"Oh, Julian- did you two get into a fight?" she asked him caringly, causing him to chuckle bitterly. If only things were that simple.

"No…" he croaked out, causing Sylvia to stiffen. She knew that her son was a relatively sensitive man, but hearing him at the verge of tears clarified to her that things might be even more serious than she had thought.

"Well, what did she do, honey?" she asked, concern now extremely evident in her voice.

"Brooke is in the hospital" he finally revealed, biting onto his lip as he heard her gasp so he wouldn't begin to cry, "It's bad, mom. I think it's really bad…" he said, voicing out his worries.

"What happened?" Sylvia questioned in shock, yet before Julian could reply, he could hear Victoria's voice in the background.

"Sylvia- what is taking you so long?" she complained with a light laughter and Julian had to close his eyes, knowing that her mood was about to drastically change within a moment, after his mother would share the bad news with her.

"Victoria, honey- why don't we sit down…" he could hear his mother softly suggesting, giving him time to regain control over his overflowing emotions.

"Don't tell me to sit down, Sylvia- what's going on?" Victoria retorted impatiently, cutting to the chase and causing his mother to sigh into the phone before she replied.

"Julian just told me that Brooke is in the hospital…"

It was silent for a moment, after which he could hear his mother's voice fading into the background while Victoria's voice suddenly filled his ears.

"What happened to my daughter, Julian?" Victoria demanded to know, her terse tone indicating just how worried she truly was.

"She drowned and I got her breathing again after about four-five minutes, but-"

"Five minutes is an awfully long time for someone to go without oxygen!" Victoria replied loudly, horrified to hear what her daughter had been through that night, but causing Julian to feel as though she was blaming him for not getting Brooke to wake up sooner.

"I know, Victoria…" he somberly said, hanging his head down with shame.

"Where is she hospitalized?" Victoria curtly questioned, and once Julian replied "Tree Hill Memorial", the line went dead.

Lowering the phone's earpiece back to its place, Julian could already feel the tears pricking in his ears. When he lifted his head and still saw no sign of a doctor that might be bearing news regarding Brooke, the bad feeling in the pit of his stomach washed him over. That, combined with the guilt he once again felt after speaking to Victoria, caused Julian to grow weak in the knees. He leaned his back against the wall and slid down to the floor, covering his face in his hands when he was finally sitting and letting out the tears he had been trying to hold in that entire night.

"Julian… Julian…" as the memory of Brooke's desperate plea for help flashed in his head, his stream of tears only worsened. She had counted on him to save her, she had begged him to save her, but he hadn't been quick enough, he had let her down.

"Julian… Julian…" when he once again heard his name being called out, he first thought that it was the memory talking out of his head, yet when his name was uttered for a third time, he hopefully lifted his head from his hands- only to be met by Haley, who was rushing in his direction as quickly as her pregnant figure would allow her.

"What is it, Julian? Is it Brooke? Is she-"

"I don't know, Haley" Julian cut off Haley's tense stream of questions as he sobbed out his reply, causing her to kneel down next to him and to hug him to her side, "Nobody will tell me what's going on with her, and I'm just so scared of losing her…" he brokenly replied, too devastated to care in the least that he was now crying on her shoulder like a little boy.

"Hey, it's O.K…. It's going to be O.K., Julian. Brooke is a fighter" Haley naturally took the motherly role of comforting the heartbroken man before her, yet Julian shook his head, unable to feel consoled by her words.

"Brooke is only human, Haley, and she was underwater for a pretty long time. How can you be so sure that things will turn out to be O.K.?" he asked, the possible terrible outcomes of this situation plaguing his mind, yet when Haley spoke in a fragile voice, all his thoughts went out the window.

"I have to, Julian" she admitted, suddenly not sounding tough at all, suddenly sounding just as scared as he was, "I suffered too many losses this year and Brooke has been one of my best friends since high school. I just can't allow myself to believe that she will be taken away from me too…" she simply said, her warm eyes filling with tears as well and causing Julian to find the strength within himself to wipe his tears and get his emotions under control.

"You're right…" he shakily said, and they both fell into a tense silence, both praying that in no time, they would be told that Brooke was indeed alright.

When several minute later, a doctor finally arrived and inquired "Anybody here for Brooke Davis?", both he and Haley sprang to their feet and rushed to come up to him.

"I'm her fiancé" Julian immediately introduced himself, "How is she doing?" he anxiously asked.

"We ran some tests and found no evidence of any brain trauma whatsoever. She did come to us with a case of mild hypothermia and we still need time to assess the condition of her lungs, so we are currently assisting her breathing. Right now I cannot give you any promises, but assuming she will develop no further complications, we will probably release her after three days of monitoring the condition of her lungs" the doctor explained, causing Haley to tear up in relief and Julian to stare at him in disbelief.

"You mean that she'll be O.K.?" he questioned shakily, needing to receive yet another reassurance after all they had been through that night, after he had already once gone through thinking that Brooke was fine, only to learn that he had been mistaken.

"Like I said- we still need to make sure that no further complication will develop, but right now Ms. Davis seems quite alert and comfortable" the doctor gave him the confirmation that he needed, making him feel like he could breathe again. "You can go see her for yourself if you'd like" he offered, almost causing Julian to fall off of his feet due to how thankful he was.

"Please" he eagerly nodded and asked, beginning to make his way after the doctor before remembering that he wasn't alone in the waiting room. "Haley…" he looked at her, inviting her to join him with his gaze, yet she shook her head and brushed him off.

"Go" she urged him on, "I have to wait for Nathan and Jamie to get here and anyway- Brooke needs you right now…" she knowing said, realizing that as much as she wanted to see her friend, she needed to give the couple some alone time to deal with the traumatic event they had been through that night.

Nodding at her thankfully, Julian quickly started following the doctor again, barely able to contain his happiness and gratitude for winning the love of his life back, for regaining his reason to live, for once again feeling like he was able and allowed to breathe…

"Hi baby" Julian's soft voice quietly greeted his fiancée as he entered her room and took in her condition. She looked pale and tired, and she had an oxygen-tube attached to her nose, but Julian could honestly say that he had never been so glad to see her in his entire life.

"Hi fiancé…" Brooke croaked back, her voice even more raspy than it would normally be, yet the sound of her speaking to him coherently, after he feared he would never hear her voice again, and the fond nickname by which she referred to him caused Julian to tear up.

"Babe- are you crying?" Brooke softly asked with concern, beckoning him over upon seeing him uselessly wiping his eyes in an attempt to rid himself of his tears. "It's O.K., baby- I promise that I'm fine now…" she reassured him, wrapping her arms around him as he carefully laid his head on her upper abdomen and gave it an affectionate kiss as he struggled to control his emotions.

"Never do that to me again, Brooke, do you hear me?" he cried into her body, letting out a relieved sob as she delicately stroked his hair in an attempt to soothe him, "I don't ever want to know what life would be life without you, I can't live without you!" he said, releasing all the anxiety he had felt onto her chest and relishing in the comforting way she was trying to calm him down.

As his hands circled her form and embraced her, out of an insatiable need to be as close to her as he possibly could, Julian could suddenly feel Brooke flinching and hissing in pain, and he immediately let go of her and looked at her in concern.

"Brooke, did I hurt you, baby?" he worriedly questioned, his eyes conveying his sincerity and urgency.

She dismissively shook her head at first, but when he gave her a pointed look, she sighed and revealed, "My stomach is a bit sore…"

Gently unpeeling the blanket off of her and raising her hospital gown so he could take a peek at her body, Julian noticed the black and blue marks forming where Nathan had squeezed her body, to get her to breathe, and raised his eyes to give her an apologetic look as he covered her back up.

"I'm sorry, Brooke. Nathan saved your life by pressing on your body when you were choking, so you might be slightly achy for a few days…" he explained, causing her to nod in understanding and to grow silent, yet to lift her hand up to his face and to start stroking over his lips lovingly, until he gripped her hand and affectionately kissed each and every one of her fingers.

"I love you, Brooke Davis" he said, looking at her with such emotion in his eyes that her breath hitched in her throat and she momentarily forgot to breathe. When he leaned down towards her and gently captured her lips in his, however, she finally once again felt like she was being revived and sighed contently as he drew apart from her and began stroking over her cheek soothingly.

Julian was just about to suggest that Brooke would get some rest when Haley carefully peeked into the room, trying to assess whether he and Brooke were sharing a private moment or whether it would be alright for her to come in.

"Tutor mom, what are you doing here?" Haley's contemplation came to an end when Brooke noticed her and questioned with surprise, sounding tired, yet much more cheerful and lively than Haley would have expected her to be, considering what she had been through that night.

"Sweetie, I'm so happy that you're O.K.!" Haley exclaimed and walked up to Brooke, giving her a gentle hug and feeling so comforted to feel Brooke's arms carefully wrapping around her, that she couldn't help a few tears from falling. As the two girls broke apart and Haley sniffled, Brooke looked at her with her soulful eyes and frowned.

"Honey, I'm fine, so no more tears, alright?" she asked, afterwards adding, "Stress can't be good for you or for the baby…" she reminded Haley, causing her to smile through her tears at Brooke's thoughtfulness and to take a deep breath as she tried to comply. Seeing her friend's struggle, Brooke tried to take her mind off of her own condition and therefore questioned, "How's my handsome godson doing?"

"He's alright, Brooke- thanks to you two" Haley gratefully said, and then added, "He's actually right outside your room right now. He's been begging to see his Aunt Brooke, but I wanted to make sure you were up for visitors first…"

"I'm always up to seeing my Jimmy-Jam" Brooke assured her, reaching for Julian's hand and using it to gingerly push herself up to a more upright sitting position. "Tell him to come in" she urged Haley with a smile, only convincing the pregnant woman when her dimples creates dents in her cheeks, signaling to her that she was genuinely alright. Haley momentarily disappeared and when she was once again standing in the room's doorway, she was accompanied by her son and her husband, who were both looking at her with hesitance and concern with those unique, kind Scott orbs of theirs. Seeing their uncertainty, Brooke widened her smile slightly and hoarsely spoke out.

"Well, don't just stand there, Jamie- come over here and give me a hug…" she lightly said, wanting to ascertain him that she was fine, as she felt the need to make this entire ordeal alright for him. She watched him with a smile as he tentatively made his way towards her hospital bed, but frowned when he paused, merely steps away from her.

"Are you really going to be O.K., Aunt Brooke?" he unsurely asked, and Brooke could see the sea of emotions washing over his innocent blue eyes.

"Of course I will be, buddy. Come here…" she opened her arms for him and delicately embraced him when he finally closed the gap between the two of them and gave her a hug.

"Madison, Chuck and Ms. Lauren are going to be alright too" he filled her in, causing her to smile gladly and to peck the side of his head before she released him from her arms.

"I know they will be, spelling genius…" she reassured him, causing him to giggle slightly due to the nickname by which she chose to refer to him.

"Thanks for helping us out, Aunt Brooke" Jamie expressed his genuine gratitude after a moment, looking so grown up and sincere that Brooke tapped him on the nose, to get him to lighten up again.

"I would do anything for you, buddy" she honestly said, afterwards winking at him in order to make him smile.

Lifting her gaze up to the doorway and spotting the other Scott boy who was looking at her, still appearing to be concerned, Brooke lightly commented, "I heard that I should be thanking you for those lovely bruises on my stomach, which will probably still be there on my wedding night…" she sarcastically joked, causing Julian to chuckle, but Nathan to look slightly horrified.

"Seriously? Geez, Brooke- I'm sorry… I didn't mean to hurt you…" he sincerely apologized, yet caused Brooke to shake her head dismissively.

"I'm kidding…" she clarified, watching Nathan heave a sigh of relief and unable to refrain from making yet another joke, "That is, only if my fiancé won't want to replace me, now that I'm not perfect anymore…" she said, now causing all those present to laugh slightly.

"I don't think you have to worry about that, beautiful…" Julian affectionately told her, giving her a chaste kiss in an attempt to convey to her that to him- she was perfect, and putting a satisfied smile on her face. She looked at him lovingly for a moment before averting her gaze back to the figure that still stood at the room's doorstep and looked at her apprehensively.

"Well, what are you waiting for, hot-shot? I can't come over to you right now, you know…" she reminded him, causing him to immediately make his way towards her and to give her a careful hug.

"Don't pull any more stunts like that in the future, Davis, alright?" he warned her, conveying to her by the tone of his voice just how worried she had gotten him, just how much he cared for her.

"I don't intend to…" she lightly replied, smiling at him as he squeezed her palm for support and afterwards leaning back on her pillow, as exhaustion suddenly took over her.

Sensing Brooke's need to get some rest, Nathan bid Brooke goodbye and then ushered his family out of her room. He was about to leave as well, but the need to say one last thing won him over and caused him to pause by the doorway and to look at Julian with gratitude.

"Hey man- Jamie told me what you did for him and I could never repay you for that… Thank you for saving my son" he said, his thankful gaze conveying how meaningful Julian's actions were for him.

Nodding at him as he stroking his fiancée's hair as she dozed off into a slumber, Julian could only reply, "Thank you for saving my Brooke…"

Even though the doctor primarily told him that Brooke would probably be kept under observation for the course of three days, she had ultimately stayed at the hospital for an extra night, as the medical staff had wanted to be on the safe side. It was therefore a Sunday morning when she was finally released to go home, much to Julian's contentment. He had refused to listen to her when she had argued that she was completely fine, and had insisted on wrapping his arms around her frame for support as they made their way from the hospital to his car, and later- from his car to their home. Only when she lied down on the sofa and closed her eyes for a short nap, did he feel comfortable leaving her side.

As he walked into the kitchen and began chopping fruit, so that the both of them could eat a little snack after Brooke would wake up, Julian marveled over the fact that during the past three and a half days, Brooke had shown no sign of weakness. She had been busy comforting him, the Scott family and even her own mother, who had gotten stuck at the airport due to the weather, but had called every day, finally sounding like the worried mother Brooke had always wanted to have. Brooke had even taken the time to assure her doctors that everything was alright after she had learned that Victoria had phoned the hospital on the night she had been admitted and in the midst of her panic over her daughter's unclear condition, had threatened them with a lawsuit if Brooke would not make a quick and complete recovery. However, Julian noticed that Brooke didn't seem to be personally dealing with the trauma she had been through. He was tempted to believe that she was indeed completely fine, but made a mental note to keep a close eye on her, as he had a feeling that at a certain point, the fact that she had drowned and nearly died would hit Brooke.

Suddenly noticing that Brooke had risen to her feet and was making her way towards the stairs, Julian dropped the items in his hands and rushed to her side, still unable to help but be overprotective towards her after he had nearly lost her. "Hey, where are you going, baby?" Julian gently asked, supporting her frame and advancing along with her as she began ascending the stairs.

"I'm just gonna take a shower, Julian… I smell of hospital" she commented in disgust, causing him to chuckle. He affectionately kissed her on the side of her head as they finally reached the top of the staircase and then playfully sniffed her hair, causing her to giggle at his behavior and to question, "What are you doing?"

"Hmm" he sighed, teasingly sniffing her yet again, "You still pretty sexy to me…" he told her in a low whisper, causing her to laugh out loud and to playfully shove him off of her as she walked into her bedroom and began to shed her clothes off. Watching her for a little while with a smirk, Julian decided that she was probably handling herself alone quite alright and left to go back downstairs, to finish preparing his fruit salad. When he suddenly heard her voice calling for him several moments later, however, he once again dropped everything and rushed up the stairs to get to her.

"Julian… Julian…" as he got closer and closer to the source of her voice, she sounded more and more distressed to him, more and more like she had sounded on that dreadful day in which she had almost lost her life. Feeling his heart beating in his chest wildly, he flung the bathroom door open. He found Brooke standing in the middle of the shower with water streaming all over her form and struggling to breathe as she finally gave her emotions release, as she finally let go and cried.

Realizing that she was reliving the traumatic event she had been through, Julian rushed into the shower with his clothes on, without hesitating for even one moment. He quickly pulled Brooke's trembling body away from the stream of water and held her against him, allowing her to let out all the tears she needed to cry.

"I can't breathe, Julian…" she told him in terror as she hyperventilated, obviously too consumed in her traumatic memory to realize that she was safe, that she was alright, "I can't breathe…" she repeated in distress, her voice hitching in her throat as she cried.

Rubbing circles against the wet flesh of her back with one hand and pulling her closer to him with the other, Julian was quick to soothingly tell her, "It's over, Brooke, you're alright now…"

"Julian… Julian…" when she once again called out for him, begging him to save her, Julian grabbed her face, forcing her to meet his eyes.

"Brooke, look at me, baby- you're alright, so just breathe…" when she locked eyes with him and suddenly seemed to have grown aware of the fact that she truly was in the safety of her house and not in a drowning car, confusion seeped into her gaze. Realizing that he needed to further reassure her, Julian once again said, "Come on, Brooke, I'm right here with you, but I need you to breathe for me…" he asked of her, exhaling in relief when her breathing was finally slowing down back to a more even pattern moments later.

When her body sagged into his chest and he felt her beginning to tremble as she silently cried, Julian sighed sadly and wrapped his arms around her, only now noticing how cold her flesh had gotten. "Let's get you washed up and get you out of here, alright?" he gently suggested, slowly pulling her back under the stream of water and keeping her held in his protective embrace at all times. After he massaged the bathing lotion onto her body and began to wash the soapsuds off of her, Julian finally felt Brooke's crying subside as she now calmly rested against his form. He lowered his gaze down to her face and couldn't help but kiss her forehead before questioning, "How are you doing, Brooke?"

Nodding at him slightly, Brooke quietly replied, "I'm fine… I'm sorry about all this- I just panicked…" she explained, feeling him tightening his hold on her body in response to her apology.

"I know, baby. It's O.K…." he simply said, letting her know that with him, she never needed to apologize for what she was feeling, letting her know that with him, she was safe and loved.

"I love you, you know that?" Brooke told him with a small smile, putting a grin on his face.

"I love you too" he replied over and over while they finished their shower, dried off and changed into comfortable sweats. As it became a mantra, which he said again and again, stealing a few kisses from her as he helped her lie down on her bed, Brooke couldn't help but giggle- feeling all better now that she had let out everything she had been bottling in since she drowned and was finally able to deal with her own trauma and to move on from it. She felt so fortunate to have him by her side that she thought that things couldn't get better, but she quickly found out that she was mistaken when the doorbell rang and soon enough, the Scott family poured into her room, lighting it up with how happy they genuinely seemed to be upon seeing that she was alright. When the bell rang yet again, followed by Sylvia and Victoria rushing to her bedside and showering her with hugs and care, Brooke sighed contently and knew that everything she had been through had been worth it- for Jamie was safe and healthy, for she and Victoria had made up and salvaged their relationship, for Julian was now intent on staying in Tree Hill, and for she had once again figured who she was and what mattered in her life, for she could once again just breathe…

AN: Well, that's it! Please take a second to review, as your support always makes my day! :-)