2003 ― Tree Hill, North Carolina

After receiving her sister's phone call, Aurora James rushed to the hospital. Lucas had been in an accident, and nobody knew how bad it was. When Aurora got there, she saw Keith in the waiting room, but she hadn't noticed Karen yet.

"Keith. Keith, is he okay?" Aurora asked as she ran up to him. Keith looked at her with a frown on his face.

"Oh, honey. We don't know yet." Keith said as Aurora sniffled.

"I was supposed to see him tonight. I was gonna come over after you guys got back because I couldn't wait to hear about Karen's time in Italy." Aurora said. Karen cleared her throat, and that's when Aurora turned around and noticed her. "Karen, oh, you're back." She said. Karen wrapped her arms around Aurora, which made the brunette let out a breath of relief.

"Hi, honey." Karen greeted her.

"Who's here for Lucas Scott?" The doctor asked as Aurora and Karen pulled away.

"I'm his mother. Is my son okay?" Karen asked.

"He's stable and in recovery. He needed a lot of work. His right lung collapsed and had to be repaired. I had to remove his spleen, but there shouldn't be any long-term repercussions." The doctor explained, and Aurora felt like the wind got knocked out of her.

"So, you're saying he's going to be fine?" Karen asked.

"He'll need physical therapy for his shoulder. It separated in the crash, but we were able to reset it. Other than that, he has a concussion and some bruising. But there was a complication during surgery." The doctor responded.

"What?" Karen asked.

"Your son lost a lot of blood, which caused his heart rate to drop. We lost him for a few seconds. But as I said, he's stable now. And all of his vitals look good. So we just have to wait for him to wake up." The doctor said.

"When will that be?" Karen asked.

"Could be a couple of hours, could be a couple of days. That's up to him." He responded.

"Thank you," Keith said.

"You're welcome."

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"Hey." Aurora knocked on her sister's door after coming back from the hospital. Lucas was still unconscious, so she wanted to check on her sister because she was surprised when Haley said she wouldn't come to the hospital with her.

"Hey, why aren't you at the hospital?" Haley asked.

"Well, I was coming to ask you the same thing. Come back with me. Keith and Karen both asked about you." Aurora said, and Haley sighed.

"I just can't go over there right now," Haley said, and Aurora frowned. She had no idea that Haley was holding onto information about Lucas that would hurt her, and Haley didn't want to hurt her sister. She wanted Lucas to be brave enough to tell Aurora the truth.

"Hales, did something happen? Because you've been acting really weird." Aurora said.

"Lucas and I got into a fight, and when the accident happened. The last thing I said to him was the next time we see each other, don't talk to me." Haley said, and Aurora frowned.

"Hales, you obviously didn't mean it," Aurora said.

"Aurora, what if I can't take it back? What if he doesn't forgive me?" Haley asked.

"Haley. Luke loves you, and he will forgive you. When you're ready to see him, call me, and I'll come to pick you up, okay?" Aurora said, and Haley nodded her head.

"Thanks, Ari."

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"Hey stranger, long time, no see." Aurora greeted Peyton when she walked back into Lucas' hospital room. She had gone to the vending machine to get a snack, even though Deb had brought Karen food from the cafe when Aurora had stepped out. She walked over to Lucas' bedside and kissed his cheek. "You got this, Luke... I know you'll come back." She whispered to him.

"Listen, I gotta go," Peyton said.

"Okay, I've got him now but see you later?" Aurora asked, and Peyton nodded her head.

"Yeah, sure." She said.

"Okay," Aurora responded, and Peyton turned to Karen.

"It was really nice to meet you," Peyton said, and Karen smiled.

"You too," Karen said. When Peyton walked out, Aurora turned to Karen and let out a light sigh. "I'm glad you two are finally together. I've seen it since you were pre-teens." Karen said, and Aurora laughed a little.

"Mom's always know best... but especially you, Karen. You always know best." Aurora said.

"Sometimes, I'm not so sure. If I hadn't been in Italy...-" Aurora cut her off.

"...-No, no. Karen, this is not your fault at all. You were following your dreams which Lucas 110% supported. He's so proud of you; we all are. Please don't regret Italy. Lucas will wake up. I know he will. He has to. He knows we're all here, and he knows we all love him." Aurora said.

Karen softly smiled at the brunette. Of all Lucas's friends through the years, Haley and Aurora have always been Karen's favorites. The girls bring brightness into the lives they touch that can't be explained.

"You've always been a good friend to Lucas, and I have no doubt you're a great girlfriend. I've been expecting Haley to come by." Karen said, and Aurora sighed.

"I know, I told her. I just went to see her. She said that she and Lucas got into an argument, and she's beating herself up about it; she feels like she doesn't deserve to come and see him." Aurora said, which made Karen frown.

"They'll patch it up. Best friends can forgive each other for anything." Karen said, and Aurora nodded in agreement, but she was going to find out soon.

That statement is easier said than done.

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Haley called her sister and said she was ready to see Lucas, or she thought she was. Aurora went to the cafe to pick Haley up and said hi to Nathan and Deb while she was there. Aurora felt for Nathan right now; his parents were going through the process of a nasty divorce, and Nathan was caught in the middle of both of them trying to make him pick a side. Aurora just wanted Nathan to be okay, which clearly wasn't going to be the case for a while. As Haley and Aurora approached Lucas' room, they saw Karen was asleep, and before Haley could even walk in, she shook her head and immediately turned around.

"I can't," Haley said.

"Hales, wait. It's okay." Aurora said as she gently grabbed her sister's arm.

"No, it's not. He's lying in there, and there's nothing that I can do about it." Haley said, and Aurora frowned at her sister.

"Well, you could be there for him. Just go talk to him; you'll feel better." Aurora said.

"I don't deserve to feel better. I mean, giving him an apology is not worth anything if he's awake to hear it. You know if I go in there, I'm just going to start crying, and that's just the last thing Karen needs." Haley said, and Aurora shook her head.

"Hales, why don't you let her be the judge of that. She said to me earlier she's been expecting you to come by." Aurora said, and Haley shook her head as she started to walk away.

"I can't."

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"I thought I might find you up here." Aurora James said to her sister when she walked out onto the cafe's roof. Haley was sitting on the ledge, and she turned around when she heard her sister's voice.

"Hey, Ari," Haley said.

"You okay?" Aurora asked as she walked over and sat down with Haley. She nodded her head, but she let out a deep breath. "I'm probably not the best for moral support because I am a wreck on the inside. Maybe if you went with Nathan." She said, and Haley shook her head.

"Nathan and I are taking a little break," Haley said, and Aurora frowned.

"What happened?" Aurora asked.

"He was using me to get to Lucas," Haley said, and Aurora frowned.

"I know Nathan is an asshole, Hales... but he's not downright cruel. Do you want me to talk to him?" Aurora asked. Haley looked at her sister with a smile, but she shook her head.

"No, it's okay. Why do you think you're no good for moral support?" Haley asked, and Aurora shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know... I guess because my morale is low, I don't know. I just barely know how to think with Luke in there." Aurora said, and Haley nodded her head.

"Yeah, I think I understand what it's like to need Lucas in your life," Haley said, and Aurora laughed a little as she nodded.

"And you know I don't let myself need people, not often. But he's my best friend, our best friend. You know." Aurora said, and Haley nodded her head.

"I just want to tell him that I love him, and I'm sorry," Haley said, and Aurora wrapped her arm around her sister and nodded her head.

"You will, Hales... I want to tell him I'm in love with him." Aurora said, and both girls sighed for different reasons. Haley wanted to tell her sister the truth.

But she couldn't bring herself to break Aurora's heart even more.

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After visiting her sister, Aurora went to Peyton's house to check on her. She wasn't sure why she rushed out of there so quickly, but she wanted to ensure that she was okay. "That hospital is so depressing. It's no wonder most people stay sick while there." Aurora said as she walked in.

"How's Lucas?" Peyton asked.

"He's the same, and that terrifies me," Aurora said.

"Why?" Peyton asked.

"Because he's been in my life since I was eight years old, and I quite literally don't know if I could live without him. I'm just worried he's not going to wake up." Aurora said.

"Aurora, don't think like that," Peyton said.

"I know; it's just the thought of losing him now. Anyway, um, I was going to grab a bite to eat, then go back over there. You wanna come with me?" Aurora asked.

"You know I can't, right now. Maybe later?" Peyton asked. Aurora was a little disappointed, but she didn't let it show. She only nodded her head.

"You've been saying that for two days. Look, I know it's hard for you." Aurora said, and Peyton raised an eyebrow. She wasn't sure if Haley had told Aurora what had happened. She knew Haley hadn't because Aurora definitely would've gone off on her if she knew.

"You do?" Peyton asked.

"I know your mom died in that hospital. Lucas needs his friends right now; even if it's hard to be around him in that place, he's worth the trouble." Aurora said, and Peyton nodded her head.

"Yeah, he is. I'll try to come by tomorrow." Peyton said.

"You're the best. See you soon." Aurora said. She wrapped her arms around Peyton and gave her a quick hug before she left her room; there were a few more stops she needed to make.

So she went back to Haley.

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When Aurora got her sister, she brought her down to the river court. Jake texted her last night that there was something she needed to see, and when she came down, she was surprised to see people decorating the river court with nice messages for Lucas, so she wanted to bring Haley to see it.

"What is this?" Haley asked her sister.

"It started last night. People wanted to do something for Lucas." Aurora said.

"Is that Tim? He's always been such an ass to Lucas." Haley said, and Aurora shrugged her shoulders.

"Maybe it's his way of saying he's sorry. Not that that's an excuse."

"Wow. Why am I not surprised Nathan isn't here." Haley said as the sisters walked around the court and read everything people had written down. Aurora let her walk off on her own, and while Aurora was standing alone, Jake walked up to her.

"Hey, you gotta love watching people make sense of how they feel for Lucas," Jake said.

"Yeah, who knew Tim could spell, right?" Aurora teased, and Jake laughed a little.

"Yeah, right. So, how are you doing?" Jake asked. Aurora shrugged her shoulders as she sighed.

"Hanging in there, I guess," Aurora said. Jake wrapped his arm around her and gave her a side hug, and Aurora smiled a little.

"Hey, look... I know we don't run together, but I'm around if you need someone to talk to." Jake said, and Aurora smiled at him.

"Thanks, Jake."

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After she left the river court, Aurora made her way to Nathan's house. He was shooting free throw on his hoop outside, and she slow-clapped as she approached. "Your free throws look like crap," Aurora said. When Nathan turned around and saw it was Aurora, he started laughing.

"Glad to see you're picking up the slack in my dad's absence," Nathan said, and Aurora smiled.

"Just doing my part to contribute to the Nathan Scott success story. He's really gone, huh?" Aurora asked, and Nathan nodded his head.

"Yeah, and the divorce is going through," Nathan said, and Aurora frowned.

"I'm really sorry, Nathan," Aurora said, and Nathan shook his head.

"It's alright. You know they suck together anyway. What brings you by? Not that I'm not happy to see you." Nathan said, and Aurora smiled.

"I'm actually here on behalf of my twin. I don't know what you did to her, but you know she's the best thing to ever happen to you... besides me, of course." Aurora said, and Nathan laughed.

"Of course. And Haley is; she just doesn't believe me." Nathan said, and Aurora sighed.

"So, what happened?" Aurora asked.

"I told her that I only went after her at first to screw with Lucas," Nathan said, and Aurora rolled her eyes as she shook her head.

"You're a real jackass and idiot; you know that?" Aurora said, and Nathan nodded his head.

"Yeah, I was... but it hasn't been about that with Haley and me for a long time, and I think you know that," Nathan said, and Aurora nodded.

"Yeah, I do. Look, Haley needs your help. She can't face Lucas." Aurora said.

"That's not really my place, is it? I mean, Lucas isn't exactly my biggest fan." Nathan said, and Aurora sighed.

"Doesn't mean you couldn't try. For Haley." Aurora said. Nathan knew that she was right. He did owe it to Haley to try.

"You're right, Ari," Nathan said, and Aurora smiled as she leaned in and kissed his cheek.

"I usually am."

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Aurora was back at the hospital the next day. Karen wasn't there when she got in, but she knew Karen would be back soon, so she waited for her. When Karen walked back into the room, she was happy to see that Aurora was back and when Aurora heard her come in, she turned around.

"Are you okay?" Aurora asked.

"Ever since I landed, nothing has been how I expected it to be," Karen said, and Aurora nodded her head.

"I get it... it probably came as a shock that Lucas and I are dating, right?" She asked, and Karen shook her head.

"Not as much as the tattoo on his arm," Karen said.

"I promise that was not me. I showed him the one I have, but I didn't take him to get it. I know you're not a big tattoo fan." Aurora said, and Karen shrugged her shoulders.

"Just not on my teenage son," Karen said, which Aurora thought was understandable.

"You're not the least bit shocked that Lucas and I are dating?" Aurora asked.

"You sound like you want me to be upset," Karen said, and Aurora laughed a little.

"No, it's just... I mean, it changes things, doesn't it?" Aurora asked, and Karen shook her head.

"Oh, sweetie, it doesn't have to. No matter what happens between you and Lucas, you and I will always be good." Karen said, and Aurora needed to hear that. She nodded her head as she smiled at Karen. Before she could respond, Deb knocked on the door before walking inside.

"I figured if I kept bringing food, you're bound to eat sometime," Deb said as she walked over to them, and Aurora perked up a little.

"Oh my god, I'm starving, but that's probably not for me. I've been running around all day. I keep forgetting to eat. I'll just stop by the cafe and buy something from Haley." Aurora said as she started to stand up, and Karen shook her head.

"No, no, Aurora, of course, you're welcome to the food. Stay, and let's have dinner together." Karen said, and Aurora nodded her head.

"I'd love that," Aurora said, and Karen smiled.

"Good," Karen said, and Aurora still stood from her chair.

"I'll go get us some drinks."

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─── AUTHOR'S NOTE
nice aurora and karen bonding. 

don't forget to vote/comment. 

xoxo.