𝙾𝚗𝚎 𝙾𝚏 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚎 𝙳𝚊𝚢𝚜 | 𝙾𝚗𝚎 𝚃𝚛𝚎𝚎 𝙷𝚒𝚕𝚕 |

𝘐 𝘚𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘉𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦

"Code blue! We are losing him," a nurse called out, her voice urgent.

"Charge the paddles to 200," the lead doctor ordered.

"Charging," the nurse responded, her hands moving swiftly to prepare the defibrillator.

"Clear!" The doctor placed the paddles on Lucas's chest, and his body jolted with the electric shock. For a brief moment, his heart started, only to flatline again.

"Charge the paddles to 300. Clear!" The doctor repeated, and Lucas's body convulsed once more. This time, his heart rate climbed steadily to 60 beats per minute.

"He's stable," the doctor confirmed, relief evident in his voice. "Let's proceed with the surgery."

In another room, Keith was being patched up, his mind solely on Lucas despite his own injuries.

"How long will this take?" he asked impatiently.

"We're just about done here," the doctor attending to him replied.

"I don't mean me," Keith clarified, a mixture of frustration and concern in his voice. "I'm talking about my nephew, Lucas. How long will he be in surgery?"

"It depends on how serious his injuries are," the doctor explained calmly.

Keith, unable to sit still any longer, grabbed his phone and dialed a number.

————

Meanwhile, across town, Troy and Haley lay cuddled in her bed, a rare moment of peace amidst the chaos of their lives.

"I'm starting to think I'm the reason you and Lucas are fighting," Troy admitted, a hint of self-doubt in his voice. "He's never really liked me."

Haley sighed, running her fingers through his hair. "Lucas has no room to talk. If he's mad about us, then that's his problem. He's got his own issues to deal with."

Troy looked at her curiously. "What do you mean by that?"

Before Haley could answer, her phone rang. She glanced at the caller ID and quickly picked up. "Keith, hey," she answered, her tone shifting to concern. She listened intently as Keith explained the situation.

"He's going to make it, right? Okay, thanks," she said, her voice trembling slightly.

Troy sat up, worry etched on his face. "What is it? What's happened?"

"Lucas," Haley replied, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "He's in surgery. There was an accident."

Troy immediately got up. "Come on, I'll take you to the hospital."

Haley shook her head, standing up and grabbing her jacket. "No, I'll go. It's fine." She leaned down and kissed Troy's forehead, her lips lingering for a moment. "Thank you."

————

Peyton stared at her phone, waiting for Jordan's response after confessing that she had kissed Lucas. The silence on the other end of the line felt deafening.

"Jordan? You still there?" she asked, her voice shaky.

Jordan remained silent for a moment, the weight of her words sinking in. "Listen, Peyton, I gotta go," he finally said, his tone flat.

"But—" Peyton started, but before she could say more, Jordan hung up. The only thought racing through his mind was whether Brooke knew about this. If she didn't, this could turn into one messy situation.

Jordan descended the stairs, where his parents were waiting with worried expressions.

"Jordan, there's been an accident," his father said. "Your friend Lucas is in the hospital."