Lucas rang at the doorbell of Peyton's house. He had been stood there for five minutes in front of the locked of the locked door. He knew she was there. Her black car was parked in her driveway. The music pumped out loudly from her room - Fall Out Boy. A choice she regularly listened to amongst her other favourites.
She either couldn't hear him or didn't want to.
Either way, he needed to speak to her. He had to. So he went towards the back of the house hoping to find an unlocked door. His hopes were received with praise as he slowly opened the door after knocking in a last ditch attempt to be courteous..Not that he waited to see if she had heard his knocking.
He walked up the stairs taking two steps at a time. He didn't know why he was rushing but he felt the need to get what he had to say out as quickly as possible before he couldn't remember the speech he had memorised.
"Peyton?" he said reaching the last step. "It's Lucas."
Turning into her room he didn't notice her anywhere in the room. He tentatively took a few steps forward. "Peyton?"
He walked over to her computer. It was still on but a loosely placed t-shirt covered the web cam from view.
Lucas felt uneasy. This didn't seem right. It was almost as if -
Lucas didn't get to finish his thought after what he saw turning around again.
"Peyton!"
Lucas rushed forward towards the crumpled figure on the ground. Dropping to his knees, he stared at her pale face. Her eyelids unmoving and the faint trickle of blood staining her floor.
He felt her neck with shaky hands, searching for a pulse.He breathed a sigh of relief. She was breathing. He shook her gently. No response.
"Peyton? Peyton can you hear me?" He shook her more forcefully, trying not to hurt her or move her. He knew he shouldn't move her for some reason. He remembered that somewhere in the foggy crevasses of his mind. "Peyton?"
He watched her for a few moments, waiting and hoping for a sign of movement.
Nothing.
He got up and reached for her phone at her bedside table. He should call an ambulance. She needed help. She needed a doctor. As his hand touched the plastic of the wireless phone, he heard the faintest of noises.Tears burned in his eyes, tears he didn't even know had been there, when he recognised the sound of a groan.
He looked down sharply to see Peyton slowly stirring, groaning in pain as her eyelids fluttered but she soon returned to slumber just as quickly as she had awoke. He quickly dialled 911 and could let his mind process the questions the voice at the other end of the line asked.
"No, I don't know how long she's been unconscious...she hit her head...she's uh...she's breathing fine...come quickly..."
The ambulance arrived minutes later. How many minutes exactly he couldn't tell. His only concern was Peyton and had only once left her side to unlock her front door and turn off the music.
The ambulance men checked her over with professionalism. Moving quickly. They knew what to do. He was just useless, standing there.
He held her hand in the ambulance, ever vigilant for movement. Yet apart from the occasional moan of pain or mumbled word which he couldn't make out, he had been given nothing firm on the basis that she would be alright.
He kissed her forehead and whispered, "You're going to be okay." in her ear after they had arrived at the hospital and took her away.
It was then he had realised that would have to tell Brooke. She may have been pissed off with him and Peyton but that wouldn't stop her from caring about her childhood friend so he went to the nearest phone and began to dial.