20. Lifetime Piling Up

Lying in a coma after his race car accident, Nathan dreams of what life would have been like if Dan had stayed with Karen and Lucas instead of marrying Deb. In his imaginary world, Lucas has the wealth and stature and Nathan is the one growing up on the wrong side of the tracks. Karen has been having an affair with Keith, while Deb is the one with a cafe. Haley and Nathan are best friends and Brooke crushes on Nathan. Lucas and Nathan play a game to get the spot on the Highflier Team and Nathan wins.

When he wakes up, Nathan realizes things about his life. He realizes he should be nicer to Deb and they make amends, but he also wishes he could get away from Dan. Lucas tells him he had to call Haley and asks him if he tried to end his life. Brooke begins putting together the shredded evidence Lucas collected - it is a receipt. Later that night, Nathan calls Haley and tells her he doesn't want her to come home. This episode is named after a song by Talking Heads.