The relationship between Lucas and Peyton has been going strong throughout One Tree Hill's sixth season, which leads me to believe the couple is headed for some sort of major disaster.  Even the appearance of Julian, who just happens to be Peyton's ex-boyfriend, didn't throw much of a wrench into their happy engagement.  There isn't a couple on television that can go an entire season without some sort of major complications, and Lucas and Peyton are no exception.  Monday's episode of One Tree Hill ended with Peyton clutching her stomach and collapsing in pain, leaving us to speculate about what sort of health problem is plaguing her.

I've come up with a few possible diagnoses for Peyton, but I encourage readers to comment with other ideas.

She's Pregnant

This seems like the most obvious possibility, but is One Tree Hill ready to go there with its most prominent couple?  It's taken six seasons for the writers to move Lucas and Peyton toward marriage, so I'm not sure they'd want to throw a baby into the mix until the final year of the show.  I also have no idea what sort of pregnancy causes stomach-clutching agony, but that's why I'm not a doctor.

If Peyton is pregnant, there are a number of interesting ways the storyline could play out.  She could have the baby, giving Jamie another little kid to bond with; she could ponder having an abortion without telling Lucas, because that kind of thing causes cheap drama; or she could have a miscarriage.  Speaking of that last idea. . .


She Miscarried

What if Peyton was already pregnant, didn't know it, and experienced a miscarriage at the end of Monday's episode?  That twist could lead to one heck of a depressing storyline, but it could also help Peyton realize that she really wants to have a baby, setting up the idea for future episodes.


She Has Cancer

This is another depressing option, but if I've learned one thing from watching House it's that collapsing in pain rarely leads to sunshine and puppies.  Peyton's mother did die of cancer, so there's always a possibility the disease could creep into her life as well.  Raise your hand if you want to see Peyton deal with a long-term illness.  No?  Me neither.


She Ate Some Bad Burritos

While Lucas was passed out and dreaming about the 1940s, maybe Peyton made a trip to the Taco Bell drive-thru to pick up two cheesy double beef burritos.  You never know what happens behind-the-scenes at fast food restaurants, so it's possible Peyton simply had a bad bout of food poisoning.  That would be the most anticlimactic resolution to a cliffhanger ever, so I kind of hope it happens.

What do you think is wrong with Peyton?  Sound off in the comments below.


- Don Williams, BuddyTV Staff Writer
(Image courtesy of the CW)