"Mama!" Sawyer squealed as she ran through to the living room, her arms open wide as Peyton scooped her up into her arms.
"I have missed you so much, Sawyer Scott!" Peyton spoke as she held her tightly before letting her feet meet the floor. Her curly blonde hair fell softly just past her shoulders, her big green eyes almost larger than life as they gazed up at her mother. She wore a floral blue skater dress that hung down just below her knees. "Hey, Dad", Peyton smiled as she greeted her father with a hug.
"Hey, sweetie. Sorry, I can't hang around. I've gotta be back at the docks by five", he sighed.
"That's okay. Thanks for taking care of Sawyer for so long", Peyton smiled.
"Ah it was nothing. I enjoyed spending time with my favourite girl", Larry grinned as he lifted Sawyer up for a hug. "I'm gonna miss you, monkey", he said playfully.
"I'll miss you too, Grandpa", Sawyer smiled. Larry kissed her on the cheek before setting her down and hugging his daughter.
"I'll see you soon, Peyton", he whispered in her ear as he kissed her on the cheek.
"I know", Peyton smiled as her father left. Peyton dramatically fell back on to the couch, sighing heavily as Sawyer grinned at her. "Well, what shall we-", Peyton stopped mid-sentence as she sat up straight, her eyes widening as she shifted them from left to right.
"Mama-"
"Shhh", Peyton cut Sawyer off, her index finger pressed against her own lips. "Don't you hear that?"
"Hear what?" Sawyer chuckled.
"Well, call me crazy, but I think I can hear something in the kitchen!" she told her dramatically. "You should go check what it is because you're so much braver than me". Sawyer laughed before making her way towards the kitchen, closely followed by her mother. The five year old cautiously pushed open the kitchen door to see her father leaning against the dining room table with a goofy grin plastered across his face.
"Hey, squirt", Lucas spoke.
"Daddy!" Sawyer squealed as she ran towards him. Lucas lifted her clean off the ground, raising her in the air before holding her close to him in a warm embrace.
"You've gotta stop growing, you know that?" Lucas joked as he ran his fingers through her hair. "Did you have fun with Grandpa Larry?" he asked. Sawyer nodded, grinning at her father.
"Look! I lost a tooth!" Sawyer grinned bigger than before in order to show her father the gap in her teeth. Peyton watched her husband and daughter lovingly as she patted her stomach gently.
"Looks like someone's gonna be getting a visit from the Tooth Fairy tonight", Peyton smiled warmly.
"Hey, listen; your Mama and I have got some big things to talk to you about later, so why don't we head down to the beach for a little while and get some ice cream first?" Lucas suggested. Sawyer nodded excitedly before jumping out of her father's embrace and scurrying out of the kitchen. Lucas chuckled softly to himself as he watched her leave.
"How do you think she's gonna take it?" Peyton asked, a vaguely worried expression on her face. Lucas sighed as he walked towards her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and kissing her on the top of her head.
"If she's anything like her Mom, then she's gonna be just fine", he smiled softly as Peyton wrapped her arms around his waist.
"Daddy! Mama! I'm ready!" Sawyer called from the hallway. Peyton placed her lips softly against Lucas's before the pair joined their daughter in the hallway.
X
"- And we saw a dolphin! Grandpa Larry says it was a bottle-nose", Sawyer told her parents excitedly before devouring a vanilla ice cream.
"Wow! Sounds like someone had a pretty amazing time", Peyton smiled. Sawyer nodded. "So, listen, pretty girl; your Daddy and I have some pretty big news for you". Sawyer stopped licking her ice cream as she looked between her parents.
"Don't look so worried, squirt, it's not bad", Lucas smiled. Sawyer sported a confused expression as she continued to stare at her parents.
"How would you feel about being a big sister?" Peyton asked, raising her eyebrow as she smiled.
"It would be the best thing ever! Why?" Sawyer asked. Peyton and Lucas grinned at each other before looking back at their little girl.
"Because your Mama and I are going to have another baby", Lucas told her.
"Really?" Sawyer responded excitedly. Lucas and Peyton nodded simultaneously. Sawyer grinned brightly at her parents. "Can I have a sister?" she asked. Lucas laughed.
"We don't know yet", he told her.
"You could have a brother", Peyton added.
"Like Uncle Nathan and Uncle Derek?" Sawyer asked. Peyton nodded.
"And that's not all, sweetie", Peyton continued. "How would you feel about moving back home to Tree Hill?"
"Tree Hill? But why?" Sawyer asked.
"Because your Dad and I think that we'd be a lot happier there. And you'd get to see your cousins and Jude and Davis whenever you want", Peyton smiled, making the proposition sound as appealing as possible. With Sawyer still looking unconvinced, Lucas took her hand and pulled her towards him, seating her on his lap.
"You'd get to go to the same school that we went to and you'd get to help your Mama work in her music studio", he told her.
"Really?" she asked quietly. Lucas nodded as he kissed the top of her head.
"So? What do you think, kiddo?" Peyton asked cautiously. Sawyer remained silent for a moment before looking over at her mother.
"Okay", she smiled.
"That's my girl", Lucas smiled as he kissed her hard on the cheek.
X
Two weeks had passed since the little Scott family had decided to move back home to Tree Hill, and just in that short amount of time, Lucas had managed to find them a house and moving day was but a mere twenty-four hours away. It was a misty Thursday afternoon and with Sawyer at her last day of school, Lucas and Peyton made their way to Peyton's hospital appointment. The pair of them sat in the waiting room, waiting for Peyton's name to be called. Peyton had picked up an old copy of B. Davis Magazine and began to read before chuckling as she stumbled across a familiar article.
"Hey, do you remember this?" she grinned at Lucas as she showed him the article. Lucas smiled softly, sighing slightly as he quickly scanned over the article. "That was one of the best weekends of my life", Peyton laughed as she thought back to the time she and Lucas lived in separate parts of the house they once shared in Tree Hill. She looked up at Lucas for his reaction. His brow furrowed worryingly as he continued to look over the article. "Hey", she spoke once more, placing her hand on his lap. Lucas looked up at her, his eyes glossed with worry. "It's gonna be okay", she smiled at him, kissing him softly as her ran his fingers through her wavy, now-brunette locks.
"Peyton Scott?" a female doctor called politely from a nearby room. Peyton and Lucas stood up together, holding hands as they followed the doctor into the room she had appeared from. "So, Peyton; how are we feeling?" the doctor asked politely as Lucas and Peyton took a seat in two chairs that stood in front of her desk.
"I've been okay. A little morning sickness but nothing out of the ordinary", Peyton replied confidently, her hand tightly wrapped in Lucas's. The doctor began to take a few notes down.
"That's good to hear. No pain in your lower abdomen at all?" she asked further.
"No", Peyton told her, shaking her head.
"No abnormal bleeding or anything else out of the ordinary?", the doctor asked. Peyton shook her head once more. The doctor gave a small smile before taking down further notes.
"Okay- So, you'll need to have more regular check-ups once you move to Tree Hill, and especially as your pregnancy progresses and-"
"What's your verdict on all of this?" Lucas suddenly cut her off.
"Luke-", Peyton attempted to speak.
"I just need to know", he told her. Peyton gave a small smile as she nodded slightly. The pair looked back at the doctor.
"Honestly? At this moment in time, I don't see any cause to worry. With a condition such as Placenta Previa, it can be difficult with second pregnancies. Yes, it is more likely to occur again if a patient has given birth with the condition once before but it's not always common. However, there's no harm in regular check-ups, just to make sure that everything's running smoothly, and that's what we aim to do for you and Peyton", the doctor smiled confidently. Lucas gave a small sigh of relief as Peyton tightened her grip on his hand. The doctor began to search through a small drawer in her desk before handing Lucas a pamphlet. "Here; take this and read it over. It has everything you need to know", she told him. Lucas read over the cover of the pamphlet; Placenta Previa: A Second Pregnancy. "So, unless there's anything else either of you want to ask; I'd like to take Peyton in for a sonogram", the doctor smiled.
"A sonogram? But, I'm not due for one for at least another week", Peyton told her.
"I know but- well, since you're moving tomorrow, I don't see the harm in having one a little earlier", she smiled. Peyton smiled back at her as she nodded. "Wonderful. If you just want to wait here a moment, I'll just go and check if there's a room available in the radiology department", she told them before leaving the room. A few short moments later, the doctor returned to take Lucas and Peyton to the radiology department. Peyton got herself comfortable on the bed, her stomach bare as the doctor prepared the probe and placed it against her stomach.
"Geez that's cold!" Peyton exclaimed. Lucas chuckled as he kissed her hand softly. After a few moments of scanning Peyton's stomach, all of a sudden, a small thudding noise filled the room. Instantly recognising the sound, Lucas and Peyton's eyes met, Peyton's becoming glossier as they continued to listen.
"That's a good strong heartbeat", the doctor smiled. "And- there is your baby", she continued, moving the television screen slightly so the couple could get a better look.
"Wow", Lucas responded breathlessly. "I don't think I'll ever get used to seeing this kind of stuff", he said in awe of the picture on the screen. Peyton watched him lovingly as he struggled to take his eyes off of the screen. After a moment, Lucas looked back lovingly at Peyton before kissing her tenderly.
"So, I'd say your due date should be on or around the 10th of December", the doctor smiled as she began to put her equipment away and wiping the gel off of Peyton's stomach.
"And- and everything's okay? With the baby I mean- the baby's okay?" Peyton asked cautiously.
"Your baby is fine, Peyton", the doctor smiled. Peyton smiled back at her in relief, sitting up on the bed as she pulled her tank-top over her stomach.
"Thank you", she said.
"Not a problem. Here-", the doctor said, handing her a small picture of her sonogram. "Make sure you make regular appointments at the hospital in Tree Hill".
"I will", Peyton smiled before she and Lucas left the room and the hospital.
"Wow", Lucas said as he looked over the sonogram picture in the car. He suddenly looked up at Peyton, who sat smiling lovingly at him. "I love you", he told her.
"Yeah. I kinda like you too", she winked.