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Chapter Four

The doctor paused in front of the big group. "Mr. and Mrs. Scott?"

"That's us." Lucas spoke up.

"Your daughter is out of surgery. She's in critical condition but she's stable. She has several broken ribs and her lung was punctured by them. Her wrist is also broken and she has a concussion. She's in recovery right now."

She's going to be okay?" Peyton asked, feeling the slightest bit of hope for the first time. The injuries were serious, but Anna was a strong kid. Maybe she was going to pull through.

"Her condition looks promising. We've done everything we can; it's all up to her now."

Peyton locked eyes with Lucas and wanted to weep with relief. Anna was going to live.

"Is she awake? When can we see her?" Peyton knew if she could just see Anna's face, she could relax and feel calm for once.

"She's still unconscious, but a nurse will come find you if she wakes up."

Lucas sat up a little straighter. "If she wakes up?

"Like I said, her recovery looks promising, but she did just undergo a major surgery and is dealing with a head trauma. Nothing is completely certain right now."

The doctor began to walk away, but Julian stopped him. "What about our daughter Michelle?"

"I'm sorry, I wasn't operating on her. As far as I know, she's still in surgery."

Silence fell over the group as the doctor left. Anna had made it through surgery, but her immediate future was still unsure. Michelle had yet to make it over the first hurdle of recovery.

"I'm going to call my mom and give her the update." Lucas said quietly, standing to his feet and walking away.

"You should give Jamie a call, too." Haley said. "He hasn't heard anything since we called him a few hours ago. It's killing him to be so far away right now."

Lucas nodded and left the room to find a quiet place to call. Karen and Andy were in New Zealand and were planning on visiting in a month. In light of the recent news, they had been working on moving the visit sooner. Whether or not Anna pulled through, Karen knew Lucas and Peyton would need someone to help get them through the next few weeks. Karen had already been in the same situation when Lucas got in an accident. Reliving it with her grandchild was still just as bad.

When Lucas hung up with his mom, he dialed his nephew. Jamie was making it as a professional basketball player in the MBA. Much like Nathan, he had fallen in love with basketball and dreamed of playing in the MBA. Unlike Dan, Nathan had never pushed his son to the edge, but inspired him to play and enjoy every minute of it. Right now, Jamie was half way across the country, wishing he could be there for his family, but basketball was preventing that. As Lucas told him Anna was out of surgery, Jamie felt some relief and told Lucas to give his best to everyone.

An hour later, they were still waiting to hear more news. Most of the group had decided to go to the cafeteria and get some food. Peyton, Brooke, and Rowan were the only ones who remained in the waiting room. Peyton moved to the vacated spot next to Brooke and held her hand. "Still hanging in there?"

"Yes." Brooke whispered

"She's going to be fine." Peyton assured her best friend. "She is strong and brave, just like her mom."

"Thanks, P. Sawyer."

Peyton smiled at the long-time nickname that hadn't even changed when she married Lucas seventeen years ago. "We're going to be ok too, B. Davis."

Brooke smiled slightly and squeezed Peyton's hand. "Yes, we are."

A comfortable quiet fell between the two. Brooke looked over at Rowan, sitting silently by herself. Peyton sensed they needed some time to talk and made an excuse to go get food. Brooke scooted over next to her sixteen year old daughter.

"What's going on inside that pretty head of yours?" Brooke wanted to know. Rowan had kept to herself all day, but Brooke had only recently noticed.

"Nothing." Rowan kept her solemn green eyes on the floor.

Since the day Brooke and Julian had brought Rowan into their home, the energetic, wild, and stubborn child had tested their parenting skills even further. At first, the five year old seemed determined to make their lives a living hell, but Brooke had managed to get through the defiant attitude that guarded her broken heart. Since then, she had grown into a lively and ambitious musician, who was still as stubborn now as she was then. This silent version of Rowan was causing Brooke a lot of concern.

"I know you must be worried, but I don't want you to shut me out, Rowan. If you're hurting, don't keep it inside."

Rowan didn't respond with words, but she leaned her head against her mom's shoulder and allowed Brooke to wrap her arms around her. She debated whether to tell her mom what was really troubling her.

"Hey Mom?"

"What?"

"… I love you."

"I love you too, Honey. More than you know. Are you sure you're alright?"

Rowan nodded, but didn't meet her mother's eyes and wondered if she knew she was lying.

As time progressed, the others returned from the cafeteria to join Brooke and Rowan. Brooke expressed to Julian her growing concern for not only Michelle, but Rowan also. Julian assumed it was just Rowan worrying about Michelle and let it go. As they sat there waiting, nobody could find much to talk about. Broke was relieved when her phone rang and she could excuse herself.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's Sam. Have you heard anything?"

"No, not yet. Where are you?"

"I'm about an hour away. Traffic has been terrible. I'm doing my best to get there as soon as I can, but it may take me take awhile."

"That's fine. Just… drive safe ok?"

"I'll be completely safe. Don't worry about me. I'll call you when I'm close, otherwise give me a call if you hear anything."

Brooke hung up and returned to the waiting room. Lauren looked exhausted, but she was never one to complain. Brooke just hoped the poor girl would be able to rest at some point tonight. Seating herself between Julian and Lauren, she waited for what seemed like an eternity before a doctor emerged. Brooke gripped Julian's hand as her heart began to pick up speed.

"Are you Mr. and Mrs. Baker?"

"Yes. How's our Daughter?" Julian asked.

"I'm sorry, I'm afraid she didn't make it. She suffered from a lot of internal bleeding. We did the best we could, but she had a tremendous amount of damage done to her from the crash."

In a split second, Brooke had felt like her entire world fell apart. Her daughter was dead. She felt like someone had reached in and ripped her heart in two and the pain was drowning her alive. She held on to her husband to keep from collapsing. Her first reaction was to deny it. This doctor must be lying or confused. Michelle couldn't be dead. As realization began to sink in, she started to cry painful sobs that shook her whole body. The Scotts watched helplessly as the Baker family fell apart, knowing there was nothing they could do to make this easier. Michelle was gone and their lives would never be the same again.

Well were you expecting this? the next chapter or so will be about how everyone is dealing with this. Please keep reviewing.