A/N: Can I say a humongous THANK-YOU to everyone for reading and reviewing the last chapter. Although it was Brucas-centric I tried to thread some Naley back story in there. I hope that the next chapter satisfies the Naley fans out there. Remember Reviews=Love!!BTW please vote on the poll on my page for the sex of the Brucas baby…..
Chapter 11-The Right Time
The two women cleaned up the lounge room in silence, each absorbed in her own thoughts. The front door slammed shut, and Lucas and Nathan walked through the door, Nathan cowering behind Lucas.
"Hey pretty girl" Lucas said
"Broody, you're back, what took you so long?" she said briefly kissing him on the lips
"We just took a few pit stops" he said guiltily looking behind him at Nathan, who was having considerable trouble removing his shoes.
"Ok…" she said suspiciously, her hands moving slowly to her hips
"We stopped by a bar or two" Lucas admitted looking away from his wife.
"Honey…is Nathan drunk?" she asked sweetly
"Just a bit"
"I don't think drinking away his problems was the best idea"
"I couldn't stop him" he said raising his hands in defeat
"Like hell you couldn't" Brooke said walking away from the group
"Brooke" Lucas said following her into the kitchen
"He almost wrecked the party Luke"
"He's just hurting you know"
"I know, you might want to tell your brother when he sobers up that Jake wanted him to read through some papers. They are in there" she said waving her hand towards the study
"Thanks gorgeous" he said, kissing Brooke on the cheek
"Alright bucko, just go tend to the drunken lout would you" Brooke said rolling her eyes
"Ok"
"Oh and Luke? If he throws up anywhere, you're cleaning it up" she said before walking back into the lounge room, and to Haley
"Great" Lucas said to himself
"Haley….HALEY" Nathan yelled
"Nathan, what on earth?" she said, walking out from her guest bedroom
"Haley, Haley beautiful Haley" he said swaying down the hall
"Nathan…have you been drinking?" Haley said laughing slightly
"No….well maybe" he said before entering her room. "Haley, I love you, I love you in the shout from the roof tops, heart beating a million times a minute when you around, wanting to kiss you when I am within 10 feet kind of way." He rambled on
"Oh Nate, why don't you take a seat…" she said concerned at the way her former flame was acting out.
"No, I mean it Haley you're the one" he said, trying to get through to her
Chills went down Haley's spine. How is it possible that Nathan uttered the very same words as the conversation she was having earlier that day?
"Ok, Fabio" she said rolling her eyes, and continuing to fold the garments in front of her.
"Haley about me and Peyton, the reason why we got married is…"
"Yeah?" she said, looking up, suddenly interested. She had always wondered the circumstances around why they got married, so suddenly. Before Brooke had told Haley that night in Houston, Haley didn't even know they were dating again, so the shot gun nuptials were always a sore point for her.
"Is…" he said, swallowing visibly.
"Nate you're looking very pale" she said concerned
Nathan sprinted out of Haley's bedroom and down the hall to the bathroom. Haley could hear Nathan retching from her room.
"Oh Nathan" she said before resuming folding her clothes
"Haley?"
"Luke?"
"I heard Nathan shouting where is he?" he asked looking around the room
"Throwing up the contents of his stomach in to the guest bathroom" she replied
"Terrific...I hope he didn't say anything stupid" Lucas said hopefully
"Nah...only that he loves me" she said glibly
"Ok…Look Haley I know that we don't talk like we used to, but can I tell you something?"
"Of course, Luke" she said waving him into the room
"Maybe the reason he just declared his love for you, is because he is continually putting himself out there, and is just scared that you might actually love him back" he quietly stated
"Same old Luke, always had a way with words, particularly when it comes to matters of the heart" she said, sitting down on the bed with him
"Yeah well I figured it was time to share the wealth" he said before slipping out of the room, leaving Haley with her thoughts.
It had been an eventful trip for Haley. The one person who she loved most in the world declared his love for her; she got to see all her friends again, and most importantly rebuild some bridges Haley thought she destroyed when she left Tree Hill. It wasn't the complete disaster like she thought it would.
"Haley, you all set?" Brooke asked
"Yep, sorry it was such a short visit, but if I take anymore time off the record company would kill me" she said rolling her eyes
"No problems, Grammy Girl, but you promise to be here for the birth, right?" Brooke asked hopefully
"Of course, I wouldn't miss it for the world" she said hugging Brooke
"You sure I can't drive you to the airport?" Brooke asked
"No you go enjoy all your new presents" Haley said gesturing towards the gifts still sitting in the lounge room
"You know me to well. Have you spoken to Nathan this morning?" Brooke asked carefully
"No, I don't think an earthquake could wake him after the drinking binge he went on yesterday"
"Haley you have to deal with him sooner or later" Brooke said bluntly
"There is nothing to talk about" Haley denied
"Dude, he declared his love for you. More then once might I add"
"I know, but like I told him last week, nothing is going to happen until his is officially divorced" Haley simply stated
The deep tone of the taxi's horn echoed through the house.
"That's my cue" Haley said lifting her luggage towards the door
"Ohh Tutor Girl, I'm going to miss you" Brooke said hugging her friend
"I'm going to miss you too, Tigger. I'll see you in 2 months ok?" She said sadly, missing her friend already
"You better" Brooke said following Haley out the door
"Bye, Brooke"
"Bye, Haley"
Brooke waved as the taxi pulled out of the driveway, and drove down the street. She walked back into the house where a dishevelled Nathan was standing in the kitchen, coffee in hand.
"How you feeling Nate?" Brooke asked, snickering slightly
"Like ass" he said, sitting down by the counter
"Yeah you look like it too"
"Thanks Brooke" he said sarcastically
"You're not going to get any sympathy from me, buddy" Brooke said sternly
"I don't want any" he replied
"Good"
"So where is Haley?" he asked casually
"She's gone Nate" Brooke said slowly
"Gone? What do you mean gone?" he asked panicked
"Back to San Diego"
"Oh" he said, feeling more deflated then he did when he woke up
"Don't worry Nathan, you will see her soon enough" Brooke said
"You promise?" he said vulnerably
"I promise" she said patting him supportively on the back.
"Dude when are you getting here, I am sick of Lucas hovering. You'd think I was about to pop" Brooke chattered into the phone
"I'm sorry; I promise I will be on the flight tomorrow" Haley replied
"You said that the last 2 times" Brooke reminded her
"I'm sorry…I'm trying to record my next album Brooke, the record company is on my back" Haley said
"Any ballads about a boy we both know and love?" Brooke asked carefully
"Possibly, anyway, I got to go, Tigger" Haley replied
"Ok, Luke is going to pick you up tomorrow" Brooke said
"Ok, see you soon, Buddy" Haley said before hanging up the phone. She felt guilty for brushing Brooke off, but she couldn't deal with any feelings, possible feelings, she corrected herself that she had for Nathan.
Brooke stretched her legs out along the couch. Her due date was 8 days ago and as much as becoming a mother scared her, but she was feeling so fat, she could hardly see her ankles, and it felt like 100 degrees out. The fan was on the highest it could go, and she was currently nursing a bowl of cookies 'n' cream ice cream that wasn't helping any.
"Hey Cheery?"
"Yeah?" she said fanning herself with the magazine she was reading
"Who was on the phone?" Lucas asked
"Just Haley"
"Did she say when she is coming?" Lucas asked
"Yeah tomorrow I told her you would be picking her up"
"She didn't mention….." Lucas said, nodding up to the upper level of the house
"No, I asked her but she just skirted around the question"
"Oh" he said disappointedly
"Yeah that just about covers it" Brooke said, still waving the magazine around
"Do you think they will be as happy as we are?" he said, sitting at the edge of the couch
"I hope so..." Brooke said before kissing Lucas seductively on the lips.
"Hey Luke?"
"Yeah?" he said, coming out of the rumpus room
"Shouldn't you been going to pick up Haley soon?" Brooke reminded her husband
"Yeah in a little bit"
"Where's Nate?" Brooke asked
"Where else"
"That man has turned into a sulky moody teenage boy" she said rolling her eyes, slowly moving up the stairs before stopping short in front of the first guest room
She began knocking on the door loudly.
"Hey Nate" she called
All she heard from within the room was a serious of grunts
"NATE!!" she yelled louder
"What BROOKE!!" Nathan bellowed as he opened the door. Brooke took a step back as she looked at her brother in law. His hair had turned into a tragic version of a mullet; it looked like he hadn't shaved since Haley had left 2 months prior, and not to mention the smell
"Nate, have you heard of a shower?" she asked holding her nose
"Did you just come in here to insult my personal hygiene or is there some purpose to this visit?" he asked before slumping back onto the beanbag, and resumed watching the basketball on the television
"No not really...just thought you wanted to know Haley is back in town as of an hour from now" she said
"Yeah I heard that before…"
"Whatever, Nathan, just thought you might want to clean yourself up otherwise Haley might realise what a no hoper you have become" Brooke slammed the door shut and stormed down the stairs
"God your brother is impossible! I swear if we are having a boy you're the one who is going to play bad cop" she fumed
"What's he done this time?" Lucas asked as he put on his shoes
"Nothing just the usual, he thinks the only form of communication is through grunting like a caveman. Anyway, Broody go pick up Haley" she said, waving her husband out the door
"Are you sure?" he asked uncertainly
"Positive, I love you" Brooke said pushing her husband out the door
Lucas walked through the door, and out onto the street. He was reluctant to leave Brooke by herself, or as alone as Brooke was going to be in the house with an inconsolable Nate. Oh well, he thought, it is only an hour, what could it hurt?
Brooke quietly shut the door, and lent against it briefly. The stabbing pain she had been feeling on and off all day had returned, and was getting more excruciating. She wrapped her hands around her stomach, before lying down on the coach, and slowly drifting off to sleep. Brooke awoke with a start, sweat dripping down her slender face. The pain in her stomach had intensified so much that she couldn't move. Brooke hadn't felt any pain like this before, but she had heard Karen describe it. Oh crap Brooke thought.
"Nathan!!" she yelled
All her screams were met with was a few thumps from the upstairs
"Nate, please!!" she pleaded. He had initially ignored Brooke calls, thinking it was just his sister in law nagging him again. But there was urgency in her voice that told him something was wrong. He opened the door and sprinted down the stairs.
"Brooke…"
He found her on all fours; pain etched on her face. Her face was ghostly white, her hand grasping the end of the coffee table.
"Nate…I think I'm in labour" she muttered, before another wave of pain shook through her.
A/N: first of all, sorry for the time jumps, I just want to accelerate the story more. A few hints of what's to come
Brooke goes into labour
A spanner is thrown in the works…but what is it??
Lots more Naley love to come
Please Review!!