A/N: Thank you for the awesome reviews. And thanks to my beta: Leese.

Disclaimer: Only own Maddie Scott

Chapter Eleven

Broken-Hearted Girl

The next morning, Lucas drove to the café early to make sure that Julian and Peyton hadn't done anything to the café in revenge. He was relieved to see that everything was in place. He even checked the cash register to make sure that nobody had taken money out of it. However, he was curious to see just how much damage Brooke had done to the rival café. He decided to walk across the street and check the place out.

Just as he was about to leave the café, he heard someone enter the building. He turned around and saw his mother. She gave him a smile. "Well, this is a surprise. I wouldn't have thought you would decide to show up, but I'm glad you're here." She then frowned as she looked at her son's worried face. "What's wrong? You look exhausted."

Lucas let out a sigh before answering. "If Peyton and I don't work out a custody arrangement in mediation, then she will be hiring Dan as her lawyer."

Karen was shocked. "What?" she asked.

"And if that wasn't bad enough, Brooke spent the night in jail after trashing Peyton's café yesterday," Lucas told her. Karen was flabbergasted. "Haley is supposed to go over there this morning and bail her out."

"How bad is the café?" Karen asked him.

Lucas shrugged. "I don't know. But if we don't do something, then Brooke will stay in jail. And she has enough problems without adding that to her list."

Karen knew that was true. She then tried to calm her son down. "Don't worry, Lucas. We'll figure something out."

"I hope so. Maddie is pretty upset. It took me hours to get her to calm down last night. Now, she's afraid that she is going to go to jail if she throws a fit," Lucas told her. Karen couldn't help but smile. Lucas gave her a look in response. "Mom, this is serious."

Karen quickly apologized. "I know. You're right. I'm sorry." She then looked at her son. She could tell that he was worried. She thought for a moment before speaking again. "You know what you need? You need a little vacation, all three of you. Why don't you take that trip to New York City?"

"I'm not sure that's such a good idea. After all, Brooke isn't exactly in a good mood right now," Lucas replied.

"I think it's the best time. I'll even pay for the trip," Karen told him. "You just tell me the weekend and I'll order the tickets."

Lucas gave his mother a grateful smile. "Mom, you don't have to do that."

Karen smiled in return. "I insist. It's the least I can do for my favorite granddaughter," she replied. Lucas was about to protest when his mother stopped him. "Don't argue with me. After all, I'm your mother. I know what's best for my son and granddaughter."

Lucas couldn't help but smile at that. "I suppose so. And I know Maddie will love the surprise. I just hope Brooke does."

"What exactly happened with Brooke yesterday?" Karen asked him curious.

"I don't know. All I know is that she was going to go and run some errands. And when she came back, Peyton arrived shortly after that and yelled at her for trashing her café. I'm surprised that Julian wasn't with her." There was a short pause before he said, "Maybe I could talk to Peyton in getting the charges dropped. It worked with Julian."

"A punch is different than destroying a café," Karen pointed out.

"I don't see how. Both Brooke and I were just expressing our anger at the people we hate," Lucas replied.

"Yes, but either way won't solve the problem. It will only make it worse and you know that," Karen told him. "And I'm sure that you don't want to teach Jamie or Maddie that it is the right way to settle things."

Lucas shook his head. "No, I don't especially since I don't allow that kind of problem-solving in my house." There was another short pause. "I still think that I should talk to Peyton and see if I could get the charges dropped against Brooke."

"Why don't we focus on Brooke first and worry about Peyton later?" Karen told him. "I have a feeling that she will need all the help she can get."

Haley looked at the time as she waited anxiously for Brooke to come out. She finally spotted her and gave her a smile. However, Brooke didn't say anything or smile back as she went past her and out the door.

Haley frowned as she followed her out to the parking lot. "Brooke, is something wrong?" she asked her confused.

Brooke suddenly stopped and turned around to face Haley. "Look, you and the Scott family can stop treating me like I'm helpless," she said in a not so pleasant tone. Haley was taken back as she hadn't expected that from Brooke. "I know you talked to Lucas about offering me a job at the café." Haley was about to respond when Brooke continued. "And I didn't need you or anybody else to bail me out of jail. I could have done it myself you know."

Haley looked at her friend shocked. She had never seen her friend act so rude before. "Ok, what the hell is going on with you?" she demanded.

"I'm surrounded by people who are helping me out of pity," Brooke told her. Haley was stunned by her comment. "Well, guess what? I don't need any of you. Thanks for the ride, but I think I'll walk."

She started to head across the parking lot as her friend looked at her hard. She then knew the horrible reason why Brooke had suddenly changed her attitude. "You lost your baby, didn't you?" Haley asked her as she followed her.

"I don't know what you are talking about," Brooke replied, avoiding the question. "Now if you don't mind, I would rather be alone."

"At least let me drive you home," Haley offered.

Brooke didn't say anything before she finally agreed. Haley was relieved. However, the ride home was quiet. Brooke didn't say a word and Haley didn't want to push it. But she was worried about her friend.

After dropping Brooke off at the house, Haley headed to the café. It wasn't long before she arrived in front of the café. She parked the car before getting out and heading inside. Lucas frowned when he saw that she was alone. "Where's Brooke?" he asked her anxiously. "Is she ok?"

"No, she's not," Haley replied. Lucas was about to respond when she continued. "I really don't think it's a good idea to show Brooke the nursery right now."

"Why not?" Lucas asked.

Haley didn't answer for a few moments. "How was she feeling yesterday?" she asked.

Lucas shrugged as he wondered what Haley was getting at. "She was moody, but that was it."

"What about the night before? After everyone had left?" Haley asked him as Karen looked at her worriedly as she started to realize what had happened to Brooke.

However, Lucas was still clueless. He had to think for only a moment before answering. "Well, she had some stomach cramps the other night. But she thought it was because all of the food from the party." He looked at Haley hard. "Why do you ask?"

Haley didn't answer for a few moments. "Because I think Brooke had a miscarriage."

Lucas looked at her surprised. "Are you sure?"

Haley nodded. "I'm positive."

Brooke was busy packing when she heard her cell-phone vibrating from her dresser. She sighed, knowing that it was probably Lucas or Haley. She wasn't in the mood to talk to either one of them. Yet, she also knew that there was a possibility that it wasn't. So she decided to see who it is.

She frowned when she saw that it was Maddie's school. Lucas had told her the number just in case she needed to contact them or vice versa. She put the phone to her ear and spoke into the receiver. "Hello?"

"Is this Brooke Davis?" a woman asked on the other end.

"Yes, it is," Brooke replied.

She then listened as the woman explained that she was the school nurse and Maddie wasn't feeling well and wanted to go home. However, the school was having a hard time contacting Lucas and Deb, who was the second emergency contact. Maddie had mentioned Brooke and had remembered her number. So she thought that she would try her. "Is it possible that you could come by and take her home?" the woman asked her.

Brooke didn't even have to think before answering. "Of course. I'll be right there," she replied. She then quickly said good-bye before she hung up the phone. She hurried out of her bedroom and down the stairs. She grabbed her purse and car keys from the kitchen counter before heading out the front door to her car.

She soon arrived at her destination. She pulled up in front of the school before getting out of the car. She walked in and looked around for the nurse's office. Luckily, it was right next door to the principal's office. Brooke stood in the doorway as she looked at Maddie. She felt sorry for the little girl as she saw how pale she was, lying on the cot. However, Maddie managed to give her a small smile when she saw her.

The nurse then noticed Brooke and gave her a smile. "I'm assuming you're Ms. Davis?" she asked.

Brooke nodded as she went over to Maddie. "How are you feeling?" she asked her gently.

"My head hurts," Maddie moaned.

"I know it does. We'll get you home and I'll give you some medicine to help it stop hurting, ok?" Brooke asked her. Maddie could only nod as she helped her up from the cot. She then turned to the nurse. "What do you think it is?"

"Right now, I'm not sure. But it's probably the start of the flu or a cold," the nurse told her. "Let me help you sign her out. Then you can take her home."

A few minutes later, they were in the car and heading back to the house. The ride was quiet since Maddie wasn't feeling well and Brooke had a lot on her mind. When they got home, Brooke immediately sent Maddie to the family room couch. Maddie obediently went. "Let me call your daddy and tell him that you're home," she told her as she reached for her phone. She dialed Lucas's cell-phone number and waited anxiously for him to answer.

Finally, she heard his voice. "Brooke, is everything ok?"

"Yeah, the school nurse just called and said that Maddie wasn't feeling well. So I went and picked her up. I hope that was ok. She told me that she had trouble contacting you and Deb."

"Thank you for picking her up. It's been so busy over here that I didn't have a chance to pick up my phone and check my messages. Is she ok?" Lucas asked worriedly.

"She is fine. The nurse thinks it's just the flu coming on," Brooke told him. She then heard Maddie calling her name. "I got to go. Don't worry about Maddie. She's in good hands."

"I know she is," Lucas replied. She could tell from his tone of his voice that he trusted her with his daughter. "Tell her that I love her and I'll be home for supper."

"I will," Brooke promised. They then exchanged good-byes before they hung up. She then went to attend to Maddie, who by now was lying on the couch. "Do you want some Tylenol?" she asked her.

"How come you went to jail?" Maddie asked her suddenly. "Daddy says that only bad guys go to jail. You aren't a bad guy."

Brooke smiled at the innocent little girl and shook her head. "No, I'm not. But sometimes, even the good guys break the rules and they have to be punished for it. I did something that I wasn't supposed to even though I knew better." She then looked at Maddie, who was upset. "What's wrong?"

Maddie didn't answer for a few moments. She then quietly asked, "Do I have to go to jail?"

"No, why would you think that?" Brooke asked before realizing the reason. "Just because I went to jail doesn't mean that you will." However, Maddie still wasn't convinced. Brooke tried to think of an example that she would understand. "You know how you go to time out after getting into trouble?" Maddie just nodded. "Well, jail is like time out, only for grow ups especially bad guys. So you don't have to worry about that, ok? I promise." She then decided to change the subject. "Now do you want some Tylenol?"

"Yeah," Maddie replied softly.

As Brooke went to retrieve the medicine, she started to feel guilty that she had been a bad example to Maddie by trashing Peyton's café like that. She didn't want to do that again. She loved the little girl too much to teach her bad habits or cause her to have nightmares. She tried to push the memory out of her mind as she went to the medicine cabinet.

She pulled the small bottle out of the cabinet when she heard a knock at the front door. She walked into the foyer and pulled the door opened. She was a little annoyed when she saw Peyton. She was the last person she wanted a run in with right then. Especially with Maddie being home and sick. "What are you doing here?" Brooke asked her, trying to keep her voice calm.

"I want to give you the good news myself. I decided to drop the charges against you," Peyton told her. Brooke raised her eyebrows in surprise. "All I ask in return is that you clean up the mess you made."

"What made you change your mind?" Brooke asked suspiciously. "And is there a catch?"

Peyton knew exactly what she was thinking. "I don't need your help in getting Maddie. After all, Lucas and I have history. You wouldn't believe the dirt I have on him."

"I seriously doubt that since the only dirt on his family is his father," Brooke snapped. "Now if you don't mind, I'm a little busy right now." Peyton was about to protest when she continued. "I'll be at your café tomorrow morning, bright and early." She then shut the front door without another word.

Hours later, Lucas arrived home. It was just him and Brooke for supper since Maddie still wasn't feeling well enough to eat. Brooke was a little relieved that Maddie was upstairs sleeping. She felt more comfortable talking about Peyton if she wasn't around. She could tell Lucas was just as relieved. However, she knew what he wanted to talk to her about.

She didn't really want to discuss it. So she went to talking about her day. Lucas thought that she had handled Peyton well. He didn't want her to see Maddie and was going to do whatever it takes for her not to meet her. He knew that it would bring too much confusion for the little girl especially since he didn't really talk about Peyton as her mother or otherwise.

It was soon time for Lucas to talk. "Brooke, what's going on with you?" he asked her in a concerned tone. "We're all really worried about you."

"What is with everybody? You don't have to worry about me. I'm fine," Brooke said annoyed. However, she knew that she couldn't hide her secret any longer. It was becoming too much to continue keeping it to herself. She turned to face him as she tried to hold her tears in as she spoke. It was an impossible task. "I thought that it was just stomach cramps, but then I went to the doctor yesterday morning and he confirmed it. I lost my baby," she said tearfully. Lucas immediately opened his arms to her revelation and she went into them. He did his best to comfort her as the tears started to fall.