AN: I don't have too much to ramble about, but I'm on break for a month so I promise to update more often. Thanks for all the reviews, you guys are amazing! Oh, I also changed the summary so you can get a feeling as to what's about to come.

--

The air was stale, bright halogen lights illuminated against her washed out pale skin. Brooke licked her dry lips, starting contently at the white tiles before fixing her gaze to the front desk when she was starting to see spots. She felt Haley's hand rub her back comfortingly, awkwardly mumbling things to try and make the situation better. On the other side, Taylor sat, playing with her nails because she had no idea what the hell to say.

Brooke tried to stop figuring out why she came in the first place…her head needed to be clear so when she finally saw Jean or Abby she could focus and not have her mind be elsewhere.

Haley stole a glance at her sister and glared slightly, biting her lip when Taylor rolled her eyes. Neither of them knew what to say and while Lucas was off trying to find anything about Jean, Brooke let her parent's words run through her head, causing the blood in her veins to boil.

"Can you believe my mother?" she finally let the words free, a sigh of relief escaping her lips.

"Doesn't surprise me," Taylor spoke up before Haley, shrugging her shoulders innocently when Brooke looked at her, perturbed. "Come on, Brooke; are you actually surprised your mother was a bitch to you?"

"Taylor," Haley warned, the stern tone she attempted to use failing miserably. "Maybe you should mind your own business."

"Not really," Brooke whispered, ignoring Haley all together. It was times like these where she was grateful Taylor was so blunt. It was an endearing quality that older James girl possessed, but sometimes it drove Brooke and Haley nuts. Taylor never knew the right thing to say and always made situations worse than they already were.

"I would have told her to go shove a stiletto up her ass," Taylor continued without a care in the world. Brooke laughed a bit, nudging Haley when she remained solemn. She knew Haley got jealous some times when the three of them hung out together. "Of course, she probably wouldn't feel it because she would be drunk out of her mind…but it could be a good thing because you wouldn't be there in the morning when she woke up to feel it. I don't know, I still would beat her up."

Brooke let out a sigh, looking at Haley when she felt her head drop onto her right shoulder. "You guys can go home…Lucas should be back soon."

She didn't want to be alone but she could easily tell Haley was getting tired and in some way, she'd end up having to take care of her while trying her best to keep it together incase she saw Jean later that night.

"Tay?" Haley stifled her yawn, her eyes fluttering shut when Brooke absently ran her fingers through her blonde hair. "Will you go get me some coffee?"

Surprisingly, Taylor stood up without a protest, peering down at the two younger girls. "Do you want anything, Brooke?"

"No, I'm good," Brooke shook her head, tilting her head a bit to gesture towards the exhausted girl next to her. "Take her home, please? She's got enough to deal with."

"I just need coffee," Haley whined, rubbing her eyes as she felt Taylor grab her arm in an attempt to pull her out of the chair. Refusing to get up, she held tight to Brooke and pushed Taylor away with her foot until her older sister gave in. "I'll be fine! God, stop treating me like a child."

"Retract your class," Taylor hissed before Brooke could, sending Haley a death glare that could bring anyone to their knees. Brooke gnawed on her bottom lip and felt Haley's weight off her shoulders and sighed when she saw her best friend stare at the floor. "Maybe you should start acting like an adult if you want to be treated like one."

Brooke closed her eyes and buried her face into her hands; they were going to make a scene, she felt it.

Where the hell was Lucas?

"Excuse me?"

"Haley, sit down," Brooke warned, pulling at the back of Haley's shirt and tugging her back down in the seat. "Taylor, just go…go somewhere, please you two. I cannot, cannot listen to you fight right now."

"I don't understand why you came anyways," Haley asked bitterly, kicking the chair legs just to be annoying. "No one asked you!"

Taylor threw her hands up in there, feeling Brooke's eyes on her, mentally pleading with her to be the bigger person and stop. She let out a dramatic groan, turning on her heel before disappearing around the corner.

"I'm sorry," came Haley's small voice minutes later as she wrapped her arms around Brooke's trembling frame, knowing she was about to break soon. "Do you want to talk about anything?"

"I don't know where to start, Hales," Brooke's voice broke, tears glistening in the lights. Haley nodded her head encouragingly, her hand rubbing soothing circles on Brooke's back. "There's….there's so much."

"Well, I'm not going anywhere," Haley said in the best voice she could muster, trying to hold it all together when Brooke finally fell apart at the seams. "Brookie, it's okay, everything will be fine."

"I just want her to be okay," Brooke sniffled incoherently, using her sleeve to wipe her nose and tear stained eyes. On top of Jean's unconscious state, she had to deal with jet lag and her parent's disapproval of them adopting Abby. "She fought so long and so hard for Abby and she only got to have for a month! A month, Haley! Abby should have never, never lived with that awful woman and now…now I don't even know what's gonna happen!"

"What is gonna happen with, Abby?" Haley asked carefully, taking Brooke and Lucas's infertility into careful consideration. "I mean, Luke's still her social worker, right? He wouldn't put her in a home."

"Jean already has something lined up…"

"Oh, that's good," Haley whispered, unsure of herself. She listened to the silence they both created and continued to rub Brooke's back, resting her head atop of the brunette's when it rested on her shoulder. "Do you know anything about…about it?"

"Hales," Brooke laughed, despite the situation. She grabbed Haley's hand and squeezed it gently, resting it down on her lap. "It's me and Luke."

Haley fell silent. The exact reaction Brooke was expecting.

"Wow…since…since when?"

"When she first got her," Brooke replied with a small smile, a hint of dimples shining through. Haley noticed the distant sparkle in her friend's eyes and couldn't help but feel relieved. "It's just…you know when you wait something for so long and then you finally get it…"

"You don't know how to react?" Haley finished easily, nodding her head along with Brooke's. "This is big, Tigger…I mean really, really, amazingly big. Does, does Abby know?"

"I don't think so," Brooke's voice quivered again, running a shaky hand through the messy bun she created seconds before arriving at the hospital. "I think…I think I'm ready, Haley. I mean, I'm scared shitless but there's a part of me that knows I can do it. We can do it."

"I think you can too," Haley smiled widely, leaning over to wrap Brooke in a much needed hug. "If anyone deserves it…it's you two. You're amazing with Jenny…and me," she added with a tiny whisper, "I think you'll do even better with Abby. Besides, she's already attached at your hip."

"You think so?"

"I know so."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."

Haley waved Brooke off, squeezing her tighter when her friend buried herself further into her tiny arms. "I don't blame you. I haven't been the greatest friend in the world. Do Peyton and Jake know?"

"No, just you."

"Thanks," the blonde whispered, almost emotionally, burying her face into Brooke's arms when they switched positions. "For everything, Brookie, I mean it. God knows where I would be if it wasn't for you and Lucas."

"Me neither," Brooke giggled slightly, biting back the remainder of her tears. She rocked Haley back and forth when she felt the younger girl's grip tighten, as if she was holding on for dear life. "Hey, Hales?"

"Yeah?"

Softly, Brooke pulled Haley closer and whispered in her ear, "You'll always be my best friend. No matter how many kids you have or how many kids Lucas and I end up with…no one can replace you."

"Ditto," Haley intertwined her pinky with Brooke's, laughing at how childish they were. "I really need that coffee…where the hell is my sister?"

"I don't know, but I need some too," Brooke yawned, pulling Haley up with her. The two walked down the hall with their arms linked, struggling to walk in a straight line as they both tried to hold each other's weight.

"Starbucks would be amazing right now."

Brooke smiled, knowing Haley was trying to take her mind off the whole situation. She allowed the shorter girl to pull her along, stealing glances at the closed doors that lined the curvy hallway. Could Jean be in one of those? Hooked up to machine, praying for God to spare her life? Or, was her life already over?

"Brookie?" Haley asked softly, prodding her friend's shoulder when she noticed the brunette girl staring deeply into space. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Brooke blinked, her voice raspier than usual. She searched the halls for any signs of her husband, her heart slamming against her chest as she thought of Jean dying. "I need, I need to go find, Luke."

"Do you want me to come?"

"No, no, you stay here," Brooke said quickly, turning on her heel and pulling out of Haley's grip. She placed a quick kiss on Haley's cheek and rushed back towards the waiting room. "Excuse me?" she took a big breath, raising an eyebrow when she vaguely recognized the nurse from a couple weeks ago. "B-Betty, right?"

"I just go by, Betty," the older woman winked, frowning when Brooke didn't find her joke funny. "Are you here about, Jean?"

Brooke nodded solemnly, noticing the expression in Betty's face change immensely. "And, Abby?"

"Is she okay?" Brooke finally found her voice, tapping her fingers against the desk in order to keep her emotions in check. She needed to be strong, she needed to hold it together. "I mean, who's watching her? She's not alone is she? She must be so scared!"

"Calm down, calm down," Betty stood up, grabbing Brooke's forearms in an attempt to soothe the strangled sob that escaped. "She's fine, I promise you."

"You have to let me see her!" Brooke yelled, breathing heavily when she got a glare from a few other nurses. "Please, you don't understand! I need to see her…the poor girl must be so scared…"

Betty closed her eyes. "Go straight and then take a left when you reach the end of the hallway. Just tell the nurse there I said it was okay."

"Thank you so much," Brooke got out in one breath, weaving her way in and out of the various doctors and nurses as she made her way towards Abby. A nervous feeling settled in her stomach and before she had time to think about it, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her and pull her close.

"Where are you going?" Lucas asked gruffly, trying to steady his wife's trembling body before she collapsed to floor. Brooke's reply was inaudible; muffled by heaps of sobs that she had been holding in all night. "Brooke, you have to, you have to hold it together, okay? Do it for, Abby…please?"

"I, I'm trying," Brooke closed her eyes as she heard the crack in Lucas's voice, signaling things were not looking good. "How, how's Jean?"

"Stable," Lucas choked out in a whisper, running his hands up and down Brooke's back to try and get the sobs to die down. "But, you have to…Brooke you have to take Abby home with you, okay?"

Brooke felt her heart drop to her feet, assuming the worst. "Lucas…shouldn't she stay with Jean?"

"No, no Jean just wants her to go home to bed," Lucas refused to look Brooke in the eyes, pulling away eventually when she tightened the grip on his shirt. "Can you do that for me?"

"Are you going to stay here?" Brooke asked in a small voice, blinking back her tears when Lucas nodded slowly. "Do you promise to call me if anything changes?"

"Promise," Lucas whispered, leaning down and placing a kiss on her forehead. He took her hand and led her towards the small waiting room to their left where a young nurse was currently trying to get Abby to sleep in the makeshift bed they created on the floor.

Connecting eyes with the flustered nurse, Lucas gestured to Brooke and squeezed her hand when the nurse slowly brought Abby over, trying to get the little girl's attention over her small whimpering. "Abby, look," she tried coaxing Abby to lift her head up, giving up all together when Abby refused. "Someone's here to see you."

Lucas gave Brooke a small push forward, sending a reassuring nod his wife's way when she looked back at him in fear. Brooke cleared her throat inaudibly, feeling her heart drop to her feet when her eyes finally met Abby's watery ones. Her face was bright red and she looked exhausted beyond belief. It took a moment for Abby to register who it was, but as soon as she connected the pieces, she flailed about in the nurse's grip and stretched her tiny arms out towards Brooke.

"Miss Brooke?" Abby whimpered heartbreakingly, blinking back the tears when Brooke stepped forward and held her tight.

"I'm here sweetie," Brooke whispered, swallowing past the lump that lodged itself in her throat as Abby held her neck tight and buried her face deep into the crook of her neck. "It's okay, Abby, it's okay."

"I want nana!" Abby cried as Brooke rocked her back and forth, twirling stray pieces of her teacher's hair around her fingers. "I, I don't wants to be here no more, Miss Brooke. I wanna go home!"

"I know you do, I know you do," Brooke began softly, pushing the small girl further up on her hip when she began to slide down. Lucas rubbed Brooke's back, urging her to go own. "But you know what? You're gonna come home with me, how does that sound?"

Abby lifted her head off of Brooke's shoulder and looked at Lucas, sticking her thumb in her mouth as she held on to the blanket and stuffed monkey in her arms. "What about my nana? Can she come to your house too?"

"She's gonna stay here," Lucas said, ruffling Abby's hair a bit when her bottom lip quivered. "I'm gonna stay with her though, okay? She won't be alone."

"O-otay," Abby relented as she dropped her head back on Brooke's shoulder, sniffling slightly every now and again. "Mr. Lucas? Can you tell nana I love her?"

Lucas blinked back his own tears, leaning forward to place a kiss on the young girl's forehead. "Of course I will."

"Call me," Brooke whispered into Lucas's ear, kissing his cheek quickly before turning her attention back to Abby. "Please, Luke? I don't care how late it is…please call me."

"I will," Lucas stressed, pulling her in for a side hug, careful not to disturb Abby as she finally seemed to drift off. "You can do this," he leaned down, nuzzling her cheek softly with his face. "I love you."

"I love you too," Brooke bit back her tears, turning on her heel in search of Haley and Taylor.

She looked down at Abby and watched her sleep peacefully, a feeling of relief washing over her. As long as Abby stayed asleep for the ride home, things would be okay.

"I can do this," Brooke told herself, rubbing her hand up and down Abby's back. She took a deep breath and continued down the hall, weaving her way in and out of the various doctors and nurse.

Jean trusted her with Abby's well-being and that was something that made her want to try even harder.

"I can do this."

--

Haley opened the front door to Brooke's house and shared a small smile with her friend when they stepped foot in the house. Abby stayed asleep the whole time, much to Brooke's happiness.

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay?" Haley asked softly, smoothing down Abby's hair. "Taylor will be fine by herself. I, I mean I would much rather spend the night with you guys than her."

"Hales," Brooke laughed, easing Abby out of her arms and onto the couch for the time being. "If you want to stay, stay."

"God, Brooke," Haley laughed uneasily, fixing her gaze to the floor when the brunette snorted in laughter. "You don't need to beg. I'll stay."

"I'm fine though," Brooke told her shorter friend, nudging her shoulder playfully. "I've done this a million times with Jenny. But, I'm gonna put her in the guestroom before she wakes up so you just make yourself at home."

"Wait, where am I gonna sleep?" Haley pouted, stepping out of Brooke's way when she lifted Abby back into her arms and headed towards the stairs.

"Hales," Taylor's exasperated voice broke the silence as the front door swung open, shutting loud enough just to make Abby stir just a bit. "Are you coming or are you gonna make me wait outside all night?"

"Be quiet!" Haley hissed, biting her lip when she watched Abby rub her eyes tiredly and lift her head off Brooke's shoulder to take in her surroundings. "You woke her up!"

"I'm sorry!"

"It's fine," Brooke bit out through gritted teeth, swaying Abby back and forth just incase she decided to start crying. "Hi, sweetie."

Abby yawned and closed her eyes for a moment, confusion written all over her cute face. "Miss Brooke! Am I at your house?"

"You are," Brooke nodded, raising her eyebrows when Abby smiled and craned her neck to look at the two James sisters. "Do you want to go to bed, sweetie? Or, do you want to yell at these two for waking you up?"

"Bed," Abby pouted, resting her head back onto Brooke's shoulder. "I just, Miss Brooke I just want to go to bed!"

"I know, sweetie," Brooke whispered, motioning for Taylor to take Haley. She knew Haley meant well, but she just wasn't in the mood dealing with her best friend now that she had Abby to look after. "Hales, I love you and everything, but go home. Please?"

"Fiiine," Haley sighed playfully, looking at Taylor with a frown. She leaned up and gently wrapped Brooke and Abby in a hug, allowing her sister to pull her near the door. "Call me if you need me."

"Bye guys," Brooke smiled, rubbing Abby's back when she shyly waved to the two James girls. Taylor playfully pushed Haley out the door and carefully shut it behind her, making Brooke giggle as the two found something to argue about once they got outside. "So, what do you think of Haley's crazy sister?"

"She's pretty!" Abby enthused, nodding her head when Brooke raised a perfectly plucked eyebrow. "Is, is she the mean one? Cause, I, I don't think she was mean!"

"Nah, she's not that mean," Brooke told her with a wink, slowly making her way up the large staircase. As long as she could keep both of their minds off Jean, everything would be fine. "They just like to fight a lot…it's a sister thing."

"Ohhh," Abby yawned, continuing to twirl Brooke's hair around her fingers. "Where do I sleep, Miss Brooke?"

"Well," Brooke began, turning on the hall light once she reached the top of the stairs. "We have a bed where Jenny usually sleeps or…"

"I sometimes sleep with nana," Abby sniffled, her tears glimmering in hallway light. Brooke's heart broke and she did her best to calm the young girl down before she started crying again. "Cause, cause I have bad dreams about…about mommy."

"Oh, Abby," Brooke sighed, clutching the young girl closer than possible as she cried into her shoulder. She felt Abby's moist tears against her skin and bit back her own, stepping into her own bedroom and sitting down on the edge of her bed. "It's okay, sweetie, it's okay."

"Will nana be otay?" Abby asked innocently, looking up at Brooke with a trembling lower lip. "Cause…cause if nana's not otay…I won't be otay."

Brooke honestly did not know what to say. Instead, she ran her fingers through Abby's hair and listened to the young girl sob relentlessly, clutching Brooke's arm for dear life. "Ssh, Abby, calm down, okay? Can you do that for me?"

"I, I just want nana," Abby sniffled, trying to stop her tears as Brooke held her tight and ran her fingers through her hair. "Miss Brooke, please! I need my nana!"

"I know you do, I know you do," Brooke whispered, trying her best to hold herself together. Abby needed her right now and that was a damn good reason to keep her emotions in check. "I know I'm not your nana, but you have me now. I promise you, Abby, everything will be okay."

Abby rubbed her eyes and slowly nodded, resting her head against Brooke's chest. "I'm sorry, Miss Brooke. I'm s'posed to be a big girl!"

Brooke smiled and brushed the hair out of Abby's face, sitting her down next to her on the bed. "You're still a big girl, sweetie. Remember what I said at the hospital? You're the bravest girl I know."

"Yeah, I member," Abby smiled shyly, looking up at the head of the bed while Brooke stifled her yawn. "Miss Brooke? Can, can I sleep in your big bed tonight? I'll be a good girl and go right to sleep!"

"Climb in," Brooke pulled the covers back, her heart fluttering against her chest as Abby squealed and crawled under the heap of blankets. "Do you need any water or anything before you go to sleep?"

"No," Abby yawned, shaking her head with a tired smile. "I just, I just need…nana always tells me a story before bed."

"A story, huh?" Brooke tickled Abby under the arms, carefully climbing over her to get to the other side. "What kind of story?"

"Any!"

Brooke flopped back against the headboard dramatically, trying to think of any story to help Abby get to bed. "Hmm, do you want me to tell you the time Haley's head got stuck in the banister? Let me tell you, it was probably the funniest thing I've ever seen. I mean we had to put butter in her hair and everything…"

Abby giggled tiredly as she buried her face into the comfortable pillow, holding her blanket and monkey tight to her chest. She let the faint scent of Brooke engulf her and shut her tired eyes, opening them every now and again to look at Brooke.

"What's wrong?"

"I, I just wants to make sure you're still here," Abby whispered, closing her eyes again when Brooke ran her hand through her hair. "Night, Miss Brooke."

"Night, sweetie," Brooke whispered back, settling herself underneath the covers as she kept a watchful eye on Abby. "I'll always be here," she told her inaudibly, letting her eyes eventually flutter shut.

It was a struggle at first, but she could definitely get used to this.