Chapter 15: "Battle of Who Could Care Less"

It has been two weeks since we have brought Sophie home. Sophie is a beautiful baby with Haleys chestnut eyes and Nathans mop of dark hair- ... she also seems to have inherited her mothers vocals. The child has not slept through the night which is to be expected however, when you have to wake up to get a five year old ready for school who is crabby because he has been kept awake by her screaming as well it becomes more than you can take.

In light of everything that we have been through this past year it seems a little dramatic to say that these past two weeks have been hell but I it seems that for lack of a better word that is what I am force to call it. Hell.

What could add to this hell you ask? Rachel is a week overdue and the doctors admitted her into the hospital just last night. So where does this leave us? Two single mothers at home with three kid under the age of six and two newborns. At least Lucas comes over and helps every chance he gets.

I crack my eyes just a bit thankful of the mere hour of sleep I was able to get in before I am woken by the screams of Sophie.

"Not now." I groan as I pull myself from bed willing the crying to stop. With my eyes still closed I try to navigate my way out of the room before my foot comes crashing into one of Bens toy trucks he left in my doorway. "Shit!" I scream as I fall backwards clutching my toe.

Sophie's cries rage on and I suddenly realize that at this point she risks waking up the entire sleeping household. Forcing my thoughts away from the pain searing through my foot and the small trickle of blood escaping my big toe I forge on to the newborns room.

To say that we have taken over Casa de Naley is an understatement. Gracie and Charlotte have taken up the guest room, while Haleys study was converted into a nursery for Sophie. That leaves Rachel and I to shack up together in Nathan and Haleys bed just how we had back in high school.

As I reach the nursery and pull back the door I hear a cry coming from the other end of the hall. Gracie.

Once inside the room Sophie looks up at me with big doey eyes. As her screams continue I cannot help but think this is gods way of punishing me.

"It's okay baby." I coo at Sophie as I rock her in my arms. "Don't cry baby, I'm here!"

Above the screams of the newborn in my arm Gracie begins to wail even harder. I scurry down the hall limping thanks to my injured toe back down the hall to Gracie and Charlottes room.

"Aunt Brooke!" Charlotte beams at me when I push the door open.

I cock my brow up at the sight. Charlotte had somehow managed to climb into Gracies crib and both children were now covered in purple glittered lipstick, and I mean covered. Charlotte seems to have put in on her eye lids like eye shadow and then tried to do the same thing to Gracie which caused her to scream.

"Isn't we pretty?" Charlotte beams as Gracies bottom lip quivers.

At this point I am fuming. I yank Charlotte out of the crib with one arm and hoist Gracie up under my other arm.

"You look like your mother." I fume at the small child who is so proud of herself. If I weren't so tired it would have almost been funny.

"Brooke?" A little voice speaks up behind me.

I turn to see Ben in his x-men pajamas rubbing his eyes.

"Ben, go back to sleep." I order him.

"I tried, I cant." He sighs. "I wanna play too!"

Does he really think that I look like I am having fun right now? Sophies wails bring me out of my thoughts. Its just then that I dare myself to glance out of the window. My heart sunk at the sight... it's still dark outside. I take a deep breath before turning to look at the clock- it flickered 1:34 am.

"That's it! Everyone, downstairs!" I order the two eldest children and Gracie who I had returned to the ground.

Slowly we all trudge down the stairs. Ben seeming to regret his decision to stay awake began to fuss realizing that he was infact tired, Charlotte's left eye was becoming red from the lipstick on her eye lid, Gracies diaper hung from her bottom in desperate need of a change, and I was leading the pack trying to soothe the screaming baby on my chest as the blood from my foot trailed behind us all.

When we get to the kitchen all of the children crowded around the table. I know that they are all staring at me but I cannot force myself to make eye contact with them. Quickly I make up a bottle for Sophie which she sucks greedily.

Silently I join the kids at the table. I know that Charlottes eye is bothering her but she is doing her best not to itch it. Bens hair is matted to his head which keeps dropping because he's trying his best to stay awake. Somewhere along the way Gracie must have found an old pacifier that at this point is just hanging out of the side of her mouth.

It wasn't easy to decide where Sophie would go home to. She was technically Lucas's blood, but she was left to both of us. I had the most space at Naley's house and experience with newborns because Ben had lived with just me. I am beginning to regret that decision.

The pain in my toe is becoming worse as I reach for my phone. It rings once, twice, three times and then he picks up.

"Hello?" Lucas says. His voice is a low raspy whisper.

"Luke." I choke out. My voice is cracking as if I am about to cry.

Apparently that was all that I needed to say.

"Hey, hey." He assures me. "I am on my way."

Now more than ever I have been beginning to see glimpse of the Lucas that I had fallen in love with all of those years ago.

It takes him no more than five minutes to arrive and when he does he lets himself in. When he looks at the scene infront of him I see his face that had been etched with worry turn into a look of slight amusement.

Lukes POV

All that she had to do was say my name and I knew that she needed me. I never imagined that I would have a connection with someone the way that I do with Brooke. I thought that I had lost that connection years ago, but I am coming to find that overtime something as strong as she and I have doesn't just go away.

I sped over in my car without knowing what was wrong. All I knew was that she needed me and when I told her that I would not let her down again I had meant it.

When I step into the kitchen and see everyone safe and sound my heart slows. When I see Brooke it speeds back up a bit. She looked pissed, and she looks beautiful. It looks as if Sophie had just spit up on her bare shoulder and Charlotte had adorned her face with purple lipstick and Gracie somehow had gotten caught the crossfire. And then Ben was just caught up in the mess of it all.

I notice Brooke scowl at me as she sees my eyes turn from concerned to mildly entertained.

"Oh do not smile at me now Lucas Eugene Scott, do you really think that this is funny?!" She hisses at me.

"Eugene?" Ben questions at he looks up at me.

I hold my hands up as I chuckle a bit.

"No, nothing's funny." I try to keep a straight face as she chuckles a bit herself.

Brooke sighs and rolls her eyes.

"Will you just help me get all of them back to bed?" She pleads.

Soon Charlottes eyes were bare of lipstick and she was sound asleep and Gracie was back in her crib sound asleep. Brooke had laid down in her bed with Ben and Sophie who had both fallen asleep. When both children were out like lights and she knew it was safe she got back up.

"Are you limping?" I ask holding one of her arms with my own to support it.

"No, it's fine." She tries to assure me.

"No it's not Brooke, are you bleeding?" I look down to see a pretty nasty looking gash on her big toe. "You're bleeding!"

"It's fine Luke, I just stepped on one of Bens trucks." She explains although she winces when she puts any weight on her injured toe.

"Let me clean it up for you." I more told her than asked.

"No- it's really not-"

"I really wasn't asking." I shot at her more harshly than intended as I hoist her up onto my shoulder and carry her into the bathroom.

"Luke, LUCAS IF YOU DON'T PUT ME DOWN RIGHT THIS MINUTE I SWEAR-"

"What, that you'll wake up the kids for the second time this morning?" I challenge her as we finally reach the bathroom and I plop her down onto the toilet.

Brooke crosses her arms and frowns at me but lets me grab her foot.

"What the hell, was this truck made of screws and bolts?" I joke as I survey her wound.

"Well are you going to make fun of me or fix it?" Brooke asks in mock annoyance.

"I wasn't quite sure yet, the latter seems less fun." I wink at her as she rolls her eyes. I go to the cabinet and retrieve the rubbing alcohol.

"No! That's gonna sting!" She whines as she pulls her foot back

"Brooke!" I scream as I reach back for her foot and she kicks me square in the chest. "Shit!" I grab again for her foot as she continues to kick. Finally I get a good grip on her foot and yank it hard toward me causing her to fly from the toilet onto my lap where I was sitting at it's base.

Our eyes meet for a moment. She would be straddling me were I not holding her leg almost up to the side of her cheek. How did she learn to bend that way. Her eyes challenge me as they bore into my own.

"Stay." I order her as I scoot closer to her pushing her back against the cool porcelain of the toilet. I feel her groin grind against my chest as I pull her knee down to my face. She grits her teeth and turns away as I press the alcohol soaked cotton ball to her foot.

"Ahh." She hisses unintentionally erotically as she pushes back against the toilet.

I quickly grab for the bandage sitting at my side and wrap her toe before I drop her foot back to the ground. Now she is sitting completely straddled against me and I know that she feels the unmistakable bulge of my manhood against her groin.

Making no eye contact she grinds herself against me but burries her head in my shoulder. I groan as I grab the small of her back and pull her toward me. I am taken aback when suddenly she pulls her head from the crook of my neck and her lips connect with mine. Such passion burns through me that every touch of her lips against mine burn my lips. Then she pulls back and turns away from me.

"Brooke." I say slowly. I slowly stroke her cheek as I turn her face for her eyes to meet mine, but she looks away again and I can tell that she is crying. "Hey." I try to soothe her as I wipe stray tears from her face. "Pretty girl." I try.

Suddenly her eyes flicker toward me and meet mine. They are glossy and tired. Her hair that I had been in a loose ponytail had lost a few strands in our struggle and they were now framing her face. Her eyes search mine, but for what I do not know.

"I'm scared Luke." She breathes out as her voice cracks.

My heart beats rapidly in my chest as I hold her against me and look into her eyes for the first time in over six years.

"Brooke Davis?" I say

"Yeah?" She responds cocking her eyebrow at me.

"There is a tide in the affairs of men
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.
On such a full sea are we now afloat;
And we must take the current when it serves,
Or lose the ventures before us."
William Shakespeare, Julias Ceasar

"Brooke Davis I love you, I never stopped."

Its been a minute so I felt like i owed you all something. review!