Nathan took her hand again, trying to calm her down. He knew the stress would be bad for the baby. He knew that if he said anything to her now, though, she'd just yell at him. Haley didn't take her eyes off of Lucas, waiting for him to explain everything to her. Lucas took a deep, shaky breath. "I don't know, Haley. They took her in forty minutes ago, and I'm waiting to hear from the doctor. I proposed to her, and she started clutching her stomach, moaning in pain," he explained, looking down at his shaky hands.
Haley turned and leaned into Nathan, letting him wrap his arms around her. She cried silently into his chest for a few moments. This was all Brooke's fault. If Brooke hadn't kissed Lucas, then Peyton and Lucas would probably still be at the cabin right now, trying to talk out their problems. She could still be in bed with Nathan, instead of wondering if her best friend was still alive. Why did Brooke kiss Lucas? As she thought, she realized what Lucas had said. "Wait, you proposed to her? What did she say?" Haley asked, turning her head to look at Lucas, but not pulling away from Nathan at all.
Lucas smiled bitterly, but shook his head with a shrug. "Nothing, really," he answered, not being entirely truthful. She had said something before the pain had pulled her completely under, but he wasn't sure it exactly counted, considering how much pain she had been in. He didn't get much of a chance to explain, as a doctor came into the waiting room, holding a chart and asking for the family of Peyton Sawyer. Lucas walked over, Haley following close behind. "I'm the father of her baby. Can you tell me if they're okay?" he asked.
The doctor hesitated. "Well, due to stress and complications, she's gone into premature labor," he said. Haley gasped and Lucas's face fell. He asked what the doctor was going to do, if they had tried to stop it. "Given that she is only barely over six months, we did try to stop it. Given her condition, though, there wasn't much we could do. We're going to have to take the baby, in the hopes of saving her life. If we don't take the baby, there is a good chance they will both die. If we take the baby with ceserean now, there is a chance they'll both make it. Since you're the father, we need your approval before we do anything," he said, looking at Lucas expectantly.
Lucas sighed, running a shaky hand through his hair. What was he supposed to do. If they didn't take the baby, there was a good chance they'd both die, and if they did, the baby would probably die, and Peyton still might die. So it was basically the lesser of two evils. How did he make the decision? The better chance for the love of his life or the better chance for his baby? He knew what Peyton would want. "There's a better chance for the baby if you take it now, right?" The doctor hesitated and nodded. The chance wasn't much better, but slightly. "Then take the baby. Then do everything you can to save her," he said decisively.
When the doctor nodded and left, Lucas pushed past Haley and Nathan, sinking into a chair in the waiting room and dropping his head into his hands, his elbows resting on his knees. How did things get like this? Last night had been perfect, after the screaming, of course, and now he was in a hospital, waiting for the doctors to save the love of his life. He needed her, and they needed their daughter. Chilarie. The name Peyton had picked. At first he had thought it was a little eccentric, but now he couldn't think of any name more perfect for their daughter.
Haley was crying even harder now, as she worried for her best friend. She was about to lose her best friend, or her niece, or both. That thought made her cry all the harder. She leaned into Nathan, burying her face into his chest as she drenched his shirt in tears. Nathan had to hide tears of his own, and only managed because he needed to be strong for his wife. He held her close, rubbing her back and whispering soothing things into her hair.
Eventually Nathan managed to pull Haley into a chair, and the three of them waited for news about Peyton or the baby. People moved around them constantly, but not the right people. They were waiting to hear from the doctor. Lucas was just contemplating the fact that everyone else in the world was just going on with their lives, none of them realizing that the life of the love of his life hung in the balance, none of them caring. He realized that neither Derek, or Karen knew that Peyton was in the hospital. He got the sudden urge to talk to his boys.
Just as he stood up, though, a nurse called his name. His attention snapped to her, and he walked over. "You're the father of Peyton's Sawyer's baby, right?" she asked, and he nodded. "Well, they're about to do a ceserean to take the baby, and the doctor wanted me to inform you that you could come be in the same room while it's happening," she said.
Lucas glanced back at Haley, who had stood up and was now standing next to him. He sighed, he wanted to go, of course, and he wouldn't give that up for anything, but he knew that Haley wouldn't want to be shut out. "This is Haley. She's Peyton's best friend, practically a sister to her. She's also the aunt to the baby. Can she watch, if not be in the same room?" he asked. The nurse thought about it, then nodded, gesturing for both of them to follow her.
Haley left her husband, taking a deep breath as she followed Lucas and the nurse down the hallway. She needed to see Peyton right now, to know that her friend was breathing, at least. The nurse gave Lucas a set of scrubs, which Haley tied for him, before he entered the OR. Haley stayed in the next room, watching the operation from behind the glass as her niece was born.
Lucas was barely about to stand being next to Peyton without touching her. He wanted to hold on to her and never let go. Her face looked so peaceful, and if he didn't know that she was unconscious, he would assume that she was just sleeping. He brushed the locks of blonde hair that had fallen across her forehead, wanting to lean down and kiss it, but the mask prohibited it. So, he settled for caressing her cheek with his gloved hand. As he stared at her, he realized again how much he needed her to be okay. If she didn't make it through this, he wasn't sure he would either. He had lost so much time that he could have spent happy with her, and he'd never get those months back. He only hoped that they'd have the rest of their lives to make up for it.
He was broken out of his thoughts by the doctor's voice. "Well, Mr. Scott, you have a baby girl," he said, and Lucas barely got a glimpse of his daughter as he glanced up, before she was whisked away by a nurse. "They need to place her in an incubator, where she will stay for probably a month, until her lungs are fully developed," he said, before preparing Peyton to be returned to her room.
Lucas left the OR, and Haley met him in the hall, a smile on his face as he removed the scrubs, handing them to a nurse who was waiting to take them. When he was finished, and the nurse was walking away, he hugged her. "Oh, Lucas, you have a beautiful daughter," she said, but she was unable to keep the tears away. "She has to wake up, Luke. She has to. I can't lose my best friend yet. I still need her," she sobbed.
Lucas nodded, but stayed silent. There was nothing to say. They both returned to the waiting room, Lucas's arm on Haley's shoulder, her arm around his waist as they supported each other. As they entered the room, they noticed that two people had joined Nathan. Haley immediately let go of Lucas, walking right up and getting into the face of the brunette that was standing next to her husband. "What the hell are you doing here? You shouldn't be here. It's because of you that Peyton's in the hospital right now, and if she doesn't make it, it's your fault," Haley was yelling. Her sadness had immediately turned to anger, as soon as she had seen Brooke.
Brooke's eyes widened at Haley's anger, and she opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by Haley's hand slapping her across the face. "No, you need to leave. Get out of here," she shouted. Nathan immediately stepped in between the two once Haley had hit Brooke, and he tried pulling his wife away. She kept repeating that Brooke needed to leave.
Lucas stepped in front of Brooke, also in between the two women. Rachel was standing to the side, her hand on Brooke's arm. Brooke looked up at Lucas, her eyes big and vunerable. He could tell she felt horrible. She whispered his name, a silent plea. He glanced over his shoulder, at Haley, who was still freaking out, trying to get at Brooke. "Sorry, Brooke, but maybe you should just leave," he said softly. Brooke's eyes widened, some of the sadness being replaced by shock. She turned away, her hand on her cheek as if he had slapped her as well, and stormed out of the hospital. He looked to Rachel, his eyes pleading. She nodded understandingly, then followed Brooke.
Lucas turned back to face Haley again, but he didn't know what to say. He sighed, running a hand through his hair as he looked at Peyton's best friend, wondering what he could say to her. He sat back down, deciding to not say anything. As he sat, he began to pray. He needed Peyton back, and he would ask who ever he had to, if it would bring her back to him. It was a desperate kind of prayer, one that comes from a person who's lost all hope. That was what he needed, some hope, or a sign, anything that would let him know that Peyton would make it through this.
Haley sat across from him. It had been so easy to blame Brooke for what had happened to Peyton. After all, she knew Lucas loved Peyton, he couldn't have been the one to kiss Brooke, right? What if she was wrong, though? What if she was blaming Brooke, when she should be blaming Lucas? Could she really throw away the friendship that she had been building with Brooke for over five years because of something she wasn't even sure about? She needed reassurance from Lucas, that she was right to be blaming Brooke. "Lucas, what happened?" she asked, breaking the silence.
Just as Haley spoke, a nurse came into the room, and he was saved from speaking, because she asked him if he'd like to see his daughter. He sent Haley an apologetic look and followed the nurse, still unable to believe that he had a daughter. Now, all he needed was Peyton back. She would come back to him. She had to. The nurse led him to a room, where his baby girl was in an incubator. She was so tiny. She could probably fit in the palm of his hand. He wanted to hold her, but he couldn't.
Looking at his daughter, though, something he and Peyton had created, that hope that he had been searching for suddenly came to him, and he knew that Peyton was going to be okay. He could see that their daughter was going to have blonde hair, and he only hoped that she had Peyton's green eyes. As he looked at the tiny baby, that belonged to him and Peyton, he realized that he was ready to name her. He reached out to a nurse passing by and when she returned with the proper papers, he wrote the name down, officially naming his daughter. He smiled, sending her one last look, before heading to find Peyton's room.
The nurse had retrieved Haley and Nathan from the waiting room, as Peyton was allowed to have multiple people in her room at a time. Just as Lucas was sitting down at the head of Peyton's bed, Haley and Nathan came in. Haley took the other chair in the room, dragging it over to the opposite side of Peyton that Lucas was on. Once she sat down across from Lucas, she looked up at her husband, who was standing at her side. "Hey, um, can you go get me a bottle of water, or something? You look like you could use a coffee, as well," she said, only managing a small smile.
Nathan nodded, placing a kiss on the top of her head before leaving the room. Haley looked across her best friend, at Lucas. Lucas knew exactly what was coming. He knew there was no longer time to put it off. He sighed, holding up his hands to let Haley know she didn't even need to ask. "All right, I know. You want to know what happened. Well, here it is," he said, before going over his complete conversation with Brooke. "I didn't even know she was going to kiss me. I mean, I had just finished telling her things had worked out for the best. Then, all of a sudden she was kissing me," he sighed, throwing his hands up, knowing that didn't excuse his actions.
Haley took a deep breath. She didn't feel bad about yelling at Brooke. It truly was Brooke's fault. She would never be able to fogive Brooke if Peyton didn't make it, and she wasn't even sure she'd be able to fogive Brooke if Peyton did make it. Brooke had been there for those four months. She had seen how broken down Peyton had got without Lucas. She knew that they belonged together.
Then she had just seemed to change her mind, and kissed Lucas, also knowing what had happened between Lucas and Peyton the night before, and that Peyton needed to keep calm, and stress-free. She knew kissing Lucas would cause Peyton stress. How could seeing the love of your life kiss one of your best friends not cause you stress? Yet, Brooke had kissed him anyway. Part of Haley knew she needed to hear Brooke out, she probably hadn't been thinking, but how could you not think before doing something so stupid? The part that wanted to hear Brooke out was dominated by the part who wanted to be angry at Brooke anyway.
There was a long silence in the room as Haley contemplated what had happened. Lucas still felt extremely guilty. He should have been talking to Peyton this morning, and he shouldn't have allowed Brooke to kiss him. If he had just gone and found Peyton when he had wanted to, none of this would have happened. "I need her to come back, Haley. I love her so much. She just has to come back," he confessed finally. He needed Haley to know how much he loved Peyton. "I need to see those green eyes, and I need to hear her voice, even if she's being sarcastic, or yelling at me. Our kids need her. I can't raise our three kids without her. She has to come back. She has to," his tone changed from confident, to pleading.
Haley looked up at him. She could see the love shining in his eyes as he looked at her best friend. To be honest, she had been a little weary of Lucas and Peyton getting back together, even if she had told Peyton otherwise. Looking at him now, though, he looked so broken, and she could really tell that things would be okay between the two of them this time, if only Peyton woke up. "She will wake up, Lucas," she said, trying to sound more confident than she actually was.
Her husband came into the room next, holding a coffee for himself and a bottle of water for his pregnant wife. He pulled a chair from the other side of the room and took a seat next to Haley, holding his coffee in his left hand and taking her left hand in his right. Lucas's eyes were on Peyton again, but he suddenly remembered that he still had to call Derek, and Karen. Peyton's brother needed to know about her condition, and Karen needed to know that they wouldn't be making it back to Tree Hill tonight.
Lucas stood up, his eyes on Peyton's still form for a long moment as Haley looked at him before he finally looked back at her. "I should probably call Derek, and Karen. They should know. Also, I want to talk to the boys," he said, reaching out and brushing the hair from Peyton's face before turning and leaving the room. He had gotten as far as the waiting room when he realized that he didn't have the number for Karen or the number for Derek. Peyton had always been the one to call either one of them.
With a sigh, he headed for the Comet, hoping that she had put her phone in her suitcase as she had stormed out of the cabin this morning. He went to the back seat of the car, opening her suitcase and digging through it without even thinking about the fact that he was invading her privacy. He wasn't paying attention to the clothes, but when he finally did find the phone, he noticed that one of the sweatshirts, right on top, had belonged to him. He had always wondered where that sweatshirt had ended up, it had been one of his favorites. Knowing that Peyton had had it, he didn't care much that it had disappeared anymore. It further proved how much she loved him, still.
Peyton's phone in hand, he shut the suitcase, getting out of the Comet and leaning against it as he flipped through her address book, looking for her brother's number. When he found it, he hit send, putting the phone up to his ear. The phone rang five times, and he realized that it was already nine, and considering the three hour time difference, it was one in the morning where Derek was. He was about to hang up the phone, but one the sixth ring, the other line picked up, and he heard Derek mutter a gruff, sleepy hello.
Lucas quickly explained the situation and Derek replied that he'd be there in the morning. He was going to catch the next flight out there. Lucas didn't bother protesting. He knew that Derek was coming whether he told him it was necessary or not, and he also knew that Peyton would appreciate the fact that her brother was there. So, after he finished the conversation with Derek, he decided to call Karen. It would be the same time in Tree Hill, because they were in the same time zone.
The phone rang three times before Karen picked up, and she sounded a little flustered, but wide awake. "Hey, Peyton, I was just about to put the boys down. They want to stay up and wait for you, but I insisted that they have to go to bed, and you can wake them up when you get here. When will that be, exactly?" she asked before Lucas could get a word in edgewise.
Lucas took a deep breath, running a hand through his hair. "Actually, Karen, it's Lucas, and we won't be making it back to Tree Hill tonight," he said, then he explained the situation once again. Peyton is in the hospital, she had to give birth prematurely to a baby girl that will most likely be in an incubator for a month, possibly longer, and Peyton is still unconscious. "Can I talk to the boys, I'd like to be the one to tell them, even though I'd prefer to do it in person. I'd just like to talk to them," he said.
Karen sighed, feeling bad about Peyton, but springing into action immediately, because that was the kind of person she was. "Yeah, here, I'll put it on speaker so you can talk to both of them at once," she called the boys into the room. "While you explain, I'm going to get their things ready. I need to get started right now if I'm going to make the drive up there tonight," she said before putting it on speaker, mentioning to the boys that their father was on the phone.
Lucas tried to protest, but she had already gone off to pack up some stuff, and all he could hear now was the voices of their boys. "Hey, Jason, Aiden, I miss you guys so much, and I know we were supposed to make it home tonight, but we can't. Mommy's sick, and in the hospital right now. She's sleeping right now, or I'd let you talk to her. She's going to be all right, though," he tried to explain it in a way two almost six year olds could understand.
They both asked about the baby, and Lucas smiled, despite everything that had happened. If there was one thing that could make him feel happy right now, it was his kids, and he knew that the boys were going to make great big brothers. "Oh, she came a little early, but she wasn't ready to come yet, so she's going to have to stay in an incubator, which is like a box that will keep her warm and allow her to keep growing until she's allowed to come into the world. It wasn't safe for her in Mommy's stomach anymore," he tried his best to explain that as well.
The boys were both excited about the fact that the baby was born and Lucas found his smile getting larger. He also felt the tears welling in his eyes, and he did his best not to let them fall. Peyton would feel so proud at how well the boys were taking the baby, because she had been so worried that they would feel like they were being pushed aside. Karen came back onto the phone with the boys, informing all the twins and Lucas that they were going to get in the car right now and the would be at the hospital in a few hours. Lucas didn't try to protest with her either, because he knew that it would make no difference, and he really wanted to get back into the hospital to check on Peyton.
After he shut the phone he was about to head back towards the hospital, but he realized there was one more thing he wanted from the car. He opened the drivers side door, looking around in the front of the car until he saw the small box, which was laying open on the ground. He picked it up, closing it and putting it in his pocket before locking the car and heading back toward the hospital.
Brooke was still sitting outside the hospital, Rachel on the bench next to her. They had both noticed when Lucas had walked by, but he hadn't noticed them. Brooke had been curious about where he was headed, but hadn't dared to ask. He didn't know if he blamed her as well, and she was still quite mad for him forcing her out. She was Peyton's friend too, and she deserved to know if she was alive, at least. She stood up as she saw Lucas coming back towards the hospital.
This time, Lucas noticed her, and he slowed as he approached her. He noticed the cold, and that she didn't have a jacket. He felt a little awkward about earlier, so he shoved his hands into his pockets, shuffling his feet. "You can, um, go into the waiting room. I'm sure you're cold out here," he said, somewhat awkwardly as he stared at his shoes.
Brooke just stared at him incredulously. She sighed resisting the urge to yell at him, but also wanting to apologise and start crying at the same time. She opted to do neither, instead just crossing her arms across her chest, kinking an eyebrow at him. "Luke, I don't care about the cold. All I want to know is that Peyton is okay," she muttered, trying not to sound angry with him. He could have at least stuck up for her earlier in front of Haley. She hadn't kissed herself. It takes two to kiss, even if she had started it.
Lucas sighed, finally looking up at her. He couldn't honestly tell her that, because he didn't know that she was. He rubbed a hand on the back of his neck. "Damnit, Brooke, I don't know that she is. She's still unconscious. She went into premature labor, caused by all the stress, and they had to take the baby by ceserean just to save both their lives, and there's still no guarentee that it worked," he tried not to let the frustration leak into his voice. He wanted Peyton to be okay, and she would have been, if Brooke hadn't kissed him. If he hadn't let Brooke kiss him. He was angry at himself, just as much as he was angry at Brooke.
Brooke's eyes widened, and she uncrossed her arms, letting them fall to her sides. She hadn't realized it was that bad. She swallowed hard, instantly feeling the guilt piling up on her. Suddenly, she couldn't control her tears anymore. "I'm sorry, Lucas, I really am. It was stupid to kiss you, and I shouldn't have done it. I guess I was just feeling nostalgic, or something. I don't know. It was stupid, idiotic, and it shouldn't have happened," she said, her voice pleading, as the tears slipped down her cheeks.
Lucas didn't know what to do. He knew it wasn't completely her fault, but at the same time, he couldn't completely allow himself to forgive her yet. She was staring at him, looking vunerable, and he wanted to be able to comfort her, but if he comforted everyone else, who was going to comfort him. He shuffled his feet, uncomfortable, for a few minutes, while she waited for him to say something. Rachel was completely silent. She didn't know that Brooke had kissed Lucas.
Finally, Lucas mumbled, "Yeah," under his breath, not saying anything else before darting into the hospital. He needed to see Peyton, to know that she wasn't dead yet. After telling everyone of her condition, he just needed a little reassurance. He headed through the hospital, into her room, hoping he'd see those green eyes when he got there, knowing it was a long shot, but still needing the hope.
She still wasn't awake, but she looked much the same, which was good, possibly. Haley was leaning over onto Nathan's shoulder, one hand gripping his and the other gripping Peyton's. Lucas took his seat next to Peyton, taking her hand in both of his. "Derek's coming, and Karen is driving up here, with the boys," he informed Haley, who nodded sleepily, but stayed silent.
A nurse came into the room, informing them that only one person could stay in the room all night. Haley and Nathan stood, knowing there was no way that Lucas would leave Peyton's side, so she told him she'd be in the waiting room, before they left the room. The nurse consulted the machines, telling him that Peyton was the same before leaving the room as well.
Lucas waited until he was alone in the room before he crawled into the bed with Peyton, taking up as little space as possible. He knew that was the only way he'd be able to get sleep tonight, not that he'd get much, but he wanted to be as close to her as possible. So he avoided the wires leading to the machines she was attached to, pulled her as close as he could, and whispered to her, asking her to wake up, as he tried to drift to sleep.
A/N: Okay, so, what do you think Lucas picked for the middle name for the baby? Oh, and I'm not a doctor, so I'm not sure if what happened is medically possible but I am pretty sure that the lungs of the baby don't develop until the seventh month, hence the incubator. Also, I didn't specify where Derek lives exactly, because I didn't exactly decide. He just lives three hours away, from where they arm. I think there was something else I meant to say, but I can't remember what it was, so if you have any questions, feel free to ask in a review, and I'll answer them in the A/N of the next chapter. Please review, even if you don't have questions. Thanks.
Disclaimer: Doesn't the word disclaimer kind of say it all?