Chapter 25

His heart was beating a million times per minute and fear was gripping his stomach. Lucas couldn't hear anything as he raced through the crowds, bumping into people the whole way; all he could concentrate on was Brooke. He didn't know what was wrong with her, except that something was. The fact that Peyton knew about the baby barely seemed to register in his mind. Brooke was the only thing that mattered right now.

He couldn't lose her.

Then he was at the bathroom. The door was open and Haley was sitting next to Brooke on the floor, her arms wrapped around Brooke soothingly. Brooke's eyes were closed but she was taking deep, steady breathes. His eyes fell down to the red liquid on the floor.

Blood.

His heart skipped a beat.

And then he was on the floor and he was sitting right at her knees. He pulled her hands into his and looked at her as calmly as he could. He needed to stay as strong as he could for her. Brooke's hands clung tightly onto his the moment he touched her and he took that as a good sign.

"Did you call an ambulance?" he asked Haley.

"They're on their way."

"Do you want me to go wait for them outside?"

Lucas turned around at the question, noticing for the first time that Nathan had followed him to the bathroom.

He nodded. "Yeah. Thanks, Nate."

Without a word, Nathan flew out of sight. He focused his attention back on Brooke.

"Brooke, are you alright?" he asked, wiping her face gently with his hand. It was a ridiculous question because he knew that everything was not alright, but he felt the need to ask it anyway.

She just shook her head, tears streaming silently down her face.

"The bleeding stopped," Haley said, and he looked over at her and nodded…Maybe that was a good sign.

"Lucas," Brooke choked out and his eyes pierced through hers. She was looking right at him now, her eyes filled with fear, and it broke his heart. "Peyton, she…"

He just ran his hand gently through her hair, trying to calm her down. "Shhh, Brooke, it's okay. Don't worry about Peyton right now."

"She must be so angry…" she murmured, her eyes closing again as she rested her head against his hand.

"She's not, Brooke," he whispered soothingly. "She loves you."

More tears fell down Brooke's face and she took suddenly took a sharp intake of breath. His eyes narrowed.

"What happened, Brooke?" He looked to see if there was more bleeding, but thankfully there didn't appear to be.

She just shook her head. "I'm okay… The pain's…going away."

He looked helplessly over at Haley, who looked just as powerless as him. Then he heard the distant sound of a siren and he knew that they would be here any minute. His grip tightened around Brooke's hand.

"I'm so scared, Lucas," she whispered.

He took a deep breath, trying to control his emotions. He was scared too, but he needed to comfort her, to let her know that it was going to be okay, that their baby couldn't possible be…No, he couldn't even think it.

"It's going to be okay," he said, pulling her as close to him as possible. She'd stopped crying now. Instead she simply sat there, looking more vulnerable than he had ever seen her in the entire time he had known her.

And it scared him more than he cared to admit.

"Jake?"

She couldn't believe her eyes. There was no way that Jake Jagielski was standing right in front of her. But he was. And for a moment she forgot everything that had happened only a few minutes ago and concentrated on the man standing in front of her. The man she had once loved more than anyone else in the world.

"Peyton," he said, walking a few steps to meet her. His eyebrows were furrowed with concern and he looked slightly confused. "Is everything okay?"

She shook her head, tears forming in her eyes. No, everything was not okay and she couldn't lie to Jake about that; he'd see right through her.

Suddenly his arms were wrapped around her and it was like they'd never been apart. It felt so right to be in his arms—so perfect. How could she have ever left him?

"What's going on?" he asked as he pulled away slightly.

"I—."

She was interrupted as Rachel suddenly appeared behind Jake, a confused expression covering her face.

"Where is everyone?" she asked. Before Peyton could answer, Rachel looked at Jake with raised eyebrows. "Who's the stud?"

Jake's lips cracked into a small smile, but Peyton just looked at Rachel seriously. A small tear ran down her cheek.

"Peyton," Rachel said, springing forward immedietly and putting an arm around her shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"There's something wrong with Brooke," she answered shakily. "She's pregnant, Rachel." She could barely say the words. "She—she might be having a miscarriage."

"What?" Rachel looked shocked. "Oh my God, I've got to go make sure she's okay."

Peyton nodded. "She's in the bathroom. I'll go with you."

She looked at Jake for a moment. His eyes were focused solely on her and he took her hand. It was amazing how even after five years he could have this affect on her—he could still know when she needed comfort and when she didn't. Right now, she definitely did.

She followed Rachel through the crowd and Jake was right behind her, his hand in hers. By the time they got there, paramedics were crowding the hall. Brooke was on a stretcher. She looked calm, but for some reason it unnerved Peyton. And as the paramedics rolled her out of the club Peyton saw Brooke looking straight at her with what could only be described as a tortured expression—she looked like she was trying to silently apologize for everything she'd kept from her.

Peyton felt her heart clench; it was just like Brooke to care more about someone else during a time when the only people she should be worrying about is herself. Peyton's eyes latched on to hers and she smiled, trying to wordlessly convey that she understood, that Brooke shouldn't worry about her right now; she'd be okay.

And then Brooke was rolled outside and she was out of sight. Haley was standing in the hallway, Nathan's arm around her shoulders, her face stretched in fear. Rachel walked up next to them wordlessly. Lucas was gone. Probably with Brooke and she didn't blame him.

She felt Jake move his arm around her and relaxed against him.

Right now, there was nothing that could be said amongst all of them that could really explain what just happened.

There were no words for this.

Lucas paced the hospital hall, waiting for any source of news. Brooke had been in there for over an hour now and he was starting to worry. The moment they made it to the hospital, she'd been swept away from him, brought into the nearest room to be examined.

He was more frustrated than he could possibly imagine.

"Luke!"

He turned at the sound of Nathan's voice and saw his brother, Haley, and Rachel rushing towards him. Just behind them were Peyton and, to his surprise, Jake.

"Any news?" Nathan asked breathlessly.

"No." He shook his head and leaned heavily against the wall. Nathan moved next to him.

"How you holding up?"

"Not too well."

He sank to the floor, putting his head in his hands. Nathan sank down with him, patting his knee comfortingly.

From the corner of his eye he saw Peyton looking at him, her eyes clouded with tears. He could barely look at her right now, not after everything. She didn't deserve to find out this way. It wasn't right.

Yet, as she looked at him, he didn't see anger or animosity; he saw only worry and fear for her best friend. She knew, but she didn't seem to hate them at all. He looked over at Jake, who stood a few feet behind Peyton. He was glad that Jake could be there for Peyton at a time like this. She needed him now more than ever.

"Family of Brooke Davis?" a voice called out.

Lucas leapt to his feet, practically running over to the doctor who had just entered the hall.

"And who are you? Are you her husband?" the doctor asked.

"Lucas Scott. I'm her fiancé," he answered quickly. "Is she okay?"

The doctor frowned. "Brooke is doing fine, but it seems she's been under a lot of stress lately, which at this stage in pregnancy is not a good thing."

Lucas felt a pang in his heart. "So is the baby okay?"

"Miraculously, the baby survived. If she had continued bleeding, she would have lost it."

It was as if a huge weight had been lifted. Their baby was alive, they hadn't lost it. He felt himself relax suddenly. Everything was going to be okay…

"But I'm afraid Brooke is going to have to take it very easy during the remainder of her pregnancy. She'll be put on bed rest until she finishes the first trimester and we'll need to keep her overnight for observation. Mr. Scott, you're going to need to do everything you can to make her life as stress-free as possible."

"I will," Lucas promised. "Can I see her now?"

The doctor looked at him hesitantly. "Yes," he said, "but it's important that you know how serious this is. As of right now, Brooke's pregnancy is classified as high-risk. At this point, any small thing can trigger a miscarriage."

Lucas nodded slowly, trying to observe the doctor's words. This was a high-risk pregnancy…She could easily lose the baby if they weren't careful. It was a terrifying thought.

"I understand."

The doctor nodded. "Okay. She's right through those doors."

Lucas thanked him quickly before turning to look at the others who were standing a good distance away with worried looks on their faces.

"She's okay. Both of them."

There were collective sighs of relief and then Haley came forwards, pulling him into a hug. He clung to her, needing the support of his best friend.

"So what happened?" she asked as she pulled away.

He sighed. "I don't know exactly. It was stress related, though. Apparently the pregnancy's high-risk as of right now."

"Oh wow," Haley murmured.

Nathan came up to him and put a hand on his shoulder and an arm around Haley.

"How you doing, man?"

He shrugged, not really knowing what to say. He felt horrible, if he was being honest. Brooke shouldn't have to be dealing with this. And he had to see her—she was probably torn apart, blaming herself, and to top it all off she was probably worrying about Peyton.

"I need to go see her," he said. "You guys should probably go home. It's getting late."

Haley nodded. "Keep us updated, okay?"

"Yeah, I will."

Nathan patted his shoulder one more time and then walked away with Haley. Rachel looked at him hesitantly, as if she wasn't sure she wanted to leave, but then turned to follow them. Peyton just stood there, Jake by her side, looking lost.

"Lucas, I need to see her," she said quietly, tears brimming in her eyes.

He took a deep breath; he wasn't really expecting Peyton to say that. "Let me see her first and see if she's up to it. I'll come back and let you know if she is."

Peyton nodded and Jake put an arm around her. Lucas looked at Jake gratefully, knowing that he could be there for Peyton in a way that Lucas never could.

Lucas turned around and headed through the door and into Brooke's room. She was lying stiffly on the bed in a hospital gown, staring blankly at the ceiling. An IV was attached to her arm, but otherwise she was free of any other medical devices.

"Brooke."

Her head turned very slightly at the sound of his voice. Her eyes were empty of any emotion. She just looked drained.

He pulled a chair next to the bed and took her hand in his. He didn't even know what to say. There wasn't really anything he could think of that would make her feel any better.

"I was so worried," he said softly, brushing his lips against her forehead. "I thought I was going to lose you both."

She didn't say anything; she just continued staring at the ceiling. But, as he looked closely at her, he could see the tears brimming in her eyes.

"It's my fault…" Her voice was raspy and low, as if she was too tired to speak.

His eyes narrowed. "No, Brooke, this isn't your fault at all."

"Did the doctor tell you, Lucas?" she said, finally looking right at him. "This is a high-risk pregnancy and it's my fault. I've been so stressed with work and keeping everything from Peyton. If I had just listened to you and told Peyton—."

"It wouldn't have made a difference," he interrupted. He couldn't let her think this was her fault because it wasn't, it wasn't at all. "Brooke, you can't blame yourself for this. I don't know why this is happening but it just is. It isn't because of you."

"I deserve this," she whispered. "I've been a horrible person, Luke…keeping everything from Peyton. She probably hates me."

His heart was breaking at her words. How could she ever think that? "Brooke, you're not a horrible person and you don't deserve this at all. No one deserves this. And Peyton doesn't hate you, I can promise you that. She actually wants to talk to you."

"Probably to yell at me," she muttered.

Lucas sighed. "You should've seen her, Brooke. She was so scared for you. She loves you so much, you know that."

A tear slipped down Brooke's cheek and he wiped it away, cupping her cheek in his hand. "We shouldn't sit here and dwell on the bad things, Brooke. Our baby's alive." He put a hand on her stomach. "He's still in there, fighting to live and you've got to be strong for him. We both have to be strong for him."

She nodded, a weak smile forming on her face. "Him?"

He looked at her in confusion. "What?"

"You called our baby a him."

"Oh." Lucas smiled. He hadn't even realized he'd said it. "Well, when you think about it, there hasn't been a girl born to the Scotts for a while now, with the exception of Lily."

She kinked an eyebrow. "Well maybe Lily broke the chain."

He grinned, rubbing her cheek with his thumb. "As long as he or she makes it here nice and healthy I'll be happy."

She smiled, letting her face rest into the palm of his hand. "You're right, though. We've been given a second chance and I'm not going to waste it. I won't lose our baby."

"I know you won't," he said, stretching his neck to place a kiss on her lips. "I love you, Brooke."

She sighed contently, closing her eyes. "I love you too, Lucas."

And that was all he needed to hear.

"I thought you might need this."

Peyton opened her eyes and looked up at Jake, who was standing in front of her with a big cup of coffee. They were in the waiting room, still waiting to hear from Lucas. He'd been in there for almost an hour now, but Peyton knew he needed time.

Her mind was still reeling with the idea of Brooke and Lucas being together and having a baby. Did this all happen recently? Did he break up with her because he wanted Brooke? Were he and Brooke even completely together or had it been one night that resulted in a baby? She needed the details, but somehow she didn't think she would be getting them tonight, at least not from Brooke. But that was okay; she wasn't going to push Brooke to say anything she didn't want to. She was just glad that her best friend was okay.

She smiled at Jake. "Thanks," she said, grabbing the cup from him.

"No problem." He took the seat next to her.

"Jake," she said, turning to him. He smiled at her and she felt herself melt at the sight; she had missed that smile more than she even realized. "Jake," she said again, "thank you so much for being here. It means a lot to me."

Jake nodded. "I just thought you'd need some extra support," he said. "I wanted to make sure you were okay."

Peyton smiled and grabbed his hand. "Thanks to you, I am. To be honest, I think tonight was one of the most confusing nights of my life. I had no idea about Brooke until I saw her bleeding in the bathroom…"

"What's the story anyway?" he asked.

"I don't even know…I mean, Lucas and I were engaged about three and a half months ago and then he broke up with me and Brooke and I went to New York and…I came back two weeks ago and I just now figured out Brooke's pregnant with Lucas' kid. I don't even know how they did it."

Jake's mouth twisted into a grin. "Sounds confusing…So, you and Lucas were engaged? What happened, if you don't mind me asking?"

She sighed. "Things just fell apart. We were living in our own little dream world and eventually we realized we don't work as a couple anymore. He kind of realized it first; it took me a little longer. I'm over him now. But that doesn't make it any tougher to know about him and Brooke."

"Yeah," Jake said, nodding, "I know what you mean."

She looked down at their hands, which were still intertwined, and chuckled lightly.

He looked at her curiously. "What?"

She shook her head. "It's just, the first time we see each in five years and we end up in a hospital before we even have a chance to talk."

He laughed. "Talk about drama. Tree Hill was always a crazy place."

"Yeah," she said, grinning lightly. "So how've you been doing, Jake?"

"I've been pretty good," he said, shrugging. "I've got a job teaching music at a high school in Savannah."

"What brought you to Tree Hill?"

"I had a job interview in Raleigh," he explained, "and since Tree Hill is only a couple hours away I figured I'd come back home for old time's sake. I actually stopped by Tric tonight hoping to find you. I'd heard about your record company and saw that the band playing was under your label so I figured I'd be able to find you."

"I'm glad you did," she whispered. He just smiled and looked down at their intertwined hands.

"How about Jenny?" Peyton asked. She hadn't seen the little girl ever since she had last been in Savannah, which was back in senior year, five years ago. It had been way too long.

"She's great." He smiled proudly and pulled out his wallet. "She's almost eight now." He pulled out a picture and handed it to her. Peyton stared at it in amazement; Jenny had grown so much—she couldn't believe that the girl in the picture was the same one she used to hold in her arms.

"She's so big, Jake," she murmured.

"Yeah, I can't believe it either. They grow so fast."

Peyton shook her head in disbelief, not able to take her eyes away from the picture. Suddenly she felt guilty—guilty for not being in Jenny's life. And she felt sad too—sad that she hadn't been able to watch her grow like she had planned on doing back when she visited Jake in Savannah. Things would have been perfect if she hadn't left him to go back to Tree Hill… back to Lucas. Now that she thought about it, leaving Jake was probably one of the biggest mistakes of her life.

"Jake…" She wanted him to know how much she had missed him all these years and how much she regretted leaving him and, even though it didn't seem like it, she had never forgotten him and the amazing, unconditional love they had shared.

But then her cell phone went off and she cursed the bad timing. It was a text from Josh asking where she was.

Josh.

She had forgotten about him. He liked Peyton. A lot. And although she still wasn't sure why he liked her so much, she knew now that it wouldn't be right to try anything with him, not when Jake was here…Not when she was torn about her feeling for Jake and all that they had shared together.

She sent a quick text back, explaining that Brooke was at the hospital and she was there with her and not to worry—everything was okay.

"Sorry about that," she said, looking back at Jake. He just smiled. "So, anyway—,"

"Peyton."

She held back a groan. Why did everyone have to keep interrupting her? But then she realized it was Lucas who was saying her name and she immediately perked up.

"You can go see her," Lucas said, nodding towards the door.

She smiled gratefully. "Thanks."

"Peyton," Lucas said, grabbing her arm. "I just…I wanted you to know that I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you to find out this way and I didn't mean to hurt you. But this thing with me and Brooke…it's real. And I love her, Peyton. More than anything. I need you to know that…She's my life now."

Peyton nodded slowly. She wasn't sure she was ready to hear all that he was saying, but she wasn't going to argue, not with Brooke lying in a hospital bed in the next room. She just needed her best friend to know that she loved her. The look shared between them when Brooke was being rolled out by the paramedics was still fresh in her mind and it hurt her to think that Brooke could be worrying over their friendship.

"I understand, Lucas," she said quietly, putting a hand on his shoulder.

He smiled hesitantly and, without saying anything else, Peyton headed towards the door, ready to see her best friend.

Brooke's hands fiddled with the hem of the blanket as she waited anxiously for Peyton to enter her room. She wasn't sure what would conspire between the two of them or how Peyton was reacting to the news, but she knew that it wasn't going to be easy.

One thing she did know, though, was that she needed to tell Peyton everything. Every detail of importance—she couldn't leave anything out. Peyton deserved that much.

The door creaked open and a streak of light ran across the floor. The room was only dimly lit by a small lamp that sat by the side of her bed. Peyton poked her head through and Brooke smiled at her hesitantly.

"Hey, P. Sawyer."

A small smile flickered over Peyton's face as she came fully into the room and closed the door gently behind her.

"B. Davis, what have you gotten yourself into?"

Brooke immedietly loosened up at Peyton's playful tone, but was surprised at how kind Peyton was being. She was expecting her to be a little bit more upset.

"I don't know," Brooke replied, shrugging as she smiled back at Peyton, this time with much more certainty.

Peyton sat down next to her, looking at her sympathetically. She took Brooke's hand in her own and sighed.

"You scared the hell out of me, Brooke."

"I know and I'm so sorry. Not just for that, but for everything. Peyton, I—."

But Peyton put up a hand to interrupt. "Brooke, I know that you want to explain, but I need to say something first." She paused, taking a deep breath before continuing. "I'll admit I was confused when I figured out you were pregnant and even more confused when I figured out it was Lucas'. And I'm still confused… But I understand. It's hard and it still hurts, but I do. I don't know how long this thing between you and him has been going on, but I do know that it wasn't while Lucas and I were together; you would never do that to me and I believe that with full confidence. So, really, you did nothing wrong. He was fair game and I guess I should've known by now that you still love him…that you never really stopped. So, I guess what I'm trying to say that it's okay. I support you both because I love you both and I want you to be happy. And I can promise you that I will never come between you again. And if, for some strange, twisted reason I do, feel free to shoot me."

Brooke smiled. "I don't think it'll ever come to that again, but I'll keep that in mind. Really, though, you need an explanation. You deserve an explanation."

Peyton nodded slowly and then Brooke told her everything. She told her that she and Lucas had gotten back together about a month after he and Peyton had broken up, when she had first gone back to Tree Hill. She told her that she originally had planned to end it, but couldn't because she was too in love with him and couldn't give him up again. She told her about the baby and that she had found out about a month ago. She told her that the second time she came back to Tree Hill wasn't because of business but because she needed to tell Lucas about the baby. She told her that besides herself and Lucas, Haley, Nathan, Jamie, and Rachel were the only others who knew. She told her that he proposed and she said yes…

By the time she was done, Peyton was staring at the floor, her eyes clouded with understanding and a little bit of hurt. Brooke knew that, no matter what Peyton said, it was still hard to hear.

"I…" Peyton began to speak but quickly dragged off. It was another minute before she spoke again. "It's hard," she finally said, looking at Brooke seriously. "I'm not gonna lie, it's really hard to hear all this. And it hurts. It hurts a lot. But…I know that you didn't do this to hurt me. It wasn't intentional. I know that and I accept that. That's why it really hard for me to be angry with you. Especially right now when you're lying here after you almost lost your baby—a baby you've waited a long time to have. So, I can't be angry with you…Not when you're happy. Because that's all that matters, Brooke— that you're happy. And that means I'm happy too, no matter how hard it is."

There were tears streaming down both of their cheeks and Brooke suddenly realized just how much Peyton had grown these past few months. Peyton could easily sit here and hate her for taking Lucas so soon after he ended their engagement. She could easily hate her for carrying his child and for accepting his proposal. She could easily hate her for taking the man she had thought she was going to spend the rest of her life with. And she could hate her for keeping everything from her for so long. It would have been so easy.

But Peyton took the higher road and Brooke couldn't have been more grateful.

"You don't know how much that means to me," Brooke said, smiling through the tears. "I don't deserve this, Peyton, I really don't. But thank you."

"I love you, Brooke," Peyton said as she squeezed her hand. "And I just want you to be happy. That's what you've wanted for me these past few years. You've given up everything for me and I haven't given you anything in return. I think it's about time I did."

"You don't owe me anything…"

"But I do, Brooke, because without you I wouldn't be where I am today. I wouldn't have found the path that I've been looking for five years. I'd still be lost if it wasn't for you. Lucas and I…we thought we were soul mates, but that was only because people would always push us over to each other. You all said that it was me and him, that we were meant to be. And I've been lost in that idea for five years now. And finally I've found my way again and so have you and so has Lucas. It's…it's the way it supposed to be now. I really believe that."

"I love you, Peyton," Brooke said, trying to hold back even more tears from escaping her eyes.

"I love you too, Brooke."

And Peyton bent down and pulled Brooke into a sideways hug, resting her head on Brooke's shoulder. They stayed like that for a few minutes, clinging to each other and the amazing friendship they shared.

When they pulled away, Brooke looked at Peyton with sparkling eyes.

"So was that Jake I saw with you earlier?" she asked mischievously.

Peyton smiled and looked down at her feet. "Yeah. Crazy, huh?"

Brooke grinned. "I think it's great."

She had always loved Jake. He'd taken care of Peyton in away that no one else had and she was pretty sure that he and Peyton had shared something stronger and more real than Peyton and Lucas ever had. She really hoped something could work out between the two of them now that he was here. It wasn't a coincidence that he had shown up tonight; it was fate.

Peyton nodded slowly, her smile widening. "Yeah, I think so too." She squeezed Brooke's hand again. "He's actually here right now. He's been waiting with me. I guess he wanted to make sure I was going to be okay with everything."

"That so sweet," Brooke gushed. "It's been five years but it seems like he's still the same caring, genuine guy he was back in high school."

"Yeah, I really think he is…"

"So…is he seeing anyone?"

Peyton laughed at her bluntness. "I have no idea, Brooke. He could be married for all I know, although I didn't see a ring on his finger. Anyway, I'm just seeing him tonight for the first time in years and I think, even if he is single, we need to work on our friendship first. We'll take things slow if we even take things at all."

"That's what you said last time," Brooke replied, kinking an eyebrow.

Peyton just shrugged. "Yeah, well this time I actually mean it."

Brooke chuckled. "Whatever. You just keep telling yourself that. I wonder how Josh is going to feel when he finds out he has some competition…I wonder if we're gonna have another love triangle with you in the middle."

Peyton's face twisted up distastefully. "Never again will I be involved in any other sort of love triangle or rectangle or shape of any kind."

"You right," Brooke said, winking at her. "Triangles are so high school."

They laughed and Brooke was happy that things seemed to be normal for them. She knew that there would be tough times ahead of them for their friendship but somehow she knew everything would be okay.

Because if she and Peyton could make it through this, they could make it through anything.

A/N: I meant to get this up a lot sooner, but life got in the way. Anyway, I hope you're all happy with this chapter! I could never gonna let them lose the baby and I'm sorry that I worried you all so much! I know it might seem like Peyton's taking this a little bit too well, but I actually brought Jake back into the story to kind of help her through this so that she could deal with things maturely. He's kind of sign of hope for Peyton and it's because of him that she's dealing with it so well. At least that's how I saw it when I wrote it.

Please let me know how you all felt about this chapter and leave a review! I think I got the most reviews so far for this story last chapter so thank you so much for that!