"Why didn't you come to the hospital sooner?!" the nurse scolded as she helped Brooke into the bed.
Brooke groaned as another sharp pain ran down her spine. The contractions were getting more painful by the second, but she was determined to keep this baby inside for as long as she could. Nathan was there watching over her in spirit and that made her feel a little better. However, she just needed Lucas to hold her hand and walk her through this.
"What are you talking about?" Karen asked the nurse.
The nurse grabbed a chart and started writing stuff down, "This baby is almost ready to come out! She should have been here a long time ago…"
Karen exhaled, placing a hand on Brooke's shoulder, "Why didn't you come to the hospital?"
"I need—" Brooke screamed in pain as she had another contraction.
"It's time," Brooke's midwife informed.
"No!" Brooke screamed as she tried to get out of the bed. "I can't do this without Lucas!"
"You're going to have to!" the nurse said as she struggled to get Brooke to settle down.
"You don't know what the hell I have been through!" Brooke screamed at her through a blur of tears. "My baby's father is dead and the one man that has been there for me is in jail!"
Karen gently pushed her back into the bed. She brushed the hair out of Brooke's face. Brooke felt her heart racing and she knew that she needed to push, but Lucas wasn't here. This was not going to happen to her again. She wasn't going to be cheated of having someone she loved there for her.
"It's not fair…" Brooke whispered as sniffled.
"I know you are scared," Karen said with teary eyes, "but you need to deliver this baby before you end up doing some damage to it."
Brooke let her head fall back onto the pillow. She concentrated on the celling as the nurses prepped her for delivery. She closed her eyes and tried to picture Nathan on one side of her.
"Come on, Nathan," she whispered.
"Brooke, what are you doing, babe?" Nathan said as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "You need to push and get this baby out. Come on, let our son into the world!"
"Push, Brooke!"
Brooke took a deep breath and pushed with everything she had. The sweat and tears rolled down her face, but she kept picturing Nathan next to her. She kept her eyes closed to shut out the image of the reality of it all.
"Good, I can see the head…"
"Oh, no!" Brooke yelped as more tears flooded her eyes.
"The baby is almost out, Brooke. One more good push and we are going to have ourselves a little baby boy," Nathan cooed.
A warm sensation came over her right hand. She opened her eyes and gasped.
"I'm here, babe," Lucas said as he kissed her forehead.
Brooke tried to smile but the pain was unbearable. She took one last deep breath and pushed with everything that she had. She screamed as she felt the baby coming out. The little baby began to scream and Brooke watched as they rushed to check on him.
She gave a sigh of relief as she heard his little cries for her. Lucas gave her another kiss on the forehead as he brushed her hair out of the way. The nurses brought the baby over and placed him in her arms. Brooke wrapped her arms around him and smiled.
"Little Nate looks just like his daddy," Brooke said as she looked into his eyes.
Little Nate was the spitting image of his father. Same eyes that made you fall in love and that goofy grin that will drive all the ladies wild. It was as if Nathan came back to life in the shape of his son.
"Hey, little Nate," Lucas said as he rubbed his cheeks.
A knock on the door interrupted the moment. Brooke sighed as she watched the door slowly open. Deb poked her head into the room and Brooke motioned for them to come in. Deb was in tears at the very sight of little Nate. Dan wrapped an arm around Deb as they both stared at their grandchild.
"Thank you," Brooke said as she reached out to hold Dan's hand.
Dan smiled as he took her hand in his, "Thank you for giving me the cutest grandchild."
Brooke smiled as she watched Deb and Dan hold the baby. She knew that this was an important moment for them as well. Not having their baby in this world had to be tough, but she hoped that they would heal with little Nate like she was going to.
Lucas walked over and hugged his dad. Brooke looked over at Karen and smiled. Karen's face lite up as she watched her son and his father reconnect. Brooke felt beyond blessed. Little Nate made everyone reconnect and forget about their problems. Maybe, Nathan's death was a blessing in disguise.
"What are you going to name him?" the nurse asked as she brought over the paperwork.
Brooke gushed as she watched Lucas hold the baby, "Nathan Lucas Scott."
Lucas froze, "What?"
"You heard me," Brooke said with a little giggle.
"I thought we were going with Michael?"
She shook her head, "No. No. No. You are a very important person in my life and you helped me through a lot. Regardless if we get married or break-up, or whatever, you are still everything to me."
Lucas kissed her as a tear rolled down his cheek. He handed Nathan to her gently. He pulled up a chair and sat next to her. He watched her for a moment with a grin on his face.
Lucas put his hand in his pocket, "You're everything to me too, Brooke. I didn't just help you recover from everything, you helped me too. I was lost and confused, but you gave me a chance to get back on my feet. You gave me a purpose to make something for myself."
He turned to face Dan and Deb, "You got my father and me to reconnect after all the pain that has been there since I was a little boy. You put my family back together and you don't know how much that means to me. You saved me from a life that I could have led."
He pulled out a box from his pocket and opened it, "So, Brooke, will you marry me?"
Brooke covered her mouth. She was completely in shock that he would ask her to marry him. Brooke smiled as she leaned in to kiss him. "Of course!"
Lucas kissed her as he slipped the ring on her finger. Dan, Deb, and Karen all clapped as they watched the newly engaged couple embrace.
"I can't wait to start our life with baby Nate," Brooke gushed.
AN: Hope you enjoyed. The last chapter will be posted shortly! Hope you enjoyed