-Three days later, Anna was starting to feel better, the doctor had recommended that they don't fly back until she was done with the antibiotics though so after a quick discussion, Peyton and Lucas had agreed to stay in Tree Hill until she felt better. Larry was out at sea for the next seven days, he hadn't been able to cancel to stay with them but he had insisted that they stay at the house, they had agreed.
-So here they were, three days after they were suppose to leave, still in Tree Hill.
-Peyton opened her eyes groggily, frowning when she realised that Lucas was still asleep. He always woke up before her. Really, in over five years of living together, she'd never woken up before him, never.
-Hesitating briefly on whether to wake him or not she decided to wait and go check on their daughter first. She quietly extricated herself from the warm covers and exited the room without a sound.
-She gently pushed her daughter's bedroom door open and smiled when she saw her all doused up by the covers, she was sleeping soundly, a first since she had gotten the ear infection. Peyton went to her and gently put her hand on her forehead. No fever, that was good.
-Realising that her daughter was perfectly fine, Peyton pressed a kiss to her forehead and quietly walked out of yet another room. She walked back into her room thinking that if her husband and daughter got to sleep late this morning, then she should definitively follow their examples. She walked in and quietly slipped under the covers.
-She smiled, seeing Lucas sleeping there, and buried her body as close to his as she possibly could. Lucas sighed and unconsciously wrapped an arm around her.
-That's when she felt it, he was burning up. She turned around and quickly placed her hand on his forehead. Yup, she was right, he had a fever.
-"Luke, wake up."
-He groaned and buried his face in his pillow.
-"Yeah, and he says she gets it from me." She muttered under her breath, smiling at how much her husband reminded her of their daughter in that moment. She tried again.
-"Lucas…"
-"No. Sleep." He muttered sleepily.
-"Honey, I think that you're sick."
-That got his attention. He couldn't be sick, but opening his eyes, the truth hit him like a ton of bricks.
-"Owww, I'm dying." He cried, burying his face in her abdomen and Peyton chuckled.
-"It's not funny. Oww, my ears hurt." He complained, putting his hand to his ears in pretty much the same fashion Anna had when she had gotten sick.
-"Oh, I'm sorry baby." Peyton smiled, kissing his forehead. "I think that you might have caught Anna's ear infection though."
-"Oh great, just great. Why is it always me?" He complained weakly and Peyton couldn't help it, she chuckled, he was so cute when he was sick.
-"Don't laugh. You spent just as much time with her as I have and you're as fine as day while I'm dying."
-"Well that's because I'm stronger than you hon…"
-He groaned and she decided to spare him a little.
-"What about I bring you some breakfast and some Tylenol before I take you to the hospital?"
-"No need, I'll just take Ann's medicine." He answered groggily.
-"One, that's for kids, and two, she needs to take it all."
-"Huh, fine." He agreed begrudgingly.
-She kissed his forehead one last time and quickly made her way downstairs. Lucas was right, no matter what their daughter caught, if it was contagious, he'd get it. It had become completely and utterly ridiculous a year ago when he'd caught Anna's Chicken Pox and she had been stuck with dealing with the two sick Scotts at the same time.
-Peyton thought that it was Karma. You see, Lucas had been repeating her for years that he never got sick, that he had the health of a horse, had had since he was a baby. He used to bring it up every time she got sick and it frustrated her to no end. Now, she was getting her revenge and it was damn satisfying, well except for the fact that she had to take care of the both of them at the same time, but he was so cute, and that more than made up for it.
-She walked in the kitchen and prepared him a glass of orange juice, she knew that he wouldn't eat, and she was about to walk back upstairs when she heard the doorbell. She stared at the door dubiously. Who the hell would be here at eight o'clock in the morning?
-Deciding to answer her own question, Peyton walked to the door and opened it cautiously. She almost had an heart attack when she saw who was on the other side of the door.
-"Hey curly, long time no see."
-She stared, in shock. Here, right in front of her, in her dad's house, in Tree Hill, North Carolina, stood her four best friends.
-"What the hell are you guys doing here?" She asked, barely containing her shock.
-"What? Not happy to see us?" Sam asked, putting his bags on the floor and bringing her into an hug. Finally, the shock wore off and she hugged him back.
-"Of course." She smiled, moving on to hug Liz, Sarah and then Chris.
-"What are you guys doing here?" She asked again.
-"Well after we talked to you the other day, Sara and I talked and we decided that since you were taking a vacation, then we might as well take one. These two just tagged alone because they had nothing better to do," Liz explained, nodding toward the two men who rolled their eyes at her.
-"Also, we decided that since you were already here, why not take the time to finally visit small town America."
-"Small town America?" Peyton looked at Sara, corking her eyebrow.
-"Hey, Los Angeles born and raised here, this is like another country to me." The girl laughed and the other four soon joined her.
-"Oh I'm so happy to see you guys." Peyton gushed, bringing her friends into a huge group hug.
-"Our pleasure, like Sara said, gotta love small town America." The tall, muscular brown haired journalist told her, smiling. Peyton laughed, god she had missed her friends.
-"You might not want people here to hear you say that too much though Sam or they're likely to go all witch hunt on your ass."
-"So, where is my favourite little girl? Still sick?" The other man, this one just as tall but without the muscular built of their other friend, changed the subject, looking around Peyton for any signs of Anna.
-"She's still sleeping, she's doing better though."
-"I'll still check her over when she wakes up. To be sure."
-"I'm telling you, this guy has had his medical licence for over three months and he still goes around checking everybody. Peyt already went to a doctor, sorry, maybe next time." Liz joked and they all laughed.
-"Well, maybe not actually. You're not licensed to prescribe anything here by any chance?" Peyton asked casually, hoping to maybe avoid another trip to the hospital. She wasn't so lucky though.
-"Nope. Why?"
-"Well, Lucas' sick. Woke up with a fever and his ears hitching.
-"Oh my god! You're kidding? He caught it? Again?"
-All Peyton could do was nod, the biggest smile on her face, and they all burst out laughing. It was the stuff of legend now between their group of friends how Lucas couldn't for the life of him not catch something once Anna had it.
-"Mommy, daddy said…" Anna's eyes met the other occupants of the room as she came down the stairs. "Aunt Liz!!" She yelped, running straight into the blonde's open arms.
-Liz hugged her tightly.
-"Hey kiddo, how are you doing?" Liz asked her goddaughter caringly, smoothing down her hair.
-"Good." Anna chimed, smiling into her godmother's neck.
-"Hey, what about me?" Sara piped up in mock anger and Anna seemed to realise for the first time that Liz wasn't the only one in the room.
-"Aunt Sara! Uncle Chris! Uncle Sam!" She yelped happily, throwing herself into the closest arms she saw, Sam's. He hugged her close and swung her around cheerfully, making the little girl giggled before passing her to Chris who did the same.
-"Alright, you've had her enough, give me my goddaughter." Sara declared, a smile on her face as she took Anna from Chris. She hugged the girl tightly.
-"How's my baby girl?"
-"Good. Are you visiting us?" She asked a second later, making eye contact with the four adults curiously.
-"Of course, who else would we be visiting?" Sam laughed seeing the little girl ponder the question.
-"Yeah, we missed you baby girl." Sara continued, and Anna beamed at them.
-"Alright baby, so what did daddy say again?" Peyton pressed, realising that before Anna had noticed her friends, she was going to tell her something.
-"Oh, huh he said to tell you to hurry because he was dying? Mommy, daddy isn't really dying is he?"
-Peyton laughed. "No he's not, he's got the same thing you got I think, and he's just being a baby about it."
-"Oh! But uncle Chris can make it better. Can you uncle Chris?" She looked up at the young doctor hopefully.
-"Well, we've got to find a hotel first, but what about I come back after and look him over." He suggested.
-"Wait, what hotel?"
-"Well, we can't stay here, can we?"
-"Of course you can. Look, my dad's on a job so there's his room, there's a free guest bedroom and Anna will just sleep with me and Luke in our room. So, if two of you don't mind sharing, there'll be plenty of space."
-"You sure?"
-"Of course, you guys are family." Peyton smiled, happy to have them here, the presence of her four best friends making her more hopeful that they could get through the next seven days without having a major breakdown.