A/N: Sorry for the shortness of the chapter, but once you read it, I hope that you'll agree that nothing more needed to be said. ;)

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own characters.

Brooke found Jake and ushered him out to the car. She wanted to beat the ambulance back to Tree Hill. She hated the fact that Charity chose to ride alone, and she didn't want to return to an empty hospital room.

"What's wrong?" She asked Jake, noticing how down he appeared to be. Jake gave her a small smile before he turned and stared at the passing traffic.

"I talked to Peyton." He said softly. Brooke's heart went out to him. She knew how much he had suffered, still suffered, after his split with Peyton. She knew exactly how he was feeling. She'd been in close proximity to Lucas for two days and her nerves were fried. He still had so much power over her. She wished she could flip a switch and turn off her reaction to him along with her feelings.

"I'm sorry Jake. Is there anything I can do?" She offered. She knew that there was nothing that she could say or do, but she wanted him to know that she was there.

"No, I'll be alright. Actually, I'm not even that upset over her, which is surprising. I thought seeing her would affect me so much more than it did. It's like I built up the moment, thinking that I would be devastated, but I'm not." He said animatedly, turning to face Brooke. Brooke smiled at the man that she had come to cherish. She hadn't had anyone that she could count on, as much as she had Jake, since high school.

"That's great. If you're finally getting over Peyton, then maybe there is hope for me after all." She shrugged sadly. Jake reached out and squeezed her hand.

"I know there is Brooke. One of these days you'll meet a man whose worthy of you, I know it." He said encouragingly. Brooke nodded slowly, wishing she was as sure of herself as Jake was.

"So, how is Charity doing?" He asked, letting go of her hand. In the back of her mind, she wished he hadn't, but she quickly pushed that thought out of her head.

"She's doing better. Well, physically. The doctor said that she'll be in physical therapy for a couple weeks, then outpatient pt for another six weeks or so. She'll get to come home when she can walk with support." Brooke said, trying to keep her voice upbeat. Charity's prognosis could have been much more devastating, but it was already awful enough for Brooke. She didn't know if she had the strength to watch Charity pull away and shut everyone out for another few weeks.

"I suppose it could be worse." Jake said, giving Brooke a sideways glance. She nodded, as she weaved in and out of traffic.

"I know, I could be burying her, instead of girl that she grew up with." Brooke admitted, breaking down into tears. Jake rubbed her back and coaxed her to exit the freeway. As they pulled over in a parking lot, Brooke sobbed into Jake's chest. She had been trying to be strong for her daughter, and push the what-if's to the back of her mind, but she couldn't contain her emotions any longer.

"Brooke, it's going to be alright. Charity is going to be fine. She's a fighter, just like her mother." Jake whispered reassuringly, as he continued to hold her tightly. Jake cupped her chin, brushing a stray hair from her face, and leaned in to her. Brooke's eyes grew wide as she realized that Jake was kissing her. His lips touched hers so softly, that she almost wondered if she hadn't imagined the whole thing.

"I'm sorry if that was too forward." Jake began apologizing, as Brooke continued to stare at him in silence. Brooke searched for adequate words to describe the way she was feeling. Finding none, she crashed her lips into his.

It was quite some time before her car was back on the road.