The end of the story really wrote itself…I knew exactly where I was headed, and I hope you guys enjoy it. Please remember to review…I want to know what everyone thinks! Thanks for reading it!
Haley frantically looked around her house, She was anxious but didn't know why. Tyler was in school and Nathan was off somewhere, she wasn't sure. She already had a substitute looking after her classes, she was officially on maternity leave, and she hated it. She turned on the TV and tried to focus on a soap opera that was playing, but she couldn't. Karen would not let her come to the café, afraid that Haley wouldn't take it easy as the doctor requested. She began to pace, she just couldn't sit still.
Brooke acted funny at the airport, it was obvious to her, but Haley didn't question her because she thought that maybe Brooke was just still upset. She picked up the phone and dialed Peyton's cell phone. She knew Peyton was probably busy at work, but she wanted to talk to someone and Brooke didn't answer the last five times she called her.
"Hey Haley, what's up?" Peyton said picking up the phone.
"Hey. Not much, I just really want to talk."
"What's on your mind tutor girl?" Peyton called her that occasionally, more so since Brooke left.
"Nothing really I'm just anxious is all."
"Haley, calm down. You know what the doctor said and unless you want that baby to come to us a month early, then you need to stop pacing and sit down." Peyton said, rationally.
"How'd you know I was pacing?"
"Every time your upset, or you have big news, or your scared, you pace. Pacing is your way of telling people that you are about to say or do something big." Peyton told her, and Haley took a seat.
"Thanks, you know I was thinking."
"What's that?"
"Well our friendship really hasn't been the same in a very long time."
"Yea…"
"It's funny how well we know each other even though we hardly speak anymore." Haley paused not really sure where to go next, "I've missed you Peyton. I know that you feel like I betrayed your best friend, but I've missed you."
"Hales, I have had a lot going on, so our fall out was not based entirely on the situation with Tyler."
"I know, it's just…I mean that's where it began."
"No, it began with me, and when I betrayed Brooke with Lucas. I was jealous that you and she got so close, so I resented you. I felt horrible with what I had done, but I pointed that blame towards you and that was not fair."
"What I did was bad too."
"That's true, but did I jump up and call Brooke either? No, we all decided to let Lucas and Brooke take care of it, when any of us could have picked up the phone and made her life easier."
"Yea, I guess, but still."
"I remember thinking when Lucas told us that you spoke to Brooke and the truth came out, that you were the bravest person I knew."
"Why?"
"Because you did it, you were able to look your best friend in the eye and tell her the truth, I was never able to do that." Peyton said quietly.
"Peyt…"
"No it's true. I always went behind her back and she found out in other ways."
"So, tell me what's going on over at the Sawyer house." Haley said switching topics.
"Jake and I fought this morning, I think that it's finally over."
"Oh Peyton, I'm sorry."
"It's my fault."
"No…"
"Yea it is. I mean he just wants us to be together, get married and be a family. But I can't do it, so I fight, and I tell him things that aren't true."
"What is true?"
"I don't know. I love him, but I feel like he can't give me everything I want."
"What is it that you want?"
"I want…um…I don't know."
"Well you have to figure that out before you can expect anyone to wait for you."
"I know that I want more children. I want to be happy, I want to be loved."
"And what do you feel like you have now?"
"Well I know he loves me, and he wants more than anything to make me happy, but why do I keep pushing my happiness away?"
"I don't know." There was a long pause over the phone, "DO you think it has to do with Lucas?"
"Yea I really do."
"DO you still love him?"
"No, that ship sailed a long time ago." She said with a laugh.
"Then why does it have to do with him?"
"I don't know…I mean I guess…I guess I want to see him happy."
"Before you can be happy?"
"Yea, I mean he deserves it, and I ruined his chance of happiness with Brooke."
"No you didn't. He ruined it, you can't take that blame, and he knew what he was throwing away. You deserve to…OWE!" Haley yelled into the phone. "Oh my God, Peyton!"
"Haley what is it?" Peyton panicked through the phone. "What happened?"
"Owe! Please…"
"What? What? Haley tell me!" Peyton was now screaming.
"Call Nathan, my water broke and it hurts so much. Please…"
"Ok, Haley calm down. I'm calling Nathan and one of us will be right over to pick you up." Peyton said trying to calm her down, but wasn't calm herself.
"Please hurry!" Haley yelled. She threw the phone down and tears fell from her eyes. "Oh baby, please don't come yet, please stay there for one more month." She tried to sooth her baby.
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"Beth, we have to get ready to go. We have to be a Haley's in a half hour." Brooke told the girl. She was going to tell them all the truth tonight. Haley had invited them over for dinner, with Nathan and Tyler. Beth stood up from her homework and glanced at her mother who was pacing the floor.
"Why do we have to get dressed up?"
"I want you to look nice."
"But I stayed there for a week, they know what I look like."
"Elizabeth I will not ask you again, go get dressed." She rolled her eyes at her mother before walking back to her bedroom. Looking at the girl, she had Haley's good looks, and Nathan's spoiled attitude. She was her parent's child; there was no doubt in Brooke's mind now. But she had a ton of Brooke's influences also, especially Brooke's since of style. The thing Brooke was most proud of was Beth's huge heart, Beth, much like herself and Haley, cared about other people overwhelmingly more than Beth could ever imagine. She was always there when anyone needed her and Brooke prayed that she would still love Brooke when she found out the truth.
There was a hard knock at the door, and Brooke opened it to see Lucas and Tyler standing on the other side.
"Hey, come on." Lucas told her urgently.
"We are going to Haley's for dinner. What's up?"
"Haley went into labor. Come on we're going to the hospital." Lucas said pulling her forward.
"Beth!" Tyler called into the house. Beth came running around and they caught her up to speed. Brooke locked the door behind her. On the way to the hospital, Brooke turned to Lucas, noticing that the kids were talking excitedly in the back seat and not listening to their parents.
"She's a month early." She had a worried look in her eye, and Lucas could see it.
"I know. A lot of babies make it prematurely, right?"
"Yea, it's not uncommon." Brooke said trying to convince both herself and Lucas. They got to the hospital quickly and ran into the emergency room. Lucas asked where she was and the nurse told them they would have to wait, and pointed towards the waiting room. The kids had already found Peyton, Jenny and Josh, so they all sat there together, in silence, waiting.
It wasn't long before Nathan came out of the delivery room and found the group, they jumped up expectantly. He shook his head. "It's going to be a while. The doctor said she is only dilated to 5 centimeters and she needs to be at 10. It could take a long time, and she is in so much pain."
"That's how I was when I had Josh, it took 27 hours before I was dilated enough. Make them give her some drugs." Peyton suggested.
"She refused, she wants to do it naturally. After the thing with Lauren, she doesn't want to risk anything." Brooke awkwardly glanced over at Beth, unable to speak. Should she say something, was now the right time? She put the thoughts in the back of her mind; today was Haley's day. Nathan went back into the delivery room, and Brooke turned to everyone else.
"Listen, I'm really tired. I'm going to walk home and come back later." She told them. Lucas jumped up.
"I'll drive you." She shook her head
"No, I want to walk." She gave him a half smile, ensuring him that she was fine.
"Can I stay mom?" Beth spoke up.
"Yea, I want you too. Haley needs all the family here she can get and you're her family." Brooke told her daughter a little too emotionally, Beth knitted her eyebrows and gave her mom an odd look. "I love you guys, and call me if she has the baby." They nodded and watched her go.
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Before Brooke left the hospital she snuck into the pediatrics ward and found a nurse. "Hi, what can I do for you?" The nurse asked her.
"Um, I actually had a question. How far back to your records go?"
"We keep up to 15 years on file in the computers and then we have all the rest back in a archives room." The nurse smiled at Brooke.
"So you can look up if someone was born here about 9, well almost 10 years ago?"
"Sure I can."
"Um, what would you need from me?"
"Is it your child?"
"My adoptive daughter, her father just died and so did her biological mother."
"How sad!" The nurse glanced around, and quietly said, "Listen I'm really not supposed to do this, but under these circumstances I will."
"Thanks," Brooke whispered back. She pulled both birth certificates out of her bag and handed them to the nurse. The nurse typed a few things into the computer and glanced up, after really looking at the certificate.
"Well, this is not even a real birth certificate." She handed the one that Steven and she always had for Beth, back to Brooke.
"You can tell by looking?"
"Sure, but most people can't. You see this mark right here?" She pointed towards a little bitsy mark on the back, that she would have never noticed otherwise. Brooke nodded, "It shows that it was either copied, or scanned, or something. But this one is real, and Lauren was not born here. It says that the mother never made it to the hospital; she delivered in her home, and then brought her here. But she was here, and was healthy." The nurse smiled up at Brooke. "Is there anything else that you need?"
"What are the mothers and fathers name?" Brooke asked confused how this could have happened.
"Well the mother is Kelly, but she didn't leave her last name, and no father came in. But here on the birth certificate there are different names." The nurse looked at the two things oddly. "I don't know what could have happened."
"Who orders birth certificates?"
"Well it all depends where the baby is born. The hospital can do it, or the family can do it. The government only really needs to have a record that a baby was born. So she could have brought the baby in right after she was born, and taken our records and got a birth certificate and social security card on her own." The nurse glanced at Brooke, who had gone pale. "I think you should sit." She insisted.
"No, thank you for all of your help. I appreciate it." Brooke said and then left.
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She swung open the door and saw his sad face. She let him in without a word, and stood looking out her living room window. They didn't need to speak; she knew what he was feeling, because she felt it too. He stood behind her and kissed trail down her neck. She sighed with satisfaction, not joy, happiness, or love, just satisfaction. He turned her around and they stared deeply into each other's eyes. Wanting to rid themselves of the pain and sorrow they each had.
Brooke woke up sweating, and looked around, hopping that the night before had been a dream, but it wasn't and she knew it. She closed her eyes regretting everything, but it happened, and there was nothing she could do. More mistakes, she felt like the mistakes would never stop. She stood up and walked into the bathroom, she couldn't even look at herself in the mirror, without feeling disgusted. She turned on the water and let the warm steam over power her.
"Please," She said hoping he would continue and never stop. If he stopped her world would come crashing down around her once again. He didn't stop, and he didn't speak. They both knew that they weren't making love, they were filling a void.
She turned off the water with tears falling down, what had she done? She slowly got dressed and heard a knock at the door. She walked to it praying that it wasn't him, back for more.
He kissed the tip of her nose ever so lightly before he left. The moment he closed the door, the tears came and the realization of everything came crashing down. She fell asleep alone, but worse than that she felt alone, there was no one to look forward to waking up too.
She swung the door open and stared at the sandy-haired man she once loved standing in front of her grinning. His look of love brought a smile to her face.
"Morning mom," Beth said coming up behind him.
"Dad your such a cheater!" Tyler protested following Beth, "Morning Brooke." She smiled at her boy, our boy, she thought as she glanced at Lucas. She raised her eyebrows questioningly at him.
"We raced from the car, and our son is a sore loser," He explained reading her expression.
Beth looked up at him skeptically and then turned towards Brooke, "No, we wanted to race, and when he pulled to a stop he screamed go and jumped out. He didn't even give us a warning." Lucas grinned proudly leaning against the doorframe.
"And, before we could even open our doors he locked it on us using his little key thing." Tyler said crossing his arms.
"Hey, we didn't set any rules." Lucas defended himself laughing.
"Dad." Tyler said whining.
"Just humor him, he can't accept the fact that he is an old man and he feels he should cheat to win. Just let him win every now and then, he'll feel better." Brooke told the kids laughing.
"An old man huh?" He reached out and tickled her hard in the ribs. She found herself truly laughing for the first time in a while.
"Ok, ok I give." She said unable to breath, but still laughing.
"Say it first." He played not easing up.
"Lucas Scott, you are the king of all races," She paused and he stepped back eyeing her, waiting to hear the rest. A smile played on her lips, he held up his hands daring her to say it wrong, "And you are a major cheater." She said exchanging the last word, she took off with him chasing her, Brooke squealed loudly. He pulled her onto the couch, both laughing. "Ok I meant you're a major hottie." He ceased the tickling and they sat there, entangled limbs together. "I can't believe you made me say that." She said in mock disbelief, and swatted his arm. It took them a moment to see the kids looking at them both like they had grown an extra head. Both with their eyebrows raised, Beth with her hands on her hips, and Tyler with his arms crossed.
"That's what Brooke always said when she wanted me to stop tickling her." Lucas tried to explain.
"Except king of all races, was whatever I wanted." She said grinning down at him.
"Right, well that was a great blast from the past," Beth replied sarcastically, "Thanks for the ride home Uncle Luc." Hearing the words made Brooke choke, she sat up coughing loudly. How did Beth know that he was her uncle? Lucas gently patted her back trying to stop her coughing. "That sounds good right?" Beth said after the coughing died down a little. "I decided since everyone else called everyone by uncle Luc or aunt Haley and so on, I thought I would too." Beth told her mom what they had talked about at the hospital. Brooke took a deep breath and smiled back with a nod, "I'm going to go take a nap. Night." She left the room with a wave.
"Yea, I guess we should go too." Lucas said standing up to go, pulling Brooke up with him. Tyler reached over and hugged her before taking the keys from his dad.
"Night Brooke." He wasn't ready to start with mom, and she had come to terms with that. Whenever he was ready was fine with her. Plus having him in her life was blessing enough for her.
"Are you gonna come over this weekend?" She asked before he left.
"I'm all yours." He smiled and left his two parents alone.
"Are you feeling better?" She glanced at him self-consciously, wrapping her arms around herself. "You looked really down when we got here." He finished.
"Oh, yea…I'm fine…just a lot of things on my mind. Did she have the baby?" Brooke decided to change the subject.
"Yea, a beautiful baby boy. Hayden Nathaniel Scott." Lucas said grinning, Brooke smiled warmly as well.
"I'm gonna stop by later to see him and to check on Haley."
"She would love that." Lucas started towards the door and then paused and turned, "Brooke I have something to ask you. And please feel free to say no."
"Go ahead Luc. You can ask me anything."
"Can I take you out?"
"I don't know…"She said hesitating.
"AS friends, I mean." She glanced at him sideways, not speaking, "No. You know what? I want to date you. We had something great, but so much got in the way, but I never stopped loving you." She gulped hard, would he feel the same way when the truth came out? "I laid my heart out there for you, now it's your turn." She didn't speak; she didn't know what to say, "Fine. Whenever you're ready, I'll be here." He closed the door behind himself and she stood starring, not knowing what to do next.
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She sat down thinking about Lucas, why couldn't she have just said yes? What was her problem? Another knock on the door brought her out of her thoughts, she jumped up hoping it was Lucas again and she could tell him yes. She threw the door open, "Yes…" She didn't finish when she realized that staring back at her was her upset best friend, Peyton.
"Brooke…I need…to…talk to…someone." She said in between sobs. Brooke knitted her eyebrows worried. She stepped out on the porch and closed the door.
"Beth's sleeping." Peyton nodded and sat on the porch swing, Brooke followed her lead. They sat in silence before Brooke spoke up, "Are you gonna tell me what happened?"
"Jake's seeing someone else, I think he's finally over me." Brooke gulped hard wondering if she should really be the one Peyton was talking to about this.
"Why would you say that?"
"I think he slept with her last night." Brooke's eyes widened shocked, she hadn't seen that coming.
"He told you that?" Her voice was shakier than intended, but Peyton didn't notice.
"He didn't have too." She whaled.
"I didn't realize that you two were together again."
"We're not. We got into a huge fight last night, and he said that we weren't continuing in the on again/ off again relationship. And that I needed to choose."
"Ok…"
"Well I chose and then Haley went into labor, and I didn't see him until this morning, but it's too late. Do you think he loves her?"
"No, I really don't think he could love someone else, but I'm confused. Why do you feel it's ok for you to sleep with other people, dating or not, but when it comes to him, it's unforgivable?"
"It just is. I love him."
"He loves you too, so maybe what you've done so many times is unforgivable."
"But he forgives me every time."
"You didn't think that he would always be able to forgive you right?" Brooke looked over at her friend who still looked hurt, "Look, Peyton, you don't know how truly sorry I am, and the situation sucks, but come on." Brooke paused hoping she would already know the rest, but she just stared at Brooke expectantly, "What goes around comes around." Brooke and Peyton rocked in silence, she hoped Peyton understood, she stopped the rocking suddenly, and looked at Brooke. A frightened Brooke glanced back.
"Thank you."
"For what?" Brooke was utterly shocked.
"No one has been that blunt about Jake and I, and no one has told me I was wrong."
"Peyt…" Brooke said beginning to regret her words.
"No…your right…completely right." She stood and looked directly at Brooke, who was still on the seat, "I've hurt him for so long that he was bound to hurt me back." She bent down and hugged Brooke and headed straight towards her house. Silently Brooke wished the best for them.
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Brooke left to get dinner for the two girls, leaving Beth to work on homework. She came home and noticed that Beth was no longer at the table working. "Beth, you better have finished that homework. I have to send it off no later that tomorrow." Brooke yelled into the small house. There was no response, she set down the bags of food and searched the rooms. She wasn't hard to find, she was in Brooke's room, standing next to Brooke's nightstand, holding the papers that she wanted to show her soon. Brooke stood and watched her daughter as she finished reading. Beth sensed her mother's presence looked up, her blue eyes burned a hole into Brooke's chocolate ones.
"What's this?" She spoke threw gritted teeth.
"Beth…" Brooke choked up.
"I want an answer. You owe me an answer."
"I was given that…"
"When?" Beth yelled.
"Before I came back."
"You've had these for a few weeks!" Beth screamed waving the papers around.
"Yea, but…"
"Is it true?" Brooke closed her eyes, willing for the time to reverse so she could have said something sooner. Brooke nodded her head. She heard her daughter's sobbing, and she ran to her. She pulled the girl close to her and rocked her back and fourth.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know." Brooke cried with her. Beth stopped sobbing and looked up; with a disgusted look in her eye she sat there. Before Brooke knew what was happening Beth pushed away from her and stood up, still gripping the papers.
"I hate this, and I hate you. You were supposed to protect me from things that hurt me and you're the one causing the pain."
"No, no I'm not. I just want to…"
"Save it Brooke. Save it for when you have to explain to my mother and father why you have kept this secret." With those words Beth ran out of the house, Brooke still sobbing pulled herself up to follow her, make sure everything was ok, but when she got to the door, she couldn't see her. She wanted to run and try to find her but her stomach turned over, and she threw up.
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Haley was learning how to breast-feed Hayden; she couldn't wait until she was released from the hospital. Because he had been premature, the doctors wanted to keep him at least a week for observation. Everyone had stopped by, Lucas and Tyler everyday, Brooke a couple of times, Peyton and Jake and the kids. Of course Karen, Keith, Dan and Deb had been by plenty as well. She was just really ready to get home.
She wanted to talk with Brooke, she seemed to be distancing herself from everyone, but Haley hadn't gotten a chance to be alone with her and asked her what was up. Since she was being released tomorrow, she would go by and visit, Haley decided in her thoughts. She smiled down at her son, as he finished eating. "Perfect Haley." The nurse who was teaching her said.
"Thanks, I've read a lot about it, but there is nothing like actually doing it." She stood and placed Hayden in a crib they put by her bed. He still slept in the nursery, but during the day she liked to see him by her side. Nathan stood up and admired their son, "He's amazing isn't he?" Nathan said to his wife.
"More than amazing. He's never going to be taken from us." She grinned sadly thinking about the past 10 years. He kissed the top of her head.
"Nope, that is one thing we can be sure about. I watched him the whole time." Both he and Haley had been apprehensive about Hayden, and Nathan silently did exactly what they both wanted, he never left their sons side, at least not until his name was put on his crib.
Haley sat on the bed and Nathan stood next to her, the door swung open without a knock. "Beth!" Haley said surprised. The young girl had tears streaming down her cheeks, and she couldn't stop them.
"Sit down." Nathan said guiding her to the chair in the room. She did as she was told, but the hyperventilation didn't stop. "Put your head between your legs and breath slowly." She followed his instructions and she calmed a few minutes later. She glanced at the two, still sad.
"I'm sorry. I should go." She said standing, but Nathan touched her shoulder and she sat back down.
"No. You're gonna tell us what happened." Nathan told her. She just glanced around the room, unsure of where to start.
"Please, Beth. Whatever it is, we will work it out together." Haley told her trying to get the girl to talk.
"I…I…I just thought I should come and meet my baby brother." She said unable to look at either adult. Haley's mouth dropped and she worriedly glanced at Nathan, who crossed his arms and stood silently. Time passed all around them but none spoke and no one seemed to be breathing. The tears began again.
"Beth…" Nathan began at the same time Haley said, "What…" They nervously glanced at each other. Nathan looked at his wife mentally telling her to take this one. "Um…I think…did you and your mom have a fight?" Haley said thinking of the only logical explanation.
"Yes, but…" She tried to explain.
"So you thought life would be easier as our daughter?" Nathan gently asked her.
"No, it's just…"
"Beth when you fight with you mother you can't just…"
"NO!" Beth yelled cutting Haley off, "I'm sorry, really. I just…I just don't know what to do." She cried.
"Beth, please talk to us, tell us why you think that Hayden is your brother." Haley said now crying with the girl.
"Because he is. I'm Lauren, the baby that's supposed to be dead. I'm here, alive. Surprise." She said still crying but putting her attitude out there.
"No…no you can't…no I'm sorry…this isn't possible." Haley stuttered. Nathan put his arms around his wife and glanced at the little girl that entered their life suddenly and took a hold of their hearts without asking. If she were to disappear right now, they would forever miss her; she looked so much like how they wished their girl would look like, but she wasn't their daughter.
"Beth, Lauren is dead. You can't be here." Nathan tried before he choked up.
"No I'm not. Here read this." She said thrusting the papers at them. The both read the words silently, unable to believe their eyes.
"Is this…" Haley tried to say.
"Mom…Brooke…I don't know what to call her anymore." Beth said crying, "She said she checked it out and it is real." Haley stood up and stepped towards her lost daughter and pulled her into a hug.
"Oh, Beth." Haley cried. "I'm so sorry." Haley pulled back and looked at her, and then pulled her into another hug. She finally released, knowing that Nathan would want to hug their little girl. He did, he held her tight.
"You are not going anywhere. You are our daughter, and I'm not losing you again." He told her, she held on tight too.