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"Karen honey," Keith called as he walked down the hallway towards the kitchen. Karen was putting the finishing touches to a batch of muffins she was making for the café. "You'll never guess what Owen just told me."
"Owen?" Karen asked as she turned to look at Keith.
"Yes Owen." Keith replied with a smile.
"Um, don't tell me that he and Mia are getting married?" Karen asked as she smiled.
"Nope not that." Keith replied.
"I can't think of anything else." Karen told him after she had thought for a few more minutes.
"Well when they went to Brooke and Lucas's to pick up Evelyn, Brooke went into labor." Keith told her.
"She did?" Karen asked as her eyes widened. "It's a little early for them to be arriving."
"It is," Keith agreed. "But we've known that there was a possibility of them being born this early since Brooke went on her bed rest."
"I know," Karen replied as she placed the lid onto the Tupperware container that she had placed the muffins in. "And even though we knew that possibility it's still worrying now that situation has arrived. Do you think we should go to the hospital?"
"No, Owen said that Lucas said he would call us once the babies had been delivered," Keith told her. "We wouldn't be any use there yet anyway."
"Is Owen phoning around everybody or are we going to do it?" Karen asked.
"I told him that we would do it," Keith replied. "Evelyn was crying and it sounded like Mia needed some help. I think we should just call Nathan and Haley for now. That way Lucas can share the news with the others himself."
"Let's just hope that it will be all good news once the babies are here," Karen said as she frowned with worry. "I dread to think what would happen if something horrible happened. They've already been through so much."
~X~
"How are you feeling Brooke?" Dr. Copeland asked as he went into Brooke's private room at the hospital. "Are you still having contractions?"
"Yeah," Brooke replied as she and Lucas looked over at him. "They're definitely on their way huh?"
"I'm afraid they are," Dr. Copeland confirmed as he pulled on a pair of gloves. "I just need to check and see how far dilated you are."
"Does it matter?" Lucas asked in a curious tone. "I mean considering that she's got to have a c-section."
"Lucas!" Brooke said as she gave him a look.
"It's okay," Dr. Copeland assured her. He then looked back at Lucas. "I'm just checking to see if Brooke's cervix has stopped dilating with the drugs we gave her."
"Oh right." Lucas replied. He took hold of Brooke's hand as Dr. Copeland examined her.
"You've definitely dilated another two centimeters since the last time I checked you," Dr. Copeland told her. "We're just finishing prepping the OR so we can deliver your babies. We'll wheel you down there in a few minutes."
"Can Lucas come in with me while the babies are being delivered?" Brooke asked.
"Sure he can," Dr. Copeland told her. "While you're getting your epidural Lucas will have to change into some scrubs so that they're sterile."
"But he'll be in right after that right?" Brooke asked in an anxious tone. "I mean he'll be in there with me before you start the c-section right?"
"Sure he will," Dr. Copeland told her as he smiled warmly as a porter came into her room. "Let's get you to the OR so you can meet your babies."
~X~
Brooke was led on the operating table as she waited for Lucas to come into the room. She had some surgical sheets draped in front of her creating a barrier so she couldn't see past them. She heard the door close and a few moments later; Lucas came into her line of vision. He smiled down at her and she returned it.
"Hey Pretty Girl," he said softly. "How are you feeling?"
"Numb," Brooke replied. "And a little anxious. I hope they're all okay."
"They will be." Lucas assured her.
"Are you two ready to meet your babies?" Dr. Copeland asked them as he was handed a scalpel.
"We sure are." Lucas replied as he took hold of Brooke's hand.
Lucas saw Dr. Copeland make the incision on Brooke's abdomen. He quickly looked away as the sight of Brooke being cut open wasn't something he really wanted to see. He moved his attention back to Brooke's face to see if she showed any sign of discomfort. He gave her a reassuring smile as she gave him an anxious glance.
"Okay Brooke you'll feel some tugging now," a nurse told her. "That will be Dr. Copeland getting the first baby out."
"Okay." Brooke replied as she squeezed Lucas's hand. He squeezed it back in response.
"Here comes baby number one," Dr. Copeland announced. Lucas looked over and saw him lift the tiny baby from Brooke. "Congratulations it's a boy."
"Is he one of the twins?" Brooke asked as a small cry was heard.
"He sure is," Dr. Copeland said as he cut the cord. Lucas was shocked at how small the baby was. "Have you got a name for him?"
"Which name are we going to pick for him Pretty Girl?" Lucas asked.
"Can I see him first?" Brooke asked.
"Sure you can," the nurse replied as she brought the baby over to Brooke. "Here's your mommy and daddy."
"He can be James Lucas Scott," Brooke said as she looked at her first born. "Hi little guy."
"Hi Jamie." Lucas said as he felt himself become emotional.
"I have to get him in his incubator now," the nurse said in an apologetic tone. "You can see him again when he's in the NICU."
"Okay," Brooke said in a whisper as she looked back at Lucas. Her own eyes filled with tears as she said. "He's so tiny."
"I know he is Brooke," Lucas said as he leant down and kissed her forehead lovingly. "But he's in the best possible hands right here."
"And he's also a big brother," Dr. Copeland announce as the cry of baby number two could be heard. Lucas straightened and glanced over at the second baby. "I know you already know this but he's another boy."
"That's good to know." Lucas said as he managed a smile. Dr. Copeland then handed the baby over to another nurse. She then moved to show him to Brooke and Lucas.
"What shall we call him Luke?" Brooke asked as they looked at him.
"He can be Jack Thomas Scott." Lucas said.
"Hi Jack," Brooke said moments before the nurse whisked him away. "Now we get the surprise of baby number three."
"I can't wait." Lucas said before he kissed Brooke again.
"You won't have to wait much longer," Dr. Copeland told them. Moments later, the cries of baby number three could be heard. "Here she is."
"She?" Brooke asked in an incredulous tone.
"Yes she," Dr. Copeland confirmed. "Congratulations you have a daughter."
"What do you want to name her?" Lucas asked as his tears escaped his eyes.
"Summer Dawn Scott," Brooke said instantly. "That's the name I fell in love with for a girl."
"It's perfect for our daughter," Lucas said as a third nurse showed their baby girl to them. "She's a lot smaller than her brothers."
"She's a good size for her stage though," Dr. Copeland assured him. "That's the main thing."
"Good." Lucas said in a relieved tone.
"They all look so perfect," Brooke said as Lucas gently wiped her tears away. "Tiny but perfect."
"That's because you helped to make them." Lucas replied. Brooke smiled at him in response.
"I'm just going to close you up now Brooke," Dr. Copeland told her. "Then we'll take you through to recovery."
"It's done already?" Brooke asked in surprise.
"Yep," Dr. Copeland said. "Everything is out that should be out including both placentas."
"What about the babies?" Lucas asked.
"They will be taken to the NICU so we can monitor them closely," a nurse told him. "We'll keep them in their incubators and help them with their breathing until they can do so for themselves. The steroid shots we gave you earlier should have helped strengthen their lungs as well. We'll be able to keep them at a steady temperature in them as well."
"What about feeding them?" Brooke asked.
"They'll be fed through a tube," the nurse told her as she gave her a friendly smile. "If you want to express your milk we can feed it to them through that."
"But you're resting before you do that," Dr. Copeland told her as he finished stitching her belly. "There we go, all done."
"Wow that was fast." Lucas said in a surprised tone as he looked over at the staff that was busy working on their babies.
"I don't like to mess around when I don't have to," Dr. Copeland told him as he laughed. "Now let's get Brooke to the recovery room."
~X~
Brooke woke up and looked around her private room at the hospital. She saw that it was now daylight. She also discovered that her epidural had worn off. She moaned groggily and Lucas almost instantly appeared in her line of vision. She managed a small smile as she saw him.
"What time is it?" she asked in a hoarse voice.
"It's just after nine thirty," Lucas told her. "You slept for a solid six hours."
"How are the babies?" she asked.
"I went to see them about half an hour ago," Lucas told her. "They're little fighters. They're hooked up to a lot of machines and the nurse explained what each of them did but it was like she was speaking a foreign language."
"I can imagine," Brooke replied as she frowned. "Do you think you can get a nurse to give me some pain relief?
"Sure I can. I'll be right back," Lucas told her as he leaned down and kissed her forehead. He then headed out of the room. It was only a matter of moments before he returned. "The nurse will be along in a few minutes. Is that okay?"
"Yeah I think I can last that long," Brooke told him as he perched on the bed beside her. "Have you told everybody our news yet?"
"Not yet," Lucas admitted. "I fell asleep not long after you and woke up just before I went to see the babies."
"I think you should call them and tell them," Brooke said. "And get someone to bring me some breakfast. I bet I've missed it here huh?"
"Yeah we did," Lucas replied as he linked his fingers through hers. "I was thinking we could ask my mom to bring some of that awesome cooking of hers with her."
"I like that idea," Brooke told him. "Can you tell who the babies look like yet?"
"Well Jamie and Jack have blonde hair like me," Lucas began. "And Summer has dark hair like you. I don't know what color eyes they have yet as they were sleeping."
"Did you find out their weights and the times they were born?" Brooke asked him hopefully.
"I did. Jamie was born at 2:12 a.m. and weighed two pounds and eight ounces," Lucas began. "Jack was born at 2:17 a.m. and weighed two pounds exactly. And Summer was born at 2:23 a.m. and weighed two pounds exactly."
"That sounds really, really small," Brooke said as her brow creased in worry. "And she's doing okay so far?"
"Yes she is," Lucas told her. "She's a fighter just like her mom."
"Have they been fed yet?" Brooke asked.
"Yeah they've had some of the milk you managed to express before you fell asleep," Lucas told her. "There's still some left so you don't have to worry about doing that again anytime soon. Unless your body says otherwise of course."
"Which it is." Brooke replied as a nurse came into the room.
"While you're getting your pain meds I'll go and start calling around our family to tell them the news," Lucas said as he let go of her hand and stood. "I'll bring you a coffee back too."
~X~
"Who was on the phone?" Keith asked Nathan as he walked into his lounge. Nathan was just setting the phone back into the charging cradle. "Was it Lucas?"
"Yeah it was." Nathan replied as he turned and headed back to the sofa. He sat beside Haley as Karen came into the room with a tray of drinks for them all. She and Keith sat across from Nathan and Haley on the other sofa. She had decided not to open the café so she could stay at home and wait on news from Lucas.
"What did he say?" Keith asked in an anxious tone. "Did everything go okay?"
"Yes everything went better than expected," Nathan told him. He grinned as he added. "You have three grandchildren; two boys and a girl."
"What are they called?" Haley asked eagerly.
"James Lucas, Jack Thomas and Summer Dawn," Nathan replied. "James is the oldest and Summer the youngest. He sounded so happy when he was telling me."
"I can imagine he is," Keith said as he grinned. "You'll be the same when it's your turn with Alyssa."
"I can't wait until she's here," Nathan said as he placed his hand on Haley's bump. "Oh mom, Lucas wants to know if you can take him and Brooke some breakfast when we go and visit. He and Brooke missed out."
"Sure I can do that," Karen replied. "Did he say what they wanted?"
"No he didn't," Nathan replied. "You should just make them pancakes. It'll be easier."
"Just don't let Nathan hold them on the way," Haley added as she shook her head at him. "You only suggested that because you want some too."
"I'll make Nathan some as well," Karen said in an amused tone. "I'll even take the muffins to the hospital that I made for the café. That way they won't go to waste."
"Can I have some of those muffins?" Nathan asked hopefully. He was rewarded by being hit in the face with a cushion by Haley as Karen headed into the kitchen to get started on the pancakes for Brooke and Lucas.
~X~
"That'll be my caffeine intake for the day," Brooke said as she finished the coffee Lucas had brought her. She was now sat up in her bed. "They said I was allowed a cup."
"Did you manage to use the pump okay?" Lucas asked her as he finished his own coffee.
"Yeah, I did. The nurse says I'm a whiz," Brooke replied. "At least she didn't have to watch me this time."
"That's one good thing," Lucas said. "Oh Mia says I have to tell you that the kittens are doing great. She and Owen went to check on them this morning. They'd eaten all the food I put out last night so Owen gave them some fresh stuff and cleaned up their mess."
"I'm glad they're checking the fur balls," Brooke said as she smiled. "Did you ask your mom about breakfast because I am starving?"
"Yeah I told Nathan to pass a message onto her," Lucas told her. "I just hope he hasn't eaten it all on the way here."
"I bet you're on about Nathan huh?" Haley asked as she walked into the room.
"How did you guess?" Lucas asked.
"Because he usually eats anything in the vicinity," Haley told him as he moved out of his chair so she could sit down. She did and smiled at Brooke. "How are you feeling?"
"Lighter," Brooke replied with a slight laugh. "I was feeling sore but my pain meds have kicked in."
"Just think Lucas, you can get back to your newly wed antics in a few days." Nathan said as he came into the room carrying a huge bunch of helium balloons and some cards.
"It'll be longer than a few days Nathan," Lucas told him as he shook his head. "It'll be at least six weeks."
"Six weeks?" Nathan asked in surprise.
"See I told you that he never pays any attention to anything that I say." Haley said as she rolled her eyes.
"I brought breakfast." Karen said as she came into the room carrying a bag that had food and paper plates in it.
"I am so hungry," Brooke said as Lucas took the bag from Karen. He placed it on the table and wheeled it so that it sat over the bed. He then took the items out and placed them onto the table before removing the bag. Brooke looked into one of the tubs. "Mmm pancakes. Is there syrup?"
"Of course," Lucas said as he produced the bottle. He opened it for her as she piled pancakes onto the plate. Keith came into the room at that point. "Hey dad."
"Hey Luke," he replied. "It took me a while to find a parking space."
"I thought I'd get the food up here while it was still warm." Karen explained.
"Hell I'd eat these pancakes even if they'd been dragged along the floor." Brooke said as she began to tuck into her food. Lucas copied her actions.
"So how does it feel to be Grandparents?" Lucas asked Karen and Keith.
"Pretty damn amazing," Keith replied as he grinned. "Do you have any pictures of them?"
"Yeah I got some when I went down to see them while Brooke was still sleeping," Lucas replied as he pulled out his cell phone. He got the pictures up on screen and passed it to Keith. "I even got shots so it shows their name labels so we know which boy is which."
"They look tiny." Keith said as he and Karen looked at the pictures.
"They do," Lucas agreed. "But the doc's said that they're fighters."
"That's good," Nathan said as he placed the balloons by Brooke's bed. He then placed the unopened cards beside her. "These are just from us four. The others are dropping theirs off when they come to see you."
"I hope there's a schedule." Brooke joked causing them all to laugh.
"I think there is," Haley said as she laughed. "So Brooke what was the c-section like?"
"I don't really know how to answer that," Brooke replied. "I just led there while Dr. Copeland rummaged around in my abdomen."
"Nice imagery there Brooke." Nathan said as he pulled an unimpressed face. Karen then handed him Lucas's phone so that he could see the triplets.
"Did you feel anything?" Haley asked.
"Not really," Brooke replied. "The only thing I really felt was pressure and then a bit of tugging."
"Whereas I got to see some of what was going on." Lucas said as he frowned slightly.
"What was that like?" Nathan asked.
"Well it wasn't pretty seeing my wife cut open like that," Lucas told him. "But then when I saw the babies as they came out that totally made up for it."
"What was it like when you held them?" Haley asked.
"We've not actually been able to yet," Lucas said as he perched on the bed beside Brooke. "They rushed them to the NICU after we saw them."
"Man that sucks," Nathan said in a sympathetic tone. "When can you hold them?"
"That is the million dollar question Nathan," Brooke replied. "They won't even let me go to see them again yet. They said I have to rest for a few hours more."
"Did they mention anything about how long they'll be in here for?" Karen asked.
"They said that they'll more than likely be kept in until the date that they should have been born," Lucas said. "So we should get them home in November."
"Wow that's ages away," Nathan said quietly. He then cheered up slightly as he added. "At least you'll have plenty of time to get their nurseries sorted for when they are allowed home."
"True," Lucas agreed as he finished his pancakes. "They were awesome mom. Just what I needed."
"Same here," Brooke agreed as she finished hers. "Thanks Karen."
"You're welcome sweetie," Karen told her as she grinned. Haley then handed Lucas his phone back after she had looked at the pictures. "I have to say that I love the names that you chose."
"Thank you," Brooke replied. "We came up with them one evening when we were looking at the rooms we're going to use as the nurseries."
"Are you still having three separate ones?" Haley asked curious.
"We're not sure." Lucas replied.
"We might put the boys in the same one and have Summer in her own," Brooke said before she yawned. "I can't believe I'm yawning."
"I'm not surprised," Karen said in a knowing tone. "It takes a lot out of you having babies."
"Even though I didn't actually push them out?" Brooke asked in surprise.
"Brooke you just had major surgery," Karen pointed out. "That will take it out of you as well."
"But I slept for ages." Brooke said.
"You slept for six hours." Lucas told her as she yawned again.
"We should go," Haley said. "We should let Brooke get her rest."
"You don't have to go." Brooke insisted.
"Yes we do," Nathan insisted as he saw the look that Haley was giving him. "You should rest. Come on Hales."
"Do you want us to tell the others not to come?" Keith asked Lucas.
"Yeah that's probably for the best," Lucas said. "I mean it's not like you can see the babies really. And like Nathan says Brooke needs to rest."
"Okay, I'll call everybody and let them know." Keith told his son. He, Karen, Nathan and Haley then said their goodbyes before they left Brooke and Lucas alone.
~X~
"Where did you get that from?" Brooke asked as Lucas wheeled a chair into her room several hours later. "I thought they said that I couldn't go just yet?"
"I borrowed it from the area where they parked them up," Lucas told her. "The nurses are busy so I can sneak you to the NICU now."
"You're going to have to lift me." Brooke told him.
"I will," he assured her. "And I'll be real gentle. Let's get this robe on you first."
He went over to the bed and helped her get her arms into her robe. He then carefully gathered her into his arms and lifted her from the bed. She winced and gasped as the wound on her abdomen protested. She clung onto him as he carefully lowered her into the wheelchair and she closed her robe.
He wheeled the chair out of her private room and began to make his way towards the NICU. It took him only a matter of moments. He punched the code into the keypad on the wall and the door opened. He wheeled Brooke through and over to where their babies were.
The three of them were grouped together almost in a corner. Brooke was relieved that she was at a height where she could see them clearly without having to stretch or stand. Lucas parked her chair at a spot where she could see all three of them clearly. She felt her eyes fill with tears as she saw them.
"They look so small and fragile," Brooke said as she looked from Jamie, to Jack and then to Summer. "But they also look perfect."
"They do," Lucas said as he pulled a chair up and sat beside her. "We did good in making them huh?"
"Yeah we did," Brooke agreed as she rested her head on his shoulder. "I just hope they get through the next few weeks so we can take them home and be a family."
"They will Pretty Girl, they will." Lucas said before he moved his hand to her chin and lifted her head. He then brought his lips to hers and kissed her lovingly. They both then went back to watching their babies.
