Rose waited for the social worker to come out with Graycie. She was extremely nervous. She didn't know if she could handle being a mother of a two-year-old and also being a student all at once. It seemed unreal as the worker stepped out with Graycie in her arms, and Rose immediately recognized the features of both her and Steven in the little one's face. She knew this was her child, and she knew at that moment that she would do anything to protect that child.
After the social worker explained everything to Rose and Rose signed some paperwork, she was given Graycie.
"Who in their right mind would give a teenager a baby?" a nearby woman commented loudly. Rose didn't pay her any mind. All she cared about at that moment was the happy little toddler in her arms, who was playing with her hair and giggling at the stranger who held her. Graycie somehow seemed to know, though, who Rose was. After a few minutes, Rose turned to Jake.
"You wanna hold her?"
Jake hesitated, but he nodded. Rose then gave him the baby carefully as if Graycie were a fragile porcelain doll. Graycie seemed uneasy at first, but once Jake smiled at her, she smiled back, sensing this was a good person too.
Jake and Rose knew that this would change their lives dramatically, but as they walked back out to the car, they didn't seem to mind it at all.
...
"She looks like Steven," Antonio said.
"Well, she is Steven's daughter, you moron," Reese said.
Graycie stared at her two uncles, looking very confused. Rose chuckled. "She doesn't like you guys. I don't blame her."
"You know what, Rose, you can take your attitude and-"
"And I can what, Tony?" Rose interrupted, amused.
"I don't know," Antonio said, switching gears.
"That's what I thought. You know, it's been fun, you guys, but we've gotta get back to Tree Hill," Rose said.
...
The trip was long, especially with a toddler taking it with them, but they managed to get back to Tree Hill.
"You know," Jake said as he held Graycie so that Rose could unlock her hotel room, "if you don't think a hotel room's a good place for Graycie, I could always get my parents to let you keep her there."
"Thanks, honey, but I've spent too long without my child, I don't want to keep her somewhere where she's not around me."
"Look at you, already sounding like a mother," Jake half-teased.
"Haven't you heard," Rose retorted, "I am a mother." She turned to Graycie and said in a high-pitched, happy voice: "Aren't I, Graycie?"
Graycie laughed, even though she probably had no idea what was said. Rose opened the door and gasped. There was a crib already set up, and baby toys around it, along with a stack of baby clothes on Rose's bed.
"Who has the key to your hotel room?" Jake asked.
"The mayor can get in anywhere, Mr. Jagielski," a familiar but cold voice said from the chair in the room. Rose and Jake turned around, saw Dan, and Rose's hand flew to her chest in startled anger.
"What the hell are you doing here, Dan?" Rose asked. She knew seeing Dan Scott was never a good thing.
"I figured you weren't prepared for your own child, and you weren't, so I got you some things," Dan said, a condescending smile on his face.
"Sure, okay, yeah, but what are you still doing here? Oh, right, gotta make me feel bad for hating you because you did something for me. Kudos to you, Mayor Scott, for trying."
"Wow, Rose, is this how you thank everybody?" Dan retorted.
"Nah, but I see no reason to thank you when you didn't really give me anything. You, businessman you are, are here to make a deal, aren't you?"
"I still want you to leave Tree Hill."
"And you think setting me up here's gonna make me leave?"
"Listen, Rose, you come in with no warning claiming to be my daughter-"
"-Isn't a claim, it's the truth. Face it. You're a terrible parent and all of your children can vouch for that. Give two up, drill one to the breaking point. I heard about his little steroid incident. Get out of here, Dan, take the stuff. I don't need it and I don't need you."
Dan put his hands up in some sort of mock surrender. "Whatever, Miss Gallagher, you've picked your own fight." And even though he said that, he left without the baby things.
Jake was still standing there with Graycie, who was unaffected by the argument and now asleep with her head on Jake's shoulder.
"I'm sorry, Jake, I didn't know he would do that."
"It's okay, Rose. It's not your fault. You know what, it's been a long couple of weeks. You get some rest, huh?"
Rose looked at her baby in her love's arms. "Seems like the trend," she said, smiling.
...
"Hey, look who's back," Lucas said as Rose and Jake walked up to one of the tables in the courtyard at lunch.
"Yes, sir, I am."
"Where's my niece?"
"Lucas, I can't bring my child to school," Rose chuckled as she and Jake sat in the gap between Lucas and Brooke.
Lucas joked back, "Why not? Babies need to learn, too."
"Lucas, I'm not sure she should learn calculus when she's still learning her ABC's," Jake said. Rose laughed.
Peyton sat down, and Brooke started to stand, but Rose grabbed her arm and sat her back down. "Time to act grown."
"Oh, wow, Rose," Brooke said.
"Don't 'oh, wow, Rose' me. I'm sick of this conflict. Y'all need to resolve it because y'all have been friends too long not to."
"Need I remind you that you were the one who started all this?" Brooke asked, irritated.
"Okay, so I was. Sue me. I realize what I did wrong and I shouldn't've gotten in the middle of it. But you two need to either work it out or chill because I love both of you and I want you around."
"You're not the only Scott to tell us that."
"Oh, whatever," Rose said, sighing.
Brooke huffed. "I'm not talking to her."
"Then don't act immature either."
"What's your problem, Rose?" Brooke asked.
"My problem is people being too petty too often. Life is too short, okay? You and Peyton are too-were, I guess, too good of friends to let this come between you. So Lucas and Peyton made a mistake, but don't act like you're a saint yourself. We've all done stupid crap, 'kay? None are infallible."
"What was that at lunch?" Jake asked earlier when he and Rose were alone.
"I guess I realized that life is too short to push away the people you love and that love you."
"Does this have something to do with Steven?"
"Yeah, Steven, Keith, Jimmy. All those. Their lives were too short, and I think that maybe if Jimmy had people that he loved and that he felt genuinely loved him, he might not have done what he did. So I guess it's mostly about Jimmy Edwards."
"So you're applying that to Brooke and Peyton?" Jake asked.
"Yeah, they're best friends, whether they like it or not, and I know I was wrong to get between them like that, but they keep pushing each other away over some dude. It isn't worth it."
"You're right, Rose."
"I know I am," Rose smirked.
"Right" is a word that is often thrown around and has many meanings. Do the right thing. Right and left. Everyone has rights. And looking at Jake and holding her beautiful baby girl, she knew that in this world of wrong, she was doing something right.
