Santa Barbara Airport

A few days later

My vacation had ended so quickly, I thought as I stood in the waiting area with my aunt and cousin Breanna, waiting for my flight back to Tree Hill. As glad as I was to go home, I was just as sad to have to leave everyone. In the few days I had spent here, Breanna and I had become close friends. And in my Aunt Quinn I had found someone to whom I could confide all my worries. I knew my secret was safe with her. And yet, I knew that I couldn't wait forever to tell my Mom and the others as well. But there was still plenty of time left for that, I told myself. My plane was called up and Breanna took a step towards me and pulled me into a hug.

"I'll miss you," she said in a brittle voice. "It would have been so nice if you could have stayed a little longer. We could have done so much together."

I hugged her and could barely hold back my tears. "We're texting, okay?" I promised. "And of course you can come to visit me anytime."

"Text me how the baby is doing and send me some pictures."

Involuntarily, my hand went to my flat stomach. When I wasn't remembered, I almost forgot that something was growing inside of me. "Yes, I promise," I mumbled. Now my aunt joined us too.

"Lydia, I know it won't be easy for you in the foreseeable future, but please don't wait too long to tell your parents and the others," she begged. "And if you need someone to talk to, I'm always there for you."

Now I couldn't hold back my tears and pressed my face against her shoulder, sobbing helplessly. "Thanks for everything, Aunt Quinn. I wish we wouldn't live so far away. Then we could see each other more often."

Once again the flight was called up.

"Lydia, you have to hurry. Otherwise you'll miss your plane!" Breanna warned.

I picked up my bag and finally went through the gangway and entered the plane. The tears were still flowing when the plane finally took off and left Santa Barbara. Many hours of flight lay ahead of me, so I took the blanket that had been lying on my seat, curled up and tried to sleep. Time flew by, in the truest sense of the word, and it was already afternoon when the plane landed in Tree Hill. I got my bag from the baggage claim area and then looked around who would pick me up. After all, it was Jamie, who had come and took me in his arms to welcome me.

"Hey, little sister! How are you? Mom and Dad can't wait to see you again."

I carefully freed myself from his arms. "Can we go to the Bakers first?" I asked him. "Sawyer texted me what had happened with Davis, and I just want to know if he's okay."

"Didn't he call and tell you that by himself?" He asked in surprise.

I nodded. "Yes, he did, but he didn't tell me the whole truth why he had to cancel his trip to Santa Barbara. I learned from Sawyer that he had to stay in a prison cell overnight."

Jamie scratched his head thoughtfully. "Justin told me. Well, I can understand why he didn't tell you. Staying and locked up in a sobering-up cell overnight isn't something you want to brag about." He cleared his throat. "However, he wasn't totally blameless what had happened to him."

"You've never been in love," I said to Davis's defense.

"That has hardly anything to do with love," Jamie said, rolling his eyes. "Rather with stupidity. But for all I care, I'll bring you to him. But you can't stay long, okay? Mom and Dad are already waiting for us."

All the way to the Baker's house, I was getting more and more nervous. My little secret was still safe, but for how much longer? It would be weird to see him again, knowing that I was having his baby. The last time we met, I wasn't even sure that the test was correct. Now I had an ultrasound scan as proof. Jamie stopped in front of the house and let me out.

"15 minutes, not a minute longer. Do you hear me? We're already late, because the plane was delayed," he said.

I promised to be back in 15 minutes and then walked slowly to the front door. My knees felt like jelly and my heart was pounding nervously. It was Jude who opened me after I had knocked. Seeing him felt strange, after what Davis had told me. And he, too, seemed embarrassed.

"You would like to see Davis, I presume?" He asked, clearing his throat.

I nodded. "Is he at home?"

"He is upstairs."

He opened the door for me and I wondered if we could ever become the friends we once were. I used to come to the Baker's house to visit him. Now I was here for his brother. Strange how things had changed. I wanted to walk past him to the stairs, when he reached for my arm.

"Can we talk for a moment?"

I nodded and looked at him frowning. I had no idea what he wanted to talk to me about. But I was curious. "What is it?" I asked hesitantly, after we had gone into the living room and had taken a seat at the couch. I thought he wanted to discuss how we had never broken up with each other officially. But it was something completely different, as I should learn right away.

"I know you're pregnant," he said quickly.

My heart skipped a beat. "Who told you?" I stammered.

He toyed nervously with his fingers. "Sawyer told me," he confessed.

For a moment, the floor seemed to move under me, and I was glad I was sitting. "Who... who else knows about it?" I managed to utter.

"Justin and Izzy know it too," he said. "They went to Sawyer shortly after Davis had disappeared."

Why hadn't Sawyer told me that the others already knew? My best friend had betrayed me! I closed my eyes in frustration.

"Are you here to tell him?"

It took me awhile to grasp the meaning of his question and then shook my head slowly. But at the same time, I wondered how much longer I could keep it a secret from Davis, when everyone else already knew about it.

"Mom and Dad are at work, Izzy is at school and Justin has basketball training," Jude said. "Only Davis and I are here. So the opportunity would be perfect to tell him that he's becoming a father."

"This just can't be true!"

Startled, we turned to the door and looked into Jamie's face, who looked at us with a stunned expression. I felt my heart beat faster in fear and jumped up. "Jamie! What are you doing here?" I stuttered.

"Repeat what you said!" He asked Jude and approached him in a threatening manner.

My ex-boyfriend looked at me with a worried look, and I felt compelled to clear things up for Jamie. "I'm pregnant!" I blurted out, anxiously waiting for his reaction.

"Then I didn't hear wrong."

"Jamie, I..." I started, but he didn't even let me speak.

"Where's that bastard who got you knocked up?!" He blurted out furiously, his hands clenched into fists.

Panic overcame me. "Leave Davis alone!" I begged. "I haven't told him yet." But Jamie was blind with anger. And so I could only watch helplessly as he ran out of the living room and then took the stairs up to Davis's room. For a moment I was too paralyzed to react. But when Jude grabbed my hand and pulled me along, life came back to me. But as much as we hurried to follow Jamie, we came too late. He already had Davis in a stranglehold and had pushed him against the wall so that he couldn't fight back.

"You're the last scum, Baker!" He yelled at him. "Not only did you sleep with half of all high school girls, you also had to knock up my little sister! I should have let you drown back then."

I closed my eyes as Davis's horrified look hit me. I didn't want him to know about the baby that way. But now it was too late and all I could do was try to stop Jamie from beating him to a pulp. "Let him go!" I begged. "Please Jamie, for my sake! Be reasonable!" Relieved, I realized that he actually relaxed his grip on Davis and then released him.

"He's not worth getting my hands dirty on him," he said snidely and spat on the floor in front of Davis's feet.

When he reached for my hand and pulled me out of the room, I cast one last look back and saw Jude bending down and talking to Davis, who was sitting on the floor. My stomach clenched. I didn't want to leave him alone now, but Jamie's grip on my wrist was firm, and I was afraid I would only make him even more angry when I asked him to stay. And so I finally gave in and followed my brother out. Silently we went to the car and he opened the door to let me in. "Are you going to tell Mom and Dad?" I asked him in a low voice. For a moment he remained silent and just started the engine and drove off. "Jamie?" His answer came a little later and he didn't even look at me.

"No, you are going to tell them."

I didn't know what to answer but just closed my eyes and let him drive me home.

House of the Bakers

When Lydia and Jamie left, I sat next to my brother on the floor and looked at him with concern. He seemed to have a shock because he just stared into space without being able to talk or move. "Hey! Are you okay?" I asked worriedly.

"Did you know?"

I had expected this question, and yet it wasn't easy to tell him the truth. "Yes, I knew it," I admitted, looking down to the floor. "Just like Justin, Izzy and Sawyer." I felt that he was looking at me in disbelief and I raised my head to meet his gaze. "After you disappeared, Justin and Izzy drove to Sawyer," I told him. "It was just a stupid coincidence that Sawyer got the ultrasound picture Lydia had sent her just then. Justin and Izzy saw it and then found out about the pregnancy." I pulled my phone out of my pocket. "Izzy sent me the picture later. Do you want to see it?"

"Not now."

When he turned away and looked in another direction, I was the one who looked at him in disbelief. "Come on, Davis! That's your child as well," I said urgently. "You can't pretend it's none of your business."

"Are you sure she even wants the baby?"

I was prepared for everything, except for this question. I looked at him in shock. "You don't really think Lydia would be able to have an abortion!" I shook my head. "You probably don't know her as well as I do, but she'd never be capable of doing that!"

"Why did she lie to me? We talked about it on her birthday, and she assured me I didn't have to worry. She said she got her bleeding."

"You talked about it?" I asked surprised. "Why?"

"Because there was a slim chance that she was pregnant," he confessed after a moment's hesitation. "I just don't understand why she didn't tell me the truth then."

"Out of fear, perhaps?" I suggested.

"Why should she be afraid of me?"

I could tell from his helpless expression that he apparently had no idea why Lydia had reacted that way. "She wasn't afraid of you, but of your reaction," I clarified. "You're both 17. Not necessarily the age when you start a family. What about school and education? Do you want to move in together, get married...?" I couldn't finish the sentence because he interrupted me.

"Get married?!" He gasped aghast. "Are you nuts? As you have just noted, Lydia and I are still minors. We aren't allowed to get married. And I don't intend to do it anytime soon. As for school and education... why should a baby be an obstacle?"

"Not for you, you fool!" I rolled my eyes impatiently. "For Lydia. A baby is a big responsibility. You have to take care of it around the clock. How is she supposed to get an education under such circumstances?"

"You seem to have already dealt with the topic in great detail," he said dryly.

"I just informed myself," I replied. "After I found out that Lydia is pregnant, I did some research on the internet."

"What would I do without you, Bro." He rolled his eyes. "Maybe you and Lydia should have the baby together because you already know so much about it."

I heard the sarcastic undertone and sighed softly. "I would like to do it, but it's not my baby... it is yours. So you have to take responsibility for it." I cleared my throat. "Just tell me,... didn't you use condoms?"

"Ever heard of a 'broken condom'?"

I looked at him incredulously. "Seriously? I always thought that was just an excuse for those who forgot to use protection."

"What should I do now?" He exclaimed desperately. "I've never been in such a situation before. And honestly, I didn't plan on becoming a father so soon!"

"If it gives you comfort, you and Lydia are not alone. We are all here to help you. Justin, Izzy and I have already discussed that."

"What about Mom and Dad?"

"You can only find that out by talking to them." I looked at him thoughtfully. "But first you should have an earnest discussion with Lydia."

"And how should I do that? Jamie will watch like a hawk over her from now on, that I don't get too close to her," he sighed.

"Then ask Justin for help," I suggested. "The two are close friends. If Justin talks to him, he'll change his mind about you."

"Would you show me the ultrasound picture, please."

I looked at him surprised about the change of subject and then took my phone and scrolled through my list of pictures. "Here you are," I said, showing him his baby. A whole palette of emotions was reflected in his face as he stared at the ultrasound image.

"Scott Baker baby," he muttered after reading the title of the picture.

When I looked at him I could see tears glistening in his eyes. Spontaneously, I put my hand on his shoulder. "Congratulations!" I said, smiling, "Izzy is really looking forward to becoming an aunt. She already promised to babysit." Relieved, I noticed that he smiled.

"Thanks, Bro!"

"For what?" I asked surprised and put the phone back in my pocket.

"For your brotherly advice and the encouraging words," he replied.

"I'm serious about it. If you need help, I'm here for you," I promised. "I know you would do the same for me."

"Do you want to go to the fitness studio with me?" Davis asked, getting up.

I nodded and got up too. "With pleasure. There is nothing better to blow off some steam. After that, you'll feel better." When my brother picked up his sports bag and left the room, I followed him.