Chapter Two
"Val where's the diaper bag." Asked Tyler throwing his and Val's suitcases in the back of their minivan. They had two cars, the minivan and a spots car, which they both shared.
"Front seat." Said Val coming out of the house with Angel, locking it behind her. Val buckled Angel into her car seat and got into the front beside Tyler. He pulled out of the driveway, checking his direction sheet. It was only a two hour drive, but Val's parents had eventually moved out of the house they moved into after her dad's heart attack, into a house that was bigger than the their old one but not as big as the house Val grew up in. Val hadn't been home in two years and wasn't confident in her ability to get there without getting lost.
Soon they were coming up upon the familiar outskirts of town. "Tyler, I can't do it." Said Val as they passed their old high school.
"Do you want to tell someone who won't judge us and probably won't be mad?" Asked Tyler, sounding as nervous as Val felt, and probably looked.
"Who?" Asked Val thinking that she knew the answer already.
"Alex." Said Tyler. Val was right. They pulled into the station, Brook had the day off so they wouldn't have to explain who Angel was yet. Tyler got her out of her car seat and waited in the hallway while Val knocked on Alex's office door.
"Come in." Said Alex, probably thinking it was a squad member apologizing for being late. "I don't care why you're late, you're here now."
"If that was the reaction I would have gotten if I was late I would have come in late at least once." Said Val smiling.
"Val! I'm sorry, I thought it was a squad member coming in late. You here for Brooke? Because if you are she's not here. Day off."
"No, we're here to see you. Also I want to tell you something before I tell my parents, to kind of rehearse what I'm going to say."
"Sure Go ahead but first tell me who we' is."
Val pocked her head outside the door and signaled for someone to come in. "We is me and Tyler, who you know. we also want you to meet someone."
"Alex, This is Angel." Said Tyler.
"Our daughter." Added Val.
"Your daughter!" Exclaimed Alex.
"Yes." Said Tyler, putting his arm around Val. Alex asked all the normal questions about when she was born. Then he asked the question Val was dreading.
"When did you get married?" He was answered by an uncomfortable silence. "You don't have to be worried about me being mad about not being invited."
"That's not it. We're not married." Said Val, looking down at her feet. That shocked Alex. They had to leave soon though.
"Oh, and Alex, could you not mention this to anyone, the only people who know are you, Tyler's sister Christy, and her husband Adam. Unless you count everyone who we work with. Jamie, Caitie, and Hank don't know yet even though we E-mail each other." Said Tyler on their way out.
"Sure thing." Replied Alex, still shocked. They buckled Angel into the car. It was a ten minute drive to where Val's parents and Brooke lived now. Tyler pulled into the driveway and stopped the van.
"I'm home." Said Val, who had suddenly gone pale. "And I don't think I can do this. Telling you was so much easier." Val thought about the day that she told Tyler.
"Val. Is everything alright, you've been distant for weeks." Asked Tyler, coming into their bedroom. When Val saw him she quickly wiped tears from her eyes. She hated anyone to see her cry.
"No, nothing's alright, everything's wrong." Said Val, tears still streaming down her cheeks.
"What's wrong, Val? I hate to see you cry, please tell me." Pleaded Tyler.
"Tyler, we screwed up big time." Tyler instinctively came over and put his arm around Val, she buried her head in his shoulder and cried some more, Tyler stroked her hair, whispering soothing words. "Tyler, I. . . I'm. . . Pregnant." Tyler just hugged Val.
"Val, it's okay, we'll get through this. I promise." Said Tyler after awhile.
"Are you mad?" Asked Val.
"No, I'm scare, terrified even, but not mad." Val smiled a little.
"You too, huh. I thought I was scared having to tell you, now I'm even more afraid."
"Val, we'll get through this.
Val worked up enough courage to walk up to the front door, she stood there debating if she should ring the doorbell, knock, or just walk in. Somehow she managed to ring the bell. When no one answered she was about to turn around, but before she could call to Tyler that no one was home the door was flung open.
"Val!" Screamed Brooke. "You're here. Where Tyler?"
"Brooke! I missed you, where's Mom and Dad?" Asked Val at the same time.
"Mom and Dad are out of town till tomorrow. Dad had a case that needed to be researched, he couldn't find everything he needed here so he had to go somewhere else. Mom decided to go with him."
"Tyler's in the car still. He's getting Angel."
"Who's Angel?" asked Brooke, thinking Angel was a dog or something.
"Come on and meet her." For some reason Val wasn't nervous telling Brooke. There was something that told Val she wouldn't freak out. "Tyler, Brooke wants to meet Angel." Said Val, alerting Tyler.
"Okay, come over here and take her while I unload the car."
"So Val, when are you and Tyler getting married?" Asked Brooke when she stepped out of the house.
"What gave you the idea we're getting married?" Asked Val.
"Well you live together, and you've been dating since junior year of high school."
"Right on both accounts. But we're not getting married anytime soon."
"Fine, now where's this infamous Angel I'm supposed to meet?"
"Wait here." Val walked over to the other side of the van and took Angel in her arms. "Brooke, this is Angel." Said Val walking around the van to the side Brooke was on. "Angel meet your Aunt Brooke."
"Since when am I Aunt Brooke'?" asked Brooke.
"Since December 21st . When she was born."
"Let me hold her, I've had a niece for five months and I didn't know. I'm also assuming Mom and Dad don't know."
"Right, the only people who know are the people who work with us, Christy and Adam, and Alex and now you."
"She is so cute, I'm assuming that Tyler is the father. What's her full name?"
"Brooke think about what you said about me and Tyler and how long we've been dating. Her full name is Angel Leigh Connell-Lanier."
"Her Val, let Brooke get to know her niece, and help me unload the car. Hey Brooke, are Jamie and Caitie staying with you?"
"Yeah, they're coming late tonight, I'm telling my news to all four of you then."
* * *
"Hey Jamie, who's car is that?" asked Caitie pulling into Brooke's driveway.
"Tyler and Val must be here."
"Who do you think will be the first to ask?"
"Brooke, she catches detail." Said Jamie.
"Really, I was thinking Val."
"Lets go find out."
Caitie rang the bell, and heard Brooke shout to Val to get the door.
"I'm feeding Angel right now. Tyler can get it."
"Fine."
Caitie and Jamie were just smirking waiting for the door to open. They were soon rewarded by Tyler opening it.
"Val, It's Caitie and Jamie. They've got funny looks on their faces, I think they want to see you." Said Tyler closing the door behind them. When Val came into the room she screamed.
"Jamie, hold Angel. I want to hug my best friend." Val didn't wait for Jamie's answer, she just held her out. "Caitie, it's good to finally see you, E-mail isn't enough."
"Val, who's Angel?" said Caitie.
"My daughter. Mine and Tyler's daughter. Now Jamie give Caitie a chance to hold Angel."
"Val, how could you not tell us this in your E-mails?"
"Simple, no one here knew. And we wanted to tell everyone in person."
"Caitie, what's on your finger." Said Tyler after he gave her a hug.
"Oh, my Christmas present from last year."
"Who's leaving stuff out of E-mails now."
"When's the wedding?" Asked Brooke hearing the last bit of the conversation.
"Um, two weeks ago." Said Jamie nervously.
"And why weren't any of us invited?"
"That kind of defeats the purpose of eloping."
"Hey, Brooke said she had something to tell us when all of us got here."
"Fine I'll tell you just as soon as I call Nick. I promised I'd call him." Everyone sat down in the living room, Caitie was tickling Angel's feet, Jamie was still in shock over the fact that Val and Tyler had a baby. Tyler and Val were sitting on the couch thinking about what to tell Val's parents when they got home, it was their reaction that mattered most. Just then the doorbell rang.
"I'll get it." Called Brooke. "Nick, you remember Caitie Roth." Said Brooke pointing to Caitie.
"It's Caitie Waite now."
"Jamie Waite, Caitie's husband. Tyler Connell, Val's boyfriend, and of course you know Val. And this is my niece Angel."
"I didn't know you had a niece."
"I didn't know until today." After introductions were made and everyone sat down again, Nick stood up and put his arm around Brooke's shoulders.
"Val, look at Brooke's face, she looks terrified." Whispered Tyler.
"Isn't that how I looked right before I told you I was. . "
"Yes."
"Oh god." Just than Brooke broke down crying and ran out of the room, yelling at Nick to tell everyone. "I'll go see if she's alright." Said Val jumping up and running after her.
"Val, go away." Said Brooke from inside her bedroom.
"No, I want to talk. Brooke if what I think is going on actually is you'll need someone to talk to."
"I have Nick." Val took a bobby pin out of her hair and picked the lock and opened the door.
"Brooke, come here." Brooke looked awful. There were tears on her cheeks, and mascara under her eyes.
"Val, out of everyone here you'd understand the best yet you're the one I'm most afraid to tell."
"Brooke, are you pregnant?" Asked Val getting right to the point.
Brooke nodded her head yes. Val took a tissue out of her pocket and gave it to Brooke. "How far along are you?"
"Three months."
"Brooke, I know you're young, but you're hard enough on yourself already so I'm not gonna yell at you. Yet. I know I did the same thing, but I didn't I was in collage, I had a good job, I had a house. Brooke, you don't fail, you'll get through this, I'll be here for you."
"Val you're not making any sense."
"You ready to go back down?"
"Yeah, I think I am."
"I'm assuming that Nick is the dad and that Mom and Dad both know."
"Yes on both. I got accepted to UCLA. I'm taking next year off though. I'll be there next year"
"Really, Tyler and I live about twenty minutes from there. If you need a babysitter when you get out there, please call me or Tyler, I really did miss you."
"You got it, I want to see Angel more often now too."
"Brooke, I'll be there for you and Nick, I know what it's like, believe me, I'm terrified to tell mom and dad. Everyone is shocked when I tell them I'm not married."
When Brooke and Val came down Caitie came and gave Brooke a hug.
"I assume Nick told you."
"Yeah, he did. Congratulations Brooke, you'll make a great mom."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence."
"And Brooke, get enough sleep now you'll need it." Joked Val. "Where did Tyler, Nick, and Jamie go?"
"Outside, to talk." Said Caitie. "You know it's weird, we've got the couple with a kid, the married couple, and the couple with a kid on the way. New spin on dating, engaged, and married thing. How did Nick take the news when you first told him?"
"He took it well, he was there from the first time I told him that I thought I was to actually going to the doctor for confirmation. How did Tyler take it? Said Brooke turning to Val.
"Better than I did, he was terrified but I was even more scared than he was."
"You wanna make the guys cook dinner tonight?" asked Caitie.
"I don't know about that, Tyler can't cook." Said Val shuddering at the thought.
"Nick can't cook either." Said Brooke.
"Jamie can." Said Caitie laughing. "I never would have expected that from him until I moved in with him. Did you know he took Home Ec. In collage. That's how I ran into him again."
"Jamie, Home Ec. I don't believe it." Said Brooke laughing.
"What's so funny?" asked Tyler coming in with Jamie and Nick behind him.
"Home Ec." Said Caitie. Jamie groaned.
"What's for dinner?" asked Jamie.
"Whatever you cook." Said the three girls.