Chapter Four
Finally summer! Well almost, I still have finals but those aren't for another few weeks. Hopefully this story will start to pick up.
A not on the baptism, I haven't included a lot of the actual sacrament but what I have is based on te way baptisms are performed in my church.
A few weeks have passed since the Dan confrontation. Nathan and Haley haven't heard anything from him and neither has anyone else. Regan and Ailis are now six weeks old.
"Hales! We have to leave for the church in twenty minutes! And you've been in the shower for thirty." When she didn't answer, he shook his head and looked at Regan and Ailis who were in their playpen. "Mommy takes forever getting ready doesn't she? Yes she does. Yes she does." He cooed. "Looks like I'm going to have to get you girls dressed or else you're going to be late for your own baptism. We wouldn't want that now would we."
Ten minutes later, the girls were changed and dressed and Haley had still not emerged from the bathroom. Nathan set the twins back down in their playpen and walked over the the bathroom door and opened it slightly. Haley was standing in the mirror clad only in a towel.
"Nathan!" She shrieked. "What are you doing?"
"Hales, I've seen you in a lot less than a towel in case you've forgotten."
"Not since I've had the babies you haven't."
"Hales for the last time, you're not fat."
"Nathan, I appreciate you trying to make me feel better but don't. I'm just frustrated that I can't fit into any of my old clothes anymore."
"Hales, I don't care if you're a size two or a size twenty and neither to they." He nodded his head towards the playpen. "You're the most beautiful woman in the world, the mother of my children and I am hopelessly and completely in love with you." He began nuzzling her neck and as soon as she let herself get caught up in enjoying it, he pulled back. "Now please get dressed."
"Hey! That was mean!"
He shot her an evil grin. "I know but we can continue that later. We have a baptism to get to."
"How much time do we have."
"Fifteen minutes."
"Crap! I have to get ready! I have to get them ready. There's not enough time."
"They're already dressed." She looking at him in disbelief. "I am capable of dressing them you know."
"Yea but the last time you dressed them they looked like mini candidates for what not to wear."
"Ouch. That hurt but anyway, you laid their stuff out last night. Even I can't mess that up."
"Uh huh. Ugh, look at that tie, why is it then you are so incapable of tying them?"
"Because I know how much you love to do it."
"Brat. Come here." She tied it for him and shoved him out the door. "Go make sure your mom knows we're leaving soon. I'll be out in ten."
"Okay."
He picked up the twins and walked towards his mom's room, knocking on the door with his knee. "Mom, are you about ready to go"
"Coming coming. Don't you look handsome. I'd forgotten how grown up you look when you put on a suit, even more so when you're holding your daughters." She sniffed and wiped away a tear.
"Come on Mom, don't cry."
"I know, it's just... look how beautiful they are."
Nathan looked down at the sleeping girls in his arms. "I know. So are you ready? Hales is going to be another few minutes."
"Oh, she never struck me as the type of girl that took forever getting ready."
"Usually she's not but she's been feeling really self-conscious since these two were born."
"Ahh of course. Ever woman goes through that Nate, it's perfectly normal and expected. Just make sure she knows you love her."
"I know."
"Okay I'm ready!" Haley said, walking up to them."
"Finally." Nathan joked. "Let's go." The three of them walked to Nathan's car and strapped Regan and Ailis into their car seats. Then they proceeded to fight over who got to sit in the back with them.
"Hales, why don't you drive." Nathan suggested.
"No, no Nate I know how much you hate letting other people drive your car. You're mom can ride up front with you and I'll sit in the back with them."
"No Haley, you sit in the front with Nathan. I can take the back."
"It's okay..."
"No, I insist." As she said it, she'd already climbed into the back.
"You know," Nathan commented, "it's kind of like shot gun in reverse."
Haley laughed. "I never thought of that."
***
A few minutes later they'd arrived at the church. Peyton, Luke, Brooke, Tim, Karen and Whitey were all already there and waiting.
"What took you so long?" Lucas asked.
"Haley here thought she was Brooke and took an hour in the shower.
"Hey!" Both girls protested.
"For the record," Haley clarified, "it was thirty minutes not an hour."
"Yeah. Sure."
"Awwww! Look how sweet they are!" The ladies all cooed over the babies, leaving the men standing back from all the gushing."
"They are cute man." Tim said. "You sure they're yours?"
"Funny Tim. It's not too late to take away your godfather privileges."
"You know, Keith was saying that godparent is just another word for babysitter." Luke joked.
"You got that right." Nathan said. "And since you're also an uncle, I guess that gives you double duty."
The banter was interrupted by the minister entering the room. "You can go into the sanctuary now. Just have a seat in the front pew." The group entered the church and sat down in the first pew next to Deb, Keith and Haley's parents. No one noticed when Dan slipped through the front entrance and took a seat in the back of the church.
***
"I baptise you Regan Marie Scott..."
"I baptise you Ailis Madison Scott..."
"Would the god-parents please rise."
"Do you promise to support these children and their parents."
"We do."
"The godparents will now take the children down the aisle, signifying their entrance into the church family.
Luke carried Ailis towards the back of the church, followed by Tim carrying Regan. The image of Tim holding a small baby was strange to more than one person in the congregation but most admitted that the birth of the Scott twins had changed a lot in Tree Hill.
Lucas stopped dead in his tracks and glared at the man sitting in the pew to his right. "What are you doing here?"
"It's my granddaughters' baptism, why wouldn't I be here?"
"Because you're a coldhearted son of a *&&^% who doesn't do anything without some sinister purpose that's why. No one needs you anymore Dan so why don't you do us all a favor and stay far far away."
By now Nathan and Haley had noticed that something was going on.
"Who is Luke yelling at." Haley questioned.
Nathan looked closely, his fists clenching as realization entered his face. "Dan."
He started walking towards his brother and somewhat estranged father.
"What are you doing here?" He echoed Lucas' inquiry. "Just like I told Luke, I cam for my granddaughters' baptism."
"That's b.s.! You know, I might be convinced that you've had a change of heart if I weren't pretty sure you don't have one. Damn it Dan, all we want is for you to leave us alone. It shouldn't be too hard for you. You've been doing it to Luke all his life."
A crowd had gathered, yelling various obscenities at Dan. The rest of the people in the church were watching the commotion in silence, wondering if they should leave but unable to stop watching.
"Everyone SHUT UP!" Karen yelled over the fray, shocking them into silence.
She looked at Dan, "today was supposed to be about Regan and Ailis. You ruin everything you touch don't you?"
Dan looked at her for a moment. Somehow, her reproach hit him harder than anyone else's. He stood up slowly, made his way through the crowd of angry faces, and walked out the door, quietly whispering "I'm sorry," to no one in particular.
Finally summer! Well almost, I still have finals but those aren't for another few weeks. Hopefully this story will start to pick up.
A not on the baptism, I haven't included a lot of the actual sacrament but what I have is based on te way baptisms are performed in my church.
A few weeks have passed since the Dan confrontation. Nathan and Haley haven't heard anything from him and neither has anyone else. Regan and Ailis are now six weeks old.
"Hales! We have to leave for the church in twenty minutes! And you've been in the shower for thirty." When she didn't answer, he shook his head and looked at Regan and Ailis who were in their playpen. "Mommy takes forever getting ready doesn't she? Yes she does. Yes she does." He cooed. "Looks like I'm going to have to get you girls dressed or else you're going to be late for your own baptism. We wouldn't want that now would we."
Ten minutes later, the girls were changed and dressed and Haley had still not emerged from the bathroom. Nathan set the twins back down in their playpen and walked over the the bathroom door and opened it slightly. Haley was standing in the mirror clad only in a towel.
"Nathan!" She shrieked. "What are you doing?"
"Hales, I've seen you in a lot less than a towel in case you've forgotten."
"Not since I've had the babies you haven't."
"Hales for the last time, you're not fat."
"Nathan, I appreciate you trying to make me feel better but don't. I'm just frustrated that I can't fit into any of my old clothes anymore."
"Hales, I don't care if you're a size two or a size twenty and neither to they." He nodded his head towards the playpen. "You're the most beautiful woman in the world, the mother of my children and I am hopelessly and completely in love with you." He began nuzzling her neck and as soon as she let herself get caught up in enjoying it, he pulled back. "Now please get dressed."
"Hey! That was mean!"
He shot her an evil grin. "I know but we can continue that later. We have a baptism to get to."
"How much time do we have."
"Fifteen minutes."
"Crap! I have to get ready! I have to get them ready. There's not enough time."
"They're already dressed." She looking at him in disbelief. "I am capable of dressing them you know."
"Yea but the last time you dressed them they looked like mini candidates for what not to wear."
"Ouch. That hurt but anyway, you laid their stuff out last night. Even I can't mess that up."
"Uh huh. Ugh, look at that tie, why is it then you are so incapable of tying them?"
"Because I know how much you love to do it."
"Brat. Come here." She tied it for him and shoved him out the door. "Go make sure your mom knows we're leaving soon. I'll be out in ten."
"Okay."
He picked up the twins and walked towards his mom's room, knocking on the door with his knee. "Mom, are you about ready to go"
"Coming coming. Don't you look handsome. I'd forgotten how grown up you look when you put on a suit, even more so when you're holding your daughters." She sniffed and wiped away a tear.
"Come on Mom, don't cry."
"I know, it's just... look how beautiful they are."
Nathan looked down at the sleeping girls in his arms. "I know. So are you ready? Hales is going to be another few minutes."
"Oh, she never struck me as the type of girl that took forever getting ready."
"Usually she's not but she's been feeling really self-conscious since these two were born."
"Ahh of course. Ever woman goes through that Nate, it's perfectly normal and expected. Just make sure she knows you love her."
"I know."
"Okay I'm ready!" Haley said, walking up to them."
"Finally." Nathan joked. "Let's go." The three of them walked to Nathan's car and strapped Regan and Ailis into their car seats. Then they proceeded to fight over who got to sit in the back with them.
"Hales, why don't you drive." Nathan suggested.
"No, no Nate I know how much you hate letting other people drive your car. You're mom can ride up front with you and I'll sit in the back with them."
"No Haley, you sit in the front with Nathan. I can take the back."
"It's okay..."
"No, I insist." As she said it, she'd already climbed into the back.
"You know," Nathan commented, "it's kind of like shot gun in reverse."
Haley laughed. "I never thought of that."
***
A few minutes later they'd arrived at the church. Peyton, Luke, Brooke, Tim, Karen and Whitey were all already there and waiting.
"What took you so long?" Lucas asked.
"Haley here thought she was Brooke and took an hour in the shower.
"Hey!" Both girls protested.
"For the record," Haley clarified, "it was thirty minutes not an hour."
"Yeah. Sure."
"Awwww! Look how sweet they are!" The ladies all cooed over the babies, leaving the men standing back from all the gushing."
"They are cute man." Tim said. "You sure they're yours?"
"Funny Tim. It's not too late to take away your godfather privileges."
"You know, Keith was saying that godparent is just another word for babysitter." Luke joked.
"You got that right." Nathan said. "And since you're also an uncle, I guess that gives you double duty."
The banter was interrupted by the minister entering the room. "You can go into the sanctuary now. Just have a seat in the front pew." The group entered the church and sat down in the first pew next to Deb, Keith and Haley's parents. No one noticed when Dan slipped through the front entrance and took a seat in the back of the church.
***
"I baptise you Regan Marie Scott..."
"I baptise you Ailis Madison Scott..."
"Would the god-parents please rise."
"Do you promise to support these children and their parents."
"We do."
"The godparents will now take the children down the aisle, signifying their entrance into the church family.
Luke carried Ailis towards the back of the church, followed by Tim carrying Regan. The image of Tim holding a small baby was strange to more than one person in the congregation but most admitted that the birth of the Scott twins had changed a lot in Tree Hill.
Lucas stopped dead in his tracks and glared at the man sitting in the pew to his right. "What are you doing here?"
"It's my granddaughters' baptism, why wouldn't I be here?"
"Because you're a coldhearted son of a *&&^% who doesn't do anything without some sinister purpose that's why. No one needs you anymore Dan so why don't you do us all a favor and stay far far away."
By now Nathan and Haley had noticed that something was going on.
"Who is Luke yelling at." Haley questioned.
Nathan looked closely, his fists clenching as realization entered his face. "Dan."
He started walking towards his brother and somewhat estranged father.
"What are you doing here?" He echoed Lucas' inquiry. "Just like I told Luke, I cam for my granddaughters' baptism."
"That's b.s.! You know, I might be convinced that you've had a change of heart if I weren't pretty sure you don't have one. Damn it Dan, all we want is for you to leave us alone. It shouldn't be too hard for you. You've been doing it to Luke all his life."
A crowd had gathered, yelling various obscenities at Dan. The rest of the people in the church were watching the commotion in silence, wondering if they should leave but unable to stop watching.
"Everyone SHUT UP!" Karen yelled over the fray, shocking them into silence.
She looked at Dan, "today was supposed to be about Regan and Ailis. You ruin everything you touch don't you?"
Dan looked at her for a moment. Somehow, her reproach hit him harder than anyone else's. He stood up slowly, made his way through the crowd of angry faces, and walked out the door, quietly whispering "I'm sorry," to no one in particular.
