Lucas arrived outside Brooke's house at eight o'clock. He was extremely
nervous walking up to her door.
'Why did I talk to Haley?' he asked himself, not sure if he was prepared to here what Brooke was about to tell him.
Lucas took a deep breath and knocked on the door, announcing his presence. Moments later the door swung open, and Brooke stood in the doorway staring at her guest.
"Come in," Brooke said, letting him pass. Luke walked inside and stood there apprehensively. He needed to hear what she had to tell him. "So I was thinking we could watch a movie or something?" Brooke suggested.
Luke looked at her. "C'mon Brooke, no stalling."
She inhaled deeply. "Ok...let's do this." Brooke took his hand in hers. "I think you are going to need to sit for this..." She trailed off and led him to the couch in the living room. They both sat down, and Brooke was avoiding direct contact with his eyes. "Ok I really don't know how else to say this...but Luke, I'm pregnant."
Luke's eyes went wide, and he was speechless. "Uh...um...I...don't know what to say..." he said. "I hate to ask this Brooke...but are you sure its mine?"
Brooke looked at him in disbelief. "Tell me you did not just ask me that. Of course I'm sure Luke. I wouldn't tell you if I wasn't!" Brooke yelled. She stood and started to walk away but Lucas grabbed her wrist and pulled her back onto the couch.
"Brooke."
"No Lucas. I can't believe you asked me that. Unlike you Lucas, I have not slept with or been with anyone since you!" Brooke cried, her eyes starting to tear up and her voice faltering.
Lucas cupped Brooke's face in his hands and made her look him in the eye. He could see the glassy look her eyes had to them. "Brooke, think about it from my point. It's something I had to ask, especially since the last time I talked to you was about a month ago."
Brooke brought her hands to Lucas' that were cupping her face. She closed her eyes to stop the tears that she knew were coming. "What are we going to do?"
"I...I'm not sure."
"Luke?" Brooke said softly. "I...I have a doctor's appointment on Friday. Would you come with me?"
"Of course," Lucas said without hesitation. "I don't know what we're going to do, but I do know that I'm not going to let you go through this alone. I can't."
Brooke's reserve broke down and she started sobbing in Lucas' arms. "Luke, I. I don't know if I can do this!" she cried between sobs. "I don't know if I can be a good mom!"
Lucas smoother her hair and rubbed circles on her back to soothe her. "Shh. Of course you can do it Brooke. It will be hard but you can," he told her reassuringly. "And I know you will be a great mother. You are a good person with a good heart."
This only made Brooke cry louder. "What's your mom going to say?!" Brooke shrieked. "And my parents! And everyone at school!"
Lucas really didn't know what to say here. "Somehow Brooke, we will get through it. I can promise you that," he told her. "And I know...my mom's not going to like it, but she will come around."
"So where does this leave us Lucas?" Brooke asked him, looking up at him with red puffy eyes and tear stained cheeks. "I didn't want to tell you Luke until I knew one way or the other if we could ever work things out. Because once I told you I know you'd do it out of obligation. And don't even try to argue because I know you'd want your kid to have the father you didn't. But I didn't want that for me Luke."
He was about to argue with her and tell her she was wrong, but deep down he knew she was right. "Brooke I do like you a lot...I still care about you. But I think we need to take things slow and work back at things between us. Either way I want you to know I will always be a part of *both* your lives," Lucas told her, placing a hand over her belly.
"So what do you want to do Brooke?" Lucas asked, not sure what he wanted either.
"I...I don't know," Brooke said shaking her head. "I'm too young to be a mom, but I don't think I could abort this baby," she sighed. "I could have the baby and give it up for adoption except I don't know if I could live not knowing if our baby was ok. Or wondering if he or she had your eyes or my smile. Or if it was a baby boy, if he had you're love for the game," Brooke said, daydreaming.
"I think you know what you want to do," Lucas told her.
She looked hesitantly at him. "Are you ok with that?"
Lucas nodded. "Yes I am," he told her.
Brooke laid down and put her head in Lucas' lap, as he stroked her hair gently. Her crying had subsided, and evened out. Lucas stretched out on the couch and pulled Brooke on top of him. Eventually, she drifted off into sleep.
"Brooke," Lucas said, shaking her gently. "Get up. I think your parents are home."
Brooke was pushing Lucas away. And groaned. "Brooke," Lucas repeated himself. "Your parents."
She nearly shot straight up. "They aren't supposed to be home until Wednesday."
"It is."
Brooke heard the key turn in the door. At least they were both fully clothed and not on top of each other. Her parent's walked in a moment later, talking amongst themselves.
"Oh Brooke, you're up," they finally said, noticing her.
"How was your trip?" she asked, playing her role as the perfect daughter.
"It was good," her dad replied. "And who are you?" he asked Lucas.
"Um..dad...that's uh Lucas," the sentence fumbled its way out of her mouth.
Her mom looked confused and asked Lucas, "What are you doing here?"
"Me? I uh..." Lucas started, not sure of what to say. "I came over last night. Brooke didn't want to stay here alone...so I."
Brooke's mom cut him off uninterested. "Oh ok." Her parents left the living room and went to their room.
"And I was almost worried they would be mad about you being here," Brooke said, rolling her eyes. Brooke walked into her bedroom and Luke followed. "Nice cover up there," she grinned at him.
"Well your mouth wasn't moving so I figured someone's should," he teased.
"Whatever. I'm gonna go take shower I'll be right back." Brooke grabbed her clothes and went into her bathroom to take a shower. She got out and dressed in her bra and underwear and stood staring at her reflection in her full length mirror again. She brought both her hands to her stomach. Excitement and anticipation thrummed through her body, being crushed by nervousness and fear. She put on a white tank top, a denim jacket and matching denim skirt. She blow dried her hair straight and went to find Lucas, who was sleeping on her bed. "Hey you," Brooke said, waking him up. "Wanna head to your house so you can get ready?"
Lucas nodded sleepily. "Let's go."
'Why did I talk to Haley?' he asked himself, not sure if he was prepared to here what Brooke was about to tell him.
Lucas took a deep breath and knocked on the door, announcing his presence. Moments later the door swung open, and Brooke stood in the doorway staring at her guest.
"Come in," Brooke said, letting him pass. Luke walked inside and stood there apprehensively. He needed to hear what she had to tell him. "So I was thinking we could watch a movie or something?" Brooke suggested.
Luke looked at her. "C'mon Brooke, no stalling."
She inhaled deeply. "Ok...let's do this." Brooke took his hand in hers. "I think you are going to need to sit for this..." She trailed off and led him to the couch in the living room. They both sat down, and Brooke was avoiding direct contact with his eyes. "Ok I really don't know how else to say this...but Luke, I'm pregnant."
Luke's eyes went wide, and he was speechless. "Uh...um...I...don't know what to say..." he said. "I hate to ask this Brooke...but are you sure its mine?"
Brooke looked at him in disbelief. "Tell me you did not just ask me that. Of course I'm sure Luke. I wouldn't tell you if I wasn't!" Brooke yelled. She stood and started to walk away but Lucas grabbed her wrist and pulled her back onto the couch.
"Brooke."
"No Lucas. I can't believe you asked me that. Unlike you Lucas, I have not slept with or been with anyone since you!" Brooke cried, her eyes starting to tear up and her voice faltering.
Lucas cupped Brooke's face in his hands and made her look him in the eye. He could see the glassy look her eyes had to them. "Brooke, think about it from my point. It's something I had to ask, especially since the last time I talked to you was about a month ago."
Brooke brought her hands to Lucas' that were cupping her face. She closed her eyes to stop the tears that she knew were coming. "What are we going to do?"
"I...I'm not sure."
"Luke?" Brooke said softly. "I...I have a doctor's appointment on Friday. Would you come with me?"
"Of course," Lucas said without hesitation. "I don't know what we're going to do, but I do know that I'm not going to let you go through this alone. I can't."
Brooke's reserve broke down and she started sobbing in Lucas' arms. "Luke, I. I don't know if I can do this!" she cried between sobs. "I don't know if I can be a good mom!"
Lucas smoother her hair and rubbed circles on her back to soothe her. "Shh. Of course you can do it Brooke. It will be hard but you can," he told her reassuringly. "And I know you will be a great mother. You are a good person with a good heart."
This only made Brooke cry louder. "What's your mom going to say?!" Brooke shrieked. "And my parents! And everyone at school!"
Lucas really didn't know what to say here. "Somehow Brooke, we will get through it. I can promise you that," he told her. "And I know...my mom's not going to like it, but she will come around."
"So where does this leave us Lucas?" Brooke asked him, looking up at him with red puffy eyes and tear stained cheeks. "I didn't want to tell you Luke until I knew one way or the other if we could ever work things out. Because once I told you I know you'd do it out of obligation. And don't even try to argue because I know you'd want your kid to have the father you didn't. But I didn't want that for me Luke."
He was about to argue with her and tell her she was wrong, but deep down he knew she was right. "Brooke I do like you a lot...I still care about you. But I think we need to take things slow and work back at things between us. Either way I want you to know I will always be a part of *both* your lives," Lucas told her, placing a hand over her belly.
"So what do you want to do Brooke?" Lucas asked, not sure what he wanted either.
"I...I don't know," Brooke said shaking her head. "I'm too young to be a mom, but I don't think I could abort this baby," she sighed. "I could have the baby and give it up for adoption except I don't know if I could live not knowing if our baby was ok. Or wondering if he or she had your eyes or my smile. Or if it was a baby boy, if he had you're love for the game," Brooke said, daydreaming.
"I think you know what you want to do," Lucas told her.
She looked hesitantly at him. "Are you ok with that?"
Lucas nodded. "Yes I am," he told her.
Brooke laid down and put her head in Lucas' lap, as he stroked her hair gently. Her crying had subsided, and evened out. Lucas stretched out on the couch and pulled Brooke on top of him. Eventually, she drifted off into sleep.
"Brooke," Lucas said, shaking her gently. "Get up. I think your parents are home."
Brooke was pushing Lucas away. And groaned. "Brooke," Lucas repeated himself. "Your parents."
She nearly shot straight up. "They aren't supposed to be home until Wednesday."
"It is."
Brooke heard the key turn in the door. At least they were both fully clothed and not on top of each other. Her parent's walked in a moment later, talking amongst themselves.
"Oh Brooke, you're up," they finally said, noticing her.
"How was your trip?" she asked, playing her role as the perfect daughter.
"It was good," her dad replied. "And who are you?" he asked Lucas.
"Um..dad...that's uh Lucas," the sentence fumbled its way out of her mouth.
Her mom looked confused and asked Lucas, "What are you doing here?"
"Me? I uh..." Lucas started, not sure of what to say. "I came over last night. Brooke didn't want to stay here alone...so I."
Brooke's mom cut him off uninterested. "Oh ok." Her parents left the living room and went to their room.
"And I was almost worried they would be mad about you being here," Brooke said, rolling her eyes. Brooke walked into her bedroom and Luke followed. "Nice cover up there," she grinned at him.
"Well your mouth wasn't moving so I figured someone's should," he teased.
"Whatever. I'm gonna go take shower I'll be right back." Brooke grabbed her clothes and went into her bathroom to take a shower. She got out and dressed in her bra and underwear and stood staring at her reflection in her full length mirror again. She brought both her hands to her stomach. Excitement and anticipation thrummed through her body, being crushed by nervousness and fear. She put on a white tank top, a denim jacket and matching denim skirt. She blow dried her hair straight and went to find Lucas, who was sleeping on her bed. "Hey you," Brooke said, waking him up. "Wanna head to your house so you can get ready?"
Lucas nodded sleepily. "Let's go."