Chapter Three
Lucas managed to get through the next few days. It became a new routine for him. Get out of school, pick Jenny up from daycare, go to the hospital check on Phoenix, go home, make dinner, lay Jenny down, do home work.
He wanted to shrug it all away and pretend everything was alright but it was hard and he just had to believe it would get better...eventually.
He saw it a blessing that the basketball season had just finished and in one more month he would be out of school and ready for college.
He had recieved a scholarship (full ride--athletic) to the local university and if all went well he would still be going, it was only a twenty-five minute drive.
Two weeks passed and Phoenix would be coming home from the hospital tomorrow.
Lucas cleaned up around the apartment, still feeling as though he was merely a guest.
Jenny was heping him clean up when all of the sudden she found something from under the couch.
She stood up, examined it finding it to be a set of Peyton's pencils, and declared it 'mommy's'
Lucas looked to see what she was doing and before he could stop her she had scurried to the master bedroom door, managed to open the door, and race inside.
"Jenny! Come back here."
He followed her but couldn't go past the door.
The little girl looked around the went to the cot her daddy slept on and sat on it. She turned to Lucas.
"My Daddy's bed" She stated.
And Lucas just walked in focusing on the little girl and not of the zillions of pictures that were all over the room.
"Yeah, Jenny your dadd's bed."
"Put it up."
"What?"
The little girl let out a frustrated sigh, stood up in front of the kneeling Lucas, put her hands on his face so they looke eye to eye,and said
"Daddy sleep on stars, no more bed, no use it, pick up." She stated like it was obvious.
"Lucas?" Came a call from the front room. Lucas looked into the hallway.
Brooke, Nathan and Haley stared back at them.
The three met them in the living room each uttering a small gasp as they saw the room.
Haley looked at him.
"Is this..." she stopped when Lucas nodded.
Brooke couldn't help it. Lucas went over and hugged her.
She calmed down and looked steadly at all the pictures.
She left for ten minutes and came back with some boxes. Lucas looked at her.
"Just help me get all the pictures into the box okay?"
As soon as the pictures had been put in boxes Lucas asked, "What are you going to do with them?"
"You'll see" she muttered
He nodded. Then turned and started putting all of the other stuff into the other empty boxes.
"Lucas--" Haley protested.
Lucas turned and faced her. "I have to Hales, if not for me then the kids. I'm not going to throw it away just store it. But I can't...just can't make those kids live in a world that doesn't exsist just because I want to...'cos given the choice I'd leave it, but I can't."
And they understood. Nathan offered to put Jenny down for the night. He went into the room and just stared at the pictures.
Nathan felt a tug on his pants. He looked down. Jenny offered her finger and he took it.
She led him to the window and pointed to the sky.
"Uncle Nate. See stars?"
"yeah Jenny, I see them."
"My mommy and daddy there." She then reached up and Nathan lifted her to window.
She leaned in an
Lucas managed to get through the next few days. It became a new routine for him. Get out of school, pick Jenny up from daycare, go to the hospital check on Phoenix, go home, make dinner, lay Jenny down, do home work.
He wanted to shrug it all away and pretend everything was alright but it was hard and he just had to believe it would get better...eventually.
He saw it a blessing that the basketball season had just finished and in one more month he would be out of school and ready for college.
He had recieved a scholarship (full ride--athletic) to the local university and if all went well he would still be going, it was only a twenty-five minute drive.
Two weeks passed and Phoenix would be coming home from the hospital tomorrow.
Lucas cleaned up around the apartment, still feeling as though he was merely a guest.
Jenny was heping him clean up when all of the sudden she found something from under the couch.
She stood up, examined it finding it to be a set of Peyton's pencils, and declared it 'mommy's'
Lucas looked to see what she was doing and before he could stop her she had scurried to the master bedroom door, managed to open the door, and race inside.
"Jenny! Come back here."
He followed her but couldn't go past the door.
The little girl looked around the went to the cot her daddy slept on and sat on it. She turned to Lucas.
"My Daddy's bed" She stated.
And Lucas just walked in focusing on the little girl and not of the zillions of pictures that were all over the room.
"Yeah, Jenny your dadd's bed."
"Put it up."
"What?"
The little girl let out a frustrated sigh, stood up in front of the kneeling Lucas, put her hands on his face so they looke eye to eye,and said
"Daddy sleep on stars, no more bed, no use it, pick up." She stated like it was obvious.
"Lucas?" Came a call from the front room. Lucas looked into the hallway.
Brooke, Nathan and Haley stared back at them.
The three met them in the living room each uttering a small gasp as they saw the room.
Haley looked at him.
"Is this..." she stopped when Lucas nodded.
Brooke couldn't help it. Lucas went over and hugged her.
She calmed down and looked steadly at all the pictures.
She left for ten minutes and came back with some boxes. Lucas looked at her.
"Just help me get all the pictures into the box okay?"
As soon as the pictures had been put in boxes Lucas asked, "What are you going to do with them?"
"You'll see" she muttered
He nodded. Then turned and started putting all of the other stuff into the other empty boxes.
"Lucas--" Haley protested.
Lucas turned and faced her. "I have to Hales, if not for me then the kids. I'm not going to throw it away just store it. But I can't...just can't make those kids live in a world that doesn't exsist just because I want to...'cos given the choice I'd leave it, but I can't."
And they understood. Nathan offered to put Jenny down for the night. He went into the room and just stared at the pictures.
Nathan felt a tug on his pants. He looked down. Jenny offered her finger and he took it.
She led him to the window and pointed to the sky.
"Uncle Nate. See stars?"
"yeah Jenny, I see them."
"My mommy and daddy there." She then reached up and Nathan lifted her to window.
She leaned in an