Chapter Six
Tuesday, July 30
Early the next morning Nathan and Haley left on their honeymoon to Hawaii. Thankfully they had taken the 6am flight because the meteorologist predicted that a hurricane was going to hit North Carolina. Originally hurricane Adrian was only supposed to be a tropical storm but as it passed over the Atlantic Ocean it picked up speed and power. As a result it was upgraded to a level two hurricane.
Keith, Karen, Lucas, Peyton and the kids sat in the living room watching the weather channel for any updates.
"We advise the residents of coastal North Carolina to move inland. A hurricane warning has been issued for the Tree Hill and Wilmington areas. Once again you are advised to evacuate these regions and seek shelter inland." The weatherman stated.
"Well I guess we better get some boards to cover the windows." Keith said getting up for his spot on the couch and headed into the basement. They stored plywood there in case of a hurricane.
"I'll help too. Peyton can you start packing some clothes?" Luke directed before following his uncle. Within minutes they were outside with the rest of the neighbors boarding up the windows. They could see the clouds building in the sky.
Karen and Peyton came out and started putting the bags in the trunk. They packed as suitcase with a change of clothes for everyone and a tote bag full of all the other necessities like toothbrushes and hairbrushes. Cameran also stuffed a box of crackers in even though Peyton already told her that the shelter had food.
The wind began to blow harder as Keith and Lucas finished. Karen started coaxing the kids into the car. Peyton ran into the house to get her purse just before they locked the door.
"We still have to take care of the café and your house." Luke told Keith.
"You and Peyton will go board up the café and I can go to my house. Karen you take Cameran, Gavin and Ben and we'll meet you when we're done." They all agreed.
People on the way to the café must have thought that Lucas and Peyton were crazy because they were heading into town while everyone else was leaving. When they pulled up and got out it started to rain. Luke ran inside to get the boards from the storage room. Peyton waiting under the awning as not to get wet.
"I need you to hold this while I nail it on." Lucas handed her a board and ran out into the rain. Before long it was raining harder and the wind was whipping past them.
"I don't think we're gonna make it to the shelter." Peyton shouted over the sound of the rain.
"Let's just get inside. I'm done." He replied pulling her inside and locking the door behind them.
"I better call Karen and tell her that we can't make it." Peyton pulled out her cell phone and called.
"Hello?" Karen answered.
"Hi, it's Peyton. I just wanted to let you know that we're staying in the café. The weather is too bad to drive."
"That's okay, we're almost there. Just be careful." Karen warned.
"Tell the kids I love them." She managed to say before they lost the connection. Luke walked back from the kitchen with a pile of towels in his arms.
"Oh man, I'm soaked." He sighed drying off his shirt. Peyton hadn't even noticed that she was drenched, she was too busy worrying about her children.
"It sounds bad out there. We're gonna have to stay here. What are we supposed to do?" He asked.
"I heard somewhere that you are supposed to go to the center of the house where there's no windows. That could be for a tornado. I'm not sure." She told him.
"I guess the storage room is the best place." Lucas walked in and attempted to turn on the light. "Damn it, we lost power."
"I'll get some candles." Peyton took some of the candles that they used as decorations for open mic night and some matches from under the counter.
"Well isn't this romantic." Luke commented at the sight before him.
"Yeah, it would be better if I wasn't totally soaked." She replied but he could tell there was something else bothering her.
"Baby what's wrong?" He moved closer and put his arm around her.
"I'm worried about the kids. I know that they are safe with your mom but I can't help it."
"You care about your children. There is nothing wrong with that." Lucas comforted his wife. He wrapped his arms around her and he could feel her body shivering under him. Her damp clothes were forming a puddle beneath her. "Peyton you are going to get sick in those clothes. You need to dry off."
"I love you. I don't know what I would do without you." She said sitting down while trying to dry off.
"Have you ever thought about having another baby?" He asked.
"You say that like it's nothing. You don't know how hard it is to be pregnant." Peyton replied.
"You're right, I don't know what it is like to be pregnant and I never will. But I love the feeling of knowing that we created a life together. I could see it in your eyes when you gave birth to Gavin and Ben. You looked so happy holding them in your arms even after the pain of labor."
"You know what, you're right. It's been three years since I was pregnant and I actually kind of miss the attention." She told him.
"So are we seriously going to do this? We are going to try to have another baby?" Luke asked in disbelief.
"I have never been more certain of anything in my life." She leaned over and gave him a kiss. "How about we start trying right now?"
"I like the sound of that." He agreed and went for another kiss.
The Next Morning
Lucas and Peyton woke up in each other's arms, only covered by the towels from the kitchen.
"We haven't been that spontaneous in a long time." Peyton said while stretching her arms. "I can't believe we actually had sex in your mother's café."
"And she is never to find out about it either." Luke warned. "I don't think she'd be too happy knowing that we christened her storage room during a hurricane."
"That is something that would fall under the 'Too much information' category." She agreed as she began to collect her clothes from around the room.
After they were both dressed they decided to check out the damage from 'Adrian'. Lucas opened the door and was thankful that nothing serious had happened. Only a few large branches and mostly leaves were scattered on the street and sidewalk. Peyton walked out and started the car.
Before they knew it they were at home with their family. Cameran had so many stories about her night in the shelter. Gavin and Ben didn't quite grasp the situation, Karen just told them it was like a camping trip inside.
For all of them, it was a night to remember.
Tuesday, July 30
Early the next morning Nathan and Haley left on their honeymoon to Hawaii. Thankfully they had taken the 6am flight because the meteorologist predicted that a hurricane was going to hit North Carolina. Originally hurricane Adrian was only supposed to be a tropical storm but as it passed over the Atlantic Ocean it picked up speed and power. As a result it was upgraded to a level two hurricane.
Keith, Karen, Lucas, Peyton and the kids sat in the living room watching the weather channel for any updates.
"We advise the residents of coastal North Carolina to move inland. A hurricane warning has been issued for the Tree Hill and Wilmington areas. Once again you are advised to evacuate these regions and seek shelter inland." The weatherman stated.
"Well I guess we better get some boards to cover the windows." Keith said getting up for his spot on the couch and headed into the basement. They stored plywood there in case of a hurricane.
"I'll help too. Peyton can you start packing some clothes?" Luke directed before following his uncle. Within minutes they were outside with the rest of the neighbors boarding up the windows. They could see the clouds building in the sky.
Karen and Peyton came out and started putting the bags in the trunk. They packed as suitcase with a change of clothes for everyone and a tote bag full of all the other necessities like toothbrushes and hairbrushes. Cameran also stuffed a box of crackers in even though Peyton already told her that the shelter had food.
The wind began to blow harder as Keith and Lucas finished. Karen started coaxing the kids into the car. Peyton ran into the house to get her purse just before they locked the door.
"We still have to take care of the café and your house." Luke told Keith.
"You and Peyton will go board up the café and I can go to my house. Karen you take Cameran, Gavin and Ben and we'll meet you when we're done." They all agreed.
People on the way to the café must have thought that Lucas and Peyton were crazy because they were heading into town while everyone else was leaving. When they pulled up and got out it started to rain. Luke ran inside to get the boards from the storage room. Peyton waiting under the awning as not to get wet.
"I need you to hold this while I nail it on." Lucas handed her a board and ran out into the rain. Before long it was raining harder and the wind was whipping past them.
"I don't think we're gonna make it to the shelter." Peyton shouted over the sound of the rain.
"Let's just get inside. I'm done." He replied pulling her inside and locking the door behind them.
"I better call Karen and tell her that we can't make it." Peyton pulled out her cell phone and called.
"Hello?" Karen answered.
"Hi, it's Peyton. I just wanted to let you know that we're staying in the café. The weather is too bad to drive."
"That's okay, we're almost there. Just be careful." Karen warned.
"Tell the kids I love them." She managed to say before they lost the connection. Luke walked back from the kitchen with a pile of towels in his arms.
"Oh man, I'm soaked." He sighed drying off his shirt. Peyton hadn't even noticed that she was drenched, she was too busy worrying about her children.
"It sounds bad out there. We're gonna have to stay here. What are we supposed to do?" He asked.
"I heard somewhere that you are supposed to go to the center of the house where there's no windows. That could be for a tornado. I'm not sure." She told him.
"I guess the storage room is the best place." Lucas walked in and attempted to turn on the light. "Damn it, we lost power."
"I'll get some candles." Peyton took some of the candles that they used as decorations for open mic night and some matches from under the counter.
"Well isn't this romantic." Luke commented at the sight before him.
"Yeah, it would be better if I wasn't totally soaked." She replied but he could tell there was something else bothering her.
"Baby what's wrong?" He moved closer and put his arm around her.
"I'm worried about the kids. I know that they are safe with your mom but I can't help it."
"You care about your children. There is nothing wrong with that." Lucas comforted his wife. He wrapped his arms around her and he could feel her body shivering under him. Her damp clothes were forming a puddle beneath her. "Peyton you are going to get sick in those clothes. You need to dry off."
"I love you. I don't know what I would do without you." She said sitting down while trying to dry off.
"Have you ever thought about having another baby?" He asked.
"You say that like it's nothing. You don't know how hard it is to be pregnant." Peyton replied.
"You're right, I don't know what it is like to be pregnant and I never will. But I love the feeling of knowing that we created a life together. I could see it in your eyes when you gave birth to Gavin and Ben. You looked so happy holding them in your arms even after the pain of labor."
"You know what, you're right. It's been three years since I was pregnant and I actually kind of miss the attention." She told him.
"So are we seriously going to do this? We are going to try to have another baby?" Luke asked in disbelief.
"I have never been more certain of anything in my life." She leaned over and gave him a kiss. "How about we start trying right now?"
"I like the sound of that." He agreed and went for another kiss.
The Next Morning
Lucas and Peyton woke up in each other's arms, only covered by the towels from the kitchen.
"We haven't been that spontaneous in a long time." Peyton said while stretching her arms. "I can't believe we actually had sex in your mother's café."
"And she is never to find out about it either." Luke warned. "I don't think she'd be too happy knowing that we christened her storage room during a hurricane."
"That is something that would fall under the 'Too much information' category." She agreed as she began to collect her clothes from around the room.
After they were both dressed they decided to check out the damage from 'Adrian'. Lucas opened the door and was thankful that nothing serious had happened. Only a few large branches and mostly leaves were scattered on the street and sidewalk. Peyton walked out and started the car.
Before they knew it they were at home with their family. Cameran had so many stories about her night in the shelter. Gavin and Ben didn't quite grasp the situation, Karen just told them it was like a camping trip inside.
For all of them, it was a night to remember.