Chapter 11
February 14, Valentine's Day
"Has anyone seen my pearl earrings?" Karen shouted frantically as she searched through her jewelry box. Deb, her matron of honor, was doing her best to do Karen's hair without burning her with the curling iron. They regretted not hiring someone to do their hair and make-up because it was only two hours until the wedding and Karen and Deb were nowhere near ready.
The good news was that Peyton, Haley and Brooke, who were Karen's bridesmaids, had been dressed for hours. However, they were too preoccupied with their own problems to help out.
Peyton was busy with Cameran. No matter how hard she tried, she could not get her daughter to take off her purple sneakers and put on the pair of white shoes that Karen picked out for her. Cameran ran around the house nearly ripping her flower girls dress a few times. Peyton tried the best she could to follow after but running was not something that came easily to a six and a half-month pregnant woman. Finally after an exhausting twenty minutes she promised Cameran a candy bar if she would wear the flower girl shoes. Peyton sent her daughter to watch "Winnie the Pooh" and sat down on the couch with her two friends.
Haley was sprawled out on the love seat with her feet propped up on the coffee table. She was five days overdue and her pregnancy was really taking a toll on her body. Her ankles were swollen and her back ached all the time. Nathan was doing everything he could to make her more comfortable but his attempts were futile. It seemed that she wouldn't be better until she finally had the baby. Until that day she would have to deal with the stress.
Brooke was glad that her biggest problem was the fact that Ava kept pulling her pigtails out of her hair. The past months had been a trying time for her. Things seemed to be going well for about a week after the showed up in Tree Hill. Brooke submitted a complaint to the police against Dan and had taken out a restraining order against him. Everyone had a feeling that things were going too smoothly and those feelings were confirmed when Dan showed up at Brooke's apartment one day with a gun. Brooke happened to be on the phone with Peyton when he broke in and when she heard Brooke scream on the other end of the phone she called the cops immediately. When the police arrived they found Brooke hiding in the bathroom with Ava and Dan trying to beat down the door. Bullet holes riddled the walls and door where he tried to shoot at them. Dan was arrested, put on trial and sentenced to life in prison without parole for breaking and entering, first degree assault and two counts of attempted murder. With a few sessions of therapy Brooke was on her way to a full recovery. On a happier note she had gotten a job at a local magazine as the fashion editor and much to her delight she learned that she was four months pregnant with a healthy baby boy.
All three young women waited patiently as Karen and Deb put the final touches on their outfits. All of them piled into the limo and arrived fashionably late. Brooke left Ava with Haley's parents in the church and joined the wedding party. Cameran, Gavin and Ben were in the front of the line, as the flower girl and ring bearers, ready to head down the isle first. Next came Peyton and her father, who had been chosen as a groomsmen. After was Nathan and Haley followed by Brooke and Tom, Deb's husband. Finally Karen made her way down the isle escorted by her father to the sound of "Here comes the Bride".
The ceremony went off without a hitch. Some tears were shed and overall everyone was happy for the couple. They all headed to the reception and started the party. Like any get together in Tree Hill there was plenty of dancing and alcohol. However Peyton, Haley and Brooke refrained from the festivities. They were happy watching their children dance around with Lucas and Nathan. Deb was proudly showing off a picture of a little boy in Vietnam named Wyatt that her and Tom were in the process of adopting.
Lucas and Nathan joined their wives at the table and caught their breath. The kids had danced for an hour straight and were busy playing 'Ring Around the Rosy'. The adults had no idea where all of their energy came from.
"How are you feeling Hales?" Nathan asked as he massaged his wife's shoulders.
"I'm having these sharp pains in my side but I think it's just those Braxton Hicks contractions again." Haley answered
"Are you sure? How long has this been going on?" He questioned with a worried tone.
"Since about 1:00 this afternoon." She told him as she winced in pain.
"Baby I think you're in labor. We're going to the hospital right now." Nathan said and as soon as Haley stood up her water broke. They rushed to the hospital with Lucas and Peyton right behind them.
The Hospital
Nearly sixteen hours had passed and the waiting room was filled with the guests from the wedding reception. As the hours passed they witnessed a number of couples being admitted and even more leaving with their new bundles of joy. During that time Haley slowly progressed. Nathan would emerge from the labor ward every hour or so, looking more haggard each time, to report on her condition.
One by one their family and friends drifted off to sleep. Keith and Karen had left for their honeymoon a few hours earlier. Not long after the kids dozed off. Somewhere within the next ten hours all of the adults, with the exception of Lucas, were asleep as well. Brooke was slouched in one of the chairs with Ava in her lap. Cameran, Ben and Gavin were sprawled out on the bench across from them. Lucas was sitting on the couch in the corner with Peyton's head on his shoulder. He couldn't imagine being any happier. He had three beautiful children and an amazing wife that also happened to be carrying their fourth child. His thoughts were interrupted when Nathan burst into the room.
"It's a boy!" He shouted causing everyone to wake up. "His name is Connor and he weighs nine lbs on the dot." He told them. Everyone congratulated the new father and Deb and Haley's parents went to visit their grandson.
They all spent gathered around Haley's bed and fussed over the baby in her arms. Mr. and Mrs. James swore that Connor looked nothing like Nathan in an attempt to express their disapproval of their daughter's marriage once again. However it was obvious to everyone else that the little boy looked just like his father. Their visit was interrupted when the doctor came into the room.
"Hello Haley, how are you feeling?" The doctor asked.
"I'm still exhausted." She replied before yawning.
"That is to be expected after giving birth. How about we take the baby to the nursery so you can get some rest?" He suggested.
"I think that's a good idea." Nathan said because he could tell that his wife needed a break.
"The nurse will be here in a few minutes to take care of that." The doctor informed them.
"Can I ask you a question doctor?" Mrs. James asked, as the doctor was about to leave the room.
"Sure." The doctor looked a little agitated by the stall. He had other patients that he needed to see.
"I was told that this baby wasn't due for another six weeks. Isn't it unusual for a premature baby to look this healthy?" She inquired.
"You must be mistaken. This baby was due five days ago."
"That's not possible." Haley's mother seemed irritated by the response. "My daughter has only been married a little over seven months."
"Well I can't help you out with that. All I know is that your daughter carried her son to full term." The doctor told her curtly and walked out. The James gave a cold glare to Nathan and Haley and followed the doctor out of the room. Haley knew she was never going to see her parents again now that the truth was out. She expected the feeling to be worse but it was almost a relief. If her parents couldn't accept the fact that she loved Nathan then she didn't want them in her life.
Deb had somehow escaped from the room during the brief altercation. When she saw Haley's parents leave the hospital looking very unhappy she came back into the room with Brooke, Peyton, Lucas and the kids by her side.
They spent a few minutes meeting the new baby until the nurse came to take him to the nursery. Everyone was proud to have the new member of their family.
A/N: I know that on the show that Haley's parents are actually really cool but I had this storyline planned for a while...On kind of a random note, did anyone notice that Haley's dad's name is Jimmy?...That would mean that his real name is James James. I just thought that was funny ; )