Author's Note: Sorry it's been so long since I've updated, but life and a serious case of writer's block got in the way.


"Ahhhhhh! I want my mom!" she screamed as another contraction wracked her body, "Daddy!" "Sweetie, you need to calm down. Take deep breaths and blow them out slowly," the young nurse said. "It hurts so much," the girl sobbed, "Where are my parents?" The nurse grabbed her hand, she felt sorry for the kid. She had seen her parents when they brought her in. They had practically dumped the girl at the nurse's station. They promptly signed whatever consent forms they needed to, then left her to fend for herself. Poor kid, she was going through one of the most traumatic experiences a woman's body could ever go though and she was all alone. "Ahhhhh! I can't do this!" she screamed as another contraction hit. "Yes you can, Brooke. Just breathe sweetie. Calm down and breathe," the nurse said. "You won't leave me will you?" Brooke whined, desperation in her eyes. "No, don't worry. I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere until you get through this," the nurse said.
Brooke gasped as she bolted upright in bed. Lucas was immediately by her side. "Brooke, are you ok? What's wrong baby?" he asked. She held up a hand, signaling that she needed time to catch her breath. He wiped the beads of sweat from her forehead as he waited patiently for her to calm down. It had all been so real, like she was right there again…and it scared the hell out of her. "I—it was just a nightmare," she said when she was finally able to speak. "Must have been a bad one. You're shaking," he said, "Do you want to talk about it?" "No, I'm fine," she replied. "Well, can I get you anything? A glass of water? Honey, are you sure you don't want to talk about this?" he said. "No. Really, I'm fine. I just want to go back to sleep," she said as she lay back down with her back to him. She obviously didn't want to talk about it, and he had no intention of pushing it. So he followed her lead and lay back down with his back to her. "Luke?" she called softly. "Yes baby?" he replied. "Could you just hold me please?" she whispered. He didn't say anything, just snuggled up behind her and wrapped an arm around her waist. "Goodnight sweetie," he whispered as he kissed the top of her head. Brooke just lay there, trying to find comfort in his embrace as she let the tears soak her pillow.

"Brooke! Brooke!" Peyton called, finally getting her friend's attention, "What's going on with you? You've been zoning out on me all day, and you've barely touched your food." "Nothing, I'm fine," Brooke said. "Brooke, come on…I know you. I can tell when something's bothering you, and when you're not eating--something is definitely bothering you, now spill it," Peyton replied. "Really, it's not that important. I was just thinking about this nightmare I had last night. I was in labor and Lucas wasn't there, nobody was…it really freaked me out," Brooke said. She wanted desperately to tell Peyton the truth, to tell her the secret she had been carrying for so many years but she just couldn't. "Oh Brooke, you know you don't have to worry about that. Luke wouldn't miss the birth of his child for anything. Besides, there's no way you would ever be alone…we'll all be there," Peyton replied. Brooke managed a slight smile, but she still had a nagging feeling that something was going to go terribly wrong.

"Hey Peyton," Karen said as she approached their table, "Hey sweetie, how are you feeling?" "I'm fine," Brooke said as she slid over to allow Karen to take a seat. "Are you sure? You look like something's on your mind," she said. "Really, it's nothing…just thinking about a nightmare I had last night. It really shook me up. Well, that and my back hurts," Brooke replied, squirming in her seat. Karen nodded, satisfied with Brooke's answer. "So where's that son of mine?" Karen asked. "He went out on Dan's boat with Nathan, so Peyton and I are having a girl's day out," Brooke replied. "Oh, do they know there's a big storm coming in tonight?" Karen said, worry evident in her voice. "Yeah, they know. Lucas called a while ago to tell us they would be staying at the beach house tonight, so they don't get caught in the storm on the way home," Peyton chimed in. "Well since Luke isn't going to be home tonight, you and Brooke should make up for lost time…rent some movies and have a sleepover," Karen said to Peyton. "You know what? That's an awesome idea," Peyton said, "Want to head over to the video store now, Brooke?" "Sure," Brooke replied, "See you later Karen." She gave Karen a quick hug and then they headed out.

Brooke's back was still bothering her when they got home from the video store; so she and Peyton settled down on her bed to watch the movies. Brooke was exhausted and had fallen asleep a few minutes into the movie, and Peyton followed her lead shortly after. The storm had rolled in and the thunder boomed loudly…rousing Brooke from her deep slumber. "Peyton, I'm going to kill you," Brooke said, annoyed that she was lying in something wet. The first thing she thought was that Peyton had spilled a drink in the bed. As she became more alert, and felt a contraction, she realized what was really going on. "Brooke, it's 3:30 in the morning, go back to sleep and leave me alone!" Peyton whined sleepily as she felt someone shaking her. She was all set to ignore it until she heard her friend whimper in pain. As she rolled over to see what the problem was, her hand fell right into the wet spot. She bolted up right, suddenly wide-awake. "Oh my God, is that what I think it is?" Peyton asked. "If you're thinking I wet the bed, no. If you're thinking my water broke, yes," Brooke answered through clenched teeth.

"Ok, we're not going to panic, it's going to be ok," Peyton began, "First we're going to get you in some dry clothes, then I'm going to call Karen and get you to the hospital. You just try to relax and breathe." Brooke just nodded her approval, Peyton could see the fear in her friend's eyes and she knew she had to keep it together for Brook's sake. Peyton rummaged through a couple of drawers before coming across some of Lucas' clothes. She quickly grabbed a pair of his sweat pants and one of his shirts. After getting Brooke dressed, Peyton called Karen and informed her of what was going on. Karen promised to let Lucas know what was happening, and then she would meet them at the hospital.

"Peyton, what if Lucas doesn't get here on time?" Brooke said, as they finally reached the hospital. "Don't worry about that Brooke, he'll be here. He wouldn't miss this for anything," Peyton said, trying her best to reassure her friend, "Sit tight for a second, I'm going to go find a nurse to bring you a wheelchair." All Brooke could do was cry out as another contraction hit her…they were less than five minutes apart now. The nurse came out and wheeled Brooke into the hospital. They had gotten her settled in a room and her OB-GYN was checking her out when Karen arrived.

"Hey sweetie, how are you doing?" Karen said, kissing Brooke on the forehead. "Much better since the epidural. Is Lucas on his way?" Brooke asked, worry evident on her face. "He and Nathan are going to try and get here as fast as they can, but the storm is going to slow them down a bit. Don't worry, he wouldn't miss this for anything," Karen said, trying to reassure her daughter-in-law.

Haley arrived a few hours after Karen, but there was still no sign of Lucas or Nathan. Brooke was becoming increasingly worried, and her labor was starting to progress faster. "He's not going to get here and I'm going to be all alone!" Brooke cried. "Calm down sweetie, he's going to get here. Nothing could stop him…and you're not alone, I'm here, Peyton's here, Haley's here…we're not going anywhere Brooke," Karen said, trying to calm the panicked young woman. "Hey, how about I go try Nathan's cell phone and see where they are?" Haley asked. Brooke nodded and Haley went off to find a pay phone. She returned a few minutes later, and the look on her face told everyone that the news wasn't going to be good. "Don't get upset Brooke, but I talked to Nathan and he said the main road is washed out so they have to take a different route…it's going to take them a little longer than expected to get here," Haley said.

Tears flooded Brooke's eyes…her worst nightmare was coming true. "Hey, he'll be here. Try to relax ok? All that worrying isn't good for the baby," Peyton said, sitting on the bed beside Brooke and wiping the tears from her cheeks. Another hour passed and there was still no sign of Lucas and Nathan. "Ok Brooke, it's time for you to start pushing," the doctor said. "But my husband isn't here yet, can't I wait just a little longer?" Brooke asked. "I'm sorry, your baby is ready to come out and there's no stopping it," the doctor said. Brooke sighed…she had no choice but to do what she was told. Her labor was long and hard…and much more painful than she had remembered. At least she had Karen, Peyton, and Haley there to hold her hand and wipe the sweat from her forehead.

Lucas raced down the hallway as fast as he could; he had to get to her. There was no way he was going to miss the birth of his first child. "My wife…Brooke Davis-Scott…in labor…I'm late…what room?" he blurted out as he reached the nurses station. He was out of breath and soaking wet. Luckily, the young nurse at the desk was very understanding. "Room 419 sir, take the elevator to the 4th floor and make a left," she said. "Thank you," he replied and ran off toward the elevators. He pushed the elevator button but decided he couldn't wait for it and took the stairs instead.

As he neared the door to the room he could hear the doctor telling Brooke that she could see the head. "I'm here!" he yelled as he ran into the room. "I'm here baby, I'm so sorry," he said, replacing Peyton at Brooke's side. "I should strangle you! I thought you'd never get here!" Brooke cried. She was pissed, but he could tell she was also relieved. "Alright Brooke, give me two big pushes and this will be all over…give me everything you've got. Are you ready?" the doctor asked. Brooke tightened her grip on Lucas' hand and nodded. She did as the doctor said and gave it all she had. Soon, there was a huge feeling of relief as she felt the baby exit. "Congratulations Mr. And Mrs. Scott, you are now the proud parents of a beautiful baby boy," the doctor announced.

She held the baby up for everyone to see, then began to clean him up. The doctor suctioned his mouth and nose, but the baby still hadn't cried. He seemed to be having trouble breathing. A feeling of dread passed over Brooke; she knew he should have made a noise by now. "What's wrong, why isn't he crying?" Brooke asked. "He seems to be having a little problem breathing," the doctor replied. "What? Why can't he breath? What's happening? Is he going to be ok?" Brooke asked, starting to panic. "Brooke, I need you to stay calm. I'm going to cut the cord, and we're going to rush him up to the NICU so we can get him breathing and figure out what's going on. I'll let you know what the problem is as soon as I know something," the doctor said. "Wait, I need to know what's happening with my baby!" Brooke yelled. "Sweetie, calm down, the doctor is going to take good care of him…let her do her job," Lucas said. Brooke wanted to say something else, but she knew she had to let the doctor do her job. Why was this happening to her? She just knew she was being punished for what she had done. She had abandoned one child, so why should she be allowed to have another? All she could do was break down and cry…and try to find what little comfort she could in Lucas' arms.

TBC…