Thanks to Lysser8312, Jessica S, Lauren, LadyPiper1, tardychick06, and Rouella for reviewing. I really appreciate it! It not only gives me a sometimes-needed incentive to keep writing, but it also makes me happy to write more, knowing someone else is enjoying the story:-) Thanks again to everyone who had reviewed! Here's the next chapter, hope you all enjoy!

Chapter 22 They Just Are

After Haley got through a particularly long contraction, Karen quietly excused herself to go and look for the Scott brothers. If they were hiding to avoid seeing Haley in pain, she was going to let them know what pain really was. It wasn't the time for her boys to be acting like children. Once Karen left, it was only Peyton in the room with a very crabby and annoyed Haley. The nurse had checked on her half an hour prior and they hadn't seen anyone from the hospital since. Peyton was sitting in a chair next to the bed, sketching away while listening to Haley rant about Nathan and the hospital personnel. Both were annoying the woman in labor.

"Nathan should be here," Haley said in an almost-whine.

"He will be," Peyton answered almost automatically.

"What if something happened to him?" It was the first time such a thought had crossed Haley's mind and immediately she began to panic. Peyton put her project aside and moved to sit next to Haley. She pulled her friend close and held her tightly, immediately calming her fears.

"You're being silly. Nathan's fine. You know that."

"I know," Haley said softly, not at all as certain as she claimed to be. She hugged Peyton back and offered a small smile, trying to assure her friend that she was fine. Before either girl had a chance to worry any more about Nathan, another contraction began. Haley let out a small yelp in surprise but then started breathing methodically, the only sign of strain being her eyes squeezed closed and her hands clenched on the blankets. Peyton remained silent, knowing she couldn't help; Haley was the independent type. After Jared's birth, they all joked that she could have done it without any help at all; and they were probably right. Peyton, on the other hand, exacted revenge on Lucas during the birth of all four children. His hand had never quite been the same after Gretchen was born.

The door to the room opened in tandem with the end of Haley's contraction. She let out a cry louder than any that had been heard so far during labor; Nathan had arrived. He immediately hugged her and started shooting off apologies and explanations, all of which she ignored. She didn't care where he had been, only that he was there. Peyton crept out of the room quietly, slipping out the door and joining Lucas in the hallway.

"Where'd you find him?"

"Two miles from the gym. The idiot ran out of gas and was walking back to use the phone. And his cell phone was dead."

"Things like that happen just when they shouldn't."

"Yeah, they sure do." His gaze fell on his wife and he actually looked at her for the first time all day; she looked exhausted. He reached over and gently swept a curl away from her face. "Hey, how are you holding up?"

"I'm not the one in labor."

"No, but you're the one taking care of everything. As usual."

"No, I'm just doing what needs to be done. You'd do the same." She stepped into his embrace and hugged him, letting herself off guard for the first time all day.

"I wouldn't look nearly as stunning doing it," he whispered into her ear.

"Why Mr. Scott, you're trying to seduce me," she said with a tired smile.

"I may have to postpone my intentions until my wife isn't dead on her feet."

"I'm fine."

"You're far from it. Let's go get something to eat."

"Hales—"

"Will be fine with Nathan and Mom. Come on, I bet you haven't eaten since breakfast." He put his arm around her shoulder and led her down the corridor toward the nearest exit. They met Karen on the way and promised they would be back soon and then headed to a nearby dinner. It wasn't the best food, but it was better than what the hospital had to offer. Lucas was through eating his dinner and halfway through convincing Peyton to eat hers when his cell phone rang. He had turned it on after they'd left the hospital but he hadn't actually expected it to ring. Few people had the number and Peyton was the only person who called the number with any regularity. He saw the screen was flashing their home number and picked up quickly.

"Hello?

"Dad?"

"Hey Ash, what's going on, buddy?"

"How come you didn't answer before?" Lucas could tell that his son's voice was strained. The little boy had apparently been crying not long before.

"Your mom and I were at the hospital with Aunt Haley. She and Uncle Nathan are having their new baby today. What's up?

"When are you and mom coming home?"

"Is something wrong?" Peyton was worried long before Lucas posed that question but now she looked about ready to jump up and go straight home. Lucas took her hand in his free one, signaling for her not to overreact. He looked away from her, trying to concentrate on what their son was saying.

"It was just a bad day," Ashton said quietly. "I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize. You can always call me. I'm sorry we're not home but Aunt Haley needs us. Can you talk to your Aunt Brooke until we get home?"

"It's okay," Ashton said, avoiding the question. Lucas knew that he would never talk to Brooke about anything important; she was a girl who wasn't his mother—that just did not pass muster in the world of a little boy.

"Why wasn't it a good day?"

"It was fine," Ashton said stubbornly, his shell quickly covering the vulnerable voice Lucas had heard at the beginning of their conversation.

"We'll be home soon, buddy. Don't worry too much. I love you."

"Love you too. And mom," he added before hanging up the phone slowly.

"What's going on?" Peyton's question came before Lucas even had the chance to turn off the phone.

"I don't know," he admitted as he put his phone back into his pocket. "Ashton sounds like he was crying. I think he's just upset about something."

"I want to go home," Peyton said immediately, standing up and picking up her purse before Lucas could completely comprehend what she'd said.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, just drop me off and go back to Hales. She'll understand."

"I'm sure she will," Lucas agreed as he stood up and grabbed Peyton's hand. They paid the bill, got into the car, and arrived home in record time. It was a surprise to Brooke, who was sitting in the living room braiding Fred's hair and watching some old black and white horror movie.

"What is it?" Fred asked excitedly as soon as she saw her parents.

"The baby isn't here yet," Peyton said quickly, handing her coat to Lucas and dropping her bag beside the living room sofa.

"Is everything alright?" Brooke asked suspiciously.

"Yeah," Peyton assured her quickly. "I was just feeling a little tired. So Luke is just dropping me off. You can go home. Or to the hospital, if you want."

"I think I'll stick around for a while. Are you sure everything is okay?"

"I think so. Ashton called us. Where is he?"

"He was sleeping last time I checked," Brooke said with a note of confusion. "He called?"

"Yeah," Peyton answered. "We'll be fine," she said as she turned back to Lucas. "Go back to Hales."

"I'm just going to say goodnight to the kids," he said before heading into the hallway and up the stairs.

"I'm sorry, Peyton. I didn't know he was still awake, let alone making phone calls—"

"It's alright," Peyton assured her. "Where are the other boys?"

"Playing some videogame down in the game room."

"Okay. How are you doing?" Peyton posed the question to Fred, who was looking as pale as usual. She knelt down on the living room carpet and kissed her daughter's forehead, happy to note that for the first time in quite a while, the little girl seemed free of fever.

"Good," she answered with the perkiest smile she could muster.

"How was school?"

"It was okay. I sort of miss seeing Lauren. She's not in any of my classes since they changed."

"I'm sorry, Fred. Maybe you could invite her over on the weekend."

"Okay," Fred answered happily. Peyton stood back up and kissed Lucas, who had returned after saying goodnight to the other kids. He began talking to Winifred as Peyton made her way up the stairs to Aston's bedroom. She knocked softly and then opened the door after receiving no answer. The little boy, pitifully attempting to pretend he was asleep, opened his eyes the tiniest bit to see who had entered.

"Hey Ash," she whispered softly. No response. "I know you're awake." Ashton sat up and looked at his mother in the tiny bit of light that seeped in from the hall.

"Did Aunt Haley have her baby?"

"Not yet," Peyton answered as she closed the door and moved to sit on the edge of the little boy's bed. She switched on the bedside lamp so that they could see one another. Ashton's expression was one of surprise and guilt. He knew that his mom didn't leave them for anything that wasn't important and he hadn't wanted to pull her away from Aunt Haley. "did something happen at school today?"

'"It's not really important," Ashton said quietly.

"Of course it is," she said as she reached over and tilted his chin back up so that he was looking at her, not at the navy comforter. "What happened?"

"Mrs. Leer made me sit in the hall all day," he said sadly.

"Why?"

"I don't know." Ashton's voice was soft and his eyes were welling with tears; he truly did not understand.

"Did she say anything when she asked you to go out there?"

"She put my desk out in the hall right after reading. She said I couldn't be in the class because I already knew what they were doing."

"Do you think you maybe showed-off a little during reading?"

"I didn't try to," Ashton said desperately. " I just answer when it's my turn. I'm not allowed to raise my hand anymore. 'Cause other people need turns." Peyton buried her immediate anger and ordered herself to remain calm; flipping out wouldn't help the little boy stop worrying.

"What did you do in the hallway?"

"Worked on the 6th grade books."

"Did you understand them?"

"Most of the stuff," Aston admitted miserably.

"Would you rather have been in class?"

"I didn't want to be alone," Ashton answered dejectedly. "It's not fair that I didn't get to be with everyone else. I missed music class."

"No, it's not fair," Peyton answered as she pulled the little boy into a reassuring hug. "I'll talk to Mrs. Leer."

"She'll be mad."

"Don't worry about her. It's not a bad thing to be smart, kiddo. You don't have to be sorry about it. And you don't have to miss out because of it."

"Okay."

"Are you sure?" Peyton asked as she gently wiped away his tears with the edge of her sweater. He nodded but she could see that he was still upset. She pulled him into her lap so they were eye-to-eye. Looking into his innocent, watery blue eyes, she posed a fairly serious question. "Do you like your class this year?"

"Not really," he admitted after a few minutes of pondering the question. "The kids aren't so nice. They say they won't play with me anymore because I suck-up."

"Why do you think they say that?"

"Mrs. Leer gives me all 100s. But I don't suck up," Ashton assured her. "I don't even like Mrs. Leer so much. And I don't think she likes me."

"I'm sure that's not true," Peyton tried to assure him. She paused for a few minutes, trying to decide what to do. One thing she knew for sure. She couldn't send him back to school until she spoke with his teacher and found out exactly what was going on.

"How would you feel about staying home with me tomorrow?"

"Am I in trouble?"

"No," Peyton assured him.

"I'd like that," Ashton said, his mouth almost making a complete smile.

"Me too," Peyton said with a wide smile. "Now no more worries, okay?"

"Okay," he promised, a bit more energetically this time. Peyton pulled the covers up around him and leaned down to kiss his forehead.

"Goodnight, Love."

"G'night mama. Love you." Peyton left the room and went over to Gretchen's room where she checked to make sure the little girl was sleeping. She was, looking angelical with her blond curls shining in the moonlight. Looking at her watch, Peyton decided that she might as well go back to the hospital; she wasn't going to get any sleep until she knew Haley and the baby were all right. First, she would check on the other boys. Going down to the basement, she peaked in on Ryan and Jared, who were playing a basketball game on the play station.

"Hey guys. Twenty more minutes and you need to get ready for bed."

"Mom," Ryan whined.

"Ryan," Peyton returned in a warning tone. "You two need to be in bed by ten. School tomorrow."

"Where are you going?" His question was accusing, his attitude startling and angering Peyton.

"Watch it," she warned him. "I don't like that tone. I'm going back to the hospital to be with Aunt Haley."

"She already has a mom," Ryan yelled angrily, throwing the controller into the television and stamping past his mother and up the stairs. Jared silently began to clean up the game while avoiding his aunt's confused gaze. Peyton looked after Ryan, not at all sure what had happened.

The title of this chapter comes from the following quote:

"Family is just accident.... They don't mean to get on your nerves. They don't even mean to be your family, they just are." Marsha Norman