Chapter 33 Nature's Masterpiece

Brooke sat uneasily in Peyton's meticulously decorated living room, her stomach in knots over what she had seen. 'What if" scenarios were running through her head constantly, making her wonder if she could have done something to help. Her friend was constantly under stress but that was Peyton; it wouldn't be normal if she weren't worried about one thing or another. But Brooke couldn't help wondering how many times she might have been of help if she had stopped thinking constantly of herself. Her self-pitying thoughts were broken by the sound of footsteps on the hall stairs. She looked up to see Ashton standing on the bottom step with Gretchen next to him, peaking at Brooke from behind her brother.

"Where's mom?" Brooke thought seriously about lying, that would be the easiest thing to do. Something about their innocent, sleepy expressions made her stop.

"She and your dad went to the doctors," Brooke said as lightly as possible. There was no reason to scare them with the severity of the situation; she wasn't even sure Ashton was old enough to know where babies actually came from.

"Is she sick?"

"A little bit," Brooke answered with a nod. "But she'll be okay."

"How do you know?" It wasn't a defiant question; the little boy was truly wondering how she could know a thing like that. He was the son of two very realistic people and he knew that it wasn't always possible to know that things were going to work out for the best. His parents had always taught him that no one could control the way things happened, but you could make the best of what you had. He was pretty sure he didn't want to make the best of anything without his mom.

"I've known your mom for a long time. She'll be okay," Brooke repeated. The two children were still standing on the stairs, looking at her like she was a stranger in their house. Although she had spent a lot of time in their home, she hadn't since Ashton was a baby. She'd had a rough patch right before she and Jake were married that actually caused Lucas to ask her not to come to the house. Peyton was in tears at the time but never argued with his request. Brooke had problems she needed to deal with and until then; she wasn't to be trusted around the children. Brooke had said extremely awful and malicious things that night, to the point where she was still surprised any of them talked to her.

Most surprising was the fact that Jake took her home that night and tucked her into bed when no one would have blamed him for washing his hands of her. After thirty-one years of life, Brooke could definitely count that night as her absolute darkest. She'd spent the following month and a half in rehab and still saw a therapist once a week. Although she hadn't picked up a bottle of alcohol since that fateful night, she didn't blame any of the kids for distrusting her. It was rare that she trusted herself and it still surprised her when Haley dropped by for a chat or Peyton asked her to go shopping; she honestly felt she no longer deserved them.

"You guys want to watch a movie? I hear Aladdin just came out again. New music and everything. I'm sure your mom was appalled at the artist choice, but she never did like pop—" Brooke stopped when she realized she was rambling. "Do you want to watch the movie?"

"It's bed time."

"We can make an exception just this once." Eventually Ashton warmed up to the idea and took Gretchen's hand to lead her into the living room, where the two climbed up onto the loveseat. Brooke popped in the newest Disney DVD and sat back down in her chair. Soon, a sleepy Fred and Ryan joined them, the little boy stretching out on the floor and Fred curling up with her head in Brooke's lap. They were asleep before Genie even came out of his bottle but Brooke allowed the movie to play on; afraid to wake them by taking away the lively noise. She must have fallen asleep on the sofa because the next thing she knew, the phone was ringing. Her attempt to answer it before it woke the kids was too much to hope for; they were all wake and grumbling by the time she flipped her phone open.

"Hey Luke."

"Everything alright?"

"Peachy," Brooke said dryly. "What's going on there?"

"Peyton's going to be fine."

"Thank God," she whispered.

"For once, we agree."

"What about the baby—"

"They weren't able to do anything—"

"I'm so sorry," she whispered sympathetically.

"I can't really talk about it now," he said in a strained voice. "They're keeping Peyton for at least a few days. I won't be able to get home until at least after lunch—"

"Don't worry about it."

"Hales can probably take over—"

"Lucas. Don't worry about it. It's not like I can really screw anything up."

"I know you won't. I'm sorry, I'm just tired. I don't want Ashton going to school today. Come to think of it, it might be best to keep them all home—"

"Luke, it's Saturday. It's safe to say they're all staying home."

"I'm sorry Brooke, I just can't think straight—"

"Don't worry," she repeated again, "things on the home front are just fine. You take care of P. Sawyer-Scott. I need her."

"Me too," Lucas agreed, keeping silent for a moment before snapping back to reality, "Can I talk to Fred?"

"Sure." Brooke handed the telephone to Fred, who was still trying to negotiate her surroundings. "It's your dad."

"Hi Dad."

"Hey Bug. Your mom's gonna be okay."

"I knew she would be."

"You're a good kid," Lucas said proudly. "I need you to help your Aunt Brooke with the boys and Gretchen today. She's not used to so many kids."

"We'll be okay."

"I know you will be. I love you."

"Love you too. Want to talk to Ryan?"

"Yeah, I do." Lucas talked briefly to the other three and assured them that Peyton was fine. The subject of the baby would have to be discussed later, but he knew it was important to reassure them after the scene they had witnessed the night before. Aston and Gretchen had been in bed, but both Fred and Ryan were awakened by Peyton's screams and had been onlookers to her premature contractions and Lucas's scramble to take her to the hospital. The day was fairly uneventful and all of the Scott children watched more television in those few hours than they had in entire weeks with their parents. Peyton and Lucas tended to be the type of parents who kept their kids busy with books, music, and games, which left little time for mind-numbing cartoons or controversial sitcoms.

Brooke tried to pay attention to them, as she knew she should, but she couldn't help thinking about Peyton and everything that had happened. Should she have been more helpful, possibly offered to take the kids more often, give her best friend a break every once in a while? It led her to think a lot about problems in her own life and how she was probably never going to have her own kids. Granted, they still had time; but not that much. Besides, what would she do with a baby? She never really thought of them as people, more as little inconveniences. She was deep in thought over her feelings for children when the front door opened and Jake walked in, Jenny trailing behind.

"Hey," he said softly when he saw Brooke sitting in the living room.

"Hi," she returned with a smile.

"How's everyone doing?" He posed the question as he glanced around the living room, relived to be counting four familiar children.

"We're fine," Brooke assured him, "how's Peyton?"

"She's mostly sleeping," Jake answered softly. "Something I think we could all use. Luke's staying at the hospital and he asked us to stay here. It would be easier for the kids to stay in their own rooms."

"That's fine. I just need to run home and grab a few things—"

"Jen and I stopped and packed a bag for you. But if you need to get out for a little while—"

"No, I'm good," Brooke said uncomfortably.

Not long after a quick dinner of pizza and salad, Jake began attempting to put the Scott children to bed. He had a feeling it wasn't going to be easy; they had a routine that they trusted and he didn't even know where to begin. Brooke tried to help but when she attempted to put Gretchen into the bathtub, the little girl began to scream.

"She doesn't get in the bathtub without her duck," Fred said softly, watching over Brooke's shoulder. She handed the pink piece of plastic to her baby sister and, as if by magic, the little girl calmed down and sat happily in the water.

"Thanks Fred," Brooke said. "Can you help Ashton and Ryan get ready for bed? It would be a big help."

"Sure," the young girl said reluctantly, turning to walk down the hall and up the stairs to her brothers. She didn't actually need to do anything, considering that the two boys hadn't actually gotten dressed that day. They were still both wearing lounge pants and baggy t-shirts that they had worn to bed the night before. "Ash, Ry, Aunt Brooke said you need to get ready for bed. Go brush your teeth."

"Isn't dad coming home first?" Ryan wasn't completely comfortable with the idea of going to be without his parents at home.

"What about mama?" Ashton didn't truly understand the nature of his parents' absence.

"They're not coming home right now," Winifred said patiently. "Dad said they'll be home as soon as they can be."

"Fred, will you read with me?"

"Sure," she said sympathetically, realizing that her brother was trying to take his parents' absences like a "big boy." Still, there were some things that were terribly upsetting to a little boy. He couldn't remember the last time he had gone to bed without reading with his father. Ashton, Winifred, and even Ryan curled up on the sofa in the boy's room and took turns reading from Hoot. Winifred was getting into her own bed and hour later when she heard a soft knock at the door. Before she could answer, it creaked open and Ashton was standing there with Gretchen in hand.

"What's wrong?"

"Gretchen couldn't sleep," the young boy said in a matter-of-fact voice. "She wants to stay with you."

"Well, you could both stay," Winifred suggested nonchalantly, guessing that their younger sister had little to do with the late night visit.

"That would be okay, I guess." As they climbed into bed with her, Winifred noticed that her brother had brought his ratty old stuffed dog, a sure sign that he was at least a little sad. Before she could turn out the light, there was another soft knock. Ryan stood at the door, his expression strained as he tried to remain looking "cool" and calm.

"I was just making sure Ashton was okay."

"He's here," Winifred answered.

"Oh. Okay." Ryan turned slowly to go back to his own room, a bit of disappointment in his expression and stance.

"Ryan!" Ashton called him before he could leave, but it was Gretchen who kept him there,

"Ry," she said in her firm, baby voice, "Stay. Ry stay." That was that. All was settled for the night.

The title comes from the following quote: The family is one of nature's masterpieces. George Santayana

Thanks so much for reading! A special thanks to those who have been faithful readers and reviewers since the beginning -- including lysser8312 and a.k.a.-ashley. I hope you're all enjoying and I truly apologize for the wait. I know I haven't been keeping up with my stories but for those of you still reading, thanks! And, as always, I look forward to hearing what you think about the story, so please review!