Chapter Three
"So you never talked to him?" Nathan questioned Brooke while they drank coffee early Saturday morning.
"No, I didn't call him back and he hasn't called me. I just don't know what to do Nate!" Brooke groaned, "How am I supposed to handle this?"
"I don't know Brooke. Luke is my only brother so I've never experienced this before. I think it's shitty that he left you and the kids. I'd be upset about that."
"I don't have the energy to be upset." Brooke let her head fall to the counter and Nathan moved behind her, rubbing her back gently.
"Right now I think that we should just focus on the kids. Make sure they're handling the situation and then we'll focus on you. How does that sound?"
Brooke stood and turned around, smiling at him.
"Thanks Nate, but you don't have to do this. I can handle it."
"I wanna help." Nathan didn't have to say anything else. The resonation in his voice told her it was final, and he would be helping, no matter what she said to persuade him otherwise.
Brooke was grateful for Nathan being there. He had always been there for her, so she shouldn't have expected any less, but nonetheless, she was grateful for his presence. Lucas's announcement the day before had taken her life and spun it in different directions. No longer did she have a gameplan. She was barely surviving.
"Shall we make the kids breakfast before they wake up?" Nathan asked, sipping the last of his coffee and placing his mug in the sink.
He watched her inhale deeply and then nod.
"Yeah, I'll make the eggs. You make the bacon and toast?"
"Sure thing." Nathan agreed.
Brooke took the eggs, bacon and bread out of the refrigerator, setting them on the counter. She and Nathan didn't exchange any other words during the preparation of breakfast. They just cooked and then set the food out before looking at each other to decide on the next step.
"I'll wake Vaughn and Laney, you get Saylor and Tavian?" Nathan offered, "Make things easy on you."
Brooke laughed slightly and nodded.
"Sounds good."
Twenty minutes later they all sat down to breakfast together, but everyone was silent. The tension was thick in the air, as if none of them had anything to say or, as was the case, had everything to say but unsure of how to say it.
"So, I know that your dad is gone for awhile but um…" Nathan looked around at all the kids, "If you need anything, you can ask me and I'll be there for you."
"Are you gonna be our new daddy?" Vaughn asked in her fake sugary sweet tone, "Gee Uncle Nate, that's real swell of you."
"Vaughn!" Brooke snapped, "Your Uncle Nathan is trying to help so cut the crap."
"Oh, was that what that was? Help? Cause it sounded an awful lot like being pathetic. You should make yourself more clear next time Uncle Nate."
"That is enough!" Brooke threw her fork down onto her plate, causing everyone at the table to jump, "Your dad is gone. That upsets you. I understand that. But you are not going to take it out on Nathan when all he is trying to do is help us. So quit acting like this is only happening to you and grow up little girl. Your dad left all of us and we are all affected, so have a little consideration for the other people around you."
"What do you want me to do? Pretend like everything's ok? Like we're still a family only dad's not here and Uncle Nathan is? Newsflash! Dad is gay and he's gone! We're no longer a family!"
"You, your sisters, your brother and I, and yes your Uncle Nathan too, are still family whether you like it or not. Sit down. Shut up. And eat."
Brooke and Vaughn glared at each other for what seemed like hours before Vaughn tossed her fork and her napkin onto the table and stood up.
"I'm not hungry." She announced and walked away towards her bedroom.
Brooke closed her eyes, resting her head on her hands while the other people at the table resumed eating.
Beneath the table, Nathan reached over and rubbed her knee comfortingly to let her know she wasn't alone. She smiled weakly at him and then returned to eating her own food.
"May I be excused please? I'm done." Laney asked after a few minutes.
Half of her food was still on her plate but Brooke let her go. It was no use trying to force the girl to eat. Even she didn't want to eat at this point but she knew she had to.
"Tavian, what do you say you and I go play some basketball after breakfast huh?" Nathan asked his nephew, trying to lighten the mood a bit, "I bet you're getting good."
"Yeah, that'd be fun." Tavian nodded looking up to his mom, the light in his eyes shining bright, "Mom, is it ok?"
"Sure sweetie." Brooke was grateful that this whole fiasco wasn't affecting him too badly, "Finish your breakfast first though."
"I wanna go!" Saylor pouted, realizing she was being left out of a fun outing, "Please Uncle Nate!"
"Girls can't play basketball Saylor. Only Uncle Nate and me." Tavian told her, "You stay here with mom and paint your toenails or something."
"Let's see those toes." Brooke reached over and grabbed Saylor's toes pulling them around so she could see them and making Saylor laugh, "Yep, definitely need some nail polish. I think your brother's right. You need to stay here with me."
"But I like basketball…" Saylor argued, only half heartedly though, still giggling as Brooke played with her toes.
"I'll take you to play tomorrow. How does that sound?" Nathan offered.
"K!" Saylor happily agreed to that one and grinned at her mom, "K mommy? You and me and nail polish today. Me and Uncle Nate tomorrow."
"Ok." Brooke nodded her agreement and turned her youngest daughter back around to face the table, "Eat your breakfast though. Gotta get all your big girl nutrients."
"I'm done mom. Can I go get dressed now?" Tavian asked.
"Yep."
He raced off to his room and was soon followed by Saylor who stated she was going to go get all her 'big girl nail polish' from her bedroom.
Brooke and Nathan finished eating while they were gone.
"So it looks like your biggest problem is Vaughn." Nathan said quietly, just in case someone was listening in, "That was pretty bad."
"Yeah. Well… there's nothing I can really do. Scold her yes. And tell her what I told her today, but… she's hurting and I know she is. I don't want to push her farther away by punishing her. At least she's talking about it you know?"
Nathan nodded his understanding.
"Maybe tomorrow, I'll take Saylor and Tavian and then you and Laney and Vaughn can go do girl things. Talk a little. It might get them to open up to you honestly, instead of Vaughn lashing out at you."
"That's an idea." Brooke secretly wasn't thrilled because she was afraid of how horribly it could go, but she knew that she had to do something or she was quickly going to lose control of the situation.
"Do that and then Monday, while they are all at school, you and I are going to talk because I can see that this is killing you."
Nathan took her hand in his and she had to resist the urge to burst into tears again, something she had been doing a lot since her husband had made his announcement the day before.
"Alright Uncle Nate, let's go." Tavian returned with his basketball in his hands, ready to leave.
"Alright, let's go." Nathan stood from the table and so did Brooke.
She gathered plates while Nathan played with Tavian for a minute in the kitchen before they headed out.
"Alright buddy, go jump in the car. I'll be there in just a sec."
Tavian raced out of the house and Nathan turned to Brooke.
"We'll be gone for a few hours. Call me if you need me." He leaned down and kissed her cheek softly, "Don't let Vaughn get to you."
"Thanks Nate." Brooke smiled as she watched him leave.
For as long as she could remember, Nathan Scott had been the stability in her life. She and Lucas had always been spontaneous. They went to parties, and had sex in cars, drank. They never did the things that anyone expected them to do. But Nathan, he had always kept her grounded. He was always there when she needed him and he had come through big time for her with this situation. If he hadn't been there to talk to this morning, she probably would have gone crazy at breakfast.
"I could only find these." Saylor held out a basket full of nail polish to Brooke who laughed at the quantity her daughter seemed to think was lacking.
"Sweetie, you have more nail polish than Wal-Mart."
"This one's Laney's. Shh…" Saylor laughed as she held up a light pink polish and then placed it back in the basket, "Let's get started."
"Alright baby girl, let's get started."