Nathan and Brooke were enjoying their time in Miami Beach. They had been there for three days so far and stayed in the hotel mostly except for going out to eat. Brooke wasn't feeling much like doing anything crazy and Nathan didn't care as long as he spent time with his wife. Thinking about Brooke as his wife made Nathan smile brighter than he had ever smiled in his life. He turned on his side in the bed to face her. She looked so sweet when she slept. Nathan kissed her softly and pulled her into him before closing his eyes again.
A few hours Nathan woke up and he felt that Brooke wasn't next to him anymore. He didn't think anything of it till he heard a weird noise coming from the bathroom. Throwing the covers back he ran to see what was wrong. The site before him, broke his heart. Brooke was squatting in front of the toilet, holding on with one hand and grabbing her stomach with the other. There were tears flowing from eyes and into her mouth.
"Babe, what's wrong?" Nathan asked as he dropped down to the floor.
"I, I don't know. It hurts Nathan," Brooke cried.
"What hurts? Talk to me."
Nathan pulled Brooke back a little bit so he could have her in his lap. He wiped the tears from her face as they kept falling and kissed her hair. It bothered him to see her in pain and not know how to fix it for her.
"I don't know. I woke up and something didn't feel right. I came in here and then I don't know, there was some sharp pain in my stomach which was followed shortly with my leaning over the toilet and throwing up."
Nathan didn't know what to say. This was a new thing for him but it didn't sound right. Something was wrong. He had to call Dr. Scott and see if she could tell him what to do for Brooke or maybe what was wrong. Carefully he lifted Brooke from his lap. He hadn't noticed before but when he looked down at himself and saw a wet spot on his pants he panicked.
"Don't go," Brooke begged.
"I'm just getting the phone sweetie," Nathan replied as he turned back to face her.
"What's that?" she sputtered as she pointed at the spot.
Nathan mentally kicked himself. He hadn't wanted her to see that because he knew she'd panic. And he thought he was panicked enough for the two of them.
"Nathan?" she asked fear evident in her voice.
"I don't know baby, I was just gonna call Dr. Scott and ask her what's going on. Stay right here baby," Nathan told her as kissed her forehead.
Nathan ran to the bedroom and got his cell phone and back to the bathroom. He was frantically dialing the number to the doctor's office in New Jersey. There was a feeling of helplessness hanging over him and Nathan didn't like it. He couldn't stand by and watch as she suffered. It didn't seem fair.
"Hello, Dr. Scott's office how can I help you?" a young girl asked.
"Hi can I speak to Dr. Scott please? It's important," Nathan replied, trying to calm himself down.
"One moment please."
Nathan waited until he heard Dr. Scott get on the phone.
"Hello, this is Dr. Scott. Who is this?" Dr. Scott greeted.
"Dr. Scott, it's Nathan Scott, Brooke Scott's husband," Nathan said.
"Nathan, how are you and Brooke?"
"I'm ok. Brooke isn't though. I don't know what's wrong with her. She's sitting on the bathroom floor, well actually. She's not even sitting, she's squatting and she said there was a sharp pain in her stomach. And I had her sitting on my lap for a minute and when I stood up there was wet spot from where she had been sitting. I don't know what's wrong. I need you to tell me and then I need you to tell me how to fix it."
"When did this start?"
"I don't know. I was asleep but I woke up 20 minutes ago because I heard Brooke throwing up. Tell me what's wrong with her? Are the babies okay?"
"Nathan, calm down. I don't know if I can help you right now."
"Wha, what? But I can't do this. I don't even know what's wrong. Or how to find out what it is."
"Slow down, I can't help you right now because I don't know where you live."
"We're, uh, not home yet. We're still in Miami Beach on our honeymoon."
"Oh. Well then this is going to be extremely difficult."
"Why? What's wrong?"
"I need you to listen to me very carefully, Nathan. It's important to keep Brooke and your sons healthy."
"Ok. I'm listening."
"Call 911 and request an air lift to New Jersey. I'll meet you at the hospital in Hackensack."
"Why can't I take her to the hospital here? What if she can't last that long?"
Nathan was becoming more nervous as time went on. He wasn't used to this helpless feeling that was growing by the minute. Calling Dr. Scott wasn't looking like the good idea he thought it was going to be and that frustrated him.
"Nathan," Brooke whispered weakly.
"Brooke, what is it sweetie?" Nathan asked turning his attention away from the phone.
Brooke didn't respond, instead she passed out and narrowly missed hitting her head on the bathtub as she lay on the cold floor.
"I have to take her to the hospital here. She just passed out," Nathan said frantically into the phone.
"Don't you take her. Call 911. In the meantime get a cold washrag and put in on her forehead. Calm down, everything's going to be fine. I want you to call me when you get to the hospital. I'll be there as soon as I can," Dr. Scott answered firmly.
"Ok."
Nathan closed his phone and opened it again to call 911. He calmly explained to the operator what was going on and where they were. The operator told Nathan that someone would be there to help in a few short minutes. He thanked the person and hung up. Now all he could do was wait. And get the washrag for Brooke. The washrag! How did he forget. Nathan grabbed the washrag that was next to him on the rack and ran it under the cold water. As soon as he was sure it was cool enough, Nathan folded the rag and knelt down to gently place it on Brooke's forehead. He stood up again and grabbed his phone. He wasn't sure how much longer he could deal with this by himself. There was only one person he could talk to.
"Nate why are you calling me while you're on your honeymoon?" Lucas laughed when he answered the phone.
"Something's wrong. I don't know if it's the twins or Brooke but something's wrong," Nathan replied, completely ignoring Lucas' question.
"What do you mean something's wrong? Did you call the doctor?"
"Yes I called the doctor but I have no idea what's wrong. She's passed out on the bathroom floor. I'm waiting for the paramedics to get here. Luke what if something happens to her and the babies? I can't live without them."
"Nathan listen to me."
"Ok."
"Brooke is a fighter. She's a tough girl, whatever the problem is Brooke will get through it. As for the twins, they are Scott-Davis babies. There's no way they're gonna give up without a fight. Stay calm. Hales and I will be there soon."
"How are you and Hales gonna be here when you live on the opposite coast now?"
"Leave that to me. You go back to your wife. She needs you."
"Thanks man. I think they're here anyway."
Nathan closed his phone and went to open the door. He was relieved to see that he had been right.
"Where is she Mr. Scott?" the older male paramedic asked.
"Follow me," Nathan told them.
They followed Nathan and saw that Brooke was laying on the floor with the rag still on her forehead but her eyes were open now. Nathan looked into her eyes and all he could see was fear. His heart shattered into a million pieces.
"Brooke, my name is Jeremy. Can you tell me where it hurts?" the younger paramedic asked.
"Here," Brooke said as she laid a hand across her stomach.
Jeremy lifted Brooke shirt part way up and placed a hand on her stomach. He pressed lightly and watched for a reaction from Brooke. It wasn't until the third time that Brooke reacted. She let out a strangled yelp when Jeremy pressed down. The older male noticed the wet spot that was spreading on Brooke's shorts. His eyebrow raised when he saw that Nathan had one up high on his pants.
"Jeremy we need to transport, now," he said firmly.
"What's wrong?" Brooke panicked.
"Your water broke," Jeremy explained.
"WHAT!" Nathan shouted.
He wasn't ready for this. Not today. They were supposed to have another month or so before the twins were born. He could feel his hands trembling. His breath was shallow but he had the presence of mind to grab Brooke's hand and squeeze it reassuringly. Ready or not, Nathan was gonna be by Brooke's side for everything. They were a team and he couldn't bail out because the timing was wrong. It was evident that nature decided to take matter into its own hands.
"Who's your doctor?" Jeremy asked Nathan.
"Dr. Scott, in New Jersey. We were just here on our honeymoon," Nathan answered.
"Did you call her already?"
"Yes before I called you. I'm supposed to call her when we get to the hospital but I have no idea why."
"I think she knew Brooke's in labor but didn't want to scare you if she's hundreds of miles away."
Nathan was shocked. It hadn't occurred to him that Dr. Scott knew what was wrong but wasn't saying for the reasons Jeremy suggested. This kid was pretty smart and for what it was worth Nathan appreciated everything he was doing for his wife and unborn sons.
"Luke, it's Nate. Brooke's in labor. Get here fast," Nathan said as he got Lucas' voicemail. He closed his phone and hopped into the back of the ambulance with Brooke and Jeremy.
Nathan was sitting next to Brooke holding her hand and just talking to her softly. She kept looking at him and he had no idea if she was hearing him or not. Instead of screaming when it hurt, Brooke bit her lip until it passed.
"Brooke, don't hold it in, scream if you have to," Jeremy said when he saw her biting her lip.
She shook her head. She didn't want to scream. All she wanted was for the pain to go away. It was more unbearable then she could have ever imagined. She wasn't ready for this kind of pain. As tough as she made people think she was, Brooke wasn't good at dealing with physical pain at all. In fact, it completely freaked her out. At least the pain she was feeling now was freaking her out.
"Babe, it's not good for you or the boys to hold it in," Nathan tried thinking maybe she shook her head no because it had been Jeremy who said something.
Again Brooke shook her head no. Screaming wasn't gonna make the pain go away so she didn't see a reason for it. Finally they reached the hospital, Nathan got out of the ambulance and stood there while Jeremy and his partner got the stretched down and wheeled Brooke into the hospital with Nathan by her side.
"Did you call your doctor yet?" Jeremy asked Nathan.
"Oh, no. Thanks for reminding me," Nathan replied.
"You're welcome. Dad."
Nathan smiled. He did like the sound of someone calling him Dad. It gave him a sense of pride like nothing he had ever experienced before.
"Dr. Scott, please," Nathan said as his phone stopped ringing.
"One minute," the operator answered.
"Hello?" Dr. Scott answered.
"Dr. Scott, it's Nathan. Brooke and I are at the hospital. She's in labor."
"Ok. Which hospital? I'll be there as soon as I can." Dr. Scott wasn't gonna tell Nathan that she already knew Brooke was in labor. At least not now, maybe she'd tell him later when he wasn't panicking and nervous. That wasn't her definition of a smart idea when it came to this sort of thing.
"South Shore in Miami Beach."
"Hang in there Nate. Tell Brooke I'll see her soon."
"Ok, thank you."
Nathan closed his phone and turned to see that Brooke was no longer behind him. He panicked because he had never been in this hospital before and he didn't have the first clue how to find his wife.
"Excuse me did you see which way my wife was taken?" he asked the nurse.
"They're heading to the maternity ward. Take the elevator which is down the hall up to the third floor and go to the nurses station there. They should be able to tell you exactly where your wife is sir," the nurse replied.
"Thanks." Nathan tapped the desk twice and took off toward the elevator.
"Hales, it's Luke. We need to get down to Miami," Lucas said when Haley got on the phone.
"Why? What's wrong? Did something happen to Brooke?" Haley was freaking out.
"Nate had to take her to the hospital. But he didn't know what was wrong."
"Oh god. Where are you?"
"New York. We just played the Knicks last night."
"How soon can you get to Newark?"
"I'm at the airport now. I'll be in Newark in like a half hour or so. I'm taking the train over."
"Ok. Did you take care of a flight to Miami?"
"Yes. Just meet me there."
"Ok, bye Luke."
"Bye Hales."
Haley hung up the phone and sighed nervously. She hoped that Brooke and the twins were ok. But since Lucas said Nathan didn't know what was wrong, she was slightly more panicked that she needed to be and didn't even know it. She was going to pack a bag for herself when she heard Colin and Lucas crying from their room that she hadn't thought about the kids being home and Jake wasn't. He had stayed a hotel in New York because they had just played the Knicks a few days before Lucas. She grabbed her cell phone to call him. If she was going to Miami with Lucas, Jake needed to come home to stay with the kids.
"Hey baby," Jake greeted her happily when he saw "Hales" flash on his caller id.
"You need to come home. Now," Haley said.
"Why? What's wrong? Are you ok? Are the kids ok?"
"I'm fine. The kids are fine."
"Then what is it?"
"Luke and I need to go to Miami. Something's wrong with Brooke."
"Oh. Ok. Say no more. I'll be there in like 15 minutes."
"See you when you get here. Be careful."
"I will. I love you."
"I love you too."
Haley closed her phone and went back to packing. She couldn't believe she had managed to forget that her husband wasn't home. But then again, he was a pro athlete so it was common for him to be gone. As soon as she was done packing Haley went to see why Lucas and Colin were crying. It didn't take her long as she caught a whiff of someone's dirty diaper. She had just finished changing Lucas when she heard the front door open. And then there were footsteps up the stairs.
"Hales!" Jake called breathlessly as he burst through the door.
"I don't wanna know how you got here so fast but thank you. I need you to drop me off at the airport."
Jake kissed her and helped her get the kids in their car so that he could take her to the airport. Jenny and Bella were protesting that they wanted to go too but Jake and Haley explained to them that they couldn't because it was a grown up trip.
"Tell Nathan and Brooke I'll be thinking of them," Jake said to Haley as he kissed her softly.
"I will. I should only be gone for a couple days. I'll call you when I know what's going on," Haley said.
"Ok. I love you baby."
"I love you too."
Haley kissed Jake real quick and turned to walk into Newark Airport. As soon as she was inside the building, he fears caught up with her again. She was about to the security check point when she spotted Lucas standing there waiting for her. Smiling she broke out into a slow run in his direction.
"Hey why do you look calm? You sounded nervous on the phone," Haley asked as she reached Lucas.
"I checked my voicemail after I talked to you. Nate called again," Lucas replied.
"And?"
"And the problem was that she was in labor and Nate just freaked out."
"But she's not due for another month and a half. That can't be good for her or the babies."
"I know I already thought of that but the fact that I know what's wrong now makes me feel a little bit better."
"That's true. Ok, let's go."
They walked through the security check with no problems and made their way toward their gate. Haley sat down but Lucas was standing and pacing trying to get a hold of his mom. He knew she'd want to be there for Brooke and that Nathan probably hadn't thought to call anyone else in his worried state. Not that Lucas blamed him. It had to be scary for him to not know what was wrong.
"Hey Mom," Lucas said.
"Lucas, how are you sweetie?" Karen asked.
"I'm fine Mom. Listen, Hales and I are on our way to Miami to be with Brooke and Nathan."
"Why? What's wrong? Did they get hurt?"
"No, Mom. They're fine. Well Nathan more so than Brooke."
Lucas smacked his hand against his head regretting his choice of words.
"What happened to Brooke? You tell me right now Lucas."
He felt bad when he heard the panic in Karen's voice rising.
"She's in labor Mom. I only meant that she's in more pain than Nathan because of that. I'm sorry I didn't mean to worry you more."
"Lucas Eugene Scott, don't you ever scare me like that again. Brooke is more than your half-brother's wife to me. She's like my daughter."
"I know Mom. I thought I'd call and let you know because I remember you said you wanted to be there for Brooke when she has the twins."
"I would love too. But about Jason?"
"Bring him with you. I'm not going in the room until the boys are born anyway. I can keep an eye on him and whatever."
"Are you sure? I could always ask"
"Mom, bring him. You're not leaving my brother with that monster."
"I wasn't gonna say Dan."
"Yes you were but I don't know why you were. Just bring Jason with you. I miss you both."
"Ok fine. We'll see you there."
"Ok bye Mom."
"So your mom's coming down with Jason?" Haley asked.
"Yup."
"Do you think we should call Peyton?"
"I dunno. Let's wait till after the twins are born and then let Brooke decide if she wants Peyton to come."
Haley nodded. It was probably better that way. Brooke would be stressed and the possibility of a fight was inevitable and should be avoided at all costs. Haley was lost in thought so she didn't hear the woman at the podium announce that boarding was starting.
"Hales, c'mon. We're boarding," Lucas said as he shook her should.
Still in a daze Haley rose to her feet and followed Lucas. He watched her and almost as if he was on auto-pilot, he grabbed her hand and squeezed it. She looked up at him and gave him a weak smile. They handed the lady their boarding passes and walked down the ramp onto the plan. It wasn't long before they were in their seats.
"Haley it'll be ok. Brooke's a fighter you know that," Lucas said when he saw that Haley's expression hadn't changed much.
"I know but I can't help it. I need her to be ok. I need her babies to be ok. It'll kill me if they're not. Brooke and I are just starting to get back on track with the friendship thing," Haley rambled.
"Hales! You have to stay positive. I know you're scared. Part of me is too. But we can't let that take over our thoughts. Try and take a nap. Maybe you'll feel better."
Haley nodded as she closed her eyes.
"NATHAN! I can't do this. It hurts. Make it stop," Brooke cried as she squeezed his hand again.
"Brooke you can do this. I know you can. Just take a deep breath honey," Nathan said trying to reassure her that she could do it.
"C'mon Brooke, you're doing great," Dr. Scott tried to encourage her.
"I don't feel great," Brooke snapped.
Nathan was surprised at how nasty Brooke sounded and he gave her a look. She ignored him.
"I'm sorry about that," Nathan said to Dr. Scott.
"It's ok Nathan. She's in pain, I know she doesn't mean to sound nasty," Dr. Scott laughed a little which also shocked Nathan.
"NATHAN!" Brooke yelled again as another contraction hit her.
"It's ok, Brooke, breathe, just like we practiced. Come on you can do this," Nathan said as he stared into her eyes.
He noticed that her forehead was covered in sweat. He reached to wipe it away with his free hand but Brooke slapped it away shaking her head. He looked at Dr. Scott who shrugged her shoulders. Not all women reacted the same during labor.
"Ow, ow, ow! It hurts, oh it hurts!" Brooke cried again.
"Breathe, just like Nathan told you," Dr. Scott said smiling in Nathan's direction.
"I can't."
"Don't say you can't. I know you can. You did it before. Do it again. Come on."
Dr. Scott hated to hear a patient of hers saying she couldn't do something. It made her skin crawl with the exception that she knew what it was like to be in their spot. But she also knew that they could all do it because she herself had done it, three times now. She was brought back to reality by the sound of a machine beeping wildly. Jerking her head in the direction of the sound, her eyes grew wide when she realized what it was. One of the babies' heartbeats was dropping quickly.
"What's that? What's wrong?" Brooke panicked.
"We need to do an emergency c-section. NOW!" Dr. Scott yelled to the team of doctors surrounding her. They jumped into action.
"What's wrong Dr. Scott?" Nathan asked.
"One of the babies' heartbeats is dropping quickly. We can't wait for Brooke to deliver them naturally," Dr. Scott explained. Her heart broke as she saw the fear in Nathan's eyes.
"Are they gonna be ok?"
"The sooner we can get them out, the greater chances they both have of survival."
"What about Brooke? Does this affect her too?"
"Yes. But same thing goes for Brooke. What I need you to do for me, is stay calm. If you stay calm you can help keep Brooke calm too and that will in turn calm the boys down."
"Ok, I can do that."
"I know."
Dr. Scott smiled at Nathan. She was glad Brooke's husband was such a sweet guy. So many times she saw guys who didn't want to be there with the girl but had been forced into or were just too uncomfortable to seem like they cared about the girls. Dealing with Nathan was like a breath of fresh air.
"Dr. Scott, we're ready," Dr. Peter Coughlin said.
"Ok, let's do this," she replied, "Brooke, sweetie, I need you to stay calm for me ok?"
"Ok. Where's Nathan?" Brooke replied.
"I'm right here babe. I'm not going anywhere," Nathan said.
"Hold my hand."
Nathan grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips. He was gonna do everything he could to keep himself and Brooke calm. If he didn't he didn't want to know what that would mean for her and their sons.
"I love you," he whispered in Brooke's ear.
"I love you too," she whispered back.
Next chapter may get a little intense. The twins are born! YAY! So far I know one will be Nathan Davis Scott but I can't decide what to say Keith's middle name was because I'm totally decided that they will name their other son after him. So if anyone has any suggestions for a good middle name to go with Keith I'd appreciate the help. And thanks so much for the reviews so far!