Author- Emily-Grace Mendes (Brookebynature)
Disclaimer- I don't own the characters or the show. Only this story. Oh...and not thesong either unfortunately.
A/N- I'm sorry it's taken such a while for this chapter, but there's been so many parties lately. But never fear, a new chapter is here! And also, thank you so mych for all of your reviews. Enjoy xxx
Just Watch Her Move
Chapter 9- Lay Here
The chest infection had returned, at least, that's what the doctor had told Brooke and Lucas. They'd decided that even though Brooke had to stay in hospital, they could still have fun. So to please her, Lucas had driven in fifth gear, most of the way back to her apartment, stopping off to grab some things to brighten up the place after she had declared her room had been decorated by someone with a hatred of all things cheery.
Even though the doctors had strictly instructed Brooke to stay in bed, she had managed to visit both the adventure play area for the children outside (God only knows why) and the gift shop so that she could buy almost every celebrity magazine there was. Lucas had, of course, accompanied Brooke to these places, and had decided that if they were to 'break free' as she called it, again, then they would visit the garden, a place which he had seen while parking his car.
And sure enough, as soon as the doctor had left her room, Brooke used almost all of her strength, clinging onto Lucas as they made their way outside.
It was bright sun, and as much as Brooke loved to watch the rain, the sun seemed better today, more powerful, like it might actually help her get better. But she knew it was stupid to think that. She wasn't getting any better.
"It's nice isn't it?" Brooke asked as she rested her head on Lucas' chest.
"What is?"
"Just laying here, on our own?"
We'll do it all
Everything
On our own
He nodded, not saying anything, but she knew he felt the same way. Hs hand was holding hers now, tightly, almost too tightly, as if she might disappear from him any moment. Lucas knew she could.
We don't need
Anything
Or anyone
"Promise me you're not going anywhere."
The tears were clouding her eyes once again, they always did when he asked her this same question. And every time he got the same answer, he knew he would. But it didn't stop him from asking.
"Lucas."
"It's too hard Brooke, it's just too damn hard."
"It's hard for me too!" Her voice was almost cracking as she forced the words out of her mouth. "All I keep thinking about is whether you'll be okay when I go. And we've hardly known each other for a month."
If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lay with me and just forget the world?
"Maybe that's better."
She looked at him questioningly, waiting for him to explain.
"It would have only been harder."
Brooke nodded, squeezing his hand so that his skin was deathly white, whiter than hers. He could see she ad almost nothing left, and yet her eyes were still shinning, that cheery part of her hadn't left yet. He didn't know whether he could stand it if it had.
I don't quite know
How to say
How I feel
She wanted to tell him that she did, in fact, love him, even though she hardly knew him. But now wasn't the time, it wasn't fair on him for her to express all those feelings, feelings that she'd made sure were concealed before. But then again, she didn't know she was going to feel this way.
But he'd know how she felt anyway.
Those three words
Are said too much
They're not enough
"Maybe we should go back inside?" Lucas asked, seeing the chill bumps forming on Brooke's arms. She was thinner now, he'd noticed, but he still hadn't said anything.
She shook her head. "I kinda want to stay here for a while."
He thought about protesting, but remembered the other day, when he'd let her drive his car. Brooke lived for fun.
"We'll stay here."
If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lay with me and just forget the world?
It was silent, between the two of them, but Lucas watched Brooke's face as the sun poked out from behind the clouds. Her face in the sun, had almost the same effect as wearing red had on her.
"Tell me something about you." He asked, his eyes begging her to answer the question this time. He needed to know things about her now. "Please."
"What do you want to know?"
"How did you grow up?"
"Well you see, there's this magical thing called growth and you start to get taller…." she trailed off giggling as he caught her hands while she tried to gesture how big she had started off.
"Just tell me" He chuckled lightly, replacing her hands by her sides as she shut her eyes, the sun beaming down on her porcelain skin.
"I grew up here, in a kinda big house, but my parents weren't there most of the time."
"It was just you?" Lucas asked.
"Look if you're going to keep interrupting then I'm not going to tell you." Her arms were folded stubbornly across her chest, until she giggled again.
"I'll keep quiet." Lucas pretended to pull a zipper across his lips as he smiled at her, waiting for her to continue the story.
"So that house wasn't very nice when there was just me, so I had to find something to occupy myself with."
"Dancing?" he guessed.
Brooke nodded. "Yeah there was just something that happened when that music started playing and I got lost in it. Same thing happens now I guess."
Forget what we're told
Before we get too old
Show me a garden that's bursting into life
"What about you? You gotta tell me something about your childhood too."
He laced his fingers with hers as he began to speak, shutting his eyes from time to time, Brooke noticed, mainly when he was talking about his father.
"It was just me and my Mom."
"What's your mom's name?"
"Karen."
"That's pretty. I always liked that name and I thought…."
"If you're going to keep interrupting then I'm not going to tell you." Lucas folded his arms across his chest, an exact replica of Brooke only a few moments ago. This time, her giggling broke his pose, and he continued, watching Brooke's eyes the entire time.
"She did such a great job, but when I was seventeen I kinda went off the rails."
"Are you kidding?" Brooke giggled "Off the rails as in, you drunk a beer illegally."
He rolled his eyes at her, smiling when she turned to face him, displaying those dimples either side of her face until he could no longer resist kissing them.
"Off the rails as in, drugs, stealing, that kind of stuff."
"Really?"
"Yeah, but after I almost killed Peyton one time, I knew it had to stop."
"Was it hard?" Brooke asked.
"Stopping?"
"Yeah."
"Not really. It was easier than feeling guilty about what I did."
Let's waste time
Chasing cars
Around our heads
"I realise how stupid everything that I did was now."
Brooke shrugged. "You only regret the things you don't do."
"Wise advice" Lucas chuckled lightly while nodding.
"Well I always think that if you turned down opportunities, you'll always wonder what you miss."
"But drugs and stealing weren't exactly good things."
"But if you didn't do them" Brooke cut in "You wouldn't have felt that same buzz that you did at the time."
I need your grace
To remind me
To find my own
"Brooke you gotta promise…."
"Lucas don't even dare finish that sentence."
"But.."
"If I could promise that I wasn't going anywhere, then I would."
Lucas looked down at the ground, knowing full well that Brooke was right, but he couldn't bring himself to let it sink in.
If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lay with me and just forget the world?
The heart monitor beeped continuously as he sat in a chair beside her bed. Her hand was resting in his, and even though his bladder was being pushed to bursting point, Lucas refused to leave that room.
Her dainty lips were curved into a small smile when she told him that she had something for him, and it was in the top drawer, adding a wink afterwards.
The doctor rolled his eyes at her and laughed, smiling at Lucas as he closed the door behind him.
"Do you think we could make a break for it?" She asked, struggling to lift herself out of bed as her raspy voice filled his ears. She was tired now he could see. But she was still fighting.
Lucas shook his head. "I think we should stay here pretty girl."
She nodded and reluctantly drew the covers back over her tiny frame, instantly smiling at the warmth it gave her.
Forget what we're told
Before we get too old
Show me a garden that's bursting into life
"Make sure you fight Peyton for that house." Brooke giggled.
"I will." Lucas told her. "And both cars."
"What do you need two cars for?"
"I don't, I'm just doing it to piss her off." He chuckled and kissed Brooke's hand as she smiled that captivating dimpled smile at him.
"Do you have regrets about marrying her?"
Lucas shook his head, which surprised her a little. "It's like you said, if I hadn't married her, I would have regretted that."
Brooke nodded.
"But I regret staying with her as long as I did. I should have left years ago."
"Or you could have put in less hours at the office and more at home."
"I don't think it would have made a difference." Lucas admitted. "I just fell out of love with her."
All that I am
All that I ever was
Is here in your perfect eyes, they're all I can see
Lucas watched as her eyes began to shut, and as her breathing steadied, he kissed each one, before pecking her lightly on the lips, tasting her sweet strawberry lip gloss. It had made him, and most of the staff laugh when she requested he go buy her some, so that she looked good when the doctor (and he) came to visit.
Lucas had offered his opinion that the doctor probably wasn't interested in whether she was wearing strawberry lip gloss, but Brooke had bounced back with 'nonsense Broody. Everybody takes notice."
So he'd just returned from the store with that, and the matching tinted gloss, that was on special promotion, which had made Brooke so excited that she'd told the whole ward on one of their 'break free' outings. Obviously, that had then resulted in the doctors catching them, and Brooke was inevitably sent back to her bed, with one doctor following, just to make sure she actually got there.
I don't know where
Confused about how as well
Just know that these things will never change for us at all
Her eyes flickered open just enough so he could see the green tint in them as she smiled at him watching her.
"Whatcha thinking?"
"About that time I brought you the lip gloss."
Her face broke into a wider smile as Brooke too, recalled one of her favourite days spent in the hospital. At least she'd had fun.
"I remember that day." She yawned a little, and Lucas kissed her forehead, whispering that she needed to go to sleep.
Brooke nodded and pressed her lips against his, conveying all that he needed to know: she'd be okay.
If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lay with me and just forget the world?
Please review guys xxx