Summary: This is a Naley, Brucas, Jeyton story, but with a few twists and turns. Everyone lives in Apple Valley, Minnesota where Lucas, Nathan and Jake play basketball for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Haley and Nathan live together with her niece and nephew and her daughter, all of whom Nathan has adopted. Brooke and Lucas live together with his son and her daughter, who have been adopted by each other. Peyton lives with Jake and Jenny, who Peyton adopted, and their son Hunter. (Read the rest of the story if you don't understand!)
Disclaimer: I own nothing. I wish I did because I would be filthy freakin' rich, but I don't. Except for the characters that are made up in my silly mind. Those I own… haha… my slow plan to take over the world!
Author's Note: It has been a little over a year since we left our friends in Apple Valley, Minnesota. In case you don't remember, which I'm sure you do, Peyton gave birth to a baby boy named Hunter, and Nathan and Haley got married. This chapter begins on February 13th. Here's an age catch-up: Haley is 25, Nathan just turned 27, Ryan is 10, Summer is 5, and Jaymie is 22 months old (almost 2 years). Brooke is 26, Lucas is 27, Alison is 4, and Tyler is 2½ . Peyton is 26, Jake just turned 28, Jenny is 8, and Hunter is 14 months.
I think that's it for now, everything else will be explained as the story goes on… Happy reading!
"Oh my God, I have never been so exhausted in my entire life!" exclaimed Brooke Davis, sitting on the couch closest to her and rubbing her aching feet.
Haley Scott plopped down beside her and laughed at her. "Well, it's completely understandable, Tigger. You had your opening ceremony for Clothes Over Bro's Inc., you're planning a lavish wedding to the famous and wonderfully handsome Lucas Scott, and you're eight months pregnant. With twins!
"Yeah," said Peyton Jagielski, sitting on the other side of Brooke. "You should just do what Jake and I did and elope…"
"Shut up, P. Saw… Jagielski. I am still mad at you for not letting me talk you into letting me planning your wedding," said Brooke, who then brightened and turned to Haley. "But I do have a pretty fantabulous life, right now, don't I?"
"Hell yeah," said Haley. " I mean, look around, Brooke. Look at what you've done here!" All three of them were quiet as they looked around the fully decorated, clothes-stuffed store that they had been working on for months. "This is all you. You came up with the clothes, the shop, everything! I mean, me and Peyton helped, but you know…"
Haley popped her collar and all the girls laughed, then Brooke sighed. "I still can't believe it. My dream is coming true. I am SO happy." The three of them sat there for a little while longer, gossiping and giggling, before the chime over the door sounded. They looked at each other, confused. They were sure they had locked the door. "Sorry, we're closed," called out Brooke.
"Even to the three most handsome men in your lives and the seven kids who rule them?" called out Lucas.
Brooke gasped. "Broody! Oh, I missed you. Here, help me up, guys!" She held out her arms, and Peyton and Haley pulled her up off the couch. She waddled over to Lucas and threw her arms around him.
"Hey, Cheery. How was business? Did you have fun?" asked Lucas.
"Yeah, I did, but now I'm tired. What do you say we go home and get some rest?"
Lucas kissed her forehead, then bent down to pick up Alison. "You heard Mommy. Let's go home, and maybe we'll give her a massage. Does that sound good?"
Alison nodded. "Uh-huh. And then, maybe after, Mommy will watch Finding Nemo with me again!"
Brooke rolled her eyes as she picked up Tyler. "Ali, we have seen that movie five MILLION times. Can't we watch something else?"
"No," said Alison, shaking her head emphatically. "It's my favorite, and I love it!"
Brooke sighed. "Fine, but afterwards you have to watch Dirty Dancing with me."
"Okay, Mommy. Bye everyone," called Alison as she waved to everyone else in the shop.
Everyone hugged each other, then Brooke, Lucas, Alison and Tyler left, followed by Peyton, Jake, Jenny and Hunter.
Nathan wrapped his arms around Haley. "So how's my wife doing?"
Haley smiled, then turned around and kissed Nathan. "I'm doing good. A little tired. Brooke's a slave driver, but at least we got the shop opened. It was really exciting."
Nathan frowned. "I'm happy for you, but didn't the doctor say to take it easy for a while?"
"Nathan, I'm pregnant, not handicapped," said Haley, rolling her eyes. "Being pregnant does not mean I have to sit around all day and get fat."
"I know," said Nathan, "but you're due in a couple months, and you're supposed to be resting."
"I did rest," said Haley. "That's why there's a stool behind the counter. So I could sit down while I rang people up."
"Alright," said Nathan. "I guess that's OK then."
Summer, Jaymie and Ryan came running out of the back right then. "Hey, where are you guys running off to? Don't I get a hug and kiss?"
"Hi, Mommy," said Jaymie, putting up her arms so Haley could pick her up. She did, and received a hug and a kiss before Jaymie squirmed to be put down again. Haley put her down and hugged and kissed Ryan and Summer before they ran outside to the car.
"What are they in such a hurry for?" asked Haley.
"I have no idea," said Nathan, shaking his head at the kids. "So, are you ready to go?"
"Yeah, I just have to turn the lights off and lock the door," said Haley. She did this, then climbed into the passenger seat of the car. "Ry, did you buckle your sisters into their seats?"
"Yes, Mom," said Ryan, rolling his eyes.
"Hey, what's with the attitude?" asked Nathan, starting up the car.
"Nothing, I'm sorry."
"Ryan's just mad because I found out he has a GIRLFRIEND," said Summer.
"Shut up, Summer," said Ryan, punching his sister in the arm, who immediately started crying.
"Why did you hit her? You're not supposed to hit anyone!" said Haley. "God, Ryan, what am I going to do with you?"
The rest of the ride was spent in silence, everyone mad at someone, except for Jaymie, who was playing with one of her Barbies in the backseat. When they pulled into the driveway, Ryan opened the door and attempted to run off into the house. "I don't think so," said Haley. "You and I are going to have a nice long talk. You just wait right there until your father and I get your sisters unbuckled."
Once Nathan and the girls were inside, Haley and Ryan climbed up the steps to the porch and sat in the swing. "So, what's going on, Ryan? Why are you acting this way? Hitting everybody, saying bad words, being mean?" Ryan shrugged, but Haley wasn't buying it. "Don't say you don't know, because you do."
Ryan sighed. "I just don't feel like you care about me as much as you used to. I mean, I know I'm not your and Dad's real son, but does that mean you don't love me as much as Jaymie and the new baby?" His eyes filled with tears as he said this, and Haley's heart broke.
"No, honey, it doesn't mean that at all. I love you SO much! I know you're not biologically my son, but you ARE my son, and my first baby. You are so important to me, and I am so proud of everything you do. Do you feel like you have to act out in order to get our attention?"
"I guess, yeah. That's kinda how I feel," said Ryan, looking down.
"Well, I'll tell you what. From now on, your Dad and I are going to spend individual time with each of you along with our together time, OK? We can do whatever you want. But, Ryan, I want you to be sure and share your feelings with us, OK? Your Dad and I love you and we don't want to see you hurt or sad. Can you do that?"
Ryan nodded. "Yeah, I think so. So, when do we get to have individual time together?"
"Well, how about we have a little bit right now, before I start dinner, and you can tell me about your girlfriend," said Haley, tickling Ryan's side. She waited until he stopped laughing. "So, what's her name? Anybody I know?"
Ryan hesitated before answering. "Yeah… it's… Jenny."
Haley smiled, pleased. She and Peyton had been talking for a long time about Ryan and Jenny ending up together when they were older. "Well, that's great. I think she's a wonderful choice." They talked for a few more minutes, then went inside, and Ryan helped Haley fix dinner. Afterwards, Haley told Nathan what Ryan had said, even about Jenny, and later on, Ryan and Nathan left to play basketball at the park.
JEYTON JEYTON JEYTON JEYTON JEYTON JEYTON JEYTON JEYTON JEYTON
"So, how was work today?" asked Jake as he pulled into the driveway. Peyton climbed out and opened the back door, then looked across the street. They had recently moved into the house across the street from Nathan and Haley, and she smiled as she saw Ryan and Haley sitting on the porch outside laughing.
"Ugh, it was crazy. Brooke's eight months pregnant, Haley's seven months pregnant, and it was like, a hormone war zone in there. But it was fun. I'm really happy for Brooke. She achieved one of her goals."
"Well, that's great, and I'm glad you had fun," said Jake, unbuckling Hunter from his car seat and following him into the house.
"Jenny, do you have homework, honey?" asked Peyton.
"No, I already finished it. Mom, can I talk to you about something?" asked Jenny.
"Sure," said Peyton, a little confused. They went inside and up to Jenny's room. "What's going on, Doll face?"
"I have a boyfriend," blurted Jenny.
Peyton was taken aback a little, but recovered quickly. "Oh, well, that's nice. Uhh… anybody I know?"
"Yeah. Ryan," said Jenny.
"Ryan…" said Peyton, a little lost.
"Ryan Scott, Mom! The boy across the street? Your best friend's son?"
"Oh… OH!" said Peyton, excited. "Oh, honey, that's great! He's such a nice boy!"
Jenny nodded. "Yeah, and he's a real hunk, too. He's buying me something for Valentine's Day tomorrow, and I need to buy him something, too, but I don't know what. Can we go shopping?"
"Sure, Jen. Just let me change my shirt, and then we'll go, OK?" Jenny nodded, and Peyton left the room, hurried down the hall and called Haley. When she picked up, Peyton shrieked into the phone. "Hales, do you know about your son and my daughter?"
Haley squealed back. "Yes! Isn't it the sweetest thing? Ryan and Nathan are out right now at the park and on the way home, they're going to stop and buy something for Jenny for Valentine's Day tomorrow. Isn't that sweet?"
"Yeah, it is," said Peyton. "I am so thrilled about this! Jenny and I are leaving in a minute to go buy Ryan a present, too. Any idea what he might want?"
"Ooh… that's hard. Maybe like some Axe cologne or something? No toys, because that's childish, but something grown-up, manly, you know? Boost his confidence. Do you want to know what Ryan's getting Jenny?"
"Nah, I'd rather be surprised. Oh, Jake's coming out of the bathroom and I have to tell him. I love you. Talk to you later."
"Love ya too. Bye." They hung up and Peyton told Jake about Ryan. At first, he was upset, but then Peyton reminded him of who Ryan was and who his parents were, and he calmed down a little. Peyton and Jenny went shopping and bought Ryan a sweet card and an Axe cologne set with spray, body wash, and some other stuff. Jake and Hunter stayed home and watched Ultimate Fighting Championship on DVD.
BRUCAS BRUCAS BRUCAS BRUCAS BRUCAS BRUCAS BRUCAS BRUCAS
When Brooke and Lucas got home, he, Ali and Tyler gave Brooke a foot and leg massage as promised, and then Brooke and Ali watched Finding Nemo while Lucas and Tyler made dinner. After dinner was over, they all went out into the backyard, and Brooke and Lucas watched as the kids played together until late into the night. After giving both the kids their baths, they carried them into their rooms and put them to bed before finally heading to their room.
Lucas smiled as Brooke lay down next to him, and he rubbed her protruding belly. "Hello, my babies. It's your Daddy, again. I can't wait for you two to come out, but thankfully we won't have to wait much longer. By this time in two weeks, we'll be holding you in our arms. I am so excited, and I can't wait to see you. I love you!" Brooke smiled and laughed as she listened, then kissed Lucas as he lay down next to her.
"I love you so much, Luke."
"I love you too, Pretty Girl," said Lucas. He kissed her again, then wrapped his arms protectively around her.
"Luke…" said Brooke, followed by a "Hmm?" from Lucas. "Are you afraid of how our life is going to change once the twins are born?"
Lucas sighed. "Yeah, a little, I guess. I mean, it's going to be hard getting into a schedule, but once we do, it'll be fun. And I'm going to be home a lot more than I am now, since basketball season is up in a week. So it'll be good, honey. Don't worry, OK?"
"OK," said Brooke, nodding. Lucas snuggled into the pillow, and she watched him fall asleep. After she was sure he was asleep, she got up from the bed and sat down on the window seat in their room. She looked outside at the moon. "Hey, Man in the Moon. I really need your guidance. Give me a sign or something to show me that I'm going to be able to handle four kids under five." She watched for a few seconds, and could have sworn the moon got brighter for a second. She nodded and smiled. "Thanks, that's what I thought, too." With that, she got up and made her way back to the bed, then cuddled into Lucas and fell asleep with her hand draped protectively over her stomach.
NALEY NALEY NALEY NALEY NALEY NALEY NALEY NALEY NALEY
The next morning, Haley woke up early and cooked a special breakfast for Nathan. She made heart-shaped pancakes, heart-shaped fried eggs (which is REALLY hard to do), and made the bacon spell out "love". When he came down, she was waiting in her "oh-so-sexy" flannel red pajama pants and a black tank-top.
"Mmm… don't you look good? This smells wonderful, babe. You're so sweet. Thank you," said Nathan, as he kissed Haley.
"I'm glad you like it. I worked hard," said Haley. They sat down quickly to enjoy their breakfast before the kids woke up. Once they were done, they made smaller pancakes and some more eggs so the kids would have breakfast. As soon as they were finished, Ryan and Summer came running down the stairs, followed by Jaymie making her way slowly down them.
"Good morning, Mom. Good morning, Dad. Happy Valentine's Day!" said Ryan.
"Yeah," added Summer. "Happy Valentine's Day, Mommy and Daddy."
"Happy Valentine's Day, sweethearts," said Haley, kissing all of them and setting plates of food in front of them.
"Happy Valentine's Day, kids. Are you excited about the picnic at the park later?" asked Nathan.
He was met by a chorus of "YEAHs", and laughed. "Good. But first, you need to eat breakfast, and then you all need to clean your rooms, because the upstairs of this house looks like a tornado blew through it."
"OK, Dad," said Ryan and Summer.
After breakfast, the kids went upstairs and, with Haley and Nathan's help, got their rooms picked up, their beds made, and the whole upstairs vacuumed. Afterwards, Ryan, then Summer, then Jaymie all took showers. Once Summer and Jaymie were out, Haley had her usual fight with them to style their hair, but eventually won with Summer's hair braided in two long braids down her back, and Jaymie's pulled into a ponytail.
Nathan had gotten into the shower while Haley was doing the girls' hair, and when he walked out with a towel wrapped around his waist, he wolf-whistled at the girls. "Don't you two look gorgeous!" The girls giggled and thanked him, then ran down the hall to put on their "special Valentine's Day outfits", which included a red t-shirt with pink hearts on it and new jeans with hearts on the pockets, and cuff. "Hales, are you going to get in the shower before we go, because there's barely any hot water left."
"Yeah, I'll just take a quick one, I guess. I feel gross if I don't shower before I go out in public," said Haley.
Nathan kissed her forehead, then pulled her up from the bed. "OK, babe. See you downstairs in a little while then."
"Yep. Oh, will you make sure that Ryan gets his hair spiked the way he wants it? He wants to look good for Jenny. And don't let the girls into the backyard. I don't want them to mess up their clothes before they get to the park."
"OK, Hales. Enjoy your shower," said Nathan, walking out of the room before he got any more instructions. Haley laughed at him, and rolled her eyes, then took a quick shower. After, she sat on the stool in the bathroom and dried her hair, then got dressed. She had bought a shirt from the maternity store that said "I'm my Mommy's Built-In Valentine" and decided to wear that for the day. After she finished getting dressed, she French-braided her hair quickly, then walked downstairs to find all three kids sitting on the couch watching a "Little Einsteins" movie.
Nathan saw her walk down the stairs, and came over and kissed her. "Did you have a good shower?" Haley nodded and wrapped her arms around him, kissing him again. "Nice shirt, by the way."
Haley smiled. "Thanks. I thought it was cute."
"I like it," said Nathan. "So what time do we have to be at the park?"
"Well, Brooke said they would be there at twelve thirty, so about one o'clock will probably be perfect."
Nathan glanced at the clock in the kitchen. "Well, it's twelve-fifteen right now, so let's leave in about… twenty minutes?"
"Sounds good to me," said Haley. She walked over and sat down between Ryan and Jaymie, and Jaymie immediately crawled into her lap and leaned against her belly. "Hi, Jay. What's going on, babydoll?"
"Nothin', Mommy. Just watching Witto Einsteins," said Jaymie, focusing her attention back on the TV.
They sat and watched until the end of the show, then Haley and Nathan wrangled socks, shoes, sippy cups, coolers, ice and kids together and trudged out to the car. By the time they had Summer and Jaymie buckled in and were ready to go, it was almost one, so Nathan hustled over to the park, only to pull in right before Brooke and Lucas. They saw that Peyton, Jake, Jenny and Hunter were already there, and felt a little bad until they found out that they had just arrived.
EVERYONE EVERYONE EVERYONE EVERYONE EVERYONE EVERYONE
Everyone greeted each other and walked over to the picnic tables they had reserved for the day. All the kids immediately took off for the park, so Peyton, Haley and Brooke went with them while the guys got the barbecue set up. They were in luck because it was a very nice day out. The kids had light sweaters on, but Ryan and Jenny kept taking theirs off, so finally Haley and Peyton relented. They also filled Brooke in on what was going on between Ryan and Jenny.
"Awww… that's so cute," said Brooke. "And they're perfect for each other, remember? You guys have been saying that forever."
"Yeah, I know," exclaimed Peyton. "That's why we're so excited. HUNTER, DO NOT EAT THE SAND, PLEASE!" Hunter looked up guiltily as his mother yelled at him, then dropped the fistful of sand that he had and ran off to play with Jaymie and Tyler in the sandbox. Peyton shook her head while Brooke and Haley laughed.
The kids had been playing for about an hour when Brooke gasped and grabbed her stomach. "Oh my God, Guys…"
"What?" asked Peyton and Haley at the same time.
"I think I just had a contraction, or something. It hurt…" said Brooke.
"OK, well just relax and see if another one comes," said Haley, scooting a little closer to her on the bench they were sitting on.
Seven minutes later, she got another one, so Peyton got Lucas' attention and he came over. "Luke, Brooke's having contractions."
"WHAT! Uhh… OK. How far apart are they, so I can call the doctor and see what he wants to do?"
"Seven minutes, almost exactly," said Haley. Lucas nodded, kissed Brooke's forehead, and walked away with his phone already dialing the doctor's cell phone number.
Brooke grabbed her hand, looking a little scared. "Hales, what if I go into labor? They're not supposed to come out for another two weeks. What if they're too small or…"
"Tigger, calm down, honey. Everything is going to be fine. Hopefully your doctor can stop the contractions, and if not, remember what the doctor said. Twins can usually survive being born as early as 30 weeks, and you're already 33. So everything will be fine, OK?"
Brooke nodded and tried to calm down a little. Lucas walked back over after hanging up with the doctor, and knelt down in front of Brooke. "OK, here's the deal, Cheery. The doctor says since you're already a week past eight months, there's really no reason to try to stop the contractions, because delivery is going to happen soon and that will just mess up your body, so we need to get to the hospital and get you prepped for your C-Section."
Tears immediately filled Brooke's eyes. "Luke, I'm scared. They're not ready to come out yet. I can feel it. And I'm scared of the C-Section, too."
"You're gonna be just fine, Brooke. You are the bravest person I know, and you can handle anything. Don't worry, OK? Pretty soon we're going to be holding our babies, and they're going to be perfectly healthy."
"OK, well, we have to tell Ali and Tyler." She turned to Peyton and then to Haley. "I'm sorry we have to leave the picnic early."
Peyton wrapped an arm around her. "It's cool, B. Davis. We can let you go on this one excuse. You just need to take care of yourself and our nieces and nephews. And Haley and I will be there as soon as we get the kids and our husb… no, scratch that, the kids dropped off at Haley's house."
"Alright. Oh, here come the kids," said Brooke.
"Mommy, are you going to have the babies now?" asked Alison.
"Yep. Well, not right now. I have to go to the hospital first."
"How come you haveta go to the hostable?" asked Tyler.
"Because that's where Mommy's doctor is. Remember I told you they're going to cut Mommy's tummy open right here," said Brooke as she pointed to the bottom of her stomach. "and then they're going to pull the babies out, and in a couple of days you guys can see them. Does that sound like fun?"
"Yeah," Alison and Tyler agreed quickly.
"Good. So, give me and Daddy kisses so we can go, then you're going to stay at Aunt Haley and Uncle Nate's until Mommy and Daddy come home, K?"
"OK," they chorused, then kissed their parents and ran off to join the other kids again. Peyton, Haley and Lucas helped Brooke up, and after she gave Nathan and Jake hugs, they all walked to the car and Brooke got in. Haley and Peyton hugged her and said they would be there within a couple of hours, since it would take probably longer than that for the anesthesia and everything to take effect. Brooke and Lucas pulled out, and then Haley and Peyton rounded up all the kids to eat lunch before heading home.
BRUCAS BRUCAS BRUCAS BRUCAS BRUCAS BRUCAS BRUCAS BRUCAS
"Hi, my wife is having contractions and we're supposed to be meeting Dr. Schafer here. Can you tell me if he's arrived yet?" Lucas said to the secretary as he pushed Brooke in the wheelchair up to the desk.
"Lucas. Brooke," said Dr. Schafer, walking up to them and holding out his hand for Lucas, then Brooke, to shake. They did, and Dr. Schafer told the nurse what was going on, then led them upstairs into a private delivery room. "Alright, Brooke, let's get you up on the bed so we can hook you up to all these monitors and see what's going on with the Scott babies here." Lucas and Dr. Schafer helped Brooke out of the wheelchair and on to the bed, then a nurse took the wheelchair away.
Lucas walked around to the side of Brooke's bed that the machines weren't on and sat down in the chair, holding her hand. Dr. Schafer and the nurse, who introduced herself as Sherry, hooked up the fetal monitors and the heartbeat monitors, and pretty soon they had found both of the babies and gotten their heartbeats, which seemed pretty steady.
The doctor then left to order an epidural and Lucas got his cell phone out to call Haley and Peyton. "Hey, Luke," said Haley as she answered her phone. "We're just getting to the house. Peyton and I will be leaving soon. What's going on?"
"The doctor just left to order an epidural and they have Brooke hooked up to the monitors and both babies are doing fine." Brooke motioned that she wanted the phone. "Oh, Brooke wants to talk to you. I'll see you when you get here."
"OK, Luke. See you soon," said Haley, shooing Ryan and Jaymie into the house and waiting for Lucas to hand the phone to Brooke.
"Hales, when are you guys coming? I need you… Lucas is already driving me crazy," said Brooke, smiling at Lucas, even though she was serious.
Haley laughed. "We'll be there soon, Tigger. We're just dropping the kids off, then we're going to get our video cameras so we can tape the whole birth, then we'll be on our way," Haley winced since she knew Brooke would take her joke seriously.
"WHAT! Haley Elizabeth Scott, if you bring a video camera in here when I look like this, I swear I'm gonna…!"
"Chill, Brooke. I was kidding. I just wanted to get a rise out of you."
Brooke pouted. "You suck, Tutorwife. Just get yours and P.J.'s skinny little butts over here fast, OK?"
"Alright, Brooke. We'll be there as soon as possible." Haley hung up the phone and walked into the house to change into more comfy pants, since her jeans were killing her.
"They said they'll be here soon," said Brooke, handing Lucas his phone. "I'm thirsty Broody. I want water, will you get me water? And chocolate? Please?"
Lucas laughed and kissed Brooke's forehead. "Cheery, you know you can't have any food until after the surgery. But once it's over, yes, I will buy you chocolate and hamburgers and whatever you want. And when the doctor gets back in here, you can ask him if you can have some water."
They waited patiently for a while. Brooke had turned the TV on to Lifetime, and she was making Lucas watch "Mom at Sixteen" with Danielle Panabaker, and she was crying when Haley and Peyton walked in. "Geez, Luke, what did you do?" asked Haley.
Lucas held up his hands. "Nothing, I swear! She's just watching this Lifetime movie, and she started bawling!"
Haley and Peyton laughed and shook their heads. "Why don't you go get a cup of coffee, Luke? The anesthesiologist is right outside, anyways, and you are not going to want to watch Brooke get an epidural." Haley, meanwhile, had climbed onto the bed with Brooke and was sitting next to her with her head on the pillow.
"Oh my gosh, I didn't realize you were watching THIS movie. Mom at Sixteen, right? Ohh… This movie makes me cry every time."
Brooke sniffled. "I know! It's just so sad and yet so happy all together."
Peyton rolled her eyes. "Maybe I should go with you. I don't think I want to be here for the sob fest."
"Don't you dare leave me, Peyton Sawyer! I know you're name's not Sawyer anymore, but I don't care. You are not leaving this room again until they make you!" screamed Brooke, revealing her bitchy side once again.
"OOOKK… Guess I won't be leaving then…" said Peyton, as she walked over and sat down in the chair that Lucas had recently vacated.
"Babe, are you gonna be OK if I go get a cup of coffee?" asked Lucas, holding Brooke's hand.
"Yeah, I'll be fine," said Brooke, not taking her teary eyes away from the screen.
"OK… well, I might just take a quick walk to Russia on my way back, so hopefully I'll be here by the time you go in to surgery…"
"Uh huh… OK, have fun, Broody, I love you."
Lucas and Peyton looked at each other and laughed, then Lucas kissed Brooke's head and walked out the door just as the anesthesiologist walked in.
"Hello, Ms. Davis. How are you feeling today?"
Brooke finally tore her eyes away from the screen since the movie went on commercial, and nearly fainted at the sight of the needle and the huge tube of what she assumed was epidural medicine. "Holy crap, you're gonna put all of that, even that needle in my back?"
"Yep, that's exactly what we're going to do. Except the needle won't be staying there. There's going to be a thin tube in your back that will look a little like wire and that's what the medicine will be admitted through," said the anesthesiologist, with a smile on his face like this was any normal thing.
Brooke gulped, then looked at Peyton and Haley for support. "Guys, you know that I haven't done this before. I had Ali without an epidural. Maybe I don't need one, huh?"
Peyton just looked at her. "Brooke, do you remember how much pain you were in when you gave birth to Alison? How you were screaming THE ENTIRE TIME that if you ever had any more kids that they better give you all the drugs in the entire hospital? Anyways, you're going to want it when they start cutting your stomach open. Believe me, hun. You don't wanna feel that."
Brooke sighed. "Yeah, I guess you're right… Oh God, this is going to hurt so much…" Brooke rolled onto her side and held Peyton and Haley's hands while the doctor gave her the epidural. She bit her lip so hard it almost bled, but she didn't scream. After he was done, Brooke laid on her back and willed her tears not to come. "Sorry I'm such a wimp, you guys."
"Brooke, you are not a wimp. Those things hurt, we know! You actually did really well," said Haley. "You remember when I got my epidural when I went into labor with Jaymie? I was practically bawling and shaking. Nathan was so freaked out, he tried to make the doctor stop. But I was happy once it started to take effect." She noticed the droopy look in Brook's eyes. "Which I guess is what's starting to happen to you."
"Yeah… I think so…" said Brooke. "I think I'm just going to take a little nap until Luke gets back. Will you guys wake me up when he gets here?"
"Sure, hun. Just close your eyes and rest," said Haley.
Twenty minutes later, Lucas came back with three cups of coffee and handed one each to Haley and Peyton before drinking his. They talked quietly so they wouldn't wake Brooke up until Dr. Schafer came in and said they were ready to take Brooke into surgery. They woke Brooke up, and Haley and Peyton hugged and kissed both her and Lucas, then after threatening the doctor to take care of her, watched as she left for the operating room before collapsing in the chairs.
"Gosh, I'm exhausted. But I'm also worried about Brooke. I know she'll be OK, but I can't stop worrying," said Peyton.
"Yeah, me too. She'll be fine, though." They were silent for a minute. "I'm going to call Nathan and let him and Jake know what's going on."
Peyton nodded and Haley stepped into the hallway, quickly dialed Nathan and told him what was going on, then headed back into the room. "So, do you want to wait outside the doors for when Lucas and the babies come out?"
"Hell yeah!" said Peyton. They left the room and stood outside the room, peeking in every time someone came out. Finally, about 15 minutes after they had taken Brooke in, Lucas walked out in full scrubs behind two nurses pushing two baby warmers. Haley and Peyton gasped, then rushed over to the incubators.
"Oh, look how cute they are! And they're so big! So, two girls, huh Luke?" said Haley, gushing over the baby on the left.
Peyton laughed, smiling at the baby on the right. "Wow, you and Tyler are DEFINITELY outnumbered now."
"Yeah, Brooke had to be stubborn and have two more girls. Oh well," said Lucas, smiling down at his two new daughters.
One of the nurses cleared her throat. "We need to take them to the nursery. They will have all the preemie tests administered, but they seem to both be very healthy, and will most likely be with the other babies within a couple of hours." She smiled at Peyton and Haley, then started to walk towards the nursery with the other nurse. Peyton and Haley hugged and congratulated Lucas, then waited outside for Brooke to come out while Lucas went into the nursery with the girls.
After another twenty minutes or so, two nurses wheeled Brooke out in her bed, and Haley and Peyton walked along beside her back to the room. "Hey, Brookie. How are you feeling, honey?"
"A little tired, but happy. Did you see them? Aren't they beautiful?" asked Brooke, with an ear-to-ear smile.
"Yeah, we saw them. And yes, they are beautiful. They look a lot like you, and a lot like Luke, so it's a good mix."
"Yeah…" said Brooke. The nurses maneuvered the bed back into position and re-arranged her IV, then left the girls alone to talk. They chatted for a couple of minutes before Brooke fell asleep, so Haley and Peyton headed to the waiting room on the other side of the nursery to see if Lucas and then babies were in there yet, which they were. Lucas was standing in between two matching incubators, staring down at his daughters with a smile on his face.
Haley tapped lightly on the glass, and Lucas looked up, and waved. He turned their beds so they could see them a little better, and Haley and Peyton waved at the babies as though they could see her. Finally, Lucas left the nursery so the nurses could do their work, and met Haley and Peyton in the hallway.
"How's Brooke?" asked Lucas. "When I left the OR, they were still putting her back together, but she was happy."
"She is incredibly happy, and she's sleeping right now, so what do you say you head in there with her, and we're going to head home to give you guys some alone time? Tell Brooke we'll be back first thing tomorrow morning, OK?"
"Sure thing. You two drive safely, OK? Call me when you get home. And tell Nathan and Jake that I expect to see them down here tomorrow as well." They all laughed, and Peyton and Haley left the hospital and headed home to their families. Peyton and Jake ended up taking Tyler and Alison back to their house, and pretty soon everyone was tucked in to bed. By the time Peyton and Jake crawled into bed, it was almost 1:00 in the morning, since the babies hadn't been born until 8:00 that night.
Nathan and Haley tucked their kids in, then crawled into bed and fell asleep instantly. They were both exhausted about the day, and yet happy for Brooke and Lucas. They also knew that Brooke and Lucas were in for a hell of a ride, and they would most likely be dragged along, too.
The nurses brought the girls into the room shortly after Brooke woke up, and although she was tired and in pain, she learned how to breastfeed two babies at the same time, and she and Lucas bonded with both of them for a while before they all fell asleep. They knew that their lives would, of course, be forever different, but they were excited for it. Brooke just hoped that her trainees at Clothes Over Bro's could handle things while she was out of work. But she knew Peyton and Haley would be there to help. With her last thoughts being on all four of her children, she drifted off into a peaceful sleep. It would be hers and Lucas' last for a long time…
Author's Note: OK, I'm sure you all hate me for how long this took to get out, but here it is finally. There will be two more chapters in this story, and I'm thinking about writing a sequel about the kids when they grow up. Tell me what you think, or you can wait until the last chapter, but let me know if there should be a sequel. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review because it makes my day!
