Chapter Seventy-Two: Going Through the Motions
Author's note: This is a response to how many of you wanted to see Brooke go in to labour with Devon and Hayden.
Brooke rolled over and groaned as one of her baby's screamed for her attention. She'd been lying in her husband's arms all night in the hot, Californian late summer all night, and felt uncomfortably hot. She got slowly out of bed, draped a dressing gown over her nightie clad form, and went to attend to Hayden.
Lucas walked in fifteen minutes later while she was sitting in the rocking chair in their son's room, feeding him. He smiled, pleased as always by the domestic site that greeted him: Hayden playing with Brooke's long, dark hair, Brooke holding him to her breast.
"How did he not wake you up?" asked Brooke in annoyance.
"I don't think I had what he was looking for," said Lucas crossly.
"He's almost a year, Lucas. He doesn't always need this anymore," she said.
"Sorry. Devon came in. I took care of him. Thought you might want to know," said Lucas, departing abruptly. Brooke looked after him, feeling thoroughly guilty.
Five minutes later, she changed her son's diaper, changed him into a new outfit, and took his hand to lead him on his unsteady legs to the kitchen.
"Mommy!" came an excited voice. Brooke looked to where Lucas was attempting to strap their elder son into his high chair. Devon sprang free and ran for his mother.
"Devie!" she said, lifting him up and past her head. He giggled delightedly.
"Are you being a good boy for your daddy?" she asked sternly.
"Yep," he said. Brooke caught sight of Lucas over her son's shoulder and smiled.
"I'm sure you are. Go let him put you in your chair," she said, putting him back down. As she released him, she inhaled his baby sent and ran a hand through his short blonde hair. Even at two, he was undoubtedly his father's son.
And no one elses.
FLASHBACK"You know Haley's still with that sheep?" said Brooke in annoyance, waddling in to the kitchen.
"How do you know that?" asked Lucas, looking doubtfully at his almost nine months pregnant wife.
"Peyton told me. And she and Jake are falling out. Idiot," she said in disgust.
"Who, Peyton or Jake?" he asked in confusion.
"Jake, of course. He's a man. Men suck. And they get their women like this," she complained, glaring darkly at her husband. He couldn't help but laugh: during her pregnancy, they'd gotten into the easy habit of pretending it was his.
"So of course Jake is clearly the guilty party," he said. Brooke looked blankly at him. "Babe, you okay?"
Brooke's blank look quickly gave away to shock and fear.
"Luke, I think my water just broke."
After making a rushed phone call to the New York Scotts, Brooke and Lucas left for the hospital in his car.
"Damnit, I need more drugs," complained Brooke, nine hours later.
"Just push, Mrs. Scott. The head is almost clear," said the nurse encouragingly. Lucas held back a smile when Brooke cursed loudly.
"Come on. You can do it, I promise," he said. In the midst of her pain, she caught sight of his blue eyes. They calmed her.
"I see a head! Arms, a chest. Okay, it's a boy," said the doctor, catching him and holding up for both of them to see.
Brooke and Lucas stared at him in shock once he'd been cleaned-his dusting of blonde hair, his clear blue eyes, his fair skin. The look of him that had belonged to Nathan and Lucas.
"He's your son," she said in amazement.
"Ours. Ours. Holy…"
"A Scott. I have just brought a new Scott into the world. I should kill myself now," she said.
"I'd rather you didn't. I love you," he said suddenly. She smiled at him over the head of the child that was their's.
"I love you too."
END FLASHBACK
Brooke sighed. She had loved him that day. She loved him this day. She'd love him always. She had always been so certain they'd be able to tell each other so, and let it be the most important aspect of their lives.
"Brooke. Phone," said Lucas. As she slowly lifted her eyes to his, she realized he'd spoken more than once.
With shaking fingers, she took the phone, letting her fingers brush his. She shivered. Even after two babies, two years of marriage, he still excited her, made her want him. Even through their rough patches, their sex life had never diminished. Some days, Brooke wondered if they'd be able to survive without it.
"Haley?" she asked. She listen obediently while Haley talked excitedly about her honeymoon. The logical part of Brooke was happy for her. She'd spent countless hours lamenting the nature of Haley and Nathan's doomed "love".
When she was done, Brooke hung up the phone and turned to Lucas, wondering how she could possibly explain.
"They're back. Nathan and Haley, they're all together again," she said briefly. He looked up from feeding oatmeal to Hayden.
"That's great. Remind me not to call him so he won't give me the dirty details," he said. Brooke laughed briefly before leaving the room, getting back into bed and attempting to go back to sleep.
Her thoughts turned predictably to the time of Hayden's birth.
FLASHBACK
Brooke smiled as Devon ran into the room ahead of his father. Ever since she'd been confined to bed rest at their swanky private hospital, Lucas had been bringing him in every day. Despite this, she didn't know if he had any understand of what was going on, and why his mommy had gotten so fat.
"Anything happen at home?" she asked hopefully. Brooke Scott felt hopelessly cut off from the outside world.
"Ryan called to see how you were," he said.
"That's nice. No Peyton? Guess not, ever since she broke up with Jake she's been pretty hard to get a hold of," she said sadly. Lucas leaned down, brushed her sweaty bangs away from her face, and gently kissed her forehead.
"I miss you. I get lonely," he admitted, sitting down beside her. She smiled at him.
"I miss you too. My friend Carlos the janitor is hardly a suitable replacement," she complained.
"I should hope not. So after this one, do you want another?" he asked.
"Honestly? I can't think beyond the next five minutes. But I think two is definitely fine for now. Don't you?" she asked. Lucas took her hand in his and kissed her fingers.
"Honestly? Just having you is more than I could have hoped for." Brooke made a cry of alarm as he leaned in to kiss her.
"Shit. I'll get a doctor," he said, dropping her hand and running off to the hall.
Hayden Lucas Scott was born during a cesarean two hours later.
END FLASHBACKAn hour later she arose from bed, apologized to Lucas for skipping out on their most difficult time of day, and played on the carpet with Devon for two hours while Hayden slept in his swing.
Brooke stared at him in the few moments that her son didn't monopolize. She wondered if he ever resented it, the fatherhood he'd been thrust in to at twenty-two. She didn't sympathize if he had. She'd been eighteen and unsure of the father, tricked by her cousin in doing a favour to a friend. It had been the scariest time in her life.
She's already been pregnant by that point, she realized. Either Davis had switched the pills a day earlier than they'd thought, or there had been a fluke. Fate had been out to get her that summer.
As it had been out to get all of them.