Chapter One Hundred Nine: Right Me When I'm Wrong

Ryan looked up as Jake came in the front door, walking quickly, looking anxious. She'd sent his reluctant self out to help Brooke, who was going crazy, but he'd returned as quickly as possible.

"Are you okay?" he asked, rushing to kneel in front of her. She nodded and guided one of her hands to his stomach, where the baby was bouncing around.

"You worry too much. How was Connor?" asked Ryan. Jake shook his head.

"Haley had Kade, and they kept setting each other of. It was a nightmare," he said.

"Poor thing."

"I'm much more worried about you. How are you feeling?" he asked. She groaned.

"Like she should have come out almost a week ago. They say they'll induce me tomorrow," she said. He nodded and rested his cheek against her hair, wishing for so many reasons that tomorrow would come faster.

Jake took a deep breath as he paced in the hospital waiting room, willing himself to be calm. He reasoned that he should be comfortable with private hospital waiting rooms. After all, six children had been born to two of his best friends in the last six years. One had had a miscarriage, his parents had died. Many tragedies had led to many, many hospital visits.

He looked up in relief as Nathan came crashing in to the room and ran toward him immediately.

"Dude, what's wrong? Is she okay?" asked Nathan anxiously. Jake wondered if "she" referred to Ryan, or to their daughter.

"No. Not yet. We came down here to induce but the baby's breached and it turns out they have to do an immediate c-section to get her out of there. And they haven't said anything yet," said Jake, his voice edging on panic. They awkwardly man hugged.

"She'll be fine. She's a fighter. Don't worry," said Nathan.

"Sorry to bring you down here. I know you have Kade and the girls," said Jake apoligetically.

"I've got Heli down there with Haley, they'll be fine. I'm here for you bro," said Nathan. Jake almost smiled. Despite the genetic link, Nathan had always been a brother to him, ever since the summer after he'd broken up with Peyton and spent the entire time with the broken Scott family.

Jake leapt up immediately as a doctor approached, his heart in his throat. Ryan was everything to him. If... No. He couldn't let himself think about it.

"How is Ryan?" he asked. The doctor's face was calm and serence.

"She'll be just fine. She has a small body and narrow hips, it might be hard for her to give birth naturally. But she's tough," said the doctor.

"That's my girl," said Jake in relief.

"You should be proud of your wife, Mr. Jagielski," said the doctor approvingly.

"And... my little girl? She's okay? She got out in time?" asked Jake, suddenly realizing that she hadn't been mentioned.

"She's perfect. A bit on the small side, especially considering how late she was, but her lungs are fine and there's no damage that we can see," said the doctor, walking away. Nathan put a hand on Jake's shoulder, relieved for him and happy for his first niece.

"Can I see them?" called Jake.

"Soon."

Jake sat down on a chair and dropped his head into his hands, disbelief and an overwhelming sense of relief flooding through him.

"I'm a father," he said in amazement.

Nathan sat down next to him and once again put his hand on his shoulder.

"Yes you are. I know the feeling," he said comfortingly.

"Ryan just had a baby. Ryan's like sixteen," argued Jake. Nathan smiled.

"To be fair, Ryan is about twenty-four. Breath, man. You han handle this. You can do more than handle it. This will become the best thing that ever happened to you," said Nathan.

"It already is. Every time our little girl kicked inside of her, I suddenly felt like I was worth something, you know? I created life. Now someone's always going to rely on me. Somebody will need me," he said.

"Do you love her?" asked Nathan bluntly. Jake looked up in surprise and met his quasi brother-in-law's dark blue eyes.

"I..." At that moment, a call rang out for Jake, that Ryan was ready to see him. He paused for a moment, staring at Nathan, his mouth hanging open before standing up abruptly and running off to follow the nurse.

Jake's eyes jumped to Ryan, lying on the bed, as he entered. He smiled at the bundle wrapped in a pink blanket, a pink fuzzy hat on her head.

"I've got someone for you to meet, Mr. Jagielski," said Ryan proudly, throwing back her blonde hair.

"Show me," he said. He leaned down and picked up his daughter in his arms, perching on the edge of Ryan's bed.

His eyes softened as he took in the small, perfect face, the wisps of almost invisible blonde hair. She opened her eyes momentarily, found herself to be in the arms of someone new, and quickly decided she didn't care.

"She's got your eyes," commented Ryan, as her eyelids fluttered closed again. Balancing his daughter in one arm, he squeezed her mother's hand.

"She is beautiful," he said. Ryan smiled complacently. "She's all you."

"Do you have a name?" asked a nurse. Ryan shook her head.

"Baby girl Jagielski-Scott," she said, watching as Jake passed her away with reluctance.

"So," he said, watching as she walked away, and taking Ryan's hand in his. "Guess we have to work on that."

"You guys really suck at this. I still think you should have called her Brooke and left it at that," said Brooke, peering down into her niece's minute face. Ryan rolled her eyes.

"We can think of lots of names. We just can't agree on any," said Ryan. Haley, who was sitting on Nathan's lap with his arms looped around her waist, smiled slightly.

"Call her Caitlin. It's what we would have called Kade," said Haley, glancing toward her young son who was sleeping in a small bassinet at her feet.

"And I'm glad you didn't have to," said Ryan.

"Kirsten," suggested Nathan.

"No," said Jake immediately.

"This is so unfair. I have like ninety names saved up for girls but I can't give you any because I plan on using them for mine," said Brooke. Lucas glanced apprehensively at her and tightened his hold on Connor.

"Danielle. Uh, Shannon," said Lucas. Ryan raised an eyebrow.

"God, I'm a hairs breadth away from calling her Davis," she said, rolling her eyes.

"You would not believe how much I want to stop doing this. So, for my sanity's sake, we'll flip a coin. The winner chooses the first name and the loser choses the second," said Brooke, grabbing a quarter out of her pocket. Ryan looked liable to protest, so she quickly flipped. "Call it in the air."

"Heads," said Ryan immediately.

The coin spun in the air before landing in Brooke's open hand. She turned it on to her forearm and showed everyone the head's side, clear as day.

"Ha," said Ryan, making a small dance of victory.

"Choose," said Brooke bluntly.

"Uh, Jamie," she said.

"Fine. Jake?"

Jake rolled his eyes, as though in disbelief that he'd managed to sidle himself with a family such as this.

"Lara."

"Perfect. Jamie Lara Jagielski-Scott, I wish you a very good life," said Brooke, handing her off to her mother and grabbing Connor from her husband as he began to wale.

"Welcome to the world, Jamie," murmured Ryan. She leaned down and kissed her daughter's forehead before smiling up at Jake. He winked at her.

This was right. Above all, she knew that this was where she wanted to be.