-1Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own characters!
Brooke was furious. She had spent all evening working on a romantic dinner for her and Lucas. She rarely cooked for him and she wanted to show him that she was trying. Charity had even helped her make dessert. At six she was glad he wasn't home yet. At seven she was getting irritated. It was now nine and she was heading past furious into the land of unbound rage. She had left numerous messages on his cell phone, spoke to Karen, who only said he had left hours ago, left a message with Haley to have him call if she saw him. She had no clue where he could be. She was about to go out and look for him when Charity brought her the phone.
"Brooke? I know you're upset. I'm at Haley's, we're gonna hang out tonight. I'll uh, talk to you tomorrow. I love you." Lucas said quickly and then hung up. Brooke hung up and promptly threw the phone across the room. She was seething. Lucas had never not come home. And he sure as hell had never called and given a lame excuse and hung up before she could reply. Brooke was having to force herself to breath slowly. She realized Charity was still watching her.
"Dad's not coming home tonight is he?" Charity asked dully. How could Lucas do this to her. Leave her here with a daughter who couldn't care less if she were even present.
"No. He's at Haley's." Brooke replied through nearly clenched teeth. Charity just nodded and headed up to her room.
Brooke grabbed a pillow off the couch to muffle her scream of frustration. When did her life get so out of control? This was definitely not how she pictured her life, or her marriage for that matter. She had been so happy when Lucas proposed. Granted, she had just told him she was pregnant, but he really seemed happy about the baby and about getting married. She hadn't felt like he was doing it because he had to. Now, most days she felt like they stayed together because of Charity and because it was safe and easy. Brooke still loved him and was still in love with him but it was different. It wasn't the dazzling, sweep her off of her feet love that she had thought it would always be.
Brooke wondered aimlessly around the house as she thought. She ended up outside of Charity's door. She could hear what sounded like muffled sobs.
"Charity?" She asked opening the door slowly.
"Go away, I don't want to talk to you." Charity sniffled. She was laying face down across her bed. Brooke remembered throwing herself across her bed that very way when she was younger.
"You might not want to talk to me but I would love to talk to you." Brooke said kindly as she sat on the edge of the bed.
"Why?" Charity asked coldly, sitting up to look at Brooke.
"Why? Because I could use someone to talk to." Brooke began before she cut off by Charity.
"Oh right. It's always about you isn't it mother? Who cares about me and dad? As long as you're happy right? What about me, huh? What about when I was in the hospital and you were too busy in London to come home and see if I was even still alive?" Charity screamed.
Brooke felt as if she had been slapped across the face. Charity thought that she was too busy?
"Oh no. No, you think I was just having a good old time in London don't you? How about your dad didn't even call me! I didn't know Charity! Not until I got home and Lucas finally told me. You can hate me all you want for everything else but not for that. It wasn't my fault." Brooke finished evenly.
Charity eyes were wide with disbelief.
"Dad didn't call you? I mean I didn't ask him to, I just assumed he would. Then you never showed up so I just assumed you had better things to do." Charity said with a note of apology in her voice.
"I know I haven't been the best mother, Charity. I guess I'm following the only example I was ever shown. My parents thought as long as I had a big house, fancy car and all the credit cards I could want that I was taken care of. I don't know how to be a real mother. Your dad had a wonderful mother, so I just kind of left you to him. That was the best I could do for you and I know it sucked. I'm sorry." Brooke apologized as tears started to run down her cheeks. She desperately wished she could go back in time and do things differently. Only she didn't know if given the chance, if she would start over with Lucas or not.