You guys were pretty frustrated last chapter lol... I've made a little note at the end addressing some of things you were frustrated with, so check that out at the end.

This chapter is pretty sad, and it's a long one, but there are some 'good' things about it to. I did some last minute editing of it cause I wanted to shift timings and stuff around - so I apologise if there are any slip ups, if I missed something I needed to change or if you're confused about anything - just let me know in the reviews and I'll fix it ASAP!

Also... I really think Wednesday's chapter is going to be your favourite so far...

Chapter Sixteen – Death's Sting

Brooke and Harrison ran through the Raleigh South Hospital in what felt like slow motion. They had barely registered what had happened, just that Ted was here and he... he wasn't in good shape. They soon found Ted's room and hesitated about going in. They looked into the ICU room which already had Kate and Matty sitting in it in silence. Brooke and Harrison just stood at the door in complete shock at the sight of Ted, lying on the bed covered in cuts and bruises and on a ventilator.

"What happened?" Harrison asked in a whisper, knowing that Brooke was too afraid to ask.

"His car was hit by a truck" Matty said in a shaky voice. Matty looked at Kate to see if she wanted to add anything, but she was just staring into space, like there were no thoughts or emotions going on inside her head. Matty looked down at the ground. He didn't want to be the one to say this. He didn't want to have this in his hands, he should never have had to tell his siblings that their dad was brain dead.

"He uh..." Matty said as he cleared his throat. "He had a pretty bad head injury and... they didn't treat it on time. He's brain dead."

Harrison just stood in the doorway, fists clenched and jaw tight. This never would have happened at Raleigh Med. He should be alive right now, but shoddy work led to his death. The surgeon was lying in bed, surrounded by surgeons, and there was nothing any of them could do to help him.

"This is a dream" Brooke whispered with a vacant expression on her face; "this has got to be a dream." She repeated. It felt like some sort of sick joke that she would lose two of the most important people in her life in car accidents.

"He... he's gone Brooke" Matty said to her, hating having to be the strong one right now. He felt like a little kid and it just didn't seem fair.

"Matty he's not gone, I can't believe that he's gone, I don't believe that he's gone!" Brooke exclaimed, the tears beginning to stream down her face.

"They're waiting for our permission to withdraw care-" he said, ignoring Brooke's pleads.

"You can't withdraw care on someone who is clearly alive!" She said walking over to the monitors. "Look at these stats, this room has three doctors in it, it is virtually impossible that he should be dying right now! We should have so much time left we-" she shouted as she started to audibly sob.

"Brooke..." Harrison said reached forward to hold her. She kept pushing him away, but he kept reaching and eventually she stopped fighting and allowed herself to cry in her brother's arms.

He was gone. Ted Davis was really gone.

After Brooke had calmed down, Kate sat in the room with Ted while Harrison, Brooke and Matty all sat in the corridor in a painful silence. They all sat low in their chairs, not saying anything, not knowing what to say. None of this seemed real, none of this seemed possible.

"When I was 5 years old, I remember dad sitting with me one night telling me a bedtime story." Brooke began quietly; "I had my favourite pink and blue striped pyjamas on, and my hair was in this French braid that I insisted mom did for me because all the other girls in kindergarten had them. The story that he told—I never really understood what he was talking about until much later in life but uh, he said, "Brooke, you're going to have people in your life that are like the stars in the sky and you're going to admire them and want to be like them, but you need to remember that you are the sun, an even bigger source of light in these people's lives and you can do anything that you want and be whatever you want. You are the sun. You are your own sun." He thought the world of us. His kids. Although, he would have called himself a star, to me he was the sun. He made everything ok and everything better and not just because he was a doctor, but because he was a loving and caring father to us. He was our sun. I wish I had have told him how much he meant to me more often."

"I really did not have the easiest of relationships with dad." Harrison said, taking his turn to share with his brother and sister. "It didn't take much for us to fall out and I found it far too easy to just hate him and run away. I'm sure you could both recall the punching incident of the divorce…" he said as they lightly sniggered. Harrison had really lost his head when Ted took off to Raleigh and ended up punching him in the face the next time he saw him. "Yet even through me pushing him away, even through me letting him know just how much I despised him—he never pushed me away. He kept pulling and eventually the pulling worked. I stopped fighting him and I learnt to love him and look up to him again like I did when I was a kid. We were really lucky to have him and at times I don't think I really deserved him. He was the greatest man I knew."

Brooke linked arms with her eldest brother as a way of sympathising with him. A way of sharing the pain.

"I know my upbringing wasn't conventional" Matty began. He wasn't one to really share his feelings, but he had to say this, and who better to say it to than his brother and sister? "Anyone looking in would think that I didn't have the life that I deserved, but I did. I had it and more. There wasn't a moment in my life when I ever felt unloved or neglected by my father. Even when I wasn't with him, I felt like he was just around the corner and if I did need him, he was always available. As frustrating a boy I can be sometimes, he always brought me around and made me realise that I didn't need attention because I already had it. He really was like a best friend to us. We could always rely on him and I looked up to him and respected him and loved him like no other man I have ever known."

They all looked at each other with squeezing their hands together in one big mound. It was special that they could share their feelings like this and they were eternally grateful that they had each other.

A few moments later, Kate, Harrison, Brooke and Matty all gathered in Ted's room as his ventilator was switched off.

"You can let go now daddy. We'll be ok." Brooke had said to him as he breathed his last breath.

Ted Davis died in the early hours of the next morning, surrounded by his three children and the love of his life. They each said goodbye and gave him a kiss and watched him as he breathed his final breath. The pain in their hearts was so real and fresh and felt like it would never go away. Right now, they needed time to grieve and time to remember the great man that was Ted Davis.

Brooke walked into the hospital like a ghost the following morning. She wasn't really sure what she was doing here. She was in no state to work. But her people were here. The ones she loved most in the world were here and she needed them right now.

She walked through the surgical wing and spotted Lucas working on one of the tablets at the nurse's station and froze. She knew she had no right to feel this way, but all she wanted was to hug him. He always made her feel safe even when he gave her no reason to. Eventually Lucas looked up and did a double take when he saw Brooke standing there looking completely exhausted. Her eyes were blood shot and she looked like her legs were about to give way. They watched each other for a brief moment, before Brooke burst into tears and in a split-second Lucas was by her side, holding her close, stopping her from falling over, desperately trying to sooth her and calm her down.

A short while later Rachel and Nathan burst into one of the on-call rooms and found Brooke fast asleep with her head in Lucas's lap. They couldn't believe it when they heard what happened. Their hearts broke for their best friend. They shared a sympathetic look with Lucas as they bent to their knees and sat on the ground by the bed, both resting their hands on top of Brooke's. Brooke's people were here, and they weren't going anywhere.

Three weeks had passed since Ted's death and the Davis' were in disarray. Kate had taken off without a word of goodbye, Harrison had tried to get back in the OR as a distraction, though he had started to take over Ted's cases until they found a replacement for him, so he was struggling more than he was willing to admit. Brooke was avoiding everyone and everything and Matty had gone back to New York to be with Victoria—and was proving to be unreachable by his siblings.

After Rachel and Nathan had gone off to work, Brooke sat on the bench that rested at the front of her house under a cherry blossom tree. She remembered her grandmother planting the tree when she was around 5 years old. All of a sudden Brooke felt old sitting under the fully grown tree. She wrapped her scarf a little tighter around her as she saw a car drive pull into the drive and soon realised it was Harrison, who got out and stood in front of her with his hands in his pockets.

"I really love this house" Brooke said as Harrison just stood silently. We had a lot of happy memories here when we visited grandma and grandpa… and when I moved here to start my residency, it was the only place that made me feel at home."

Harrison sat beside her with a sigh, "Made you feel like your family was here, huh?" he asked as Brooke nodded.

"I don't know why considering it was just me, Rachel and Nathan - but it did... and they quickly became family anyway." Brooke replied. "Dad died, Harry. Dad died and Kate ran without a word, Matty is untouchable and—I can't go back to my job. Julian proposed to me that night and I haven't said a word to him, other than thank you when he said he was sorry. I've spoken to Lucas more than to someone who wants to marry me and how messed up is that?" Lucas had called by the house every day to check in, but it was as if Julian was afraid to talk to her.

"No one is expecting us to be ok Brooke. We do this in our own time." Harrison replied, not sure what to really say to her.

"How did you go back to work so quickly?" Brooke asked. Harrison had gone back a week after Ted had died. She didn't understand it, she didn't understand how he coped with being there.

"I was in the garage at dad and Kate's house one night and I took a sledge hammer and I smashed the wall with it." he told her with a little laugh, realising how ridiculous his sudden outburst must have sounded; "then I had flash backs to when I used my anger to make me feel better, like when I punched dad after the divorce, and then I remembered that it didn't make anything better. So I put the hammer down and went inside and opened one of dad's medical files and saw that it was the starting work for his New York project." he told her. He sighed as he looked at his pained sister; "He left all this work unfinished Brooke and I needed a way to keep him alive... so this has to be finished. Dad's legacy needs to be finished." he said as he put his arm around her.

"I need to be ok Harry. Before I can even think about continuing what dad started. Dad went to New York to start something great… and he died as a punishment." she said with a scoff, not understanding what kind of cruel fate this was. He was back in Raleigh, driving home after choosing his family and this happened. It seemed ridiculous, but it was their reality now and they had to find a way to deal with it.

Brooke sat in the resident's lounge that afternoon in a comfortable silence. Anyone would think she was crazy from coming into a hospital just to sit down, but she found some sort of solace from being here. Like it was her safe haven. So even though she wasn't working, she wanted to just sit here for a moment of respite. Lucas soon walked past the door and spotted her. He quietly walked in and gave her a questioning look.

"What are you doing here?" He asked he put his hands in his pockets. To say he had been worried about her for the past few weeks would have been an understatement.

"Don't worry, I'm not working. Just finding haven in my safe place." She told him as she twiddled her thumbs.

"The hospital is your safe place?" he asked, not understanding how it could be.

Brooke shrugged; "I practically grew up in them. It's weird I know but it's true." Since her parents spent most of their time in hospitals, she would often go and see them at work. There was something about them that she found oddly comforting.

Lucas nodded as he sat down opposite her. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Right now, I'm trying not to." She replied honestly.

"That's not grieving, Brooke. You need to feel this—"

"I know" Brooke said with a gulp. "I tell people that too, but I can't take my own advice right now. I just don't want this to be real. If it's real, it means that I have to live in a world without my dad and I don't want to live in that world. I don't want to feel that pain, I don't want to know that pain."

"Allowing yourself to feel pain and allowing yourself to cry is one of the scariest things in the world, but it's also one of the bravest. You open up those wounds for a brief moment in order for yourself to start healing." Lucas encouraged.

Brooke nodded and looked at her feet, before letting out a scoff; "you know, death never used to scare me. I always just accepted it. It was a part of life. I accepted my own fate, but when it comes to the people I love? I found death's sting. It drenches my mind and my memories and that's just not fair." She said as she looked up and Lucas saw the tears glistening in her eyes.

Lucas moved forward and rested his hand on top of hers; "I know. Nothing's fair. Death stings. It stings right to the soul and it only stings because what has now been replaced with grief, was once love and it was felt so strongly. Ted wouldn't want this. He wouldn't want you to become a shadow of yourself, he would want you to go and live your life fully. Be the best doctor, the best sister, the best daughter, the best friend you could be. This isn't something you have to do alone Brooke. You have so many people around you who love you. Let us feel it with you."

"Dad always said that it wasn't love if it didn't feel like it was going to destroy you. I guess he was right." Brooke said, finally understanding what Ted meant. She looked at Lucas for a moment before wiping away her tears and leaning back in her chair. "Where's Peyton?" she asked, not having seen the doctor around the hospital in a while.

Lucas shifted awkwardly in his seat. "She uh—she left" he told her.

Brooke raised her eyebrows. "What do you mean left?" she asked.

"She said all the grief in the air was making her feel a little numb and she needed to feel something again so she went out to Africa to work and provide medical aid." Lucas told her. While he was proud of Peyton for doing such a thing, he wasn't so happy to see her running away when a lot of people in her life were upset. It felt selfish to him. He told her that while she was away, they needed to take some time apart. He wasn't prepared to be with somebody who couldn't even stick around when everybody was in a lot of pain.

"Seriously?" Brooke asked.

"Yeah. She made her choice. I'm making mine." Lucas said cryptically as they both looked each other dead in the eye.

Their intense moment was broken when Julian walked into the room and Brooke jumped from her seat like she had just been burnt.

"Hey" Brooke said.

"Hey…" Julian replied quietly.

Lucas stood up; "I'll uh… leave you guys to it" he said before leaving.

Brooke felt a little guilty seeing Julian standing in front of her. She'd barely spoken to him in the past few weeks and she wasn't even sure herself why she hadn't.

"Julian—" she began to apologise, but he cut her off.

"I know you haven't wanted to talk to me for the past little while and that's ok, but uh, just let me say this. Please don't try and push me away. I love you and I can't begin to understand what you're going through but right now, let me just be here. Let me hold you, let me love you. You can say nothing, you can scream, you can cry but—I'm not going anywhere."

Brooke merely nodded and allowed Julian to hug her.

Around a month after Ted's death, Brooke had finally made it back into her scrubs. It was an oddly comforting moment for her, and it didn't take her long to get back into the demanding rhythm of being a surgeon. She continued to thrive in her residency, though there was definitely an edge to her. Everyone had noticed that when Ted died, a little spark went out in Brooke that they weren't sure was ever going to come back, but Brooke was a strong and loving girl, so no one doubted that she would be ok.

While everyone around her knew that Brooke would be ok, Brooke wasn't so sure of that fact herself. After a particularly difficult day, she lay down on a bed in the on-call room with a hand over her eyes, hoping that her impending head ache would disappear. She had been back to work for a week and her interns were calling her Satan due to her harsh demeanour and recent abruptness. She feared that it would all be too much too fast, but she also knew it was never going to easy. She just had to keep her head held high and take each day as it came.

The door opened, and Julian appeared. He frowned when he saw Brooke's still state.

"Hi" he greeted.

"Hi." Brooke replied quickly and bluntly.

"You sound mad—"

"I am mad." She confirmed.

"What happened?" he asked as he stood beside the bed.

Brooke dropped her hand with a sigh and stared up at the ceiling; "One of my residents called me Satan today because she was being rude about me behind my back and I called her out on it."

"Alex?" Julian asked.

Brooke glared; "You're on first name basis with Dr. Dupre now?"

"Brooke—"

Brooke sat up on the bed; "the way she talks about the doctors around here who stand in her way is unbelievable"

"In her way of what?" Julian asked, not understanding what Brooke meant.

Brooke looked at her feet; "you for starters" The interns had naturally taken an interest in many of the surgeons at Raleigh Med. They were an alarmingly attractive bunch.

"Well she can't have me, but you need to look past that and towards her skills as a doctor. She's not going to learn if you put her on wart duty all day or try and get her kicked off somebody's service." Julian advised.

Brooke stood up and crossed her arms as she stood opposite Julian; "If you can give me one shred of evidence that she is any better than the rest of the interns or should more than anyone be in this programme then I won't make assumptions about her ability and I won't hinder her learning." Julian remained silent, not wanting to fight with Brooke over this. "Thought so."

"You have to teach them Brooke, this is teaching hospital. That's the only way they're going to learn to be a step above the rest, by learning from someone who already is. We can't just abandon them because we don't like them. I'm sure there were plenty of attendings who weren't too fond of you as an intern." Julian argued.

"Yeah, everyone really hated the chief's daughter…" she mumbled arrogantly. "and I have enough on my plate to teach basic professional manners to a resident. Why do you care so much anyway?" Brooke asked, wondering why he was getting so defensive over one resident that he barely even knew.

"I care about the future of medicine Brooke and so should you!"

"I have been working my ass off for the past 10 years so I can make a difference in people's lives. You think that's me not caring about the future of medicine?" Brooke questioned.

"The doctors we are teaching will be developing things that we won't have the opportunity to do—"

"And I don't think Dupre is going to be one of those people, what is so wrong with holding an opinion like that?"

"Nothing, but you're just holding a personal grudge rather than one that is based on her ability. So, what, she calls you Satan? You have been a little devilish recently—" Julian snapped as Brooke's breath caught in her throat. Why would he say that? Why didn't he understand the pain she was in?

Brooke gulped; "She called me Satan the day I came back to work after my dad died and has continued to do so all week. I'm a little but on edge because his death—destroyed me. I shouldn't have to apologise for not being all sweetness and light, I have every right to feel this way—"

"Do you think your dad would have wanted you to be this way?"

Brooke shook her head; "Don't say that to me, you are not my father therefore you cannot say how he would have wanted me to be."

"Brooke I am not the enemy here—" Julian said holding up his hand, not liking the direction this way taking.

"I am trying to keep it together for everyone else and if being this way helps me, then you have to let me be this way! Kate ran away, Harry thinks he has to be in control so far so that he's not letting himself feel. I haven't spoken to Matty in a month because he is untouchable. I have to be strong, I have to be defiant. I need to be the one to keep this family together."

"That doesn't mean you're not allowed to feel!"

"I do feel!" she shouted as the tears started the angrily stream down her face. "So much it hurts! I just need my work to be a place that I can continue to do what I am good at. To continue what my dad taught me. Not deal with bitchy co-workers who question my abilities and I do not need you questioning the kind of person I am. If you don't like it then you should just—" she said, put quickly cut herself off, not wanting to say anything hurtful out of anger.

"Just what, Brooke?" Julian questioned as she wiped her years. "Take back my proposal that you're just ignoring happened? The thing is Brooke—you're not the same girl that I proposed to. You were so kind and willing to help and so loving despite everything that's happened in your life. This isn't you." He said as he shook his head.

"I don't know what you want me to do Julian" she said quietly, feeling entirely drained and defeated.

"For starters you can stop running to Lucas instead of me." He snipped. Over the past few months, he had felt second best to her ex—and he wasn't about to stand for it anymore.

"This is about Lucas now?"

"I don't get it Brooke, he left you, very publicly, yet you still run to him for comfort."

"I don't run to him Julian. He's my friend, he's been kind to me, he hasn't just been sitting around waiting for me to finish grieving, so I can answer his proposal." She snipped.

Julian raised his eyebrows; "You think that's what I've been doing?"

"I don't know what you've been doing Julian. Though by the sound of things you've been sitting around wondering why I'm such a bitch and being jealous of Lucas." To Brooke, it just seemed that Julian was itching for an answer. She felt bad that she hadn't just been straight with him. She felt so unbelievably rushed the moment he asked her and she instantly knew that her heart wasn't in it. She couldn't understanding how he could propose to her when she hadn't even told him she loved him. But telling him that had been the last thing on her mind right now. She was just trying to get through the day.

"I'm not going to do this. You clearly don't want to marry me Brooke, all you had to do was say so"

"No" Brooke said honestly. "I don't want to marry you. I just—I need to be on my own. I need to work this out by myself." She confessed.

Julian nodded; "Ok." He replied, finally admitting defeat. "I uh—I have a job offer in Boston and I think I'm going to take it."

Brooke's face fell; "what?"

"There's nothing here for me anymore Brooke. I can't be here." He admitted. He couldn't be around her when he knew she didn't want him. When he knew deep down that her feelings for Lucas were still very much there.

"Julian, I—I'm sorry." Brooke said in a whisper, not knowing what else she could do to make this better.

"Me too. Goodbye Brooke." He said before opening the door and walking out of Brooke Davis' life.

Brooke gulped, trying to contain her emotions over everything. She was a little ashamed to admit it - but she felt relieved. She felt like she was free and she could move on to what was right for her. She did understand, however, how Julian felt about not wanting to be here. She loved this place, but she was beginning to feel suffocated and she didn't want that.

She left the on call room in search of the one person she thought might be able to give her the space she needed.

"Dr. Scott" she asked when she found Karen working in one of the conference rooms.

"Brooke" Karen said, surprised to see her as she stood from her desk and walked over to her. "I -" she began but Brooke cut her off.

"We don't need to do the pleasantries, I'm sorry for your loss etc. it's fine." Brooke insisted as Karen nodded her head. She completely understood that Brooke maybe just wanted to be treated normally for a change.

"What can I help you with Dr. Davis?"

"Take me back to Boston with you." Brooke said as Karen raised an eyebrow. "Lucas told me you're leaving tomorrow and I was thinking about your offer of a urology fellowship and - I don't want that, but I would really like to work under you for just a few months." Brooke told her. "I need to get away, I need a fresh place and it's not permanent but it is needed."

Karen nodded her head and the arrangement was made - the following morning, Brooke left with Karen to Boston. She'd said goodbye to Harrison, who was planning on going back to New York now that Brooke was leaving too, and also to Rachel, Nathan and Haley who were so sad to see her go. The one person, however, she didn't say goodbye to was Lucas. She wanted to see - so badly - but she just couldn't. She couldn't leave him behind when he had been such a support to her, but she needed to do this on her own. She needed to find her own inner strength and she couldn't rely on him. So she said nothing. She left him behind her - and that was that.

** 3 months later **

It was Monday morning, and Brooke stood in front of the door to Raleigh Med, willing herself to go in. She had arrived back in Raleigh on Saturday and was looking forward to finishing off her residency here, but she was nervous. It felt like a lifetime since she had been here and she wasn't sure what awaited her through the doors. She'd had a really good time in Boston. It was a welcomed break, but she was scared about dealing with her problems that she'd left behind. She hoped that because she was in a better place, they maybe wouldn't be as scary as she was expecting.

"Davis, have you forgotten how a door works?"

Brooke gulped as her breath caught in her throat. She claimed she was scared of dealing with her problems, but really - she was scared about seeing him again. They'd exchanged a few messages over the past 3 months, but nothing extensive. He just liked to check in on her and make sure she knew he would always be there for her. As much as she wanted to take him up on that, she knew it was best to just keep her distance. He had become one of her best friends before she left, and her feelings were bubbling before she was ready to accept them.

Brooke realised she'd been silent for too long and let out a breath before replying, "No, but apparently I've forgotten how to walk forward…" she grumbled before turning around to see Lucas smiling at her. Man he still looked insanely good. "Hi Luke" she greeted quietly as she walked forward and hugged him, getting completely lost in his touch.

"Hi pretty girl" he said quietly so only she could hear. "How you doing?"

"I'm ok... glad to be back." she said as she reluctantly pulled away from him. "It's a little weird though. A lot has changed." she said as she folded her arms over her chest.

"Maybe... but I don't doubt that you're still the strong, amazing girl that left Raleigh behind." Lucas told her confidently. "You've got this Brooke."

Brooke gave him a tight-lipped smile, "Thanks... so, what's new with you? Has your Peyton break become permanent yet?" After she had left, Lucas called her and told her they needed to take a break from each other - which was obviously helped by the distance. Peyton wasn't so keen on making it permanent, but Lucas was. He knew what he wanted and he was ready to make the step forward to get it. Brooke had her space, he'd had his space and he was ready and waiting for her when she was ready to come to him. He just wasn't sure if Peyton would so easily let him slip away.

"I think so" He confirmed. "We haven't had that definitive ending talk but she's due back tomorrow, so I guess we'll be having it then." He informed her. He knew it wouldn't be easy, but it had to be done and he knew she would be thankful for it in the long run.

Brooke nodded her head at Lucas' answer, not really knowing what to say. She knew that Lucas' indifference to his relationship had only grown over time. What she didn't know however was how he truly felt about her. He was thrilled to be her friend and he was respectful as she grieved, but his feelings only grew by the day and it was starting to break his heart a little. Even when she was gone for the past three months, his thoughts were consumed by her. But sometimes, he felt like he couldn't have her even though she was standing right in front of him. There just seemed to be too much to work through, though a part his heart was just screaming at him to take the chance - because it would be entirely worth it.

"My mom and Keith are renewing their vows this weekend, are you coming?" Lucas asked her, hoping that she would be. Any party with Brooke Davis in attendance was sure to be a good one. Karen and Keith had been married for 20 years and Karen wanted to do something special to celebrate. "Don't ask me why she wanted to renew the vows in Raleigh. Apparently it would be impossible for me to travel to Boston with 6 months notice…" he said with an eye roll as Brooke chuckled.

"Aw, she's just trying to make things convenient for her hot-shot surgeon son" Brooke teased. Karen had told her all about the renewal in Boston. She'd even asked for Brooke's help organising a few things. "Besides, she told me you are her man of honour – you're in charge of driving the get away car if she needs to make a run for it, it's best you have your own car, just so you're super prepared." She teased.

"You are twisted Davis" Lucas joked.

Brooke shrugged and smirked devilishly. If she ever got married, the only person she'd ever trust to be her maid of honour was Rachel – she would definitely drive the get away car. She'd drive it to the opposite end of the country if that's what it took.

Brooke's phone soon rang and she frowned when she saw it was an unknown number. She flashed it at Lucas who shrugged and motioned for her to answer it, "Hello? Oh my god… ok, thank you."

Lucas frowned, "What's wrong?"

"That was Charleston Med… Kate's been admitted." Brooke said in disbelief. She hadn't heard from Kate in the 4 months since Ted's death and it was distressing that this was the first thing she'd heard.

"Do you need me to drive you?" Lucas asked, seeing that Brooke was clearly shaken.

"No, no, I'm ok, besides – you have important man of honour duties to be getting on with" Brooke said with a giggle. "I'll call you!" she promised, knowing that Lucas would be concerned about her for the rest of the day.

Lucas smiled as he watched her dash away - boy was it good to have her back.

"Dr. Grant? Dr. Grant?"

Kate opened her eyes and as she came around, she saw a nurse standing beside her bed, smiling at her.

"Dr. Grant. Your daughter is here." The nurse told her.

Kate groggily frowned. Her daughter? But her daughter was – she looked over to the door and saw the last person she expected to see – Brooke.

She sheepishly walked into the room and sat on the edge of Kate's bed.

"Apparently I'm your emergency contact?" Brooke questioned with a little laugh.

Kate smiled. Honestly, she wouldn't want anybody else. Brooke would always know exactly what to do and she would always be there, despite everything they had been through.

"I had a baby" Kate said. She'd been 16 weeks pregnant when Ted died - and she didn't even know. Some doctor she was. She was just so consumed with work and Ted being in New York that she wasn't paying attention to any of the signs her body was sending her, and now she was here with a little baby girl.

Brooke took her turn to smile; "I know."

When Brooke had gotten a call from a hospital in Charleston about Kate, she immediately got in her car and rushed down to her. She hadn't heard from her in 4 months and now she was in a hospital? With a baby? Brooke couldn't quite believe what she was hearing. Kate and Ted had talked about having kids over the years, but it never transpired. Kate was a little bit younger than Ted, so it was more of a dream of hers than his. It seemed utterly ridiculous that she would get pregnant by accident and then Ted would be gone, leaving her a single mother.

Despite the sadness, Brooke was filled with so much joy for Kate. A baby was a gift. She had a new little sister and that was something to celebrate, as difficult as that may be. The past 4 months had been the hardest 4 months of her life – so much had happened, so many tears were shed, but she was starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. They both were starting to see it.

"Ted is dead." Kate said in a matter of fact manner, as if this was her way of finally processing it.

Brooke's face fell as she fought her tears; "… yeah. He is." Brooke said with a gulp. She had a lot of support around her while she grieved, even when she was in Boston, so she couldn't imagine how Kate could do this on her own.

"Her name is Maya. Did you see her? She's beautiful."

Brooke smiled widely and nodded. "She looks just like you."

"I didn't think I could do it. Part of me thought, what if I just have this baby and die. And then she arrived and I saw her face and I saw him in her. She's beautiful." Kate told her with a proud smile. "And I thought about how Harrison and Matty are just the spitting image of him and how you—you're the embodiment of all the love he had in his heart. His little Brooke. How could I die when he is all around me?"

Brooke finally gave in as she let a few stray tears fall and she held onto Kate's hand. Never in a million years did she think she would be sitting by Kate's bedside, filled with such love and admiration for this woman.

"I am so glad you're ok." Brooke told her sincerely, as they continued to catch up on all they had missed.

I told you I was a sucker for heartbreak... this obviously really changes Brooke and it makes her realise a lot of things - especially about being with the ones you love when you can because life can be taken in an instant.

But... Brooke also needs time to grieve. Her world was shaken and she needs her head to be clear before she can contemplate giving Lucas another chance. Life is complicated and sometimes things take a while to fall into place - we can't have everything in an instant! So be patient. It will make the goodness that much sweeter.

Next chapter - Karen and Keith renew their vows, Brooke and Lucas have a heart to heart and Brooke meets someone very dear to Lucas' heart...