Time for some more Brucas babies and some quick time jumps... Enjoy :)
Chapter Forty – Fat Babies and Forever Loves
As soon as Lucas and Brooke had made it up to the maternity ward, Brooke's waters broke and after a quick assessment from the OBGYN, they determined that it was safest to deliver the twins now. There was a very strong rate of survival and the OB (and Rachel after a quick consult) were incredibly confident that the babies would thrive.
At 2.55am, weighing 2lbs 8oz and 2lbs 10oz, Isabella Charlotte and Zachary Austin Scott were born 10 weeks early.
Despite their premature entry into the world, the two babies were doing well and all of their loved ones were so excited to meet them. That morning, Victoria had come rushing through the doors and the following day Harrison had arrived into town, followed by Brooke's nana and all of her aunts. Matty decided to stick around for a little while to help look after Sophie At her instance, he brought Sophie round to the NICU everyday so she could look at her new brother and sister through the window. She was so intrigued by them and was already looking forward to having two new friends to play with.
Karen had been so disappointed to miss everything. She couldn't even get out of bed to come and see them and her head was stuck in her neck brace, so even if she could, she couldn't have looked over very clearly into their incubators. For now, she had to deal with videos and photos—though it just wasn't enough. She was frustrated and wanted her recovery to speed itself along even more than she already did.
Before they all knew it, 4 weeks had flown by and Izzie and Zach were getting stronger everyday and were showing no signs of any deficits despite being so early.
"They're just so tiny" Rachel said with the softest smile on her face as she, Nathan, Brooke and Lucas stood over Izzie and Zach's incubators.
"I know…" Brooke whined, amazed that she had made these two tiny humans.
"They're gaining weight like absolute champs though" Nathan said as he took a step back and lifted their charts.
Lucas smirked; "Fat babies" he said as he and Nathan fist bumped.
"Izzie is now up to 4lbs 8oz, Zach is 4lbs 13oz, all in 4 weeks." Nathan said with an assured nod as he flicked through their charts.
"And they're showing no signs of deficits?" Brooke asked, probably for the millionth time in the past four weeks, but she needed to hear it over and over again.
"No. They're doing great." Nathan said with a smile which Brooke anxiously returned.
"This is weird." Brooke said as she started to fidget.
Rachel frowned; "Why?"
"As long as I have been in Seattle… I don't think one person here has had an uncomplicated birth story. Surely something's going to go wrong—" she said quickly.
Lucas rested his hand on her shoulder; "You can't think like that Brooke."
"I know, I know, I'm sorry… we have two fat and healthy babies." She said, to assure everyone she had heard what Nathan said and understood it explicitly. She couldn't live anticipating something bad happening, they had to take each day as it came.
"Yeah, we do." Lucas said as he kissed the side of her head.
Rachel looked back over the incubators; "Izzie and Zach Scott… you are just beyond gorgeous!" she said with a little squeal, so excited to have two new godchildren to spoil.
"Sophie is dying to see them, I wish we didn't have to hold her at the window." Brooke said. Every evening when they went home to see Sophie, she asked about Izzie and Zach and when she could play with them. They decided to keep her out of the NICU—just for health reasons—but they were just as keen for Sophie to meet them as she was.
"She'll get to see them properly soon enough. I'd like for them to gain a few more lbs before you can take them home, but it will be well before Christmas." Nathan told them.
"Sounds like the perfect Christmas gift." Lucas said happily, just as Kate walked in.
"Hey. How are these cuties doing?" Kate asked as she peered in the boxes.
"Really well, they've almost hit the 5lb mark." Brooke informed her proudly.
"That's amazing. They're little warriors. Are we all set for thanksgiving?" Kate asked. Brooke and Lucas were planning on spending thanksgiving in New York with Victoria and her brothers, but seeing as the twins came earlier than expecting, Kate offered to host everyone at hers instead, and they couldn't be more grateful.
"Yes, and thank you again for hosting, mom and I are so grateful—" Brooke began, but Kate quickly stopped her.
"Anything for family." She said as she rubbed her shoulder. "And I don't want you to be away from these two anymore than you do. I'm glad they're doing well. I'll see you later!"
Another 4 weeks came and went and it was the week before Christmas. In the NICU, Lucas stood holding Izzie while Brooke rocked a slightly fussy Zach. In the past four weeks, the twins had put on another 2 and a half lbs. They were breathing on their own, they showed no signs of mental or physical deficits—you couldn't even tell they were preemies.
"So, everything looks great. These guys are ready to go home." Rachel told Brooke and Lucas as they smiled widely.
"Seriously?" Brooke asked, not quite believing it.
"Yeah. I know these past 8 weeks have been incredibly tough on all of you, but you have two incredibly strong and healthy babies considering they were born at 29 weeks." Rachel said.
Lucas looked down at his sleeping daughter in his arms; "They are two rays of sunshine in a particularly dark time." He said quietly, thinking about Karen and all that she was going through.
"I can't wait for your mom to see them." Brooke said, knowing it was driving Karen crazy that she couldn't hold them or really see them right now.
Rachel frowned; "Karen still hasn't seen them?"
"She can't bend her head right now because she's still in the neck brace, so she hasn't seen them in person. She's seen videos and photos but—it's been hard." Lucas explained as Rachel nodded.
"And Sophie is going to freak when she gets home from day care and sees these little monkeys." Brooke said with a giggle as she ran her finger down Zach's little nose.
Lucas chuckled; "She'll no doubt pretend that she's the parent." He assumed, considering how she loved to take care of her baby dolls.
"She'd probably be a good one too. Now get out of here, enjoy your fat and healthy babies." Rachel told them as they carefully placed their babies in their car seats, ready to take them home.
As soon as they got home, Sophie came rushing over, buzzing to see the new babies. Lucas sat Sophie on his lap and placed a giant pillow over hers, while Brooke carefully sat the babies on top of it for Sophie to 'hold'. To say she was infatuated by them would be an understatement.
After finally getting an excited Sophie to go to sleep, they lay Zach and Izzie in the middle of their bed and lay on either side of them, just staring and taking them in. The past 8 weeks had felt like a bit of a dream, they could barely recall all that had happened. All they knew now was that their babies were here. Happy and healthy and thriving.
"We made them…" Brooke mumbled as Izzie wrapped her little hand around Brooke's index finger.
"Yeah we did…"
"They are so beautiful and healthy…"
"Yeah, they are…"
Brooke gulped; "It almost seems too good to be true."
"Hey" Lucas said as Brooke looked up at him, the worry evident in her eyes; "I know what you mean… but we deserve this Brooke. After your dad and Sophie's birth and my mom—we deserve this slice of goodness. Let's enjoy it."
Brooke nodded; "Yeah. Let's enjoy it."
A week later, Keith, Karen, Lily, Lucas, Brooke and Sophie all sat around Keith and Karen's dining room table enjoying their Christmas dinner. While Lucas coaxed Sophie into eating her last few vegetables, Brooke looked over her shoulder to make sure that the twins were ok while they lay in their bassinets by the table.
"They're like little dolls." Keith said with a smile as Brooke turned back round.
"I know… the past few days with them have been bliss. That new born baby smell—to die for." Brooke said happily, loving just sitting and smelling their little heads.
"Yeah, even their diapers don't smell that bad" Lucas said with a laugh.
"Even though I can't really see them I know they are perfect." Karen said, turning her head as best she could in her neck brace to look at them.
"Momma?" Sophie asked as Brooke looked down the table at her.
"Yeah, baby?"
"When can Izzie and Zachie play with me?" Sophie asked, growing more and more impatient at how unfun her brother and sister were.
"They're still pretty tiny honey, they don't like to do much other than sleep" Brooke explained to her with a little smile.
"Well that's boring…" Sophie said in a huff, before turning to Lucas. In mind, Lucas was Superman, and he could do anything. "Daddy? Can you make time go faster?" she asked as they all chuckled.
Lucas lifted Sophie onto his lap and hugged her tightly; "Even if I could I wouldn't because I don't want you growing up too fast."
"Grammy?" Sophie said, making her way around the table. "Will you play a game with me?"
Karen smiled sadly; "Oh honey I would love than more than anything but I'm not feeling too hot right now, but I promise, as soon as I can move my head properly, the first thing I will do is play with you." She said as she booped her lightly on the nose, causing Sophie to giggle and snuggle into Lucas's chest.
"You can play with Maya later today Soph, remember? We're having a Christmas day sleep over and then Nana and Martin and Harry and Matty are coming to see." Brooke reminded her. Ever since Ted had died, the Davis clan had made a pact to always spend Boxing Day together, and they had managed to stick to their word over the last 5 years. It was remarkable that Victoria and Kate ever got to a place where they could consider each other a friend.
Sophie's face lit up; "I remember, I remember!" she said happily as she jumped off Lucas's lap and ran into the living room to play with her new toys Grammy and Grampy had bought her.
"Are you ok Karen?" Brooke asked, seeing that she looked a little downtrodden about not being able to play with Sophie.
"Yes, I'm sorry. I hate to be a party pooper but I am exhausted. Would it be ok if I went to bed?" Karen asked.
"Of course, mom. Get your rest." Lily told her as they all stood from the table.
"I'm sorry… I couldn't even chase Sophie around that tree this morning or look into the beautiful eyes of my two new grandbabies who I am beyond thankful are here, healthy and safe." Karen told them.
"You'll get to do all of those things really soon." Brooke assured her as Lucas helped her walk down the hallway.
"And I'm sorry I was no help with the meal—"
Lucas chuckled; "Mom, it's really ok."
She smiled and she rested her hands on Lucas and Lily's cheeks. "Merry Christmas babies, Merry Christmas Brooke"
"Merry Christmas Karen."
"Can I help you upstairs?" Keith asked.
"No, no. I can make it to my bed on my own." She insisted as they watched her slowly make her way up the stairs.
"She doesn't let me help her do anything." Keith said solemnly as Brooke rested her hand comfortingly on her arm.
"She'll get there."
"I hope so. Now, let me get another look at these babies." Keith said as they walked back over to the bassinet and watched as they slept peacefully beside one another. They found that they slept better when they were together, rather than apart, seeing as that was what they were used to when they were cooking.
"My goodness…" Keith said softly. "Zach looks just like Ted." He said, not quite believing the resemblance between Zach and his grandfather.
"Yeah. He does, doesn't he?" Brooke said as her eyes glistened with tears, wishing more than anything that her father could be there to see this.
"A handsome young man indeed… and look at Izzie's little lips and those eyelashes… just perfect. I am one proud Grampy." He said with a smile.
"They're going to adore you."
"And I them."
Another week had passed and Rachel, Clay, Haley and Nathan had managed to coax Brooke and Lucas out of their house for New Year's Eve, even if it was just for a few hours. They had left the babies in the very capable hands of Harry, since he had stayed on in Raleigh for a few days, and they were excited to have little bit of fun amongst all the mayhem.
However, Lucas's mind was elsewhere, and he wasn't in much of a mood to party. It didn't seem right with two babies at home and a sick mother.
"Ok," Brooke said as she approached him and set two glasses of champagne in front of him. "I pumped enough milk to last us through till tomorrow, so we're dealing with a pump and dump situ right now and we are taking full advantage." She said with a little laugh, before noticing that he wasn't listening. "Hey. Where's your head at?" she asked, bringing him back down to Earth.
"Sorry, I was just distracted." He said quietly as Brooke nodded.
"Come on. Let's go home." She said, seeing that he really did not want to be here.
"This is our best friends' party and the ball hasn't even dropped yet, we can't leave." Lucas reminded her. Haley and Nathan had thrown this party really for them so they could have some fun.
"Haley and Nathan will understand, we have two newborns at home and the ball can drop in our bed…" she said as both their eyes widened at her apparent inuendo. "I did not mean for that to sound so graphic, but I'm not going to take it back." She said as Lucas laughed and kissed her.
Before they knew it, another six weeks had gone by and it was Valentine's Day. Izzie and Zach were now 14 weeks and were growing brighter and more energetic every day. They had discovered their limbs and were constantly moving around and feeling everything around them. They were recognising their loved ones and smiling when they heard Lucas, Brooke or Sophie's voices. While they were still a little on the small side, they were healthy and happy. Zach looked more and more like Ted every day with the intensity of Lucas's eyes, while Izzie had the intensity of Lucas's eyes and Brooke's lips that would no doubt turn into her bright smile.
On the other hand, Karen had been struggling with her rehab. It was taking her longer than she had hoped, and she hated being below average at anything. It just wasn't her and she was frustrated and angry and it was upsetting the people around her.
Lucas would watch as she walked on the treadmill or did her stretches and could see the pain all over her face. He felt helpless, but what could he do?
He was sitting in his back garden watching Sophie play on the grass that Valentine's morning, when Brooke came outside. She set the baby monitor on the patio table and went to sit beside him on the steps.
"Hey. I have a pitch for tonight. You, me, movies, pizza, popcorn, candies, sex, repeat" she said with a smirk as she wrapped her arms around his arm.
Lucas eyed her curiously; "You know it's Valentine's Day, right? You hate Valentine's Day."
"That was before I found my forever love" she said with a smile that he returned.
"Oh, is that so?" he said as he gave her a short but sweet kiss.
They turned back round to watch Sophie play and Brooke noticed as Lucas's face fell and his whole body felt stiff. She knew he had been struggling with everything going on with Karen, and she wasn't really sure how she could make it better.
"Lucas, I know you're hurting." She said quietly as she rested her chin on his shoulder.
"Yeah, it's uh—it's the weirdest feeling in the world." He said as he looked down and sniffed, not wanting Sophie to see him upset. "I'm filled with pain but also immense joy. My mom is struggling so much, but—I have three healthy and beautiful children and my love for them is so consuming—" he confessed, struggling to put into words exactly what he had felt for the last 14 weeks.
"But the fear for your mom is eating it up." Brooke concluded, wanting him to know that she understood.
"Yeah. I just—I'm feeling so many things and I don't know what to do about it. I'm trying to do normal stuff and focus on the kids but I just—I don't know what to do." He repeated. He couldn't remember the last time in his life that he felt so lost.
"… the day my dad died, I wanted to just take the IV in his arm and plunge it into my arm." Brooke confessed as Lucas finally turned to look at her, the intense panic evident on his face at the thought of Brooke not wanting to be in this world. "I wanted out of this life for the briefest of moments because I didn't feel like I had much of a life left without him. It was a fleeting thought, but it came. That's how bad the pain was."
Lucas gulped; "What did you do?"
"My muscles shook in ways I did not know they could move and then my eye started twitching—"
"Yeah, my eye has been twitching on and off all day. I have this shortness of breath thing happening, like I can't hold a deep breath—"
"All day, every day." Brooke said with a nod, having gone through the exact same thing in her grief. "After I finally steadied myself. I drove to the hospital and I walked around it like a ghost—until I ran into you."
Lucas nodded, remembering the day so well. "I remember."
"I broke and you picked up the pieces and put me back together." She said, recalling how she had cried in the hallway and Lucas quite literally held her before she hit the ground and allowed her to sleep in his lap for the rest of the day.
Brooke lifted Lucas's head so she could look in his eyes; "I promise I will be that same person for you. No matter what. We have a pretty over whelming life at the minute. I know you want to be there for the kids all the time, but if you need a minute to step away, please do it. My mom will be on the first flight out here, you know she will."
"I know, I know. But—just sitting here, watching Sophie play or holding Zach or Izzie and just listening to them breathing… it's more comforting than I can put into words. I know it may seem like a lot to bring these babies into the world when my mom is like this but—they have been my saving grace. You have been my saving grace." He assured her. Despite his pain and suddenly having to look after two babies, they provided more comfort than he could explain. In a way, they were looking after him by reminding him of the joy that was in the world and he couldn't be more grateful.
Brooke smiled; "I will always be your saving grace… and you'll always be mine." She assured him, knowing that she was in the presence of her forever love.