Chapter Thirty

You've Dug Your Own Grave, Now Lie in It

Brooke was sleeping soundly when she was woken by a gentle touch. She looked up to see Karen. She gave her an apologetic look. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."

"It's ok. It wasn't like I was in a deep sleep," Brooke replied groggily. She had spent the whole night staying by her baby sister's side. A nurse had brought her a rocking chair so she would be more comfortable.

"How is she doing?" Karen asked as she looked at the sleeping baby in the incubator. "Has there been any change?" Brooke shook her head. Karen gave her an encouraging smile. "Hang in there. Your sister is going to be fine." Brooke was quiet as she continued to watch her sister. "What about a name? Have you come up with a name yet?"

"No, I didn't think it would be this hard," Brooke replied frustrated. "I want it to be perfect. After all, she is going to be stuck with this name the rest of her life. I heard Renée wanted to name her Regan, but it doesn't fit her."

"I'm sure you'll find the perfect name for your little sister," Karen assured her. "Right now, why don't you go home and get some sleep? I'll take over for awhile." Brooke wasn't willing to move, but Karen gave her an encouraging push. "I promise I'll call you if anything happens."

Brooke finally agreed to go home and get some real sleep. She said a quiet goodbye to the baby before she left the NICU. After taking off the hospital gown, she made her way through the busy halls down to the waiting room. To her surprise, Lucas was waiting for her. "Mom told me that she was going to relieve you and I thought I would bring you home."

Brooke gave him a grateful smile as she followed him out to the parking lot. There was silence as Lucas drove her home. He could sense what she was feeling. He reached over and squeezed her hand. "Don't worry, Brooke. Your little sister will make it."

Brooke was quiet for a moment before she spoke. "I almost don't want her to," she confessed, almost in a whisper. Lucas looked at her surprised. "If she gets strong enough to go home, what is going to happen to her? I know your parents will let us stay at your house, but we can't stay there forever. They still have Lily and I don't want them to take care of my little sister while I'm at college. It's not fair to them or her."

Lucas frowned. "Wait, you finally get my parents to agree to take in your sister and now you're saying you don't want them to do it? Why?"

"Because the baby is my responsibility," Brooke insisted. "I should be the one taking care of her."

"Yeah, but you don't have to do it alone," Lucas replied. "That's why my parents were willing to let you and the baby stay. They know you need support, not to mention help. They were willing to do the same thing for me before we found out it was a false alarm." His words were out before he realized his mistake.

"You and Lindsay thought you were pregnant?" Brooke asked, who knew exactly what he was referring to.

Lucas nodded. It was a relief to finally tell her what truly happened between him and Lindsay. He never really had the chance after they had found Brooke. "That's why we got married in the first place. We thought we were pregnant. As soon as we found out we weren't, we got it annulled. I'm so sorry I never told you before, but I felt too embarrassed. And it was hard to admit I made a stupid mistake in sleeping with Lindsey."

"At least you were willing to do the right thing and take responsibility for Lindsey and your baby," Brooke pointed out.

"My parents would have probably killed me if I didn't take responsibility for the baby when I knew it was mine." Brooke was about to respond when they noticed an unfamiliar car was parked in front of the Scott house. Lucas frowned. "I wonder who's here this early in the morning. Do you think it's a lawyer?"

"I don't know," Brooke replied as they climbed out of the vehicle. She observed the car and realized where she had seen it before. Yet, it wasn't possible. Why would he be here now? The only way she would get her questions answered was to enter the house and confront her father. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and walked into the foyer.

Lily ran to greet Brooke and Lucas. She embraced them in a big hug before she asked an important question. "How is the baby?" she asked Brooke anxiously. "Is she coming home yet?"

Brooke gave her a gentle smile. "No, but she is getting stronger," she replied. "She'll come home soon. Now is my dad here?"

Lily nodded. "He and Daddy are in the living room, but I'm not allowed to go in there because they are talking business."

Brooke knew her father had said those words. She had often heard them enough while she was growing up. She had never been allowed in the study because her father was discussing business. It made her wonder what business he had to discuss with Keith.

"Can you play with me?" Lily asked Brooke, snapping her out of her reverie.

"Give me a chance to talk to my dad first. Then I'll come and play with you," Brooke promised before she went to the living room. Lucas was right behind her. Sure enough, Richard Davis was sitting on the couch next to Keith. However, Keith didn't look as comfortable as Richard was.

They broke off their conversation as Richard noticed his daughter. He gave her a wide smile as he got up and opened his arms for a hug. Brooke stayed where she was, not ready to hug this man. Richard looked surprised. "Aren't you even going to hug your old man?"

"What are you doing here?" Brooke demanded, avoiding the question. "Because it certainly can't be to check up on me or your newest daughter. After all, you abandoned both of us. We're not worth your time. Therefore, you're not worth my time. So why don't you take your business elsewhere?"

Richard didn't move. Instead, he tried reasoning with her. "Brooke, just hear me out, okay?" Brooke waited to hear what he had to say, but she wasn't holding her hopes up too high. He was up to something and she was going to get to the bottom of it. "You and I both know you can't care of a little baby. You can barely take care of yourself." Brooke scoffed at him. "Now I understand Renée was in the process of adopting your sister out to a couple, but I'm also aware Lucas's parents have offered to take care of your sister. It's very generous of them, but it's not necessary. I believe it's best for everyone if I continue with Renée's plans and have a couple adopt the baby."

Brooke raised her eyebrows in surprise. She couldn't believe him. "I can't take care of myself? For the past thirteen years, I have done nothing but take care of myself because you and Mom refused to do it, especially you. You didn't want anything to do with me."

"At least Mom tried to make up for her neglectfulness after the separation, but all you cared about was the hopeful possibility that Renée's baby was going to be a boy. Then when you found out the truth, you decided to end the engagement and leave Renée without a second thought. And now the only reason you have returned to Tree Hill is to give my sister away? I don't think so. I'll take care of the baby. If I have to put college off for a few years, that's what I'm going to do. But I'm not going to sit here and listen to you pretending you have my sister's best interests at heart."

Richard looked at Keith for help. Lucas couldn't believe he was trying to get his dad to help him to encourage Brooke to allow him to take the baby away from her. What planet was he from? However, Keith was also a parent. He knew it was all about the best interest of the child, but he knew how important it was for Brooke to have her sister nearby. He waited anxiously to hear his response.

Keith finally spoke. "Thank you for stopping by, but I'm afraid we're going to have to decline your offer." Richard opened his mouth to respond, but Keith wasn't finished. "Brooke is still a minor. However, she is certainly more than capable to take care of herself. If you've watched her like I have, then you would have more confidence in leaving your abandoned child with her."

"I did not abandon my child," Richard protested. "I took some time away from Renée to get over the shock that she had lied to me about the baby." Neither Keith nor Brooke believed him. Neither did Lucas. Richard could see he wasn't going to convince Brooke or the Scott family to allow him to take the baby. "If you want to try and be a parent to the baby, then go ahead. But don't come crying to me when you find out it's too much responsibility for you to handle."

"Don't worry. I won't," Brooke replied before Richard stormed out of the room. There was silence as he slammed the front door.

"Wow, I never thought your dad would be worse than your mom," Lucas said as soon as Richard left the house. "I can't believe he tried to give you a lecture about not being responsible when he's the one who hasn't been a parent."

"That's Richard for you," Brooke replied. "He never wants to take responsibility for his actions especially when it comes to his children. I'm just glad he finally decided to do the right thing and let me take care of my baby sister."

"Now are you going to do the right thing and stay here with us?" Lucas pressed. "You know it would be a lot easier if you stay here and have my family help take care of the baby."

"Why do you care if I stay here or not?" Brooke asked. "After all, you're planning to move back to Charlotte."

"No, I'm not," Lucas announced. Brooke turned to him surprised. Was he really serious? "I've changed my mind. I'm staying here." He had made that decision as soon as he had heard about Brooke's baby sister. He was just waiting for the right time to tell her the news. "You need your friends now more than ever and I'm not going to abandon you in your time of need."

Brooke gave Lucas a grateful smile. "You don't have to do that. I can manage taking care of the baby by myself. I have to or I will lose her to social services. And I won't ever get to see her again."

"Brooke, we're your family. Let us help you with the baby for a couple of weeks while you get a handle on things," Keith said. "Then when you feel like you're ready to take care of her by herself, then you're free to move out and take the baby with you."

"I'm just afraid Karen or Lily will get attached to the baby and I'll never get to leave," Brooke replied.

Keith knew she had a point. "As long as you don't move far, I'm sure they won't have a problem with it. And I'm sure neither will Lucas."

Lucas didn't respond as they heard Lily calling for Brooke. "I'm coming," Brooke called. "I'm going to go and play with Lily."

"Lily has a few name ideas for the baby," Keith warned her. "They're cute, but I don't think they will work."

Brooke smiled. "I appreciate the effort, especially since I still have no idea what to name my little sister."

"That's okay considering we have to discuss the new bedroom arrangement," Keith replied. "It might be time the boys moves down to the basement. That way, the baby can take Nathan's and Lucas's room and you don't have to share your room."

"Does this mean Nathan will be staying in Tree Hill too?" Brooke asked, remembering how Nathan wasn't brought up in the conversation.

"Nathan is still planning to visit Charlotte for the summer, but I have a feeling he will be back to finish his high school years here."

Over the next few days, Brooke spent as much time as she could by her sister's side. Karen, Haley and Lucas took turns when they felt Brooke needed a break. To her relief, her baby sister was getting stronger every day and Dr. Copeland told her she would be able to go home soon. Brooke was happy about the news, but she was scared at the same time. She didn't want to mess it all up and prove her dad right by not being able to take care of her sister.

"You won't mess it up," Haley assured her as they ate their lunch. Because Brooke had been busy with the little one, Haley told her that it was okay not to have a birthday party that year. Spending time with her best friend was enough for her. "How could you mess it up?"

"Well, I didn't exactly have the best support system," Brooke reminded her. "I had to learn everything myself including what to do with my time when my parents weren't around the house."

Haley gave her a look. "You're not that girl anymore. You don't throw wild parties or sleep with random guys. So I think your sister is safe. Speaking of the little one, when are you going to choose a name for her?"

Brooke knew that question was coming. Everyone had been asking her about the name. She was glad she finally had an answer. "Actually, I think I have finally chosen the perfect name for my baby sister," she replied. Haley waited to hear it. Brooke gave her a smile. "Her name is Mackenzie Faith Davis."

Haley gave a smile in return. "That's a beautiful name and it fits her perfectly. You're going to do great with her, Brooke. Besides, you have the best experts to help you."

Brooke knew she was referring to the Scott family. "You didn't know about Lucas's decision to stay, did you?"

Haley shook her head. "No, but I'm not surprised. He didn't seem like he really wanted to go as much as Nathan did. I'm glad he's staying, but I still don't understand why they felt like they had to go back to Charlotte in the first place." Brooke wished she knew the answer. However, Haley changed the subject. "So when is Mackenzie coming home from the hospital?"