Part 20

Shannon opened the room door slowly and walked over to the still figure on the bed. It was the forth time she had been in this room in the last twenty minutes, and each time the hope in the brown eyes that looked up at her faded a little more.

Because each time she came into the room she had been alone.

"Hey." She started softly, but this time there was no response and the eyes remained firmly closed.

She knew the young girl was awake and would be most of the night, but she was reluctant to continue and upset the girl more. So, as quietly as she had entered the room, she left.

Where the hell is she?

Deciding to take a walk over to the staff entrance, Shannon went to see if the young blonde had arrived yet.

She hoped there was nothing seriously wrong and that it was all down to a matter of running late rather than something more sinister. It was late and had started to get dark outside, so asking a young girl to travel to the hospital on her own was beginning to look like a really bad suggestion to the nurse.

She tried not to think about the reason the brunette was in the hospital in the first place or why staff in normal clothes had to show their I.D. to a policeman before they were allowed into the unit.

Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

Sighing the nurse reached the door and opened it.

There was no sign of the blonde.

Nodding to the uniformed officer sitting just beyond the door who, from what she could tell, was drinking coffee. Shannon started to close the door again when she noticed a hooded figure head towards them, the officer, who had followed her gaze, straightened up in his seat at the approach.

The figure pulled the hood back as they got closer.

Shannon breathed a sigh of relief. About time.

"You're late." She said by way of greeting as she waved away the officer and guided the girl through the door.

Peyton could only shrug, it wasn't like she had planned on arriving late.

"Come on, I think someone's missing you." The nurse continued as they made their way towards Brooke's room.

"She okay?" Peyton asked.

The older woman wasn't sure how to answer that, because although Brooke was doing well physically, she was having trouble with what had happened to her.

She wasn't okay, and that was why Shannon had asked Peyton to come tonight.

As much as she was trained to help save peoples lives there were some thing's that she just couldn't do. And counselling rape victims was one thing she had absolutely no experience with.

Patch up a cut, bandage a sprain, administer a sedative, these where the things she could do. Telling a young girl that everything would be okay, that the nightmares would stop, wasn't close to anything she was trained for.

And as much as she wanted to hold the young woman and tell her things would get better, she knew that coming from her those word wouldn't have the same meaning than if they came from the blonde walking beside her.

Shannon had tried to get Brooke to speak to a counsellor but she had outright refused to talk to anyone about what had happened to her, other than to give her statement to the police.

The nurse had pulled the blonde out of Brooke's room earlier to ask Peyton if any of Brooke's family would be visiting soon, but the girl had just laughed and replied that the only family that counted to Brooke had been visiting her from the start. Shannon hadn't known how to respond to that because she couldn't understand how that could be true. She had then asked when Brooke's parents would arrive to see their daughter, sure that they had been in touch by now, but from the look in Peyton's eyes she guessed not. So instead of finding out if Brooke had a family member that could stay the night with her, Shannon had asked Peyton to.

Although it wasn't strictly allowed, because the blonde wasn't family, she could tell how much both girls meant to each other so she was willing to bend the rules a little. Because in the end she realised that Peyton would more than likely be the one that Brooke would turn to for help. Not her mother or father, not if they spent as little time with their daughter as Peyton's eyes had suggested.

"She will be." Shannon finally replied to the blonde.

Peyton frowned at the nurse's tone but said nothing as they arrived at Brooke's room door.

"I'll let you surprise her, and keep the partying down to a dull roar, okay? Night." The nurse said giving Peyton a pat on the arm and a smile before walking away.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Not tonight honey, I've got a headache." Haley mumbled as she removed Nathan's hand from its current location and moved it a little lower, giving it a squeeze before letting go.

"Aww, anything I can do to help?" Nathan asked into an ear as he let his hand stroke at her swelling. He found it incredible that his child was in there, that in a few short weeks it would be on the outside and he'd finally be able to hold him.

Haley smiled unseen in the darkness. As tired as she was she couldn't help but enjoy her husband's attentions. She just didn't have the energy to act on them. Her pregnancy was finally beginning to take its toll on her body, it was very easy for her to get exhausted from her days activities, even if she hadn't actually done much today.

She felt their son kick again, it had been such a strange tugging sensation when she had first felt it, but she had gotten used to it now and took great pleasure in feeling her son grow and move around within her.

He kicked again.

Of course she did prefer it if his shot practise came at a time when she wasn't desperate for some sleep.

"Ugh, if you really loved me, you'd get Junior to give it a rest so mummy could get some sleep." She said as she moved to lie on her back.

Nathan smiled as he watched her move into position. As much as he told her she wasn't fat, which she really wasn't, it was clear to see she was in the later stages of her pregnancy. Basically she looked like she was ready to drop, he knew she wasn't as comfortable as she had been only weeks before. She had trouble bending, standing for long periods and she was finding it difficult to get to sleep now.

Her body radiated heat around her stomach and it made her uncomfortable. Their son also seemed to become more restless at night, perhaps due to Haley's constant shifting. But they'd found a quick way of settling their son down and it normally helped Haley drop off too.

Reaching down he lifted the hem of his shirt that Haley wore to bed until her stomach was completely exposed. Even in the dim light he could see her stomach stretch with their child's movements. If the light had been on he knew that it would have been possible to make out the impression of a hand or a foot.

Their son was running out of room.

Nathan kissed the bare skin now in front of him, as he felt his heart swell at the knowledge that this was his family.

His wife, and their child.

He rested his lips on the warm skin as he felt his son move around and a hand begin to work its way through his hair.

"Well, what's taking daddy so long?" Haley asked with her eyes still closed as she began to massage Nathan's scalp. It was peaceful enough just to lay there but she knew Nathan enjoyed trying to coax their son into resting so she relaxed back and let herself enjoy it as he began.

She grinned as she listened, it wasn't as if she could make out a word that he was saying because she couldn't, but she could hear the love in his voice as he spoke and was sure their child could too.

He had first tried singing to her stomach a few weeks ago but they had quickly realised he didn't have the voice for it, so she had suggested he read a story to try and sooth their son at night.

Nathan had jumped at the chance to bond with his son in some way but after reading from a few fairy tales he had begun to just make up stories to tell. He had said that telling stories from a book could wait until after he was born, so now he just lay down and spoke directly into her stomach as Haley rubbed his head down.

Of course, by the tone he used she knew he was probably just as likely to be talking about basketball as knights and princesses.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Peyton walked over to the bed and knelt down a little so that she was eye level and reached a hand out to wipe at the moisture she could see on her friends face.

Eyes blinked open at the touch and she found herself staring into pained brown eyes that looked at her in fear.

"You came." Brooke said quietly as she watched Peyton.

Peyton could hear the note of surprise in Brooke's voice and silently cursed Nathan for holding her up earlier. She never wanted Brooke to doubt her, but instead of answering she just stood and began to undress.

Brooke was confused for a moment until it register to her that Peyton was taking her clothes off.

She smirked and wolf whistled softly as a pair of jeans were dropped to the floor. Suddenly her previous anxiety began to disappear as she realised that Peyton was there now, and would be staying.

She wouldn't be alone tonight.

"You know, I would offer to help but I like the view from here just fine." Brooke said as she eyed her friend from head to toe earning a blush from the blonde.

Peyton tried to ignore her friends teasing as she removed her bra while still keeping her t-shirt on. She had stripped down to her socks, boy shorts and t-shirt to sleep in but she'd gotten the response from Brooke she'd been looking for.

And maybe a little bit more.

"Well? Move woman!" Peyton says reaching for the bed cover as Brooke moves back to let her in.

Brooke pouted as Peyton settled beside her.

"What, no naked blonde in my bed? I'm disappointed Pey." She says unable to hold back a grin as she moved to rest her head on her friends shoulder.

Peyton laughed and pulled the brunette closer, kissing her head.

"Nah, we can save that for later." Peyton said with a smile. "Gotta keep some of the mystery."

Brooke snorted but didn't bother informing the blonde that she'd seen her naked a few times before.

"That's good to hear, I'm not sure I could explain that in the morning." Shannon said entering the room and coming to stand beside them.

Both girls blushed.

But neither made a move to change their positions with Brooke having more or less gotten on top of the blonde, it was the way they usually slept when they were together.

In fact Peyton's only response, other than the blush that worked its way up from her neck, was to tighten her hold on Brooke as the brunette turned her head into her shoulder and to cast a questioning look at the nurse.

"So." Shannon said having decided not to make a comment on how they looked, or about the clothes on the floor. "You can stay till the shift change at about seven, I'll come wake you, alright?" She continued getting a nod from the blonde before she started to leave again.

"Have a good night, and I'll remember to knock in the morning, wouldn't want to interrupt anything now would I?" She said with a wink before closing the door behind her, thinking that the two girls inside made a cute couple.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

AN/ What can I say, it came down to a choice of posting this without checking it or sleeping.

You guys lost.

But I'll make it up to you, promise! ;)

As usual review if you wanna show some love, ya don't have to but it's a good way of letting me know what you guys think of how things are going.

Not that I'll change anything, but you never know.

It could happen :P

Thanks to everyone that's reading this!!

Oh and YEAH!! My team won 1-0 Woo Hooo!