Part 57
Brooke held the front of the hospital gown tight against her chest as a pair of cold hands touched the area of scarring on her back.
"All done." The doctor said finally, taking his hands off Brooke one final time and snapping his gloves off, disposing of them in the yellow bin next to the examination table Brooke was up on. He nodded to the nurse then came around to the front of his patient. "I'll leave you to get dressed and meet you in my office. Just walk straight in when you get there."
Brooke nodded at him then watched as he walked out the door. The nurse who'd actually been the one removing all her stitches gave her a reassuring smile as she gathered her instrument tray and left through a different door.
"So," Peyton said grateful for the opportunity to get closer to her girlfriend. It had been hard to watch Brooke from her seat while the doctor and nurse worked on her when all she'd really wanted was to be over here holding Brooke's hand. "Glad that's over?" She asked helping Brooke struggle with replacing her clothes.
"Yeah." Brooke replied listlessly. She wasn't feeling at her best after bumping into Nathan and Haley. It bothered her that Lucas was still so obviously angry with them. And he didn't even know yet that she'd stolen Peyton from him.
Just like Haley, Lucas had a way of making her feel bad about herself. The only problem now was that he had good reason to be upset with her he just didn't know it yet.
xxxxxxx
Peyton grasped Brooke's hand tightly as they sat in front of the doctor. One thing Peyton liked about the young doctor was that if he was surprised by her presence throughout Brooke's appointment, he'd never shown it.
She'd expected him to mention Brooke's parents, or a responsible adult but he'd just gotten on explaining to Brooke what was to happen. She actually liked him.
Peyton had also briefly worried that Shannon would some how be here, but she hadn't.
"Well as I said in the other room, everything looks to be going just fine." Doctor Michael Stone said after closing Brooke's file on his desk. "Are there any questions or concerns you'd like to bring up." He looked from Brooke to Peyton at that.
Brooke shook her head.
"Okay." He drew out sending one last look at the blonde accompanying his patient. A note in Brooke's file had indicated she was her primary care giver. He'd called one of his colleagues yesterday to confirm that, he hadn't worked in Tree Hill for long but he'd treated more than his fair share of residents and from what he'd seen the Davis' were the exception not the rule when it came to good parenting.
Peyton shrugged back at the doctor. If Brooke wasn't saying anything Peyton wasn't going to.
Michael sighed and leaned forward, his arms on his desk. "If you do have anything crop up, unexpected pain...anything, then just call and I'll see you first thing." He said giving his young patient a smile. "Other than your physio once a week, I'll see you back in two weeks." He informed them taking out his diary and marking out an appointment time. He asked Brooke if the time suited her and she nodded so he buzzed his secretary to write out Brooke's card.
Brooke thought that was it and started to stand.
"One more thing." Doctor Stone said causing Brooke and Peyton to sit back down. "I know it's still a while off but I know you're in the middle of finals, well do you have plans for after summer?" He asked. He watched his young charge shift in her seat, the blonde girl watching her every move. "It's just I can put you in touch with people I know if I can, depending on where you end up."
Peyton did her best not to react as she figured out he was talking about going to college. She swallowed nervously and studied her girlfriend. They hadn't really got around to that conversation yet. She had no idea what Brooke's plans were, or if she even had any.
"I haven't...that's still kind of up in the air at the moment." Brooke muttered.
Michael gave her a look only doctors could and stood up, indicating that now they were finished. "Okay, but if that changes let me know, I'm happy to help recommend someone if I can." He walked over to the door and opened it for the pair. "Miss Davis, Miss Sawyer." He nodded goodbye to them then watched until they'd collected Brooke's appointment card for her next visit then leave, before approaching Janice his secretary, or his assistant as she preferred to be called, and leaning against her desk.
The middle aged woman behind the computer screen on her desk eyed her boss before saying, "Poor kid." The two girls he'd just seen were young enough to be her grandchildren, and no matter how many times she wanted to strangle them, she wouldn't want anyone to go through what that girl had on her own. "And just where are those parents of hers?" She asked raising both of her eyebrows up meaningfully as the handsome young man she worked for sighed.
"She'll do fine, Janice."
Snorting in disbelief Janice turned her attention back to the file she was writing up for her boss. "We'll see, we'll see."
Knowing he'd been dismissed by the older woman Michael headed back to his own work, sitting down behind his desk to get ready to see his next follow up patient. But as he lifted Brooke's file to return it to the horrors that was Janice's filing system, he couldn't help opening it one more time.
Ideal candidate for reconstructive surgery. Scribbled beside that note was a comment stating Brooke had refused to be referred to a specialist in Charlotte. Although it also mentioned that the subject should be brought up once the majority of healing had occurred in six to twelve months when Brooke might think differently.
Uncooperative during session with Dr Whitehall. Sara Whitehall was one of the hospitals psychiatrists, about as old as his secretary but extremely good at her job. Sara had commented that Brooke had answered most of her questions but refused others specific to her attack. At the end of her report which measured six pages, Sara had been more than happy that Brooke wasn't a risk to herself or anyone else.
Given what he'd seen today Michael agreed with her assessment. Brooke appeared a little down but that wasn't unexpected.
Down near the bottom of the next page was the comment he was looking for.
No contact from parents. Unless directed by Ms Davis, first point of contact should be Ms P. Sawyer.
It listed her number too. But it was the fact it was written by a nurse and not a doctor that really got his attention. It was co-signed by the ward manager from SITU. Now he had checked through her file and it already had Peyton Sawyer down as a contact and that she held a POA for Brooke Davis, so the fact that one of the nurses had felt the need to add that comment to her notes was very interesting.
But also incredibly sad at the same time.
Michael closed the file over and put it away. As he sat down again his eyes caught the picture on his desk of the day he married, one of the best moments of his life. A grin unconsciously covered his face as he looked at that picture and remembered twirling her in his arms at the end of their first dance. Less than two years ago now and it was still the best day of his life. He played with the solid gold band adorning his left hand. They were only now talking about children with them both settled into new jobs. It was finally the right time.
Michael picked up his cell phone and sent his wife a quick text message, before Janice buzzed him.
No matter how important and time consuming his job could be, he'd never let a day go by without letting the people he loved know he was thinking about them.
xxxxxx
Peyton kept her head down as she wrote out sentence after sentence as she explained in detail her thoughts on the passage of text she was analysing for English Lit. Brooke was sitting across from her going much slower but that was good. That was what Peyton was hoping for. She needed time and she'd only get that by finishing first.
The blonde eyed her watch, she didn't have long but she was almost through with the last section. Once she had inked down onto the paper the rest of her thoughts she folded the booklet over and looked up on to be met by Principal Turner eyeing her from the corner of the room.
"Done." She said holding her paper out to him.
Turner slowly walked over and took it. It surprised him to see Peyton so eager to be kicked out of his room and away from Brooke given the blonde's reaction last time. But it wasn't his place to comment. "You've checked it? You still have nearly half and hour remaining." He pointed out.
Peyton shrugged and stood up. "It's done."
"Okay then," He went over and opened his office door. "You can wait for Brooke out here."
Brooke frowned as she watched her best friend practically run out of the room.
"How about you?" Turner asked stepping closer to the desk Brooke was using, his desk. "All done?"
Brooke's eyes widened, she was barely half way through her paper. Eyes back down on her work, Brooke continued from where she'd left it before Peyton's voice had stopped her mid-sentence.
"Well at least one of is trying." Turner muttered going back over to his perch to wait out the rest of the allocated exam time.
Brooke winced. She was trying but school just wasn't really her thing, it never had been.
Like maths.
She sighed thinking about how she'd managed to pass that class and the cost a good friend was baring the brunt of because of her.
Her breathing deepened and her heart picked up speed as she set her pen down. "Principal Turner?"
Turner frowned and walked around to stand in front of his student. "Yes?" Going by the look and her face she wasn't about to ask for a bathroom break.
"We need to talk."
xxxxxxx
Peyton stalked through the school on a mission. She ignored the younger students still getting on with classes, and the security goons walking around the halls along with the teachers that wished her well.
She was only looking for one person and she knew exactly where to find him.
The gym hall.
Arriving she paused at the entrance.
Figures he's the only one here. Lucas Scott was throwing free throws in at the far end of the hall as if he didn't have a care in the world. There was a time when Peyton would have thought he was just completely confident in his studies, but now all she saw was his arrogance. She knew without a doubt, even given last night, Haley would be in the library somewhere with her head stuck in a book or her revision notes, trying to cram that last little detail into her mind, just in case.
But not Lucas.
English was Lucas' best subject, even being in the AP class he probably didn't think he'd have a problem passing with top marks.
I hope he fails!
As the ball hit the rim of the hoop and bounced away to the side causing Lucas to run it down, he spotted Peyton in the doorway as he was about to head back for another try.
"Peyton?" He called out, his head tilting to the side as he studied her.
Her arms were folded across her chest and she looked angry. That didn't stop him approaching of course, he was used to her looking like this, it had been the norm during the Nathan months.
There was something about the pain she hid that called to him, made him want to fix.
"Everything okay?" He asked stopping out of reach. The memory of her hitting him was still fresh in his mind. It always paid to be cautious around Peyton Sawyer, she often did the unexpected.
He waited, his eyes narrowing at her but she didn't say anything.
"Peyton?" He tried again.
She hated the way he looked at her, like he was trying to figure her out. She had no idea why it seemed so hard for him, anyone with half a brain could see she was angry. What needed working out?
"You're are supposed to be Haley best mate, Christ Lucas, your her brother-in-law!" She barked at him. She waited for the light to switch on and his expression to clear, but it never did. "Last night. According to the grapevine you called us?"
"Oh." He muttered looking away from her.
"Yeah, oh!"
He looked at her in guilt. He'd been regretting that decision all night, he should have just told Nathan he'd forgot in all the excitement. His mother had her say several times since he'd gone home from the hospital.
"I'm really sorry, I wasn't thinking straight last night." He tried to explain.
Peyton couldn't believe that he was trying to make it sound better than what it was. He had purposely left her and Brooke out of Haley giving birth. The only reason she wasn't screaming at him was because Haley hadn't really gone into labour last night.
"Don't lie to my face Lucas, you knew exactly what you were doing last night." She replied stepping closer and poking a finger into his chest. "Of all the childish, immature things to do!"
"I know." He agreed, bowing his head slightly.
Peyton laughed at him. "You know? You don't know shit Lucas. You don't even care about anyone but yourself. Last night was about Haley, not you! But no, still had to turn it around and have it be about what you wanted." She sneered at him. "Well you know what Lucas? I give up." She threw her hands out to the side dismissively. "I'm done. I don't know who you are anymore, and I don't care." She continued. "But you stay out of my life and you stay away from Brooke."
With that parting shot Peyton spun on her heel to leave only to find Haley and Nathan in her way.
Haley's mouth was hanging open having heard most of Peyton's last tirade. "One of you want to tell me what's going on?" She asked looking at the pair. She'd come to meet up with Lucas before their exam started now that Nathan had finished hers and she could leave the care and safety of the nurses' room. The only place he had been willing to leave her while he sat his exam. She could hardly believe the scene that greeted her as arrived at the gym hall.
"Ask Lucas." Peyton instructed, easing Haley to the side before leaving the three Scott's together.
Haley knew there was no point in trying to prevent Peyton from leaving. She was surprised the blonde was willing to be away from Brooke, she was almost as overprotective as her husband was.
Which meant she had to have had a damn good reason.
"Lucas?"
xxxxxxx
Lucas wanted to slam the door closed as he entered his bedroom, he just knew he'd screwed that last section of his exam up. But making too much noise would cause his mom to come in and ask what was wrong.
He let out a groan of frustration before dropping face first onto his bed.
He knew what was wrong, Peyton was screwing with his life again.
As his anger built once more he pushed himself up off the bed. If he stayed here he'd end up getting into an argument with his mom over something, he didn't want that because she was stressed enough as it was and it wouldn't be good for the baby.
He blew out a breath and twisted his neck back and forth in and effort to relax some.
When he felt he was calm enough he left his room in. His running bottoms were in with the wash his mom had put on this morning, going out for a jog with nothing to bother him sounded like his idea of heaven right now.
He turned into the kitchen, spotting Karen sat at the table. "Mom you dried my grey bottoms?" He asked walking up behind her.
Karen snivelled and used the ratty tissue she held to wipe at her nose. "What? Oh yeah." She said before wiping her hands over her face. "There on the couch, I was just about to put them away with the rest of your things."
Lucas frowned at the tone in her voice. "Have you been crying?" He asked coming around to face her.
Karen laughed off his worried look. "Oh don't mind me."
Lucas didn't look convinced, he could still see the wet stains on her cheeks. "Are you okay? Did something-" He paused when he took in what was laying on the table. It was his manuscript, the finished version he'd only just printed out a few days ago.
In the subsequent drama that had overtaken his life he'd completely forgotten about it. He picked it up and waved it at his mother. "What are you doing with this?"
Karen didn't understand why he'd be upset at her reading it, it was a beautiful piece of writing. "I found it when I was putting your-"
"You had no right going through my things!" He shouted.
Flatfooted, Karen didn't know what to say. She didn't think he had any need to hide it away. "Lucas that, what you've written, it was amazing to read that. I'm so proud of you." She said.
He ignored the accolades because to him the paper in his hand was nothing but a lie. A cruel joke that he wanted no part of. "Yeah, you think so?" He asked his mother tossing the stapled bundle of pages back onto the table. "You can keep it then mom, read it to the baby like any other fantasy."
"Fantasy?" Karen questioned, the book was Lucas' own words of what had happened to him in his life in the last few months. The shooting, Keith's death, basketball, his illness, all of that was true, there wasn't any fiction in it.
Lucas stood there rigid, his eyes brimming with hatred. "Well what would you call it, none of it's real. You read the bit where I get the shot and the trophy and the girl but what about the bit about my brother being a cheat or the girl breaking my heart...or Dan Scott abandoning his second family this time around! None of that's in there."
"Lucas." Karen's heart ached at the pain her son was in. She wondered if he even knew he was crying as he stood there.
"Just...bin it, burn it...I don't care." He instructed as he turned away from her and began walking back to his room. "I just never want to see it again."
He slammed his door closed but Karen didn't even flinch.
Karen sighed and covered her mouth with her hands. She had no idea when her son stopped talking to her about the goings on in his life. But it wasn't too late yet. Gingerly she stood up, her hands going first to the table and then to the wall to aid her balance as she headed for her son's room.
She knew he hadn't been happy lately but with everything else going on she'd just left him to sort it out on his own, thinking he'd come to her if he needed to. Now it was time Lucas talked about it, whether he wanted to or not. It wasn't health to let things built up to a point like this.
Just as she took a step along the hallway, a pain across her stomach caused her to double over in agony. Alarm turned to tranquillity as she recognised the cramping of child birth. She tried to breathe through it until it eased enough for her to straighten up.
Wasn't this bad with Lucas.
"Argh!" Just before she could call out for her son a second more painful contraction brought her to her knees. She groaned in pain and fear as her mind cried out that something was wrong.
"Lucas!" She shouted, or at least she hoped she shouted. But she didn't have time to try again as darkness and the pain of a further contraction clouded her mind.
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AN/ Lucas chapters are always a pain to write :( sorry for the wait and the news that the next part will be heavy Lucas-y too :sigh: can't be helped.
Try my best to update soon.
Thanks for reading!