Chapter Forty Two

Haley was playing with little Kendall when she heard the doorbell ringing. She put her down in the playpen before she answered the door. She was surprised to find Rachel standing there. In her arms was a small box. Haley didn't even have a chance to greet her as Rachel began speaking. "I know I don't deserve to be here, but I brought you a peace offering. I would have also picked out a baby gift, but I didn't know you were pregnant until now. I never thought Nathan would knock you up so soon."

Haley gave her a look. Rachel became quiet as she handed the gift to her. She knew what the polite response would be. She gave her a friendly smile. "Thank you for the gift. I would invite you in, but I am baby-sitting right now."

"Lucas's and Brooke's baby, right?" Rachel guessed. "I heard they had a kid. It must be good practice for you and Nathan when your kid comes out. Is Nathan still hoping for a boy? I'm sure he will be really upset if it's a girl."

Haley kept her cool. "As much as Nathan wants a boy, our focus is making sure our baby is healthy," she replied as she heard Kendall crying in the other room. She felt relief since she didn't want to deal with Rachel right now. "Excuse me. I really have to go now. Thanks again for the gift." She grabbed the box and shut the door before Rachel could respond.

She went over to the playpen and picked up a wailing Kendall. "What's the matter, baby?" she asked as she checked her diaper. It was dry. By now, she could tell the difference between her niece's cries. "Are you hungry? I think it's your feeding time," she guessed as she carried her to the fridge and brought out a bottle. To her relief, Kendall took her bottle and started drinking from it.

Haley heard the front door open and she heard approaching footsteps. She smiled as Nathan walked into the kitchen. He returned the smile as he looked at her fondly. "You are really rocking this aunt thing. Of course, I guess you had a lot of practice with your own nieces and nephews. I'm new at this."

"You are a great uncle," Haley told him as she looked at their little niece for a moment. She didn't want Nathan to have any doubts about becoming a dad. "And you are going to be the best dad ever. I just don't want you to be disappointed if we end up having a girl."

Nathan gave her a look. "Of course not." Haley looked at him hard. He couldn't fool her. "I do want our son, but I'm perfectly happy with a daughter. Although, we are going to have to come up with a name for the baby if it does turn out to be a girl. I guess we'll find that out tomorrow morning, won't we? What time is it again? Ten o'clock?"

Haley nodded. Her next doctor's appointment was tomorrow and it was the appointment where they could find out whether they would be having a boy or a girl. She couldn't wait to find out. She just hoped Nathan would be okay with the baby being a girl. "Did you see Rachel? She stopped by just before you came home."

Nathan frowned. "I saw her car, but I thought it was my imagination. What did she want? Tell you it's a mistake that you married me? And we shouldn't be having this baby?" he asked. He didn't let her answer. "Because she's wrong. The reason I married you was because I love you and I want this baby. And I know you do too."

Haley thought it was sweet he was defending her, but it wasn't necessary. "Actually, she wanted to give us a peace offering," she said as she showed him the small package. She carefully put the package on the table without dropping the baby. "She tried to be nice before she ran off her mouth." She changed the subject. "Can you get the mail for me? My hands are full."

Nathan nodded this time before he disappeared into the foyer. Haley attended to the baby as he returned into the house with the mail. He frowned as he gave her one of the envelopes that had her name on it. "I think this is from court. Victoria is finally going to stand trial and we're going to have to testify against her."

"Are you serious?" Haley asked flabbergasted. They had to deal with Victoria again? No way! It couldn't be true! Nathan nodded, showing he had received the same envelope. She let out a frustrated groan. "If testifying against that bitch isn't going to stress me out, I don't know what is. Do you think we can get out of it?"

Nathan made a face. "I don't think so. When you're summoned to court, you are expected to show up," he replied. "Besides, you are probably one of the key witnesses for the prosecution. You saw Victoria's true colors before anybody else did." Haley hated to admit he was right. "Except for my dad. Speaking of my dad, I should probably make some phone calls." There was silence and Nathan noticed his wife was looking thoughtful. He gave her a reassuring smile. "Hey, Victoria isn't going to get near you or Brooke again."

"I'm not worried about Brooke or me," Haley told him.

Nathan was confused before he realized she was talking about their beloved niece. Yet, it was a ridiculous thought. "Considering Victoria resented Brooke for being a girl, I don't think she would kidnap her granddaughter and try to repeat history. I don't think she's that desperate."

Haley gave him a look. "Are you forgetting about the sting where we caught her ready to take Brooke and the baby away? I know you want to be positive, but this is Victoria we're talking about. The one who had me arrested for kidnapping her daughter who she was abusing? And who fired me because I found out her dirty little secret? The one who almost murdered your brother? And Deb and Whitey?" she exclaimed before she lowered her voice. She was upsetting the baby too much. "I can't believe you're still trying to give her the benefit of the doubt. Do you really think her spending time in jail would make her change?"

"Of course not," Nathan replied as he took a turn with his niece. Haley knew he wanted to wait until she was done feeding and burping her before he held her. He never liked to do the dirty work. He always wanted to leave to Haley or Brooke. Although, he has changed Kendall's diaper once or twice. "I'm just saying I don't think she would try to kidnap Kendall again. If she does, I will kick her ass. That goes for our child too, no matter whether it's our son or daughter. Or maybe we'll get lucky and we'll end up with twins. That way, we end up with one of each."

Haley knew he was joking, but she still wanted to make one thing clear. "No, we're not having twins," she protested. "The doctor never saw anything on the ultrasound that indicated there was more than one baby in there. Besides, we're not prepared for twins. We don't even have the nursery ready for one baby."

"We will have it done in time before the baby's here," Nathan promised. "We have plenty of time. Since Christmas is a few months away, we can ask for baby furniture instead of waiting for your baby shower. Now let me play with my niece for a little bit before I make some phone calls." He gave his wife a kiss before he began making faces at Kendall, trying to get her to smile. "Come on, Kendall. Smile for Uncle Nate."

Haley shook her head in amusement as she turned her attention to the mail. Sure enough, the two official envelopes were from court and they were asking for them to appear in court against Victoria. She checked to make sure Nathan was occupied with the baby before she grabbed her phone and called Cooper. She explained the situation and Cooper promised he would try his best to get her not to have to be called as a witness in court.

Nathan had a hard time letting go of Kendall, but he eventually put her down for her nap. He then called his dad. He was already aware of the situation and he and Cooper were going to make sure the trial was less stressful for them as possible. Nathan debated on whether to call Lucas or not, but he decided against it. He didn't want him or Brooke to worry. Neither did Haley. So they decided not to say anything unless they would bring it up first.

When Brooke came by to retrieve her daughter, she embraced her little baby in a gentle hug. Haley sensed something was bothering her. Especially after she saw Brooke holding back tears. Haley gestured to sit down on the sofa next to her. "Hey, what's wrong?" she asked anxiously. "What happened? Did you and Lucas get into a fight?"

Brooke shook her head as she joined her on the sofa, still holding Kendall. "No, everything's fine with me and Lucas."

There was silence and Haley wondered if she had also received a letter asking if she could appear in court. She took a chance. "It's your mother, isn't it? You received a summons saying you have to testify in court against her, didn't you?" she asked. Brooke nodded. "Nathan and I got one too. Don't worry. We have your back."

"I don't know if I can face her again," Brooke said as she looked down at her daughter. "I'm finally living my dream of being with a family who loves me. I don't want her to take it all away again."

"I know," Haley replied. She couldn't imagine the fear Brooke was feeling. "And I promise you we will do everything we can to make sure Victoria pays for her crimes." She gave her a comforting smile. "Have I ever let you down?" she asked. Brooke managed a smile and she shook her head. "I'm not going to break my record now."

That night, Haley had trouble sleeping. As much as she wanted the reason to be because she was anticipating about the baby reveal, she knew it was because Victoria's upcoming trial. The news was already bringing up memories of the hell Victoria put her and everyone else through. Especially her own daughter. The only comfort she had was knowing Victoria would be found guilty of the charges and be sent to prison. At least she hoped so. She didn't know what she would do if the jury found Victoria not guilty.

The next morning, Haley and Nathan met up at the doctor's office for the ultrasound. They were both waiting with anticipation and they tried not to show it. The expectant parents put smiles on their faces as the doctor prepared to put the wand over Haley's belly.

"Nathan thought it would be amusing to tell me that he hopes its twins," Haley told the doctor. "Please tell him he's wrong and there is just one baby in there." The doctor moved the wand over her belly and he showed them the screen. There was only one baby. Nathan pretended to be disappointed. "What about the gender? You can tell if the baby is a boy or a girl?"

The doctor nodded as he continued to move the wand. "You two are hoping for a boy, right?"

Before Haley could answer for him, Nathan spoke up. "We're perfectly happy with whether it's a boy or girl. If it's a girl, then James Lucas Scott will have to wait again. And I'm fine with it." He looked at the doctor. "Is it a boy?" he asked hopefully.

There was silence before the doctor spoke. "I'm afraid you're going to have to wait on James Lucas Scott again. You're expecting a girl."