Chapter 15

It's a beautiful afternoon in late September, so I decided to walk to the gym. Practice has been under way now for about half an hour, warming up and resistance. We lost three seniors from last year's squad, including one of my starters, and got four freshman, two of them excellent. There is still some fine tuning to do, but the team is doing fine. Last week we beat up an old school rival eighty six to forty three, and this week we have an even easier adversary. My mind is lost in basketball when my phone rings.

"She is awake, Luke! She is awake!"

It's been over a month since the extubation. "This is great news, Pretty Girl. How is she?"

Brooke can hardly contain herself. It's been a difficult period. I've been spending three nights a week in New York, but it has been killing me to come back to North Carolina, leaving Brooke to deal with this by herself. She calms herself down a bit. "She seems to be intact, Broody. There's some memory loss. The two weeks prior to the attack are pretty hazy. Thank goodness she can't remember anything about the attack itself, and she was really shocked when we told her what happened and who had done it."

"Now what?"

"She is already recovered from her other injuries, but she is weak as a newborn kitten. They are going to send her to a facility that specializes in recovery from prolonged coma. How long she is staying there depends on how her it goes."

"What about her spirit?"

"It's too early to tell. That's mostly up to Julian, I guess."

"He is being good to her."

"Yup. Still all in. I think he is catching some flak from his bosses in LA."

"I see. What about you?"

"Ah, I almost forgot. I have to go spend a week in Paris in October. It's a big fashion show, that CoB was asked to participate. It's a big deal, since we are the only label from the US invited. It's the week of the fifteenth. There is a big gala event on Friday night, and we could stay for the weekend, see the sights..."

"I have a home game that Friday, but it's an easy one. I think I can swing it. I'd fly overnight of Thursday, and come back on Sunday."

"Great! It's a date."

"Do you know Paris?"

"A bit. I've been there with my parents a couple of times."

"I've never been. Seing Paris for the first time with you, Pretty Girl. Dream come true."

She giggles. "We are here to please, Fiancee. See you Saturday."

"A bientot."

Lucas wakes up with odd noises coming from the living room. He hunts around, until he sees a pair of chubby legs outside the cabinet under the kitchen sink.

"Jluke..."

The legs start moving fast, trying to get inside the cabinet. "Jluke, little man. That's not a place for you." Lucas says in a stern tone as he grabs the toddler by his waist.

Jamie pouts. "Ook."

"That's right. It's your uncle Lucas. That place stinks. " Lucas scrunches up his face. "You shouldn't go there."

Jamie smiles at Lucas funny face. "Tinks, ook." He waves his pudgy hands around. "Mik?"

"You hungry?"

"Mik."

"All right." Lucas sets Jamie down on the floor. He picks up a sippy cup from the cabinet, half fills it with milk and warms it up in the microwave. Jamie just stands there waiting for his milk. Lucas gives him the cup. "Do you want to go to the park?"

"Ark! Ark. Ba?"

"We'll take the ball." They go into Jamie's room. Lucas picks him up to check his diaper. He is wet, so Lucas sets him in the changer, removes his pj's and gives him a fresh one. He puts in a basketball onesie, long pants, socks and mini sneakers. Lucas also finds him a baseball cap..He writes a note saying that they went to the park, and would be back in an hour, dropping it in Jamie's crib.

Just as Lucas is opening the front door, a sleepy Haley emerges from her bedroom. "Hi, sis."

"Hey, boys. Whats up?" Jamie drops Lucas hand and runs into his mother's arms. "Mamma! Mamma! Ook. Ark."

"So, uncle Lucas is taking you to the park? That's very nice." She tickles his belly, and he giggles.

"Mamma! Ark?"

"You want me to come too? Who can resist such a charming invitation?" She turns to me. "Wait five?"

"Sure."

The park is just a couple of blocks away. Jamie walks hand in hand with his mother and his uncle, babbling nonsense. "How's Peyton doing, bil?"

"She is recovering. She can walk a little, and she can eat by herself. The doctors say she is recovering well. Her boyfriend has been a godsend."

"I'm glad he stuck around. It can't be easy."

"Brooke says they have become very close."

"What about the movie?"

"It's a bit in the back burner for now. The script I wrote is approved, and they are still looking for funding. I guess without Julian pushing it, things slow down some. It's not a problem."

They reach the park, and Jamie sits down to play at the sandbox. Haley sits on a bench next to it, while Lucas sits on the sandbox and plays with Jamie.

"All right, J Luke. Gimme a finger. A finger, see?"

"Fing."

"Now we poke once, one eye. Poke again, another eye. And we run the finger right across, like this. See? A happy face."

"Appy."

"Your son is a genius, Hales."

She giggles. "I know." A pause. "You know what amazes me?"

"What?"

"That the two sons of the most horrible father in the universe would turn out to be such incredible, loving fathers."

A shadow passes through Lucas face. "I'm not his father. Just his uncle."

"Don't kid yourself, Coach. This past year, you've been as much of a parent as Nathan and I. I know sooner or later you'll go away, in pursuit of your own dreams. But you certainly proved yourself to be true to Keith's example and memory. We'll never forget it."

"Thanks, Hales. That means a lot."

We're walking back home when the phone rings. It was one of those moments where everything changes.

"Hello?"

"Good morning. My name is Matthew Brody..."

"Pitts grandfather. I remember you."

"I'm sorry to bother your. Would you and your fiancee be willing to visit us at our home in New Jersey? See Pitts again? He hasn't forgotten you."

"I would need to ask Brooke, my fiancee. When do you have in mind?"

"How about you come for lunch on Saturday, say, at noon?"

"Very well, give me your address."

"224 Rose Street, Secaucus."

"I'll get back to you in a bit."

I disconnect, and Haley notes I'm rather disturbed by the call. "What happened?"

"You remember Pitts."

"Little boy from the Park, yes."

"When we returned him to his family we offered to stay in touch and got turned down. Now, almost five months later his grandfather is asking us to go to lunch at their place."

"Odd. Do you think they may need some help?"

"Perhaps. He said Pitts still remembers us. That, by itself, is reason enough to go see him, as far as I'm concerned. I have to talk to Brooke."

"Hello, Brooke?"

"Hi, Fiancee. Odd timing. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I just got a call from Pitts grandfather. He invited us for lunch on Saturday. He said Pitts still remembers us."

"Shit, Luke. It's been nearly five months. What do you think?"

"I'd like to see him."

"Then we're going. What time are you arriving on Saturday?"

"Half past eight, La Guardia. United."

"I'll be there with a limo. We'll go see Peyton first, and then head to Secaucus."

"It's a date, Pretty Girl."

I spot her as soon as I reach baggage claim. She's dressed pretty conservatively, grey skirt to the knees, white blouse and midcalf black three-inch boots, hair tied up in a sloppy-looking knot with chopsticks. "Hi, gorgeous."

"Hi yourself, handsome. Had a good trip?"

"Fine." Behind the smile and the make-up, she is tight as a violin string. I wrap her in my arms, in a long hug. I feel her slowly relaxing. As we separate, I give her a brief, soft kiss on the lips. "Do you want to call it off, Pretty Girl?"

"No. I want to see him. I'm afraid, though."

She worries about him, and she worries about her own heart. "You're not alone, my love. Whatever happens, we face it together."

"I know. Thank you, Lucas."

'Shall we go?"

Peyton is being treated in a sanatorium in Brooklyn, about half an hour away. When we get to her room, she is walking around with one of these four-legged aluminum supports, a physical therapist helping her and Julian is sitting in a corner, reading a magazine. Her hair is one inch light brown fuzz around her head, and the luminous smile that greets us is genuine happy Peyton, someone I haven't seen in ages.

She stops and turns to the therapist. "Can we continue later?"

"Sure." And he picks up his tablet and leaves.

"Hey Peyt, Julian. What's up?"

"Doctor came around this morning. Peyton is being discharged next week, probably on Wednesday."

Brooke replies. "That's really good news, PSawyer. It means you're recovering faster than expected."

"That's right. And it's mostly thanks to my loving exercise nazi over there."

"Hey, good job, Julian."

Peyton goes back to her bed and lies down. "Why don't you guys sit for a bit. We want to talk to you."

"Sure. Can we help with anything?"

"That's not it. First, I need to thank you guys for everything. You've been a real caring, loving family to me, and I'll never forget it."

"We are very happy to have you back intact, PSawyer. I can't begin to say how much."

"We've been discussing the future, Julian and I."

"And?"

"John came by last week. SIA gave me two hundred fifty thousand dollars. I talked to him, and I want to invest this money in starting my own label, affiliated with SIA for distribution and sales, but completely independent artistically and in terms of talent management."

"That sounds like a great idea, Peyt."

"But, I can't do that in New York. The competitition is too stiff, and the costs of doing business, too high. I'm thinking of moving back to Tree Hill to do it."

"That's an interesting idea. Did your father ever sell the house there? Would you want to live there, with all the memories?"

"The house is rented, but I can have it if I want it. If Julian comes with me, I think I can live there."

"You know, Peyt. My mom is always complaining that the people managing Tric are not doing a good job. Do you think you might want to do that, in addition to starting your label? There is a lot of unused space in that warehouse you could convert into a new business."

"That's an interesting idea. Just send me Karen's contacts and I'll discuss it with her myself."

"But what about Julian?"

"I'm back as assistant producer in your movie, Lucas. Funding has been green lighted, and, right now, I need a location. It would be natural to find something near Tree Hill, and use part of the original locations. If that works out, I'll be in Tree Hill for at least a year."

"So, you two would be moving to Tree Hill, and living together. Very cool. What's the time frame?"

"I need to be fully recovered. A month or two, I guess. Until then, we would continue to abuse your hospitality, Brooke."

"Stay as long as you want, Goldilocks. Or maybe Peachfuzz, now."

I give her a stern look. She shrugs. "Too soon?"

Peyton breaks out laughing. "Nah. I missed you, BDavis."

"It's good to have you back."

The drive to Secaucus takes nearly two hours. Along the way, I call Hales to tell her Peyton's news, which are very happily received. Haley adds one surprising tidbit. "So, Peyton is going to start her own label. You know, I have half a dozen original songs in my pocket, that could be the start of a new album. Do you think she would like a slightly homey wife and mother as her first artist?"

"I suspect she would be thrilled to the bone, sis. Tree Hill homegrown rockstar as her first artist? Just call her."

"I will. You're going to see Pitts now."

"That's right."

"Good luck to all of you."

"Thanks sis."

"Thanks Tutormom. Kiss to your Scott boys."

"Kiss to yours."

It's a small white house, with a small, well kept yard planted with roses, in a row of identical houses. We knock on the door at ten past noon, and Matthew answers the door.

""Mr. Scott. Miss Davis, I'm very glad you made it."

"Mr. Brody. Please call us Lucas and Brooke."

He shakes our hands. "Please, call me Matt. Come in. Welcome."

He calls out to his wife, who comes into the living room with Pitts holding her dress. When he sees us, his eyes become huge. He whispers "Daddy." and runs straight into my arms. I wrap him in my arms, too overcome to say anything, and he just squeezes my neck with all the strength of his little arms. I feel Brooke's hand in my shoulders.

The woman starts talking. "I'm sorry. He begun referring to you as daddy after he saw a picture of the two of you in a supermarket tabloid. We tried to explain that this wasn't right, but we couldn't."

I finally find my voice. "It's so good to see you, buddy. I've missed you so much."

"Is it ok? Can I call you Daddy?"

"Yes you can. Why don't you give Brooke a hug too?"

"Ok."

Just like before, he is a little shy with Brooke at first, but soon he is giving her a hug just as warm as the one I got. "Hi, little bug. It's so good to see you. I've missed you a lot too."

"I've missed you too, Brooke. You're still very pretty."

"Thank you. You're very handsome too. Did your grow a foot or two?"

He laughs. "Just an inch. But I'm five now."

"That's right. You're a big boy now. We brought you a couple of gifts."

We give him a couple of packages, which he sits in the floor to open. Now we turn to Ms Brody.

"I'm sorry. Hi Ms. Brody."

"I'm Mary. You are Lucas and Brooke, if I understand correctly." When we saw them last, they were a tired-looking couple in their fifties. Of course, they had been put under a lot of stress with the disappearance of their daughter and grandson. Matt is looking better, but Mary is actually looking very frail and worn. "Let's sit down for lunch."

Pitts finishes unwrapping his gifts. Brooke made him a yellow polo shirt with the CoB logo in the chest, and I brought him a wooden fireman's truck, painted bright red. He is still a very quiet and well-mannered boy. He finishes unwrapping his gifts, gives each of us a thank you hug, and sits down in the floor to play with his new toy. We all sit down for lunch, a very simple meal with meatloaf, potatoes, peas and cabbage, with water. Pitts gets a child's plate of the lunch menu, chopped and a sippy cup with milk. He eats on his own with a spoon, neatly and with enthusiasm. We talk about nothing, sports and fashion, and New York weather and politics. Dessert is home made apple pie with vanilla ice cream, and it was delicious. Throughout lunch I can see Brooke looking ever more distant, building her walls, trying to protect her own heart for when we go home. I must say I'm not looking forward saying goodbye to Pitts either.

After lunch, Mary excuses herself, taking Pitts by the hand for his nap. We are left with Matt, and he finally gets down to business.

"I'm sorry for being roundabout about this. What I have to say is very difficult, so, please bear with me."

"Please, go ahead Matt. Whatever it is."

"Our daughter Alice got released two months ago. She was supposed to stay in an outpatient drug rehabilitation program, but she only lasted two weeks, before she relapsed. A month ago, Mary went to the doctor, for a persistent cough and weakness. The result is pretty grim. Stage three lung cancer. She is going to have surgery next week to remove her right lung entirely, and then she will get an intense treatment with chemotherapy and radiation."

"We are so sorry..."

"Please, let me finish. A couple of weeks later, Alice disappeared. The situation is this. We don't have conditions to take good care of a child right now. Mary has a fifty percent chance of surviving the next year, and a very difficult battle ahead. We need to focus on her health. We were under the impression that, five months ago, you would have kept Pitts. Is that still the case? Would you adopt him, love him, raise him as your own? If you agree, we will sign all parental rights to you immediately."

I know the answer to this question, but I still look at Brooke. She is silently crying, but she nods her assent. "Yes, Matt. We are very sorry for this awful situation. We felt, five months ago, that Pitts would be better off with his family. But, under the circumstances, we would be happy to adopt him, and raise him as our own."

"Thank you, thank you, Lucas and Brooke. We cannot begin to express how relieved we are with your willingness to take him."

Mary comes back to the living room, her broken down appearance now much more ominous than before. Brooke gets up and wraps her in her arms. "I'm so sorry, Mary, that Pitts would come to us in these awful circumstances. I hope you regain your health, and still have many years ahead of you. We would insist that the two of you keep in touch with Pitts, within your possibilities."

"We would be very thankful for that. It's entirely up to you."

I look at Matt. "So, what now?"

"You can take him with you now, if you want. We will all need to appear in front of a family judge to make it official. I know the two of you have lawyers at your disposal. If you can take care of the formalities, please do it as fast as you can. Mary's surgery is next Thursday, and it would be best to take care of this before that."

Again I exchange a glance with Brooke and she nods. "Ok, he can come with us now."

Brooke and Mary go to his room. They begin to pack his few belongings, as I step out of the house, to talk to Brooke's lawyer. I set the wheels in motion to cover the formalities.

Half an hour later, Brooke comes outside to fetch me. "He is awake. We have to explain to him what is going to happen, and this is probably better coming from his own chosen daddy."

I look into her eyes. "Do you remember, Brooke. The moment when everything changes?"

She gives me a soft smile. "Of course. This makes a three pointer at the buzzer look pretty silly, doesn't it?"

"Is it a dream come true?"

"Become a parent with you? Oh, yes. I had no idea it was going to come true today."

"For me too. And here we are. Together."

"Back on contraceptives?"

I look in her eyes again, for a clue of what she is thinking. "I'd say no. I think Pitts would like a sibling."

"I agree. This is going to mess up our lives."

I laugh. "That's right, babe. Don't worry, though. We'll straighten things out. All right, let me talk to him." I give her a quick kiss and head in.

When I get into his room, Pitts is sitting in the floor, playing with his truck. His posture is very tense, shoulders tight in, a frown in his face and he is holding his truck very tight. He knows perfectly well something is up. I sit next to him. "Hi buddy."

"Hi Daddy."

"Can I call you son? If I'm your Daddy?"

"Yeah. You can call me son."

"All right, my son, what's going on?"

"I don't know. Are you and Brooke leaving?"

"Maybe. I need to ask you something."

"What?"

"Do you want to come with us?"

"To the big building next to the Park?"

"Yes."

"Yeah, I'd like that." The he frowns. "What about Gramma and Grandad?"

"They would stay here."

He thinks for a bit. "Can they come visit?"

"Yes, of course. And you can come and visit them."

He speaks in a small voice. "What about Mamma?"

"When she comes back, she can come visit too."

He draws in a big breath, and releases it slowly. "Then I want to go."

I look into his eyes. He is still tense and unsure. I open my arms. "Come here, son."

He sits on my lap, squeezing against my chest. We sit like this fora bit. "Are you going to be my Daddy for real now? Forever?"

"Yes."

Finally I feel him relaxing a bit. "I will be your daddy, forever and ever. I love you, baby boy."

"I love you too, Daddy."

I come out of his room, holding Pitts in my arms. "You should say goodbye to Gramma and Grandad."

"Bye Grandad."

"By sweetie. I'm going to miss you."

"I'm going to miss you too. Daddy said you can come visit."

"I will, sweetie."

"Bye, Gramma. I love you."

"I love you too,

We load his belongings, his clothes and toys is the trunk of the limo and head back home.