Author's Note: Hey guys! I'm back with Chapter 16! Sorry it's taken so long. That excuse has been pretty redundant lately, hasn't it? I've just been running myself ragged these last few weeks with school and college. I've had finals and lots of major essays worth like a bajillion percent of my grade, scholarships, freshman orientation, class registration and a whole bunch of other stuff. I will try to update at least once every week and that goes for The Sweetest Sin too. Sorry if there's a few errors in here, I typed this up really late and I'm very tired. Anyways, I hope you guys like this chapter. As always, please read and review!
Disclaimer: I own nothing. One Tree Hill and its characters are property of the WB.
Rating: PG to PG-13
P.S. – Tuesday's episode of One Tree Hill was PRICELESS! OMG! That was such a good episode! Uh oh, Nikki's back! I smell trouble!
In the Presence of an Angel
Chapter 16
By the time Haley and Brooke recovered from shock, the bell had rung for classes to resume. So when school was released for the day, Brooke grabbed her by the wrist and practically dragged her to the car. "Where are we going," Haley asked as Brooke took the car keys from Haley's pocket and inserted them into the ignition, revving the engine to life. "Jake's," she said simply. Haley smiled. She liked that Jake knew about them; it felt good to know that at least one of their friends was on their side.
They arrived at Jake's house a little over five minutes later, Brooke having driven quite fast to get there. As soon as the car rolled to a stop, Brooke pulled out the keys and jumped out, racing for the front steps, leaving Haley to take her time getting out. Brooke knocked frantically on the door, fear in her eyes. Had they really been that obvious? They had been trying so hard to keep their relationship under wraps, but now someone knew. Jake opened the door and smiled, knowing why she was there, "Why Brooke, what a nice surprise! What brings you here?" "I-I…h-how did you know? Were we that transparent," Brooke asked in a desperate voice, the fear in her eyes growing as she stared at him pleadingly. "No," Jake replied. "Then how-" Haley, who now walked up beside her, responded, "Brooke, Jake knew about us." "I know that, but I want to know how," Brooke said to Haley then turned back to look at Jake. "No, what I mean is that he knew about us because he knew about my feelings for you before we got together," Haley replied then she too faced Jake, "how did you know that we actually got together?"
"There were a few signs, like the way you touched each other. Haley, you would have your hand at her back and Brooke, you would lay your head on her shoulder. I saw the way you kept looking and smiling at each other, not to mention the little whispers you two would share at the café the other day. Oh, and the thing that really sealed it for me was when I had an interesting drive down to the beach last night…" Jake explained as once again, their mouths hung open. He laughed as Haley closed her mouth then opened it again as if to say something but nothing came out. She finally regained her voice and asked, "What were you doing down at the beach at midnight?" "I could ask you the same thing, but since I already know about your little midnight rendezvous, there's not really a point in doing that," he chuckled with a wide grin, "Jenny had been crying for a while and I couldn't get her to sleep so I took her for a little car ride. I guess the movement soothes her to sleep. I was driving by the beach and I saw two figures down on the sand then I saw Haley's car." "What exactly…" Brooke cleared her throat, "um, what exactly… were we doing?"
Jake smiled devilishly, "You were making mad love to each other. Gotta say, it was pretty hot." Haley punched him in the shoulder, staring at him in shock, "Jake!" He rubbed the spot where she'd hit him, "Ow! You better watch her Brooke, she's vicious." Brooke smiled and opened her mouth to reply when Haley pointed a finger warningly at her, "Don't you respond to that or you'll be sleeping on the couch tonight." Jake laughed loudly, "You've been dating for what, a week? And you're already acting like an old married couple!" Both girls crossed their arms and glared at him menacingly. Jake looked frightened as he responded, looking away from them, "Wow, it suddenly got really cold out here…"
A loud wail interrupted the silence and Haley rushed inside, followed by Jake and Brooke. Haley gently picked up the crying child and cradled her in her arms, moving her arms in a rocking motion, "Sh, there you go Jenny girl. You're alright," she tried to soothe the baby. Jenny stared up at her with her watery hazel brown eyes and started to calm down. Haley positioned Jenny against her chest as she kissed her forehead and patted her back. "Maybe you should move in with me. I could really use you when she wakes up crying during the night," Jake replied with a crooked grin. "Where would I sleep? I'm pretty sure your parents would mind if you had a girl sleeping in your bed, especially since you already have another girl in your life," she glanced pointedly at Jenny, who was now sucking on her thumb. "There's always the couch," he gestured to the raggedy, sunk-down sofa in the corner of the room.
"Nah, Brooke can sleep there. I'd rather take the floor and a sleeping bag," she joked. "Or Brooke could lie on the couch and you lie of top of her, that way you wouldn't technically be laying on the couch…" he paused for a moment, "hmm, I never thought of that… maybe we could start a threesome," he responded with a flirty smile. "Jake," Haley exclaimed loudly then glared threateningly at him again, "I would hit you right now if I didn't have a baby in my arms." Brooke hit him in the chest. "Thank you," Haley replied. "Oh no! It's the Terrible Two! They're ganging up on me," he placed both his hands on his cheeks and widened his eyes. Brooke slapped him in the back of his head and Jenny giggled. "You liked that, didn't you Jenny," Brooke tickled her tummy and she giggled even more. "You know, you're both very violent… you're a match made in heaven," Jake replied with a grin. Haley stared at him crossly for a moment, "I'm going to ignore that first part of your comment, but I'll take that last part as a compliment." "You're welcome," Jake replied.
Jenny began to whimper and Haley gently bounced her in her arms as she walked over to the sofa and sat down, "Jake, would you get me a bottle please?" He came back into the living room with a bottle of milk a few minutes later, "She probably isn't hungry; I just fed her an hour ago." Haley brought the bottle to Jenny's lips and she began to suck greedily and Haley looked up at him with a smirk, "Babies are always hungry, except when they're sick." Brooke sat down beside her and softly stroked the baby's head, leaning close against Haley. She looked up from the baby in her arms to Brooke, who was also staring down at Jenny. Brooke, sensing that Haley was watching her, raised her head and looked into her eyes, their faces only inches from each other. They leaned in and shared a gentle kiss. Realizing that they had an audience, Haley pulled away, blushing slightly in embarrassment. "That didn't make you feel uncomfortable, did it," she asked Jake sheepishly.
Jake shook his head and grinned, "No, it was sweet, and kind of hot." "Would you stop that? You're like Paris Hilton and her new catch phrase, 'That's hot'." "Come on Hales, what guy doesn't fantasize about seeing some girl-on-girl action, not to mention being part of a threesome," he wiggled his eyebrows flirtatiously. Haley rolled her eyes and groaned, "Ugh, you're such a guy. Why do I even stay friends with you?" "Oh, you know you love me," Jake responded. "Yeah whatever," Haley replied. Jenny finished her bottle and Brooke asked, "Can I hold her?" "Yeah, you have to burp her. Just pat her back gently. Oh, and here, take this," she placed a wash towel over Brooke's shoulder then carefully placed Jenny in her arms. Jake watched with adoration as Haley instructed Brooke how to burp the baby as their hands mingled on Jenny's back and they shared small smiles with each other, their eyes alight with love and happiness.
"You guys are going to make great parents someday," Jake said softly as he gazed at the two women with his daughter. Haley smiled up at him; there were no words needed, all the thanks was written in her eyes. Brooke smiled too, but Jake and Haley caught a flash of a frown come across her face before changing to a smile again. Haley resolved to talk about it with her later. Suddenly her cell phone rang and she pulled it out. "It's Karen," she replied before placing it to her ear, "Hey Karen, what's up?" "Haley, thank god I got a hold of you! I know it's your day off, but one of the waitresses called in sick and I can't get in contact with any of the other servers and we just got a new rush…" Karen replied sounding a little panicked. "Don't worry, I'm on my way," Haley responded as she stood from the couch, "I'll see you in fifteen minutes Karen."
She closed the phone and Brooke asked, "What's going on? Why do you have to leave?" "One of the servers called in sick at the café and Karen just got a new rush of customers so she needs help," Haley replied as she took the car keys from Brooke. "No Haley, it's your day off. I'll go; I need to pick up a few more shifts anyway. Will you and Brooke stay here and watch Jenny," Jake asked as he went to grab his jacket then walked over to the three girls. He leaned down and softly kissed his daughter's forehead then stroked the thin layer of hair covering her head, "Bye honey, I love you. Be good for Aunt Haley and Aunt Brooke, okay?" Jenny just gurgled in response. "Thanks Jake," Haley said as she hugged him. "No problem, Hales. I'll probably bring some food home but if you get hungry before then, there's food in the fridge. Help yourself to anything you want. The bottles and formula are also in the fridge, diapers and all her clothes are over there…" he gestured to the crib. "Yeah Jake, I know where everything is. You go the café; I'll call ahead and let Karen know you're coming instead of me." "Alright, I'll see you guys later," Jake waved as he headed towards the door. "Bye," both girls replied.
After Brooke had burped Jenny, they both played with Jenny and her toys on the floor for a little while then they laid back on the couch, with Jenny lying against Haley's breast on her stomach. Haley rubbed slow circles on the girl's back as she soothed the baby into slumber. Brooke lay with her head on Haley's shoulder, stroking Jenny's head. Haley leaned over and softly kissed Brooke on the lips, "This could be us someday." "Yeah," Brooke responded quietly, frowning once more before giving her a small smile. Haley rose from her spot and gently laid Jenny in her crib then returned to the couch. She took Brooke's hand into her own and gazed at her with concerned eyes, "What's wrong?"
"We're never going to be able to have a baby of our own, you know," Brooke replied sadly. "I know," Haley said with a hint of confusion in her voice, not quite understanding what she was saying. Brooke sensed this confusion and elaborated, "I mean, a baby that's completely ours, yours and mine." "Oh," Haley replied, now understanding. "There would always be a part of it that wouldn't be from us." Haley nodded silently. "I mean, I know we'd have to adopt or do in-vitro, but the baby would never be totally, completely, biologically ours. I wish we could have a baby of our own; one that's just ours, only ours," Brooke replied in the same melancholy tone. Haley rubbed her back slowly then hugged her, "Me too."
Brooke laughed and rubbed at the tears that had welled in her eyes, "Look at us, we're only seventeen and here we are talking about kids already." "Jake didn't plan to have kids at seventeen. Plus, I'm eighteen, I'm older than you," Haley pointed out. "Yeah, but we'd have to plan a lot just to even get pregnant…" Brooke would have continued if Haley hadn't placed her hands on each of her cheeks and covered Brooke's mouth with her own. Haley kissed her nose and stared into her brown eyes, "Sh, we can talk about this later. I want to finish high school and college before we have a baby, we'll be more settled. But I want it to be the right time too." Brooke weaved her fingers into Haley's hair as she kissed her then pressed their foreheads together after they parted, "You're amazing, you know that? I love you so much." "I love you too," Haley replied as she kissed her cheek then lay back down onto the couch, pulling Brooke on top of her, and then pressed her lips to Brooke's in a long, tender kiss that soon became passionate.
Around eight that evening, Jake entered his house and was caught by surprise. Brooke and Haley were furiously making out as they lay on top of each other on the couch. "Now that's more like it," Jake smirked as he watched the two scramble to sit up then replied with an innocent expression, "Gee, did I interrupt something?" They straightened their clothes and tried to smooth their tousled hair. Brooke responded in a nervous tone, "Uh no, we were just… uh, we were…" "Making out like there was no tomorrow," Jake added with a raised eyebrow, his smirk growing even wider. Haley spotted the bag of food he carried and said, "What did you bring to eat?" "Burgers and fries," he answered as he set the food on the coffee table, "How has Jenny been? Or have you even noticed through your make-out session?" He grinned at them as they both blushed. "She's been a perfect angel. She slept most of the afternoon, but a few times she woke up and we fed and changed her," Haley responded. "You clowns might want to go wash up before you eat," he replied then stared up at them with a laughing smile, "You have Brooke's lipstick all over your faces." They blushed an even darker shade of red if it were possible.
As they ate dinner, Jake asked, "Why don't you guys stay for awhile? We can watch some movies or something. I could use the company." Both Brooke and Haley noticed the sadness in his eyes and voice. Haley stared at him sympathetically as she placed a hand on his shoulder, "It must be really hard for you, huh?" "Yeah, it's so hard to keep my life in balance. I have to go to school and basketball practice, work, study, and take care of Jenny. What little time I have left I spend with my friends. It gets lonely sometimes. I mean, life would be so much easier if I didn't have Jenny. I could be a kid again. But I wouldn't trade her for the world. She is my world." He stood and went over to the crib, gazing lovingly down at his sleeping daughter.
"We're here whenever you need us," Brooke piped in, "if you ever need a friend or a babysitter for Jenny, but no threesomes." She added with a smile when she saw Jake open his mouth to say something. He closed his mouth and walked over to them, standing between them and hooking his arms over their shoulders, he asked, "So what movies do two fine-looking women such as yourselves want to watch?" Haley and Brooke looked at each other for a moment then smiled as they responded in unison, "Bring It On Again!" Jake covered his face with his hands and dragged his fingers down along his skin, "Oh god, not a chick flick!" "Well, what did you have in mind," Brooke asked. "I was thinking more along the lines of But, I'm A Cheerleader," he smirked.
"Hell no, I don't like that movie. My parents would probably send me to one of those insane asylums if they ever found out about me and Haley…" Realizing her own words, she sighed heavily and sank down onto the couch, covering her face with her hands. "Jake, could you leave us alone for a few minutes," Haley requested as she sat down beside her girlfriend and rubbed her back slowly. He nodded and silently left the room. "God Hales, what are we going to do? My parents would never accept us…" "Brooke sweetie, look at me," Haley demanded gently and when she did, she cupped Brooke's cheeks, caressing the smooth skin with her thumbs, "I love you. There's no questioning that, and I would never leave you. But you have to realize that we may lose some people along the way, once we tell everyone. Are you willing to risk being with me if there's a chance that you might lose your parents or possibly even your friends? Because if you aren't, please tell me right now."
Haley's eyes searched Brooke's wildly, moving from side to side at so fast a pace it probably would have made someone dizzy just looking at them. Brooke sighed again and closed her eyes, a few tears escaping as her lids drooped down. For a moment, Haley became panicked, but exhaled a deep breath of relief when Brooke took her hand. "Yes," Brooke replied, now staring up into Haley's brown doe eyes, "yes, I'm willing to take the risk." Haley's lips trembled with emotion and her eyes filled with tears as she wrapped her arms around Brooke's neck and pulled her tight to her body. They stayed like that for several minutes with Brooke holding her tightly and Haley stroking her hair as she kissed near the base of Brooke's neck, a comfort spot she'd found recently.
"Can I come out now or do I have to plug my ears so I don't have to listen to you two doing it all night," Jake called out a few moments later. "Jacob Aiden Jagielski," Haley exclaimed in an angry tone. "Uh oh Jen, Daddy's in trouble. Aunt Haley used the full name," Jake responded as he stepped from the hallway holding the baby. "Jake, we are not…intimate… in that way. You should know that after the whole big fight between Lucas, Nathan, and me," Haley responded in a stern tone, her arms crossed. "I know, I was just kidding," Jake replied. "You had better be," she warned.
"So, movies," Jake suggested as he sat on the couch. "I don't know, what do you think," Brooke asked. "American Pie 2," he raised an eyebrow and smiled, "I hear it has some pretty good girl action in there." "Jake, get your mind out of the gutter, would you," Haley responded. "Okay, okay, stopping now," he raised a hand in surrender. "How about that movie, Honey? You know the one with Jessica Alba from Dark Angel? She's kind of hot," Brooke winked at Haley. "Sounds good to me," Jake replied. "Alright, I'm in," Haley responded as she put the tape in the VCR.
An hour later, both Brooke and Jake were asleep on the couch and Jenny in her crib. The video was on low volume as she cleaned up all their trash from dinner and then snacks afterward. Once she was done with that, she stood behind the sofa, not wanting to disturb her sleeping friends, as she watched the movie. A dance part came on and for some unexplainable reason, she felt like dancing too. She was so happy in her life right at that moment. She had great friends, a wonderful girlfriend, good grades; she had everything going for her. She began to mimic the dances moves on the movie and when the routine ended, she heard a voice. "Nice moves, Hales. Didn't know you could dance like that," Brooke mumbled sleepily. "You weren't supposed to be watching; I thought you were asleep," Haley replied as she sat on the arm of the couch next to Brooke. "Yeah well, your pounding on the floor didn't help any." "Sorry," Haley whispered, "we should probably get going. It's past eleven already and we have school tomorrow."
Brooke nodded then carefully stood and stretched. Haley gently shook Jake awake, "Jake, Brooke and I are going to head home, it's late. You should go to bed too. Jenny is in her crib and I fed and changed her about twenty minutes ago. We'll see you tomorrow at school." "No, you guys stay here. I don't want you two out this late at night. You two take my bed, I'll crash on the couch." "No, you sleep in your own bed. We'll take the couch," Haley protested. Jake rubbed his face as he sat up, "I'm too tired to argue with you. I'll get some blankets and pillows." Brooke and Haley positioned themselves comfortably in the small space of the couch with Haley lying on top of Brooke, their arms wrapped around each other. Jake returned with the blankets and pillows and gave them a tired smirk, "The couch pulls out into a bed, you know." "You could have told us that before," Haley responded, "but we're pretty comfortable like this."
"I can see that," he replied, "just don't go blaming me if one of you falls onto the floor during the night." "We won't," Brooke replied, "oh and Jake, could you wake us up early so we can go home and get changed for school?" He nodded then gave them a slight wave, "Goodnight you two." "Night Jake," they replied as he turned out the light and headed to his bedroom. There were only the sounds of their breathing for a few minutes when Brooke suddenly chuckled quietly, "I guess I ended up sleeping on the couch tonight after all." "So did I," Haley giggled along with her. Brooke's mouth sought Haley's in the darkness, "Night Hales." "Night Tigger," Haley responded after they parted and laid her head in the crook of Brooke's neck, breathing her scent in deeply and closing her eyes.
In the middle of the night, Haley, ever the light sleeper, woke to a small whimpering cry. She carefully crawled off Brooke and walked over to Jenny's crib, peering down into it. The baby stared up at her with watery eyes as she kicked her legs in a small tantrum. Haley gently picked her up and positioned her on her chest, patting the baby's back to comfort her. "Sh, Jenny girl. You don't want to wake up Daddy or Aunt Brooke, do you? What's the matter, little girl? Why are you crying," Haley talked to the child in a whispering tone, "How about some nice warm milk, huh? I bet that will make you feel better." While the bottle heated up, Haley got her to stop crying and changed her diaper. She cradled the child in her arms as she fed her and whispered small talk into her ear. Once Jenny was burped, Haley tried to get her to go back to sleep but she wouldn't have any of it. An idea sprang to mind when she thought of those sleepless nights spent with Ryan when he was fussy or had colic. She turned on the stereo real low to a station with soft music and adjusted the baby to her left side, Jenny's head lying over her heart. Haley began to sway to the music, lightly moving over the wooden floor of the living room as she rubbed the girl's back in soothing circles.
Several minutes later, Haley felt two arms wrap around her waist and a kiss on her temple. "Sorry I woke you," Haley said quietly, "I couldn't get Jenny to go back to sleep." "That's alright," Brooke replied as she laid her head against the back of Haley's neck and began to sway along with her. "Come here," Haley moved out of her embrace and wrapped her right arm around Brooke's waist, pulling her close to her side. Brooke placed her left hand on Haley's right shoulder and laid her head there as she stroked the baby's head with her right. Haley kissed Brooke's forehead, but it was not enough for her and she found Brooke's lips, pressing hers against them in a long passionate kiss that seemed to stop time around them as they held the baby between them and danced slowly to the music.
They finally got Jenny to sleep half an hour and about nine or ten songs later, after changing her once more. As they lowered her into the crib though, she let out a small cry again and Haley held her to her chest. "Oh Jen, what are we going to do with you," she sighed as she walked over to the couch and leaned back as she lifted her legs onto the coffee table. Brooke sat beside her as Haley kissed the baby's forehead and closed her eyes. Brooke stroked Haley's hair and noticed her girlfriend beginning to nod off. "Why don't you get some sleep Hales, I'll take care of Jenny." Haley mumbled a thanks and gave her a sloppy wet kiss with half-closed eyes as she handed Jenny over then laid down and curled up on the far end of the couch. Brooke stood and moved the hair from Haley's face, kissing her cheek gently. Brooke gathered a pillow and one of the blankets Jake had given them then carefully positioned herself in a small overstuffed armchair next to the sofa, placing her legs over the armrest and laying her head against the other, cradling Jenny against her. "We'll just lie here for a little while, okay Jen? Then you have to go sleep in your own bed," she murmured as she closed her eyes. Jake, who had been watching from the hallway for some time, smiled and retreated back to his bedroom.
The next morning, Brooke woke up with a start. She was still in the chair, but there was no Jenny in her arms! She began to panic as she struggled to sit up and called out for her friends, "Haley! Jake! Jenny's gone!" Haley sat up immediately at hearing the screaming, "What? Jenny's gone? How could she get out of her crib?" Brooke was now in a hysterical fit of tears, "L-Last night, when I took her from you, I laid with her in the armchair and I was going to put her back in her crib once she fell asleep, but I guess I dozed off… Oh god, she could be hurt! I will never forgive myself if Jenny gets hurt!" Jake stumbled into the living room, rubbing his face, "What's with all the racket?" Brooke raced over to him, grabbing the sides of his muscular arms so tightly that even he flinched as she stared at him with pleading, frightened eyes, "I'm so sorry, Jake! I'm so, so sorry! I can't find Jenny! I was holding her last night, trying to get her to sleep and I guess I fell asleep and when I woke up this morning she was gone and-and… I'm so sorry!"
Jake calmly placed his hands on her shoulders, "Brooke, it's okay…" Brooke interrupted him, screaming, "No! No, it's not okay! I should have put her in her crib. I shouldn't have fallen asleep! A-And now she could be hurt. God, I was so irresponsible!" Now Jake cut her off, shaking her slightly, "Brooke, it's alright. Jenny's with my parents. They took her this morning around five." "Thank god," Brooke exclaimed as she let out a huge sigh of relief then her eyes widened, "what time is it?" She glanced around for a clock and saw that it was nearly seven. "Shit! Jake, I told you to wake us up early! Now we don't have time to go home and change clothes! We're going to be late for school!" She began to scurry around the living room, gathering her stuff, as did Haley. "You guys can borrow some of my clothes if you want so you won't be late," Jake replied as he scratched the back of his head. "Thanks Jake," Haley replied quickly, "can I use your shower? I'll be really fast." "Sure, go ahead," he replied. "I call the shower second," Brooke responded.
Jake and the two girls arrived at school actually with ten minutes to spare. They entered the building with Jake in the middle and a girl on each arm. They went to Haley's locker first, which was thankfully close to Jake's. As they walked towards the row of lockers to Brooke's, Nathan, Lucas, and Peyton approached. "Hey Jake," Lucas greeted him with a smile. "What's with the entourage of groupies," he asked then noticed what Haley and Brooke were wearing and narrowed his eyebrows suspiciously, "and why are they wearing your clothes?" Brooke was wearing one of Jake's black muscle shirts that prominently showed off her breasts and a pair of gray sweats that was rolled low around the waist and the leggings pulled up to mid-calf. Haley wore a long-sleeved blue and white Ravens basketball team shirt with Jake's number, 07, and his name on the back and a pair of blue track pants to match the shirt.
"Brooke, you look like hell," Luke responded as he took in her listless, tired demeanor, her tousled hair, and the bags under her half-closed eyes. She raised her hand and gave him the finger. "So, why are you three arriving together, and in Jake's clothes," he asked them. "Well, we got kind of drunk last night and then we got a pretty good threesome going…" "Jake," Haley exclaimed in shock as she jabbed him in the side with her elbow. "Gee Hales, didn't know you had it in you," Nathan smirked. "Nah, they're just really tired because they played a day in the life of a teenage parent yesterday. They babysat Jenny for me yesterday while I worked at the café and then we watched movies all night, so they crashed at my place. We woke up late so they didn't have time to go home and get dressed." "Ah, that explains it," Peyton replied, "Jenny keep you up?" Both girls nodded mutely. The bell soon rang and everyone parted, except for Jake and Haley, who had first hour Chemistry together.
Later that day after school, Brooke sat on the bleachers with Haley as she watched the other cheerleaders practice. She studied them closely for any flaws in their routines and made mental notes on who to talk to. She noticed that one of the cheerleaders was missing, Katrina Combs, known to her friends and some of the other cheerleaders as KC. Brooke didn't really like the girl but she was a damn good gymnast and could really do those back handsprings. She would have fired her from the squad a long time ago if it hadn't been for that. As the girls practiced flips and various routines, Peyton walked up to them and sat beside Brooke. "So what do you think," Peyton asked her friend. "Katrina's missing again," she stated grimly with a tight frown. "I know. I swear that girl's got more absences than the number of days she's actually been here. What about the rest of the squad," Peyton replied with a disappointed shake of her head. "They look pretty good…" Brooke replied then shouted out to the girls, "Maggie! Throw that candy bar away, it'll make you gain five pounds! Veronica, stop doing so many round-offs! You're going to hurt your ankle like you did last year!" Brooke huffed out a frustrated sigh as her eyes widened and covered her face with her hands, "I swear, if we didn't look out for those girls, they'd be like seventy or eighty year old grannies with saggy potbellies in cheerleading uniforms. Not a pretty sight." Peyton scrunched her face in disgust, "Ew." Haley lightly ran her hand up and down the side of Brooke's arm, "Brooke, calm down. No stress, remember?" "I know, I know," Brooke sighed.
"Can I talk to you for a few minutes," Peyton tugged on the arm of Brooke's sweatshirt and when Brooke nodded but made no move to get up, she said as she glanced at Haley, "alone?" She followed Peyton to a row of bleachers further down near the court and they sat down. "What's up Peyt," Brooke asked. "Do you want to go do something together this afternoon?" "Sorry, but Haley and I kind of have plans…" Brooke noticed a dark look and a frown form on her face but it quickly passed and Brooke asked concernedly, "What's wrong?" Peyton crossed her arms over her chest and stared down at her feet, "It's nothing." Brooke became angry that her friend wouldn't tell her and began to shout, "Don't lie to me, Peyton, it is not nothing! You tell me right now what is going on, P. Sawyer!" Peyton let out a strangled cry and then a choked sob escaped her lips. Never in her twelve years of knowing Peyton did Brooke ever see her cry, at least not like this.
Brooke rubbed her back comfortingly as she demanded gently, "Tell me." She cried for a few more minutes before she finally regained some of her breath, "I-I hardly ever see you anymore and we never hang out. And when we do, she's always with you." "Who? Haley," Brooke inquired and when Peyton nodded, she responded, "but you two are best friends…" "We are, but I just want to spend time with you, only you. You're hanging out with her so much lately that I feel that we're drifting apart…that I'm losing my best friend…that I-I'm being re-…replaced…" she choked on another sob and large tears cascaded down her cheeks. Brooke hugged her tightly, "I'm so sorry, Peyt. You are my best friend and always will be. You will never be replaced as my best friend, never. It's just that Haley and I have become really good friends since I've been staying with her. She's fun and energetic, she makes me feel happy. I can be myself with her like I can with you. She makes me feel good about myself, she makes me want to be a better person. Hell, she befriended Nathan and made him a better person. That's a feat in itself."
Peyton let out a light chuckle as she wiped the tears from her cheeks, "Yeah." "Listen, why don't you and I spend the rest of the day together, just the two of us," Brooke suggested as she linked an arm through Peyton's. "But what about your plans with Haley," she asked uncertainly. "We can always do that another time, but right now, you and me have got a date with the mall. How about it Goldilocks?" Peyton smiled at her with shiny, watery eyes, "I'd like that." "Then let's go! Just give me and minute and I'll go tell Haley the plan," Brooke responded as she jumped up and walked up to the row Haley was sitting on. "Hey Hales, I know we had plans tonight, but I really need to spend some time with Peyton…" Haley raised her hand and smiled, "It's okay, go ahead." "Thanks Hales," Brooke grinned and gave her a one-armed hug as she whispered in her ear, "I'll kiss you later." Brooke bounded down the steps to where Peyton was waiting and waved up to her as they started walking out of the gym. Haley stared sadly after them then made her own way down the stands and raced out the opposite side of the gym. She had heard everything.
She needed to keep busy. Anything to keep her mind from replaying the conversation between Brooke and Peyton over and over in her head. Anything to keep her from breaking down and crying. She decided that some basketball down at the rivercourt would help keep her mind off things. Thankfully the court was empty and she could be alone in all her solitude. Haley bounced the ball a few times before she held it in her hands and stared at the world around her. Snow lay piled on the sides of the road, the streets having been cleared that morning. The trees stood bare and the sky gray overhead. It mirrored her mood right now: bleak and bare, empty.
Haley attempted a few shots but none made the basket. In anger, she hurled the ball at the backboard and it flew back at her. She artfully dodged it and slumped her shoulders as she felt the pressure behind her eyes rise. She heard a voice behind her, "Gee Hales, is it just me or are your basketball skills getting worse? And after all I've taught you." Lucas walked up to her holding the ball, shaking his head as he smiled. He stopped a few inches from her in concern, noticing her just standing there with her arms crossed, her shoulders hunched, and looking ready to collapse into tears. She smiled only for a moment then it quickly faded away as she looked down at the ground. "Hey, you okay," Lucas asked worriedly as he touched her arm. She nodded in response then began to turn away, "Yeah, I'm fine. I um… I'm just going to go. I have some stuff to do. See you later Luke." "Hales…" he started but she just waved with her back turned to him as she walked off. "Luke, wait," Haley called a few seconds later and he turned back around to find her running towards him. She stopped before him in the same position, her shoulders hunched, ready to cry. Haley lifted her arms open to him, "Can I please have a hug? I really need one right now." He nodded them enveloped her in a tight embrace. She wrapped her arms around his neck and clung to him as she finally released some of the tears she had been holding back. After a few minutes she finally pulled away and wiped her eyes, "Thanks Luke." "No problem," he brushed a few strands away from her face, "you going to be okay?" She nodded in affirmation, "I will be. Now I really have to go. I'll see you later." With that she headed to her car.
Haley decided that going to the hospital would be another way to keep her mind off the conversation so she headed over there. Once she entered through the doors, she looked around uncomfortably with her arms crossed. Thankfully though, a familiar voice called out to her, "Haley! Hey Haley!" She turned and saw Toni walking towards her and smiled. They embraced each other, "Hey Toni! Jeez, do you work here like every day? When do you sleep? You're here every time I come in." The older woman chuckled, "Yeah, I'm usually here every day except when I work a twenty-four hour shift, then I get a day off." Haley replied, "That's cool." "Alright let's get you started. Come with me and I'll get you a pair of scrubs," Toni guided her to a closet down the hall. She handed Haley a light purple scrub top with baby animals on it and a pair of regular light blue scrub pants. "All the people in the pediatric ward wear these," Toni explained, "the lounge is right this way. There's a bathroom where you can change and I'll set you up with a locker for your things." "Thanks for everything Toni, I really appreciate it," Haley responded sincerely. "Not a problem. Oh, and I will need to get your picture for an I.D. pass so you can get in and everything. There's coffee, tea, and juice is in the fridge. We always have food around here so if you get hungry, help yourself. And you know where the cafeteria is. Do you need anything else," Toni asked. "Nope, I'm pretty good here," Haley responded. "Alright, come and get me if you need anything," she said as she patted her shoulder. "I will," Haley replied, smiling and waving to her as Toni went to go check on some of her patients.
Haley made her way to the pediatric ward and was quickly put to work by one of the nurses. She was ushered into a room with a sobbing little girl as she held her leg close to her chest rocking back and forth as she screamed, "Mommy! I want my mommy!" Haley slowly pulled a chair over to the bed so as not to startle the frightened child. She then tried the approach she had used with Jake, the little boy she'd helped calm down last week. "Hi, my name is Haley. What's yours?" The young girl replied as she sniffled, "S-Sarah." "Wow, that's a pretty name. I like it much better than mine. What do you think? Do I look like a Sarah?" Sarah cocked her head to the side, studying her, "Maybe." "So what do you like to do Sarah," Haley asked as she scooted closer to the bed. "Um, I like to play with stuffed aminals and Barbies and house and dress-up," she replied her in five-year-old voice. "That is so cool! Do you have the Barbie playhouse or the van?" "Yeah! It's awesome," Sarah responded, her face brightening.
A nurse came in holding an ace bandage and a brace, "Okay Sarah, I'm going to get you all fixed up now." The woman wrapped the bandage from her foot to about halfway up her shin then put on the brace. "Now, I want you to wear this for two weeks, okay? Then you can take it off but you must keep the bandage on. You shouldn't walk around on that leg for a week so I'm going to give you some crutches, or if you don't want those, I can get you a wheelchair." "I'm a big girl, I can use the crutches," Sarah replied proudly. "I will go get those then," the nurse turned to Haley and smiled, "thank you for watching her. I think there's a little boy in Exam Room 4 that could need your help." "No problem, and thanks," Haley replied before saying goodbye to Sarah then leaving the room to search for Exam Room 4. She stopped when she felt a hand on her arm and a deep male voice, "Hey, shouldn't you be in bed young lady? Are you lost? What room are you in?" Haley blushed as she faced a young doctor probably in his early twenties, possibly twenty-two, "I um, I'm not a patient, but I am kind of lost. I just started working here today and I still don't know where some of the different rooms are. Can you tell me where Exam Room 4 is?" "Oh sorry, I didn't notice an I.D. on you so I thought you were a patient. Exam 4 is down the hall and to your right. Oh, and good luck. Maybe I'll see you around." He flashed her a wide smile before walking off.
An hour and a half later, Toni walked into the lounge to find Haley sitting on the couch holding a cup of coffee between her hands as she stared outside the window, deeply engrossed in whatever she was thinking about. "Penny for your thoughts," Toni asked as she sat down beside her. Haley shook herself from her reverie, "What?" The older woman saw the sad look in her eyes and deduced that something had probably happened with Brooke. "Girl trouble?" Haley shrugged, "Not exactly…" "Did you and Brooke have a fight," Toni inquired concernedly as she placed a hand on Haley's shoulder. "No, it's more like best girl friend trouble. Ever since Brooke and I got together about a week ago, we've been spending almost all our time together, plus if you add up the week and a half she spent at my house to recover then the week she stayed with me when… well, it all amounts to a lot of time spent only with each other and no one else. One of my best friends, Peyton, is also Brooke's best friend and they've been friends since like forever like me and my best friend Lucas. Well, she talked to Brooke today and I wasn't eavesdropping or anything, but I overheard their conversation. Peyton was really upset about not having spent any time with Brooke lately because we've always been together. But what really hurt is that Peyton said that she felt she was being replaced by me as Brooke's best friend…" Haley began to cry, some of the tears she'd desperately tried to hold back falling down her cheeks.
Toni hugged her and rubbed her back, "Haley, you need to talk to Brooke about this. I think you two need to work some things out, like arrange some time where you can hang out with your friends alone, not just together. Go home, Haley, and talk to Brooke." "Thank you," Haley replied as she hugged Toni back then stood. Something then finally sunk into Toni's mind, "Wait, did you say you and Brooke only got together a week ago? But when Brooke was first in the hospital… I saw you…" Haley smiled at her as she turned a bright shade of pink, "Let's just say that Brooke had some wishful thinking that came true, and I did too." Toni blushed, "God, I feel so embarrassed…" "Don't be," Haley replied as she shook her head then grabbed her belongings from her locker, "I'll see you later, and thanks again Toni." "No problem Haley," the older woman replied as she waved goodbye to her.
Later that evening, Brooke arrived back at Haley's house after a wonderful afternoon out with Peyton. They'd gone to the mall and shopped while they talked and caught each other up on their lives, which a majority of it was from Peyton because all the new developments in Brooke's life couldn't be disclosed yet. She entered the house and tossed her keys onto the table by the door then set down her purse and jacket as she made her way down the hall to the living room. When she reached the living room, she was shocked to see Haley curled up in a corner of the couch, crying. Brooke sat down beside her and placed a hand on her knee concernedly, "Hales, what's wrong?" Haley quickly swiped at her cheeks then gave her a small smile to try and convince Brooke that she was okay, "Nothing's wrong. How was your day with Peyton?" Brooke noticed how fake that smile was because she had seen it so many times before, on her own face and those of others. "Bull," she replied, "now tell me what's got you crying?"
Haley sucked in a deep breath, trying to muster all the courage and will power she could, "I-I think we should take a break…" Tears formed in Brooke's eyes as her chin and bottom lip began to tremble, "What? Why? Was it something I did? Or something I didn't do? Are-Are you breaking up with me? What did I do wrong?" Haley cupped her cheeks softly and stroked her smooth skin with her thumbs, "Oh baby, no…" Haley's heart broke even more at causing the pained and scared look in her girlfriend's eyes. "I love you, you know that," she moves her hands from her face and looks away, "I just- I heard what Peyton said today and… I just think that maybe we need to cool it down a little bit, not spend so much time together. I mean, I haven't really spent any alone time with Lucas in weeks and Nathan even longer. And if Jake, even if he knew about my feelings for you, noticed our closeness then the others will probably figure it out soon too." Brooke nodded silently, still trying to process what Haley had said to her.
Haley noticed the sad look in her eyes and placed her hands on the sides of her shoulders, "Hey, it doesn't mean that we can't see each other. I just mean that we should make some more time to spend with our friends; we don't have to be together 24/7. I don't want to ruin any friendships, yours and mine. Please understand, I-" She was cut off by Brooke saying softly, "Do you want me to stay tonight? Because I can go home…" "Of course I want you to stay," Haley replied. "But I thought… you said…" "Our friends aren't here, silly. We have to house to ourselves. I wonder what we could do," Haley joked. "Sleep," Brooke responded, looking quite drained. "Now that's an answer I never thought would come out of your mouth," Haley smiled at her. "Oh come here you," Brooke replied as she pulled Haley to her body and kissed her passionately on the lips.