Author's Note: Thank you guys so much for all the comments! I've been doing my best to respond to your reviews, too. It's been really nice chatting with a few of you.
As far as an update goes, I should be able to get at least one chapter up by this weekend. I've been really busy with school this week, but I always make time for writing!
Take care, everyone. -findy0urself
#2.
The shrill noise of the telephone ringing caused Brooke to jump up, hitting her head on the bottom of the sink. Fuck! She screamed, bringing her hand to her forehead. At least there isn't any blood, she thought, still wincing in pain. The phone rang once again, and Brooke did her best to stand up. Wobbling for a few seconds, and overcome by dizziness, she placed her hand against the door frame for support. Mental note: Eat something, and soon.
"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Brooke yelled at the insignificant object as it rang for the 4th time. Out of breath, she clicked TALK and listened for a response. "Hello?" No answer. "Is anyone there?" she asked again, but was only greeted by silence.
Now complete strangers are hanging up on me, too. I just can't win, can I? Walking over to the fridge, Brooke looked for something decent to eat. Eggs? Hell no. The simple thought of their consistency caused her to gag. Pickles? No. Too salty. Since when did I become so picky? Brooke asked herself, shocked at how nothing sounded appealing in the least. After going through the refrigerator and pantry, she came to the conclusion that she was going to starve to death. Just then, her stomach grumbled loudly. Shocked and amused by her newly found talent of making bizarre noises with her belly, she giggled. Out of habit and sheer hunger, she put her hand to her abdomen.
That's when it all came flooding back. Last night. The night everything changed for good. I'm pregnant. With child. Bun in the freakin' oven. Lucas is going to love this. She hadn't even thought about what she was going to tell him. How could she? With the uncertainly of their current relationship, how could she possibly throw this in the mix? This. The baby was already an object, and an unplanned one at that.
Without realizing it, Brooke had left her hand resting gently on her stomach and was suddenly feeling very protective. Who knew that I had any maternal instincts? Brooke laughed at the irony of it all. Brooke Davis, a mom. Oh, everyone is going to get a kick out of this. Way to boost your rep, Class President. Not that her reputation was ever that great to begin with. Yes, she slept with guys. Far too many to count. She wasn't proud to admit it, but there had been so many nights; so many parties; so many drunk fucks between her and complete strangers.
"Oh God…" Suddenly overcome by intense nausea, Brooke rushed to the bathroom, barely making it. Wave after wave of nausea over took her body as she threw up violently into the toilet. Since she hadn't eaten in almost 24 hours, there wasn't much left in her body to get rid of. Unfortunately, that didn't stop her from dry-heaving for several minutes. She didn't know if the nausea was brought on by her mini-Brooke, or if thinking about her past "excursions" disgusted her. Probably both. Whatever the case, she had never felt anything like that before. Welcome to the next 9 months of your life.
Flushing the toilet and putting the seat back down, Brooke pulled herself up to a standing position. Walking over to the sink to wash her hands, she noticed her reflection in the mirror. She looked half dead. She felt it, too. Somehow, her naturally pale skin went three shades lighter. Her hair was stringy and matted down from sleeping on the floor the night before, and an egg-shaped bump had risen up on her forehead. That's attractive. Looking closer in the mirror to observe the damage that the porcelain basin had done, she noticed something else.
"Oh, Christ." Brooke swore as she noticed that she had throw-up in her hair. Doing her best to clean her dark locks, she had grabbed a washcloth and forced it in repetitive motions over her hair until she was satisfied with the results. Her face, on the other hand, was a complete disaster. Her mascara had drawn dark, angry lines of sadness down her cheeks. Her eyes were bloodshot and red from the previous night's crying. I'm sure the lovely projectile vomiting helped, too. Brooke joked, attempting to make light of the situation. She really did look a mess, but she had never been more satisfied by what she saw. For once in her life, there was nothing fake about the reflection staring back at her. This was her. This was real, and even if she had to look like a zombie, at least she wouldn't feel like one. Being in love is ugly.
Splashing water on her face and wiping any excess makeup off, Brooke decided that her appearance wasn't going to get any better. The puffiness and hollow circles under her eyes weren't going away, and she would just have to deal with it. Besides, it was probably time to get dressed. She couldn't stay wrapped up in her large, fluffy towel forever. Or could she?
Mentally assessing her level of nausea, she felt that she would be able to make it to her bedroom. Opening up her closet, Brooke was greeted by her favorite things: her clothes. In her opinion, everything could be fixed by buying a really great outfit. Fights, breakups, sadness, PMS, bad grades…anything. With one little swipe of her parent's credit card, she was in a state of bliss. She liked to tease that the only good thing her parents ever gave her was their American Express.
Picking out a pair of boot-cut jeans and a lavender halter top, Brooke eyed herself in her full-length mirror. Satisfied by what she saw, she smiled briefly. At least my ass will always be to die for. Even if I get fat. She kidded with her subconscious, slapping her butt. She knew that her appearance was going to change, and as superficial as it might seem, it scared her. She would get a "basketball belly" as Lucas eloquently referred to it. He is a piece of work. Thinking about him, she smiled. Why hadn't he called, anyway? It had almost been an entire day, and she hadn't heard from him one time.
"How long does it take to make one damn phone call!" Brooke yelled, suddenly furious. She could go from hot to cold in a matter of minutes, and the increase in hormones wasn't helping. It was upsetting to her that he would dismiss her feelings so quickly and not even check on her once over the course of the night. Especially with how we left everything. After getting over the initial anger and resentment that she felt towards him, she started to worry. Was he okay? Could he be hurt? The possibilities were endless, and this was yet another question that Brooke had no answers to.
"And where is my cell?" Getting more and more frazzled by the minute, she suddenly realized where her phone resided. In my purse, at the reception hall. Great. Sitting down on her bed, she realized that she was blowing everything out of proportion. It was out of character, but maybe Lucas wanted to give her some time to think; give her some space. Or maybe he's out there kissing my ex-best friend, again. She couldn't help but be bitter. In her current state of mind, that's all she could handle. It was her justified response. Or what if he's hurt somewhere. As awful as it sounds, she wished that her second inclination was more accurate. She cared about his well-being, but the thought of him with Peyton right now was just too much to process. She could understand if he forgot to call. She couldn't understand if he was off frolicking with Peyton while she was dealing with all of this by herself. Dealing with her new life.
Suddenly, the phone rang. Again. Hesitating for a moment, she wondered if it was the anonymous prank caller again. Or maybe it's Lucas! Brooke though, a little too eagerly. "Hello?" Her voice was filled with hope.
"Brooke, it's me." She had never been so happy to hear his voice. You're okay! I'm so glad you're okay. She wanted him to know she was worried about him, but her pride stood in the way.
"Hi," was all that she could say. Her mouth was suddenly dry; her voice cracked.
"Are you okay? Why haven't you been answering your cell or home number? I was worried. I tried calling you several times." He wasn't an idiot. He knew that she was upset with him. He figured that she'd screen his phone calls, but this was unheard of. As far as he was concerned, they weren't over. Were they?
"I left my purse at the reception." She wasn't going to let her voice reveal any more information than what was absolutely necessary.
"I have about 6 of them sitting in the back of my mom's car right now," Lucas joked. When Brooke didn't respond, he continued, "but I haven't gotten a chance to look through them to see who the owners are." He paused briefly. "Brooke, I'm at the hospital." Lucas finally got to the point of his phone call.
"What? What happened?" Brooke was shook up by the news. Here she was, being completely self-absorbed, and something much more horrible had obviously happened. Get a clue, Brooke. The world doesn't revolve around you.
"There was an accident. Rachel and Cooper's limo went over the bridge down by the river, and Nathan went in after them…" Lucas' voice trailed off to barely a whisper.
"Is everyone okay? Are YOU okay?" Letting go of her hurt for a brief moment, she allowed herself to worry about someone other than herself. Even if that person was Lucas. She couldn't imagine what he must be going through. She should've been there, but instead she was wallowing in her own self-pity. Yet another time that you weren't there for him. Brooke's insecurities riddled her brain once again.
"We don't know yet. Cooper and Rachel are in the ICU and Nathan is in surgery. The doctor said he'd let us know how they were as soon as any new information was available." He relayed the message.
"Oh my God. Lucas, I'm so—" She was cut off mid-sentence.
"I just need you here, Pretty Girl. Can you do that? Please? I need you." Lucas breathed heavily into the phone. His voice was deeper than usual, and she could tell that he was on the verge of tears.
"Of course. I'll be right there." Brooke said almost instinctively. She was taken aback by the fact that he actually admitted to needing her. She wasn't magically healed by his words, but she knew that it was a step in the right direction. It made her feel good to know that she was needed. Especially that he needed her. For so long, it had been the opposite.
"Thank you," was the last thing that Brooke heard before the dial-tone blared in her ear.
Without thinking, she quickly put her boots on, grabbed her car keys, and was out the door; locking it behind her, of course. Not wanting to waste any time, she threw her car into reverse and backed out of her driveway, heading for the hospital.
Brooke put the top down on her convertible. The fresh air would do her good. Maybe it would even clear her head. The wind whipped through her auburn hair. After a few minutes, her mind began to wander once again, so she blasted her music loudly. She needed something…anything…to deafen the doubts that emerged like red flags in her head. "Don't go!" "He'll hurt you again!" "Are you going to tell him about the baby?" "Will Peyton be there?" They were endless.
Honestly, she wanted nothing more than to turn her car around and go home. She could hide in the comfort of her own bedroom. Everything could stop. But she knew that that would only be a temporary fix. She couldn't run from herself forever, and she definitely couldn't run from Lucas. As much as she wanted to hate him, she couldn't. Was she angry? Yes. Did she feel betrayed and alone? Of course. But when push came to shove, she had to be there for him this once. He needs me. She repeated to herself. It was the only thing that kept her foot on the gas pedal.
"Finally," Brooke spoke, relieved that she was finally there.
Not sure exactly where to go, Brooke entered the main hospital entrance. It was like a maze, and she had no idea what was where. She had always hated hospitals. She had only been there once, and that was when Lucas had gotten into the car crash. If you asked her where his room was, she could find it blindfolded. She was his most frequent visitor. She occupied her time by sitting next to his bed, wondering what he was dreaming about. It might've been juvenile, but she had believed that he was dreaming about her. How idiotic was I? That whole time, he wanted Peyton.
"Brooke!" Lucas yelled down the corridor. She snapped back to reality.
Turning around to face him, she suddenly lost all control. She didn't know what happened. Maybe it was the way his eyes were pleading for her to save him, or her own selfish needs, but she just had to be in his arms. Right there, right then. Running as fast as she could, she jumped into his open embrace. And it never felt so good.
"I'm so glad you're here…" Lucas sniffled as he buried his face in her hair.
"Me too." Brooke said, meaning every word.
They stood there, holding each other for what seemed like an eternity. Neither one of them wanting to let go. They needed that closeness; that reassurance. "Luke…" reluctantly, Brooke broke the silence, and he let her out of his grasp.
"What is it?" He asked, looking deeply into her eyes. It was no surprise that she had been crying, and it tore him apart to know that he was the cause of that hurt and pain. He inflicted it. He was the one to blame, and he couldn't forgive himself for that.
"I…I mean…I'm…" Brooke tried to get the words out. She wanted to tell him. About the baby. About how she wasn't sure that she could go through with this. This being their relationship or the baby.
Lucas laughed quietly, "I think this must be some type of record, Miss Davis. I've never known you to be the tongue-tied type!"
"Well, this is different!" She punched him playfully in the chest.
"Just spit it out. Whatever it is, we'll deal with it." And Lucas meant every word. Is she going to tell me she's pregnant? He had sat up all night wondering if that was Brooke's pregnancy test that he had stumbled upon. He hadn't come to any conclusions. He was at his wits end worrying. He couldn't imagine having a baby, but he couldn't imagine life without her, either.
"Lucas! Brooke! The doctor has more information!" Haley yelled, interrupting both of their thoughts. "C'mon!"
"We'll be right there, Hales!" Luke responded, and then turned back to Brooke. "Now what was it that you wanted to tell me?"
"Never mind, Luke. It's nothing important. It can wait. Let's go see how our friends are." Her words downplayed the seriousness of the situation.
"Are you sure?" He asked, one last time. He didn't want to make her tell him anything. For all he knew, it was nothing.
"I'm sure." I'm only having your baby, she thought.