Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or it's characters...All I own is the plot of this story!!
Footprints in the Sand
"I promise you, I'm always there, when your heart is filled with sadness and despair. And I'll carry you, when you need a friend, you'll find my footprint in the sand."
"You look just like your mother," he told her as he walked up to her and wiped some flour off her dimpled cheek.
She was seven and she wanted to make him a cake for his birthday. It was his first brithday without her and she wanted to keep up the tradition of making a homemade birthday cake. She remembered where her mother kept the cookbook, not that she had seen her use it many times but she still remembered where it was. She had pulled it out all by herself; she had mixed all the ingredients. "Little Miss Independent", he had always called her. And when he said it he told her she got that from her mom. She liked hearing that that she was like her.
"Dad, stop," she said as swatted his hand away with her much smaller one. "I can do it, just turn on the stove because I am not allowed to," she instructed him with a smile.
"Fine, Little Miss Independent", he said as he went to turn the stove on. He had always called her that since she was small. And when he said it he told her she got that from her mom. She liked hearing that that she was like her. It made her feel like a part of her was still here.
Once he turned the oven on, she put the cake in and set a timer. "When this timer goes off it will be done," she instructed as if she was an old pro. She walked over to the counter and sat down.
"Alright, do you want me to listen for it?" He asked her.
"Nah, she said, looking up from a birthday card she had started to color. As she did a few stray blonde hairs blew in her face. "I told you I can do it."
And he knew she could. She was her mother's child after all.
He walked up to her bedroom door and peeked in through the crack in the door. She nearly always closed him out; it wasn't cool to have parents hanging around like a third wheel when you are in middle school. He watched her as she applied an 'R' sticker to her cheek, just as her mom had always done.
She caught a glimpse of him in the mirror as she checked her reflection. "Dad, don't look at me like that," she whined. And she continued to pull her now chocolate covered locks into a low ponytail. Time did nothing but made her look more like her mother.
"Like what?" He asked. He couldn't help but get overcome with emotion whenever a big event in his daughter's life came around. All he wanted was for her to be able to share these experiences with her mom, and he knew he could never give that to her. It broke his heart.
She turned around to face him. "Like you are about to cry or something," she pouted. "It is so not cool, Dad. And Delaney is going to be here any minute and I don't want her to see you crying," she instructed.
He laughed at her ways. She could always make him smile. For awhile she had been the only one who could. "Well alright miss cheerleader. But you better be nice to me, or you are going to be walking to your first game," he said with a smirk.
She ran over to him and hugged him. "You wouldn't make the captain of the junior high cheerleading squad walk, now would you?" She asked with a smile that displayed her mother's dimples.
He hugged her back. "No, I don't think I could do that," he said.
She heard the door bell and pulled away from him. "That must be Delaney! C'mon Dad I cannot be late for my first ever game!" She squealed as she bounded down the stairs.
And Lucas Scott stared at the vision in front of him, almost as if he was transported to another place and time.
"You keep playing like that and you might have a chance with the captain of the cheerleader?" A bubbly brunette walked over and told him with a hug.
"Why, did she say something?" He playfully asked as he moved her to the side to look around her.
She laughed at his antics. He loved that laugh. "Yeah, she said this," she breathed and she kissed him on the lips.
"Dad, Come on! We're ready!" Natalie screamed from the bottom of the stairs, bringing back to Lucas to his reality.
"I'm coming sweet girl," he called, and he headed down the stairs to meet his daughter.
"Aunt Haley, are you sure this looks okay?" she asked, as she stepped out of the bathroom wearing a dress her aunt had seen before. It was the same one her mother had worn to her junior prom.
"You look amazing," Haley told her. "I feel like I am back in high school," she added, tearing up.
"Don't cry," She told her. "I am sure we will get enough of that from Dad." She was so strong, he said she got that form her. So she worked extra hard at it most of the time.
Haley fixed her hair and she headed home to see her father and await her date. When she walked in the door she immediately called to her father. "Daddy, I'm home," she said.
At the sound of her voice he made his way to the entryway to greet her. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw her and his eyes filled with tears.
She walked over to him and took him in a hug. "Don't cry Daddy," she whispered.
He was shocked. He didn't understand how she had gotten this dress. "But how did you get this dress? I had no clue where it was?"
She smiled at him. "I had Aunt Haley go through some old boxes with me while you were at work last week. We found it and I knew it would be perfect. So, how do I look?" She asked him, as she did a twirl in the periwinkle dress.
He stared at her, and the only thing he could think to say was, "You look just like her." And he smiled and kissed his daughter's forehead.
When he pulled back she had tears in her eyes, which was a rare thing for her. "That was the answer I was hoping for," she choked out as she enveloped him in a hug.
As he watched her leave with her date, he told her not to stay out too late. He knew how kids could be. And with Natalie, he never stopped worrying. She was her mother made over—beautiful, independent, brave, and strong-willed. He knew there was no stopping her when she got an idea in her head, and when you're in high school most of the time those ideas are not good. He thought about his junior prom and how he had stayed out all night with a girl wearing that exact dress...her mother.
"You ready?" he asked her as he walked into the bridal chamber at the same church they were married in.
She turned around to face him, and put on a brave smile. "As ready as I'll ever be," she said. She was anxious, and nervous, and excited all at the same time.
She took his arm and they walked to the back of the foyer and waited behind the closed doors.
"Here, take this," he said, as he offered her a small gift.
"What is this," she asked, as she took the small package and opened it. Inside the tissue paper wrapping was a diamond broach. "It's beautiful," she said. "But where did you get it?"
"It was your mother's," he told her. "It used to belong to her grandmother and she carried it on her bouquet for her something old. I thought you could do the same," he told her as he kissed her cheek.
A dimple smile spread across her face. "I couldn't think of anything I would rather do," she said as she opened the pin and stuck it to the ribbon that surrounded her bouquet.
He smiled as he saw it on her flowers and he thought back to his own wedding day. It had been one of the best of his life, second only to the day Natalie was born. Her mother had looked beautiful, like an angel. They were even married in this exact church.
After a few moments he spoke again. "She's here you know," he told her as he squeezed her hand that was draped over his arm.
"I know," she said smiling up at him. "I just wish she was actually here. I wish she could have helped me pick out the color scheme, decide on table linens, and fight with me over the food for the reception. Why was I not given that? Look at me, I'm a mess," she said as she dabbed at her eyes with a Kleenex.
He wiped a stray tear from her cheek. "I can't answer those questions for you, Sweetheart. I wish she was here too, physically. But she is here spiritually. And I know she is watching you from above and smiling down on you. Now dry your eyes, she would not want you being sad, especially over her on this day of all days," he replied knowingly and brushed a strand of dark hair back from her face.
"Your right," she laughed. "I'm getting married! This is the happiest day of my life!" She said as she waved her arms in the air. "I'm being silly; all these nerves have got me going out of control."
"You're not being silly. Just remember she is here, she is always right here," he said as he pointed to her heart.
"I know. I love you, Daddy," she whispered as the church doors swung open a peaceful silence settled as they entered.
"I love you too, my sweet girl," he told he as they walked down the aisle.
"Ahhhhh! It hurts," she screamed as sweat poured down her face. She was exhausted and she felt disgusting. Not to mention she was in an excruciating amount of pain.
"You can do this baby," her husband told her. "Just a little bit more."
"I can see the head," the doctor called up to her. "And she has a full head of dark hair."
She smiled at this. "I knew she would. Like mother, like daughter," she said and looked up at her husband.
"Just a few more pushes and she'll be here," the doctor called.
"Now c'mon Babe, you can do it," her husband coached her. "Breathe out, out, in, out, out, in."
"I can't do it," she cried and flung her head back onto the pillows. She closed her eyes and squeezed them tightly. When she did, she saw her, looking radiant in a billowy, white sundress.
"You can do this Natalie," she told her as she walked towards her. "You're strong. You're my daughter after all," she said with a dimpled smile. "Do this for your daughter."
"But it's so hard mom," she cried. "It just hurts too badly." She ran to her and hugged her.
"Look, Natalie, you need to wake up and do this. Do this for your daughter, do it for yourself, do it for me," she whispered as her form started to fade away.
"Mom, don't go," she cried, grasping for her, but it was too late. She was gone.
"Natalie, Natalie, can you hear me?" A nurse asked as she waved smelling salts in front of her face.
"Yeah, I can hear you. I'm fine," she shook them off.
"We weren't so sure for a minute there," her husband told her. "But look who's here," he said as he handed their baby girl to her.
She happily received the baby and snuggled her close to her. "She's beautiful," she said happily. "Can you go get my dad?" She asked as she lifted her face to meet her husband's.
"Sure," he told her as he walked out of the room.
A few minutes later, Lucas came in to see his daughter and granddaughter.
"Look at her Dad," Natalie called. "Doesn't she look just like mom?" She asked him as tears started to form in her eyes.
He looked from his daughter's face, to the sweet baby in her arms. "Yes, she does. And she looks just like you," he said as his eyes got watery. "May I?" He asked, gesturing towards the baby.
"Of course," she said, and handed the baby to him.
Lucas took her and sat down in the chair next to his daughter's bed. "Hey pretty girl," he said, "I'm your grandpa."
Natalie looked at her father and her daughter in his arms. "Dad," she called, causing him to raise his head and look at her. "We're thinking of calling her Brooke, if that is okay?" She asked him with hopeful eyes.
"That sounds perfect, Sweet girl. I couldn't think of a better way to honor you mother than that. And I know she is smiling down on you and little Brooke right now," he said, forcing back the tears that were forming in his throat.
"And you too," she told him, as she began to cry. "She's watching all of us," she said as she looked over to her husband who was smiling and nodding at her encouragingly.
"Yes, she is. Yes, she is. Isn't that right sweet little Brooke?" Lucas asked the baby.
Natalie let out a little laugh and turned to look at her father. When she did, she swore she could see her mother, right behind him, lovingly looking down at the baby girl who was her namesake. She blinked her eyes, and it was just her father and her baby there before her. But she knew her mother was there too. She always had been and she always would be. She was her guardian angel, and now she was baby Brooke's too.
Okay, this is just an idea I had so I went with it...It is my first one-shot and I don't think it is the best but hopefully you all liked it!Thank you all for reading and let me know what you thought of it!! Reviews are love!
Audra