"Lucas! Where the heck have you been?" Haley whispered, gently rocking her hips while Taylor slept lightly on her shoulder.
"At the hospital."
"Lucas, you didn't."
"Yeah I did."
"What'd Brooke do?"
"She yelled a lot, then started coughing really hard, and the doctors made me leave."
"Thank God," Haley muttered.
"Haley, she's my wife. I miss her."
Taylor stirred in Haley's arms and murmered, "I want Mommy."
Haley shot Lucas a 'now look what you've done look done' look.
"Mommy's not home yet sweetie, but you know who is? Daddy," Haley gently whispered to the little girl, hoping to avoid the tears threatening to spill out of the little girl' eyes.
"No! No Daddy! Mommy!" Taylor cried, the tears spilling down her cheeks.
"Lucas," Haley said.
"Hey baby," Lucas said softly, taking Taylor from Haley's tired arms.
"No!," Taylor screamed, "Mommy."
"Mommy is still at the doctors, so while she's gone we have to be extra good for her," Lucas tenderly persuaded, "Can you do that for Mommy?"
Taylor nodded, laying her head against Lucas' shoulder.
"I'm going to go home Luke," Haley said, kissing the top of Taylor's head, "Don't do anything stupid."
"Mommy!" Jenna cried, slipping out of Haley's arms and immediately climbing into the bed beside Brooke.
"Hi babies!" Brooke said, hugging Jenna.
"Hi Mommy," Taylor said, clinging to Haley.
"Hey Taylor," Brooke said gently, noticing the fear in her daughter's eyes.
"I just brought the youngest three today, I thought I would bring Leighton and Aniston by tomorrow," Haley said, putting Elijah's car seat down on the floor and adjusting Taylor so she could sit.
"Thanks Haley."
"I take care of Jenna and 'Lijah for you Mommy," Taylor spoke up, slowly slipping out of Haley's lap.
"Thank you Taylor," Brooke said, adjusting herself to a sitting position in the hospital bed.
"Can I see Elijah?" she finally asked, as Taylor crawled up the bed snuggling against Brooke's shoulder.
Haley nodded and fumbled with the car seat until she somehow managed to get Elijah out and into Brooke's eager arms.
"Hey Haley?" she asked, surrounded by her kids.
"Yeah?"
"This makes me happy."
"Daddy!" Aniston cried, flying into Lucas' open arms.
"Hey Buddy," Lucas greeted, wrapping Aniston in a great big bear hug.
"I made you something," Aniston said excitedly, scrambling out of Lucas' embrace to get to his backpack. He pulled out a piece of blue construction paper with two words written on it.
"It says 'Daddy' and 'Aniston,'" Aniston said eagerly, handing the paper to Lucas.
"I love it," Lucas said scooping Aniston into his arms, "You ready to get Leighton?"
Aniston nodded, wrapping his arms around Lucas' neck. They reached Leighton's classroom with only one stop to let Aniston go to the bathroom, which Lucas considered a bit much, but Brooke would've been impressed by.
"Hi Dad, hi Aniston," Leighton greeted as she collected her folder and book.
"Are you Leighton's daddy?" a little girl with blonde curls asked, looking up at Lucas.
"Yes, I am."
"I thought you were dead."
"Umm... no." Lucas responded, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
"Come on Dad," Leighton said, rolling her eyes and grabbing Lucas' hand. Lucas smiled and kissed the top of Aniston's head. He was finally being a dad.
Three months later
"Daddy's here!" Taylor screamed, flying through the living room open the door for Lucas.
"Hey Taylor," Lucas said, kissing her cheeks.
"Hey Luke," Brooke said, holding Elijah with one hand, and wiping the countertops with the other.
"Hi Brooke," Lucas said, taking Elijah from her. Brooke gave him a grateful half-smile.
"Jenna, Leight, Aniston, your daddy is here," Brooke called. Aniston flew out of his bedroom, crashing into Lucas' legs. Leighton came down the hall few minutes, dragging Jenna behind her.
"No wanna go!" Jenna shrieked, breaking free of her sister's grasp and flying into Brooke's arms.
"Hey Jen," Lucas said softly, pushing the hair out of Jenna's tear stained face. Brooke inwardly winced. Lucas still didn't understand that Brooke's children- his children- did not respond well to nick names. Especially Jenna. She immediately shifted herself onto Brooke's other hip, edging away from Lucas.
"Jenna, Lucas, her name is Jenna," Brooke reminded him.
"Daddy, let's go," Aniston said, emerging from his room with his dinosaur back pack. Brooke grinned as she watched him drag the bag down the hall. He had blossomed since Lucas came back into his life. He still loved his animals, but he talked more, and was becoming interested in basketball, which Lucas loved.
"Just a minute Aniston," Brooke said, trying to hand off Jenna to Lucas.
"No no no!" she screamed, intertwining her fingers around Brooke's neck.
"Jenna sweetie," Brooke tried to reason, sitting down with Jenna in her lap. "Daddy is taking you to the children's museum. Leighton and Aniston and Elijah and Taylor are going with you. Mommy has to go to the doctor. Then we're going to go to McDonalds together for dinner. Okay?"
"Okay," Jenna said tearfully, still clinging to Brooke's shirt.
"Taylor is asleep in her room," Brooke told Lucas, "I'm going to walk Jenna down to the car if you can grab Taylor."
Lucas nodded and quickly buckled Elijah in his car seat. Brooke moved Jenna over to one hip, and grabbed Elijah with her free hand.
Brooke placed a now much calmer Jenna into her car seat, and slowly opened her daughter's fist that still had a death grip on her shirt.
"I miss you Mommy."
"Miss you too baby," Brooke grinned, buckling Elijah in beside Jenna.
Lucas arrived holding a groggy Taylor with Leighton and Aniston trailing along behind him. He quickly buckled them all in their booster seats and was ready to go.
"Thanks Luke," Brooke said awkwardly. She hadn't forgiven him. But she pretended to, and she was trying.
"No problem, see you at dinner."
"Yeah."
"Mommy!" Taylor cried, running through McDonalds at top speed to the booth Brooke was sitting at.
"Hi Taylor," Brooke smiled, combing her fingers through Taylor's tangled hair.
Lucas arrived through the door a few seconds later, holding a still screaming Jenna.
"Hey Lucas," Brooke said, immediately standing up and taking Jenna. Jenna relaxed into Brooke's embrace, tears still in her eyes.
"Brooke, she cried almost all day, I don't know what's wrong."
"Okay, thanks Luke, I'll take care of it. Where are the rest of my kids?"
"Aniston and Leighton are supposed to be right behind me with Elijah."
Brooke turned to see Aniston and Leighton struggling to open the door and carry Elijah in his car seat.
"Lucas, you can't do that," Brooke said jumping up, "There not big enough to carry him."
Brooke ran out and grabbed Elijah from the kids, Jenna still clinging to her.
"Hi Mom." Aniston said defeatedly.
"Hey buddy. Why didn't either of you tell Daddy that you aren't allowed to carry Elijah?"
"He asked us to take him inside," Leighton piped up.
"Okay," Brooke said, dropping it for the time being.
"Mommy?" Jenna whispered in Brooke's ear.
"Yeah baby?" Brooke answered, placing Elijah's seat down on the table.
"I go potty."
"You need to?"
"No, I go potty already."
"In your pull up?"
"Uh huh."
"And that why you're upset." Brooke said as a statement, not a question.
"Yeah."
Lucas was sitting on the floor of the play place removing shoes from kids.
"I'm taking Jenna to the bathroom Lucas, we'll be right back," Brooke told him, placing Elijah down next to Lucas. Lucas nodded and continued fighting with the knot in Aniston's shoe laces.
Brooke quickly cleaned Jenna up and put her in a clean pull-up. She instantly perked up, and ripped of her shoes, clamoring towards the play area.
"How do you do that?" Lucas asked, placing Elijah into Brooke waiting arms.
"She told me Lucas, it wasn't that hard." Brooke said, pulling a bottle out of the diaper bag.
"Yeah, but she was with me all day, and didn't talk hardly at all."
"I'm her Mommy Lucas, she trusts me. She'll trust you too one day, you just have to be patient."
"I'm sorry about letting Leighton and Aniston carry Elijah," Lucas said ashamedly.
"It's fine Lucas, you didn't know."
"But I should have known. No one should expect a seven year old to be able to carry an infant."
"Leighton is eight Lucas," Brooke smiled.
"Sorry."
AN- I am so sorry it took so long to get this up. I wanted it to be a little longer, but I haven't had anytime to write lately. I'll update again as soon as possible, school this year is just crazy. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please review! They make me update so much faster, and they help me know what direction to take the story in. Thanks for reading!