Just going straight into this (quite short) chapter – sorry it's been a while updating.
11am the morning after; Peyton unplugged her mobile and turned it on.
1 missed call
1 new message
She checked the voicemail.
"Hey Peyton, this is Luke. Haley's having the baby and she's asking for you. Come to the hospital as soon as you can." That was 7pm last night. Crap.
Peyton read the message.
Eventful night. How much can happen in 24 hours? Haley had a little girl and Brooke's in labour. C u soon? Lucas.
12.30am. Double crap.
"Jake!" Peyton shouted into the other room, where Jake had just got out of the shower.
"What?"
"I gotta get to the hospital. Brooke… well, she might have had the baby by now. I'll take my car."
"No, um, I'll drive you." Jake grabbed his keys.
"What about Jenny?"
"She should be home soon but she's got her own keys."
Just at the moment Jenny walked through the front door. Jake was right - Jenny wasn't pretty, but you could tell she was going to be attractive when she got older. She still had naturally blonde hair, but she had dyed it dark brown after looking at a picture of her mum. (Sorry, Mom…) Jake was despairing over it.
"Hi dad. Oh, hey Peyton. What are you doing here?"
Peyton and Jake looked at each other, smiled and Peyton bit her lip.
"Oh God, I don't want to know…" Jenny put down her bag and and walked towards her room.
"You'll be alright on your own for a couple of hours, won't you, Jen?" Jake called after her. She nodded.
"Was that embarrassing or what?" Jake laughed as he and Peyton got into his car.
"It came a close third to three guys coming into the locker room when I was half naked, while I was a sophomore." Peyton agreed.
"Third? That was only one."
"Oh, and tripping up at graduation." Peyton smiled. "Do you think Jenny will mind… me and you, you know?"
Jake sighed. "When Carla and I started dating, and I asked her if she was ok with it, she said that if I was happy, then she was happy. And… well, you make me really happy. She'll be fine."
When they got up to the hospital, Peyton went straight to the reception desk.
"Can you tell me where Brooke Davis and Haley James-Scott are?"
"And how are you related to the patients?" The receptionist asked.
"Huh?"
"We can only release room numbers to relatives."
"Well, Brooke's my sister and Haley's my, um, sister in law." Peyton lied.
"Right." The receptionist sounded as if she didn't really believe her, but looked up the rooms anyway.
"Maternity room 3."
"Sorry, is that Haley or Brooke?" Peyton leaned over, trying to see the computer screen.
"They're both in the same room."
"Oh, right."
After twenty minutes, Peyton finally found Maternity room 3 and poked her head round the door. Brooke and Haley were occupying the two beds.
"Hi!" Peyton whispered as she pulled Jake into the room.
"Oh my God, Mrs Jagielski, you totally stayed the night!" Brooke smiled wickedly.
"Shut up!" Peyton smiled and blushed at Haley. "So, how are you two doing?"
"Us four." Haley corrected her as she gestured to the two cots beside the beds.
"Oh yeah… So, are you going to introduce me or not?" Peyton picked up the baby next to Haley, dressed entirely in pink.
"That is Keira Elise Scott." Peyton jumped as Nathan came into the room and spoke from behind her.
"And this –" Brooke lifted up her baby "-is Jamie, um, Ross Santini."
Brooke raised her eyebrows. "Anyway, P. Sawyer… Jagielski, fill me in on all the juicy details…"