Peyton was still sitting on the floor with Brooke when she felt Brooke's body go limp in her arms.
"Brooke," she said in a panicked tone.
When Brooke didn't answer her, Peyton felt herself getting nervous. She carefully laid Brooke on the solid wood floor to go get a phone to call for help.
"911, what's your emergency?" the operator asked.
"My friend, she cut her wrist with some broke glass. Then she was crying really hard and now she's not breathing. And she's pregnant. Oh god, the baby," Peyton explained as she tried to stay calm.
"Sweetie, is your friend breathing?"
Peyton got on the floor next to Brooke. It didn't sound like she was breathing and Peyton couldn't feel any bursts of air coming from Brooke's lips.
"She's not breathing. Oh god, she can't die. I can't lose her."
"What's your name?"
"Peyton."
"Okay Peyton. I need you to stay calm. I know you're scared but you need to do this for your friend. She needs you."
"Okay."
Five minutes later Peyton could hear sirens. She rushed down the stairs to let the EMT's into the house and up the stairs to where Brooke lie, still not breathing.
"Miss, what happened?" the younger of the two asked.
"She cut her wrist on some broken glass. Please, don't let her die," Peyton replied tearfully.
"We're gonna do everything we can to make sure she doesn't."
Peyton couldn't help herself as she thought yeah, that's what they said about Luke too and he's dead. A few minutes later the EMT's were carrying Brooke down the stairs to the ambulance with Peyton right behind them. Brooke still wasn't breathing and her pulse was getting weaker. Peyton tried to stay of the way as she sat in the back of the ambulance holding Brooke's hand tightly. When they reached the hospital the EMT's moved quickly to get Brooke inside. They wheeled her in and then she was taken through a set of doors Peyton wasn't permitted to walk through.
"Please, save her," she pleaded.
Peyton was alone in the waiting. She didn't have her cell phone because they left so quickly. Slowly, Peyton got to her feet. She had to find a pay phone and call Nathan, Haley, Karen, Keith, Mouth and Rachel. And for a split second Peyton considered calling Ryan but quickly dismissed the thought when she realized she didn't have a number for him. Sighing, Peyton put some change in the phone and dialed Haley's number.
"Hello," Haley sniffled as she answered the phone in bewilderment.
"Hales, it's Peyton," she said slowly.
"If you're looking for Brooke, I haven't seen her since she left Karen's a couple hours ago."
"I'm not looking for Brooke. I'm with Brooke. She's the reason I'm calling though."
"What? Oh my god, did something happen to her Peyton? Is it the baby? What's wrong?"
"She's in the hospital right now. She sliced her wrist with broken glass. She lost so much blood, Hales. Then she was sobbing after that and then she wasn't breathing anymore. When we got here she still wasn't breathing. Oh god, Hales, I can't lose her."
"Oh my god. Okay, you call Mouth and Rachel. I'll get Karen and Keith."
"What about Nathan? He'll wanna be here."
"I don't know where he is right now. He got in a fight with Brooke earlier and stormed out of Karen's. I can't get a hold of him, he shut his phone off."
"Hales, he'll turn it back on. Leave him a message."
"Okay, you just call Mouth and Rachel. I'll take care of the rest and see you in a little bit. Hang in there, Peyt. We're not gonna lose Brooke or the baby."
"I hope you're right."
Peyton hung up and dug for more change in her pockets. Part of her didn't want to call Mouth or Rachel but she knew she had to because they were Brooke's friends too. She decided to try Mouth first but it went to his voicemail.
"Hey, it's Mouth. Leave me something good and I'll get back to you."
Peyton sighed. This was not something good but she had no choice.
"Mouth, it's Peyton. Brooke's in the hospital. Get here as soon as you can."
Peyton hung up and once again had to dig for more change. She had just enough to make one more phone call. Rachel picked up.
"Hello?" she whispered.
"Rachel?" Peyton replied a little unsure.
"Who's this?"
"It's Peyton. Please, don't hang up. Brooke's in the hospital."
"What? Why? Oh god, she's okay right?"
"Just find Mouth and get here. I'll everything then."
"Okay."
"Bye Rachel."
"Wait."
"What?"
"Thanks for calling me. I know you're afraid I'm trying to replace you in Brooke's life. I'm not."
"Bye Rachel."
Peyton hung up and walked over to the first empty plastic chair and flopped down. Just as she sat down Haley came bursting in followed by Karen and Keith. Haley sat next to Peyton and hugged her tightly. Karen walked over to join the girls while Keith tried to see if he could get any information on Brooke's condition.
"Hi, my daughter in law was brought in a little while ago. I was hoping someone could tell me how she's doing," Keith said calmly.
"Name?" the nurse asked.
"Brooke Davis."
The nurse typed the name into the computer and read the screen before turning back to answer Keith.
"They're running some tests right now. A doctor should be with you soon."
"Thank you."
Keith walked away and sat next to Karen.
"What did she say?" Peyton asked nervously.
"They're running some tests. A doctor should be here in a little while," Keith replied.
They continued to sit there in silence. Each of them hoping and praying Brooke and the baby would be all right.
"God, I never ask for anything but please, don't let Brooke or the baby die," Peyton prayed quietly.
Haley reached over and squeezed Peyton's hand. She was terrified that Brooke's days without Lucas were about to end but she wasn't ready to say goodbye to her yet. They continued to sit there, waiting a blanket of silence uncomfortably resting over them. After what seemed like an eternity Rachel and Mouth came flying into the waiting room, both of them had tears in their eyes.
"Peyton!" Rachel said as they stopped running, "How's Brooke?"
"We don't know yet. They're running some tests," Peyton replied.
"She'll be okay. I know she will. The Brooke Davis I've come to know is a fighter and I believe she'll fight her way out of this."
"But Brooke isn't the only one we're worried about," Haley whispered.
"What are you talking about Haley?" Rachel asked when she heard her whispering.
"Oh, um, nothing. I was talking about nothing."
Shit! Me and my big mouth Haley thought to herself. Rachel sat next to Haley and grabbed her hand.
"Please, Haley. Tell me what's going on. Brooke's my friend too. If there's something else you're worried about, please tell me."
"She's pregnant, Rachel. There, are you happy? Now you know," Peyton snapped as she stood up and walked away.
"Haley? Is she?" Mouth asked when Rachel couldn't find the words to say it herself.
"Yes, Brooke is pregnant. Wait, do you even know what happened to Brooke?" Haley replied.
"No, we don't," Rachel said.
"Brooke cut herself with broken glass and then she passed out."
Rachel's eyes grew wide. She knew that Brooke would have a hard time dealing with Lucas' birthday but she didn't believe it would get this bad. But then again she didn't know Brooke was pregnant until now either.
"Oh god. Is the baby Luke's?" Rachel asked timidly.
"Yes."
"She must be so scared. Mouth, we have to help her. She said she was gonna help me but I think we should help her. I've got you and she doesn't have Luke. She'll need more help than I will," Rachel said as she turned to her boyfriend.
"Of course we'll help Brooke. I wouldn't dream of not helping her. She's my friend too just like Luke was. Everything is gonna be okay. Brooke and the baby will make it through. After all, the baby is half Scott half Davis," Mouth laughed.
"What are you saying Mouth? Are Scotts stubborn?" Keith asked as he leaned forward to look at Mouth, with a grin on his face.
"Of course you are. But you know we love you. Most of the time."
"Yeah, well. I am the nice guy in the clan."
Mouth nodded.
"Hey! What about my husband?" Haley interjected.
"Yeah, what about her husband?" Nathan said as he walked in looking frantic.
"Nathan! Oh thank god you're here," Haley said when she looked up to see Nathan smile weakly at her.
"I got your message. What's going on? Is Brooke hurt? Did something happen to the baby?"
"She sliced her wrist Nate. She passed out on her floor while Peyton was with her. They're running some tests right now," Keith explained to his nephew.
"This is my fault. I shouldn't have screamed at her today. That was stupid of me. Karen, I'm sorry. I made Brooke put your grandchild at risk today."
"No, Nathan. You didn't make Brooke do anything. She made her own choices. She knew it was wrong and that she would be putting her life and the baby's life in danger by doing what she did but she chose to do it anyway. Don't you dare blame yourself," Karen replied sternly.
"I screamed at her. I shouldn't have done that. She was just trying to help me and I didn't let her. I'm a terrible person. Who puts their unborn niece or nephew's life at risk like that? Apparently I do."
"No, Karen's right. You didn't do anything wrong. You couldn't have known she was going to end up in the hospital," Peyton said as she came back and sat next to Haley.
"You weren't there Peyton. You didn't hear how mean I was. I told her to shut up and some other stupid stuff. I shouldn't have done it. I'm sorry."
A tear rolled down Nathan's cheek. No matter what anyone said he felt like this whole thing was his fault. First with Lucas dying and now this with Brooke and the baby in danger.
"Luke, I'm sorry man. I'm so sorry I can't take better care of your girl and your baby. I really thought I could this man but I can't. I can't look at her without missing you. Oh god, Luke, I'm sorry I messed up," Nathan cried as he dropped his head in his hands.
Haley leaned over and rubbed his back with her while she wiped the tears from his eyes with the other hand. She hated to see Nathan like this. It was heart wrenching and made her want to trade places with him just so he wouldn't have to feel this way anymore.
"Shh, baby, it's okay. You're doing a great job watching out for Brooke and the baby. Luke would be so glad to know you have been watching out for them like you have. You're a great brother for wanting to keep them safe. Your need to protect them is part of what makes me love you because it's part of you and I love all of you," Haley said softly as she kept rubbing his back.
"Why do I feel like this whole thing is my fault then? Why Hales? I can't live like this," Nathan asked as the tears slowed down.
"Baby I wish I knew but I can't answer that for you. Only you can."
"Excuse me? Who's here for Brooke Davis?" a middle aged doctor asked as he walked into the waiting room carrying a clipboard.
"We are," Karen and Keith answered as they stood up.
"Come with me please."
Karen and Keith wordlessly followed the doctor down a hallway and into an office. He shut the door and motioned for them to sit down. They sat down and held each other's hands tightly.
"My name is Dr. Madden. We ran some tests on your daughter in law. There was significant blood loss but we have her stabilized for the time being. We made need to take the baby out now, I know that you don't like the sound of that but there's a high possibility of Brooke slipping into a coma and if that happens the baby's chances of survival will decline dramatically," Dr. Madden began.
"Is Brooke awake?" Keith asked.
"She's asleep right now. But we did manage get her breathing again. Although she's hooked up to oxygen as a precautionary measure."
"Will we be able to discuss the options about the baby with her?"
"Of course. I don't want to do anything with the baby until you've talked with her. Is her husband here?" (A/N: No, they didn't get married.)
Karen's eyes watered as she shook her head.
"No, he was killed two months again at the Tree Hill High shooting," Keith replied as he squeezed Karen's hand tightly.
"Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't realize."
"It's okay."
"What about her parents?"
"They're out of town and probably don't have a clue their daughter is pregnant."
"Does she have any other blood relatives who would need to know about this?"
"She has a brother in California but none of us know how to reach him except for Brooke."
"Well then I guess it's up to the two of you to talk with Brooke about her options."
Karen and Keith nodded. Dr. Madden stood up and led them to Brooke's room. She looked peaceful as she slept despite the bandage on her wrist.
"Brooke," Karen said as she sat in the chair on one side of the bed. Keith sat in the chair on the other side of the bed. Each of them took one of Brooke's hands in their own hands.
"Brookie, it's Keith. Squeeze my hand if you're awake," Keith said gently. He smiled as he felt her grip on his hand tighten.
"Hi," she whispered hoarsely.
"Brooke, I'm Dr. Madden. We need to discuss some things with you. About the baby," Dr. Madden began.
Brooke's eyes grew wide. Was he going to tell her that she had lost the baby? Did she kill her last link to Lucas? Tears welled up in her eyes as she nervously waited to hear what was going on.
"First of all, the baby is okay. For now. But there is a chance you could slip into a coma because you lost so much blood. If you do, then you more than likely will lose your baby. In order to prevent that from happening we may need to take the baby out now."
"But I'm only five months pregnant," Brooke cried.
"I know but you want the baby to survive right?"
"Yes of course. It's all I have left to tie me to Lucas."
Karen reached up to wipe the tears from Brooke's eyes as they slid down her cheeks unchecked. Keith watched from his side of the bed as he continued to hold Brooke's hand. He knew this was going to be hard for her but he trusted that she would make the right choice.
"Brooke, it's up to you. Whatever you decide, Karen and I will back you up 100 percent. If you want them to go in and take the baby out now, then that's fine. If you don't, that's fine too but remember the risks in that right now," Keith said gently.
"I don't wanna lose this baby. It's the last link to Lucas that I have," she said quietly.
She placed her hands on her stomach and felt the baby move under her. That was enough to know that as risky as it may be, she had to let the doctors do what's best for the baby. It wasn't just about her and her safety anymore. Brooke had to think about the baby too.
"What do you think Brooke? Do you need more time to think about your options or are you ready to make a decision?" Dr. Madden asked.
"I'm ready to make my decision," Brooke said firmly as she looked between Karen and Keith who both just nodded at her to let her know they would support whatever she decided, "If it's safer for the baby I want you to take it out now. I don't want to lose him."
"Him?" Karen said with a small sparkle.
"I don't know for sure but I have this feeling. Call it intuition if you want but I firmly believe the baby is a boy."
Karen nodded as she smiled. She remembered feeling the same way 18 years ago when she was pregnant with Lucas. Everyone who knew her thought the baby was gonna be a girl but Karen thought differently. And of course she had been right.
"All right, I've gotta let the OR know what's going on and I'll come back for you in a little while. Hang in there Brooke," Dr. Madden said with a smile as he turned to leave the room.
"So this is it. I'm going to meet my baby today. I wish Luke was here," Brooke said as a tear slid down her cheek.
"I know you do sweetheart but think of it this way, this is the best birthday present you could ever give him," Karen said as she stroked the girl's cheek.
"I'm scared. What if the baby dies? I was so selfish today. I'm sorry I didn't mean for any of this to happen. Honestly. It wasn't supposed to be like this."
"Brooke, it's all right. Everyone makes mistakes. I'm just glad you and the baby are all right. If you weren't then I don't know what I would do. Losing my son was hard enough, I can't imagine losing you too."
"If we thought you meant to harm the baby then it would be a different story but we understand you were grief stricken and not in your right frame of mind earlier. It happens Brooke. Nobody's perfect. Please, don't beat yourself up over this. The baby is gonna be fine and do you wanna know how I know that?" Keith said.
"How?" Brooke asked weakly.
"Because the baby is a part of you and you are strong. Only the strong survive, that's not to say Lucas was weak."
"But his heart…the HCM. He was weak. Maybe not in the way he carried himself but physically he was a little weaker than others. It's okay. I know what you mean."
Brooke lie in the hospital bed with her hands resting protectively over the small bump that was her baby. She whispered softly to the baby that she was sorry for everything that she had put him through. About 20 minutes later, Dr. Madden came back with a couple more doctors and they were getting ready to take Brooke up to the OR.
"Are you ready Brooke?" he asked.
"I guess so," Brooke said nervously.
"Everything's gonna be fine. Remember what I told you," Keith said as he leaned down to kiss her forehead.
"We'll be here when it's over. Hang in there, kiddo," Karen said as she too leaned down and kissed Brooke's forehead.
"I love you guys," Brooke said through her tears.
"We love you too," Keith said with a smile as he lead Karen out of the room and back to the waiting room where everyone was waiting anxiously to find out what was going on.
Peyton spotted them first and ran up to them. There were tears in her eyes but she didn't care. All she cared about was how Brooke and the baby were doing.
"How are they?" she asked as her lip quivered.
"They're gonna be fine. But" Keith said.
"But what? Is it the baby? Oh god," Haley interrupted as she began to panic.
"Hales, I'm sure the baby is fine. Right Keith?" Nathan asked as he wrapped Haley into a hug.
"The baby is going to be fine. In fact, we all may get to meet the baby a lot sooner than we would have thought," Keith explained.
"What?" Peyton asked.
"The doctor explained to us that she was stable but because there is a chance she could slip into a coma she was going to have to decide what to do about the baby. If she decided to keep the baby in her that would be a greater risk to the baby's health so she decided not to take the chance and they just took her up to the OR. The baby is going to be born today," Karen answered.
"The baby is gonna share a birthday with Luke," Haley said with a sad smile. Karen could only nod.
"What better way to keep the memory of Lucas alive than for Brooke to have the baby today," Rachel said as she tried to see the good in the situation.
"Rachel's right. Maybe it's not ideal for the baby to be so prematurely but it's pretty cool that even though Lucas and the baby will never know each other in person, they will always have that connection because they share a birthday. Even more than that, they share the same genes. Well half of them anyway. Because the other half belong to my crazy best friend. This is gonna be okay," Peyton said surprising everyone by agreeing with Rachel.
"Whoa, did the Earth stop moving or did Peyton Sawyer just agree with me?"
"Oh so what, I agreed with you? Big deal."
Peyton was annoyed. She didn't see why it was such a big deal for her to agree with Rachel. It's not like that was impossible. It just wasn't very common.
"Come on, don't fight. Please?" Nathan asked gently hoping the girls would stop.
He was wrapped up in thoughts of Brooke and her child who was going to be born today. Part of Nathan was excited and part of him was scared to death. For Brooke and the baby. Something could still go wrong for both of them even though Brooke decided to take the precaution. God keep them safe. I can't lose them. They're family he prayed to himself. Nathan shook his head, since when did he start praying? He couldn't really tell you but if he had to guess Nathan would probably say since Lucas had been shot. It was weird how something so tragic and life changing could affect a person's mindset toward certain beliefs. Nathan didn't ever remember acknowledging the existence of a Higher Power when Lucas was alive and now here he was, two months later, praying to the God he wasn't sure actually existed but felt like maybe there was something or someone out there.
"Baby are you okay?" Haley asked Nathan when his face went blank.
"What? Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking about Brooke and the baby. I hope everything is okay. I can't lose them Hales," Nathan replied.
"I know sweetheart. They're gonna be fine. Just think about it. Brooke is stubborn as anyone I've ever known and that baby is half Scott half Davis. Chance of survival? Excellent if you ask me."
"That's true but aren't you scared that it might not matter and one or both of them might not make it anyway?"
"Of course I'm scared Nathan. I love Brooke too. I don't want anything to happen to her and the same goes for that little baby. I hope that nothing does happen to them and that everything turns out okay in the end but that doesn't mean I'm not scared. In fact, I think we're all scared. Some more than others but everyone of us is scared."
"Yeah, Nate. I'm scared for Brooke and the baby. I mean, sure I just found out she's pregnant but that doesn't change the fact that I'm afraid of what could happen. I want them to be okay just as much as you do," Rachel said sincerely.
"It's all gonna be okay. You wanna know why?" Keith said as he waved his hand around gesturing to the group of people sitting in the waiting room for Brooke, "This is why. Because Brooke has a roomful of people who love her and are here for her. She has something to fight for. She has a child to think about. And the Brooke I know would not punk out and give up because it hurts."
"But she almost did. She cut herself with a piece of broken glass," Peyton said worriedly.
"I know Peyton. But do you really believe she did that out of malice toward the baby?"
"No. I think she was just hurting and scared of being alone to raise the baby. But I told her she's never gonna be alone. And do you know what she said to me? She said that without Lucas nothing else mattered."
"I know it's hard to watch your best friend fall apart but you can't give up. You have to be there for her, even when she doesn't think she needs anyone."
Peyton nodded. She knew that already. And she was trying to do that but Brooke was so stubborn that it was hard at times.
They were all sitting there, silently, waiting for any word on how Brooke and the baby were doing. Finally, after what seemed like forever, but was really only like an hour, Dr. Madden came into the waiting room with a small smile on his face. Seeing the smile caused everyone to relax a little bit.
"How is she doc?" Nathan asked, jumping to his feet when he saw the doctor walking toward them.
"Brooke did fabulous. They should be taking her to a room any minute now. The baby is rather small but that's to be expected considering she was only 4 months pregnant. It's going to be a while before he gets to go home with his mommy," Dr. Madden explained.
"It's a boy?" Haley said, her eyes lighting up.
"Yes, the baby is a boy."
"Do you know what she named him?"
"I don't know if she's decided yet. I think she wants to talk to you and Nathan first. Well she said something about getting Nathan, Haley and Peyton in the room as quick as possible."
"Where is the baby?" Karen asked.
"He's in the NICU. Brooke will be able to go down there to see him later on today if she wants and then again tomorrow as long as she remains stable."
Nathan, Haley and Peyton followed Dr. Madden to the room where Brooke was, leaving Karen, Keith, Mouth and Rachel out in the waiting room. It seemed kind of funny that Brooke hadn't asked for Karen or Keith but they didn't care, they were just glad to hear that despite the premature nature of the birth, that the baby was okay and so was Brooke.
Nathan knocked lightly on Brooke's door before pushing it open. She was sitting up and smiled as her three friends walked into the room. Haley walked right over to her and wrapped her in a hug. Then Peyton did the same. Nathan hung back a little, his nerves showing in his demeanor.
"Nathan, come over here and give me a hug. I'm not gonna break you know," Brooke said with a smile.
He gave her a half smile as he walked over to Brooke's bed and hugged her harder than he had in a long time.
"How you feeling?" Nathan asked.
"I feel weird. You know, this morning I was pregnant and now I'm not. But it's all worth it because he is the cutest baby I've ever seen. He looks just like Luke, it's almost enough to make you cry. Actually, it was enough to make me cry. Those little hands and his feet. I hope they can find a diaper small enough for him," Brooke answered.
"What are you gonna name him?" Peyton asked.
"I don't know. I hadn't thought of any names yet because I thought I was gonna have another five months to think of something and now I don't. And I can't go around calling him Baby or Little Guy forever, that would be annoying."
"You could name him after Luke," Haley suggested.
"I thought about that but I don't want to. It would be too hard I think."
"Maybe you could use Lucas as a middle name and you could still say you named your son after his father without making him a junior."
"Actually, you know what? I've always liked the name Avery."
"Avery Lucas, it does have a nice ring to it," Peyton said as she smiled at Brooke.
"Hey, I like it. But it doesn't matter what I think," Nathan said.
"Yeah, Brooke, it's up to you. He's your little boy. You've gotta be the one that likes his name the most," Haley smiled.
"See, this is exactly why I knew I could count on you guys to help me with this. Avery Lucas sounds perfect," Brooke told them.
"Welcome to the world Avery Lucas…" Haley said.
"Scott. Avery Lucas Scott. I wouldn't have it any other way," Brooke finished for her.
"Good because I wasn't lying when I told you that you're part of this family and so is Avery," Nathan said as he leaned down and kissed Brooke's forehead.
"Hey! Wife, standing right here," Haley laughed.
"Aw Hales, you know I love you but I've been meaning to tell you that Brooke and I have been seeing each other on the side," Nathan said with a stupid grin on his face.
Brooke slapped his arm but she couldn't help it as the laughter escaped through her lips. Haley pretended to look angry as she crossed her arms in front of her chest but it didn't take long before she was laughing too.
There was a knock on the door and Dr. Madden popped his head into the room.
"So, do we have a name for the little guy?" he asked.
"Avery Lucas Scott," Brooke replied.
"Sounds good. Well I'm gonna go let the ladies in the NICU know and have them write it on the birth certificate. Someone will be down with it in a little while for you to sign."
"Great. Thanks so much for saving my little boy."
"Thanks for letting me save your little boy."
Brooke smiled as she nodded.
"Happy birthday, Luke and Avery," she said with a smile before yawning.
"Oh someone's getting sleepy. We should go," Haley said.
"No it's okay, I'm not tired."
"Sure you aren't. We'll come back later, get some sleep," Peyton told her.
Brooke didn't say anything because she had fallen asleep already. The three of them left and walked back down to the waiting room where they found Karen and Keith alone.
"Where did Mouth and Rachel go?" Haley asked.
"Home, Rachel started feeling sick," Karen replied.
"Oh okay."
"So, did she decide on a name?"
"Avery Lucas Scott," Nathan said.
"That's adorable."
"I like it," Keith said with a smile.
The group decided that because it was so late and Brooke was asleep they would leave and come back in the morning. They were all tired from the stress and pain of the day. It had been eventful to say the least.
"Thank you for saving her Luke," Peyton whispered softly as she sat in the back of Nathan's car.