They promised her no tears and they kept up their part of the bargain while they were in the room with her. It was hard keeping it all in but that's what she wanted. The only thing she wanted to see were smiling and happy faces.
Rachel, Brooke and Haley let out loud cackling laughs while Peyton laughed weakly and tiredly, but nonetheless she was laughing. Seeing Peyton smiling made a few tears fall.
"Hales," Peyton started when she saw them.
Quickly, Haley wiped them away, "They're laughing tears, I swear," her voice cracked with emotion. She tried smiling but her lips trembled. It was hard for her to keep it in. She reached out for Peyton's hand and held it.
"Come here," Peyton relented. Her voice was tired and weak.
Immediately, Haley smothered Peyton with a hug. Peyton couldn't help but smile. She then whispered a few words into Haley's ear which only caused her to cry harder. Brooke and Rachel tried to keep their emotions in check, but couldn't any longer. The two girls joined in on the group hug and let out a few tears.
"Ok, ok...you guys promised," Peyton finally said through tears of her own.
The three girls sat up with smiles on their faces. Haley reached over to the night table and passed out tissues to everyone. As their time with her ticked on, the harder it was to keep their emotions in check. Neither of them wanted to leave and neither of them wanted her to leave but the girls knew that it was almost time.
After a few more stories and many laughs, Aiden walked into the room with a smile of his own. He was now four and would be turning five in a couple of months. Seeing his mother with no hair and looking so pale and tired was no surprise to him. She had been like this for over a month now, hardly ever leaving her bed. Regardless, Aiden climbed into bed, kissed his mother's cheek and snuggled closed to his mother.
Rachel, Haley and Brooke smiled. Their time was up. It was Aiden's turn to spend some time alone with his mother. One by one they kissed Peyton's forehead and whispered their I love yous to their best friend.
"Look what I drew you mommy," the small boy held up his picture. "Daddy gave me a picture of us and the cottage, so I tried to copy it,"
"That's beautiful, honey," she placed a kiss on the top of his head, "You definitely take after me,"
"I think you draw better. I want to draw like you,"
"You will. Just keep practicing and maybe one day you'll be even better,"
Aiden smiled and nodded.
"I love you, you know that?"
"Yeah," he laughed, "I love you too, mommy,"
He leaned into Peyton and hugged her. Peyton held on to him as tight as she could. When he pulled back he looked at her. His tiny hand caressed her face.
"You look tired, mommy. Do you want to take a nap?"
"Soon, baby,"
"Can I nap with you?"
"Sure,"
Aiden lifted the covers and got in with his mom. Before settling in, he kissed his mother again. His head gently rested against her shoulder. Peyton wrapped her arms around her son.
"Can you sing me my song?"
"Of course,"
With her soft angelic voice, Peyton sang her son to sleep. As he closed his big blue eyes Peyton watched him sleep. She leaned down and placed a kiss on the top of his head. Her nose became buried in his thick bushy hair that resembled his father's unkempt high school hair. The older he got, the more he looked like his father, but deep down, Peyton knew Aiden's actions mirrored hers.
"Be good, hun. I love you," she swallowed the growing lump in her throat.
She took a deep breath and calmed herself. Softly she hummed the tune to his song as she ran her hands through his hair.
"Hey, how's my little girl," he softly interrupted.
Peyton looked up and smiled, "Hey, dad. I'm not little anymore, you know,"
"No, but you'll always be my little girl," he smiled and sat down on the bed beside his grandson. "You've got one great little boy here. I see so much of you in him,"
Peyton laughed, "I know. Scary isn't it? I don't know if Lucas can handle another teenage Sawyer on his own,"
Larry's eyes began to water.
"I'll be ok," Peyton said reaching for his hand.
"I know you'll be, pumpkin,"
"And you will be too,"
"Yeah," he tried to sound as believing as possible.
"Don't cry, daddy,"
His lips trembled. "I'm sorry...it's...it's just not fair," He had promised himself he wouldn't break down in front of her but like her friends, he couldn't help it. Larry Sawyer had already lost his wife and now he was losing his daughter and there was nothing he could do to stop it.
Larry wiped his tears with the back of his hand as he tried to collect himself. "I'm so proud of you pumpkin. I love you so much,"
"I know. I love you too," Peyton said, "But promise me you won't be angry. Lucas will need all the help he can get,"
Larry let out a smile, "You're always looking out for everyone else but yourself,"
"Somebody's had to keep you boys in line," she joked.
He let out a laugh. "Don't worry, honey. We'll be ok," Larry ran his hand through his grandson's hair. "I'll make sure of it,"
Peyton placed a kiss on her son's forehead. "I know,"
The bedroom door creaked open. Larry looked up and saw Lucas step into the room.
"Sorry, I'll come back in a few,"
"No, no...come in, Lucas. I was just about to take Aiden back to his room,"
Peyton looked down at her little boy. He was still asleep, unaware of what was going on around him. "I love you Aiden,"
Larry looked away as Peyton continued to whisper in her sleeping son's ear. When she was finished she looked up at her father. "I love you, dad,"
"I love you, too,"
Her father leaned in and placed a kiss on her forehead. They shared a small smile when he pulled back. Carefully, Larry took Aiden into his arms. He took one last look at Peyton and walked out of the room just as the tears began to slip.
"Hey," she said in a soft weak voice.
"Hey," Lucas smiled.
"Come lie with me,"
With a nod, Lucas slipped under the covers with her. Gently he snuggled close to Peyton and wrapped his arms around her and held her. Peyton's head lay nestled on his shoulder. She looked into his eyes and smiled. He leaned down and kissed her on the lips.
"I love you, you know that?" he said.
"I love you, too,"
Their eyes glistened with tears but Peyton didn't want to spend her last few moments crying. She wanted him to hold her and wanted to listen to his voice.
"Tell me a story,"
Lucas nodded. He kissed her again and cleared his throat before starting the story.
Peyton listened for as long as she could until she got tired. As she closed her eyes she felt the warmth of his lips on her forehead. His soft soothing voice continued with the story.
He fought back tears as he kept his eyes on her. Gradually her breaths became slower and shallower and every time he noticed it, he held tighter on to his wife, never wanting to let her go. Peyton's body became more and more relaxed against his. His voice began to waver. Lucas watched her. He watched her until Peyton took her last breath.
Tears poured from his eyes and streamed down his cheeks. He continued to hold her as his body trembled with silent tears. His hand caressed her face, not wanting to believe she was gone. Lucas buried his face in her neck and sobbed uncontrollably. Peyton, the love of his life was gone.
Outside in the hallway, they were all sitting on the floor. Nathan held his wife. Beside them, Jake sat with his wife, Lauren. On the other side of the narrow hallway, Rachel and Brooke sat up against the wall. Nobody had said a word since Larry took his grandson into his bedroom and shut the door behind him.
Rachel who was the closest to the door was the first to hear Lucas's muffled cries from inside the room. She shook her head, refusing to let the tears to fall. She didn't want to believe it –no one did. As they looked at Rachel, Lucas's cries became louder and soon they all knew that their best friend was gone.
She had lived a short but full life. Although she had no control over how long her life was, she did have control over the way she lived. That was something she never took for granted. With every decision she made, she changed her future and lived the way she wanted to live life. Her decisions led her to a life with Lucas and it gave her a son she loved more than anything. It was filled with love and happiness that not many people would ever experience. And if she was ever given the chance to relive her life, there wasn't a thing that she would change, no matter how short or long her life would have been. She knew, even as she took her final breath, that she was leaving with no regrets.
Eleven Years Later
"I am not spending another summer at that stupid cottage," a sixteen year old Aiden Scott yelled at his father.
Lucas looked at his son. He didn't recognize the sweet blonde boy he had raised for the past eleven years. The boy standing in front of him was no longer blonde and no longer sweet. He was a sixteen year old rebellious boy with dyed black hair.
"You are coming with me to that cottage," Lucas was tired of arguing, "Whether you like it or not, we are leaving tomorrow morning. So I suggest that you go up stairs and start packing,"
The Scott men stared each other down. Neither one of them seemed to waver.
"Mom is dead," Aiden hissed. He knew his father well and knew which buttons to push. "No matter how many times we go to her cottage, she's not going to be there and she's not going to be here when we come home,"
Pain flickered in Lucas's eyes. He wanted to slap some sense into that boy, but Lucas was never a violent man and he wasn't about to change that. Instead he straightened himself up and fought with the tears in his eyes. With one last look at his son, Lucas turned and walked out of the house without a word.