Chapter 10
Open Your Eyes
The girls walked towards the lift to the cafeteria, while James lay asleep on Nate's lap.
"How are you going, man?" Nathan said. Nathan looked at his brother properly for the first time. His hair was all over the place; his shirt crumpled and looked, in Nathan's opinion, like ass.
"I'm just worried about Brooke." Lucas said, again looking at the door
"What about Rachel?" Nathan asked, hoping that he could get to the bottom of this.
"I love Rach, I do"
"Luke, man are you sure?" Nathan asked, not convinced his brother was telling the truth
"I went to say goodbye to Brooke. I have to do the right thing by Rachel" Lucas said, getting frustrated that everyone seemed to doubt their relationship.
"What about the right thing by Brooke" Nathan said loyally
"What do you mean, Nate?"
"Look man, I know how you are bad at maths, so let me help you out" Nathan said to Lucas
"Funny, man" Luke said dismissively
"Shut it. Think back Luke, when was the last time you were in Tree Hill" Nathan said
"I guess…about 8 months ago.." Lucas said confused at what his brother was getting at.
"And the last time you saw Brooke" Nate continued
"8 months…." Lucas said, confusion written all over his face.
"And how far along is Brooke?" Nathan said while watching his brother closely.
Luke thought back to what Peyton said to the paramedic. When Lucas saw Brooke, she didn't look 8 months pregnant, but with her slender frame, Lucas couldn't really tell.
"Nate…the baby…Brooke's baby…it's mine??" Lucas said his eyes widening with the realisation.
"Ding Ding Ding! It took you long enough man!!" Nathan said, relieved that the truth was finally out, and that Peyton's plan worked.
""This is Nathan" Nathan answered without looking at the caller id.
"Hey Nate, its Peyton" she said
"Hey Peyt, aren't you supposed to be in NY with Brooke?" Nathan asked,
"Yeah I still am, but I need your help" Peyton asked hoping the younger Scott brother could knock some sense into Lucas.
"Ok, shot"
"I don't think Brooke is going to tell Lucas about the baby" Peyton said
"Ok what can I do?" Nathan asked, a bit miffed at why his ex would want him to help
"Well I think we should all get together"
"And…"Nathan said knowing there had to be more to Peyton's plan.
"And then I think you should tell Lucas about the baby, and I will take care of Brooke"
"I'm not too sure, Peyt…aren't we interfering?" thinking this was way too girly to be involved in.
"No, not when we both know that Lucas and Brooke belong together" Peyton said, as she stared at a photo of the Brooke, Lucas and herself on the mantel.
"True…but" Nathan said still doubtful
"And remember last time they were getting together, it took them months, and now we don't have the luxury of time" Peyton said, persuasively
"Ok, you convinced me, Sawyer" Nathan said, thinking that the sooner Lucas was in the loop the better.
"But…she never said anything…"
"Do you really think she would? You slept with her, and left her the next morning without a word, and you are engaged to one her best friends from high school. Do you really think she would tell you under those circumstances?" Nathan said, for once being the level headed brother.
"Not really" Lucas didn't know what to think. He looked at Nathan cradle James in his arms as he slept.
"What do I do, man?" Lucas asked Nathan quietly. It was a strange sort of role reversal for Nathan. Luke had always been the one with sage advice when Nathan was in a jam. But this one Nathan couldn't give Lucas the answer.
"Just have a little faith" with that, Nathan picked James up, put him over his shoulder and walked toward the cafeteria, leaving Lucas alone in the hall way.
The door opened suddenly, and a group of doctors walked out of Brooke's room
Lucas stood up and walked towards them.
"What's wrong with her??" he asked nervously
"How are you related to Miss Davis?" one of the doctors asked
"I'm her baby's…father" Lucas coughed out
"Ok, Brooke is suffering from pregnancy induced seizures and some vaginal bleeding. It is nothing too serious, but we would like for her to stay over night for observation" the doctor said
"Ok, ok" Lucas sunk back into the chair. The doctor pitied the poor boy. He had seen the same scenario many times before. The anxious father, a stressed out mother.
"You can go ahead and visit her if you like. Just keep the stress to a minimum, please"
Lucas sat there for a few moments, unsure what to do. He took a deep breath and opened the door.
"Brooke?" Lucas said quietly
Brooke laid in a deep slumber, exhausted from the day's events. She had regained consciousness during the consultation with the doctors, but had quickly fallen asleep after. Lucas crept into the room. He moved a stray piece of hair out of her face and kissed her softly on the cheek. Lucas moved a nearby chair closer to the bed and grasped Brooke's limp hand.
"Brooke I know that you can't hear me, but I just want you to listen anyway. I'm sorry about what happened today, it's my fault that you collapsed. It's my fault for a lot of things that have happened to you. Particularly with your heart. I broke your heart without even really realising it. To be honest with you, I used Jimmy's death as a reason to push you away. I was scared. I was scared that I was falling in love with an amazing girl, and I was afraid that I was getting in too far. I was afraid that I was falling in love when I was so young. I was scared to depend on one person for that. I'm sorry I used Peyton as an excuse not to be with you. Peyton was comfortable, so familiar, I loved her, but nothing compared to how I loved you. Please wake up, I need you to tell me about the baby, please wake up, pretty girl, and open your eyes."
All that Lucas was met with was silence, besides the beeping of the heart and fetal monitors. He thought how he had rarely seen Brooke in the last 4 years, and the many mistakes he had made concerning her. It was always someone else he thought sadly. No wonder she didn't trust him, or tell him about the baby. Things are going to change, Lucas said to himself before kissing Brooke softly on the lips and exiting the room.
"So Peyton, how has she been?" Haley asked Peyton as they sat down with their trays of food.
"She puts on a brave face, you know" Peyton said, and Haley nodded and motioned her to continue. "She doesn't want anyone to worry about her, so she puts on this façade. But secretly I don't think she is doing great, I have known her for 15 years." Peyton continued.
"Ok, maybe it's a good thing that we interfere" Haley said
"Well I am glad your in on the plan Tutor Mom, I don't think Nate would have thought of this cafeteria ploy" Peyton said cheekily
"Well I am Tutor Mom after all."
"So what's new with you, Peyton?" Haley said
"Nothing much. Jake has been great, he really understands why I had to stay here for longer" Peyton said, smiling widely. Peyton waited for Haley's response, but all she got was a smirk, perfected by years of marriage to Nathan.
"What??!!" Peyton said self consciously
"You've changed" Haley said to Peyton.
"No, I haven't" Peyton said offensively.
"Yes you have. Since Jake, you have been happier, sunnier, and brighter" Haley said
"Hmmm…Maybe" Peyton said while swirling the food around her plate.
"You have, if someone told me senior year that you would be the match maker between Brooke and Lucas, I don't think I would have believed them"
"I guess…I mean, Lucas and I have been over for a long time. Jake and I got our act together, and the connection we have and the love we share is nothing compared to what I ever had with Luke" Peyton confessed
"Like I said, you've changed" Haley said with a small smile
"Yeah, yeah! How's tutor-baby in there?" Peyton said, slyly changing the subject.
"Hopefully going to take after his awesome father" Nathan said, sitting down with the unsuspecting pair.
"So how did it go?" Peyton said as the married couple shared a kiss
"Well he knows…" Nathan said as he grabbed some chips from Peyton's plate
"And?" Haley said in anticipation
"And now it is up to him to step up to the plate" Nathan said
"Well for all of our sakes lets hope they sort it out soon" Peyton said as they all shared a knowing look.
Lucas opened the door to Brooke's room. The bundles of bags that he had in his arms we dumped on the floor.
"Hey Brooke" Lucas said softly and moved the bags closer to the bed. "Look at all the things I got the baby" as he pulled the items out of the bags. "See, teddy bears, and baby blankets, and look, pretty girl, here is the cutest stuffed butterfly toy" Lucas said.
When Lucas had left her hospital room, he went to the first Toys R' Us he could find, and bought anything and everything he thought the baby might need.
He was looking at the myriad of blankets when a mid aged saleswoman approached him
"Do you need any help, sir?" the woman asked
"I'm not too sure…"Luke said uncertainly
"Nervous, dad, huh?" she said warmly
"Something like that" Lucas said continuing to look at the different blankets.
"Baby boy or girl?" she asked
"Girl" Lucas said, a smile creeping on his face
"Ahh…and where is the mum to be?"
"She is in the hospital"
"Oh, is she due soon?"
"Yeah soon" he said sadly, thinking about the little details he didn't know about his own baby.
"Well if it helps; purple is the way to go" the sales woman said, sensing the man's sadness, and handing him the blanket of the shelf.
"Thanks" Lucas said as he walked towards the cash register.
"See pretty girl, a purple blanket. Just like all the baby furniture in your apartment" Lucas said quietly.
"Brooke, I know that you are only sleeping, but I need you to wake up. I always seem to be making these speeches for you, Pretty Girl. But the more I think about this baby, our baby, the more I want to know about your life, the baby, everything. Have you picked names? Have you been reading or listening to music with her? Have you thought about where you are going to live? When's the due date? Were you ever going to tell me about her?" Lucas asked, somewhat more quietly then the previous questions.
"Steinbeck" Brooke whispered
"Brooke, you're awake…how much did you hear?" Lucas said while moving the chair closer to the bed.
"Enough that you want to know about the baby" Brooke rasped
"Steinbeck …you have been reading to the baby?" Lucas asked
"Yes, I wanted her to be a literary genius like her father" Brooke said, her face still pale, but her eyes sparkling
"I thought I'd lost you" Lucas said as he grabbed Brooke's hand
"No one can get rid of me that easy" Brooke said with a small smile
"And our daughter…is she ok?" Lucas asked nervously
"She's fine…she will make some cheerleader with the way this one kicks!" Brooke said, giving Lucas a smile that he hadn't really seen before, that he realised it was reserved for the life growing inside of her.
The expectant parents shared a moment, as Lucas fingers were lanced between hers, everything seemed to fallen into place. Finally, Lucas thought, I have everything I ever wanted
"So, Luke you finally knocked up her up…pity you're engaged to someone else" came a voice from the door.
Finally some Brucas cuteness. So who is this mystery person?friend or foe?read and review to find out- Lydia