A/N: Can I say how very very very sorry I am that I haven't updated in months?? This shouldn't be an excuse but I have been busy finishing placement, and I started my holiday job. Not to mention my ongoing computer problems. Thank you to everyone for your patience, and I think it is worth the wait! Thanks everyone for your great reviews and to everyone who read it as well.I loved writing this chapter, probably my favourite so far! Please read and review-Lydia
Chapter 16- Daughters
"No, I am not giving birth, it's too soon!" Brooke said as she is wheeled on a gurney down the maternity ward corridor
"Just relax Brooke, breathe" Haley said as she ran along side her
"I can't do this, it's too early, and I didn't even take Lamaze classes"
"It's ok, I'm here for you" Haley said, holding onto Brooke's hand tightly
"Where did Karen go?" Brooke asked, trying to look behind her.
"She went to call Peyton and Nathan" Haley replied
"Ok, she better not call Lucas" Brooke said as she panted through the contraction.
"No, she won't" Haley said crossing her fingers behind her back.
The orderlies parked the gurney into a private room, and transferred Brooke onto the bed.
Dr Reed walked into the room as the orderlies exited.
"Brooke, I didn't really want to see you for another month or so"
"I know, please tell me there is a way to stop the labour" she said looking up at the doctor
Brooke put her legs in the stirrups, and the doctor examined her. After a few moments the doctor moved back from the bed and removed her gloves.
"Brooke I'm sorry you are already 3 centimetres dilated, I can't stop the labour now"
Brooke began to cry. This can't be happening she thought
"Brooke. Brooke! You need to calm down. I am one of the best neonatal specialists on the east coast, your baby will be well looked after" Dr Reed said
Haley rubbed Brooke on the back, trying to calm her sobs.
"I'm going to be back in a couple of hours, Brooke. Please try and calm down, if not for your sake, then for your baby's." Dr Reed said sternly before leaving the room.
"Come on, Brooke, you heard what she said." Haley said
"Oh—k" she said, still slightly whimpering
"Now Peyton is going to be here soon, and we will get through this together"
"Thanks, Tutor Mom"
"Soon you will be too, honey" Haley replied, squeezing Brooke's hand slightly
"Oh my god" Brooke said as another wave of pain rocked her body
"Ok buddy, just breathe" Haley said trying Brooke's hair back
"Ok Lucas just breathe" Peyton said down the phone
"Breathe Peyton? My ex-girlfriend is pregnant with my illegitimate child and is now in premature labour and still refuses to see me. I think I deserve to freak out a little"
"Look, just come to the hospital. Ok?" she said
"Alright, I'll be there as soon as I can" Lucas grabbed his keys and wallet, and flew out of his apartment.
Peyton walked out of Brooke's apartment, and ran down the stairs to Brooke's car. Peyton trembled in fear as she put the keys in the ignition. When she received the call from Karen, she didn't know what to do, Peyton felt like everyone she love was slipping away, and she was damned if she wasn't going to be there for her best friend in her time of need, like Brooke had been there for her, so many times before.
"Brooke, honey?" Haley asked timidly, watching Brooke who had her eyes squeezed shut
"Yeah" she said finally
"How are you holding up?" Brooke let out a loud moan
"I'm ok, although I haven't felt pain like this in my entire life" she replied
"Preach to the choir, I'm going to be doing it for a second time" pointing to her own baby bump.
"I don't know how you could do it, Tutor Mom" Brooke stated softly
"What labour? It not that hard, plus I'm pretty sure I broke a couple of bones in Nathan's hand for squeezing so hard!" Haley said giggling slightly at the memory
"No I mean being a mum" Brooke said with a troubled look on her face
"How do you mean?"
"Well you are like this amazing mother, Haley. You were tailor made for motherhood. Me? Look at my own role models, an absentee mother and father" Brooke said sadly
"I'm not going to lie to you Brooke. Sometimes I wonder if this is all I was made for, if being a mother is enough in my life. But then I hear Jamie's laugh, or I feel this baby kick, and I wouldn't change it for the world" Haley said rubbing her stomach fondly
"Hey Mama Davis" Peyton said as she walked into the room
"P.Sawyer-Jagielski, I'm glad you're here before the little one makes an appearance" Brooke said
"I wouldn't miss this for the world, Brooke" Peyton said as she sat down opposite Haley
"Thanks, Peyton" Brooke said, giving her a half hug from her bed ridden state
"You too, Haley" she said reciprocating the gesture.
The three women held hands, as they helped Brooke breathe through another contraction
Lucas ran down the corridor, stopping at the nurse's station.
"Which room is Brooke Davis in?" he asked
"323" the nurse said in a monotone
Lucas sprinted in the direction that the nurse pointed, scanning the room numbers. He haltered suddenly when he saw Brooke, in the middle of a contraction, squeezing Peyton and Haley's hands for dear life.
"I wouldn't have anyone else here" Brooke panted
"Ok, focus Brooke it's nearly over" Haley said
Lucas backed quietly out of the doorway and sat down on the closest chair, just as Nathan approached.
"Lucas, I don't know if you should be here" Nathan said
"That's my kid in there Nate"
"I know it is, but the last time Brooke saw you, she banished you from her apartment. Maybe you should wait out here until she asks for you" Nathan said, glancing at the door
"That's not a bad idea" Lucas replied, replaying what Brooke has said to Haley and Peyton minutes before. She wouldn't have any else there. Not even me he thought disappointedly.
A group of doctors breezed past the brothers, and into Brooke's room.
"Brooke, how are doing?" Dr Reed asked
"I feel like I have been doing this forever. Is the baby ever going to come out?" Brooke whinged
"Very soon" Dr Reed said as she examined Brooke. "You're fully dilated"
"Oh my god" Brooke replied in fear and elation.
"It's going to be fine, Brooke" Haley said patting her hand reassuringly
"Ok, let's get you to a delivery room" the doctor said, motioning for the orderlies to transfer her back onto a gurney
"Can Peyton and Haley come in as well?" Brooke said, fear imprinted on her delicate facial features.
"Yes, come on, you have a baby to deliver" Dr Reed said as she place Brooke's medical chart on her bed
The orderlies moved the gurney out the room, with Peyton and Haley trailing behind.
Lucas and Nathan stood as they saw Brooke move past
"Brooke?" Lucas called out
"Lucas, what the hell are you doing here?" she screeched
"I'm here for our baby" he said as he started jogging along side the moving trolley
"No..no no no no!!!" Brooke cried
The group met a set of double doors.
"Ok, people who are going to be in delivery room, follow me" Dr Reed said
"Brooke" Lucas pleaded
"No Lucas you lost that right when you ditched me and left me like a stain on the bed sheet"
"We'll look after her" Haley said, hugging Lucas
"One more push, Brooke, you're nearly there" Dr Reed coached
"Ohhh it hurts" Brooke cried, as Haley whipped the perspiration off her forehead.
"Told you, you should have had the drugs when they offered" Peyton said bluntly
"Not the time, Peyton!" Brooke warned as she grasped both Peyton and Haley's hands.
"One more big push"
"Damn Lucas Scott, bring him in here so I can kicked him in the balls so he will be incapable of doing this to anyone else" Brooke screamed through the contraction
"Easy, Brooke" Haley said, wiping the sweat of Brooke's forehead with a cold cloth
"Don't mess with me now, Haley" Haley exchanged glances with Peyton, they knew how Brooke could be, and Haley knew how painful labour was, so there was no messing with In-Labour Brooke
"Ok I can see the head" Dr Reed said
"You can?" Brooke said
"Come on, Brooke" Haley said, replicating la maze techniques
"He-hu" Brooke breathed
"Nearly there, now one last push, Brooke" Dr Reed coached
"Ahhhhh!" Brooke screamed
"And she's out!" Dr Reed exclaimed
"Do either of you want to cut the umbilical cord?" the doctor asked looking between the two birth coaches
"No thanks" Peyton said, going pale
"I will" Haley said willingly
"Haley!" Peyton said, whacking her friend on the arm
"Hey it's not like I could do it when James was born" she said taking the scissors
"Is she ok? I can't hear her crying" Brooke cried
"It will be ok, Brooke" Peyton said, patting her arm reassuringly
Dr Reed quickly moved away from Brooke to tend to her baby. Brooke could see a lot of tubing being inserted into the baby.
"What's going on?" Brooke said grasping onto Peyton's arm for dear life
After a few moments, a loud wail filled the room
"Oh thank god" Brooke said
"Brooke, I don't want to alarm you, but you're baby's lungs are underdeveloped and she is having difficulty breathing. We need to get her to the NICU right now"
"I don't even get to hold her?" Brooke asked hopefully
"No I'm afraid not, when she is more stable" Dr Reed said,
"Do what you need to do" Brooke said lying back on the bed
"Ok, for the time being, you will be taken into recovery, just for a few hours" Dr Reed ordered
"Ok..." Brooke said tears forming behind her eyes.
"I'll go with you" Peyton offered
"Stay with the baby, please" Brooke said to Haley
"Sure, Tigger" as the women went their separate ways.
"What's happening?" Lucas said as he paced up and down the hall adjacent to the delivery room
"I'm sure that they will tell you when the baby is born" Nathan said
"I just feel so anxious, I want to be in there with her, protect her" Lucas said trying to look into the room
"That's called fatherhood, man" Nathan said patting his brother on the back
"Wow" he said, sitting down next to Nathan
Haley walked out of the delivery room, accompanied by the baby in the humidicrib.
"Haley where's Brooke?" Lucas asked as he watched the baby being taken away
"Don't worry, Lucas, she's fine. Brooke's in recovery with Peyton"
"And the baby…?" Lucas said looking at the large machine with a lot of tubes
"Don't freak out, but because she was born premature, she is having problems breathing, she is going up to the NICU" Haley said
"Ok, I'm coming with you…" Lucas said following Haley
"I don't know, Lucas" Haley said looking back at the direction of Brooke
"No, Haley, that's my child too. I'm coming with you" he said firmly
"Ok, let's go" Haley said, before giving Nathan a look before they sprinted down the hall way.
"How could I do this to my baby?" Brooke cried
"Do what, Brooke?" Peyton said as Brooke got wheeled into recovery
"Made her sick, she was supposed to be born in July, Peyton. I made her sick" she sobbed
"You didn't make her sick, Brooke. It just happened this way" Peyton said gently
"And if I didn't get stressed out because of all this Lucas stuff, she wouldn't be in the NICU at the moment" Brooke said stubbornly
"Brooke, honey you might want to stop calling you baby girl "she"" Peyton suggested
"I don't want to name her till I can see her, hold her"
"Fair enough, just rest Brooke; you have to be double as strong now, once for you, and once for your baby" Peyton recommended
"Ok" Brooke said closing her eyes
Peyton continued to sit by Brooke's bedside, wiping her head with a face washer.
Brooke was exhausted; the 10 hour labour had taken a lot out of Brooke, and looked as troubled in sleep then when she was awake.
"Where is she, Haley?" Lucas said alarmingly
Haley looked around for a nurse in the pastel coloured scrubs.
"Excuse, could you please tell us where Baby Davis is?" she said tapping a nurse on the shoulder.
The nurse glanced up at the whiteboard and motioned Haley and Lucas in the partitioned area near the entrance of the NICU.
"How are you related?" she asked in hushed tones
"I'm the baby's father" Lucas said proudly
"And aunt" Haley said waving her hand
"Ok, well since Miss Davis is still in recovery, I can give you an update"
"What wrong with my baby?" Lucas asked directly
"We are concerned with your baby's underdeveloped lungs, as well as the size of her brain. We have to watch to see how she is growing over the next couple of months to rule out any developmental delays" the nurse read from the file
"Developmental delays?" Lucas said weakly
"Don't worry too much about that now; it's all a waiting game from here" she said, trying to reassure the new parent
"Oh, ok" Lucas said not really taking it all in
"Did you want to see your baby girl?" the nurse asked
"Of course" Lucas breathed
The nurse motioned them to take a gown, and they weaved through a dozen humidicribs before the she stopped in from of one in the corner of the room.
A breath got caught in Lucas' throat as he saw his daughter for the first time. If he had any doubt that he wasn't the father, it was gone with one look into her dazzling blue eyes. Without a doubt, she was a Scott. Coupled with a mess of dark brown hair, she was the perfect amalgamation of Lucas and Brooke.
"Oh she's so beautiful, Luke" Haley said, patting Lucas on the shoulder
"What are you going to name her?" the nurse asked politely
"I dddon't know…" he stammered looking at Haley. "Did Brooke have any names?"
"Not that she told Peyton or I"
"Ohh...I guess we can wait then" Lucas said uncertainly
"Well I will leave you two to bond, just be careful, the sounds are magnified 10 fold in the humidicrib." The nurse cautioned
"Ok" Luke said hesitantly
He wasn't too sure what to do; he just stood staring at his daughter as she slept.
"Why don't you reach in?" Haley asked, motioning to the flap in the machine.
"I don't know…"
"You should, Luke. This is your daughter" Haley encouraged. At that moment the baby woke up, her arms flaying about.
His hand slowly moved into the machine, aware of the nurse's warning. His hand formed into the glove. Instantly, Baby Davis reached for his gigantic hand, grasping his thumb with her entire hand
"Ohh" Haley sighed happily
Lucas was mesmerised by the little being that he created. He and Brooke created. He withdrew his hand slowly from the crib, and turned to face Haley
"Hales, could you stay and watch her?" he asked hurryingly
"Sure, where are you going?"
He didn't reply as he was already out the door.
Haley looked at her new niece. "I think we're in for a bumpy ride, little girl" she said "if your parents don't realise they are soul mates I don't know what's going to happen"
Baby Davis looked at Haley, her eyes wide open
"Oh you're going to be a heart breaker, just like your parents, kid"
Lucas walked into the recovery suite, looking for Brooke. He glanced around the room searching for his ex girlfriend. She was in the corner of the room, wide awake, with Peyton asleep, her head resting on Brooke's bed.
"Hey Cheery" he stated quietly
"Hey Lucas" He winced when his nickname wasn't reciprocated.
"About Rachel-" he started
"It doesn't matter now, Lucas. All I care about now is seeing my daughter" Brooke said, looking distant
"She's beautiful, Brooke, she really is" Lucas said, trying to gain Brooke's attention
"You've seen her?" she asked, looking directly at him
"Yeah I went with Haley"
"How is she, is she ok?" Brooke said, looking distressed
Lucas sat down on the chair next to the bed. He grasped Brooke's hands in his. Her eyes widened in fear.
"She has a few things wrong with her, Brooke. But she is strong, like her mother"
Brooke smiled slightly
"Did you want to see her?" he asked
"Are you kidding me, I have been dying to, plus it is so boring in here" she said, a familiar twinkle returning in her eyes
Lucas steered the nearby wheelchair towards the bed, and helped Brooke into it. She winced as she sat down.
"Are you ok?" he asked placing a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm ok; I guess doing the birth au natural was more painful than I thought it would be"
"Oh" he said, wheeling her out of the room.
"Did it really hurt?" he asked stupidly
"Like hell" she replied
As they robed up in the NICU, Haley quietly slipped out, watching from the corridor as the new parents made their way to see her daughter.
Lucas manoeuvred the wheelchair around the other humidicribs, until they reached the one marked "Baby Davis"
Brooke looked in awe at the little girl in front of her, sucking on her thumb inside the machine.
"She looks so small" Brooke said, cowering away from the crib.
"She is, but she has a string grip, here feel" Lucas said as he guided Brooke's hand into the crib.
The neonate instantly grabbed onto Brooke's manicured finger, and refused to let go.
"Wow" Brooke said, not taking her eyes of her daughter
"We did good, Brooke" Lucas said as he looked at Brooke, then at their daughter.
"We did, didn't we?" She said, looking up at Lucas. She suddenly grasped Lucas hand with her own, holding on tightly. Although it was a small gesture, Lucas was happy with anything at this point, hopefully hinting at what's to come.
The former lovers watched their daughter continue to grip Brooke's finger, determined not to let go
"Ella" Brooke said suddenly
"What?" Lucas said, looking at Brooke.
"Her name. She is definitely an Ella" Brooke said looking at Lucas
"Ella. I like it" he said after a moment
"Did you want to pick the middle name?" Brooke asked softly
"Really?"
"Sure" Brooke said nodding slightly. Although she had not forgiven Lucas for lying to her about Rachel and the baby, she knew that Lucas didn't want to be anything like Dan, and giving him the opportunity to give their child a middle name was a small gesture to let him know he was still involved, no matter what the status of their own relationship is.
He thought for a moment, looking between Brooke and their daughter and back again.
"Penelope"
"Are you sure?" Brooke said looking up surprised at his suggestion
"Positive" he said, seeing the joy in Brooke's eyes.
"It's perfect" Brooke said as the baby turned over in her sleep
"Welcome to the world Ella Penelope Davis" Lucas said