A/N: Hey, thanks to everyone who has been reading, reviewing and adding me/ the story on their alerts. You are all champs and you don't know how much this really means to me! So, please keep reading and reviewing, and bare with me while I get the chapters out. Much like Lucas, im suffering a bit of writers block! Thanks so much, Lydia
Chapter 18-Celebration
"Tutor Mom, P. Sawyer-Jagielski?" Brooke called as she and Lucas entered her apartment.
The group scurried into their hiding spots as they heard footsteps approaching.
"Peyton? Are you in here?" Brooke called as she opened the door. As she flipped the light switch, a chorus of "SURPRISE!" welcomed the couple
Brooke and Lucas stood in the middle of the room, gob smacked at the effort their friends had put into their baby's room.
Peyton had made a mural on the back wall, with frolicking unicorns, bright rainbows, and colourful butterflies making up the masterpiece. Random butterflies dancing on the other 3 walls, all painted in deep purple. In the middle of the mural, Peyton had drawn "Sweet Dreams", which sparkled gold in the artificial light of the room. On the selves that Nathan had built on the adjacent wall, Ella's name was spelt out in block lettering, next to a few random children's books that Haley had picked out. The rest of the furniture consisted of a cot, changing table, and nestled in the corner of the room was the rocking chair Brooke had bought 6 months prior.
"You guys…" Brooke said in amazement as she twirled around taking in the newly renovated room.
"You didn't have to do all this" Luke said, placing his hand on Brooke's shoulder.
"There's more" Peyton said, the joy dancing in her eyes. She had not seen her friend look so happy. Whether it was the event at hand or someone else had something to do with it, Peyton was glad it was finally looking up for Brooke.
"Well considering you didn't have time for a baby shower before Ella was born…
"We wanted to throw you one now!" Haley finished
"Are you serious?" Brooke asked
"Of course, and if I know Brooke Davis, and I think I do, she wouldn't turn down the opportunity for presents" Peyton replied
"Presents??" Brooke asked, clapping her hands excitedly
"Come on.." Haley said dragging Brooke out of the room.
Peyton flicked the lights on to the dimmed lounge room. As Brooke's eyes adjusted to the light, the vision before her was something she couldn't believe.
"What are you guys doing here?" Brooke screeched
"You think you could have a baby shower without the likes of me??" Mouth said as the pair hugged
"Oh I've missed you!" Brooke said as she squeezed the life out of her friend.
"You too, although I heard about the baby, I'm so sorry Brooke" he said as they sat on a nearby couch
"It's ok, Ella is hanging in there" Brooke smiled, but Mouth noticed the smile not quite reaching her eyes. He could tell that the situation was worrying her more than she was putting on, probably not to stress out everyone else.
"Did you want me to go check on her?" he offered
"No its ok, but we would love for all of you to meet her though" Brooke said as a mass of brunette curls ran rapidly towards Brooke and Mouth
"Hey Lilly, how are you honey?"
"Can I really see Ella, Aunt Brookie?" she said
"Of course, Lil and you might even be able to hold her if you behave" she said hugging the 5 year old tightly, silently praying for her own daughter to get to this age.
"Yay!" Lilly sat down next to Jenny who was ignoring the commotion and watching the television.
Shelley stepped forward and hugged Brooke tightly.
"How are you, anyway?" the blonde said, observing Brooke intently
"Great..good…ok" Brooke said to her friend, failing to hide her true feelings
"That's understandable honey; you have had it hard lately"
"But at least Ella is improving; I got to hold her today!" Brooke said, trying to be optimistic.
"That's great Brooke it really is" Shelley said giving Brooke a reassuring hug.
"I thought so"
"And how about you and…" Shelley nodded towards Lucas who was talking to both Jake and Keith
"Nothing is there. We are just parents of this amazing kid"
"Ah-huh" Shelley said slowly
"Don't start, I don't need your psychobabble right now" Brooke warned
"Fair enough, but if you need anything, ANYTHING don't hesitate to call"
"I won't, thanks for coming, Shel"
"My pleasure" Shelley said squeezing Brooke's hand slightly before going to talk to Bevin.
Brooke had found an accidental friend in Shelley. During sophomore year of college, when the gang was home for Thanksgiving, Mouth turned up with Shelley on his arm, and Brooke didn't question it. She understood the connection that he and Shelley had, that one of the most magical things is letting go of your first love. Mouth had done that years before, and now was happier than Brooke ever imagined. She couldn't blame him for holding onto the belief that his high school sweetheart was the one. When she felt like there was something she couldn't share with Haley or Peyton, or she needed an impartial view on a situation, she would turn to Shelley for a shoulder to cry on, or just for a piece of advice.
Lucas looked at Brooke as she talked animatedly to Shelley.
"So have you guys decided what you are going to do once Ella comes home?" Jake asked.
Lucas sighed. Ever since Ella was born there was an unspoken truce between the new parents. Brooke had not spoken about what had happened to precipitate her premature labour lately. Actually, she had only really spoken to Lucas about Ella, which Lucas found strange, particularly for Brooke. All Brooke ever did was talk, and when they were teenagers, they had no shortage of topics they had talked about. But now, lately, Brooke was still talking non stop, only about Ella. Not that Lucas minded. Much.
"No"
"No? Luke isn't that the kind of thing you should be sorting out sooner rather then later?" Jake knew better then anyone of the ramifications of not discussing how to bring up a baby, particularly when the home situation was precarious at best.
"I know, we have just been focusing on Ella getting better" Lucas said vaguely
"Fair enough"
Haley, Peyton and Rachel stood in the corner of the room, observing an oblivious Lucas and Brooke.
"Do you think they notice?" Haley said as they watched the new parents like a tennis match.
"That they have been eying one another all night? Of course not, they are Lucas and Brooke" Peyton said
"Have either of you talked to Brooke about it" Rachel asked
"I've tried but all she does is change the subject to Ella" Peyton replied
"I have a funny feeling that there something else going on, don't you?" Haley suggested
"How are we going to get it out of her?" Peyton asked, hoping that the star crossed lovers finally got their happy ending
"I think I know how" Haley replied cheekily
Haley walked over to Brooke and Shelley, skipping a little
"What is she up to?" Rachel asked suspiciously
"Let's wait and see" Peyton replied, watching the interaction intently
"Hey Tigger, Shelley" Haley said as she approached
"Hales this is a fantastic party" Shelley said admiring the decorations
"Well it was a godmothers duty to spoil her goddaughter and by extension, her mother"
"I can't argue with that" Brooke said
"Hey I was thinking of maybe going on a shopping trip tomorrow, did you want to come?" Haley asked tentively
"Oh I don't know Tutor Mom, Ella is still in the hospital…"
"You have to have a little time to recover, Brooke, otherwise you won't have any energy when Ella come home"
"But what if-"
"Come on, Brooke only for a couple of hours?"
"Ok, but we are going straight to the hospital after that"
"You're welcome to come too, Shelley" Haley said. Shelley looked over to Peyton and Rachel who were still standing in the corner, watching the interaction. Shelley some scheming must be going so she opted out of the plan Haley was hatching
"Sorry hon, Mouth and I are visiting his folks tomorrow" Shelley skilfully fibbed.
"Ah ok"
"Then it's just the two of us" Haley said happily "I'll pick you up from here about 10ish, then afterwards we can stop by the hospital"
"It's a deal"
"Ok, talk to you later"
Haley winked at Peyton and Rachel as she walked over to her husband and pulled him away from the conversation he was having with Cooper and started whispering frantically. Nathan started nodding along with Haley, occasionally glancing at Lucas.
"Oh she's good" Peyton said snickering
"What?" Rachel asked confused
"Come on, getting Nathan in on her plan, pure genius" Peyton said in a matter of fact manner.
"This might be easier than we think" Rachel said as she took a sip of the soda.
"As much as I love spending time with you, Tutor Mom why the sudden shopping trip, I know how much you hate shopping when your preggers" Brooke said as she looked at a miniature sun dress
"I just thought we needed some Tigger and Tutor Mom time, considering that baby Ella is coming home soon and I bet you won't let her out of your sight" Haley said wisely
"That's probably right"
" So…Lucas mentioned that you saw Chase at the hospital yesterday"
"Yeah, it was good to see him" Brooke said vaguely
" But don't you think it's a bit random, seeing him after all these years?"
"Not really, Tutor Mom, that's one of the great things about New York.You can just be a stranger in the crowd until one day you run into an ex"
"So how was he?"
"Good, I think, we didn't speak that much. Although I think Luke nearly had a cow when he saw Chase" Brooke said, giggling
"Of course he would Brooke; Chase was the only other guy that was worthy of your heart."
"Yeah but I never loved Chase, you know?? Sure he was sweet and kind, and that's what I really needed at the time, but nothing compared to the feeling I had when I was with Lucas"
"So…what are you and Lucas going to do anyway?" Haley tried to ask tactfully
"With what?" Brooke asked
"Ella, living together, parenting together"
"We haven't talked about it" she replied slowly
"Brooke!"
"Well it's not like we can go back to Broody and Cheery all of a sudden, Haley" Brooke asked, turning to look at Haley straight on.
"And why not" Haley asked boldly
"Because"
"Because why"
"Do I really have to list his offences Haley?"
All Haley did was give Brooke a look. Brooke sighed
"Fine. He cheated on me with Peyton. Twice." Brooke said
"But" Haley started
"Don't you dare say that was years ago" Brooke said fiercely
"Continue"
"He hooks up with Rachael, impregnates me while still with Rachel, didn't even tell me when he got engaged to her, and neglects to tell me when she broke it off before he weaselled his way back into my life" Brooke concluded
The women walked into a small coffee shop and sat down by the window
"I understand all that Brooke, but what about now? I don't think he could be any more doting towards Ella" Haley said
"Yes, but it doesn't hurt any less. Every time I see him one half of me thinks my god I wish he would take me now, and the other is so scared and angry that I can't stand the sight of him" Brooke said, not able to look at Haley directly. This was the first time Brooke really admitted her feelings for Lucas, so wanted to be so focused on Ella, she had blocked out all feeling towards Ella's father.
"Angry at him or you?"
"Me mostly, sometimes him. I just go over and over in my mind that if Lucas hadn't found out about the baby, I wouldn't have found out all the lies he fed me, and put me under all this stress, and Ella wouldn't have been born so early"
"Oh honey, you shouldn't beat yourself up over this, is was just Mother Nature" Haley said
"That's what everyone keeps telling me, but I still feel like a failure as a mother even before she was born" she said sadly
"How long have you felt like this?" Haley asked alarmingly
"Pretty much since she was born" Brooke admitted. Haley's eyes grew the size of saucers. She has grossly underestimated the effect that Brooke's mothers' lack of parenting skills had on her daughter. At least Haley, although at times seemed like one of many got told every day she was growing up how loved she was. For Brooke it was the opposite, where love was replaced by money. No wonder Brooke doubts her mothering skills, Haley thought
"Brooke. Look at me. Look at me!" she demanded
"You are an amazing mother. I have seen you with that little girl, Brooke, even when you couldn't hold her you still tried to comfort her. I don't think she would have been as strong as she is if it hadn't been for you" Haley reassured Brooke
"Really?"
"Really. You are nothing like your mother Brooke. You love your kid more then anything, and do you know how I know that?"
"How?" Brooke asked her eyes full of loss and hope at the same time.
"Because I know that you have been worrying about her the entire time we were out this morning, and you said nothing" Haley said intuitively
"How did you know?" Brooke asked
"It's a mother thing" Haley said, patting Brooke's hand
"Thanks Hales" Brooke said hugging her friend
"No problems, Tigger. Us mothers have got to stick together. Did you want to go to the hospital now?"
"Hell yeah" Brooke said. Haley almost saw the cloud formerly known as Brooke she left the café so fast.
A/N: So that was chapter 18, sorry it was a bit of a filler, but more drama is set to come!! Reviewslove L xoxo