Chapter 5

Peyton watched them sleep as she sat in the chair. Soon she also was asleep. A night nurse came into check on Lucas and she saw a woman and a child there. The child was in the bed and the woman was asleep in the chair. She went out to call security when the head nurse told her it was alright for them to be in there. She told her the woman was Peyton Sawyer and the little boy was Lucas's son Keith.

Dr. Walker came into do her rounds. She went into Lucas's room and saw the scene she did not have the heart to wake Peyton up. Brooke showed up shortly after that by this time Keith and Peyton were both awake.

"Good morning Dr. Walker." Peyton said.

"How did you sleep?" You did not look very comfortable." she asked Peyton.

"I was fine and I think Keith slept the best he has in a long time." Peyton said.

"By the monitors Lucas had also had a very good night." Dr. Walker said.

"Good morning daddy." Keith said as he kissed his cheek.

"Aunt Peyton, give daddy a kiss." said Keith.

Dr. Walker smiled and looked at Peyton who leaned over and kissed Lucas's forehead.

"Keith certainly knows what he wants." Dr. Walker said.

"Yes he does." Peyton said smiling.

"Peyton I want to thank you for coming because in the long run I have a feeling that you are the one that is going to help him the most." Dr. Walker said.

Dr. Walker left the room as Brooke walked in.

"Hey guys, you are here early." said Brooke.

"Actually we never left, we slept here last night." Peyton told her.

"I need to talk to you." "Haley is here she is going to take Keith for the day." Brooke told her.

"Hey Keith how would you like to spend the day with Jamie and Aunt Haley?" asked Peyton.

"Really, it will be fun." Keith said.

Peyton and Keith walked down to the waiting room where Haley and Jamie were.

"Hi Keith." Jamie said.

Keith went over to Jamie and gave him a hi-five.

"Haley is everything alright?" Peyton asked.

"Brooke will tell you what is going on." "Keith will be alright with us." Haley told her.

Keith went over and gave Peyton and big hug and kiss then they left. Brooke had been waiting for them to leave. Brooke let out a big sigh before she went into the waiting room. She did not want to do this but they had given her no choice. Lindsey's family somehow got their lawyer to have a custody hearing for today. Brooke had to give her serve her with the summons. It was either Brooke or a Deputy Sheriff that would do it so she said she would do it.

"Hey P, how you holding up?" asked Brooke

"Brooke what is going on." "I saw the look on Haley face and she said you would tell me." stated Peyton.

Brooke handed Peyton the envelope; Peyton looked at it then she looked at Brooke.

"Is this what I think it is?" "A summons." questioned Peyton.

"Yes, the Deputy Sheriff brought this morning looking for you." Brooke told her.

Peyton read it, she closed her eyes.

"How can they do this?" "Keith has been through enough and now this." "I have to call Trent Benson." she told Brooke.

Peyton got his card out of her bag and dialed the number. His assistant answered. Peyton told her who she was and she needed to talk to him as soon as possible. The assistant put her on hold and buzzed his office. The assistant told him who it was he to his assistant that he could no longer be any help to her as he is now the Strauss family's lawyer. The assistant told Peyton what she was told and hung up.

"That S.O.B. he is Lindsey's family's lawyer now." "What am I going to do now?" "I have no way to fight for Keith." "He is not going to understand when they want to take him back to New York." Peyton said angrily.

"Peyton I already have a call in for my lawyer is supposed to get back to me." "You are not going to lose that little boy." Brooke told her.

"It is two days before Thanksgiving what are we going to do?" asked Peyton.

Brooke's cell rings it is the lawyer she called.

"Jeremy, thank you for getting back to me." "Has the situation been explained to you?" Brooke asked.

"Yes it has but I have to tell you Brooke it is not going to be easy." "I will do the best I can." "When can we meet the hearing is at 1:00 not a lot of time left to talk." Jeremy said.

"It's 10:00 now let's meet in my office in a half hour." Brooke told him.

"Let's go P and stop this madness." Brooke said.

They arrived at Brooke's office ten minutes later. Jeremy Kolter arrived shortly after them. Jeremy was in his mid-fifties slightly graying medium build. He greeted Brooke with a hug.

"Mr. Kolter, I can't thank you enough for doing this on such short notice." Peyton said.

"Jeremy, this is Peyton Sawyer." Brooke said.

"Nice to meet you Peyton, please call me Jeremy." he said as he extended his hand to Peyton to shake.

The three of them sat down and talked about what Jeremy was going to do in court.

"Do you think the Judge will go for it?" asked Peyton.

"I am hoping so." "But I did find something out when I called the New York office it seems that Lindsey had one of the publishing house's lawyer's wittiness and signed and notarized it." "I have asked them to send a copy of it to me." "It probably at my office right now, they were faxing it." Jeremy told them.

"So this is a good thing?" questioned Peyton.

"Yes it is very good." he told her.

They are in court now the Judge is hearing the information form Lindsey's side of the family. Trent Benson enters Lindsey letter into evidence. The Judge reads it.

"Mr. Benson it is stated clearly here that Lindsey Strauss-Scott wants Peyton Elizabeth Sawyer to have custody of Keith Allen Scott." the Judge told him.

"Yes your honor we know that the thing is Ms. Sawyer is not true blood family." Trent Benson said.

"Be that as it may it is clearly stated Lindsey Strauss-Scott wants Peyton Elizabeth Sawyer." he told him.

"Your honor if I may, I think I can clear this up." "First of all I have a document her that has proof that Lindsey Strauss-Scott did indeed write the letter as it was witnessed and signed and notarized by Mr. Robert Starkly; who happens to be one of the Strauss lawyers." Jeremy told the Judge.

The Balfe came and took the piece of paper to the Judge who read it. Then he looked at the letter that Trent had given him and saw that it had been altered. The Judge was quiet for a few minutes.

"I have study both of these letters and it seems that one seems to have been altered from the original." "Which highly disturbs me." "I am ready to make my ruling." "Upon great consideration and the evidence I have seen here my ruling which is in the best interest of Keith Allen Scott." "That Peyton Elizabeth Sawyer have custody as it was stated in Lindsey Strauss- Scott's will." "Court augured." the Judge said as he got up to leave.

There were words exchanged at the end when leaving but that was over.

"Jeremy how can I thank you?" asked Peyton.

"Just take of that little boy." "If you need anything else Brooke will get in touch with me." he told Peyton as he left.

"You ok P?" Brooke asked.

Peyton shook her head yes as tears were rolling down her face. The rest of the day they went to finish Thanksgiving shopping.