From now on – chapter four
"I guess it is your turn to avoid my phone calls now, I suppose I deserve that, in fact I probably deserve anything bad you can throw at me for what I have put you through the last eight months. So Chase came all the way to New York to tell me what he thought of me and at first I thought hey she has turned my friend against me, but I did realise that the reason he is so worked up about this all when I originally thought that it had nothing to do with him at all, he has and always will attempt to push me to do the right thing by myself, he is looking out for me that boy is whether he or I realise it or not. I guess you deserve an explanation, babies are a big deal and I just don't see myself with a child right now you know me Rachel we talked about it before we had sex that night at the club in New York I crave my independence.." she instantly hung up the phone not willing to let herself listen to anymore, Rachel was sitting across from her with tears in her eyes as they both looked at the phone that sat on the coffee table in front of them, Rachel had come out into the living room for upstairs with this look on her face and Brooke could tell just from the look that she was so close to bursting into tears but she was remaining strong and noble in true Rachel form, she simply said "Get a load of this" before turning on speaker phone and setting it down, But as the message continued to play she knew it was getting to her and it should be because it was getting to Brooke as well.
"Forget him" she said as she turned away from Rachel and quickly wiped her eyes and her nose "He totally isn't worthy of your brain space, there are so many other better things to talk about like your baby shower" she said with a smile, Brooke was pretty sure that she was more excited than Rachel herself.
"Yeah" Rachel said with a reassuring smile, not sure whether she was attempting to reassure and soothe herself or if it was intended towards soothing Brooke.
"Now I have to go set up" she said as she crossed the room and picked up her handbag all prepared to head to the café "You know what time you have to be there?" she asked with a smile, the red head matched it and nodded. "Great I will see you then"
X-x-x-x-x-x
"I am so fricken mad" she said storming into TRIC and right up to the bar where Chase stood, taken back by Brooke's sudden appearance
"I'm guessing that you heard about it being Owen's baby then"
"Yes I and I am so fricken AHH" she said assuming that he would understand the feeling she was trying to express, she threw down her handbag and took a seat at the bar, it was clear from her body language that she was angry and emotional
"I know it sucks Brooke but I think it is something that we just have to get over"
"What?" she said clearly outraged by something that Chase said
"I mean she is your friend, she made a mistake and she is certainly suffering for it" he said looking at her not sure why Brooke had gotten so upset with him, they had always been able to speak freely about anything around each other.
"Wait what are you talking about?"
"I was talking about how you shouldn't be mad at Rachel because you know she loves you and she wouldn't want to intentionally hurt you. What are you talking about?"
"Oh I know that, if I got mad every time she attempted to sleep with my boyfriend's then we wouldn't be friends right now, I'm talking about how mad I am that Owen has left Rachel pregnant and alone because he is too scared to grow some balls and embrace fatherhood. I mean it was one thing to freak out on me about the whole Angie thing and to be such an Asshole about the whole Sam thing but they weren't his own flesh and blood, this kid who is like about to burst out into the world, that is HIS kid, that kid is going to be half red head and half commitment phobic and he has to at least acknowledge that" she exclaimed, having to catch her breathe afterwards.
"Oh well then we are in agreement" he said with a smile before deciding that this wasn't an appropriate time for a cute Chase smile.
"And you know what I don't know what to do, Rachel is in my spare bedroom constantly on the verge of tears, we always had this ability of expressing how much we loved each other through insults, I know it sounds weird but it was our thing and I am scared that if I even attempt to do that now that I will make her cry, also this Owen situation what am I supposed to do with that information, I mean when it was just some cruddy guy abandoning my pregnant friend I sent bad vibes into the whole stupid universe, now I have all this information and nothing to do with it. Did it help going to New York and giving him a piece of his mind?" Chase was surprised by the last part, he wasn't aware that anyone else knew that he had flown to New York earlier that week, other than Mouth who had promised not to tell anyone after Chase threatened to tell anyone that he told that Owen picked up Mouth and threw him over his shoulder.
"Mouth certainly thought it did, I'm not sure if it helped me at all" he said looking down to the glass in his hand that he was meticulously cleaning
"Mouth went with you?"
"Yeah he had something to prove with Owen anyway, but Owen locked him out on the balcony so he missed the majority of the whole serious discussion"
"I thought you promised that if I didn't say anything you wouldn't tell anyone that" Mouth said walking up behind Brooke
"I just assumed that you told her considering I didn't and no else is supposed to know"
"Well I didn't tell her, who told you?" Mouth said turning to Brooke
"Owen called Rachel this morning and said that Chase had come to visit him and that he thought he should just clarify that he craved independence" she said practically turning red with anger just having to say the words
"Man I hate that guy" Mouth said looking off into the distance, Brooke looked at him and then turned to Chase with a question look which Chase responded to with a shrug of his shoulders
"I have to go and set up a baby shower now" she said with a not so happy look on her face as she waved and walked off
"Hey Brooke" Chase said causing her to turn around "Smile" he requested and she put on her best fake smile.
X-x-x-x-x-x
When Rachel walked into the café it was completely different from the previous days that she had come to visit Brooke at work today it was filled with Blue streamers and balloons, to the right of where she stood she saw a table reserved for obviously presents, it was absolutely filled. Usually when she walked into the café she tried to blend into the life around her, no one really noticing her presence, they just went on and continued with their days and their lives, today was different everyone that filled the café was looking at her with smiles plastered on their faces, all of a sudden this feeling of love and excitement made its way through her body, these people were here celebrating the impending birth of her baby boy.
Rachel spent the rest of the afternoon laughing at what surrounded her, eating, opening presents, eating and being asked what she was going to name her baby, a smile constantly covered her face. She sat at a table with her feet up on an opposite chair with a piece of cake sitting on her stomach, see that was the only perk she saw out of having a growing stomach, she wished that she could still drink so then at least she could rest a beer on her stomach on the days when she lacked a coffee table, but she was determined to do this pregnancy without a drop of alcohol and she had nearly made it. Rachel watched as all the people Brooke had assembled played games and talked about their own children or their ambitions to have children, she had noticed this herself that the growing stomach and the ambition of pregnancy somehow opened up the flood gates to every person in her life to divulge their family plans. Brooke walked over and sat down next to her, throwing her feet to another empty chair "Peyton said to send her congratulations" she said before taking a bite out of her own slice of blue frosted chocolate cake "Are you having fun?" she asked, like any hostess would
"Yeah" she said unable to hide how she actually thought of the party, no one really threw her a party before and she was overwhelmed by the whole situation "And all this free stuff has made this baby worth having, I'm considering having another one just so I can get another diaper warmer" Rachel said as Brooke laughed next to her.
"Have you decided what you are going to name it?" Brooke asked as Rachel added to the tally of people who had already asked that question today, Haley came over and sat with them as Rachel contemplated telling them what she had decided
"Yeah I have" she said with a smile as she looked down at her stomach and placed a hand upon it
Brooke let out a shriek of excitement and anticipated waited for Rachel to tell her "Do you want to hear it?" she asked the two girls ferociously nodding at her "William Ray Gatina" she said, just saying the name made her grin. Both Brooke and Haley smiled and nodded saying that it was a perfect name for the new addition to the rather large Tree Hill extended family, Brooke wasn't shocked to hear that she had chosen to not use Owen's last name.
X-x-x-x-x-x
"Thank you so much for today Brooke" She said grinning down at her closest friend from where she sat perched on the couch, Brooke was sitting on the floor in front of her with the nail polish out and a stupidly goofy grin on her face, Not only did Rachel assume that Brooke was high on blue frosting but tonight was the night that Julian came home with the boys and she was so excited and nervous, she wasn't nervous about them being home she was nervous that they weren't okay or that they weren't going to make it home alive, So to distract her and use Brooke to her own advantage she asked her if she would paint her toe nails considering she couldn't even reach her toe nails at that point.
"You are so very welcome" Brooke said looking up at her, the door opened and Brooke excitably jumped up from her spot on the floor to where her boys had just ran into the room, Rachel was pretty sure that she was going to squash them if she hugged them any tighter. Julian walked in and while Brooke and he kissed the two boys walked over and looked at Rachel, neither of them had really met Rachel and even if they had they wouldn't recall her in her current condition. Brooke rushed over and put a hand on each of the boy's shoulders as Julian came over and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
"This is one of my friends Rachel" she said as the boys smiled at her, the second that stranger danger was eliminated they turned into little social bunnies. Brooke leant over and picked up the nail polish brush where she had thrown it in excitement
"What are you doing mama?" Davis asked as he attached himself to his mother's torso, Rachel knew instantly that he was the mummy's boy but she didn't doubt that Jude was either, if Brooke was her mother she would be a mummy's girl, she doubted that anyone could resist Brooke.
"I am painting Rachel's toe nails" she said putting a hand on Davis' head
"Can we do it mummy?" Jude said walking over from where his dad stood at the fridge
"Yeah mummy can we?" Davis added looking up to his mum
"You will have to ask Rachel" Brooke said as all three eyes turned to Rachel, all with identical manipulating smiles
"What the hell, go for it, I can't see my toes anyway"
X-x-x-x-x-x
"I am so glad you are home" she said sitting down on the bed next to him in her pyjamas
"Are you gladder that the boys are home or me?" he asked with a cheeky smile, knowing full well that Brooke needed her boys to function.
"Don't make me decide between my men" she said with a smile as Julian pulled her down onto him and kissed her, he didn't necessarily have sex on the mind, he had just in the past week missed the closeness that he and his wife shared, so she simply put her head on his chest and he wrapped his arms around her.
"How is Rachel doing?" he asked as he stroked her brown hair
"I think she is okay, it is hard on her and I really just want to kick Owen in the balls for her" for a moment after she spoke they lay in a comfortable silence each immersed in their own thoughts, as they began to speak again there was a knock on the door, Brooke assumed that it was one of the boys and told them to come in, she was as shocked as Julian when a hysterically crying Rachel was found standing in the doorway "What is wrong?" Brooke said getting up off Julian
"Sorry for interrupting" she said as Brooke walked over to her and Julian sat up on the edge of the bed, he to shared his wife's worry.
"Don't be ridiculous babe, has Owen called again?" Brooke asked as Rachel shook her head "What's wrong?" she said as she stood right in front of her
"I feel weird" she said before another intense downpour of tears "I think my waters broke"
To be continued