Chapter 14:

I believe this is a chapter we've all been waiting patiently for. I hope that you really enjoy this and will leave feedback.

- Jen

Isn't she Lovely- Stevie Wonder

"Mommy, where is she? Can we see her yet?" asked the impatient four year old.

"Be careful of mommy's tummy. Remember that's where the baby came out and it's still a little sore." Wincing as she sat up further in the bed, Haley bit down on her lip letting the pain of that small movement die down before releasing the breath she was holding. "Peyt, can you take him"

Peyton went to her side and grabbed Jay, hoisting him on her hip before smiling at Haley. "You know you did really good Hales, She's so beautiful" Peyton said taking a seat across from her in one of the chairs. Her patience was just a low as her nephews.

"Well I don't feel like I did all that great. All I really did was lay there and let a bunch of doctors cut me open. But here we are nearly two days later, and I have no clue what my baby even looks like." She felt the tears welling up in her eyes once again feeling like a complete failure. "I just really need to see my baby girl"

Haley had been very scared and upset about her husband not being there when their daughter was born, but when she went to place her hand on her stomach and realized the obvious difference in size, she became hysterical before the nurses and Peyton.

After being taken to the operating room as a precaution, her doctor proceeded to try and turn her baby out of the breech position. All the mothers that posted on different message boards and websites were right when they described the pain and discomfort the turning brought.

Dr. Green had only been applying the pressure to Haley's stomach for just over three minutes when beeping noises were heard from top left of Haley's bed, and the babys' low heart rate of 110 dropped drastically to 90. Haley was quick to look at the monitor, but before she could get any words out to her doctor, her eyes rolled into the back of her head and everything went black.

She apparently had woken up a few times disoriented and in much discomfort from the tube that was finally removed from her throat as well as other effects from the anesthesia. Her doctor tried to explain to her what was going on, and after ignoring her and demanding Peyton to tell her what the hell is going on and where is my baby, Haley learned of what happened.

During the turning, the placenta separated from the uterine wall causing her to have an emergency cesarean.

Peyton witnessed the small naked baby being pushed in the small incubator and taken to the NICU. She'd told Haley everything she could about her nameless day and a half old baby daughter. She had weighed in at 4 lbs 11oz. and 18 inches long. Tiny didn't describe how small she was.

The occupants of the room looked to the door as Haleys' doctor walked into the room. She took a few minutes to check Haley's vitals over and tend to her incision before taking a seat and answering questions.

"So how is she? This is my line of work, so I'd like it straight forward." She didn't want anyone bullshittingher about her daughters health. If she had to, she'd run test herself and get her own answers.

"Well" she began, "as you know your daughter is considered a moderately preterm baby. She will still need to spend a week or so in the NICU, but I expect her to catch up in no time and have no long term effects of prematurity." Glancing down at the infants chart, she continued. "She is small, but we will take this one step at a time. You're aware of her weight, just under five pounds which is very decent. The great news is that her lungs are developed exceptionally well for her age, and she's not having trouble breathing, so that milestone will not be in play on releasing her from the hospital. Did you plan on nursing her?"

"Yes, at least for the first few months" She glanced over at Jake who was now holding her son while Peyton was scribbling on a notebook pad.

"Okay, great. We will have a lactation specialist come in to get you started on pumping. What we've given her so far is TPN, which is Total Parenteral Nutrition. It's an IV fluid that will provide her with total nutrition including her sugars, electrolytes, vitamins, proteins, and fats as well. She will continue the TPN while you're nursing her until her feedings increase."

"How is she being fed?"

"We have an Umbilical Catheter attached so that we're able to easily deliver the fluids and also if we need to draw blood for any reason it's painless and keeps her from being stuck by needles."

"She has to get a shot mommy?" Jay knew they were talking about his baby sister, but the only thing that he understood was the word needle and he didn't like that his sister had to get a shot.

"No baby, she won't have to get any shots, they're gonna take real good care of her." Haley tried to reassure herself more with her statement than Jay.

Dr. Greene went through the milestones that Baby Scott would have to overcome before going home and although Haley was well aware of them, her mind was foggy and she was glad for the refresher. Her temperature was being regulated in the incubator so that was something she'd have to do on her home before being released as well as her feeding schedule.

"Will someone be in to change my dressing from the C-section?"

"Yes, before the Lactation Specialist comes in to help with your nursing, Jessica will be back in to change your dressing first"

"So once she begins nursing, she's through with that milestone?" Peyton asked. She had to be sure that she had all the details correct for when she told Nathan about their new baby. He wouldn't be happy that she had to stay in the hospital for weeks, and would instantly demand answers.

"In a sense"

Seeing her confused looked, she attempted to simplify it, "well let's say that on her first few feedings, she takes to nursing well, but the following feeding, she denies it and won't take it. We want to make sure she's used to it, so as long as she's consistent with her feedings, she's free to go home. We also monitor what we call "ad lib" feeding where the baby will guide themselves on a feeding schedule. They will wake when they're hungry, and take as much milk as she wishes. That's a reason she will stay on the TPN, being premature, she's not strong enough to take all of their nutrition from the bottle or breast because they tire easily. And remember that's just one step. But I assure you, she will be just fine. By the looks of her, I'll give her a week or so here before she's ready to go home. With her weight picking up some towards the end of Haley's pregnancy, things were able to move along faster and just with her lungs being so great… you've definitely got a fighter on your hands."

"Thank you so much" she sent her a grateful smile, and she exited the room.

Peyton stared at Haley for a few minutes seeing not only the sadness in her eyes, but anger there as well. She knew what was going on in her friends' mind and although Haley loved the team of doctors and nurses she worked with at the hospital, she couldn't help but feel betrayed by them. Being on the other side of the chart made things so much harder and she wished rules would've been broken for her to see her daughter although she knew it was too dangerous for them both.

"Hales.." Peyton started.

"Don't Peyton, just don't."

"I was just going to say that Luke, Brooke and Deb are driving down this afternoon. Dan is keeping Drew and they'll be down tomorrow"

"Awesome," she cheered flatly "now they can go up and see my daughter before me just like you huh?" she smiled staring directly into her friends eyes. It only took Haley a few seconds to see the tears coat the blondes' eyes before she looked away and focused on her son.

"Hey buddy, come give me a big kiss okay" Jake stood up, and hearing her voice start to crack, and brought Jay closer to his mother. "I want you to go home with Uncle Jake, and Aunt Peyton. They're gonna get you some lunch, anything you want, and I'm gonna stay here and get better okay. Aunt Brooke, Uncle Lucas, and Grandma will be here later so I want you to lay down some before they get here. You need your rest okay" She smiled once their kiss was over and Jake started to carry him out of the room.

Peyton glanced back at Haley before exiting the room, leaving Haley to completely break down. She didn't even get the chance to tell her the good news she had.

Brooke, Lucas and Deb stepped off the elevator and started passing through the waiting area when Peyton noticed them and called them over.

Brooke was the first to reach the slim blonde and engulfed her in a hug. "It's so good to see you, and thank God you were there when it happened. You saved both their lives." Pulling away she noticed the tears streaming down Peyton's face.

"She's in her room right now, but just really upset obviously. She was able to pump some milk for her but they wanted to wait until later tonight to take her to see her. She was so out of it the first few times she woke up and her blood pressure hadn't gone down, so they're just being cautious. And I know it's not personal and it's just everything that's going on, but she's so upset with me right now and she thinks I left with Jake and Jason."

She had hugged Lucas and Deb before she continued. "Just don't let her know I stayed, I know she'll come around."

"How's the baby" Lucas spoke up.

"She's doing very well, umm the doctor says she has to overcome just two of the normal milestones, maintaining her body temperature, and being able to feed on a schedule. Just go see her, I'm sure she'd love to see some familiar faces. She doesn't want anyone seeing the baby before her and Nathan can of course, but either way visiting hours for the NICU are over unless you're a grandparent or parent."

"You know we're praying for her right Haley? The both of you are gonna be outta here in no time. She's surpassed what they expected and according what I know it's as if she's completely full term and just on the small side. I just know it buddy. Now promise me you're gonna listen to your doctors and relax as much as you can, no being super Haley right now, just be a mom that needs to rest."

She leaned her head against Lucas' shoulder and nodded once while he hugged her softly. Her visitors had arrived to her room just over an hour ago, and it was nearing time for them to go. She loved seeing Brooke and Deb, and their reassurance of keeping Jay busy and stocking up on more necessities for the nursery was comforting but seeing Lucas made things better almost immediately.

Since she'd first been introduced to him after only a few months of dating Nathan, those matching blue eyes warmed her heart and she felt an instant connection.

Boom. Boom. Boom.

Yanking his front door open, Lucas was greeted with a hysterical Haley pushing into his apartment.

"You knew about it didn't you? How could you Luke? He can try to protect me as much as he thinks but we promised Luke that when it comes to Nathan being shipped off we had each other's backs! I don't lie to you, and you don't lie to me about anything!"

"Haley, I swear to you I didn't know at first. He sent me a text yesterday night saying he was being moved into the field to work on some trucks that were having break issues or something and that he should be texting me later that day. I stayed up all damn night waiting for his text and got nothing."

"Then why haven't I heard from you Lucas? Why didn't you tell me"

"Because by the time I could call you it was all over the news and you weren't answering your cell. I knew you'd be over here so I waited. I'm just as scared as you are Haley! That's my brother!"

Haley looked up from where her face was buried in her hands and took in her future brother in laws's appearance. His red-teary eyes, and stressed out body language made her feel all kinda of guilt. "You're right, I'm so sorry Luke, I just….I can't even… an IED? I can't even fathom some bomb just explo.." choking on a sob, Haley allowed Lucas to pull her into a warm hug while she cried.

"It's you Luke. You're the one I need to help Haley through everything whenever I'm gone. Forget everyone else she loves, I need you there with her. It's the only way I'll know she's safe and taken care of" Lucas recalled the words his younger brother said to him every time he was sent away. This was his promise to his brother.

"He's gonna be fine Haley, he's gonna be fine"

Haley looked up when a knock was heard at her door. She knew that visiting hours were over, and was shocked to see that Peyton somehow managed to get into her Mother/Baby Unit room.

"I ummm, I asked your supervisor if she could make an exception and let me back for some time. I'm sure I'm the last person you'd want to see Haley, and I'm so sorry about everything that happened."

"No, Peyton it wasn't you.." she started but was interrupted.

"Hales, I never wanted to take away the moment of you and Nate seeing your daughter first… I just.. when they gave you the anesthesia right before you were out of it, your doctor told me you just kept whispering don't let her be alone, don't let her be alone and I knew I had to go with her. You were in great hands and I just couldn't let her be around a bunch of doctors and not have someone there that loves her so much and was routing for her. I wish it was you that was able to be with her, but I couldn't leave her alone up there"

"Peyton, thank you. I was being stupid and just angry at myself before more than anything, but I'm so glad she had you there. I didn't want her to be alone either and I remember thinking that I should have told you to stay with her if anything happened to me. So thank you so much, and I'm so sorry." She opened her arms and allowed the soft embrace her friend gave her.

"Well Jay's great, he's staying with Brooke and Luke. They took him out to dinner and them to a movie, so he's having a ball. Deb's at the house just setting up the bassinette she brought down, and she's washing all baby's clothes and will bring a bag of her things up for her. Everything will be ready for when she comes home. So how long did you get to spend up there?" It had been about four hours since she'd last seen Haley and knew they must have taken her to see the baby by now. Her friend would be going crazy if not.

"Actually, I haven't been up there, I…" she stopped and they both turned at the soft knock on the door.

Isn't she lovely,

Isn't she wonderful.

Isn't she precious,

Less than one minute old

She saw her doctor walk, rear first into the room, and look over her shoulder before smiling at her patient. "As promised, here's your baby girl." She backed further into the room pulling the small bassinette in with her, and moving it to the foot of Haley's bed. Haley's eyes filled with tears as she sat up more and reached for the sanitizer that sat at her bedside.

"I'm gonna get out of here Hales, i'll.."

"No! I want you here. Meet her with me" she smiled towards Peyton and sat patiently as her doctor handed over the baby.

Haley was in extreme awe of the baby that was cradled in her arms. Leaning down she inhaled her sweet baby scent and kissed her tiny face. She was so much smaller than Jay was and Haley couldn't believe she was actually holding her. "Can I take her hat off" When the older woman told her it would be okay for a few minutes, she eased the hat off her head.

I never thought, through love we'd be

Making one as lovely as she

But isn't she lovely, made from love

Peyton smiled when the small cap was taken off the baby to reveal her jet black, downy soft locks. She had so much hair already, and it was all from her daddy; thick and pin straight. Moving the blanket down from her chin and un-swaddling her a little, she continued to inspect her.

She couldn't stop noticing all the little things about her baby girl. She was a perfect mix of both her parents as far as Haley could tell. It was clear to see that she had her momma's full lips, as well as the small dimple that was softly set in her right cheek. It wasn't deep, but so soft that even the movement of her mouth would bring the lonesome dimple out. She knew that her beauty would send her husband to an early grave once the boys started to notice their little girl.

I never thought, through love we'd be

Making one as lovely as she

But isn't she lovely, made from love

It had been about ten minutes when Haley looked up at Peytons' wide eyes, and started to wrap her back into a swaddle. "Here Peyton, why don't you get some snuggles in with your God Daughter" she said softly to the blonde.

"God Daughter? Really? What about Brooke and, and Tonya? We don't even live that close Hales." She was honored but had to be sure because she couldn't have this taken away from her.

"This is something Nathan and I actually talked about and we both agree. We want you and Jake to be her God parents. No amount of distance will change the way you guys will pray for her and love her, and Brooke already has Jay, and lives like a half a minute from us. But she will always have something special with you Peyton. Say yes?"

For fear of crying out loud, Peyton simply nodded her head before accepting the small bundle in her arms and laying a kiss on her hat covered head. "God Hales, I have no idea how you're letting me hold her right now, I could never let her go." she laughed out a sob, and continued to let out shaky words. "I love her so much I can't even explain it… I can't wait to be a mom Hales. Me and Jake started trying since he's been back, but nothing yet. We're not discouraged or anything, just impatient, but God I want this so bad Haley."

Isn't she pretty,

Truly the angels' best

Boy, I'm so happy,

We have been heaven blessed

After just a couple of minutes her doctor walked back into the room with her chart in her hand. "Now I can give you about another half hour to be here. We have her body temp regulated in the NICU, but Haley how about we do some Kangaroo Care for the next hour and then I'll bring her back to the NICU for the night."

Nodding her head, Haley watched as she took her daughter from Peyton and stripped her free of the blanket, and laid the diaper and hat clad baby against Haley's naked chest.

"God this is the best feeling ever" Haley looked up when Peyton got her phone and started taking a few pictures to send to Nathan. "Your daddy is going to be just so in love with you baby girl"

I can't believe what God has done
through us he's given life to one

Haley looked down reading the text she received from her husband and smiled after kissing her daughters head and rubbing her hand gently over her soft naked skin.

"Your daddy loves you Madeline Jaymes Scott"

But isn't she lovely made from love

It had been two weeks total that Madeline Jaymes slept in the NICU of San Antonio Medical Center, and three days total for her mother. Four days after she was born, two days after her first attempt, is when the baby first took to nursing from her momma. Haley had been very disappointed in herself when the baby had no idea what to do with the nipple that was close to her mouth. It had been very awkward with the nurse having her pull the baby closer and trying to put her nipple in the baby's mouth. Needless to say, it didn't work at all, and throughout that day and the first two feedings the next morning, Madeline continued to be fed via her umbilical catheter.

Haley was a trooper through the entire ordeal and every time her daughter needed to be fed, Haley was prepared to give it another go. After her failed attempts, Haley kindly asked the nurse to leave her alone with Madeline while she tried feeding her. The nurse refused at first saying that she wanted to make sure Haley wouldn't get frustrated or hurt because the baby would feel that and set them back more, but Haley insisted that afternoon on doing it alone.

That's when her precious baby girl latched on; when it was just her and her mommy. She loved nursing her baby, and since that feeding, Madeline naturally took to breastfeeding altogether. Before Haley was released, she had Peyton bring her breast pump to the hospital, and pumped as much milk as she could for when Madeline would still be there. She had gained a few ounces, but she agreed with her doctor on keeping her until she was over 5 lbs.

It had also been a struggle to get the stubborn baby to drink from a bottle. But once again, Haley had been persisted, and just a few hours before she was discharged, Haley had gotten her drinking out of the Dr. Browns bottle.

Every morning Peyton was there to help Haley around the house, and drove her to the hospital for the day. The incision from her C-Section had her in pain eighty percent of the day, but before she'd be dropped off at the hospital, she'd take the medicine she'd been prescribed with her breakfast. Her supervisor, at first against it, caved and finally gave her something that she could take and as long as she pumped enough beforehand to cover two feedings, her baby girl would not suffer any effects of the medication.

She'd check herself into the NICU as early as eight-fifteen in the morning, and most days would not leave until check out time for parents at six-thirty. Her favorite part of the day, besides cuddling Madeline, was the constant flow of sent and received text messages, videos and phone calls from her husband. In the short two week span Haley had sent over eighty pictures and thirteen videos via text and actually had to increase their data plan on their phone service.

The constant hours spent talking with Nathan about every little thing their daughter did constantly had the nurses in the NICU admiring the strong couple. Haley had a few of her co-workers looking in on her, but also was able to meet a few nurses that recently started at the hospital. Nathan was already in love with his baby girl and would spend a couple of minutes each day on speaker phone just talking to her.

No matter how happy she was for her little girl to come home, Haley paced the small room clearly upset. They were taking so long to get Madeline checked out, but the real reason for her foul mood was that she hadn't been able to get in touch with Nathan all day. Not only was their daughter able to finally come home, but it was January 19th, his birthday and he was nowhere to be found.

Two weeks passed and this week, really the third week since her husband surprised the small family on Christmas Eve, was the weekend he would be able to come home and visit. Haley did everything in her power to make sure their baby girl was ready to come home by the time that Nathan would be there. She refused to let him meet their daughter in the NICU, and wanted his homecoming to be perfect. He'd already missed the first two weeks of her life and they were both saddened by that time they'd never get back.

Haley sighed in relief when the nurse came in carrying her screaming baby. She knew it was time for her to eat, but instead of taking the bottle from the nurse, Haley asked to be alone while she nursed her. She pulled out her phone to try her husband once more, and when she got no answer she texted Jake who was in the waiting room to tell him she'd be a minute.

Once she was done nursing on each side, Haley burped, and then proceeded to change the baby's clothes. She grabbed the small diaper bag and pulled out the long sleeve green one piece that had light pink and cream dots on it. She didn't want to crowd her in pink and decided that the outfit had enough pink in it for her. After dressing her, she dressed her in the warm one piece coat and draped the blanket over her. After signing her out, she walked out to find Jake waiting right outside for her patiently. Strapping her car seat into its' base, she bucked herself up and sat next to her for the car ride home.

On the way home, Jake drove carefully, making sure he didn't disturb the sleeping baby. Peyton was at home cooking dinner and watching Jay until they got there. He was very impatient, having only been able to see his baby sister two times.

Haley sat in the back thinking about all the things she had to do when she got home before the next feeding. She knew that there were plenty of diapers in her bags and she had to still unpack everything that had been at the hospital like diapers, wipes, and bottles. They had used up all the milk she'd left at the hospital, and she had to wash out the last few bottles and actually wasn't positive if she had any clean ones for the next feeding.

She wasn't sure if she wanted to set up the bassinette in her room, but with recovering from her C-section, it was still hard to get around everywhere. She should have been pretty healed from the cesarean, but after straining herself to much, she had to get a few more stitches inserted. The medicine she'd been taking was working its magic but she knew it would wear off soon, and wanted to wean herself off of it.

When they pulled in her garage, Haley took a deep breath and calmed herself down. This was a happy moment, and she just wanted to enjoy it, and not stress over other things. Besides, she had help there, and knew that Brooke and Lucas would be fighting to come over later. Haley unsnapped the baby from the green and gray car seat and carried her in while Jake brought in the empty car seat and the diaper bag.

"Mommy!" Jay screeched out as soon as the front door opened. He ran over to his mommy and clutched onto her leg

"Hey baby, you miss your sister?" she said rubbing his cheeks affectionately.

"Yes, you and Sissy, mommy"

"You wanna come help me put her in her room. She needs to take a nap"

He shook his head and ran back over to where he was eating ice cream at the table, and all Haley could do was laugh.

Waving at Peyton, Haley made her way down the hall to the nursery, already removing the blanket from the baby's face.

Pushing the door open, she froze at the site of her husband bent over closing the diaper genie, and stacking diapers in the top drawer.

"Hi Hales" he said standing up and grinning at her.

"You asshole. You were here the whole time?" she cried out, already feeling the tears on her face.

"Of course I was Haley. I couldn't not be here"

Haley walked over beside him and laid the infant down on the changing table. She unzipped the coat and grabbed a blanket from the diaper bag to hand to her husband.

Nathan and Haley both took sanitation around their babies seriously. They made sure that anyone who held them when they were young had been sanitized and had a fresh, clean blanket covering them. He draped the blanket across his chest and felt the small weight in his hands when his wife handed over their daughter. He watched her squirm around and get comfortable and then leaned down and inhaled her perfect scent before placing a kiss on her forehead. He moved back and leaned down to where his wife was and placed a gentle kiss on her lips.

When the road gets dark
and you can no longer see
Let my love throw a spark
Have a little faith in me

"I can't believe you're here baby" Haley said against his lips.

"How could I miss something as perfect as this? I'm so sorry I wasn't here before"

"Hey," she said pulling back and running her thumb over his lips "you're here now, that's all that matters"

"She's so beautiful" he kissed her thumb when it went across his lips, then turned his attention back to his daughter.

Brining the small infant to shoulder, he turned his head, kissing her tiny face repeatedly while rubbing her back. "You're so beautiful Maddie-Bear, yea you are. Daddy's here now and he's been waiting a long time for his perfect angel to get here. I'm so sorry I wasn't here before." He turned to Haley with tears in his eyes, knowing how raw the pain of him not being there still was. Those two weeks were filled with precious moments he would never get back.

Haley moved closer to Nathan and laid her head against his free shoulder, giving his neck a quick kiss before squeezing him to her body. "I know baby, me too" She knew she couldn't focus on that right now, and guided him over to the rocking chair. He settled down in the chair as Haley went to the bottom of the crib and put in the cd she'd brought in earlier that day. When she walked back over to the rocking chair, Nathan eased Maddie back into the crook of his arm before pulling her down to sit in his lap. He brought one hand up to her face and fully kissed her lips. They continued kissing until the music began to softly play and Nathan smiled against her lips.

"Woman, you're gonna brain wash our baby" he said pushing her hair behind her ear.

"Well I've already brainwashed you and Jay, why not Maddie too?" she asked softly.

He leaned forward and gently sucked on her bottom lip, pulling it open and asking for her permission to enter. Opening her mouth she lured his tongue in as his hands moved further down her neck. Before he could go any further, Haley pulled away seeing the desire in his eyes. Moving off his lap, she removed the small cap from the baby's head and grinned when her husband finally saw the wild feather-like hair sticking up. He touched the soft long hairs before laughing at how her feather like locks refused to lay flat. Gently, Haley took her from his arms and laid the baby in between the two cushions that cocooned her small body allowing her sleeping position to be undisturbed.

They both kissed the baby's head and grabbed the monitor before leaving the room.

When they entered the master bedroom, Nathan watched Haley set up the baby monitor on their night stand as he closed the door softly. Walking over to where she was, he sat back on the bed, and pulled Haley on his lap straddling him. She was very grateful for the mild pain reliever they'd given her and when she felt the small stab of pain, she wondered when the serious pain would kick in. Leaning her forehead against his, she blinked back the tears that began to settle at the corners of her eyes. Wrapping his arms around her, he allowed her to fall into his body; her tears now drenching him as her face hid in the crook of his neck.

And when the tears you cry
are all you can believe
Just give these loving arms a try baby and
Have a little faith, faith in me

She wanted to be held by her husband and just let out all the emotion she had been feeling. Sadness of him not being there, their daughters' low weight, leaving her at the hospital for days; everything. She felt like a basket case, and just needed the comforting arms of her husband there. Feeling his strong arms loosen their grip, Haley moved back to look him in the eyes, and sent him a small smile. Her daughter had those eyes now.

Have a little faith in me
Have a little faith in me, oh and
Have a little faith in me
Have a little faith, faith in me

Leaning forward, Haley softly kissed Nathan's top lip, then proceeded to make a trail down, kissing his bottom lip, then his chin. She continued down to his neck, where she sucked hungrily on the skin before nipping at it with her teeth. Damn her husband tasted good.

Feeling his body temperature skyrocket, Nathan held her waist close to him, and turned them over now towering over her. Making sure that he didn't put his weight on her, he captured her lips in long hungry kisses, desperately wishing he could take her right there. He could never get enough of her kisses and always had to have more. No matter what anyone said, nothing could measure up to the feeling he got whenever he kissed his wife; her taste was intoxicating.

After he completed the attack on her lips, he moved down to her neck and repeated the same attention she had given him, only he was gentle. He had to pace himself due to her post-pregnant body knowing how he could be. It was easy for him to get caught up and out of control once he'd catch her scent. Leaning down, he softly kissed the top of her shirt that covered each of her breasts. He remembered when Jay was born and how gentle he had to be when he showed the fuller mounds attention; they had been so sore throughout the first few weeks.

After going for her lips for the last time, he tenderly kissed her forehead and made his rounds to her eye lids, nose and finally her chin. Looking up into her eyes, he saw the once trapped tears, making their way down her face.

"I love you so much Haley. You have no idea how you make me feel" he had to let her know it would always be this way according to him.

"The feeling's mutual" she whispered staring up from beneath him.

"Why do you love me so much" he asked her with wonder in his eyes. He knew why he loved her, but it was unreal for someone as perfect as her to love him. He felt so blessed and honored.

"I don't even think they have words to explain why I love you. Why do you love me?"

"That's easy, you're Haley. You're my Haley, and I love everything about you"

"Yea, like what?"

When your secret heart
Cannot speak so easily
Come here baby, from a whisper start
To have a little faith in me

"I love your heart. You've put up a lot with me, and you've never given up on me. I love you because you gave me two beautiful children, and you take such good care of them. I love that no matter what you never lose your faith in God, or even in me for that matter. I love that you sing This Years Love to our kids and even me, and you're so loyal to our relationship and to your friends. You never turn your back on people, even when they deserve it. I even love your snoring, and how you have never sneezed only one time. Haha, Haley I love everything about you, I even love how our children mostly take after me"

Haley pulled his face directly down to hers and kissed his lips lovingly. Just seconds after leaning back up, Nathan bent down and kissed the corners of her eyes, ceasing the flow of tears spilling out.

And when your back's against the wall
Just turn around and you, you will see
I will catch your, I will catch your fall just
Have a little faith, faith in me

"... I hope you guys are hungry" Peyton said pushing the door open and walking into the room. Stopping mid-step, she let her mouth drop open at the sight of the couple on the bed. Nathan was still hovered over Haley while her hands rested against his cheeks.

"Sorry guys" she said blushing, "dinner's ready" she started to talk out the room, then came back with a fresh thought. "On the other hand, I really hope that you two aren't about to ... you know, because a women should not have any sexual intercourse until at least six weeks after her baby is born, and besides, that's just gross it's only been two weeks Nathan"

"Thank you Peyton" Nathan said crinkling his forehead.

"Well when you're done, come out and eat. And also, Brooke called, said she'd give you guys the day, but come tomorrow you can't keep here away any longer."

When she left the room, Nathan dropped his head down in the crook of Haley's neck and sighed.

"Is that what my lil man's been dealing with since I've been gone?" he said jokingly.

"Yea, we should go eat with him, he really misses his daddy a lot" she kind of felt bad that they hadn't spent any time with Jay, although she had no idea how long her husband had been home. Maybe they had some bonding time earlier?

"I know, it's just... I had to be with you for a while"

"I'm glad you did, I needed that just as much as you did"

Have a little faith in me
Have a little faith in me
Have a little faith in me
Have a little faith, faith in me

He lifted himself up off the bed, and pulled her up next into a warm comforting embrace. He put his arm around her shoulder, and she brought her hand up to link them together. Turning around Nathan grabbed the baby monitor, and they made their way into the dining room after peeking in on Madeline.

Never unlinking their hands, Nathan sat down and pulled Haley in the chair next to his. Jay came out of his bathroom and made a dash as soon as he spotted his parents. Using the table, he climbed onto his mother's lap and snuggled up to her.

I've been loving you for such a long, long time
Expecting nothing in return
Just for you to have a little faith in me
You see time, time is our friend
Cos for us there is no end
All you gotta do is have a little faith in me

While she was constantly at the hospital with Madeline all week, he'd be with either Luke and Brooke or Jake and Peyton. Needless to say, he really missed his mommy.

They sat down and ate, Nathan forcing Haley bites of food after claiming she wasn't hungry. Peyton and Jake had both laughed at them, and then went out to give the family some privacy.

"I have to talk to you later on tonight" he said into her ear while they sat on the couch after dinner; Jay now curled up on his father's chest.

"You get to stay the weekend right?" they hadn't talked about him leaving yet, and she was shocked.

"Well somebody's gotta be up to feed Madeline all through the night" he said smirking at her.

"When do you have to leave?" she asked sleepily.

"We'll talk about that later. I should put him down for a nap" he was actually shocked. His son wasn't one to take a nap during the day unless he was really tired out.

"Yea, his sleep's been a little off since being moved around like a nomad with everyone's schedules and me at the hospital all the time."

"How are you dealing with everything? Are you okay?"

"I'm actually good, no I'm great now that you're here, and having Jake and Peyton here helps a ton and with Brooke and Luke being back in town. I mean, it still hurts that you're gone, but it has gotten a lot easier with their support"

"Good, I never wanted to have to leave you guys, and I can't wait until it's all over with"

I will hold you up, I will hold you up and
Your love gives me strength enough to
Have a little faith in me
Oh faith, darlin'

"I know... the only thing that scares me is that you'll get sent off somewhere, and either get really hurt or even worse; you'll never come back to me... back to us"

"Yea...that's mine too."

He could only kiss her forehead when he heard her sniffles.

"I love you Haley James Scott. I'm gonna love you always and forever" he whispered against her ear.

They both had the same fear.

Their children growing up without a father.

Losing the love of their life.

He laid down beside his wife that night for bed, and pulled her sleeping form closer to his, the small bassinette next to his side of the bed. "It'll all work out Haley, you just gotta have faith" he whispered.

Have a little faith in me

I hope that you all forgive me for that lousy chapter.. I honestly have been ready to post for about a week but had big trouble with the scene of Nathan meeting Maddie, and I still don't like it at all.. like really am disappointed in the scene. Anywho, let me know ur thoughts. Will be updating a lot sooner