When I woke up the next morning, I was surprised to see Lucas sleeping beside me, snuggling his head into the warmth of my chest with his hand on my boob, just holding it. My first reaction was a blush before emitting a giggle, Lucas was such a guy and this was how he loved to sleep when we were married. I never hated it back then, well, I didn't even hate it now. He was a boob guy. He loved to hold them, fondle with them, stare at them, suck and bite them on occasion and sleep on them always. I saw his furrowed face buried deep into my chest, just holding the soft flesh in a tight grip. I was so used to it in the number of years I had slept besides him that it didn't even hurt me or feel weird when I was sleeping. It felt all too natural and habitual. My memories flooded of days when things were simpler.
I was doing chores that morning, putting away dirty cereal bowls in the dishwasher, folding away laundry. I was never domestic but also never dirty. I liked things in their place. However, when you have two kids, things are never in their place. Lucas was still eating breakfast. He had been up till late the night before and he was staring at my breasts and each movement that they made since I was braless in only a camisole and leggings.
"Luke, how long are you gonna stare?" I asked. "You know you've been holding that spoon up close to your mouth for ten minutes now." I did not have time to deal with him, there were toys strewn all over the floor.
"You're my wife, which means you're all mine which also means I have the right to stare at you and my favourite parts of you as long as I like," he smiled, putting his spoon back in the bowl.
I blushed a deep shade of red as he walked up to me. He put his hands on my waist and just felt my bare skin between the hem of my cami and the elastic waistband of my leggings. That simple touch made me let out a moan. He began kissing my neck and before I even realised it, he had pulled my top off.
"Now this is the view I want while eating breakfast," he said, licking his lips and instantly making me laugh.
"Luke!" I whined as he put one of my nipples into his mouth and sucked on them. I was getting so turned on as I cradled his face in my arms, pushing him closer to my chest. He continued to pay attention to both of them, eliciting small moans and gasps from me as he nibbed and sucked and bit my sensitive skin.
He moved his hands further down into the waistband of my legging. My breath hitched as his hands came in direct contact with my heat, cupping me. My legs were about to give in as I felt like putty in his arms. He held me tight as his hands continued to work down there, his face still buried deep into chest. His fingers stroked my clit before he entered one then two fingers inside me. I wrapped my legs around him, balancing myself using my arms which were wrapped around his back. My head hung limply on his shoulders as I felt powerless by his touch, almost like I was under a magic spell. He kept his finger rhythm steady inside me as he continued to give butterfly kisses on my breasts. Suddenly he bit down hard on my chest, I was certain he had left a mark, but it was enough to send me across the edge as I came undone on his fingers. Once I had recovered from my euphoria, he placed me back down on my feet and I looked up at him innocetly.
"God, you look like an angel! How is it that you look like a child after doing something that, well, clearly is not an activity for children," he laughed.
I giggled before hugging him and whispering an "I love You" to him.
"Please don't put your top back on," he whispered back to me making me gawk. However I found myself following his request. I resumed getting the house in order and he went back to complete his breakfast while I paraded around the house topless, his gaze not leaving me for even a moment. It was a good thing the kids had preschool. Once he had finished his bowl of cereal, he came back behind me and lifted me in the air suddenly.
"Lucas!" I yelled at the sudden contact, his hands were gently stroking my underboobs. He didn't say anything but carried me to our bedroom and lay me on the bed. He placed his head on my chest and continued to feel them while I played with his hair and traced circles on his back.
"Can we just be like this for a while? All I want is to snuggle like this with you forever," he asked me, making me giggle as I felt ticklish with his face on my chest.
"As long as you want, husband," I said, craning my neck forward and kissing his head.
Then my thoughts went to a darker place. Did he snuggle and sleep this way with Lindsey also? I felt something bubble deep within me at that thought. 'Jealousy is not a good colour on you, Brooke!' I thought to myself, yet I could not help it. I never liked Lindsey, even when she was just his editor and I was his girlfriend and then wife. I remembered her face during our wedding. I had warned Lucas about her back then. The girl had ulterior motives, but Lucas never believed me. Then when our fights began, he had gone ahead and shared intimate personal details about our lives with her. I never forgave him for doing that.
I lay there and watched for a moment, unsure what I was supposed to do. I also noticed the feelings stirring in the pit of my stomach, feelings for him, feelings that I did not want and should not have! What was I doing? Why was I falling into old habits again? Bad habits! We used to fight so much when we were married. We had gone from an inseparable couple to one that was so bitter that we hated each other. The first year after our divorce was so cold and so icy. We literally hated each other and had nothing nice to say. We did not hesitate to make under the belt remarks and I personally ensured that I was always photographed in a celebrity's arms for the tabloids to publish, just to make Lucas jealous. We had been so caught up in our game of fire and ice that the kids were getting scared. They were barely eight at that time. So Nathan and Haley had staged an intervention. After that, for the first time we sat together in the same room with just the kids.
"Hey Squirt, Princess, come here," I called the two toddlers to the couch where Lucas and I were sitting on opposite ends. Nathan and Haley were sitting in the kitchen, definitely eavesdropping, ready to jump in and get their godchildren out if things got tense or heated.
The pair peered at us and then at each other, unsure about what they were walking into.
"Come on, we are not going to scream. We promise, right dad?" I asked, looking at Lucas.
"Right," Lucas nodded his head.
Sophia was the first to get convinced as she ran up to me. I grabbed her and placed her on my lap as I saw Jamie follow her lead. He would do anything to protect his sister. I could tell.
He sat between us and leaned towards me in order to grab Sophia's hand and be by her side. It felt so good to have both the kids snuggled besides me as I allowed Sophia to rest her back on my chest and rubbed James' back soothingly.
"Guys, we wanted to apologise to the two of you. Daddy and I have made some mistakes and we have not been behaving very nicely and the way that we should. We made a mistake and we are very very very sorry about it. We promise to never ever repeat it ever again. Will the two of you forgive us? We should have kept a check on our tempers and spoken with each other nicely and kindly because that is the only way to talk to anyone, right?" I said to them.
"Sophia turned around and looked me straight in the eyes, "Does this mean you will come back to live with us?"
I was flabbergasted. I just sat there gaping with my eyes wide as they grew red with each passing moment. I tried to say something, but no words came out. My brain had shut. What was I supposed to say?
"No honey, I am so sorry," I said, kissing her beautiful brunette tresses and crying into them. "I am so sorry!"
"But why!" she screamed. "You just said that dad and you were friends again!"
With that, she began to cry in a frenzy, fisting her arms and hitting my stomach. I didn't stop her. I felt like I deserved it. I looked towards Jamie, he was just sitting there in his red cape looking so sullen with his eyes downcast.
"Come on Soph, let's get out of here," he said, taking her arm and sliding her off my lap.
I stared at the pair feeling so lost and broken. How was I supposed to explain to my young children that it was not as simple? It wasn't a playground fight that we could just call truce on and say best friends for life to. I saw their figures go Nathan and Haley who were at the door ready to pick them up and said to myself, "What am I supposed to do?"
I asked myself this question then and I was asking the same question now. Yet, I was nowhere close to the answer even after all these years.
I began moving Lucas' hand and head from my breasts as slowly as I could as I tried to detangle myself from the sheets. However, I didn't do a very good job because Lucas had stirred and his eyes fluttered open. Luckily, he did not know what he had done in his sleep.
"Slept well?" he asked me as I sat up straight with the duvet still covering my bare feet.
"Yes, you?" I asked him with a smile.
"Yeah," he said before returning to his thoughts. "Is this a bad idea?"
"Oh, it definitely is!" I said a little too quickly.
"Five more minutes? Before we get back to reality?" he asked so casually that I was stupefied.
What was even more bamboozling was my response to his question, "Yes please." I guess old habits do die hard.
I laid back down on his chest and took a deep breath to clear my thoughts and empty them of all the fears circling inside like hungry rampant vultures. I allowed my finger tips to trace a scar that Dan had left on his chest while his hands went from my hair all the way to my lower back, stopping just at the hem of his shirt. Neither of us looked at each other, we were so afraid to. We both knew that wha we were doing and what we were feeling was wrong, forbidden. Yet, we couldn't help but enjoy the feeling of being in each other's arms. It felt just right and perfect despite being everything but.
"This is wrong, Lucas. Lindsay," I stated, closing my eyes imagining the horror of her finding out. "And even without her, it's still not okay. None of this is right or normal. Yet, it's like a bad habit that you find extremely difficult to get rid off."
Lucas did not say anything. He was at a complete loss for words.
"Okay this stops now. We cannot do this, it is emotional cheating even if nothing physical is happening. This ends now, let's get dressed," I said before pushing his arms away and climbing out of the bed.
Lucas went for a shower first and when he came out, I couldn't help but bite my lips at how chiselled he still was and just how good he looked with his wet hair that was dropping tiny droplets all around the room. He was only in a towel, not leaving a lot to imagination. He was more muscular now than he was in high school which felt funny because he was an athlete and now he was a writer. Clearly he hadn't let himself go. I saw him walk out of Jamie's room to go to his own to grab his clothes.
Once the two of us were dressed, we went to the kitchen. Karen and Andy were surprised to see us emerge from the same bedroom but they didn't ask anything, they only shared some concerned looks between the two of them. Lucas and I didn't try to explain ourselves even though we felt like teenagers who had been caught doing stuff they shouldn't have been doing. It was still embarrassing to be caught by Karen despite being in our thirties!
"Breakfast? She asked while I was putting on my shoes and texting Millie simultaneously, asking her when my stuff would arrive because I could not live on Sophia's clothes. Lucas was busy finding his wallet and keys.
"Kids. Breakfast!" she repeated herself.
"Nah maa, we're good," Lucas said to her, finally finding his stuff and putting it in his jean pockets.
"Nobody was asking," she said. If looks could kill, both Lucas and I would be dead right then.
We both stopped in our tracks as if we were kids again and quietly made our way to the breakfast table. We grabbed the toast with avocados and tomatoes that she put in front of us with freshly squeezed orange juice.
"See, was that so hard?" she asked, not letting her victory go.
"Silly bubby!" Lilly babbled, pointing towards Lucas.
"Yeah, your brother is silly! What do we say about breakfast?" Karen coaxed the little child.
"We never skip it because it is the most important meal of the day," the child parroted and Lucas rolled his eyes. I smacked his arm and mouthed the words, 'Be nice.'
Once Karen was satisfied that we had eaten a sufficient amount, we finally left for the hospital.
"Oh God, Lucas! Don't stop at the parking lot!" I suddenly screamed once we had made it there.
He looked at me confused but it was too late by then. A battalion worth of paparazzi encircled our car.
"Uhh, god. Too late!" I groaned, slapping my hand on my head.
"Shit what the hell, can they do this?" he asked me, completely flabbergasted.
"They can do a lot more than that!" I yelled at him over the sound of the questions the reporters were already shooting our way. "Okay, just do exactly what I tell you to do. Try to inch your car a little further, not looking at them at all, like you don't see them. Just enough for them to fear that you might run them over."
I was already putting on my sunglasses to hide my face. "Put your sunglasses on.. uhh, where is a baseball cap when you need one!"
Lucas did what I said which moved them to the side, "Go quick and park."
He got out of the car and like clockwork, as he had always done before, he came to my side to open the door for me.I took his hand and stepped out. Clutching his hand more firmly, I looked straight ahead and walked toward the hospital entrance with a fake smile, taking long steps and dragging a perplexed Lucas with me.
The reporters shoved microphones and cameras in our faces, asking questions and clicking pictures and videos. I saw Lucas get mildly stunned as the camera flashed extremely close to his face.
I gave a stiff smile and kept walking ahead. "Hope you have a good day," I smiled at them politely before entering the door to the hospital dragging Lucas along with me.
"What the hell!" Lucas screamed once we were out of their earshot.
"It's fine. I'm used to it. As long as they dont grab you, that is. I have 3 civil suits going on in the state of New York!" I said, feeling irritated that they had literally flown here despite being warned by Tori.
"What!" he exclaimed, not knowing much about my personal life.
"Yeah, comes with being a girl unfortunately," I said, trying to shrug the topic away. "Most of the reporters are respectful and take pictures from a distance."
"That is still invading your privacy," he said, experiencing this for the first time.
"Well Duh! It's like you are just realising this. Where do you think those tabloid pictures come from?"
"I've never had to make my way through a herd of them before. Knowing and experiencing are very different. Is this what the kids face in New York?" he asked me, going full protective dad mode.
"No, I keep them shielded but sometimes they do get photographed from afar. They will never come close when the kids are around, I ensure that the kids are safe," I said way too quickly, feeling the need to justify myself. I was so deeply fearful that he could cut my visiting privileges. He had the authority to.
"Also why the heck were you polite with them?" he asked, satisfied with my answer regarding the kids.
"You have to be. One, it's not their fault, this is their job. It's what they are paid to do. And two, they are the ones that write stories about you. You don't want tabloids to say that you are wild or crazy or, you know, you don't want bad pictures of you circling the internet. I am a celebrity fashion designer, I cannot look bad, ever. Otherwise, my sales take a plunge down which reduces my stock which affects thousands of households. All this can happen due to one bad picture or one wrong line uttered by me. It is ironic that I am currently dressed in our teenage daughter's clothes! I should go get my formals from my house here. Millie says my stuff will arrive tomorrow," I explained.
"Ah, look! Clickbait is out already.
'Former lovers Brooke Davis and Lucas Scott spotted entering the hospital holding hands. Could their ailing children bring the estranged couple back together?'
Tori is quick. You want it to be paid and shut down? I guess we should, for poor Lindsay's sake," I said.
"You can do that? Just get it taken off? I thought the internet was forever?" he asked me, still surprised by the conversation that we were having.
"It is if you don't act fast and yes,you just pay them off to keep some stuff and pictures off the internet. You buy your bad pictures back. Hence I have a very strong PR Team. Right on time," I said as I felt my phone vibrate. It was, no surprise, Tori.
"Hey Brooke, did you see the new story? It's juicy!" she laughed. Tori loved to tease me about all the guys I was supposedly dating.
"Hi Tori. Yes, I saw the article you sent me," I said, ignoring her juicy comment.
"I figured you would want this out since it involves your ex. So here is me asking you whether you want to buy it," she said to me.
"Yeah, just buy it all. There's honestly going to be a lot circling around now. Unless some Kardashian has another secret baby, they are gonna hold on to this, just keep watch and keep the vultures away. I honestly dont have the time, bandwidth or patience to deal with this nonsense," I said to her.
"So, we got in touch with the Agency, they are asking for 25,000 dollars for the images. It's the first time you have been spotted with your ex ever and you two are holding hands, plus you're dressed in really tight shorts. We literally negotiated and came down to 25. They said this was their final deal, they expect this to headline." she said to me.
"They what! That much for a picture of my ex and I holding hands!" I exclaimed. "Uhh, it is a lot but Lucas' girlfriend, Lindsey will be pissed if she sees this. I don't want to cause trouble in their relationship. Just get it taken down asap, Lindsey is the kind to have a google alert set for Luke. Thanks, bye!" I said before ending the call.
"Lindsey better be worth it Luke, she just cost me a tonne of money!" I said, not happy one bit.
"How much?" he asked.
"She just better be worth it, Lucas," I said, patting his chest and pressing the button for the elevator.
"Mom, dad, we have a surprise for you!" The doctor greeted us as soon as we stepped out of the elevator. We did not know what to expect, Lucas grabbed my hand as we followed the doctor.
"Jamie!" I screamed, dashing to his side when I saw him awake and smiling at me! "Thank you, God! Thank you so much!" I cried hysterically as I kissed his head.
"It's so good to see you awake, Squirt," Lucas said, walking to the other side and giving him a gentle hug. My tears wouldn't stop streaming down my face as I just stared into his baby blue eyes.
"Mom, what's wrong?" he asked me, although his voice was getting ragged with emotions.
"It's- it's just that- God, I did not know what I would do if I never got to look at your eyes again or hear your voice again!"
With that I broke down and sobbed hysterically, putting my head on the edge of the bed and covering it with my arms.
"I'm fine, I promise," he said to me. "So Dan, huh?" He looked at Lucas once my sobs had turned into hiccups. Sophia sent a note a couple of days ago for me to read whenever I woke up. She asked the nurses to get her a Get Well Soon card from the gift shop and scribbled it in."
"Jamie, I am so sorry!" Lucas said through a huge lump in his throat.
"He is dead, right? He cannot hurt either of the four of us ever again, right?" James asked, his voice quivering.
"Yes, he is. He cannot hurt a hair on your head again," Lucas promised. Now it was his turn to break into tears.
"We love you so much Jimmy Jam!" I said, intertwining my fingers with his. He gave us a weak smile. Just then, we heard the sound of a hoard of teenagers outside the room.
"Guess your friends are here to see you. How about we give you guys some time with the two of them and wait outside?" I suggested as the teenagers awkwardly peered into the room, unsure if it was okay to step in.
"Hello Mr. Scott, Ms. Davis," they greeted us, ensuring that their voices were soft once we were outside. The entire basketball and cheerleading team was out there.
"Hey guys, it's good to see you. Go right in, they're both awake and eager to meet with ya'll," Lucas greeted them all. It upset me that he was familiar with all of them. I didn't know all their friends very well. Quick trips barely left time for me to be with my children. However, I did know Madison, she had been in their lives since kindergarten. She was Sophia's best friend and now Jamie's girlfriend and I absolutely loved that sweet girl. Sophia's boyfriend, Zack was new to town, so all that I knew about him was what Sophie had shared with me. I eyed him up and down and made a mental note to get all the information about him from Lucas. The kids thanked us and we saw them split between the two rooms. I saw Madison cry from the corner of my eye as she clutched on Jamie's arm.
"So tell me about this Zack guy," I asked Lucas the moment we were in the waiting room and out of earshot. "I do not like the fact that our daughter is dating. What if he hurts her? What if he forces her into something she is not ready for? What if she ends up like us?" I whispered the last part. I knew Madison and I knew Jamie. They always had their sweet puppy love. Yet, my girl had always been silent, taking after her father in those matters. She was shy and preferred hanging out alone. It had taken heaven and hell for me to coax her to join an extra curricular activity. I was glad that she had picked cheerleading, but I wouldve been fine even with a reading club.
Cheerleading had been good for Soph. She was a natural! She picked it up, was likeable and before we knew it, the shy girl from Middle School was mini-Brooke in High School. I just prayed that she never gave into peer pressure.
Jamie always had a strong value system. He was undeterred. He swore he would never throw in a punch, unless it came to people he cared about, then he would go beyond heaven and hell for them. His moral compass came before everything and I admired him for his ethics.
"Luke, I had sex with Nathan on my fourteenth birthday because I had a messed up family. And I promised myself that whenever I would have kids of my own, albeit I thought I would be in my thirties when I would start a family, but here we are, haha! But, I promised myself that my kids would not have a messed up family life so that they didn't feel the need to look for validation outside. Yet, that's exactly what we gave them. A messed up family. We were 16 when we had them! They are sixteen now! Can they not date until they are out of college?" I asked.
"Brooke, I had an abusive father who beat me, almost raped you and shot our children and you had absentee parents who never called or checked on you, forgot you existed, then when it was profitable to them, they put you in a foreign country against your will and then disowned you and only came crawling back when you were rich and famous and it was again profitable to them. We are nothing like them! Yes, they may be a little messed up from the divorce, it could not have been easy. But, we both love them, Brooke. We are both in their lives and yeah, 3 out of 4 of their grandparents suck, but they have aunts and uncles and amazing cousins, with a new one on the way. We did not mess them up. Would I want them to only date after college, hell yes, please! That is my little girl out there! I don't like Zack either, Sophie is my shy naive little baby girl. Nobody is good enough for my Princess. Yet, I don't think there is much we can do except hope that we taught them right. Remeber that talk we had with the kids, the super awkward sex talk?" Lucas asked me. I just closed my eyes. It was as weird giving one as it was getting one from your parents. The horror on all four of our faces!
"Don't remind me," I begged.
"Yeah, well you explained just how grateful you were for them and yet just how difficult it was to be a teen mom and how you were lucky that you weren't doing it alone. So they had to be careful or they could end up alone and knocked up. I saw their faces, they understood. So they know that they have to be safe and I had Peyton check Sophia's room for birth control once Zack was getting more serious. She had none, so it's safe to say that he isn't pressuring her into anything," he said.
"Ah! Thanks P! Thank God. But we did find condoms in Jamie's room," I said, tight lipped.
"Yeah, you flew to Tree Hill immediately! You were so worried. The poor guy was so scared," Lucas laughed. "I'm glad that he was safe just in case but that he and Madison both agreed that they were not ready."
"Can they stay little forever? They will always be little to me!" I wished.
That very moment we heard the sound of Sophia crying in her room. Lucas pulled me up as we ran in.
"What's going on!?" I screamed, scanning the room.
Sophia was crying and an angry looking nurse was stomping her foot. Zack, 2 boys and 5 other girls were standing around the room with guilty faces.
"Nurse Holly, can you tell us what's going on?" Lucas asked, reading her name from the tag she was wearing.
"Your daughter won't stop begging me to take her to see her brother. She is not strong enough yet. We will see in a day and I'm sorry but he just woke up. I'm sorry Sophia, I know you really want to see him, but just one more day, your abdomen muscles will ache if you try to get up. Just sleep and rest, talk to your friends," she said kindly.
"Dad! Please, tell her! They have been feeding me this one day line since I woke up. I have to see him!" she begged her knight in shining armour. Sophia was always a daddy's girl. Luke never knew how to say no to her and pampered her to bits. She really was his tried and true Princess.
"Princess, I love you but I really think that the doctors and nurses know what they are doing and it is better if we follow their cue. If they don't take you down there tomorrow, I will personally wreak havoc. Just one more day, please?" he explained to his youngling.
Sophia didn't answer. She chose to stare at the wall instead, folding her arms at her chest defensively. Luke and I walk back out, sad to have to say no to her. Fifteen minutes later, we heard all the monitors she was hooked onto go off in a frenzy as we heard the siren ring Code Blue. Nurses dashed inside and we swallowed suit, only to find her bed empty and wire hanging around!
There could only be one place she could have gone off to. Her friends had definitely hooked her off the monitors, carried her IV and wheeled her to Jamie's room! Angril, all of us stomped to the adjoining room to find her lying in bed besides her older by 9 minutes brother. We all stood by the door and watched. She was crying into his arms as he stroked her hair, afraid that the wire of his IV would get tangled up.
"I'm sorry bubba. I am so sorry," she weeped.
"Hey! I would would do it again in a heartbeat if it came to it. But, I am so sorry that I could not save you and that you got shot."
Sophia punched his arm lightly, neither of them had any strength. "You are an absolute idiot! What were you thinking? That bodies can stop bullets or that your body is made of armour? Jesus Christ! Where did all your smarts run off to, you nincomppop! You Dmiwit! You insane idiot!" she yelled.
At that moment, we let our presence be known. She clutched onto Jamie, silently telling us that she was not going to go back easily.
"Okay, now that you are already here and not dying, let's allow you to just stay for a while," Nurse Holly smiled and left the room. Lucas and I smiled too before exiting. We stood outside and watched from the glass plated windows as the kids all laughed seeing Nurse Holly give in. They were all joking about how insane it all was.
"Sophia is a mini you. I distinctly remember peyton stealing nurse scrubs to get you into the NICU when the doctors asked you to wait for a day," Lucas laughed, looking at the kids smile and talk to their friends.
"We did good, didnt we? Theyre absolutely incredible kids. Thanks for raising them so well, Luke. You did such a good job with them. They are as empathetic and kindhearted and generous as you are," I said, my eyes downcast as I covered my face with my hair to hide my tears
Lucas went to say something when the Doctor called for us and beckoned us to his office.I quickly wiped my tears away and followed. We sat down in the chairs across from him as he updated us about their health.
"Their wounds are healing well. If they keep making the same progress, they will be able to leave the ICU in a week. We will keep them under further observation for another 2 weeks, see how they react to food and fluids and then you can take them home. It will be a slow process since it was their abdominal area that was shot, but now they are officially out of the woods. There is no infection. The latest scans show no bullet fragments or tears or internal bleeding.
Congratulations parents, you got really lucky. Keep them home for another two weeks and get them for a check up. Then we can maybe send them back to school, slowly build up their activities since both of them are into sports and extra curriculars," the Doctor informed us.
"Can you also reccomend a therapist? I mean, it was their grandfather who shot a bullet through them and for me to even consider stepping foot in the radius of their school puts my body in tremors. I cant imagine them having to step foot there," I asked the Doctor.
"Should we switch schools?" This I directed towards Lucas.
"We could ask them when we are close to getting there. We can support whatever they choose," he suggested. "We also have that Tree Hill High parents' meeting. Let's hear what they have to say."
"All I can see is parents 10 years older than us giving us horrible looks that you did this to our kids. It's your fsult our kids cant sleep at night. Oh man, Luke! This is horrifying!" I shuddered.
"Shh… you dont have to go to the meeting if you dont want to. I will go," he said soothingly, stepping up when I couldn't.
The doctor watched us, the young couple, and felt sorry for us.
Writing down the name and number of a therapist, he said, "He is a children's therapist, and he specialises in cases with children who have experienced physical trauma. I will send him a text to bump you up. They can start seeing him after the discharge."
"We really appreciate everything doctor. Also, I know that there is Doctor-Patient confidentiality and all. But how are the other 5 kids doing? Also, is it okay if we speak to hospital accounting, whether they have healthcare coverage? I don't want those poor parents to come home to a mountain of bills. Also, is there any way this therapist can you know… take in 7 kids instead of 2? They should all get equal care for the equal trauma. I will cover all the costs," I asked him.
"That is very kind of you Ms. Davis. I will see what i can do. The other kids are doing very well. 2 were shot through the leg and the bullet was lodged in the bone. They will be on crutches for a while but they will be okay. 1 had a bullet pass through the flesh of their arm. She is healing fine and for the other two, the bullet just grazed them. They were hurt, but discharged. Unfortunately, the teacher was DOA. She and your twins were hurt the most. You can speak to Linda in accounting, she will let you know about their insurance. Give her this note so she knows it is okay," he said scribbling something on a piece of paper and handing t to me. "Also, i see Sophia found it to James' bed!"
"Yeah, sorry. They have always been a little inseparable. We tried to keep Sophia in her room, but her friends and her managed to get her there. Please don't get her in trouble. They both just need each other right now," I requested sincerely.
"There have been various studies for twins, and they heal the most together. I dont hate the idea. ICU allows only one bed per room, once they are down, we can move a bed to keep them in the same room," he said kindly.
"We bet they will still land up in the same bed. God, they still bunk together so many times at home," Lucas sighed.
"Let her spend the night there. We will see where we are at in the morning. I will ask the nurse to move the monitors there and plug her back in," the doctor responded, sounding amused.
"Thank you so much, Doctor! You have been incredible. You saved our babies. Thank you so much!" I said appreciatively.
"Its our job!" he said, waving the compliment away.
We walked out to see Sophia and Jamie asleep with their friends all sitting around keeping watch. I saw Nathan, Haley and Peyton sitting in the waiting lounge from the corner of my eye.
"Hey guys," I said, when Lucas and I walked up to them.
"We had to come see him awake," Peyton said before I could get mad at her for not taking it easy.
"I know hon. I know!" She hugged me although her belly barely left any space. "Who told you though?"
"Are you kidding me! We call the hospital for an update like every 5 hours. The receptionist and I are on a first name basis now!" Peyton said which made my heart melt. "How are you two doing?"
"They are officially out of the woods so I finally feel like I can breathe again! I was so so so scared," I said to her honestly, leaning into her shoulders. Peyton was and would always be my rock. "Did you go see the kids? Soph pulled an us and landed in Jamie's room. She gave the nurses a heart attack, ringing monitors and missing patient."
"No, we haven't gone in yet, friends are important. Look at us. So we figured we would give them the space and go a little later," she replied.
"How's my little angel doing in there? My niece is going to be dressed in the best clothes," I said, already imagining baby Peyton in my latest designs.
"Seriously Peyton, do not purchase a single pair. Brooke here sent us a truck worth of things for Jude and Lydia!" Haley chimed in.
"They are my niece and nephew after all, and my godchildren. They only get the best. How terrible of a godmother would I be if I found my babies in stuff from Target!" I said matter of factly.
"Oh Brooke!" Haley laughed. "They are 7 and 3. They cannot tell the difference in fashion. Stick any Disney character on a top and they are sold."
"Well Disney does cut our Baby Brooke sales by alot," I said, kinking an eyebrow, showing them a glimpse of corporate Brooke.
"My girl right here is gonna be Baby Brooke all the way, okay?" Peyton said, touching her engorged belly.
"Aww P! You cutie. I'm so sorry but in all the craziness i never asked about Jake or anything. How long are you in Tree Hill for?" I realised. I felt so guilty.
"Actually I plan on having the kid here. Haley's album still has so much work left and well this is where I was born so this is where I wanna have my baby girl!" she said, cracking into a huge smile. "Jake is tying up some loose ends and then he can work remotely so we will be back in my old house. The album will be ready in time for the birth and then we will move back to LA."
"That sounds great P. Sawyer!" I said, giving her a sideway hug.
"Youre gonna be here for a while right, Brooke?" she asked me seriously.
"I am here till the kids are completely recovered. No company work until then," I responded, equally serious.
"Maybe you will be here for the birth then," she looked forlorn and unsure as she said that.
Memories flooded of how I had missed the births of Nathan and Haley's children. How I had seen them on facetime for the first time and how upset I felt about not being there when they made me godmother for both their children.
"Hi. Lydia, I want you to meet someone you're gonna love so much. This is your Aunt Brooke. Brooke, I want you to meet your goddaughter, Lydia Penelope Scott!" Haley cooed over facetime.
"Tutor girl! I am honoured. She is so perfect," I said, tears of happiness streaming down my eyes as I saw the pink squishy baby in Haley's arms.
"When can you be here by, Brooke? I really wanted you here with me!" Haley cried. "You werent even there during Jude's birth."
"Haley Bob, I'm catching the redeye tonight. I will be there at the hospital by well, about 4 am? I will be there when you open your eyes. I cant wait to hold my little baby niece and smell that baby smell with her tiny little head in my neck. Oh god, you make me wanna have another baby!" I said, feeling so helpless from so far away.
"Just get here Brooke. I need my best friend," Haley said sullenly.
"I will be there mama!" I promised before ending the call.
— — –
"I promise to be there, Pey," I smiled at the girl who erupted into a wide smile.
"Oh look, the baby is happy too. She just kicked," Peyton said, her eyes going wide. I put my hand on her belly and felt the little movement.
"Now little cutie, lets give your mom her rest because we all know how little of it she is gonna get once you arrive," I spoke to her belly, keeping my hand where I had felt the tiny flutter. "That's one thing I don't miss, driving around in the middle of the night because the moving car was the only place they would be in without crying."
"I remember. You came to my place one day, sobbing. Do you remember?" she asked me.
Lucas was tired. I was tired. The babies were not. Lucas and I were having a strained time. He wanted to go to college so he wanted us to take the SATs and I knew my grades would get me nowhere. I didnt want him to compromise with Community College but he also had no time to study and do the work with 2 crying babies.
I told him to leave us and go, that we would be fine but obviously that opened a huge can of worms. I had my ancestral money but I was no longer naive. I was planning, not spending. His mom was looking after them while we went to school but I cared for them full time after. My grades had slipped again and frankly it didnt matter at that point.
I had told Lucas to go live with his mom while finals were on so he could get in sleep and study. He said no. He fought. We had a major fight only intensified with the frustration due to fatigue and irritation from the lack of sleep. We took a break and he actually went to his moms for that night.
I was driving and the kids were crying. I was so tired. No matrer what I did they wouldn't stop crying which started making me cry. Finally I drove over to peytons at 3 in the morning!
She woke up with a jolt hearting the infants wailing. She saw my face, I was barely holding my tears at bay. She took Jamie in her arms and started cooing and rubbing him back. I just stared at them, so tired and so unhelpful.
"Peyton I can't," I sobbed. My body was breaking and I could not move. I just stood there in the room, still clutching Sophia's carseat, making no effort to lift her and soothe her.
"Wheres Lucas?" she asked me.
"We had a fight. He is at his mother's," I answered deadly.
"Brooke, you have to learn to work together. Not that I mind helping you out," she said quickly.
"He wants to go to college, Peyton and I want that for him. But I won't get there and 2 babies is only gonna restrict that. And once he leaves, I am gonna have to do this myself," I said, hating the idea of it all.
"Brooke, Lucas is never gonna leave you," she assured me.
"I know, but I want him to get that degree in Literature. I want him to play college ball. I want him to make it to the big leagues," I said, his dreams mattered to me as well. I did not want his life to be pegged down due to one mistake that we made. He had so much potential, he deserved so much. Why should his dreams be clipped because I chose to have children?
"Brooke what are your plans for after high school?" Peyton asked me which shocked me so much. I stood there, unsure and unable to answer her.
"I dont have the luxury for plans. I will be a full time mom, hopefully better than one I am right now," I said once I had located my voice box. By then I had gotten over my fatigue and was rocking baby Sophia in my arms. Peyton had managed to get Jamie to almost calm down.
"You are already an amazing mom, Brooke. Getting a little help is obvious, its what a good mom needs and asks for," she said.
"I'm sorry to have woken you up Peyton, I was just losing my mind," I apologised.
"You and my niece and nephew are welcome any time," she said. "But Brooke, you need to figure out what you wanna do. College or no college, whatever you pick, you can get it. There is still plenty time to pull your grades up if you want college. Karen, Deb and all our friends will help you. Lucas and you will figure things out. I am certain."
Jamie suddenly began squirming in Peyton's arm which I knew meant that he was hungry. "Pass him over, he will make her scream if he doesnt get fed in a second!" I whisper yelled as I took him in my arms, careful with the other one on my lap.
I popped open the buttons of my top until the hungry kid latched onto my right breast to feed.
"I- I do know what I want to do actually. During the pregnancy when the kids kept me up all night becsuse I just wasnt comfortable sleeping and during the bed rest, I used to design clothes. Draw them style them. I also sold those designs to Suburban Filth. They are currently sold in all their outlets.
Victorias Secret saw them and I dont know, somebody from their office called me regarding them and they offered me an internship to become a fashion designer. They were shocked to learn that I was still in high school. But if I want it, once I graduate, they are willing to take me on as their intern and see where that goes. But it is in New York. I dont think I can do it though. Interns have the worst hours!" I said to her. I hadn't shared this piece of information with anyone.
"What about that college you used to rave about? Pre-Lucas era? The fashion school," she asked me.
"Parsons! God, it would be a joke if I even applied. It's so cut throat, I don't have that kind of time. Currently, my future depends on where Lucas goes to college. We will probably get family housing there. Karen won't even be there to look after the kids so I doubt unless they offer good day care, I can't even do a liberal arts course. That is if I get in, which according to the D's I've been cooking seems like a hard no. And there goes Sophia…" I said as I saw my girl beginning to whimper.
"Sorry for the show P Sawyer," I said as I pulled my top off and cradled the other one in my arm to feed her using my other breast.
"Im glad there isnt a third," I laughed as I watched the babies suckle, feeling nothing but maternal love wash over me. They were perfect and innocent and so pure. I couldnt help but be mesmerised as I cradled both of them in my harms, holding them close to my bosom as they suckled.
"Brooke, tell Lucas about Victoria's Secret and send your designs to Parsons so he knows where to go looking for colleges. NYU is great! And why dont you go to bed once they are fed, I will burp them and keep watch. You just sleep," she said.
"Will you really, P?" I asked gratefully.
"Yeah Brooke, i am fine. You go to bed once they are fed," she said, making me smile so wide.
I handed Jamie to her once he was done and saw as she tried to get him to burp. Sophia was done soon after as I rubbed her back to get her to do the same.
Once we heard the sound, I passed on the other baby to her as well to put in the carseat before putting my top back on and falling into a dreamless sleep in seconds.
