"Hey how was the Fashion show?" Sophia asked me as soon as she heard us unlocking the door.

"What took you guys so long? The other Scotts picked up the dweebs hours ago," Jamie added.

"Why don't you guys go get ready for bed. Zack, Madison, is it too late for you to go home now? Do both of you want to text your parents and stay the night? Madison in Sophia's room and Zack in Jamie's!" I said, pointing my finger at them threateningly.

"No, it's fine. I have my car, I will drop Maddie home," Zack responded with a smile.

"Did the fashion show go badly?" Sophia asked, sensing the tension in my voice.

"No honey, it went great. I'm just really tired from it all," I smiled and said. I walked up to her and pulled her into my arms, kissing her head.

"Thanks, Miss Davis," Madison said as she and Zack picked up their things, said their goodbyes and left.

Feeling the need to keep myself busy, I started to clean up the living room which the kids had left in a mess with empty soda cans, pizza boxes and open snack bags.

"So is this how it is going to be?" Lucas asked me once his eyes had followed the kids all the way up. I chose to pretend that I couldn't hear anything as I continued my task at hand.

"You say love me, we kiss and then you just ignore everything?" he asked, his arms folded across his chest, his stance firm.

I closed my eyes, taking in his words as I crouched near the coffee table. I knew that the only view he had was of my back, but I still feared him, feared responding to him.

Finding no words that could make any sense in the uncomfortable situation I had found myself in, I began walking to the kitchen with the plates and glasses lying to be cleaned. My mind was a clutter, but atleast I could organise the house to be spotless.

Lucas kept silence but I could feel his gaze poring into my back. Just then a streak of lightning ignited the sky which was followed by the loud clapping of blazing thunder that gave the sky the deafening command to open up. Within seconds, the silence was gone, exchanged with the loud pitter-patter of raindrops hitting against the windows.

"Looks like a storm is approaching," Lucas commented and left me alone to ensure that all the windows and doors to the house were bolted firmly. I let out a breath and continued my task at hand.

Once he was done checking everything, he walked back to the kitchen where I was busy loading the dishwasher.

"Brooke, we need to talk," he said with such seriousness, I almost looked up at him. Almost.

Once I found myself lacking tasks to finish, I didn't know what to do. So I did the first thing that came to my mind - fleeing.

"Brooke, where are you going? There's a storm outside," Lucas asked me, as he saw me grab my bag and keys.

"Brooke! Damn it!" he screamed just as I slammed the door behind me.

I didn't know what I was doing or thinking, or why I was doing whatever it was that I was doing. I was acting ridiculous, that was for sure. I heard my phone ring constantly, but I ignored it.

"Brooke, where are you? You need to come home. There's flooding everywhere. They're saying that the levee might break, and on top of all that I'm sorry. And I love you. Please come home," I heard over the car speakers as Lucas' voicemail played.

I tried to turn off the voicemail, but trying multitasking to see the road through the torrential rain, I accidentally picked up his call instead.

"Brooke! Oh, thank God! Where are you?" he asked, his voice thick with concern.

"I don't know. I'm just driving," I responded, a hint of fear in my voice. It was raining really really hard at that point.

"Please, Pretty Girl, just come back home," he begged.

I don't know if I can. I can barely see the road," I answered. Fear had begun settling in, making adrenalin gush through my veins. I was gripping the steering wheel like my life depended on it, my knuckles turning a deep white.

"Okay, well, I'll come and get you. Where are you?" he asked, but his voice was cracking. I could hear the worry in his voice. I did not need to see him to know that he was pacing and brooding while talking to me. Yet, I could not catch his words. The storm was clearly messing with the cellphone towers.

"What?" I asked, squinting my eyes to see the road ahead of me, hoping that I would find better connection as I drove ahead.

"Ok- I'll get you. Where are –" I heard, it was all so muffled.

"I can't hear you!" I screamed, hoping that the device was managing to carry my voice across.

"I said, where are you? Just stay put, and I'll come get you," he repeated himself, and I finally heard him.

"I'm coming up on the Gabel Bridge. I think if I can ju…" I began to say but then let out a large scream as I stepped on the brakes, bringing the car to an instant halt.

"Brooke? Brooke?! Brooke! Come on, come on, come on," I heard Lucas say but I was too stunned to respond as I saw the sight in front of me, my mouth agape. There were loud thunder crashes that followed, the lightning clearing my view of the wreckage in front of me. However, it also disconnected my phone call.

"Oh, my God. Zack?! Zack, sweetie, what happened?! Are you okay?!" I asked, stepping out of the car and running to the teenager. I stared at him in horror, he looked confused and the side of his head had a large ghash which was bleeding.

"We had an accident," he said, pointing towards the car the lay wrecked on the side of the road. It was tilted to its side and teepering towards the edge of the bridge. Another inch and it would have plummeted down into the water.

"What? Oh, my God! Madison! Okay. I want you to go get in my car and stay there. Okay?" I said, I was shivering at this point and it wasn't due to the cold rain drenching me.

I saw Zack get into my car, he did not look okay, he was definitely concussed.

"Help me! In here!" Madison said queasily as she saw me approach her. She did not look too good either.

"Don't worry girl, I'm right here. Are you okay?!" I asked, trying to sound calm, but failing miserably.

"I think so. I'm stuck," she answered as she tugged at her seatbelt.

"Uh, okay. It's gonna be okay. Are you hurt?" I did not know where I was finding the strength or how my brain was working to ask the right questions.

"No. I don't think so," she answered, trying to hold back her tears. I pointed a finger at her asking her for a minute and ran back to my car.

"Okay, Zack sweetheart, I want you to use my phone to try and call 911. Tell them we're on the Gabel Bridge. Can you do that?" I asked. He was only semi-conscious at this point but he let out a low grunt in response. "I know you can. Just, Hang on." I grabbed my purse from the frontseat of the car and ran back to free the girl I had known since I was 21 years old.

I ran back to the car to help free Madison. "Okay. Mads, I'm coming. All right. Here. Let me get under here." I said, pulling at her seatbelt. "I can't get it, buddy. But don't worry, we're all gonna be okay. I promise."

I opened my purse and got out my emergency makeup kit that I had stored inside. Finding nothing more useful than a nail clipper, I began the slow process of trying to cut through the seatbelt.

"Yeah, I think this just might work!" I said, smiling at her. She responded with a weak smile of her own. I saw her face still wrung high with fear, so I decided to make some small talk to the girl.

"Mads, I know I am barely ever around to say this to you, but I am really grateful that you are in both of my kids' lives. I have never seen Jamie smile as wide as he smiles at you and you got got my baby Soph out of her shy shell. Now I know this next part is gonna sound all cringy, you're only in high school and well, I am the poster child for rushed choices, but way way way down the line, eventually, when I'm way too old, nothing would make me happier than having you as my second daughter, for real."

I saw Madison blush as I said that statement. "Yeah, honestly, nothing would make me happier either. So, where were you going anyway?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" I asked, trying to avoid answering truthfully.

"When you found us," she clarified. "I mean we just left your house."

"I was just driving," I answered nonchalantly.

"In this storm? After your fashion show?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at me.

"Easy, 20 questions. Yes, I was driving in a storm. After my fashion show," I responded, my eyes still busy working with the nail clippers.

"Sorry," she responded, sensing my uneasiness over the subject.

"It's okay. I got in a fight with Lucas. And I got mad because...Because I'm stubborn and I'm stupid sometimes," I answered truthfully, still keeping my eyes away from hers.

"You're not stupid," she said to me with a smile.

"Mm...I was about this," I said, letting the truth come out. I really was stupid, fighting all my feelings and refusing to admit to Lucas just how much in love with him I was. "So what's the first thing you're gonna do when you get out of here?"

"Tell Jamie that I love him, and also my parents. What are you gonna do?" she asked me.

"Hmm, can you keep a secret?" I asked, finally meeting her big brown eyes. She nodded her head at me and then I let it out. "Tell Lucas I love him."

"Brooke! Brooke!" I suddenly heard somebody call out. But not a somebody, I could recognise that voice anywhere! He was shining a torchlight at me as I sat in the wreckage with Madison.

"Oh my God! It's Mr. Scott!" Madison screamed, grateful for the additional help.

"We're in here! We're okay!" I said, looking at him, a smile and some sense of relief washing over me.

However, at that very moment, a car sped towards us. He was not looking, he definitely could not see through the thick sheet of rain at the speed at which he was driving.

"No, stop! Stop! Stop!" Lucas screamed, trying to get the driver's attention towards us. But he did not listen. He hit the side of the overturned car, torpedoeing the entire wreckage into the gushing river.

"Lucas!" I screamed, before I felt water enter my lungs.

With a resounding cry, Lucas jumped into the frigid rapids to come to our assistance. "Brooke! Wait, is that Madison! Oh, my God, Brooke! Madison?!" Lucas screamed, trying to wrap his head around the situation.

"We're sinking! We're gonna drown!" Maddie becan to cry.

"No, no, we're not sinking. The car's on the bottom," Lucas informed us.

"Are you sure?" I asked, equally afraid of falling further into the depths of the water.

"Yeah, I'm sure. And the water won't rise that fast, so just calm down. Are you okay?" he asked, finally taking stock of the situation at hand.

"I think so. Just get me out of here, please," Madison responded between her unshed tears.

"Okay. Brooke, talk to me. Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I think my leg's just stuck! Just help Maddie. Also, Zack is in my car with a concussion, he needs to go to the hospital, he isn't doing okay either," I said, trying to get my leg free from whatever place it was jammed.

"Okay, try to get your leg free. I'm gonna help you in a second," he said, as he tried to get Maddison's seatbelt to give. They tugged and pulled, but it was jammed tight.

"Okay, Maddie, I got to check on Brooke's leg, okay? If I can get her free, she can help me, or go look for help, okay? I just need you to trust me," he said, trying to keep his voice as calm as possible.

"Are you sure we're not sinking?" Maddie asked once again, she knew the situation was dire and that we were stuck in the car in a fast flowing river during a major storm.

"We're not sinking and we are not gonna leave you. It's a promise." he said, wading towards me, pulling at my leg to get it free.

"It's okay. It's okay," I said when nothing would budge. "Luke, I'm so sorry about earlier."

"Shh! No, it's okay. It's my fault. I'm gonna check that gorgeous leg of yours. Don't go anywhere, okay?" he said, shutting my apologies and making me chuckle.

"Hey, you okay, Mads? Are you sure you're not hurt?" I asked, as I waited for Lucas to resurface.

"No, I'm not hurt," she reassured me and I gave her a small smile in response.

"Babe, your leg's stuck under the steering column. No problem. I just need a crowbar or something," he said.

"Where are we going to find that?" I asked, feeling dread wash over me.

"It's okay. I have a crowbar in my car. I will go get it." he smiled as he started swimming out of the car.

"Hey. I'm sorry," I couldn't help but scream as I saw him leave me.

"It's okay," he said, giving me a small yet forgiving smile.

"I was stupid. I didn't mean it. I mean, you know what I meant," I smiled.

"Yes, Pretty Girl. Now I will be right back," he winked and left us.

Madison and I waited in silence for a few minutes until we heard a strange sound, something that resembled gushing and gurgling.

"Can you hear that? What's that noise? What is it?" Madison asked, trying to locate it.

Something dropped in the pit of my stomach when I located the source of the sound. My entire life flashed before my eyes. Pictures of the kids smiling at me, my mother agreeing to spend the afternoon with us without any Company talk and the kiss I had had with Lucas mere hours ago. Then it all vanished and only one dark thought remained. " It's the levee!"

Neither of us had time to gulp down what I had just said as the water started to flow towards with such force, it was overpowering us, entering our noses and mouths, leaving us coughing and struggling.

"We're gonna drown!" Madison cried between coughs. The water was just too powerful.

"Lucas!" I screamed loudly, praying that he would return as the currents tried to sweep me away but my jammed foot kept me in place.

There was a splash only a few minutes later as he returned, crowbar in hand.

"Brooke, don't worry. I can get you out," he said, reassuring himself more than me as he went underwater to get my foot free. "Hold on. I can do it," he said when he emerged minutes later unsuccessfully. We did this dance one more time as both Madison and I coughed and battled the water.

"Lucas, she's just a girl." I said, directing him to go help Madison instead, trying to get my words out. The water level was rising way too quickly.

"I can get it. Hold on!" he said, ready to go back to the bottom to the riverbed.

"Hey. Maddie? Relax. He's gonna get you out of here. Okay? I promise. Lucas…" I said, trying to beckon him back up.

"I can do it," he fought, pulling at the wheel with all his might as I struggled against the currents.

"Help her," I croaked, realising that I was signing myself away.

"I can do it," he fought back. He feared the same thing I did.

"Lucas, she's just a young girl. Save her, and then save me. Please? She's just a girl. And our children love her," I said, trying to control my sobs.

"Brooke, I love you. I won't leave you here," he promised me.

"I know. Now go. Go! Go! It's gonna be okay, Mads," I assured the scared kid as loud coughs emerged, trying to get the water out of my lungs.

"I'm gonna drown!" she cried, the water was up to our throats by then.

Lucas was by her side moments later and with the help of the crowbar, they managed to break the seatbelt free. "Okay. Come on. I got you. Let's go. I won't leave you! I'm coming back for you Brooke!" he said as he carried Madison out of the waters.

I nodded my head fervently as the water level was already beyond my nose. "Lucas, I love you!"

— — –

LUCAS' POV

I helped Madison up the bridge and instructed her to go and sit in Brooke's car with Zack and try to keep the concussed boy awake.

I took a view of the river underneath me. It was deadly. It was almost as if Poseidon was angry at us and he wanted his revenge. I could not see any bit of the car from where I stood. I could not see any bit of my Brooke. This scared me. I could not let her drown. I could not let her die. I just got her. God, I just got my girl back! God could not be so cruel!

"Brooke!" I screamed, before jumping back into the gushing river. The currents had strengthened manifold. It was getting very difficult to swim against it and reach the car. Yet, fought with everything in me and made it.

The sight in front of me was horrific. Brooke was unconscious. Her eyes were open wide, her skin pale. She was unresponsive and tiny bubbles of air came out of her nose and flew up towards the surface. Her hair gently flowed with the current, her upper body giving up, yet she stayed rooted to her spot, floating deadly.

"No!" I screamed, not caring that I was under water and that I was swallowing large quantities of water. It was silent, eerily silent. ALmost as if the water knew what had just happened. I could not hearing the deafening crashes of the waves anymore. I swam to Brooke, to my love, and reached her still jammed foot. With the crowbar, I heaved and pulled, refusing to emerge out of the water without her.

I pulled and tugged and slammed the crowbar trying to wreck the car, anything to get my Brooke free. My body was shutting down, it was struggling for air. It was trying to jerk me up to the surface, but I fought it, I refused to without Brooke. I did not even know what I was doing by that point. I was relentless and lost. I was hitting and pulling and tugging, but my body was failing me.

Finally, something gave in! I managed to free her leg. Her body, now free to move with the currents started floating away from me, but I pulled at her, collecting her body in my arms. I tried to swim out of the water which was proving to be a gargantuan task with my hands supporting Brooke. She was limp in my body, almost like she was…. No I could not think it, let alone say it.

You can say a lot about a man's will to live. I learned that that night. Despite the difficulty and the odds, I managed to pull Brooke and I out of the river. I got to the bridge and Madison rushed out of the car, to meet us.

"Oh thank God, you got her out! Is she okay?" she asked, but I didn't listen to the words. They were all muffled sounds for me. My sole focus was on the girl in my arms.

"Come on, baby. Come on, breathe! Brooke, come on. Don't do this to me, baby. Come back to me! Come on, Brooke!" I chanted repeatedly, expecting a miracle. Expecting her to wake up. I began CPR on her, pumping her chest, pressing hard, trying to get the water out of her lungs trying to get her breathing again. When that didn't work, I opened her mouth and pinched her nose, blowing air into it, breathing for her.

"Come on, baby. Come on, Brooke, breathe! Come on, Brooke, fight! Come on, Brooke! Come on! Brooke, come back! Come on! Come on! Breathe! Come back! Brooke! Come back!" I said, refusing to give up, continuing my cardiac massages. Yet, nothing changed. Brooke was just as limp and pale and lifeless as ever.

I began crying inconsolably, as I put my head on her chest, hitting it hard and crying away. I lost her. I lost my Brooke. Pain tore my insides as I screamed and cried and hit her chest, almost as if I was mad at her for leaving me.

Suddenly, my eyes went towards her outstretched arms, and I saw her finger move. Hope surged through me! "Come on, Brooke. Come on! Live! Breathe, baby. Breathe. Come on!" I encouraged, beginning another round of CPR.

This time, it worked as Brooke began coughing up the water. It came out strongly, she was hoarse, she was scared, she was weak. But none of it mattered, because she was alive. I held her in my arms, hugging her, rubbing her back to ease her coughs.

Once she stopped coughing, she broke down in my arms. She had been so scared. She was a puddle in my arms as she rested her head on my chest, her tears barely falling, her cries so inaudible, you couldn't be sure that they were there. But, they were there. I could see her breaking down, her barriers falling until she was nothing but a scared little girl. I tried to reassure her, but I had lost my voice. So, I just held onto her for dear life, letting my own sobs out.

We had to break up out of our hug as we heard a screeching sound. The kids had managed to get some signal and call 911. An ambulance saw us and rushed over. They took my wife out of my arms and I saw them attend to Zack and Madison as well.

Brooke was strapped to a gurney, too weak to do anything. I saw the children being put in other vans safely before I ran back to Brooke.

"Sir, are you related to her? Only then can you be allowed to ride with us," one of the paramedics asked me, her voice so serious, I knew she meant business.

"She is my wife," I said, before jumping in and grabbing Brooke's hand. She saw us and did not question us further, as we quickly rode to the hospital.

Once there, they took Brooke and the kids to the ER to get checked. I got out my phone and called Nathan and Haley.

"Lucas? It's after 4:30 in the morning," Nathan said groggily when he answered his cell phone.

"Yes, but Brooke is in the hospital!" I stammered. This was enough to wake him up. I heard some shuffling and whispers in the background.

"Luke! Lucas! What's wrong?" Haley's concerned voice greeted me.

"I'll tell you everything. Just please go to my house, you already have a set of keys. Go, check on the kids and get them. I don't know how you will find them honestly. We have never left them alone since the attack, and nights are the worst with the nightmares. Just please, grab them and come to the hospital. Call Jake and Peyton too. Oh and, how could I almost forget ask the kids to call Madison and Zack's parents. They are in the hospital too. Zack has a concussion and Madison is fine! Oh and get all of us some dry clothes," I instructed before going back to the ER.

I ran to Brooke's side and grabbed her hand, not caring that I was interrupting the doctor. "Uhh, sir, who are you?" he asked, not enjoying the interruption.

"Her husband," I spat back.

"Very well. As I was saying, we need to perform thoracentesis which is a procedure to remove the fluid around your lungs. Need a chest xray, an ultrasound and CT," he said before moving to the kids.

I looked at Brooke and silently apologised before going to the kids. The doctor was shining a torchlight in Zack's eyes. He will be fine. He administered some basic medicines and asked Zack to just rest for a few weeks giving him a large list of strenuous activities to avoid. Madison was shaken but physically fine.

I returned to Brooke whose wet clothes had been taken out and she was now sitting in a hospital gown. She looked at me, her eyes showed just how tired she was, but she had a faint reassuring smile on her lips. They were just wheeling her for her tests so I retuned to the teenagers.

Madison was sitting with Zack when I went back to them, "The two of you okay?" I asked them.

"Yes, I am sitting with him. We are both fine. Thank you so much for saving us Mr. Scott. We would both be dead right now without you and Brooke," Madison said to me.

I pulled the teenager who was like a second daughter to me into a hug and kissed her head, just like I used to with Sophia. "Oh Mads! You're my baby too. Both your parents will be here soon okay, and so will the twins."

"Go be with Brooke, Mr. Scott. We are alright out here. Stay with her," she said, winking at me. She had seen everything after all.

I rolled my eyes at her, "Brooke has been taken for testing. But do you promise me that if I'm with her and if there is anything worrying you or you feel like you need us, you will come and get me."

"Yes, I will!" she smiled. "Go, get your girl back! I can't wait for Sophia to see the two of you together again. We are all major Brucas shippers!"

"Umm, maybe just keep it to yourself for now. Brooke and I need to talk before we involve the kids. Please," I requested.

"You got it, but don't keep my favourite people aloof for too long. They deserve this, they have dealing with this just as long as the two of you have. It affects all of you," she reminded me.

"When did you get so smart?" I joked.

"Oh I was always smart. It is your children who got smarter staying with me," she countered, making us both laugh.

"Oh look there comes the army. You Scott men really make half the population of Tree Hill," she said just as Jamie and Sophia ran upto us.

Jamie went ahead to hug Maddie who reassured him that she was fine. Sophia walked up to Zack's bed and rubbed his palm with her thumb, ensuring that he was resting his head injury.

"Where's Brooke?" Haley asked me hugging me hard.

"Tests," I said softly.

"Is she okay, Luke?" Peyton asked, reaching us last.

"The doctor said that she needs to drain the fluids from around her lungs. But besides that, she will be alright," I sighed.

"Here, why don't you go change. We will keep our eyes out for our girl," Nathan said, handing me a bag of clothes. I got changed and reached the ER just as they were getting Brooke back. I ran to her side immediately. Everyone was around her bed within seconds.

"Wow, you have gathered quite a crowd for the middle of the night. But, I will have to ask all of you to kindly step out. We need to perform the procedure. It will take about fifteen minutes," the nurse smiled, shooing us away and beginning to draw the curtains around us.

"Lucas stays," Brooke said quickly, making everyone stop and stare. The nurse rolled her eyes but allowed it. Everyone else gave us some questioning looks, but we just ignored it all.

I got to her side and held her hand. The doctor arrived and asked her to pull down her gown, exposing her chest. They gave her a local anesthetic in her chest, making her wince. She pressed hard on my hand and I let her, giving a gentle squeeze of my own. A needle and cathater was put in and I saw the fluids drain from her body. Brooke closed her eyes, her head buried into me as I used my free hand to fondle with her hair. Once they were sure they had got it all out, they did a repeat xray to confirm that she was okay.

"You're a lucky lady, ma'am that you survived such a horrible accident. Please take plenty of rest. You sir, take good care of your wife," he said, giving us a smile and handing me a list of medicines along with instructions of how she was to take them.

"Can I go home?" she asked once the doctor finished. The doctor nodded affirmatively and Brooke hopped off the ER bed. Her legs were jelly as she hobbled and struggled to support her weight. I helped her change into the clothes that Nathan had got for her. I caught her hand and she smiled at me as we walked back to our family hand in hand.

"Hey you guys, how are you Tigger?" Haley asked, once she saw us there. Lydia was sleeping in her lap and Jude had his head resting in the crook of her neck. Motherhood really suited her very well.

"Hey Hales, I am alright. How are Zack and Madison?" Brooke answered, her voice still hoarse.

"They got discharged almost as soon as they got here. They wanted to wait for you, but once their parents were here, we insisted that they head home and rest up," Jake answered.

"That's good. Thank God, both of them were alright," she said, still worrying about kids that weren't even hers. That's Brooke for you!

"Come on Pretty Girl, let's get you home as well," I said, knowing she was fighting against her body to stand and talk out here.

"Guys both our cars are parked at Gabel Bridge," Lucas said, remembering that we had ridden here in the ambulance.

"Okay, Jake Peyton, you take Lucas, Brooke and Sophia in your car and take them straight home. Jamie comes with us. We meet at the at the bridge, Jamie and I will take one car each and drive to your house. Haley follows behind us with the kids. James, you okay to drive?" Nathan asked

"Yeah, of course," he said and we split up.

Once home, we waited for Jamie to get there. We knew that Nathan and Haley were with him, yet it worried us that he was out at night. Jake and Peyton wanted to stay but we insisted that with the baby they be at home. Besides, Jenny was waiting at home for them, they didn't want to overcrowd the hospital.

Sophia made tea for the two of us and looked at us weirdly. I could tell she was surprised by Brooke's request asking me to stay with her for her procedure. Yet, she kept quiet, something we were grateful for. We were tired enough with everything that had happened in the day - from pulling off a huge fashion show to professing our true feelings to the inanity of the night.

Yet, I was afraid to let my eyes close. I had almost lost Brooke and I was so afraid that I would wink and she would be gone. Once Jamie got home, we thanked Nathan and Haley as they drove to their place. Brooke was almost asleep in my lap by then.

"Guys, let's get to bed," I whispered to them, lifting Brooke in my arms, just like I had carried her out of the water. I slowly made my way up the stairs and lay her on the bed. She was in jeans, which I knew she despised sleeping in. So I locked the door behind me and gently began pulling them off her body. I snuck a glance at her once the skinny jeans were off her. Then I quickly grabbed some shorts from the closet. While I was puting them on, Brooke stirred in her sleep. She helped me pull them up.

"Do you want to change your top too?" I asked her, unsure how she felt.

"Chest feels sore, actually. I feel some pain at the incision site," she responded with a tone of embarrassment.

"There's nothing wrong with it Pretty Girl. The doctor infact said you might feel that. I remember it in the long list he read out," I said to her assuringly.

"Help take it off?" she asked. I knew it was more the exhaustion talked. She lifted her hands and I pulled her top off and then with one quick snap, her bra came undone. I lifted to covers and she got in.

"Let me see what the kids are up to and I will be right back. If I knock, it means that they are sleeping with us and I will give you a few moments to put on this top," I said as I entered the closet and grabbed one of my loose tees that I wore while working out. She nodded her head and cuddled into the blankets.

I unlocked the door and made my way to the kids' rooms. Sophia was emerging from her bathroom in her satin pyjamas as Jamie came out of his room in a pair of flannel pants.

"Hey guys, are the two of you coming?" I asked, standing in the doorway.

"Nah, let mom have her space and rest. I'm going to sleep with Soph in her room. We'll be fine," Jamie smiled at us.

"Take care of her, dad," Sophia added, before getting into bed.

I knew they were too old to be tucked in, but once Jamie got in with his sister, I tucked the sides and kissed both their heads.

"Both of you are incredible, do you know that?" I asked before wishing them good night and turning off the light. I saw them fall asleep before going back to my own room. Brooke was just how I had left her. I pulled down my own jeans and shirt, until I was in my boxers and got into bed with the woman that I loved. I pulled her close to me, hearing her breath deeply. She grabbed her pillow and placed it in my lap, gently putting her head on it. My hands instinctively started to stroke her hair, petting her and then moving to her exposed back since she was laying on her side. I could feel her breathe deeply, as she enjoyed the feeling.

"Thank you for everything you did for me today. I love you," she mumbled, sleeping straight and staring up at me deeply.

"Thank you for everything and I love you too," I said before leaning down and pecking her lips softly. I saw her eyes close and lips curl into a smile as my lips strayed away from hers. My fingers strayed to the are which was bagged after the procedure and I gently stroked around the wound. Brooke just closed her eyes, breathing deeply. She pulled the covers further up and got into fetus position in my lap before finally getting comfortable and falling asleep. I watched, until the sun came up to greet us mere moments later.