The secret she kept

Chapter 9 - a conversation long due

Alright another chapter in 2 days, I am trying to write more this week after a long absence. I hope this makes it up for the long wait. also, its another chapter written from brookes point of view. Would love to hear what you think of it.

Yesterday was one of my worst days in a long time. Lucas and I argued, Mel ran away and all things that could go wrong went wrong. It was never my intention to keep Mel a secret from Lucas, but I could not deal with the past. I was running away from it. What happened that year I found out I was pregnant was something I wish nobody especially my daughter has to go through. It is my life goal to see that she will have a better environment to grow up in then I have. I never want my daughter to choose between her child and the man she loves.

After Mel got home, I called, and after that, we talked for a while in the kitchen. I appreciated her compassion; she is growing up to be a beautiful and kind young woman. But still something is bothering me, and it has everything to do with Lucas. I want to explain to him what happened in those years, but I don't know how to start that conversation. He was always the one who knows how to put certain things into words.

It's around 7 in the morning when I lay awake, and all these things are going through my mind. I get a piece of paper and write down all the things I need to do and all the things that bother me. I kept a diary in, but Bass came up with the idea to write down all the things that worry me on a separate piece of paper. I remembered when he gave me that advice. It was the year Mel turned one; I was missing everything about tree hill. I was very angry with my parents. Mel was crying, and I couldn't bring myself to go to her and comfort her. Suddenly Mell stopped, and bass came walking in with Mel in his arms and a piece of paper in the other. He said " Brooke you can't do this, you need to sort out your thoughts and I know you wrote in your diary before. I don't understand why you stopped writing but try to write down the things that are bothering you, and maybe we can figure things out together. If you want, I can help. Just leave the piece of paper with your thoughts on the kitchen counter in the morning, and if I see it there tomorrow, I will help you with everything as best as I can. I remember wanting to hug Bas and thanking him, but being stubborn I didn't. The next morning I placed the piece of paper Bass gave me on the kitchen counter, and he helped me with my struggles. Bass is the one parental figure in my life who exactly helped me with my problems.

I wrote down the following things on paper the morning after Mell ran away:

1. Talk to Mel

2. Talk to Lucas and mell together

3. Tell Lucas the truth about everything

4. Call bass and keep him up to date

5. explain things to Nathan and Hailey

5. Go Nathan and Haileys bbq

6. Call Karen maybe and tell hopefully together with Lucas about Mel.

I put down the piece of paper, checked in on mell. She was fast asleep and went downstairs. I take my phone from the charger and start calling Lucas, hoping he would be awake.

The phone rang, and immediately I hear his voice

"good morning Brooke, is everything okay? is Mel okay?"

"Everything is fine Lucas, I called because I thought we should talk and I will answer every question truthfully and explain everything."

"Alright Brooke, but this is your last change. I can't handle more, I think. Just the truth and nothing else, okay?"

"Just the truth Lucas, promise."

"Okay, I will be over in about 30 minutes if that okay?"

"Yeah that's fine, see you in a bit and I will make some breakfast."

"See you, Brooke."

And Lucas hung up.

30 minutes went by, and I saw parking his car on the porch. I opened the door, and we walked towards the living room and sat down.

Lucas started talking.

"Alright Brooke, what happened? why didn't you tell me I had a daughter?"

I signed. The reason i didn't tell you before was that I was scared. I was afraid and running away from my past. You know i don't have the world greatest parent, to put it mildly."

"Yeah, I know Brooke. I know your parents sucked alright? but that doesn't explain anything."

"Okay, Lucas it doesn't. I know, I was just scared alright. They asked me to ... I could finish my sentence; I felled the tears welling up in my eyes.

They asked me to to give Mel away okay. They gave me a choice, give mell away to the other family or move in with Bass and never tell anyone back home about her, not even you. I felled the tears on my cheeks and Lucas hugging me. I started crying in his shoulder while explaining everything, from my parents first saying I had to abort Mel, and I am refusing. My parents own reputation being more critical then Mel life. How they thought I ruined them and why I had to move. They said " you can't be pregnant Brooke, you're a teenager. we cant be grandparents what would everyone think."

Furthermore, they gave me the ultimatum after all: give Mell up for adoption and never speak about her to anyone or move in with Bass and forget about everyone back home.

So that's how Lucas ended up comforting me on the couch. After I calmed down, I gave Lucas a glass of water because he also had tears in his eyes, even though he would not admit it. He said "alright Brooke, I understand. I don't approve it but I understand and I think I can forgive it for now but you got to give me some time alright? Things haven't been easy for me either."

"Ohh Lucas, you don't know how glad I am to hear you say that."

"Brooke, there is one thing I would like, and that is to get to know our daughter. When she wakes up, can I have a moment with her alone maybe go to the river court and play some basketball together?"

"yeah sure Lucas, I can't say no. Be careful, and we should talk to here together about everything how to go from here alright? I have told her a bit about my past but not everything."

"I don't know if I can keep secrets from here Brooke if she asked I won't lie to her. I won't talk about our conversation this morning if she doesn't ask, okay? that all I can promise."

"I understand Lucas, that okay. I appreciate it. Thanks, Luke."

I heard mells alarm going off, and a few minutes later we heard her footsteps going down the stairs.