Back To The Start (One Tree Hill)

Chapter 28

Julian's POV

The next day

In the hospital

Nervously, I paced back and forth in the waiting area, waiting for Brooke to be taken out of the OR. I would have liked to have been involved in the surgical procedure, but for some reason the spinal injection had failed and the doctors had decided to do a general anesthetic. You'd think I was used to sitting and waiting in hospital waiting rooms, but it was a nerve-wracking experience for me every time and I wished it was over. When suddenly a doctor approached me, I looked up.

"Mr. Baker?"

"Is my wife okay? Did the surgery go well?" I ambushed him with my questions.

The doctor frowned. "Yes, to the first, and yes to the second question. Everything went well. Your wife is now in the recovery room. We will keep her here for observation for the next 24 hours, in case that bleeding occurs. There is a high risk of a miscarriage until then."

I swallowed the lump that had formed. The danger wasn't over yet. Brooke could still lose the twins. The thought was only hard to bear. "Can I see her?"

The doctor nodded. "She is still asleep, but of course you can see her. You can wait until she wakes up."

He made a gesture that I should follow him and then we entered Brooke's hospital room together.

"Talk to her calmly," said the doctor with a smile. "Then maybe she'll wake up faster. But be prepared that she might not be completely awake. After a general anesthetic, patients are often confused and need a while to fully recover."

When he had left, I bent down to Brooke and kissed her lips gently. "Hey, baby," I said softly, carefully stroking her cheek. "Everything went well and our twins are fine too."

"Julian...?"

"Yes, it's me." I reached for her hand. "How are you?"

She frowned, still keeping her eyes closed, causing me to smile involuntarily. "Don't you have to think about how you are?" I asked.

She blinked and then opened her eyes completely. "Why... why didn't you tell me your... your mother is here?" She muttered.

I looked at her in surprise. "How do you know? I just wanted to tell you after surgery."

"Haley told me," she confessed.

I rolled my eyes. It was clear that Haley couldn't hold her tongue. And just from the way Brooke was looking at me now, I could tell that she wasn't exactly happy that my mother was in Tree Hill. "I suppose Haley told you that my mother lives with us now, right?" I asked carefully.

She nodded. "How could you bring her to our house, where you knew how much she despises me?" She exclaimed reproachfully, pulling her hand away.

I sighed inwardly. I had known that it wouldn't be easy convincing Brooke that my mother had changed. But I hadn't expected so much resistance. "She came to Tree Hill to help us," I began hesitantly. "My dad had told her about our situation with Justin, and she was determined to come here."

"How nice of her!"

I could hear the sarcasm from her tone and frowned. "She really means it well this time," I defended my mother.

"Oh, has she already twisted you around her little finger with her false staginess?"

I closed my eyes in frustration and struggled for composure. I realized that nothing I would say would change Brooke's opinion about my mother. Her hatred was just too deep. "We'll talk about it later," I said quietly. "You and the babies need rest now."