Disclaimers still hold true. Not trying to steal, just have a little fun.

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Scarlett sat down in Lifeline's office, the unease clear on her face. She fiddled with a lock of her hair nervously as she looked at him. "So what's up?"

He looked concerned as he watched her, "Well, I think I know why you've been feeling so run down. The reason I'm worried is how you reacted to some of the questions yesterday." She looked puzzled, waiting for him to continue. He took a deep breath and said gently, "You're pregnant Shana."

She sat there, dumbfounded, staring at him, trying to comprehend. "But I can't be. I've had two periods since the last time I had sex!" She shook her head, trying to figure out how this could be.

"That's why I'm concerned. I want to do an ultrasound to see how far along you are, and once we have that, we can start working on how conception happened." He seemed truly concerned by the situation, worried that it might not have been a willing act that led to conception.

She nodded, still stunned. "Alright. When?"

"Right away. I know you won't feel any better until this is settled, and honestly, neither will I. I'd prefer if you didn't drive yourself, alright?" She nodded mutely again as he stood up. "Don't worry Scarlett. We'll figure this out. Head over to the motor pool and I'll let people know you'll be back later. Alright?"

Her voice failed her for a moment then she continued, "Yes, thank you Lifeline. I'll go right away.

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Her mind wandered as she was driven into town, thinking about how this could happen. She was scared and worried, and the entire trip was passed in taught silence.

When she arrived at the hospital, she went to the room that Lifeline told her to find, checking in with the receptionist and taking a seat. She thought of Conrad, wondering if she should have called him and had him come with her. She rejected the idea though because she still didn't really believe she was pregnant, and moreso, she knew it couldn't be his. Could it? Doubt and confusion reigned in her mind.

After a short wait, they called her back, put the gel on her still flat stomach and used the transducer to see any images that would appear. The technician spoke to her reassuringly, not sure of the situation, but sensing Shana's unease.

Suddenly on the screen she saw a small peanut shaped object with a quickly flashing light on it. "Is...is that the baby?" she breathed in awe.

"Yes, there he or she is. The flashing is the heartbeat. Don't worry, I'll take pictures. I'm just going to do some measurements, then we'll be all done, alright?" The technician measured all sides of the peanut, taking several pictures to give to Shana, before finishing and wiping the gel off her stomach and giving her another towel to finish cleaning off.

"So. Um. How far along am I?" She looked at the pictures in her hands with wonder. "Is everything ok with the baby?"

"Everything seems fine now, I'll have to fax your doctor my report and he'll go over your due date. Congratulations Miss O'Hara. You're going to be a mother!"

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Back at the base, Duke ran into Lifeline in the halls, "Hey Lifeline, is Scarlett still in your office?"

Lifeline shook his head, "No, she had to run into town for something. She should be back in a couple of hours I think."

"Is she alright?" He was worried about her since that phone call from Lifeline.

"She's ok. I'll let her talk to you about it."

Duke nodded and went back to find Flint.

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The trip back to base was too short. Her mind flooded with worries and questions. How would her father react? Yes, it wasn't like she was a child, but he was a devout Catholic and she wasn't married. Would he still be able to look at her the same way? And Conrad. They were just reconcilling, how could she now tell him she was pregnant, and likely not with his child? How in the hell was it even possible?

When they got back, she didn't even get two steps before Jaye caught up with her. "Scarlett! Where have you been? We've been worried."

Scarlett looked around cautiously then spoke quietly, "Can we talk in private?"

Jaye nodded immediately, leading her to an empty conference room and closing and locking the door behind them. "Are you alright Shana?"

Scarlett sat in a chair with a sigh, nodding, "Yeah, I'm alright," She paused, not sure how to get through the next part, "I'm pregnant."

Jaye's eyes widened, and then she gave a tentative smile, "Duke's baby?"

She shook her head mutely as Jaye's smile turned to dismay, then spoke quietly. "I don't know who. The last person I ... I mean, as far as I know it was Conrad. But I had cycles after that I thought. I have to go talk to Lifeline about it. The technician at the hospital wouldn't tell me, just that my doctor would go over it with me."

Jaye gave a smile she hoped would give her friend some strength to get through this and stood up. "Well then, you better get over there and get some answers. I know neither of us will be able to relax until you do."

"Don't tell anyone. Well, you can tell Flint. But I need to figure this out before I tell Conrad. And my Da. He's going to be crushed." She sighed, and stood herself. "Alright. I'll go find out. Thank you Allie." A warm smile came to her face because she was very relieved that she was here with friends.