Author's Note: THANK YOU to everyone who reviewed! I'm so over the moon about how wonderful each and every one of you is. This story would not be continued if it weren't for you all, so again, you guys are amazing.

I also am going to apologize for this chapter. It's totally predictable and a little cliché (which definitely irks me), but I promise it's not going to go the way you think it will! The twist in this chapter will lead to a very dark moment for our protagonist!

Disclaimer: All characters (except Hannah and Clare) are property of Red Dawn.

Chapter Eight:

Hannah

I had been to a gynecologist's office before.

I had sat awkwardly in the waiting room with women whose stomachs protruded far enough out that they couldn't see their feet any longer. I had lain on the examining table, wearing that stiff, paper dress, as the doctor made small talk in between my legs. I had tried not to show my discomfort when they proceeded with the examination and I had breathed a soundless sigh of relief knowing I was free until the following year.

But this time was different.

As I sat in a new room with the same paper dress, I wasn't just uncomfortable. I was terrified. What would I do if there really was something growing inside of me? Would I do the honorable thing or the right thing? Which was which?

Getting here had been easy. Clare and I had lied to my husband, claiming that it was her who needed to see this doctor and he had believed us. What reason would he have to not believe his honest and trustful wife? So while he prepped the remaining team for an attack, Clare and I had snuck into the city and appeared in Filson's office. The old man had been surprised, but he quickly accommodated us by ushering us into this new room with dim lights.

"I'll come back when I can," he had told us before disappearing behind the closed door.

So it was there Clare and I sat, waiting. There was a screen next to the examining table and I guessed it enabled the technician or doctor to see the insides of someone—the insides of me.

"It'll be okay," Clare tried to assure me. "I'm sure it's just stress."

I nodded my head and I hoped she was right. A baby right now would be the last thing we would need. Jed was waging a war against the invaders—albeit a small one they don't know they're in, but one nonetheless. How would he react if this test came back positive? What would he do?

A headache was forming behind my left brow.

"How much longer do you think we'll have to wait?" I managed to croak out.

"It can't be that much longer," Clare answered as she stood. She stretched her legs. "I do need to use the restroom though. I'll be right back." She stopped and faced me before she fully opened the door. "You're okay, right? I can wait if you need me to stay with you until he comes."

I shook my head. "Don't be silly. I'm fine, go." Clare smiled gratefully and slipped out of the room. I looked around the room and straightened the paper dress on my knees. "I can do this. This is just a typical visit that will calm my nerves enough that I'll get a visit from my dear aunt." I released a long breath to calm myself. "It will be fine. I can do this." I wanted to believe the words that I said, but a small pang of fear shot up in my chest.

What if I really was pregnant?

My attention was quickly diverted when I heard the creaking sound of the door opening slowly. My first instinct was to reach for something that would protect me but I stopped and chucked nervously when I recognized Dr. Filson peeking his head in. He smiled apologetically and closed the door behind him. "I'm sorry for the wait, Ms. Hannah. This is technically my lunch break." He sat down in the rolling chair at the desk and turned to look at me. "So what's going on?"

"I think I might be pregnant," I forced out. Before he could ask, I gushed out the details of my lapse in birth control and the early return of my husband. "I didn't know who else to go to."

Filson nodded his head. "Let's take a look then, shall we? Go ahead and lie back." He rolled over next to the monitor by the bed and pulled on a pair of gloves. As I situated the blanket I was previously given over my waist, he pulled out a thin probe and put a dollop of gel on the tip. "This will feel slightly uncomfortable, but it's no worse than your usual exam." He chuckled to himself, reached between my legs, and inserted the probe. He looked at the screen as images popped up. "With it being so early in your possible pregnancy, this type of ultrasound is more effective than the abdominal one. I'd test your urine, but then you'd wind up lying down here anyway, so might as well skip a step."

All I could manage was a nod as I stared at the screen. He adjusted the wand one more time before stopping, studying the screen.

"It appears you were right, Hannah," Filson stated slowly. My heart pounded in my ears as I looked at the screen. He pointed to a small dot. "See this? This little sac is an embryo—a baby. By the looks of it I'd say you're about five to six weeks along." He removed the wand and placed it on the tray under the screen.

I could feel tears welling in my eyes. A baby! How was I going to be able to take care of baby in the woods? How was I going to keep it safe? Where was I going to get all the items that a growing baby needs? I could barely get myself decent meals; how was I going to provide for a baby?

Filson laid a wrinkling hand on my arm. "Hush those thoughts, Hannah."

"What am I going to do?" I asked breathlessly. I covered my face as the water welling in my eyes spilled over.

"Well, you have two options," Filson answered. "Before you leave here, I can get you certain medications that will end this as naturally as medication can. It'll be nothing more than a miscarriage." I sat up and motioned for him to continue. "Or you look at this ripple as fate intervening. Everything happens for a reason, including this." He stood and discarded his gloves. "But the choice is yours, Hannah. No one can judge you for your choice. Either one is going to be difficult in its own way."

I rested my forehead in the palm of my hand. What could I say? What could I do? Everything in me was against his first option, but what quality of life could I offer this child? There was no way to even know if the child would grow passed infancy. Should it die now before it had the chance to know life? Would it be easier to say goodbye now before I looked at it in my arms for the first time?

I looked at Filson. "What would you do?"

He sighed and then sat on the stool. "I don't know. As unfortunate as it is, we don't know the future. This war may end in a few months and then where will you be? With a guilty conscious over something you didn't have to do?" He shook his head and looked at his feet. "But then, what if this war lasts years? What if we never regain control over this land? Your baby will either be killed or passed off to someone else to raise."

A shuttering breath escaped me. My voice wavered as I asked in a whisper, "How do I decide?"

"Speak to your husband," he answered. He placed his wrinkly hands in mine. "This is not something you should answer now. You will need support in whatever decision you choose."

I nodded my head. "You're right. This should not be a rash decision." I looked around the room and noticed that Clare was still missing. It had been at least twenty minutes since she left to go to the bathroom. "Did you see Clare when you walked in?"

"No, I'm afraid not," Filson responded. He stood again and made his way to the door. "You should not be alone in this decision, Hannah. Speak to your husband and go over the options I gave you. Come back when you're ready." I nodded my head and he left the room, shutting the door behind him.

I continued to sit on the bed for a few minutes more before pulling on my clothes. As I buttoned my jeans, I pressed a hand against my belly and mused, "What am I going to do about you?" The door opened as I picked my jacket up from the chair. "I was wondering where you went."

"Sorry," Clare returned as she opened the door more. She moved from the doorway but kept the door open. "I got distracted. How did it go?"

I gestured to my red eyes and blotchy nose. "How do you think?"

"You're pregnant?" Her expression was horrified.

"About five to six weeks along," I answered with a sigh. I looked at Clare's still horror-stricken face and noticed she had gone pale. "Are you alright? You're acting more upset than I am."

Before she could answer, a male nurse walked in. He smiled kindly and produced a syringe from his pocket. "Doctor ordered vitamins for your baby."

There was something off in the male nurse's expression. "Why would he do that?" I asked as I backed away. "He would have told me before he left." I looked to Clare and she sat down in the chair next to the computer. Her blue eyes were fixed on me. "Clare, what's going on?"

"Just take the vitamins," she answered hollowly. The male nurse walked up to me and lifted the sleeve of my shirt up so he could see the upper part of my arm. Before I could protest, he had stuck the needle in my skin and administering the liquid. My head felt woozy as he pulled the needle out.

"Let's go, Clare," I said as I stumbled forward. My legs buckled underneath me and I fell to the floor. I groaned, moving my hands to help lift me off the floor, but they remained lifeless at my side. The fuzziness in my head grew and spread to each of my limbs. I blinked repeatedly to clear the fog, but my sight remained cloudy. Clare still continued to stare at me, but she had started crying. "Clare?" My voice was nothing but a whisper.

Clare cried harder. "I'm so sorry," she mumbled out. "I'm so sorry."

My vision faded and I lost consciousness.

Jed

The mission had been a success.

I wasn't even sure if we would have been able to pull it off, but the small group of teenagers had surprised me. They had stayed calm and collected in the face of danger; they had proven to me that this wouldn't be a one-man team. The whole of Spokane knew that the Wolverines were going to fight back against the Koreans. It had indeed been a victory worth celebrating. So when we returned to our hidden camp, I didn't interrupt their celebration. I didn't discuss what we should do next or what we need to improve on. They deserved one night where they weren't worrying about the future.

They had huddled into a circle and ate the Subway sandwiches that Robert and Darryl had managed to steal. They laughed and joked; and for a brief moment, it seemed like we were all just camping. They were teenagers again, not soldiers.

Thor whined and kept his gaze fixed on the opening.

"I know buddy," I whispered to him as I reached to scratch behind his ears. "Mom will be back soon. Clare's appointment must have ran long."

I can't deny that I was worried. It was going to be dark soon and there had been no sign of either of them. They had left early in the morning before us, so I had been surprised that they were not back when we returned. But I was sure that they were fine; my wife was as capable as anyone.

I was pulled from my thoughts when Matt's name was called. I watched as my brother stood silently and exited the tunnel. He stuffed a small handgun in the waistband of his jeans before leaving. Everyone watched him go without a word and then disbanded. I stayed by the opening, watching and hoping that my wife would show up with an apologetic smile on her face. She would tease me for worrying, but I know that she didn't mind it.

So when the group of teens rolled into their cots, my fear began to grow. No doctor's appointment would take an entire day. It didn't take that long to sneak in and out of the city—surprisingly enough—so where was she? Had she been caught? Hurt?

I lifted my gun when I heard rustling outside the entrance.

I lowered it when I saw a blonde head of hair come into view. Clare stumbled into the cave and her eyes were brimming with tears. I immediately rushed to her. "What happened? Where's Hannah?" My voice was a lot harsher than I intended, but I couldn't prevent the iciness of fear from leaking into it.

"I'm sorry, Jed," she mumbled out. Tears fell from her eyes and trickled down her cheeks. "We were at the doctors… they found us…" Her crying increased so it was hard to understand what she was saying. By now, all of the teens had risen and were surrounding Clare.

"Clare, calm down," Robert said softly. "What happened to Hannah?"

Clare inhaled through her nose and released a shaky breath. "They caught her. She told me to run so I could warn you. I'm so sorry." Her blue eyes were focused on me. "I tried… Jed, I'm so sorry." She dissolved into a fit of sobs and Julie rushed to her side. The group of teenagers led the crying blonde further into the tunnel to sit on a cot.

I closed my eyes.

The very thing I had tried so hard to prevent had happened. My family was crumbling before my very eyes and there was nothing I could do to stop it. I had watched them murder my father and I did nothing. I had watched my brother stare endlessly at a picture of his girlfriend and I did nothing. Now my wife had been taken. Every fiber in my being wanted to launch an attack immediately to get her back. I would prove to them what it really meant to mess with a man's family.

But I didn't know where they were keeping her. I didn't know what they had already done to her. I didn't even know if she was still alive at this point. I shook my head and exhaled the breath I didn't realize I was holding. No, they wouldn't kill her. Not yet. She had too much knowledge for them to outright kill. And I knew that they would use any means to extract the knowledge out of her.

They would torture her.

And still, I knew I could do nothing.

I had to wait. Wait for a moment where I could strike. They took Hannah in the hopes that I would make a mistake; in the hopes that she would give them everything they needed to know to stop us. But if I wanted to prevail, to truly make a difference in this war, my retaliation had to be smart. It had to be calculated.

I knew in my heart that if I acted rashly and one of these teenagers died because of it, Hannah would never forgive me.

But, would she forgive me if I didn't save her from the torture I knew was coming?

I crumbled down and rested my head in my hands. How was I going to choose?

REVIEW! :)