The three teenagers standing near the parking lot were silent and immobile. Peyton was shocked, Audrey looked like she just got caught after trying to hide something, and Hunter seemed to be frozen in confusion. How could he not be after hearing the things he just did. From Hunter's perspective; Audrey did something she knew she shouldn't have and got caught trying to hide it, and she happened to be hiding it from Hunter. The words being thrown around by Peyton were the baby, birth two months ago, adoption, abortion, and now 'you didn't tell him.' Hunter's first thoughts, Audrey cheated on him and got pregnant then had an abortion to keep Hunter from knowing the truth. Whatever the case may be, Hunter was getting to the bottom of it before the night was over.
"Peyton! Where are you, baby girl?" called a male voice. Peyton turned to see her boyfriend coming up to the group.
"Right here, Kyle!" Peyton replied as he reached her and smiled.
"Friends?" Kyle asked.
"Sort of. Babe, this is Audrey Hofferson, she's the girl I met in the sonogram office when I was seven weeks along. And next to her is Hunter Haddock," Peyton introduced.
"Pleased to meet you both. I've heard good things about you, Hunter. You serve with my cousin, Private First Class Kimberly Sunders," Kyle stated.
Hunter managed to snap out of his confusion and shake the man's hand. "Kimmy? Yeah, she's on Arrow Squad for Conqueror," Hunter responded.
"Thank you for your service to our home," Kyle nodded while locking his arm around Peyton's waist.
"Thank you for your support," Hunter bowed his head in reply.
"Well! I think we...should get going. I, uh, think Audrey and Hunter said they were getting ready to leave too. U-Um, see you around," Peyton quickly waved and pulled Kyle away as Hunter looked at Audrey who still had her head down. Hunter knew what needed to happen and Gods was he dreading it. Hunter opened his passenger side door on the truck, then brought Audrey over to it.
"You and I need to talk. Now." Hunter muttered. Audrey flinched a bit but got in the truck. Hunter moved around to the driver's side and climbed into his seat, then put the seatbelt in place. Hunter took a deep breath before he start up the truck then putting the gear in reverse and letting off the break as they backed out, turned around, switched to drive and started down the road to Audrey's house.
(Hofferson Residence)
Pulling up to the sidewalk, Hunter parked and shut the truck off then just sat there a minute. The ride had been silent, Audrey never looked at him either. Audrey's hands were in her lap as she stared at the ground while Hunter drove, keeping his eyes on the road and trying to calm his thoughts so they could talk. Now they were sitting in Hunter's truck just outside Audrey's home, and nothing had been said yet.
Hunter felt that Audrey was too scared to talk, understandable because she knew that she had been caught in whatever she was trying to hide. Hunter closed his eyes with his hands on the steering wheel still. "Were you pregnant before I got home from Iraq in May?" Hunter finally said. At first, Audrey didn't say anything then she closed her eyes and lowered her head.
"Yes," Audrey replied softly.
Hunter didn't flip out; he knew that he didn't have all the facts. Giving himself a minute to process her answer, he kept his eyes forward. "And you terminated the pregnancy?" he asked next.
"I-I did," Audrey's voice trembled a bit.
Continuing to keep his calm, he took a breath. "Why?"
"I...thought it was the right...thing to do. I was scared and couldn't...contact you. I just...wanted to have the abortion before anyone...found out and...put it behind me," Audrey forced out.
"You got pregnant while I was deployed, didn't want anyone to know what happened, and had an abortion then tried to act like it never happened?" Hunter asked to make sure he heard what she said right. Audrey nodded to him. "What was your friend saying? That you had a lot going on; I hope it's not the case but, were you...raped?"
"I-I wasn't raped," Audrey answered, and Hunter felt some relief that she wasn't harmed. That still left his other worry though.
"So then, you must have cheated on me after I went back to-No, that's not right either because that Peyton girl said you were just to give birth in June. That would mean you slept with someone else before I got home in May, got pregnant, then had the abortion to hide it from everyone including me," Hunter gripped the wheel a little hard. Audrey looked at him quickly, her eyes holding tears in them.
"No. Gods no, I would never be unfaithful to you, Hunter. I didn't...cheat on you," Audrey said. It was that to make Hunter whip his head in her direction.
"Then how the hell did you end up pregnant, Audrey. You weren't raped, and you didn't cheat on me, then the only person you've had sex with is-" Hunter stopped with his eyes widening and hands dropping from the steering wheel while staring at her. "No. No. Don't you dare tell me-" he paused again trying to make sense of all their conversations from the start of his deployment to the end.
/Flashback; November 2017/
"Nothing is going on, Hunter. I promise. A few weeks ago it was just a twenty-four-hour thing where I wasn't feeling well, today it feels more like the flu. Puking, fever, tired, body aches, no appetite. I'm sure I'll be fine after the weekend passes," Audrey replied.
" Audrey, I know what the flu is. That's not what I'm talking about, okay? I know you've been mega-moody since I left and maybe I could have bought that for two or so weeks, but it's now two months later, and our friends say it hasn't stopped. Renee and Travis have told me about the times you leave in the middle of the class looking like you're about to hurl. Fisher and Shane mentioned you seem to be wearing more concealing clothes the last month. Caitlyn said you're always tired with a headache and perhaps the most concerning message I've gotten is from Heather, who thinks you're pregnant," Hunter informed.
"Why in Odin's name would she think that?" Audrey asked in response.
" Because she notices that you're wearing baggy clothes instead of what you typically wear such as the tight jeans and curve-hugging t-shirts. Heather said that you don't hang out with them anymore, you've been staying away from foods you love, you're always tired or not feeling well. All of our friends say it seems like you're hiding something," Hunter admitted.
"Hunter, there's no way I'm pregnant. I have birth control, and you always use condoms," Audrey informed.
" You and I both know those can fail, babe. I know we have safe sex, but it doesn't make us invincible to the possible consequences. It only takes one time every month for a girl to get pregnant and if both methods of protection fail, then you get a baby. Your IUD could have shifted, and one of my condoms might have broken during a session where we went nuts with it. I'm not trying to scare you, Audrey but please don't ever deny the chance that it could happen no matter what precautions we take," Hunter stated.
"Okay, I won't," Audrey sighed sadly.
" I'm not angry with you, Audrey, so relax. Now, I want you to be honest with me; are you pregnant?" Hunter asked.
"I'm not pregnant, Hunter. I've gotten all my periods on time since you left," Audrey replied in a calm voice.
/End Flashback/
"It was mine...wasn't it?" Hunter breathed out. Audrey bit her bottom lip, and Hunter knew he was right. "You were pregnant with...my child, our baby and you had an abortion!? Without ever telling me you were pregnant? You just...found out you were pregnant and decided that I didn't have the right to know because you couldn't get a hold of me and terminated the pregnancy?!"
"Hunter, please...let me explain!" Audrey tried.
"When!" Hunter demanded instantly. "When did this happen, Audrey?!"
"I-I found out wi-with a home...test on November...20th, after feeling horrible at school and the girls saying all my symptoms pointed to getting my period...and then I realized I never got it. When...I arrived home, I checked my calendar and never got a period...in October either, I was...due for one three days after you got called...ba-back...I took the test, and it came up positive, then went...to the doctors the day you called me, and I told you I wasn't feeling good," Audrey whimpered out.
Hunter sat there a minute, eyes still wide and trying to calm down but it wasn't working as he'd hoped it would. "If...If you were due for a period three days after I returned to Iraq then...you were already a month and a half. I called you that Friday the 24th of November and you said you were at the doctors because you were sick," Hunter started counting on his fingers and looked back at Audrey. "You were ten weeks pregnant that day. Why the hell didn't you tell me when I was on the phone! You're trying to tell me you couldn't contact me when you knew you were pregnant and had me on Skype!?"
"I-I was scared and wanted...to get all the information first so we'd...be able to talk about things. I'm sorry, I just...panicked and didn't...want to freak you out before you went on that mission," Audrey cried.
"Okay and I get that, Audrey, but why didn't you send me a message saying we needed to talk after the appointment. I would have found a way to contact you and made time so we could figure it out. I got nothing from you. The next time we talked was three weeks later at the beginning of December! Why not say anything then?! I even asked you that day if you-" Hunter froze again as Audrey cried harder, sniffling. "That was the day you had the abortion, wasn't it? That's why you missed school, were home crying, and in pain..." he trailed off, and Audrey nodded meekly to him.
"I-I took a taxi to the clinic in Archi City, was there for a few hours, then retook a cab home...destroyed all the appointments, paperwork, sonograms...I didn't want...anyone to know..." Audrey told him.
"I asked you that day if you were pregnant and you said no. Now I get why you started crying after I said all that stuff about wanting a family and would be overjoyed to know you were carrying my baby. Because you realized hours too late that I wouldn't have cared if you were. Why the hell did you lie to me? Why didn't you tell me? I have to know why you terminated the pregnancy!?"
Audrey started shaking. "B-Because it was my fault I got pregnant, because of another lie I told you way before you started the tour..." her voice cracked.
"What...lie did you tell me before the deployment?..." Hunter asked trying to stay calm.
"The first time we ever made love...I...lied about being on birth control. I never...had it, I just told you...I did so we could do it still. I'm so sorry, Hunter..." Audrey explained.
"You were never...on birth control?" Hunter inquired, and Audrey looked away. "Have you ever...been on it?" he saw her nod to him.
"I-I got on it af-after the abortion. I...meant to get it right after the first time b-but school and other things kept me from going, so I didn't say anything because I-I knew you'd be upset with me for lying. When the tour started, I figured there was no point because you weren't home, so I was going to wait until your leave, but you came back so unexpectedly that I didn't...have time and stayed quiet. Then I found out I was pregnant and got scared about you not wanting the baby or...losing you while you were on tour, having to raise the child alone, I had...horrible nightmares about you dying. I was terrified that I'd have to leave school, work all the time, and...I just...panicked and thought having...an abortion would fix things. No one...would know I was ever pregnant or that...I lied about being on my birth control..." Audrey choked up.
"Well, apparently someone did know and blew your secret. How far along were you when you did the termination?" Hunter asked.
Audrey fiddled with her fingers and bit her lower lip again, still crying. "Thi-Thirteen...weeks," she answered finally.
Hunter turned his head from her with a hand on the wheel again. "So you were three months pregnant and killed our baby,"
"Please don't make it sound so cruel..." Audrey pleaded.
"But that's the truth, Audrey. You got pregnant with our child, a life that grew inside of you for three months that we made out of love. And you terminated that life because you let your fears and assumptions take over. That is what abortion is; it's murder. A baby has a heartbeat at five weeks that baby was a living person that you killed. You understand that, and it's why you cried the day you went through with it. The minute I called, you realized what you'd done and couldn't take it back," Hunter said, and Audrey looked down when he glanced towards her.
"You lied to me about being on birth control so we could go all the way. You got pregnant and didn't tell me when you had the chance to. I can let that first instance slide from when you were at the doctors and wanted to get information, that I can understand because yeah, I would have freaked out. However, you didn't let me know anything was wrong or up for three weeks, and I called just hours after you terminated the pregnancy of our baby. And then you destroyed everything to cover it up so no one, including me, would ever know about it and you could just...carry on with normal life and pretend it didn't happen," he continued softly.
"I probably could have overlooked the birth control aspect if you hadn't gone through with the abortion and tried to hide it all. Three years, Audrey. For three years I have been loyal, honest, and open with you about everything and even if not right away, like with the military thing, but I still told you. It appears that you cannot do the same for me. I see how much I mean to you now," Hunter lifted her hand where the promise ring was, "And it's clear that you don't care about me, as much as I care about you," he dropped her hand now and looked away.
"Hunter, no, please. I do care about you; I love you with my everything. I want to get married and have a family, just like we talked about," Audrey tried to touch his hand but he pulled away from her, and she became afraid that he was going to leave.
"That would have meant a lot more to me before all this, Audrey. You know, I don't think being shot or to watch my friends die hurt this much. Not even my Mom being unsupportive hurt this much. I just...cannot believe what you did after you claimed to want marriage and a family with me. You had that chance, and you blew it when you made the choice you did," Hunter said as Audrey bit back.
"What...are you saying?" Audrey pushed nervously.
"I'm saying that right now, I can't be around you. I can't bring myself to be around someone who I would have died for because I love her that much knowing what I do. So I think you should just...get out of the truck and go home then leave me alone for a while," Hunter said.
"A-Are you breaking up with me?" Audrey asked. Hunter didn't look at her.
"We're on a break until I figure out if I can forgive this. Don't contact me; I will let you know when I'm ready to talk. It will be before you start school but keep your distance for the time being," Hunter replied quietly. Audrey knew she couldn't say anything else right now, so she unbuckled her seatbelt, opened the passenger door, and got out then shut it again while taking a few steps backward, still crying. Audrey watched as Hunter used his sleeve to wipe his eyes before he turned on the truck, put it in drive and began moving down the road.
Audrey wanted to breakdown, but how could she? This was entirely her fault, and Hunter had every right to never speak to her again, yet, he was choosing to say they needed time apart until he decided what to do. To Audrey, it meant she still had a chance, or it signified that Hunter was going to leave because he couldn't forgive what she had done to the family they could have had if she hadn't been afraid and assumed things. When the truck was out of sight, Audrey returned to her house and went to her room to cry. There was nothing she could do at the moment, Hunter said for her to leave him alone and he would talk to her before school started again. Audrey could only pray that Hunter gave her another chance.
(With Hunter; Thirty-Five Minutes Later)
Hunter didn't want to see family, he didn't want to see any friends, he didn't want to go home, and he didn't want to stay in town where everyone could find him easily. Hunter went all the way to the city silently and stopped at a bar and inn; he knew he wasn't driving back tonight. Pulling into the parking lot, Hunter parked and shut off the truck while sitting there a minute or two looking at the ring he was going to propose with, tears still in his eyes. Finally, Hunter shut the box and put it back in his pocket before exiting his vehicle and locking with the alarm. Hunter got inside the establishment, showed his license, got himself a room for the night and signed the slip that said staff could take him to it if he got too drunk to get there alone.
At last, Hunter got himself a stiff drink while sitting in a spot against the wall at the bar. Hunter's phone was off; he didn't want to be bothered at all. Truthfully all he wanted to do was drink until he didn't feel the pain of his heartbreaking and utter betrayal.
