Chapter 8: Welcome To My Truth

"Sun's pregnant." Juliet said to Cooper in the days following her successful injections of vaccine to Claire. The camp was still wary of the outsiders, but Claire's full recovery was a big help. There were less evil stares now.

Cooper had been feeling generally quite well, and was folding dry clothes at her tent with Juliet greeted her with the news about Sun. "Are you sure?"

"She told me herself," Juliet said, looking a little flustered. "Yelled it at me, more like it. Screamed at me until I told her the truth."

Cooper stopped folding the jeans in her hands. "The truth?"

Juliet nodded and knelt down in the sand in front of her friend. "I told her pregnant women die on this island. But don't worry," She smiled. "I didn't say anything about you."

Chewing the inside of her mouth; Cooper sighed. "What happens now?"

Juliet frowned. "I want to take her to the Staff... if she conceived off the island; her maybe should be okay... like Aaron." She shrugged. "But, if she conceived here..."

Cooper finished folding her clothes, if Sun conceived here than she and Cooper were more alike than first thought. "Ok... well; we haven't been to the Staff since Ethan took Claire, there..." She muttered. Ethan kidnapping Claire had been a real spanner in the works for Juliet and Cooper's research; they'd basically had to abandon everything at the Staff and move things into hiding. That's when they decided to continue their work in secret. When the plane crashed; Ben had told Juliet that she would find more mothers in the survivors.

"I think I can convince Sun to let me do an ultrasound," Juliet continued. "It's the only way to help her baby – and yours. Tonight, late, we'll take her there."

Cooper nodded, picking up her clothes and setting them on her hip. "Ok." She smiled confidently. It was easy for her to put her faith in Juliet; she hadn't let her down once yet. "Just wake me." With a smile, the two parted ways and Cooper headed back to her tent.

She'd been feeling cramps in her side all day, but they hadn't really bothered her. However suddenly, a sharp pang cut her side catching her so off guard that she dropped all her laundry.

"Need a hand?"

"Hello, Jack." Cooper smiled at him as he jogged beside her.

"Oh, yes, thank you." She let him pick up her washing. "Just a cramp, I guess." She tried to look nonchalant, thankfully the pain was ebbing away. "I must have slept on a rock or something."

Jack nodded knowledgeably. "Yeah; happens when you sleep on the beach."

"Is Claire better?"

"Much. Whatever's in that vaccine worked like magic."

Cooper chuckled. "You are a doctor, aren't you, Jack? You people don't believe in magic. Certainly when it comes to healthcare."

"No," Jack shared her laugh. "No, I guess not."

They arrived at Cooper's tent and Jack set her washing beside her one wall; a piece of the Oceanic wreckage with half of the name visible. "Thank you," Cooper smiled at him, feeling suddenly very dizzy. "I think I ..." She hadn't realized she'd fallen forwards until she felt herself being lowered to the ground.

"Are you alright?" Jack was saying, his eyes very concerned as he helped her into the shade of her tent.

"Yes," Cooper said quickly, trying to ignore her spinning head. "The heat." She rolled her eyes. "I'm from England, and even after all this time I still haven't quite adjusted."

Jack took one of the water bottles stacked at the back of Cooper's tent. "Here, sip it slowly." Cooper thanked him again and took a small gulp of water. "So, you seem as eager as any of us to get off this island," He said, swiftly changing the subject. "You have something – someone – to get back to?"

Cooper sighed and shook her head. "My father," She smiled. "He runs a library in England."

Jack frowned. "Your mother...?"

"She died when I was twenty-two," Cooper revealed. "Cancer." She smiled at her mother's memory.

"I'm sorry."

"I know your father died in Sydney," Cooper told him. "Condolences."

Jack just nodded. "How much do you know about me – us?"

Cooper sighed and glanced around the camp. "Just about everything..." She said. "Everything that would have a record. It's amazing how much of our lives are printed on paper."

"So... you know everything about us... and we know nothing about you."

Cooper was always wary of this question. "What would you like to know?" She asked cautiously, knowing she was opening the door for a myriad of questions she would prefer not to answer.

"What do you do here?" He asked. "What did Ben bring you here for?"

Taking a deep breath, Cooper let her eyes wander out to the ocean. "I was a twin." She said quietly. "When I was born; my parents hadn't planned on it. My sister... her name would have been Cassie... she was stillborn. And after that; my mother was never able to conceive again." She laughed to mask the tears in her eyes. "I know it's silly to blame myself for her infertility; but I do. That's what made me pursue that field of medicine." She leant her elbows against her knees. "I was never very good at the scientific aspect of it; but I just always knew I needed to be around children." She could tell Jack was hanging on her every word, and she wondered if he was waiting for her to slip up, divulge a big secret. "I worked overseas a lot. Rwanda, mostly. It was there I was offered the position to come here; to help figure out why women can't give birth on this island."

Jack's handsome face became puzzled. "Why you?"

Cooper shrugged. "They liked my approach to midwifery." She glanced at him. "Of course, it didn't help. I haven't been able to save a single patient since I've been here."

"Claire's safe." Jack pointed out.

Cooper felt a pang of guilt. Of course Claire had been saved, because her microchip had been activated to give Juliet a way of coming to the rescue in the eyes of the survivors, give them reason to trust her. But she pushed past the guilt, and managed a confident smile. "Yes. Yes, she is." She reached out and squeezed Jack's wrist. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"Talking with me." She gazed up at the camp again. "I guess I'll always be an outsider here, but..." She smiled again. "Just, thank you."

Juliet managed to convince Sun to come with her to the Staff in the very early hours of the morning. Juliet had woken Cooper first, and told her to get things ready at the Staff for the procedure. Sun was pregnant, conceived on the island to her husband which seemed to relieve her more than anything else. She divulged to Juliet and Cooper that she had been unfaithful in her marriage; and thus it was hard for her to hope that her child was conceived off of the island because it meant the baby was not that of her husband. Consequently; she was now in the same boat as Cooper. She needed to get off the island. Soon.

It was only after Sun's ultrasound, showing a healthy eight week old foetus, that Cooper decided to reveal to Sun that she was pregnant, too. She didn't know if it was Sun's tears, or Juliet's jubilance at giving good news again, but Cooper just felt it was the right time. And Sun's reaction pleasantly surprised her; she didn't seem shocked or betrayed or anything negative. Instead, she took Cooper's hand and squeezed it, for a moment the two women were connected. Both mothers, both desperate for a way home.

After the eventful early morning, the trio were all eager to get back out into the fresh air. Cooper led the way, Sun just behind her, while Juliet hung brought up the rear. Sun then confided in Juliet that she was glad the baby was Jin's.

"You gave me good news, Juliet." Sun thanked her as the trio left the Staff some time after sunrise.

"It was my pleasure, Sun." Juliet smiled. "I'm gonna go back inside and make sure that I didn't miss anything, I don't wanna take the chance that we didn't cover our tracks." She eyed Cooper and Sun. "Do you two wanna wait out here?"

"Why don't we just meet you back at camp?" Cooper offered, knowing Juliet had to go into the Staff and leave a tape for Ben divulging the information about Sun. "It would be more suspicious if all three of us are missing; instead of just one."

Juliet nodded. "I'll see you back there." She retreated back into the Staff.

As Cooper and Sun walked the path back to camp, it began to rain. Just lightly at first, but enough to make Cooper thankful she'd worn her hoodie.

"Why is it that you don't want people to know you are pregnant?" Sun asked as they walked. "Is it because you know what will happen to us if we stay here?"

Cooper smiled when she said 'us', it made her feel like she wasn't alone for once. It was a small comfort; but a welcome one. "Yes." She confirmed. "All I want is a way home, to be off of this island so my baby will be born safely." She smiled. "I worry that if I tell people... I'll become an... obstacle."

"I won't tell anyone." Sun promised. "I know what it's like to change your life as swiftly as you did. Leaving The Others... and coming to us." She gave a peaceful smile. "What you are doing is for your child, I understand that completely."

Cooper felt relieved tears well in her eyes. "Thank you, Sun."

They were well on the way back to camp now, the path was clearing out and the sand was getting thicker beneath their feet. Sun walked on ahead, the ocean was in sight. Cooper let herself dawdle, she was rarely up at this time of the morning but the adored it; the smell of the cool air brushing from the foliage around her; it was so soothing, even with the rain falling heavier.

Her calm walk was cut short when a gruff arm grabbed her and spun her around. It was Jack.

"Oh, you scared me!" She laughed, but then saw the stern look on his face.

"I followed you." He said as the rain started to pour down on them. "I saw you and Juliet take Sun away."

"Sun is fine." Cooper assured him.

"I know." Jack said, still gripping her arm. "Cooper. You're lying to me."

Affronted, Cooper wrenched her arm from his grasp. "What are you talking about?"

"If there's something that you need to tell me, now's the time to do it."

Cooper made a face at him. After all this time she'd thought he trusted her; but it was all a ruse "You... are just unbelievable!"

"I gave you the benefit of the doubt." Jack snapped. "I trusted you; when no one else did. And you've been lying to me."

Cooper's mouth fell open. "I didn't want to lie, Jack! I had to! Because believe it or not; some things are bigger than you!"

Jack looked like he was about to laugh. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm pregnant!" She took a few steadying breaths, letting only the sound of the rain cut through their silence. "I'm pregnant." She said again, partly relieved that she'd finally revealed her secret. "Juliet and I have been trying for years to solve the infertility problem on this island. We've lost so many patients... we thought if she tested on me; right from the start, we'd be able to control it... but then you crashed on this island and... and it changed everything." She was glad it was raining, because that meant he couldn't see her crying. "Ben doesn't know that I'm pregnant, if he finds out he'll take me back and I won't go!" She smoothed her drenched hair off of her face. "And if he stops me from doing my work... then I'm nothing! I'm just... nobody!" She held her hands to her belly. "This is what makes me who I am, and I will not let Ben take it from me."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Jack said in the moments of silence that followed her mammoth speech. "This is why you've been sick, isn't it?"

Cooper could only shrug. "Why would I tell you?" She asked. "There is nothing you can do for me." With that she turned, and walked through the rain back to her tent. Sun knew, Jack knew... would Jack tell Kate? Would Sun tell Jin? Surely it was now only a matter of time before the camp knew that Cooper was pregnant, and thus a hazard to them. She had Juliet at her side; and that was it.

Hopefully, that was enough.