Really pleased to see people are still reading. And I have my first review which is fab. Would really love to know what others think though so please drop a short line. I'm really enjoying writing it and am nearly coming to the end now. I think there will probably be around 28 chapters in all by the time i've completely finished so if you've got this far you're about two thirds of the way.

It was a couple of days before i'd last seen Richard, and I was back in my daily routine of work. My alarm clock woke me at the usual time from my slumber, and I sat up, noticing that I didn't feel right at all. I hadn't eaten anything unusual or drank too much the day before, but my stomach felt queasy, and I felt nauseous. It got slowly worse, till I ran to the loo and vomited violently. It happened again half an hour later, but then began to settle down as the day went on, and by the evening I felt ok.

The next day it happened again. I was supposed to be having lunch with Juliette on one of her flying visit, but I didn't feel like eating, so mentioned to her how i'd been feeling. Plus she was a doctor so I figured she may be able to give me something to settle my stomach. She looked at me concerned.

"Please tell me you're using birth control." She demanded.

I suddenly felt panicky. I wasn't, and hadn't really thought about it since i'd been with Richard. I'd never been on the contraceptive pill, and during my few previous experiences, the guy had always taken care of things. I guess I was young and naive and it just hadn't occurred to me as the thought of getting pregnant had seemed so absurd.

"You're not are you?" Juliette scolded as she read my mind. "We need to get a test done right away." But what worried me was that she seemed utterly terrified at the idea that I could be pregnant.

"Would it be so bad if I was?" I wondered out loud. Ok so the island was certainly not the place for having a baby. But I was so on cloud nine about my relationship with Richard, that normal, rational thoughts seemed to have escaped me.

"You have no idea do you." Said Juliette in alarm. It was more of a remark than a question.

"Women who get pregnant on this island always end up dying. That's why i'm here - to carry out research and find out why. It's still very early days though and i'm still nowhere near getting to the bottom of it or finding a solution. I know it's something to do with the electromagnetism of the island somehow causing the immune system to attack the foetus, but thats all I know at this stage. Any women that are brought here have to have a contraceptive injection when they arrive. I guess due to the way you arrived you must have slipped through the net." She went on.

Immediately my face dropped. How could I have not known about this? I had talked to Juliette about work but I realised I hadn't known what it was she was actually researching. But Richard must have known. How had he not been more careful?

There was a small medical centre at the barracks, and Juliette took me straight over. She looked in various cupboards, and eventually produced a home pregnancy test - one of those 'if a line appears then you're pregnant and if nothing comes up then you're not' kits.

I peed on the stick and we waited the three minutes, managing to not peek. When we finally looked, there was a very clear line in the window. Still, I insisted on taking two more tests just to be sure.

Juliette was horrified.

"I'm sorry Sophie but we're going to need to carry out a termination as soon as possible. If we don't then neither you or the baby will survive."

It was hard to take in. I'd actually been secretly excited at the thought of being pregnant with Richard's baby when the subject had first come up, but now it was all going horribly wrong.

"I'm not doing anything till i've spoken to Richard." I snapped back defensively.

"Sophie please. I don't think you are actually aware of how serious this situation is." Juliette pleaded.

I couldn't take anymore, and ran home without looking back at her, ignoring her calls.

I curled up on my bed, hugging Richard's pillow, still able to vaguely catch his scent. A short while later there was a knock at the door. I expected it was Juliette come to persuade me to terminate my baby. I ignored it at first but she wouldn't go away. Eventually I flung the door open, an indigent look on my face. There stood Ben with Juliette behind him. I was so angry that she's gone running to him. She was supposed to be my friend.

"We need to talk." Ben stated, in a voice void of any emotion, as it always was.

"So talk." I replied. Making a point of not inviting them in. I leaned on my doorway and folded my arms.

"You need to have a termination." He announced. If you don't you will die. Whilst I have no personal interest in whether you wish to live or die, unfortunately, Jacob has made it clear that we need you very much alive for whatever reason. Therefore, I must insist on this. It's not your decision. We will undergo the procedure whether you like it or not."

"Don't bet on it." I snapped back.

He looked like he was about to talk again but I decided i'd had enough and slammed the door.

It was teatime but I couldn't eat a thing so I went to bed. I managed to fall asleep in the end but kept waking up every half an hour or so. My head was all over the place. I didn't dis-believe what Juliette had told me, yet neither could I accept that they were going to kill my baby. It may only have been a foetus, and I may have only known about it for a couple of hours, but to me it was my baby. It was mine and Richard's baby. I had to see Richard.

At 3:30am I threw a few snacks in my backpack, pulled on a set of clean clothes and my hiking boots, and walked out of the house, and the barracks.