Bloodhearts

Chapter six: New Life.

Marc and his other friends put their hands up, all shaken by what's just happened.

"We have nothing to do with it, I swear," Marc promises me. His eyes plead with me and also with Cory, who's standing near me. I almost explode with anger when I see the way Marc looks at Cory.

The whole thing is one big mess and I have to bite back my anger and listen to Marc's explanation. He tells us that Don has been acting strange lately, but that they had no idea he had joined the rebels. The story is annoyingly believable. Marc even promises to come in tomorrow to help us find Don, but I refuse, saying it isn't necessary. There are only so many places he can be within camp walls.

We stay and talk to everyone else at the bar. Quite a few of them were also here last night, but we don't get much useful info from their statements. No one has seen anything. Apparently, Don has hidden his intentions pretty well. This is the worst part about these rebels trying to topple over my dad. They are very sneaky about everything they do and they are slippery like eel, managing to get away the very moment you think you have them. They are still one step ahead of us.

We leave the bar after a couple of hours, going straight to headquarters. My dad has sent several teams out to look for Don in the mean time. He doesn't have time to scold me, but I know he isn't happy with my decision to go drinking at the bar. My dad has never been a fan of alcohol, not even in the old world. If I ever came home drunk, I was sure to be lectured. My head still hurts slightly, and my body feels stiff. More than usual, that is.

I head over to Jason, who is sitting in an old office chair, holding a piece of cloth to his nose. I take the chair next to him, needing to sit down myself. There is something strange about Jason's behavior today. He haven't heard him cuss at all, not even when that guy Don hit him.

"Okay. Out with it," I demand and Jason eyes me with his nose still pointed upwards. "What the hell is the matter with you?"

Jason takes the cloth away from his nose and thankfully, it has stopped running. It isn't as bad as it could be.

"Uh... It's Elena..." he admits.

I frown. Elena is Jason's new girlfriend. Well, I say 'new' because I didn't get to meet her until recently. Apparently, he met her before I came back and says she's the best thing that's happened to him in a long time. Cory teases him with it, telling poor Jason that he's become a romantic. It's fun to see the two of them being like that now.

Jason digs into his pocket and hands me something in. It turns out to be a tiny bow, the kind you'd put in the hair of a little girl.

"What is this?" I ask him.

He sits up a little straighter. Then a huge smile spreads on his face. "Jay, I'm gonna be a father."

Having been worried before, I now feel incredibly relieved and hug him tightly. "That's wonderful! I'm happy for you," I tell him, surprised to see my friend get emotional.

"Elena told me yesterday. Of course, we'll have no way of knowing if it's a boy or a girl. But she thinks it's a girl. It's just... Jay, I never thought I'd be a dad! I have no idea what to do," he admits, chuckling.

"Just be happy. I'm sure it will all turn out fine. New life is important."

He nods and then begins to go on about how awesome it would be to have a kid he could teach football or just how much he would have to teach them. It truly is some of the best news I have had lately.

We almost have a full maternity department in our hospital. There is a group for new mothers, a daycare, and a nurse to help the new parents. It's all very new, but so far it's proved to be one of our best investments so far. My father believes that new babies are the way to rebuild our world. I agree. Several people are adopting orphaned children and Jason has even started a football team where he coaches a bunch of young kids, giving them something to do around camp a few afternoons a week. It isn't very serious, but it is great fun. Sometimes, I join in on practice. Still, my skills aren't what they used to be. In fact, my throwing arm is so stiff I can hardly play at all. It makes me a little sad, but it's just another sacrifice I've had to make. At least, that's how I see it. But right now, I want to celebrate the news that my best friend is going to be a dad. That's what really matters.