The Alchemist

Chapter 15

Warning:  in this chapter part of the reason Leona came back from the army is explained here. It is a rather upsetting story.

"Baby-girl? why are you crying so bad? Are you hurt somewhere? Do I need to call for a nurse?" Charlie had come in. He probably heard the fight happen.

"Tell him. He deserves to know." Rose whispered.

"Will you stay with me as I tell?" I asked her.

"Yes of course." She assured me.

"Did you hear what Renee and I said just now, Dad?" I asked.

"Some of it yes. She was about to say something terrible when it ended. Is that why you were crying?" He wondered.

"Yes. I'm sure you remember when I wrote you, about this guy I met named Mark?" 

"I do. You met him at your base and hit it off." He remembered the letters.

"Well that is how we began yes. I met him while I was testing some systems of this tank that needed to be repaired after a battle. He had just arrived and was assigned to the mechanic team as a guard for our outdoor jobs. Apparently, he had been going around meeting each mechanic because he loved getting to know new people he would work with. I think I surprised him because he was asking Thompson where the sergeant of that team was talking as if he expected it to be a guy."

"Was he one of those typical guys who didn't believe girls can be just as good at repairing vehicles?"

"Yes, at first he was like that. So when I showed him each vehicle we could be working with he tried to catch me unable to answer questions but he was stunned surprised, as I reversed it, by getting him unable to find questions to ask. That's how we began getting along and we became a real team when we were out there. That friendship eventually turned into more by the time I was 21. He did his best to bring just a bit of romance into our lives by watching the sunset together or by taking me stargazing. He loved the stars and was actually planning to study to be an astrophysicist after he served his time. Eventually he took me out of base but not far, with permission from our commanding officer.

Mark had taken me to a nearby village to just walk through the markets where I had helped repair stalls of the local market. There he had arranged with some help to make strings with fake white flowers and pretty up the tree in the center square. Under that tree, he went down on his knee and asked me to marry him. I said yes." The memory was making me smile.

"I know that he was planning to. He had written me to ask permission like a well-mannered boy does. I had given it as the way you wrote about him made me feel like you had found your special someone. The two of you belonged together and I wasn't going to get in your way." I imagined Edward sulking as he knows Charlie still doesn't like him that much.

"We didn't get to actually marry though. Not until our planned ending of our service. Things got a bit hectic after his proposal so we spent every minute we could together not knowing when would be the last time we would see each other. Which brings me to what happened that had me cut off Renee just now." I looked down feeling tears come up again at the thoughts.

"If you're not ready, then you don't have to tell me right now." Dad tried to assure me.

"It's time you know as it is part of why I came back sooner than planned." I took a deep breath and a sip of the glass of water Emmett had gotten me.

"Eventually, I fell sick and I was sent to the medics. Mark was called there too when the test results came out and it turned out I was..."

"Pregnant." Charlie guessed.

"Well yes. We talked to our commanding officer and my time of service was shortened with two years. I was going to be flown back before my second trimester would begin. However, the last two weeks I had left of that time became hell as the enemy had decided that now was a good time to start acting up again. My second last assignment got so out of hand that I lost Mark during a battle as he protected me while I was repairing a helicopter.

Then the last assignment happened and I guess my heartbroken state of mind had me a bit less able to keep a clear mind because not only did I lose the ability to do my job properly, I also l-lost the c-child growing inside m-me, and I c-can never get p-pregnant again. My body is too damaged and any pregnancy will result in miscarriages."

"Oh sweetheart." Charlie hugged me as I cried again. Rose and Emmett left us alone for a bit. I heard Rose cry a bit too. I don't know how long I sat like that. When the tears stopped coming dad pulled back and wiped them from my cheeks. 

He pulled away after a kiss on my forehead. "Get some rest. I will be near if you need me." He said moving my bed back so I could lie down.

I slept more easily now. As if the burden of my last month out there was finally off my shoulders. By the time I woke up again, Bella had been sent home already indicating I slept for a few days straight.

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As always your thoughts are welcome. Whether they are questions or to point out mistakes. however I do want to make one thing clear.

I update once a week on Sunday so I can spend enough time to write out the chapters and not make them too cringy. like my previous fanfic is. So there is no real point in asking to update soon. If many people were to do that it can cause a need to rush with new chapters and the quality might drop if that happens.

I hope you understand.