Strangers [COMPLETE]

Chapter 43: To Love And To Lose

Spencer was organizing the garage of her new home with Toby. Toby had been considerate enough to build shelves for storage, so cleaning up took a lot less time than expected. As they were finishing, Spencer got a call from Hanna.

"Hey Han," Spencer said once she answered her phone. It had been a while since she had last talked to her friend, so this was a pleasant surprise.

"Spence, I really need you right now," Hanna said, clearly in tears.

"Is everything okay?" Spencer asked, making her way inside to change.

"I'm pregnant," Hanna sobbed.

Spencer paused. This couldn't be true. Hanna was joking, wasn't she? There's no way this could happen to Hanna now, not when she finally got her life back together. Spencer heard Hanna continue to sob. This wasn't a joke. This wasn't a dream. This was real, and her best friend needed her.

-

"What do you want to do?" Spence asked once she settled down in Hanna's apartment.

"I have no idea. The doctor said I'm six weeks ahead, so I have a lot of options. Too many, in fact." Hanna said. Spencer laid on the couch with Hanna laying on her side.

"How did this happen, Han?" Spencer asked, her voice close to a whisper.

Hanna sat up, facing away from Spencer. "After work one day I went to a nightclub with some of my coworkers. A guy there bought me a drink, and we started talking. Then one thing led to another, and I woke up the next morning in his apartment. I barely knew the guy, and I don't even remember his name."

Spencer wanted to say something, until she realized that Hanna didn't need to be judged by her right now. She felt like all she ever did was judge Hanna, as if she was some wild teenage daughter of hers. Spencer had to grow up so fast, she never got to be crazy and wild like Hanna did.

"Do you want to get rid of it?" Spencer asked.

Hanna shook her head. "I don't want to get rid of it, but I don't want to keep it,"

"How about you put it up for adoption? That would make another family really happy," Spencer suggested.

Hanna turned around to face Spencer. After a moment of thinking, she nodded. "I want to do that,"

Spencer called Toby a few moments later, letting him know that Hanna needed her. He didn't mind that Spencer was going to stay the night, and he didn't mind watching the kids for the night.

Spencer wished she could've been a better friend right now. She didn't know what to do or say to Hanna. She worried that she would say the wrong thing and accidentally make Hanna resent her forever.

Spencer quietly got up, making sure not to wake Hanna, who had just fallen asleep. She began to bake with the very few available ingredients Hanna had, but it calmed her. Baking was what Spencer turned to when she was stressed, and it reminded her of a time when her life was much, much simpler. But then again, it was also emptier.

An hour passed, and Spencer woke Hanna up with one of her favorite treats: chocolate and raspberry cupcakes. "Spence, you didn't have to make me anything," Hanna said, resisting the urge to take the delicious cupcake.

"You need to eat something," Spencer said.

Hanna took the cupcake from her friend and took a bite. "Thank you for being here," Hanna said, "seriously, I don't think I could do this without you,"

Spencer smiled, but noticed something by Hanna. In the spot where Hanna was sitting, the dark gray couch was turning a deep shade of red. As she searched for the source, she realized that the blood was coming from Hanna's lower half.

"Oh my god, Hanna," Spencer said, grabbing her friend's attention, "you're bleeding."

-

Hanna didn't need any doctors to tell her. She knew she lost the baby.

Spencer was with her at the hospital the entire time, never leaving her sight. They both felt terrible, but Spencer couldn't say it out loud because she knew Hanna felt worse.

"You can go home if you want to," Hanna said to Spencer, staring at the ceiling. There was nothing Spencer absolutely needed to be there for. All Hanna was doing now was sulking.

"Are you kidding, Hanna? I'm staying here until they let you go."

"Maybe I want to be by myself," Hanna said, making eye contact with Spencer and raising her voice.

Spencer grabbed Hanna's hand, "I'm not letting you out of my sight. You just lost something that was a part of you. Now whether you wanted it or not is up to you, but you cannot be by yourself right now."

Hanna felt tears coming, finally letting the realness of her situation get to her. "I just wanted to make someone else happy," Her voice got quiet and raspy, as if she were holding the tears back.

"I know, Han." Spencer said, hugging Hanna and painfully listening to her sob.

She couldn't imagine the pain she was feeling right now. Spencer had Isaac, and although he wasn't planned, he was the best thing to ever happen to her. She wanted Hanna to have that happiness, whether she got it from keeping the baby or giving it to somebody who needed it.

She was heartbroken for Hanna. Nobody deserves to go through something that awful.

She stayed with Hanna until the doctors said she could go home. She spent the night in Hanna's apartment, sharing a bed and listening to her cry herself to asleep.

She knew she couldn't fix this, but she knew somebody who could.