Chapter 14
“No!” Johnny cried once he saw Hunter.
He scampered from Sue and kneeled down to the other side of Hunter. He started crying as he touched her cheek. Sue walked around Johnny and sat down to pull Hunter’s head into her lap. Reed kneeled down between Sue and Johnny.
“Hunter,” Johnny whispered.
Hunter opened her eyes at his voice and looked at him. She started crying as soon as she saw his tears.
“I’m sorry,” Hunter cried.
“No,” Johnny said as he ran his hand through her hair. “It’s not your fault, it’s okay.”
“No, it’s not,” Hunter said as she pulled the zipper at her neck down a bit. “I didn’t tell you. I’m sorry, I should’ve.”
“Tell me what?” Johnny asked.
Hunter pulled out a small piece of paper from under her uniform and handed it to him, her hand shaking. “I- I’m pregnant.”
Johnny let out a gasp as he heard her and looked at the paper. He unfolded it and tears pooled and spilled again as he looked at the sonogram.
“Oh god, why?” He asked.
“I don’t know, I was scared and…and I just couldn’t,” Hunter said.
“Shh,” Sue crooned as she caressed Hunter’s forehead.
Hunter looked at her, “I’m sorry I got mad at you.”
“No,” Sue said as her tears started falling. “It’s okay.”
Hunter looked at Reed who just smiled and thumbed her cheek. She looked at Ben.
“Bro,” she whispered.
“Hey, sis,” Ben responded.
“You still mad at me,” She swallowed, “for not telling you?”
Ben shook his head as tears trailed down his large cheeks, “No, I couldn’t stay mad at you anyways.”
He kissed her hand and Hunter smiled. She looked at Johnny.
“Johnny?” She asked.
Johnny looked up from the sonogram.
“What is it?” He asked.
Hunter let out a laugh, “It’s a girl. I’m two months along. I wanted to name her Hope, because she gave me hope that everything would be all right.”
Johnny smiled, “It’s perfect.”
Hunter’s breathing got labored and more tears ran down her cheeks. Johnny handed the sonogram to Reed who took it and he bent down to her face. He cupped her cheeks.
“I love you,” he whispered.
“I love you too,” Hunter whispered as Johnny pressed his lips against hers.
She took her hand out of Ben’s grip and set it on the back of Johnny’s neck. She whimpered against his lips. Her hand went limp and fell from his neck. Johnny pulled away when she stopped kissing back. He looked at her and let out a cry. He pulled her dead body to his chest and he rocked her.
“No,” Johnny whispered, “please don’t go. Not again.”
Ben put his head into his large hands and cried as Sue and Reed held onto each other. They all, except for Sue, finally understood what the Surfer meant when he could only save one. Johnny’s cries became muffled as he buried his face into the crook of her neck, letting her head fall slightly backwards. Suddenly, they jumped as Ben slammed his fist into the ground.
“Why?” Ben cried. “Why her?”
Reed shook his head, unable to give an answer. He looked at Hunter and his eyes widened. He pushed Sue off gently and gave her the sonogram.
“Reed?” Sue asked.
Johnny looked up at her voice and looked at Reed who was staring at Hunter’s stomach and pressing a finger against her throat. Johnny looked down and was surprised to see a golden glow emanating from her.
“What’s going on?” Johnny whispered.
“I don’t know,” Reed answered as he pulled Hunter from Johnny’s grasps and laid her on the ground. “But she has a pulse.”
“What?” Ben asked.
They watched as the glow grew brighter and bigger until it covered her entire body and everyone had to turn away from the bright light. Once the light dimmed and disappeared, they looked back. Reed ran his hand over the torn portion of her uniform on her stomach and pulled it apart.
“It’s gone,” He said in surprise. “Her wound, all the blood…it’s gone.”
Johnny looked at Reed and once his words penetrated his brain, his eyes widened.
“She’s alive?” He whispered.
Reed nodded and Johnny bent down quickly, cupping her cheeks again.
“Hunter?” He whispered to her. “C’mon babe, come back to me.”
He kissed her hard and pulled back. All watched in anticipation as they waited.
“Now I feel like Sleeping Beauty when her Prince wakes her up,” Hunter said as she opened her eyes.
Johnny laughed and pulled her up into a hug. She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed hard. She pushed him off and smiled at him.
“Let me up,” She said.
Johnny nodded and together, he and Reed pulled Hunter up until she was standing. Ben and Sue copied them and stood up. Reed pulled her into a hug. Johnny joined in by wrapping his arms around them. Sue and Ben did the same until they were all hugging as a group.
Hunter laughed, “Okay you guys, you’re suffocating me here.”
Instantly they all sprang apart.
“Jeez, you guys,” Hunter said as she noted their worried expressions. “I was just kidding.”
They let out a collective sigh. Hunter rolled her eyes as she wrapped her arms around Johnny’s waist.
“So how-,” Ben asked, “I mean, you were dead?”
“I was,” Hunter said. “It was the baby. Apparently, our little girl has some powers of her own. She healed me.”
“So you’re still…” Johnny asked.
She looked at him, “Yea, I’m still pregnant.”
Johnny let out a whoop and twirled Hunter around in excitement.
“I’m gonna be a daddy,” He whispered.
“Yup,” Hunter said before looking at Ben, “and you are going to be an uncle.”
Ben smiled big. Hunter giggled as she went to him and they hugged. Sue handed her the sonogram and Hunter smiled her thanks. She pressed it against her heart.
“So I guess this is it,” Johnny said as he came up to Hunter.
Everyone looked at him.
Ben continued for Johnny, “We all go our separate ways.”
“No,” Sue said.
Hunter and Ben looked at her.
“No?” Ben asked.
“No.”
“No?” Ben asked again.
Hunter slapped his chest, “She already said it bro!”
Reed smiled, “If it wasn’t for the team, the whole world would be gone by now.”
“Yea, no thanks to Doom,” Hunter quipped.
Ben growled and Hunter shushed him.
“We can’t run away from our responsibilities and the people we need to protect,” Sue said. “This is who we are.”
“That’s what I’ve been saying,” Johnny said.
“What about having a normal life, a family?” Ben asked.
“Who says you have to be normal to have a family?” Reed responded.
“I guess this means we’re no longer normal eh?” Hunter said.
Sue let out a small laugh, “No, I don’t think so.”
She put her hand through Reed’s arm and walked. The others followed them and they walked through the torn street.
“So you up for another media circus wedding?” Sue asked Reed. “Fifth time’s the charm.”
He looked at her and let out a sigh, “No.”
He looked at the others and then her with a smile, “I’ve got a better idea.”