A Struggling Bond

Author: Zeusfluff.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the LOST characters. But I do own Megan. Date Started: 5/25/15. Date Finished: 3/10/17. Summary: Jack and Kate have been together for six years and are still on the island. As they are expecting their first-born, they are captured by the others. Features a side helping of Sawyer and Juliet. *This is AU.*


A sack had been thrown over her head. That was the last thing she remembered. Kate was fairly certain she'd been thrown into some sort of 'jail' cell. She'd been avoiding one for such a long time. The pain in her abdomen was increasing ten-fold again. She felt calming hands under her head, they were callused. She'd know those hands anywhere. Jack! Gently opening her eyes, she hissed and blew out a breath.

"Jack? What's going on?"

The light in the room cast a strange shadow over his exhausted features. His shoulders slumped and he looked as if he hadn't eaten in days. He was starting to get a five-o-clock shadow on his five-o-clock shadow. The tears in his eyes tore her to pieces. Like a rag doll carelessly was thrown to the side. Attempting to sit up, Jack lightly pushed her back down.

"Don't move Kate. I'll get us out of here. I refuse to let our daughter be born into this place!"

Kate knew how bad Jack's temper was. Her blood ran cold when she felt something sticky on her legs.

"Jack… I'm bleeding…"

He swallowed. He didn't have anything to help control it with. His temper flared as he examined the cuts and scrapes on her face, arms, and legs.

"Don't talk Kate. Don't talk. Just relax. Have you had any contractions?"

Kate nodded and gripped Jack's hand. Shaking his head, he added to his thoughts.

"Well, we could start counting together; I don't have a watch to time the contractions, though."

Kate shook her head and shifted her position against Jack.

"I thought my water broke Jack, but look at my legs."

Sighing heavily, he placed a hand on her head and ran his fingers through her hair. The left went to the swell of her belly.

"I have to get you to Juliet, Kate. You have an abruption. A part of your placenta has torn. You'll need an emergency C-section."

Kate's face was a myriad of emotions right now. Jack had just informed her that they were both in danger. She hadn't wanted this to happen at all. Jack turned Kate's face so that she was looking straight at him.

"Did they hurt you?"

Kate nodded her head and burst into tears. She wouldn't say how, though. Somehow, she felt ashamed.

"They gave me something. I haven't felt the baby move in 2 days."

Jack's blood ran icy cold as the words tumbled out of his mouth. Gently helping her sit up against the wall, he began yelling and banging on the glass that divided the next room.

"HEY! I need some help in here!"

He glared at Ben as he entered the room.

"Jack!"

Eyes widening, he turned back to Kate, and his mouth hung open for a brief moment.

"Kate, what are you doing? No. Don't push sweetheart. You're going to hurt yourself. Ben where is Juliet? I need to see her. NOW!"

The blond hair blue eyed woman showed up at the door and came in. She took careful steps towards Jack and Kate and squatted down next to her. Putting her best and comforting voice on, she placed a hand on Kate's shoulder.

"Kate honey, I don't want you to push yet. Jack and I need to get you to surgery. I promise the two of us will do everything we can to get your daughter out safely. Now I need you to take a breath and relax."

Kate was very frightened, though. Wild eyes darted between a nervous Jack and a calm and collected Juliet. The two helped her into a wheelchair and rolled her out into the hallway. She was as pale as a sheet. Only aware of the pain, Kate tried to focus on the sound of Jack's voice.

"Everything's going to be just fine. Just relax and breathe."

She smiled as the two of them placed a hospital gown over her.

"I see your bedside manner has improved Jack."

A small smile spread across his face, but all too soon, it disappeared when he saw the blinking red light of the closed-circuit camera in the corner of the room. He looked to Juliet who was preparing some instruments they needed. After placing the nasal cannula into Kate's nose, he pointed to the walkie-talkie on the counter in the far-left corner.

"Juliet, tell Ben to turn off the camera in here. This is private."

Nodding, Juliet grabbed for the walkie and spoke.

"Ben, it's Juliet. Jack would like you to turn the closed-circuit camera off in OR. Please."

A moment later, the blinking red light went off on the camera and a note of assurance from Ben came over the talkie.

"Alright. The camera is off. Be sure to let me know what happens with this joyous occasion later."

Jack looked to Juliet as she turned on the ultrasound machine. Nodding to him to go ahead, Jack spread a generous amount of conducting gel on Kate's stretched stomach. She shivered.

"Jack that's cold."

His gaze softened once more.

"I know. I'm sorry. This'll only take a minute. Relax and stay still."

Jack and Kate both had their eyes glued to the screen with the black and white image of their daughter. Swallowing, Jack turned his attention to Juliet.

"How bad is it?"

Juliet moved the wand around some before zooming in on a specific source just to the left of Kate's belly button.

"Here. Here's the tear. There's something else you two should know. I think I can repair this tear with your help Jack, but the bleeding is going to be a bit harder to control. We have two options here: Kate can deliver naturally, but the risk is much higher and the baby could become hypoxic. The other option is to give her an epidural and deliver your daughter via C-section. We can have her out in less than 60 seconds."

Jack felt numb. Everything was happening so fast. Then the fear started to gnaw away at him. He was brought back to reality when he felt Kate crushing his hand. Even with the nasal cannula in her nose helping her breathe, Kate still felt like she was gasping for breath. Glancing at Jack, he could see the unshed tears threatening to flow down her freckled cheeks.

"This one really hurts Jack."

Nodding he placed a kiss on her forehead and ran a hand through her dark curls.

"I know it does sweetheart. What I need for you to do is breathe through the pain. In through your nose and out through your mouth. That's it. Ok. Contraction should be coming back down now. Good girl."

Grabbing for his green shirt and pulling him down towards her face her eyes held determination and hope in them.

"Jack I want to deliver naturally. I can do this."

Jack warily accepted her decision, it was her right as a mother, but he had objections ready to slide off his tongue if needed.

"Ok. Juliet's getting the bleeding under control. I know that's uncomfortable. We'll make it as painless as possible."

Kate nodded and squeezed Jack's hand.

"Ouch. Please get the baby out."

Jack ran a hand over her forehead and wished he could take her pain away. Kissing her cheek, he smiled at her and squeezed her hand again.

"How's your breathing?"

Kate nodded tiredly and pushed the nasal cannula back into her nose.

"The oxygen helps Jack. Thank-you."

Jack strode up to Juliet and she glanced over at him. He was used to blood, but he hadn't seen this much since the last breech baby he'd delivered almost 8 years earlier. Pulling on a pair gloves, Jack swung into action. The bleeding was nowhere near being controlled.

"Here. You look like you could use some help."

Motioning for Juliet to move, he began helping her get the bleeding under control.

"Jack, it hurts…"

Nodding Jack tried to keep her calm as he applied more pressure.

"If we can't get the hemorrhaging under control we might have to do a hysterectomy. I don't want to have to resort to that Jack, but there's a lot of oozing."

Jack's heart sank at the thought. He was starting to get comfortable with the idea of being a father, and then to suddenly take the ability to have more children away? It was insanity. Juliet wasn't getting results, so she took the next logical step. She was going to convince Kate to take the C-section. Going up by her head, Juliet looked down at Kate and began to whisper.

"Kate I know you said you wanted to deliver naturally, but, the chances of that are disappearing quickly. Now, Jack and I can get your daughter out in less than a minute whereas delivering naturally would take hours or even days. This is the best option for the both of you ok?"

Kate didn't know what was going on anymore. Everything was getting fuzzy. She closed her eyes for a minute or two and opened them up just as Juliet was turning her onto her side.

"This'll help with the pain ok. I promise you, you won't feel a thing. The pressure is the only thing you'll feel."

Kate nodding stared up at the ceiling and tried to breathe through her nose.

"Please get her out. I want her to be healthy."

Juliet nodded her head, but her confidence was waning. She wasn't going to lose another mother and child to this stupid rock.

To Be Continued...