Jack's POV
When I arrive home, it's very late. In the living room, the lights are off, showing that everybody is sleeping. I open the door without any noise and turn on the light. I'm not hungry, I ate some junky food at the hospital; I rarely have a break during my shifts. It was a hard day. In the morning, I made a procedure and the patient had complications after the surgery, demanding medical observation during the entire day. And as time went by, his condition became worse.
After struggling so much, he couldn't resist anymore. I still can't believe what just happened. It had to work; it would be a huge success. A common procedure, a routine, I can't understand why. This is the bad side of being a doctor, you think you can fix things and everything is possible. And then, your patience just died and you can't do anything. It gives us a sensation of weakness, we feel like a failure. I brood over it in my mind, thinking in every action that I did and analyzing if I should have done better.
I pour a double into a whiskey glass. The alcohol goes down through my throat like fire, burning, but my mind is so overworked that it doesn't matter the shock in my body caused by the beverage.
I can't be like him... my father. I can't arrive home and act as if what happened at the hospital had not affected me. Those eyes... that desperate look that my patience's wife gave me when I told her the bad news... I just can't get it off my head.
But it's too late, I need to sleep. I loosen my tie while I'm managing to up the stairs. I hesitate to have a look at Aaron because I don't want to wake him, but even so, I get in his room and watch him from the door. It's everything ok. I walk through the corridor and slowly get in the main room; she is sleeping like a log. I take off my clothes and keep wearing just boxer underwear. I go to the bathroom, brush my teeth and decide to wash my face. The cold water makes me forget my worries. I take a towel and dry my face. I look at the mirror and hardly face my reflex. There's some huge weight over my shoulders.
I go back to the bedroom and slowly lie in bed, being careful not to wake her up. By the time I arrange my head on the pillow, I feel a curl tickling my back. Right after, I feel an arm wrapping my stomach, in a kind of tight hug from behind. There she was, Kate, her head was slightly leaned on my shoulder, arranging space in the area and attaching to me in a natural manner, whereas she was still sleeping. I can feel her breathing against my nape. I would like to turn around and be face to face with her, but I'm afraid of waking her with my move.
And then, I couldn't think about anything. If there's something I can't explain is this, the effect she causes on me. I have never felt this way before, every woman I had in my life didn't make me happy like Kate does. Happy. Is it possible? Is Jack Shephard really saying that he is happy?
After all we went through, together, alone and together again, we decided to give us a chance.
Some warm sensation is running through my body, heating me, turning the bed the safest place in the world. The smell of her hair, an aroma of fresh flowers, makes my senses numb, bringing the peace that I need so much. Her soft skin, in touch with mine, brings a good feeling. I resist to the temptation of touching her, because once I started caressing her hands, this would make me want to kiss her and touch her entire body, consequently we would not be able to sleep, exactly like so many other nights we spent awake just making love, because when I start, I simply can't stop and Kate doesn't allow me to stop.
"But not now", I think, "let's wait until tomorrow". My eyelids are trembling, soon I will be asleep and all my conscious will be gone. Nevertheless, before it happens, I let escape a whisper and a silly smile appears in my face, that perfect one, which only one kind of man can be able to express: the man in love.
THE END