I'm Falling Apart
Summary: While waiting for Jack to wake up after surgery, Renee and Kim bond. After he wakes up, Renee and Jack bond even more.
"Thank you for coming."
Renee smiled as she sat down next to Kim's bed. All she could think was that even though she wanted to be here for Jack, she should be at FBI headquarters interrogating Alan Wilson. That she had to 'avenge' Larry's death. Even though she knew that she should be there, she couldn't make herself leave. That she couldn't make herself tell Kim that she still had a job to do. The reason for that, was because she had to be here for Jack. He had been through so much through-out the day, and he deserved to have her there for him. He nearly gave his life, and if this surgerical procedure doesn't work, he probably will.
"There isn't anywhere else I'd rather be. Did they say how long it would be before your father wakes up?"
"No. They said it could be awhile, since they had induced a coma before doing the surgery."
"We have to wait until then before we know if the surgery worked?"
"Unfortunately."
"How are you feeling?"
Renee reached over and grabbed a hold of Kim's hand. She didn't really know the young woman at all, but she already felt close to her.
"Sore. In some pain. If it saves my dad's life though, then it's well worth the soreness and pain. I know that we haven't exactly seen eye to eye for years, but I need time to fix what I've broken."
The tears that built up in Kim's eyes broke Renee's heart. Here, sitting in front of her, was a young woman, a daughter, that blames herself for her father's life. For the fact that her father cut all contact with her.
"It's not your fault. From what Jack's told me, it was a sane decision at the time. It's not anything that anyone could blame you for. He understands why you did what you did. Why you acted the way you did. He feels that you breaking ties with him was the best thing you could have ever done for yourself. He feels that he kept you in constant danger because you're his daughter. He blames himself for everything that has happened to you. He has a lot of gulit on his plate."
"But he shouldn't! He was doing his job."
Kim started to sob, and Renee looked at her trying to figure out what it was she could do that wouldn't be considered crossing a line. She wanted to help Kim. To make her feel better. Finally, without a second thought, she stood up from her seat and leaned down over Kim. She wrapped her arms around Kim's body, hugging her close.
"Your father would not like to see you blaming yourself like this. Maybe your both to blame for certain things. You both try to take the full blown blame on yourselves and that is wrong. You're not totally to blame, and neither is he. He has a point though, this job is dangerous. We make enemies. He was right when he said that it would be best for you to leave him behind. But, even though he says that, he doesn't want it. He wants you in his life. I can tell by how his eyes light up when he talks about you. When he found out that Tony's people where going to hurt you, it broke him up inside. I saw in the instant that he told me, that he blamed himself. Your father blames himself for a lot of things that have happened over the years, but his biggest mistake was letting you go."
Kim clung to Renee's shirt as tears streamed down her face. The machine indicating her heart beat started to excelerate, and soon a nurse came in.
"Agent Walker, Kim needs her rest. Jack should be waking up soon though. If you want to sit in the waiting area, I'll call you when he's awake."
Renee nodded at the plump nurse, before turning back toward Kim.
"Is there someone you'd like me to call?" She asked, nodding at Kim's wedding ring.
Kim smiled softly, realizing that her father hadn't noticed the ring on her finger.
"Could you call my husband? His name is Stephen, here is his number."
"I surely can. Anything else you need?"
"When my father wakes up, could you tell him that I love him, and that I'm sorry for everything?"
"Yes, of course I can."
"Why am I awake?"
Jack called out, not looking in the direction of the opened door. Renee did not want to be the one to tell him this. She knew he'd be upset. He had specially said that he didn't want Kim to do this, and yet she went against his wishes, and did it anyway. She couldn't say that she wasn't happy that Kim had defied her father. If it wasn't for Kim, Jack would probably be dead by now.
"Kim went ahead with the procedure."
Jack's face snapped up and looked toward the lone figure stalking around in the shadows.
"Renee?"
"Yeah."
"Why did she do that?"
"Because she couldn't stand the thought that she would lose you before she got a chance to fix what she broke. She knew that you were against it. That you didn't want her to do it, but she wasn't ready to let go."
"Is she okay?"
"She's in some pain. Though I think that the guilt and pain she feels about the rift that she feels she caused between the two of you is worse than any pain the surgery caused."
"Can I see her?"
"Later on. You need to gain your strength. She's sleeping anyway---Jack, the surgery--it---"
"It didn't work, did it?"
She could see the tears welling up in his eyes and her heart broke. In that instance she knew that she was falling in love with Jack Bauer. A very dangerous, and possibly stupid thing to do, but she couldn't help it. This was a man that could take any amount of torture that was dealt his way. This was a man that had been Imprisioned by the Chinese. Yet, here this man was crying. Fearful, not of death, but of having to break to his daugther that her last ditch effort to save him had failed.
"No Jack. It worked. Your cured!"
His eyes lit up, and he offered Renee a sad, soft smile.
"I'm---gonna be okay?"
"Yes."
She walked closer, coming to stand just beside his bed. She reached over and grabbed a hold of his hand. She smiled softly at him, his returning smile warmed her heart.
"Thank you Renee."
"For what?"
"For being there for me. For being a good friend--"
He paused as he looked up at her. Their eyes met, and he motioned for her to come closer. She knelt down closer, and softly he kissed her lips.
"Mhmmm. Your welcome." she said as she rested her forehead against his.
She felt, and knew that she could be happy loving Jack for the rest of her life, and in that instant she knew that he felt the same way.