Wow, it's been a long time since I updated anything. Sorry about that, it's just been really hard to write this chapter.

Disclaimer: The song is by The Fray, and it's called Never Say Never (I'm sensing a theme here...) I did not make it nor do I have any claims to it. I'm a writer, not a musician. ;)
A/N: Okay, apparently I am unable to write a short story. I guess I'm not good at sad endings, so here is another chapter for everyone who was waiting for more. I hope you like it, and that it's not too depressing. Also, I'm not a doctor, so I don't know what the proper medical procedures and terms would be in this case. I'm sorry if I get anything wrong, but please enjoy anyway. Reviews are always appreciated. Thanks. :)

Chapter 2: Goodbye

We're pulling apart and coming together
Again and again.
We're growing apart but we pull it together.
Pull it together, together again.
Don't let me go.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

The never-ending sound slowly brought him out of his fog. It was all he could hear, and was doing nothing to help his sudden headache. Listening closely, he thought it sounded suspiciously like a heart-rate monitor.

He forced his eyes to open, then quickly closed them again to shut out the blinding light.

Where am I? he wondered. Before he could come up with an answer, a fierce shudder ran through his body. It was followed by a wave of nausea, which forced him to roll over and attempt to empty the contents of his stomach onto the tiled floor. But he hadn't eaten for a while, so there wasn't much to throw up.

When he was finished, he carefully propped himself up on the pillow and surveyed his surroundings. He was lying on a metal bed in what was obviously a hospital room. One that looked oddly familiar, in fact. And if he hadn't been so out of it, that would have bothered him. But he found himself quickly becoming distracted by the many noises drifting in and out of his room. He saw that the beeping was definitely coming from a heart-rate monitor and as he stared at it, he could feel his own heart beating in time with the sounds.

The sensation reminded him of last night and that was when it all came flooding back to him. The despair and crushing feeling of helplessness. The pills. Kate.

Her face, filled with concern, popped into his mind. He wondered if she had brought him here, or if he'd just imagined her presence as his brain reacted to the drugs.

Either way, she was gone now, and he was still alive – two things he didn't want. His pathetic excuse of a life hadn't ended and even though he'd tried to make it stop, it hadn't worked. He was still here, still alone.

Why? That was the question he kept coming back to. He didn't know who had saved him, but he was damn well going to find out.

Ripping an IV line out of his arm, he swung himself over the side of the bed. When he tried to stand, however, his legs gave out and he fell forward, crashing into the IV pole as he did so.

His head connected with the floor and spots danced before his eyes. As he lay there, unable to move, he saw a pair of high-heeled shoes run into the room.

"Shit! Someone, help!" That voice came with the shoes. He recognized it, though the pounding in his head – which had only increased since he'd hit the ground – made it hard to concentrate, so he wasn't quite sure who it belonged to.

Then he heard more footsteps and other voices shouting things he couldn't focus on enough to understand.

"What happened in here?"

"He's bleeding, and there's IV fluid all over the floor."

He tried to move, or help somehow, but it required too much effort. And he reminded himself that he didn't care anyway. If he died right here, it would just be nature course-correcting itself because he hadn't died the first time. Like some twisted version of fate.

He chuckled softly when he realized how much he sounded like Locke. How odd that he was comparing himself to that man, and now of all times. He laughed again – he couldn't help himself. It was as if something had been rewired in his brain and his emotions were making no sense anymore.

"Oh my god. He's still awake," said the first voice. He thought he heard it say something else, but everything was dimming and he couldn't hear properly.

"Get some anesthetic," someone else suggested. And before he could begin to feel any pain other than his headache, he felt a sharp prick in his arm.

It seemed as though he was falling into blackness, and last thing he saw was the red stained floor beneath him as he was lifted onto the bed. Then his eyes closed and he faded into oblivion once more.

When he awoke again, it felt as though his entire body was on fire.

In the back of his mind, he could feel that he face was flushed and knew he probably had a fever. But all he could think about was making it stop. Without opening his eyes, he reached around on the table by the side of the bed. His frustration grew as his hand kept coming back empty.

"They aren't there, you know."

His eyes snapped open in shock when he heard the familiar female voice. And suddenly he completely forgot about the burning pain that engulfed him. Because there she was, standing before him and looking beautiful, though her eyes tightened in anger when he looked at her.

"What?" he asked unintelligently.

"Your pills, Jack," she said, her voice cold and her expression giving nothing away. "There's none left. You used them all last night when you tired to – to..." she couldn't finish the sentence.

Kate had promised herself that she would show no emotions, she didn't want to let Jack see the turmoil she was feeling inside.

She was only here to say goodbye.

The night before, once the ambulance arrived at the hospital, Jack had been rushed to the emergency room. Several hours passed before she was allowed to go see him and during that time, as she waited to find out Jack's fate, she'd had nothing to do but think.

Sitting on a cold, plastic hospital chair, Kate realized she couldn't do this anymore. She couldn't keep trying to cut Jack out of her life, then rushing back to him whenever he needed her.

It had been his choice in the first place to act like this, so he should be the one to deal with the consequences. What she'd told Jack was true – she did still love him. But she needed to let him go; they weren't good for each other anymore.

Now that she was here, though, ready and finally able to bid Jack farewell for good, she couldn't do it. Not yet anyway.

Seeing him lying there, she found herself overcome with the need for an explanation. Why had he done it? What could he possibly have been feeling that made him want to end his life?

And the biggest question, one she didn't even want to admit that she was asking: How could he leave her like that? Even if she walked away from him and never looked back, Kate would take comfort in the fact that he would finally be able to move on – and so would she. But if he was gone, not just from her life, but from this earth, everything would seem pointless. A world without Jack was not a world Kate wanted to live in. And she knew that she would always blame herself if something happened to him. She didn't want to live with that guilt. So she had to put a stop to whatever this relationship was, before it could get worse.

Just thinking about what she had to do was enough to bring tears to Kate's eyes, and she knew she needed to finish this conversation soon. Otherwise, she would find herself breaking down right there in the hospital.

But subconsciously, she also must have realized she needed Jack to know about these feelings, because she was talking again.

"I just don't…" Kate wasn't sure how to continue. "How could you…" She saw Jack staring at her, his eyes glazed and his expression distant as he tried to control his shaking. She knew what he wanted, and her anger only grew as she saw what he'd become – nothing but a drug addict. This was not the man she knew or loved. It seemed as though that man had died last night.

Before that, even. The Jack she'd wanted to spend the rest of her life with had disappeared the day he'd walked out on her.

"Why?" she began to shout. "Why would you do…this?!" She gestured at him, and then glared around at the hospital room. "Why would you do this to yourself? To me?"

That was when she started to cry.

Jack sat there with his mouth hanging open, watching as Kate's anger drained away. He saw it be replaced by another emotion – misery.

Then her shoulders slumped and suddenly she burst into tears.

He was startled at her unexpected reaction, but he also felt his own heart breaking as she continued to sob. He was even more shocked, however, when Kate collapsed onto the bed and begged for him to hold her.

His body moved of its own accord, pulling her close and stroking her hair like he used to do.

Kate buried her face in Jack's shoulder and breathed in the smell that was distinctly his. Even though it was mixed with the scent of antiseptic and other hospital smells, it was still his. Safe and familiar, and for the first time in a long time there was no hint of alcohol on his breath.

She didn't know why she was doing this, pulling him closer when she needed to be pushing him away. She was acting on impulse and even though it felt nice to be near Jack again, everything was becoming harder the longer she stayed in his arms.

Then she felt a tremor go through him, and as he tried to hide it, she was reminded again of what they were both doing here.

She rolled over, facing away from Jack, and fiercely wiped the tears from her eyes. Then she took a deep breath and slid off the bed.

The look on his face made her falter, but she willed herself to continue.

"This has to stop."

Even though he stared at her blankly, Kate knew he understood.

"I'm sorry, Jack. I really am. But if I stay here and keep helping you whenever you're in trouble, you're never going to get better."

"But – "

Kate cut him off before he could continue. "It's not me you want anymore. I know that, it's okay."

"But – "

"And even if you do still want to be with me, it's not really me, it's the person you were on the Island. You want to hold on to that feeling of leadership and I'm the only connection you have left to it. You only want to make yourself feel better. But I'm not going to put up with that anymore."

She couldn't believe how much it hurt to say those things to Jack, but it needed to be done. Maybe if he hated her, it would make their parting easier.

"Kate!"

She took a step back as he rose from the bed. Jack swayed on his feet and put a hand out to brace himself against the wall. That was when he noticed the bandage on his arm.

"What the hell is this for?" he demanded.

"That is what happens when you try to kill yourself, wind up in a hospital, and then get out of bed without resting first, Jack," Kate said coolly.

He paused for a moment, frowning as the information sunk in and he lost his train of thought. He scratched at his arm as they stood there in awkward silence.

It wasn't until Kate turned to leave that Jack finally remembered what he wanted to say.

"But that's not important, Kate."

"You're right, Jack. It's not. And now I have to go."

He wasn't going to make this any easier for her, though.

"Wait, I'm not gonna let you walk away. What you said isn't true, you know. I do want to be with you, and not because of the Island. It has nothing to do with that. I want to be with you because I love you, Kate. Why can't you see that? Don't you understand? You're the reason I – "

He stopped before he could finish his sentence, but Kate had heard enough.

"You were going to kill yourself...because of me?" She was the one who'd asked for his reasoning, except now Kate wasn't sure she wanted to know.

Jack didn't answer, but his silence was enough.

"Oh Jack..." Kate said sadly. She hadn't realized how desperate he had gotten. And it was all her fault.

He must have noticed the change in her expression, because his eyes narrowed in anger.

"Don't look at me like that, Kate. Don't you pity me."

"Come on, Jack. Don't be that way." She didn't want their goodbye to end like this.

"Just go." He was wearing the stubborn look that she had become so familiar with. By now she knew better than to argue with him. This was what they both needed anyway.

"Fine," she retorted sharply. But she didn't want things to end this way. So she slowly walked towards Jack, kissed him softly on the cheek and turned back to the door.

"Goodbye, Jack."

Then she was gone.

Jack stared at the empty room for a long time, tears rolling down his cheeks, until finally he collapsed on the bed. Lying there, he closed his eyes, tried not to think, and wished he could make everything go away.

I'm probably going to be very busy for the next few weeks, but I'll try to update as soon as I can. Anyway, here's what's next:

Kate's resolve crumbles when someone she loves needs help.