Day 8

Kate felt nauseous again, she bolted out of her room and sprang to the women's latrine. She barely made it to the toilet when she vomited. She had been sick the last couple of days. The ocean had been choppy and the ship swayed more than she was accustomed to. By the third evening with nausea, she just couldn't take it anymore. She relented and decided to go to the infirmary to see if she could get some anti-nausea medication. A soldier kindly showed her the way to the infirmary and she could almost feel the impending relief as she approached the door emblazoned with the universal red cross, that is until she saw him standing in there. His back was facing her, but she had no doubt who that tall frame belonged to.

He sensed someone at that door, turned around and saw her. They had been avoiding each other since their heated exchange in the mess hall. They even switched up their respective early morning exercise routines so as to avoid any possible confrontation, which ended up, ironically, with them bumping into each other in the evening at the gym.

Kate looked down before raising her head, "Hey, I'm sorry to bother you, I thought this was the infirmary-"

He responded matter-of-factly, "You're in the right place."

Kate was really confused now, "Oh, I need to see a doctor."

Jack drew a wide grin, "Well, you found one."

Incredulous, Kate gasped, "Wait a second… you're a doctor? I thought you were a pilot?"

He couldn't contain his small laugh, "Mrs. Blake you've found me out. By day I'm a pilot and in the evenings I moonlight as a surgeon." He looked at her skeptical expression, "What? You don't believe me? I know I don't have my diplomas and certifications displayed, but I assure you, I'm trained and fully licensed to practice medicine. My lab coat is hanging over there. I can even put it on if that makes you feel more comfortable. Feel free to ask me questions if you're concerned about my credentials." He enjoyed teasing her, her look of doubt was almost endearing.

Kate sucked in her breath, "No... I believe you."

He saw her wide-eyed expression and gave an assuring smile, "Okay then, so why don't you have a seat at the examination table while I go over to the sink and wash my hands."

She studied his movements as he prepared himself. Why was she now noticing how well his camouflage cargo pants sat on his trim hips and the way his back muscles moved under the form fitting standard military green t-shirt? Why did she feel like she was breaking into a fever right now?

He interrupted her thoughts as he approached her while stretching the surgical gloves onto his hands. He sat on a wheeled stool and, with his feet, inched up right in front of her, "So okay, what brings you here?" He noticed her reluctance to answer and paused before he asked her, "You know, if you would feel more comfortable with a female physician, we have one on board. The problem is, you will need to wait until the morning…?"

Kate shook her head, "No! You'll do-"

He let out an earthy laugh and a feigned look of hurt, "Well, gee …thanks. I think."

She rolled her eyes, "That's not what I meant. So the thing is … I've been vomiting on and off for the last couple of days. I'm pretty sure I'm seasick."

Jack nodded, "Ok. So what I'm gonna do now is some standard stuff. Take your blood pressure, temperature, look at your pupils, check your glands, et cetera. And then I'll ask you some routine medical questions and based on all that we'll see what we come up with, okay?"

As he began to take her blood pressure, she noticed the tattoos along his muscular bicep and forearm. His time spent at the gym has definitely NOT been in vain she quickly observed.

She was acutely aware of his movements, particularly each time they made contact with her skin.

He was only a few inches away from Kate and for the first time, he was able to get a good close look at her features. She had freckles, something he had somehow missed before. Perhaps they had been covered with make up before. Her face was free of any cosmetics now. He quickly thought that she may even be more beautiful this way. She was inarguably sexy and alluring wearing the little black dress and smoldering charcoal eye shadow and pink lip gloss, but somehow he got the impression that this look was more true to her nature. And her brown hair was naturally curly, almost untamed, which added to the natural good looks she possessed. Her face was perfect to him.

He caught himself lingering too long on her and quickly returned his concentration to the exam, "Okay, so far everything's normal, you're little warm, but nothing out of the normal range. I'm going to ask you some routine questions now, okay?" He wheeled the chair over to the counter, ripped off the gloves and grabbed a clip board.

He started to read the list of questions, "Date of birth?"

She answered him.

"So that makes you almost 29, right?"

She nodded and promptly said "Yes."

"Your weight? We have a scale over there." He said as he pointed to the left side of the room.

She smiled, "Ahhh, I hate answering that question."

He grinned back, "Are you serious? Why? You're tiny, I bet you weigh somewhere between 108- 115, right? Just let me know whether I'm in the ballpark."

"You're in the ballpark." He drew his head back and laughed, "108, then"

"Allergies?"

"None."

"Good. Next... are you pregnant?"

"No. Absolutely not."

He noticed the way she adamantly shook her head and the almost childish way she scrunched her cute little nose.

He bit his bottom lip to prevent himself from laughing at her vehement reaction, "So you're definitely, 100% not pregnant. When was your first day of your last menstrual cycle?"

"A little over two weeks ago."

He paused before asking the next question, it wasn't a medical necessity, but his personal curiosity got the better of him, "When was the last time you had sexual relations, specifically… intercourse?"

Kate cringed at the question and was now wishing more than ever that she waited for the female doctor. She looked down at her hands as she fidgeted with them, "Ummmm... 8-9 weeks? I think."

Jack was pretending to jot it down, "So, 8-9 days-"

"No, that's not what I said. Weeks NOT days."

Jack looked up at her and he could see she looked uncomfortable. Although, he briefly wondered how it was even possible that any man married to a woman like her wasn't making love to her each and every single day. It was confounding actually.

She was now bright red with embarrassment and he immediately felt guilty for asking this personal and unnecessary question. He didn't know why he whispered it, and almost conspiratorially too, but he felt compelled to give her some re-assurance, "Hey it's okay. It's been a while for me too."

With intense regret, he recoiled after he uttered those words. In his attempt to make amends and make her feel less awkward, he ended up disclosing something completely personal - and unprofessional. Why on earth did he feel the need to let her in on his sex life or lack thereof? God, this is terrible, he thought.

The two of them gazed awkwardly at one another, the heat between them undeniable and almost stifling. Kate bit her bottom lip and Jack took a long hard swallow. The room was charged and they each had no doubt what exact subject was lingering on the other's mind.

The intensity became unbearable and Jack needed to break the connection. So he coughed quietly into his hand and using his feet, rolled the chair away. He stood up and lightly added, "You know what Mrs. Blake? You may put me out of a job. I think you were correct in your self-diagnosis and are indeed suffering from seasickness. Let me give you some dramamine. That should alleviate the symptoms."

He walked over to the medicine cabinet and unlocked it, as he returned with a few packets, he paused to mention, "Oh I forgot to ask. Before I can give you any meds, I need to know whether you're taking any prescription medication. Or if you're on birth control."

Kate looked worried, she didn't want him to know, but she didn't want to take any stupid risks either. "Whatever I tell you is strictly confidential, right? I mean, your doctor's oath or whatever still applies, correct?"

He approached her and with solemnity he told her, "Of course. Absolutely. You have my word...doctor-patient confidentiality."

"You can't write this down. If my husband ever found out, he would absolutely go into a fit."

Jack's curiosity was quite piqued when he promised her, "I won't write it down."

"I'm taking birth control, but I'm not supposed to. My husband wants me to get pregnant.. but I don't want to."

Jack listened patiently, but felt compelled to ask "Stop me if I'm getting too personal. But why haven't you discussed with your husband the fact that you don't want children-"

Kate sighed, "I do want children, but just not with him."

The lack of any social interaction over the past week must have had an effect on her, because she disclosed way more than she intended or even wanted to, so to change the subject she quickly asked, "Is it a problem to combine birth control with those meds?"

"Maybe, it can depend on what you're using."

Kate told him what she was specifically taking and he didn't see the problem with mixing the two.

As she stood and readied herself to leave, he mentioned "If you're not feeling any relief by tomorrow, come back and we'll see what remedy I can figure out for you, okay?'"

She nodded her head and gave him a wide smile. He handed her the medication and watched her walk out. She was a complete mystery to him. A beautiful mystery.

He was itching to discuss all this with Rick and get his take on the senator's young wife and the state of her marriage. But she was his patient now - so that was out of the question. However, he was going to ask Rick to introduce her to his wife. The one thing he knew for certain, was that she was in dire need of someone to talk to and he had a good suspicion Rick's wife would fit the bill.

Rick walked into the small cabin he shared with Juliet. She had taken off the mattress and placed it on the floor in between the bunks. She felt like sitting up and the berths simply did not allow for that. With her head resting against the wall, she was reading a book.

"Juliet-"

She didn't move her eyes away from the page and she silently raised her hand indicating that he should wait a moment to allow her to finish.

While she was slowly finishing the chapter she was engrossed in, Rick carefully removed his boots and then sat cross legged in front of her. He studied her face, with its beautiful ice blue eyes and high cheekbones that were perfectly framed with long wavy golden locks. Her beauty crushed him at times, but mostly because of the way it emanated from the inside.

She felt him staring and couldn't bear his scrutiny any longer, "Yes?..."

"I miss our real bed." He casually told her as he caressed her cheek.

"Me too. I'll never be able to comprehend how you and Jack were able to get used to these arrangements." She lifted her arm and pointed around the tight quarters.

Juliet then looked down at the mattress and picked at it, she began to wonder whether they would ever sleep in their real bed again or see their family and friends. Would they ever start that family they talked about? Rick read her expression and knew exactly what she was thinking.

"Juliet, it's gonna be okay-"

Almost forlorn, she responded "Maybe, maybe not."

He gave her a kiss on her forehead and offered a weak smile.

Since the crisis began they spent hours each evening discussing their fears and theories as to what was actually happening out there. But now, he just desperately needed to change the subject, he never felt so helpless in his inability to protect the person he loved most.

"So, I have a little project for you.…" he grinned.

Juliet huffed, "Don't bother, Jack beat you to it. He already asked me if I could 'befriend' some lonely wife of a senator. Although, I'm curious to see what she looks like, being that the two of you seem overly concerned with her welfare and state of happiness."

She raised her right eyebrow waiting for her husband to make a comeback response and he looked ... sheepish. She loved teasing Rick. But the one thing she knew about Jack was that he always had the sincerest of intentions and if he was worried about this stranger, there was a legitimate reason.

Rick quirked his head up, "Hey Juliet, it's not like that. I can't speak for Jack, but I have to say I feel sorry for the girl. Her husband dumped her, she's alone. I witnessed it myself and it was plain heartless."

Juliet laughed, "I know Rick, I was half kidding."

Rick moaned, "You love doing this to me. Pulling my leg and making me feel like I put my foot in my big ole' Southern mouth. But I guess that's what I get for marrying the most brilliant, witty and sexy woman-"

She winked at him, "Flattery gets you everywhere Captain."

He stood up and began to unzip his cargo pants. The idea of laying down and grabbing a brief nap was enticing. He whispered, "Between you and me, I think Jack has an eye for her. He'll never admit it though, that stubborn son of a bitch-" He let out a knowing laugh.

"I thought you said she was married-" She interjected while wearing her typical thoughtful expression.

"She is... technically. Not so sure it even matters now. No way that ass is ever coming back for her."

Juliet wasn't as convinced as her husband. If she was worthy of the the attention she was getting from these two strangers, she couldn't imagine that this woman's husband would abandon her entirely. She gathered her hair and rolled it into a bun before fastening it with a clip, "Do you know what cabin number she is staying in? I'll go by and look for her in a little while. I'll introduce myself."