Hi guys as promised heres an update, and a good sized one too, aint you lucky:D Hope you enjoy as always please try and review.


"Because, it's for my dad."

"What!" Kate stood up straight away, grabbed hold of Claire's arm, and pulled her into the private office in the back.

Kate leans against the desk and looked at Claire.

"Care to explain." Kate asks quite concerned.

"If you wanna share about that." Claire says pointing at Kate's face, obviously hesitant at sharing the details.

"We're not talking about that, Claire, your dad? Are you sure, you don't ever talk about him…and this…we could really do with this party on our books."

"I know. And yeah, it is, his son, Jack, that's…that's his son from his first marriage, well current marriage…and Christian Shephard, chief of surgery, that's him, that's my Dad, I…I've never met him though, and I don't want to."

Kate walks towards Claire and pulls her into a hug, as she witnesses tears fall down her cheek as she speaks of her father coldly.

"I won't take it then. I'll phone Jack back later tonight, and, and I'll tell him."

Claire pulls away and wipes her cheeks, then shakes her head. No.

"No, like you said we need this, you, you just take care of it all; I don't think I could handle speaking to his son, let alone him."

"I don't know if this would matter, but Jack, he seems like a nice guy, maybe he isn't like his…your father, this could be fate you know, I mean what are the chances your half brother who lives in LA, chooses us out of 100 other companies."

"Fate? Since when did you believe in fate, you won't even let me read your horoscope."

They both laugh.

"Yeah, well I like a bit of mystery now and then." Kate grins.

"Which is why you take the job on the phones?"

Kate slaps her friend playfully on the arm. "No comment."

Claire raises her eyebrows, but then turns serious as she looks at Kate, then looks behind them into the shop.

"Okay, we've got a couple more minutes before we might be needed, so spill."

Kate looks down, away from Claire. How could she tell her, she'd just tell her to leave him, but she was the only one who knew the real Sawyer, and she thought he at least deserved a second chance, but how many times, many chances will she let him have.

"Well…Come on Kate, I opened up to you, you gotta tell me."

"As you can tell, he…he hit me."

"And you're still with him!"

"He isn't a violent person Claire!"

"Yet he hit you hard enough for you to need stitches? Kate, you deserve so much more…"

"I don't… I can't just leave him without explaining…"

"He doesn't deserve your explanation." Claire couldn't believe Kate; she never thought Kate was weak.

Claire had never liked Sawyer she had told her when she first met him that she got a funny 'vibe' off of him, and that he 'one of those type'. She never explained what that meant, but clearly, she was right about him, as he ended up hitting her, and being offensive towards her. She shook her head.

"I owe it to the years we've known each other, to give him an explanation, at least to give him a chance."

"Okay, okay, but sweetie, you talk to him tonight, and if it goes well then good, put it down to a one off, but, if he ever, raises his fist to you again, you just walk out right away, no more chances, he hit you once and you make sure it's the last time. My door is always open for you."

Kate smiles and nods she hugs Claire again and thanks her. They both then separate and go back to work.

……………………………………………………………………………………………

That night, around 7ish.

It had been a busy day, unfortunately for Jack one of his patients died on the table, it was an older patient, he just did not recover from the surgery. It was tough on Jack, as he was a nice patient he hated getting attached to patients because when they died it was hard, but even harder when you had to tell their loved ones.

He had just entered the house after a long drive, feeling drained, the family taking it bad, making him feel even worse, he just wanted to get a drink and have a sit down. He hoped he could try to forget about his patient and family for a while.

He took his coat off, and got a glass of water. As he turned around he saw Sarah picking up her keys, he looked at her strangely. She was wearing a pencil skirt and a red blouse, her hair straightened, and makeup, where was she going, which was exactly what he asked her.

"Where are you going…?"

"I'm going to bingo with my girlfriends, I told you didn't I?" She didn't even look at him as she spoke, as she carried on getting her things together, to go out.

"No, no you didn't."

Sarah puts on her coat, still not really paying Jack any attention or she would have seen his pained expression.

"Well, maybe if you didn't work all the time, then you would've…" That was it, that made Jack livid, she was back to her old selfish ways.

"I work to save lives! And…I lost one today…I didn't do my job, and I come home hoping to…"

Sarah jumps in obviously not caring about Jack's needs or anyone else now.

"People die all the time Jack, you can't save them all, and I'm sure you'll loose more patients during your career, you can't let it get to you so much."

Jack's jaw drops he could not believe how cold she was being. How could she make it sound so easy, like he could just close off his emotions to people? Maybe he ought to try to be more like her, because obviously she did not care about anyone other than herself.

"How can you say something like that…you don't know what it's like… to watch the life fade from a patients eyes, knowing there is nothing more you can do!...You know what, I don't know why I'm wasting my breath, you don't care, what I say won't change that. So go, enjoy your night."

He says exasperated, and drops his head as Sarah smiles and says.

"Don't wait up."

With that, she bounces out the room, the front door closing behind her, leaving a disbelieving and pissed off looking Jack. Who then walks to the fridge and grabs a cold beer.

It was about 8 now and he was on his 6th beer, not really drunk but feeling some of the effects, his patients face a blur now, but it wouldn't last long, so he gulps down his beer and opens another, when his phone rings. He contemplated ignoring it; he was not in the mood for talk, especially if it was Sarah screaming that she had won. Yet, as the phone kept on ringing, something told him to answer it. So he did.

"Hi, hey I'm sorry I'm late, I've just got a moment to myself, I hope I haven't caught you at a bad time?"

Jack felt lightheaded he placed the beer on the table suddenly feeling ashamed having heard her voice, he didn't want her to see him like this, why they hadn't met? Maybe he just didn't want to give a bad impression. After not getting a reply, she said hello again.

"Erm, hey… err, yeah, it erm…could you ring me another time…"

He slurred his words ever so slightly, so she knew he had obviously been drinking and she grimaced a little, she never thought of him as a drunk, she never thought that Sawyer would hit her either. She figured she was just a bad judge of character, until she remembered he was a Doctor, he had a couple of surgeries today she grimaced again, feeling terrible, and hoping it was not the worst case scenario.

"Hey, everything okay, Jack you don't sound so good?"

"Erm…I…I lost a patient today." He rubs his head as he admits it to her.

"I'm so sorry, that can never be easy. I'll erm, I'll let you go, I'm sure your wife will help you get through it."

He snorted, which surprised her.

"My wife. Oh no, she's out, girls night at bingo, can't not let her have her girls night, as I'm never around to entertain her."

He obviously saying more than he would have because of the drink, but a part of her wished it were because he trusted her, she laughed in her head.

"You what? You didn't tell her, I'm sure she'd come home if you..."

"I told her! You know what she said. She said…Well you're gonna loose more in your career so you're just gonna have to get over it! Just like that! So that's what I'm doing'." He says pained.

Her heart went out to him, but she felt disgusted by his wife, who would say that, especially to the man they are supposed to love, or just in general, life was so precious it was a shame when anyone died. Well there are always a few exceptions, her father for one.

"I'm sorry she said that, I'm sorry you lost a patient Jack, and I'm sorry it affects you, but drinking never solves any of your problems. It may take away the pain for a while Jack, but tomorrow it'll just come back, and if you don't wanna end up a drunk, you need to figure out a way you can deal with each patients death so it doesn't affect you long term."

Jack chuckles slightly.

"Yeah maybe your right, but I can't…I can't figure out what that is now, when all I'm stuck with are my thoughts and…his face…staring at me…and his family…their tears all I can hear…in the damn silence of this house."

He chokes out the last bit, tears coming to her own eyes, she never experienced death first hand, she'd always hated funerals though, they were always too final, she never could understand why everyone were saying goodbye.

She did not understand now, why she wanted to comfort Jack, but she did.

"So talk to me"

A tiny smile comes to his face at her offer.

"It's okay, I'm sure you would rather spend time with your boyfriend or, husband, or whatever, than some emotional drunk…"

"Hey, you're not…maybe slightly drunk, but I wanna help you, if I can…and don't worry about my husband, he's…watching the match and I'm not aloud to interrupt him."

Jack chuckles slightly.

"Ha, aint we a pair."

Kate laughed a little too.

"So, how about that talk?"

"I don't know, I…"

"You said the silence was driving you nuts, and you know it is for me too. So you'd be doing me a favor really. So how about it, wanna keep some old girl company?"

Jack considers this, he smiles, just her and him talking; he didn't feel guilty either because her husband didn't sound like all that great of a guy. So he nodded, although she couldn't see.

"Yeah, yeah, I can do that."

She smiles too, sitting up on the bed in the spare room.

"Okay, hmm, right, what's your favorite color?"

He chuckles slightly.

"My favorite color, what kind of a conversation opener is that."

They both chuckle.

"Hey, it's an easy question, I'm just working up to the harder ones, I thought I'd start out nice…"

They both laughed a little together.

"My favorite color…hmm, I guess I'll have to be boring, and just say standard black."

He chuckled as he heard her laugh.

"Black, that isn't even a color, it's a shade…"

"Okay, Pablo Picasso, what's your favorite color…peach, turquoise or egg white?

They both laugh again.

"Ha ha, I'm no Picasso, more Van-Gogh…"

Jack laughs aloud, she was really helping him, he liked her, and he could not believe she was being so nice, they had only spoke for all of 5 minutes this morning, if that and she wanted to help him with his personal stuff, he smiled as he teased her.

"What, you like chopping your ears off?"

They both laugh, she had forgot about that.

"Good one, and no, I like my ears thank you, I'm a good listener."

Jack smiled; he stood, and walked to the kitchen.

"Yeah, you didn't have to do this you know…I mean…"

"I wanted too, and hey, you're doing me a favor okay… what are you doing?"

She asks curiously, as she hears a fridge door close.

"I'm just getting the milk, don't worry I'm strictly on coffee from now on."

She smiled, glad he was listening to her, and it made a change, and felt good, really good helping someone in this way.

As he held the phone to his ear with his shoulder, as he poured the milk into his coffee and asked her.

"So, you never answered my question."

"What?" She asks innocently. He smiled.

"Hey, I'm not that drunk, you haven't said what your favorite color is."

"…Okay, okay. Now don't laugh, I know I joked about your color choice. It's brown…I know, I know, it's not the obvious choice, but come on, it's the color of chocolate, how can it not be the best color in the world."

He laughed aloud, she too joining in after a while, her having exaggerated her words as she said the words chocolate.

"Seriously…"

"That and, I guess…green is a close second…like my eyes, beautiful."

They both laughed again.

"Hey you saying you don't think my eyes are beautiful." She said in mock hurt.

"I'm sure they're just as beautiful as your voice. Although brown are the best, as you said…like chocolate… now my eyes make you hungry, you can't beat that."

They both laugh aloud again, Jack totally forgetting why he was drinking, on his way to becoming sober, feeling like he was talking to an old friend. Kate blushing about what he said about her voice and eyes, although he probably didn't think too much about it, so she wouldn't.

"Okay, your turn." She smiles.

"Oh, so we're taking turns.* they chuckle a little* okay…hmm…this isn't as easy as it sounds right."

"Yeah, now my question isn't as dumb as it was is it." They laugh again. The laughter infectious.

"Okay, you're the quiz master…just wait- What is, your, favorite…song?"

"My favorite song; wow so many…just one?"

"That's the whole point of it being one song." Jack chuckled some more, especially as Kate grumbles, and drags out her words like a child saying. "I can't choose just one."

"Okay, okay, your favorite singer…" He gives in.

"Patsy Cline!" She shouts straight away, causing him to laugh.

"Ha-ha, you were just waiting for me to ask that right?"

"Yeah, I mean, how can I narrow it down to just one of her songs."

"Hmm, never pegged you for a country chick." He tried to hold in his laughter at her gasp and mock hurt.

"Country chick. It's called classic. Now, what about you, what's your music?"

"Wow, erm, that's a tough one."

"I know you can't beat Patsy."

"Aww, you're on first name basis, real cute."

They laugh again, Jack's patient totally far from his mind now, and later on, he may feel guilty that he forgot so quickly.

"Ouch! Now answer."

"Okay, hmm, I guess I'm gonna have to go with… Bob Dylan, now you talk about classics, he's your classic."

Kate smiled surprised, a good choice she thought, and he had good taste.

"Not bad, never pegged you as the Bob Dylan type…" She smirked.

"What's wrong with Bob Dylan?"

"Hey I didn't say there was; forever young is actually one of my favorite songs…"

"Oh really…"

They both smile, and Jack stands, and places the phone on his shoulder again and goes to gets another coffee, he then goes and sits back on the couch. He still spoke to her the whole time, whilst making a drink, and walking back to the couch, answering her question about his favorite sport, to which he quickly answered Baseball and Red socks. Which then got them debating on how terrible they were, well Kate thought so, but Jack just argued back, why they were still great, he sank into the couch, becoming more sober as they talked.

It was his turn again to ask. They continued taking turns asking questions, both forgetting why they were talking and getting carried away with just finding things out about the other. They only realised how long they had been talking when Kate heard a knock on the door of the spare bedroom.


:O...Who is it lmao, not that hard, but I had to stop it some where and didn't want to stop it mid conversation so there you go what will the person at the door want or say? Review and another update will be up just as quick if you want it. So do you? Hit that button then :p x