Chapter 2

Chp. 9

"Ready?" Penelope asks just outside a London private hospital room.

Jack takes a deep breath, holds out his steady hands as proof, and nods.

"Here we go then," she says and opens the door.

"Daddy?" she calls all smiles and sweetness.

"Angel, you're here," her father answers lifting himself up onto his pillows.

"I found him father," she tells him, motioning for Jack to come closer to the bed, "The doctor that's going to make you all better."

"Dr. Shephard in the flesh," Charles says and extends his hand, "I've heard so much about you."

"And how are you feeling Mr. Widmore?" Jack asks shaking the man's hand before lifting up his chart. It's easier to burry his face in vitals and test results, easier than to look the man in the eyes and pretend he's not there to cripple a man.

"Oh I've been better," Widmore tells him shifting and wincing slightly. Penny fluffs her father's pillow.

"It's okay now Dad. Dr. Shephard is going to fix you. Isn't that right Jack?" she says looking at him determinedly.

"Fix you, yes," he says.

…..

Juliet felt a slight stab of pain run across her stomach. She winced grabbing onto the bar of the swing set outside the Others' homes.

"You all right there?" Sawyer and Claire came jogging over, concern in his voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine James," she said wiping the sweat from her brow with her sleeve.

"You look pale," Claire said.

"And in pain," Sawyer added.

"It's nothing, just some Braxton hicks."

Sawyer scrunched his brow as he looked at her.

Those are sort of like fake contractions," Claire explained.

"I read," Sawyer snidely remarked, "I know what they are. But are you sure that's what's happening Juliet?"

"Yes James. I'm fine, really," she said not doing a very good job at convincing him, "Just a test run that's all," she chuckled rubbing her belly.

"You should still go lie down," Claire told her.

Juliet began to protest but Claire insisted.

"Well I could probably use a nap," she said and headed towards her house.

"Hey Claire," Sawyer said stopping her from walking back to hanging laundry.

"Yeah?"

"When did you start having them? You know the fake contractions?"

Claire bit her bottom lip, "Not till well into my last month."

Sawyer stared back at Juliet's house before turning his worried gaze back to Claire.

"But every pregnancy is different. I'm sure if something was wrong, Juliet would say something."

"Yeah," Sawyer nodded but he couldn't fight the growing knot building in his stomach.

……

Jack stared at the X-rays one last time before heading to the scrub room. He was nervous, something he hadn't felt before surgery since his internship. His mind wandered to those days as he washed his hands.

"1, 2, 3…" he began to count.

"Doctor?" the head nurse called out.

"Huh?" he said.

"Did you need something?"

"Need?"

"You were saying something, I didn't quite catch it," she said holding the gloves out for him to slip into.

"No," Jack said," Just count…nope nothing. Let's go," he said and entered the operating room.

Charles Widmore lay flat on his stomach.

"Are you ready Mr. Widmore?" Jack asked bending down to face his patient.

"Yes Dr. Shephard," he answered.

"Nervous?" the nurse asked with a warm, soothing smile.

"No, not at all," Widmore exclaimed, "Dr. Shephard here is going to make sure that I dance at my daughter's wedding. That is when she find's the right man."

The nurse laughed as the anesthesiologist began his work. Jack glanced up to the observation deck at Penny. She nodded encouragement as Jack let out a deep breath.

"Count backwards from 20 Mr. Widmore," Jack said.

…..

Juliet laid down her pen and sadly folded her letter to Jack. She wiped away the tears from her eyes as she placed the sheets into the envelope.

"My love," she whispered before placing it in the drawer beside the bundle of the other letters tied neatly with a purple ribbon. With one hand on her back, the other on the chair's arm rest, she hoisted herself onto her feet. She grimaced as another stab of pain hit her. Concentrating on her breathing she made it to her bed and laid down.

"Some sleep," she thought to herself as she closed her eyes, "All I need is some sleep."

Sawyer awoke with a start. The heavy rain fall tapped furiously at the living room window. He sat up on the sofa, his novel Fortune's Daughter slipping from his chest and hitting the floor with a thump. He groaned as he bent to pick it up, his muscles stiff and sore from falling asleep on the couch.

"James," a weak voice called in the dark.

He barely heard it, dismissing it as the wind playing tricks on him and he went towards the kitchen for a drink.

"James," the voice cried out laced with despair and need.

"Juliet?" he called out.

"Help me," she said as another cramp brought her to her knees at the staircase landing.

Sawyer ran up them, two steps at a time as lay huddled, her hand on her stomach.

"What's wrong?" he asked pulling the hair from her face.

"My water broke," she said her hand clutching at his t-shit in pain.

…..

The operation was going according to plan, the patient doing well. Jack was just about to remove the tumour. If he was going to follow through and paralyze Widmore, now was the time to do it. A simple millimeter slip and no one would be the wiser. Sweat gathered at his brow as he looked up to the observation room. Penny leaned into the glass, hands pressed together in anticipation.

"Trust me," she mouthed and Jack was transported to the island, back to dingy operation rooms and back to Juliet.

The steady beat of the heart monitor let them know Ben was alive, for now. Tom looked over at Juliet, calm, her fears, her concerns, never betrayed on that ice cold face. Turning his gaze to Jack he saw a wildness in his eyes, an animal backed into a corner, willing to do anything even kill Ben. But Juliet knew better as she turned to the Other they called Ivan.

"Go get Danny, then find Austen and Ford and bring them back."

"No," Jack shouted at him, "You do that and Ben dies."

"Go," Juliet calmly repeated.

"You think I'm lying?" Jack questioned, "You think this is a bluff? I will let him die."

"No, Jack you won't," Juliet said stepping in front of Ben's open body.

She looked straight into Jack's eyes, into his very soul and saw him for who he truly was. Turning confidently to Tom she told him, "Don't let him fool you. He'll never let a patient just die."

Jack smiled behind his surgical mask at the memory. Juliet had him pegged from the moment she told him he was stubborn. It was more than just facts gathered and memorized from his file, she knew him in a way no one else did.

"Let's stitch him up and get Mr. Widmore into recovery," he told his assistant.

"Well?" Penny asked as Jack, now dressed in street clothes came running towards her.

"I didn't do it," he said.

"What?" a horrified Penny asked.

"I couldn't, I couldn't just knowingly paralyze a patient."

Penny looked defeatingly at the ground before raising her head back up to look Jack in the eye.

"Now what?" she said.

"He'll be immobile for awhile, drugged into a stupor with pain medication," he said.

"Now we run, we ring for the island," Jack said grabbing her hand and speeding their way out of the hospital.

….

Sawyer scooped Juliet up into his arms. He could see she was already bleeding and weak, her eyes glazed with pain. He ran out the door and into the rain screaming at the top of his lungs.

"Bernard, Daniel!" he cried while heading as fast as he could towards the labs.

"What's going on?" Claire asked sleepily stepping outside onto her veranda.

"Oh my god," she let out waking up sharply as she saw Juliet limp in Sawyer's arms.

"Go get the Dentist and Dan. Juliet's in labour," he shouted over the thunder.

Claire was already running, banging on Rose's and Bernard's door before he could finish his sentence. Daniel, still awake and pouring over research, heard he commotion outside and came to investigate.

"You have to help her," Sawyer said as they ran together and into the labs.

"Juliet, Juliet," Daniel said as Sawyer laid her down on a table.

She was drifting in and out but managed to turn her attention towards Dan.

"When did your contractions start? Do you know how far apart they are?"

She shook her head, "Jack," she called out weakly.

Sawyer and Daniel exchanged a worried glance as Bernard, Claire, Rose and Charlotte came charging in.

"What's wrong?" Bernard asked.

"She's in labour," Dan said.

"Claire, Charlotte come help me get some clean towels and boil some water," Rose said.

"Me?" Charlotte exclaimed, "I don't know anything about babies."

"Listen here Red," Rose warned, "If you don't want me to pop you right here, right now, you best do as I say."

Charlotte opened her mouth to say something when Daniel pleaded with her silently.

"Fine, what do I do?" she asked following Rose and Claire.

Bernard put his hands on Juliet's stomach and frowned.

"The baby's moved," he said.

"Moved? Moved where?" Sawyer asked as Juliet groaned Jack's name as another contraction hit her.

"Into the birth canal James," Daniel said, "It's too soon, too soon," he mumbled as he fidgeted nervously.

"Juliet," Bernard kindly whispered, taking a damp cloth from his wife and mopping her brow.

"Jack," she said.

"No, honey. It's me, Bernard, can you hear me?" he asked.

"Where's Jack?" she said.

"Juliet, try and focus. Your baby is coming."

Juliet's eyes fought to focus on the kind hearted dentist as her mind raced.

"James, I want to talk to James," she said.

"Soon, but first…"

"No!" she said sharply sitting up on her elbows, "I want to talk to James, now!"

"I'm her Blondie, calm down," Sawyer said pushing Daniel and Bernard aside.

"Listen to me James," she fought to say through gritted teeth, "In my drawer, my bedroom. The desk drawer."

"Listen, try and save your strength," he said but she grabbed his hand tightly.

"In my drawer James, are you listening?"

"Yeah, yeah, your desk drawer," he said.

"There are letters, tied with a ribbon and another one beside it."

Sawyer knew where this was heading and he frowned in disapproval.

"She's bleeding, a lot," Bernard whispered from behind him at the others.

"If I," Juliet began choking on the words, "If I die, I want you to add that other letter to the pile and give them all to Jack."

"Don't be stupid," Sawyer snapped, hiding his own emotions, "You're not going to die."

"Promise me James; promise me you'll give all the letters to Jack."

Sawyer didn't want to make anymore promises he couldn't keep. He had promised Jack he'd watch over Juliet and now look where that got her. But Juliet wouldn't let it go.

"Promise me damn it!" she cried begging with him as her labour pains intensified.

"Okay, okay. I promise," he said.

"Swear," she said.

"I swear Juliet. I swear I'll give the letters to Jack."

"Good," she sighed and squeezed his hand, "You won't let go will you? You won't leave?" she asked, fear laced in her voice.

"No," he said going around to stand behind her head and taking both her hands in his, "I'm here," Sawyer said laughing in his head at the irony. He wasn't present at his own daughter's birth but he wasn't going to leave the mother of Jack's baby to go through this alone.

"I'm ready to push now," Juliet told Bernard.