How's this for a quick update? The longest chapter yet! Hope you guys enjoy it!
Chapter 10
Sawyer stood among the crowds awaiting their loved ones at the airport, waiting for Kate, hoping not to see her walk out of the doors in handcuffs. When she had taken him to the side to talk to him in Phuket, he tried to convince her against her plans. She had asked him to hook her up with his contact in Sydney, the one he had mentioned in one of their chats. She wanted to go with them, but not without careful planning, with the right cover and proper paper work to make it there without being caught. He had voiced his opinion, that he thought it was way too dangerous. She was safe for the time being Phuket. He had no idea what she had done, it was something she clearly did not want to share, but he knew enough to know that a trip to Australia would be too dangerous. However, she had been adamant, stubborn enough to make him give her the contacts information and have him come pick her up in broad daylight.
He let out a sigh of relief when he saw her walk out the door, a loose backpack slung over her shoulder and wide smile across her lips. He let out a breath he had been holding, partly excited about seeing she was safe, and partly grateful that he would not have to tell Jack that he had gotten Kate arrested.
"Freckles, you made it!" he exclaimed excitedly.
"Yup! I did! Did you tell Jack?" She said.
"Wow. No thanks Sawyer, good to see you Sawyer, I wouldn't have made it without you Sawyer? I am genuinely hurt. Oh, look a cop. Should I…" he said, before Kate shoved an elbow in to his chest.
"Hello, Sawyer, thank you for helping me, Sawyer, how are you, Sawyer?" she said mockingly.
"There you go, that is more like it," he said, "although you could drop the attitude. I am fine, you're welcome, and not, your precious boyfriend has no clue you're risking your neck and mine to surprise him."
"He's not my boyfriend," Kate mumbled, but Sawyer just grinned ignoring her and walking out to get them a taxi.
They arrived at the apartment a while later, and the exhaustion on Kate's face was evident. She had been travelling for two days and it was starting to take its toll on her. The got out of the cab across the street from the building just as Juliet was stopping her car at the entrance and Jack was getting into the car with her.
He did not see her, but saw Jack as he got in the car with the blond woman and they drove off.
"Who's that?" she asked Sawyer, trying fruitlessly to hide the jealousy in her tone.
"That's Juliet. She's a friend of Jack it seems. They've been hanging out since we got here," Sawyer said innocently, not registering the look that took over Kate's face as she whispered "oh."
"Wanna go grab something to eat?" Sawyer asked as they walked into the apartment.
"No, I just want to sleep," Kate said, fighting against her drooping eyes.
"Alright, take my room. I can stay on the couch," Sawyer said and watched her disappear into his room.
Jack came back from dinner with Juliet and Claire a few hours later. He had a surprisingly good time having been wary of having Claire there. He thought it was strange that Claire came along, but she seemed nice enough. He immediately noticed that Juliet had taken more of an older sister role to Claire rather than just her doctor. He was relieved to see that she was hanging with them as a friend and not as a patient's daughter. Soon he forgot that she was indeed Carole's daughter, and was genuinely enjoying her company. They had dropped him off and said goodnight when he walked into the dark, quiet and empty apartment. He had not seen Sawyer all day, and as much as he hated to admit it, he found himself missing him slightly.
He called out for him, but heard nothing. He did see a small light in Sawyer's bedroom, so he poked his head in out of curiosity. Surely, Sawyer would not be sleeping now. He barely woke up a few hours ago.
He opened the door slightly and looked in. Jack gasped slightly when he saw her, Kate. She was lying in Sawyer's bed, sleeping, looking as peaceful and calm as he remembered.
He felt a surge of jealousy rage through him. He knew something was happening between them when they'd shared that private chat. He kicked himself for thinking it was something innocent. He knew he had no right getting angry. After all, there was nothing between him and Kate. He was the one constantly insisting on that. But as rational as he tried to be, the idea of Kate and Sawyer together got to him on a level he did not understand. Did he have feelings for Kate? He was not sure what that should mean. He barely knew her. Well, he felt like they have known each other for years, but in reality, they had only known each other for a few days. Then, why has he not been able to stop thinking about her since he said good bye to her?
Jack felt his phone vibrate and cursed under his breath, stepping out of the room to answer it.
The caller id said "Sawyer", and he felt that angry rage flood him again. He gritted his teeth, took a deep breath and answered.
Sawyer had been arrested, some bar fight he'd started, and needed Jack to bail him out. For the shortest moments, Jack considered having him spend the night there, but soon found himself dialing Juliet's number asking for her help.
Half an hour later, Sawyer walked out of his cell to be welcomed by three faces, Jack, Juliet and a young, very pregnant woman.
"doc, doc, stranger… thank you for the rescue," Sawyer said, smiling smugly, before throwing Juliet a disapproving look that no one else noticed.
"C'mon, let's get out of here," Jack said, ushering the group out of the precinct.
He was holding the door open for Claire, when he saw a familiar face walk past him.
"SHANNON?" he heard Claire shriek from behind him, and he remembered where he knew that face from. Shannon Rutherford, her parents and his parents were members of the same country club. How does Claire know her? he thought to himself.
He turned around to see the two young women embracing ecstatically.
"What are you doing here?" Claire asked.
"We're here on vacation, supposedly, but my brother, God's gift to humanity, got involved in some peace protest and got arrested," Shannon said, with a roll of her eyes.
"Boone's not usually the trouble maker, you sure you had nothing to do with it?" Jack asked, shocking both women.
"Doctor Shephard? What are you doing here?" Shannon asked, her looking at him like a deer in headlights.
"In Sydney or in the police station?" he asked jokingly.
"Both?" Shannon said.
"Seeing a patient and bailing out that guy," he said, pointing towards Sawyer who was apparently engaged in a heated discussion with Juliet.
"Wait, how do you two know each other?" Claire asked, interrupting the exchange.
"Our parents run in the same circles," Jack said, leaving out the part where his girlfriend in high school was their baby sitter and he spent one too many evenings fooling out with her in their house.
"Hold on, how do you two know each other?" Shannon asked.
"His patient is my mom," Claire explained, "small world, huh? And before you ask, Jack, Shannon and I met in ballet camp a few years ago and have been friends since."
"Ok, it was great seeing you guys, but I should go rescue my pretty boy brother before he becomes someone's bitch in there," Shannon said jokingly, "I'll give you a call, we'll do something."
In the meantime, while Jack and Claire were busy chatting with Shannon, Sawyer took advantage of the situation and pulled Juliet aside.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he snarled at her.
"What are you talking about?" she asked innocently.
"You know perfectly well what I am talking about!" he said, his anger evident in his voice and glare.
"No, James, I don't. Why don't you explain it to me?" she said, smirking.
"I know. And I know you know. And we both know perfectly well that them knowing is the last thing he wants. Especially now." he said, starting to calm down slightly.
"They are brother and sister, James. They have a right to know!" Juliet said.
"That is not the point. The point is this is none of our business and we have no right being the ones to tell them," Sawyer explained.
"I know that. I have no intention of telling them. There's no harm in them getting to know each other, though, is there?" Juliet said.
"You think they won't figure it out? As much as I hate to say it, the Doc's not that dumb." Sawyer said.
"Well, it won't be on us if they figure it out on their own. I don't see why we should be in charge of covering up Christian's problems." Juliet said, exasperated of the whole issue.
"You know, he warned me about you." Sawyer said, finally giving up on the argument.
"Funny, he never mentioned you." Juliet said teasingly as Jack and Claire finally made their way to them.
"Come on, Doc. Let's walk back; I could do with the fresh air." Sawyer said, not giving Jack the chance to reply before walking off.
On their way back, Sawyer waited for Jack to mention Kate. Surely, he should be excited that she was here. But Jack never mentioned the issue once, leading Sawyer to believe he had not gone back to the apartment. They were still a few blocks away from the apartment when Sawyer broke the silence, "I'm gonna go away for a few days. You think you can behave?"
"Where are you going?" Jack asked.
"Miami. It's my daughter's birthday. I promised I'd make it this year," Sawyer explained.
"Is Kate going with you?" Jack asked, ducking his head so Sawyer does not read his face.
"So you did see her! I've been waiting for you to bring that up!" Sawyer said.
"Is she?" Jack said, still not looking at Sawyer.
"What? Going with me? Why on earth would she want to do that?" Sawyer asked, confused by Jack's behavior. He had assumed Jack would be excited to see Kate, not throw her at him.
"Isn't that why… Aren't you two…you know…" Jack stammered, unable to say the words out loud.
"No, I don't," Sawyer said, finally understanding why Jack was acting that way.
"Forget it," Jack said, walking past him.
Sawyer sped up, catching up with Jack and shoving him slightly, "For a prodigy, miracle working, genius surgeon, you're a bit thick! You have any idea why Kate came to Sydney?" Sawyer asked and watched Jack shake his head, "well, I suggest you ask her." Sawyer grumbles, "between you and Blondie, you managed to give me a horrible migraine. I'm gonna go get a drink, get my mind off you annoying doctors." Sawyer exclaimed and stormed off.
Jack walked into the apartment, warily, unsure how to deal with seeing Kate, his feelings confusing him. Kate was seated on the couch, watching reruns of some sitcom on TV when she heard the door click behind her. She turned to see Jack, and before she could stop and consider her actions, she was leaping off the couch and wrapping her arms around his necks, crushing him in her embrace. It took him a moment, but Jack quickly responded, wrapping his arms around her waist, and pulling her closer to him even though she'd thought it impossible. He lost himself for a moment, his confusion gone as he drowned in her scent, the feel of her hair brushing against his nose as he buried his face in her neck. Kate forgot for a moment that she'd seen him with Juliet, and allowed herself to be wrapped in his arms, his scent so familiar, something she had missed in the past few days, his arms around her giving her a rare sense of safety.
The reality kicked in eventually, causing the two to step back abruptly.
"Hey," Kate said.
"Hey," Jack replied causally, before adding, "what are you doing here?"
Kate looked at him, wanting to be able to tell him the real reason why she was there. How the minute he told her he had agreed to do what his father was asking, she knew she was going with him, how she knew she had to be there for him, knowing how difficult this was gong to be for him, and hoping her presence could ease the load for him, slightly, to tell him how hard it was to say good bye to him, making him believe they would never see each other again. Instead, she casually said, "I got tired of Thailand. I needed a change of scenery."
"How did you manage to…" Jack asked, trailing off as she walked back over to the couch.
"Sawyer. He told me he knew someone in Sydney who could help me sneak in unnoticed, make sure I don't get caught," she answered, watching him join her on the couch, within an uncomfortable wide distance.
"That's what you two had talked about? Why didn't you tell me?" Jack asked, the jealousy that she had trusted Sawyer and not him evident in his voice.
"Jack… I didn't want to get you in trouble. Sawyer knows how these things work, he knows the wrong people in the right places," she said smiling, "I knew if I told you that I was coming, you'd have wanted to get involved, and you needed to be focused on the surgery, not about getting a felon across borders."
"Kate, you're not…" Jack started before she cut him off.
"I am, Jack," she said, a sad smile on her lips, "so, tell me. What have you been up to?"
"You know, the usual. Beach, surfing, girls," he said jokingly, earning an amused giggle from her, the giggle he thought he would never hear again, the one that danced beautifully across his skin and to his ears.
"I've been at the hospital mostly," he said with a smile, "we're doing tests and we should know within a few days if we are going to go ahead with the surgery or not."
"Are the hospital being cooperative?" she asked.
"Yeah, they're great actually. An old friend of mine is on staff here, and she's been really helpful," Jack explained.
"She?" Kate asked, trying to hide the jealous tone of her voice.
"Juliet Carlson," Jack said, "she's an OBGYN, and just happens to be my patient's daughter's doctor. Weird, huh?"
"Yeah, I suppose it is," Kate said, "so, what time are you going in tomorrow?"
"You wanna come with me?" Jack asked, shocked and equally excited.
"Of course I do," she said, realizing it would the only way to get to see him while she's here, and the best way to keep an eye on this Juliet woman, make sure that she's nothing more than a friend.
Jack's face lit up, he'd been worried he would be too busy a the hospital he would not get a chance to spend time with Kate, "At around eight," he said, "does that work with you?"
"Sounds great," Kate replied. She got up from the couch, "I'll see you bright and early, then," she said, before leaning down to give him a quick peck on the cheek before heading off to bed.
We will learn more about Juliet's role in this, her "deal" with Christian later. And I know she is a fertility doctor, but here she is an OBGYN.
Next chapter: Kate hangs out at the hospital and gets to know Claire and Juliet better. Kate will not dislocate Juliet's shoulder. A decision regarding the surgery will be taken. And Sawyer leaves, so Jack and Kate will have the apartment to themselves!
Coming up in later chapters: Jack plays the piano again! Kate and Claire go on a ride. And water. Lots and lots of water! And more Losties show up! We know Boone and Shannon are in Sydney, but who is gonna be next to pop up?
Oh, and I know this note is now longer than the chapter itself, but I just wanted to let you know that chapter 11 is ready, so give me a truckload of reviews and you'll get an update very, very soon!