The faint traces of pink from the early morning light roused Juliet from her deep sleep. Her body reacted by shifting slightly and it seemed to stir Rick. He let out a low, content groan as he drew her closer to him. They had slept peacefully that evening, for the first time in a long month they were able to spend an entire uninterrupted night in the same bed. The bunks on the ship were just too frustratingly narrow for them to share for an extended period of time.
Rick's lips teased the spot behind her ear before traveling down the side of her neck. One hand reached under her t-shirt to caress her full breasts and the other moved accurately between her thighs. He stopped at the most sensitive part and stroked her.
Juliet let out a low moan, it had been a while since they were together like this and she wanted him now. Rick impatiently tugged down her underwear to the tops of her thighs.
Signaling her desire, Juliet pressed her back against his chest, letting him move against her and then in her.
Breathing heavily and more than a little sweaty and sated in one another's arms, Rick ran his fingers along her bare back absentmindedly while staring up at the pitch of their tent, "You know how much I love you, right?"
In her typical teasing way, she answered him. "You're just saying that because you got off." Her eyes lit up in amusement when he smirked at her. "Sorry Doctor. That's a line a guy uses beforehand. When he is aiming to get lucky." He then winked at her.
"Hmmmmm. Are you telling me you actually mean it?" Rick knew she was joking, but he always had a little nagging feeling that she really did doubt the depth of his love for her. "Juliet, there are no words… I just… I love you. I love you." He rubbed the pad of his thumb along her high cheekbone.
Sensing that her playful jest may have gone too far, she cupped his face, "I know Rick. I know. And I love you too." And she meant those words. But then there were those rare moments she had her lingering doubts about his feelings for her.
More than once she felt he needed her more than he loved her, that they were simply the dedicated doctor and patient relationship - textbook co-dependency. She never doubted that Rick was a good man, that he was dedicated to her wholly. However, she wondered how many women in her situation would have stayed with him despite all his good qualities. How many wives would sacrifice their most fertile years and risk foregoing children? How many women would put up with their husbands disappearing days at a time to then get a call in the middle of the night asking to be picked up at some motel because he had been on some type of bender? Juliet knew it was never an issue of infidelity, but instead their problems were about his heavy mood swings which were invariably jarred by some memory. She simply deduced that Rick had been exposed to some atrocity or extraordinary event while in combat. Jack was never able to offer any specific incident that may have effected him like this. Juliet had also asked Shane too, but he refused to discuss it with her.
She pulled away from his embrace, the sticky heat becoming a bit uncomfortable. As consolation, she gave him a tender kiss before drawing away. The two them snuggled, holding hands, as they stared pensively above.
"I hope he makes a move soon."
"Huh?" Rick mumbled.
"Even though Kate's technically married, I think Jack should stop wasting time and go after her. It's obvious they are falling for one another."
Rick was a little surprised by her words, that she would suggest or even encourage adultery was a bit unexpected, "Listen, I'm not saying I disagree with you or anything, but I never thought I'd hear you encourage Kate to cast aside her marriage vows like that-"
"Her husband left her. You said it yourself. You would never have done that to me. And Kate doesn't love him. The world has changed, Rick. If Jack can find some happiness, I'm one hundred percent supportive of that. You and I know that no one deserves to be happy more than Jack."
Juliet drew a deep breath before adding, "And you need to tell Shane to back off-"
He remained still and didn't respond.
She saw right through him. She knew he was pretending not to hear what she said.
"Rick, don't play dumb. I know you want to protect Shane. But you know what he's going to do. He's going to try to get in between them. Because he loves pretty girls, especially the ones who like Jack." She could hear her own voice rise slightly as she kept talking..
"Juliet, what're you talking about? We haven't been here twenty-four hours and you're already all over me about Shane-"
Juliet pulled her hand out of his and got off the bed. She hastily yanked on a pair of underwear and a bra. "I swear Rick, there are moments I think you should've married him instead."
"C'mon Juliet-" Rick groaned.
"Don't!" She warned him as she stepped away from him.
Kate was outside of her tent, sitting quietly and watching the beginnings of people stirring awake. In spite of her tiredness, she had woken up. Kate blamed her sleepless night on the uncomfortable heat and new surroundings. She had slept above her bedding, wearing a tank top and underwear, but that did little in the way of keeping away the sweat. She wanted a shower badly.
Juliet spotted Kate and approached her. Kate greeted her with a smile, which was quickly followed by an escaped half yawn. "God, what I'd do for a Starbucks coffee right now."
Juliet's eyes widened with humor, "You're not kidding. Seriously, there's not much I wouldn't trade for a cafe latte. What are the chances that there is some decent coffee in this place?"
"I guess we'll find out, huh?"
Juliet's expression sobered as she stared straight ahead. Noticing that there was something off with her, Kate asked, "Juliet, is everything okay?"
"Yeah, why do you ask?"
"I dunno. You look a little ticked off." A teasing smile played on Kate's lips.
Chuckling at Kate's comment, Juliet admitted, "You know what? I'm a little pissed off at Rick. Husbands!" She huffed and then looked to Kate for some sisterly support of the whole "annoying husband" thing. Kate wasn't able to empathize, she never felt like Brian was a "real" husband, so she responded with a hollow hmmm-hmmm.
Pulling back her long wavy hair and fastening it into a low ponytail, Juliet started, "So you finally got to meet Shane."
"What?" The sudden change in topic caught her off guard, "Oh yeah. He doesn't seem so bad, Juliet."
Shaking her head, Juliet gave a knowing look, "Oh, you just haven't had a taste of him yet. I promise you-"
"All right. Spill it. Give me some dirt on this guy already. What is it about him that you find so untrustworthy?"
"Where do I begin Kate? Okay, let's start with my wedding. Where he managed to sleep with two of my bridesmaids and set off a firestorm."
"He did what?" Kate had lowered her voice, almost conspiratorially.
"You heard me. And to make it worse, the three of us were attached at the hip in college and now Amanda and Caroline don't speak to one another because of him. He slept with Caroline the night of the rehearsal dinner and then Amanda some time during the dinner reception. And Amanda's boyfriend was there, so you could imagine what ensued. I'm only thankful that the brawl broke out at the end of the night. Jack had to check Shane into a different hotel to avoid any further confrontation with my friends and the boyfriend. I'm still not sure about the logistics and how Shane managed to pull it off, especially since he had also managed to get awfully drunk. Which was quite convenient for him as he pretended to not remember it afterwards." Juliet snorted after the last sentence.
Kate didn't blink as she listened. Despite the somewhat humorous tone of the story, there was a melancholy undercurrent in her voice.
"Jack was such a lifesaver. He really helped me keep it together. I thought I was going to strangle that man with my bare hands that night. It was such a typical selfish Shane thing to do. It was his closest friend's wedding and Shane somehow managed to make the event about himself. You can imagine what all the buzz was about during breakfast at the hotel the next morning. If you ask Shane about it, he thinks it is sort of funny. He has no regard for the fact that two of my friends hate each other now and he nearly turned my wedding into some ridiculous spectacle."
"Okay, I agree that's pretty bad." They looked at each other, almost mischievously and grinned.
His ears must have been ringing, because they simultaneously turned their heads to see Shane moseying towards them. They quickly paved over their surprised expressions.
"Good mornin' ladies." Shane greeted cheerfully, his southern drawl particularly pronounced.
"Good morning Shane. What brings you to this side of town so early?" He fleetingly looked at Juliet and offered a warm smile before his eyes and attention settled on Kate.
"I'm a bearer of gifts." He kneeled down next to them and placed down a box that contained a large coffee thermos, a stack of paper cups, small container of powdered creamer and packets of sugar. "And it's the real good stuff, european coffee that we set aside for the officials here." He offered them each a cup which they accepted and he promptly began to pour the contents of the thermos."
The aroma hit the spot and despite Juliet's reserve, she let out an appreciative sigh after downing the first sip. "Mmmmm. That's delicious Shane. Thank you. You sure know how to wake up a girl."
Not able to let go of an easy comeback, with a wicked grin he told her, "Juliet, I know plenty of better ways to wake up a pretty woman." His steely brown eyes deliberately settled on Kate. Kate caught his lusty gaze and it forced her to look downward. She slid her palms nervously over the tops of her thighs. He found her apparent discomfort appealing and felt compelled to go further.
"And I know that Rick does too. Now Jack, he's a different story-" He drawled.
Juliet cleared her throat as she interrupted, "Okay, that's enough Shane, I'm sure Kate has no interest in hearing about my sex life."
He looked at Kate then, "I love teasing Juliet - it's way too easy. I bet she told you about how I ruined her wedding and all. Whatever she tells you, just know that I ain't such a bad guy."
Nausea made Juliet roll her eyes then and Kate almost let out a sharp laugh in response.
Shane didn't notice, he was too busy taking in Kate. He thought she was gorgeous and couldn't believe his luck that his buddies brought with them one of the most beautiful women he'd ever laid his eyes on.
While Kate was busy thumbing the sides of her paper cup, he was preoccupied with her shapely and toned legs that were barely covered by the tiny shorts she had on. Her luscious lips were framed by a cascade of heavy golden brown curls and a perfect pixie nose. Shane was enthralled. He also could tell by her mannerisms that she was refined and lady-like, just like Juliet and …Lori. Kate was a prize and not someone that any man could have, that was apparent. His mind quickly imagined them together, sharing his trailer and ... so much more.
He looked at Kate, "Are you up for a personal tour of the camp?" His eyes went straight to her face again and lingered there after his suggestion. Kate turned her head sideways before meeting his gaze, "Actually… Juliet and I were about to -"
Shane raised his hand to pre-empt her response, "Got it. Just promise me a raincheck Kate."
She saw the desperate pleading look in his eyes and nodded reluctantly, "Sure … a raincheck." She then idly looked about, and caught Jack's form emerging from his tent. He absentmindedly yawned and rubbed the top of his cropped head as he blindly looked about. Her heart skipped a beat in appreciation of him. His apparent disorientation with his surroundings was boyishly charming and then there was the fact that he was wearing a tight fitted undershirt and…boxer shorts. She studied his muscular legs for the first time and saw that they were nice right down to his sculpted calves… perfect, like the rest of him- to no surprise.
Jack caught sight of Kate then and gave her a gentle wave. She raised her hand and motioned him over. He gestured to her before ducking back into his tent to dress. A minute later he approached Kate and Juliet and... Shane, no longer obscured by the tent. Jack's brows furrowed into a slight frown, such that he missed the gleam Kate held in her eyes just for him.
In a friendly gesture, Shane beckoned Jack over, "Mornin' Jack. I can see that you still wake up a little on the surly side." Shane was jokingly referring to Jack's frown, making him realize then that he may have worn his mood too freely and decided to rein it in a bit. Jack smiled back at Shane and offered a friendly greeting in return.
"You want some coffee?"
Jack took the cup from Shane's extended hand, "I do actually. Thanks man."
"You still like it black with two sugars, right?"
"Yeah. Good memory Shane." Jack narrowed his eyes, in slight suspicion and curiosity, that he would remember such a small detail. And just as quickly, he shook it off.
Jack settled down next to Juliet and gave her a warm smile, "Did you sleep well last night?" She grinned back, "I did, it was nice sleeping next to Rick again. Speaking of, I wonder why he hasn't come out yet." She craned her neck to the direction of their tent. Jack then looked at Kate, "Hey. How about you?"
She smiled shyly at him, "Ummm. Not so much. It was just too hot. And I just couldn't stop thinking about stuff…." Jack rubbed the back of his head and nodded in understanding. She had been thinking about her sister and nephew. Shane looked at her again, and in tone dripping with concern, he told her "Kate, if there is anything you need to be more comfortable, just let me know and I'll see what I can work out for you."
Shane wasn't one for subtlety and his eagerness to please her, a virtual stranger, made her uncomfortable. The four of them grew quiet, but Juliet broke the silence, "Well Shane, since you so politely offered. Where can we get some toiletries? I certainly could use some shampoo, toothpaste and-"
"Do I smell some joe brewin' over there?"
They all looked up to see Sawyer casually striding towards them while simultaneously buttoning up the shirt over his smooth and tan muscular chest. His white smile was wide and warm, almost infectious. Kate and Juliet couldn't help smiling right back. Sawyer's obvious effect on the ladies did not go unnoticed by Shane or Jack. He plopped himself down and Juliet offered him a cup and the thermos.
He took a taste in one smooth gulp, "Ahhhh. That's some good stuff. All that's missing is the donuts." He grinned at Juliet, "I'm a cop remember? You know how us cops just love our donuts."
"Well Sawyer, you must have some metabolism, because you don't look like a cop that sits in a diner eating donuts." Sawyer chuckled at her comment and then pushed back the long bangs that fell into his eyes.
Juliet then observed, "You need a haircut."
In his typical sarcastic fashion, he retorted, "Well Blondie, I'll just head to the neighborhood barber and get that taken care of." Feeling a little restless, Kate lifted herself up and brushed off the dust on her backside.
Out of gentlemanly habit, Jack stood up as well. Her green eyes met his and sparkled teasingly at his polite gesture. Noticing that everyone seemed to be looking at her, she awkwardly announced, "I'm just going to change."
"No need for that, you look fine to me." Shane drawled as he gave her legs one final lingering appreciative glance. Ignoring his comment, Kate looked at Juliet, "So you still want to take that walk?" Juliet nodded and began to shift her position. Jack offered her a hand and helped pull her up.
Shane watched Kate dip into her tent, still grinning he looked at Jack, "Are you free? Thought I'd show you the medical station and introduce you to a few of the doctors and nurses. We need to put those surgical hands to good use."
"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Show me the way." He then looked at Sawyer, "See you later. You'll keep an eye on things, right?" Sawyer nodded, "Sure Doc."
They walked at a leisurely pace with Shane doing most of the talking, they were stopped a few times, usually by a civilian. Jack noticed that Shane seemed to be well-known and a resource of information for the camp.
Jack asked, "So where's the power coming from? This camp is obviously operated by an independent power grid."
"Yeah, this base was built in the sixties during the whole cold war thing. It was initially built as a small emergency operations center, but was converted into a training base. There's a larger, more modern facility in Maine that serves as the operations center. If the President's still alive, she'd be there. So to answer your question, there's an independent grid that's supposed to maintain power for up to three years. There're also some back up generators just in case. There's even an underground bunker."
"Are there enough engineers here to maintain the grid?" A detectable huff of irritation escaped Shane's lips. Jack still had that annoying habit of delving into all the minutiae, his control freak nature never allowing himself to trust anyone else to handle things.
"Yeah, we do Jack. I know it's hard for you to believe, but the military can run things without you."
And here we go, Jack thought. "That's not what I meant. I was just curious."
Not buying Jack's simple explanation, Shane laughed sharply, "Uh-huh." But the truth was, Shane didn't want to bicker with Jack. He actually considered him a friend and was happy to see him again after all this time. So he decided to lighten the mood, "Soooo. Jack. You hittin' that?"
Jack paused at the unexpected question and knew that he was referring to Kate. He felt a slight embarrassment cross his cheeks and then silently admonished himself for the feeling. It's not as if he wasn't accustomed to locker room talk. Over the years, he had heard it all, the most crude vulgarities that could escape from one's lips. Although, admittedly, he never felt comfortable engaging in that sort of banter, neither did Rick. The two of them were always on the sidelines in that regard.
"Wha-?"
"You heard me, man."
"Kate's married Shane." Jack said matter-of-factly, doing his best to mask his actual feelings towards her.
"So I'm supposed to believe the answer's no then. As for her being 'married', that's bullshit. I don't see him around. She's been with you for over a month and you're trying to tell me that you haven't made some play. She's a hot and mighty fine looking girl."
They didn't break stride as they traversed through the growing crowd towards the medical station. Jack saw Shane's questions coming from a mile away, so he put forth his best poker face. He knew Shane well enough that if he gave too much of an indication of interest in Kate, the guy would pursue her relentlessly.
Jack let out a mirthless laugh, "Shane, if you haven't noticed, we're in the midst of a global crisis."
Shane let out a howl, "Shep, it'll take a lot more than flesh eating zombies to stop me from wanting to get laid." vHe gave Jack a hard, but playful pat on his back. Jack shook his head at the hopelessness of Shane's one-track mind.
And Jack was spot-on because at that moment, all Shane could think of was Kate Austen and how much he'd like to get her bedded down.
They finally reached the infirmary and Shane made some introductions. The head physician looked relieved to see Jack, "We're significantly understaffed Dr. Shephard. It is with much pleasure to meet you. My team has been working around the clock. Fortunately, there haven't been too many significant emergencies, but the sheer volume of minor medical ailments needing attention has kept us very busy."
"Well, I'm glad to help in any way I can Dr. Jenner. My good friend, Dr. Juliet Carlson is here as well. She's an OB/GYN and I know that she'd be more than willing to assist your team's efforts."
Jenner let out a heavy sigh of relief, "You have no idea, how glad I am to hear that. Is there any chance that you're free now to give a hand. Some of my staff have been here twenty hours straight."
"Of course, I just need to clean up first-"
"We have a locker room here. You can shower up and I'll get you some clean scrubs." Jenner told him eagerly. Jack nodded and just as he was about to say good bye to Shane, a soldier came running in.
He went straight to Shane, "Sir, your assistance is needed at the fourth quadrant." Shane looked at Jack, "Looks like I got a small fire to put out, but it seems like you'll have your hands busy too. See ya later."
Kate shared lunch the following day with Sawyer, Claire and Daryl. They sat together in one of the mess halls eating very mediocre food. Juliet was at the infirmary with Jack, and Rick was assisting Shane. She couldn't help but feel somewhat redundant and useless. She picked at the unappetizing meal with her fork.
Sawyer playfully pressed his shoulder against her side, "Hey Freckles, I know the Doc has been away, but you can't keep moping around. It's gives off bad energy for the rest of us." A furious blush came across her face and a little angrily she bit back at him, "I'm not moping around, Sawyer. I'm frustrated, I just feel a little left out. It seems like everyone has a job to do and, well, I … don't. I want to pull my own weight."
Daryl gave a critical look to Sawyer, "Quit teasing her man. I can see her point. Just sitting around here is gonna get old pretty fast." Sawyer shot back a look of annoyance, "Call me crazy but I've just had a month of hell and if you busy little worker bees don't mind, I'm gonna kick up my feet and enjoy the resort for a bit. Cause sooner or later, this is all gonna end. So Freckles, listen to me, rest up cause you're gonna need a helluva lot of energy to fight off that guy Shane."
Fed up now, Kate stood from the table, "Sawyer, I'm not up for the wisecracks, okay?"
"Just calling em like I see em, Freckles."
She lifted her tray and left.
"Nice job, Sawyer." Daryl remarked.
"What? It's true. And if I were the Doc I'd keep a close eye on my buddy."
Claire piped in, "Still… you didn't have to keep pushing -"
Sawyer then stood up and looked at Aaron, "How about you, Aaron? You wanna get on my case too?"
Daryl and Claire then watched him stalk out of the dining area.
Kate looked for Jack both evenings, but he didn't return to their campsite. It wasn't until two days later that he approached her sitting alone, she appeared to be wearing a pensive expression. He stopped mid-step, wondering whether he should disturb her. She looked beautiful, her hair kept out of her face, held back by some type of headband. But it was too late, she turned her head in his direction and slowly drew a smile that reeled him in.
"Can I take a seat?"
"Of course." Kate watched him hunch down and maneuver his long legs as he settled himself next to her.
"You shaved." She observed out loud. A cute grin now clearly pasted on her face.
He let out a small laugh, "Yeah, I was getting sick of the scruff." He then touched the phantom stubble of his chin.
"You look tired." Her eyes softened with concern.
Letting out a deep sigh, he rubbed his hand behind his neck, "Yeah, I am a little. I spent two whole days at the infirmary. I wanted to relieve some the doctors and nurses that have been working around the clock since this all began."
"Ohhh. Are there that many sick people here?"
"Not many sick people per se. But a lot of little things. Fractured and broken bones, cuts and bruises, stomach bugs. Oh and there was a gunshot wound, that kept me in surgery for a while. We have only about twelve doctors and twenty five nurses. That's not enough medical staff for the size of the population here."
She nodded her head.
He looked at her tentatively then, not wanting to talk about himself anymore. He pinched the bridge of his nose as his shoulders slumped with exhaustion. He would be lying to himself if he didn't admit that the thought of taking a nap with her laying next to him wasn't in the forefront of his mind. They sat quietly, their shoulders brushing up against the other.
It probably wasn't the right moment to delve into this subject, but he was going to anyway.
"Kate, do you remember that night at the cabin?"
Kate stiffened then, she knew what he was going to ask. She had hoped that he'd forgotten or just decided to let the matter drop. But the more she got to know Jack, the more she realized that he was not the sort of man inclined to just 'let go' of things. She also knew that he wanted to discover more about her, that he enjoyed getting to know her and she quickly recalled the adorable bemused grin that crept across his face when she told him that she had won several martial arts titles. Part of her relished sharing such things with him and she took delight in knowing more about him as well. And she knew that she had opened pandora's box that day in the infirmary aboard the carrier. She was the one to volunteer personal information about herself, so it should be of no surprise that he became somewhat curious. But there was a part of her that fiercely clung to her privacy and that was the part of her that was winning out at this moment.
He studied her expression and he had a feeling she was going to try to avoid his question.
"Kate?" He asked softly.
She paused a beat.
"Uhm. What are you talking about?"
Her weak attempt at diversion irritated and insulted him slightly, "You know what I'm talking about Kate. You were about to tell me something just as Daryl came in and interrupted. What were you going to tell me?"
"Nothing Jack. It was nothing. Really." A flash of disappointment moved across his face as he brusquely told her, "I don't believe you."
"Why won't you tell me? What is it that you now don't want to tell me?" He pushed.
She saw the pleading look in his brown eyes and part of her was about to acquiesce -
"Hi Kate. Hi Jack." Both of them looked up to see Shane standing above. He could tell that he was interrupting some deep conversation between them and Shane took some glee in knowing that. He also caught Jack's brief glowering look of irritation directed at him.
"So Kate, I thought I'd come to collect on that raincheck you owe me."
Kate looked back and forth between the men and could see that there was some growing tension.
Kate answered, "Shane, now is not a good time-"
Jack stood up then, his demeanor clearly infused with anger. Kate jumped up as well and looked directly at him. Shane wore a smirk while taking a bit of enjoyment in pissing off his old rival.
"I was just leaving." Jack said as he looked at the two of them and briefly wondered what this 'raincheck' was all about and how much interaction the two have had together. Jack saw the cocky grin on Shane's face and he wasn't in the mood for this high school bullshit, so he turned to leave.
And Kate's sad eyes followed him until he disappeared into his tent.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Thanks again everyone for all the positive reviews! Because of them, I pushed myself to get this chapter out today!
