A/N: Hey guys, thanks so much for the reviews for the last chapter, I really enjoy reading what you all think of this story and my writing in general. I've got a few busy weeks coming up,but I have one chapter after this written so hopefully that will help lessen the gap between updates. That said, I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Chapter 12: Replaced
"Damnit! I forgot my scrubs top." Kate moaned to no one in particular. "I must have left them at Tom's."
The curse of the third floor scrubs machine, one of the hospital's most annoying money savers. The only way to get clean scrubs out was to put dirty ones in.
"Anything I can do?" Jack asked, appearing from behind her. In her frantic state she hadn't even heard him walk in.
"That depends, Jack." Kate answered cryptically.
"On what?" Jack answered, attempting to keep his vow to himself that he would try be the better man and put this whole 'not-telling-him-about-shortest-engagement-ever-to-most-hated-doctor-in-hospital' thing behind them.
"On if you'll give me your shirt or not." Kate answered matter-of-factly.
"Hmm, anything else I can do?" He did say try, after all.
"No." Kate replied absentmindedly, continuing to rummage through her backpack in the vain hope that she'd find something that she could use as a replacement for her scrubs top. There was no way she was putting in the blouse she had on now, it was way to expensive. Momentarily looking up at the doorway, she found Jack still standing there, looking somewhat amused. "You're still here?"
"Yea. Why wouldn't I be?" Jack responded curtly.
"Why would you be? You've already shown your uselessness. I figured you'd just... leave." Kate said, regretting the words she'd used the instant they left her tongue. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I meant…for the machine…" Kate stammered.
The words stung Jack, but he managed to brush it off and continue the conversation almost as if it hadn't happened. "Don't worry about it. I know you didn't mean it, and I am sorry for being distant recently, I really am." Even if I don't regret it. Jack replied, hoping she didn't infact mean it.
"Think you could reconsider giving me your shirt?" Kate asked, running out of options, "I think it would be less distracting if you were walking around in just an undershirt than if I was walking around in just a bra."
"I dunno Kate, the nursing staff might not get much work done." Jack said jokingly, flexing his muscles.
Kate laughed for the first time that morning. "You have to be the most modest man I've ever met, Jack." She joked, "Besides some of the nurses are seeing someone."
The comment shouldn't have affected him, but no matter which way he phrased it, Jack couldn't deny they did. "Yea, but none of their other halves work here, so I don't think I could deny them a little peek." Jack said, keeping up his macho bravado.
Kate laughed a little, then asked, "I think you're forgetting someone who wouldn't be to happy that their nurse was sneaking glances at your rock hard abs." Kate joked, placing a sarcastic emphasis on 'rock hard'.
"Who's that? I dunno who you're talking about." Jack said, not wanting to acknowledge his new boss by name. It was bad enough when Tom incessantly talked about his nights with Kate. He'd rather sit through an episode of Desperate Housewives than listen to all of Tom's stories. He was not going to subject himself to Kate's side of those stories.
"C'mon Jack, I know you don't like him, but just give him a chance. Please? If not for him, then do it for me." Kate pleaded. He almost resisted her pouty expression, but her emerald eyes got him once again. It's a good job she didn't know the true power they held over him or he'd truly be in trouble.
"Fine. But what do you expect me to do with him? We don't hang out. And I mean ever." Jack pointed out.
"Jack. You are practically the same person. Tall, smart, handsome, athletic. I'm sure you can find something to do. I know, why don't you take him with Mark to play basketball? I'm sure he'd love that." Kate suggested contently, causing Jack to form a hint of a smile.
The smile on Jack's face disappeared faster than it had appeared. "Basketball?" Jack muttered. Not basketball. Anything but basketball. It was bad enough that Tom outdid him in his chosen profession, but Jack wanted to keep their basketball 'rivalry' as abstract as possible. If Tom never played him, he could never prove he was better, and in Jack's eyes that was a moral victory. Not to mention the fact that basketball was his time to vent his feelings and insecurities to Mark. It had taken him long enough to open to his friend of ten years; he sure as hell was not going to do it in front of Tom- not least because he was the source of all his problems.
"Please, Jack? I'd really appreciate it. I really want you two to get along. You're the two men in my life after all." Kate almost begged him, trying again with the puppy dog eyes- but even they wouldn't work this time.
Two men in her life? Why do I get the feeling I've been replaced?
Jack shut his eyes for a moment, knowing he'd come to regret this decision later on. "Fine." He relented, "Tell him to meet us at the gym at 8 tonight." Jack replied softly.
"Oh my god! Thank you so much Jack! This means so much to me!" Kate almost screamed, running over to embrace him.
Jack couldn't say the embrace wasn't welcome, but he thought he should probably let Kate know. If she ended up walking outside, it could end up a lot worse. "Uhh Kate, not that I'm complaining or anything, but you don't have a shirt on."
"Oh. Thanks Jack. I wouldn't want to walk outside in just a bra." Kate said, making no effort to cover herself up, which she knew made Jack even more uncomfortable.
"So, you're not going to put you're blouse back on 'til you can find some scrubs?" Jack suggested, eyes looking everywhere in the room but at Kate.
"Just look, Jack. It's not like you haven't seen them both before." Kate remarked, not the least bit flustered.
"Can we please not bring that night up again? I'm trying to forget it." If only I'd told you then. I wouldn't be the 'best friend', I wouldn't be second best, I wouldn't have been replaced.
"I… I'm going to find Tom. I'm sure he has a spare shirt around somewhere." Kate said, walking briskly out of the room after putting her blouse back on, leaving Jack to wallow in his own self-pity- but not after he took one longing glance at Kate's retreating form.
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"Dude, it's not going to be that bad. I brought Sawyer." Mark joked while they warmed up as they waited for Tom.
"Hey now hoss, what the hell'd I do to piss you off?" Sawyer could be heard from behind them.
"Nothing. Just pointing out to Jack here that you're not very good. So even if Tom is the next Michael Jordan, he'll still look semi-good compared to you." Mark explained, causing Sawyer to simply glare at him.
Mark turned back to Jack who was simply shaking his head, fighting off the bout of laughter he knew was coming. Jack never could resist a good Sawyer-joke.
"It's all in here man, all in here." Mark said, pointing to his head. "I'm always thinking, I am."
"Yea, if only you had the basketball prowess to match that brain of yours." Jack chided him, grabbing the rebound when Mark's shot bounced off the rim.
"I come up with that brilliant idea to embarrass Sawyer and I get that as thanks? C'mon man, I've been practicing." Mark yelled out indignantly.
"You've been practicing, just not basketball."
"Alright smartass, we'll see who gets the last laugh."
"Yea we will." Jack admitted, silently praying he'd get the better of Tom tonight.
"How's it going' guys? Sorry I'm a little late. Surgery ran a little long." Tom greeted as he walked through the court's front door.
"No problem man, I'm Mark. Jack's best-friend." Mark walked over, shaking Tom's hand. "So you're the infamous Tom I've heard so much about."
"Yea, I guess that's me. Jack hasn't been saying to many bad things about me has he?" Tom joked, obviously taking an immediate liking to Mark.
"No, no. Actually, he can't stop saying good things. He can't remember the last time he's looked up to his boss so much." Mark said, causing Jack to put his hands to face in disbelief.
Jack looked back up in time to shake Tom's hand as he walked over to greet him. He quickly checked over Tom's shoulder to see Mark mouth 'payback'.
"Hey Tom." Jack greeted. Short but effective.
"Hello, Jack. Kate tells me you're quite the basketball player." Tom remarked.
"Hah. At least he thinks he is." Sawyer remarked, not being able the resist a Jack-joke.
"You must be Sawyer." Tom said, making his way over to the third member of their party.
"How'd you know that, doc?" Sawyer said, slightly alarmed this newcomer knew his name, as he accepted the man's hand.
"Kate. She told me all about you three. Jack, I obviously know from work, Mark is the semi-insane, party-going businessman, and so you must be Sawyer, the one who can't turn down an opportunity to rib Jack." Tom explained, chuckling at Sawyer's confused expression.
"Well, you certainly got me pegged don't ya?" Sawyer smiled. It wasn't often Sawyer smiled, well unless it was at the expense of someone else. For someone to like someone off the bat, that was…unprecedented.
"So, you guys ready to play or what?" Jack asked, taking a shot for effect as he asked. Thankfully, it went in.
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"So where's the boy-toy tonight?" Claire asked as they sat on the couch talking.
"Oh, he's out with Jack and Mark playing basketball." Kate replied. She was very grateful that Jack had agreed to hang out a little with Tom and at least give him a chance.
"Little unfair on him don't you think?" Claire asked. She knew Jack didn't like Tom very much, and she could only assume that sentiment had rubbed off onto Mark. And, well if Sawyer was there, God help him.
"For Jack? Yea, Tom is really good at basketball." Kate said absentmindedly, mind wandering.
No, for Tom. He's going to get a very cold reception at the gym. "Yea…yea, for Jack."
"They'll be OK, Jack seemed fine when he said he'd play with him." Kate commented.
"Wait, he agreed to play basketball with Tom of all people?" Claire asked incredulously.
"Yea, why's that so weird?" Kate asked a question in return.
"Uhh, well, it's not like Jack to play basketball with anyone but Mark. It's kinda like their thing." I almost let it slip then. I have to be more careful.
"Oh, right. Well, I did practically have to beg him to do it. But he seemed happy enough about it in the end." Kate answered, recalling their situation that morning.
Of course he was OK with it. He'd do anything for you. "That sounds like Jack to me."
An awkward silence enveloped the room for a few moments before Kate spoke up. "Claire, you remember when I told you about the night that me and Jack…you know…?" Kate asked timidly.
"Got to know each other? Yea, why? What's up?" Claire asked, suddenly intrigued.
"Do you think he regrets it?" Kate asked bluntly.
Claire was shocked; she had absolutely no idea how to respond. It was a double-edged sword. If she told Kate that he did regret that night then that would instantly end just about any hope Jack had of winning her back. But wait, he'd never really had her, had he? But on the other hand, if she told Kate that he didn't, which was how she suspected Jack felt about the night, then she'd be on step closer to revealing the truth- to revealing Jack's secret- and regrettably, that wasn't an option either.
"I'm not sure, sweetie. You'd have to ask him yourself." Claire skirted around the question, doing her best not to provide any evidence for either case.
"Yea, that's kinda the problem." Kate mumbled to herself. "I better go, early shit tomorrow." She said, smiling weakly before walking outside.
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"That the best you got Jackass? I thought you were supposed to be good at this game?" Sawyer taunted Jack.
"What exactly have you done all game Sawyer?" Jack replied, catching Sawyer off-guard.
They'd been playing for the better part of an hour, and it was an extremely close game. He'd find out many things during this game, including the fact that Sawyer really was a terrible basketball player, but he'd also discovered that Tom wasn't lying when he'd said he played for Harvard. Of the twenty points Sawyer and Tom's team had amassed, Tom had scored all twenty, a fact that Sawyer conveniently overlooked in his joking.
Jack and Mark had kept up better than he'd originally expected, having scored 18 between them. Jack had eleven of those points, while Mark had gathered the remaining seven. They had the ball now, with the possibility of tying the game with a shot from behind the arc.
"Just check the ball, Jack-o." Sawyer goaded him from underneath the basket where he was guarding Mark.
Jack did just that, and the point began. Jack tried everything he had in his arsenal to get past Tom, but nothing worked. Mark realized he was having trouble and attempted to set a pick, but Tom saw it and sidestepped just in time to stick with Jack.
Frustrated, Jack signaled Mark to get open, and once he did Jack passed him the ball. Mark knew he had the mismatch against Sawyer, and once he'd made himself a yard of space, took a shot. He could immediately tell it was slightly wide, and so he yelled "Off!" to alert Jack a rebound was needed.
It quickly became a footrace to the basket between Jack and Tom. At one point Jack thought he had the edge, but when he went to begin his leap he found Tom had taken off from a few feet behind him and reached the apex of his jump quicker, coming down with the rebound.
"It's alright Jack, we got this." Mark supplied encouragingly as Tom took the ball behind the 3-point line to begin their possession.
Tom took the ball from the center of the court and went 1-on-1 with Jack. But, as he had all game, Jack stood tall and refused to be passed. But Tom had one last trick up his sleeve, he signaled Sawyer to run over to him, and used him as a pick. Jack was trapped between Sawyer and Tom and was unable to reach the ball. "Switch!" He yelled out. It wasn't the best plan, but it would have to do. Hopefully, Mark could get the business done against Tom.
In a matter of seconds, Tom had faked right and gone left around Mark and was making his way to the basket. Jack saw this and sprinted to intercept him. He reached the space between Tom and the basket just as he was taking off for his game-winning lay-up. Jack leapt up, fully intending to block the shot. I've got him now. There is no way he's making this lay-up over me.
Tom looked up quickly to see Jack's hands blocking his route to the basket and quickly looked to his right to see Sawyer wide open. When Jack noticed this his smile faltered. He tried to get his hands down to his left to block the pass, but it was no use.
Sawyer received the ball underneath the basket and easily made the lay-up to win the game and condemn Jack to defeat.
"You ain't got nothing on us, Jack-o." Sawyer jeered him.
"Good game guys, good game." Tom said, much more classily than Sawyer had.
Half an hour later, Mark and Jack were leaving the gym's changing room. Sawyer and Tom had left immediately following the game. Sawyer saying something about a 'hot date' and Tom was leaving on a hospital business trip in the early hours of the morning.
"What's the matter dude, you haven't said a word since…since we lost." Mark said.
"I dunno, I just feel like I've been replaced. I'm not Kate's go to guy anymore. I'm second choice." Jack said softly.
"Don't think like that man. They're in a relationship, friendship is always going to appear to take a backseat. That isn't always the case."
"But she said that me and him are the two men in her life. That was never the case before hand. Look, I'm probably just being stupid, just forget it." Jack replied.
"No. Look, if you were still the only man in her life, that relationship is already over. You're going to have to deal with that. She's going to talk to Tom, she's going to ask his opinion on things, but when something comes up that's truly important, I can guarantee you she'll come to you. Remember that, Jack." Mark assured him.
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"Alright babe, I've got to head to the office really quick to pick up some things then I'm headed to the airport." Tom explained.
"Do you have to go?" Kate pouted, pulling him closer to her.
"You know I want nothing more than to stay here with you." Tom assured her with a kiss, "But I have to finish up some business back in New York. I'll only be gone for a few days. Then I'm all yours."
"Please? Do it after we get married." Kate pleaded, throwing him the puppy dog eyes. "It's only three weeks. Please?"
"Sorry, babe. I'll call you from the airport just before my flight leaves. Around 5? You'll be up for work already, won't you?" Tom replied.
"Can't you leave later tomorrow morning? Why did you have to pick a flight literally at the crack of dawn? I could make it worth your while..." Kate said suggestively, ignoring his question.
"It was the only thing they had available on such short notice. I'm sorry. I'll call you before I board." Tom answered.
"Alright." Kate sighed in defeat as Tom walked out the door. It was only a few days right? What could possibly go wrong?
A few hours later and it was almost two in the morning. Kate was sitting on her couch watching Mamma Mia when the shrill sound of Kate's cell phone awoke her from her trance. She quickly glanced over at the empty space beside her before standing up and making her way over to the table, which housed her charging cell phone. Maybe it was Tom calling to tell her he'd changed his mind and was on his way home. Well, not really home, but basically lived here. He stayed over most nights anyway, they just had to make it official.
"Hello?" Kate answered upon seeing the unknown number on the caller ID.
"What?" was all Kate managed to say through the tears now cascading down her cheeks. Her mother was right, a call in the middle of the night is never good news.
She hung up the phone, immediately grabbing her coat. She took one longing look back into the empty apartment before heading out of her apartment, down the stairs and out into the Los Angeles night, which had seemingly shifted several shades darker.
She really needed someone right now.
A/N: Sorry for the slight cliffhanger, but I won't leave you hanging to long. I promise. If you liked chapter, please review, it might encourage me to forego some work in favor of the next chapter :D
Coming up: The aftermath of the phone call. (I really wanted to be more descriptive, but that kinda defeats the purpose of a cliffhanger :) )