Five Minutes to Midnight
FOURTEEN: The Silent Treatment
Ellie was curled up on the couch with her iPad when she heard the mechanical whirr of the garage door opening. Caitlyn must have noticed it to because she set down her crayon and ran toward the sound.
"Daddy! Daddy!" Caitlyn bounced in front of the glass storm-door that lead into the garage.
Aaron watched her, grinning. She almost bowled him over as he slid out of his car. He bent to her eye-level. "What's got you all excited?" he smiled.
"It's Friday!" she beamed.
"And that means it's only two more days until Monday when school starts up again!" He teased, holding up two fingers. She made a face.
"No? That's not why you're excited?" Aaron scratched his chin. "But you love Mrs. Mathieson's class!"
Caitlyn pouted, tired of the game. "I'm going to Grandma and Grandpa's and we're going to roast marshmallows, and go on hikes, and maybe go fishing!" she announced.
"You are?" Aaron pretended to consider. "I thought you were going to stay home with me and do paperwork?"
Caitlyn gave him a stern that reminded him of Ellie. He broke out in a wide grin and scooped her against his right shoulder. She wrapped her hands around his neck as he carried her inside. "Of course, you are, Sweetheart." He chuckled and kissed her cheek. "You'd better get packed because Grandpa got off early today to come get you. He's on his way!"
"Yay!" He barely had time to set her down before she launched herself down the hall.
"No running in the kitchen!" Ellie called, watching her whiz by. Aaron shook his head and rested his elbows on the back of the leather couch to peer down at Ellie.
"Getting off at noon on a Friday is the best," he remarked, grinning.
"Mmmm … rub it in why don't ya."
Aaron started down at her iPad: TITLE V. DISCLOSURES AND DISCOVERY: Producing Documents, Electronically Stored Information, and Tangible Things, or Entering onto Land, for Inspection and Other Purposes.
"That looks extremely boring," he drawled.
Ellie groaned. "It is. There's a reason I typically don't practice real estate law. I'm probably gonna go into the office for a few hours this afternoon to sort through this shit."
"All the while I'm here by my lonesome enjoying the sunshine?"
"You're a big boy, I think you'll manage." She craned her neck to smile up at him. He leaned over the couch to kiss the top of her head. Then she frowned, noticing that he was alone.
"Where's Sawyer?" She asked.
"Still at the hospital with Juliet," Aaron explained. "I think I'm gonna have some trouble prying him away from her side now that she's awake." He laughed. "Claire's gonna check in on them when she gets off, see if he's willing to come home for some supper. If not, I'll run some stuff out to him later. How are things here?"
Ellie sighed. "Tense. I think Jack's still not feeling well and is a little on the grumpy side, which, I think, is pissing off Kate. They've got this whole passive-aggressive thing going on. I haven't seen much of either of them today. There's a whole lot of silent treatment going on."
"Conducive for working," Aaron tried to joke. "And that sounds about right. They are stressed and have been through a lot. Kate's been stuck in here all week and probably feels cooped up. Jack is extra grouchy because he's still coming down off god knows what and refusing the oral diazepam. I feel bad that I got so preoccupied with Sawyer's surgery that I've barely seen the two of them all week. Are they still doing that thing where they won't stay in the same room as each other?"
"Mostly, except at night to sleep."
"Than we won't inform them they have a choice in the matter." Aaron laughed. "They are too stubborn for their own good."
Ellie reached up to run her fingers through his blonde hair and smooth it down. It was sticking up at awkward angles from the scrub cap that he had been wearing most of the morning.
"Well, let's hope they figure it out soon," she said, prodding at a particularly stubborn strand. He titled his neck down to give her better access. "I'm a little worried about Jack. He quiet and barely leaves that room."
Aaron sighed and kissed her cheek. She shuddered and squirmed away from him.
"Lose the scruff," she complained, earning an eye roll.
"You're home early."
Aaron blinked and pushed off the back of the couch. He turned to see Kate standing by the patio door, watching him.
Aaron smiled. "Yup," he agreed, and rolled his shoulders. "I have a personal rule that I don't work past noon on Fridays."
He didn't tell her that it was Jack's personal rule. He had only adopted it after Caitlyn had been born premature and he vowed to spend more time with his family.
"That sounds like a good rule."
"It usually is. Got the short stick this week cause I'm on call at midnight but…" he shrugged. "I'll take what I can get. How's your morning been?"
"Good."
He saw through the forced smile she put in place. Her eyes were sad, and he could tell her muscles were coiled with a pent-up tension that she didn't quite know what to do with.
Caitlyn burst into the room, bouncing, before he could address it.
"Is it time yet? Can I go, can I go?"
Aaron looked her over. She was wearing her pink North Face jacket on with a pair of sun glasses tucked into the collar. Her Disney Princess backpack was stuffed to the brim and slung over one shoulder. He could make out the fuzzy ear of her stuffed rabbit escaping through a gap in the zipper. "Please can we go?"
Aaron had felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and knew Jack was waiting.
"Shoes." He told her patiently and pointed to her bare feet.
"Right!" She turned on her heals and ran back through the kitchen.
"What's gotten in to her today?" Kate wondered, watching the scene.
Aaron laughed. "Her Grandfather is picking her up and they are going to the cabin for the weekend. I didn't tell her until last night for this exact reason."
Caitlyn had skidded back before Kate could comment. She stood at Aaron's feet and looked up at him. "Now can I go?" she whined.
He cocked an eyebrow at her and pretended to consider. "O-kay…but…" he trailed.
Caitlyn watched him intently, waiting for him to finish his sentence. Aaron could see her starting to squirm.
"Go give your mother a hug and a kiss."
Caitlyn launched herself onto the couch and hugged Ellie, who ruffled her hair. "Be careful," she told her. "Your Dad and I are just a phone call away if you need anything. And listen to Grandma and Grandpa!"
"Okay, Mommy!" Caitlyn kissed her on the cheek before she climbed off the couch. She looked up at Kate, arms outstretched. Kate knelt to her level to hug her and Aaron could see something brighten in her eyes.
"Bye, Kate!" Caitlyn said happily
"Bye, Munchkin."
This time, when Caitlyn presented herself to Aaron he beamed down at her. He bent to pick her up, hugging her as she wrapped her arms around his neck. They turned and headed toward the garage, Aaron craned his neck back toward Kate. "I'll be back in a sec," he told her.
Kate watched Aaron's retreating form, finding it strange that Ellie appeared disinterested in greeting her own parents. "So, your parents have land around here?" She hedged in an attempt to make small talk.
Ellie looked up from what she was reading and laughed. "Nope. My parents live in Vancouver so we usually only see them when we go on vacation."
She noticed the confusion playing on Kate's features and offered a patient smile. "Jack's picking her up," she explained.
Kate stared at her in disbelief.
Jack had parked his Classic Edition Bronco across the front of Aaron's driveway. He leaned against it with his sleeves rolled up and his arms crossed, enjoying the feeling of the breeze ruffling his hair. His old Bronco had packed it in about 10 years ago. He had been absolutely elated when Ford came out with a re-release. Kate was less than impressed. He pulled up after work one day, sporting a clone of the original except it had a significantly more modern interior
"They made more of them?" she had exclaimed, incredulously.
"Kate, these things never go out of style," he beamed, proudly.
"But really, Jack. Do they come in any other colors?"
The sparkle in his eyes had been so bright that Kate couldn't help but hug him. She had humored him for a full hour as he listed off all the reasons that they should get one for her.
"Grandpa!"
Jack peered over his sunglasses, grinning. "Hey there, Jelly Bean."
Aaron let his daughter down so that she could run to Jack. The zipper of her backpack had started to unzip and he could see the beady eyes of her stuffed rabbit staring back at him.
"Whoa Caitlyn, hold up or Luke Skyhopper's goin' overboard!"
Caitlyn stopped and pouted. "Daddy, that's not his name," she protested, but allowed Aaron to tuck the creature back in her bag.
"Do you really have to turn everything into a Star Wars pun?" Jack asked him, laughing at the pair.
"Come on," Aaron protested. "That's a good one."
Jack rolled his eyes. "Sure it is, almost as good as when you tried to name Sam's dog 'Chewbarka'," he deadpanned.
"Oh, it's never too late for Chewbarka," Aaron protested. "Kate's probably got some empty nest syndrome goin' on. I'm sure she'd love a furry companion."
"She has me," Jack retorted. "And didn't we just get rid of you three?" his voice was filled with mirth. "No thanks! Kate and I are enjoying our alone time way too much."
"Okay…no. Gross." Aaron made a face and teasingly reached down to cover Caitlyn's ears. "Not infront of the kid."
Caitlyn pried his fingers away with her tiny hands. "Daddy, stop," she complained.
Jack smiled and knelt to hug her. "Already to go, Kiddo?" He asked, earning an excited grin.
"Yeah!"
Jack surveyed at her for a moment, considering. He reached for her sunglasses, placed them on top of her head, and glanced down at her eyes that match his own. "Now yer ready to go," he smirked. "We just gotta pick up Grandma then we can hit the road."
"You be good for Grandma and Grandpa," Aaron warned, leaning his hand on the open side-door of the Bronco. He watched Jack strap her into the booster secured to his back seat.
"I will Daddy!"
He leaned in to kiss her once more before Jack closed the door.
"Thanks for taking her this weekend," He said to Jack, clapping the man on the shoulder.
"Aaron, she's our Granddaughter. We want her whenever we can get her," Jack beamed.
"Well, I still really appreciate it. It's been a bit of a long week."
Jack noticed for the first time how tired the younger man looked. "And I'm sorry for everything we've done to contribute to that," he said solemnly.
"Nope, not going there." Aaron didn't like the brooding expression that had started to play across Jack's features so he pulled the man in for a brief hug. "We do what we have to for family."
"Alright," Jack agreed and his expression changed.
"What?" Aaron tilted his head, watching the amusement play over Jack's features.
"Don't look now, but we've got a bit of an audience," Jack chuckled and quickly flicked his eyes toward the living room window. His heart warmed at the sight of his beautiful wife… she was so young. She only got better with age.
Inside, Kate was watching the exchange in utter shock. She knew she shouldn't be eavesdropping, but she had to see for herself. She didn't know what she had been expecting, but it wasn't to see Jack, leaning against that same old damn Bronco with a happy, relaxed expression on his face. She could tell he had just come from work.
He was wearing a pin-striped Oxford with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, exposing the tattooed skin underneath. His arms were crossed, hiding the brightly coloured stars that she knew arced up his left forearm. The most distinguishing change was his grey hair, long enough to be ruffled slightly by the faint breeze. His eyes were hidden by a dark pair of Ray Bans that seemed to suit him well.
The part of Kate's brained that hadn't been stunned by the pure shock of what she looking at marveled at the scene. She did the math in her head. He would have just turned 71. Damn he looked good!
"Kate? What's wrong?" Jack was on the stairs, watching her stand motionless at the window. His brow furrowed in confusion when she didn't respond.
"Kate, what…" He froze when he reached the window and his breath hitched in his chest. The last thing expected was to be looking at a much older version of himself and that same old Bronco. Or was it the same? He shook his head to clear it.
Kate glanced at him wistfully out of the corner of her eye. Jack caught it, but it disappeared as soon as he looked at her. "What?" he asked. He looked back at himself.
Kate walked away slowly, drifting over to the kitchen island where she pulled out a stool to sit on. She kept her back to him and hoped he would take the hint.
In her mind, she saw the older, happier Jack and the good life they have in 2040. She couldn't imagine how they got to that point. She loved Jack, but he had been so obsessed with erasing the past. She had his back and would support him but had doubts about how he felt about her. He said it 'was all misery' and he could erase all of it, despite her telling him it wasn't. That meant the good times together and love they had shared would all be erased. He would rather see her locked up with a life sentence or possible death penalty courtesy of Marshal Mars and the good old boys club back in Iowa, having never met her. It made her feel low and unwanted, but she was true to her words. She always had his back, even if she didn't agree with him. And even if that meant her death by bomb or lethal injection.
Jack's eyes were bloodshot and rimmed with dark circles. He knew he looked just as bad as he felt and he didn't care. Aaron had offered him the diazepam to relax him and spare him from the muscle cramps and nausea, but he had refused to take it. The pleasant, snowed feeling was too much like the oxys. He was afraid of falling into that trap again, wanting it too much. He didn't want to be addicted anymore. He needed his senses to figure out how to fix this mess and get them back to 2007, not to be stoned or knocked out.
He had a hard time turning from the image of his future self, but could feel Kate's presence strongly. Something was wrong and it made the air feel heavy.
"Kate, what's going on?" he asked, more sharply than intended. The headache that had been lingered since he had woken up in 2040 only worsened his mood.
She glanced at him. "Nothing." She was irritable and not in the mood for one of his interrogations.
"Something's obviously wrong." He was terse. "Why don't you just tell me so I don't have to play guessing games with you? It's me, isn't it?" Jack was tense. He knew why they were there and it was his fault. He already felt guilty and assumed Kate blamed him for sticking them in the situation.
Kate put her elbows on the counter and covered her face with her hands. She groaned. Here we go again, she thought. Jack can't just let it go. She didn't want to hurt him further. She was trying to protect him and willing herself not to lash out. She knew the hurtful things she could say in anger would only make him feel worse. He always needed her in his corner, but after the bomb . . . she wondered if he was in her corner? If not, when did he leave?
"Just drop it, Jack." Kate muttered.
"No. Say it! You think it's my fault that we're here, don't you? You're wondering how we're going to get back and blaming me for taking you away from Aaron, little Aaron, and fucking up everything with that damn bomb!" Jack's words were bitter. His head pounded as he voiced his own insecurities. He wanted to hear it from Kate's own mouth. She did blame him. He knew it.
"I never said that! Stop assuming, Jack! You are way out of the ballpark on this one!" Kate snapped.
"So, you're okay with this? Being blasted to 2040 with no way to go home? It's my fault. Go ahead and say it! I know you want to!" Jack's face was turning red. He stood and paced, angry at himself and venting, wanting to hear it out loud from the one person he knew would tell him what he wanted to hear. Except her mouth was like Fort Knox when it came to secrets and things he wanted to know. It was like pulling teeth sometimes to get her to talk, he reasoned. He rubbed his right temple with his fingers to assuage the throbbing pain.
Kate turned and watched him. She knew he wasn't feeling well, but she was pissed. "Am I happy to be in 2040 indefinitely? No. I wish you weren't so blind, Jack. Our life obviously wasn't 'all misery.' Did you even look at yourself, happy and relaxed in the driveway? Did you even picture a future with me, with Aaron and someday having grandchildren when you proposed? Or, was it one of those impulsive things you did because something happened?" She narrowed her eyes at him. He had stopped pacing and looked at her, momentarily speechless. She obviously was close to the mark.
He closed his eyes and slammed his fist down on the counter— hard. She recoiled at the sound, but he didn't care. "Stop trying to change the subject, Kate. Just say it, already! Say what you really feel!" He was beyond frustrated. He loved her but didn't feel worthy and was waiting for the hammer to come down on his royal screw up. He wanted her to deliver the blow.
"You want to know the truth? I don't blame you! I went along with it, even though it wasn't 'all misery' like you kept saying. You were willing to throw away me and our relationship, the good times too, and wipe everything out. You were willing to throw me to the dogs and end up with a life sentence or the death penalty because you stopped caring about me."
She was breathing rapidly, a flush creeping up her neck and cheeks. "Want some more truth?! I went back to that damn island because I love you, Jack! When did you stop loving me? When did I become so worthless to you that you would throw my 'fate' into the wind? Let's not forget you could have killed everyone by following Farrady's 'bible' you carried around, all because 'nothing ever felt so right' in your life. Not even us!" Hot tears fell rapidly down her face. She didn't want to hear the answer.
She needed to be alone, to hide. She exposed her feelings, that she still loved him, cared and he obviously didn't. She blamed herself for letting him push her to that point, for being fool enough to take the bait. She turned and fled up the steps. The bedroom door slammed heavily behind her.
There was nothing but silence in her wake, silence and a stunned Jack.
That was not what he was expecting to hear.
He sat down slowly on the stool that she had vacated. He covered his mouth with his hands before running them through his hair. What had he done?
Aaron had come inside to sit by Ellie on the couch, becoming unintentional witnesses to the blow up in the kitchen. They exchanged a worried look.
"So much for the silent treatment," Aaron muttered, his voice low and well out of Jack's earshot. "Aren't you glad that when we fight it's usually over who's doing the dishes?"
Ellie rolled her eyes, knowing his defense mechanism when he was stressed was to crack a poorly timed joke.
"I'll bet that trip to the office is looking real nice right now," he whined uncomfortably. "We could totally trade. You stay here, I'll learn to be a lawyer and…"
"Aaron," she interrupted his ramble and placed her hand flat against his chest. She could feel his heart thumping against her palm. "It'll be okay."
His eyebrows furrowed and he sighed, feeling the need to pull her into his arms. "Yeah, I know," he whispered into her neck as he hugged her. "But that was a little intense, even for them."
"Maybe its time we separated those two for a bit?" She suggested.
Aaron sighed. "What are you thinking?"
"You could try the whole male bonding thing with Jack. See if you can get him out of his own head for a little while."
A/N: HUGE thanks to DimpleCurlAeternaGirl for her help, especially with the Jate fight! Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed. I really appreciate it and they make me want to write more! For those of you waiting on the Sawyer and Juliet reunion don't worry that will get its own chapter. Thanks so much everyone and please review