Sorry this chapter took so long to update, I've been working on a lot of other fics as well. And it seems there will be a third part to The Truth, because Juliet has yet to fully explain everything to Horace. In the meantime, here's the Jate scene I promised you. Enjoy! :)

The song is Sweet Dreams by Beyoncé, because it was stuck in my head when I posted this.

And I'm sorry about all the mistakes in this chapter, but I've fixed them now.

Chapter 14: The Truth, Part Two

Every night I rush to my bed,
With hopes that maybe I'll get a chance to see you.
When I close my eyes I'm going out of my head,
Lost in a fairytale, can you hold my hands and be my guide?

Clouds filled with stars cover the skies.
And I hope it rains, you're the perfect lullaby.
What kinda dream is this?

You could be a sweet dream or a beautiful nightmare,
Either way I don't wanna wake up from you.

I wish that when I wake up you're there,
To wrap your arms around me for real
And tell me you'll stay by my side.

Carrying Kate into the Infirmary, Jack was dismayed to see how outdated the medical equipment was. Everything looked like it was from the seventies and he hoped he wouldn't need to use much of it. Kate began to squirm in his arms, muttering about the light so he set her down gently on one of the beds. Tilting some water from the canteen into her mouth, she fought him weakly, not wanting to swallow anything.

"Come on, Kate. You have to stay hydrated," he coaxed.

Finally she gave in, gulping the liquid down. When she was finished, she rolled onto her side and curled up in a ball, shivering slightly. Jack noticed how tightly she shut her eyes, as if the light was bothering her. Putting a hand against her forehead, he was alarmed at how much warmer she felt.

He gazed around the room, looking for some way to cool her off. He saw a young woman wearing white scrubs and standing as far away from him as possible. She seemed nervous, like he was about to jump up and attack at any second. Jack didn't understand why everyone was so scared of him, something he was trying not to dwell on too much.

There was an older man slouching in the corner, eying him suspiciously as well. He had a white lab coat on and Jack knew he was the doctor here at the Infirmary.

"Where are the ice packs?" Jack demanded, then he cursed himself for sounding so unfriendly. The last thing he needed was to everyone dislike him even more.

The doctor frowned at Jack's request and walked out of the room, but he came back a few minutes later with an armful of ice packs, glaring as he handed them over.

As Jack rolled Kate onto her back and began placing them around her neck he heard the Infirmary door slam shut. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Jin walk in. Too worried to say anything, Jack continued his desperate attempts to cool Kate down. He shoved some of the packs underneath her armpits and against her thighs, though he could tell his efforts weren't going to work fast enough.

Kate moaned so weak she could barely move as she tried to push to cold objects away.

"I'm going to need a bucket of ice and a bathtub," Jack announced, quickly coming up with a plan. But this time the Infirmary doctor didn't answer, staring straight ahead as if he wasn't there.

Jack could see these people weren't going to be very cooperative; clearly thinking they'd already helped enough. It angered him that even though a woman was lying sick in their very own hospital, no one wanted to help.

In desperation he turned to Jin, hoping the man had some kind of authority over the medical staff. "She has to get cooled down before her fever gets any higher," he said, nearly begging. "These ice packs aren't going to work – they're already melting for god's sake. And if Kate keeps getting hotter, there's a very good possibility that she'll die."

It had never been in his nature to sugar coat a situation, but the stricken look on his friend's face made Jack wish he'd been a bit kinder. That was the truth though and as a doctor he'd committed himself to always telling the truth.

"I don't know where the ice is," Jin stated, clearly torn. His hand twitched towards the rifle slung across his back. With a flash of startling clarity, Jack understood the man's dilemma. Helping Jack would make Jin an outcast among his own people, no longer trusted by anyone.

Even though he didn't know Jin very well, the man had been nothing but kind towards him and Jack wasn't about to repay him by destroying whatever life he had here, meaning he had to take action himself.

Well here goes nothing, he thought as he started walking towards the doctor, slowly but filling each step with menace. Jack grabbed the man by his lab coat – which had the name 'Ted' stitched on it – and slammed him against the wall.

"Where. Is. The. Ice?" he demanded. Ted gulped while his eyes widened in fear.

"There's a – a freezer over there," he admitted, pointing to the opposite corner of the room. Jack released him and the man darted out of his reach. "Kwon! Aren't you going to stop him?" Ted shouted at Jin who shook his head.

"Horace told me that Jack is going to help Kate. He's a doctor, so if he says she needs more ice..."

Ted sighed but didn't argue further, giving Jack the feeling Horace had a lot of power over these people. Thank god he's on my side...for the moment, he thought.

Snatching a nearby pail, Jack grabbed ice packs from the mini freezer. He ripped them open, pouring the ice into the bucket.

"Where's the bathroom?" he asked, praying there would be a tub inside. Jack followed Jin's directions to a door in the hallway.

Seeing the small bathtub in the corner, he sighed in relief. Cold water began filling it as he turned on the tap. After waiting a moment he poured the bucket of ice in as well, grimacing as his hand hit the water. It was freezing.

As much as he hated to do this to Kate, it was necessary. Jack left the water running and went to get her. Bringing her to the bathroom, he began a silent debate in his head. Would the ice bath work faster with her clothes on or off?

He could feel his face growing red as he thought about undressing a woman he barely knew. How would she react when she found out what he'd done? But if he'd been in a relationship with Kate at some point, enough that he'd proposed to her like she'd told him, it probably wouldn't be too uncomfortable for her...he hoped.

Shutting the door behind him, Jack propped Kate up against the toilet seat, pulling off her jeans. She squirmed but didn't fight him, continuing to sleep soundly. Jack was partially glad she wasn't awake for this but he also wished she knew what he was doing. That way he wouldn't feel like he was violating her privacy.

Trying to stare at her as little as possible he struggled to take off her shirt as he fought with her limp arms. Finally she was stripped down to her underclothes and shivering against the cold tiled floor. Her face was still beat red so he was certain her fever hadn't gone down at all.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, raising her to her feet. Kate sagged against him and he held her tightly. He began lifting her up and lowering her into the freezing tub, not giving her a chance to protest.

As soon as her feet touched the water, she jerked awake. Staring at him with fever bright eyes, Kate tried to figure out what was happening. Jack continued to sink her body down into the cold water, hoping she wouldn't put up too much of a fight.

That was when she started to scream. Her shrieks nearly made Jack drop her in surprise but he held on. Even as her arms and legs flailed violently – sending waves of water up into the air, soaking them both – he didn't let go.

"What are you doing? Where are my clothes?" she demanded, noticing her lack of attire.

Jack didn't reply, couldn't even begin to explain, so he apologized instead. "I'm sorry, Kate. Please, you have to cool down and this is the only way." As he spoke she paused her frantic screeching, looking up at him with eyes shining of betrayal.

Jack's heart nearly broke but he steeled his resolve and didn't relax his grip on her. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," he continued to whisper, still lowering her down into the icy liquid.

Now she was submerged up to her thighs and her shakes were becoming stronger. She started crying out again, the sound punctuated by the constant chattering of her teeth.

"Almost there, just a bit more," he coaxed gently. Some part of her, the part that wasn't being driven insane by the cold and the fever, must have heard him because she slowly began to quiet down.

Eventually Kate stopped struggling so much, allowing him to place her further down in the tub. But just once she was waist deep in the water she gasped, clutching Jack's jumpsuit tightly. He fought to maintain his balance but ended up toppling in after her.

The icy water stung his skin and he felt it clearly through his many layers of clothing. He couldn't even imagine how cold Kate must be. That was when Jack realized he'd fallen on top of her and he quickly shifted out of the way.

By now the tub was overflowing – water was spilling out onto the floor – but Jack made no move to get out. Instead he helped Kate get settled, pulling her close and leaning her head against his chest. He tried to touch her as little as possible, knowing that unnecessary contact would defeat the purpose of the bath.

It was his own fault she was going through this, but Jack hoped staying with Kate for a few minutes would help her adjust to the cool temperature more easily.

Soon she did relax against him, the shivers lessening as she closed her eyes and sighed quietly.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, wondering if she would be lucid enough to answer.

"M – my eyes...so bri – bright..." she complained amidst her chattering teeth. Jack understood, he reached over to the towel rack behind his head and pulled down a washcloth. Draping the soft material over her eyes, he listened as she mumbled her thanks.

"Is there anything else, Kate? Are you still feeling dizzy? Or are you thirsty?"

She shook her head slightly. "It ju – just...hurts."

"Where?" he asked, wishing he could do something to ease her pain.

"Everywhere," she stated simply.

"Do you mind if I try something?" he asked, an idea coming to him. Without waiting for an answer he began rubbing his hands along her shoulders.

Kate moaned in pleasure as Jack continued expertly massaging her back and neck. It was something he'd done for Sarah all the time when they were married, though his ex-wife's reactions had been nothing compared to Kate's. She melted against him, her shivers finally stopping as she became completely relaxed.

"How's that feel?" Jack asked, continuing to move his fingers up and down her back.

"Mmmm," she breathed. "Feels nice." Jack smiled and ran his fingers down her arms softly. She trembled in delight, the moment feeling so intimate that Jack wished he never had to get out of the tub.

But now that Kate wasn't shaking so violently he knew it was time to leave. He leaned down to kiss her forehead, gently detaching himself from her. He folded up a towel propped it against the side of the tub so she would have something to lean on when he left.

"Don't...go," she pleaded, her voice barely above a whisper. Jack found himself being drawn back down to her side. No matter how much as he wanted to stay, as a doctor he understood how important it was that she cool down quickly. That meant he needed to leave her alone and let her rest in the tub for a few minutes.

So he gently pushed the damp hair back from her forehead and stepped out of the bathtub. "I'll be right here," he told her. Jack wasn't about to let Kate fall asleep and drown, he would never forgive himself if she died because of him.

As he moved to sit down on the wet floor, his foot slipped and he fell with a thud. He chuckled to himself once he'd regained his breath. "Nope, I'm not going anywhere, Kate," he said, leaning against the side of the tub.

Suddenly Jin and the nurse came bursting in. They caught sight of the soaking wet floor and Kate's clothes piled in a heap. Seeing Jack peacefully resting against the tub made Jin's eyes widen in surprise. "What are you doing?" he asked suspiciously.

Jack knew he was blushing furiously and he tried to stay calm and do his best to explain. "Ummm, Kate needed to have the ice directly exposed to her skin as much as possible, so..." he gestured at the pile of clothes on the floor.

Jin didn't look like he believed him, but he didn't say anything. He simply walked out of the cramped room, pushing the nurse out and closing the door behind them both.

Jack remained sitting on the wet floor, staring at Kate's discarded clothes while trying to fight down the surge of emotions threatening to overwhelm him. Being alone like this with her was like nothing he'd ever felt before. He didn't know why and that scared the hell out of him.

But he liked feeling this way, he hadn't been so needed by one person in such a long time. Ever since Sarah, Jack thought he would never be able to love again. Now he found himself falling hard for Kate, he just hoped she wouldn't break his heart like Sarah had.

I guess there's only one way to find out, he thought to himself as Kate breathed deeply above him. Her silence was calming, soon Jack hoisted himself up against the side of the tub. He took a towel down from the shelf, attempting to mop up the floor though really just searching for an excuse to watch her. Even though she was clearly still sick, her face wasn't as flushed as it had been before. The ice bath was definitely working and now Jack just had to figure out what was wrong with her.

Through his many years as a doctor, he had learned how important it was to have a cause before finding the solution. Glancing over at Kate, Jack knew he would do all he could to figure out what had done this to her.

As if sensing his thoughts, she weakly lifted her arm out of the tub and grasped at the air, searching for him. He abandoned his attempts to mop up the puddles of water, instead sitting down on the toilet and taking her hand in his. He squeezed tightly, letting her know he was there for her.

"Jack..." she whispered. "Thank you."

In that moment, he was so tempted to lean down and press his lips against hers. He fought against the feeling, knowing it wasn't the right time. But he did continue holding Kate's hand, the simple contact making him feel more alive than he had in years.

"No, thank you, Kate," he told her and she smiled slightly. "Now just rest for a bit. You only have to stay in there a few more minutes." Even though Jack wished he could stay by her side forever.

Horace didn't know how to respond. He could only stare at Juliet furiously. "What do you mean you were already here?" There was only one explanation he could think of and it made him sick to his stomach.

"Horace," Juliet began hesitantly. "It's not what you think."

"Oh? What is it then? You mean you aren't really working for the Hostiles and haven't been lying to us for the past three years?" Juliet was about to interrupt but he cut her off. "We trusted you, I trusted you. All of you. And you let us down. What am I supposed to tell Amy? That the woman who delivered her baby only did so because she was pretending to care?"

Juliet gasped, standing up in anger. "You and I both know that's not true! I care about Amy as if she was my own sister. So don't you ever say that again!"

She stood glaring down at him, not sure what to do next until James began mumbling to himself. He let out a low moan as Juliet dropped down beside him. She cupped his face in her hands, frowning at how hot he felt. His eyes opened for a minute when her cool hands touched his skin.

"James. Do you know who I am?" Juliet asked tenderly, though she was ready to back away if he started to show any signs of violence.

He swallowed thickly and looked up at her through heavy lidded eyes. "Yeah... Howdy Blondie." He started to say something else, but his voice sank to nothing more than a whisper and his eyes rolled back in his head.

"James?" Juliet shook his head back and forth, slapping his cheek gently as she tried to wake him up. When he didn't move she turned to Horace. "We have to get him back to the Infirmary," she said.

He looked at her in disbelief. "What makes you think I'm going to let you get anywhere near my people now?"

"For god's sake, Horace. They're my people too. I've lived with you for three years. Three years and I've never once tried to hurt you. But James is dehydrated, his fever is getting worse and I don't know what's wrong with him." She struggled to regain herself though her voice was breaking.

Don't start crying now. Not in front of Horace. After a moment, she continued. "If he doesn't get help soon, he will die. And trust me, that is not something you want on your conscience." She stopped talking and tried to catch her breath. Why was she telling him this?

Horace was staring at her as if she was an entirely different person, one he'd never seen before. I guess I am, Juliet realized sadly. For all of the years she'd been living with the Dharma Initiative, none of them knew the real her. Except for James, of course.

"Please, Horace. You have to trust m – "

"Trust you? I did trust you three years ago when you came here saying your ship had just crashed. And look where that got me." His expression turned to one of sorrow and Juliet began to wish she'd never told him anything. But it was too late now.

"We are not Hostiles, Horace. We've never wanted to hurt any of you. We just needed a place to stay while we waited for our friends to come back – that part was true. And when we didn't find them, we started settling down here. You didn't have a problem with that three years ago and nothing has changed since then, except now some of our friends have come home."

Horace scratched his head, thinking about Juliet's words. "Jack is one of your people?" he finally asked.

Juliet nodded. "Kate and Hurley too."

"Hurley? As in the chef guy? My god, how many more of you are there?" he asked skeptically. This was all too ridiculous to believe.

"That's everyone, oh except for Sayid." Horace frowned, puzzled at her answer. "The 'Hostile' Radzinsky and Jin found by the Flame. He's with us."

Horace's shoulders slumped at her words. "Dammit. How am I supposed to explain this to Radzinsky? There's no way he's just going to let a Hostile go free."

Juliet's heart leapt. Did that mean he believed her? "Can we figure that out later?" she asked, indicating James' prone body resting on the sidewalk.

Horace nodded, standing up to grab his unconscious friend's shoulders. "Okay. This doesn't mean I think you're telling the truth. But either you're a really good liar or there is still much more to this story. And you will tell me the rest later. We aren't finished with this conversation," he ordered. "It won't do any good though if Jim gets worse before he can help you explain."

Juliet breathed a silent exhale of relief. "Thank you, let's go."

Bringing James back to the Infirmary was no easy task, especially since he refused to stay still. More than once Juliet and Horace had to stop and wait for him to calm his restless movements.

Eventually they made it in the door of the medical center, laying James down on a bed. Juliet scanned the room for Jack but she didn't see him, or anyone else for that matter. She didn't get a chance to find them before James started to roll off the bed.

"What are you doing?" she asked, catching him before he could fall.

He shivered slightly and forced his eyes to open. "Let go a' me, Freckles," he growled at her. "Ya' don't wanna get involved with a guy like me..."

Juliet fought to remain calm. He actually thought she was Kate. Briefly the temptation to slap him until he woke up from this delusion was so strong that she had to clasp her hands together tightly.

"I'm nothing like Kate," she told herself, wanting to believe it was true.

That was when James reached up and grabbed her around the neck, choking her. Juliet couldn't scream, she had no air left. She fought against him, pushing as hard as she could, though he still didn't let her go.

Suddenly Horace was there, pulling James' hands off. As soon as she was free Juliet shrank away from the bed, breathing heavily. "Thanks," she gasped, nodding at her rescuer.

"What was that about?" he wondered, staring at James a bit fearfully. Receiving no answer from either James – who'd fallen back into a fitful sleep – or Juliet, Horace finally noticed the empty room. "Where is everybody?"

Just then, Jin and a doctor came storming down the hall. They were having a heated argument, not noticing Horace and Juliet.

"We shouldn't have left him alone in there with her," the doctor, Ted, was saying. "Shelly said there was water all over the floor. God knows what he could've done in there..."

Jin shook his head. "Jack said that's what needed to be done to cool her down. He is a doctor too."

Ted grunted. "And you believe him? You trust that stranger more than me?"

Jin didn't hesitate. "Yes."

Juliet decided it was time to reveal her presence before Ted could retaliate. She coughed softly and both men whirled to face her. They both wore similar expressions of guilt, as if they'd been caught doing something wrong.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Jack is giving Kate an ice bath," Jin explained. Horace turned to stare at Juliet and she could see the question in his eyes. What kind of 'friends' are they?

She shook her head. 'Not now,' she mouthed at him and he relented. She was reminded of James lying unconscious behind her when he began writhing back and forth. Eying the bed, an idea came to her. She couldn't help the wicked smile that crept onto her face as she turned to Ted. "Do you have any restraints here?" she asked innocently.

His jaw dropped open though he didn't ask why. He simply rummaged around in the cupboards, emerging with a pair of ancient-looking leather cuffs and handing them to her silently.

"We have to take off his jumpsuit first so he can cool down," she said, looking straight at Horace. He nodded, willing to provide his assistance.

Juliet warily approached James, still keeping out of his reach. Horace caught on to what she was doing and snuck around the other side of the bed. When James slowly angled his body to watch the older man's movements, Juliet saw her chance.

She pounced, leaping on top of him to limit his range of movement. James grunted against her weight. "What the hell are ya' doin'? Tryin' ta' undress me?" he demanded as she began unbuttoning his jumpsuit. "Whoa, I didn't mean it. Get yer hands off'a' me!" He starting thrashing beneath her, trying to flip her off him.

"Horace!" Juliet shouted desperately, tugging on one of James' sleeves. Horace pinned down his arms so she could pull the top of his jumpsuit off. Successful, Juliet immediately strapped James' wrists into the cuffs, locking the other ends against the bedrails. As soon as that was done she rolled off him, knowing her actions were doing nothing to help his fever.

She and Horace began working on the bottom half of the jumpsuit next. First taking off his boots and working their way up, the two finally managed to pull off his sweat-soaked outfit, leaving James clad in his boxers and an undershirt.

As his legs continued to flail around on the bed, scrunching up the sheets, Juliet didn't even have to ask before Ted handed her another pair of restraints. It took longer to get his legs clipped in, though with a team effort they eventually succeeded. James passed out after that, exhausted from his exertion of energy.

Juliet tried getting him to drink some water and when he refused she hooked him to a dextrose IV line. Now that she didn't have to worry about his dehydration, she began to focus her efforts on cooling him down.

First came the damp washcloth she placed over his eyes since he'd started to complain about the light. Then the ice packs – there were very few in the freezer and she took them all, stuffing them around James' neck and armpits. She could feel herself beginning to blush as she attempted to slide a few bags down his boxers.

Horace was smirking in the corner, watching Juliet wrestle with her own emotions while she shoved her hand down his pants. She knew what she was doing, he'd give her that much, but it was still amusing to see her struggle. He was tempted to help her, though after what she'd told him – and what she had yet to explain – he wasn't sure if he could ever trust her again.

Finally Juliet placed the ice packs in the right spot. Just as she was about to remove her hand, Jack walked out of the bathroom. His jumpsuit was dripping water all over the floor and he was holding Kate in his arms. The brunette was wrapped in a towel, her hair soaking wet though her face didn't look nearly as red anymore.

Juliet didn't notice any of that because she was too busy whipping her hand out of James' boxers as Jack's mouth dropped open in shock.

He didn't ask what she was doing – since he was a doctor he probably already knew, she reasoned with herself. The situation was extremely awkward though and Juliet was certain she was blushing furiously.

Jack busied himself with getting Kate settled down in the bed next to James, sitting down heavily in the chair across from Juliet when he finished. "How's he doing?" he asked Juliet, eying James. Jack was careful to make no comment about what she'd been doing when he walked in, for which Juliet was thankful.

"Not good. He's still really warm. What about Kate? She's looking better..." Juliet trailed off, her mind going back to the conversation she'd overheard between Jin and Ted. Oh god, don't go there, she instructed herself, not wanting to think about what may or may not have gone on in that bathroom.

Jack's a good guy, he's not going to take advantage of Kate like that. But if she wanted him to... She could feel her face heating up again as her own thoughts spun out of control. No! Jack doesn't even remember her. Nothing happened, so don't even think about it!

"I gave her an ice bath to cool her down and she's stopped throwing up, which is a good sign. Now she just needs some sleep," Jack said, interrupting her internal conflicts. He gazed down at Kate tenderly and Juliet wondered what kind of moment they'd experienced in the bathroom.

Stop it! Whatever Jack and Kate are doing is none of your business. It doesn't matter, all you need is James. And she believed that, with all her heart. But some small part of her couldn't stop thinking about the way Jack lovingly held Kate's hand. He had changed so much in the few days since he had arrived back on the Island. At first he'd acting nothing but angrily towards Kate and now he wouldn't leave her side. Maybe he does remember some things, she thought to herself.

"Do you have any theories?" Jack asked suddenly, startling her out of her daydreams.

"What?" She wasn't quite sure what he was asking.

"About what's wrong with them? I have no explanation. This is clearly more than just a fever, but I'm not sure what."

"I don't know either. Maybe it was something they ate..." But even as she said it, Juliet knew that was a lame excuse. Food poising wouldn't have caused this.

"I want to do a blood test," Jack said absently, picking up a thermometer that was lying on the bedside table. He stuck it in Kate's mouth and waited for a few minutes, eventually pulling it back out and frowning. "Her temperature is lower, but still not where I'd like it to be. I think if I can find out what's causing this, then I can start the treatment right away."

Juliet was amazed at how clinical he sounded, going from caring friend to concerned doctor in a few seconds. "What if there is no treatment?" she asked, voicing the question she knew they were both thinking.

Jack turned to smile at her confidently. "There's always a treatment, even if it's not a guaranteed cure it will help to know more about what's going on. Trust me, I will find a way to fix this," he said, sounding like his same old self again.

Then he went back to stroking Kate's hair, whispering words of assurance to her. He was trying to sound brave for both Kate and Juliet, though in reality he was as scared as they were. He was determined not to show it however. Things were already stressful enough.

Juliet wished she could be as positive as Jack. She held James' hand anyway, even though he might not remember her when he woke up again. She wanted to be by his side, to provide support just like Jack was doing. The future was uncertain, full of unexpected surprises, but she would be with James every step of the way. No matter what.

"I love you," she whispered, those three words full of promise. That was the best she could do at the moment and she hoped it would be enough.

For a while she entertained herself with how James would react when he woke up to find ice shoved down his pants. Smiling slightly, she waited by his side, checking his temperature and trying to stay positive until he became more alert.

"Just wait until you wake up and see me playing doctor," she mumbled to him. "I know you'll get a kick out of it."

Up next: Sawyer wakes up confused and angry while Juliet finally tells Horace everything. But will he believe her? And what is this mysterious illness? ;)