Chapter 21

Jack spent the rest of the week between the hospital and his mother's house, trying to go over his options. If he thought Kate was a worry wart over his health, his mother was even moreso. She constantly leapt from her chair at the slightest cough or sniffle he produced, asking if he needed tea, medicine, or whatnot. He was grateful to have the distraction of visiting Claire on Friday, and promised Kate he wouldn't stay out all night. She was working until eight thirty, and insisted she'd be fine taking care of herself for dinner.

He went to the liquor store and bought a bottle of wine, which he thought would be a nice treat for Claire and Charlie to have after the baby was born. Jack changed out of the clothes he wore to the radiation treatments, and put on something a bit more respectable, before heading out of the apartment around 5:30.

Claire, meanwhile, busied herself about the house, cleaning and making pasta with alfredo sauce, chicken, and an array of vegetables. Her large stomach made it difficult to stand for long periods of time, but she was used to it, having been forced to walk more than a doctor would have considered safe while pregnant with Aaron. Then again, being on a deserted island with absolutely no medical facilities except a spianl surgeon wasn't exactly safe, either.

She kept glancing at the clock, whose hands seemed to move extra slowly that night, and continued to stir the pasta in the pot on the stove.

"I'm off to the studio," Charlie called as he came out of the bedroom, whistling, and he pecked a kiss on her cheek. "Call me when it's safe to come home, all right?"

She smiled gratefully at him, and insisted she would. He left, and the only sounds in the apartment were the radio playing quietly from one of the general classic rock stations, and Aaron's occasional gurgles from his playpen. The toddler stood watching his mother with his large blue eyes, chewing continuously on one of his stuffed animals. He screeched "Maaa!" and she came to soothe him for a moment, while keeping her eye on the cooking food.

Jack finally arrived at 6:00 sharp, and she checked herself in the mirror before rushing to open the door for him.

"Hey," he greeted, and presented the wine bottle to her.

"Jack, you should know better than this," she laughed as she took it into her hands and accepted a kiss.

"It's for after Shannon," he laughed, and she rolled her eyes playfully, going to store it in their alcohol stash. Jack immediately went for the playpen, and she watched as he picked Aaron up into his arms, bouncing him a little.

"How's my little godson?" he asked softly, and Aaron gave him a liquidy smile, clutching the shoulder of his button down shirt. "Do you need any help?" he called to Claire as she went into the kitchen to finish preparing the meal, and she smiled.

"Of course not," she insisted. "go and relax on the couch for a while. Do you want something to drink?"

Jack shook his head, and Claire brought him a glass of iced tea anyway, which made him smirk. "Thanks," he chuckled. "how have you been doing? I'm starting to recognize you again."

She made a face, and shrugged afterwards. "I'm okay," she promised. "I should be asking about Kate...this is her first, and I remember how terrified I was about the slightest thing."

Jack cleared his throat, taking a sip from the iced tea, and let Aaron play with his car keys. "She's doing a lot better," he replied. "sometimes a bit more irritable than I'd like, but what can you do about that?" he stretched his bad knee, and Aaron let out a small noise at the movement.

"That's good," Claire called. "How is radiation going? Do you have a time when we need to be in for the tests?"

Jack shook his head. His oncologist hadn't mentioned a specific time frame for the donors to be there, but he assumed it was whenever they had time. He explained this to Claire, and she promised she'd go over the schedule with Charlie. In fact, Hurley was arriving on Tuesday, and it was apparently a surprise, so she didn't mention this little bit of information to Jack. When dinner was finally ready, Claire encouraged her guest to join her at the table, and Jack placed Aaron into his high chair.

"There we go," he breathed, and Claire felt her throat choking up at the sight of her half brother with his nephew. Jack was definitely practicing for his own child, and in regular circumstances, she would laugh.

"It looks great," Jack complimented when he helped her carry the dishes to the table, and they sat down, helping themselves.

"Thanks," she said with a nod. "I'm not the world's best cook, but I'm learning. Especially with two men in the house..." she grinned, and watched as Jack served himself.

"I'll admit," Jack began once they started eating, "I was a bit surprised that you wanted to have some time alone with me. I know we never really got to do that on the island...I do regret it."

Claire blushed. "The only times we did were when you were in the middle of saving me," she pointed out, and he smiled. "I know you had a lot going on, Jack...you were trying to help everybody, and that really was difficult."

Jack was quiet for a bit, and she set her fork down, trying to figure out how she wanted to bring up the news of her important discovery. Part of her wanted to just blurt it out, for that's how it felt inside of her...the information wanted to explode from her mouth.

"Are you all right?" Jack asked after a while, and she looked at him. "You look a bit anxious. I promise I'll be fine tonight," he laughed, and she shook her head, chewing on her nail.

"Actually, Jack, I do have a reason for wanting you to come over tonight. Or at least, wanting to spend time alone with you."

Jack raised his eyebrows, confused, and set his fork down. "Oh?" he straightened up, and Claire looked down at her plate, closing her eyes tightly. She felt a bit nauseous from her anxiety, and regretted having eaten before telling him.

"I'm..." she started to speak, and found no words could come out. He blinked in confusion, unsure of what to make of her sudden change in behavior. Claire was usually the calm one in most situations, and to see her freaking out in front of him was a bit unnerving.

"Claire, it's okay," he promised. "you can tell me if something's bothering you."

She nodded, folding her hands and placing them against her mouth. "Jack, I'm your half sister," she whispered, and he leaned forward, unsure if he'd heard her correctly.

"What did you say?" he asked, and she cleared her throat, looking him in the eye.

"I'm your half sister, Jack," she said in a regular voice, and for a few minutes, both of them were silent. Jack felt a wave of numbness wash over his body, and a sensation as though he'd been struck across the face.

"Claire..." he began, and she held up her hand.

"Don't," she begged. "It's been absolute murder getting up the gall to tell you this, believe me. I wouldn't have, but I figured I owed you that much, especially now."

Jack rubbed a hand over his face, having lost interest in the remainder of his meal. "I don't understand," he said quietly, and she slumped her chair, feeling much better now that the information was out in the open. Keeping it a secret from him had been horrible, especially since he trusted her with everything involving himself and Kate.

"I'm so sorry," she choked. "I didn't believe it either at first...I only found out your father was mine when Kate and I went to my ultrasound."

Jack stared at her. "Kate knows about this?" he asked, and she shook her head frantically.

"I made her swear not to tell you," she sobbed. "Jack, I didn't want you to know...you didn't need someone else to worry about. Please don't get angry with Kate."

Jack blew out his breath, crumbling his napkin into a ball. "I have to go and get some fresh air," he said, and Claire watched as he stood slowly, heading towards their patio. She got up and wanted to chase after him, but knew that wouldn't be the smartest idea. Aaron began crying almost as soon as Jack stepped out through the sliding door, and Claire picked up her son, making "shhhhsh"ing noises to calm him down. She peered through the door and watched as Jack leaned on the rail, looking over the cityskape. She knew it wasn't going to be an easy task telling him, and she hated herself for having to do this, when he was already under enough stress with his illness.

She put Aaron back into the playpen after she was certain Jack had enough time to himself, and went out to join him. "Are you okay?" she asked, and he glanced at her over his shoulder for a moment, and back towards the city. "I'm sorry," she added, touching his arm. "I don't like the situation anymore than you do."

He smiled faintly. "I'm not angry that you're my half-sister," he promised, and she leaned against the rail with him. "I'm just...I'm stunned. I really thought I knew who my Dad was...and now..." he rubbed a hand over his face again. "How did you find out?"

Claire blew out her breath, and looked down at her hands. "Well, the doctor in charge of the ultrasound started talking to Kate about you father, and how he was a chief of surgery for a long time at the hospital. He brought us to the portrait section, and I recognized the man's face immediately...I'd spoken with him before leaving Sydney."

Jack blinked. "You knew my father the entire time we were on the island?" he breathed, and she wet her lips.

"I didnt know he was your father," she insisted. "I remember him telling me about his son, who was a few years older than me and a doctor, too. I hated him so much, so I didn't care to ask about you. I hated him, because of how he just suddenly decided to walk into my life, after I assumed he was dead all this time."

Jack smiled again. "I see." he sniffed, and folded his arms. "so...what did he tell you?"

"He said...he and my Mum met while she was studying in the states, and they were really becoming close...or so she thought. She suddenly discovered he was already married, and immediately threw him out of the house. She moved back to Sydney and had me, and always told me my father was dead. Then she was in a terrible car accident...we both were, and this anonymous person was paying our bills. It turned out to be your father." she chewed on her lip, and Jack nodded, having a bit of difficulty taking this all in. He'd known his father to be a drinker, but even through all that, he swore he'd been absolutely faithful this mother. She cherished him with everything she had, and if she knew about this, her faith would be shattered.

"How is your Mom?" he asked, and Claire lowered her eyes.

"She died," she began slowly, and Jack reached for her hand, but Claire moved it away. "I don't need any sympathy, Jack...I've made my peace with it now." she glanced at him. "but..." she shrugged her shoulders, and cocked her head to one side. "what do we do?"

He shuffled his feet, and sighed. "I don't know," he admited. "I don't think we should bother telling my Mom about this...after all, it's not like my Dad is still alive and able to keep sneaking around." he felt suddenly cold, and Claire suggested they go back inside. They sat down on the couch, and she offered him a cup of tea.

"Thank you," he said, and Claire went to make each of them a mug of fresh chamomile.

"So...are you going to tell your Mum about me?" she asked, once they'd each taken a small sip, and Jack looked at her.

"No," he replied. "It's not worth putting her through that...not now. We'll keep this to ourselves for now."

Claire nodded, glancing into her teamug, and then Jack thought for a moment. "Wait...maybe we should...it would finally open her eyes to how he really was. She just did a background check on Kate, and found out all about her criminal past...even though I can forgive her for most things, I dont think I can forgive her for hurting my wife like that."

Claire stared at him, and blew out her breath very slowly. "Oh my God...how did Kate take it?" she asked, and Jack took another sip of tea.

"Let's just say she paid penance to the porcelain gods shortly afterwards," he replied, and Claire shook her head.

"Your Mum is a tough one," she said, and Jack nodded, "but I don't want to be thought of as a revenge tactic." she gave him a look, and Jack gave her a hug.

"I know," he replied. "but you're going to be my best hope for this transplant. If it turns out to be a match, then we'll tell her."

Claire nodded in understanding. "That sounds a bit more reasonable," she agreed. "God, I was so proud when I found out you were related to me. I couldn't ask for a better person to be my half-brother."

Jack laughed, and kissed her cheek. "That's an honor," he said. "You know what...now that I think about it, we do look a bit similar."

It was Claire's turn to laugh, and she nodded. "Charlie said that, too," she said. "Jack, I seriously hope you can beat this. I can't imagine loosing another family member I'm close to."

Jack cleared his throat, and let go of her, managing another smile. "I can't promise anything, Claire," he replied. "but I'm going to do whatever I can to at least give myself the best chance."

She nodded, and glanced at the dinner table, which still contained a bulk of their food. "Are you still hungry?" she asked, and he chuckled, apologizing for having ruined the initial outcome of the meal.

"No," she insisted, "it wasn't your fault. I had a feeling this would happen after I told you, but I wanted to bring the news to you as slowly as I could."

Jack thanked her for it, and he was grateful when Claire made him a plate to take home and eat at another time, and offered a bit of the chocolate cake she bought from the supermarket. "I think I'm all right for now," he said, and after giving her a kiss and one for Aaron, thanked her for being honest with him.

"Just promise me you won't turn around and loose your temper on Kate," she begged, grabbing his arm, and he smiled.

"I promise I wont," he said. "she did the right thing." he said goodnight, and Claire watched as he headed towards the steps leading for the exit, and leaned against the door after it closed. In its entirety, the situation had turned out quite so bad as she expected. She knew Jack would be upset and flustered, but luckily he hadn't fainted as a result. Once she gained enough momentum to move again, she began the process of cleaning up from dinner.

Jack didn't arrive home until after 10...he spent an hour walking on the beach, watching as the moonlight glistened on the water. "I'm your half sister...I'm your half sister..." the news kept replaying itself in his mind, and it still seemed so unbelievable. A person he'd known for two years now, turned out to be related...it was something that happened in the movies!

When he arrived back at the apartment, Kate was sitting on the living room couch watching television in her pajamas. He frowned at the tired expression on her face, and snuck up behind her.

"Hey," he greeted, and lowered his head so he could kiss her on the cheek. She looked at him, smiling softly.

"You're home late," she said. "I was getting worried. Are you okay?"

He sat down next to her on the couch, and she reached for his hand, squeezing it tightly. "Yeah...I just had to do some thinking on my own for a while." he kissed her, and Kate wrapped her arms around him.

"She told you, didn't she?" Kate asked, and Jack nodded, massaging the bridge of his nose.

"Yeah...I'll tell you, I'm impressed that you kept the secret for so long. Especially after all of the trust issues we had for so long."

Kate bit her lip, and lowered her head. "I hated doing it, Jack," she said, rubbing his chest. "I really hated not telling you, but I wanted to respect Claire's wishes. It was a pretty intense situation." she felt his forehead. "you're feeling a little warm, honey."

Jack cleared his throat. "I'm fine," he insisted, and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"You really need to take it easy," she said, and went to get the thermometer. Jack lay down once he had the couch to himself, and closed his eyes for a few minutes. When she came back into the living room, she frowned at the sight of him asleep, and shook him gently awake.

"Mmm?" he murmered, and cracked open one eye, finding her kneeling in front of him with the thermometer in her hand. "Oh...sorry..." he yawned, and struggled to sit up. She took his temperature, not pleased when it ended up being 101.9. Luckily it had been higher than that before, so he wasn't in too bad of shape.

"I'll get you some ibuprofin and see you to bed," she added, and Jack apologized again when she helped him to his feet.

"If you'd listened to me, you would have done your thinking on the patio," she sighed, and led him into the bedroom. Once he was resting comfortably under the covers, Kate laced her fingers through his, and placed them against her lips. "at least you know I have good willpower...I keep my promises." she narrowed her eyes, and Jack reached up to brush the hair away from her face.

"I'm reminded every second of why I love you," he said in a whisper, and Kate nestled close, placing her hand over his heart.