Chapter 21

Found and Lost

Kate turns and leaves the emergency department. Getting close to the hospital exit she runs from the doors, once outside she bends down putting her hands on her knees trying to catch her breath. She needed to remember all of it, she needed to understand it.

Jack had flown into Miami that morning. If he'd been truthful he wasn't ever going to come back to Miami. Despite everything that had happened with Juliet and James he couldn't help but think they'd be better off without him. But the previous evening he'd remembered. It had started slowly just a few flashing and then everything had come tumbling back.

He knew he had to come back to Miami, had to find out if they remembered too. Part of him was jealous of them, despite everything else they'd found their way back together. Even when they didn't remember they'd known that they belonged together. Flight 815 landed just like it was suppose to, but he was still alone.

He'd headed for the hospital after the plane landed in Miami figuring he'd find Juliet at work. It had been days since they'd spoken on the phone. Having remembered now, he'd connected her symptoms with her fall down the Swan station. He'd surmised she was on verge of remembering and that possibly her proximity to the bomb was the reason for her physical symptoms.

And then there was Kate. Maybe they were never meant to be together. Surely if they'd been meant to be together they would have found each other just like James and Juliet had. The first thing he'd done when he'd remembered last night was try to find her. James was sure she would have ended up in handcuffs. That didn't seem to be the case though. He couldn't find any trace of Kate Austen the criminal or Kate Austen the fugitive on the run. So where the hell was she?

Walking into the hospital he notices a woman bent over looking like she was trying to catch her breath.

"You okay Miss?" he asks approaching her.

Kate hears a familiar voice and slowly raises herself back standing, "Jack?"

He looks into her eyes, was it really possibly this easy. "Kate?"

She nods her head, too shocked that he was standing here in front of her to say anything else. She closes her eyes momentarily and sways, as she sways she feels his arms on her steadying her. The missing pieces fall into place as the rest of her island memories come tumbling back to her.

They stand there outside the hospital entrance, his hands on her shoulders. She finally opens her eyes and finds herself staring into his, "I remember" she whispers.

He nods his head, "I remember too, last night . . first it was just bits and pieces and then it was everything. I tried to find you. . ". He isn't sure why he needed to tell her that but he did. "There's no Kate Austen to be found in the USA"

"I. . " she wonders how to tell him.

He cuts her off, "It doesn't matter".

She finds herself wrapped in his arms, and doesn't try to pull her self away. She needed him to hold her, to tell her that it was all going to be okay. "I'm sorry Kate, I'm sorry for everything that happened on the island"

"Kate?" she closes her eyes when she hears the voice behind them and pulls her self from Jack's arms, slowly she turns around and looks into the questioning face of her husband.

"Tom . . . I can explain" she says seeing the hurt look in his eyes.

He ignores the man standing behind his wife "James is looking for you, Juliet was awake" he says simply and turns walking back into the hospital.

She glances over her shoulder at Jack, "I'm sorry" she mouths at him and then runs after Tom.

"Tom wait", she says. "It's not what you think. It's not what it looks like"

He spins on his heels, "Not what I think? Kate, I come out here looking for you and find you in the arms of another man. You are my wife Kate, but you are in the arms of a man that you apparently share some kind of past with.

(Okay, so maybe it was what it looked like). "Tom, I remember. I remember everything. Just let me explain." The impact of remembering, seeing Jack, Tom, it overtakes her and she dissolves into tears, "Just let me explain"

Seeing Kate's tears he can't stand back and watch anymore, whether this man was her husband or not, Jack remembered everything he'd ever felt for Kate. He walks up behind her and places a hand on her back. "She's telling you the truth" he tells Tom.

He can't decide whether it was hurt or jealousy or both, he'd been with Kate his entire life but here suddenly she had some other life that he wasn't a part of. Seeing Kate standing there sobbing he couldn't let himself comfort her. "I need to go and see to my patient" he says turning and walking into the hospital leaving Jack and Kate standing alone.

Alone again, she turns and faces Jack. There are still tears streaming down her face and he reaches out and wipes them away. "You couldn't find me because I'm not Kate Austen anymore" she tells him, "Jack, I'm married. I've been married to Tom since we were 18 years old"

He pulls her back into his arms and runs his hand down the back of her head. "It's going to be alright Kate, we'll make him understand". It suddenly dawns on him and he pulls away from her slightly. "You were on Flight 815 though? You are Juliet's friend Kate?"

She nods her head. "Juliet has worked with Tom for years" she explains. "We've been friends for years. I never knew though. I never felt any sort of connection to her until after she met Sawyer"

"Tom said something about Juliet, she's his patient?"

"MmHmm", she wipes away the last of her tears and explains to Jack what had happened in the past couple of hours.

She leads him back into the emergency department and towards Juliet's room. She notices Rachael standing outside the door and Tom doesn't seem to be anywhere nearby.

"Rachael, Tom said she woke up?" she asks when she approaches her.

Rachael nods her head, "Yes, but. . . ", she notices Jack behind Kate.. "Dr. Shephard" she says surprised. "Of course she knew he was involved with this, she just hadn't realized that he was back.

"Rachael, good to see you up and around" he offers her a smile.

She nods her head, "She was awake" turning her attention towards Kate. "She", she glances into Juliet's room, James was still curled up on the bed with her, holding her in his arms. Looking back at Kate and Jack, "She seems to think its 1977"

Both Jack and Kate look at her confused, "What?"

"She had no clue who Tom was" she explains, "When he asked her where she was and what year it was she said the Dharma Initiative and 1977"

Kate looks back at Jack.

"James told me that they lived together for three years during the 1970's", she looks from one to the other. "Juliet was 7 years old in 1977, either of you want to try to explain to me how she could be living with James in 1977?" She knew it sounded crazy, but she was reaching the end of her tolerance. She needed to hear to the truth.

"Rachael", it was Jack that spoke. "Let's go for a walk, we'll explain everything"

An hour later they were sitting in the cafeteria. Rachael looked at both of them in disbelief. "You both realize that all of this sounds completely crazy"

They both nod, but Kate speaks. "Rachael, I know it is difficult for you to understand all of this. Hell, I don't really understand all of it. We weren't supposed to remember, that wasn't how it was suppose to work."

"But you do remember, so what does it all mean? What is happening to Juliet? You weren't supposed to remember but you do and look at what remembering has done to her"

"I think what is happening to Juliet is because of her close proximity to the bomb. For some reason she's physically feeling the effects of what she went through on the island", Jack explains.

"Then how do we help her?" Rachael asks, fear and frustration driving her questions.

Jack reaches out his hand and places it over Rachael's. "I'm not sure Rachael, but we aren't going to let anything happen to her"

"Ha", Rachael says sarcastically, she can't help the anger she's feeling at these two people. "You aren't going to let anything happen to her? Then why is she lying in a hospital bed right now, why does she think she is still in 1977. By the sounds of it you were only thinking of yourself Jack Shephard, you only wanted to fix everything that you screwed up." Rachael gets up from the table, "I think you both need to stay away from Juliet"

"Rachael" Kate says getting up and following her.

She stops in her tracks and turns and faces Kate, "What Kate?"

"I. . . . Juliet is my best friend, Rachael. Just because I remember what happened on the island, it doesn't mean I've forgotten the past five years."

Rachael feels the tears burning her eyes, "I just want my sister back"

Kate steps forward and wraps her arms around Rachael. "Then let's go get her back"

The trio walk back to the emergency department.

Jack and Kate stop at the nurse's station and Rachael goes to check on Juliet and James. Peeking in the room she sees that it's empty. She walks back to the nurse's station, "that's strange, the room's empty"

Kate sees Tom entering the department and approaches him. "Tom, where's Juliet?" she asks.

"What do you mean where's Juliet? She's in her room"

Kate shakes her head, "She's not in her room Tom, Rachael just checked, it's empty"

Tom walks over and looks in the room, shaking his head he walks back to the nurse's station. "Mary, where's Dr. Burke?"

"She was sound asleep last I checked and Mr. Ford ran upstairs to check on his daughter"

Rachael's heart starts to pound. She sees James walking towards them. "James" she rushes towards him. "Where's Juliet?"

"She's asleep, the nurse gave her some more pain medication" he sees Rachael shaking her head. "Rach?"

"She's not in her room James"

He rushes towards the room, "Sonofabitch" He glances towards the nurse who was caring for her. "Where the hell is she?" he asks not even trying to hide his anger.

She shakes her head. "A double trauma came in, we were all busy ..... I don't know where she is"

James leans against the wall and puts his head in his hands. "Sonofabitch" he repeats for the second time in five minutes.

***

Okay, so I'm procrastinating today which means you get a second chapter ;). Enjoy! I'm guessing you've figured out at this point the story is going to be more than 21 chapters!