Quickie:
Getting rid of all the extra stuff that used to take up space at above. But anyways, thanks for the reviews to those that still are around for it. Sorry I haven't been keeping up with this lately. I had a big mishap with my computer. All the files of all my writing were deleted, couldn't get them back, spent a week recovering everything. So now I should be back on schedule. So no more of my rambling on. Here's:
Chapter 21
"Yeah?"
Sawyer immediately hung up the phone and went back into the living room, angrily.
"Unbelievable, Freckles!"
She looked at him, rolling her eyes.
"You are really somethin', ya know that?"
"Calm down."
"How're you gonna tell me to calm down? You just tricked me into callin' Jack!"
"Yeah. Who else is going to fix this? It's obvious you don't know what you're doing!"
"You coulda gone to the doctor's in town!" he exclaimed, turning away from her, leaning on the mantle.
"How? If I go to a doctor in town they'll need to find my records. And that would be the end of me. You really think either of us wants that?"
"What about all your stinkin' appointments? That's a doctor!"
"It's a clinic. And I gave them a false identity. As far as they know, my name is Lindsey…" she paused, hesitating to go on. "Sheppard."
He turned around, looking at her in awe. "Sheppard?"
"It was the only name I could think of at the time!"
"What about mine?"
"Come on, Sawyer. Do you really think they'd trust me if I told them my last name was Sawyer? Knowing who you are?"
"Ford."
"What am I, a truck?"
"Ford's my last name! James Ford!"
"Oh."
She blushed, embarrassed, and was quiet. She should've known that from the passport. The silence was broken by the ringing of the phone. Sawyer, annoyed, went in the kitchen and checked the caller ID. He took the cordless off the kitchen table and handed it to her.
"I don't wanna talk to him."
She rolled her eyes, taking the phone. "Keep acting like a baby, Sawyer."
"Yeah, whatever."
With that, he grabbed his pack of cigarettes from the mantle and took one out. She sighed and answered the ringing phone.
"Hello?"
There was no reply on the other end.
"Hello?" she repeated.
"Kate?" Jack asked quietly.
"Yeah?"
"You're…in Tennessee?"
"Yeah…It's a long story."
"With Sawyer?"
"Again, long story."
"Any special reason he called?"
"I told him to."
"How did you get my number? Or even know where I was?"
"You forget who I am, Jack," she teased.
Sawyer scoffed and looked away, letting out a puff of smoke. He was disgusted having to stand back watching Kate converse with Jack like he was a good friend.
"Why did you call, Kate?"
"I hate to be a burden, but Sawyer's clueless, and with my current status…We have kind of a situation."
"We have a situation, or you do?"
"Jack you know I can't really go to a doctor."
There was a pause. "Kate, this doesn't have anything to do with – "
"No! No. Of course not!" She looked over at Sawyer, who was cocking his head at her. "It's my ankle."
"What's wrong with it?"
"There was a little accident, and it's swelling more and more by the minute. I'm not sure if it's broken or a sprain."
"Is he hurting you, Kate?"
"Jack!"
"I'm serious. If he is, I'll call the police."
"That won't be much help to me."
"Sorry…"
"Don't apologize."
"Well what do you want me to do all the way in LA? I'm not hopping a plane over there. I have no desire to see Sawyer."
"Yeah. Don't think he'd really like seeing you either."
"Well how bad is the swelling?"
"Um…Let's just say my ankle doesn't look like an ankle anymore. More of a…salami stick kind of thing…"
"Okay. And is there any discoloration?"
"Doesn't look like it."
"Did you hear any kind of snap when you hurt it?"
"No."
"Can you move it?"
"Very little. I can't put any weight on it though."
"And there's no bearing of bone?"
"No."
"Sounds like a bad sprain."
"What do I do?"
"Just keep it elevated, and iced until the swelling goes down. Don't walk on it. Don't put too much pressure on it. It'll heal on its own. You'll probably be able to walk on it in about two weeks."
"You mean I can't walk at all?"
"Well, with help. Only if you really need it."
"You mean like bathroom trips?"
"Yeah. Don't suppose he'd be willing to help you with that?"
"Oh I think he will," she said, looking at him deviously.
"What the hell are you plotting?" Sawyer asked.
"All right. Well, sorry to have to cut this short but I have to go. I'm being paged."
"It's okay."
"Did he do it, Kate?"
"No, he didn't," she sighed. "It was an accident. I fell."
"He thinks I did it?" Sawyer shouted.
"See he hasn't changed."
"Not really, no."
"I'll talk to you later, Kate."
"Gimme the phone!"
"Bye, Jack."
She hung it up, and faced the glaring Sawyer.
"He thinks I did it?" he repeated.
"Well can you blame him?"
"No! Why the hell would I do that? I never once laid a hand on a girl!"
"Oh really? And all those times you tackled me were...what?"
"Just my way of sayin' I like ya," he said innocently, grinning.
She had to bite her tongue to restrain herself from laughing. She was supposed to be mad at him. But how could she be when he grinned like that, his dimples staring at her? And how could she be when he said that, despite the southern accent and deep voice, sounding so adorable – like a little kid? How she wished to be stuck in that cave on the island with him again.
"So what did Doc say?"
"That you'll have to cater to my every whim," she said, leaning back on the couch.
"'Scuse me?"
"Jack says I shouldn't walk on it for at least two weeks."
"Bull shit!"
"Call him back if you don't believe me," she said, holding the phone out to him.
He looked at it, then back to her. "How 'bout no? You're makin' that up."
"Why would I make it up? I'm mad at you, remember?"
"Revenge, sweetheart! It's the perfect way to get back at me!"
"Well," she paused. "Be that as it may, I'm nowhere near as shallow as you to sink so low as to even consider revenge."
"Hm," he grunted. "Why'd you make me call him then?"
"Because he's a doctor. And he knows what he's talking about."
"Yeah, so?"
"So if I didn't call, I'd be sitting here in much worse condition, probably."
"What're you carryin' around his number for?"
"Just in case."
"In case what? In case you ever need a place to hideout?" he said, accusingly.
"In case I ever want to get laid," she said, sarcastically. "What do you think? In case anything like this ever happened!"
"What? You think I can't handle it?"
She laughed. "You can't!"
"I would if you'd have given me a chance!"
"All right then. What do you propose we do?"
He took a long pause. "I don't know."
"My point, exactly."
"So what do I gotta do?"
"Like I said, you're my manservant for the next two weeks."
"Oh joy!" he said, lifting her ankle gently onto his lap as he sat.