Chapter Thirty-Six

Kate stepped out of the car the second Jack had parked it in Jennifer's driveway. She closed the door carefully not to wake the sleeping child in the backseat. How the little girl had managed to fall asleep was beyond her since she and Jack had had a rather loud discussion about the situation during the car ride to the younger Shephard's apartment building.

Unsure if she was going to take the child out of the car or not, Kate stood staring at the girl through the window until Jack suddenly placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Do you want me to carry her?" Jack asked softly, watching the toddler as well.

Kate shook her head slightly. "No, I'll take her…"

Opening the door, the brunette carefully unbuckled the seatbelt and lifted the child into her arms. Holding the little one close, Kate could feel the girl's heart beating with a steady rhythm.

Molly had nuzzled her face into Kate's neck. Taking a deep breath, Kate unconsciously inhaled the sweet smell of the chocolate curly hair that had spread out over her shoulder. A tiny hand suddenly reached up in a rather clumsy way and grabbed a hold of Kate's jacket. Kate held her breath for a second, scared that she had woken the child. When Molly didn't make any another movement indicating that she was awake, Kate managed to relax slightly again.

Kate had no idea what was going on but she could feel all kinds of emotions just building up in her body. Not really knowing how to deal with them, she felt her bottom lip starting to tremble and before she knew what happened she was sobbing and gasping for air.

She hadn't notice that Jack had lift Molly out of her arms and with his free hand pressed her against him. Crying into the man's shirt, Kate let herself completely break down.

Standing in the driveway, Kate finally settled down and was now just resting her head lightly on Jack's shoulder. "I don't know if I can do this."

"Do what?"

"Everything. Not remembering my life." Kate said calmly but with a clear tone of distress in her voice. "Her" The brunette added quietly glancing up at the toddler who was sleeping peacefully with her head on the doctor's opposite shoulder.

"We'll figure everything out, ok? Just trust me." Jack said softly pressing her closer to him, as if it would protect her from all harm that was out there.

"Let's just go get Hannah and get back home" Jack whispered into her hair. Taking a step back, the man placed his hand gently on her lower back and guided her in front of him towards the house.

Walking through the enterance and into a small elevator, Kate noted that the building was in a rather lousy condition. And it was not anywhere where near the class of the neighborhood that Jack lived in.

They had stopped in front of the first door on the third floor. Jack gave the wooden door a very soft knock before just opening it up and stepping inside.

They had barely closed the front door behind them when Jennifer appeared from out of thin air, with a very intrigued look on her face.

Lifting her eyebrows in bewilderment, Jennifer let her eyes linger on the beautiful little girl in Jack's arms. She glanced up skeptically at her older brother but no actual question left her lips.

Jack smirked at her. "Is it possible that the biggest tattletale of all time is loss of words?"

Jennifer leered back at him, but before having a chance to respond with a comeback line, Jack chimed in again. "Don't even say it. I'm just gonna get Hannah and then we'll be on our way"

"I'll take her" The brunette announced timidly, taking the child from her boyfriend's arms before he disappeared into the house to get his daughter.

Jennifer motioned for Kate to follow her to the living room, where the brunette sat down on the couch with the child in her arms. Kate shifted rather nervously on the sofa, as Jennifer stared at her from across the room, waiting patiently for the woman to start talking.

Kate could feel Jennifer's eyes digging into her. Her patience had definitely started to run out and there was now a demanding look in her eyes. "Ok, that's it. Spill."

Kate had no idea what to say. What did Jack want to tell his sister anyway?

"Oh come on. You've got to give me something. First you tell me that you might be pregnant, then that you have no memory of anything before last week and now out of nowhere you picked up a toddler somewhere in the middle of the night."

"Did you get your memory back?"

"No" Kate simply clarified. She wished that she had though, more than anything. "Jack found this family that we suspected had a connection to me. And well, we kinda brought the connection with us back here."

"So she's yours?"

"I think so, yes."

"Oh my God!" Jennifer squealed, sounding a lot more like Hannah than herself. "I can't believe you have a daughter."

"You can't believe...? I can't believe that I have a daughter! I have no idea what I'm supposed to do with her. How am I suppose to raise a child that I don't even remember having?" Kate could feel herself starting to hyperventilate again and knew that a another breakdown like the one she had just had in the driveway was not far away.

"Easy" Jennifer said softly in a calming tone as she walked over and sat down next to the brunette.

Kate counted slowly in her head, trying her best to concentrate on her breathing.

Jennifer leaned her head against the top of Kate's in a comforting way. "You okay?" Jennifer asked, placing a reasuring hand on Kate's leg.

"Yeah I guess" The brunette answered timidly before falling into silence.

"You know if you ever want to talk just give me a call. We could have a real girls night with ice-cream and Bridget Jones."

Kate leaned back and smiled gratefully. "Thanks Jennifer, that really means a lot to me."

Jack reappeared with a very sleepy Hannah in his arms. "Ready to go?"

With a nod the brunette rose to her fit, rearanging her arms around the small child. Making her way out to the hallway she could hear Jennifer whispering to her brother in a teasing tone. "You know, the more common way to start over is to get out there and meet someone, eventually get remarried, then after a few years have a couple of more kids…. "

Kate peeked around and a glance at the two siblings leaning close together, the brother with a rather unimpressed look in his face as the younger Shephard continued her lecture. " And not just have the girl appear magically on your doorstep one night, and then a couple of days later go out for a short errand and come back home with a baby."

"Very funny Jen." Jack said smugly as he gave her a kiss on the cheek just as they reached the front door.

The ride back to Jack's house was definitely more pleasent than their ride to Jen's. Kate felt like she had gained back a little control and knew that Jack would be there for her if she needed.

Jack had tucked in Hannah in her room right a way while Kate had carefully carried the little girl through the corridor and down to the guest room that she was currently occupying.

Just as she placed the girl down on the bed, she noticed that Jack had followed her and was now standing in the doorway, watching her every move.

Tucking the child in, Kate turned to him and smiled faintly. He moved to her side in a second and took her into his arms, burying his face in her wavy chocolate hair.

They stood there for several minutes just holding each other, silently watching the girl.

"I think I'll sleep in here tonight. I'm worried that she'll fall out of bed." Kate said timidly.

She could sence that Jack was thinking something over in his head. He hadn't repsonded to what she had said but she knew that there was something on his mind.

"How about we put her in William's old room?" Jack finally very softly.

Kate didn't know what to say. She loved that he would even suggest that to make it easier for her. But at the same time it somehow felt like she should apologize? But she didn't even know for what. Maybe that she was in his life all together, turning it all upside down, not letting him grieve his wife and son properly.

She didn't actually know how long it had been since he'd lost his family, but she got the feeling that it hadn't been that long.

Jack finally broke the akward silence that had fell over them. "Come on" He said in a low tone, as he gently picked up Molly from the guest bed.

"Jack..." Kate managed to get out as she gave him a worried look, but he just gave her a look that told her to drop it.

He turned around and paced down the corridor to the guestroom, Kate following closely behind. Opening the door carefully to a room that Kate so far hadn't seen, Jack stepped aside to let the woman enter first.

Kate peaked inside curisouly but was hesitant to actually enter. Jack had to almost push her inside. She could feel Jack's hand gently rest on the side of her waist as she stumbled into the lightblue painted nursery.

It was beautiful. The baby-blue walls had small red toy airplanes painted around the room as a border. There was a breauitful wooden crib, with matching wooden furniture, such as a changing table, a chest of drawers, a bookcase and a rocking chair.

Kate stood for a second taking in the room but was brought back to reality when Jack nudged her as he handed over the small child to her arms. Taking a deep breath, she nervously walked up to the crib. Glancing quickly at Jack for conformation that it was indeed okay, Kate placed the sleeping girl down in the crib, placing the blue-white cover over her.

Standing with her hands resting on the edge of the crib, Kate's eyes had fallen on a small hand and foot print made in clay that was hanging on the wall right infront of the crib. She read the ingraved inscription to herself. Willam C. Shephard, Age 1.

Tears were welling up in her eyes as she turned around to face Jack. "I'm sorry for being here. For not letting you grieve your wife and child properly. Jack, I'm so sorry."

"Kate, please don't feel like that. Your not keeping me from grieving. You're what's helping me deal with everything. Before I met you I had no idea how I was ever suppose to get through this but now I know that I will be able to in time."

"How long has it been since the accident?" The brunette asked very carefully. "You've probably told me, but I don't..."

"...remember." Jack filled in with a symphatic look. "It's been 3 months"

Giving him a sorrowfilled look back, Kate took a step forward and brought her arms around him, not really sure if she was trying to comfort her boyfriend or herself.

She willingly followed the man as he gently led her out of the room and across the hall to the master bedroom where they fell asleep with their arms wrapped securely around each other.