Chapter 17

Two Chapters in two days!

ONCOLOGY WARD

Miranda Bailey knew it was not in anyone's interest for her to get involved with terrorists – that was what she was going to call these people, for lack of any other term that was sensible. None of the people she had seen in the oncology ward were apparently armed, but based on what she'd been told they were just where no one could see them.

She had been told by both Jack and Dr. Weber not to interfere with what was happening. It was sensible advice, given by two colleagues she respected and who respected her. And considering that she wasn't an intern, it shouldn't have been necessary. But she had known the moment that her friends had left the security room that she had absolutely no intention of listening.

"You are a stupid woman, Miranda"she said to herself as she ran down the fire escape. "Your husband will definitely leave you when he hears how stupid you are."

This was the kind of ridiculous behavior that her colleagues cautioned her on. Was it as stupid as refusing to deliver your son while waiting for your husband to come out of surgery? Her husband would probably be less forgiving when she found out, so there was that part to it. O'Malley would kick her ass when he heard about it for sure.

But this invasion of her hospital – goddamn it, it was her hospital – infuriated her in a way that all of the idiotic behavior her residents had done the first year at Seattle Grace had never even come close to doing. She might not have the foggiest idea what all of this was about, but she wasn't going to sit around and hope thinks worked out.

She had no way of knowing this but Hurley and Kate would have completely gotten this and all the survivors would have empathized even as it would've frustrated them.

She slowed her pace as she walked over towards the ward where two men and one woman were waiting. It wasn't so much because she wanted to look normal, but because it had only occurred to her while going down the last flight that she had absolutely no idea what she would do when she confronted them. Bailey didn't make impulsive decisions; she thought everything through. The fact that this situation was completely incomprehensible to her hadn't bothered her until right this moment. It didn't help matters that, for all her inner strength, she was dreadful when it came to making up stories.

All right, she thought as she closed the distance. You're supposed to be here. They're not. So treat them as you would anyone else.

So she acted as if she were watching anybody else in the oncology ward. She waited for them to make the first move. For three minutes she was absolutely silent.

Finally the woman got up. "Is there something we can help you with?"

Bailey looked as if she was just noticing her for the first time. "Sorry, I'm waiting for my interns to get done with lunch."

The woman looked as if curiosity was warring with caution. "Your interns don't eat in the cafeteria like everyone else?"

Bailey chuckled. "You clearly have no idea how oblivious these interns are. There's a patient in this ward. He's been in a coma for weeks. Every day they have lunch there because they know its one of the few places in this hospital where it's certain they will never be disturbed."

The woman seemed to laugh despite herself. "I heard doctors could be arrogant, but this seems a low even for them."

"What does it say for the resident assigned to supervise them?" Bailey prepared to gather herself. "I'm sorry, the last thing you want to do right now his hear me talk about the dying right now."

The woman appeared to gather herself. "I could use the distraction. Elsa."

"Miranda." Again Bailey paused. "So who are you waiting for?"

"My uncle," 'Elsa' said slowly. "Leukemia, stage 3. He needs a bone marrow transplant or he'll be dead in a matter of weeks."

"I'm guessing you've been tested," Bailey said, moving just a little closer.

"I had a biopsy done three days ago. I'm not a match. Neither is anybody in my family."

Instantly Bailey knew she was lying. There were no signs of any needle marks or bandages. In order to be tested, they almost invariably had to drill into your pelvic girdle. Afterwards you could be sore for weeks. 'Elsa' was sitting comfortably. This was the kind of deception that might fool the casual observer, but sure as hell wouldn't fool a first year med student, let alone a surgical resident. This woman clearly wasn't trying that hard to put up a false front, which was worrying. But she was a doctor, and part of your training as a doctor was to avoid giving a clear picture on any diagnosis as long as you could avoid alarming the patient.

"So here I am, waiting to see if someone matches. Relying on the kindness of strangers. And I don't have much faith in the goodness of mankind as a rule," Elsa told her.

"That's not an unreasonable attitude to have," Bailey said softly, kneeling by her.

"Do you have that kind of faith, Miranda," Elsa said softly. "Belief in the milk of human kindness?"

"I'm a doctor," Bailey admitted. "Which means I believe in science. And you spend one twenty-four shift in an ER, you pretty much know all the horrible things that people can do to total strangers. Then again, I also know people who are willing to give parts of their body away to total strangers, so I guess it balances out."

Elsa nodded. "If I had been in your shoes when I came down here, it might have been better if you'd just come from a shift in the ER. It would have prepared you for what was to come."

It took all of the inner Bailey strength to suppress the fear that was going through her right that minute. "So we're done pretending that each of us doesn't know who the other is," she said in her 'the Nazi' tone.

Elsa gave an imperceptible nod. The two men who had up to this point pretended to be completely separate from this conversation got to their feet. "Let's not waste any more time," Elsa said in a much harder tone. "I know that you are completely incapable of putting up even the most cursory of defenses. I will give you one chance. Tell me where I can find Benjamin Linus, or you will never see your husband or son again. Don't pretend you don't know who he is."

Bailey heaved a sigh. "You come to my hospital and you're not even bothering to the two doctors who work here who actually knew who you're talking about. You really must desperate to be coming to me. I mean, seriously. You wouldn't even have to bother to threaten them. They'd give you his last known location and offer the easiest way to hurt him."

Bailey knew she was playing a dangerous game, but it seemed to be working; no one was moving to attack her. "So you know who he is and what he's capable of," Elsa said.

Keep talking Miranda. The longer you stall, the better the chance somebody will save your ass. "Shephard and Carlson have some really sweet things to say about him. I am considered by my peers and friends to be a somewhat prickly personality and I'd rather take a stick in the eye then deal with him. That said, I've never met the man and I couldn't pick him out of a lineup. It's not like either of them carry pictures of him in their wallets."

Elsa considered this. "So the fact that he's in this hospital right now would come as a surprise to you?"

"And not a particularly pleasant one. Tell me what he looks like, and I'll kick his ass out myself," Bailey told them.

"You expect us to believe you came down here of your own free will?" One of the men couldn't help but blurt out.

Miranda actually fixed this man with a look. "Like I said, this is my hospital. I take a threat to it personally. Shephard tells me there are some people who are threatening to wreck it, it pisses me off. He tells me to stay out of the way and let him and his friends handle it; that pisses me off more. I don't like it when people try to threaten this place and I actually hate people who threaten my friends. That's the real reason we're going through all this, you want to hurt my friends, right?"

"Only if they don't cooperate," Elsa acknowledged.

Miranda openly scoffed. "I know goddamn well that Shephard and Carlson do not like being put into a corner. Hell, no one in this hospital likes having to be told to scrub out of a surgery; you really think any of them will cooperate when you threaten their lives?"

Elsa actually seemed to consider this. "You do know what will happen if you don't cooperate."

"Did you not just hear what I said?" Bailey countered.

Elsa looked at her with what seemed to be something resembling regret. "You know, in another world Miranda, I would have liked you. We might even have been friends. But unfortunately, we live in this one. And I've already made it clear what would happen if you didn't tell me what I wanted to know."

"The thing is, Elsa, I don't know what it is you and your people want to hurt my friends for. It's above my paygrade. But I'm a surgeon. And I know that there comes a point if you take too long with a case, it becomes untreatable. That there's nothing that medicine can do to help you." Bailey's eyes had never left Elsa's. "Your case became untreatable about thirty seconds ago."

Bailey was a trained surgeon and one of the things you have to have as a surgeon is the ability to have a clear field of vision. While she'd been talking she'd seen a familiar face out of the corner of her eye. She wasn't willing to call it a friendly face – certainly not given the expression on it – but she knew enough to know its power.

By the time Elsa whirled around, Sayid was in action. He had knocked the first man unconscious and had grabbed the weapon from him. Elsa's reaction was to go for her own gun but by that point Sayid was pointing it at Elsa.

"Drop it," he ordered in a tone that would have brooked no argument from most people.

Elsa's reaction was to raise her gun on Miranda. "I've studied guns, Mr. Jarrah," she said slowly. "And there's no action you can take that will let you get a shot off without me killing her. We both know even if you were to manage a perfect head shot, the death spasm would force me to clench the trigger."

"If I do nothing, you'll kill her anyway," Sayid said calmly. "And we both know even if you die, you'll feel no remorse for having killed her."

"I also know you, Sayid," Elsa said calmly. "I know how much you had on your hands even before you came to the island. I know that there's a part of you that's always been able to compartmentalize it. You tortured the woman you loved, the mother of your son. And you may be able to justify my murder. How will you justify the death of a woman you barely know?"

"Just from my point of view, the house you're arguing from right now, you're in no position to throw any stones," Miranda couldn't help but say.

Even though she was looking right at Bailey, Elsa focused all her attention on Sayid just as he was laser focused on her.

"You really want to die for some kind of mythical greater purpose," Sayid said.

"You're in no position to lecture me on anybody's reasons for their actions," Elsa countered. Miranda didn't think they were just talking about the island any more. "You have two options. You kill me and I kill her. Or you lower your gun and you let me walk away."

"We both know you'll kill us both before you go," Sayid responded reasonably.

"Do you?" Elsa asked.

Sayid clearly didn't believe this and neither did Bailey.

"Might I suggest a third option?" Jack said calmly.

Bailey didn't know how Jack had managed to show up, but she'd never been more relieved to see him or the fact that he was carrying a gun.

"Radzinsky's dead. Abaddon has been disarmed. Whatever crazy mission of theirs you've been financing is done," Jack told them.

"And you're going to…what exactly? Hand me over to the Seattle PD?" Elsa said doubtfully.

"You are pointing a gun at somebody. I'm pretty sure that's a crime even if you're on the island," Jack pointed out. "Now I don't know who you represent, but I'm well aware that, even if we did turn you over to the cops, you'd be gone before arraignment took place. Because nobody in this room wants any of this to come to light. There are too many questions that nobody even wants asked."

"So what exactly are you suggesting? That all of us put our guns down and you let us walk out of this hospital unharmed?"

"Actually that's exactly what I'm suggesting."

The surprise in the room was palpable, even from Sayid.

"Me and my friends have been lying to the world about where we were after our plane crashed for the last three years," Jack said calmly. "It's been working out fine for us until you and your colleagues have decided to muck it all up. If I'm being honest, we're probably more" he deliberately chose his next word carefully "hostile towards you then you are towards us. All of us were living normal, serene lives until you decided that you had to find the island again. And even worse, you had to threaten people who hadn't done you any harm to make your point!"

There was enough frustration in Jack's voice for even Elsa to seem like she was taking him seriously. "You do know you didn't crash there by chance?" she tried anyone.

"I may have made up with John Locke, but it doesn't mean I'm not sick of hearing the word 'destiny'," Jack said sincerely. "Even if you're right, we've been gone for more than two years. The island never tried to bring us back. Your people have. You need us. The island doesn't. Trust me on that."

"My colleagues and I have spent a very great deal of time and effort trying to get to this point," Elsa reminded him. "You really don't expect us to just let it go because you say so?"

"We're not naïve," Sayid seemed to be following Jack's lead. "And we're all well aware that time in particular is very important to you right now. In that respect even if you were to be held in custody for even another day that would pretty much close any chance you would have to find the island. So perhaps you shouldn't dismiss our offer."

"I find it very hard to believe that after everything we've put you through, you'd be willing to just have us all walk away free and clear," Elsa argued.

Jack gave a smile. "You have no idea how much better we've become at letting things go. Of course, right now one of the alternatives would seem to be getting shot to death so I'm a little surprised you're not taking the offer more seriously."

Elsa considered this for a very long minute. "I'm going to put my gun on the floor and reach for my phone. Do I have your word you won't shoot me in the interval?"

She seemed to be speaking more to Sayid than to Jack. Jack gave a nod, and reluctantly Sayid did the same.

Elsa put her gun on the floor and took out her phone. "All units pull back and meet at the front door. We're leaving. The mission's been scrubbed."

There was a long pause of what everybody else was sure was vehement argument. "The situation has changed," Elsa said firmly. "We need to reassess before we make our final push. Right now, this hospital is useless."

She got off the phone. "No doubt you informed your superiors about the situation before you confronted Samuel and Matthew," she asked Jack.

"That's right."

"Are there any authorities outside?"

Jack shook his head.

"Everyone will gather at the exit and we will depart. Five minutes after we have left the building, you are free to call the police." Elsa said. "I assume you have a cover story prepared."

"Not a great one, but it'll be far more believable than the truth," Jack told her.

Elsa didn't deny that. She looked at Bailey. "I know you won't believe me, but I am sorry about what happened."

"You're right. I don't."

Elsa looked at the man on her right, who was helping her unconscious colleague of the floor. "You don't want anything else?" she asked. "Not our word that this is over or that we won't harm you."

"Considering it would be meaningless, let's not go through the motions," Jack told her. "Besides, once you leave this hospital as far as we're concerned it is. Don't make us regret our kindness."

LGLGLG

TEN MINUTES LATER

"So that's it?" Izzie said doubtfully when the group had gathered. "You're just letting them leave?"

"What would you have them do?" Ben asked reasonably. "We told you going in that the law would never touch these people."

"They attacked our hospital. They threatened to kill Addison and Bailey!" Alex seemed a little more shocked than Izzie was.

"You think we're not pissed that happened and grateful they're still alive?" Juliet said with just the slightest bit of pique in her tone. "Jack and I started this trying to keep all of you safe. We're not exactly thrilled it came to this, but we're not entirely stunned either."

Both Stevens and Karev immediately became apologetic. Bailey was less so. "So after all the shit they put us and this hospital through, you're letting them leave and get what they want anyway?"

"We let them leave. They'll never find what they want," Jack said.

"How are you certain of that?" Ben asked.

"That change of leadership that we told you about Ben," Juliet said. "It also led to a new way of doing business. The only reason we ended up on the island in the first place is because the man in charge thought that was the only way he could find a replacement. Now that he's no longer running things, the approach has changed."

Ben gave a small smile. "And the people who just left are still trying the old ways."

"There are no more plane crashes or shipwrecks any more," Jack said. "Based on what we know, you get asked if you want to come before you get there. And I'm pretty sure Elsa and her crew will never get an invitation."

"In other words, they can fly over the Pacific for the rest of their lives and all they'll ever manage to do is get from Point A to Point B," Izzie was starting to smile again.

"I guess in their case, freedom is actually going to be worse than the alternative," Alex said with a similar smile. "You know, you could have told us all this before we got involved."

"It didn't make a difference in our approach," Jack told them. "This was never about protecting the island. It was about protecting our friends. And the thing is people like them would never have understood that."

"I'm not sure I would have once," Ben admitted.

"So that story you told Abaddon wasn't a line of BS?" Alex asked.

"No," Ben acknowledged. "I do want to see Alex again someday. And who knows? Maybe I'll actually be worthy of it. But right now, I have so much more to live for around here."

LAX

EDGE OF RUNWAY 15

"I'd like to know what this is all about before you shoot me," Lapidus said as the man who'd identified himself as Caesar continued to push him along.

"You're a pilot, Mr. Lapidus," Caesar said simply. "We want you take my friends on a flight."

"I know that travel agents don't exist any more, but there are easier ways to find a pilot," Frank said snarkily.

"We've tried getting your services before. We weren't successful," Caesar stopped and started looking around the same way people do when they come back to their parking place and find that their car has been towed.

"What's the matter? Miss your reservation?" Frank said.

"He's just looking for Others in all the wrong places."

Caesar whirled around to see James and Daniel standing about fifty feet away.

"Walk away, right now."

"Hey Lapidus," James said casually.

"Hey Ford."

"Kind of our fault you're in the mess."

"Figured."

"I guessed you didn't get our last bunch of phone calls."

"He interrupted me, but thanks for trying."

Caesar was clearly unsettled by James' utter calm in the face of this.

"I don't know your name, but I'm guessing you're working for people who've made some very vague promising about having all your dreams realize on a fantastic island." James looked at you. "Maybe they even promised you could be Roarke."

"That line's kind of beneath you, Ford," Frank seemed a lot calmer now.

"Hey I waited three years to use that line. Give me some credit for restraint." James looked at him. "By the way, Ricardo, I don't think you've properly met my friend." He indicated Daniel, who had pointed his gun at Caesar by now. "Great mind, not the best shot in the world. He tends to hit lower than what he's aiming at."

Daniel currently was pointing as Caesar's chest. All of them noticed the momentary wince that went over his face.

"Now I'm good at reading people, and I know what's going through your head right now: Where are the friends who promised to be here to help be kidnap Frank?'" James asked rhetorically. "They really are ungrateful. You go to all the trouble of tracking Lapidus down, get that really neat looking gun, hijack him in the middle of a crowded airport, manage to get him through the security footage, and now you're left high and dry. Worse, you have to deal with me and Quick Draw here. Doesn't seem quite fair, does it?"

Caesar was clearly unsettled by this, but he remained defiant. "You don't know what you're talking about, my friend."

"I think by now we've established he does," Dan sounded relatively calm himself. "Look, speaking as someone who got involved in this story late and doesn't have much of an idea what it's about, I can assure of one thing. Your role in it is over. The people who convinced you to go along with it aren't here because they're looking for a better place to abduct Frank. They're gone because the fat lady has sung and the opera's over."

Caesar was starting to look doubtful of his position for the first time. "You're lying."

"No, that's my department," James said cheerfully. "Danny Boy's recklessly truthful. About ten minutes ago, we got a call from one of our friends. They were running a similar mission in Seattle. Did they tell you about that?" He didn't give Caesar a chance to answer. "Doesn't matter now. Thing is, it went tits up very quickly and they had to come to an agreement to get away with their lives. And that's unfortunate for you."

"What are you talking about?" Caesar was clearly rattled.

"The emphasis is on the 'their lives'. You, on the other hand, are getting sold down the river," James looked at his watch.

Almost as if on cue, an airport security van arrived on the scene. Two officers stepped out.

"Officers," James said softly. "I believe the man on the left is the one you're looking for."

Caesar was too gobsmacked at the latest turn of events to move, which was unfortunate for him. The two men found the gun he was holding very quickly.

"Are you all right, sir?" one of the guards said.

"I am now," Frank told them sincerely.

"Cops will be by in a few minutes to take your statement."

Frank looked at them. "Trust me, they'll never believe it."

James gave a calm smile. "Just about the abduction, Lapidus. We'll save the truth for my next book."

The officers looked strangely at James, but that was fine with him – he was used to it by now.

"You know there was a time seriously considered being a cop," he said after the officers drove off.

Both Dan and Frank looked a little shocked at this – they were aware of his history.

"I'm on the level here," James said. "Thought it might have been the easier way to track down the real Sawyer. Would have involved a bit more work, but I'd have had more assets at it."

"When did you choose the other way?" Frank asked.

"After I pulled my first con," James admitted. "I don't know if all that crap Locke told us about being drawn towards the island was real, but the choice to pull the con really was mine. I take responsibility for that. "

"Well, for what it's worth, you've got the ability to talk a felon off a ledge skill down cold," Frank told him.

"We just needed to stall him long enough," Dan told them. "James wasn't lying about that phone call we got from Seattle."

"So this mess is over?" Frank said.

"Our part of it, anyway," James assured him.

Dan shook his head. "I don't know why I thought it would be more explosive than this," he said carefully.

"Trust me when I tell you this," James said sincerely. "Just because the countered hasn't ticked all the way down to zero don't mean the bomb ain't been defused."

"There's a story behind that, isn't there?" Frank said solemnly.

"Always is, Lapidus," James said just as sincerely. "Always is."

AUTHOR'S NOTES FOR LAST TWO CHAPTERS (BECAUSE THEY WERE INTENDED AS ONE)

Did I make Radzinsky the Younger too cartoonish? I doubt it, considering that the father was so single minded from the beginning of our time in Dharmaville to the end. And I don't think the son was any more empathetic than the father was. I'm kind of shocked nobody shot him before this.

Jack and Ben, the ultimate good cop, bad cop. Even I never thought they'd be capable of this. As their dialogue indicated, both have clearly learned from their mistakes.

Jack has officially realized that his father loved him.

Yes, I couldn't resist the Season 5 joke, especially coming from the candidate who wasn't part of that,

Sawyer never made a single Star Trek reference on Lost. My guess why.

Sign of reformation. Ben now believes the Purge was wrong. And this time, he chooses his daughter even though he still loses her.

We all know the talking Bond villain cliché. I chose Timothy Dalton's for a reason; until Daniel Craig came along Dalton's version was considered the darkest and edgiest version. Kind of feel that Bond would appeal to him.

Miranda Bailey was always the boldest character on Grey's. And while she tended to think things through, she did think Seattle Grace as part of who she was. Also I actually think her character would have the guts to go up against so many of the villains on Lost without blinking.

Elsa and Sayid end up with guns on each other. You knew it would come to this.

The cop reference wasn't just a flash sideways reference. I really think James did think of becoming a cop. Incidentally if you're wondering I've spent all five stories in this series calling Sawyer James, it's deliberate. Part of returning to civilization meant that James finally managed to set aside every aspect of the man who destroyed his family and his life. He has officially re-baptized himself when he came back to the world.

One last chapter and this story is over,