Thanks to smilez4eva,a.k.a.-ashley, The Pirate Illusionist, showmethehobbit, litgal, Evermore, Writing Squirrel, kate and jack, and xeledhwenx for the reviews!
I'm glad you all seem to be enjoying the story. This chapter will be focused on Jack, Kate, Charlie, and Claire, but the others are definitely coming back in later on.
Disclaimer: None of the characters in this story are my own creation.
The Things You Left Behind
Charlie froze in the middle of the street, causing cars to abruptly halt and drivers to scream out curses at him. Blindly, he whirled around and ran as fast as he could back towards the hospital. He didn't know why, but he just had a horrible feeling that Claire was in trouble. Pushing through the door, he rushed pass security to the elevator bank. When none came, he turned a corner and dashed up four flights of stairs, chased by two guards. Finally, he reached her floor and raced down the hall to her room. Throwing open the door, he stepped inside and found… nothing.
He stood in shocked silence as the guards came up and grabbed him. "Who are you and what the hell did you think you were doing?"
"Please, you have to tell me where Claire is. I think she's in trouble."
"I'm sorry, sir but we're going to have to take you down to the station."
"No! Please, I'm Charlie Pase and, see; I'm… um, the baby's father!"
"You are the father of Claire Littleton's child?"
"Yes, I most certainly am."
The first guard raised a skeptical eyebrow, but the second loosened his grip on Charlie and offered, "How about we take you down to Dr. Rom and we'll see what he says, okay?"
"Umm…."
The first guard smirked. "Good idea, let's go. And for your sake, let's hope he confirms your identity."
They brought Charlie down to the front desk and waited as the intern paged Dr. Rom from the mental ward. When he appeared, an involuntary shiver ran down Charlie's spine. Where do I know him from? he asked himself.
Ethan laughed after hearing the guards' question. "He is most certainly not the father. In fact, he is only a somewhat deranged man who has an unhealthy obsession with that patient, which is why I had to move her." The laughter left his eyes and he turned to glare icily at Charlie. "This man is henceforth banned from hospital grounds. Would one of you please escort him down to the police station for breaking and entering?"
"Yes, Doctor."
"And Mr. Bracket," he added, addressing the guard but looking directly at Charlie. "Call me Ethan, please."
"Yes, um, Ethan. I'll take him down right now."
Charlie began to struggle as the guard grabbed him and the full meaning of what was happening hit him. "Ethan! No, please! Don't hurt her. Please, don't hurt her!"
"Poor, deranged man. I have no intention of hurting her."
"The baby. Oh my God, he's after the baby." The words came out in a choked whisper as Charlie found himself being pushed roughly into a car. All he could see throughout the entire ride was the malicious grin on Ethan's face. All he could hear as he was walked into the Los Angeles County Prison and shut in a small cell were Claire's anguished screams for help ringing in his ears.
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The next morning, Jack was still wrestling within himself as he slowly mounted the steps of that same prison. He was about to make a decision that could change everything, and he still wasn't sure if he wanted to take that step.
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That morning, he had been awoken from a restless sleep by a phone ringing next to his bed. Knowing that his mother was out, he had forced himself to sit up and answer the phone. "Hello?"
"Jack?"
"Kate?!"
"Yes, it's me. Jack, I need help. I understand completely if you don't want to get involved in this mess, but you're the only one I know here."
"What's wrong?"
"They found me. The bastard I was crashing with turned me in for a reward. I'm in jail...."
"Are you okay?"
"I'm… I think I'll be alright…"
Jack did not miss the tremor in her voice as she said this. "No, Kate, really."
"Honestly, Jack, I'm scared. There's this guy here…"
"Hey, Bradley! You're time is up. Get off the phone now."
Jack heard every word of the warden's comments. "Listen, Kate, I'll come down there to see you, okay?"
"Oh, Jack, you don't have to. Actually, I think maybe this was a mistake, you shouldn't get involved…"
"No, Kate. I'm coming."
"But…"
"Bradley!" Jack listened as the phone was wrenched from her hands and slammed down on the receiver.
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Now, Jack wasn't sure if he would be able to help Kate in any way. Maybe just moral support? Again, it occurred to him how bizarre this entire circumstance was. He approached the Visitor's Clearance Area and was stopped by a burly guard in uniform. "Name?"
"Dr. Jack Shepard."
"Who are you here to visit, Dr. Shepard?" he asked, making a note in his file.
"Ms. Kate, um… He paused to recall the name he had heard screamed through the phone. "Um, Bradley. Right. Kate Bradley."
The guard looked suspiciously at Jack, then asked, "What is your relation to her?"
Jack smiled. Well, actually we were on the same plane that crashed and we both went into a coma and dreamed about an island upon which we developed a relationship and even after we woke up we still know each other somehow. Jack thought a moment, and replied, "I'm a friend."
A half hour later, after being put through numerous screens and interviews, Jack found himself in a large community room that had rows of tables of convicts, some meeting with friends or relatives and others just lounging around. Finally, he saw Kate sitting alone at the table. She was relatively easy to spot, as she was the only woman in the entire prison. He slid into the seat across from her, and her pensive face lit up when she saw him. "So, you came?"
"Of course, I said I was going to."
"Yeah, but most people get discouraged when they realize that they'll be waiting for about an hour for a ten minute visit."
"Once I make a commitment, I like to keep it."
"Good. I'm glad you did." She looked up into his eyes. She was ashamed that he was seeing her like this, but at the same time she found his presence strangely comforting.
For a few moments, Jack and Kate just looked at each other. Finally, she shyly looked down at her hands. Jack racked his brain for something to say.
"So, um, how's life?" Jack winced as soon as the words came out of his mouth. How could I have asked such a dumb question?!"
Kate smiled sadly at the look on his face. "Well, it's not good. It's kind of hard being the only woman here, but, you know, I can handle it. I've dealt with worse."
Jack suddenly felt very protective of her. "Can you afford to get out of here?"
"The bail is over $500,000. I can't afford a meal, let alone that." Sadly, she looked up at the clock behind him. "It's time for you to go. Thanks for coming down here, it really meant a lot."
"I promise I'll come visit again, Kate. I hope you're okay here."
"I can handle it. Goodbye."
"Goodbye." He rose and walked past the rows of convicts sitting hunched over at cold metal tables. As he exited the big room and the guard closed the door behind him, Jack couldn't help but feel relieved. He turned back once more to look through the window at Kate and stopped dead in his tracks.
Two men had walked over and had sat on either side of the small bench that Kate was sitting on. The first one was leering and talking dirty while the second one ran his fingers through her hair. Obviously disgusted, she attempted to stand up but both grabbed her legs and held her down. The first one leaned closer and began to whisper something to her that made her eyes widen. She great more agitated and struggled harder to get up, but the second one pulled down harder on her hair.
Jack was horrified. Turing to the guard, he said, "Excuse me, Sir, but shouldn't someone help her?"
"Who, Bradley? She's tough, she'll be fine. The guys are just roughing her up a bit. Don't worry, man, she'll be sent up to the women's prison in just a couple of weeks, okay?" The guard shook his head and literally turned his back to the situation.
Not satisfied, Jack glanced back and saw to his horror that tears were sliding down her cheeks. He had never seen her break like that before. "One more thing, Sir."
"Yes?"
"Who would I speak to in order to pay her bail?"
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Jack watched Kate across the table as she ate ravenously. After seeing what those men were doing to her, he had had no choice in his mind but to take her home. She had cried and thanked him the entire car ride back to his mother's. Now, he had prepared some lunch and they were both waiting for Deborah to arrive home, Jack was worried about how his mom would react to Kate, but tried not to let it show.
Kate looked up from her food at the sound of a car pulling into the long driveway. She and Jack rose and walked into the front hall to meet Deborah Shepard. She shifted nervously as keys turned in the lock. She had never before been in a house this nice or had a meal that good, and she knew that it was just too great to last. She felt that here was no way that Jack's mother was going to let her stay.
Deborah entered and froze in the doorway when she saw Kate, still wearing the messy clothes that she had left the hospital in. "Who are you?"
"Mom," Jack said, stepping toward her. "This is Kate Bradley. She is my friend from the plane and she's going to be staying with us for a little, okay?"
"Well, hello, Kate. Jack?" she said, forcing a big smile. "May I talk to you in the kitchen now? Alone?"
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Claire sat miserably in the padded chair by the window. She hated being in this all white room constantly. It was supposed to be calming, but instead it made her feel like an experiment in a laboratory. She hated Ethan right now. She just couldn't trust him, she knew in her gut that he wanted to hurt her baby. And now he had locked her here where she couldn't escape him.
Sighing, she scanned the faces around her for any sympathy. Most people's eyes were completely blank. Finally, her gaze rested on the woman sitting in the chair next to her. She had long, unkempt hair and looked like she had been through some very hard times. Her eyes, however, were focused and full of life.
The woman obviously felt herself being watched, as she quickly turned to face Claire. "Hello. So, what are you doing here in the psychiatric ward?"
Claire immediately responded, "Well, you see, I don't belong here."
To her surprise, the strange woman threw her head back and laughed. "Why, none of us really belong here. Think about it. Who really is to judge who is crazy and who is sane? Who's to say that everyone out there is the crazy ones and that you or I is the only sane person on this earth. Maybe we live in an alternate reality, but what is reality anyway? If I'm feeling something, it is real to me. Shouldn't that be all that matters?"
Claire cocked her head, fascinated. "I never thought about it that way before."
"Well, it's true."
Claire smiled. "I'm Claire. What's your name?"
"I'm Danielle. Danielle Rousseau."
Claire's smile brightened even more. Finally, she thought. A name that I don't recognize. I never thought I'd be this happy to meet a total stranger.
First of all, quick note. I know the description of what her crime actually was here is vague – I did that purposely. The episode where we find out her crime is coming up in three weeks, and I don't want to make something up and then have the show be something completely different. Therefore, what she did is going to be a little hazy the next couple chapters, but I promise that I'll include it and elaborate it here as soon as we find out. Hope that's not a problem for anyone!
Second, I know the last couple of chapters haven't had a lot of romance in them. The next couple will have a lot more!
Also, as always, I love getting reviews – I want to know what you think!
From now on I will update every Friday, as that is the best day for me to get some time to write. Check back then for the next chapter, in which Jack and Kate explore their relationship and Charlie comes up with a plan to save Claire.
Edited to change two last names. Thanks to smilez4eva and Oreata for providing the correct ones!
