The Times of His Life

Part II

Chapter 1

Jack's mood had improved tremendously with his recollection of the day of his first home run. He had accepted Kim's invitation to dinner and was thrilled to see that her whole family was there, his grandchildren and their spouses. Melanie, his oldest grandchild, was pregnant, and the baby was due that month. Rather than make him feel old it made him feel happy. A new generation, with all that promised. A continuation of Teri.

At first Jack had been uncomfortable when Kim had named her second daughter Teri, but she had grown into the name. She was twenty-three now, a beauty, Jack thought, tall, thin and dark-haired like her grandmother, with her same grace and wicked sense of humor. She shared many of Teri's mannerisms, more in fact than Kim did. When his granddaughter spoke to him on the phone Jack could close his eyes and hear Teri, his Teri, talking to him. Far from disturbing him, it provided comfort, for he knew that part of Teri lived on.

Kim had turned into a good cook, although not as adventurous as her mother had been. At least she doesn't get on vegetable kicks, he recalled fondly. He and Kim sometimes joked about spinach and brussels sprouts, a memory they shared. The others didn't understand, but that was all right with Jack and Kim. Some moments, even seemingly unimportant ones, were best kept private.

Jack had brought a tin of brownies and everyone happily devoured them. Kim knew that the dessert brought back more memories for her and her dad, happy memories, rare among the others they had, so something to be treasured. Jack had finally explained to Kim in detail why he and her mother had separated, for he decided that such an important part of her formative years was something she had to understand. He knew Teri had talked of this with Kim when they were held captive by Gaines, but he also knew that Teri had never placed the blame on Jack. She hadn't wanted to damage Kim's relationship with her dad. But Kim had never been told the details, never been told how Jack had so thoroughly shut Teri out.

Jack never told Kim of his affair with Nina, for it would only hurt her, he knew, and he felt that was a part that she didn't have to know. It was enough for her to know that he had let Teri down, and that it hadn't been her fault, contrary to what Kim had thought all these years. She'd always believed that her mother had forced her dad out of the house without reason, and she'd always resented her mother's relationship with that doctor. Learning the truth made her feel better, for she realized that her resentment of Teri, her anger at her, was misplaced, and had colored her feelings and memories of her mom for so long. Learning the truth was a tremendous relief for Kim; she wasn't really mad at Jack for his withdrawal from Teri, but she was very upset that he had kept this from her for so long. Kim, never reticent, told him this, and Jack was sorry that he hadn't told Kim years before, for that had caused her to continue to have negative memories of her mother. Jack had tried to explain that he hadn't told her earlier because, as always, he wanted to protect her, but they both realized that that had been a cop-out. Jack had actually, only, protected himself from Kim's disappointment in him. He had acted selfishly by causing Kim to continue her feelings of animosity and disappointment with her mother. Just another reason to feel guilty, Jack knew, but as with all of his memories he was powerless to change the past. He hoped his confession to Kim would help her deal with Teri's loss so many years ago, would help her end her ambivalence towards the woman who had loved her more than life.

Melanie was talking about the names she and her husband Doug had chosen for their expected baby. If it was a boy they were going to name him Jack, and if it was a girl, Jaclyn. Her grandfather was stunned. What an honor! To have his great-grandchild named after him was something he'd never expected. He only cared that the baby be healthy, of course; its name was way down on the list of important things, but he admitted to himself that he was thrilled just the same. The prospect of becoming a great-grandfather pleased him even more than he had thought it would. He hoped the baby would be born soon. He wanted another child in the family, even if it was named Tom, Dick or Harriet. But the thought of a little Jack or Jaclyn made the anticipation even sweeter.

After a while Jack realized that he was getting tired, and after he kissed them all good night he headed for his SUV. He hadn't had any beer or wine with dinner and he was fully alert. Although he was concentrating on the road he didn't see the pick-up that ran the red light and slammed into the driver's door. Jack's airbag deployed, but it didn't help him much. He was thrown sideways away from the collision but his seatbelt kept him from going too far, and then he was pulled back to the broken window. A piece of glass pierced his neck, and he started to bleed heavily. He soon lost consciousness.

Chapter 2

The ambulance attendants tried to staunch the bleeding, but they weren't having much success. Jack's heart went haywire, for it had to pump much harder as it tried to cope with the loss of blood. The attendants called ahead to the hospital and the doctors and nurses prepared to rush Jack into surgery. His wound was critical. And Jack had a history of heart trouble.

They cut his clothes off him as they prepared to get him into the operating room and were stunned by the many scars that were on his body. This man had survived a lot, they realized, and they didn't know if his prior injuries would affect the surgery they were about to perform.

His wallet still contained his CTU identification card, and a call there produced Kim's number. She and Chase rushed to the hospital, but of course they couldn't see Jack. He was already in the O.R.

One of the nurses described Jack's wound to them, and they understood from the loss of blood that Jack might not survive. Kim clung to Chase as they waited. It was five hours before the surgeon came to talk to them.

He told them it was touch-and-go. The wound to his neck had been treated, and that wasn't the problem any longer, they were told. Jack was receiving transfusions and they were helping his heart, but due to the loss of blood it had already been damaged. They had to wait to see just how bad the damage was. Only time would tell.

Jack's grandchildren arrived at the hospital and joined their parents in the vigil. They were distraught that their grandpa was near death.

Chapter 3

They all sat anxiously in the waiting room, fearing the next report from the ICU. The doctors had been extremely pessimistic about Jack's chances for survival, and Kim was near hysteria. Tony and Michelle had come to the hospital, and from there Tony directed CTU to investigate the possibility that the "accident" had instead been a deliberate attempt to kill Jack. His retirement from CTU notwithstanding, Jack still had many enemies eager for revenge.

The police were not happy with the feds' involvement in the investigation but they were powerless to stop it. Federal jurisdiction prevailed over the local cops, and they were required to share all information with CTU. But it was a one-way street. The CTU agents didn't have to reveal anything to the local police.

None of them knew about the sweater that had earlier been delivered to Jack.

Chapter 4

The waiting room vigil continued through the night. Jack's grandchildren were as worried as their parents as they awaited further news of his condition. The terrible taste of the numerous cups of coffee from the nearby vending they consumed went unnoticed. Melanie wasn't permitted caffeine this late in her pregnancy, so she dozed on the couch, her head on her husband's lap. But she awoke when the doctor came to talk to them.

"There isn't much change," he told them. "Loss of blood strained his heart, because it had to pump harder to get oxygen through his body. He had a heart attack, and it stopped his heart. We were able to bring him back by defibrillating. Those are the paddles you see on TV where they shock the heart into beating again," he finished unnecessarily. All of them knew the torture Jack had endured when his heart had been stopped by electric shock and had caused Jack's earlier heart attack. Because of his superb condition then, which had let his heart work at 110 capacity, the attack had reduced his heart function to only 95 and he had still been able to fully work at that level, but this was different. Years of brutal physical activity and further torture caused a slow diminution of his heart's capacity to perform its function, and he was now paying a dear price. His family prayed that that same physical strength would pull him through this crisis.

Near dawn the doctor again entered the waiting room. "He seems to be holding his own so far," he said, "but his condition is very grave. All we can do is wait. If you are so inclined, I would suggest you contact your priest or minister."

These last words terrified them more than anything. Although Jack wasn't particularly religious his parents had been more so, and Kim and Chase knew that he had placed his faith in God more than once, especially when things were beyond his control and he had felt that only a Divine Being could change what seemed to be inevitable, horrible, results.

Chase went to call the minister at the church Jack sometimes attended with his family, the same one who had presided at the christenings and wedding ceremonies of his grandchildren. The Reverend Paulson said he would come to the hospital immediately, and Chase thanked him profusely. He hoped that the minister would be able to provide strength to Kim, something Chase so far seemed unable to do. She was on the verge of falling apart, and any support the minister could bring was sorely welcome.

Melanie abruptly sat up, startling all of them. "I think my water just broke," she said. She was three weeks early and they were all alarmed. "I'll call the doctor," her husband Lee said, and went to phone Kim's obstetrician. It was only seven in the morning, so all he could do was leave a message for the doctor to call him. Lee couldn't use his cellphone in the hospital. Instead, he left the number of the ICU, something the nurse had only reluctantly agreed to until Lee explained the circumstances. She then told him to bring Kim right to the obstetrics floor of the hospital so her progress could be monitored. Melanie grudgingly agreed as she felt the first labor pains. She didn't want to leave the waiting room where the doctor would sometimes tell them Jack's condition, but her husband and parents insisted. She had to protect Jack's great-grandchild, they reminded her. The news of Jack or Jaclyn's birth would help his recovery. They were all trying to be positive, despite the danger his condition meant.

Kim and Chase now worried about Melanie as well as Jack. Chase from time to time went to see his daughter, who seemed to be doing fine despite the increasing force of her labor pains. After reports from Chase, Kim finally tore herself away from waiting for a report from Jack's doctor to go see Melanie. Lee never left his wife's side, and Kim was pleased at his devotion to her daughter. When the obstetrician spoke to them around three she told the expectant couple and grandmother-to-be that the baby was ready to be born. Lee went to change into scrubs so he could go into the delivery room, and Kim went to find Chase. Together they stood in the maternity waiting room, too excited to sit, until Lee came to them. "It's a boy," he said excitedly. "A little Jack. He's doing fine, and so is Melanie. There were no problems. They're taking the baby to the nursery now, so you can go see him. I'm waiting for them to take Mel to her room, and then I'll go to the nursery."

Both Kim and Chase had tears in their eyes, both with relief that Melanie was fine, and because there was a healthy little Jack in their lives. They only hoped that the baby's great-grandfather would survive to see him.

Chapter 5

"I'm afraid there's more bad news," Jack's doctor reported. "Two broken ribs showed up on the new x-rays, and they're making it harder for him to breathe. That means there's less oxygen in his blood, and that only makes his heart have to pump harder. It's not good," he concluded.

This report only deepened the family's pessimism. They knew he was a fighter, but even Jack had his limits. That he might never see baby Jack added to their despair.

With the minister the family joined hands in the waiting room, silently praying for Jack's survival. They were all close, and that was in large part because Jack had come to realize that nothing was more important than family. The grim events of his past had shown him that nothing mattered more, and fortunately he'd learned it before Kim's kids were born. His involvement in their lives was a sea change for him, but it felt absolutely right. He would always regret that he hadn't known it when he was younger, when it would have made a difference to Teri and Kim, but he couldn't change the past. If he was learning anything from examining where he'd come from, it was that. What was done was done. Only the future mattered. Provided you lived in the present. You couldn't let the past destroy you.

Kim was permitted into the ICU once a day for only 15 minutes. She squeezed her father's hand as she gently spoke to him, telling him about the baby in the hope that he could hear her and would have another reason to survive. But there was no obvious change in his condition, and Kim knew that she couldn't let him know how discouraged she was. She could only hope that what she told him somehow penetrated his subconscious, and would stir him to fight even harder.

Jack didn't react, and when Kim was told that her visiting period was over she tearfully admitted to herself that she might never see him alive again. The doctor's words made her doubt that he would live another day.

As Kim re-entered the waiting room the others saw the total despair on her face. But at least he's still alive, they thought, desperately holding onto any hope they could muster.

The minister took Kim aside and spoke with her, trying to help her maintain her belief that Jack had a chance, while preparing her as best he could for Jack's possible death. He was trying to help the family walk a tightrope, and they were all off-balance.

They'd all been awake for more than 24 hours, and Chase thought ruefully of the other days when time had been so critical. Then Jack had been as alive and active as anyone, wrestling with seemingly insurmountable problems and using his wits and ingenuity to solve crises that could prove deadly to his country. Like the others, Chase could only pray that some of Jack's resoluteness would carry him through this present ordeal.

Kim, Chase and their children took turns going to the nursery to see the baby. Lee stayed with Melanie, holding little Jack when he was brought to Melanie's room to nurse. Lee thought his heart would burst with happiness when he saw his wife feeding their baby, but he too prayed that his grandfather-in-law would live, for he had come to know him well and understood the devotion Melanie, her siblings and parents felt for Jack. But like the others, he didn't hold out much hope. That Jack would survive seemed less and less likely as the doctors gave them increasingly pessimistic reports. They were all starting to lose hope. Jack's end seemed imminent.

Chapter 6

In the ICU the nurses and doctors carefully watched the monitors attached to Jack's body, and saw the heart indications slowly decline. The defibrillation machine had been put right next to his bed, and its use seemed inevitable, but even that would probably not be enough. The prognosis was terrible.

Jack, meanwhile, struggled to regain consciousness. As weak as he was he was fighting to live. He wasn't ready to die yet. He was trying to garner his strength to overcome his injuries, as he had so many times before. He would fight this as he had fought so many traumas inflicted in his past. He had too much to live for.

When Kim was permitted back into the ICU she again told him about Melanie's baby. Although Jack still didn't have the strength to open his eyes the doctors saw an almost imperceptible change in his vital signs. They indicated that he was getting stronger, albeit slightly, and they began to have hope. The staff realized that this was attributable to Kim's presence, and they agreed to let her stay at Jack's bedside.

Kim continued to talk to Jack, telling him more about the baby, how he looked, how alert he was, that he was taking avidly to his feedings, all the good things that Jack would want to know. These words started to sink in, giving Jack more reason to get well.

As he drifted in and out of consciousness Jack struggled to let Kim know that he heard her, but he was still too weak to acknowledge her words to him, although the doctors continued to see a slight improvement in his condition. Kim was beginning to understand the significance of the numbers on the monitors, and she, too, was heartened by what she saw. She continued talking to Jack in a soft voice, her words increasingly penetrating. She'd never stop trying to reach him. He was her rock, the person who had always been there for her, the man who had risked everything to save her, the man who loved her more than anything.

At the same time that Jack tried to show Kim that he heard her he was unable to concentrate on her words. His mind drifted to another time, when he had first known the horror of the adult world.