Disclaimer: I do not own Lost or any of the characters in it.

Notes: This chapter was a pleasure to write. I do enjoy Jack as a character and I think he's one of the easiest to get into. I hope you all like this. And thank you for all of the great reviews! I appreciate every one of them.

Summary: Jack makes one last round before saying goodbye to the island.

"The Healer"

When Jack first stepped off the helicopter and onto the solid ground of the Australian coast, he felt a heavy weight fall onto him. It was such a heavy weight that he almost felt as if he could not stand on his own two feet anymore. When the rescue workers had appeared in the opening of the cave, a flood of emotions had run through him. First off, of course, there was relief. He did not have to be responsible for the lives of all of these people anymore. He did not have to be the hero. He felt relief in the fact that he could hand his patients over to these trained professionals and they would be ok.

He felt that he could finally rest.

The rescue workers had come in and, one by one, had taken the wounded into their care. They had put them on stretchers or helped them along if they could walk. They had brought them to their rescue boat and given them medicine and bandages and everything that Jack could not give them. They had saved them all. But Jack had requested to stay behind for a moment. As they had led the last of the survivors back towards the beach, he'd requested to meet up with them in a moment. The men had reluctantly agreed. And Jack had leaned up against the wall of the rock, and then he'd sunk down to the sandy ground. He'd leaned his head back against the cold and slightly damp rock and he'd cried. He'd cried like he'd cried on the day that he'd buried his father. He cried hard and fast. Then he had taken a long deep breath. And moments later he'd joined the rest of the group on the beach, to be rescued.

Now here he was, in a hospital gown in an emergency room. He was being treated for his wounds and for dehydration and malnutrition. He hadn't even realized that he was so malnourished. He'd been too busy making sure the rest of his people were eating enough to worry about himself. And still, they had barely made it through all of it alive. He had been the last to come in the hospital. He'd stayed outside and waited for everyone to get there. First the more critical patients, Sayid, Charlie, and Sun. He'd watched as they were given oxygen and whatever else was necessary. He'd offered to donate blood, but the doctors had looked at him as if he'd just volunteered to donate a kidney. What they didn't know was that donating a kidney would not have been such a stretch for Jack. It was just his way to care for others.

Then he'd watched as the lesser wounded were brought in. Claire was there, as were Michael, Walt, Jin, Hurley, and Shannon. And when he'd noticed Kate and Sawyer trying to get out of the examination, he'd budded his nose in for, what he promised himself, was the last time.

"Listen, I've been observing them since the crash. I really don't think they need any medical assistance." And he'd looked over at Kate. She was anxious and frightened. She looked at him gratefully. He didn't flinch when Sawyer had called her "Beth". He knew that Kate was on the run again. He didn't fully support her of course, but he couldn't turn her in now. It had been so long and they'd been through so much. She deserved to have some sort of life, to be happy.

When the doctor had left she'd jumped into his arms and hugged him tighter then he had been hugged in a long time. "Thank you Jack." She whispered in his ear. He hugged her back, feeling what could have been but never was. It was better this way anyway. Sawyer could take care of her in a way that he couldn't. He could give her the support she needed without judgment or persecution. He was just not in a place to do that for her.

"Be careful out there." He handed her the bottle of water that was in his hand. He'd kept it since they'd left the island mainly out of habit. "Here. Drink this. You might be dehydrated." She accepted the water, tears in her eyes. She smiled at him and turned back to Sawyer.

And just has they were about to leave, Jack held out his hand to Sawyer. Sawyer, confused at first, looked at him with suspicion.

"I'm not trying to poison you, I promise." Jack said with a smile. Sawyer finally reciprocated and reached out to shake his hand. Jack pulled him in closer as their hands touched. "Take care of her, she needs you." Sawyer seemed to appreciate this and Jack saw sincerity cross over his face.

"Thanks Doc." Jack nodded.

"I owe you one." Only the two of them knew what this meant, but what it meant was the world to Jack. Sawyer had given him something that no one else could have given him, the honest truth about his fathers last minutes on this earth. Unrenowned to him, it was exactly what he needed to hear.

When they'd gone he'd given in. He'd corresponded with the doctors and actually got into one of those paper gowns and played the role of the good patient. He let himself be helped for once. It was a feeling that was foreign to Jack, but it was something that he needed. They gave him IV fluids, which he did protest to no avail, and did a complete physical. He'd lost weight, which was no surprise to him. Other then that he was fine.

Fine. What kind of word was fine? He felt, deep down, that it was wrong of them to say that he was fine. It was wrong because so many of his people were not fine. John Locke was dead. He'd never really trusted the man completely, something about his casual attitude about things. He just didn't seem to care. Not how Jack cared anyway. That was wrong in Jack's eyes. He still felt it was wrong, of course, but now that John Locke was dead it was not a strong feeling anymore. It was like something that was in the past. It was and it would never be again, he felt. In a way this felt right to him though. The fact that Locke had died in a place that made him calm and serene seemed like the perfect ending. As much as Jack tried, he could not picture Locke off of the island. He would not be the same by any means. Jack could not picture the man being happy anywhere else. It was right that he take his last breath in a place that made him truly happy.

But it was not fine that he had died under Jack's watch. Nothing would ever be fine in Jacks world because of this. Just like when Boone had died, he accepted the defeat as his own. A life was lost in a place where he was in charge. Jack did not like that feeling. And this is when he decided that he could not stay in this hospital room anymore.

So he trudged out of the room, dragging his IV pole behind him. He wondered why he'd ever let them do this to him. He wasn't a patient, he was a doctor. He was the one everyone depended on. He had to be there for everyone.

So he checked in on Sun first. She was being brought up to surgery to remove the bullet from her shoulder. She was stable though, from what he could tell. What an incredible woman Sun was, he thought. She had helped him so much throughout their time on the island. She was always willing to get her hands dirty in order to help someone else, even when it caused her marriage to be in trouble. He was only in her room a moment because he knew the doctors would be back any second to take her away. He brushed his hand lightly over her forehead, letting her know that he was still there for her. Then he walked away.

He found Jin's room next. Jin was very frustrated with the doctors because they could not understand him. He was angry and he wanted answers. Jack couldn't imagine what it would be like to be in such a situation and not have any idea what was going on around you. He stuck his head into the room.

"Excuse me…" He began. The frustrated nurse looked over at him. "You need to tell him about his wife."

"I'm sorry sir but you need to go back to your room now." The nurse said hurriedly. She made it halfway to Jack before she realized the difference, it was now quiet. Jin was not arguing or cursing or yelling at her. He was intently watching Jack. "Do you know this man?" She questioned Jack. Jack, without answer, walked all the way in.

"Hey Jin." He gestured towards the outside. "Will you follow me for a moment." Jin understood his gesturing and stood up to follow him.

"Excuse me but where do you think you're going?" The nurse demanded. Jack ignored her and led Jin straight across the hallway to Sun, who was lying in the trauma room. The minute Jin laid eyes on her he clearly became frightened and concerned. He ran into the room and Jack followed behind him. He watched as Jin touched his wife and wasn't satisfied until he felt her warmth. Jack stood back and waited. Eventually, Jin questioned him.

"She's very sick Jin." He tried to be clear with his words. Jin understood the word 'sick'. "She needs to have surgery." He made a motion of cutting with a scalpel. Jin seemed to understand this too and became concerned. "But, she will be ok." He looked long and hard at Jin, who was trying to understand all of this. Eventually, Jin smiled slightly. He understood and nodded in thank you. Jack watched as he stayed by Sun's side, holding her hand lovingly.

He looked back at the nurse, who was standing in the doorway, and spoke. "Let him stay with her. He's not wounded at all. He just needs to be with his wife." He walked past her and out the door. He had more patients to see.

Next he found Sayid's room. The bleeding from the bullet wound was now being controlled and Sayid was receiving donor blood. At first glance he looked asleep. Jack picked up the chart at the end of the bed and looked it over. He was to be taken to surgery to remove any remaining bullet fragments and be sewn up. He was severely dehydrated and had lost a large amount of blood. But, for the moment, he was stable.

"Jack?" He heard Sayid's voice. He could only manage a small whisper.

"Sayid." He moved closer to the man. "It looks like you're going to be ok." Sayid smiled.

"I thought I would be. I can feel it." He paused. "How are you Jack?" He raised his hand and Jack took it in his.

"I'm surviving." Jack replied with a smile. Sayid nodded as much as he could find the energy too.

"Will you take care of Shannon, while I am gone?" Jack smiled.

"I will." Sayid smiled. He was dozing off again.

"Thank you Jack." He managed to muster before falling back to sleep. Jack dropped his hand and moved back.

"Thank you, Sayid."

As he went out into the hallway he noticed a familiar face. It was Hurley. He was sitting on a stretcher and swinging his legs impatiently. Jack smiled and padded over to him.

"Hurley." He said simply. Hurley nodded back at him.

"Jack." Was his reply. "How's the head?" He pointed the bump on Jack's head. Jack had forgotten about it until now.

"Its alright. How are you?" He asked, looking him over from top to bottom. Hurley shrugged.

"Hungry." Was his reply. Jack laughed and shook his head. He touched Hurley on the shoulder and smiled.

"You're gonna be ok Hurley. Take care of yourself."

"Will do man." Hurley replied with a big grin. Jack took his IV pole and looked around. For a moment he wasn't sure where to go next. Then, he noticed a familiar face in one of the rooms. He quickly headed in that direction.

"Hey Claire." He said, peeking his head in. "May I come in?" He asked politely. He knew they would want to examine her thoroughly because of the baby.

"Hello Jack. Yes you may." He entered and saw her smile at him. He felt better already. He'd been worried about her emotional state since the others had taken her baby. He was grateful to Charlie for doing what he didn't have the capacity to do at the time. Now the baby was safe in Claire's arms. He was clearly dirty and was beginning to fall asleep.

"How is he?" Jack gestured to the infant. Claire beamed in pride.

"He's going to be ok." Then she tensed. "The doctor says he wants to examine me. I don't know though. I'm afraid to put him down. I'm afraid he's going to be taken away again." She was beginning to get teary eyed. Jack moved closer to her and lightly touched the infants head.

"No one will take him away from you Claire. Not ever again. You're both safe here, I promise." Claire smiled gratefully at him. He felt a smile touch his own face too.

"Thank you Jack, for saving us." She paused and seemed to think of something. "Are you ok, Jack?" He nodded.

"Yes, I'm alright. Just got a bump on the head." He paused. "You should let them examine you Claire. Its important."

"Well, I suppose I will. If you think its necessary I mean." She replied, still unsure but trusting him enough to submit. "Have you seen Charlie?" She asked hopefully. He looked down. The last time he'd seen Charlie was when he was being wheeled into the hospital, severely beaten.

"No." He replied. "But I'll go see if I can find him."

"Please do. I'm worried about him." Her face clouded over.

"Charlie's a strong guy, I'm sure he'll be ok." Jack said with confidence. When he saw a nurse moving outside of the room he stepped back. "Take care of yourself Claire." He touched her arm lightly before leaving the room.

He found himself eagerly searching for Charlie's room. He searched through chart after chart, nodding to all the nurses who looked at him strangely. They probably wondered about what he was doing, but knew that he wouldn't stop even if they approached him. Jack was a strong willed person and when he put his mind to something he would always follow through. But this one was more difficult. He was having a hard time finding Charlie. He knew that if he could have a look at the board of patients then he could find him, so he headed over to the nurses station.

"Listen, I was wondering if I could get this tube taken out of my arm now. Really, I'm feeling much better and I think I can be discharged." He tried to convince the nurse at the station. Mainly, he was just trying to search the board for Charlie's name.

"Oh I'm sorry sir, but the doctor is the only person who can take the tube out of your arm." She said in a monotone way. Jack sighed.

"Look, I am a doctor. OK? I know when I'm fine, and I'm fine."

"I'm really sorry doctor, but…" She began. She stopped when screaming was heard coming from the room behind him. Jack knew immediately who it was, and he turned and raced into the room. Shannon was in the bed, screaming and thrashing about. Jack knew that she was under extreme emotional distress. He had to do something immediately.

"She needs Adivan!" He shouted. The nurses immediately obeyed his command and put the drug into her arm. He continued to hold her down until the drug began to take its effect. She became still and her eyes slowly closed. Jack relaxed his hold on her.

Suddenly he felt himself being pushed aside and had to fight to keep his balance. It was a doctor and he looked very upset. Jack knew doctors and could read them well. He could tell that this one was new on the job and very big headed. He chose to speak up.

"Listen, your patient was in emotional distress! She needs a psych consult, not an armful of saline." The doctor looked up at him, as if in shock that he dared to say anything at all.

"Back off doctor!" The mean doctor stated. "I don't care how good you are at your job, wherever that is. This is my hospital and that is my patient. You touch her again and I will have you escorted out of here." Jack stared at him smugly. Yea, this guy was a piece of work. He hated the fact that this man was in charge of his friend's care. It took all of his strength to back down from the confrontation.

He started towards the door, but stopped to look at the nurses. "Get her a psych consult before she wakes up, or your going to have a real mess on your hands." He walked out, hoping to God that they listened to him.

As he was heading towards room eight, the room he knew that Charlie was in, he was stopped by a familiar voice.

"Michael?" He asked and turned. There was Michael. He was standing at the desk arguing with one of the nurses. Jack walked up to him. "Michael…what's going on?"

"Jack! Man its good to see you!" He surprised Jack with a big hug. Jack reciprocated after the shock wore off.

"Its good to see you too. How are you? How is Walt?" Jack asked. Michael became extremely angry.

"I'm fine. But these incompetent assholes lost my son!" He said loudly and with a purpose. Jack touched his arm, trying to calm him.

"Alright, calm down. Now, he's got to be around here somewhere Michael." He turned his attention to the nurse. "Who was his physician?" Jack tried to exude an authoritative and controlled tone.

"Dad!" The voice came from behind them. Jack and Michael both turned around. There was Walt, in his hospital gown, running towards Michael. Jack stood back and watched as the two embraced. He knew immediately that Walt was ok now.

That left one person. Jack stayed in place and looked around the area. When he spotted room eight he moved towards it. One last person to check on, one last person to take care of. Once he reached the room he peeked inside the curtain and was surprised to find it completely empty.

"Charlie?" He said to himself. He stepped back for a moment, a sinking feeling forming in his stomach. The chart was gone and so was Charlie. That could only mean one thing. He suddenly felt very nauseous.

"Yea, that's a good little turnip head." The words sounded in Jack's ears. He turned around to see the man he was looking for. Charlie was in a wheelchair parked outside of Claire's room. He was holding the baby and talking to it. Jack felt relief wash over him. He hurried over to Charlie.

"Charlie!" He said in celebration. Charlie looked up from the baby and smiled a big grin. He was still swollen and bruised, but he seemed to be ok.

"Hey Jack. Are you ok?" He asked immediately. Jack knelt down in front of him as best he could and touched Charlie's shoulder. He smiled.

"I'm fine Charlie. The question is are you ok?" Charlie shrugged.

"I'm a bit banged up I suppose. My leg is hurtin, but I told them no drugs. Rather not go down the withdrawal road again." Charlie smiled at Jack. They shared a knowing glance.

"That's good to hear Charlie. I'm very proud of you." And he was.

Charlie looked back down at the baby. "How is everyone else? I heard that Locke didn't make it."

Jack shook his head sadly. "No, Locke didn't make it." He paused for a moment. "Everyone else is doing alright though." Charlie smiled thoughtfully.

"So, I guess for the most part we survived, right?" Jack laughed. He laughed because Charlie was right, and he had just realized it.

"Yea Charlie, I guess we did." The curtain popped open and a nurse peeked her head out.

"The patient is requesting you both come in." She seemed nice, unlike most of the others Jack had met. He smiled at her. Charlie looked from the nurse back to Jack and held out his hand. Jack did the same and they shook hands.

"It's been a pleasure being stranded with you Jack." Jack smiled.

"Same here Charlie, same here." They shook hands and the nurse came out to take Charlie back into the room.

"Was there something I could get you?" She asked Jack kindly. He shook his head.

"No, thank you. I'm fine." He smiled and turned to go back to his room. His people were fine and he knew it. And all at once he realized how he would miss them. Not one in particular, but all of them. They had all showed him the meaning of strength and courage and fear and grief. They had all taught him a lesson that he had been trying to learn his whole life.

Being a leader wasn't about being forced into the role, it was about caring for others enough to take them by the hand and lift them up when they've fallen. It was about using what you know to change someone's' life for the better. And in the process, changing your own as well.