Heart to Heart
Jane sat against the cave wall starring into the fire ahead of her. She couldn't sleep…again. She had had another one of her nightmares. Ever since David had showed up at the island she dreamt that he was going to kill her like she had the night he came. 'God I wish they would just go away,' she thought. She brought her knees up to her chest as much as she could considering her protruding stomach was in the way. She leaned her head back on the cave wall, closed her eyes, and rested a hand on the curve of her belly.
Thinking about it…the last month had been nothing but a nightmare. She had been on the island for over a month now. She had given up all hope that they were looking for her and David hadn't been her knight in shining armor either. She had a growing feeling that Jack and some of the others were catching on to him.
"You okay?" Jane opened her eyes to Jack's voice. He was sitting across the fire, now starring at her, waiting for a response.
She nodded, "Yeah. I'm all right. Just can't sleep that's all." Jane repositioned herself so she was more able to talk to the doctor. She pulled the airplane blanket, she and David had been sharing, over her legs before she was comfortable.
"Why can't you sleep? It's not good for you."
"Well, a combination of things. Like, the baby is awake and I...had a bad dream." She looked very thoughtful for a moment. "Ever since I was a little girl, I never could sleep after a bad dream." A hint of blush slipped onto her cheeks.
Jack smiled. Why was it that she could make him smile? "I haven't seen you in a while. It's been here and there for a couple of weeks now. Where've you been?"
"With David. We've been back and forth between the beach and here."
Jack took a moment to note the changes in her appearance. She was definitely tanner than he remembered her being and her hair was longer, too. She had long since worn out her red snoopy shirt and replaced it with a baby blue shirt that was much more from fitting and scooped lower, revealing just the smallest amount of cleavage. It was in that shirt that Jack noticed how much bigger she had gotten.
"I see you're coming along nicely." He nodded towards her mid section. Jane ran a hand over it smoothing out all the wrinkles in the shirt so jack could have a better view.
"Yep. Only three more months to go." She sighed. "I'm ready now. This thing is getting in my way!" She pointed to her ball of a belly.
"You can wait. Trust me you can wait. And if you think it's getting in your was now let's just see how you feel about it in two months!" That made Jane laugh. Jack loved the way Jane's face lit up when she laughed. The firelight also added a depth to her soft facial features.
"Janie…" a grumble from beside her called out. Jane's head snapped to the side. David turned over and was once again asleep. The light was gone.
"You're afraid of him aren't you?" Jack had seen the two argue from afar and had seen first hand how she reacted to him.
"No, I'm not afraid, just…" Jane realized she was caught. There was no way around it. She had to tell Jack. "Alright! Yes, I'm afraid of him. There…are you happy?" Jack nodded. "He has quick temper. That's what I'm afraid of. I never know what's going to make him angry." Jack was really impressed. This was the first time Jane had ever really opened up to him like this.
"You know that if you're scared you can tell me. I won't let him hurt you, Jane." Jack realized the depth of what he had said. He liked Jane. He always had. There was something about her he couldn't place his finger on. He didn't want her to be frightened. "No one else is going to let him hurt you either." He added just to make it sound a little less obvious.
Jane smiled. He wanted to keep her safe? That was something new to Jane. She had always been such a romantic and right now she felt like she was in one of the many romance novels she read as a child. Emotion swelled in Jane's chest. She had feelings for Jack but she couldn't tell if she saw him as a true friend or something else. Something deeper. All she knew was that Jack made her happy. He made her feel safe and wanted and that's something David had never given her.
"Get some sleep Jane." Jack lay down where he had been sitting. "Doctor's orders."
000
It was early the next morning and Jack was making his rounds. He was doing the usual: handing out water, tending to those who needed tending to, etc. He talked to people and found out what was going on. He spoke with Kate for some time then left to finish his job.
It wasn't long after Kate that he came to Sayid. Sayid struck up a conversation as Jack gave him his water. He was extremely chatty this morning. About Jane in particular. After a few minutes of beating around the bush Jack was fed up.
"What are you getting at Sayid?" He shaded his face from the sun with his hand.
"I'm trying to say is that I think that David might be a threat to Jane's health."
"What exactly does that mean?" Jack didn't know what Sayid was trying to say.
"Mental abuse! Verbal abuse! Possibly even physical but I've seen no evidence of that. I know that in the condition she's in…" He calmed himself and lowered his voice. "Now, Jack, I'm no doctor but I do know what ever happens to Jane happens to her baby as well."
Jack was surprised. He was also relived that people other than him were seeing the other side of David.
000
Jack was heading back to the caves for the night. Sayid's words still rang in his ears. He had been so worried about physical abuse that mental never even crossed his mind. In Jane's case mental could be more dangerous than physical. Mental abuse would cause Jane stress and stress on a pregnancy is not good. Jane could loose the baby if she wasn't careful.
His train of thought was broken when he heard shouting. He strayed from his original path to just around the corner of the beach. There was David and Jane arguing again.
"David! It's stupid to walk the mile and a half to the caves in the dark when we have the hut Locke and I built right here!" Jack could tell by the tone of her voice that she was angry.
"I don't care about your little hut! I like the caves!" David yelled back.
"David I'm tired and pregnant. Jack says I need all the rest I can get and…"
"Here we go with Jack again! You're lucky I'm not the jealous type because if I didn't know better I'd think youwere cheating onme withhim! Now stop this bull! You're coming with me!"
"No. I'm staying here." Jane wasn't going anywhere. David's eyes flashed with anger and he grabbed her wrist. Time for Jack to step in.
"Guys…is there a problem?" He asked while walking up to the couple.
David's head whipped around. "You stay out of this! This is none of your concern!"
"Listen just let her go." Jack suggested.
Jane could feel David's grip tighten at Jack's request. His hands were as rough as she remembered. It sent a chill down her back. She felt as though she were in one of her nightmares.
"You want me to let her go?"
"Jack, it's okay I can handle this. I don't need your help!" Jane struggled against David's grip.
"No, Jane." He answered David, "Yes. LetI want you to let hergo."
"Fine!" He shoved Jane's wrist into her chest causing her to loose her balance and fall backwards. She put out a hand to catch herself but her elbow buckled and she came down headfirst on a rock half buried in the sand.
She could feel the skin split right above he eyebrow and she rolled over quickly as not to get sand in he now bleeding wound. She sat up as much as she could to see if David was going to hurt Jack for standing up to him. Instead it was the other way around.
"Hey!" Jack yelled in an angry voice. The he drew his arm back and released it square onto David's face knocking him down.
Jack shook the pain off of his hand as though it was nothing, then kneeled next to Jane to see if she was all right.
Her eyes were wide with fear and she looked at him as if her were insane. "You shouldn't have done that Jack. You shouldn't have done that!" She said in a breathy voice as she shook her headfrom side to side in disbelief.
A/N: Thank you for my reviews! It makes me feel loved! gives hugs Thanks so much. Okay...now you're not going to love me. I may not get another chapter up for a couple of days. We're expecting rain and I can't have my computer on in the rain! Sorry!