All right, let's get on with the story.
FOR ANYONE'S INFORMATION: "Emenius Sleepus" means "forever asleep" in Latin. I think... my Latin sucks. Some people believe that living is a only a dream and one day we'll all wake up and find that we haven't even lived yet. Some people allow their dreams to take over their lives and they forget reality. They get so wrapped up in wishing that something will happen that they forget to live and reality hits them harder than it would have if they didn't have their heads in the clouds. Did you ever have a really horrible nightmare and it seems so real, then you wake up and you're relieved that it was only a dream? Or a really good dream and you wake up halfway through it, and you're angry that it wasn't real? Did you ever think that maybe your dreams are a premonition for the future, and the things that you dream might really happen? That's all for now. Hope you enjoy this chapter.
-------------------------EMENIUS SLEEPUS-------------------------
-CHAPTER TEN-TIME-
As Jack stood there (well, knelt down in the dirt), glued to Kate by the hand (she was clutching his hand so hard that Jack could no longer feel his fingers), he saw the entire time spent on the island flash before him.
The day he met Kate... Boone, lying on the ground, barely breathing... his first kiss with Kate... an explosion... Arzt, dead on the ground... Kate approaching him with extraordinary news...
Kate screamed out in pain again and held Jack's hand even tighter. Jack was so scared he barely knew what to do.
"Sawyer," he said shakily. "I need you to help me."
Sawyer wanted to be mean, but Jack looked so scared that Sawyer needed to have a heart.
"Okay."
"I need you to go to the caves. I need clean water and a few blankets, and my bag." Jack looked at him. "Sawyer... GO!"
"All right," said Sawyer, and he left.
Kate grasped Jack's hand even harder. "Jack, it hurts!"
"Don't worry, Kate. You'll be fine." he kissed her hand, but his own was trembling. Should she be in this much pain? He didn't know.
Sawyer came back and dropped a bucket of water beside Jack's knee. Jack took the blankets.
"How long?" asked Sawyer. "How long is it going to be?"
Jack put a hand on Kate's stomach. "Few hours, I think." he said.
Sawyer sat down on the ground. "I'm staying."
"You don't have to stay." said Jack. "You can go."
"No. You're a wreck. You need help."
Jack smiled. Sawyer did too.
Jack had never seen Sawyer smile and mean it before.
"I'm sorry." said Jack.
"Why?" questioned Sawyer.
"I know that you liked her."
Sawyer smiled again. "This ain't high school, Jack-o. She's yours, and that's all. Besides, at this point there ain't no turning back."
Jack smiled. Kate screamed out in pain once more. Jack put one hand on her stomach and looked at his watch.
"Three minutes."
"Three minutes what?" said Sawyer.
"Her contractions, they're three minutes apart." Jack explained.
"So what does that mean?" said Sawyer.
Jack smiled. "It means we've got a while to go."
Half an hour... an hour... every few minutes Kate cried out in pain, and Jack just said, "I'm here, Kate, don't worry." and she stopped. Two hours later, Kate sat up.
"They stopped."
"What?" said Jack and Sawyer at the same time.
"The contractions, they stopped!" she said. "I'm not having the baby now after all!"
"Kate, I don't think-" Jack started.
"No, really, Jack." She took one of his hands and pressed them to her stomach. "See? No-"
A puddle formed around her legs and Kate's pants were soaked. She leaned back onto a rock.
"Damn it, I knew that was going to happen."
Jack smiled. His hands were shaking. He handed his watch to Sawyer.
"Watch for sixty seconds," said Jack. Sawyer nodded.
Jack took Kate's pants off and put her legs on top of a blanket. She cried out in pain once, then again a short time later.
"Jack..." said Sawyer. "they're sixty seconds apart."
Jack's stomach lurched and he knelt down in front of Kate. "Okay, Kate. Push, go on."
"I can't, Jack."
"Why not? Kate, you're going to get hurt if you don't-"
"Jack, I'm not ready to have a baby. I can't do this, I'm not ready."
"Well, you've got about a minute and a half to prepare yourself," called Sawyer, who was standing a few yards away with his back turned.
"What's wrong with you?" said Jack.
"I don't like the sight of blood." Sawyer said. Jack turned back to Kate.
Jack leaned forward. "Kate," he said. "Listen. You're not alone in this. I'm not going to leave you alone to take care of the baby. You have me. Now, if I could do this for you I would. But I can't, so I need your help. So push, Kate. Please, push."
Kate grasped Jack's hand and pushed with all her might. Four minutes later, Kate screamed out and a sharp cry could be heard.
"Come on, Kate. You're almost there..."
Kate screamed again and Jack pulled the baby up. He did what needed to be done. All his worries washed away and he was happier than ever before, holding that baby. He wrapped the baby in a blanket and said;
"That's it, Kate! You did it! Look, Kate, a baby girl!"
Kate gasped and fell back on the ground. With some difficulty, Jack helped her up and held his daughter in her arms.
"Oh, she's beautiful. Look at her, Kate. She looks just like her mother." Jack handed Kate the baby and said, "Come on, Sawyer, have a look!"
"Cover Kate. Her... you know..."
Jack chuckled a bit and covered Kate with the other blanket.
"Okay, Sawyer."
Kate was exhausted but smiling as she held her baby daughter in her arms.
"Oh, Jack, look at her..." said Kate softly.
Jack smiled and brushed Kate's hair out of her face. "You did it, Kate..." said Jack. "You did it. You did great."
"Oh, Jack..." said Kate. "I could have never done this without you..." Kate kissed Jack right then and there.
"Here," said Kate to Sawyer. "Come hold her."
Reluctantly, Sawyer moved forward. Kate handed the baby to Jack and Jack handed her to Sawyer, who smiled.
"Congratulations, you two." said Sawyer, smiling. "She's beautiful."
Sawyer passed her back to Jack. He smiled and knelt down beside Kate. They both looked at their daughter. She had a mess of dark brown hair like her parents atop her tiny head.
"What will you name her?" asked Sawyer.
Jack looked at Kate. "Your call, doctor," said Kate, smiling.
" 'Holly'," he said.
Jack stirred.
"The bloody baby, crying at all hours of the day." Jack heard Charlie's voice carry through the cave. Jack opened his eyes. He could hear a baby crying. Holly? He began to stand up, but he yawned and sat back down.
Jack looked around the caves. It was a dream, he told himself with a sinking heart. Everything was a dream. Kate was not pregnant, Jack did not have a daughter, and it was Aaron screaming, not Holly.
Jack was thoroughly upset. It had all seemed so real... but it wasn't real. It was a dream.
This was real. Jack was waking up at seven in the morning in the caves, like he did every day. He was going to give Shannon her medication and run around the island all day, making sure no one was hurt or missing or sick, which was what he did. He was still secretly in love with Kate and he could never tell her, because that was just how he was. That was Jack Shepard.
"Jack?"
He spun around. Standing several feet away, looking just as beautiful as ever, was Kate. Jack smiled. Kate's thin stomach was the painful truth that proved to Jack that it was a dream.
"Are you okay? You slept for a bit longer than you usually do. I gave Shannon her medicine, so don't worry about that."
Jack was still smiling.
"Are you okay?" said Kate.
"Yeah," said Jack. "Just fine. Thanks."
Maybe it was a dream, Jack thought as he collected his things. And maybe it wasn't real, but it was one hell of a good dream.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well, that was EMENIUS SLEEPUS! How was it? A bit disappointing? A nice ironic twist? Sort of weird? All three? Thanks much for reading my story, and I hope that one day I'll have another for you that I liked writing as much as this. Thanks again for reading! -WHENICOMEAROUND