Tears continued to fall as they clung on to each other. Jack tried to imagine they were elsewhere, the four walls disappeared in his mind and he was back in CTU, six years earlier, where they had been huddled together in the corner of the conference room in a similar position. Terri had been found dead, Jack had just told his daughter news no child could possibly want to hear.
They had sobbed on each others shoulders through the night until they had managed to pull away and try to accept the harsh reality. Kim felt her father tense as she cried on him but thought he was in pain, physical rather than the mental agony the flashback had reproduced. Was she was hurting him? Jack opened his eyes and realised that he would rather be where he was now than reliving the memory, the hardest and most devastating time of his life.
They were both trying to pull themselves together without the other person knowing it, when the electronic beep could be herd. Kim dismissed the noise having no idea what it was, but was alerted when Jacks head whipped towards the door as a look of pure panic crossed his face, scaring Kim more than his condition. She stared at him as he focused his attention on the door, and realised what she saw was fear. He was scared for her. Despite his appalling condition and sickening future looming ahead, he was worried about her.
She felt her heart break again as she wrapped her arms around him squeezing him tightly, not caring of the people entering the room around them. This could be the last time she ever saw him, she didn't want to leave, she couldn't leave him to face more of this. But what could she do? Nothing, she realised as she grasped him tighter, as though she could make them disappear. She'd rather be anywhere else in the world right now; how could she leave him in this small cell in the middle of nowhere at the hands of such brutal and uncaring people?
The men entered the room and Jack instantly herd the clucking laugh of Chow, it made his skin crawl and his muscles tense as he hung on to Kim too. He couldn't help but feel like he was clinging onto life, he was scared; he didn't want to let go. When she was left, he would have nothing left. Nothing to live for, except the soldiers amusement; and he knew they were too professional to let him die.
It was simple, he wouldn't let go; they would have to pry her from his arms which bound her too him tightly despite how weak he was. Kim's grip was even stronger, she didn't want to leave her father, ever. They were both so desperate that they didn't hears Chows mocking words or his order to get Jack on his feet; knowing how much fun it would be to degrade the man some more, only this time before his daughters very eyes.