Finally i got around to writing this. I will let all of you know i didn't go with my orginal plan i was going with, so everything has been changed around for the better. Some of you guys might like this change others probably won't, but it will surprise all of you most likely. Hopefully. That's what i was going for. So i hope you enjoy it.

Reality Check

She didn't feel him next to her. She couldn't feel or hear his breath on the back of her neck. He must have got up, she thought. But she heard his voice faintly off in the near distance. He was close, but not close enough.

The heat of the sunlight had lost its familiarity and was replaced by cooling shade. The surface under her felt different than she had remembered it the night before. It was uncomfortable. Pain quickly racked her body as she turned trying to get comfortable.

"Sit still.' Said a calming voice as she tried to move.

She didn't listen as she began to move again. The pain confused her when she did move. She didn't remember feeling this bad when she had went to sleep.

"Jack!"

That voice again. It was familiar, but hadn't been heard in a while. It was hard to put her finger on who it was. Then the pain took over her thought as again she tried to move. Suddenly she felt his hands upon her. Pressing her body back to the uncomfortable surface. She tried to struggle, but let him take control when the pain became too much and she began to feel sick.

She became cold quickly and her body began to shake. Weakness came over her as her head spun with the noise of slurred voices hovering around her. Her heart began to race and her breath quicken. She became scared and tried again to move.

"Kate lie still. It's ok."

His command didn't ease her. It frightened her more. She suddenly began to question what was going on. Why she couldn't open her eyes, why her body was struggling to keep control, and why Jack was fighting her. All stuck her down as her eyes shot open.

Light then darkness flooded her mind. Staring above where she laid things slowly came into focus. The sun glittered through trees that canopied overhead as their leaves wavered back in forth in the slight breeze. Taking a deep breath she slowly turned her head through the pain.

Her eyes wondered around seeing figures scattering about as they were enveloped by tall rocky surroundings. Then she was covered by a shadow crossing over her. Her eyes shot up to a tall dark figure sitting over her. Soon she came to see it was Jack. But it wasn't the same Jack she had seen that night before or what she was questioning might have been the night before.

His face was brought down tremendously by lack of sleep and exhaustion. Sweat glistened down the sides of his cheeks and neck. Bags surrounded his eyes as he stared down upon her in somewhat shock and joy.

"She's waking up! Get some water!" He yelled never turning his attention away.

This was all becoming too much. Last thing she remembered was climbing into bed with Jack, now here she lay in consuming pain under his hands in a somewhat familiar, but confusing place. Opening her mouth she went to speak and question what was going on, but was stopped by his hand coming up to her face.

"It's ok." He whispered as someone walked up to his side.

Looking away from him and to the person Kate came to see it was Sun. But it wasn't the Sun she remembered from the bookstore that day. She was slim with a look of worry plastered over her face. Handing the water bottle to Jack she looked down to her with a warming smile before she turned.

The next feeling was of a cooling liquid rushing past her lips and down her throat. As it passed over her dry tongue she took a deep breath and looked up to Jack who had a weird smile across his lips. She could see tears rolling down his cheeks as he stared at her in a daze.

Wiping her shaky hand over her face she pushed against him to sit up. She instantly felt his hands around her body helping her up. In all this question and uncertainty his hands made her feel secure and safe, but still she was scared.

When she became settled against him and a hard surface behind her she felt sleep tried to consume her as pain surged through her body. She fought her drooping lids wanting to know what was going on. She tried forcing herself to speak, but when she opened her lips nothing came out but a gasp. Closing her eyes for a brief moment she heard another voice as someone approached.

"Is she ok?"

It was Claire. Her eyes shot open again looking up to see Claire standing in front of her holding Christopher in her arms. Something was odd as her weary eyes looked over her. Her stomach didn't bulge. She didn't stand with weight on her legs. She didn't even look pregnant.

Seeing her confused Kate even more. Last time she remembered seeing her she looked as if she was about to pop, now she showed no signs of being with child at all. Closing her eyes again, Kate took a deep breath and tried to comprehend what was going on. Nothing was familiar to her. Nothing was how it should have been.

Hearing Claire walk away she pushed to open her eyes. She was instantly hit with Jack's eyes staring into hers. The smile had disappeared from his face.

"Are you ok?" He asked running his fingertips down her arm.

She shook her head feeling tears well up in her eyes. She was so confused and felt alone even with him sitting there. And the pain all over her body displaced her. She wanted some answers.

"Jack…" She finally spoke, her voice barely above a whisper.

Staring into his eyes she saw them suddenly change. The worry and tears faded into question as she spoke.

"Where am I?"

"The caves."

His words were slow and drawn out as they disappeared on the wind. It hit her in that moment. Her eyes went wide and her breath was caught. Her heart began to race inside her chest as she looked around to her surroundings. It all quickly came into form.

The rocky surroundings. The dripping water fall. The sun glittered through the swaying leaves that hung from the trees above. All the people she had lived with before and thought had moved away now were trying not to crowd around her as she came to.

This was the caves. Not Jack's bedroom that she had remembered from the night before or what she had thought was the night before. None of it made sense to her.

"The caves?" She questioned, her eyes still wondering around.

"Yeah. You've been in and out of a mild coma for two days now." He explained.

Her head shot back around till she was face to face with him.

"What? Why was I in a coma?"

"You went into shock after-".

"No, we got rescued and went back to normal lives.' She exclaimed.

"Nobody had been rescued. You've been out for two days Kate." He said trying his best to calm her down.

She quickly began to panic. There was no way she was still on the island. She remembered getting off. She remembered the hotel, Sarah, and Charlie and Claire's wedding. Jason and Jack. She remembered it all too vividly to let it pass off as some dream she had while in a coma.

"No we got rescued Jack!" She yelled as she tried to stand, but pain shot down through her leg making her lose her balance.

"Kate…" He called coming to her side trying to stop her.

"We got rescued." She cried again as she struggled against him.

Feeling his hand upon her body she tried to force herself away from him. Pushing against him her eyes wondered over each person as they stood and watched her freak out. They were all there. Everyone who had been living at the caves with her before they got rescued. They were all there. Still with that fact she couldn't believe she was there.

"I remember it."

"I know." He said finally getting a hold of her.

Giving up she fell into his arms as she cried. He took her and sat her back down on the cot she had been laying on. Sitting down all she could do was stare at each one of them shaking her head as she went through all the memories she had of them off the island.

"It doesn't make any sense." She whimpered.

"I know it doesn't." Jack said looking her over with concern.

He knew this was all coming as a shock to her, but her reaction wasn't something he expected. He wondered if her state had anything to do with it. Had anything to do with her claims of getting rescued.

She turned and caught his eyes again. This time they were filled with fear and somewhat guilt as he looked at her. They made her even uneasier as she stared into them.

"What's going on Jack?"

He lowered his gaze when she said that. He felt so bad seeing her in this pain and confusion. She had no idea what was going on and was scared out of her mind. She needed to know, so with a deep breath he tried to explain.

"You're going through post dramatic shock. I guess after being in a coma after being shot this is normal." He sighed.

"Shot? I don't remember being shot."

Her words again struck him. She didn't remember something big as being shot. Then he thought about it. All the trauma probably messed with her head and blacked out that part of her memory. It was something it didn't want her to remember. It was something Jack didn't want her to remember, but she needed to know.

"Well you went after me when I went after Ethan. One thing led to another and we all three ended up on the ground with gunshot wounds."

"You got shot?" She questioned.

"Just in the shoulder." He said lifting up his sleeve to show a bandage wrapped around his arm.

"Nothing too bad."

Kate looked away and became quiet. It was hard knowing Jack had gotten hurt probably trying to save her, but it was harder to believe what he was telling her. She was still confused, but admitted Jack's explanation made sense. The whole thing with being rescued, Sarah, and living with Jack could have been her dream, but why did it seem so real?

And how did she know this wasn't a dream?

How'd she know this was real?

He knew she was questioning her existence as she sat there. She was most likely scared out of her mind with all this suddenly hitting her. He wanted to talk to her and help her become assured that she was still on this miserable island, but he didn't want to push her. Not right then.

"You've scared me." He whispered as he rested his hand a top hers.

She said nothing as her eyes followed his fingers wondering over the top of her hand. The tips of them were stained with blood. Most likely her blood. She couldn't even begin to think of all she had put him through.

"I thought so many times that I was going to loose you…" He continued as he began to gently squeeze her hand in his.

She could hear the tears on his voice as he spoke. Just the thought that he was crying made tears of her own sting at the corners of her eyes.

"But now you're awake and everything ok." He said sniffing back his tears as he let go of his hand.

She couldn't even look at him. It was hard to even sit there next to him and not become compelled with his emotion. All of this was too much for her. Giving in and letting Jack's emotion take over she'd surely collapse from within.

"Jack?"

He looked up as Charlie came over calling his name. Kate looked up too hearing that British voice ring in her ears. He looked almost the same as the last time she had seen him. That had been at his wedding. He was the only one that did look as they were in her "dream". Still he was different. Still dirty and shaggy here and there, but he was more of what she remembered and that sort of comforted her.

"What's up Charlie?"

"Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure." Jack said.

The two watched Charlie walk away before they looked at each other. Kate feel better knowing Jack had to get up and walk away. Not that she didn't want him there, but his emotion and worry wasn't helping anything in the situation.

There was still a sense of fear overshadowing her and it made him question whether or not her should get up. He was scared she'd become panicked again if he got up.

"Will you be ok for a second?" He asked cocking his head so he could meet her eyes.

She didn't speak a word. She just nodded and then looked away again as tears came on. Just seeing him was pushing her over.

He still didn't feel right as he came to his feet. With a deep breath he leaned down and placed a kiss a top her head amongst her messy hair.

"It'll be ok. I promise." He assured her with a smile.

She tried to believe him as he walked away, but it was going to take more than his words to convince her this was real. That everything she had lived and breathed for what seemed like the last two months was all a coma-induced dream.

Her eyes wondered down to her chest seeing the bloodstains. Her hand quickly came up and rested over the bandage. It must have been where she was shot. Right over the heart, she thought. The pain was almost too much even with her hand barely over it.

Then she looked down to see her leg encased in tape and wooden splints. She didn't know why it was like that, but guessed she probably broke it. It almost hurt as much as her chest.

Taking a deep breath she looked away and around seeing the other trying to sneak a peak at her. She knew they must have been doing as much questioning as she was, but this had to be most confusing to her. Her life was basically shattered in the instant she opened her eyes. All she had been through. All she and Jack had worked through to get to that point she thought they were at.

It was all gone.

They'd have to work through all of their secrets and pasts mistakes all over again. At least she knew she had it in herself to confront it, but it was a question whether or not she was willing to do it for real. It seemed hard in a dream, but in real life it would be worse.

It became too much as she sat there. She let it in and let it get to her. The fear and question of uncertainty pulled at her mind's emotion. Sleep was trying to seduce her as she gave up and lied down on the cot. Her body wanted to sleep, but she was too scared that if she closed her eyes this would suddenly be ripped from this existence and placed into another life she wouldn't recognize.

So she lied there staring off into a daze of tears and question. Looking around she tried to convince herself slowly and surely this was real. That she had been in a coma and they were still on that miserable island. It was a sad fact, but it was a small relief knowing she hadn't gone through all the things she had thought she had.

Settling on that thought she began to question where all the images had come from. Everything she had lived through with Jack and his life. She knew nothing about Jack's life besides him being a doctor.

How had Sarah and Barbara come to be?

Were they real or figments of her imagination?

If so then why did she think up them?

If not then why hadn't Jack mentioned anything?

She struggled to push all of it out of her mind and try and settle on what was at hand. She knew she'd never get over it. She'd never forget the life she had had, but didn't lead. It was going to be hard to let go of that and try to back to a life secluded on an island.

Author's Note: First this i will let youall know this chapter is reality. Everything before this, all that happened with Jason and Sarah it was all Kate's coma. (go ahead and start throwing things) But i thought long and hard about this and decided i was going to up what i was going to do later. So this was ultimately going to happen i just kick started the process. I hope this doesn't push any of you away and brings more of you onto this sick little ride i'm operating.

They are now back on the island and the stakes are much higher. I'm going to do things nobody thought would happen. I'll let you all know a little secret though. i think i owe you that. Pay attention to small details. Go back and look over the things that happened in her coma. They will give hints if not the entire clue of what is going to happen.

Again i hope i didn't piss all of you off and hope you will continuing reading. It ain't over yet. Not even close and it's going to get much worse. As always i hope you gusy enjoyed and will keep reading and telling me what you think.