Chapter 4

Author's note: To avoid confusion Future Kate will continue to be called that but any other characters will not – it's just assumed they are their counterparts in the future.

"I'm in here. " Future Kate called out as she finished rubbing out the excess what from her curly locks then pulled a strand up to her nose to smell. Good the smell of smoke cheap cologne and alcohol gone. She always hated going to bed smelling like a bar.

Seconds later Sawyer walked into the bedroom. Kate smiled at his sight. His hair was shorter and the facial hair was gone but in it's place was a mustache that ended at his chin. Sawyer walked over to Future Kate and leaned in to give her a kiss but she pushed him away.

"You've been drinking." She stated angrily.

"Yeah. So? "he challenged. " I was out with Ramon discussing getting the money together to buy the computer parts. "

"I thought you told me you weren't going to drink." She stated.

"I never said that sweetheart. I told you I wouldn't be coming home drunk because for some reason you don't like that. But I sure as hell ain't giving up drinking altogether, Sugar. No way to go through life sober all the time." He leaned in again for a kiss but Future Kate walked away.

"I'm tired of the smell of alcohol." She replied walking away from him and sitting on the bed. She had pulled out a small bottle of body lotion and was applying it to her legs. Sawyer watched in admiration. She had a great set of legs long and shapely that he loved having wrapped around his waist when they made love.

"Come on baby, I ain't in a mood to fight tonight. " He sat down next to her and smiled deeply showing off his dimples. "I'm more in the mood for a little loving. To celebrate this deal moving along." The time when he leaned in she didn't move and he kissed her neck. For a moment Future Kate sat still bending her neck and enjoying the kiss until his lips came up to her mouth. The mixture of whiskey and cigarettes made Future Kate's stomach turn. She pushed him away.

"Jeez Sawyer, at least go brush your teeth and rinse with mouthwash."

"What?" Sawyer countered. "What the hell's wrong with you? There was a time you never asked for me to brush my teeth when I kissed you like that. Hell Freckles, you could hardly wait to get my pants off."

"Yeah, well that was before I spent 6 nights a week in a room full of smoke, beer and cheap cologne." She replied as she got up and started to take off her robe. Underneath she had already put on her nightgown. "Hardly puts me in the mood." She pulled back the bedspread and got into bed.

"A lot of things seem to hardly put you in the mood anymore." Sawyer replied sarcastically as he started to take off his shirt. Kate has pissed him off with her rebuff and he was damned now if he would give her the satisfaction of showering let along brushing his teeth. Let her smell whiskey and tobacco all night, he thought to himself and he pulled of his pants and crawled into his side of the bed nude. Future Kate had turned on her side and had her back to Sawyer. He reached over and tried to caress her shoulder as a gesture for her to turn around. She refused.

"Kate" he whispered. "Kate, come on turn around."

"Sawyer, I'm really tired. "she whispered. " Just go to sleep."

With that Sawyer pulled back his hand and turned on his side with his back to hers.

Kate watched everything that had transpired silently. The tension between her future self and Sawyer was pretty thick in the room. You could feel it in every corner.

"Boone, what's wrong." She asked in a hush tone. "I mean the pictures of us…I mean, we look happy."

Boone shrugged his shoulders and led her back out into the dark living room. "There's a lot of stress living the life you to do. You've never put down roots, you don't really have any friends, no one to share anything with except yourselves. And just when you start to get into a routine you have to leave."

"But…we have each other. I mean Sawyer has always been able to make me feel better about stuff when we're on the island. He can always make me laugh and forget the bad stuff."

"Sure, if he's not the one causing the bad stuff." Boone replied. "Think about it. You went out into the jungle because you two had a fight. A fight he started."

Kate's mind flashed back to what started this whole adventure. Her argument with Sawyer about their relationship and her constant worry about Jack.

"He was being petty accusing me of always worrying about Jack." She commented.

"Sawyer has always had a sore spot when it comes to you and Jack. He didn't feel that he could ever measure up to Jack on the island and it continued after you guys were rescued. There's a part of him that's jealous of what Jack had."

"You mean he's jealous because Jack was the leader or because he's a doctor."

"He's jealous because Jack has your respect and your admiration. And not only that, but Jack was the first person you trusted in a long time." Boone explained solemnly.

Kate looked down at her feet. "That doesn't mean I care any less for Sawyer or that I didn't want to be with him" she said softly.

Boone put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "No, but that doesn't mean that you don't want to be with Jack either. That's why you're doing this Kate. You have to search your heart and your soul because the answer is there. You just have to find it."

Meanwhile back on the island, Kate was still in a coma and her fever had not come down. Sun had found the herbs Jack had asked for and had brought him a paste and some of the leaves to spread over Kate's limbs to try and draw out the fever. Sawyer had returned from his hike to the waterfall for a swim to hear what had happened to the young woman. When he made his way to the entrance of her tent he found Jack sitting next to her smoothing the herbal paste on her arms.

"What the hell happened to her?" he demanded.

Jack looked up at him as a flash of anger flickered in his eyes. "Where the hell have you been?" he demanded back. "You should have been looking out for her."

"What the hell do you want me to do, put her in a plastic bubble, Jacko?" he spit out and walked over and stood on the opposite side of Kate. "What's wrong?" he looked at her laying on the airline cushion she had made into a bed.

"Something bit her." Jack said trying to keep his voice calm. Even though he knew it wasn't Sawyer's fault Jack wanted somebody to blame for Kate's illness and Sawyer was the best target.

"What bit her?" Sawyer asked.

Jack looked up again at Sawyer. "I don't know for sure. It looks like a spider bite"

"Looks like?" Sawyer's voice became angry. "You're a damn doctor and all you can say is 'it looks like a spider bite'. Ain't we lucky to have you on the case." He spit his words out at the doctor. He hated the feeling of helplessness that washed over him right now knowing that Jack was probably the only one that could help Kate right now. He hated that. He wanted to be Kate's hero not Jackass like it always seemed to be.

"Look Sawyer, nobody was with her when it happened. All she told Sayid before she passed out was that she thought something bit her. I found a mark on her shoulder that looks like a spider bite." Jack explained keeping his voice in doctor mode.

"So what's that stuff you're putting on her?"

"It's an herbal paste that Sun made. It'll help draw out the fever and help her body fight the poison." Jack explained.

"So then what?" Sawyer countered.

"I monitor her vitals, watch her temperature and try and keep her cool as possible." The doctor replied. With that he looked back down and continued putting the paste on.

"That's it?" Sawyer spit out getting angry again. "Watch her and keep her cool. Ain't you got some antibiotics or aspirin to give her."

Jack shook his head. "She's not awake Sawyer so she can't swallow the aspirin. I don't have an IV to be able to give her any medication that way." He said softly.

Sawyer walked quickly over to Jack's side. "There's gotta be something more. Or are you just gonna sit back and let her die?"

Suddenly Jack had reached his limit and stood up to face the other man. "You know better than to say that! I'm doing everything I can to help her." He refused to say the word "save" because to Jack that meant she was dying and right now he couldn't face that possibility. "So back off."

"Or what?" Sawyer challenged. After the earlier fight with Kate and now this he was more than itching to land a punch on the other man. But Sayid came in and stepped behind Sawyer pulling him away from the doctor.

"That's enough Sawyer" he said. "Leave it alone. You're making things worse. Kate needs Jack's full attention. Go wait outside and let him work."

"The hell with that." Sawyer strained himself against Sayid's strong grip. "I'm staying right here."

"No you are not." Sayid replied firmly pulling him away. "You want Kate to get better you have to wait outside. There's nothing you can do for her in here." He continued to pulled Sawyer to the tent entrance. "Wait outside."

Hearing his words Sawyer dropped his head and let himself be let outside. Sayid was right. There wasn't anything he could do for Kate. It was up to Jack.