Okay everybody sorry about the delay in getting this chapter completed, but I had a little bit of problem with some parts wanting to get them just right. But I did make it up to you…extra long chapter and some fluff to boot. Enjoy!

Chapter 14

Kate was more than a little upset with Tom jerking her from one place to another.

"Why did we rush away so fast?" Kate demanded to know. "What didn't you want me to see?"

"It's not about seeing something or not. It's more you remembering to trust your gut again. You lost some of that after my death." He replied.

Kate took a deep breath; her mind flashing back to the kiss that woman had planted on Jack. She wanted to go back there and pull her blonde hair out by the roots for coming on to Jack.

"It's time to get an answer to your other question." Tom whispered.

Kate came out of the bathroom the pregnancy test palmed in her hand covered.

"So?" Claire asked excitedly.

"I haven't looked yet." Kate admitted. "I got spooked."

Clair put a hand on Kate's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "It'll be okay. Come on turn it over."

Nodding, Kate turned her palm up and opened it. She stared at the results for a few seconds her face not giving anything away. "Two lines." She finally said quietly. "It's positive."

Claire let out a little squeal and jumped up and down. "I knew it, Kate. I was right. You're pregnant."

"I'm pregnant." The other young woman replied. The words were still sinking in when Claire reached over and hugged her.

"You're gonna have a baby." She said happily. "Congratulations."

Kate's eyes started to water up. She was pregnant. She was going to be a mother. Damn! She thought to herself. She wasn't sure she was ready to be a mom. And what about Jack? Was he ready to become a father? Would he even want to be one?

"Kate?" Claire gently shook her out of her thoughts. "Kate?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay with this? I mean, this is good news, right?"

"I'm still processing." Kate said. "It all feels weird."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I freaked out when I first found out."

"You did?"

"Are you kidding?" she exclaimed. "I was babbling about not being married, about my mom finding out, about my $5 an hour job. It's okay to feel like that."

Kate nodded but didn't say anything as she looked at the test again.

"You know what might help?" Claire suggested. "Having a doctor confirm it."

"But aren't these tests usually pretty accurate?"

"Yeah, pretty much. But you need to know how far along you are and make sure everything's okay with the baby."

Kate looked over at Claire surprised. "You don't think something could be wrong, do you?" she asked concerned.

Claire shook her head and clasped the nervous woman's hand. The last thing she wanted to do was freak Kate out more. "Oh Kate, I didn't mean it like that. I just meant you should see an OB-GYN to confirm it." She said reassuringly. "You'll need to see one eventually."

Kate sighed. She had no idea which doctor to go see. They had been checked out when they were first rescued but she hadn't had a need to see a doctor since and she didn't want to ask Jack to recommend one – not yet. "I don't even know who to see." She confessed.

"Well, my doctor is a family practicioner in a medical center, let me call her and see." Claire offered grabbing her cell phone.

Within minutes Claire had Kate scheduled for an appointment that very afternoon and before Kate realized it the two and Aaron were in Claire's car on their way over to the medical center. A short time later Kate found herself sitting in a paper gown on the exam table having just been examined by Dr. Burgess. The older lady was quietly making notations on Kate's chart before she looked up and smiled warmly.

"Well, you're definitely pregnant." She announced.

Kate felt herself sucking in a deep breath. No doubt about it now – she was going to have a baby! "How far along?" she asked.

"Best I can tell you are almost 10 weeks along." Dr. Burgess replied.

"10 weeks?" Kate said surprised. "Why didn't I suspect earlier?"

"In some women there's not going to be any of the traditional symptoms – except of course for skipping a menstrual cycle - right away or it's one or two that can be explained away by something else. And I suspect you were told the same thing Claire was when you were examined after the rescue about going through a readjustment period. Things like your digestive system reacting to the change in diet, sleep patterns being off, your menstrual cycle possibly being thrown off schedule.

Kate nodded at what the doctor was saying. "I was also going through some real stressful stuff when we first got back. I really thought it was that."

"Understandable." Dr. Burgess replied. "But everything looks good so far. The only thing I'm a little concerned about is your blood pressure, it's a little low but we'll monitor that. Don't worry about it right now. I'd also like to see you gain a little more weight." She rattled off as she wrote more in the chart. "How's your appetite?"

"Okay. It's just trying to keep everything down that's the problem sometimes."

Dr. Burgess chuckled. "Morning sickness, huh?"

Kate nodded and wrinkled her nose. "Morning and afternoon."

"Well, saltines should help with that. Increase the protein and dairy. Definitely drink more milk."

"Okay." Kate was starting to feel overwhelmed. Her head was spinning – 10 weeks, more protein, more milk…

The doctor scribbled out a prescription. "I'm writing a prescription for pre-natal vitamins. Also stop by the lab, I'm ordering a blood test to check your iron levels." She instructed.

"Sure." Kate nodded taking the slip of paper. "Ahum…anything else?"

Dr. Burgess looked up at the nervous young woman. She was use to seeing the look currently on Kate's face on many of her new mothers to be. She reached over and patted Kate's hand. "Just enjoy the pregnancy. A baby is a blessing."

After dressing Kate went to the lab for the blood draw while Claire waited for the prescription to be filled. A short time later they were on their way back home. In the vehicle Claire noticed Kate was rather quiet. "How are you holding up?" she asked.

Kate shrugged her shoulders. "Feeling a little overwhelmed."

'That's expected."

"I still can't really believe I'm pregnant."

"But you want this baby, right?" Claire asked cautiously. She had just assumed that Kate would want to keep the baby.

"So, it looks like you're gonna be a mom" Tom commented.

Kate nodded but didn't answer. Claire's questioned about wanting the baby weighted on her mind. Sure as a young girl there were dreams of getting married and having a family. Tom always teased her saying they would have 10 kids or more. But when she went on the run she pushed those ideas out of her mind. She couldn't imagine having a baby along while she dodged the authorities. But here she was free and clear, no longer having to run and pregnant – pregnant with Jack's baby. The more she thought about it the more she was starting to like the idea. She closed her eyes and visualized a little boy with dark hair running around after his father or a little girl, maybe with freckles on her nose, having Jack wrapped around her little finger. She smiled at the scene.

"So maybe having a baby isn't such a foreign idea?" Tom's voice broke into her thoughts.

"Do we…ahum…how does Jack take the news? I mean is he happy?" she asked softly.

Taking her hand he led her back into the livingroom. "Let's see."

Kate had asked Claire to stop at the store to pick up a few items that she needed – her mind formulating a way to tell Jack about the baby. Though she was very nervous thinking about what his reaction might be, a part of her, a part she didn't know existed until now, was starting to get excited about the baby. So, after Claire left, with the promise to not tell Charlie the news yet, Kate started her preparations.

She put together a large grilled chicken salad and put it in the refrigerator. She pulled out the chocolate cake, Jack's favorite; she had picked up from the store and placed it on the counter. On impulse she had brought a bottle of sparkling apple cider hoping Jack would be happy with the news and they could share a toast. Glancing at the clock she figured he'd be home soon. Jumping into the shower she changed into her favorite dark green shirt noting her pants were starting to get difficult to fasten. Leaving her hair in a loose curly ponytail she went into the living room and placed several lit candles around the room then lit a fire in the fireplace casting a warm glow in the room. As a finishing touch she turned on the stereo and tuned it to a jazz station she had recently started listening to.

Now as she sat on the couch she started to feel herself getting nervous again. What if Jack didn't want a child or worse, what if he didn't want one with her? Since the kiss they shared during the pillow fight he hadn't made any more attempts to start up their relationship again. But there were times that Kate caught him in a look similar to those he use to give her on the island that made her think he still wanted to be with her. As she watched the flames flicker the warmth from the fire started to make her sleepy. Yawning she stretched out on the couch. 'I'll just close my eyes for a few minutes until Jack gets home' she thought to herself. Five minutes later she was fast asleep.

When Jack entered the house he heard soft music playing and saw the soft lights in the living room. "Kate?" he called out as he took off his coat and tie. "Hey, where are you?" he was greeted with silence.

Glancing into the kitchen and finding it empty he went back into the living room and spotted her asleep on the couch. Smiling he walked over and sat on the arm rest near her head and looked down admiring at how peaceful she looked. As he reached out to pull back a curl his mind flashed back to the incident at the bar with Diana.

"Nothing wrong with us going and getting room upstairs and getting to know each other better." She propositioned him as she leaned in and gave him a light kiss.

He pulled back with a surprised look. "Diana…I…I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression."

"I know you said you were involved, but she doesn't need to know." Diana reached down and placed her hand on Jack's thigh. "It could be our little secret." She smiled seductively.

Jack shook his head and gently removed her hand. "I'm flattered Diana, but I don't think so. I can't do that to Kate." He explained. "It took me a long time to find her…I had to get into a plane crash…the last thing I want to do is ruin the relationship."

Diana smiled weakly as she took a sip of her drink. "I hope she realizes what a lucky woman she is."

Back in his living room Jack took a deep breath as he admired how beautiful and relaxed Kate looked as she slept. "Actually Diana," he whispered "I'm the lucky one." He caressed Kate's cheek with the back of his hand. The contact caused Kate to wake up. Opening her eyes she looked up at Jack and smiled.

"Hey", he greeted.

"You're home." She said groggily as she started to sit up.

"Ah huh. I had a drink with everybody after the last presentation and then got caught in the traffic. There was an accident on the 141." He pointed to the candles. "So Kate, what's all this?"

Kate blushed slightly not sure how to start the conversation. "I…ahum….I wanted to talk to you." She said softly.

"I wanted to talk to you too." He admitted.

Nodding Kate scooted down the couch and patted the empty spot next to her. "Okay, you first." She said glad to have a little more time for her news.

"You sure?" Jack sat down. "Looks like you went to a lot of trouble here."

She nodded again and bit her bottom lip. "Yeah, go ahead."

Jack took a deep breath. "Well, I've been thinking…I mean now that everything is settled with your case and…ahum…well…" he reached over and took her hand in his. "Kate, I want us to start up again. Start up where we left off on the island." He looked into her green eyes noticing how they sparkled with the firelight.

This wasn't quite what she was expecting him to say at this moment and her heart skipped a beat. "You do?" she asked trying to make sure she heard him correctly.

He nodded and brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it softly. "Yeah, I miss us Kate. I want to start over. Do you?"

Kate could fear tears starting to form. Smiling she nodded and replied softly, "Yeah, I do."

Jack's mouth broke out into a wide grin and he pulled her to him and touched his lips gently to hers. Kate returned the kiss forgetting about what she wanted to tell him for a moment as he started to pushed her back against the couch. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she lost herself in the flood of emotions his kiss was bringing out. The kiss deepened until they both felt they needed to take a breath and pulled apart. Jack smoothed out her hair and planted a kiss on her neck under her ear. "What did you want to talk about?" he mumbled.

The baby! Kate remembered and gently pushed Jack up away from her. "Oh yeah, I have something for you. " she said flushed as she reached under the coffee table and pulled out a small long jewelry box with a bow wrapped around it. Handing it to Jack she smiled nervously. "Open it."

Jack took the box and looked at it perplexed. "You bought me a watch?" he commented guessing from the look of the box.

"No, it's something better than a watch." She replied mysteriously. "Open it."

Jack laughed as he pulled off the ribbon and opened the lid. Kate watched his face as he looked inside and saw the contents. "You got me a piece of plastic."

"Turn it over." She explained waiting for his reaction. She watched as he turned it over and saw that it was a pregnancy test.

"It's a pregnancy test." He said still not quite understanding the revelation.

"A positive pregnancy test." She corrected very quietly.

Suddenly Jack's face changed as he started to understand what he had in his hands. He looked over at Kate. "This is yours?" he gasped. She nodded. "You're pregnant?"

"Yeah, looks like it." Kate revealed. "Almost 10 weeks."

Jack looked back at the box and then at Kate again. "10 weeks?"

"That last week on the island." She added still not sure if he was happy or not.

Jack brought a hand up to his chin and rubbed his light beard. "A baby." He said in a low voice.

"Jack…" Kate said nervously. "Are you okay with this?"

He looked over at Kate and saw for the first time a look of nervousness and fear in her face. She was petrified that he might not want this. Reaching over he put his hand on her stomach and smiled warmly. "A baby." He said. "We're going to have a baby."

Kate put her hand on top of his pressing it into her stomach that was only slightly protruding. "Yeah, we're going to have a baby." She repeated returning his smile. "You're going to be a dad."

Jack pulled her into his warm embrace and hugged her tightly. "Kate, this is incredible! After everything we're going to have a baby." He gave her another deep kiss.

"So, you're happy?" she laughed as they broke the kiss.

"Very." He joined in her laughter as he leaned back on the couch and pulled her into his embrace laying her head on his chest. Leaving one hand on her stomach gently caressing it he wrapped the other one around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. They stayed there the rest of the night wrapped up in each other's embrace happy they had found their way back to each other and were now going to be a family.

Upcoming Chapter - Kate witnesses a gesture that shows her what kind of man Jack is.