This Is Why You Don't Treat Family

Jack had just completed the latest inventory of his medical supplies. He was glad to have something to do. He liked keeping busy and putting everything in its place had a way of soothing his mind. It was easier for him to maintain a sense of control when he understood what was available and what his options were.

"Jack . . . can I talk to you?"

He jumped, a little startled to hear a voice. He didn't think anyone was still in the caves—most of the people who slept there usually were out by this time of day.

"Sure Kate, what is it?"

"It's . . . kind of personal . . . " she fumbled, a pained look on her face.

A look of concern quickly passed over him. "Kate, is something wrong?"

"I think so . . . "

He looked around, confirming they were alone. "What's the problem?"

"Uh . . . it hurts when I pee . . . it hurts like hell, Jack."

"Oh. Well, that's not surprising given the conditions here," he said reassuringly. "I expected someone to come down with something like this sooner or later." Jack examined her face closely. "You look like you're running a slight fever." He placed his hand on her forehead. "And you feel a little warm. When did it start?"

"Yesterday morning. I went to the bathroom after I woke up and it really hurt. It almost made me . . . I felt really weak and lightheaded." Kate looked nervous and uncomfortable.

"Have you been drinking lots of water?"

"No. After that happened I thought it would be better if I cut back or something, but it didn't work."

Jack shook his head. "Bad idea. Worse thing you could have done. You need lots of fluids to flush out your system. Of course I can't do any lab work but it sounds like it's just a simple case of cystitis—an infection of the bladder. And like I said, it's not surprising in this environment. We don't have exactly the most sanitary conditions here and that can make it especially difficult for women to keep . . . " His voice trailed off and a thoughtful look passed over his face.

"What?" asked Kate.

"Well . . . there's another common cause. One that . . . never mind."

"What? Tell me!"

Jack didn't meet her eyes. He didn't want to be right. Then he forced himself back into doctor mode. "It's sometimes called 'honeymoon cystitis' Kate. Caused when there's a new sexual partner . . . uh . . . an increase in . . . uh . . . sexual activity . . . can bring it on." He smiled weakly. "Have you been getting lucky, Kate?" He forced his voice to be light as he asked, but when he looked at her, hoping like hell he was wrong, she blushed and turned away. Bingo. For a moment he hated her.

"Ah. I see." That bastard he thought even though he knew no one was to blame.

"Uh . . . do I need, should I tell . . . "

"No. It's not an STD Kate. You can't transmit this to Sa . . . someone else and no one gave it to you. There's no real need to tell your . . . your sexual partner." He refused to use the word lover. It was too personal and too painful to think about. Jesus he thought. This is why you don't treat family.

"So . . . what do I do?"

"Start drinking as much water as you can stand. Try and drink every hour—just keep a water bottle with you at all times. Empty your bladder as often as you need to—don't wait too long after you first feel you have to go to go."

"Okay."

"A hot soak will probably do you some good. I've been meaning to get with Sayid and Michael to build a tub. I knew sooner or later someone would need a soak. I just didn't realize . . . we'd need it . . . this soon . . . and . . . I thought I had more time to . . . " He didn't finish.

"Anything else, Jack?"

"Yes." He took a deep breath and continued with his duty. "Any activity . . . any type of sexual activity that puts pressure on your bladder . . . any weight on top of . . . well, you should probably just hold off until you're better."

Kate reddened again but knew it was almost over. "Is that it?"

"This should clear up soon on its own without medication. If it doesn't, there is something I can give you. But let's try it without the drugs first, okay?"

"Sounds good." Kate's face was a mixture of relief and regret.

"I'll check with you tomorrow to see how you're doing."

"Jack, I'm . . . I wanted to . . . "

He shook his head to stop her. "We're done here, Kate."

She slowly nodded. "I guess we are. Thanks, Jack."

He turned away from her and she hurried out of the cave.

Epilogue

The main campfire was dying and almost everyone had turned in for the night. Kate sat staring into the flame. Someone walked up and tossed a large branch into the fire, then crouched down beside her. It was Sawyer. She was glad to see him—he hadn't been around since late afternoon. They weren't avoiding each other. Since they had just recently become lovers, they were still trying to maintain their privacy and figure out how 'together' they wanted to appear in front of everyone. For now it worked for them to spend some time apart during the evening but they slept together in his shelter most nights.

Sawyer spoke first. "Well. At least he didn't hear it from someone else. That's what you wanted, right?"

Kate glared at him.

"What?" Sawyer protested. "Only reason it was ever any of his goddamn business in the first place was 'cause he's the doc."

Kate looked back at the fire. She kept seeing the hurt look on Jack's face and the way he had turned cold when she left him. She wished she could have said something or done something differently. That wasn't how she meant to tell him about Sawyer. Jack was important to her and she hated to hurt him.

Sawyer knew she was thinking about Jack and that bugged him. Why should I worry about her when I know she's sitting here thinking about him? 'Hold off' my ass. Bet he just made that up. Then he saw the strained look on Kate's face and immediately regretted his harshness. It's already been two days damn I want her again. Sawyer took a deep breath and shook his head. He knew how to wait. He reached over and put his hand on the back of her neck and started to rub, then spoke softly. "Just 'cause I can't touch you the way I want, don't mean I can't touch you at all. How about I give you a back rub?"

She smiled at him. "I'd like that." They stood up and Kate brushed the sand off of her jeans. As she took a step away from the fire, she heard his voice behind her and turned around.

"Hey Sponge. Don't forget this." He leaned over and picked up her water bottle.

The End