A/N: Thanks again for all the reviews and helpful hints, everyone :) I'm working on making the chapters longer and building the plot, but I'm new to this fanfic biz, so thanks in advance for being patient with me!

Kate awoke with a start to a crashing noise a few feet away.

"Oh, dude, I… I'm really sorry," Hurley stammered, struggling to replace all the supplies he had accidentally knocked off of Jack's makeshift table. "I wasn't supposed to wake you up."

"It's okay," Kate replied, feeling a little groggy.

"Well, uh, Jack said I should bring you some fish… You know, in case you were hungry when you woke up."

"Oh. Thanks, Hurley." Kate smiled at him as he handed her the plate. "Where is Jack?"

"Um, I don't know." Hurley shifted around nervously, not meeting her eyes. "I should probably go find him, though." With that, he hurried off toward the mouth of the caves.

Kate watched him go, shaking her head at Hurley's strange behavior. It's like he's afraid of me or something, she mused. Maybe he thinks I'm contagious…

Kate was just finishing the last of the fish when Jack returned, carrying more wood for the fire. He set it down, brushed his hands off on his jeans, and walked toward Kate.

"Your look a little bit better," he said, eying her closely.

"Does that mean I'm free to go?", Kate asked hopefully.

"Not a chance," Jack replied. "Do I need to remind you of what happened earlier this morning?"

"No… I remember." Kate blushed and looked away, remembering the feel of Jack's hands applying the eucalyptus to calm her breathing.

"Well, at least let me go to the beach and get my things then," she said, hoping to change the subject. "I promise I'll come right back."

"No need," Jack said, shaking his head. "I sent Shannon down to get them for you. She should be back any time."

"Oh," Kate replied shortly. Her prospects for leaving the caves at all today were dwindling and she wasn't exactly thrilled about it. She'd only been awake for half an hour and already she felt incredibly restless.

"Sorry to disappoint," Jack said, picking up on the change in her mood. "I just want to make sure you're okay."

"I know, Jack. I'm sorry. I'm just not used to sitting still for so long."

Jack nodded, understanding. "Well, I think Michael's planning to start constructing the showers today, so at least you'll get to watch the progress. That could be interesting, right?"

"I can hardly contain my excitement," Kate replied in a caustic tone.

Jack smiled. "That's the spirit."

Kate was happy that she'd gotten him to smile; she was getting pretty good at it lately. And whenever Jack smiled, Kate couldn't help but match it. He seemed to have one that was reserved specifically for her, and it always left her head feeling a little fuzzy, as if parts of her were melting away a little bit at a time.

She had hoped he would stay at the caves and keep her company for awhile, but she knew he had other people to check on and Sayid had wanted to talk to him about the French woman's maps, too. So, after warning her that Hurley would be watching to make sure she didn't try to sneak off, Jack left Kate to her own devices, promising that he would be back as soon as possible.

It wasn't long until Shannon came by to drop off Kate's bags from the beach, but she didn't stay to talk. Kate had noticed that she was spending a lot of time with Sayid lately, and she wasn't sure it was just about translating the maps either. Who would have guessed those two…Kate wondered, shaking her head.

Standing up to stretch her stiff legs, Kate peered around the corner of the infirmary cave and saw that Hurley was busy helping Michael with the shower installation. I'll just take a quick walk and see how my flower garden looks today, and Jack will never even know I was gone, Kate thought, sneaking out through the mouth of the cave.

It was nice to feel the sun on her face again, and Kate took her time walking to the garden. It was another scorching day and she wished she could have brought more water for the flowers, but that would have meant catching Hurley's attention, and then she wouldn't have been able to leave the caves at all.

Although, she was starting to regret her covert trip into the jungle anyway. Her knees were feeling weak again and her eyes seemed to be a little out of focus. And every once in awhile, she felt a sharp pain travel up her left arm. Angry with her body for refusing to cooperate, Kate made the trip slowly back to the caves, pausing to lean against the entrance to catch her breath.

"Damn, Freckles. You look like somethin' the boar dragged in."

"Gee, thanks," she replied weakly, as Sawyer sauntered up behind her.

"What the hell's the matter?", he asked roughly, trying to disguise any concern in his voice. She really didn't look well.

"Jack thinks I was bitten by a poisonous spider," she explained, clearly annoyed at the whole situation. "It's been making me kind of… dizzy."

"And Doc prescribed a walk around the jungle in the heat of the day?", Sawyer asked, eyeing her skeptically.

Kate rolled her eyes. "Of course not. I just got tired of sitting around."

"Well, you look like you could do with a bit more sittin' around at the moment," Sawyer advised, walking toward her.

Kate didn't answer. Her head was swimming, but she wasn't about to admit it. She hated the thought of appearing weak in front of Sawyer; he would never let her forget it. His arm was extended to her, but she swatted it away.

"I'm fine, Sawyer. I can get there myself," Kate said as shetook a few cautious steps into the cave entrance.

"Whatever you say, Fre-", Sawyer began.

But hestopped short as Kate collapsed to the cave floor in front of him.