Thanks again for all the reviews, and for putting up with all the Sawyer in the last chapter! I'm glad some of you enjoyed it :) And for those who didn't... here's some more Jack/Kate!

"Oh, yeah he just… needed some water," Kate said quickly.

Jack eyed the flower in her hand, but didn't say anything. Kate reddened and placed it down on the far side of her bag, out of sight.

"Anyway, is Claire okay?", Kate asked, thinking it best to change the subject.

Jack's brow furrowed and he nodded. "As okay as can be expected, I guess. This kind of anxiety is normal for any pregnancy, but I'd say she's doing fairly well considering the circumstances."

"It must be scary," Kate replied.

"Yeah, I can't even begin to imagine," Jack agreed. "But she's hanging in there."

"I meant for you."

Jack looked at her in surprise. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but thought better of it and averted his eyes, focusing on the ground in front of him.

"It'll be okay, Jack," Kate reassured.

He was silent for a moment, focused intently on the ground. "I've never delivered a baby."

Kate looked at him sadly, wondering why he doubted himself so much when the people around him trusted him implicitly, herself included. "I know. But I've seen you do some pretty amazing things here. Sawyer's arm in the jungle, Charlie... when we found him and he was…" Kate trailed off, unable to finish the thought. "You're a good doctor, Jack," she said, nodding.

He looked up at her, finally, a wry smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. "Apparently not that good. I can't even figure out how to treat your condition."

He looked at her with a strange sadness in his eyes, and maybe… guilt? Kate sighed, unsure what to say. Jack obviously didn't take well to flattery, but she had meant what she said.

"How are you feeling right now, anyway?", he asked,steering the conversation away from himself.

"Better, I think. Just tired."

"Any pain? Dizziness?", he probed.

"No pain, just a little dizzy when I try to move around too much," Kate answered.

"And how about your chest?", Jack persisted. "Any numbness?"

"A little."

Jack moved towards her, squatting down at her side. He bent his head in close, inspecting the bare skin above her tank top. "Well, the rash isn't back. That's a good sign."

His hands slid up her neck and he gingerly examined the sensitive glands below her jaw, before lifting a palm to her forehead.

"You have a slight fever," he reported with a frown. "I know you feel pretty good right now, but I'm not sure you're out of the woods yet. I'd feel a whole lot better if you could sleep through the night tonight without any complications."

"And I'd feel better if I wasn't keeping you up every night with my complications," Kate replied, an apologetic smile on her face. "You need some sleep, too."

"Well, you know, I did manage to get a couple solid hours last night…" Jack replied, looking down at her and smiling, a flicker of something in his eyes that Kate couldn't quite put her finger on.

"Me, too," she said quietly, smiling as she remembered the feel of Jack's arm around her, his warm breath in her hair. She felt herself blush and quickly looked away from Jack's gaze.

He stood and retrieved a fresh bottle of water from the niche in the wall behind him.

"I want you to try to get some more rest, but drink some of this first. I'm going to see if I can find you some fish, too. You need protein to build your strength back up."

Kate nodded and willingly accepted the bottle from him.

"And if you're feeling up to it later," Jack continued, "Michael's got the showers working now. Sun and Shannon said they'd help you if you wanted to give it a try."

"That sounds like a good idea," Kate replied with a chuckle. "I feel like such a mess, and I probably look terrible," she finished, nervously fingering her hair.

Jack narrowed his eyes, studying her. "Hmm… I don't think that's possible."

Kate rolled her eyes at him, but smiled in spite of herself. Jack smiled back, then turned and grabbed his backpack.

"I'll be back soon with the fish," he called as he walked out of the cave.

Kate continued smiling long after he had gone…