A/N: Many apologies for the long delay. I really need to stop letting real life get in the way of my fanfic! Take this nice, long chapter as a peace offering for my protracted abscence ;)

Enjoy!

True to his word, Jack returned soon with the fish, as well as some fresh fruit, already sliced. "Wow," Kate remarked as he set the plate in front of her. "The service here is excellent."

Jack smiled. "You know, I did wait tables in college for awhile."

Kate giggled. "Well, just don't be expecting any tips today."

"Tell you what, you finish all that fish and we'll call it even."

Kate rolled her eyes in mock irritation. "Whatever you say, Doctor Shephard."

Jack stayed to talk with her while she ate, and Kate had finished both the fish and the fruit before she'd even realized it. It was nice talking with Jack; not discussing the crash or her illness or her past, just a friendly conversation. That was something Kate had missed in the months before the crash, when she was on the run. And sitting with Jack now, listening to the cadence of his voice and smiling at the way his eyes crinkled when he laughed, Kate couldn't help but feel almost normal again.

It was over too quickly, but Jack had noticed Kate's stifled yawn and insisted that she try to rest.

"I have to check on a few people at the beach, but I'll be back in a couple of hours. Yell for Sun if you need anything, ok?"

Kate nodded. "Wake me up when you get back, though. I don't want to sleep through my turn in the new shower."

Jack smiled. "Will do."

Kate awoke several hours later to the sound of Jack and Sun's muffled voices on the other side of the cave. She assumed Sun was showing Jack another homeopathic remedy of some kind, and she smiled to herself, relieved that Sun could help Jack shoulder some of the burden of providing medical care for the survivors. He could definitely use the break.

Kate cleared her throat. "So, are you two working on my cure over there?"

Jack grinned. "You look rested."

"I feel rested, too," Kate replied, smiling.

"I'm glad you're feeling better," Sun said kindly. "Jack said you would like to try the new shower?"

"If it's not too much trouble," Kate replied. She hated feeling so helpless. "I don't have a lot of energy these days."

She reached for her bag and struggled slowly to her feet.

Sun came forward and took the bag from her, offering Kate an arm to lean on. It took Kate a few moments to steady herself, and Jack placed a strong hand on her other elbow.

"Maybe I'd better make sure you get there," he said warily.

Kate nodded and the three of them walked slowly out of the cave, Kate testing her weary muscles and leaning on Jack and Sun for support. Shannon saw them emerge and abandoned the magazine she had been perusing.

Taking Jack's place at Kate's side, she grinned and teased, "No boys allowed. We'll take it from here."

Jack turned a little red and relinquished his hold on Kate. "Just call me if you need anything."

He watched until Shannon and Sun had succeeded in getting Kate to the shower area, then he turned and walked back to the infirmary cave. Sitting down beside the fire, Jack looked over to Kate's discarded blanket. There, just behind the place where her bag had been, was the purple flower he had seen her with earlier. He knew instinctively where it had come from, and the thought made his breath hitch. He was glad that Kate's condition was improving, but he dreaded the day she would return to the beach, and to Sawyer.

Jack didn't understand their connection. Maybe he didn't even want to. Maybe Kate took solace in their dark similarities; he wasn't sure. In Jack's opinion, they weren't really similar at all. When he looked at Sawyer, he didn't see any of the things he saw when he looked into Kate's eyes; compassion, hope, beauty. The problem was, Kate seemed to see things in Sawyer that Jack could not. He could tell by the way she sometimes looked at him. Did Sawyer see more in Kate, too? More than Jack himself could see? More than she's letting me see, he wondered.

Jack sighed and turned his gaze back to the fire. He stood and threw a few more logs into the blaze, thinking Kate might be cold when she returned. The cave felt empty and artificial without her, and Jack hoped she wouldn't be gone much longer.

Feeling anxious, he stepped out of the infirmary cave and looked in the direction of the showers. There was Kate, sitting on a rock with a Lakers beach towel clutched tightly around her, while Sun and Shannon hovered close by.

Sun looked up and beckoned Jack over. He quickly closed the space between them and knelt down in front of Kate.

"You okay?"

Kate didn't answer and Jack looked questioningly at Sun.

"She was feeling dizzy again and needed to sit down," Sun explained quietly.

Jack looked back to Kate, who appeared thoroughly annoyed at herself. "Hey, don't worry about it. It's gonna take a few days before you feel 100."

"I can't even stand by myself for ten minutes, Jack," Kate said wryly.

"I know," he replied, with a sad smile. "You just need some time."

Kate nodded slightly and pulled the towel more tightly around herself. Beads of water dripped from her hair onto her bare shoulders, and Jack fought the urge to reach out and brush them away.

"Can you make it back to the cave?", he asked.

"Can't I just sit here forever?", Kate questioned, a small smile pulling at the corners of her pale lips.

Jack smiled back, glad to see that her spirits were lifting slightly. "I wouldn't advise it."

"You know, it's going to take me half an hour to get back there, so I hope you don't have any dinner plans," Kate joked.

"I have a better idea," Jack replied. He stood and leaned in towards Kate, placing one arm around her back and the other under her knees. He lifted her easily off the rock, and Kate was back in the infirmary cave a minute later.

Jack placed her gently onto the reclined airline seat she had been sleeping on, and Kate reluctantly released her hold on his neck. Shannon followed closely behind them and set Kate's bag down next to her.

"Should I stay and help you get dressed," she asked Kate.

Kate sighed and shook her head. "I just want to go to sleep," she said weakly.

Shannon nodded. "I hope you feel better," she said, before turning to leave.

Jack grasped Kate's elbow, sliding his hand down to her petite wrist. It sent shivers down Kate's spine, and she wondered if Jack could feel the change in her pulse. He was silent as he counted the beats and Kate watched as he frowned in concentration.

"Thanks , Jack… for taking care of me. Again." Kate said. "I'm sorry to be such a burden."

"Kate, you're not a burden," Jack said evenly, moving his right hand to her forehead. "And I'm the one who's sorry. I shouldn't have let you overexert yourself like that." He looked into her eyes apologetically.

"Are you kidding? Who knew a shower would do me in?", Kate laughed nervously under Jack's intense gaze.

He smiled back and lowered his hand. "Well, we'll just take it slow these next few days. Plenty of rest, plenty of protein; you'll be as good as new in no time."

Jack reached across Kate to retrieve the airline blanket and tucked it in closely around her, as he had grown accustomed to doing over the last several days. The nearness of him reminded Kate of the night she had fallen asleep with his arm securely around her, feeling his breath in her hair and the heat of his body. She found herself wishing for that again. It had been a long time since Kate had wanted that kind of closeness with someone, wanted someone to share herself with. But she needed it…

She needed Jack.