A/N: Thanks again to Foxygirl33 for taking time out of her crazy schedule to edit for me! Excellent comments and suggestions, as always ;)
I loved the finale, but this summer hiatus is gonna be killer! I'm relying on fanfic to sustain me, so all you Jaters out there... GET WRITING!
Kate sat picking at what was left of the fruit Hurley had delivered to her, wondering what she was going to do with herself until Jack returned. Hurley had mentioned that another golf tournament was beginning that morning, which accounted for the strange quiet at the caves. Everyone but Kate was out enjoying the sun, it seemed. She hadn't even heard Walt and Vincent playing, which meant another round of backgammon was probably out of the question, too.
Kate let out a defeated sigh and reclined back against the airline seat, willing herself to rest. As tempting as it was to get up and test her strength a little, she knew she should hold out until Jack came back. After all, the more rested she was, the longer they'd be able to walk together, and Kate was looking forward to that immensely. Not only would it be great to get some fresh air and exercise, but the prospect of some alone time with Jack was a strong incentive, too.
Not that she had reason to complain-- she'd had quite a monopoly on Jack's time since she'd gotten sick. He'd been so attentive and sweet, and in the back of her mind Kate wanted to believe that meant something. It was a struggle to remind herself that she was probably reading too much into it, that he was just doing his job. He was always committed to his patients, and she doubted he was treating her any differently than he would anyone else in her situation. But it was a pleasant fiction to think that he might be motivated by something more than the Hippocratic Oath, and Kate was beginning to wish she wasn't getting better just yet. She would miss Jack's special attention when it was gone…
She sat up anxiously when she heard footsteps approaching the mouth of the cave, smiling in anticipation of Jack's return. But the face that greeted her was Sawyer's, not Jack's, and her smile turned to a look of surprise.
"Mornin', Sunshine," he drawled playfully. "Visitin' hours start yet?"
"Sawyer!" Kate exclaimed in surprise. He was the last person she expected to see.
"Expectin' someone else, huh?" Sawyer remarked ruefully, surveying the way her face had changed when she'd realized it was him.
"Well…yes, actually," Kate replied with a smile. "But I'm glad you're here, I'm bored out of my mind."
"Doc still keepin' you locked away in here then?" Sawyer asked, sitting down on a rock opposite Kate's bed.
"Most of the time," Kate sighed. "But, I'm allowed to take a walk today," she finished, her face brightening.
"That so?" Sawyer asked, raising one eyebrow. "Looks like I came at the right time then. You feel up to it now?"
Kate paused. She wanted nothing more than to get out into the sunshine, and Sawyer was being uncharacteristically nice lately, but she knew she would regret not waiting for Jack.
"Well, um…," she stammered. "I think Jack wanted me to wait until he got back. You know, so he could check me over first."
Shoulda known, Sawyer thought to himself. But he wasn't going to give up that easily--
"I saw old Jacko down at the beach, Freckles, and I'd say he's gonna have his hands full for awhile," Sawyer said in a slow drawl. "Not gonna be any sunshine left by the time he gets back here."
Kate looked thoughtful for a moment. Her eyes traveled around the cave and fell onto the dwindling pile of wood near the fire.
Jack has to get more wood, too, before he'll be back, she thought to herself, remembering their conversation earlier that morning. Really, she was starting to feel a little selfish about expecting Jack to set aside even more time for her when he already had so much on his plate. And, of course, he would never tell her he didn't have time to walk with her; Jack was too polite for that. Maybe she'd be doing him a favor by walking with Sawyer instead…
Sawyer saw the wheels turning and held his breath as he waited for Kate's answer.
"Okay," Kate nodded, somewhat hesitantly. "I mean, Jack's busy and it's not too hot yet, so I guess now would be a good time, right?"
Sawyer grinned and nodded. "And lucky for you, I happen to have plenty of leisure time today."
"You mean every day," Kate reminded him with a pointed look.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Sawyer said, standing. "We goin' or not?" He walked toward Kate and offered a hand to help her to her feet.
She took his outstretched hand and stood slowly, "We're going. But not too far, and we better bring some water, too."
"Whatever the lady wants," Sawyer replied in mock courtesy as he loaded the bottles next to Kate's bed into his bag.
"Where to, then?"
"Well," Kate began, "I seem to remember you promising to show me where you found that flower the other day…"
Sawyer flinched and turned slightly red at this, a reaction which was not lost on Kate. Of course she had to go and mention that, Sawyer thought regretfully, though a small part of him was pleased that she'd remembered. Still, he preferred to forget that "incident" altogether.
"I think that's a little further than you outta be walkin' right now, Sweetheart," Sawyer replied, hoping she bought it. "And we both know Doc will have my head if I bring you back here all worn out."
Kate eyed him a little suspiciously, but nodded her head in assent.
"Okay. I don't really care where we go anyway, as long as I get some sun," Kate replied, walking slowly toward the mouth of the cave.
As Sawyer followed behind her, he couldn't help but notice how much thinner she looked compared to just a few days ago. He stopped to think for the first time what he would do if she passed out on him again, and began to wonder if this walk was a good idea after all...
Jack quickened his pace along the path to the caves, thankful that he had finally managed to assuage the worries of the island's resident hypochondriac, as well as check in with several other patients at the beach. Unfortunately, he still had an afternoon of chopping wood to look forward to, but he wanted to check on Kate first and make sure that she had some lunch. She had seemed to be doing fine earlier, but considering how quickly her condition had changed over the past few days, he didn't want to leave her alone for too long. Besides, it was always nice to walk back to his cave to find Kate waiting for him after a trying morning at the beach, even if she was only there because she was sick.
He heard laughter as he approached the caves, but wasn't close enough to see who it was yet. It sounded like… Sawyer? Jack's shoulders immediately tensed; there was only one person at the caves that Sawyer would be laughing with.
Slowing his stride, he took a few deep breaths and tried to remind himself that it was really no concern of his who Sawyer laughed with anyway. But when he heard Kate's distinct laughter echoing Sawyer's, he felt an unmistakable pang of jealousy. He was immediately annoyed at himself for it, and vowed to approach whatever scene he was about to walk in on as Kate's doctor, and not as her… whatever else he might be.
As he emerged from the dense foliage of the jungle into the clearing at the mouth of the caves, he saw Kate and Sawyer sitting side by side against the outer wall. They were no longer laughing, but both were smiling and talking animatedly. Kate looked happier than she'd been since she got sick, and while Jack was overjoyed that she was doing so much better, he hated that it was Sawyer on the receiving end of those smiles.
Neither one of them seemed to be aware of his presence, and he cleared his throat a little more loudly than necessary as he walked toward them.
"Jack, hey," Kate said, surprise evident in her voice.
Sawyer was already imagining how Jack probably felt about the scene in front of him, and the corners of his mouth turned up in a sly smile as he acknowledged the other man. "Doc."
"This is… unexpected," Jack began. "What are you doing out here, Kate?"
"Just getting some fresh air," she answered, before quickly adding, "And I'm in the shade, see?"
Jack nodded and knelt down in front of her, trying to ignore Sawyer's eyes following his every move. "You look flushed," he said, lifting a hand to her forehead and keeping it there a little longer than necessary.
"Well, blame that on me, Jacko," Sawyer drawled. "We had ourselves a little workout in the jungle not too long ago."
Kate rolled her eyes and shot Sawyer a death-look before immediately turning back to Jack, who was looking at Sawyer with something akin to contempt, though he had remained silent.
"What he means is, we went for a walk."
Kate had hoped this explanation would lessen the tension Jack was exuding, but the flash in his hazel eyes as he looked back at her told her that it had done no such thing. He looked down for a moment and then stood up.
"Have you had any lunch yet, Kate?" he asked, trying to keep his tone neutral. "It's after two."
"Um, well, we had some fruit in the jungle," she answered, knowing he wouldn't like that answer.
"Were you climbing trees, Kate?" Jack asked, in a louder tone than he had intended.
"No, of course not!" Kate said quickly. "Sawyer did."
To Jack's dismay, a smile seemed to be pulling at her lips again, and she suppressed a laugh as she looked over at Sawyer.
"Don't you start on me again, Freckles," Sawyer warned in a joking tone. "Just 'cause I ain't a damn monkey like you…"
Kate continued to giggle as Sawyer glared unconvincingly at her, but when she glanced back at Jack she stopped at once. He was not happy with her.
"You need protein, Kate, remember?" Jack continued, trying his best to ignore the fact that Kate and Sawyer seemed to be sharing inside jokes now. "Come back inside and I'll get you some fish."
"Jack--," Kate began, in a tone of protest as she glanced over at Sawyer.
"Doc's right, Freckles," Sawyer said, wanting to diffuse the situation before Jack completely flew off the handle. "I gotta be goin' anyway."
Kate looked at him and nodded before taking the hand Jack had extended to her. She weaved slightly as she stood, and Jack immediately moved in to steady her with a firm hand on her hip.
"I'm fine, Jack," Kate said, annoyed at her own condition once again.
He didn't answer her, but sighed in exasperation and threw an angry look back at Sawyer as he helped Kate slowly into the cave.
Sawyer smirked at Jack's retreating figure, pleasantly surprised that he'd gotten to push Hero's buttons a little, but disappointed that Kate would likely be the one to suffer because of it…