A/N: The line breaks are still not working? GAH! Anyways, I figured I owed you guys a lil' something, as you haven't had anything in a while. This was quite fun to write - it started of as a dyojs over on lost-forum, but people encouraged me to one-shot it. So, here we are.
Disclaimer: I do not own Lost. But, it is on the top of my birthday list. (5th Oct, if you're interested). I can only hope...
-
For the past week or so, a virus, similar to the flu has been spreading through the camp. Naturally, this means that Jack was running himself ragged trying to care for everyone else; resulting, in leaving him in an almost zombie state and falling asleep on button duty.
"Jack." Kate sighs, she's noticed that Jack's barely sleeping, and worries. "Have you slept at all lately?" She asks softly, crouching beside him, at the computer desk.
Jack realizes that someone was trying to speak to him, so slowly raises his head; he stares blearily at her trying to figure out what she was saying. "Huh?"
Kate shook her head, and if she hadn't been so worried, it would have been in amusement. "I asked if you'd slept lately."
"Too much to do," Jack shrugs, passing it off as nothing; "too many people, too many injuries, too much illness."
Kate protests at this, Jack's always fussing over her, but refuses to take care of himself. Typical jerk. "You can't do this to yourself Jack!" She protests. "You need to sleep, peoples may need you but you're absolutely of no use to them when you're like a zombie!"
"But…"
"No buts, Jack. You need to sleep." She shakes her head, hoping that he gets her point, but instead; he sneezes. "Don't tell me you've caught it too." Kate said as she stood up.
"Wha?" Jack asks in a slightly delusional state.
"You're ill, aren't you?" She asks studying his face, which looks tired and worn, and older than his years, but at the same time holds a youth to it, which, she hates to admit, makes him look cute.
"Nope." Jack coughs. "My throat's kinda itchy but I'll be fine." He tells her, feeling slightly more awake.
"Uh-huh." Kate nods, an eyebrow raised, as she stand with her hands on her hips.
"Uhh…" Jack starts, but is cute off as he leans forwards and sneezes.
Kate frowns down at him and shakes her head. "You're ill."
"No, I'm not." Jack says adamantly.
"You're ill, and you're stubborn, I know." She smiles slightly at him. "Get up."
"Why?"
"Because," she sighs, "you're going to bed, and I'm going to look after the button."
Jack looks slightly alarmed by this and stares at her, and then mumbles, "my button!"
Kate rolls her eyes in amusement, "I thought it was 'Locke's damned button'." Jack stares up at her blankly, until she grabs his arm and yanks him up. "Come on, I'm taking you to bed." Jack grins and nods at this, Kate notices and hits him upside the head. "Not like that!" She sighs. "I'm taking you, so that you can sleep, or at least rest. You're no good to m…us, if you're ill."
"Fine." Jack reluctantly agrees, and walks a few paces, unaided, but then Kate notices his face pale considerably.
"Jack?" She cries out worried, as he stumbles and trips slightly, but she manages to grab a hold of him.
"Not good." Jack mutters, sounding out of it, "Not good, woahhh…not good."
Kate all but pushes him on the bed, and stands back, scowling at him waiting for him to noticed her. When Jack finally looks up at her, he jumps back at the look on her face. "Really, not good." He whispers.
"No, it's not good!" Kate fumed. "You idiot Jack! How could you do this to yourself? You idiot! You can barely walk; you're pale as a sheet, and you probably haven't slept in weeks.
"Only three days!" Jack defended, correcting her.
"What?" She shrieked angrily. "You're telling me you haven't slept in three bloody days? God, I thought you were a doctor! What do they teach you guys? You need to sleep Jack, especially when you know there's an illness being spread! That's just stupid Jack, stupid!"
"Sorry?" Jack tried, shrugging.
"You better be, mister." She sighed, calming herself slightly, and moved to sit beside him. "What will it take for you to start looking after yourself, Jack?" She bit her lip, refusing to cry, especially in front of him.
"Less whiney people?" Jack told her, and she giggled.
"Will you please try and get some sleep?" She asked him softly; Jack answered by looking at her as if she suggest he run off a cliff. "At least just lie down and rest."
"Fine." Jack gave in, and lay back on the bed.
"I'll be looking after the button." Kate smiled softly and turned to leave.
"Kate! Wait…" She turned around to look at him. "Will you…can you uh…stay? Just for a bit…" Kate gave him that special smile and sat beside him on the bed.
"Of course I will."
"I didn't… I didn't mean to get ill, you know?" He asked looking directly at her.
"I know." She nodded, her green eyes showing nothing but compassion. "But, it worries everyone when you do, because you're the only doctor and…"
"Everyone…or you?" Jack grinned at her.
"Uh…" Kate blushed slightly, "well…everyone, but…me too…yeah." Jack smiles, thankful that she worries about him too. "I don't like to see my friends ill and…" Jack frowned slightly, finding himself wishing it was more than just that.
"I'm tired now…" he told her, trying not to sound too cold.
"Sure…do you want me to…" Kate asked gesturing to the door.
"You can stay." He smiles faintly at her and then frowns, an idea coming to him. "Kate, when did you last sleep?"
Kate cheeks turned pink at having been caught out, "Two nights ago."
"I think you ought to sleep too." He smiled at her, trying to convince her.
"But I'm not ill!" She protested.
"Well, I still think you ought to sleep." He said, patting the space beside him on the bed.
Kate sighed heavily, but reluctantly crawled over him and lay down beside him. "Whatever helps you sleep at night."
"You do." He whispered before closing his eyes for the night.
Kate shook her head and leant forward to kiss his cheek softly. She smiled weakly, as she pushed his hair back off of his forehead in a soothing manner and watched him sleep. "It's a good think I lo…" She caught herself, "like you so damn much."
-
Two days later, Jack woke and was back to his normal self; insisting that he felt, 'perfectly fine'.
"Are you sure, you're okay?" Kate asked as Jack stretched beside her.
"Yes Kate," he laughed, "I'm sure…stop fussing over me."
Kate's mouth dropped open. "You're the one that's always fussing over me! Why can't I fuss?"
"Because I'm fine." Jack put it simply.
"Well, so am I!"
"I'm sorry I fuss so much." He apologized. "I only do it because I care."
"I know." Kate sighed. "You've got to promise me that you're going to look after yourself though."
"I will." Jack nodded.
"So, now more Zombie Jack?" Kate smiled
"No more Zombie Jack." He smiled back at her. "And…if you see me getting all zombie like, I give you permission to tell me off and fuss." He said rolling his eyes and sighing.
"Good." She leant forward to kiss his forehead softly. "Now, you better get up soon, cause you've got a long line of patients waiting to see you."
Jack's face fell, and paled slightly as he groaned. "But Kate…I feel terrible!"
"That's not what you told me." She looked at him, her eyes strong and stern.
"Well, will you beat them off me with a stick?" He asked her sounding a bit weak and pathetic. Kate looked at him oddly, her eyebrows raised, and head tilted to one side. "What? I'd do it for you!"
"Yes Jack, I'll do it." She agreed, humoring him.
"Good." He smiles at her, and the two of them share a moment, where for a split second it seemed as if the air had taken on an electric charge. "Thanks Kate."
Kate sighed. "You're just lucky I lo…oh hell…you're lucky I love you so damn much." She smiled slightly and bit her lip.
"But…Sawy…" Jack started, staring at her.
"Do you honestly think I'd stay by your bedside for two whole days, if I didn't?" Kate rolled her eyes at him.
"But Sawy…"
"Is my friend, and I was worried because he got shot…and might just be more stubborn than you…"
"I am not stubborn!" Jack said adamantly, refusing to believe it.
"Just accept it, will you?" She laughed. "Both things…"
Jack smiled at her, thinking how beautiful and natural she looked when she laughed. He reached his hand out and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. The intimate gesture caused her to blush slightly, duck her head and bite her lip. Jack smiled at her actions before pulling him for a soft kiss.
-
A/N: I feel that some areas of this are perhaps not as good as I could write. Apologies for that, and for my laziness, as I can't be bothered to do a re-write. Turns out, college is pretty tiring.