I'm glad you all are still in enjoying the fic, andI am glad you were all shocked to see Sawyer showing up! This chapter is a little angsty, as is the next one that will be posted. Also, in the next chapter you will find out why it's called 'Almost Home.'
Also, if anyone has any suggestions for what they'd like to see more of or less of in the fic, please let me know!
Enjoy!
Chapter Eight
Sawyer lurched forward, letting go of the shoulder he was holding onto, and revealing a grotesque bullet wound. Kate gasped and glanced away while Jack winced.
Letting out a choking laugh, Sawyer pointed to Kate, "Well, golly, I thought it was bad when I started seein' two of everything, but now I'm hallucinating." He stumbled forward a few steps more before practically falling over. Jack caught him under his good arm.
"Go get some old blankets out of the upstairs closet," Jack told her. "There's a gray bag in the back of my closet. Get it, too."
She nodded slowly, but didn't move. There was so much blood, everywhere on him. How could a person lose that much blood? Tom. Tom had been that bloody. Jack, too, in her dreams. . .
"Kate, now."
Upon hearing Jack's words, Kate snapped out of her reverie. She hurried as quickly as she could, grabbing the bottom three blankets from the closet, and digging around in Jack's closet until she came across the heavy gray bag. She ran down the stairs, tripping over the last three. "Here, here you go. . ."
Jack was still supporting Sawyer, who was now mumbling phrases Kate couldn't understand. "Lay the blankets across the floor. We don't want to get blood on the carpet. Make sure it's thick enough he can't bleed through."
She did as she was told, wondering if Jack was actually planning on operating on Sawyer in the middle of his living room. Jack helped Sawyer lie down, and then began to remove surgical tools from his gray bag. Kate began to feel slightly dizzy, apparently Jack was planning on operating on Sawyer.
Jack thrust some tools in Kate's general direction. He didn't look at her as he spoke, "I need you to go cauterize these, Kate." When she didn't take them, he looked up at her. "Are you listening to me?"
"I," Kate stuttered, pushing her hair out of her face. "I don't know what that means." She didn't know why, but she felt on the verge of tears.
Closing his eyes, Jack took a deep breath, trying not to get angry with her. "Go boil some water and let them soak in it for a few minutes, okay? It's the best way we have to sterilize them."
Kate nodded, quickly grabbing them out of his hand. She rattled around in his cabinet, finding a pot big enough for the few instruments Jack had handed her. As the water came to a boil, Kate kept checking back and forth from the time on the microwave to the tools in the water. After deciding it had been long enough, Kate dumped the pot into the sink. She quickly reached down and grabbed the tools.
"Damn it!" Kate hissed, tossing them back into the sink. "Damn it. Damn it!" She hadn't stopped to think about how hot they would be. Looking at her now red hand, Kate tried to ignore the throbbing pain and grabbed the tools with a potholder, hurrying back into the living room.
Jack was ripping Sawyer's shirt into tiny strips when she laid his surgical tools next to him. "What are you doing?" she asked quietly.
"Making a tourniquet," Jack grimaced as he tied one of the strips tightly around Sawyer's arm. "I need to stop the bleeding."
Kate started to respond, but Sawyer's voice interrupted her, causing them both to look at him expectantly. "Just shot her." He coughed violently. "He shot her. I heard him. Then he shot him. Shot his damn self. Shoulda shot me, too." His eyes fluttered open, then closed. "Wish he'd shot me, too. Wish it everyday."
Jack shook his head, resuming what he had been doing. "He's delusional."
"No, he's not," Kate whispered, not really speaking to Jack. She knew exactly who he was talking about. Glancing back up at Jack, she asked, "Is he going to be okay?"
"He'd better be okay," Jack scoffed. "It wouldn't be ideal for him to die on my living room floor." Seeing the look of worry that passed across Kate's face, Jack became more serious.
"He'll be fine, Kate. In fact, he'll be a hell of a lot better once I get that bullet out of him," Jack wiped the sweat from his brow, and smiled softly at her. "Now, I need you to go get me a bottle of vodka, and a bottle of whiskey."
Kate looked at him, confused, but did as she was told. Slightly annoyed, she briefly wondered when she had started answering to Jack's every order. "What do you need them for?"
"Help me sit him up," Jack responded, putting a hand on Sawyer's good arm. "Get behind him and push." Once again, Kate did as she was told without question.
After they had Sawyer in an upright position, his eyes opened again. "What the hell you two doin'?" He tried to stand up, and the both held him down.
Jack looked at him seriously. "Do you want my help or not, Sawyer?"
"I'm here, ain't I," Sawyer retorted. "You gonna have to cut it off?"
Rolling his eyes, Jack handed the whiskey to Kate. "Get him to drink it. As much as you can. The whole bottle would be good."
Kate looked at Jack curiously. "Are you sure that's a good idea? It's going to knock him out. What if we can't get him to wake back up?" She noticed how panicked her voice was coming out, and she tried desperately to calm herself down.
"Calm down, Kate," Jack warned her. "Just get him to drink it." As Kate helped Sawyer drink the whiskey, Jack poured the vodka over Sawyer's wound. Sawyer let out a hiss and moved away from Kate.
"Sit still, Sawyer," Kate told him gently. She held the bottle back up to his mouth and he took a long drink.
"Damn, Freckles," Sawyer murmured. "If I'd known gettin' shot was gonna land me in your sweet arms, I'da tried it a long time ago."
Kate saw a quick flash of anger cross Jack's face, but he hid it quickly. "Okay, Sawyer. Let's get you laid back down."
After laying him back down, Jack began to go to work on his wound. Sawyer let out a couple yelps of pain, and Kate glanced to Jack, concerned. "The alcohol obviously isn't working! Can't you give him a shot to knock him out?"
"Yeah, Kate," Jack muttered, absently. "I keep general anesthetic just laying around the house. We're lucky I have these instruments." He continued working, garnering another profane yell from Sawyer, and more protests from Kate.
"Listen!" he finally yelled to Kate, when he couldn't take anymore. "If this is too much for you, leave the room. I am doing the best I can."
Kate kept quiet for the duration of the surgery.
About fifteen minutes after Jack was done operating, Kate finally spoke up. "He's not awake yet. Shouldn't he be awake by now?"
Jack sighed, "I don't know, Kate. I can't do anything about it. I'm going to go change."
"Bring him some clothes down too," Kate told Jack as he started to walk up the stairs. He stopped, turning around and almost glaring at her. "Please? He can't just lay here in a blood-soaked rip shirt, Jack."
Jack's only response was a nod as he continued up the stairs. Gently brushing Sawyer's still-long hair away from his face, Kate spoke, "Hey, Sawyer. It's Kate, and I need you to wake up. You can't just keep lying here like this. I know you want to wake up and tell me how you got shot in the first place. . ."
Sawyer began to move around restlessly, and a few seconds later his eyes opened. "Son of a bitch!" he muttered, grabbing onto his shoulder. He tried to sit up, but let out a groan and fell back down onto the carpet. Glancing over, he noticed Kate, and jumped a little, as though surprised. Finally, seemingly gaining recognition of where he was, he settled back down.
"You're awake!" Kate smiled happily, leaning over him. "How's the shoulder feeling? Better than when it had the bullet it in, I imagine. I'd offer you some painkillers, but you had a lot of whiskey."
Sawyer didn't respond to anything Kate said. "What the hell you doin' here, Freckles?"
Kate opened her mouth, thinking careful. However, her chance to respond was interrupted as Jack walked back in the room. "I see your awake. Care to share how you got that bullet wound, and why you showed up at my house instead of a hospital?"
"Ain't none of your damn business, Doc," Sawyer retorted. "And I didn't want to deal with police. Hospital woulda called police." He glanced at Kate, "I'm guessin' you won't be inviting any police here any time soon."
"Wasn't planning on it," Jack shook his head. "Your lucky; the bullet wasn't lodged very deep. It was fairly easy to remove. Kate tried to get you to drink, but the pain knocked you out about ten minutes into it." He tossed a t-shirt towards Sawyer.
Sawyer grabbed it with his good arm and attempted to lift his left. "Damn," he hissed.
Kate leaned forward, "Here, let me help you." Gently, she helped Sawyer maneuver his sore arm into the cotton shirt. "There, that's better. Now let me help you move onto the couch." Jack glanced away in disgust.
"What are you doing in LA?" Kate questioned after Sawyer was comfortably positioned.
"Just takin' care of some old business," Sawyer muttered, holding onto his shoulder. He looked at Jack, was still standing, curiously, wondering why he looked so angry. It was just a damn bullet, not heart surgery.
"How long are you staying?" Kate rushed on. She leaned over, placing a hand on his good arm. "You have to stay here. There's plenty of room."
Sawyer let out a short guffaw and shook his head. "I don't know about that, Freckles."
"You'll have to stay the night. I have to work tomorrow," Jack spoke up. "I don't have anything here to give you, so I'll have to write you a prescription tomorrow. You'll have to get by on Motrin by then. It won't stop an infection from starting, but it will dull the pain enough so you can rest. As long as you get on meds by tomorrow night, you should be fine."
Sawyer looked at Jack as though he was speaking another language, but he eventually nodded. "Whatever you say, Doctor."
"I'll fix up the guest room for you," Kate offered. "I put clean sheets on the bed not too long ago; I'll add an extra blanket. Is there anything else you need to be comfortable?"
"I can't think of a little something that would make my stay a whole lot more comfortable, sugar," Sawyer smiled, his dimples coming out to play. He punctuated his sentence with a wink.
"Jesus Christ, Sawyer," Jack sounded aggravated. "A bullet can't even stop you?"
"A man's got needs, Jack," Sawyer said with a shrug. "I think you'd understand that, with Freckles under your roof here and all."
Kate decided to put a stop to their mild bickering before it escalated. "You should get to bed, Jack. You have to be up early in the morning. I can show Sawyer to the guest room, and make sure he has what he needs."
Jack looked as though he wanted to say something, but decided against it. "Yeah, Kate. I'll just go on to bed now."
"Wait a minute here," Sawyer held up one hand. "If I'm sleepin' in the guest room, where's the lady sleepin' tonight?" He smiled at Kate, "You wanna keep me warm?"
It dawned on Kate that neither she nor Jack had said anything or acted in any way that would show they were together. "Oh. We," she smiled at Jack softly. "We -- we are. . ."
"We sleep together," Jack said smartly, and even if he had wanted to (which he didn't) he would not have been able to stop the smug grin that spread across his face.
"Good-night, Jack," Kate told him sternly, although she had to admit to herself he did look pretty cute when he was boasting. He nodded shortly, and leaned down, giving her a long, lingering kiss. He gave her three more short kisses, and one on her forehead, before walking up the stairs and not turning around.
Turning her attention back to Sawyer, Kate attempted a smile, "Let me show you to the guest room."
With some difficulty, Sawyer got up and followed Kate upstairs. Upon seeing the room, he rolled his eyes. "It's awful girlie, ain't it?"
"I think it will do you fine for tonight, Sawyer," Kate shook her head and took a wool blanket out of the closet. She laid it on the bed, "I'll be down the hall if you need anything else."
"Sure you don't wanna keep me company in here, Freckles?" Sawyer questioned. "I'll show you a good time. Hell, even better, me and you could just take off right now."
Kate rolled her eyes, "Sorry, I don't think so. Sweet dreams, Sawyer." She began to walk out the door and shut it behind her, but was stopped by a fierce, "Freckles!"
"What, Sawyer?" Kate stepped back into the room. "Are you going to tell me you're afraid of the dark or something?"
Sawyer studied her seriously. "You really trust him? You ain't worried here?"
"Worried about what?" Kate asked, rubbing her temples. "That his guilty conscience is going to get the best of him and he'll call in the Feds? No, Sawyer, I'm not worried about anything."
"Whatever you say, Freckles," Sawyer shook his head and began to unbuckle his pants. "But just know, until I leave, my offer stands."
"I'll keep that in mind," Kate rolled her eyes, and with a shake of her head, left the room.
Shutting the door to the guest room, Kate walked slowly down the hall. She was about to open the door to Jack's bedroom, when she heard a noise coming from downstairs. Walking to the top of the stairs, she strained to hear what it was.
Finally, she figured it was Jack, softly playing his piano. Making her way downstairs, she opened the door to his office. "You're supposed to be asleep."
He glanced up, surprised but happy to see her. The look that washed over his face was almost one of relief. "Not very tired," he motioned to the bench next to him. "Want to come sit down?"
Kate nodded, taking a seat next to him. She motioned to the glass that sat on top of the piano. "You think you should be drinking when you have to work in the morning?" She spoke carefully, hoping she wouldn't upset him.
"It's just one glass," he murmured, continuing to play.
She cocked her head, worried. "'Heart and Soul' just doesn't sound right when only half is being played."
Jack glanced over at her, hopefully. "I could teach you the other part. It's pretty easy."
Kate nodded, and the Jack spend the next ten minutes trying to teach her the song. Kate caught on quickly, which didn't surprise Jack. He doubted there was anything she wouldn't be able to master. When they had finished playing she spoke, "See? You can't have heart without soul. Or soul without heart. It just doesn't work alone."
Jack took her hand, "So, are you my heart, or my soul?"
"I don't think you'd want me for either," Kate told him sadly. "I think both of mine are beyond repair."
They sat silently, each gazing at each other, a sad look on their faces. Kate shook her head, "Jack, don't look at me like that."
He glanced away quickly, taking a drink. "Like what?"
"Like you're afraid that just because he's here, I'm going to disappear," Kate squeezed his hand. "Sawyer showing up doesn't change us."
"I worry your going to disappear all the time," Jack told her. "Sawyer showing up only serves to add fuel to the fire. You have a way out now, he knows you, he won't turn you in. And maybe you feel like you owe him something."
"Owe him something?" Kate asked, shocked. Where was this coming from? "What could I possibly owe him for?"
"He gave you that spot on the raft," Jack said matter-of-factly. "Without that, you'd probably be sitting in a jail cell somewhere. I'm sure he feels like you owe him a little something." He looked away, disgusted. "And I bet I can guess just what that something is."
"Don't be this way, Jack," Kate said quietly. "I chose you, I want you. I --" She stopped speaking, unwilling to speak the word she almost had. She offered him a small smile instead.
Jack nodded, knowing what she had almost said, but unwilling to say it either. He smiled and leaned in close, "It's because I'm tall, dark and handsome, isn't it?"
"That's definitely a plus," Kate whispered as her lips met his.
They kissed slowly for a few long moments, a kiss filled with both longing and understanding. There were words they both longed to say to the other, but an understanding that they shouldn't because once certain words were spoken, they could never be taken back.
Kate brought her hands up to Jack's face, deepening the kiss. His hands traveled up her shirt and across her back. He traced small circles down her side. Finally, he pulled away. "Let's just go to bed."
Kate nodded, standing up and offering him her hand. He took it and hand-in-hand, they walked up the stairs. After they were changed and tucked into bed, Jack pulled Kate to him, resting his lips on her ear. She could feel him smiling. "I told you that you weren't getting laid tonight."
She laughed softly, "You think you're so cute."
Jack kissed her softly. "I think you're so cute."
Kate rolled her eyes, snuggling into him as close as she could get. "I just want you to hold me, Jack. Okay?"
"Always a pleasure," Jack whispered into her hair, kissing it softly.
They laid there quietly for several seconds, both hovering on the edge of sleep, before Kate spoke up softly, almost saying the words she wanted to.
"Jack? I love being here."
There was a momentary pause, before Jack responded in a tight voice. "I love you being here too, Kate."
They lay together, intertwined in the dark, both thinking the exact same words, but neither brave enough to speak them first.
