CHAPTER 45: BRIGHTER DAYS
A/N: I don't own the song at the end of this chapter, that belongs to Ronan Keating, and it's called Brighter Days, I just thought that it was so amazingly Jate. It's only a short chapter, but I figured that after the climaxes at the end of the last few chapters - I more than owed you this time. So here's a chapter to apologize to the Shephard family for all that I've put them through recently. I can't promise them that they won't have a few more bumps in the journey, but they will be getting some VERY good news soon. As usual, thanks to all my lovely reviewers. Without you, I'd jump from a top of a building, but instead, I continue this story because people like it. And to think I was going to end this story with Kate turning back into an adult again…ha! That wouldn't have kept me occupied for all this time.
So, what do you all think…a big happy ending…or a sequel to this story? Because one way or another, this has to end soon….
Kate sat in the hospital bed, chewing on the skin around her nail. Jack had been gone for two hours already. Shortly after he left, Sawyer, Charlie and Sayid had turned up, bringing Curtis and Aaron along with them. The doctors hadn't approved of so many visitors, but when the last remaining patient in the ward checked out, there was no one to complain, so they allowed them to stay. After half an hour, Kate had grown restless, and began walking around the ward, pacing, until the doctors came over and reminded her that she was in a fragile state and needed to rest. Halfway through her rant about being worried about her daughter and accusing the doctors of not knowing a thing about how she felt, Sawyer came over and lifted her up, physically placing her back in the bed.
She now sat cross-legged, staring at the clock with a frown on her face.
"Where are they?" She asked.
Claire looked up from where Aaron and Curtis were reading books at the end of the bed. Well, Aaron was reading, but Curtis was just looking over his shoulder at the pictures while Aaron sounded the words out to himself quietly. "I'm sure they're on their way, honey." She said with a smile.
"You said that an hour ago." Kate protested.
"And I meant it then as well." Claire nodded.
"Something's wrong." Kate shook her head. "They should be here by now."
"Kate." Charlie said strongly, she turned and looked at him, as he gave her a confident look. "He's coming."
"But they said that he needed to convince her." She reasoned. "What if it didn't work? What if she hurt Kaia? Oh my god, what if she-?"
"Freckles, if you so much as think that I'm going to cart you off to the nutty ward." Sawyer told her tiredly. "Now, for once, believe us. You really think that Hero's going to let something happen to that kid? No, of course he's not. Why? Because he loves that kid more than anything, and he loves you, and he knows that it would probably destroy you if anything happened to her, so he wouldn't let a thing in the world touch her because he loved you so much. Now, stop worrying, and relax, because that kid's going to walk through the door with nothing, not even a scratch, on her."
Sawyer's little speech caused Kate to eye him curiously until finally, after a while, she made some kind of movement by raising an eyebrow.
"Sawyer, have you taken something?" She asked him.
"No." He said, pretending to be disgusted.
"Are you sure?" She asked. "Because you just acknowledged that Jack loves me, and that's the first time I've heard you say that in the past ten years." She said.
Sawyer gave her a smile. "Well, you weren't around for a few days." He said, "You missed it all."
Kate gave him a smile in return. "Thanks, Sawyer." She said.
"Hell, someone needed to say it, and you couldn't exactly say it to each other at the time." He looked a bit embarrassed. "Now can we get off of the soppy talk you're making me want to hurl."
Kate smiled at Claire and Shannon, who knew otherwise that Sawyer was revealing the side of him that actually cared for people. Kate was about to say something when the door of the ward opened.
Looking over, she saw Jack standing in the doorway. "Jack!" She cried excitedly and she started to get off the bed when the sullen look on his face stopped her. She frowned - something was wrong.
She made her way to the end of the bed, leaning on it for support. She met his eyes, and that one look stopped her dead in her tracks. Her heart thumped wildly, and everything seemed to slow down.
Something had happened.
There was no other explanation.
She looked at Jack again, and then he avoided her eyes. Stepping back a bit, he held the door open, to let someone else in first, and she expected the two cops she had grown so used to seeing around to walk in, but they didn't. Instead, Jack remained there, and eventually, a little head poked around the corner. A particular head with lots of bushy brown hair.
Kaia.
"KAIA!" Kate almost screamed, and the girl caught sight of her mother, grinning, and running at bolt speed towards her.
Kate fell on her knees, and as Kaia came close to her, they both reached out at the same time, and for the first time in days, Kate was able to scoop up her daughter, holding her tightly in her arms. Jack come over, getting on the ground with them, putting his arms around them both, and Curtis joined them afterwards, jumping on Jack's back. Finally they were together again.
As they held each other, for only God knows how long, Jack was vaguely aware of a song on the radio somewhere in the room. He embraces his family, and listened as the words flooded over him, if anything spurring him on to hold them tighter to him.
I've done a lot of living in my life
Chased my share of rainbows in the sky
Before I stopped and asked the question why
I've fallen out of love too many times
But not I see the possibilities of how my life could be
From any other love, I'd walk away
Love is temporary, I would say
Now each night I find a reason to stay
With you there's always brighter days
I've broken a heart, a heart or two
I've let the curtain fall, I guess it's true
The thought of something borrowed, something blue
Was something that I could never pursue.
But now you're here, my doubt has disappeared
The clouds are gone, it's clear
From any other love, I'd walk away
Love is temporary, I would say
Now each night I find a reason to stay
With you there's always brighter days
Even on the coolest nights,
Even when the sun won't shine
It's sweeter in the morning time
Just knowing that you're there
From any other love, I'd walk away
Love is temporary, I would say
Now each night I find a reason to stay
With you there's always brighter days
From any other love, I'd walk away
Love is temporary, I would say
Now each night I find a reason to stay
With you there's always brighter days
