"Jack," she said softly in that voice that instantly made his heart ache. He had asked his secretary if she was certain it was Kate who had left a message for him. If it was this Kate. His Kate. Only she wasn't his Kate anymore. He didn't even know if she was still the same girl he fell in love with on the island. They hadn't spoken since that fateful night; he hadn't been able to bring himself to see Aaron since the breakup. He swore he wouldn't see the little boy until he was clean and had his life together. When he finally accomplished that, he was too afraid that Aaron had forgotten him to visit.
"I need your help," Kate said softly, hesitantly. "It's Aaron."
"What's wrong with Aaron? Is he okay? Are you okay? Where are you?" Jack's questions fired like gunshots, one after the other.
"No, nothing like that. He's been... acting out... in daycare, at home..."
"Acting out how?"
"Lying, hitting, throwing toys. He bit a little girl in his daycare class!"
"It's okay, this is normal," Jack said softly. He could tell by the emotion in her voice that Kate was beating herself up and blaming herself. That she was questioning her ability to raise a child. He could also tell that she had been battling it on her own for sometime. The thought hit him hard; she had held it in so long rather than just turning to the man she had once planned to spend her life with.
"The daycare says if I don't work on it he'll be expelled," she finally says and he can all but hear the teardrops falling down her freckled cheeks.
"What can I do?" He asked quickly.
"There's a parent teacher conference tomorrow..."
"I'll be there." He promised.
"Jack?" She said softly "his lies are about you. He tells everyone all the things you and him have done. He tells me he needs to pack for your trip to Disneyworld. He tells me he wants to stay with you." Her voice broke at the words. "I think he would rather just live with you than me."
"Kate, this isn't a reflection of you," Jack promised her. Her silence on the other end of the phone proved the words had fallen on deaf ears.
"I don't know what to do anymore. I can't do this," She sobbed into the phone.
"Are you both at home?"
"Yes."
"I'm on my way." He hung up quickly, knowing if he didn't Kate would find an excuse to cancel.
"You look well," Jack said when Kate opened the door.
"You're lying," she raised an eyebrow. Her eyes looked tired, her nose was red and her eyes red and puffy. She had been crying. A lot.
"Even when you cry, you're beautiful."
"Jack..." Kate started and he raised his arms in surrender. She stepped aside and he entered the house. Although it looked exactly the same, his eyes still focused on the photo frames that now featured photos without Jack. He felt a pang of pain when he thought about the photos that used to sit on the mantle. Family photos of the three of them and snapshots of him and Kate curled against one another.
"Where is he?" Jack asked softly.
"He's asleep. I didn't want to call you while he could hear us," she admitted. "I tried to tell you that but you left so quickly..."
"I was afraid you'd change your mind," he admitted.
She motioned for him to follow her and pushed open the sliding glass door to speak to him outside and away from Aaron's earshot in case he woke early.
"I think," Kate's voice shook and tears already slid down her cheeks. "I think Aaron would be happier to live with you. That's what all this is about. He misses you." Her shoulders caved in and she covered her face with her hands; a few muffled sobs escaped her.
"Hey, hey," he pulled her against his chest, unable to stop himself from comforting her. Her body stayed tense but she didn't pull away. He considered that progress. "This isn't on you, Kate. You stayed when I bailed. I'm the one who failed." He pulled away far enough to wipe her tears. "I'm sorry, Kate."
"Do you want to stay for dinner?" She finally asked. "Aaron would really like it."
He wanted to ask if she meant Aaron or herself. He wanted to ask if she'd missed him, if she'd been dating anyone, if she still loved him. Instead, all he could say was yes.
"Daddy!" Aaron yelled as he jumped into Jack's arms. "You come back!" Aaron wiggled free, running to his room. He returned a few minutes later, with his child sized suitcase, his blankie sticking out. "Let's go!"
"Aaron, where did you get that?" Kate asked.
"Go where?" Jack asked, trying to keep his face straight for Kate's sake. He knew it hurt her but he couldn't pretend he wasn't relieved Aaron hadn't forgotten him.
"I packed to live with my daddy," Aaron beamed. "Bye, Mommy!"
"Hey, let's grab dinner first and we'll talk after?" Jack offered the little boy.
"Why don't you order pizza and watch him? I have somewhere I need to be..." she seemed in a trance as she grabbed her keys and rushed out.
Aaron demanded so much of his attention that he couldn't chase Kate. When Aaron was distracted with a cartoon on TV he glanced out the window, realizing Kate's car was still parked in the driveway. He stepped outside, knowing exactly what she was doing.
He knocked on the window of the passenger side, startling her. She unlocked the door without bothering to wipe her eyes. When he sat down next to her, she turned her head; glancing out the window she cried uncontrollably.
"I wanted to run," she finally admitted. "I can't do this, Jack. I'm not meant to be a mother."
"Hey," he was able to grab her and pull her into his lap with ease, she had always been frail enough to move with no effort. She cried harder but didn't move from his lap; she even let him run his hands through her dark curls. "We'll get through this," he assured her.
"How?"
"Together. Same way we've gotten through everything else." With that, he gently squeezed her hand as the two exited the car to head back inside.
