Aaron gave him a thumbs up and kept moving forward. He couldn't wait to tell Jack about the rabbit. He waved at Jack and his mom and took another step, not noticing a chunk of ice jutting up from the surface. He tripped, landing on his hands and knees.
A large, cracking noise erupted around his body. The sound echoed loudly around him. He looked at the ice beneath his hands as it split into dozens of pieces within seconds, plunging him head-first into a freezing, slushy abyss.
"No!" The word came out with an expulsion of breath. Horror coursed through Kate's body. The cracking ice sounded off like a pistol signaling the start of a race. Kate launched forward like a runner from the starting block. She had only one thought, one purpose: To save her son.
Sam had been assessing the situation and potential outcomes since the second he spotted his grandson on the precarious surface. He stripped a larch tree branch dangling in a nearby tree. By the time Aaron fell through, Sam was at the ice's edge. His calloused fingers fastened a constrictor knot to the end of the long stick before throwing it with precision. It landed just beyond the break in the ice. His skilled hands drew it over the gap to span both sides. It was a bar, a lifeline to pull Aaron out. Unfortunately, Aaron was facing the other way.
Sam was calm on the surface, but his stomach churned. He controlled his fear, despite it being his grandson. His military career was spent moving up the ranks of the Army Rangers Regiment, an elite combat division of United States Army Special Operations Command. When his unit executed covert missions, there was no room for panic. Panic led to mistakes. Deadly mistakes.
He shouted to get Aaron's attention, one hand on the rope, the other dialing 911 on his cell phone. Sam paused to quickly to relay what happened to the operator and provide directions to their off-road location.
Jack was standing behind Kate when she took off. There was hardly a sound when she lunged forward. Only her body slicing through the air and the friction of sleeves against her coat as her arms pumped furiously. He was on her heels by the time she reached the ice.
Kate found herself snatched up from behind and arms pinned to her sides. Jack embraced her in a vice-like grip. She thrashed and kicked while trying to get away. She had morphed into wrathful mother bear ready claw anything between her and her cub. "Goddammit, Jack! Put me down! AARON!"
Sam observed the scuffle but didn't intervene. Instead, he moved a few steps left for higher ground to better see Aaron. "Come on, Scout! The stick! Reach up and I'll pull you out!" Aaron's head bobbed as he thrashed, his small hands searching for something to hold on to.
He wasn't aware salvation lay behind him in the form of a wood branch.
"Help me, Mom! Help!" Aaron cried out, distress apparent in his voice.
It only made Kate harder to hold.
"AARON! SWIM, BABY!" Kate clenched her teeth. "Get off me, dammit! Let me go!" Kate threw her head back after landing a few kicks on his legs. Jack's face turned away in the nick of time to avoid being head-butted.
The clock was ticking.
Jack set her down and spun her around to face him. He drew her in close, his grip firm as she strained to pull away. "No, Kate! It has to be me!" Jack gave her a slight shake, his eyes bleeding with fear and resolve. "The ice won't hold us both." He pressed his lips together, his forehead wrinkled. His eyes bore into hers. Determined. Imploring. You have to let me do this.
Kate teetered between fighting or letting him go.
Jack always knew it was in Kate's nature to protect people she cared about. Even if it meant putting her life on the line. He found the latter both infuriating and terrifying.
But this was different.
A rescuer could drown if pulled under by a frantic victim. Kate's strength was already compromised by the flu, making her short of breath. Her skin was unusually pale making the dusting of freckles on her nose and cheeks stand out. He wasn't going to let another person drown on his watch. Especially not Aaron or Kate.
Sam eyes darted back to the pair just in time to exchange a significant look with Jack. It spurred the older man to step close. Jack released Kate, his hands replaced by one of Sam's.
Jack pivoted and sprinted across the glacial surface. After a few strides, he stopped, dropped to his stomach and did the army crawl in double-time while spreading out his weight. Every muscle, every fiber of his being was fixated on saving Aaron, the boy who believed in him despite his neglect. A son who wanted to follow in his footsteps: "You fix people and I want to be like you."
"AARON! SWIM, BABY!" Kate's panic surged. She forced into the role of bystander and found it worse than being in jail.
Kate tried to escape again by jerking hard against Sam's iron hold. She knew the best chance of breaking his grip was by pulling hard where his thumb and fingers overlapped. She had to do something. Aaron was the center of her world.
"Katherine Anne! Stop it!" Sam commanded sharply.
He never yelled at his daughter. The shock of it, coupled with her full given name, made her take pause. Kate stopped fighting but her body trembled with anxiety and adrenaline.
The sun peered out from behind the clouds. They squinted as the vista sparkled with blinding, white snow.
Sam kept calling out encouragement to Aaron, telling him to reach back for the stick. Jack's body blocked his view of the rift, but Sam had the advantage of height.
What he saw made his heart hammer.
He had to distract his daughter.
"Get the Jeep, Katie! Back it up and crank up the heater!"
Kate was rooted to the spot, a stark contrast to before. "I can't see him! Aaron?!" Inside, she berated herself. I didn't keep track of him. It's all my fault. Kate was leery about flying with Aaron, worried the damn island would somehow suck them back in no matter where they were. But the real danger wasn't in the Pacific Ocean. It was an ice-covered lake nestled in the Canadian Rocky Mountains.
"Katie! NOW!" Sam gave her the keys and a firm shove. "Go! That's an order!" She reluctantly dashed towards the jeep. Her thoughts raced.
What if… What if…
She fumbled, hands trembling, as she tried to insert the ignition key. After a few attempts she managed to insert it, fire up the jeep's engine and put it in reverse.
Jack spent time in Lake Tahoe at his family vacation home when growing up. It was a haven for skiing and winter play. Alternately, it was a paradise for outdoor activities in warmer weather. Jack loved water-based activities. Fishing, rafting and swimming in the Truckee River. Boating on the lake. He also enjoyed ice skating on the vast body of water. As a result, water and ice safety were drilled into him at a young age. Christian Shephard's high expectations went beyond academics. He didn't want Jack to indulge in foolish or reckless behavior.
A lecture was delivered about the danger of ice when a man drowned in the lake. The victim was walking his dogs on the frozen surface along the south shore. One of the dogs fell through, then the man as he tried to rescue it.
Jack was 8 years-old.
He and his friend, Marc Silverman, sat on a couch in the living room trying hard not to fidget. Logs crackled in the large fireplace beside them and the smell of pancakes and bacon beckoned that morning. Christian paced back and forth while delivering a speech about safety and what to do if it ever happened to them.
He fixed Jack with a stern look. "Don't try to be a hero if someone else falls through, Jack." He paused to tap the front page of the Tahoe Daily Tribune for emphasis. The article about the drowning was displayed on the coffee table solely for their benefit. "This man died because he made a bad choice. I expect better from you." Jack's cheeks flushed from embarrassment, but he didn't drop his gaze. As for Marc, he was used to hearing Dr. Shephard lecture Jack.
It was one of countless lessons Christian doled out to his son over the course of a few decades. Little did Christian know, this one would aid Jack in an attempt to save his own grandson.
It was the right choice. His choice.
Jack tried to estimate the time Aaron had been in the water. Maybe two minutes at most. The countdown clock started the moment Aaron fell through.
180 seconds.
The estimated amount time it took arteries and veins in the limbs to compress in freezing water. The body would force blood into the organs to survive. It was roughly how long Aaron had before losing the ability to swim.
"Hold on, Aaron! I'm coming!" He called out to reassure him. "Keep swimming, buddy!" He couldn't see him, blinded by a burst of sunlight on the bright surface. Aaron didn't answer. Lake water, reflecting ribbons of gold light, rose and fell from Aaron's attempts to stay afloat.
By the time Jack reached the opening, there was only one thing to greet him ... A knit hat undulating in the rippling water.
Aaron was gone.
Jack plunged his arms into the bone-chilling water searching wildly for his nephew. "NO! AARON! WHERE ARE YOU?!" He shouted at the water as if it would deliver the boy up.
"JACK?!" Sam's chest was tight. His mind's eye saw Jack's next move. He had to tell him…
Jack took a microsecond to glance back, intent on seeing Kate's face one last time. But she wasn't there. His countenance fell before hardening with determination. Without hesitation, Jack dove into the lake's frigid embrace.
The words were stuck on Sam's lips when Jack disappeared. He was going to tell him to take the stick, still spanning the hole. It would lead him back. Two tugs as the signal and Sam could pull them both to safety.
But it was too late.
He exhaled a prayer instead.
The cold air turned whispered words into a visible, white mist.
It rose before dissipating, as if traveling to another realm.
The jeep's tires made a loud, crunching noise before stopping. The engine continued to roar as the driver's door opened and shut. Kate ran to Sam's side, shading her eyes as she scanned the landscape. Dread clawed at her throat. They were gone.
"Where are they?! Where are they?!" Kate grabbed Sam's sleeve. Her small hand spanned half his bicep.
Sam's sky blue eyes told what she already knew.
Kate broke down and sobbed. "Where are they?! I can't lose him. I can't lose them!"
Sam drew her close with one arm to comfort her. He also knew she was a flight risk. The odds had more than doubled she would run straight into danger to save them. He had to keep her onshore.
Sam had seen this before.
He squeezed Kate, his voice steady in an attempt to anchor her. "Jack will find him, honey. He's going to bring our boy back. You just have to believe."
Sam Austen was 15 years-old. It was like any other school day in Iowa with brisk, wintry weather. He was walking home, his scarf flapping in the cool wind as he contemplated his chores, homework, and the buzz around school that John Lennon and Yoko Ono were having a "bed-in," something full of innuendos that made him blush. The sun was out for the first time in a week and had just begun melting tall piles of dirty snow adjacent to the road.
There was a sizeable pond behind a neighboring farmhouse. Sam had just walked past when he heard cries for help. The 8 year-old boy who lived there, Donnie, had fallen through ice too brittle to support his weight. The boy was full of mischief and a cute kid. Sam was friends with his older brother, Steven, but he was still at school for basketball practice. The eldest boy, Kelvin, had signed up for the army and been deployed to Vietnam.
Sam dropped his book bag and raced to save the boy. He ended up crashing through the ice, but that didn't stop him. He plowed ahead and dove under, groping blindly to find him.
Finally, his fingers grazed the back of a limp hand.
In that instant, a rescuer snagged Sam around the waist. He fought the larger man and protested as he was brought to shore.
He almost had him.
Donnie Inman drowned.
Aaron gasped when immersed in freezing water - a natural reaction. It was also the worst thing he could do. He choked and coughed after inhaling frigid water. His head and face barely crested the water's surface and parka was puffed up with trapped air, obscuring his vision.
Water arced in all directions as he flailed. It created a fluctuating, liquid wall. Aaron's arms beat furiously while his bare hands searched for something, anything to hold on to.
Arctic chill ripped through him. Irregular, loose chunks of ice kept coming at his face, only to be pushed away. When he finally found the edge, Aaron clasped it tightly, unable to pull himself out. It shattered from his weight and set Aaron adrift. He kicked hard in an attempt to tread, but the snow boots had turned his feet into ineffective bricks.
Grandpa Sam kept shouting to him. The water in his ears and his own cries for help muted most of the words. But one voice cut through the chaos. His brain had patterned after it during infancy. It belonged to the one constant in his life: His mother.
"AARON! SWIM, BABY!"
Mom! It made him fight harder. "Mom! Help me! MOM!" Yelling robbed his lungs of precious air. Thoughts became harder to formulate as his body shivered violently. Aaron had never been so cold in his life.
The pocket of air in his coat initially gave him some buoyancy. It disappeared as the lining was saturated. By then, his limbs felt sluggish and numb. They became clumsy and refused to cooperate. Aaron started to sink, his blue eyes round with panic.
As he dropped beneath the surface, he stared up through the green-tinged water. The hole above looked like a monster's mouth sporting sharp, uneven teeth. Air bubbles escaped his mouth and nose rapidly until nothing was left. He drew cold water into his lungs. His body jerked, trying to reject it, but had no ability to fight. Movements slowed down, then stopped with his eyelids half-shut.
A flash of white registered in his brain. The bunny?
Then, a familiar voice spoke faintly in his head. Hang in there, kiddo!
Aaron didn't react.
His brain began to flip through images, some new and others old, dredged up from years ago. Mommy rocking him to sleep. Sitting on Jack's shoulders during the Disneyland parade, his small arms wrapped around Jack's neck. Grandpa helping him set up his first big boy train set. A storybook. A whale. Memories faded as his conscious sputtered before completely shutting down.
Jack descended past the layer of slurry and ice. Sunbeams penetrated the clear, green water for only a few yards. There was no detectable water current. Aaron couldn't have gotten far.
He dropped deeper into the abyss, his arms stretched wide while panning back and forth. Reaching. Feeling. Legs movements were careful in case he made contact. His body and lungs screamed for him to surface, but there was no way in hell. He would do anything, anything to save Aaron.
Claire's son. Kate's son.
His nephew. His son.
The boy who yearned to spend time with him. Who threw his arms around him without hesitation. His big, blue eyes, identical to Claire's, stared up at him with undeserved adoration.
Where are you, Aaron?
He wasn't coming back without him.
Last time, there was no body to bury. It was 6 days after Oceanic 815 crashed. He had just rescued Boone and left him with Kate and Charlie. He went back instantly to save the woman who was farther out. She had been caught in the riptide. 6 days on the island as doctor and leader, yet he still didn't know her name.
Joanna Miller.
He failed her.
It wasn't going to happen again.
Something below caught his eye. Light where none existed. It flashed like a mirror before disappearing. He immediately rocketed downwards. Jack's fingertips touched fabric – a coat. His hand immediately grabbed and pulled it up. He could only see the child's silhouette in the dim light. Aaron was suspended in the water motionless. His arms extended in a pose reminiscent of Frankenstein.
Jack pressed Aaron's back into his chest and sped upwards. He wasn't sure if he would make it. The last of his air had just escaped his lungs. Jack searched frantically, hoping to find the opening. Hoping he wouldn't have to smash through the ice with one hand.
Someone or something must have been smiled down on him. The exit lit up like a beacon. Sunbeams shot through the darkness and turned the hole's jagged edges into a ring of glowing, translucent crystal.
Jack surfaced with a burst and gasped. Aaron's head lolled forward. Jack settled it back on his shoulder while treading. His fingers tapping Aaron's neck in search of a pulse. He couldn't find it and there was no rise and fall of Aaron's ribcage.
Jack heaved and lifted the small, lifeless body onto the ice before pushing Aaron away. He was afraid the surface would buckled if he climbed out beside him. Jack pulled himself out using the branch as a bar and crawled over to Aaron.
"Jack!" Kate was relieved to see them until she saw Aaron wasn't moving. No! "Why isn't he moving?!"
Jack couldn't answer her. He checked for a pulse again before tipping the boy's head back. He pinched Aaron's nose and gave him two breaths. Nothing.
"Come on, Aaron!" He couldn't lose him. He had to save him. Jack was focused Aaron, but not oblivious. Hairline cracks began to spider out beneath them. They had to move … now!
"Jack! Grab the branch!" Sam held the rope tightly and braced himself.
Jack grabbed it with his right hand and wrapped his left arm around Aaron. Kate quickly grabbed the rope behind Sam. They dragged the pair back to shore quickly. "Katie! The blankets!" Sam barked. He stepped forward to help Jack.
Kate could barely tear herself away. She was back in a flash, stumbling and struggling to catch her breath.
Jack scooped up Aaron, keeping him flat. He tried to walk ashore, but his knees buckled and hit the snow-covered ground. He was drenched, muscles shaking involuntarily but ignored it. Sam grabbed him by his elbow and helped him stand. He knew from Jack's expression he wouldn't relinquish Aaron. Sam's grandson was unconscious at best, his arms and legs as limp as a rag doll. The boy's skin was waxen and blonde locks were plastered to his head. He didn't look real.
Kate dropped the blankets, shocked at his appearance.
"Jack! Aaron!" Kate was by his side, touching her son's face while pleading, "Aaron?! Wake up, baby! Please!"
"I need a blanket! Did you call 911?" Jack laid Aaron on the ground as soon as Sam unfurled it on top of trampled snow.
"Yeah. They're coming from up Banff. Anytime now." Sam's voice was steady but a slight tremor in it betrayed him. "Need anything else?"
Jack shook his head slightly.
"What's wrong, baby? Wake up!" Kate's eyes burned and cheeks were chilled from crying.
Jack tipped his chin up and listened for breathing while watching Aaron's small chest. There was none. He pinched the small nose again, gave him two rescue breaths and began rapid compressions. Sam draped a heavy blanket over Jack's shoulders without Jack noticing and piled more over Aaron from the waist down.
Kate held Aaron's hand. "Wake up, baby! Wake up!" A sob rose, causing her throat to constrict. She was there the day Aaron took his first breath. This couldn't be his last. "Wake up for mommy!"
Jack was afraid, same as Kate, but it didn't stop him. His voice was sharp but held no rancor. "Put his hand down, Kate! Don't pat his arms or legs. Keep them flat. If the blood leaves his heart too soon…" He stopped himself from saying it out loud. Something he wasn't going to let happen: heart failure from the blood traveling to the limbs too fast. His heart ached as he looked down at Aaron's purple lips.
"Come on, Aaron! Come on!" His words came out forcefully in time with each compression.
"I need you, kiddo! Come on!" Jack continued compressions before another two breaths. The blanket on his back began to slip.
Regret and love strengthened his resolve to save him. "I will never leave you again, ever! Come on, buddy."
By the fourth round of CPR, Kate went from softly pleas to begging, the pain-filled words came out as a moan from the deepest place inside. "Please, baby! Please!" Her hand rested on top of Aaron's while she stared down at his white skin. All color had been leached from it. She wiped her face and nose on her coat sleeve as she broke down again, unable to speak.
Sam knelt beside her, his arm around her shoulder. It was out of his hands.
Jack's face spoke volumes. Desperation dotted his features. He wished it was him, not Aaron.
He hated himself for leaving over 7 years ago.
For drinking and taking pills instead of getting help.
For obsessing over the island, thinking it was his destiny when everything he needed was right in front of him.
He ruined it.
Jack figured Kate would move on and Aaron would have a step-dad by now. But here they all were. It's my fault. They could have been been in Tahoe or L.A. this year with Sam instead. As a family.
He recalled Aaron's sad face, his blue eyes filled with pain and longing after telling the Canada Air flight attendant, "He is … um … was my dad." Was his dad.
Tears fell and disappeared into the fabric of Aaron's soaked clothes. Jack's trained hands didn't miss a beat, despite the weight of guilt and sorrow. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"
Kate watched through bleary eyes as Jack's face crumpled. It was followed by an outburst. To who or what, she didn't know.
"It should have been me! Not him! Me!" The heel of his large palms, one stacked over the other, didn't break rhythm. "Please!" He begged through his own tears. He tipped back his head and shouted. "I'LL DO ANYTHING!"
Birds scattered, screeching as his voice bounced off the trees like a gunshot.
Sirens sounded off in the distance.
Suddenly, a geyser of water erupted from Aaron's mouth. Jack's heart leapt as he tipped Aaron onto his side. Aaron gagged and vomited more water as his lungs battled to expel liquid and draw in oxygen at the same time. "It's okay, Aaron." He rubbed Aaron's back gently as relief washed over him.
Kate bawled openly, one hand on Aaron's head and the other on Jack's shoulder creating a bridge over the boy's body. Brown eyes met green with teary smiles. For a brief moment, only Jack, Kate and Aaron existed. A shared memory surfaced blocking out all noise. 10 years ago they cradled another blonde head, jointly baptizing him with the same tears.
Aaron's fair eyelashes were clumped together with water and his eyes were glazed as if half-asleep. Jack set him gently on his back again. The boy didn't talk or move but his chest rose and fell steadily. His pulse was steady but slow. Jack piled blankets on top of him with Kate including the one that fell off his shoulders.
He thanked his lucky stars they weren't on the island with no oxygen, medical tools or supplies. That he didn't have to monitor Aaron by torchlight, hoping to god he would last until morning. That there wouldn't be another grave on Boone's Hill.
But Aaron wasn't out of the woods yet.
"Aaron, baby." Kate's fingers roamed through his hair, unable to stop touching him. "What's wrong with him, Jack? Why isn't he awake?" Kate voice was hoarse and tormented. Her pain sliced through him, causing his throat to constrict.
The sirens stopped. Heavy doors opened and shut. Large boots cut through the snow, making loud, crunching noises while running towards them.
Jack glanced up. Sam had moved away to direct the emergency rescuers.
There wasn't much time to explain. Words quickly tumbled out.
"His body needs to warm up. It's going to take a while." His leg muscles coiled, ready to stand before seeing something that made him pause. Kate hovered over Aaron, her heart-shaped face tipped up towards his. He had never seen her this frightened.
"It's going to be okay, Kate." His words were gentle, meant only for her ears. He hoped for a full recovery and wasn't going to tell her otherwise. Not yet. She searched his eyes and nodded, wanting to believe.
Jack's reached out and cupped her jawline. He smiled faintly as his thumb brushed her cheek. He wiped away a few tears before withdrawing.
Before he stood, she caught something unexpected in his eyes. How much he still cared.
Jack shivered while conveying his credentials and critical information to the EMTs. At the same time, two men and woman quickly strapped Aaron to a backboard, placed him on the emergency cot and raced towards the ambulance.
Kate's legs were wobbly when she stood. Jack noticed her unsteady gait and grabbed her hand firmly as they jogged behind the stretcher. An EMT helped her into the ambulance to ride along, then strapped her into the seat at the head of the cot.
She looked back to Sam, who waved her on. He caught a glimpse of Jack being draped with another blanket while the EMTs worked feverishly on Aaron, The doors closed quickly and ambulance sped away.
Sam wiped his eyes and cleared his throat a few times before climbing into his jeep to follow them. He thanked the heavens for putting Jack Shephard on two airplane flights: Oceanic 815 and Canadian Air destined for Calgary.
It only affirmed his belief that there was no coincidence.
It was all meant to be.
To be continued... (Thank you for your patience!)