Chapter 7
Jack was in a daze, he knew he was running so hard he could feel the jar of his feet as they came into contact with the harsh ground. He could feel the strain and pull of his muscles as he pushed himself harder and harder to escape from the harsh reality this new island existence was forcing him to confront. Not to escape it entirely or run away from his problems – that wasn't Jack's way – but just to escape, if only for a little while, and spend some time alone to reflect on some of the things that had happened in the past few weeks since the crash.
He reasoned that he probably had a couple of hours to himself before he would be needed back at camp. Locke was now resting, Kate was there for Sawyer if he needed anything – not that that was much of a comfort to Jack – and Charlie was already on the steady road to recovery thanks to Claire and the tentative, neutering way with which he had handled his care.
Nothing of what Locke had told him seemed to be sinking in properly. Jack was confused – Locke must have put two and two together. It was no coincidence that Jack and Christian shared the same surname, so why had he told him? To make him feel even worse about his father than he already did, Jack wondered? Was he in some way trying to punish Christian for lashing out at his son? Or was there something else? Something Jack didn't yet understand?
He couldn't quite read Locke. Older he may be, but wiser? Sometimes Jack questioned that, but Locke that always seemed to be one step ahead of him. No one else had made him feel as small as he now did since his father – and there was a part of Jack that deeply resented the older man for that.
Jack felt an angry tug in his knee and it occurred to him that he was still running. He came to an abrupt halt, looking around him as he realised he had no idea where he was. How far had he come? He wondered. Judging by the pain in his feet too far to follow a short trail back or call out in the hope that someone back at camp may hear him and respond.
Why had he not followed his own advice and stuck to the familiar path through the jungle?
Panic started to set in as he sat down on a nearby boulder; he hadn't felt the like of it since the day before he had been forced to operate on his wife Sarah. She had still yet to become his wife at that point, but Jack had loved her from the moment he had first laid eyes on her.
She had been young, and attractive, and had had a real strength of spirit and character – she had been a fighter, and this had been what had got her through what had been the toughest time in her life.
The first thing he had noticed about her had been her eyes, as she'd been wheeled in to his operating theatre.
Her case had provided Jack with just the sort of challenge he thrived on – and nothing much had changed the last time Jack had seen her – except for one thing. The last time Jack had seen her she had been filing for a divorce, and he had been signing the divorce papers.
It had seemed as though any love they had once felt for each other had turned into hatred and resentment and each new day saw them growing further and further apart.
Why was he been forced to confront all this all over again? Hadn't he already been through enough?
He started thinking about Kate – they too had had their fair share of ups and downs – did she really love him? In the way that he knew he loved her? Or was their relationship destined to go the same way?
Was her destiny already married to Sawyer's? He didn't think he could bare it if she chose Sawyer over him.
He tried not to allow his mind to wander, he had to focus on the present – on getting himself out of this sorry mess he had gotten himself into. He looked up at the sky, which from where he was sitting was not completely obstructed by the canopy of trees – was it him or was it darker?
Closing his eyes he started to count 1, 2, 3 – suddenly he heard the crunch and snap of the dense vegetation as though someone was walking through the undergrowth. "4, 5" He said out loud, not wanting to open his eyes again in fear of what he might see. As he finally did so however a relieved smile spread across his face as he saw the familiar figure appearing through the clearing.
"KATE!" He exclaimed.
"Jack." She grinned.
"How did you know where to find me?" He asked.
"I followed your trail, you know it's a good job I'm fit." She laughed, only slightly out of breath. "You're a tough one to track."
"How long have you been following me?" He asked her.
"About an hour." She replied. "Sun came by and offered to keep an eye on Locke and Sawyer, she seemed to be under the impression I could do with a break." She smiled. "You know I probably would have caught up with you sooner, apart from the speed at which you were running, and I got lost a couple of times… had to double back and find your trail again. I don't think we're too far from camp."
"We'd better be heading back." Jack said. "I want to check up on Faith and I can't stray away from Locke and Sawyer too long."
"Jack…" She faltered. "I kinda wanted to talk to you about Sawyer. That's part of the reason why I followed you out here."
"What is it Kate?" Jack asked concerned. "Is he any worse?"
"No… he's fine." She reassured him. "There's no change there… he…"
"He what?" Jack frowned.
"He told me he loves me." She revealed – the confession evidently embarrassed her, or at least made her feel awkward – and she appeared desperate to get her confession off her chest as soon as possible. It was probably not the kindest, nor the most sensitive way to let Jack know that he had a rival
"Oh…" Jack felt his heart sink a little. This is exactly what he had been dreading. "Is that it?" He asked her, trying to sound as though it was no big deal.
"What do you mean is that it?" Kate asked, surprised by his reaction – or lack of it.
"Well for a moment there I thought it was something really serious." He replied.
"Jack…" She pleaded with him.
"What?" He asked her. "The man has a right to declare his love for you Kate if that's how he really feels."
He sighed.
He noticed the questioning look in Kate's eyes as he said this, as though she was about to do something that she was not entirely sure was the right thing to do. He then saw this morph into an expression of determination and she showed no sign of hesitating as she embraced Jack, pulling him down by the neck towards her as their lips met in a passionate kiss.
This kiss lasted several seconds as they embraced, drinking each other in – breathing hard, both of their hearts hammering.
She smiled as the two of them separated. "I told him I loved you." She told him. "I'm sorry Jack, I couldn't think how to tell you. I'm not very good at this sort of thing."
"That makes two of us." Jack grinned. "Although you seemed to do a pretty good job to me!"
"So then," Kate hesitated, "tell me! Have I just made a massive fool out of myself?" She asked him.
"Come here…" Jack laughed as he pulled her closer to him. Nobody noticed the two as their lips met for a second time. Jack felt almost complete, he would have felt complete if it hadn't been for the nagging voices in the back of his mind. There could be no denying Locke's revelation – his father, cast a black cloud over the proceedings, and no matter how hard he tried it wouldn't be ignored…
"Come on." He smiled eventually, taking Kate gently by the hand, and beginning to lead her away from the clearing. "We'd better get back. I've been gone far too long already."
