Chp 6

"Jack, Jack," Juliet said softly trying to wake him. Jack was tossing and turning, with tears running down his face.

"Jack wake up, you're having a nightmare," Juliet cooed, trying to coax him from sleep.

"Boone!" he yelled before waking up confused.

"It's okay Jack, it's me Juliet. You're safe, you're in Miami and you're safe," she said and pressed him close to her.

Jack wrapped his arms around her, still lost in the nightmare of the island.

"You kept calling out Boone's name and saying stay with me, stay with me," Juliet told him.

"Did I?" Jack asked and lay back down on his pillow.

"I couldn't save any of them Juliet," he said as she held him in her arms rubbing circles across his back.

"Jack, stop doing this to yourself."

"They called me the miracle doctor once," Jack laughed to himself, "But I couldn't save him. Not Boone, not Shannon his sister. Not Libby or Ana, and then there's Sun and what I did to her baby," he said choking on the last few words.

"Jack," Juliet whispered.

"I'm not like I was before; I thought nothing could change me. Nothing could make me do those things."

"It doesn't matter if they called you the miracle doctor or not," Juliet said firmly, "You're only human and back there, with no supplies or a hospital," she cupped his face with her palms, "You're only human Jack," she repeated and kissed him softly.

"You did what you could and as far as Sun's baby, we did what we had to do in order to survive."

"Like Michael?" he said with a snort.

"Yes, like Michael," Juliet agreed.

"Didn't make him any less guilty," Jack replied.

"No," she sighed sadly, turning back to her side of the bed.

Jack spooned her from behind and brushed the hair from her neck. He kissed her exposed skin softly before giving her a hug.

"I'm sorry; I'm supposed to be comforting you."

She took his hand in hers and kissed his fingers, "its okay," she said.

"No, you've had such a hard time since we got here, finding out your sister and her baby died," he said as Juliet let the tears fall from her eyes.

"I should be more supportive," Jack said.

Juliet turned to face him, "You have been Jack. I couldn't have gone to see her grave alone. Without you I would have crumbled," she said her lip trembling.

"You're tougher than you give yourself credit for," Jack said and gently wiped her tears.

She took a deep breath, "So, when does our flight to L.A. leave?"

"At noon," he said as he got up from her arms and searched the hotel door for his jeans, "It's weird, my mother didn't even act surprised to hear I was alive. She just said to be at the house for a welcome home dinner."

"I expect she's still in shock," Juliet said stretching before heading to the washroom, "Now I'm grabbing the first shower."

Jack groaned, "You always take all the hot water."

Juliet stuck her head out the bathroom door and gave him a sly look, "The why don't you join me Dr. Sheppard."

Jack smiled and followed her in as she pulled on his arm.

…..

"You haven't told me anything about your mom," Juliet said as they rode in the back of an L.A. taxi to Margo Sheppard's house.

"Does she do anything or was she a stay at home mother?"

Jack laughed more to himself than to anyone, "My mother, stay at home? Ha, no, she's a doctor too."

"Really? There wasn't anything about that in your file, only her name."

"That's strange," Jack pondered and shrugged his shoulders, "I guess Ben didn't think it could help you break me."

Juliet tensed at those first memories in the Hydra.

"Which is weird," Jack said cutting the silence, "Since she's a fertility doctor like you."

"What?" Juliet asked surprised.

"Yeah," Jack said and smirked, "Kind of ironic since she hated being a parent. She's into research mostly. She works for a company you may have heard of, it's called Infinity."

Juliet's eyes shot up and to his face, "Infinity?" she asked.

Jack nodded, "Surly you came across them in your work prior to the island. They're a leader in child bearing and rearing research and development."

Juliet had heard of a company called Infinity, but not in her life prior to the island. Her mind raced back to the paper work Ben had made her go through when she first arrived. They were printed on crisp white letter head, all stamped with a figure eight lying on its side, a symbol mark well known as a symbol for Infinity. She looked wide eyed at Jack and was going to tell him when the cab pulled up to the curb.

"We're here," Jack said.

…..

Juliet sat across from Margo Sheppard at the dinner table. It was a strange and tense night. Jack's mother was oddly cold for someone who just found out her son had survived a plane crash.

"So Juliet; Jack tells me you're a fertility doctor," Margo said as she began to spoon into her crème brule.

"Yes," Juliet said.

"A deserted island is an odd place to practice such a field isn't it?" Margo asked.

"Well," Juliet said looking over at Jack.

"She's like you mom," Jack intercepted, "More into research."

Margo nodded as she stared at her son and his bride.

The rest of the night was spent on more prying questions from Margo and evasive answers from Juliet and Jack.

"Well it's late, and I suppose the two of you are tired, "Margo said, "You're room is ready upstairs."

"Thanks mom," Jack said as he helped Juliet out of her chair.

Margo walked around the table and gave a quick kiss to Jack's cheek, "Goodnight son, Juliet."

Juliet stared at Margo's neck. A glint from the light shone on it and Juliet's eyes grew large as she stared at her necklace. An Infinity symbol hung from a delicate gold chain around Margo Sheppard.

"Company logo," Margo said catching Juliet staring at it.

"It's lovely," Juliet said smiling shyly.

"They gave it to me after 20 years on the job. Well," she said, "I'm off to bed."

….

"Jack," Juliet said as they lay together in the dark.

"Yes Juliet?"

"That symbol your mother has around her neck."

"What about it?" Jack asked nuzzling up to her, his hand traveling up her waist to her breast.

Juliet pulled his hand down. "It's a symbol for infinity," she said.

"Uh huh," he said kissing her collar bone.

"Jack," Juliet said trying to stop him as he traveled down her torso, his kisses getting wetter.

"Yes Juliet. I told you she works for a company called Infinity," he said a little annoyed his romantic gestures weren't being reciprocated.

"I've seen that company logo before," she said as he hovered above her.

"I thought you might after all you are a fertility specialist too."

"No Jack, not back in Miami, on the island."

"What are you saying Juliet?" Jack asked, his brow furrowed.

"I think maybe your mother's involved in what happened to you, to us back there."