After cuddling in the bed, making love off and on until after midnight Jack and Kate decided they should dress and go home. He had promised the sitter they'd be home by one o'clock and they'd be pushing it at this point. Jack spotted the flashing lights as soon as he pulled onto the street where his house was located and even though he had no idea where they were coming from he suddenly had a bad feeling and the closer he got to house the tighter his stomach became.
There were three police cruisers in front of his house and he could see Ashley standing on the porch with one of the police officers. He pulled his car into the driveway and without waiting for Kate ran to the front door to investigate. Ashley spotted him and threw her arms around him, crying, shaking.
"What the hell is going on?" Jack asked his own voice reaching a panicked tone.
"Are you Jack Shephard?" The policeman asked.
"Yes, what's happened. Are the kids okay?" Jack asked still holding onto Ashley who had obviously been frightened out of her mind.
"We got a 911 call that someone was trying to break in. When we got here that man (points toward the figure in the back of the police cruiser) was running around the outside of the house beating on all the windows and doors. He broke through the first pane there in the front window before we got here. Your little boy is scared, but he's okay, one of our officers is with him." The cop explained.
"There are two boys in the house." Kate interrupted.
"We only found one ma'am." The cop said.
Jack peeled Ashley off of him and hurried her into the house. He sat her on the couch, and held her by both arms.
"Everything is okay Ashley. Where are the boys?" Jack asked his voice loud and stern.
"They were upstairs Jack. I put them to bed together in Conner's room." Ashley answered.
"Stay with her." Jack said to Kate and ran up the stairs two at a time.
He hurried down the hall and entered the room. Conner spotted him and ran to him. He was whimpering, but not as hysterical as Ashley had been. Jack scanned the room for any sign of Tony.
"Shh baby it's okay. Conner, daddy needs you to tell him where Tony is. Do you know where he is?" Jack asked.
"No daddy. He was sleeping in the tent with me, but now he's gone." Conner said.
Jack looked at the police officer sitting on Conner's bed.
"He's a 6 year old boy about the same size as him. He's got to be in the house some place." Jack said.
Jack watched the police officer pick up his radio and let the other cops know they needed to search the house for a missing child. He took Conner downstairs and handed him to Kate so he could help look for Tony.
"No daddy, don't leave!" Conner cried.
"I'm not leaving Conner. I'm just going upstairs to help the policemen look for Tony. Stay with Kate and Ashley." Jack said sweetly, rubbing his hand soothingly over Conner's back.
Jack managed to get to the top of the stairs when he heard one of the policemen calling for him from the master bedroom. He followed the voices to his closet. Tony was sitting in the deepest corner behind some clothes, thumb in his mouth and rocking back and forth.
"What's wrong with him?" The policeman asked.
"I'm guessing he's scared." Jack said.
"He's more than scared, he's traumatized." The policeman offered.
Jack squatted in front of Tony and started to reach for him making the child scoot away from him in fear.
"Tony it's Jack, Conner's dad. Come on buddy I'm not going to hurt you." Jack coaxed.
"He's really mad this time. Please don't let him find me." Tony begged.
"Don't let who find you?" Jack asked.
"My dad, he was beating on the doors trying to get to me. I had an accident. Please don't tell him where I am. I promise I won't never be mean to Conner again if you hide me." Tony pleaded.
"Does the guy in the back of your cruiser have a name?" Jack asked.
"Yeah, his ID says his name is Eddie Parker. He's this kid's father?" The cop asked.
"No, he's not. Tony, that's not your dad. Your dad is out of town. Will you please come here son and trust me. I won't let anyone hurt you." Jack promised.
"Grown ups always say that." Tony accused.
"I promise Tony. I'll keep you safe." Jack said knowing he'd have a hard time keeping that promise, but the sight of this small child cowering in his closet was making him feel rage and sorrow at the same time and he decided he'd have to act on his and Kate's suspicions of child abuse now.
"No! Leave me alone!" Tony screamed.
"Is everything okay sir?" The police officer asked.
"Let's just let Tony stay here where he feels safe." Jack said.
Jack and the two police officers exited the closet and walked into the bedroom.
"You've got a lot of strange behavior going on here tonight. Care to explain?" The cop asked.
"The guy outside is a long story. Are you going to arrest him?" Jack asked.
"Yes, he's drunk and he was trying to break into your house so he will be processed through the county jail and probably get an arraignment Monday or Tuesday. What about that boy? What's his story?" The cop asked.
"He's a school friend of my son's that is spending the weekend with us. I'm sure you saw enough to suspect the same thing I do so how about you trust I'll get him out of that closet once things settle down and take the proper steps to make sure he's safe." Jack said.
"I'm going to do that sir, because I don't want to drag a kid out of here in the middle of the night, but I'll pass this on to my supervisor and make sure they send a cruiser by tomorrow to check on him." The cop said.
"Fine." Jack agreed.
He followed the policemen downstairs to his frightened family and babysitter and waited patiently for them to finish talking to Ashley and fill out their paperwork. He escorted the policemen out and walked back into the living room. Conner was wrapped around Kate and asleep again and Ashley was sitting on the end of the couch wringing her hands. Jack sat beside Ashley and put a comforting hand on her back.
"I'm sorry Ashley, I know that must've been scary, but you handled it very well. Do you want me to call your parents or do you just want me to drive you home?" Jack asked.
"Nobody is home. My parents are out of town and my brother is staying with a friend." Ashley said.
"I think you should stay here with us then." Jack said.
"You don't mind?" Ashley asked.
"No, of course not." Jack said and stood.
He leaned over and gently took Conner out of Kate's arms.
"Will you show her the guest room while I put him to bed and then meet me in our bedroom? I'm going to need some help getting Tony out of our closet." Jack said.
"What's he doing in there?" Kate asked.
"Hiding from his father." Jack answered.
Kate met Jack in the bedroom and they talked for a few minutes before attempting to coax the child out of the closet. Since Kate was a less threatening presence, Jack stayed in the background and let her do the talking. He noticed the strong smell of urine in the closet and wondered if it had been there when they found him and he was so relieved to find him safe that he just didn't notice.
"Tony, the man is gone and all the policemen are gone. It's okay to come out now." Kate coaxed.
"He's going to be mad." Tony said in a scared tone while looking up at Jack.
"Why do you think Jack would be mad?" Kate asked and motioned for Jack to squat down so he wouldn't look so intimidating.
"I had a accident. I didn't drink before bed, but it happened." Tony told her his bottom lip quivering.
"It's okay sweetie, accidents happen and see Jack isn't mad." Kate told him.
"No only lazy boys have accidents and you know what happens when boys are too lazy to go to the bathroom." Tony said almost in a trance-like tone.
"No, I don't know. What happens?" Kate asked.
"They have to wear a clothespin on their pee-pee." Tony told her, his bottom lip puckered up and tears starting to stream down his face.
Jack felt his face grow hot with anger and Kate had to control the gasp that was on the tip of her tongue.
"Tony I promise you that doesn't happen here. You had an accident and you aren't bad or lazy. Please don't be afraid of us honey, we just want to help you." Kate pleaded with him.
"Do you promise? I'm sorry. I'll clean it up and you can spank me if you want to, just please no clothes pin." Tony cried.
Kate moved closer and held her hand out to the boy. Tony looked at her, not moving.
"We don't spank children in this house and we don't get mad at them for having accidents. Come on Tony, let's get you cleaned up and put some dry clothes on you." Kate coaxed.
Tony took her hand and let her pull him up. She hugged him to reassure him and could feel him trembling. The lump in her throat was becoming painful and she wasn't sure how much longer she could hold it together. Jack could see it was getting to her, hell it was getting to him. He stood, reached down and picked the boy up, urine soaked clothes and all. Tony could sense he was in safe, caring arms and wrapped his arms around Jack's neck. He cried softly while Jack carried him out of the closet and into Conner's room in search of clean clothes for him.
Jack brought him back to his and Kate's bedroom and took him into the bathroom. He set the boy down and began stripping his clothes off of him. Tony tried to cover himself with his arms when Jack pulled his shirt off and Jack gently pulled the boy's arms away from his body.
"It's okay; you don't have to hide anything from me." Jack said in a soft non-threatening manner and finished stripping the clothes off the boy.
Jack cleaned him up with a wash cloth and did a quick visual inspection of the bruises on the child's buttocks and legs and helped him step into a pair of clean underwear and a pair of Conner's pajama pants. He didn't put the t-shirt on him right away; he wanted to get a better look at the injuries to his upper body so he picked him back up and carried him back into the bedroom. Kate started to speak when she was the marks on Tony's back, but noticed Jack shaking his head no at her. He sat Tony on the bed and began examining him.
The child's torso was a mass of bruises and welts, most of which appeared to have been inflicted with a belt. There were a couple of places that looked like stomping injuries to Jack and he had to take a deep breath to keep his anger and disgust from showing. He felt the area just below his ribs on the left that appeared to have stomped or kicked and the child winced away from him.
"Stop! That hurts!" Tony cried.
"I'm sorry, I'm done touching it." Jack said and focused his attention on the child's slumping left shoulder.
He looked at Kate and shook his head.
"Looks like a collar bone or shoulder injury that never healed properly." Jack sighed.
"I fell down." Tony lied.
"You fall a lot huh?" Jack said.
"I guess." Tony said softly.
"I know you don't know us very well Tony, but we're nice people and we're going to help you." Kate told him.
"You're the nicest step mom I ever saw and the prettiest. Conner is lucky." Tony said.
Jack put the t-shirt on Tony and smiled at him.
"Would like for Kate to put you to bed?" Jack asked.
"My sleeping bag is all wet." Tony said softly.
"That's okay. There is plenty of room in Conner's bed." Jack said.
"Please don't tell my dad you saw." Tony said.
"We won't. Come on sweetie, I'll tuck you in and stay with you until you fall asleep." Kate said and helped the boy down from the bed.
Kate joined Jack in the bedroom about 15 minutes later. He was lying on the bed, on top of the comforter, fully dressed and ticking. She lay down beside him and placed her hand on his forearm.
"That was Eddie trying to get in tonight wasn't it?" Kate asked.
"Yes, but he'll be in jail for a few days now." Jack said.
"I'm sorry Jack." Kate said.
"Don't be. It's not your fault. Let's just be glad nobody got hurt. We should get undressed, get under the blankets and get some sleep." Jack said.
"Yeah we should." She agreed.
They both stood, stripped down to their underwear, pulled the coverings back, turned off the light and met in the middle of the bed. They snuggled up together and lay quietly in the dark.
"What are we going to do about Tony?" Kate asked.
"I'm going to take him to the hospital in the morning and call child protective services. He needs a full set of x-rays and a urologist needs to examine him and make sure there's no damage. A clothes pin on his penis? What the hell is the matter with people?" Jack spat.
"When you were cleaning him up did you get a chance to examine him?" Kate asked.
"Just a quick visual exam, I didn't want to frighten him. His butt and legs are covered with welts and bruises. He's been beaten pretty severely Kate and pretty recently. I'm guessing within the last three or four days." Jack said.
"I want to go with you to the hospital." Kate insisted.
"Kate, it's not going to be pleasant." Jack argued.
"I know it isn't and that poor little boy is going to be scared to death. We can't let them lose him in the system Jack." Kate stood firm.
"Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?" Jack asked.
"They're going to pull him out of his home and he's going to need a place to stay. Why not? This house is big enough." Kate said.
"You don't have enough to deal with, you want to take on an abused child and all the bullshit that comes with that?" Jack asked, not as keen on the idea as Kate was.
"I guess you don't even want to consider it, so let's just go to sleep." Kate said.
She rolled over and away from him. He scooted in behind her and kissed the top of her shoulder.
"Let's see how things go tomorrow Kate. Chances are he's going to need to be admitted for treatment. I'm not trying to be cold babe, but there are people out there better qualified than us to deal with the psychological problems Tony most likely has." Jack said.
"Yeah right Jack, like he's ever going to get that kind of help unless he's with people who care enough to make sure he gets it." Kate dismissed his attempts at being logical.
Jack sighed and decided it was best to let her stew. It wasn't that he didn't want to help Tony, but he had to consider Conner and the new baby and Kate and her emotional state. Kate was thinking with her heart at the moment and nothing else, one of them had to be sensible.
Jack woke up alone the next morning. He rolled over and picked up his cell phone to see what time it was. It was almost 10 o'clock. He rarely ever slept in and was surprised he'd done so without waking once. He listened for a moment and could hear the boys downstairs and the events of the previous night came flooding back along with the dread of knowing what he had to do. He shaved, showered and dressed and made his way downstairs ready to deal with what he guessed was going to be a difficult day.
Kate was in the kitchen sitting at the bar reading the newspaper. He walked past her and made a fresh pot of coffee. He walked back and leaned on the other side of the bar so he'd be facing her. She looked up at him and he kissed her.
"You should've woken me." He said.
"You slept through me puking my guts up so I assumed you must've been really tired and needed to sleep." Kate said her tone suggesting she still wasn't happy with him.
"Did Ashley go home?" Jack asked.
"Yes, her brother picked her up, but she's coming back so you can pay her for last night and so she can watch Conner while we go to the hospital." Kate told him.
"Kate, I really wish you'd let me handle this. I don't think…" Jack argued but was cut off by her.
"You don't think what Jack?" Kate snapped.
"Take it easy, I was just going to suggest that maybe you don't know what you're getting yourself into." Jack said.
"You're patronizing me Jack and it really pisses me off." Kate told him.
"I am not patronizing you Kate, I'm trying to protect you." Jack snapped at her growing impatient with her Jeckyl and Hyde personality.
"Protect me from what? What's the matter Jack? Do you think that I'm too fucked up over TJ to deal with this rationally? I can be expected to deal with you and Conner and all your issues, but I'm not allowed to care beyond your circle of comfort?" Kate accused.
"Do you have any idea how big of a bitch you can be?" Jack hissed finally having had his fill of her hateful comments.
"Do you have any idea what a pompous ass you can be?" Kate shot back.
"What the hell do you want from me Kate?" He asked.
"I want you to stop acting like my father, stop coddling me and treating me like I'm some fragile porcelain doll." Kate answered.
"Fine, get dressed. We're leaving in a half hour." Jack said.
Jack gathered Tony's things while Kate was getting dressed. He managed to track down someone at the police station that knew what was going on and explained that he'd be taking the child to the hospital if they still wanted to come by and check on him. He spoke to Ashley and she arrived 10 minutes later. When Kate appeared at the bottom of the stairs, dressed and ready to go, Jack handed her Tony's things.
"What are you doing Jack?" Kate asked.
"I'm going to go get Tony now. Are you ready?" Jack asked.
"What are you going to tell him?" Kate asked.
"The truth." Jack answered.
"Do you have to……." Kate tried to argue.
"You've worked with troubled children Kate, but have you ever seen what they went through before they got to you? I've seen this more times than I care to remember and he's going to be pissed off no matter what we tell him so it's best just to be honest. You wanted to come along because you believe in your heart you can provide some comfort to him and for his sake I hope you can." Jack said.
"You're mad at me." Kate said.
"No Kate, I'm not. I'm mad at the bastards that used their little boy as a punching bag." Jack said, leaving her with Tony's things and wondering if she should've taken his advice and stayed out of this for now.
Jack came down the stairs carrying Tony. He was crying and begging Jack not to take him to the doctor. Jack held firm to the child and carried him out the front door. Kate followed behind and watched him patiently strap the crying boy into the back seat of his car. They drove to the hospital in silence except for the whimpering coming from the back seat. When they pulled into the hospital parking lot Tony's whimpering turned into pleas again. Kate watched Jack park the car, close his eyes and take a few deep breaths before getting out of the car and retrieving Tony from the back seat.
Tony kicked and fought Jack all the way in. He walked through the ER with him and back to the examining rooms. Kate stood back and listened to him give instructions for blood tests, urine tests, x-rays and CT scans. Tony was crying and fighting and begging and making sure Jack knew how much he hated him. Kate tried to calm him down and he spit at her and bit her, hysterical and completely out of control, the fear that his father would find out consuming the small child.
She watched as Jack and the ER doctor held the child down while the nurse jabbed a needle into the boy's hip and then watched him settle down, not completely sedated, but calm enough to stop hurting himself. Jack joined Kate in the corner of the room and watched them wheel the child out for x-rays. A police officer and a representative from child protective services entered the room and Jack told them what he suspected and what he saw on the child's body the night before.
They wheeled Tony back into the room. While Jack and the ER doctor studied the x-rays, Kate talked with the representative from child protective services, giving her as much information as she could.
"Look at all of these old fractures Jack. This kid doesn't know a life without pain." The doctor said.
"What about the scan of his abdomen? He's been at my house for two days and complaining of a stomach ache." Jack asked.
"He's very tender on the left. It looks like someone kicked him. We're taking him down for a CT scan next, but my guess is that his spleen is bruised." The doctor said.
"Jeff, he hasn't exhibited any symptoms of a bad bleed or I would've brought him in last night. Look at the left clavicle. It's going to have to be broken and reset or the whole shoulder area is never going to develop properly." Jack said.
"What the hell happened to this kid?" The doctor asked.
"His father." Jack sighed.
Kate was listening to the two doctors rattle off injuries and the possible medical procedures ahead for Tony and she felt herself growing woozy, her head getting fuzzy as her body broke out into a cold sweat. The nurse noticed her and went to her side just before she blacked out.
"Dr. Shephard!" The nurse called.
Jack turned around and saw the nurse trying to hold her up. He immediately took over and eased Kate down into the chair.
"Just give her some air." Jack said as he took the wet paper towels the nurse prepared for him.
He applied the cool cloths to her face, forehead and neck, the paleness and clamminess of her skin concerning him a bit.
"Kate can you hear me." Jack said.
"Is she okay Jack?" Jeff asked.
"Yeah, long night, stressful day and knowing her, nothing to eat." Jack mumbled.
"Girlfriend?" Jeff asked.
"Fiancé." Jack answered.
"Really? Congratulations." Jeff said.
"Thanks. Easy, easy, just relax." Jack said as Kate woke up, startled and confused.
"What happened?" She asked.
"You fainted. Have you eaten today?" Jack asked.
"No, I'm okay. I'm too sick to eat. How's Tony? Is he going to be okay?" Kate asked.
"Tony is probably going to be here for awhile, why don't you let me take you home." Jack offered.
"He's going to be so scared Jack." Kate argued obviously feeling terrible, but not wanting to leave the little boy alone even if he didn't want her there.
"Kate, he's most likely got a slow bleed in his spleen. He's either going to need surgery or he's going to have to be sedated and very still until the bleeding stops. Either way, he's not going to know what is going on." Jack explained.
"Do you promise those monsters won't get near him again?" Kate asked.
"Is that what you're so worried about?" Jack asked with a light smile, the way she was ready to go to battle for Tony reminding him of why he was so crazy about her.
"We have to make sure they can't hurt him anymore Jack. Promise me." Kate said.
"As long as he's here they can't go near him, but Kate I have no control over the legal system so you know I can't promise you everything is going to be okay for Tony." Jack reasoned.
"No, but you can promise me that we will fight on his behalf." Kate said.
"Okay, I promise. We'll do everything we can to make sure Tony stays safe." Jack promised.
"Even if that means he comes to live with us?" Kate asked.
"I'm not going to promise that today Kate. Let's just take this one day at a time, see how he does, and figure out what his options are. Okay?" Jack said.
"Okay, now can you show me where the bathroom is because I'm going to be sick." Kate told him.
Jack hurried her out of the room and down the hall to nearest bathroom. She entered and closed the door in his face, wanting to be sick without him hovering over her. He shoved his hands in his pockets and walked back into the exam room.
"Is she okay?" Jeff asked.
"She's pregnant and doesn't get her legs under her until later in the day." Jack said.
"Jesus Jack, has it been that long since we played golf or poker or had a drink? You're engaged and going to have a baby? I didn't even know you were dating again." Jeff laughed.
"It's a long story Jeff, but yeah it has been awhile and I could use a drink later if you're up for it." Jack said.
"It looks like I'm going to be tied up with this little guy and the police for awhile. You coming back after you take her home or are you going to back away from this one?" Jeff asked.
"No, I'd like to see this one through. Make sure he gets what he needs medically. I'm going to take her home and by the time I get back the CT Scans should be done and we should know what course of action to take with him." Jack said.
"So, are you making him your patient Jack?" Jeff asked.
"Yeah, I guess I am. I'll be back." Jack said and left the room.
Jack stood outside the bathroom and waited for Kate. She opened the door looking pale and weak. He put his arm around her and let her lean into him.
"Come on, I'll take you home and have Ashley stay until you're feeling better. I want to come back and make sure Tony gets everything he needs." Jack said.
"I feel so bad I'm not even going to argue with you. This is the worst pregnant day so far." Kate complained.
"Well, let's see, very little sleep, excessive stress and no food aren't usually conducive to a good pregnant day." Jack nagged at her.
Kate laughed lightly and squeezed his waist where her hand was holding onto him.
"Something funny?" Jack asked.
"Yeah, me. I guess if I expect you to stop coddling me I better start taking better care of myself so you won't always have to." Kate admitted in a guilty tone.
"I suspect I'll continue to do it anyway, but that part about taking better care of yourself would make me coddle more and nag less and coddling isn't so bad is it?" He teased.
They walked slowly out of the hospital, passing Tony's stepmother on the way, neither realizing who she was.