Brace yourselves. Here comes the storm I hinted at. Some of you are going to be very unhappy, but everyone has a limit to what they can put up with, even Jack.
Jack ate the scrambled eggs and toast that Conner helped cook and left his two favorite people to see patients and check on Tony. When he walked up to Tony's room he saw his father standing just outside the door. Jack stood beside him and observed the young woman sitting on the side of the bed talking to Tony.
"Social worker?" Jack asked.
"Mother." Christian answered.
"What?" Jack asked.
"When you told me about this boy and got me involved I called my attorney and asked him if he could dig a little deeper than social services and find his mother. He called me last night, actually he called me during the party." Christian explained.
"So what's her story?" Jack asked.
"She was 15 when she gave birth to him. It would appear that the child's father is not only a monster, he also enjoys the company of very young girls. She was the daughter of a business associate. It was all very hushed. She had the baby and he took him away from her at her parent's insistence and then they sent her away to school so she could forget about it." Christian said.
"Did she? Forget about it?" Jack asked.
"According to her, they never even let her hold him. Hard to forget what you never had a chance to know." Christian said.
"Does he know she's his mother?" Jack asked.
"No, not yet. She wanted to meet him. She isn't sure if she wants to take this on or if she can afford to take it on." Christian said.
"So, I guess you and mom taking him in won't be happening?" Jack asked.
"Your mother and I taking him in would be a last resort Jack. The boy has a mother, a young mother than can keep up with him. It would be best to find a way to make that work wouldn't you agree?" Christian asked.
"If she wants to be his mother then yes, but if it's going to mean more neglect and abuse then no." Jack argued.
"Look at her Jack. Does she look like someone that would hurt a child?" Christian asked.
"Let's hope not. I need to talk to you about what happened yesterday with Kate." Jack said.
"What happened with Kate yesterday?" Christian asked.
"I saw you break up whatever was going on at the end of the driveway and I need you to help me figure out how to make that guy go away." Jack said.
Christian studied Jack, saw the stubborn determination in his eyes and decided that suggesting maybe he make Kate go away and risk another ugly blow up with his son would be counter-productive. They walked to the lobby and Jack relayed Kate's story to his father. Christian was quiet for awhile, taking it all in, the wheels of his mind slowly cranking, trying to determine if he believed Kate's latest tale.
"Don't get angry with me son, but are you sure the baby is yours?" Christian asked.
"According to the ultrasound it is, so will you help me or not?" Jack asked, slightly aggravated.
"I suppose since it's my fault she's in your life, the least I can do is help clean some of the skeletons out of her closet." Christian sighed.
"Don't talk about her like she's trash." Jack said angrily.
"Jack does any of this not bother you? You really don't care that she set out to get pregnant and sell your baby, that she brokered babies for a living, that she's done god knows what else that she hasn't told you about?" Christian asked.
"Should it bother me that you've been fucking around on my mother for as long as I can remember? Should it bother me that most of my childhood you were either working or drunk? Should it bother me that you've been messing with my head and manipulating me since I was six years old? Of course the baby broker stuff and the lies bother me, but I love her enough to get past that and I wish you would try to get past it and stop focusing on her mistakes long enough to see all of her wonderful qualities." Jack said.
"Fair enough, I guess you've gotten past it far enough to set a wedding date." Christian said.
"We're going to Tahoe after the twin separation. It would be great if you and mom and Conner were there and if you would bring him home with you and let us hang back, have a bit of a honeymoon." Jack said.
"When after the twin separation?" Christian asked.
"I don't know. I thought mom could get with Kate and work out the details. I can't think about something like that right now. Kate knows that starting tomorrow I'll be focused on this surgery and won't be around much, but I do want to get married and soon and so does she." Jack said.
"I'll call my attorney. He can make some phone calls and find out what we need to know about this Cray character and how to make him go away. Jack, I hope you've really thought this out and I don't think we should share Kate's past with your mother if you want them to get along." Christian said.
Jack finished his conversation with his father, checked on Tony and introduced himself to the young woman who apparently was Tony's mother. He left Tony's room with every intention of going home, but when he noticed the files of the twins in the front seat of his car he decided to go back to the hospital and put them in his office. Once in his office he decided he'd take a few minutes to prepare himself for the surgical team meeting that was scheduled for the next day. The next thing he knew three hours had passed and his cell phone was vibrating in his pocket. He pulled it out, saw that it was Kate and noticed the time.
"Hey, I'm sorry, I lost track of time." Jack said.
"That's twice this weekend Jack. You promised Conner we'd go to the park so he could ride his bike." Kate said.
"I know and I'm sorry. I'll be home pretty soon." Jack told her obviously distracted.
"Don't worry about it Jack, I'll take him." Kate sighed.
"You don't mind?" Jack asked.
"No, but Conner probably does." Kate accused.
"Kate, I've spent so much time away from the hospital lately that I'm behind. He'll understand." Jack insisted.
"Goodbye Jack." Kate said.
"Yeah, bye. Love you." Jack said and shoved the phone back in his pocket still distracted with the file he was studying.
The next time he looked at his watch it was after 8 PM. He cursed himself, straightened the files on his desk and left. He was locking his office when Brandi approached him.
"How does a family man manage to get a Sunday night away from the house?" Brandi teased.
"I didn't mean to work this late. I'm probably in trouble." Jack laughed lightly.
"So I guess asking if you're interested in grabbing a drink would be pointless." Brandi said.
"I can't Brandi. I need to get home before it's time for Conner to go bed. Can I get a rain check?" Jack asked.
"Sure. Goodnight Jack." Brandi said.
When Jack entered his home fifteen minutes past Conner's bedtime it was so quiet it was deafening. He dropped his keys and his briefcase in his office and walked up the stairs to find his family. Conner was sleeping soundly in his bed. He walked in, pulled the blankets up over his shoulders and kissed his forehead. He walked down the hallway to the master bedroom. The room was dark so he turned around and went back downstairs. He realized he hadn't eaten since breakfast and made himself a sandwich. He sat in front of the television with his sandwich and a beer and noticed how strange it felt. It had been a long time since he dragged in late from work and sat alone in front of the television with a sandwich and a cold beer and he realized how much he had missed his work and his life at the hospital.
He'd been so wrapped up in Kate's trauma over TJ, followed by the pregnancy and then Conner's broken arm and stitches and abuse at the hands of his aunt with the drama of Tony's situation and a broken hand that kept him out of surgery for the last 5 weeks, that he hadn't been focused on his work much and he realized just how unfocused he'd been when he finally allowed himself the time to sit in the peace and quiet of his office and get caught up. Kate was most likely mad at him and not really asleep, but if she was going to marry him she needed to get a taste of what it is really like to be married to a busy doctor. He was willing to work at being home more, but his family had to also be willing to accept that there would be times when he wouldn't' be around.
He finished his sandwich and two more beers and finally climbed the stairs to his bedroom around 11 PM. When he entered the bedroom the television was on. He stood beside the bed and stripped his clothes off wondering if she was asleep this time or still ignoring him. He lay down in the bed and scooted over toward where her back was to him. He peeked over her shoulder and her eyes were closed. He kissed her on the cheek and lay down beside her. After a few minutes she rolled over and found herself face to face with him forcing him to bite back a grin.
"Hey." He said.
"Hey, what time did you get home?" Kate asked.
"It was a little after nine o'clock." He answered even though he knew she knew.
"Conner was pretty upset with you today." Kate said.
"Conner knows that I work long hours sometimes, but I guess my being around so much lately allowed him to forget that." Jack said flatly, refusing to play the guilt game with her.
"Are you mad at me Jack?" Kate asked.
"No, but you're mad at me. You're not used to the real me, the guy with the mistress I warned you about and that's okay, but I'm not going to cater to your anger or apologize for needing to catch up on my work today." Jack said.
"I don't want to fight with you Jack." She said and kissed him.
He kissed her back, holding gently to her side, his hand moving slowly over her breasts as the kiss went deeper and she wrapped her leg over his, his thigh making contact with her center. He finally broke the kiss and smiled at her.
"I'll go lock the door if you promise to be naked when I get back." He said making her giggle.
They spent another night lying naked in each other's arms and making love on and off. Jack knew this would be their last evening together for awhile when his mind wasn't too distracted to focus on her and did his best to convince her that she was loved and the center of his universe. Kate wasn't going into the next couple of weeks blind. He'd been telling her every day what it would be like and how distant and withdrawn he would probably become. Kate wasn't sure if she just didn't believe him or didn't want to believe him, but even though she assured him she was prepared and would be understanding she found herself feeling neglected and extremely jealous. She knew he was spending all of his time with Brandi and coming home sometimes just long enough to catch a few hours of sleep, grab a shower and leave again.
Kate found herself sniffing his shirts for any scent that wasn't Jack and had gone to him in the shower at 3 AM and performed fellatio on him before he would have the chance to wash away any evidence that he'd been inside another woman. He was shocked as well as pleased, finding the act to be a great stress reliever and Kate found no scent or taste on him that wasn't always there and she felt foolish, so foolish she wouldn't allow him to return the favor. Had Jack not been so distracted he would've noticed she was behaving strangely, that she was terribly insecure about him spending so much time with Brandi and he could've tried to reassure her, but as it was, he was clueless and just considered himself a really lucky guy to be able to come home from work at 3 AM and get a blow job as his reward for working that late.
They'd made love just one time in the two week leading up to the surgery and if Kate had been paying attention she would've realized that it was Jack that initiated it, Jack that missed her terribly and wanted to be with her both physically and emotionally and that while he was as distracted as a man could get he still managed to think about her and crave her. The three days leading up to the surgery Jack stopped coming home. He was consumed with the procedure, terrified and completely invigorated at the same time, he was like an athlete facing the biggest game of his life and nothing else in his life could penetrate his mind until it was over.
While Jack was being consumed with the scariest most difficult procedure he'd performed as a surgeon, Kate was being consumed with jealousy. She was convinced he'd stopped coming home because he was screwing Brandi again, that the two of them were on the couch in his office going at it like wild animals or back at her apartment breaking the bed springs. Kate never believed she'd be the type of woman to feel things like this, but she couldn't help it and the more she thought about it, the angrier she got.
The day of the surgery finally arrived. The separation would take approximately 16 to 18 hours from start to finish and they'd practiced and addressed every possible thing that could go wrong. 15 hours into the procedure the girls were finally two separate individuals and everyone took a deep breath, fighting the urge to cheer and high five one another. There was still the task of closing their wounds and getting their tiny, fragile bodies through another couple of hours of surgery. 17 hours into the procedure, Jack was applying the finishing sutures to the twin that he ended up with. He'd opted to deal with the smaller, more fragile twin once they were separated while Brandi dealt with the larger, more robust twin. Jack had just applied the last suture and was stepping away from his patient when he heard the crisis begin on the other side of the room. He jumped in and tried to help, but after 30 minutes they had to give it up and call it. One of the little girls had not made it, her heart no longer able to handle the stress of being under for so long.
Jack sent Brandi to the showers and made the long, painful journey to the waiting room to let the parents know that they hadn't been successful. He was headed to the locker room to change when his father met him in the hall.
"That was a tough one son, but you gave one little girl a chance at a happy, productive life." Christian said.
"We don't know that yet dad. She's hardly out of the woods." Jack said.
"I sent Brandi to your office Jack. She's devastated. You need to talk to her." Christian said.
"Yeah, okay." Jack said quietly and walked toward his office, not bothering to change out of his scrubs.
He opened the door and Brandi was standing in front of the window staring out into the darkness. He walked up behind her and put a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"It wasn't your fault Brandi." Jack said.
"I'm sure her mother will find that comforting Jack." Brandi snapped.
"Was that your first?" Jack asked.
"No, I lost a couple of patients while I was off doing my rotation in Europe, but she was just a baby Jack, had her whole life ahead of her." Brandi fought her tears.
Jack put his hands on her shoulders and turned her around to face him. He recognized the look in her eyes. He'd been there before. That point in your career where you start to question everything.
"Listen to me Brandi. You were so amazing today. There is another little girl who is still alive because you were a pro, never got nervous, never lost focus. That was such an intense procedure and you handled it so well. I wouldn't have wanted any other surgeon in the middle of that with me." Jack told her.
"Maybe someone more experienced could've gone faster and then we wouldn't have lost her." Brandi suggested.
"Come on Brandi that's bullshit and you know it. You can only go so fast and we were right on schedule. You are one of the best surgeons in this hospital. You can be on my team any time." He told her and smiled at her.
"You probably say that to all the interns you used to sleep with." Brandi teased and wiped away a tear that managed to escape.
"No, just the ones with big blue eyes." Jack said sweetly.
Brandi laughed lightly and then finally broke down. Jack pulled her into his arms and hugged her, understanding everything she was feeling and trying to be a friend to her. However, when Kate came through the door without knocking friends was the last thing she saw and when Jack turned around and saw her, she turned around and ran out of the room.
"Shit. Stay here Brandi." Jack said and went after Kate.
Jack ran down the hall and almost caught up with her at the elevator. When she saw him she headed toward the Exit door and began running down the stairs. He followed after her, calling her name and begging her to stop. He followed her out of the stairwell, through the lobby and out to the parking lot before he finally caught up with her. He took hold of her arm and held onto her as she fought to break free.
"Kate would you please stop! It wasn't what you think." Jack yelled becoming frustrated with her.
"You haven't been home for days Jack! What exactly was it?!" Kate yelled back.
"We lost one of the twins Kate and she's young and it's hard and I was just trying to make her feel better." Jack defended himself.
"This isn't going to work Jack. I can't sit at home day after day and night after night and know you are up here spending all your time with that hot, gorgeous little thing you used to fuck." Kate shouted.
"Kate you're being ridiculous. Brandi and I haven't slept together in two years. Do you really think she doesn't have better things to do then sit around waiting for me?" Jack said.
"Don't! Don't stand there and try to put this off on me, try to make me believe I'm just being crazy. I'm not stupid Jack!" Kate yelled.
"Nothing is going on Kate and Brandi and I will be working together whether you like it or not." Jack said angrily, tired of everything with Kate being a battle.
"Well I don't like it Jack and I don't have to stick around and be the stupid wife whose doctor husband is screwing around while she sits at home taking care of his children. Conner is with your mother. I need to get away from you for a few days." Kate spat.
"This is great. I'm supposed to just accept your criminal past and all the lies and deception and BELIEVE that you are FINALLY being honest with me, but when I need a little trust and understanding from you I get the door slammed in my face? That is so fucked up Kate." Jack shot back.
"That's me Jack. Fucked up Kate. But I'm not so far gone I can't recognize when a man is lying to me and screwing around on me." Kate accused.
"Are you serious? You really act crazy sometimes, you know that? I give up Kate. Go and do whatever it is that women do when they go off half-cocked and crazy." Jack said completely frustrated with her.
"Maybe I'll go look up an old boyfriend and spend several days and nights with him." Kate threatened.
"If that's what you think you need to do Kate; then do it. It's not like you'd bother to tell me the truth about what you were doing anyway so make it as fucked up and sick as you want." Jack said.
"You should get back to your poor little upset Brandi, she'll no doubt milk losing this patient for all she can." Kate accused.
The statement enraged Jack more than it probably should have. How could she stand there and make light of what had just happened. He understood she was jealous. He understood that the pregnancy hormones along with dealing with the death of her child were making her very unstable emotionally and he understood that he hadn't been there for her the last couple of weeks, but he was so angry and so hurt that she couldn't try to understand his side and consider being there for him that all he could think and see at the moment was that she was being a total bitch and he'd never hit a woman, but the urge to slap the one standing in front of him was almost more than he could bear.
"Kate, I'm going to back inside before I say something I can't take back." Jack said and turned to walk away. He felt her hand on his shoulder and turned around. She dropped the ring he gave her into the palm of his hand.
"I don't think I can do this Jack. I'm not cut out to be the dutiful little wife that sits at home alone and turns a blind eye. I can't and won't share you with other women and if the last two weeks is an indication of what normal will be for us then it's best if we end this now. You don't have time in your life for a wife and children Jack." Kate told him, the profound hurt in his eyes nearly taking her breath away.
"Kate, I explained all of this to you, explained how it would be and also explained that it isn't normal. I don't understand what you want or expect from me anymore. I think you just want an excuse to get out of this and if convincing yourself that I've been sleeping with Brandi helps you feel better about leaving me and Conner then go ahead and believe what you want. I'm done trying to make this work. What's the point when apparently only one of us wants it?" Jack said sadly.
"If turning this on me, makes you feel better Jack then you too believe what you want. I'll call you. I need some time to think." She said.
Jack didn't say anything. He turned again and walked back into the hospital. He ran the last two weeks thorough his mind over and over trying to figure out what went wrong, what he had done that suddenly ended his relationship with Kate or what made her believe he was sleeping with Brandi. It was driving him crazy because he knew that this wasn't his fault; that Kate was getting cold feet and running scared and trying to pin it on him, but after a healthy meal and several drinks he just didn't care anymore.
"We're kind of pathetic." Brandi said.
"Yeah, what makes you say that?" Jack asked.
"I'm beating myself up over the loss of a patient and you're beating yourself up over a fight with your fiancée and realistically, neither of us did anything wrong." Brandi said.
"It wasn't a fight. She left me." Jack said.
"Over a hug? It'll be okay Jack, she'll calm down. Women don't leave the men they love over an innocent hug." Brandi tried to assure him.
"She thinks I've been sleeping with you. She gave me my ring back. My son is going to be destroyed. I was so stupid to allow her to get so close to him." Jack said, not drunk, but relaxed enough to open up to her.
"Do you want me to talk to her?" Brandi asked and he chuckled at the quick mental image of that scene.
"No, I don't think that would be a good idea." Jack said and downed his drink.
"Come on, let's get out of here, go walk this food off." Brandi suggested wanting to get Jack away from the liquor supply before he ended up plastered.
They walked a few blocks, realized they were in front of the Chinese Theater that had all the celebrities footprints and moved around seeing which footprints fit their's the best, laughing and joking around, doing their best to forget their bad day. Jack sobered up quickly and drove Brandi home.
"Thanks for the pep talk Jack." Brandi said as she opened her car door.
"Any time, you are still my favorite intern even if you aren't an intern anymore." Jack said.
"Do you want to come up for a drink or some coffee?" She asked.
"Thanks, but I'm okay Brandi. You've got to be dragging. It's been a long day." Jack said.
"I'm not tired Jack and I promise to keep my hands to myself. You're my friend and you don't need to be alone right now so come up and I'll buy you a beer." Brandi offered.
"Make it a soda and you've got a deal." Jack said.
Jack locked his car and followed Brandi up to her apartment. He laughed when he saw that she still hadn't unpacked and had been living out of the boxes.
"At this rate you should be unpacked within the next three years." Jack teased.
"I know, it's awful, but I've been so busy at work and don't feel like messing with it when I get home." Brandi said as she disappeared into the small kitchen.
Jack moved through the small entry way into the living room and sat on the couch, the only piece of furniture in the room other than a television. Brandi brought him a can of soda, handed it to him and sat down beside him.
"I haven't unpacked the glasses yet so I hope the can is okay." She said.
"It's fine." Jack said and looked around for a place to set it.
"Just put it on the floor, that's what I do. You probably think I'm a total slob." Brandi laughed.
"No, I know you are. Did you ever find that sweatshirt of mine that went missing in your old place?" Jack asked.
"Yeah, I took it to Europe with me and slept in it every night. It kept the homesickness at bay the first few months. You want it back?" She said and started to get up.
"No, no. You can keep it." He laughed.
"You're uncomfortable aren't you?" Brandi asked.
"No, I'm really not. I probably should be, but I'm not." He said and leaned back into the couch cushions, tilting his head back and closing his eyes.
"Why should you be uncomfortable?" Brandi asked.
"Because we both know how this is going to end up. You've had a bad day. I've had a bad day. You need comfort. I need comfort. It's a recipe for sex. You know it and I know it. That's why you invited me up and that's why I accepted." Jack said.
"Yeah, so what are you going to do about it?" She asked.
Jack leaned over and kissed her, softly at first, waiting to see if she would kiss him back. She did not disappoint him, opening up for him, feeling his tongue slip into her mouth and remembering how good at this they used to be. He pulled back and smiled at her, but she could see a hint of hesitation in his eyes.
"Jack, what about your fiancé?" She asked.
"What fiancé? She left me. I have the ring in my pocket. Want to see it?" Jack answered and kissed her some more, his mouth hungry, his breathing becoming labored. His body and mind were completely exhausted and his heart was shattered into a million pieces and all he wanted was to feel good, to feel appreciated and for what he had to offer to be enough.
"So, does this place have a bed or are we going to do this right here?" He asked his eyes no longer hesitant, but dark and full of desire.
"I have a bed." She laughed.
She pushed him back onto the couch and began unbuttoning his shirt, kissing his mouth hungrily as his hands tugged at her shirt, pulling it up and over her head, her perky breasts as round and pink as he remembered. He cupped his hands over them, caressing them gently, rolling her nipples in-between his fingertips while watching her unfasten his belt and then the button to his pants. He grabbed her hands and sat up, placing her hands around his neck and then standing. She wrapped her legs around his waist. He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out his cell phone and the ring, tossed both of them onto the couch cushion and then carried her into the bedroom. He no longer had the strength or desire to fight the pain, to care about the consequences or to continue to try to make his relationship with Kate work. If Kate was going to leave him, at least now she would have a legitimate reason to do so was the last coherent thought he had before his brain shutdown and allowed his body to give into its primal needs and desires.