2 new chapters, enjoy...

And I still don't know where did we get Mago's name, please tell me somebody.

P.S. Foxy4ever, thanks as always.

Chapter 27

The next morning, Brooke woke up in Jack's sheets. Though Jack hadn't slept on that bed for more than 6 months, she could feel his scent all over it. It was a big bed and seeing it half empty made her blue.

As every Saturday in the last 4 weeks, she knew she wouldn't see him before 3:00 pm. Jack had never said a word about it, but Brooke knew he had to watch his kids, spend time with them. She was aware of that, especially after that conversation she had with Ilana about him being a father.

She looked at the window and watched the street. She was trying to locate some mini market or store where she could buy some groceries. She wasn't in the mood for having breakfast alone at some restaurant. I'll just put this kitchen to work… she thought. She put sweat pants, a tank top and a jacket on and went out. It was a quiet street, she had to walk almost 2 blocks to find a store. She bought some coffee, eggs, cheese, bread, milk, juice, ham and muffins. That'll do it…

Back in the apartment, Brooke cooked herself a breakfast and ate it watching TV. She thought of calling Ilana, but changed her mind. She's going to pick on me and ask me zillion questions… She did the dishes instead and placed in the fridge what was left of the groceries she bought.

Then she took a quick shower. Once she was out, she wandered the apartment covered in a towel. She noticed the apartment said a lot about Jack's personality. You could tell the place was his, it was totally his style, but you couldn't read anything else. There were no pictures around, all the colors were neutral, there were no plants, no traces of his past, nothing, just some newspapers and medical publications.

That made her think about what happened the night before. She found out she felt really pissed at him. She just couldn't understand why he wouldn't let her in. She had contradictory feelings. On one hand, she knew it was too soon to demand any strong feelings from him towards her or to even trust her fully. On the other, she was frustrated because she knew he was holding himself back in every aspect. Not that she was desperate to just sleep with him, but the fact of being rejected made her mind fly. Maybe he's not sure about his feelings yet… What the hell, it's just sex, we're not teenagers, what's the big deal? She thought.

As she was trying to find a decent explanation to Jack's behavior, she was getting dressed. All of the sudden she noticed she had put on sexy lingerie. Whilst looking at herself in the mirror, an idea came to her. Jack didn't want her, right? Well, that's for now… She'd entice him and arouse him, so when he couldn't resist anymore, she'd reject him. She'd make him plead for sex. That will be fun, she thought, still staring at her image.

When she finished getting dressed, it wasn't even noon and she was getting bored. Next time she would bring her laptop, she thought. She grabbed her cell phone and made some calls to kill some time. Then she turned the stereo on and started reading a magazine she bought at the store, along with the groceries. She was laughing at the gossip she was reading when the door bell rang. It should've been Jack, but it was early for him to show, she thought.

She opened the door and saw an old woman, who should've been in her early 60's, at least. She was wearing glasses, her white hair up in a knot, a green dress and an orange sweater. She looked at Brooke with wide and curious eyes. – Good morning, miss. Is Dr. Shephard here?

Brooke was about to answer when the old lady abruptly invited herself in. – Um… no. –she replied, with the door still open and a "What the hell?" look.

­– Oh! I'm so sorry, I'm Mrs. Florence, I'm in charge of the building, the mail, the housekeeping, you know… –Mrs. Florence said, shaking Brooke's hand.

– I'm Brooke.

– Anyway, I heard some noise, and since the doctor is never here, I thought I should check, are you his tenant? He never mentioned he would put the apartment to rent…

Brooke was staring at the woman, dazed by how fast she spoke. – No, I'm not his tenant. He'll be here anytime soon…

– Are you family? –the lady insisted.

– No, I'm not, I'm… with him. –Brooke replied with a short smile.

Mrs. Florence opened her eyes wide. – Oh! How cute! Oh! I'm so glad the doctor finally got himself a girlfriend! He's a very lonely man, and so handsome, I always thought what a waste! So, you're going to live here?

Brooke frowned. ­– Um… sort of, I'll stay every time I visit.

– So you're not from the city! Well, we'll love to have you whenever you're here! –Mrs. Florence looked really thrilled with the idea of Jack having a girlfriend. She went on nonstop. – You are so pretty and so young! Good for the doctor! I never saw him with another woman besides his wife! Then they moved out, then he moved back in after… well, you know… then that horrible plane crash happened and he was nowhere to be found, then he came back but he never lived here again, he only comes once in a while...

Brooke was trying to follow the conversation, but there were already a couple of details that didn't suit there. Mrs. Florence kept talking. – Anyway, if there's anything you need, let me know, okay?

– Of course, thank you very much. –Brooke replied, abashed.

Before leaving the apartment, at the door frame, Mrs. Florence gave one last look to Brooke and said: – Oh! I'm so happy for the doctor! It's great that he's finally moving on after all that happened with Sarah.

Brooke frowned again and shook her head. – You mean Kate. –she corrected.

But now Mrs. Florence was the one frowning. – I mean Sarah, her name was Sarah, dear. –she affirmed, looking at her watch. – Oh! I've got to go, nice to meet you and see you around!

With that, Mrs. Florence slammed the door behind her, leaving Brooke in a sea of confusion. Did she just say Sarah? Brooke was positive Jack had told her his wife's name was Kate. And wait a minute, did the lady say they moved out and then he moved back in? Jack had just told her the night before that Kate never knew about the apartment. What the hell was going on? But she didn't want to react before knowing what was all that about, she didn't want to feel like the day she found out Kate was dead. Maybe they got separated some time… she thought. But Sarah? Why did Florence call her Sarah? She couldn't wait to ask Jack. The hours she had to wait for him to arrive were hell for her. She was staring at the window, waiting impatiently for him, when she finally saw his car in the drive-in.