We All Go Down

Summary: Everyone's healing after the Red Eye flight, but none more so than the two women Jack left behind; the woman tangled up in his mess and the woman he was trying to protect. They both have the ability to heal each other or will one let the other go down?

Chapter Two

One week later…

"Dad, what are you doing?" Lisa peered around the door at her father who was peeking through a slit in his drapes.

"Those damn reporters are back. You would think that they would just let you heal in peace."

"They're just doing their jobs."

He turned to face her with a determined air about him. "I'm going to tell them to piss off."

She laughed slightly, resting her hand on her aching ribcage and leaned against the door frame. "Don't. The police will get rid of them soon enough."

"Instead of ushering wannabe journalists off my property, the police should be out there looking for that mad man."

"They're here for my protection too, dad."

"I'm here. I'd like to see that Jackson Rippner try to walk in here."

Lisa smiled a little at her father and tucked a slither of hair behind her ear. "I've got to go."

"Go? Go where?" he turned away from the window and looked at her, the concern for her showed in the creases of his forehead.

"I have a doctor's appointment. It's just a check-up."

"Well then, let me drive you."

Lisa held up her hand and tried to think of a kinder way to express her feelings. "Thanks dad, but I need a little time to myself."

He frowned ever so slightly but gave in to her reasonable demand. "Go through the back while I get rid of these vultures."

She sighed in relief and left through the kitchen, waiting in the wings for Joe to cause enough of a distraction for her to make her escape. With the press by her door twenty-four-seven, she felt like a prisoner in her home; the streams of people that always showed up on her lawn and the constant broadcasting drove her mad. A part of her knew that Jack would be watching every broadcast about his poor victim and would enjoy every moment of it. That's how he got his sick thrills, by watching her for months before the flight. He admitted that himself.

Lisa hated the doctors, she wasn't sure if it was the mixed smell of all the medication or the blearing beeping of the machines that made her feel uneasy; whatever it was, it didn't help her conquer her fears. She kept up a good front, she didn't have her father fooled though, but she had tricked the media into thinking that she had no fears or nightmares about Jack crawling back into her life. It was all a scam, mostly for his benefit. The thought of her father getting his way with Jack made her happy, but she knew he wouldn't be coming back to finish her off. It was too dangerous.

She placed her sweaty palm over her face and folded over in her chair. She had to stop thinking about him and his promise of keeping in touch for the sake of her own sanity. Her thoughts were going to swallow her whole.

"Emilie Rippner?" the young nurse called from the end of the corridor.

Lisa took her head from her face and looked over at the fair-haired woman who got off her seat and moved towards the room at the end of the hallway. She looked away quickly as the woman looked back down towards the waiting room and straightened up, keeping her back pressed to the cold wall behind her.

"Rippner…" she whispered to herself, looking once more at the empty hallway where the woman once was. She had to be related to Jack. A sister perhaps or maybe his wife? "But he didn't have a ring… He was so flirtatious… Charming."

Lisa was starting to draw attention to herself. She looked crazy, mumbling to herself like a deranged woman. Her appearance was fitting of that thought; messy, uncombed curls and the loosest fitting tracksuit she could find.

"Lisa?" the young nurse re-emerged from the corridor with a friendly smile. "Doctor Spence is ready to see you now."

The small LED light hurt her eyes. She winced a little and closed over her left eye. Lisa needed a steady flow of aspirin just to keep her head clear. She watched Doctor Spence scribble something down on his notepad and tried to get close enough without being spotted to see what he was writing about her.

"You appear to be starting to heal up, quite nicely might I add."

"That's good, right? I can go back to work soon?" Lisa looked up at him optimistically, but the way he moved his spectacles from his eyes to his chin made her stomach drop.

"I'm afraid not. The injury to your head doesn't seem to be improving."

"I still feel dizzy sometimes and sick to my stomach." When he moved back to his notepad, she blurted out, "but that's nothing to do with my head, just my thoughts. I'm perfectly happy to go back to work."

"I wouldn't feel comfortable with my decision if I told you to go back to the hotel." He looked up from the notepad and let out a small sigh. "It's only been a week since your attack and your mental state hasn't improved at all if you're still living it in your head. Also, I think you have post-concussion syndrome, it's not serious but your symptoms can last anywhere between a couple of weeks to a year."

"That's just fantastic." She groaned as she leaned back into her chair, crossing her arms across her chest stubbornly.

"I can prescribe you something to help with the nausea but if you continue to feel dizzy, you will have to rest." The middle-aged doctor clasped his hands and let out a deep breath. "No driving until the disorientation improves and for the sake of your healing, take things easy."

"I have been taking things easy." She scowled.

"Great." He said as he filled out a form. "Take this to your pharmacist and come back to see me in six weeks."

She took the form from his hand and stuffed it in her purse. "Thanks." She tried not to slam the door shut behind her; she couldn't show her anger and frustration. The only peace of mind she got was knowing that Jack was probably suffering more than she was.

Emilie's hands were so full; car keys and a million and one pregnancy pamphlets that were full of information she already knew. She should've brought her back with her but her mind had been elsewhere. Between Abbie's craft fair, Alex's piano recital and the fact that Jack hadn't contacted her since he disappeared, to say that she was stressed was an understatement. Topped off with a lack of sleep, she was a disaster.

As she tried to unlock her car, the pages in her hand fell around her feet like a reminder that her life was going to get progressively more difficult. She got onto her knees slowly and scrambled around the gravel, trying to pick up every piece of bogus information.

"Let me give you a hand."

Emile looked up at the face of a woman that she kind of recognised. She just couldn't pinpoint where from.

"Thank you. Doctor's just love to hand out their little booklets of shit, don't they?" she got onto her feet and unlocked the car.

Lisa couldn't help but look at the covers of the pamphlets. Straightaway, she was curious; it was her opportunity to learn more about Jack, debunk her theory that he was a heartless maniac.

"Is this your first pregnancy?" she handed them over to Emilie and noticed the tiniest hint of a bump underneath her blouse.

"Nope, this is my third. You'd think that I'd be a pro by now." She displayed the pamphlets for a moment before throwing them into her car. "Apparently not." She leaned on the car and ran her fingers through her hair.

"You would think that." Lisa placed her hand on the back of her neck. "So, how far along are you?"

"Fourteen weeks, so almost halfway through my pregnancy. Give or take a couple of weeks." Emilie started to stare at Lisa's pale face, examining it carefully. "Do I know you from somewhere?"

Lisa shook her head and put her hands into her pockets. "I don't think so."

Emilie tilted her head slightly, her eyes widening when she finally put a name to the face. "You're Lisa Reisert. I saw you on the news." She let out a sigh and dropped her hands to her sides. "That's why you came over to help me… You wanted more information to give to the press."

"No, no Emilie…"

"You know my name too? Oh my god." She looked up to the sky and turned to get in her car.

"No, I heard the nurse call your name in the reception." She grabbed onto Emilie's arm but she shrugged her off quickly. "Listen, I would never tell them something so sensitive. I mean, that's why you're covering up your belly because you know that once the press finds out about your pregnancy, it'll be all over Miami in no time."

"Then what is it you want? An apology? I'm sorry my husband caused you so much pain, I really am. But I can't apologise for him, he had a job to do and he did it for his family."

Lisa watched every tiny emotion flicker through Emilie's face. She was hurt just as much as Lisa; not physically but emotionally. She was angry, her brows gave that away but her eyes told Lisa so much more. She was scared.

"I think we can help each other. Work through our issues together." Lisa sighed and bit her lip nervously. "I'm probably coming across as a mad woman but I don't blame you for the things that he did or the choices he made… But I just want to be able to clear my conscience, be able to sleep at night again and tell someone what I'm thinking, someone who knows exactly where I'm coming from."

Emilie noticed the sincerity on her face and in her voice. "I'll think about it, but I don't know what you think I can do to help you."

"I just need a friend and I think that you need one too." Lisa shrugged her shoulders and clasped her hands. "We could be friends to each other."

Emilie got into her car and rolled down her window. As she started up the engine she looked at Lisa and rolled her eyes slightly. If Jack knew that she was even considering her proposal, he'd shut her down immediately. But Jack wasn't here and Lisa was right; Emilie was fragile, she needed a friend more than anyone.

"That little coffee shop by the beach, I'll meet you tomorrow morning at ten. If I see one camera man or even get the hint that there is an undercover journalist…"

"There won't be, you have my word."

Emilie grabbed her sunglasses from around the rear-view mirror and placed them over her eyes. "Then I'll see you then. Don't be late."

Pieces of clay stuck to Emilie's hair as she watched Abbie make her little clay squirrel. It looked nothing like the animal, but to her daughter, it may as well have been the real thing. Alex tip toed behind her mother and placed her hands on her shoulders, making her jump a little bit. As she looked at her daughter's pleading eyes, she raised a brow sceptically.

"What's going on?"

"Can you show me the scan you got today? Pretty please?"

Emilie smiled and nodded, glancing over at Abbie as her interest peaked. "Abs, go get mummy's purse from the kitchen."

"After you show us our baby brother or sister, can you help me with my recital piece?"

She wiped the clay from her hands on a piece of paper towel and raised a brow at her daughter. "Are you struggling?"

"A little bit. I just want it to be perfect."

Emilie placed her hand on her soft cheek, comforting Alex almost instantly. "You're thinking too much about it, just let the music flow through you and you'll be fine. Did I ever tell you about the first time I played for your dad?"

A huge grin appeared on Alex's face as Abbie ran back into the room, purse in hand. "No, you never told me."

"Your father and I had just started dating and he saw this really old piano in the apartment I shared with my college roommates," she opened up the purse and pulled out the ultrasound, passing it to her small daughters, "he demanded that I played him a song. I was so nervous about impressing him that I fumbled with the keys."

"Did daddy laugh at you?" Abbie asked as she looked up from the little photo.

"He did more than laugh at me, he teased me mercilessly. To this day he still calls me 'fumbles'."

"I never knew that, that was the reason why he called you that." Alex handed the ultrasound back to Emilie as she smiled at the thought of her father. "I really miss him."

"Me too." Abbie said as she pottered back to her crafting table.

"Me three, but he will be home soon, I promise." Emilie got onto her feet and started to pick scrap pieces of paper off the floor.

"Before the baby's born?" Abbie asked curiously.

"I hope so, baby." She smiled down at Abbie, trying to reassure her that everything she was telling them was the truth. Emilie had no idea when he would be home. She wanted him to be with them more than anything, but with Jack, things never worked out how she wanted them to.