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Chapter 9.
Kate sat in a conference room, waiting for her lawyer. She was completely alone, giving her too much time to think. The last month, ever since the trial had begun, had been hellish. Every day was worse than the last, with new accusations, new emotions. She wasn't sure how much more they could take.
She thought about how Sawyer was holding up. About her fear for her daughter, and what would happen to her if the likely outcome of all this occurred. It amazed her that she still thought of it as 'if'. Like there was still a chance. She wondered when she'd finally accept the inevitable.
She thought about her remorse. She'd had no idea she'd be messing up her life this badly. She'd just wanted it to end, and naively she'd thought it would be simple. She'd never imagined the guilt.
To Kate's immense relief, the door opened and three people entered the room. The lawyer was no surprise. His companions were. One was a stranger to Kate. The other was not.
"What are you doing here, Dad?" Kate asked, surprised. Sam didn't answer. He could barely look at her. Kate continued to stare at him questioningly until her lawyer spoke.
"There's been a development, Kate. New evidence has been uncovered, proving your innocence."
Kate turned sharply to stare at her lawyer, disbelieving. Prove her innocence? She wasn't innocent.
"What do you mean?" she asked, her calm voice concealing her true emotions.
The stranger stepped forward, clearing his throat. "This has to go away. My company in an affiliate of Oceanic Airlines. All the focus of this case has been about your status as a survivor of flight 815. It reflects badly on us. We want the publicity to end quickly."
None of this made any sense to Kate. "I don't understand. Why are you telling me this?" she asked, daring to look at Sam again, hoping he'd be the one to tell her. He wasn't.
"New evidence has come to light regarding the death of your step-father," the stranger continued. "Your mother confessed to the crime right before she died. We know she was the one who blew up the house."
"What?" asked Kate, starting to see where this was going. She hoped she was wrong.
"Diane knew you'd set up an insurance policy for the house. She needed the money. It seemed like the perfect plan."
"She didn't know about it. You're wrong." Interrupted Kate tearfully. She couldn't believe this was happening.
"We know you went to see her afterwards. She told us how you insisted on taking the blame, how you wanted to protect her. She said she didn't want to do it, but you made her agree. She told us it broke her heart to do it. She regretted it ever since."
"No! Why are you saying this? It wasn't her, it was me; I did it!" Kate stood up and tried to approach the stranger. He moved away from her, his eyes never leaving hers. Kate stopped. She turned to Sam.
"Please, you know it was me. She's dead, she can't even defend herself, it's wrong. I know you loved her. Why are you letting this happen?" she pleaded, crying. Still, he said nothing.
"The charges against you have been dropped. You're free to go. Your father will drive you home," said her lawyer, looking at Kate with an expression resembling pity.
Kate didn't move. Sam gently seized her arm and led her out of the building. She complied, dazed, until they broke into the sunshine and the waiting media storm. She broke down in tears again.
Questions were being thrown at her. How did she feel about her freedom? Why did she cover for her mother all these years? Was she really willing to go to prison for her? Finally she couldn't take it anymore.
"She didn't do it!" Kate cried out. "It was me, I killed him, I'm guilty." She was quickly quieted as Sam and the corporate stranger led her to the waiting car. They were obviously in a rush to get her out of there before she outed herself. She didn't care anymore.
Before the door slammed shut, blocking the world from her, she saw her lawyer step forward to give a statement. She didn't want to know what lies were being said. She hated that even now there was no stop to the deceit.
In the car on the ride home, Kate was somewhat quieter. She was trying to process what had happened. She's never imagined this outcome.
"It's the right thing to do, Katie," said Sam, finally speaking.
"I wanted to protect her. Now she's being blamed for something I did. It's not what I wanted. It's not right," she replied softly, more to herself than anything else. She refused to look at him, preferring instead to gaze at out the window.
"It should never have been your job to take care of her. You have to stop trying to protect her," Sam said firmly. "You're her daughter. She's supposed to take care of you. This is her last chance to do it."
Kate started crying again as Sam continued.
"Kids come first, Katie. Your daughter needs you out of prison. You have to do this for her."
Kate finally looked over at Sam, and was surprised at the regret she saw. She knew he was thinking about his role in her life. She didn't know what to say to him. She turned away again, back to the window. It was easier. They passed the rest of the journey home in silence.
Once again, Sawyer was at home, trying to distract himself. He was worried about Kate. The trial was taking a lot out of her, and he was concerned.
He knew he was different as well, and he knew Kate had noticed. Every day it was looking more and more like she was going to prison for life. They'd always had hope, somehow, that things would work out okay. Now reality was setting in, and it was grim.
Whether it was because of this depressing atmosphere or not, Sawyer wasn't sure, but he was starting to feel more and more like he, too would go to jail. It was only a matter of time before he was caught. It made it hard to focus on anything else.
He was startled out of his reverie by a sharp knock on the door. For a moment, he wanted to ignore it; continue wallowing in his fear and self-pity. Then dread filled him. He thought of Kate, and a thousand horrible scenarios raced through his mind. Pushing them all aside, he went to open the door.
"Hey dude, can we come in?"
Hurley was there, along with a man Sawyer didn't recognise. He let them in, looking at the strange man suspiciously. Hurley apparently noticed.
"This is...Uh.. I'll let him explain. Where's Peanut?" he asked.
"In her room - " said Sawyer, wondering what the hell was going on.
"Great! I'll go hang out with her then while you guys talk." Hurley quickly escaped, looking like he didn't really want to be there any longer than was necessary.
"Talk about what?" Sawyer called after him, but he was already gone. Turning to the stranger, he asked, "Who're you?"
"I work for important people. It doesn't matter who," said the stranger mysteriously, seemingly unaware that Sawyer wasn't impressed with his cryptic response.
"What the hell are you doing here, then?" Sawyer asked, still worried that this could have something to do with Kate.
"I'm here to tell you we know about Duckett."
Sawyer stood, completely shocked. His worst nightmare was coming true. Now he knew why Hurley had come, and why he'd seemed so uncomfortable.
"You don't need to worry. The problem is gone."
This only confused Sawyer even more. "What do you mean?" he asked, unsure he wanted to know the answer.
"All it means is that you don't have to worry about being found out. You won't."
Sawyer could only stare, dumbfounded. The stranger continued. "We've cleared Kate Austen as well. You're both free."
Sawyer looked at the man suspiciously, sure that this was some kind of joke. At the same time, he couldn't help thinking it would be wonderful if it was true.
"I'm sure she'll explain it all when she arrives home." The stranger stood up to leave. Sawyer sat down in shock, trying to understand what had just happened. He and Kate were cleared of everything. They could have a normal life.
He was vaguely aware of Hurley and the stranger leaving. After awhile he wandered down to his daughter's room. It was only when he was picking the girl up that he fully appreciated the enormity of the situation.
"We're free, Sunshine," he murmured to the baby, needing to say it out loud, to see how it felt. He sat with her by the window. They stayed that way until they heard a car pulling up, signalling the arrival of the missing family member. Then together, they went down to greet her.
Sawyer's enthusiasm and optimism disappeared the moment he saw the look on Kate's face. It was obvious she had been crying. She seemed distant, as though she was somehow in a different place and time, and he didn't know how to reach her.
For the first time, he wondered what her freedom had cost her. He realised he should have thought about it before, been ready for when she arrived home. How could he have thought things would be simple?
Kate walked past Sawyer, past her daughter, not glancing at either of them, and sat on the couch. Sawyer followed. Setting the baby down in her playpen, he sat near Kate, wanting to give her whatever space she needed, while at the same time not letting her get too far away. He watched her, trying to get a read on her. It was much harder than usual. She wouldn't look at him. He decided to just start talking.
"They came to see me, too. Duckett's not gonna be a problem." He watched Kate closely, hoping to see some kind of reaction. He thought he saw a hint of something simmering below the surface.
He decided not to push it any more, figuring she'd tell him what had happened when she was ready. He turned on the tv in an attempt to distract them both. He stared at it absentmindedly, until he saw what was playing. Sitting forward, he started paying attention.
"In a surprising development, plane crash survivor Katherine Austen was today cleared of all charges. New evidence was uncovered confirming that Austen was innocent, as she always insisted. Revelations that – "
"Turn it off," interrupted Kate, her voice somewhat strangled. Sawyer quickly complied. Looking at her once more, he saw tears in her eyes.
"How?" he asked simply, needing to know what was so terrible.
It took Kate a moment to answer. When she did speak, it sounded as though she could hardly believe what she was saying. "They're framing my mom."
He understood immediately. She'd wanted to protect her mother, and now it was all for nothing. In a way, it was worse. Her mother's memory was tarnished forever, blamed for committing an act she hadn't done, an act meant to save her.
Sawyer moved closer to Kate. Not speaking, he pulled her into his arms and held her while she cried. He glanced over at the baby, playing happily, completely oblivious to her parents' anguish. He couldn't help feeling relieved. All things considered, this was a good outcome.
tbc.