Author's Note: Hi everyone! Having just watched the season finale of LOST, I need to focus my thoughts elsewhere or I just might go completely bat-shit insane. As it is, I have already taken 3 Advil and I will probably go lie down in a quiet corner and try to figure out WTF just happened on my televison. So I thought I'd post this next chapter before I am no longer functional.

But before I go, I just wanted to say that I know that when I write for Carly and Jack, I tend to lean more towards the dramatic, but it's mainly because I know that Maura West and Michael Park (not to mention the supporting players in our little couple's lives) tend to hit dramatic scenes out of the park. However, I know you are all anxious for some CarJack happiness and having caught a glimpse of the actual show today (trust me, I turned it right off again) I can completely understand where you're coming from. Just wanted to say thanks for sticking with me this far and I hope, depsite the angst, you are still enjoying the journey.
~JP

True North
By Jaclyn Parker

"The worst lies are the lies we tell ourselves. We live in denial of what we do, even what we think.
We do this because we're afraid. We fear we will not find love, and when we find it we fear we'll lose it.
~Richard Bach
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After a quick stop on the OR floor to pick up Molly and Holden, they traveled back down to the original ER waiting area. Since their group was the largest one there, they were relatively easy to spot as they headed in that direction.

"I just can't wait to find out her name." Sage's excited voice drifted to them. "Mommy and I are going to stencil it on the wall over the crib in the nursery and I get to pick the colors."

At the mention of Carly doing anything in the near future, Jack felt himself falter. But a steady hand landed on Jack's back, firmly guiding him forward. Glancing at his cousin, Jack's eyes spoke of how much Holden's gesture of support meant to him.

Everyone in the group spotted them at the same time, but Sage managed to rush forward and greet them first.

"Daddy! What's going on? Did Mommy have the baby?"

Jack reached out and pulled the excited girl into a hug, closing his eyes tightly as he pulled himself together. Sage wiggled in his embrace and looked up at him questioningly.

"Daddy?"

"Yeah, Princess." Jack said and led Sage back over to the group of chairs in the waiting area. His smile was genuine as he thought about the tiny baby that lay upstairs. "You have a brand new baby sister. She's 4 pounds and 7 ounces and she's absolutely beautiful."

Jack settled into a chair and pulled Sage down to sit on one leg of his lap. Running his hand over her hair, he looked up at Parker and J.J. too.

"Her name is Emma Rose, but your mom has already nicknamed her Emmy."

He looked over to Emma and Lily and saw immediately, by the tears in their eyes, that they got the significance of the baby's name. He nodded to them briefly before turning his attention back to his kids.

"Emmy." Sage repeated and then broke into a grin. "It's perfect. Can we go see her?"

"No, not today, Sweetie." Jack said, hating the crestfallen look that fell on her face. "Because she was born so early she has to stay in a special ward called the NICU. The head nurse up there is really nice and she said that you and your brothers can come tomorrow and she'll explain everything that's going on with Emmy. It's going to be a little scary because she is so small that she needs some help breathing and eating but overall the doctors say she's going to be fine in probably just a few weeks."

Sage frowned and looked up at Parker and J.J., who both wore similar expressions of worry. Jack smiled at them reassuringly, hugging Sage quickly.

"I promise. Emmy's going to be fine."

"Okay." Sage said slowly, but then brightened again. "Well, can we go say hi to Mommy then?"

At this Jack's eyes darted away and he forced himself to take a deep breath. J.J. and Parker saw this and exchanged a long look of intense anxiety.

"Dad, what's going on?" J.J. asked.

"Mom's okay, isn't she?" Parker added.

"Sit down guys." Jack said but both boys shook their heads and stood rooted to the floor, with stubborn expressions. Jack sighed but nodded before swallowing hard.

"Your mom…" Jack started but stopped again, trying desperately to gather his thoughts. The others moved closer; Holden had his arms around Lily and Emma while Lee was clutching Molly's hand. Mattie and Abigail were huddled together, though Mattie looked ready to go to Parker at any second.

Jack bowed his head a moment and then tried again.

"There was a complication after the baby was born and your mom lost a lot of blood. The doctors did everything they could but your mom's body was so tired that it just kinda…shut down."

"Shut…down?" J.J. repeated slowly and he trembled as he looked over at Parker.

"Is she…" Parker shook his head and balled his fists at his sides. "She's not…"

"No! No, she's not…" Jack hurried to reassure them and he held Sage closer. Again he tried several different phrases in his head first before concluding that there was no other way to say the news.

Taking a deep breath, Jack said, "Your mom has slipped into a coma."

The eerie feeling that Parker had been having ever since he figured something was going on with his mom back in January washed over him and he felt his entire body go numb. A small, delicate, but firm hand slipped into his and Parker could feel the love and strength that Mattie was sending to him. Holding onto her hand tightly, Parker anchored himself to her presence and used it to focus on his dad's words.

"A coma?" Sage said quietly, her voice small and afraid. "Like...Aunt Rosanna?"

"Yeah, sort of, Princess." Jack frowned and brushed a piece of her honey brown hair off of her face gently.

"But…Mom's gonna wake up soon?" J.J. said, making his question sound more like a statement until his confidence waned and he looked around at the others for support. "Right?"

Emma stepped forward and wrapped one arm around his shoulders gently. Leaning into her embrace, the teen allowed himself to be surrounded by her comforting presence.

"A coma?" Sage mumbled again and Jack looked at her carefully.

She was frowning and her eyes were unfocused, seeming to stare into a distance miles away. Jack was about to say something to her but Lee spoke up instead.

"Your mom's vitals are good and the doctors are replenishing her blood loss as we speak, which is the most likely cause of the coma." Lee said Molly stepped closer into his side.

"And if it's not?" Parker asked and Lee gave him an honest and open look that clearly showed he wished he had a better answer.

"Then we run tests and determine what is."

"So, Mom could wake up tomorrow and be fine or…she could not wake up at all, like Aunt Rosanna?" Parker said slowly.

Sage let out a small whimper and Jack hugged her tightly, but she stiffened in his embrace.

Jack turned a reproaching look to Parker but it immediately softened. He knew that his oldest son wasn't trying to be difficult. Parker was just trying to process all the information that he could.

"Yes, but we have to stay hopeful, Parker. Your mom is a fighter, you know that." Lee said and Parker gave him a weak smile. "Besides, as soon as she's settled we'll all take turns sitting with her and telling her to hurry up and come back to us."

"That's right!" Emma said, smiling tenderly. "I've read that talking to patients in comas sometimes helps bring them out of it sooner. Isn't that true, Lee?"

"Oh, yeah, definitely. There have been lots of studies done that say the coma patients can hear you and understand what you are saying to them." Lee said, nodding quickly. "Not only does it help stimulate the brain, but many people who come out of them say can repeat conversations word for word."

"So we'll just talk to your mom and tell her how much we love her and want her to wake up. Maybe even make a dare or bet with her…you know Carly can't resist those." Emma said, her voice joking but there was obvious love behind the words.

It was silent for a moment or two, until they were all suddenly aware of a small voice whispering. All eyes turned to Sage, whose lips were moving but her voice was so quiet they couldn't hear her properly.

"What, Princess?" Jack asked and leaned forward so that his ear was near her mouth.

"I wanna see my mom." Sage whispered and Jack realized that the young girl was trembling on his lap.

"Sage? Sweetie?" Jack asked carefully, placing a hand on her head.

"I wanna see my mom." Sage said, her voice rising as she stared blindly straight ahead, ignoring Jack. She shook her head fiercely, throwing off his touch and when he went to hug her, she shrugged out of his attempt to comfort her. She turned angry eyes to him and then Lee. "I said, I want to see my mom!"

"Sage, Luv, you can't. Not right now." Lee said, shaking his head sympathetically. "Maybe in a day or two…"

"No! Now!" Sage said and ignoring them all, she jumped up from Jack's lap and bolted for the nurse's station. Jack hurried after her, the others on his heels, and they reached the station in time to Sage getting more and more frustrated.

"Listen to me! Her name is Carly Tenney and I want to see her! You have to let me see her! I have to talk to her!" Sage was yelling at the nurse, who looked appropriately confused and sympathetic at the same time.

"Sage, baby, come here." Jack said and reached out for her, but Sage backed away from him. Her eyes were accusing and filled with tears.

"No! Get away from me! I don't want you! I want to talk to Mommy!" Sage said, her breathing starting to become erratic and Jack could see that she was barely holding it together. "They said we have to talk to her to make her wake up! So I wanna see my mom! Mommy will wake up we just…if I just…"

Jack managed to grab a hold of one of her hands and held tight even as she tried to pull away.

"No! No! Let go!" She cried and inside the damn burst, tears flowing freely down her cheeks. "I want…I want…"

"I know, Baby. I know." Jack said and pulled her to him. Her struggle grew weaker and weaker until, finally, she was in his arms. He lifted her up and cradled her as she wrapped her arms around him and sobbed into his neck.

He carried her over to the group of waiting room chairs and sat down, holding her close, tears streaming down his own face as he rocked her back and forth.

Parker and J.J. slid away from the rest of the family and walked over to sit on either side of Jack and Sage. Both of them reached out and placed a hand on Sage's back then, looping their other arms around Jack, they bent their heads and created a unified circle.

"Everything is going to be okay, guys." Jack said softly, nodding his head to punctuate his words.

But as he felt the echoing nods from J.J. and Parker and Sage's hot tears on his shirt, Jack couldn't help but wonder if he was saying the words to convince and comfort them…or himself.