"Jack, can I please get out of bed now?"

After confessing their true feelings for each other, Kate's recovery began to pick up in earnest. She awoke the next morning with a fever under 100 degrees for the first time in days and despite her vision problems, she was insistent on not being an invalid.

"Actually Kate, I think a shower and some food would be just what the doctor ordered for you right now," Jack replied.

"Seriously? I can get up?" Kate questioned enthusiastically

"Yep, now who would you like me to ask to help you in the shower? I can send Ana Lucia to get Sun or Claire or someone else?"

"Jack, I can take a shower on my own!" Kate said in an agitated tone.

"Kate, I know you want to do things on your own, but you are still exceptionally weak and you need someone to help you find things until you get the hang of moving around without your sight."

"Oh, so I am so helpless I can even take a shower by myself?" Kate snapped

"Kate, you are not helpless, we've talked about this. But you do need to understand that sometimes you are going to need help."

"I know Jack, I just hate feeling like this, I hate this!" Kate said with tears in her eyes.

"Oh Kate, please don't cry, please," Jack said as he pulled her into his lap and brushed away her tears with his finger. "It's going to be ok Kate. I know it doesn't feel like it now, but it will be. I know I'm not a man of faith, but I have faith that everything is going to be ok. I have faith that you and I are going to live a very happy life together," Jack finished and kissed her forehead.

"You really think we are going to be happy?" Kate whispered in a scared voice.

"Absolutely."

"Ok, I believe you. I'm ok, I'm sorry I'm such a wreck."

"Hey, you're not a wreck, but you have the right to be emotional and overwhelmed right now. You can yell at me anytime you need to!"

"Thank you Jack. Do you think that maybe you could help me in the shower? I mean, I think I can handle the showering by myself but maybe you could help me get there and help me find the things I need and then stay in the room in case I need help?" Kate questioned in a shy voice.

"Kate, I would love to help you." Jack replied as he stood up and placed Kate on her feet and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. They walked slowly to the bathroom, Kate enjoying the feel of using her legs again and Jack making sure that she didn't stumble. Once they got to the bathroom, Jack located everything she would need and then guided her to the edge of the shower.

"Ok Kate, I'm going to turn around now so you can get undressed and get in the shower."

"Jack, you know, I mean, you um, you don't have to turn around, we are in love aren't we?"

"Kate, we are undeniably in love and I cannot wait to see you without your clothes, but I don't want the first time I see you naked to be when you are still recovering from a serious illness. I want it to involve heat and passion. So this time I am going to turn around and give you the best sense of normalcy that I can, but trust me, next time I am the room with you when you take your clothes off, I will be watching every second."

"Heat and passion huh?" Kate questioned with a giggle

"More than you've ever known before Kate." Jack replied in husky voice

Kate then stepped into the shower and Jack remained with her until she stepped out ten minutes later. As soon as she dried herself off she called out for Jack.

"Jack, I think I need your help. I'm so tired I can barely stand right now." Kate whispered in a tired voice.

"Jack immediately moved over to her and picked her up. "Don't worry Kate, that's normal. You are going to be extraordinarily tired for a while. It can take months for your energy levels to return to where they used to be. That just means that it's important that you listen to your body and if you are tired, you rest, ok?"

Kate was already starting to drift off before Jack had even gotten back to the bedroom with her.

"Kate, can you get dressed before you fall back to sleep? You also need to eat something."

"Hmm, ok," Kate mumbled sleepily.

Jack then handed Kate her clothes which she slipped on with a little help from him.

"Ok Kate, what can I get you to eat? It's been several days since you have had anything substantial. There is Dharma brand of almost anything you can think of in the pantry right now, so what would you like?"

"Is there peanut butter?"

"Actually I think there is some. I think Claire decided one jar was enough this time," Jack laughed

"Can I maybe have a peanut butter sandwich?"

"Absolutely!" Jack said with a smile, excited to see that her appetite seemed to be returning.

Jack quickly left and returned with a peanut butter sandwich and a glass of water which he put into Kate's hands. She managed to eat half of the sandwich but she had trouble with the water and ended up spilling it on the bed.

"Damn it! Jack I'm sorry! I can't even eat on my own! I'm useless! I can't do anything! You should have just let me die while I was sick!"

Jack's heart was breaking to hear her express such dark and devastated feelings. The mere thought of her having died nearly made him sick. "Shh, calm down. You are not useless and if you had died then I would be useless because I would be so overcome with grief. This is day one in a new place, it will just take some time to figure things out, but you will get it down, I've seen you, you're a fast learner."

"I'm trying to believe you Jack, I really am, but I just feel like I used to be useful here. I used to gather food and go on hikes and help keep everyone safe and now I'm just another burden."

"Kate…" Jack started to respond but was interrupted by a loud noise outside. Jack wanted to ignore and continue the conversation he was having with Kate but she stopped him.

"Go see what is going on Jack, I know you care about me but I'm not your only burden here."

Jack sighed, knowing that he would not be able to get through to her at the moment anyway and walked out into the main room to see what was going on. His breath caught in his throat at what he saw. Ana Lucia was sitting on the couch, slumped over with blood pouring out of her chest. Michael had a gun pointed at Libby and he quickly fired off two shots. Before Jack could react, Michael turned the gun on him.

"Jack, what are you doing here? You aren't supposed to be here!" Michael said in a panicked voice.

He continued to point the gun at Jack as he moved toward the armory. "Open it Jack! Let him out! Now!" Michael shouted.

"Michael what are you doing? He is one of them! And you just killed two people!"

"Open the door or it will be three people! I mean it Jack, I don't care what I have to do to get my son back! OPEN THE DOOR!"

Jack realized there was nothing he could do at the moment so he moved to open the armory.

Once the door was opened, "Henry Gale" stepped out looking as though he was completely in control of the situation. "You've done well Michael, now let me have the gun."

Michael immediately relinquished control of the gun to Henry. "You've completed your task now Michael, thank you," Henry said before you pointed the gun at Michael and pulled the trigger. Michael fell to the floor in a heap, blood spilling from his temple, obviously dead.

Henry then turned his attention to Jack. "Well Jack, it seems as though you are merely in the wrong place at the wrong time. I convinced Michael that if he would set me free I would reunite him with Walt. He took that to mean he needed to kill his fellow survivors. And it turns out I wasn't exactly truthful anyway. Or maybe he is reunited with Walt now, I don't think I want to tell you. But, now since you were here, you are going to have to die too. Which is unfortunate because I think you could have been useful to my people. Henry then pointed the gun at Jack's chest. Jack saw Kate moving in the bedroom out of the corner of his eye and his last thought was that he hoped she would have enough sense to keep her presence unknown to Henry before he heard a gun shot and braced himself to feel the pain of death.