"I suspect Juliet now has a ruptured spleen. Do me a favor, go find Bernard. Tell him I need him here at the medical tent. He'll know what that means."

"You got it." From the corner of my eye, I watched James walk off toward the other side of the camp. Kate had walked a few feet over to talk to Miles. Jack made an immediate beeline toward me as I went back to watching the ebb and flow of the water in the distance.

"You know we can't delay your surgery any longer." Jack stood in front of my view so I would finally look at him. I hadn't exactly been truthful with him about how much I was hurting. In a way, I felt numb. Until now, I blamed my dream of seeing my sister again for my sudden queasiness, no matter the real reason."When's the last time you ate?"

"Early this afternoon. Give me a minute to change, then I'll be in." I could feel his impatience as I retreated back to my tent. I was in so much pain, had so many thoughts swirling through my head that made me feel so confused and emotional, and nothing was bringing me comfort to the way I was feeling right now. I just needed a minute to gather my thoughts.

Placing the dark blue shirt over my head was slightly difficult because of my injured arm and bruised abdomen, but I was somehow still able to get it over my head just in time for Kate to appear at my door a few minutes later. Her expression was sympathetic and warm, a far cry from three years ago when we would have loved to kill each other for working on different teams.

"Hey, can I come in?"

"Please."

"I was standing next to Miles when you left. Jack wanted to come after you but he convinced him that wasn't a good idea."

"Smart man." Sitting on the edge of the bed with my feet on the floor, it took every effort to stay upright. Despite the increasing pressure on my abdomen, I focused on slowing down my breathing. Most importantly, trying hard to relinquish my control of the situation. "Remind me to thank him later."

"Juliet, I have to ask. Are you okay?"

"No. Far from it." I confessed, suddenly feeling very vulnerable. No matter how many years went by, I wasn't sure I would ever fully get used to Kate and me talking like friends. "When the time came for me to have major surgery, I never thought it would be on an island we've been stuck on for years. Or one we're so close to getting off."

"I get it. After everything this island has thrown at us, you have every right to be scared." Kate assured me with a small smile. "Just promise me you won't try to do your own surgery."

"That one shouldn't be a problem." It was too fun to mock Jack after he insisted he needed to stay awake to help me take out his appendix. "I will be knocked out, thank you. However, I already know I'm going to have a hard time sitting still for at least the next three weeks. I take joy knowing I could be recovering off this island."

"I would expect nothing less." The corner of her mouth twitched up into a smile at the running joke between us. "Jack didn't even make it a day. He was too proud to tell you how much pain he was in after making the journey.

"Hmm. I'm sure he was." Finally feeling ready for what was next, Kate walked steadily beside me to the medical tent. Jack and Bernard were standing near the entrance, their own discussion ceasing as we came closer.

"I'll come to visit you when you're awake." Kate squeezed my upper arm after I locked eyes with her, silently informing her I was okay. "Go easy on her." She lowered her voice to Jack before heading back toward the middle of the camp.

"I meant it. I'm going to get you off this island." Jack told me, his hand lightly resting against my arm so I would stop before entering the tent. I nodded at him, at a loss for knowing what else to say to him at the moment.

"Juliet," Bernard studied me with the kindest eyes as he busily drew up some medication to use during the surgery. "When you're ready, go ahead and lie down." Taking in a deep breath, I shifted uncomfortably on the makeshift table made out of a wing from the plane. The very same one we had used for Jack.

"You okay?" Jack asked neutrally, holding his hands up so they stayed sterile as he clicked on the overhead surgical light.

"I'm okay," I confirmed, moving my head to the side as I watched Bernard place the tray where he would be able to hand Jack instruments during surgery. "Knock me out, Bernard." A few seconds later, he placed the cloth over my mouth and nose. My eyes immediately grew heavy as I slipped into a more peaceful sleep. I wasn't sure how long I had been out but I awoke in my tent this time, the same feeling of haziness mixed with more nausea and pain.

"Good, you're awake." James' blurry form came into view. I could make out a book in hand as he sat in a chair against the tent wall. After blinking back the sleep from my eyes, I was finally able to focus on him after a few minutes, able to get the question I had been searching for.

"How long have I been out?"

"Almost three hours. You gave the doc a real scare. A few other people too. Your surgery went fine. Jack told me you were a model patient. However, you're going to have to take it easy for a while. No more galavanting through the jungle while you're recovering." I choked out a dry laugh at his humor which sent an excruciating throb of pain through my stomach. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore. Like I could sleep for the next week, which I'm sure I will do a lot of while recovering."

"I'm sure you will. Jack will want to know you're awake" James agreed, peering his head outside the tent to talk to someone, although I couldn't focus on who it was. The drugs coursing through my veins were still making me feel tired and unfocused. It wasn't until Jack came in a few minutes later that I put together what he had been talking about.

"Hey, it's good to see you awake. You in any pain?"

"Just don't make me laugh and we'll be good." I licked at my lips dryly, suddenly feeling the urge to drink some water. "James said the surgery went well."

"I had to make a larger incision to take out your spleen, but we were able to with minimal bleeding. I'll be managing your pain as well as watching for any signs of infection or complications."

"Wouldn't expect anything less. I'm sorry for earlier."

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure I know I wasn't the easiest patient after you took out my appendix, wanting to help with my surgery and all." He mocked himself slightly, which was surprising, considering this was Jack we were talking about here.

"You weren't. Consider this payback after going after that chopper with Kate." I teased, no longer able to keep my eyes open.