Once again, huge thanks to i_will_sing_no_requiem for beta reading.
The trial was still not over, and Kate still forced herself to stop thinking about its outcome and focus on the everyday instead. Surprisingly, this time, fate decided to throw her a lifeline. First, Sayid finally got a work permit. Then, in spite of his previous doubts, he managed to find work at a printer shop, which paid much more than his previous, less legal endeavors. As soon as this happened, they started looking for new accommodations, something with a yard for Aaron to play in. It was all Sayid's idea. At first, Kate opposed it, arguing that she might not stay free for much longer and that her friend should rather start organizing a life for himself alone. Sayid was adamant, though, and Kate slowly let herself be convinced, realizing that this could have been something he wanted for himself, too. And thus, soon they left their cramped Westlake apartment and rented a small house in the suburbs. It even came with a tiny garden, and despite her previous reservations, Kate immediately felt at home there.
"Deep down, I've always been a country gal," she admitted on the first evening on their new back porch.
The sun was already down, and if she was still in Iowa, Kate would be probably trying to find familiar constellations. Here in LA, the sky was too polluted for that, even on the outskirts. She wondered if, growing up, Sayid had seen the same stars as her. Probably not, considering how far away Iraq was from the States. She had never been good at astronomy, and now it seemed too silly to ask.
"I grew up in a city," Sayid spoke softly, as he rested his head back on his arm and also stared into the dark sky. "But I had relatives in the country. My mother came from a small village around fifty kilometers from Tikrit."
"What was it like?" Kate glanced at Aaron, who was fast asleep in his stroller. He seemed comfortable, but Kate still pulled his blue 'Finding Nemo' blanket higher around his shoulders, just in case.
"Busy." Sayid sent her a lopsided smile. "I never understood why people call the country peaceful. I felt there was always something to do. Or maybe it was just that our grandfather made sure that me, Omer, and our cousins had no time for foolishness."
"It always gets way more boring in winter." Kate also smiled at her memories. "It did in Iowa, at least. I'm sure you never got snowed in. Do you guys even get snow?"
"Around Tikrit, not really. But it does snow up north, in Kurdistan, so I am familiar with snow."
"Ever built a snowman?" Kate giggled at the idea.
"Never."
Sayid's expression was almost offended, and it made her chuckle even harder.
"It's fun, I promise, no matter how old you are. I'll have to show you one day."
Sayid sent her a long, thoughtful look, but he didn't answer. Kate's good mood evaporated as quickly as it appeared. Of course, in Los Angeles, it didn't snow any more than it did in Tikrit, and there was very little chance they would ever find themselves together in any sort of winter wonderland.
They went quiet for a few minutes, each lost in their own thoughts, until Kate couldn't take it anymore.
"You can ask me things, too, you know?" she offered to break the silence. "About my past, I mean. I don't mind questions when they come from you."
Sayid raised his head and turned towards her. He studied her for a few seconds with a serious expression, then one corner of his lips traveled upwards.
"I don't have to," he declared. "You will tell me everything in your own time."
"Oh?" Kate raised an eyebrow. "Am I that obvious, or are you just that good?"
"Good?" Sayid frowned, and Kate wondered if he might have taken it the wrong way.
"You inspire trust," she explained, then grinned at him. "And so I trust that you'll look after Aaron while I go take a shower."
Sayid nodded his head in amusement, and gently reached for the stroller to pull it closer, while his gaze followed Kate inside.
The first guest in their new house was Hurley. They hadn't seen him since the birthday party that his parents had thrown for him soon after their return. They had tried contacting him a couple of times, but he had ignored their calls. Finally, he had sent Sayid a short text message stating that he had needed space to get his life back on track, and he would reach out when he was ready. Although worried, they had granted Hurley his wish and left him alone for the next few months, but now Kate decided to text him about their move and extend a new invitation, just in case he had changed his mind. She didn't dare hope he'd respond, but to her surprise, he did, and thus, he was now standing in their living room, looking around with a curious grin.
"Dude, it's a really nice place you got here. Cozy!" Coming from another millionaire, similar words would border on mockery, but the way Hugo said them, Kate had no doubt the compliment was sincere.
"We have a garden, too," Sayid said, beaming with pride. "Come, I will show you."
His tone brought a smile to Kate's lips. She still couldn't fully comprehend why her friend was so obsessed with these few square feet of grass behind their house. Sayid had already bought a lawnmower and a few other gardening tools, and was now making plans as to what they could plant there. As far as she knew, he had never had a garden back in Iraq; maybe that was why he found the prospect so exciting? Anyway, his almost childlike fascination with gardening was rather endearing and, to Kate's surprise, his excitement was getting infectious. They had already spent one walk around the neighborhood looking at and commenting on the plants they saw in other people's gardens.
"So..." Hurley began in a low voice when they ended their little tour around the yard and directed their steps back inside. "You and Sayid..."
It took Kate a few seconds to understand the implication in Hurley's words.
"What? No, of course not!" She shook her head with an embarrassed chuckle. "We're just roommates. It's more convenient that way." Convenient for you, said the little mocking voice in her head. Kate ignored it. What had once started as a spontaneous deal, over time had become such a natural relationship that for a split second, Hurley's implication didn't sound as outlandish to her as it would have a few months earlier. Surprised with this realization, Kate glanced at Sayid, who, luckily, was walking a few steps in front of them, trying to herd Aaron inside. Focused on the boy, he apparently hadn't heard that part of the conversation, and Kate was grateful for that.
Hurley didn't stay for long. He was undoubtedly happy to see his friends, but to Kate, he seemed strangely anxious, as if there was a heavy burden on his shoulders he was desperately trying to conceal from them. She tried to gently inquire about his-well being, but sadly, to no avail.
"Dude, I'm fine. In fact, I'm doing great. My business's doing great, my parents are doing great, Mom baked me an awesome apple pie last Sunday. Life's good, man, life's good."
Kate and Sayid exchanged worried glances, both equally convinced that their friend was lying to their faces. Still, with their lives as separate as they had been over the past few months, neither felt they had the right to push, so reluctantly, they let Hurley change the topic back to Aaron and how much he had been growing these days.
Throughout their short chat, all three of them were very careful not to say anything related to their shared secret, as if there was some unwritten rule that the island shall never be mentioned again.. Hurley played for a bit with Aaron, who was elated to have a new friend. Before an hour passed, however, he finished his juice and got up, ready to leave. Already at the door, he hesitated, then reached into his pocket.
"That's for Aaron. A birthday present." He smiled and winked at the boy, who still refused to leave his arms.
"But Aaron was born in November," Sayid pointed out, ever meticulous.
"Yeah, sure, but… I don't know what I'll be doing in November, so I thought I'd take care of it now."
Hurley's answer was quite enigmatic, but Kate didn't dwell on it, suddenly overwhelmed by the realization that he could have been speaking about her future, too. Would she be here for Aaron's birthday? Forcing the thought aside, she blinked and reached for the piece of paper her friend was extending towards her. It turned out to be a check, and when she read the amount, she found herself short of breath. Speechless, she passed the check over to Sayid. He took one glance at it, frowned and opened his mouth as if to protest, then closed it and just sent Kate a questioning look. It wasn't hard to read him: 'you're his guardian, it's your call', Sayid's face said.
Kate swallowed.
"Hurley, we can't… It's too much!" she began.
"Dude!" Hurley interrupted. "It's not much, at least not for me. And I'm not doing this for you, I'm doing it for Charlie."
Kate and Sayid exchanged glances. This was one argument neither of them could push back against.
Suddenly, Kate felt another piece of the puzzle fall into place.
"It was you. You're the one who hired my lawyer!"
"Me? No… I mean, what lawyer?" Hurley shook his head so vigorously that his curls swirled in the air.
Aaron chuckled and reached for one strand, closing it in his little fist. He had learned to do it with Sayid, forcing the man to start tying his hair every day. Hurley laughed and leaned towards the boy, proving he had absolutely zero self-preservation instinct, or at least zero awareness of how strong those little hands could be. Of course, just a few seconds later Sayid had to rescue their friend from losing a handful of hair. Despite the seriousness of the situation, Kate couldn't help but smile a little.
Hurley's reaction to her accusation was so obvious she had no further doubt he was the one paying for her defender, but with Aaron's antics, the topic fell into the background, and Hurley was smart enough to quickly excuse himself and leave before Kate had the chance to return to it. She wasn't sure if she would, anyway. On the one hand, it felt wrong, on the other hand, Hurley was one of the very few friends she fully trusted that they would not use her weakness against her; and besides, what other choice did she have? A good attorney was her only chance of staying out of jail, and she wouldn't have been able to afford one on her own.
She was still standing in the hallway, turning the check in her fingers and pondering over the last revelation, when Sayid closed the door and returned to her, Aaron in tow.
"It's Aaron's money," she finally decided. She would accept Hurley's help with the lawyer, if it meant she'd remain free and could keep raising the boy, but she wouldn't take anything more from him. "We may use some of it to cover his needs, like education or meds, but that's it. With this money, maybe I can at least make sure he has the best life, even if I'm..." She blinked and turned her head, for a moment too overwhelmed by it all: the constant awareness of trial's end drawing near, Sayid's quiet support, and now also Hurley's generosity while he was obviously struggling with some problems of his own. "I just want it to end," she whispered. "Either way, I want to know how it ends, so that I can start making preparations. Not for myself, but for him..."
Sayid nodded silently and gently squeezed her arm in a reassuring gesture. He didn't need to say anything. Kate knew he understood, and she was grateful to him for that.
