Illusions of the island *A LOST fanfic*

Chapter 7: The story behind Hayley

"So blondie, what's your other girl's story? You got a whole other family I don't know about?"

James seemed hurt by what Juliet had said back at the strange tree during labor. Swallowing, she shook her head and played with Cara's tiny feet for a minute.

"I don't have another family James. I just have you, Cara, Hayley, my sister Rachel and my nephew Julian. That's it. My mom and dad are both gone."

James felt a little more relieved after Juliet's little admission.

"Ok, I'm listenin'."

Juliet took a breath and made sure Cara was settled and eating before she began her story.

"Remember when I told you I helped my sister Rachel get pregnant? That my injections I'd developed worked? She wasn't the first guinea pig. I was. I had to make sure they worked before trying it out on my sister. So I tested it out on myself and it worked. The science field would have had a heyday if they'd known about my injections and my research. My ex-husband Ed never found out about Hayley. I don't know how, but he didn't. I hid her from him. I didn't want him to find out about her, it meant I would never see her again. He already looked at me like I was a tool. If he'd found out that I was pregnant with Hayley, he would've never let me out of his sight. I would've been poked and prodded until he figured out how she was conceived. Ed only saw me as a means to an end."

James sat on the edge of the bed. Speechless. Finding his voice, he spoke up.

"Could ya run that by me one more time?"

Juliet knew that some of the stuff she'd done went way over James' head.

"I used my research on myself James. That's where Hayley came from."

He crossed his arms and huffed.

"Who's her father?"

Juliet only shrugged her shoulders and looked into James eyes.

"Don't know. Anonymous donor."

Sighing, James rubbed Juliet's back between her shoulder blades.

"Yer complicated sometimes, do ya know that blondie?"

He continued his thought as he watched Cara nurse.

"So what happened to that ass of an ex-husband?"

Juliet closed her eyes and swallowed. Opening them, she let a shaky breath out.

"He was hit by a bus."

James only stared at her.

"How'd that happen?"

Juliet felt her throat become tight with nervousness. Somehow she felt like she couldn't breathe. She found her voice though.

"When Richard 'interviewed' me I told him I wished Ed were hit by a bus. Then I could get the opportunity to do my work some place special. I never meant for it to happen James. Ed was a manipulative and cruel man, but he didn't deserve to be hit by that bus back in Miami."

James looked at her and sighed for a moment.

"Sounds like karma got him."

Looking down at Cara, Juliet brushed a hand lightly over her tiny red head.

"I will never let anyone hurt you little one. Someday we'll get home and you'll meet your big sister. But she doesn't even remember mommy."

Juliet was afraid of what it would be like to get home and see Hayley again. Would she scream at her and ask her why she hadn't been there
for her for six years? Or run into her arms and cry, never letting her go? She just wasn't sure, and right now her stomach was doing little flip flops, which were making her nauseous.

To Be Continued...