A LOST fanfic: Taken care of

Chapter 15: Stopping a disaster

Flashback: 3 months and 2 days ago...

Kate had decided to soak her feet in the water along the shoreline when pain gripped below her belly. Excruciating and deep-set pain entrenched her entire belly, making it extremely difficult to call out for Jack. However, she managed. A strangled call issued from her throat.

"Jack! HELP!"

Jack dropped the half-filled water bottle he'd been filling from the water trough and ran towards Kate.

"KATE!"

One of Kate's hands found Jack's left one and held on tight. She let out a scream and dug her feet into the sand.

"Jack it's too soon! Please help me!"

Gathering his strength, Jack did his best to scoop her up into his arms.

"Juliet!"

He didn't see her emerge from her tent at first. He was sure his back would give at any moment but Juliet showed up to help.

"We have to get her to the medical station. She'll need to be on monitors and be given drugs to stop her labor. This is bad Jack. From here on out everything will become unpredictable."

As the two passed the tents with a screaming Kate, Sawyer looked on with wild and frightened eyes.

"Anything I can do to help doc?"

Jack shook his head vigorously and shifted Kate's weight trying to be as gentle as possible with her.

"No Sawyer. You'd just be in the way. This is private."

Sawyer knew not to say anymore but looked on as Juliet and Jack carried Kate into the jungle. Jack was running on pure adrenaline, he had no time to be scared or worried. His mind was practically on autopilot. His movements were clumsy yet somehow fluid as he and Juliet carried Kate through the jungle towards the medical station. It was their only hope in saving her. He watched Kate belt out another blood-curdling scream as she placed both hands on her belly. Jack looked to Juliet who had Kate by the legs. Jack held her up by her arms.

"Her contractions are coming 20 minutes apart Juliet."

Nodding Juliet kept a hold on Kate as the foliage covering the medical station's hatch doors came into view.

"If her contractions stay at the 20 minute mark then I can reverse her labor. But if it gets down to five minutes there's nothing I can do."

Jack brushed aside a dark thought that just consumed his mind. Cradling Kate in his arms as Juliet opened up the hatch doors he wiped some sweat away from her forehead.

"Everything's going to be fine Kate. Juliet will stop the labor and you'll be on bed rest for a few days."

Kate was so consumed by pain she hadn't noticed a thing Jack said to her as they carried her inside the medical station and into the hidden room behind the lockers in the locker room. Setting her down cautiously onto the parked gurney in the middle of the room Kate shivered as they removed her clothes and helped her into a gown.

"Jack I can't... breathe."

Shaking his head, he helped her lie back.

"Look at me Kate everything's going to be fine. Just try and relax ok?"

Juliet frowned and let her gaze wander towards Jack. He was still trying to piece together the puzzle when Juliet interrupted.

"Shortness of breath Jack. That's one of the symptoms. Now if I can't get this labor under control and stopped, it'll continue. Once I've stopped the labor she'll need another injection. Give her some oxygen. No not the nasal cannula. The oxygen mask."