A LOST fanfic: Taken care of

Chapter 21: Keeping a candle lit so to speak

It was day nine and Kate had been cooped up in the medical station with Megan 24/7. She ate all her meals there and sometimes Megan slept atop her mother's chest as a comfort measure. Jack crept up on the pair who were currently resting on an adjustable cot Juliet found stored in a room down the hall. The scene before him would be defined as picturesque in his eyes had it not been for the situation they faced. Kate had Megan nestled against her bare chest under a blanket. Placing a kiss to her crown Jack took a seat on a stool next to his girls.

"How's our girl doing?"

Opening her eyes, Kate frowned.

"Jack she won't eat."

The sleeping baby let out a whine and stuck a left hand outside of the blanket as if to show Jack she was there.

"She's probably just too tired."

With wide eyes Kate kept shaking her head.

"Maybe Jack but could it be something else?"

Jack furrowed his eyebrows in worry and stroked a finger against Megan's left hand which moved against Kate's skin.

"Try to get her to eat."

Kate adjusted Megan under the blanket and watched her for a moment. Megan let out another whine and tried to find her meal only failing at her task. Looking under the blanket, Jack encouraged his daughter to try again.

"It's ok Megan. Try again. No rush sweetie. Take your time."

Jack was starting to notice a pattern. Megan was much more tired than she usually was lately. A teary-eyed Kate diverted her attention to Jack who was encouraging Megan to keep going as he reached a hand under the warm blanket to stroke her small head.

"I don't understand Jack; she's asleep most of the time now and when she is awake all she does is whine, cry or scream. Tell me there is light at the end of this tunnel Jack. Please?"

Secretly Jack had been hoping for a miracle. He observed Megan as she struggled to latch onto her mother's breast. She was getting frustrated and let out a scream. Kate let Jack take Megan from her arms and straightened herself up before removing the blanket, placing it on the table beside the cot she stayed lying on. Megan continued to scream as Jack set her down on the exam table across from Kate. Mindful of the assortment of wires attached her chest to monitor her heart, he found the stethoscope Juliet had discarded on the counter and placed the earpieces into his ears.

"I know this is a little cold baby girl. Daddy will be done in a minute ok?"

Jack didn't know when he'd taken over for Juliet. Taking care of babies and mother's hadn't been his primary objective. Claire and Aaron had been the first in a long time. His daughter was his responsibility. He felt he had to take care of her himself though he knew both him and Juliet were a team. They had to work together. As he listened, he correlated with the monitors next to him.

"A steady 142. We'll have to take another look at her heart again to see if the hole in her left ventricle is bigger."

Going over what Kate had told him; he found the reason why Megan had suddenly lost her appetite.

"Megan's having trouble eating because she's exhausted all the time. Her heart has to work harder to pump blood to the rest of her body."

Kate held back the dam of tears that were threatening to come storming through at any moment.

"Jack I want... I want her lying on my chest when she goes. I don't want her to go alone..."

Jack didn't want to hear Kate talking like that. He felt that they were close to finding a solution to Megan's heart problem. Him and Juliet.

"I don't want to hear you talking like that Kate. Nothing is going to happen to Megan. I won't let it. Neither will Juliet. We're close Kate. Juliet and I have been going over different procedures that may in theory fix her heart."

Kate shot a glare up at Jack and took Megan back, putting her under the blanket she draped over her. She waited until Megan settled against her chest comfortably before speaking.

"In theory Jack. You don't even know if some of these surgeries might work."

Jack was exhausted himself, and he didn't want to leave his family but he had to check up on the people back at the beach.

"It could work. Juliet and I will keeping researching. We'll find something."

Kate ran a finger down Megan's arm and then peered up at Jack.

"When you and Juliet find something substantial and worth the time to perform it you run it by me first. Got it? We decide things together. You are not going to crack our daughter's chest open without my permission. I am her mother."

Jack felt a tad wounded by the tone in Kate's voice. She did however have a point. He was only thinking of the outcome. The bigger picture.

"You don't think I don't want what's best for our daughter? I am her father. Look I don't want to fight with you Kate. We have to stick together to get through this. Megan is going to make it. I know it. Why are you giving up?"

Kate shaking her head, cast a sad glance down at the sick baby nestled against her warm chest under the blanket.

"I'm being practical Jack. Megan's not getting any better."

Jack was already a flurry of flustered emotions and running on 2 hours of sleep every night didn't help his cause.

"Just give us some more time Kate. We'll figure this out. Megan will be fine. You'll see."

Kate gave Jack a watery smile and let out a small sob.

"I hope your right Jack. I can't lose her. She was so strong when she came into the world. But then this sprung up and she just seems so fragile."

Jack knew in his heart that everything would be alright, he just had to believe in himself.

"She'll be as good as new. I promise Kate."

Kate wished she could share his hope and enthusiasm. All she could do was keep a candle lit so to speak.

To Be Continued...