A LOST fanfic: Taken care of

Chapter 24: How can I trust your promise Jack?

Jack was always good at keeping promises to Kate. But she wasn't so sure about the one he made for their daughter only three days earlier. Could he really fix her? Especially without a new heart? With a free hand she reached and grabbed Jack by the crease of his elbow.

"How can I trust your promise Jack?"

He knew what Kate was asking, but he felt betrayed because she was asking about the promise and if she could trust him.

"So you're saying that you can't trust me? Or my promise to you and Megan?"

The fragile looking baby in Kate's arms began to stir and Jack quickly relented putting a hand on her small back. A whimper escaped her mouth. Her arms flailed about and her hand grabbed for the tube in her mouth. Jack put his index finger up to her right hand to stop her from tugging on the feeding tube.

"Oh no sweetie. That needs to stay in there."

Megan let out a yelp as Jack yet again guided her hand away from her mouth. She was angry now and swatted at Jack's hands, her movements still unsteady and learning about the
space around her. The monitor's loud monotonous rhythm picked up speed and Kate's eyes grew wide with fear.

"Jack her heart is racing like a jack-hammer."

Kate rubbed Megan's back but she grew angrier. Or was she scared? Everything blended together these days since neither of them got much sleep. Jack automatically in doctor-mode went rummaging through the drawers looking for a syringe. He felt a smaller hand on his shoulder. At first thinking it was Kate he replied.

"I'm coming give me a couple of more seconds."

When he turned he saw that it wasn't Kate. Instead standing before him was a pale and death-like looking Juliet who swayed on her feet but managed to steady herself with the counter.

"She'll need .1 of that Jack. She'll go into cardiac arrest if you don't give it to her."

With sympathy in his eyes Jack steadied her and shook his head.

"Juliet you really shouldn't be up and walking around right now. You're going to need a blood transfusion. You lost a lot of blood. What's your blood type?"

Juliet's tired eyes wandered to Jack's. Her usually bright blue eyes were slightly dimmed and were almost a pale gray.

"AB positive. I have reserves of my own blood in the bio-hazard container in the corner over there."

Nodding Jack found what he was looking for and shut the drawer.

"When I get her settled there is something I need to tell you. But right now I would like you to go and lie back down."

Juliet closed her mouth and went back to the cot and lie down on it. Sawyer had gone back to their tent to get her a change of clothes so it was just her, Jack, Kate and Megan. Lying on her side on the cot, she watched as Jack pushed the drugs into Megan's iv. After about a minute, she seemed to calm and quit screaming. Sighing, Juliet looked away from Jack as he approached her. She wasn't sure why she felt so embarrassed. She just was. Taking a breath and letting it out Jack took a bag of Juliet's reserve blood hung it on the IV stand he'd situated next to her cot.

"Make a fist for me. There we go. Yesterday when I did an ultrasound on you I found something... Maybe it's better if I just showed you."

Juliet felt her stomach begin to churn. He found something? Like what? Silently holding her breath she watched as Jack turned on the machine. The conducting gel was freezing, giving her goosebumps. Jack froze for a millisecond when he began to hear the sound of a heartbeat.

"A heartbeat. But that's not what I saw... That's impossible."

She couldn't help herself. A laugh came out of her mouth, tears soon following them. A choked sob came tumbling out, but it was out of happiness not sadness.

"By all accounts Jack, this is a miracle."

Juliet put a hand up to her face and let out another sob.

"I don't understand."

Jack was puzzled by this. He did not understand any of this one bit. The day before he'd heard no heartbeat. There was nothing there. Juliet broke his thoughts.

"I don't either, but something about this was meant to be."

She couldn't believe what was happening. She'd thought that she had lost the most important thing to her. Her baby. Continuing her thought she touched the screen lightly.

"It's healthy right?"

Jack stared at the black and white image on the screen. How could he have been wrong?

"Yes. There's a strong heartbeat. You have a long road ahead of you Juliet. You're going to need those injections twice a day, but you can't do it alone. Let me help you. Have you had any nausea? Vomiting?"

Juliet nodded her head and fingered the screen one more time.

"Both. More in the afternoon though. Don't worry I'll let you know if I have any problems. Like I said before, doctors make the worst patients."

Jack eyed her again and saw her scratch at an invisible itch on her left arm.

"Is there enough of the serum for you and the baby for the next 7 months?"

Juliet let out a somewhat dry laugh, however not meaning it to sound that way she looked him dead in the eye with a small smile.

"Jack, I've got enough of the serum stock-piled for the next 50 years. I'm constantly tweaking the formula though to make it better and more effective. I guess I'm the second guinea pig huh?"

He'd never thought to ask what was in the serum. But he trusted Juliet. It had saved his daughter's life. Letting a chuckle out Jack nodded.

"Yeah. You have to promise me right now that you will take it easy. Take a break when you need to and stay off your feet if they start to swell. Keep hydrated and stay out of the sun as much as possible."

Sawyer walked in with a bundle of clothes and saw the smile on Juliet's face. Worry at first tinged his features and then a smirk planted itself squarely on his lips.

"What are you smiling at blondie?"

Juliet lifted her left hand motioned with her index finger. He leaned down and listened as she whispered into his ear. When he stood straight again his face was a mixture of pale white sheet and rose colored.

"You're serious? Doc you're not yanking our chain are ya?"

Jack shook his head and wiped his hands.

"No, and don't ask me how to explain this. I don't even know how it's possible. Juliet said it was a sign. But I don't believe in signs. I guess this is congratulations. Try to keep her out of the sun and off her feet as much as possible now. She's got a very long road ahead of her. It's not going to be easy."

Jack let the couple soak in the moment of happiness and went back over to Kate who seemed to be sulking on her cot and rubbing a slightly fussy Megan. He put a hand on her head and with the other rubbed the bottom of her left foot. Her eyes closed and she drifted off to sleep.

"Oh. She wanted daddy close too. Looks like I've got my hands full."

To Be Continued...

A/N: Surprise! You didn't really think I'd let Sawyer and Juliet go through all that did you? This is the island, anything is possible. Even the impossible.