A LOST fanfic: Taken care of

Chapter 38: Doing Ben's Bidding

Jack didn't like the idea of doing Ben's bidding. But he essentially and literally had a gun pointed at Kate's head. He didn't like the idea of injecting something into Juliet without knowing what was in it. What was the compound exactly? Unless Ben could tell him who his off-island contacts were that acquired the 'vaccine' wouldn't be tested on a human subject, much less Juliet. He glared at Ben, Juliet was exhausted.

"Juliet needs rest Ben. I'm still not giving her that compound unless I know exactly what's in it."

Ben gave a smirk to Jack and stood motionless across from him.

"She'll get her much needed rest, after you've administered the compound."

Eyes darkening Jack examined the green substance in the vial in front of him.

"Not until you tell me what's in this."

Handing Juliet a glass of water he had her lie back on the bed.

"What makes you think I'm going to tell you what's in the vaccine Jack?"

Jack brushed his index and middle finger up against his forehead and kept staring at the compound in his hand.

"What kind of vaccine is it?"

A strange smirk planted itself on Ben's face.

"To protect mother and child from a very dangerous and damaging virus that destroys anything it comes into contact with."

Something was beginning to stir at the bottom of his stomach, and it wasn't anything good.

"Protect them from which virus? There a millions of different kinds out there that we could inadvertently be exposed to every day."

Ben continued to smirk at Jack.

"A cross between a normal flu strain, chicken pox and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever."

Concern and worry filled Jack's features as he stared down at the vial in his hand. It could be a trick or it could save her life. Whichever it was, Jack was growing tired of Ben's mind
games.

"You're bluffing. For all I know this could be harmless. It could just be food coloring and saline."

His last sentence gave Jack an idea. He could play Ben at his own game. Just when Jack thought he'd figured Ben out, he'd veer in another direction suddenly to throw him off-track. Shoving Kate in Jack's general direction, Ben reached for the basinets that held Andrew and Cara. Jack knew that if Juliet were a mother bear protecting her cubs Ben would be dead by now. She swallowed by tried to remain calm.

"You touch one hair on either of their heads so help me Ben, nothing on this island will protect you from me. You will have nowhere to hide."

A smirk further crept up Ben's face as he eyed Kate and then saw Megan asleep in the crib in the far corner. Stiffening, Kate moved towards the crib for Megan.

"No you can't have her. Why do you want to take Megan away from Jack and me? Why do you want to take Andrew and Cara away from Juliet and Sawyer?"

Shaking his head as if he were in denial, or maybe something different Ben stared at both Kate and Juliet.

"Trust me when I say this: they will have a much better life here on the island than out there on the mainland. Do you honestly think they will fit in with society? They were born on this island. Here they will be nurtured and their talents encouraged as they develop them. In all honesty, I think Andrew will make a great leader someday."

Juliet didn't want that for her son. She wanted so much better for him. She wanted both her children to see Miami. Her sister Rachel and their cousin Julian.

"No. I will not let my children grow up here. All I have ever wanted to do was leave this godforsaken place and go home. Why won't you let me leave? I am not property and I am leaving this island. You can't keep me here anymore."

Ben seemed almost taken aback by Juliet's fierceness. Her voice held a sharpness. A sharpness he'd seen once before but had intentionally ignored, for his own sake. He was doing this because he was selfish, because he wanted to have Juliet for himself. Despite the fact that she had two children with another man he sort of despised. Jack could see the tension between Juliet and Ben, and after 5 years on this island, he knew he couldn't protect and save everyone. Even though he still did his best to do that very thing.

"She's right Ben. Once rescue comes for us, and it will come, we are all leaving. I am done doing your bidding Ben. I am a doctor and I help people. I fix them and make them better."

Ben made dagger eyes at Jack and then eyed the three children in the room.

"Well Jack, if I recall, you ended up on this island because you needed to be fixed. You are all flawed. These three are very special. Now give Juliet that 'vaccine' and we'll make a deal."

Jack with a quick sleight of hand switched out the green 'vaccine' in the vial with saline hoping Ben wouldn't notice. Leaning in towards Juliet he whispered into her ear.

"Don't worry, I don't have any intention of giving you that 'vaccine.' This is just saline. I won't let anything happen to your children. Now just relax and close your eyes. This'll just take a minute."

Juliet not wanted to cause suspicion on Ben's part did as Jack asked and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she heard a frightened shriek come from Kate and Megan begin to cry.

"What did you just do to Megan Ben? What did you just do!? Tell me!?"

Taking Ben by his shirt collar Kate almost threw him against a cabinet.

"I just gave her a vaccine to protect her. She will be perfectly fine."

Jack was having a difficult time keeping his temper in check, but tried to remain calm even in the wake of what Ben had just done.

"How would you know that Ben? Huh? Megan is still recovering from major open-heart surgery to fix a defect in one of her ventricles. There is no way to know what will happen to her if there are side effects. You tell me right now what's in that vaccine. I don't want to sit here all day when you could just tell me what's in it. Now start writing."

From the corner of the doorway just outside the room, the thing wearing Christian Shepard's face gave a smirk and walked away. Part of his plan had succeeded. It was almost time for part two.

To Be Continued...