Illusions of the island *A LOST fanfic*

Chapter 38: Sacrificing everything for our daughter

"James? What are we doing here? We don't need to steal an experimental drug that may or may not cure our daughter. If we get arrested, it's your fault. Besides, stealing is wrong.

We can get Cara into a drug trial study. The two of us should be at home, with our baby. Not here trying to steal something that we could just ask for. Come on, she's probably wondering where we are anyways."

James tugged on Juliet's arm and shook his head.

"I ain't leaving here without that drug blondie. My baby girl is hurtin' and I can't do a damn thing to make it go away. With that drug, it'll make it all go away. Come on."

Standing steadfast, Juliet planted her feet on the sidewalk, not budging a single inch.

"No James. I refuse to do this. We can go to her doctor tomorrow and ask what trial studies are open right now. I know you want what's best for Cara, but this isn't it."

Turning back to Juliet, James held his frustration at bay, only by a thread.

"Ok tell me somethin' blondie, how is this any different than what you did for your sister?"

Now Juliet was angry. Nose flaring, she pointed a finger in James direction.

"That's not fair James. That was different. She needed my help to get her pregnant. Cara is four years-old. We don't even know what's wrong with her."

Noise down the pathway startled the two, and they both dove into a nearby bush.

"Hey Derek, I heard something. It sounded like it came from over here."

Juliet about let out a yelp when James covered her mouth. Two security guards passed the bush they were hiding in and went inside the building. Quickly uncovering her mouth,
Juliet glared at James and spoke.

"Ow! Your stepping on my hand!"

James quickly moved his left foot and apologized.

"Sorry. Come here. We'll figure something out. Let's go home to our baby girl."

The trip home in the car was quiet. The only thing making noise was the air conditioning. Juliet had forgotten about the wet heat of Miami. The sticky heat was the worse here than on the island. Finally pulling into the driveway of their two-story house, Juliet sighed. Even though they had plenty of money from the settlement Oceanic Airlines gave them, Juliet still insisted on getting a house in a middle-class neighborhood. Opening the front door Juliet walked in.

"I'm going to check on Cara. Would you call her doctor?"

James nodded and went into the kitchen. Juliet slowly made her way up the stairs. Cara's room was at the end of the hallway. Entering her room, Juliet smiled and glanced at all the Hello Kitty decorations adorning her wall. Sitting on the edge of the bed, Juliet watched her daughter sleep. Cara suddenly stirred and opened up her eyes.

"Mommy?"

A watery smile came to her lips as she leaned forward and kissed Cara's tiny head.

"Hi baby. Do you want something to eat?"

Cara shook her head.

"I'm not hungry mama. Where's daddy? I want him to read me a story. I'm tired of being on my back."

The watery smile still stayed on Juliet's face. She only held it there because she didn't want to cry in front of Cara.

"It's ok baby. Mommy's just going to roll you onto your side ok?"

Juliet didn't understand any of this. No one knew what was going on. The entire time they'd been on the island, she never got sick. They'd only been home a year and Cara had come home one day with something that resembled a cold. When the cold disappeared, Cara complained that she couldn't move her legs at first. Then as the weeks went by, it spread. She'd consulted Jack on the matter, but he couldn't find anything. Shaking her head, she listened as Cara spoke once again.

"Mommy? Is daddy coming in to tuck me in soon? He promised he'd read Hello Kitty goes to the zoo."

Juliet wanted so much more for her daughter. She and James had sacrificed a lot for her over the last year alone. Her mind wandered back to what she'd told him earlier that night:

'If we get arrested, it's your fault.' There had to be much more to all that was happening than this. Cara was their miracle. Stealing an experimental drug was not the answer. Some things just never changed with James. She would just have to work a little harder with him on that particular 'bad habit'.

To Be Continued...