Life Interrupted

Chapter Thirty

Author's Note: By the way, Ben is officially Ben in my story. I like him better that way.

Chapter Thirty: From the Outside Looking In

From the cracks above them water dripped, seeping through the tiny holes in the cave wall and falling down, down, down until each one of them collapsed onto the ground with a bang. With the sound echoing around them their eyes were glued on Jack, who was still unconscious on the ground, wondering what would happened next.

Everything happened so suddenly. Jack used to deal with this everyday, people's bodies just failing, everything changing in the course of a second. She couldn't stand it, seeing him so silent, so still. It was too surreal, waiting there with Charlie, Claire, and Sayid to see what would happen next. It was like the world stopped to focus on that moment. And they had no idea what to do.

They just stared at him, like suddenly he would be up again.

"One of us should go back to camp," Charlie suggested quietly, "maybe someone we'll recognize the symptoms."

"Like who?" Kate shot. She shook her head. "He just...collapsed."

"He should be waking up by now," Sayid added.

Back turned to them, her face was hidden as tears filled her eyes. She knelt down beside Jack, feeling a gust of nerves hit her, almost terrifying her enough to run.

"Jack," she said softly. And then again, more loudly: "Jack."

There was nothing.

"Wait!"

Their eyes shot to Claire. For the first time Kate noticed how exhausted she looked; how afraid. It was her brother laying there, she remembered. Now Claire was staring at him, her eyes wide, determined.

"His hand twitched," Claire explained.

"What?"

Kate looked back to Jack. She would have noticed...

But she had been watching him, waiting for his eyes to open, for him to say something.

"Jack," she said again.

Her eyes were glued to his hand, just inches from hers. His fingers looked like they were nailed to the floor, cold and stiff. But ever so slightly a finger lifted, not even an inch, but there was movement. A reaction. Kate gasped with relief; a smile broke through her tears.

"He can hear us," she said quietly.

"Then why isn't he answering?" Sayid appeared opposite of Jack, looking more startled and concerned than he had before.

And he was right, she realized. Jack couldn't answer them, and he knew he couldn't. He was trapped...

"What would shut him down like that?" She asked

Sayid shook his head. He glanced at Jack; it was like he was worried he was listening into their conversation. He placed a hand over her shoulder and led her to the mouth of the cave.

"If he can hear us, we can't let him know that we don't know what to do."

His voice was low, and frighteningly serious. Kate nodded. She crossed her arms; she was shivering slightly, and looked over to Jack. He knew exactly what was going on, she thought. He might even know what was wrong...

As she went back towards him the awkwardness of the situation set in. What if he was hearing everything that was going on? He would know how terrified she was, how helpless. Sitting down beside him she let her hand slide towards his fingers, but hesitated before she let them connect.

"Jack?" She asked quietly. "Can you talk?" There was no answer. Her heart began pounding... "Can you understand me?" A finger raised slightly in the air and fell again. "Can you open your eyes?"

No response.

She felt sick. Her fingers ran through her hair, bringing back strings of sweat. It had gotten hotter, she thought, so humid it felt like the air was digging through her neck...

She stood and walked back to Sayid.

"We have to help him," she announced.

"I know." He away for a moment, considering something. She watched him, seeing as a realization crossed over his eyes. "After he rescued us he was delayed from meeting us back in the jungle. They must have done something to him then."

Eyes dark and narrowing, Sayid stepped towards Jack, studying. Kate knelt down beside him, scanning his arms. Her fingers traced faded scars, and other than having lost some of its color his arm looked fine. She took his other hand, and immediately stopped. How did she miss it?

"Sayid."

He appeared beside her and their eyes met. Slowly they looked down, and they were all looking at the thick bruise buried into Jack's left arm.

"They put something into him," Sayid said.

"How?"

Charlie looked between the two, confused; Claire just stood there, wide eyed and terrified. Kate ran a hand through her hair, thinking...

"What was it?" Charlie continued.

"I don't know," Sayid replied.

They looked away, their eyes trailing the floor. Neither wanted to admit what had to be done...but she would rather it be her than any of them. She looked up slowly, her voice only a whisper.

"I'll go." Tears filled her eyes as she looked to Jack; she wiped them away.

"What?" Charlie spoke up. He stepped closer to them. "Go where?"

Sayid was glaring at her.

"She wants to go back to the Others."

"What?" Charlie demanded.

"This is something they did to him!" Kate exclaimed. "Of course I have to go back. We're never going to know what happened to him unless we find out from them."

"Kate..." Sayid took her arm and led her back towards the mouth of the cave.

"I have to go," she insisted before he could argue.

"He wouldn't want you to put yourself in danger like that."

"But he would do the same for me!"

She was crying; she felt sick. She was embarrassed..she was used to never crying in front of anyone. Turning away, Kate ran a hand through her hair. She didn't have to listen to them. If they weren't going, she had to. Her feet began carrying her out of the cave, back towards the forest, away from them...

There were never any protest.

It took longer to get back to Their camp than from what she remembered But the path was all too familiar to her, etched in her mind perfectly, like taking the path from her house into town. The entire way there tears stained her cheeks; she stumbled, losing her balance as her mind wondered. What if Jack woke up while she was gone? What if bringing the doctor there trapped them?

And what if it saved his life?

"Can I help you?"

Her heart leapt through her through; a gasp of surprise escaped as she fell backwards a step. She was already there. Kate looked to her left, and through the trees she could make out the basic structures of Their buildings.

And standing in front of them was Their doctor- Campbell, she was sure Jack had called him. A smile wondered onto his face; he knew why she was here.

"We have defenses, you know," he went on, "you can't just walk in here. But then again, I really don't see why you would want to. You did just escape from here, right?" She didn't answer. She was too shocked, too afraid. Suddenly she had no idea what she was doing here. His smile grew, and she shuddered. "Are you lost?"

Kate cleared her throat, fighting to stay calm.

"What did you do to him?" She asked quietly. He just stared at her, not understanding. "Jack's sick. You put something in him before he left. What was it?"

"Even if you knew you wouldn't understand."

"What did you do to him?" She shouted.

She was shaking. They would hear her, his people, and come after her.

The doctor looked down, his smile erased.

"Did Jack tell you what we talked about?" He asked carefully. "After he rescued you?"

She shook her head, but it felt like someone was controlling her. There wasn't time for this...and yet she wanted to listen. She wanted to know. Jack had been keeping too many secrets, and this man could tell her everything. Was it wrong to be curious?

It was wrong, she thought, because she wouldn't understand...and he didn't want her to know.

"I told him that if he stayed with us than all of you could leave the island."

She froze. She hadn't even thought of rescue for so long...it had all turned to a fight for survival. But hearing the words, being reminded that going home was still possible...she hated herself for listening.

"He didn't take the offer," the doctor continued. And smiled.

"Good," Kate replied.

Honestly. Jack didn't trust Them, and he definitely wouldn't want his life in Their hands. How could she ask him to do that? How could any of them? She wouldn't have been able to handle it. She would have gone home, and the rest of her life would have been spent trying to figure out how to get him back. Worrying about him, being terrified for him. It wasn't a fair trade. And she was honestly relieved that he didn't think so either.

Even though she couldn't help but to think: Jack had always been willing to do anything for the benefit and safety of his people. To know that he turned down this offer and the chance to safe them all, it told her how afraid he was. How truly, honestly terrified he was.

Dr. Campbell smiled: curious, confused, and changed the subject as quickly as he could.

"So what are his symptoms?" He asked.

He began walking away, back towards Their camp. Fear rushed through her; her heart pounded with terror. She didn't want to go, deep down. She followed, only because she knew that he would be able to help. She cleared her throat again and replied:

"He's unconscious, but when we speak to him he'll react. He'll move a finger, barely lift a hand, like he can hear us. Like he's trapped."

The doctor nodded.

"Is he running a fever?"

"He's burning up. And pale." She stopped. "And there's bruises on his arm from something you put in him. Recently." He didn't look at her, but his face actually showed traces of...guilt?

He kept walking, and she followed.

Feet chasing the trail back to the caves, Kate felt the anticipation, the desperation of needing to help him as they rushed towards the entrance.

Sayid was standing in the opening. She stopped, the doctor behind her, glaring.

"I'm here to help," he announced.

"I don't care."

His eyes shifted to hers, cold and piercing. She was taken aback by how quickly he could turn against her and how little he understood.

"He's here to help," she insisted, "I promise. I've got it under control."

"And how are you going to keep control when his people turn up?" Sayid snapped, his eyes flashing with anger and tinted with disappointment, "we keep walking into their hands!"

"We don't have time for this," Dr. Campbell muttered.

He pushed Sayid aside, only to be pulled back and slammed against the wall.

"Did you check him for weapons?" Sayid demanded.

"Yes."

"Was he being followed?"

"No, I promise you."

Had it not been such a critical situation she would have take more precautions, fake routes and turns, but honestly she wasn't even one hundred percent sure they weren't followed. Her eyes landed on Jack, still and silent on the floor a few feet from them. Sayid's grip loosened and the doctor rushed to Jack, taking off the pack he brought with him. He fished out a syringe and a bottle of orange liquid.

"What is that?" Kate asked.

"It will deteriorate what's inside of him."

"What's inside of him?" Sayid asked.

Arms crossed, his shadow appeared over him. The doctor looked up; his eyes flashed in annoyance.

"It doesn't matter anymore," he said, and turned back to Jack.

He positioned the syringe above Jack's arm, the needle resting on his skin. Kate closed her eyes, looking away. When she opened them again the doctor was pulling the syringe back and storing it away.

"How long will it be until it takes affect?"

The doctor shrugged.

"I don't know."

He stood, casually, and Kate realized he was meaning to leave. Kate got to her feet; Sayid's eyes narrowed as he too realized what was happening.

"You're just leaving?" Kate demanded.

"That's all there was to do," the doctor replied. He looked around, amusement glimmering in his eyes as they turned to each of them in turn. "What, it's not like you want me sticking around."

Kate turned to Sayid.

"Do you want me to follow him back to his camp?"

Part of her hoped he'd say no.

"No."

The air fell silent. Outside the ground crunched as the doctor fled back to his camp; Sayid stared after him, and in his eyes she saw the burning guilt for letting him go.

Her eyes wondered back to Jack. She was counting the seconds, her heart pounding faster with every beat, to when he would wake up- how long had it been now? Shouldn't it have taken effect?

Or maybe they shouldn't have trusted him...

And it would be all her fault.

From out of nowhere air shot through him, like someone plugged something into his brain that made it suddenly shoot out electricity; life. His own gasps filled the room, his eyes widened and then shut...he was brought back but he could still feel it. Jack thought it felt like bricks were pinning him to the ground, but when he looked it was only his arms, tightened by an imaginary hand and holding him to the ground. His eyes dropped to a close, exhausted and blurry. His head spun. A flaming liquid burned through his throat and burst against the corners of his mouth. Swallowing hard, he forced it away. Nausea remained, and he rest for a moment, his heart rate slowly falling back into a normal pace.

But he had to force himself to open his eyes. He had to know what was going on.

Kate's eyes met his: relieved, wet with tears. She wiped them away and grabbed his hand, a smile breaking through. Another wave of energy rushed through him at her touch, and he could feel the bug inside him dying- whatever it was.

"What did he put in me?" He said, and swallowed; his throat felt like sandpaper.

"It was some kind of orange liquid," Kate explained, her eyes wondering to the floor, "he said it would dissolve what was in you."

"Orange?" Jack repeated.

Kate nodded.

Suddenly he felt sick again.

He slapped his hand against the floor; Kate jumped.

"That wasn't what that was..."

Eyes closed, he put them in the dark, realizing he said to much.

"We should be going," Sayid announced. "Just because they didn't follow us doesn't mean they can't pick up our trail."

He looked at Kate, her eyes deepening with disapproval.

"No!" She exclaimed, placing a hand on his shoulder. "We still don't even know what's wrong with him."

"Nothing now."

Kate jumped as she saw him try to sit up and immediately grabbed his arm.

"I promise," he said, meeting her eyes, "I'm okay. He's right, we should get going."

His eyes trailed around the room, connecting with each of theirs. They were confused, worried. The cave was so silent, absent of the chaos of their own camp. It was their hideout, he remembered, and was hit with the uneasy filling of realizing he didn't know where he was.

"Claire and I left in the middle of the night," he began, "so that would make now-"

"Mid-morning," Sayid replied.

Kate watched him skeptically, and he knew she didn't trust him. But all he wanted to do was to get as far away from the Others as possible. What the doctor told him...it couldn't be true. And he didn't want to be anywhere near a world where it was. He got to his feet again; Kate reached up to help him, but she looked like he hurt he. Though he didn't know how...

Her eyes snapped away.

"Let's go then," she muttered, and walked away.

The trek back was completely silent, even more so than the caves. He followed quietly as they led him back to camp through unfamiliar trails. Kate walked only a few paces ahead of him, stiff and cautious, as though she were holding back something she wanted to say. He had a feeling they all were. Claire hadn't spoken to him since leaving the Others' camp, and he decided to wait on telling her what the doctor told him.

Truth was, Claire had nothing to worry about. It was him- he was the one who actually had something wrong with him. Aaron was perfectly fine, which he knew was for the best. But before he always had the idea in the back of his mind that someday with would all be over- that it didn't really mean anything if he didn't want it to be. Now it was apart of him.

Or was...

He didn't know what to think. It was too coincidental, falling ill like that after the doctor claimed the drug would rid him of his abilities. The sensation felt like all his energy had been ripped from him, like suddenly there was nothing there inside him to fall back on, to support him. It left him wondering if he really was this weak, if the doctor was right: everything he had ever accomplished had been because of what he was.

He watched Kate as she marched down the path, eyes glued to the ground, and wondered what she would think if he told her. They were all different from who they were before the crash but for him it felt like he was living a completely different life. He tried to see his life from the outside looking in and all he saw was insanity...how could any of this even be real? And yet she risked her life for him, again and again. She saw something in him that he didn't understand, and she had patience that he couldn't comprehend.

"Thanks." He realized he never said it, and surpassed her as well as she looked back at him. "For going in there for me."

"Which time?" She said, smiling. "I thought you'd yell at me."

"Don't complain," he laughed, "no, it's just...you have know idea who you're dealing with."

"I know what they did to you-"

"You don't know the half of it."

His eyes darted to the ground, narrowly avoiding hers like a car swerving to escape a head-on collision

"Maybe that's because you waited nearly a month to even tell me why they held you captive."

"Yeah, well you still haven't told me while you were being transported back to the States by a U.S. Marshall."

Immediately he shattered at the attack, seeing the surprise and hurt washing over her. Shoulders sinking, her eyes roamed the ground, embarrassed, wounded.

"Look," he sighed, "I just really don't want you to get hurt from this."

"You're not invincible, Jack," Kate snapped, "so stop thinking that you can risk your life for me but not the other way around."

The air was wet and the sky was muggy, hanging low in the wake of an upcoming storm. But Ben kept leading him further and further away from the barracks, never stopping, never offering a clue as to where they were going. He couldn't remember the path from their trek to the barracks, all those months ago. It was too long ago...just the feeling of being back in the jungle, of not being surrounded by barriers and guards, was unreal. He would have ran had it not been for the gun waited to be called upon, resting at Ben's waist, or the fear that they had been followed by his people; of the monster, of having no idea where he was and being even more helplessly lost than he already was...

But the castaways had been searching for him. If they could find him out here...he had been thinking that anything would be better than the position he was trapped in.

The memory came so quickly it startled him. He was stopped and Kate was staring at him, waiting for an explanation. The others were already too far ahead; they were alone, and it was only the quiet jungle around them. But he felt as though he'd just been ripped away from an alternate reality.

"I've been here before," he whispered, and began studying the ground.

He could see it in his head, the path he and Ben took that day. He began following the turns; distantly he heard Kate's footsteps scraping the path, hurrying to keep up. As they ran deeper into the forest it got darker, despite the sun peeking out of the clouds above.

Then the smell came: a stench that was enough to nearly send them stumbling backwards in shock; Kate's hand flew to her face to cover her mouth and nose but he crept forward, spotting the break in the trees ahead. He ran through to the clearing, and stopped, almost falling forward.

They were standing in front of a massive grave. Dozens of skeletons lay scattered before them, bathing in the glow of the sun. Thrown on top of each other, some torn in pieces...he might have felt sick if the feeling of deejay hadn't hit him, reminding him that he'd seen this before, to not be so startled.

"Ben brought me here," he explained quietly.

Kate looked pale, but her eyes shifted to him, curious.

"These were his people," he continued, remembering as he spoke, "he killed them."

"What?"

His heart raced as he remembered the brief story, leaving him with just enough information to terrify him into never defying the Others, never even thinking of starting some kind of war between them and the castaways-

"He murdered them."

Kate's hand touched his back gently; she looked away but he only stared, eyes crazed with the horror of the memory.

"He was here long before the people he's with now," Jack realized, "and they were here long before them. People have been on this island for centuries, decades..."

"The doctor told me that he made you an offer to get us off the island," she admitted quietly.

Now he felt sick. He never wanted her to know.

"I'm glad you told him no."

Kate looked up at them, and he tore his eyes away from the grave; his gaze found its way towards her stare. She wasn't angry, or at least not at him.

"They can't be trusted."

That was most of the reason. Kate looked down quickly, catching his lie but not wanting to mention it.

"I know."

He turned away from the grave, holding his head in his hands.

"It's just..." he began, and took a deep breath, "I just think about how long they've been here and I wonder if we'll be here just as long. I wonder how long we're going to have to deal with this."

Her hand fell onto his shoulder; he didn't look up as she said quietly:

"We'll be okay." She paused, as though considering something she had been debating to say to him for awhile. She drew a quick breath, then added quickly: "you just need to stop being so afraid all the time.

He turned to her and laughed.

"How can I not be?"

Head shaking, Kate looked at him with pity, but he couldn't understand what she was trying to get him to see.

"You're scaring them," she explained, "you don't realize it, but every time you run off, every time you even look uncertain about going on, they worry about what will happen. You used to be their leader, Jack, and there's still apart of them that's been holding onto that trust."

"Yeah, a very small part of them."

"They don't look up to anyone else nearly as confidently as they looked up to you," Kate replied, a half-smile plastered onto her face.

"What are you suggesting?"

Their eyes met, hers glowing, but she only smiled and looked away.

"You should just start giving them hope that we're not going to be there as long as them." She nodded to the skeletons resting in the grave.

The sky churned and a low grumble echoed back to Earth; they looked up just as rain began splashing onto their faces. He thought of Claire and Aaron, somewhere in the woods ahead of them. They would have to find somewhere to rest- not an hour into their journey. Jack sighed, and muttered:

"Typical."

When they met up with the rest Sayid led them to a shed that built into the jungle. As Sayid forced the door open the hinges squealed, kicking back mud until the opening was wide enough for them to step through. 'Quarantine' jumped at him from the back of the door: the same message as on the Swan. Sayid held out his hand to stop them before they could go any further.

"Looks like someone's been here since Ana-Louisa"

He nodded towards a collection of what looked like an overturn garbage can- cans of Dharma soup and bags of chips, bottles of prescription pills, and crumpled sheets of yellow-stained paper. He tried to imagine Ana being there, leading her group of people as he led his but going through more than they could have ever imagined. They were even now, he thought.

Kate looked at him oddly, while the others pretend they didn't notice. He was going to ask her what was wrong but then Claire began pacing the floor, bouncing Aaron in her arms, crossing right through where the trash had been. None of it was even there.

"We'll stay here as long as we need."

Jack looked up at Sayid's voice and saw his hand on Claire's arm. She nodded, but looked just as unconvinced as the rest at his promise. They couldn't stay very long without food, especially not with Aaron. Rainstorms on the island lasted everywhere from five minutes to hours.

On cue, the baby began to cry.

The room shone with dim light; Sayid found a lantern.

Jack examined the station. At least three feet wide the familiar template for the symbol featured an Arrow this time. Jack looked around. The building looked like a storage place. There weren't even dead lights along the ceiling or furniture left over from the past.

"What do you think this place was?" Kate asked him.

He shrugged.

"Another one of their testing centers."

Staring harshly at the floor, Kate didn't reply. The room was silent, so that they could hear the rain pounding outside.

The shed only contained the single room they were in along with a walkway from the door. Charlie was going through a chest stashed in the corner; from the looks of it he wasn't having much luck. A Bible and a radio, Jack remembered. Ana brought those back from this station.

A jab of pain struck his chest as he thought of her. She was young; younger than he was. She was a cop, but no one hardly shed two tears at her funeral. The situation she was thrown in was way too far over her head for her to deal with alone, but she grasped onto the initial instinct to step in and offer whatever she could, just like he had. She wanted to be in control, to have some control over what was happening to him. They were alike in so many ways while everyone else seemed to be completely out of their circle of understanding.

At one time he even thought he liked her. He tried seeing past the coldness everyone else saw and her and found someone rather human, rather understandable in the situation they were in.

But the simple fact was that he found that he felt more strongly for Kate. Ana knew this. He knew it, though it took him nearly two months to act on those feelings.

Sighing, he looked around. There was nothing he could do about it now. It was all on Kate. He'd waited to long.

Another one of his biggest mistakes he made on this island.

As they neared the camp the sun was high above them, and the air was thick. It was like walking through a heavy mist. He looked to Sayid, who made eye contact. He knew it too. The ground was damp from the rainstorm and immediately his shoes were soaked through the soaks from wet grass and thick mud.

Aaron was calm, at least. Claire still held him carefully in her arms, taking every step with extra caution and hesitating before going down any kind of uncertain terrain. The boy was older now, though, almost to big to be held by his mother.

"What?" Kate asked him.

He turned to her.

"Huh?"

"You were smiling," she said with her own grin.

Jack shook his head. Kate laughed, looking away. Immediately her face fell to horror, her eyes narrowing heavily.

"Jack!" She called, terrified, as she rushed forward.

He followed, noticing the sand that peeked out beneath the forest floor. They were there.

And on the ground, unconscious, at the beach-line were Sawyer and Juliet, his hand just inches from her. Face down and pale they looked startling stiff...

Kate was already calling his name as she rushed to Sawyer's side, eyes already moist. He fell to the ground beside her, checking his pulse and Juliet's. He sighed in relief, his stomach loosened just slightly.

"They're alive," he announced.

"Jack," Sayid called gravely

He'd run ahead of them, and Jack found him standing at the edge of the beach, eyes scanning the rest of the camp.

Everyone was on the ground in defeated lumps. The air was deathly silent while the waves crashed violently to the shore. His stomach churned painfully, his throat felt sour like he was going to be sick...

"Whoever did this couldn't have gotten far," Sayid, "in fact, they were probably close by when they attacked..."

Sayid turned and began chasing his instinct into the jungle; Jack began following. Sayid turned around, shaking his head.

"No, you stay here and help your people."

Your people.

He was supposed to be responsible for them again when he didn't even know if they trusted him. Or if he still trusted himself...

"Jack!"

He jumped at Kate's voice, which echoed sharply across the beach and pounded against the waves. Around him he began hearing strangled coughs, almost like an entire group of people were choking. Heads began to raise, eyes looking weary and confused.

Each one landed on him.

Author's Note: I told you I would update again! It just...takes awhile. I'm sooo sorry! With work and school it's a chaotic life, and I've been trying my best to come up with ways to continue the story and finish the chapter. Luckily I finally did and I hope you enjoyed reading. Thanks so much to any of you who have kept reading despite my horrible update habits. I try my best, I promise!

Until next time...

October Sky