As if it Never Happened
Title: As if it Never Happened
Characters/Pairings: Jack, Kate, Claire, Dr. Hanso, Sun, Locke, mentions of past Sun/Jin
Rating: PG-13 for a couple incidences of language
Summary: A possibility for what could have led Jack back to drinking post-island
Spoilers: Through season 3 finale
Disclaimer: It all belongs to the people at LOST and ABC.
Jack opened his eyes in a hospital bed. An IV hooked up to one hand. He blinked rapidly and looked around. Where the hell was he? A doctor walked in, looking at his chart.
“Good, you’re awake,” the doctor said. “How are you feeling, Dr. Shepard?”
“I-a little confused…I’m sorry. Where am I?”
The doctor jotted something on the clipboard and began to check his vitals. “You’re at St. Sebastian’s Hospital. You were involved in a serious car accident. Major pile-up.”
Jack frowned. “Car…” he shook his head. “No, no, it was a plane. A plane crash.”
The doctor leaned over and shone a light in his eyes. “No, Mr. Shepard. It was a car accident. I’m amazed anyone survived it.”
He tried to sit up and realized his right leg was in a cast up to his hip. “What the hell-”
“Your leg was broken in four places.”
Jack shook his head. “Look, the plane I was on. It crashed on an island. Oceanic Flight 815. There were-”
The doctor looked concerned and began to scribble on the chart. “Dr. Shepard, that’s impossible. Flight 815 was found, all bodies on board were deceased.”
“What? No, no, that’s not…I was on that plane.”
“Dr. Shepard, please. Just calm down. You’ve been in a coma for the last month,” the doctor said. “I’m going to have the psychologist come down and the neurologist, have them both do evaluations to see if they can help with your confusion.”
“I’m not confused,” Jack said, growing irritated. “I was on flight 815 from Sydney to Australia. There were other people-”
The doctor sighed and continued with his notes for another minute before leaving. Jack sighed and lay back against the pillow. He stared at the ceiling, trying to remember how he’d ended up here.
***
They transferred him to a psychiatric hospital. Jack argued relentlessly, but they insisted he was delusional and a hundred other words he chose to ignore. In the hospital, he sat in his room, angry and alone.
“Jack, this is Dr. Hanso. He’d like to speak with you,” the doctor said.
Jack rolled his eyes as the doctor came in and shut the door.
“Hello, Jack.”
“What d’you want?”
“Do you know why you’re here, Jack?”
He sighed. “Because you people won’t listen to me. I’m not crazy. I was on Oceanic Airlines flight 815. It crashed on an island. We were supposed to be rescued and I woke up at the hospital.”
The doctor sighed. “Jack, you do realize that the wreckage of flight 815 was found with all of the bodies deceased.”
Jack chuckled. “You know something? I don’t give a fuck what you people think you found. It wasn’t our plane.”
“Jack-”
“It wasn’t our plane.”
The doctor nodded. “I’d like to schedule a meeting with you in my office this afternoon.”
Jack said nothing.
“How about, three o’ clock?”
Jack rolled his eyes. “Great.”
The doctor stood up, a strange look crossing his face. Jack ignored it and said nothing as the doctor left.
***
The office was spacious. The sofa was a rich brown leather with two matching chairs. A small water dispenser stood in the corner across from the massive oak desk. Dr. Hanso was behind the desk when Jack was brought in. He gestured for Jack to sit down. Jack took a seat in one of the chairs.
“What?” he asked.
“We’ll begin as soon as the others arrive,” Dr. Hanso said.
“Others? What others?”
The door opened again and Kate was led in, her eyes red from crying. Jack stood quickly and hugged her. The orderly glanced at Dr. Hanso, who shook his head. The orderly disappeared into the hallway.
“Are you okay?” Jack asked, not letting go of her.
Kate nodded, pulling away from him slightly, but holding his arm. Jack sat beside her on the couch. He kept his hand locked with hers as though afraid that losing physical contact would mean losing Kate. The door swung open again and Sun was led in with Locke. Jack and Kate hugged them both tightly and the group managed to squeeze together on the sofa. Dr. Hanso sat behind the desk, taking careful notes.
“What the hell’s going on?” Jack asked.
“You tell me, Jack,” Dr. Hanso said.
“You told me I wasn’t on the plane. That I’m here because I wasn’t really on the plane. How come I know them? How come I remember them and they remember me?”
Dr. Hanso stared at each of them in turn. “You really have no idea, do you?”
They stared at one another in confusion.
Dr. Hanso stepped out from behind his desk and crossed to one of the chairs. “You all remember this alleged island?”
“There’s nothing alleged about it,” Kate snapped. “It’s a real island and there are still people on it.”
Dr. Hanso nodded, a haunting grin on his face. “You four are in a very…unusual position.”
“Meaning what?” Locke asked.
“Meaning, in short, that yes, you were on the plane, Oceanic flight 815. It crashed on an uncharted island and some of the survivors managed to live there until rescue appeared 93 days later.”
Kate held Jack’s hand a little tighter.
“That being said,” Dr. Hanso continued, “you were not supposed to remember it.”
“What?”
“The island you crashed on is uncharted because very powerful people pay a lot of money to keep it that way. When flight 815 disappeared, it was suspected that you crashed there.”
“You knew we were there?” Jack asked.
“No, not for certain,” Dr. Hanso said. “And the exact location of the island is known to very few. Even if someone had suspected it, going to the island is not as simple as locating it on a map. A false site was set up and papers were drawn up documenting deceased passengers.”
Locke shook his head. “I’m afraid that I’m not following.”
“When we found you all, each of you was put into a medically induced coma. Upon recovery, you were each told you had been in a severe car accident. Everyone believed their diagnosis of trauma-induced amnesia. Everyone except you four.”
“You-you tried to brainwash us?” Kate asked.
“Technically, but you must understand our intent. We want to give you your lives back.”
“Our lives-you’ve ruined our lives,” Kate said. “What about the people still on the island?”
“Kate, understand us,” Dr. Hanso said. “We have the power and the connections to set each of you up very comfortably.”
“You’re talking about hush money,” Locke said.
“No. I’m talking about fresh starts, clean slates,” he continued, staring at each of them. “Think of it. A fresh start in L.A. A new start with a new identity for you, Kate. One which the authorities will never discover, which has no criminal record. A guarantee that your paralysis would never return, John. And Sun, a new start in America, just as you’d hoped for, with citizenship.”
The group stared at each other.
“What’s the catch?” Locke asked.
“What about the rest of the people you rescued with us?” Jack asked.
“They’re all fine. We’ve set them all up quite comfortably. They believe, of course, that the money is from an out-of-court settlement from the driver responsible for the crash.”
“And their families?” Sun asked. “People knew what flight we were on.”
“Yes. But people will do most anything for the right price,” Dr. Hanso said.
“What about the people still on the island?” Sun asked. “Jin is still on the island. And Hurley, Charlie, Desmond, Juliet-”
“Those still on the island are none of your concern.”
“Jin is my husband!”
“No, Sun. You are unmarried.”
Her eyes filled with tears. Jack held her hand with his free one. “You can’t do that. You can’t just-just…erase people’s lives.”
“Of course I can, Jack.”
Dr. Hanso crossed back to the desk and picked up a stack of papers stapled together. He handed it to Locke. “John, would you please take a look at this?”
Locke glanced at Jack and the women and then the papers. “It’s the flight manifest.”
“The official flight manifest of Oceanic Flight 815,” Dr. Hanso said. “Would you please find your name on it?”
Locke glared at the doctor with suspicion, but began to scan the names. He flipped through the pages, shaking his head. “This-this isn’t possible…”
“What? What is it?” Sun asked.
“I-I’m not on it.”
Jack dropped Kate’s and Sun’s hands and took the paper. He flipped through it. There was no John Locke listed on the plane. Jack began to search for his own name. “Here. Seat 23B.” He froze and looked up at Dr. Hanso. “I was in 23B. Who the hell is Jeremiah Swenson?”
“The passenger who perished on flight 815. He was seated in 23B, Jack. Not you.”
Kate looked from Jack to the doctor. “What-what are you saying?”
“When you were found, the flight manifests were doctored. No one rescued from the island was on flight 815. At least, not officially.”
Locke frowned. “That’s…that’s insane.”
“No, it’s smart. We’re doing very important work on the island which the general public cannot be made aware of.”
“And what’s gonna stop us from walking out of here and telling the media? Or anyone else for that matter?” Jack asked.
“I doubt very much that anyone would believe the word of an insane man,” Dr. Hanso said. “You see, Jack, we have documentation of a nervous breakdown suffered after the traumatic news of your father’s death.”
Jack shook his head. “My mother-”
“Was very disappointed to find that you’d left Australia without your father’s body and without contacting her,” Dr. Hanso said. “You see, Jack, as soon as you were found, your mother was notified that you had suffered a nervous breakdown in Australia and had been in an institution there as a John Doe.”
Jack paled.
“So just like that, huh? Just like that you’ll tell people we’re nuts?” Kate asked.
“Yes.”
“That’s just too damn bad,” Locke said, “because there’s no way in hell that I’m keeping my mouth shut for a few bucks.”
“You have two choices, each of you,” Dr. Hanso said. “Agree to keep silent, take our money and the opportunity we have set up for you.”
“Or?” Locke asked.
“Or I will personally make sure that you never tell anyone anything again.”
“Take our deal or we’ll kill you? Don’t you think that’s a bit clichéd?” Jack asked with a light chuckle.
“Cliché or not, Dr. Shepard, we will do it. The island will not be exposed nor will you find it again. Speaking out, publicly or privately, will result in your immediate end.”
***
Sun and Kate immediately took the deal. Jack urged Sun too, if only for her baby. Kate simply couldn’t refuse the chance to truly start over and stop running. Jack and Locke had debated much longer. Jack took a week and three long conversations with Kate and Sun before finally being convinced. Locke refused. They never saw him again.
***
Jack took a deep breath and stepped into the restaurant. He knew it was a risk to come here, but he had to see if Dr. Hanso was lying or not. Some college-age kid seated him and said the waitress would be right there. A minute later, she appeared.
“Hi. My name’s Claire. Can I get you something to drink?”
Jack felt his heart start to race. “Claire.”
She looked up from her notepad, almost as though she’d recognized his voice. “Yes?”
“I’ll, uh, I’ll have a gin and tonic,” he said.
Claire nodded. “Great. And here’s the menu for you. I’ll be right back with your drink.”
Jack’s heart sank. There was no recognition in her voice or her eyes. She truly had no memory of him, of the island. Probably figured it had been some horrible dream. He tried to think of a way of asking about Aaron, to make sure the baby was okay. Claire returned with his drink.
“You know, you look a little familiar. Have we met?”
Claire thought for a minute. “I’ve worked here for, like, six months. Have you come in before?”
Jack shook his head. “No, no…probably mistaking you for someone else…”
Claire smiled and took his order.
Jack picked at the food, trying to think. What would Sayid do? Hell, what would Sawyer do? Lying was more Sawyer’s thing than Sayid’s. In the six months since he’d been back, Jack had managed to get several meetings with Hanso. He refused to discuss the island and its purposes. He also refused to tell Jack anything about the fates of those who’d been left behind.
When the time came to pay the bill, Jack intentionally used his credit card. Maybe his name would ring a bell. Claire brought back the card and the receipt for Jack to sign.
“And I’ll need to check your ID. Just standard,” she said.
Jack nodded and flipped open his wallet. Claire leaned over and squinted.
“Oh, you’re a doctor?” she asked.
Jack nodded. “Yeah. Over at St. Sebastian’s.”
“Oh! That may be where we met,” she said.
Jack held his breath. “You were a patient there?”
Claire nodded, smiling. “My son was born there.”
“He-he was?”
“Yeah. About nine months ago,” Claire said. She chuckled. “I was so doped up on painkillers, I hardly knew what was going on.”
Jack forced a smile. “That must’ve been it then. How is your son?”
“Great. Doing just great.”
And then she was gone again.
Characters/Pairings: Jack, Kate, Claire, Dr. Hanso, Sun, Locke, mentions of past Sun/Jin
Rating: PG-13 for a couple incidences of language
Summary: A possibility for what could have led Jack back to drinking post-island
Spoilers: Through season 3 finale
Disclaimer: It all belongs to the people at LOST and ABC.
Jack opened his eyes in a hospital bed. An IV hooked up to one hand. He blinked rapidly and looked around. Where the hell was he? A doctor walked in, looking at his chart.
“Good, you’re awake,” the doctor said. “How are you feeling, Dr. Shepard?”
“I-a little confused…I’m sorry. Where am I?”
The doctor jotted something on the clipboard and began to check his vitals. “You’re at St. Sebastian’s Hospital. You were involved in a serious car accident. Major pile-up.”
Jack frowned. “Car…” he shook his head. “No, no, it was a plane. A plane crash.”
The doctor leaned over and shone a light in his eyes. “No, Mr. Shepard. It was a car accident. I’m amazed anyone survived it.”
He tried to sit up and realized his right leg was in a cast up to his hip. “What the hell-”
“Your leg was broken in four places.”
Jack shook his head. “Look, the plane I was on. It crashed on an island. Oceanic Flight 815. There were-”
The doctor looked concerned and began to scribble on the chart. “Dr. Shepard, that’s impossible. Flight 815 was found, all bodies on board were deceased.”
“What? No, no, that’s not…I was on that plane.”
“Dr. Shepard, please. Just calm down. You’ve been in a coma for the last month,” the doctor said. “I’m going to have the psychologist come down and the neurologist, have them both do evaluations to see if they can help with your confusion.”
“I’m not confused,” Jack said, growing irritated. “I was on flight 815 from Sydney to Australia. There were other people-”
The doctor sighed and continued with his notes for another minute before leaving. Jack sighed and lay back against the pillow. He stared at the ceiling, trying to remember how he’d ended up here.
***
They transferred him to a psychiatric hospital. Jack argued relentlessly, but they insisted he was delusional and a hundred other words he chose to ignore. In the hospital, he sat in his room, angry and alone.
“Jack, this is Dr. Hanso. He’d like to speak with you,” the doctor said.
Jack rolled his eyes as the doctor came in and shut the door.
“Hello, Jack.”
“What d’you want?”
“Do you know why you’re here, Jack?”
He sighed. “Because you people won’t listen to me. I’m not crazy. I was on Oceanic Airlines flight 815. It crashed on an island. We were supposed to be rescued and I woke up at the hospital.”
The doctor sighed. “Jack, you do realize that the wreckage of flight 815 was found with all of the bodies deceased.”
Jack chuckled. “You know something? I don’t give a fuck what you people think you found. It wasn’t our plane.”
“Jack-”
“It wasn’t our plane.”
The doctor nodded. “I’d like to schedule a meeting with you in my office this afternoon.”
Jack said nothing.
“How about, three o’ clock?”
Jack rolled his eyes. “Great.”
The doctor stood up, a strange look crossing his face. Jack ignored it and said nothing as the doctor left.
***
The office was spacious. The sofa was a rich brown leather with two matching chairs. A small water dispenser stood in the corner across from the massive oak desk. Dr. Hanso was behind the desk when Jack was brought in. He gestured for Jack to sit down. Jack took a seat in one of the chairs.
“What?” he asked.
“We’ll begin as soon as the others arrive,” Dr. Hanso said.
“Others? What others?”
The door opened again and Kate was led in, her eyes red from crying. Jack stood quickly and hugged her. The orderly glanced at Dr. Hanso, who shook his head. The orderly disappeared into the hallway.
“Are you okay?” Jack asked, not letting go of her.
Kate nodded, pulling away from him slightly, but holding his arm. Jack sat beside her on the couch. He kept his hand locked with hers as though afraid that losing physical contact would mean losing Kate. The door swung open again and Sun was led in with Locke. Jack and Kate hugged them both tightly and the group managed to squeeze together on the sofa. Dr. Hanso sat behind the desk, taking careful notes.
“What the hell’s going on?” Jack asked.
“You tell me, Jack,” Dr. Hanso said.
“You told me I wasn’t on the plane. That I’m here because I wasn’t really on the plane. How come I know them? How come I remember them and they remember me?”
Dr. Hanso stared at each of them in turn. “You really have no idea, do you?”
They stared at one another in confusion.
Dr. Hanso stepped out from behind his desk and crossed to one of the chairs. “You all remember this alleged island?”
“There’s nothing alleged about it,” Kate snapped. “It’s a real island and there are still people on it.”
Dr. Hanso nodded, a haunting grin on his face. “You four are in a very…unusual position.”
“Meaning what?” Locke asked.
“Meaning, in short, that yes, you were on the plane, Oceanic flight 815. It crashed on an uncharted island and some of the survivors managed to live there until rescue appeared 93 days later.”
Kate held Jack’s hand a little tighter.
“That being said,” Dr. Hanso continued, “you were not supposed to remember it.”
“What?”
“The island you crashed on is uncharted because very powerful people pay a lot of money to keep it that way. When flight 815 disappeared, it was suspected that you crashed there.”
“You knew we were there?” Jack asked.
“No, not for certain,” Dr. Hanso said. “And the exact location of the island is known to very few. Even if someone had suspected it, going to the island is not as simple as locating it on a map. A false site was set up and papers were drawn up documenting deceased passengers.”
Locke shook his head. “I’m afraid that I’m not following.”
“When we found you all, each of you was put into a medically induced coma. Upon recovery, you were each told you had been in a severe car accident. Everyone believed their diagnosis of trauma-induced amnesia. Everyone except you four.”
“You-you tried to brainwash us?” Kate asked.
“Technically, but you must understand our intent. We want to give you your lives back.”
“Our lives-you’ve ruined our lives,” Kate said. “What about the people still on the island?”
“Kate, understand us,” Dr. Hanso said. “We have the power and the connections to set each of you up very comfortably.”
“You’re talking about hush money,” Locke said.
“No. I’m talking about fresh starts, clean slates,” he continued, staring at each of them. “Think of it. A fresh start in L.A. A new start with a new identity for you, Kate. One which the authorities will never discover, which has no criminal record. A guarantee that your paralysis would never return, John. And Sun, a new start in America, just as you’d hoped for, with citizenship.”
The group stared at each other.
“What’s the catch?” Locke asked.
“What about the rest of the people you rescued with us?” Jack asked.
“They’re all fine. We’ve set them all up quite comfortably. They believe, of course, that the money is from an out-of-court settlement from the driver responsible for the crash.”
“And their families?” Sun asked. “People knew what flight we were on.”
“Yes. But people will do most anything for the right price,” Dr. Hanso said.
“What about the people still on the island?” Sun asked. “Jin is still on the island. And Hurley, Charlie, Desmond, Juliet-”
“Those still on the island are none of your concern.”
“Jin is my husband!”
“No, Sun. You are unmarried.”
Her eyes filled with tears. Jack held her hand with his free one. “You can’t do that. You can’t just-just…erase people’s lives.”
“Of course I can, Jack.”
Dr. Hanso crossed back to the desk and picked up a stack of papers stapled together. He handed it to Locke. “John, would you please take a look at this?”
Locke glanced at Jack and the women and then the papers. “It’s the flight manifest.”
“The official flight manifest of Oceanic Flight 815,” Dr. Hanso said. “Would you please find your name on it?”
Locke glared at the doctor with suspicion, but began to scan the names. He flipped through the pages, shaking his head. “This-this isn’t possible…”
“What? What is it?” Sun asked.
“I-I’m not on it.”
Jack dropped Kate’s and Sun’s hands and took the paper. He flipped through it. There was no John Locke listed on the plane. Jack began to search for his own name. “Here. Seat 23B.” He froze and looked up at Dr. Hanso. “I was in 23B. Who the hell is Jeremiah Swenson?”
“The passenger who perished on flight 815. He was seated in 23B, Jack. Not you.”
Kate looked from Jack to the doctor. “What-what are you saying?”
“When you were found, the flight manifests were doctored. No one rescued from the island was on flight 815. At least, not officially.”
Locke frowned. “That’s…that’s insane.”
“No, it’s smart. We’re doing very important work on the island which the general public cannot be made aware of.”
“And what’s gonna stop us from walking out of here and telling the media? Or anyone else for that matter?” Jack asked.
“I doubt very much that anyone would believe the word of an insane man,” Dr. Hanso said. “You see, Jack, we have documentation of a nervous breakdown suffered after the traumatic news of your father’s death.”
Jack shook his head. “My mother-”
“Was very disappointed to find that you’d left Australia without your father’s body and without contacting her,” Dr. Hanso said. “You see, Jack, as soon as you were found, your mother was notified that you had suffered a nervous breakdown in Australia and had been in an institution there as a John Doe.”
Jack paled.
“So just like that, huh? Just like that you’ll tell people we’re nuts?” Kate asked.
“Yes.”
“That’s just too damn bad,” Locke said, “because there’s no way in hell that I’m keeping my mouth shut for a few bucks.”
“You have two choices, each of you,” Dr. Hanso said. “Agree to keep silent, take our money and the opportunity we have set up for you.”
“Or?” Locke asked.
“Or I will personally make sure that you never tell anyone anything again.”
“Take our deal or we’ll kill you? Don’t you think that’s a bit clichéd?” Jack asked with a light chuckle.
“Cliché or not, Dr. Shepard, we will do it. The island will not be exposed nor will you find it again. Speaking out, publicly or privately, will result in your immediate end.”
***
Sun and Kate immediately took the deal. Jack urged Sun too, if only for her baby. Kate simply couldn’t refuse the chance to truly start over and stop running. Jack and Locke had debated much longer. Jack took a week and three long conversations with Kate and Sun before finally being convinced. Locke refused. They never saw him again.
***
Jack took a deep breath and stepped into the restaurant. He knew it was a risk to come here, but he had to see if Dr. Hanso was lying or not. Some college-age kid seated him and said the waitress would be right there. A minute later, she appeared.
“Hi. My name’s Claire. Can I get you something to drink?”
Jack felt his heart start to race. “Claire.”
She looked up from her notepad, almost as though she’d recognized his voice. “Yes?”
“I’ll, uh, I’ll have a gin and tonic,” he said.
Claire nodded. “Great. And here’s the menu for you. I’ll be right back with your drink.”
Jack’s heart sank. There was no recognition in her voice or her eyes. She truly had no memory of him, of the island. Probably figured it had been some horrible dream. He tried to think of a way of asking about Aaron, to make sure the baby was okay. Claire returned with his drink.
“You know, you look a little familiar. Have we met?”
Claire thought for a minute. “I’ve worked here for, like, six months. Have you come in before?”
Jack shook his head. “No, no…probably mistaking you for someone else…”
Claire smiled and took his order.
Jack picked at the food, trying to think. What would Sayid do? Hell, what would Sawyer do? Lying was more Sawyer’s thing than Sayid’s. In the six months since he’d been back, Jack had managed to get several meetings with Hanso. He refused to discuss the island and its purposes. He also refused to tell Jack anything about the fates of those who’d been left behind.
When the time came to pay the bill, Jack intentionally used his credit card. Maybe his name would ring a bell. Claire brought back the card and the receipt for Jack to sign.
“And I’ll need to check your ID. Just standard,” she said.
Jack nodded and flipped open his wallet. Claire leaned over and squinted.
“Oh, you’re a doctor?” she asked.
Jack nodded. “Yeah. Over at St. Sebastian’s.”
“Oh! That may be where we met,” she said.
Jack held his breath. “You were a patient there?”
Claire nodded, smiling. “My son was born there.”
“He-he was?”
“Yeah. About nine months ago,” Claire said. She chuckled. “I was so doped up on painkillers, I hardly knew what was going on.”
Jack forced a smile. “That must’ve been it then. How is your son?”
“Great. Doing just great.”
And then she was gone again.