All in Time: Chapter 3
Chapter 3
Confession
They had been traveling for hours, when the sun began to set. They made camp by the same river they had stopped at on the way to the radio tower. Jack had noticed Kate was sitting by herself away from the rest of the camp and walked over to where she was sitting.
“This seat taken?” Jack asked in a friendly tone.
“No, but you can have it if you want.” She smiled up at him.
Jack removed his back pack and took a seat on the dirt next to her. They sat silent for a few minutes before Jack finally broke the silence.
“You hungry?”
“A little.” she said looking at him start to pull something out of his bag.
Jack pulled out a mango and started to cut into it, “Here.” he said as he gave her half.
“Thanks.” Kate said as she accepted the piece of fruit.
Jack watched as she took a bite of the piece of mango he had given her.
“So Kate, what are you going to do if we all get rescued?”
Kate looked sadly at the piece of fruit in her hand. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, are you going to go back to being a fugitive again…on the run?”
Kate let out a weary sigh. “No Jack,” she paused, and looked him in the eyes, “I’m done running.”
Jack watched as the tears began to form in her eyes. He knew she was sincere about what she had just said. Jack looked away at the thought of what that meant. Jack couldn’t picture Kate locked up in some jail. He couldn’t imagine what Kate could have possibly done to deserve that. He knew that she was a good person, and had always believed that whatever Kate had done, she must have had a good reason to.
“What about you?” she asked, changing the subject. “You have any big plans?”
Jack thought about how lonely his life was before the crash; how busy his work kept him. There was nobody waiting for him at home. He thought about his mother, and if she would be happy upon his return.
“Honestly, I don’t know. Maybe visit my mom…start working again.”
“Are you and your mom close?” She asked.
“Nah, she blamed me for the problems she had with my dad…” Jack trailed off not really wanting to elaborate on the details. “What about your family?”
Kate let out a sad laugh, “I don’t have a family anymore. Everyone I’ve ever cared about has either disowned me or died.”
Jack watched as a tear ran down Kate’s cheek. Kate quickly wiped it away. Jack was at a loss for words. He had the urge to hold her close and tell her that he would never abandon her no matter what she had done in the past. He swallowed hard, “You wanna talk about it?”
Kate looked at him for a moment then back down at what remained of her piece of fruit. Jack took her silence as a sign and began to change the subject, but Kate’s sudden words silenced him.
“I was five years old when my mom left my dad and married my step-dad Wayne. He would beat her just about every chance he got.” Kate looked up at Jack, a disturbed look on his face. “Not me, but he used to look at me though… in ways a step father should never look at his daughter. I caught him a few times watching me changing in my bedroom. I told my mom, and she wouldn’t hear any of it, she told me it was nonsense. I guess she just thought that was my way of acting out against Wayne.” Kate paused to wipe away a few more stray tears that had fallen. “One night my mom was working late, and I was watching some TV. Wayne came home drunk as usual, and sat next to me on the couch. I tried to get up to leave but he grabbed my arm, pulled me into his lap and tried to put his hand up my shirt. I grabbed the lamp behind me and hit him over the head. It knocked him out cold. I was 17 years old. After that I couldn’t live there anymore, so I went to live with my friend Beth. Even after that, my mom still stayed with him.” Kate’s voice started to shake with anger. “I hated him and when I found out that he was actually my biological father; that half of him was inside me, I....”
Jack stopped Kate, knowing what she was going to say, that she had killed Wayne. “Kate, its okay,” he said and gently pulled her close to him. Kate wrapped her arms around Jack and cried against his chest. A mixture of emotions ran through Jack as he thought about what Kate had just revealed. Jack had wanted to know for so long about Kate’s past, it brought on a sense of closeness and understanding towards her, but he couldn’t stand the torment that it was putting her through. Jack was upset at Wayne for what he had done to Kate and her mother, and mad at himself for pushing the subject. He didn’t want her to think that this would change how he felt about her.
“Kate, listen to me,” This prompted Kate to lift her head from Jack’s chest to look at his face, “whatever happens to us, I want you to know that I will always be there for you; no matter what.”
Kate nodded and gave Jack a weak smile. “I know.”
Jack cupped her face in his hands and gently wiped away the tears that remained with his thumbs and smiled affectionately at her. “Good.” Jack had thought about kissing her at that moment. Kate’s eyes, of vibrant shades of green due to her tears, gave their consent as Jack moved in closer. Their lips nearly connected when they both suddenly stopped as they heard the startling sound of both Carl and Danielle shouting out into the darkness for Alex.
Confession
They had been traveling for hours, when the sun began to set. They made camp by the same river they had stopped at on the way to the radio tower. Jack had noticed Kate was sitting by herself away from the rest of the camp and walked over to where she was sitting.
“This seat taken?” Jack asked in a friendly tone.
“No, but you can have it if you want.” She smiled up at him.
Jack removed his back pack and took a seat on the dirt next to her. They sat silent for a few minutes before Jack finally broke the silence.
“You hungry?”
“A little.” she said looking at him start to pull something out of his bag.
Jack pulled out a mango and started to cut into it, “Here.” he said as he gave her half.
“Thanks.” Kate said as she accepted the piece of fruit.
Jack watched as she took a bite of the piece of mango he had given her.
“So Kate, what are you going to do if we all get rescued?”
Kate looked sadly at the piece of fruit in her hand. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, are you going to go back to being a fugitive again…on the run?”
Kate let out a weary sigh. “No Jack,” she paused, and looked him in the eyes, “I’m done running.”
Jack watched as the tears began to form in her eyes. He knew she was sincere about what she had just said. Jack looked away at the thought of what that meant. Jack couldn’t picture Kate locked up in some jail. He couldn’t imagine what Kate could have possibly done to deserve that. He knew that she was a good person, and had always believed that whatever Kate had done, she must have had a good reason to.
“What about you?” she asked, changing the subject. “You have any big plans?”
Jack thought about how lonely his life was before the crash; how busy his work kept him. There was nobody waiting for him at home. He thought about his mother, and if she would be happy upon his return.
“Honestly, I don’t know. Maybe visit my mom…start working again.”
“Are you and your mom close?” She asked.
“Nah, she blamed me for the problems she had with my dad…” Jack trailed off not really wanting to elaborate on the details. “What about your family?”
Kate let out a sad laugh, “I don’t have a family anymore. Everyone I’ve ever cared about has either disowned me or died.”
Jack watched as a tear ran down Kate’s cheek. Kate quickly wiped it away. Jack was at a loss for words. He had the urge to hold her close and tell her that he would never abandon her no matter what she had done in the past. He swallowed hard, “You wanna talk about it?”
Kate looked at him for a moment then back down at what remained of her piece of fruit. Jack took her silence as a sign and began to change the subject, but Kate’s sudden words silenced him.
“I was five years old when my mom left my dad and married my step-dad Wayne. He would beat her just about every chance he got.” Kate looked up at Jack, a disturbed look on his face. “Not me, but he used to look at me though… in ways a step father should never look at his daughter. I caught him a few times watching me changing in my bedroom. I told my mom, and she wouldn’t hear any of it, she told me it was nonsense. I guess she just thought that was my way of acting out against Wayne.” Kate paused to wipe away a few more stray tears that had fallen. “One night my mom was working late, and I was watching some TV. Wayne came home drunk as usual, and sat next to me on the couch. I tried to get up to leave but he grabbed my arm, pulled me into his lap and tried to put his hand up my shirt. I grabbed the lamp behind me and hit him over the head. It knocked him out cold. I was 17 years old. After that I couldn’t live there anymore, so I went to live with my friend Beth. Even after that, my mom still stayed with him.” Kate’s voice started to shake with anger. “I hated him and when I found out that he was actually my biological father; that half of him was inside me, I....”
Jack stopped Kate, knowing what she was going to say, that she had killed Wayne. “Kate, its okay,” he said and gently pulled her close to him. Kate wrapped her arms around Jack and cried against his chest. A mixture of emotions ran through Jack as he thought about what Kate had just revealed. Jack had wanted to know for so long about Kate’s past, it brought on a sense of closeness and understanding towards her, but he couldn’t stand the torment that it was putting her through. Jack was upset at Wayne for what he had done to Kate and her mother, and mad at himself for pushing the subject. He didn’t want her to think that this would change how he felt about her.
“Kate, listen to me,” This prompted Kate to lift her head from Jack’s chest to look at his face, “whatever happens to us, I want you to know that I will always be there for you; no matter what.”
Kate nodded and gave Jack a weak smile. “I know.”
Jack cupped her face in his hands and gently wiped away the tears that remained with his thumbs and smiled affectionately at her. “Good.” Jack had thought about kissing her at that moment. Kate’s eyes, of vibrant shades of green due to her tears, gave their consent as Jack moved in closer. Their lips nearly connected when they both suddenly stopped as they heard the startling sound of both Carl and Danielle shouting out into the darkness for Alex.