Fall from Grace [Part Seven: Quid Pro Quo]
Title: Fall from Grace: Seven
Summary: Slightly AU since S4. Takes place after TTLG where Jack is found on the bridge by Sawyer who isn't too thrilled about having to save one "Doc Kamikaze" from himself. He reluctantly brings Kate into the mix, but matters are only complicated when she gets into a car accident while picking up Aaron from school. With everything Jack truly cares about on the line will he be able to man up enough to save Kate and be a constant in Aaron's life? Or will his alcohol and drug problem send him deeper into depression? Sawyer is not prepared to be friendly.
Pairing: Jawyer, Jate
Rating: PG-13 for some language and violence.
Disclaimer: I don’t own anything that has to do with LOST.
Part 7: Quid Pro Quo
“He hoped and prayed that there wasn't an afterlife. Then he realized there was a contradiction involved here and merely hoped that there wasn't an afterlife.”-Douglas Adams
Aaron was bored.
He drummed his fingers on the dash and counted the raindrops sliding down the passenger side window. Exactly twelve, then he lost count and moved to watch the cars sitting at the intersection as they rounded the corner.
“You’re fidgety today.” Kate was watching him out of the corner of her eye. He could not seem to sit still but she remained patient.
“I’m bored.” The blonde haired boy whined, shifting his Spiderman backpack on his lap.
“We’ll be home soon so sit tight.” She told him. He was right in the sense there was a lot more traffic than usual. A little bit of rain and it seemed as though the entire city was getting off early.
“Hey Mom?” Aaron asked quietly. He didn’t look at her right away. “You’re not going to leave me again tonight are you?”
Kate sighed and shook her head. “No sweetie of course not. One of Mommy’s friends was feeling sick and I had to stay with him, that’s all. I’m really sorry.”
The young boy’s eyes brightened. “Did you remember to read him a story to make him feel better?”
“No honey.” She chuckled. “But maybe I should have. He didn’t really seem like much of a story person.”
“You can let him borrow one of my books.” He offered. “And get Uncle Sawyer to read it to him. He’s a great story teller!”
She froze and glanced over with him with wide eyes. “Sawyer reads to you?”
Aaron shrugged. “Yup. When I had a really sore throat and had to stay in the hospital he came to visit. You were asleep so he read me almost the full Harry Potter book. I think it’s his favourite.”
“Yeah.” Kate grinned. “I think so too.”
“So are we almost there?” He asked, suddenly losing interest in the topic. The rain was harder now and he could barely see out the windshield through half closed eyes. The dull roar of the engine echoed inside the tiny vehicle making it hard for both of them to hear what the newscaster was saying.
“Mom?” He tried again.
She shook her head. “Hold on a sec kid, it’s hard to see the road.”
Kate turned the windshield wipers up another notch and squinted through the wall of water. Everything around her was blurry with the wind skating along at full force across the road. Gulping, she set her foot on the brake; which was slippery and stalled under the pressure making the car lurch forward as Aaron emitted a little cry. It was impossible to see the oncoming SUV in the eastbound lane. The vehicle slid head long, hitting off the guardrail in a shower of sparks. The scent of gasoline hung in the air before the impact took place. Thunder crackled in the clouds overhead making it all seem so much more surreal.
Aaron squeezed his eyes shut. Kate gripped the steering wheel. The silver Honda Civic crumbled as it was hit by the spinning Trail Blazer tearing a portion of the side off the small car. The rain continued to hiss, cascading down upon the burning wreckage.
No matter how hard he tried, the young boy could not keep from trembling. He had called out for his mother several times but she wouldn’t answer. She was sleeping. He didn’t know how long he sat there, sobbing into the side of his Spiderman backpack, which was still in his lap. He held onto it for dear life.
When the sound of sirens neared, his grip tightened.
“I don’t know what happened. I lost control of my…” He heard part of a conversation that confused him. Several men in bright blue jackets hovered around the car, shouting at his Mom who didn’t answer them. She was covered in blood and slumped awkwardly forward across the glass-strewn dash.
“He kiddo, everything’s gonna be okay.” One of the paramedics was peering in at him. He gently opened the passenger side door and knelt down.
“Can you tell me your name Sport?”
“Aaron.” He whispered, his blonde hair falling messily over his eyes where a cut sliced through the upper portion of his forehead.
“Well Aaron, my name’s Elliot. My friends and I going to take care of you and your Mom. Can you let us do that?”
The boy nodded, looking over when he saw two more men lifting his Mom out of the car. She wasn’t moving and one of the paramedics frowned as he set her on the stretcher.
“Come on Aaron.” Elliot offered a small smile and held out his arms. He was of medium build and cleanly shaven with a scruffy tuft of chestnut brown hair sitting on top of his head. “You can ride up front with me. Does anything hurt?”
Aaron shook his head. “But what about Mom?”
He let the strange man scoop him into his arms and wrap him in the funny blue coat.
“She’ll be right behind us. Mike and Alex are going to take really good care of her. Is that OK?”
“Yeah.” He said hesitantly, looking around wide-eyed at the interior of the ambulance and then at the paramedics bent over his Mom. The slamming of the door startled him.
“Her O2 sats are dropping; let’s get her on a non rebreather at 25”
“How are we holding up back there folks?” Elliot turned his head, trying not to jostle Aaron on his lap.
“Possible head and spinal. Hard to say, she stable but completely unresponsive to stimulus.” Alex huffed, reaching into one of the store cupboards for an IV line.
The brown haired man nodded. “Strap her down as best as possible. Our ETA is about five minutes so just try and keep her stable.”
“How about you kiddo? You’re doing a good job.” He commented to the boy.
“m’okay.” Aaron answered. His voice was quiet and his muscles rigid as he took in the strange surroundings. Elliot was not fooled by the hesitant boy in his arms and offered a gentle smile.
“You know...” he started carefully before reaching into the compartment under the dash. “You’re being really brave.”
The paramedic pulled out a large, fuzzy lion with a shaggy brown mane and the star of life stitched into its belly.
“Why don’t you hang on to him?” He offered. “For good luck.”
Aaron hugged the stuffed lion close to his chest and slung his Spiderman backpack over one shoulder. He watched the driver turn on the sirens as they approached an intersection and it drowned out the sound of rain beating against the windows. Elliot’s attention seemed divided with issuing orders to the men looking after his Mother and writing things down on a clipboard.
There were two doctors waiting in the ambulance bay of St. Sebastian Hospital. Dr. Doug Carter, a burly man with jet black hair and Dr. Robert Hamill who was of a tanned skin tone and tapped his foot impatiently.
“O2 sats are holding steady with a possible head and spinal.” Alex spoke as he hopped out through the side doors and strode around to the back. Mike guided the stretcher down while Elliot handed the boy over to Dr. Hamill.
“Hey there.” Robert crouched lower. “I know your name’s Aaron but who’s this?” He pointed to the lion in the boy’s arms.
“Does Mr. Lion have a first name?” He inquired seriously.
Aaron paused for a moment as the other man quickly glanced up to see Carter wheeling Kate into one of the trauma rooms.
“Harry.” The boy formally declared.
“Well than nice to meet you Harry.” Hamill shook the nearest lion limb which turned out to be its tail. He knew ahead of time that it was the wrong one at let Aaron correct him six times while he tried to shake everything from the lion’s ear to its nose. Aaron grinned at the doctor’s intentional cluelessness and finally directed him to the corresponding paw and Robert was officially introduced.
He then reached out for Aaron’s hand with much less difficulty. “My name is Dr. Hamill.” He told the boy and his stuffed animal. “Is it okay if I look at that scratch on your head?”
The boy nodded. “But then can I see my Mom. She must be getting tired of sleeping by now.”
Robert frowned, issuing another look toward the flood of medical staff that were streaming into the trauma room.
“We’ll see, okay chief?”
“Damn it Doc not that left. You’re other left.” Sawyer growled with the shake of his head.
Jack was sitting on the couch looking irritated under the wash of pale lamp light. “Why don’t you do it then?” He huffed, adjusting the intensity of his fingers. He pushed his thumb down hard making the southerner yelp in surprise.
“Jesus Doc, now you’ve done it.” Sawyer wet his lips with his tongue.
“You’re pushing down too hard, if you keep that up you’re going to...” He was cut off by the dull hum of the television buzzing in the background. The image changed to a black background with the words ‘GAME OVER’ skating across the top.
“Do that.” Sawyer finished, glaring pointedly at the thumb sized Mario projected on the screen with stars spinning around his head.
“It’s Nintendo Doc, hell ain’t rocket science.”
Jack scowled. “I’ve never done this before.” He complained, shoving the controller toward the sandy haired man.
“Haven’t you ever lived through the eighties?” The southerner asked baffled. He stood up to reset the cartridge and kicked aside half a dozen maps in the process. “Or were you in a coma or something?”
“Worse.” The doctor yawned, “Medical school.”
“So you were one of those all-work-no-play-no-fun -mopey-types?”
Jack shrugged. “I just had more important things to do.”
He leaned back into the couch and rested his head in his hands. The lull of the alcohol had started to fade again and he had a headache to match. His eyes shot open when he heard Sawyer curse, stubbing his toe on an atlas as he reached for the phone in his pocket.
“Yeah?” The shaggy haired man answered gruffly. There was a moment’s delay before a small voice cut in on the other line.
“Uncle Sawyer?” Aaron asked hesitantly as Dr. Hamill held the phone up to his ear.
“Hey Short-stop,” he whispered earning a raised eyebrow from Jack.
“Mommy got hurt. Will you come read her a story to make her feel better?” The boy asked timidly.
The doctor cut in before he had a chance to elaborate. “Mr. Ford. Kate Austen and her son were in a car accident about an hour ago. They were brought to St. Sebastian Hospital. Now Aaron is fine but Kate is suffering from some serious internal injuries. One of her kidneys is ruptured and there are fractures in her vertebrae that are impinging on her spinal cord. She’s going to need surgery and someone is going to have to...”
“I’m on my way,” he said hurriedly before hanging up the phone.
“Get up Jack, we have to go out.” He said seriously.
The dark haired man barely noticed his address. “Not now Sawyer, I’ve had enough fun and games for one day. I’m tired.”
“Get up.” Sawyer hissed, shaking his head at the look Jack was giving him. “Kate’s been in a car accident.”
Summary: Slightly AU since S4. Takes place after TTLG where Jack is found on the bridge by Sawyer who isn't too thrilled about having to save one "Doc Kamikaze" from himself. He reluctantly brings Kate into the mix, but matters are only complicated when she gets into a car accident while picking up Aaron from school. With everything Jack truly cares about on the line will he be able to man up enough to save Kate and be a constant in Aaron's life? Or will his alcohol and drug problem send him deeper into depression? Sawyer is not prepared to be friendly.
Pairing: Jawyer, Jate
Rating: PG-13 for some language and violence.
Disclaimer: I don’t own anything that has to do with LOST.
Part 7: Quid Pro Quo
“He hoped and prayed that there wasn't an afterlife. Then he realized there was a contradiction involved here and merely hoped that there wasn't an afterlife.”-Douglas Adams
Aaron was bored.
He drummed his fingers on the dash and counted the raindrops sliding down the passenger side window. Exactly twelve, then he lost count and moved to watch the cars sitting at the intersection as they rounded the corner.
“You’re fidgety today.” Kate was watching him out of the corner of her eye. He could not seem to sit still but she remained patient.
“I’m bored.” The blonde haired boy whined, shifting his Spiderman backpack on his lap.
“We’ll be home soon so sit tight.” She told him. He was right in the sense there was a lot more traffic than usual. A little bit of rain and it seemed as though the entire city was getting off early.
“Hey Mom?” Aaron asked quietly. He didn’t look at her right away. “You’re not going to leave me again tonight are you?”
Kate sighed and shook her head. “No sweetie of course not. One of Mommy’s friends was feeling sick and I had to stay with him, that’s all. I’m really sorry.”
The young boy’s eyes brightened. “Did you remember to read him a story to make him feel better?”
“No honey.” She chuckled. “But maybe I should have. He didn’t really seem like much of a story person.”
“You can let him borrow one of my books.” He offered. “And get Uncle Sawyer to read it to him. He’s a great story teller!”
She froze and glanced over with him with wide eyes. “Sawyer reads to you?”
Aaron shrugged. “Yup. When I had a really sore throat and had to stay in the hospital he came to visit. You were asleep so he read me almost the full Harry Potter book. I think it’s his favourite.”
“Yeah.” Kate grinned. “I think so too.”
“So are we almost there?” He asked, suddenly losing interest in the topic. The rain was harder now and he could barely see out the windshield through half closed eyes. The dull roar of the engine echoed inside the tiny vehicle making it hard for both of them to hear what the newscaster was saying.
“Mom?” He tried again.
She shook her head. “Hold on a sec kid, it’s hard to see the road.”
Kate turned the windshield wipers up another notch and squinted through the wall of water. Everything around her was blurry with the wind skating along at full force across the road. Gulping, she set her foot on the brake; which was slippery and stalled under the pressure making the car lurch forward as Aaron emitted a little cry. It was impossible to see the oncoming SUV in the eastbound lane. The vehicle slid head long, hitting off the guardrail in a shower of sparks. The scent of gasoline hung in the air before the impact took place. Thunder crackled in the clouds overhead making it all seem so much more surreal.
Aaron squeezed his eyes shut. Kate gripped the steering wheel. The silver Honda Civic crumbled as it was hit by the spinning Trail Blazer tearing a portion of the side off the small car. The rain continued to hiss, cascading down upon the burning wreckage.
No matter how hard he tried, the young boy could not keep from trembling. He had called out for his mother several times but she wouldn’t answer. She was sleeping. He didn’t know how long he sat there, sobbing into the side of his Spiderman backpack, which was still in his lap. He held onto it for dear life.
When the sound of sirens neared, his grip tightened.
“I don’t know what happened. I lost control of my…” He heard part of a conversation that confused him. Several men in bright blue jackets hovered around the car, shouting at his Mom who didn’t answer them. She was covered in blood and slumped awkwardly forward across the glass-strewn dash.
“He kiddo, everything’s gonna be okay.” One of the paramedics was peering in at him. He gently opened the passenger side door and knelt down.
“Can you tell me your name Sport?”
“Aaron.” He whispered, his blonde hair falling messily over his eyes where a cut sliced through the upper portion of his forehead.
“Well Aaron, my name’s Elliot. My friends and I going to take care of you and your Mom. Can you let us do that?”
The boy nodded, looking over when he saw two more men lifting his Mom out of the car. She wasn’t moving and one of the paramedics frowned as he set her on the stretcher.
“Come on Aaron.” Elliot offered a small smile and held out his arms. He was of medium build and cleanly shaven with a scruffy tuft of chestnut brown hair sitting on top of his head. “You can ride up front with me. Does anything hurt?”
Aaron shook his head. “But what about Mom?”
He let the strange man scoop him into his arms and wrap him in the funny blue coat.
“She’ll be right behind us. Mike and Alex are going to take really good care of her. Is that OK?”
“Yeah.” He said hesitantly, looking around wide-eyed at the interior of the ambulance and then at the paramedics bent over his Mom. The slamming of the door startled him.
“Her O2 sats are dropping; let’s get her on a non rebreather at 25”
“How are we holding up back there folks?” Elliot turned his head, trying not to jostle Aaron on his lap.
“Possible head and spinal. Hard to say, she stable but completely unresponsive to stimulus.” Alex huffed, reaching into one of the store cupboards for an IV line.
The brown haired man nodded. “Strap her down as best as possible. Our ETA is about five minutes so just try and keep her stable.”
“How about you kiddo? You’re doing a good job.” He commented to the boy.
“m’okay.” Aaron answered. His voice was quiet and his muscles rigid as he took in the strange surroundings. Elliot was not fooled by the hesitant boy in his arms and offered a gentle smile.
“You know...” he started carefully before reaching into the compartment under the dash. “You’re being really brave.”
The paramedic pulled out a large, fuzzy lion with a shaggy brown mane and the star of life stitched into its belly.
“Why don’t you hang on to him?” He offered. “For good luck.”
Aaron hugged the stuffed lion close to his chest and slung his Spiderman backpack over one shoulder. He watched the driver turn on the sirens as they approached an intersection and it drowned out the sound of rain beating against the windows. Elliot’s attention seemed divided with issuing orders to the men looking after his Mother and writing things down on a clipboard.
There were two doctors waiting in the ambulance bay of St. Sebastian Hospital. Dr. Doug Carter, a burly man with jet black hair and Dr. Robert Hamill who was of a tanned skin tone and tapped his foot impatiently.
“O2 sats are holding steady with a possible head and spinal.” Alex spoke as he hopped out through the side doors and strode around to the back. Mike guided the stretcher down while Elliot handed the boy over to Dr. Hamill.
“Hey there.” Robert crouched lower. “I know your name’s Aaron but who’s this?” He pointed to the lion in the boy’s arms.
“Does Mr. Lion have a first name?” He inquired seriously.
Aaron paused for a moment as the other man quickly glanced up to see Carter wheeling Kate into one of the trauma rooms.
“Harry.” The boy formally declared.
“Well than nice to meet you Harry.” Hamill shook the nearest lion limb which turned out to be its tail. He knew ahead of time that it was the wrong one at let Aaron correct him six times while he tried to shake everything from the lion’s ear to its nose. Aaron grinned at the doctor’s intentional cluelessness and finally directed him to the corresponding paw and Robert was officially introduced.
He then reached out for Aaron’s hand with much less difficulty. “My name is Dr. Hamill.” He told the boy and his stuffed animal. “Is it okay if I look at that scratch on your head?”
The boy nodded. “But then can I see my Mom. She must be getting tired of sleeping by now.”
Robert frowned, issuing another look toward the flood of medical staff that were streaming into the trauma room.
“We’ll see, okay chief?”
“Damn it Doc not that left. You’re other left.” Sawyer growled with the shake of his head.
Jack was sitting on the couch looking irritated under the wash of pale lamp light. “Why don’t you do it then?” He huffed, adjusting the intensity of his fingers. He pushed his thumb down hard making the southerner yelp in surprise.
“Jesus Doc, now you’ve done it.” Sawyer wet his lips with his tongue.
“You’re pushing down too hard, if you keep that up you’re going to...” He was cut off by the dull hum of the television buzzing in the background. The image changed to a black background with the words ‘GAME OVER’ skating across the top.
“Do that.” Sawyer finished, glaring pointedly at the thumb sized Mario projected on the screen with stars spinning around his head.
“It’s Nintendo Doc, hell ain’t rocket science.”
Jack scowled. “I’ve never done this before.” He complained, shoving the controller toward the sandy haired man.
“Haven’t you ever lived through the eighties?” The southerner asked baffled. He stood up to reset the cartridge and kicked aside half a dozen maps in the process. “Or were you in a coma or something?”
“Worse.” The doctor yawned, “Medical school.”
“So you were one of those all-work-no-play-no-fun -mopey-types?”
Jack shrugged. “I just had more important things to do.”
He leaned back into the couch and rested his head in his hands. The lull of the alcohol had started to fade again and he had a headache to match. His eyes shot open when he heard Sawyer curse, stubbing his toe on an atlas as he reached for the phone in his pocket.
“Yeah?” The shaggy haired man answered gruffly. There was a moment’s delay before a small voice cut in on the other line.
“Uncle Sawyer?” Aaron asked hesitantly as Dr. Hamill held the phone up to his ear.
“Hey Short-stop,” he whispered earning a raised eyebrow from Jack.
“Mommy got hurt. Will you come read her a story to make her feel better?” The boy asked timidly.
The doctor cut in before he had a chance to elaborate. “Mr. Ford. Kate Austen and her son were in a car accident about an hour ago. They were brought to St. Sebastian Hospital. Now Aaron is fine but Kate is suffering from some serious internal injuries. One of her kidneys is ruptured and there are fractures in her vertebrae that are impinging on her spinal cord. She’s going to need surgery and someone is going to have to...”
“I’m on my way,” he said hurriedly before hanging up the phone.
“Get up Jack, we have to go out.” He said seriously.
The dark haired man barely noticed his address. “Not now Sawyer, I’ve had enough fun and games for one day. I’m tired.”
“Get up.” Sawyer hissed, shaking his head at the look Jack was giving him. “Kate’s been in a car accident.”