Fanfic: Sterile
Title: Sterile
Characters: Jack. Jack/Kate
Summary: Drabble. Set during the 3 years the O6 were off island. Jack realizes just how cold the hospital actually is.
He’d never noticed how cold and unwelcoming the hospital actually is. He used to spend thirteen and fourteen hour shifts and not think twice about it. Some weeks he would only be back to his apartment for a few hours, to grab a fresh pair of socks or underwear and would return to the hospital to pull another suicidal shift. He used to think that hospital food was pretty good, never thought of it as stale and tasteless. He never paid attention to the pale pastel colors, or the flickering dim lights.
It was not until he came back from the island, back to his normal life, that he started to notice how unlivable the hospital truly is. Suddenly, the colors were depressing compared the vibrant shades and colors he had gotten used to on the island. The smells were sickening compared to the smell of the grass after an afternoon rain, the smell of the ocean spray mixed with fresh fruits and the boar cooking just down the beach. The lights that he was so used to work under were annoyingly dim and dull compared to the bright sunshine he had grown accustomed to, or the warm flicker of the fire he enjoyed during the long evenings he had spent, with Kate by his side, discussing the events of the day, or preparing for the next.
The worst though is the cold, sterile feeling that he feels in everything. Everything he touches is unwelcoming; the air is too cold, the walls, the floor, the doors, even his desk. He tries to add a personal touch, something he had never thought of before, putting a picture of his mom and one of Kate and Aaron on his desk, but it still fades in comparison to everything around him. The irony makes him laugh. He tried for months to escape the island, and now all he does is reminisce about it.
He shakes his head at the thought and tries to get back to the pile of paperwork on his desk. A soft knock at his door is a welcome distraction, and he calls to his visitor to come on in. Kate walks in with a bright smile, and finally, everything about her erases the usually overwhelming atmosphere of the hospital. Her skin is a vibrant bronze, her eyes shimmer a forest green with a wide smile that stretches across her face.
“Ready for lunch?” she beams, walking towards him, and he is on his feet to greet her.
She smells of passion fruit and guavas (a shower gel she’d found a couple of months ago and he’d insisted she never use another, ever). He pulls her into a crushing hug, wrapping his arms around her, pulling her flush against him. His face is in her hair, and she giggles against his neck.
She says his name when a few moments pass and he does not let go. He pulls her tighter and whispers against her skin “you’re so warm.”
Characters: Jack. Jack/Kate
Summary: Drabble. Set during the 3 years the O6 were off island. Jack realizes just how cold the hospital actually is.
He’d never noticed how cold and unwelcoming the hospital actually is. He used to spend thirteen and fourteen hour shifts and not think twice about it. Some weeks he would only be back to his apartment for a few hours, to grab a fresh pair of socks or underwear and would return to the hospital to pull another suicidal shift. He used to think that hospital food was pretty good, never thought of it as stale and tasteless. He never paid attention to the pale pastel colors, or the flickering dim lights.
It was not until he came back from the island, back to his normal life, that he started to notice how unlivable the hospital truly is. Suddenly, the colors were depressing compared the vibrant shades and colors he had gotten used to on the island. The smells were sickening compared to the smell of the grass after an afternoon rain, the smell of the ocean spray mixed with fresh fruits and the boar cooking just down the beach. The lights that he was so used to work under were annoyingly dim and dull compared to the bright sunshine he had grown accustomed to, or the warm flicker of the fire he enjoyed during the long evenings he had spent, with Kate by his side, discussing the events of the day, or preparing for the next.
The worst though is the cold, sterile feeling that he feels in everything. Everything he touches is unwelcoming; the air is too cold, the walls, the floor, the doors, even his desk. He tries to add a personal touch, something he had never thought of before, putting a picture of his mom and one of Kate and Aaron on his desk, but it still fades in comparison to everything around him. The irony makes him laugh. He tried for months to escape the island, and now all he does is reminisce about it.
He shakes his head at the thought and tries to get back to the pile of paperwork on his desk. A soft knock at his door is a welcome distraction, and he calls to his visitor to come on in. Kate walks in with a bright smile, and finally, everything about her erases the usually overwhelming atmosphere of the hospital. Her skin is a vibrant bronze, her eyes shimmer a forest green with a wide smile that stretches across her face.
“Ready for lunch?” she beams, walking towards him, and he is on his feet to greet her.
She smells of passion fruit and guavas (a shower gel she’d found a couple of months ago and he’d insisted she never use another, ever). He pulls her into a crushing hug, wrapping his arms around her, pulling her flush against him. His face is in her hair, and she giggles against his neck.
She says his name when a few moments pass and he does not let go. He pulls her tighter and whispers against her skin “you’re so warm.”