Chapter Text
A/N: If you haven’t seen Season 2 yet, please don’t read any further. Spoilers ahead.
She presses the rags firmly into Jack’s side, trying to stop the bleeding. He is barely conscious and trying to tell her something. She hears the faint sound of “sorry” coming from his lips. But she can’t go there, not yet. She picks up his cell phone and calls Doc.
“Doc!” she shouts into the phone when he picks up, hearing noise in the background of wherever he is. “Jack has been shot! We’re at the bar! Please, come quick!” She drops the phone to the floor.
“Stay with me Jack,” she pleads, holding back a sob that threatens to tear her apart, “Please, oh God please,” she wails over and over again, each second feeling like an eternity. She can’t release the pressure on Jack’s wound, knowing she needs to stop the bleeding as best as she can. Tears begin spilling from her eyes as she feels the rags begin to soak with his blood.
Doc and Hope race toward the bar. “What are you going to do?” Hope asks Doc. “He needs a hospital and we won’t be able to drive there fast enough.”
“I know, I know!” Doc exclaims, his mind racing. He always has his medical bag with him in his truck, but he knows he doesn’t have what is needed to repair a gunshot wound. “Hope!” he shouts, an idea forming in his mind. “Call my buddy Dr. Forester at Seattle General. We need a helicopter. He might know the closest one to us that can give us a medical transport for Jack to the nearest hospital that is equipped to handle this.”
Hope grabs Doc’s phone and makes the call. After speaking briefly to Dr. Forester she picks up her own phone and scrolls through her contacts until she finds Joey’s number. She taps on it and waits for it to begin ringing.
“Hello? Hope?” she hears Joey’s frantic voice, knowing something is wrong, “Is it Mel? What’s wrong?”
“Jack has been shot,” Hope tells Mel’s sister, “Mel is with him. I don’t know the details or the extent of his injuries, but Doc and I are on our way to them now. I thought you should know. Mel is going to need you. I’ll let you know more about where we’re headed with Jack. We’re trying to arrange helicopter transport for him to a hospital, and we’re two hours by car from the closest one.”
“Oh my God,” Joey says, sinking to the floor as she processes the news. “Thank you for telling me. I’ll be on the first plane up there.”
Hope hangs up just as they pull up to the bar. They rush inside and what she sees there will haunt her for the rest of her life. Mel is crouched over Jack, rocking back and forth, pleading for his life. Her eyes are bloodshot from crying, and Hope knows that Mel is in a state of shock. As Doc begins examining Jack’s wound, Hope rushes to Mel’s side.
“He’s in good hands now,” she tries to assure the younger woman, even though she knows the situation is grim. Jack is pale and unconscious.
“He still has a pulse,” Doc ascertains as he reaches into his bag for sutures. “I can stitch him up the best I can to try and stop the bleeding,” he says, “but he’s going to need a surgeon to finish repairing the damage.” He glances over at Mel for confirmation, but she is quietly sobbing, holding and kissing Jack’s hand over and over again.
“I love him,” Mel whispers into Hope’s embrace as the older woman tries to comfort her.
“I know,” Hope replies. “We all do.” She takes a breath, “You can help save him, Mel. Jack needs you right now. You can do this.”
“Check his vitals!” Doc says to her, spurring Mel into action. She knows Jack needs her, and she is the only one who can help. Hope takes over trying to apply pressure to the wound as Doc works.
“His blood pressure is dropping,” Mel says anxiously. “I’m getting a pulse but its faint.” She feels like she is suffocating. She begins hyperventilating, gasping for air. “I can’t lose him.”
Doc’s phone begins vibrating, Dr. Forester’s name lighting up the screen. Hope answers it for him, and puts it on speakerphone. “Hey, Vernon. The medivac helicopter is on it’s way. I hope it gets to you on time. They’ll be waiting for you when you arrive in Eureka. Good luck.” They all thank him and wait what seems like an eternity while Doc stitches Jack up the best he can, and Mel continues to monitor Jack’s failing vitals.
At the sound of the helicopter in the distance, Hope jumps up and runs outside of the bar. She waves her arms to signal the helicopter where to land so that they can get to Jack quickly. He is soon loaded onto a gurney and transfered onto the helicopter.
Doc, Hope, and Mel all climb aboard after him. “Are you family?” the paramedics ask. “Yes, we all are,” Doc replies.
Mel sits beside Jack as the paramedics check him and begin examining the wound. She clasps his hand in hers and kisses his forehead, his cheek, his lips. “I love you,” she whispers in his ear, “And you are not leaving me. I won’t let you.” Tears trail down her cheeks as the helicopter speeds toward the hospital.
When they arrive at the hospital, Jack is immediately wheeled back into surgery. They have to pry Mel away from him as the doctors and nurses at the hospital take over his care. As the doors close behind them, Mel collapses to the floor, sobs wracking her body. Doc and Hope rush to her side. “I called Joey,” Hope tells her, “And she’s on her way.”
Mel squeezes her eyes shut, images of Jack flashing through her mind. His smile, his gorgeous blue eyes, the love in them when he looks at her. She can still smell his scent on her after they had made love only a few hours ago. She is paralyzed with fear, unable to do anything. She realizes she might never feel his touch again, and she can’t move.
“Breathe,” Doc reminds her.
When Joey arrives at the hospital many hours later, Jack is still not out of surgery, and they haven’t heard any updates about him. She finds Mel still sitting on the floor of the waiting room, staring blankly at the doors she had last seen Jack disappear through.
She rushes to Mel’s side, pulling her into an embrace as she looks up an Hope and Doc. “What happened?” she asks, “Who shot Jack? Is he ok?”
“We don’t know,” Doc replies when Mel says nothing. “Mel found him lying on the floor of the bar. We don’t know anything more about his condition. He’s been in surgery for hours.”
“Mel?” Joey asks, looking at her sister.
“She’s in shock,” Doc replies.
“Mel, talk to me,” Joey pleads. Mel blinks a few times and turns to her sister.
“I love him,” Mel says quietly, her eyes filling with fresh tears. “I can’t lose him.”
“I know,” Joey says gently, stroking Mel’s hair.
“I was just with him,” Mel says, almost robotically. “We made love by the fire. I was so happy. He wanted to stay at the cabin but I was hungry. So, he went to the bar to make us steaks. And when I got there, I saw…I saw…
“Oh honey, I know. You didn’t do this. It isn’t your fault. Jack is strong. He’s going to make it through this. You don’t deserve this kind of pain,” Joey soothes, trying to reassure her.
“Oh no,” Hope jumps up suddenly, “Someone should call Charmaine and tell her about Jack. She has the right to know.” As Hope makes the call to Charmaine, Joey continues trying to calm her sister.
“I can’t lose him,” Mel says again, as Joey pulls her into a hug. They sit there for a long time, just waiting until finally a doctor emerges from behind the door.
They stand as he approaches them. “He pulled through the surgery,” the doctor says, and they all sigh with relief, “But he lost a lot of blood, and we’re going to have to watch him carefully over the next 24 hours. What you did probably saved his life,” the doctor tells Doc. “He’s in the ICU, but you can go see him, one at a time. Immediate family only until he’s out of ICU.”
“She’s his wife,” Hope says, gently pushing Mel forward. The doctor looks briefly at Mel before leading her back to Jack’s room. “I’ll leave you with him. Let us know if you need anything,” he nods at Mel before turning to leave her with Jack.
Tears fill Mel’s eyes as she looks at Jack. He is pale and hooked up to IV’s and monitors, the sound of his pulse echoing in the empty room. She walks over to his bedside and takes his hand. It feels cool and clammy to the touch, and she squeezes it, watching his chest rise and fall with his breathing.
“Stay with me,” she whispers, lightly tracing his face with her fingertips. She hears the “bleep-bleep” sound of his pulse quicken as she lightly kisses his lips. “I love you, Jack Sheridan. I need you to come back to me.” The exhaustion of the past few days hits her suddenly, and she gazes over his prone form on the bed. Gingerly, she climbs into the bed beside him and carefully positions herself on his right side, away from his injury. She places her hand on his chest, needing to hear his heartbeat and feel his breathing. Within minutes, she is asleep, curled into his side.
When the nurse comes in to check on Jack, she smiles at the couple, not having the heart to wake Mel. She walks into the waiting room to see if anyone else is waiting there for Jack. “He and his wife are resting,” she tells them. “You should try and get some rest yourselves.”
When Charmaine arrives at the hospital, she finds Doc, Hope, and Joey all asleep in the waiting room. She walks up to the reception desk. “Hi, I’m here for Jack Sheridan,” she tells the receptionist.
“Relation?” the woman asks. When Charmaine frowns she adds, “Only immediate family is allowed back in the ICU to see him.”
“I’m his wife,” Charmaine replies.
“Um,” the nurse answers, “His wife is already with him.”
“What?” Charmaine asks angrily, turning towards the doors. “No, I need to see him now.”
“Well, visiting hours start in a few minutes. I’ll see what I can do,” the receptionist replies.
Back in Jack’s room, Mel awakes when she feels him begin to stir. “Jack?” she asks, studying his face.
He opens his eyes slowly, taking in his surroundings before turning his head towards her. “What happened?”
“You’re in the hospital,” Mel says soflty, “You got shot. I came to the bar for dinner and found you on the floor. Doc did the best he could, but we got a helicopter to bring you here. They saved your life.”
He shifts his body a little, wincing in pain.
“Are you ok?” she asks him. Do you need me to do anything?”
“Stay,” Jack replies, “Never leave.”
“Deal,” she whispers, leaning over him carefully to kiss his lips gently. “I love you,” she says softly, nestling back into his side. “I thought I was going to lose you.”
“I’m so sorry,” he whispers, kissing the back of her hand. “I love you more than anything.”
“Well isn’t this sweet,” says a sarcastic voice. Mel and Jack turn to find Charmaine standing in the doorway. “How dare you lie and tell them that you’re his wife!” she exclaims, glaring at Mel.
“It was the only way that they would let me see him. I’m not leaving him,” Mel explains, folding her arms across her chest defensively.
“Who did this?” Charmaine asks.
“I didn’t recognize him,” Jack answers. “I’m assuming it’s one of Calvin’s guys. He didn’t say anything. I walked out of the kitchen when I heard someone come in, thinking it was Mel. He was standing there with a gun. He shot me and then ran out. I don’t know how long I was lying there before Mel found me, the memory is a bit hazy.” He winces again in pain, and Mel looks at him, concerned. “I’m going to get a nurse,” she gets up and leaves the room.
“So you two are together now, how adorable,” Charmaine sneers, glaring at Jack.
“Yes,” he replies, “But only since yesterday. We love each other, Char,” he says gently. “We didn’t do any of this to hurt you, it just happened.”
“Whatever,” Charmaine snaps, “Well it doesn’t matter anyway. I’m taking the twins to Oregon, and you won’t ever have to worry about us again.”
“Char,” Jack pleads.
“Enough!” Mel says, reentering the room. “We are not discussing this right now,” Mel says to Charmaine. Jack needs to focus on his recovery, period. You are not going to add to his stress. I am sorry that you were hurt in all this Charmaine, I really am. But Jack and I are together now, and we all need to do what is best for him right now.” Jack smiles up at Mel, his expression a mixture of awe and love.
At that moment the doctor walks into the room. “How are you feeling today, Jack? You gave us quite a scare last night.”
“I’m doing ok, just a little sore,” Jack answers.
The doctor lifts Jack’s sheet to check the wound. “You’re a very lucky man,” he muses, looking between Jack and Mel.
“I couldn’t agree more,” Jack replies, smiling lovingly at Mel.
“Well,” the doctor says, repositioning Jack’s sheet, “As long as you keep your stitches together and we don’t detect any internal bleeding, you should be good to go in a few days. You’ll need a place to rest and recover, preferably without any stairs.”
“You can stay at my place,” Charmaine immediately interjects. “It would help me, too, having you there. Being that I’m pregnant with your babies,” she adds.
“Jack can stay with me,” Mel states matter-of-factly. “I’m a nurse and I can tend to his wound and do any follow-up care that he needs. Also, my cabin is right near Jack’s place.”
The doctor raises his eyebrows and looks between Jack and the two women. “Well son, looks like you’ve got your hands full enough here. I’ll leave you to decide.” He leaves the room after winking at Jack.
“Charmaine,” Jack begins, “It makes the most sense for me to stay at Mel’s. She can check and make sure I’m healing well and she’s close to the bar so I can oversee what’s going on there. But thanks for your offer, that was really nice of you.”
“Just forget it,” Charmaine snaps, frowning as Jack reaches for Mel’s hand.
“Everything will work out, you’ll see,” Jack says, attempting to reassure Charmaine.
“Well, I’m glad you’re ok,” Charmaine sighs as she turns to leave, tossing one last look over her shoulder at the new couple.
Hope paces anxiously around the waiting room until she sees Charmaine walk through the ICU doors and out of the hospital. “I’m going to search for coffee,” she tells Doc and Joey before heading for the elevators. After waiting a few minutes and still no elevator in sight, Hope sighs in annoyance and decides to take the stairs. As she opens the door, she hears a woman’s voice, clearly talking on the phone.
“I tried that,” the voice says, exasperated. “Nothing is working. He barely looks at me anymore, and he thinks I’m carrying his babies!” There’s a pause and then, “No, I told her that. And she did leave town, but she came back. I thought he would do the right thing by his kids, but clearly, I was wrong. And now I’m stuck in this mess!”
Just as it dawns on Hope that the voice she is hearing belongs to Charmaine, it is too late, and the two women register each other’s presence on the stairs.
“I gotta go,” Charmaine says into the phone as she hangs up. “I didn’t realize you were spying on my conversation.”
“I wasn’t trying to,” Hope replies, “I’m just looking for coffee.” She goes to pass by Charmaine, before her curiosity gets the better of her, “I have to ask,” she says to Charmaine, “What did you mean by Jack thinks the babies are his? Are they not his?”
Charmaine hesitates, refusing to meet Hope’s gaze.
“Charmaine,” Hope says warningly. “You claim to love Jack. If you ever loved or respected him at all, don’t you think he deserves the truth?”
Charmaine begins to cry. “I felt him pulling away. When Mel came to Virgin River. And I didn’t know what to do. Jack was always very careful when he was with me. He always wore a condom. I tried to get him not to a few times, but he insisted. So, I…I met up with this customer I met at work a few times, and…” she trails off.
“Oh, Charmaine,” Hope says sadly.
“I thought he would stay with me,” Charmaine admits. “I thought we would be a family, but I was wrong. And now I don’t know what to do anymore. Mel ruined everything.”
“No, she didn’t,” Hope responds. “I know you love Jack, but you and I both know that the feeling was never mutual. Mel is who he wants. And if you care about him at all, you need to let him go. Please, for his sake and yours, tell him the truth.”
“I don’t know if I can do this on my own,” Charmaine admits.
“You don’t have a choice,” Hope replies, taking her by the hand and leading her back to Jack’s room.
When they enter, Jack and Mel are just as they were when Charmaine left earlier, sitting hand and hand beside each other on the bed.
“Charmaine has something to tell you,” Hope tells Jack before she leaves the room.
“I’d really like to speak to Jack alone,” Charmaine says, glancing at Mel.
“Anything you need to say to me, you can say to her,” Jack replies, frowning at Charmaine.
Charmaine pauses, clearly trying to summon the courage before she begins, “I thought I was losing you. Turns out I was. And a few times I asked you if you would just be with me, you know, without any barriers, and you always refused me. And so, I got desperate and I met up with this guy I know from work, a customer, and…”
“Oh Charmaine,” Mel interjects, repeating Hope’s previous sentiment.
“They’re not mine?” Jack asks weakly, “I’m not their father?”
“No,” she replies. “I’m so sorry Jack. I thought we could be a family.”
“All this time,” he begins, anger flashing in his eyes, “You knew I loved Mel, and you let me believe I was a father. Do you have any idea how guilty I’ve felt? How much this hurt Mel? How much this hurt me? How could you do this to me?” He tries to sit up in bed, but Mel’s hand pushes him gently back down, rubbing his chest soothingly.
“I think you should go,” Mel says to Charmaine.
“I’m sorry Jack,” Charmaine whispers. “I just love you so much. I was willing to do anything to be with you.”
“That isn’t love,” he answers. “That’s just cruel. You were going to let me raise two kids for the rest of my life thinking they were mine. I want you to go, right now. If I were you, I’d take up that offer to live in Oregon. Goodbye, Charmaine.”
Charmaine tearfully leaves. Mel turns to Jack, “Are you ok?” she asks.
“No,” he answers, pulling her closer to him, tears pricking the corners of his eyes. He holds her for a moment before saying, “Is it awful that I’m relieved?”
“That you don’t have to have children with a crazy woman?” Mel asks, “No, it’s not awful.”
He laughs halfheartedly, “I’m so sorry, Mel. I believed her.”
“You had no reason not to,” she replies. “And I don’t blame her, really, for trying to hold onto you. You’re quite the guy, Jack Sheridan.”
“Oh yeah?” he asks, smiling at her.
“Yeah,” she answers, kissing him.
After a few days in the hospital, the doctors deem Jack healthy enough to be released into Mel’s care. By now the town has rallied together and stocked Mel’s cabin with food and supplies, and in no time Jack is settled into Mel’s bed with strict instructions from his doctor to rest and avoid strenuous activity until his wound has healed.
They spend the next week together at the cabin, just holding each other and talking, Mel reluctant to leave his side for more than a few minutes at a time. When Doc calls her, needing assistance with a patient, she lingers before Jack insists that she go, telling her that he’ll be just fine on his own for a few hours. After she leaves, he walks over to the bar to check in on Preacher and see if he can work on the books for a bit.
He looks up, startled by the sound of Mel’s frantic voice calling him from somewhere. “Mel?” he calls, “I’m in the office.”
“Jack!” she exclaims, running to him and throwing her arms around him, nearly knocking him over with the force of her embrace. “I didn’t know where you were!”
He notes the tears beginning to form in the corners of her eyes, “Hey,” he says, “I’m ok. I just wanted to come over here and check in on things. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I thought you would be busy.”
“It’s ok,” she says, brushing him off, but he can tell that she is still upset. After finishing up his work, he takes her hand, and they walk back to the cabin.
“You want to tell me what’s wrong?” he asks her.
She pauses before taking a breath, “It’s just that…I was afraid.”
“Of what?” he questions.
“When I came home and I didn’t know where you were,” she clarifies. “Jack, I’m terrified. I almost lost you. What if whoever did this comes back to finish the job. Jack, I love you. I can’t lose you. I won’t survive it. And when I’m apart from you I just…I’m so afraid, Jack.”
“I know,” he answers. “It’s how I felt when you were attacked by that junkie. I just kept thinking what might have happened if I hadn’t been there, if I had lost you. I wouldn’t have been able to go on, Mel. You’re my whole world.”
“You’re mine,” she whispers, capturing his lips in a searing kiss. “Jack,” she murmurs into his lips, “Love me.”
“I do,” he replies, pulling her with him towards the bed. They make love slowly, ending up wrapped in each other’s arms. She kisses him lovingly, running her hand through his hair and across his cheek. “Remember our first night together?” she asks him.
“Of course, how could I forget?” he replies. “I could barely control myself, I wanted you so badly. I wanted you since the first moment I saw you. Do you have any idea what you do to me?”
“I did that night,” she says, blushing slightly at the memory. She laughs, “You know, when I told Joey about it she asked me how it was,” she tells him.
He grins, kissing her fingers, “And what did you say?”
“I said it was phenomenal,” she smiles at him, her eyes sparkling. “At the time I told myself it was so great because it had all this build up. You know, all that sexual tension. But I was wrong, because it has only gotten better. God, Jack. I mean, wow. Is it always like that, for you?”
“Only with you,” he replies, rolling back on top of her.
“Again?’ she laughs, kissing him lightly. “You are insatiable.”
“Can you blame me?” he asks, “I mean, look at you.”
“Look at you!” she pulls him closer, wrapping her legs around his waist. “Jack?” she murmurs between kisses.
“Yeah?” he asks, deepening the kiss.
She pulls away slightly, looking him in the eyes. “Will you stay with me?”
“Always,” he answers, lowering his lips to hers once more.
A/N: I can’t wait a year to see what happens next, so I wrote my version of what might transpire. I hope you enjoyed it. Please let me know what you think!