Chapter 1 "Bandage"

I don't want to give too much away, but this is my attempt at an AU Grey's Anatomy/LOST crossover. It's a Jack/Kate story, obviously; however you will see several differences from the shows. If you have any thoughts or questions, feel free to ask. This might start slow, but I'm pretty excited about it. This is just the first short chapter, look for more soon if it is received well.

Small Ariat boots fell upon the soft dirt floor as lights turned on above. The sweet smell of molasses and hay reached her nose and she signed with content; this was her favorite time of day. Four little feet trotted beside her as excited nickers and whinnies reached her ears, a smile spreading across her face, high-lighting her freckles.

"Good morning, sweet boy," She greeted the large chestnut horse, scratching his forehead. The gelding leaned into her touch, before nudging her with his nose. He knew what time it was. "Ready for breakfast, huh?" She laughed, kissing his cheek before moving off to greet the other horses on her way to the room where their food was kept.

Rationing out their grain into labeled buckets, she thought about her day as the sun rose over the mountains behind her stable. She didn't have much time, she noted, reading her watch, but it would be just enough to feed her animal friends, let them out into their pastures to enjoy the sun, and to get herself dressed and ready for work. Work brought a happy sigh from her lips; she was busy these days. Not that she could complain; it supported her favorite hobby, she thought, glancing around the mahogany-stained feed room, much of the large barn the same deep red, the stalls neatly furnished with glistening steel bars and the state-of-the-art amenities she had installed. She wasn't around nearly as much as she would like, however, even with it on her own property.

Distributing the food to each horse, she lead them out to pasture one by one, enjoying the sun on her face for the brief time she could. Her large collie followed her every which way, happily enjoying her time outside as well, knowing it wouldn't be long before she was confined to the house and fenced-in backyard for the rest of the day and possibly night.

Her cell phone rang as she lead the last horse out, and she shifted the lead into one hand, answering with her other, sliding the sleek smartphone from her jeans pocket.

"Dr. Austen," she answered, multi-tasking as the last and sixth horse was released from his halter, bolting off into the field. She grinned as he kicked up his heels with joy, wishing she had time to do the same.

"Hi, Dr. Austen, it's Pamela," the young voice of her secretary came over the line, and Kate's heart dropped a little. She knew why Pam was calling.

"How is he?"

"Not well. He's had a fever all night, and his pain meds aren't helping. The nurses have been aiding him all night, but the antibiotics seem to have stopped working." Kate knew it was only a matter of time-once pneumonia was involved, it was touch and go.

"Okay. Bump his azithromycin to 45mg, and prescribe 25mcg fentanyl for pain. I'll be there in 30 minutes."

"Dr. Austen, he's only 45 pounds, are you sure—"

"Yes, I'm sure. I'll see you in 30." She was already running to the house, Gracie on her heels. Jackson Mitchell was nine, suffering from leukemia and the unfortunate side effects of a compromised immune system. Her life was these children; helping them was her job, fixing them was her dream. The latter was more difficult than the second, but she tried her hardest no less. Racing around to grab her things, she knew her jeans and boots wouldn't be accepted attire once in the hospital but she had to get there quickly. She pet Gracie's head and checked the clock before locking her door and heading for the large SUV parked in the driveway. Throwing the car into drive, her thoughts were consumed by the small boy and his ailing condition. She understood his pain and curing it was her first battle.

"Time of death: 07:49am." He was tired, his eyes weary, his hands shaky. He was unsuccessful, but this, fortunately, wasn't the norm. Her injuries had been too severe; her back broken in three places, her spine severed, her illiac artery nicked. She'd lost too much blood, and though they had tried to stop the bleeding and repair what damage they could, it had been too late. Pulling his mask off in defeat, he made his way out of the operating room, in need of a shower after five hours in surgery and over twenty four on his feet.

"Sorry, Dr. Shephard," his resident offered, as he walked past her into the hallway. He greeted her with a nod, walking past her.

"She was too far gone, we did what we could. Good job in there, Dr. Grey," He added. The brunette smiled thankfully, as he made off to tell the family. This was the least favorite part of his job, by far. He prided himself on his skills, his gift, being able to fix people and make them better. His success rate was high; he had a few 'miracles' under his belt. As a neurosurgeon, he was considered extremely talented, his knowledge extensive, his experience unchallenged. Almost. He was always in second place. And the person he was in second place with was another talent to be reckon with.

Telling the family would have broken his heart, had it not been hardened already. Stripping off his scrubs to climb into the shower, he was stopped by a voice calling out to him.

"Are you going home for dinner tonight?"

He sighed heavily. "Are you?"

"I intend to unless something comes up. Mom's alone now. We need to be there for her."

"I'll do the best I can, I have post-op papers I need to fill out," was his curt answer. His brother scoffed.

"Jack, she's lonely. She planned this all week. It'd be nice if you-"

"Derek, I said I'd try." Jack's voice was raised, exhaustion and frustration seeping from his pours. They stared at one another for a long moment before Derek sighed, running a hand through his longer hair.

"All right. I'll let her know." Derek walked out, always the calmer of the two. Jack felt like a caged tiger as he tried to contain his frustration and anger. If their father hadn't died six months ago in Sydney, and Derek hadn't swept in to play hero to their mother while Jack went off in search of their father's body, things would be different. Scrubbing his short hair with what shampoo he needed for the cropped cut, he allowed the steam to seep in, stealing away his stress. Seattle Grace Hospital was most of Jack's stress, resting heavily on his shoulders the fact that Derek had replaced their father, Christian Shephard, after his passing. Jack had been a candidate as well, but with Derek's seniority by three years, and his own talent into neurosurgery, he had won the position. Jack was resentful, the younger child who had always stood under his older brother's shadow.

As Jack dried himself in the dual locker room, his alone time was broken as the door swept open. He was glad his towel was secure around his waist as a young blonde intern, a recent fling, walked in. He eyed the pretty girl as she gathered her things, grinning back at him, her body language screaming to him.

"Hey Jamie," he greeted her, standing at his full over-six-foot height, his broad chest bare with water droplets still dripping from his square chin, down his muscular, expansive abdomen. She stopped her movements and peered up at him, giving him a good view down her scrub top.

"Dr. Shephard," she practically melted under his gaze, and it took another half minute before he had her plastered back up against the shower wall, her legs wrapped around his waist. He found ways to relieve his stress, even if it was just for a few minutes, and with the pretty little thing between him and the tile so happy to do so, how could he say no?

He devoured her as he let the stress of the world wash away under the now hot water pouring down on them.

Sooo….thoughts? Obviously this is a brief encounter of what's to come but I have a plan here, and I think it could be really fun to explore Jack and Derek as brothers, with a few other characters from both shows we know and love thrown in. I've worked really hard on developing this Kate and Jack, but I'm always open to suggestions and thoughts.

Reviews are love!