Jack glanced over the people sitting around the fire. He stopped at Charlie, aching for the pain he knew the boy felt. Charlie just sat there. Staring away with a look of utter and complete sadness and, and… loss overcoming his usually boyish features.
It seemed that was all he really did these days.
Ha. These days.
Makes it sound like such a long time. But in reality, if that's what you could call this island, it was only two days ago. Two long days. Two days ago that Jack found him hanging, and brought him back to life. Only two days ago that Claire and her unborn child were ruthlessly snatched away.
He never realized how much Charlie and Claire had affected him. Of course, as a doctor and as a man, he felt obligated, but also sincerely enjoyed and wanted to help the pregnant and always smiling Claire.
And Charlie. For some reason, he really felt attached to that kid. He couldn't even explain why. But he protected him, guarded him, and took care of him as if he was his own little brother. And because Charlie loved Claire so much, she was automatically placed in that same category of love that Jack held for Charlie.
Jack shook himself out of his reverie and stood up stretching, heading over to where Charlie sat, alone.
"Hey," he said softly, taking a seat on a broken log next to the boy.
Charlie just looked up at him, eyes filled with unshed tears, then quickly glanced back down, clenching and unclenching his hands.
"Charlie, I…" Jack began.
"I don't want to talk about it Jack." Charlie said. And with that he started to stand up, fully intending on stomping away, tantrum style.
However as Jack watched Charlie move to stand, he instead saw him groan and wrap his arms protectively around his stomach, sinking back down to his seat.
"Charlie, man, sit down, let me see, what hurts?" Jack asked, frantically watching as Charlie's face scrunched up in pain.
"It's fine, It's, oh, fuck that hurts." Charlie whimpered, finally complying with Jacks wish to lift his shirt.
As Jack lifted Charlie's t-shirt, he saw the purple and yellow bruise marks spread all across his chest, along with an abnormal lump - and it was as he had feared.
"Shit, look, Charlie, when I did CPR - I, I think you have a couple cracked ribs, I'm sorry, but lets try an make it over to the cave so I can fix you up, kay?" Jack said, feeling an overwhelming sense of guilt for causing Charlie pain.
"Mmm'kay.." Charlie replied, worrying Jack a bit, because of how out of it he seemed.
Jack practically carried Charlie to the med cave, with one hand holding firmly to his waist from the back and the other arm holding him steady in the front, with Charlie sort of just leaning against his body.