Lost

She nervously sat in the airport terminal, taping her feet bouncing around. This was getting to be a little too much stress. Reaching into her pocket she took out the little bottle, popped it open and took two more pills to calm herself down. She watched James across the floor getting a coffee, soon it would be over, soon the plane would land in LA and she could start a new life. Her stomach felt empty being away from him, but only because of the airport. She'd never been on a plane before, not since before she could remember but she figured she was freaking out then as well.

Looking around she'd never seen so many different kind of people in the same place, when she was with her brother they used to people watch all the time and try to figure out what they'd be like, her brother would have loved this place. There was an elderly couple sitting down about 12 seats from her, the husband reading out loud the newspaper to his wife. A man at the checking counter was shouting about his tickets and something to do with a casket and the Korean couple behind him whispered to each other most likely in another language. All kinds of people from all walks of life in the same room at the same time.

"Is this seat taken?" she heard and looked up, there was a young handsome man with dirty blonde hair and bags under his eyes, she recognized him…but from where? Then it hit her he was the guitar playing in a band, her brother had taken her to go see their last concert, and she had even met him after she got hurt. But why was he asking to sit next to her? There must have been a dozen or more empty seats where he could sit alone in peace but he just stared at her and waited for an answer

"Um, No, not it's not. Have a seat" she replied

"Thanks" he sat down with a relaxed sigh

"You did notice all the empty seats over there where you could sit in peace right?" She pointed to the row closer to the checking "Why sit with me?"

"I've been alone for a long time now, you just seemed like the only person who wouldn't mind, that seemed like they'd understand" He sounded so honestly when he said that, she didn't dare question him

"Well you were right, I don't mind, and I hate being alone. It kinda freaks me out…for the most part here…I'm really freaked out here, I've never been on a airplane before"

"Really?" he looked so surprised

"Nope, never, well…not since before I could remember" she felt slightly embarrassed admitting that. He laughed a little which made her smile.

"I'm Charlie" he introduced himself

"Sarah" she smiled sweetly and shook his hand

"You know, this might sound odd…and it's not some lame pickup…But you look really familiar. Have we met before?" He was nearly squinting to recognize her face

"Yeah, actually we have met before. It was your last concert…in Sydney. I tripped backstage looking for my brother and sprained m ankle and some guys where being jerks and…"

"I remember that! And I got you outta there and had to carry you…and …you" Charlie's face went solemn "And you were the one in my arms when I got in the fight with Liam"

"Yeah…there was that" Sarah looked away; it had been a big fight, a lot of personal information being thrown around.

"I'm sorry about that"

"It's alright, don't be. You got me back to my brother and I lived" Sarah didn't really know what to say

"Yeah" Charlie started shaking slightly and went really pale

"You alright?" Sarah asked

"Uh yeah, I've just got to…yeah….bathroom. It was nice talking to you. Again sorry" Charlie got up and dashed off before Sarah had a chance to say goodbye.

With perfect timing, now that she was alone the announcement that her flight was now boarding. Nervously she got her bag and stood up. She saw James heading over to the checking counter and she gave the wave to let her know she knew what to do, she wished that it didn't matter if she was seen with him. Getting on the plane alone seemed like a big deal. When it was her turn she handed in her passport and ticket and walked down the long hall to the plane. She was breathing harder and getting more and more worked up, then she just stopped right in the middle of the hall. A young boy bumped into her

"Sorry" he said but she couldn't move or speak, or anything at all. She was terrified. She had the worst feeling; she knew she shouldn't her on the plane. People stared at her as they passed. The from behind she heard

"Are you alright?" with was a mans voice but she couldn't move. He stood in front of her

"First time flying huh?" it was the man that had been shouting at the counter earlier, she knew she should say something, anything but the only thing that came out of her was a little squeak and so she just nodded and looked up at him pitifully

"I can't get on that plane" she finally said

"And why's that?" he asked kindly

"I can't I just…" she mumbled "I'm scared" she couldn't look him in the eyes and say this; she knew that it was silly to be this scared but she couldn't help it. She stared to shake causing the pill bottle in her hand to rattle. The man pretended not to notice.

"Well it's alright to be scared the fist time on a plane. To tell you the truth I was pretty scared the first time I got on a plane. If you want, I'll help you onto the plane and find your seat…but only if you want" he held out his hand

"Really?"

"Yeah of course" she reached into her pocket and handed him her ticket "Wow, look at that, your seat is one over from mine" she smiled in relief, at lease she would be sitting

Next to someone who was nice, despite whatever he was going through

"Thanks" she said with gratitude

"It's nothing, I hate flying alone anyway. Now come on…before the plane leaves without us.

They got down the hall step by step and got to the stewardess who was stating at the door greeting everyone as they got on; he showed their tickets and got on the plane. Sarah stopped and held her breath and she stepped on. She squeezed past the people pushing their carry on bags into the overhead bins. The faces oddly familiar because she had been staring at everyone earlier in the terminal. But one person caught her attention, James sat in an ail seat and he watched her as she squished past everybody. She wished so hard now that they could have gotten seated beside each other but she couldn't really complain, they got the last two tickets for the flight. As she walked by, he put up his hand, keeping his elbow on the armrest and inconspicuously let his hand graze her arm as if to say that everything is alright. They had made a plan to act like they didn't know each other, after all the trouble he got in not too long ago the last thing he would need is to get caught leaving the country with a 17 year old girl when the adoption papers haven't fully gone through. But still his tough meant a lot, she calmed down a little bit. She got to her seat and saw that she would also be sitting next to the elder woman she had seen with her husband earlier.

"I'm Sarah by the way" she had totally forgotten that she hadn't introduced herself to the man that has been so nice to her

"Jack" he replied sitting down. Sarah plunked down in the seat next to him

They had been sitting for about fifteen minutes and the flight had been announced as a delayed flight due to technical difficulties, this made things worse for Sarah. She nervously played with her pill bottle occasionally popping another into her mouth. Jack watched her every time she did so with such intensity whispering numbers under his breath. After taking her ninth pill he finally decided to say something

"Okay that's enough, your going to overdose yourself." Sarah stared at him slightly shocked that he said that and for some reason –maybe the 9 pills she took- he got very agitated. How would he know? Why would he care? It was none of his business if she had an overdose; he said he'd help her onto the plane not with her life problems. She could have said any of that but she didn't she could have lied even but she told him the truth

"I have a mental disability; the pills are the only thing keeping me from acting completely crazy" the only people who had ever known about that was her brother and James, and now obviously Jack

"Yeah I recognized the name, and if you take anymore you risk a coma overdose…back home I'm a doctor"

"Makes sense" she said bluntly, but taking his advice and putting her medication back in her bag and under her seat

"What does?"

"That you are a doctor" She smiles

"Why's that?" he still didn't get it

"You care too much about people" she didn't mean it as an insult but he took it as one

"No I don't. Why would you think that? You only just met me and you make snap judgments?"

"I didn't mean it like that, I just meant that, well…you had problems of your own, big ones but the sounds of the things in the terminal and you helped a little psycho girl frozen in a hall way, you could have just as easy walked passed like everyone else but you didn't, you helped me…and you cared enough to pay attention and count how many pills I took and what it was. That's all I mean" she felt her face go red. She was slightly embarrassed but would never ever admit it.

"Well…then thanks I guess, since it was a compliment. Sorry for snapping at you"

"Hey its okay, I wouldn't want to be judged quickly either, it's no big deal" Sarah smiled at him and jolted in her seat. The plane was beginning to move. Sarah tightened her seat belt and held her breath.