A/n: Sorry for the wait, here's another chap! Enjoy!
Chapter 8
Sawyer lay in the middle of the jungle, pain etched on his face, his breath coming in and out in quick gasps, his short whimpers caught in his throat. After he had hit the ground, he had blacked out. He wasn't sure how long it had been, but judging from the pain in his shoulder and the intense dizziness he felt, it had been a while. It took him a moment to clear his head, and realize what had just happened. As it all began to come back, he struggled to block the pain out and figure out what to do next. His head was spinning from the slow blood loss, discomfort, and utter craziness of the situation. He didn't knowwhat to think, and he was in too much agony to think clearly, even if he could. His shoulder seemed to pulse, sending a shooting pain throughout his entire body and he felt almost paralyzed with it.
Would be die here in the jungle? If he ever got back, what would he do? How would he explain? If she saw him alive would she come back and finish the job? And what would everyone do to her if they found out? For some reason, this last question scared him the most. He could change her, he could help her, he knew he could. He had to. He'd seen her be herself again, he'd seen her crying over Jack's limp body, he'd heard the horror in her voice as he held her in his arms, next to their dead friend. She was still herself, at least sometimes. That had to mean something, didn't it? It had to.
Sawyer didn't know what he'd do if he lost her…but he knew that if this didn't stop, if he couldn't help her, if they couldn't find out what was wrong with her, and then fix it…he would lose her.
With that final thought, he wrapped shaky fingers around the handle of the knife and ever so gently lifted. The slight pressure on the wound made him gasp and moan, and he quickly removed his hand. He felt a warm trickle of blood slip down his arm, and a shudder ran through his body. If he took the knife out of his shoulder, he'd bleed to death before he made it halfway back.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself, before placing a firm hand on the ground and pushing himself to his knees with a cry. He felt tears burn the back of his eyes, but he took another shaky breath, and while holding his shoulder, stood to his feet. Another wave of dizziness washed over him, and for a moment he thought he was going to collapse, but managed to keep his balance. After a few more seconds, he took a staggering step forward, when he heard a bird fly through the trees above him. He quickly turned his head towards the sound, and when he did, Jack's dead body came into view once again. Now the agonizing pain in his shoulder was coupled with an emotional heaviness that sprang from the remembrance of his friend's tragic death…at the hands of someone they both cared for.
After a long gaze at the doctor's body, Sawyer knew what he had to do. He couldn't just leave him there. He needed to be buried…remembered. And if he died bringing him back, bled to death, or was picked off by polar bears…Maybe that was just as well. Maybe he wouldn't have to worry about anything anymore, and he'd finally be at peace. Something he hadn't had in his entire life, maybe something he'd never have.
Sawyer stumbled forward, leaning over and grasping the man's arms, careful to keep his feet as he painfully hoisted Jack's limp body over his good shoulder with a long moan. Once he was sure that he had as strong a grip as he would get, Sawyer struggled to take his first step towards all that he knew as home.
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All he remembered was pain. Short breathes, exhaustion, misery…and then cries of surprise and fear. He remembered hitting the sand, and feeling a heavy body land on his back. The hard ground and extra weight pressed the handle of the knife embedded in his shoulder further into his flesh, and caused it to roughly pierce through the other side. He didn't have the strength to scream, but it almost became too much. He longed to lose consciousness, but for some reason he didn't. He just closed his eyes and hoped for release.
Familiar voices surrounded him, but he barely noticed them. Suddenly, the weight of Jack's body was lifted off of his back, and he could breathe easier. The voices then seemed to meld into one; he could no longer distinguish them from each other. Harsh, prodding hands rolled him over quickly, making the knife cut through his shoulder a bit more and this time an unintentional, tormented cry echoed in his ears. His body seemed heavy and despite the fact that he longed to move away from the pain, he found himself unable.
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"Sawyer?"
Sayid repeated the name, hoping to receive any sign, any response from the Southerner. Instead, he was met with fluttering eyelids and moans that came with every breath. A crowd of people gathered around him close, it was almost suffocating.
"Please, stand back!" He commanded, in a tone that dared anyone to challenge him.
He was promptly obeyed, still, the worried voices continued. Ignoring them, Sayid unbuttoned Sawyer's shirt and ripped his sleeve to get at the source of all the blood on his clothes. The wound was ugly, from what he could see, and blood was streaming from it, even though the knife remained into his shoulder. Still in a state of shock at what he had seen…Sawyer, staggering out of the jungle with a very dead Jack slung over his back, and then collapsing to the ground, barely aware of his surroundings.
"Sayid?"
Before he had even realized anyone had approached him, Juliet was at his side, and kneeling next to Sawyer. That was when the other body on the ground caught her eye. The word 'Jack' formed on her lips, and for a split second, Sayid saw fear and pain in her eyes. She quickly masked it, her face becoming blank as she reached over and placed her fingers on his neck, checking his pulse. After a few seconds, she took a deep breath and nodded, moving back towards Sawyer.
"What happened?"
"I do not know, but he needs medical attention."
"I'm not Jack." She informed him firmly, keeping her vice low.
"But you are now ouronly doctor, Juliet. Whether I trusted you or not before, right now I have no choice."
She paused, then pursed her lips and nodded again. "We need to get him into one of the tents. If we don't get this knife out and stop the bleeding, we're gonna lose him."
"What about Jack?"
"I'll get James to his tent. You move the body. Don't let anyone panic, and don't tell anyone anything."
"Juliet-"
"We don't have time to argue." She said calmly.
Sayid forced himself to trust her and do as he was told.
A/n: We have the next chap planned out, but we're both busy people. So if you want it quickly – Blow us away with some awesome reviews. Lol! We'll do our best!
