Chapter 11

Aaron cried at the top of his lungs as Jack examined him. Not even the doctor's light touch and soft words soothed the child. Jack finally wrapped him up and lifted him into his arms. He stood, turning to Claire, Charlie, and Sawyer. Sawyer had practically drug Claire to Jack because he was tired of the boy crying and keeping him up all night. The root cause may be selfish, but Jack was glad he was able to recognize that Jack was still a doctor and might be able to help. And if truth were told, he really thought this was more Juliet's expertise, but he knew better than to pass Claire's child to Juliet. Charlie and Sawyer would probably tear them apart if she touched the baby.

"I think he has colic," Jack said.

"What is that?" Charlie asked.

"Is there anything I can do?" Claire asked.

"The kid ate too much grain?" Sawyer asked.

Jack almost laughed at Sawyer's question. It was a glaring example of both Sawyer's naivety and redneck background. He heard Juliet stifle a giggle that made Sawyer shoot her a dark glare.

"You're thinking of a horse, Sawyer. No one really knows what causes it. You can try walking and rocking. Sit closer to the ocean and see if the sound helps."

"I've tried all that already."

"I'm sorry, Claire. This isn't something I can fix. A lot of babies go through this and we're limited on what we can do here."

"He could have gas," Juliet suggested.

Everyone looked at her. She was watching the child. Claire held Aaron a little tighter and stepped closer to Charlie.

"I've tried burping him and his stomach isn't hard."

"Oh." Juliet offered a weak smile. "I guess I don't know then."

"If it was, do we have anything that would work?" Jack asked her.

"You could try diluted coconut milk."

Jack turned to Claire. "Try it."

She glanced at the kitchen. "There aren't any. We ate the last one last night."

"Who's been getting them? Ask them to get some more."

"Samantha gets them, but I haven't seen her for a couple of days," Charlie told him.

"Who's Samantha?" Claire and Sawyer asked.

Jack glanced down at Juliet. She didn't look any happier than he felt about the thought of talking to Samantha. Juliet's dislike for her was for the threat; his was for the company the young woman kept. He hadn't told anyone that she talked to the strange smoke monster for fear she might retaliate by siccing it on him or the other survivors.

"Jack, Samantha isn't here. What should I do?"

"Doesn't she hang out with Hurley?" Jack asked.

"Who is Samantha?" Sawyer asked again.

"That's right. Thank you, Jack."

Charlie left with Claire following. Sawyer watched them leave and then looked back at Jack.

"Who's Samantha?" he asked.

Jack didn't answer.

#

Samantha stopped walking and leaned on a tree, staring into the jungle. The creature was floating off to her left, stopping here and there to scare out animals. It came over to her, slowly circling her.

What is it?

Samantha closed her eyes, pressing the heel of her hand against her forehead. "I feel… Off."

Off?

She opened her eyes and continued walking. "Like I have the flu."

What is that?

"A sickness humans get. Animals too, sometimes."

Humans don't get sick here. They don't get hurt. Well Most don't.

"No one ever dies here? Then how do you kill people?"

They don't die. Their life leaves when it's time.

"That doesn't make any sense. What does that mean?"

It couldn't explain it. There were no words for it to explain what it felt or saw happen to those people.

Samantha grabbed a tree when the world tilted and spun. She closed her eyes, leaning her head against the trunk.

Samantha?

Her knees buckled, sending her to the ground.

Samantha?

She heard the worry in the question. Slowly she picked herself back up and started walking. "Is the hatch or beach closer?"

Hatch.

"Take me there. I need to lie down for a while."

It swept her up and away. She was unconscious by the time they arrived at the hatch. The creature dropped her gently at the door and changed into Walt. It knelt next to her, laying a hand on her shoulder.

"Samantha?" it spoke. "Samantha, look at me."

She didn't respond. It stood, looking around it for an answer. This was not a situation it knew and it was unsettled.

#

Hurley was helping Jin and Sun fix a fishing net, but he could hear the screams of Aaron getting closer. He finally looked up when Claire and Charlie stopped next to him.

"Hurley, I need Samantha to get me some coconuts. Have you seen her?" Charlie asked.

"Not for a couple days."

"Do you think you could find her and ask if she could do that?"

Hurley nodded as he stood. "Why?"

"Jack thinks Aaron is colicky and suggested coconut milk might help."

"Juliet did," Claire corrected her.

Hurley decided not to ask what was going on. After all, they only wanted coconuts.

"Be back as soon as I can." Hurley headed into the jungle. He was actually glad to have a reason to leave the screaming baby behind. The kid had kept him up for three days and he was ready for him to stop.

Hurley searched all the usual places the two hung out. When those turned up empty, he headed for the ridge where she and the creature went sometimes. He reached the top and stood, staring at the water. Turning he began calling her name as he followed the ridge.

He stopped when he heard the creature trumpet and turned toward the sound. The creature shot out of the trees and before Hurley had a chance to even scream, it swept him up and was speeding him through the jungle.

"You're taking me to her, right?" Hurley asked.

It didn't respond. Suddenly it stopped and dumped him on the ground. Before he could even recover, the creature took Walt's form, latched onto his wrist, and was dragging him into the hatch at a run. He stopped next to a couch, pointing at Samantha. Hurley pulled his arm away, sitting down on the edge of the couch next to her.

"Samantha?" he asked, laying his hand on her arm.

Her skin was hot and clammy. Hurley reached up, laying his hand on her forehead to verify her fever.

"She said she felt like she had the flu," the creature told him, "two days ago."

Hurley turned to it. "Two days ago! Why didn't you come get me?"

It stared at him, as if it didn't understand the question.

"You, creature, I'm talking to you. Why didn't you come get me?"

It didn't answer.

Realization sunk cold fingers into his stomach. "Is she supposed to die?"

"No. Why would you ask that?"

"Then why didn't you come and get me?"

"I couldn't."

"Why? Did they stop you? Whoever—"

"You never left the camp. I couldn't get you."

"You could have come in and got me. At night."

"No. I can't."

"Why? Who told you not to?"

It pointed at Samantha. "She made me promise never to go into the camp for any reason. I promised her."

Hurley's anger eased. "Okay. Okay. Forgiven, I guess." He looked back at Samantha, feeling helpless. How was he supposed to help her?

"What can I do?" the creature asked.

He shook his head. "I don't know. I don't know what's wrong with her." He looked up at the creature. "I thought people don't get sick here."

"They haven't ever before."

Hurley looked down.

"What about the doctor?" the creature asked.

"He won't help her. Well… He might, but he can't come here. She wouldn't want him here."

"I know she'll die if we don't do anything."

"How?" Hurley asked it. "How do you know that?"

"I know things."

"Do you know if he'll come here? Do you know if he'll know what to do?"

It shook its head.

Hurley looked at her face when she whimpered. It was soft, almost indiscernible, but he was sure it meant she was hurting.

"Doesn't matter," Hurley said. "Go get him."

"What?" it asked.

Hurley looked it in the eyes, or what it had formed as eyes. "Go and get Jack."

"He's in the camp, Hurley. I ca—"

"Do you want to save her or not?"

It didn't answer. It looked at her face instead. It reached out and laid its hand on her forehead and a small smile crossed its lips.

"I'll wait until night. I will hurry."

Hurley nodded, watching it run out of the bunker. Hurley got out washcloth and filled a pan with water. He sat down beside her and dabbed her neck and face.

#

Night had fallen uneventful, save Aaron was still crying. Charlie and Claire slept with the baby between them, too exhausted to stay awake even by his sound. The crying stopped suddenly when the creature drifted close to the tent. It paused and the child stared at it, fixated on the dark form moving soundlessly through the warm night air. It moved on in search of Jack. It found him and moved slowly to fill the area around and over him.

It was just about to grab him when someone yelled, "JACK!"

Jack woke up and it snatched him into itself. Nearby Kate came out of her tent, seeing the cloud. Charlie, who had yelled his name, stood near his and Claire's tent, clutching Aaron to his chest. The baby stared the sight, smiling and kicking his feet, reaching chubby hands toward the blackness. The creature dashed into the jungle and Kate ran after it. Aaron started screaming and crying again.

The darkness gave the creature the advantage and it quickly lost Kate. Inside its hold Jack tossed and struggled. The creature's body muffled his screams. It felt like only a couple minutes passed when the creature was suddenly dropping him on the ground, right at the hatch and Hurley's feet.

Jack scrambled to his feet, not noticing Hurley right away. His eyes were fixed on the creature hovering before him. Then he noticed light behind him and turned, staring Hurley in the eyes.

"What the hell is going on!" he screamed at Hurley.

"I need your help, Jack. Samantha's really sick and—"

"So you had that thing kidnap me?"

"Jack—"

"This thing—" Jack spun to point an accusing finger at the creature. He froze, staring at Walt. "Walt?"

"No," the creature answered. "I took you because she is very ill and we couldn't afford for you refusing to coming. I promise that once you've helped her, I will return you safely. I have no intention of hurting you."

Jack turned to Hurley, and for the first time noticed the hatch and the well-lit hall behind him.

"What is this?" he pointed past Hurley. "Is this another hatch?"

"Yeah. It's like the one Locke and Eko blew up, but there's no doomsday computer in this one."

"How long have you known about this?"

"A few months. But—"

"A few months? Is there food in this one? Medicine?"

"Jack—"

"We could—"

"SAMANTHA NEEDS YOUR HELP!" Hurley bellowed.

His response shocked Jack into silence. The creature's eyes enlarged.

"People don't get sick here, Hurley. No one has."

"Yeah, well, she is and I am begging you to help me. Please help my best friend, Jack."

Jack wasn't sure if he should be angry or touched by this. In the end, the doctor in him chose to act.

"Where is she?"

Hurley let him to her. He waited silently with the creature while Jack worked.

Jack carefully examined her. He was beginning to think it was a virus until he noticed a smear of blood on the couch. He gently rolled her on her side and spotted blood on the back of her shirt. Jack lifted it, staring at the swollen, infected cut across her back. The skin around it was red and hotter than her fever.

"That looks bad," Hurley stated.

Jack lowered her back to the couch. "It is." He turned, putting his face in his hands.

"Well… Fix it."

"I can't."

"What'd'ya mean you can't? Jack—"

Jack dropped his hands, loudly informing him, "I can't, Hurley. She has a staph infection and even the medicine I have back at camp won't help."

"There's an operating room in the showers."

Jack slowly looked up at him. "What?"

"I said there's—"

"Is it stocked?"

"Yeah."

"Show it to me."

Hurley led him into the showers, behind the lockers and into the operating room. Jack walked in, staring at the operating room. On the floor were footprints the size of Hurley's foot and smaller ones that Jack assumed were Samantha's. He turned to Hurley.

"How long have you kept this a secret?" he snarled.

Hurley looked him in the eye. "You guys blew up the last one. People were killed because of it. Nothing anyone did proved you guys are responsible enough to have these things." Hurley looked at the door.

Jack turned, finding the creature standing there. Jack stepped close to Hurley.

"You had me kidnapped."

"I didn't kidnap you. I borrowed you. Are you going to help her or not?"

"There's a fine line, Hurley."

"In helping her?"

Jack sighed. He could tell Hurley wasn't about to admit to the truth.

"I have to clean up the wound, which means we need to work fast at cleaning this room and sterilizing it. We have to get these sheets out first." Jack walked over to a sheet and began pulling it down. Hurley went to another and began pulling it off.

Jack looked up, finding the creature was gone. "Where'd that thing go?"

"Back outside, probably. He's claustrophobic, I think."

"Are you friends with it?"

"I think I'm, like, friends by association, but not directly."

"And Samantha?"

Hurley stopped moving. He looked at Jack. "I don't know, but I think so. We don't talk about him a whole lot."

"Why do you keep calling it a him?"

He shrugged. "Why did I always call my car a him?"

Jack smiled. It was a human thing to give something a sex, wasn't it?