Sink or Swim

Chapter 13

Mac stood in front of the tent she shared with Sayid in the dark, turning her head to the woods where she heard voices. She cast a glance back inside the tent, seeing Sayid still sleeping, taking a deep breath before grabbing a torch.

"OK Mac, going into the woods by yourself in the middle of the night is not a good idea," she told herself out loud. "Hell, it's really a bad idea," she chastised herself.

"Mommy!" she heard a voice call from the woods, and then a child's figure appeared.

"Paige," she answered softly. "Paige!" she called, running after the voice. She took a breath stopping in the woods. "Ok, you're seeing things Mac," she told herself.

"Mommy, help me!" the voice called again.

"Paige," Mac said going further into the woods, taking a breath.

"Mac!" she heard a voice call as a hand grabbed her. "Hey what are you doing?" Hurley asked, grabbing her arm.

"Did you see a little girl run through here? Dark brown hair, pigtails, in a green sun dress with a green bow in her hair?" she asked.

Hurley shook his head. "No dude, you ok?" he asked.

"Mac, what are you doing out here?" Libby asked, joining them.

"She's seeing things too," he explained.

"What do you mean too?" she questioned.

"I've been seeing a man appear no one else is able to see, thought I was going crazy. I attacked Sawyer over it," he explained.

"And he was going to live in the caves, I had to talk him out of it," Libby stated. "Mac, who did you think you saw?".

"My daughter," she stated.

Mac placed the cereal bowls in front of Sofia and Paige, and sat down herself. "Ok, you two are going to beat me home today. What are the rules?"

Sofia and Paige both sighed, looking at each other. "Mom, we know the drill," seven year old Paige answered.

"Well, indulge me will you?" she questioned her daughters.

"I check in with base security, wait the half an hour for Paige's bus to drop her off and we ask one of the guards to walk us home," twelve year old Sofia answered.

"If the guard is busy, we call you from the guard house and then you'll talk to the guard," Paige continued.

"Under no circumstances do we come up to the house alone without a security escort," Sofia said.

"Then we have them check to see if every lock is still locked, and every window still secure," Paige offered.

"And then, and only then, do we unlock the door, disarm the alarm, and lock the door after the officer leaves," Sofia finished.

"Good," Mac stated. "You forgot something," she reminded them.

"We call you as soon as we reset the alarm," both girls added in unison.

Mac nodded. "Good, and if either one of you see any sign of your father outside of school what do you do?"

"We go back inside, tell the principle, have him call you and don't leave again until you get there," the oldest one responded.

Mac nodded. "I'm sorry if I'm being overly protective about this, but keeping you safe is my number one priority," she stated, touching their faces.

"Do you think dad would try something?" Paige asked, her voice breaking with fear.

Mac took her hand. "Baby, I don't know what your father will or won't do, but I'm doing everything in my power to make sure we're all safe from him."

"I can't believe they let him out of jail on bail even after he broke Paige's nose," Sofia stated.

Mac gave a warning glance to her oldest daughter. "Well, we just have to depend on each other to look after each other right? Girl power rules!" she said glancing at her watch. "If you two hurry up, I can give you rides to school."

Mac sighed, walking into the tent, seeing Sayid turning, getting dressed. "Hey."

"I was just coming to find you, it's 3 in the morning," he told her. "Where were you?" he asked, kissing her.

"Chasing a ghost," she answered, sitting down.

"Excuse me?" he asked, sitting down beside her.

"I woke up, couldn't get back to sleep, I went outside, I heard voices from the woods, and I really debated with myself about following them. I know it's unsafe to go alone in the woods, even in the day time. Then I saw Paige," she answered, looking at him.

"Your daughter? Mackenzie, you know that isn't possible," he said, caressing her cheek. "It was a dream."

"I wasn't asleep, Sayid," she pointed out. "Even if I had been sleeping, and dreaming, I never had one like this before. Never has a dream about either one of my daughters been so clear, or so vivid," she explained. "I know it's not possible that she was real, Sayid, or that she was asking for help, but it wasn't a dream either."

Sayid kissed her. "What do you think it was?" he asked.

"I don't know," she answered truthfully. "But I do know I need you to believe me, to have faith that I'm not just losing my mind. I've never seen my dead daughter stand close enough for me to reach out and touch before. It would be easy for me to believe I'm losing my mind, if Hurley hadn't been seeing invisible people all day too."

"First of all, I do believe you, and I do have faith in you," he assured her. "Second of all, what do you mean Hurley's been seeing invisible people all day?"

"I met him and Libby coming back from the caves, I guess he's been seeing someone he knew before the crash that's gone, telling him this is all a dream," Mac explained. "I think we better try and get some sleep," she stated.

"Wake me up if you experience seeing Paige again?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said, lying back down.

Mac stopped the car a couple of blocks from Sofia's school. "Wait," she told her eldest daughter. "I want to talk to you, without Paige being present."

Sofia sighed. "Is this about the comment I made about dad being out on bail?" she questioned. "I saw the mom warning glare. But, I honestly don't know what I said wrong, Mom. She knows we're being overly cautious because he isn't in jail. I don't think I said anything wrong," the twelve year old insisted.

Mac touched her oldest daughter's face. "It's not that Sophie," she stated.

"Then what?" she asked.

"I know what it's like to be the oldest child, having to take responsibility when one parent leaves, and the other one isn't around," Mac responded.

"Mom, you have a job, we know that. And dad didn't leave; you kicked him out because he hurt Paige. You should have kicked him out long ago," the twelve year old commented wisely. "It's nothing like your family, don't worry."

Mac smiled. "It's my job to worry, Sophie, always have been. I think I was born with the worry gene turned on," she explained. "I don't want you to ever feel like you're giving up your youth to be a mother figure to Paige. I need you to promise me that if you ever feel like that, you'll tell me."

"I complain now watching her for more than two hours, so you know I'm not going to let you off the hook if it gets to be a longer habit then that," the pre-teen answered with a grin.

Mac laughed, touching her cheek. "You have always been good at speaking up, that's for sure," she responded. "You better go before you're late," she instructed her daughter. "Love you."

Sofia got out of the car taking a few steps then went back bending down at the window. "Hey mom?"

"Yeah Sophie?" she questioned, looking at her.

"Promise me you won't give up on love?" Sophie asked.

Mac laughed. "I'm sorry?" she questioned her daughter.

"Dad wasn't your soul mate, and I don't want you to see you miss out on that just because of what dad did," she explained.

"You're twelve years old, Sophia Grace, please tell me what you know about love and soul mates?" she questioned her daughter, amused.

"Sister Mary Katherine says that everyone has one person meant for them in this life, and that it may take time to find them," she informed her mother.

"Well did Sister Mary Katherine also mention that the church frowns on divorce?" she asked. "So I'm probably sure that she didn't mean me."

Sophia shrugged. "Then promise me," she stated. "You deserve love."

Mac laughed. "Well good thing that I have two daughters that adore me, isn't it? Now get going I don't want one of the Fathers out here telling me that I'm making you late for school."

Mac threw her backpack over her back, heading over to where Sawyer was sitting, reading. "So Hurley did get you good," she commented, looking at his face.

Sawyer looked up. "Well, look who decided to talk to me again," he commented. "What did I do to earn this pleasure, GI Jane?" he asked. "Oh let me guess, you need something from the stash."

Mac shook her head. "No, I'm good," she answered, sitting down. "I had to come see it myself."

"See what?" he questioned.

"Your face," she answered. "Hurley told me that he beat you up, I had to see it for myself."

"Oh? Is fatso bragging about getting the upper hand on me is he?" he questioned.

"No, he's not," Mac assured him.

"What? It just came up in conversation?" Sawyer questioned her.

Mac glanced over at him. "Actually, yes it did. I met him and Libby when they were coming back from the caves in the middle of the night, when I was chasing my daughter through the woods."

Sawyer looked at her. "You have a kid?" he asked.

"I did, two of them to be exact," she answered, handing him the picture.

"You did?" he asked. "You've given up getting home?"

Mac shook her head. "My ex-husband killed them two years ago," she answered. "Last night, I swore that the youngest one, Paige, was here, on this island, asking me to help her. If you think Hurley is crazy for saying he saw a man in a bathrobe, then I'm as crazy as he is for seeing my daughter running through the woods in the dress I buried her in," she said standing up, taking the picture.

"Why are you telling me this?" Sawyer asked quietly.

"Because I needed you to know," she answered, walking away.