Sink or Swim
Chapter 29
Mac walked out of one of the buildings, stepping off the porch. "Anything?" Mac asked Sayid as he stepped out of another building.
"No, not a thing," he answered.
"I feel like I'm in a middle of a ghost town," Mac responded, turning seeing Jack coming out of one of the buildings. "Jack!" Mac exclaimed, running and hugging him.
"Mac, what are you doing here?" Jack asked.
"I came looking for you guys," she explained.
"Jack," Sayid greeted.
"Sayid," he returned the greeting.
"Mac and I have checked all the houses. Everyone's gone, no weapons, no trail…. it's like 50 people disappeared into thin air," Sayid answered.
"We should take what we can find and head out while we still got light," Jack ordered as he and Juliet walked away.
"She is not coming with us," Sayid told Jack.
"Yes, she is," Jack answered.
"Why?" Sayid asked.
"Because they left her behind too," Jack answered as he and Juliet walked off.
Mac exchanged glances with Sayid and Kate. "I'll fill up the water bottles with tap water before we go," Mac answered, taking everyone's bottles.
Mac took a breath walking into the hospital room. "Hello mom, Jordan," she greeted.
Jordan looked up. "Mac, you came back," she stated, getting up hugging her sister.
"I never left," she explained.
"Jordan said you had," her mother stated, from the bed.
Mac stood at the foot of the bed. "I had the testing done to see if I was a match, and I am."
"So, the doctor will be in to schedule the surgery soon?" Abigail asked.
"No," Mac answered.
"No? But you just said…." Jordan started to respond.
"I said I was a match, but not that I was going to donate part of my liver to her," she informed them. "I've been sitting at my hotel for three days, drinking, and thinking about how unfair life is. Some people are never meant to be parents', like you mom. You gave birth to three daughters, and you left everything to dad, until he walked out and left. You didn't even care enough to stop drinking when you were pregnant with Taylor," she informed her. "This time you're going to listen to what I have to say because you can't run away from the truth. I was a damn good mother to my girls, and when I left it was on duty. I called every chance I got, and they knew I loved them. But, that wasn't enough - I still failed them, because I wasn't there to protect them from their father, another person never meant to be a parent. I don't have my daughters, but you have two of us here, alive. I can't, in good conscious, give you part of my liver, to keep you alive. As long as you're still alive, you're going to have a hold on Jordan, and she doesn't need it," Mac explained.
"Why did you go through the tests, Mac?" Jordan asked.
"Because I needed to know whether I held her life in my hands," she stated. "I'm sorry Jordan, but I can't do it," she stated, turning to leave.
"You think you're so special, Mackenzie? You're sentencing me to die, your own mother. Jordan and I are the only family you have, you can't count on anyone else!" her mother yelled from the bed.
Mac turned around and laughed.
"Well mom, I never could count on you anyway, so you being dead isn't going to be much of a change now is it?" she asked. "I don't believe that blood is the only thing that makes you family, mom." she told her walking out.
Mac took a drink of water, catching up to Jack as they were walking across the beach. "So Jack, you want to tell me what you're going to tell the rest of the camp when we get back about why she's with us?"
"She got left behind, simple as that," Jack explained.
"It's not that simple, Jack, and you know it," Mac told him. "If you can't convince Kate, Sayid and me, how are you going to convince forty other people?"
"There's nothing to convince anyone, Mac. I wouldn't bring her with us if I thought she was a danger to anyone," he told her.
"What if she's a plant Jack? Just like Goodwin was, or Ethan? You have to think about that, for everyone's safety." she informed him, taking another drink of water.
"I have," he told her, looking at her with concern. "You ok?"
"Yeah, fine," she stated, as Sayid walked up.
"It's getting late. This is a good place to make camp," he pointed out.
"I'll get some firewood," Jack offered.
"I'll go with you," Kate responded.
Mac took a breath looking over at Juliet. "I guess we're left babysitting," she told Sayid.
Sayid nodded. "You ok? I noticed you were drinking a lot of water," he stated kissing her.
"Yeah, just overly thirsty," she answered. "Jack asked me the same thing," she informed him going over to the creek further down from where Juliet was.
Sayid bent down beside her, watching Juliet.
Juliet turned her head to look at the two of them staring at her. "OK, let's have it," she stated.
"I want to know what you people are doing on this Island. Why you're terrorizing us. Making lists. Kidnapping children. I want to know everything. But the first thing I'd like to know is, who are you?" Sayid asked.
Mac filled up her water bottle, noticing that Juliet wasn't speaking.
"Who are you?" Sayid repeated.
"If I told you who I was. If I told you everything that I know. You'd kill me," she replied. "Of course, that is, if Mac will let you. She did prevent you from killing Ben."
Mac shook her head, standing. "I only make a mistake once, Juliet," she told her, taking out her gun and handing it to Sayid. "Go for it," she said walking away.
"Leave her alone," Jack told Sayid as they bring back the firewood.
"Sooner or later she'll answer my questions," Sayid responded.
"She'll answer your questions when she's ready. And you'll wait until she is. She's under my protection," Jack told them.
Sayid looked at Mac, both sharing a glance. Kate looked stunned.
Jordan ran out of the hospital, grabbing Mac's arm. "Mac why are you doing this? You aren't so cold hearted."
Mac looked at her. "Jordan I know what it's like to want to believe she'll change, I've been there, but she never does."
"You just have to give her a chance! She's ready to change," Jordan assured her.
Mac sighed. "Jordan I gave her chances. When I came back from Iraq, she came to visit me, late at night. You and Taylor were asleep, she told me not to bother you. She apologized profusely for not being there for us, that the thought of one of her daughter's dying put some sense in her. I believed her, Jordan. I gave her my bed, told her she could stay as long as she wanted. The next morning, she was gone, as well as my bank card and the cash I had," she informed her. "I wanted to save you and Taylor from the truth, so I never told you that she had slithered back into my life," she stated sadly. "This is more than three thousand dollars in a bank account, this is part of my body we're talking about. The only good thing that came out of all of this, is that I realize I'm going down the same path as our mother by drinking. I'm done Jordan, I can't be sucked in again. Do yourself a favor, walk away now. Save yourself the heartache," she begged.
Jordan looked at her. "Mac…."
Mac nodded. "I know, you still holding out hope. You know what's funny? Somewhere in LA, is the child who got one of Sofia's organs. I don't want to be in this city anymore," she told her, kissing her cheek. "Be safe."
Mac stood with the rest of camp upon their return, Juliet standing a few yards back.
"Trust her? She's one of them," Sun stated.
"Not anymore. They left her behind," Jack responded.
"I've tried to point out to Jack that she might be a plant," Mac responded, Sayid's arm around her.
"Oh yeah, where'd they go?" Charlie asked.
"I told you, I dunno," Jack answered.
"Well maybe we better ask her," Sawyer pointed out.
"She doesn't know either," Jack responded.
"Well here's a wacky idea. Let's stick our resident Iraqi on her. Let him do what he does, then see what she says," Sawyer suggested.
"No, I don't do that anymore," Sayid answered.
"Well ain't that convenient," Sawyer responded sarcastically.
"Sawyer, behave," Mac warned.
"But I don't trust her, Jack. If she's so innocent, why won't she answer my questions?" Sayid asked.
Mac noticed Claire arriving and Charlie going to her.
"Just give her some time, she's afraid," Jack instructed.
"How much time?" Sayid asked.
"Look the fact that I trust her should be enough," Jack stated.
"It's not," Mac answered.
"Where did Locke go?" Desmond asked.
"He went with them. Right after he destroyed the sub, the sub that was gonna take me off this Island," Jack informed them.
"What?" Hurley asked.
"They were gonna let you go?" Sawyer asked incredulously.
"Yeah," Jack simply answered.
"Said who?" he asked.
"Ben," Jack responded.
"Ben, whose life you saved," Sawyer pointed out.
"Sawyer, lay off," Kate warned.
"You should have let that bug-eyed bastard die," Sawyer told him.
"I agree," Mac stated.
"He did it for us," Kate stated.
"Sounds like he did it for him," Sawyer responded.
"James," Kate warned.
"Something you wanna ask me, Sawyer?" Jack questioned Sawyer.
"Yeah Jack I wanna ask you why you're fighting every one of us and sticking up for one of them," Sawyer responded.
"Look I spent every moment over there trying to find a way off this Island—" Jack started to explain, being interrupted by Charlie.
"Claire?" Charlie asked.
"—I was trying to help all of us. I was trying to get us rescued," Jack continued.
"Claire ... Jack! There's something wrong with Claire!" Charlie said, as Jack and Mac went over to Claire, seeing the blood covering her hands.
"Claire, sweetie?" Mac asked.
"Put her head back, put her head back. Let's get her up. How long's she been like this?" Jack questioned.
"Er, she started feeling bad this morning," Charlie responded.
"Before we got back, was she showing any symptoms at all?" Jack asked.
"No she was fine," Charlie responded.
"What about water, has she been drinking enough water?" Jack asked, Mac glancing over at Juliet.
"I think so, yeah," Charlie responded.
Mac motioned for Charlie to take over holding Claire's head, as Mac excused herself.
"What happened to her?" Juliet asked Sun, Mac hearing Jin spoke in Korean.
"He said, what do you care?" Sun questioned.
Mac followed Juliet as she walked over to Kate.
"Juliet, hold on," Mac called after her.
Juliet ignored her, calling after Kate. "Kate! I need your help. I need you to go and get Jack."
"Look, he's busy right now," Kate told her, turning around to face her.
"Please I have to talk to him," Juliet begged.
"You want to tell us why you need Jack?" Mac questioned, joining Kate.
"Because I think I know what's wrong with Claire," she answered.
"Why?" she asked.
"Because I did it to her," Juliet answered.
