I'm so happy! It seems like you guys are getting into my story, which really makes me happy! Okay, anyways, you don't want to listen to me, you want to listen to Carmen, so here she is! Maternity Leave…
"No, Carmen," Jack said, putting his hand on his head while he thought.
"Why not, Jack? If he can trust anyone, it's me," I reminded him.
"And how do you work that out?"
"I helped get Sayid off of him. I'm young, and, as far as he knows, harmless," I whispered. He looked at the door of the armory, then wiped his forehead.
"Fine," He said. I gathered up his medical supplies, a bottle of water and the plate I had prepared. "But you only get ten minutes." I nodded. Jack opened the door to the armory and watched as I walked in. Henry was laying on the floor, sleeping. I put down the bag and water bottle on the floor, and put the plate on the ledge where the guns used to sit. I knelt down by Henry and untied his hands.
"I'm sorry," I heard from behind me while I untied his feet. I turned around to see his eyes open, but him still lying still on the floor.
"Sorry for what?" I asked, getting the ropes off his feet.
"For whatever it is you people think I did," He said. I looked to him, feeling guilty. I reached to his shoulders. Jack had moved in a cot and it sat to my right.
"Let me help you up onto this cot," I said. I helped him sit up, and then get to his feet and sit on the cot. I looked at his face that was covered in blood and cuts from Sayid. "Well, you don't need stitches," I said, examining the cuts.
"Yay," He said sarcastically. I laughed a little, getting the alcohol and a washcloth from Jack's bag. I got some alcohol on the cloth and dabbed it over his face. "Why are you doing this?" Henry asked me.
"Cleaning your wounds?" I asked for clarification. I shrugged. "Because someone needs to do it." Henry stayed quiet a second.
"Sayid didn't seem to feel that way," He said as I finished cleaning a cut on his forehead. I leaned back and looked down at the floor.
"Look, Henry," I said, putting the alcohol and the rag behind me and picking up the water. I offered the bottle to Henry. "What he did… he shouldn't… what he did to you was wrong." He nodded at me, then looked down at his hands.
"Oh," He said, understanding. I smiled, and offered him the plate from behind me with fruit on it. He looked at the plate and nodded again. I picked up Jack's bag and walked towards the door. I knocked three times. "What's your name?" He asked me. I turned around and smiled.
"Carmen," I said. He nodded.
"Thank you, Carmen." I smiled as Jack opened the door, then walked out.
"So?" Jack asked me, after he closed the door.
"No stitches needed, he's fine, has water and food," I said. Jack nodded. "I'm gonna go to bed, it's late," I said. I walked to the bedroom and laid down on top of the covers and fell asleep.
I spooned the rice I made out onto the plate beside the pork chop, and put the plate onto a tray.
"No peas?" John asked me. I looked down at the plate, and back up at him.
"Peas? Do you eat peas with your pork chops?" He nodded, very matter-of-factly. "Ew. Applesauce. Applesauce is the only thing I can eat with pork chops to force them down."
"Ew, yourself," John said, picking up a book from the shelf. Jack went to the armory door, and John opened it. Jack walked in first, and I followed with the tray.
"You have to go to the bathroom?" Jack asked.
"No," Henry answered quickly. I offered the plate to him, and he took it obediently.
"Well, just let us know when you do," Jack told him.
"Yeah, I'll look forward to that," Henry said. Jack started to walk out, and I followed, holding the tray and the old plate I'd given him. John walked forward, though.
"Thought you might need something to read," John said, throwing The Brothers Karamazov onto the cot beside him.
"Dostoevsky… you don't have any Stephen King?" Henry asked, half joking.
"Library's a little outdated," John said.
"Right… well, thanks," Henry said appreciatively. I walked out, John following. John shut the door and turned to Jack.
"What's with the book?" Jack asked John.
"Just something to pass the time," John said innocently. "Did you know that Hemingway was jealous of Dostoevsky?" He asked Jack.
"No, John, I did not know that," Jack said, half condescending.
"He wanted to be the world's greatest writer, but convinced himself that he could never get out from under Dostoevsky's shadow… kind of sad, really," John said. "What are we doing, Jack?" John asked, changing topics.
"What are we doing?" Jack asked, confused. I sat down on the couch.
"We can't hide him down here forever. Changing shifts around is gonna get people askin' questions, I just wanna know what the long term plan is."
"Well, John, let me ask you this: we don't have a long term plan for the button, but we keep pushin' it don't we?" Jack pointed out. I looked to John for a response, but he did nothing. "Look, until we know who he is, whether or not he's telling the truth. We need to keep doin' what we're doin'. You got a better idea, let's hear it," Jack asked.
"How 'bout you let me go!" Henry suggested from inside the armory. I looked to the door, then smiled a little to myself.
I walked on to the beach and went to my tent. I got my backpack and put a few shirts in it so that I could be prepared to stay in the hatch a while. I heard Claire scream. I dropped the shirt I was holding and ran out to the beach and ran towards Kate who was holding Aaron and running towards a patch of trees.
"What happened?" I asked Libby, who has trying to calm Claire.
"It was Ethan!" Claire yelled.
"What did you do?" Kate asked Libby.
"Nothing! She just…"
"Do it again," Claire whispered, then grabbed Libby. "Do it again!"
"No, Claire, you were screaming!" Libby said.
"I remembered, okay! I saw Ethan! He was there, and he was giving me an exam…"
"Claire, what you saw could be combining experiences of what happened before the crash to the things that happened to you here on the island…"
"No! I know this was real! I was drugged. He did something to me…"
"Claire, you need to calm down, alright, it's not good for Aaron," Kate said. Claire took Aaron from Kate.
"You know what, Aaron is sick, okay? I need to find that place! That room, it's real, it's real! And there's medicine there for the baby! I need to find it, I need to find it… Kate, please, help me find it," Claire pleaded. Kate nodded and the two walked off. I looked to Libby.
"What the hell?" I asked her. She shook her head.
"Claire… her baby's sick, and she was trying to remember what happened to her when she was kidnapped. I guess… I guess she remembered," I ran over to Claire.
"Claire, what are you doing?" I asked.
"I'm going to find that place," She said, putting Aaron in his crib.
"You're leaving? Claire…"
"Carmen, I have to do this, I need to find medicine for Aaron! He's sick!" She said. I looked at Aaron who was crying. "Look, all I'm asking from you is that you don't stop me," She told me. I stared at her for a second, then walked away, knowing Kate would take care of her. I walked back to my tent and remembered why I came to the beach. I walked to Sawyer's tent as Kate walked away. I walked up to Sawyer, who was sitting and reading.
"Can I borrow one of your books?" I asked him. He took of his huge glasses.
"Well, hey there, San Diego," Sawyer said, "Where you been?" I kind of laughed.
"Can I borrow a book, Sawyer?" I asked again. He nodded.
"Yeah, which one?" He asked.
"Anything Stephen King?" I asked in return. He got up and looked down at me.
"Stephen King? Since when do you read Stephen King?" He asked.
"Since now, can I just borrow it?" I asked. He went into his tent and came out a second letter, carrying a thick book. I looked at the cover: it said The Stand. I reached for the book, but Sawyer pulled back his arm.
"This mean we're pals again?" Sawyer asked. I grabbed the book.
"No," I said, walking away with the book. I grabbed my backpack from my tent and walked back to the hatch.
I walked into the main room of the hatch with the book in my hand. Jack and John were standing in the kitchen with their arms crossed. I looked to the armory door.
"Can I talk to him?" I asked. John nodded.
"When Eko's done, sure," He said.
"Eko?" I asked. Jack nodded.
"He figured it out… wanted to talk to him. So we let him," Jack said. Three knocks came from the door. John opened the door and Eko walked out. Without saying a word, he left the hatch. I walked in through the door to see Henry, petrified on the cot.
"Are you okay?" I asked him. He looked down at the floor.
"F… Fine…" I dropped the book on the cot.
"I found some Stephen King for you," I said. He looked at it a second, then up at me. He even smiled a little.
"Thank you."
Slower chapter, I know, but you have those every once in a while. Wonder where Henry and Carmen's relationship is gonna go…. Hrm…