Juliet's breathing shallowed- a thin sheen of sweat instantly covered her. Her eyes locked on the knife in her thigh. Her left leg was bent at the knee with her ankle tucked awkwardly under her right. Her right leg was straight out in front of her.
Bill stared at it for only a second before his hand moved from Juliet's shoulder down to her bound hands- which lay limply against her left hip as his other grasped her chin redirecting her eyes to him to assess her pupils. His expression was one of sheer shock. He let go and moved her bound hands to her right thigh.
"Put pressure around it. Here. Juliet!?" He commanded as he pressed her fingers down around the knife.
Juliet blinked slowly keeping eye contact with him in an eerily calm manner. She arched an eyebrow at him-as if to ask "why bother?".
"DO it!" He yelled. Juliet flinched ever so slightly and obeyed - holding pressure around the metal blade stoically. Bill pushed off the wall on either side of her-leaving two bloody hand prints in his wake. He stood up, quickly removed his black t-shirt and dropped back down.
"Damnitt! Damnitt, damnitt!"
Bill's words echoed through Juliet's ears like a tunnel lay between them as he took responsibility for the fact that he had inadvertently stabbed her when they hit the wall. Her focus had shifted and she was staring past Bill listlessly at James watching his body rise and fall in unconsciousness. Bill moved Juliet's hands aside and clutched at the blood pooling around the knife. A dark red stain was spreading across the fabric of her jeans like a glass of spilled red wine. Juliet blinked heavily trying to maintain her breathing as she was beginning to feel a cold burning sensation strengthening in her leg. The initial shock was wearing off. Bill frantically wadded his shirt around the knife in her thigh moved to his knees, looking around their surroundings. Juliet idly stared at his chest then made eye contact with him again and let out an amused sound like a light laugh mixed with a cry. Bills face dropped.
"I just wanted to go home." She whispered honestly to him as her head tipped back to rest against the wall. Her eyes gently closed. That was end all truth and reasoning behind everything she'd done since she arrived on this damn island over 4 years ago.
"Juliet? You're not gunna die. Stay with me. Jeeezus Christ!" Bill leaned in and looped her bound wrists back around his neck, scooping her up, her head fell back momentarily, snapping forward as she realized he was setting her on her bed. Juliet leaned forward in an attempt to get her arms back as he carefully set her down, scooting her in so as not to disrupt the knife any further. Juliet winced as her thigh muscle involuntarily flexed. Bill grabbed the pillow out from under her head and moved it up under her leg instead. The room was still dark, the only light coming from the hallway.
"Stay here. Please. Just trust me for once."
Juliet was starting shake as the throbbing pain became more piercing. As soon as Bill stepped away, Juliet pushed off her elbow. Her vision felt fuzzy but she managed shift upright. She let out an angry cry at the movement she accidentally caused in her wounded leg trying to get a look at what kind of damage had been done. Bill doubled back from the door, furiously.
"Stop! You're gunna make it worse!" He shouted continuing his commanding tone as Juliet watched him glance to James and back again. He growled as he crossed the room-his palms met her chest and pushed her back down flat- leaning his bare chested body over her stomach and ribs at an angle- effectively pinning her to the bed. Tears were now openly streaking down Juliet's face and back into her hair as she struggled -her good leg kicked uselessly beneath them. She felt the heat from his body seeping down over her. Bill held her still until she stopped. Juliet didn't last long before she began to blink heavily trying desperately to stave off the nauseous feeling that was attempting to overtake her.
"You have to let me go... Please..." Juliet whispered through staggered breaths, panic gripping her voice.
"Shhh. Shhh. It's gunna be alright." He pulled back enough to take hold of her bound wrists which had been trapped between them and started un-looping the leather. Juliet thought for a moment he might take her to the medical station, that this all might be over soon. Instead, he pulled her wrists above her head and refastened the belt securely through the wooden diamond frame that the headboard was made of. Juliet lost it.
" .no... Bill... please... Don't do this.. please... You have to let me.." Juliet pleaded again as she began hyperventilating at the idea that she would die this way, unable to attend to her own wounds. It was as though the old Juliet was back and she was in full force. She was a mess with no hope in sight. Once Juliet was confined to the center of the bed, Bill pulled off of her and stood next to the bedside table. He leaned across her and checked her leg as best he could in what little light came into the room then sighed at her pleadingly.
"It's okay. Try not to move... I know- I'm sorry! I'll be back for you."
He dropped his hand to brush her hair from her face, wiping away the tears-then moved with determination down the hall, stepping over James to the medicine cabinet in the bathroom. Juliet held her breath this time and slowly, painfully bent her leg upright to keep the blade raised above her heart. She heard him rifling through everything and arched her neck forward to try and see how bad the damage was. Bill's black t-shirt made it impossible to see if her leg was still bleeding. She was pretty sure the knife was helping stem the flow. She released a ragged breath of frustration. From her angle she was guessing... and hoping that since she wasn't dead already that he'd missed her femoral artery. Her blue eyes searched her surroundings - stopping on the black phone beside her bed. Juliet closed her eyes and silently cursed the rotary era. She couldn't reach it- even if she did- she couldn't dial the damn thing, she'd only end up sending it to the floor. Bill came out of the bathroom dragging James. Juliet heard Bill grunt heavily as he tugged James back down the hall to the living room.
Bill appeared back in the doorway once again and Juliet swore she let out a sigh of relief. Maybe he was back to release her. He squinted at her curiously as he finally flipped on the light and moved in on her bent leg. He was carrying an armful of first aid supplies. Juliet's nostrils opened as her eyes grew wide. Clearly, he had some medical expertise because he knew well enough to leave the knife in her leg -but the look on his face now implied that he intended to remove it.
"Bill, no- you can't." Juliet said as she tried to pull herself further up towards the head of the bed.
"Combat medic, Sargent. 9th Medical Battalion, Infantry Division, Vietnam."
He flatly stated his credentials before climbing on James's side of the bed and moving over next to Juliet's right thigh. He set down a bottle of rubbing alcohol and piled up a stack of bandages. His eyes locked on hers. Juliet's mouth cringed pleadingly as her eyes darted around. Tears of fear rolled down the back of her throat and nose forcing her to sob in order to get air. Bill's muscles flexed tensely as he moved to his knees. He reached over and delicately removed the black shirt. Juliet's gaze stared into the hall as she tried to regain control of herself. It was quiet and she didn't hear James.
"He's still out. He's probably feeling no pain right now- so let's take care of you, while we have time."
Juliet watched Bill examine her bent leg then slowly slide it back down flat. Juliet's lower lip quivered and she involuntarily whimper at the pain shift, clinging tightly to her bindings and tucking her face into her stretched arm. Bill shot her an apologetic look. He picked up a pair of scissors and got back on task. Starting at Juliet's ankle- he began cutting the fabric of her jeans away from her skin- He held her leg gently as the cut continued over her knee and up to the hole that had been created by the knife itself- still lodged half-way into her upper thigh less than 4 or 5 inches from where her hip and leg bent. Juliet looked down and sighed in relief as she was finally able to get a glimpse of her injury. It was outside the femoral triangle. Bill looked at her suspiciously.
"Very little blood, that's good. Looks like it's in the anterior region- though... you already knew that, didn't you?." He stated. Juliet dropped her head back , her eyes met the ceiling and she didn't answer. Bill ran his fingers further up under Juliet's pants until his fingers touched her panty line then he looked at her and swallowed. She closed her eyes knowing he needed more room as was asking permission-she nodded her breaths fall heavily from her mouth as he snipped the last 5 inches away and averted his eyes in an almost gentlemen like manner. He set the scissors down and addressed her as clinically as he could.
"I've seen worse. I think I can get it out. It's in maybe 2 inches" He said then he lifted up James's bandanna showing to Juliet briefly before leaning in and slipping it over Juliet's head to tighten it. Juliet let out a sob of unwillingness, a new wave of tears claimed her over the fact that she was being gagged.
"I'm ...You're gunna wanna bite down on this." He said, as if she really had a choice. Her eyebrows angled as she locked her fingers tightly around the leather straps trying to grip the wood on the frame behind herself as her arms tingled over her head.
Bill moved quickly and pressed one of his knees just above Juliet's and the other in the dent below her hip bone. He uncapped the bottle of alcohol and poured it in it's entirety over the knife. Juliet began to shake hard as she threw her head back and clenched her eyes at the flaming pain of the unforgiving liquid running over her flesh combined with the sensation of the cool blade slowly being retracted from her thigh.
Juliet let out a guttural, animal like scream, all the muscles in her body flexed and jerked as an stronger icy searing pain shot up her leg. Her left leg kicked and dug desperately into the mattress instinctively seeking to free her.
"Good, Jules... It's out..." She heard Bill's voice say as though he were muffle in the distance.
Juliet's blood pumped loudly in her ears as she battled her senses. As soon as she opened her eyes, the room began spinning and a familiar clammy sensation began quickly tunneling in on her. "No no! Juliet! Don't you pass out!" She screamed in her head as Bill moved off of her leg and she felt a dry pressure being applied to her thigh. Her head lolled to her arm for support but she couldn't hold it there. Bill's form slowly faded out of focus like she was going underwater and then, darkness.
...
Sawyer sighed and stretched his legs with a satisfied moan. He rolled up to a seated position on the couch. Was it morning already? The light shined invitingly warm across the room. He felt amazingly- light and loose, like he could do anything. He couldn't remember the last time he'd slept so well. He looked up to find a tall, dark haired man pulling a shirt over his head, standing in the kitchen.
"Jack? The hell you doin' here? Sawyer slurred- his dimples twinkling. He had a surprised tone he pushed forward and shook his head in disbelief. Jack didn't say anything, but Sawyer was pretty sure he smiled.
Jack walked over to him and patted his shoulder.
"Yeh, good to see you too, pal."
"Well I'll be damned. How the hell are ya? Where's everyone else?"
"Everyone else? Oh, they're waiting for us at The Temple."
"The Huh? Ain't that in dark territory? Seems like it's kinda out of our way don't it?"
"Dunno, I'm just here to get you." Jack said as he helped Sawyer to his feet.
Sawyer squinted and slowly spun around in the room- like he was missing something, He closed his eyes as took a few steps then leaned against the back of the chair.
"Rough night?" Jack inquired with a grin as he steadied Sawyer from swaying on his feet.
"Huh? Yeh... I guess it musta been. I feel like I'm forgettin' somethin'" Sawyer turned to head down the hall and Jack halted him.
"Whatever it is, you won't need it after today." Jack replied.
"Yeh, guess yer right. It's just... my head it feels kinda funny, ya know? Like my words are coming out of my mouth in slow motion. That make sense?" Sawyer said smiling at his old rival and friend... and not really caring if it did.
Jack picked up a set of keys from the floor and opened the front door, he paused when he realized Sawyer wasn't following him.
"I think... I can help with that before we go." Jack replied as he moved to the table and pulled a bottle of pills from a backpack that was tossed there. He hesitated briefly then took one pill out and showed it to Sawyer.
"For your head" He stated.
"Pfft. Ya always did have the best stash in camp." Sawyer laughed as Jack popped the pill in Sawyer's mouth and he whipped his head back, swallowing it dry. His face soured at the taste as he nodded in thanks giving Jack a charming squint.
"Well Doc, I never thought I'd say this- but I think I love ya - I know I'm happy as hell to see ya! So-when we goin?"
Jack nodded with a light laugh and grabbed the backpack off the table.
"Let's go"
Sawyer swaggered out the door behind him, his shoulder catching the screen door in the dark. He only stepped a few feet when he realized it was night and it had just been day. His brow furrowed.
"Something wrong?" Jack asked suspiciously as Sawyer took a step backward, clearly dizzy. His eyes darting around as if the answers to the questions he didn't know to ask were laying in the grass somewhere.
"Juliet...Where's Juliet?" Sawyer slurred.
"Uh..She's already in the van, it's parked just around the side of the house. Let's go bud." Jack said taking hold of Sawyer's elbow.
Sawyer pulled back- he attempted to raise his hand and push Jack off but couldn't. He looked down and found that his arms where tied behind his back. His head raised slowly as his mood took an immediate downward turn.
"The hell you tryin' to pull Jack? Where's Miles? Jin? I ain't goin' no where without em. You got n..no idea what we been through here! You better take these damn ropes off."
"Afraid I can't do that" Jack replied irritated as he roughly grabbed Sawyer's forearm and began to pull him towards the porch step. Across the courtyard a screen door slammed in the darkness. The music from the party was gone but there were voices in the distance. Jack looked out in a panic and quickly changed his mind. He turned and shoved a stumbling Sawyer back inside, closing the door as quietly as he could manage before releasing him and moving to the curtain to peek out.
Sawyer's gaze wavered drunkenly down the hall towards the bedroom. There was a dark stain on the floor and 2 distinct red hand prints low on the wall across from the bathroom. The bedroom door was closed. It was never closed. He made a sideways glance at Jack, who wasn't watching him then shot down the hall.
"Hey!?" Jack called as he dropped his bag and started after Sawyer just as Sawyer turned his back and opened the bedroom door behind him.
"She ain't gone is she?! Juliet?!"
"You don't wanna do that LaFleur!"
Sawyer's eyes widened. "LaFleur?"
"Sonofabish" He growled as Jack shoved him and he fell through the open door behind him into the dark bedroom.
Sawyer clumsily shifted backwards until his back met the wall near the closet, then he tried to used it to stand up but slumped solidly back to the floor. He blinked his eyes hard and shook his head but his equilibrium was severely off. When he opened his eyes he looked up as Jack's features melted away and he found himself staring at Bill instead.
