Chapter 37

2nd Day Part II

Many thoughts went through Ana-Lucia's mind when she heard what Kate said. When she took the Oceanic Airlines flight 815 a year ago, she had never thought about ending up in a situation like that: pregnant, giving birth to her child in the middle of the jungle and without the presence of her baby's father. She knew the worst was coming and she was definitely not ready for that.

"Oh, Dios"!(Dear God!)- she whined when she felt another painful contraction.

Jack asked her close to her ear in an anguished voice:

finally understanding he had no other alternative besides bringing that child to the world despite those conditions:

"Ana, it's going to be alright. I'll help you but I need you to help me too, ok?"

"Ok."- She said.

Jack had finally accepted the fact that he had no other alternative besides bringing that baby to the world despite the hard conditions.

Ana was having a hard time to breathe due to the painful contractions; cold sweat was coming down from her hair going into her forehead. Kate was holding her hand like a good friend, patiently by her side, ready to help her in whatever she needed.

"How long between the contractions?"- Jack asked touching Ana's belly.

"I'm not sure, every three minutes I think…"

"Let's count together."- Kate suggested. "Michael I need your watch."

Michael gave her his expensive gold watch that had been a gift from Jin and also the reason why the Korean attacked him at the beach long time ago. Now it would work to help Kate to count Ana-Lucia's contractions.

"Jack, is there something we can do?"- Sayid asked.

"Yes."- Jack said. "I need you and Michael to improvise a tent with that piece of tarp we brought and some pieces of bamboo. I want to make her as comfortable as I can.

Sayid nodded and left with Michael to look for broken and bamboo.

"You will need water for sure."- Said Rosseau. "I heard a pond not very far from here. I'll go there and collect some.

"I'm coming with you."- Pedro said.

Jack continued distributing tasks to the group.

"John, light a fire and sterilize the scissors with the left over water we have to drink but leave some in the bottle for Ana-Lucia, she'll need it."

"Son of a bitch!"- Ana-Lucia screamed when she felt a contraction stronger than the previous one.

"Yep, it's coming every three minutes."- Kate said holding the watch. "You'll have the baby soon; it won't take long. – she said to Ana.

Ana-Lucia bit her lips trying to handle the pain.

"I hope so!"

Jack smiled, the break between contractions was good, if things continued that way the baby would be born soon. However, an hour went by and the baby haven't been born yet.

Sayid and Michael were able to build a tent on record time to accommodate Ana-Lucia. Jack lined it with blankets. Kate prepared Ana for the labour, taking off her damp clothes and covering her legs with one of the blankets.

The break between contractions increased, from three minutes it went up to five minutes. That was not good, Jack thought. He verified her dilation twice; it didn't look good. Ana-Lucia was suffering a lot but she was trying not to show it. Still, Kate was noticing her facial expressions of desperation and was trying to help her.

"Would you like more water, Ana?"

"Yes, please."- She said while Kate threw some water over her lips trying to keep them moisty.

Jack was at the tent's entrance, holding Michael's watch on his hands, feeling extremely nervous. Sayid sat beside him.

"How is she doing? How much longer is going to take?"

"I'm not sure. The baby should have been born by now but the dilation is still far from what it should be. She cannot pass this baby and the pain will just increase. If she was in a hospital, I'm sure a c-section would have been authorized by now. But I can't do one here, I don't have any instruments, anesthesia.

"And there is nothing else we can do?"- Sayid asked.

"Nothing but wait a little longer. I need more dilation to do what I'm thinking about doing."

"Jack! Jack!"- Kate shouted from the tent. "Hurry up please!"

Jack rushed inside the tent. Ana-Lucia was screaming, she couldn't handle the pain anymore, it was too strong. Sayid went to sit with Locke, Pedro and Michael. They were all apprehensive around the fire.

"This is the end, eh? The road ends here?"- Ana-Lucia asked Jack. Her face was taken by tears.

"No Ana, you'll be all right. Your baby will be born, I'll help you!"- Jack said trying to calm her down but he was reaching the limits of desperation himself.

Ana-Lucia started losing a lot of blood and the baby still wasn't coming. She was tired and pale, her lips had lost their colour. But she was persistent, determined, strong, she'd make it. At least, that was what she was telling herself, refusing to give up.

She felt her baby was coming and it only depended on her to bring that child to the world. Even if she had to die in that labour, all she wanted was to give birth to her baby; she wanted a chance to that baby to survive. She took a deep breath and whispered to Kate while Jack was once again checking her dilation:

"Kate, I need to ask you something."

"Whatever you need, ask please."- Kate said drying the cold sweat on her forehead with a cloth.

"If I die..."

"No, you won't die!"- Kate said; she couldn't control her tears now.

"Please, Kate, listen to me!"- Ana insisted, her voice was muffled. "If I die, would you take care of my baby like if he was yours?"

Kate looked at Jack that was also crying.

"Yeah, I promise I'll take care of the baby. But you won't die Ana-Lucia."

"No, you won't!"- Jack said full of determination. "You are a strong woman, you survived a plane crash, crossed half of this island while keeping your group alive so you won't die now, not today! You'll have your baby and we'll find Sawyer and you'll be happy together. The tree of you!"

Ana-Lucia tried to smile in face of Jack's words but the pain was unbearable.

"I won't make it! I won't make it!"- She cried out loud.

"You'll make it, Ana-Lucia!"- Jack insisted. At that time her dilation was enough for him to do what he had been planning although was too risky doing it without anesthesia but he had to do it. He left the tent and called for Locke.

"What about the instruments, John?"

"They have been sterilized. But what are you going to do? You going to open her with a knife without any anesthesia? You're crazy Jack!"

Jack dried the sweat on his forehead with the back of his hand. He seemed exhausted. When Michael saw his expression, he remembered of the day that Boone got injured falling from a small plane stuck on a tree. Jack had called him to build a blade powerful enough to cut his leg off. That moment, Jack had the same glance on his eyes and Michael knew he'd go until the end with that.

"Jack, are you listening to me?"- Locke said exasperated. "You can't operate on her like that."

However, Jack had already gotten the knife and the scissors. He'd do what he thought was the right thing to do.

"Ana-Lucia."- He said back in the tent

She turned her dark eyes filled with tears to him.

"You can't pass this baby with this dilation and if the baby stays longer stuck in the canal, it will die suffocated and you may have a general infection."

Ana-Lucia closed her eyes for a few seconds. She was terrified and tried to visualize her mom's face. She wished she was there so bad.

"But I'll do a small cut on you that will help your baby to come out; that's the only thing I can do. I don't have any anesthesia and this is going to be very painful. Still, I'll need you to be brave and hold on and push hard after I cut, alright?"

"Yeah!"- She said resigned. "I'll do anything!"

Jack got the knife; his hands were shaking. Kate realized that and started praying mentally. Deep inside, Jack was counting up to five, trying to recover his control. He positioned the knife down and slowly did the cut on her.

Ana-Lucia felt the sharp blade ripping off her flesh and felt like she was going to pass out. She screamed in pain.

"Come on Ana, now I need you! Push!"- Said Jack.

She pushed still with her eyes closed because her vision was foggy; she couldn't stop screaming. Outside, everyone was quiet and worried. Just Rosseau seemed unaware of what was happening while eating a mango. Sayid started praying in his mother tongue.

"Yes, Ana, you're doing great!"- Jack was encouraging her.

Ana-Lucia took a deep breath, rested for a second then pushed harder. It didn't take very long then and a smiled brighten up Jack's face when he saw the baby's head.

"It's coming, Ana! Your baby is coming!"

Kate didn't know if laughing or crying, she was emotional. A smile danced on Ana-Lucia's lips and more than determined she pushed harder; it was coming to an end. Her scream echoed all over the jungle followed by the unmistakable little cry of a newborn baby.

"The baby has been born!"- Sayid said hugging Locke. Pedro and Michael hugged each other as well. Rosseau smiled.

Jack got the baby and immediately cleaned its mouth and nose so he could bread. His heart was beating fast because he had just made the second miracle of his life.

"It's a beautiful boy, Ana."- Kate said. "Oh, how big he is!"

Jack cut the umbilical cord and gave the baby to Ana-Lucia that was still crying but this time of happiness. It was an undescribed feeling to be able to have her baby in her arms after everything she had been through. Kate started cleaning the baby with a cloth while Ana was hugging him.

- Hola mi amor, yo soy tu mama!-(Hello my love, I'm your mommy) she whispered in Spanish.

"He's huge! It must weight over 5 pounds. It is the most beautiful baby I've ever seen."- Jack felt emotional.

The boy was reddish, chubby with round feet and hands. He practically didn't have hair, only a few gold fluff. His blue eyes met his mother's and instinctively he held her thumb with strength. Ana-Lucia giggled.

"You strong like mommy!"

He made a crying face and cried loud again, agitated.

"Oh!"- Kate exclaimed melting for that baby.

- No llores, niño! Mama está aqui. (Don't cry, baby boy. Mommy is here!)

Ana-Lucia was so distracted by her baby that she didn't noticed when Jack took out the after birth and started stitching up the cut he had made.

The baby didn't stop crying and Ana-Lucia got concerned.

"Is it normal for him to cry like that? Is he feeling any pain?"

Jack smiled: "He's hungry. You should try nursing him."

He focused on the needle that was stitching her body. Ana-Lucia looked at Kate, apprehensive.

"You can do it."- Kate said with a smile. She helped to raise Ana's t-shirt exposing one of her breasts. Ana positioned the baby carefully against her guiding him to her boob. The boy was able to suck almost immediately.

Ana-Lucia and Kate giggled in face of his rush.

"He is indeed Sawyer's child!"- Kate joked.

Jack chuckled; He had just finished with the stiches. After all that happened everything was fine. Ana-Lucia couldn't stop smiling, she was caressing her baby's head in ecstasies. Now, all would be different in her life because she had a son. Nothing could be more wonderful than that.

"Do you know how are you going to call him?"- Kate asked Ana.

"Yes".- Ana-Lucia said. "James."

Everything seemed to be perfect, however, due to the effort during labour plus the effort to breastfeed her son, she felt really week and her vision became foggy again, darkening little by little until she fainted. Kate yelled:

"Ana, Ana! Wake up please! Ana!"

Jack touched her face, it was cold. He got worried.

"Kate, take the baby."

"Jack, she..."- Kate was very nervous.

"Come on Kate, take the baby!"- Jack demanded.

As soon as Kate got the baby, he started crying for having to leave his mom's breast. Jack put her t-shirt down, covering her. He took her pulse; it was very weak.

"Ana."- Jack called touching her face.

She opened her eyes slowly.

"Can you hear me?"- He asked.

"The baby..."- She murmured.

"Your son is fine, Ana. Now, you must eat something, drink water and rest or you won't be strong enough to feed your child. Are you feeling pain?"

"Yes."- She said. The cut that Jack had done on her was burning a lot.

"You must rest, you can't move much or the stiches will get opened. I'll give you some painkillers, they're not very strong but they'll help to handle the pain.

"The backpack..."- She said in a weak voice. "Kate, my backpack…"

Kate got Ana's backpack that was in the corner of the tent and opened. Besides some clothes and belongings of Ana-Lucia there was also baby clothes, diapers and a little blanket. She smiled, Ana-Lucia had been prepared.

Jack asked Sayid and Locke to bring more water from the pound. Kate bathed the baby, dressed him and put him on the blanket giving him back to Jack. After that she helped Ana-Lucia to get clean and change her clothes. She gave her some water, milk and fruits. Ana fell asleep then.

Jack was exhausted at the tent's entrance when Kate came out leaving Ana-Lucia to rest. He was rocking the baby in his arms and smiling. She liked to see him doing it, imagining him doing something like that for their own baby. She was excited to see that.

"Tell me buddy how can you look so much like Sawyer?"- Jack asked, playing with the baby.

The boy was very quiet on his arms, involved in the blanket. Sayid and the others were laying next to the fire, getting some rest to leave at the first light to continue their journey. Kate sat beside Jack.

"I don't think he wants to sleep."- She said looking at the baby that had his blue eyes wide opened. "He seems to be staring at us."

Jack chuckled: "It seems but it is just an impression. Babies this age don't see much besides vultures. They guide themselves by the scent, that's how they recognize mom and dad.

"Anyways, I still think he likes you. Where did you learn to take care of babies?"- She curiously asked.

"Professional secret." He answered. James became asleep and yawned in Jack's arms. He took his thumb to his mouth and sucked it on it.

"Jack, do you think Ana will be ok?"

"It's too son to say, what I've done it was too risk, we could've lost them both."

"But we didn't!"- Kate reminded him.

"What concerns me now is that we won't be able to move forward with Ana-Lucia and her newborn baby. She could have an infection and she won't be able to take long walks for at least a couple weeks. It will take possibly three days for her to walk without feeling so uncomfortable and this if things go well. There is also the baby's food, she's too week to nurse and we don't have anything here to give to a baby.

"What are we going to do then, Jack?

"We're not going after Sawyer anymore."- He said seriously.

"What?"

"Kate, we must stay here until Ana can recover enough to go back to our camp. We'll be alright; we could improvise a bigger tent…there is a pond near here where we can get water and I've seen lots of fruits in those trees."

"What about Sawyer? It was so hard to make it here and then we're just going to give up on him now?"

"We'll let Sayid go with Locke and the others. We can't risk Ana-Lucia's and her baby's life."- He looked deep inside her eyes. "I can't risk yours and our baby's life either."

Kate touched his lips with hers, kissing him sweetly. Baby James cried out loud. Kate got him from Jack's arms.

"Come here baby, don't cry, sweetie!"

"I don't think he has been fed enough."- Jack said.

"I'll take him back to Ana and see if she can nurse him a little more."

Jack nodded. Before getting back in the tent with the screaming baby, Kate turned to him and pecked on his lips.

"I love you. We'll stay here!"

He smiled and stood up, going to look for a place to sleep. Inside the tent, Ana-Lucia woke up with her son crying. Kate approached her and sat by her side while holding the baby.

"Hi, baby! Mommy is here!"- Ana said taking him back on her arms carefully.

"He's still hungry, do you think you could try to feed him again?"- Kate asked.

"Yes."- Ana-Lucia said lowering the strap of her dress and cuddling the baby against her breast. "I'm so in love with him. I can't believe I finally have him in my arms."

Kate smiled.

"He's such a beautiful boy."

"He looks just like his dad!"- Ana commented. "I miss that son of a bitch."

Kate took a deep breath. She had to tell Ana right away that they wouldn't be going with the group the following morning.

"Ana..."- She started.

She turned her dark eyes to her.

"I was talking to Jack and he said that…the procedure he did on you so you could have the baby was very dangerous. You'll need time to recover."

"What are you telling me?"- Ana asked fearing the answer.

"I'm telling you that we won't be leaving tomorrow with the group. We'll stay here, Jack and I, you and the baby."

A tear fell out of Ana-Lucia's eyes; all that situation had left her very venerable. She knew that Kate was right, how could she continue searching for Sawyer now, especially with her baby? But she couldn't stop it because giving up on finding Sawyer it hurt too much.

"I know it will be hard. But you must think about little James now."

She watched her son feeding on her quietly. Her heart was breaking inside; she had promised to herself never abandon her love to his own luck but there was no other way.

The baby slept on his mama's breast. She took him away carefully to not wake him up. She placed the baby beside her and put her strap back in place. Then she was crying, putting out all the pain that was consuming her. Kate felt sorry for her and comforted her.

"I'm sorry, Ana. I'm very sorry."

To be continued…