Chapter Twelve: Highway to Heaven

As Kate stood in the elevator, waiting to get to floor fifteen, she felt annoyed. Aaron still hated Claire, and Kate was adopting a child who couldn't understand a word she said. Jin, Sun, and Sayid were dead, and it broke her heart. If Sawyer was right, Jack was dead too. . .

Sawyer. The thought of him made her blood boil. The minute the plane had landed he was gone to who knows where, and then he had told Miles to tell her that he needed a favor, and to meet him at some gosh-darn hotel.

Of course, he couldn't meet her. No, evidently that would be too difficult.

Frustrated, she walked down the hall, thinking to herself, "This had better be good."

Door 16. Of course it was. It was on floor 15. She had taken taxi-cab 4. It had taken 42 minutes to get here, and the driver had listened to channel 23.8 for the entire drive. Would the numbers haunt her to her dying day?

Angrily, she rapped on the door, furious at Sawyer, furious at the numbers.

"Come on in." Said a voice from inside. "It's unlocked."

Kate turned the door handle and stalked into the dimly-lit hotel rom.

"Did you break your leg or something?" Kate asked sarcastically, glaring at Sawyer, who was propped on the bed, dressed in the clothes he'd worn on the island, and watching television.

"Hey, Freckles." Sawyer greeted, bestowing her with a dimpled grin.

"Hey, James."

"Ooh, still James, huh?" He asked, smiling more widely.

"What do you want?" Kate asked, folding her arms exasperatedly.

"Aw, you don't like beating around the bush?" Sawyer chuckled.

"Why's it so dim in here?" Kate asked, walking towards the closed curtains. "It looks like the hatch."

"I left my glasses in Dharmaville." Sawyer protested. "The sun hurts my eyes without them."

Kate raised a suspicious eyebrow. "You're near-sighted."

"I tried to read a book, strained my eyes, and now I've got a headache, so you keep them curtains shut." Sawyer snapped.

"So is that what you've been doing? Reading books by yourself in a hotel room?" Kate asked.

"Yep." Said Sawyer. "And drinking."

"How nice."

"The old Dharma beer was like thirty years old."

"Glad you have an upgrade." Kate said sarcastically.

"So I wanted a favor." Sawyer replied.

"That's what Miles said." Kate responded. "What is it?"

"You see them books over there?" Sawyer asked, pointing at what looked like half the library on the counter.

"Yes."

"Can you store them for me?"

"Why do you need your books stored?"

"They ain't for me. They're for Clementine." Sawyer said. "I plan on going to Florida tomorrow, and I can't tote them things in luggage."

Kate looked at the books. "You got Clementine Lord of the Flies? She can't read, and it's way too old for her."

"I ain't given it to her yet." Sawyer said dismissively. "I just thought she'd like it eventually."

"Why are you going to Florida?"

Sawyer shifted uncomfortably. "Juliet's sister lives there. Thought I'd tell her what happened."

Kate nodded, feeling sorry for him. "I can store these for you. It might take a caravan to get them to my house though."

Sawyer chuckled.

"Really though, James, did you rob the bookstore?" Kate asked, sitting on the chair beside the bed.

"I bought them." Sawyer told her.

"And what makes you think Clementine wants to be a librarian?"

"Ha-ha. Some of us like literature, Freckles." He said, but as he spoke, she realized that he didn't look well at all. His blue eyes were blood-shot, and his pallid face was dripping with sweat. He spoke conversationally, lightly, as though he was untroubled, and she hadn't noticed anything wrong with him until now. Now she saw that his devil-may-care attitude was forced, which was strange, because Sawyer was usually grouchy when he didn't feel well, and would never force himself to be polite or cheerful, no matter who he offended.

"How bad's your headache?" Kate questioned.

"Pretty bad." Sawyer admitted, without dropping the facade. "I'd better take a nap or somethin'. Need any help with them books?"

"Yes. . ." Kate said suspiciously, still worried. She'd seen Sawyer with a headache before, and this was different. . . he looked as bad as the time he got shot.

"Something the matter, Freckles?" He asked lightly.

"Yeah. You look sick."

"I told you I got a dad-gum headache." He said, but whatever act he had shattered as he shuddered suddenly, eyes rolling to the top of his head in a rather frightening manner, as though he was having a seizure.

"Sawyer!" She exclaimed, quickly snapping the lamp on and grabbing his arm- his arm! It was black and bruised-looking.

He jerked it away as he regained composure, well, some composure, he was significantly slumped.

"What's that?" She asked, feeling panicked.

"Nothing, Freckles. Just a little spider-bite." He said nonchalantly, but all the while gripping his arm and trying to still his shaking breath. His eyes had that panicked look in them.

"The one you said was poisonous?! I thought you were kidding!" Kate exclaimed.

"It ain't poisonous." Sawyer mumbled. "It's fine.

"Your arm is purple!"

"It's just a little infected."

"A little infected? Sawyer, you look like you're dying!"

Even as she said it, she realized the very severity of the whole thing. He knew those books were way past Clementine's age level, why would he buy them for her now? Unless. . .

"You are dying? Aren't you?" Kate whispered.

"It ain't the end of the world, Kate." Sawyer replied.

"I'm calling 911." Kate told him, hastily reaching for her phone.

"Don't you dare!" Sawyer exclaimed. "I'm fine dyin' where I'm at, and I don't wanna be relocated."

"The doctors can help you!" Kate cried. "So let them."

"They can't do nothing, Kate." Sawyer told her, sighing. "The spider I got bit by was invented by the Dharma folks. The only cure for the venom's on island. I know cause me and Miles had the manual explainin' it all. They use the spider for interrogation. You got three days after you got bit to give 'em the answers they want, and if you didn't give it to 'em. . . No antidote."

"Three days?" Kate exclaimed. "It's almost been three days. James, why didn't you tell me?"

"Cause I had stuff to do and you always follow me around. I left so quick to go to Florida—"

"You already went to Florida?" Kate asked numbly.

"Yep. And then I tried to find Cassidy and Clementine, but they weren't home, so I spent the rest of today picking her out some birthday presents. I labeled which one's for which birthday, so I was hoping you'd give them to her when the label says. I know it ain't much, but I wanted to do something. I wrote some notes in the front so they're a bit more personal."

"Cassidy was at my house." Kate explained. "When she heard the plane came back, she wanted to see if I was okay."

Sawyer nodded. "You'll give Clementine the books?"

"Give them to her yourself." Kate said firmly. "I don't like you giving up."

Sawyer rolled his eyes. "It's over, Kate. Don't kid yourself. I ain't."

"You've got over worse."

"On the island, Freckles." Said Sawyer weakly. "The island wasn't done with me then. It is now."

"You too? The island has nothing to do with-"

"Think what you want." He replied wearily, watching the TV once again.

"What is this, Little House on the Prairie?" Kate asked, gesturing to the television.

"Highway to Heaven. It's about an angel named Jonathan Smith who has to go around and help people, cause he disobeyed God. He drives around with this guy named Mark and they go around doing good deeds. Can see why you'd make the mistake though. It's got Michael Landon and Victor French in it. They were best friends, you know."

"I didn't know." Kate said, annoyed by this pathetic rabbit trail.

Sawyer shook his head. "You're hopeless, Freckles. That was a great show."

"That show you just put on was a great show, and I have to admit you almost fooled me. I'm calling the hospital." Kate said, grabbing her phone once again.

"No you ain't." Sawyer replied, suddenly dissolving into a fit of violent coughing.

"Are you okay?" Kate asked nervously.

"Water." He choked.

She grabbed the plastic water bottle by his bed-side and held it to his lips. He choked on it slightly, and made a grabbing motion for the bottle, but he dropped it as soon as she let go, spilling all of it.

"You're burning up." Kate said worriedly, putting a hand on his forehead. "You need-"

"Please, Kate." Sawyer muttered. "Don't make things worse."

"I can't let you die, Sawyer!" She pleaded. "Please. Everyone else is gone or on the island. Let me help you."

"Fine." Sawyer sighed. "Call 911. But you have to bring all my Highway to Heaven DVDs so I can watch it."

"You have it on DVD?" Kate asked, grinning in spite of herself.

"Five seasons were half-off at the bookstore." Sawyer said shakily, only a trace of a smile on his lips. "One more thing- don't let them bozos put me in a hospital dress."

"Gown."

"Whatever. I ain't gonna die in one."

"You aren't going to die." Kate said, tearing up.

Sawyer sighed. "I'm doing this for you, Freckles. Not for me."