"A-negative," Jack was saying. "We need someone to give him blood. Boone is A-negative"
"I'm O-Negative." said Emily.
"What's that got to do with anything?" asked Charlie.
"O-Negative can be given to anyone. But it's not a perfect replica of the blood. He could die from my blood"
Charlie looked at Jack. "It's the only chance we've got"
But Jack shook his head. "You can't, Emily"
"Why not"
"You're anemic, you'll get sick"
"Like no one else on this island is"
"You'll get sick, Emily!" Jack yelled. He reached for a tube. "I'm O-Neg, too," he said. "I'll do it"
"But Jack-" Emily started.
"No." said Jack firmly. "You're weak enough to begin with. You need the nutrition"
Charlie and Sun didn't even bother to ask.
Emily and Charlie left Jack and Sun alone to help Boone. Emily headed out to the beach, and Charlie went to find Claire. Maybe she'd take a walk with him.
"Ugh," said Claire. She sank to her knees on the soft white sand. She and Charlie had been walking along the waves, and she had suddenly felt a sharp pain in her stomach. "Ow"
"Claire? What's wrong, love?" asked Charlie.
"My stomach," she mumbled. "The baby"
"Oh my God," said Charlie. "You're going into labor! The baby, Claire! It's coming now"
"NO!" shouted Claire. "I can't have the baby now, I can't!"
"You can't control it, sweet," said Charlie, who had bent down to her side in the sand. Claire was on her back. "I'm right here, Claire"
"OHH!" she yelled. "Charlie, it hurts!"
"Don't worry, I'll... I'll get"
"What's going on?" Emily approached.
"Claire's in labor." said Charlie frantically.
"My half-sister was a nurse in a maternity ward," said Emily, bending down. "Maybe I can help"
"Maybe," said Charlie. He was shaking now. "But I think it's best off we get Jack"
Emily didn't need telling twice. She ran.
"JACK!" She hollered. "JACK"
"What's your damn problem?" said Sawyer, emerging from behind a tree. "What're you screamin' about"
"I NEED THE DOCTOR!" Emily hollered. "Claire is in labor"
"Claire? Labor? NOW?" said Sawyer.
"That's what I said, am I speaking Swahili?" said Emily. "Where's the doctor"
"Emily?" Kate came, panting, from behind a tree. "What's the problem"
"Claire... she's in labor, and I need Dr. Shepard, and"
"Jack is with Boone," said Kate. "He's giving him blood"
"Come with me, then." said Emily. "We need someone there for the time being. He might make it. Eleanor- she's my half-sister, and she was a maternity ward nurse- she said that women are usually in labor for hours. I'll get Jack, and you guys go stay with her"
"But what if the baby comes now?" Kate asked.
"It won't." said Emily. "Just go."
"Wait." said Sawyer. "What about Michael"
"Michael?" said Kate, puzzled. "What does he have to do anything"
"Doesn't he have a kid"
"Yeah, so..." Then it hit her. "MICHAEL! Emily, I need you to go find Michael. Sawyer and I will go back to Claire"
"They're on the beach," said Emily. She pointed, and Kate and Sawyer left.
"MICHAEL!" she yelled. "JACK"
She was running around like a chicken without a head. So disorderly that she bumped into none other than Jack and Sun.
"OH, MY GOD!" she yelled. "Jack! Claire... Claire is in labor, and I... I though you were in the woods, and... oh, Jack, now what"
Jack was attached to Boone by a small tube filled with blood.
"Claire... she's having the baby, and we need Dr. Shepard really bad, only it seems like he's a little busy." Emily sank to her knees. "Is he all right"
"He'll be just fine," said Jack. "Is Claire alone"
"She's with Charlie, and Kate and Sawyer are heading over"
"Emily," he said. "I can't be there"
Jack said, "Emily- can you bring Claire here"
"She can't move at all," said Emily.
"Is she bleeding? Does anything hurt? How far apart are the contractions"
Emily opened her mouth to answer, but somebody screamed.
Emily turned and began to run, but then she paused and said to Jack:
"My half-sister was a nurse in a maternity ward. If anyone on this island knows how to a deliver a baby, it's you. But since you're currently pouring your blood into someone else, it's me"
She turned and ran.
"COME BACK!" yelled Jack. YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING! EMILY! COME BACK! YOU NEED TO BRING HER HERE! BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!"
But Emily was already running, and she was a very fast runner.
Claire screamed again.
"CHARLIE!" she cried out. "IT HURTS!"
She squeezed his hand tight.
Emily spilled out the story to Kate, who looked pale.
"Emily... Emily, do you know what to do"
"Yes," said Emily. "How far apart are the contractions"
Sun, who had come when she heard the screaming, said, "Just about two minutes"
"Okay," said Emily. "When they're sixty seconds apart, Claire has to push, only not too hard. Or fast. The baby might die otherwise"
Claire screamed again. "Charlie!" she whispered. "I'm scared!"
Charlie held her hand. "Don't worry. We're going to take care of you"
"Emily... then what?" said Kate.
Claire screamed. "Kate..." she said. "I think my water just broke"
Kate looked. She was nervous. She never delivered a baby before. All she had was gut instinct, and a thirteen-year-old to coach her through.
"Then you should be able to see the head, and once you can, Claire pushes. And hard."
"Sixty seconds," said Sun. "Push, Claire"
She screamed.
"Not that hard, Claire, not that hard!" cried Kate.
Claire screamed again. God, it hurt!
"Can you see it, Kate?" asked Emily. "Look"
Kate looked. "Push, Claire!"
Claire pushed again.
"I can see it!" cried Kate.
"Push, Claire"
"AAAAAAH"
"It's a boy!" cried Emily. "Claire! Claire, it's a boy! Charlie, look"
Charlie looked at the baby.
"See, love?" he said to Claire, who had dropped back on the sand, panting. "You did just fine. You did great." He turned to Emily. "You saved her." he said. "Without you, she might have died or hurt the baby." Charlie hugged her.
Sun handed Claire her new baby boy. Claire held the screaming child in her arms.
"Somebody get a blanket!" called Emily.
Kate and Emily wrapped the baby in a blanket. Kate smiled.
"There, there." said Claire to her baby. "Mummy's here. Don't cry, now"
The baby gripped onto Claire's finger with one hand, and with the other, took Charlie's outstretched one.
He stopped crying.
Jack, who was unable to save Boone, was stressed out. Boone died. And Jack could have saved him. The first person he wanted to talk to was Kate.
"You did good," said Jack. "Great"
"I didn't do anything," said Kate. She pointed to Emily, who was drawing in the sand near the campfire with a stick. "Kid's amazing"
"Yeah, she is." said Jack. "After all she's been through in her life... wow"
Kate smiled. "I'm surprised she knew all that," said Kate. "Thirteen year old kid just delivered a baby. Wow"
Jack smiled. Then he set his hand on Kate's shoulder and stood. She gently touched his fingers with hers, and Jack left.
"Hey," he said. He sat down beside Emily.
She looked up. "Oh. Hey"
"I'm sorry," said Jack.
"For what?" asked Emily.
"For doubting that you could do it." Jack looked at Claire, who was rocking her baby to sleep. "Just because you're thirteen doesn't mean you don't know just as much as I do about delivering babies. Or anything else"
"Yeah," said Emily.
"You've been through a lot in your life," said Jack. "I respect you for putting up with it. It's easy to give up. I was ready to give up and I haven't faced half as much as you"
"Yeah," said Emily again.
Jack looked at her. "Thank you for helping Claire today"
"Don't thank me," she said. "I had to do it"
Jack looked at Emily with tears in his eyes. Then he hugged her.
"Uh, yeah." said Emily.
They sat in silence for a few moments.
"Boone died, didn't he?" asked Emily.
Jack choked up a bit. "Yes"
"Do you know why he died"
"Not completely"
"I don't think you could have saved him, no matter how much you know. Look at where we are. There's no way he could have lived." said Emily.
Jack looked at her. "Thanks, Emily."
