Chapter 7

Hours had passed and Boone felt his legs start to give way from under him, they were tired. His whole body was fatigued, but he couldn't stop. Not now. Not when she was in trouble, Kaleb might be in danger too…it dawned on him. That thought surged him forward, he couldn't rest until they were safe. Boone heard other voices in the distance. Charlie must have informed everyone of Claire's disappearance because people were calling out her name just like him. A mixture of male and female voices rose through the dense jungle and vibrated against the trees.

In a way, Boone wished Charlie hadn't of formed a search party. With all the voices and footprints circling around, the chances of picking up Claire's trail or hear a soft sound come from her were slim. Still, he knew that everyone liked Claire. She was sweet, innocent, and non-threatening. She had made friends with almost everyone and there wasn't one person on that island that wouldn't risk their necks for her. He knew that.

There was even an instance where Boone recalled seeing Sawyer get emotional over the girl. When she had been very ill and in Jack's care for a long period of time, Sawyer hung around to check up on her just as much as all the others. And when he held the baby in his arms for the first time, Boone could have sworn the rough and tough Southerner was touched by the tiny boy in his hands. Yes, everyone loved Claire and her baby. So this panic was widespread but Boone doubted anyone felt it as much as him.

It felt like his world was crumbling, like stars were falling. He couldn't get rid of this slight pang he felt in his chest and he supposed it wouldn't be gone until she was safe. His head was working fifty times faster than his body and he wasn't sure he could keep up. But he had to. For her.

Claire opened her eyes groggily. Pale blue orbs surveyed their surroundings, but she didn't recognize anything. The worst part was…she didn't hear her baby. She immediately tried to sit up but it felt as if she had been drugged with something, her body was too heavy to be lifted on its own. She simply moved in an inch only to fall back down again. "Help…" The scratchy whisper emanated from her throat, not strong enough to reach anyone more than five feet away.

Suddenly footsteps could be heard and she prayed it was Boone, coming to rescue her, but instead it was a woman. Someone she had never seen before. The matted clumps of hair came down the length of her back and her eyes looked like they had fire in them. Claire didn't know who she was, but she certainly didn't want to stick around and find out either. "My baby…" She whispered to the woman.

The woman sneered and placed her hands on her hips. "Your baby is in good hands now." At this, Claire stared bewildered and the woman chuckled. "Give the island something it wants and you get something in return. I'm getting my freedom back. I've been here for sixteen years and I'm not spending one more moment here than I have to." Her French accent became thicker as she spoke and Claire's eyes widened. She wasn't listening to the accent or paying attention to the fact that this woman was someone Sayid had met once…or even the fact this woman was getting to leave when they all had to suffer. All she heard was that her baby was gone.

One can never imagine the heartbreak one would feel if a child went missing, unless he or she had experienced it themselves. At that moment Claire felt her chest impaling her, her heart breaking into a million pieces. Pieces she didn't think she had. She had felt loss and pain before, but that paled in comparison to this latest heartache. She wanted to scream, to kick, to hurt this woman who took her child. She just wanted Kaleb back.

Boone heard something come from his left side, a rustling in the trees and then a female scream. He quickly leaped over fallen limbs and trunks, darting toward whoever made that noise. He skittered to a stop right outside of a pit and a very scared looking Sun. Sun had her hands over her mouth and she was having a hard time dealing with whatever was in that pit. As Boone looked down though he saw that it was Charlie.

"Charlie!" He called out, seeing the other man in an awkward position. One leg stretched out while the other wilted up under him. One of his arms had been caught by a sharp bamboo stalk. The stalk was actually so far into his skin that it almost touched the bone. Boone looked over at Sun who was looking to him for help.

"It's okay. I'm gonna get him out of there." He said calmly and patted her shoulder lightly. Boone quickly looked for a long branch and found one extending just over the pit. He quickly scrambled up and then lowered himself as much as possible to Charlie. "Charlie, can you hear me? Are you with us?" He asked and Charlie groaned as his answer.

Boone carefully lowered himself even more, so that his legs were almost the only things supporting him on the branch. He reached out his arms and grabbed a hold of Charlie, slowly picking him up, and continuing to do so even when Charlie screamed in pain from the bamboo stalk. Sun had run off a few yards and found Jack who came rushing over immediately. By this time, Boone had Charlie almost fully up from the pit, and Jack grabbed out to take Charlie before the branch had too much pressure forced onto it.

Boone hurried down and came to Jack's side. "Is he going to be all right?" Jack was kneeling over Charlie, removing what was left of the bamboo stalk. "He's going to make it." Jack said, as if this were a fact. Sun was gathering fresh water for the wound as Boone knelt besides the two men. In a moment, Charlie's eyes fluttered open slowly and he looked at Boone. "Find Claire."