Chapter 22 to a LOST Love

Alex mumbled something against Sayid's chest. He stopped in mid-sob to look into her face. "Alex? Alex talk to me, please," Sayid begged. He caressed her cheek with the palm of his hand, begging her to speak to him.

"So sorry…felt safer…near water…" she managed to get out. In her delirium, the relief she was lying in felt like water washing over her, though she didn't know that's what it really was. "Felt safer…sorry," she sighed.

"No, no, don't be sorry," Sayid said quickly. He wiped at his tears with the back of his hand. "There's no need to be sorry. You felt safe here," he looked around at the water. He turned back to look at her face and said, "I'm here now…I'm here."

Alex kept mumbling and tossing against his grip. A single tear rolled down her face before she whispered, "Sayid…no…Sayid…" Sayid, thinking he was hurting her, relaxed his grip on her and she only fought him harder.

She was being pulled out of the relief. Now it only remained on her feet, gently caressing them. Something pulled her into a black, smothering embrace. Alex thought of Sayid again…the awful images…the horrible, bloody, torturing images of the castaways went streaking through her head again. Alex struggled soundlessly to get out of the crushing grip.

Sayid gently set Alex back down in the sand, trying not to hurt her. She was struggling to get out of his grip. Alex instantly pushed herself onto her side and began to roll away from Sayid. But after only one roll, she stopped herself on her back, unable to go any farther. Her breath was coming out in ragged gasps now; she could barely breathe. Sayid went to touch her and instantly flinched…she inhumanly grey-colored and she was utterly freezing.

After a few more moments, Alex stopped moving, slipping back into sleep. What she dreamed of, we'll never know, but Sayid almost thought she had died. Crawling over to her, Sayid picked her up and was shocked to see she weighed even less than she had during her forest incident. She now weighed about that of a 10 year old child, so completely wasted she was.

Sayid carried her along the beach for what seemed like forever. Alex didn't move at all, save for a few breaths now and then. Sayid stared blankly ahead, as if he too had nothing to live for.

Suddenly, Sayid heard bushes crackling to his right where the forest started. He whipped his head around and saw Boone of all people just standing there, watching him. Sayid stopped for a second, staring back at him, before he finally shouted to him over the roaring of the ocean, "Boone! Get Jack! Hurry!" Boone just stood there silently, as if mocking him.

"Boone! Run and get Jack, now!" Sayid said again, angrily.

"Let her go, Sayid!" Boone shouted back.

Sayid was instantly stunned; he almost dropped Alex right there. Let her go…

"She has nothing to live for, Sayid! It would be better if you let her go now than later…" Boone shouted.

Sayid's face contorted with fury and he gently set Alex down before sprinting after Boone. "What the hell do you mean, let her go!" Sayid screamed. Suddenly, Boone clutched his head as if in agony. He cried out in pain and Sayid stopped running toward him.

Boone sank down to one knee in pain, still clutching his head. "Sa…Sayid…hurry…" Boone managed to get out. "There isn't…much time…left…before…" that was all he could say.

"Hurry to do what, Boone? There isn't much time for what?" Sayid asked hurriedly.

"Take this…" Boone gasped out, still clutching his head. He rolled onto his back and screamed with pain. "No! No more! Please! AAH! NO MORE!" he cried out. "Sayid! Take this! Hurry!" He wriggled out of his backpack and let it fall away from him. Sayid scooped up the backpack quickly before Boone could crush it with his rolling body.

Sayid quickly opened up the backpack to find a huge shot filled with amber liquid. It seemed to glow and shift within the shot like a lava lamp…Sayid stood transfixed by the liquid. "Boone…where did you get this?" Sayid whispered, still staring at the liquid. Suddenly, Boone screamed again, and Sayid snapped out of his reverie. He instantly understood what it was for… He took off toward the beach again to find Alex lying exactly where he had set her.

Skidding to a halt and crashing down to his knees, Sayid knelt next to Alex. He paused for a moment, studying her. She wasn't breathing…she didn't move at all when Sayid came running next to her. Sayid's hand shot out to feel her neck pulse and found none. A slight trickle of blood slid from the corner of her mouth and into her filthy hair.

Crying out, Sayid realized he was too late. Looking at the needle, Sayid took one final chance…he plunged the needle straight into Alex's heart and injected the amber liquid. Alex didn't even flinch…

Sayid looked at Alex for a few moments, but nothing happened. She neither breathed nor moved. Bowing his head in utter defeat, Sayid began to sob.

Alex was still pulled into the crushing blackness of the awful embrace. Suddenly, pain shot through her entire body, from the top of her head all the way down into her feet. The pain was so intense…so awful…she knew the end was near. She begged the pain to come so that the end would come sooner and she could be at peace.

A flash of pale light exploded in Alex's eyes. She cried out silently in shock…the light only intensified, growing brighter and brighter until suddenly the explosion rocked her body again and she gasped.

A loud gasp escaped from Alex's open mouth. Her chest heaved upward, and her sightless eyes flashed open.

Sayid jumped in fear at Alex's sudden reaction. His mouth trying to figure out words his brain couldn't understand, Sayid merely watched in shock as Alex's eyes slowly grew less and less white and finally became her normal eyes.

Alex gasped again at being able to see and she hurriedly closed her eyes against the bright sun. "Oh, oh, oh," was all she could say. She squinted at Sayid's form next to her and managed to get out, "Sa…Sayid? Sayid, is that you?"

Finally, blurting out the only word his brain could comprehend, Sayid said, "Yes! Yes!"

"Oh, Sayid!" Alex cried out. They jumped together and hugged each other, kissing rapidly all over each other's faces. Tears began to pour out of Alex's eyes. She pulled away and looked into his happy face.

"Oh, Sayid…I can see again! The first thing I wanted to see was your face, and my wish came true! You have no idea of the horrors that I saw…but they don't matter now. They were only dreams. Oh Sayid!" She grabbed him again and this time, they shared one long, passionate, intense kiss.

:begins to cry with happiness:

A Bleeding Rose