Thank you so much to those who have reviewed. You rock. I love you all.
Just to answer a few questions, concerns, etc…
October Sky – this is kind of my take on the whole island mystery. From what I've seen my guess is that the "monster" is not really as horrible and scary as it seems.
Solitary Fan – here's a quick family tree, with ages in parentheses
Sayid and Shannon – Nadia (18)
Claire – Adam (18), Charlie and Claire – Josh (15) Jake (12)
Kate and Sawyer – James (18) Hunter (16)
One Gurl Stand – Don't worry, Claire will definitely be included…just wait and see…
Chapter Nine: To Heal All WoundsShe could feel him before she saw him, could feel the way his dark eyes watched her so intensely. She shivered and waited as he walked up behind her and encircled his arms around her waist. He rested his chin on her shoulder and she leaned into his body, feeling his warmth.
They stood there like that watching the waves disappear into the darkness and then reappear again in a splash of white foam. The moon was almost full and it hovered there, suspended in the clouds, letting down a silvery stream of light. Shannon felt a sob rise in her chest but she fought it down and tried to speak.
"She's never been away from us before. Since she's been born we've never spent the night without her." She turned in Sayid's arms and he swallowed hard at the pain in her eyes. "She's been my life for the past eighteen years and I don't know if I can survive without her."
Sayid closed his eyes and rested his forehead against his wife's, "Nadia is a strong girl. She knows how to survive this island. We have to believe that she's okay."
Shannon closed her eyes, " I know that. But I'm not sure that I'm okay… Oh god, this is ridiculous." She tried to wipe away the tears that slipped down her cheeks, " I mean if you think about what things would be like if we weren't on this island. If things were actually normal she'd be off in college. Probably far away from home because she's so smart she would have gotten into some ivy league college. Studying engineering or something. She's at that age where I have to start to let go." She laughed, " I'm being ridiculous right?"
Sayid shook his head, "No. Shannon. Because things aren't normal. At least not normal in the way that life was before this island. There's no college for Nadia to go to, no girlfriends for her to spend all her time with. You are right. We've never spent the night away from her. And I don't know how to do this either."
"It's strange though. Back in L.A. I never thought about having children. I thought they were dirty and smelly and nasty. They would mess up my style, the way I wanted to live my life. And now look at me. I can't even life with out my daughter."
Sayid smiled, "I never thought I could be a father."
"I never thought I could be a mother. Until the moment I saw her."
"Okay, now Shannon push. Push. Okay, you're doing great."
Shannon gasped and let her head fall back. Her chest heaved and she bit her lip from the pain. "I can't do this anymore."
"Yes you can. You're really close now."
"You said that three hours ago."
"I was lying then."
Shannon tried to laugh but another contraction wracked her body and she gritted her teeth and braced herself. Sayid grasped her hand and tucked a piece of hair, wet from sweat, behind her ear.
"You can do this Shannon."
"No I can't!" She shook her head, "I don't want this. I changed my mind."
Jack laughed as he grabbed a towel off his medical cart, " It's a little too late for that now. I can see the head."
Shannon choked back a sob and gripped Sayid's hand even tighter.
"Alright Shannon, one big push."
She took a deep breath and pushed, letting out a scream at the pain that shot through her lower body. Oh God, it was never going to end. Nothing had ever felt this horrible. Her whole body was about to explode. She couldn't take it anymore.
And then a cry filled the tent.
It was the most beautiful noise she had ever heard.
"It's a girl. You have a girl."
Shannon opened her eyes, almost afraid to look. Jack smiled at her and placed the tiny child in her arms. This tiny little being that had been inside her for so many months, that she had created was looking up at her, depending on her, waving her little arms and trying to open her eyes.
She ran her finger down the side of her daughter's face and looked up at the two men next to her, "She's perfect."
Jack just smiled with a nod and a breath of relief. Sayid caught her eye and she could see the pride there, ready to burst forth. With reluctance she handed him their daughter and watched him look on the little girl with awe. He looked back up.
"She is very tiny."
Shannon laughed and suddenly felt that she could laugh forever watching her daughter and the man that she loved. Watching the former Iraqi soldier gently caressing his daughter's ten tiny fingers. She reached her arms back out and Sayid gently handed her back the baby. He sat next to her as they both watched their daughter, memorizing everything about her, every movement, every blink of the eye.
Jack watched the family with a small smile, "So, have you come up a name yet?"
Shannon looked over at Sayid, "I was thinking about Nadia."
Sayid looked back at her with a look of mixed gratefulness and surprise. He nodded, " Nadia Louise."
Shannon could feels the tears start again. Louise, her mothers name. "Perfect."
Jack left so that they could be alone and Shannon leaned over to kiss Sayid on the cheek, "I love you." It was the first time that she had ever said that to him. The first time she had said it in a long time.
He turned his head away from Nadia and smiled, "I love you too."
"The moment I saw her I just felt like everything that came before… it didn't matter anymore. Not the person I was, not the things I did… everything started over. And now… I can't imagine my life without her."
Sayid wrapped his arms even tighter around his wife, " We will find her tomorrow. She may even return before we get a chance to look. Like you said, she is a smart girl. She can take care of herself. And she is not alone."
"That's what I'm afraid of."
Sayid sighed, "You can't still be worried about Adam?"
"I don't trust him. He's different."
"I do not think that's why you're scared of him."
"Really?"
"You're scared because you know that as much as Adam is different, Nadia is different too. Rather than let anyone else find out you'd rather keep the focus on what makes him different."
Shannon pulled away, " That's not true."
" You know it is. You know that there is something special about each of these kids. Whether it is this island or some other force, our children are different."
"Now you sound like Locke."
Sayid shrugged, " The man might be crazy. But let's face it, we don't have any other answers."
"What's there to answer? A plane crashed on an island. We've been stuck here for twenty years. That seems pretty simple to me."
"How about the monster? The mysterious tide changes, the fact that we even survived that crash, never getting rescued, and now a radio transmission that seems to imply that we're not alone on this island? How do you explain all that?" How do you explain the fact that you're even standing here is front of me today?
Shannon just stared at him wordlessly and shook her head, "I can't think about all that. None of it makes sense."
Sayid stepped towards her and ran his hands up and down her arms, " There are a lot of questions Shannon. And sometimes I think that maybe the children could be part of the answer. As scary as that is. But right now, we just need to think about getting our daughter back home."
Shannon nodded but she couldn't get an image out of her head. Something that seemed so real but couldn't have been anymore than a dream. The image of Boone walking toward her, laughing and saying, "It's so simple Shan. I've figured it all out."
Meanwhile…
"Noooooo!" Nadia screamed and lunged forward but her hands came up with empty air. Pulling herself to the edge of the cliff she peered over and saw Josh's lifeless form curled up at the bottom. A sob racked her body and she scrambled to her feet, " Oh, God no. Please no."
Running along the edge of the cliff she tried to find some place where she could climb down. The ground sloped slightly and she came to a tree whose branches reached up to the edge of the cliff. She grabbed one and swung herself onto it, making her way from branch to branch until she got to the ground.
Tears streamed down her face as she ran towards Josh's still form. His leg was twisted unnaturally to the left and she gasped when she saw the pool of deep red blood behind his head, " Oh God, Josh."
He wasn't breathing. She bent over him and groped around his neck with one finger to find a pulse, any sign of life. There was nothing.
"Okay now Shannon. Push."
Sayid watched his wife in concern as she tried to push but let out a scream instead.
"Oh, God Jack. I can't do this. Something's wrong. It wasn't like this last time."
Jack wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, " Just keep pushing Shannon. One more big push."
Shannon let her head fall back, "Oh God."
Sayid grabbed her hand and kissed it, " You're doing great. Just keep pushing."
Shannon let out another scream as she began pushing again. Her face was contorted as she concentrated on pushing the baby out. And then it was over.
She gasped for breath and waited to hear the baby's cry.
It never came.
She and Sayid watched as Jack crouched down, working over the baby. Then his shoulders went slack. When he looked back up his eyes said everything. Sayid bit back the urge to punch something and looked tenderly at Shannon. She shook her head.
"No, Jack. Where's my baby?"
"I'm sorry Shannon. I'm sorry."
"No. Please…"
Sayid rubbed her arm and Jack sat in silence, unable to pull his eyes away from hers. Then suddenly her face went white and her eyes began to droop.
In a weak voice she managed to get out, "Jack, I think there's something wrong."
Her head fell back against the pillow and Sayid's head swung over in Jack's direction, "What's wrong with her?."
Jack examined Shannon and felt a familiar fear surge through his body.
"She's losing a lot of blood."
Sayid stood up, "Then do something."
"I can try. But Sayid, I don't think…"
"No. She will be fine."
Shannon's eyes fluttered open, " Sayid?"
He bent down and brushed some of the hair off her forehead, "Don't worry. Jack's going to take care of you."
"I love you Sayid."
He shook his head… "No, Shannon. You will be fine."
She just smiled weakly, "Nadia. I want to see Nadia."
Sayid didn't say anything but got up and disappeared out the flap of the tent, emerging a few minutes later with the young girl.
Shannon smiled and lifted her arm weakly. Nadia ran over and flew into her mother's arms, "Did you have a baby, mommy?"
"No sweetheart." Shannon took a sudden gasp of breath and Nadia looked up in concern, "Are you okay?"
She suddenly didn't know how to answer that question and turned her head away, trying to stop the tears. Sayid bent down next to his daughter and tried to urge her away but she shook him off.
"What's wrong with mommy?"
Shannon turned her head back to look at her husband and daughter, "I love you both."
Her eyes drifted shut and her chest settled as she let out one final gasp of air.
Sayid suddenly felt like he couldn't breathe and he held tightly to the little girl in his arms.
"Mommy… mommy, wake up. Uncle Jack, I think mommy's sick."
Jack held his hand over his mouth and took a step backward. Nadia looked up at him with big brown eyes and suddenly understood why her father held her so close, why she could feel wetness where he laid his face against her head.
She shook her curls and shook her mother, "Mommy! Mommy please don't go! Mommy!" Laying her head on her mother's chest she let out a small sob, "Come back. Please come back."
Nadia bent over Josh's body with her hands on her knees, " Oh God. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."
With tears dripping down her face she rolled his body over onto his back. He stared up at her through lifeless eyes and a scream tore out of her mouth, "Help! Somebody help us!"
With a trembling hand she closed his eyelids and then let her hand drift down to his heart. Shifting slightly she bent down and rested her head on his chest, letting her tears soak his shirt,
"Please come back Josh. Please come back."
Jack emerged from the medical tent. He could still hear Nadia screaming behind him. Through rid rimmed eyes he caught sight of Kate standing there with her hands on her hips. He walked over to her, shaking his head. Kate looked to the side and nodded, pursing her lips. He could see the tears that had already started to form in her eyes at the loss of her friend.
She opened her mouth to say something but was cut off my a sudden shout from Sayid, "Jack! Get in here!"
Jack looked at Kate in confusion and they both walked back towards the tent. They weren't prepared for what they saw when they entered.
Shannon was looking back at them through blinking eyes.
Jack stared at her in amazement, "Shannon?" He bent down to examine her and everyone waited. Sayid kept his gaze on Shannon's face and Nadia kept her head buried in her shoulder.
Jack looked up trying to make out the words, "She's fine. You're absolutely fine."
Sayid let out a laugh and hugged his daughter and his wife at the same time. Jack looked up at Kate and shook his head. She looked back at him with wide eyes.
Shannon cleared her throat, "What happened? I… I had the strangest dream. About Boone… He was trying to tell me something… I can't really remember." She shook her head as if trying to clear the fog.
Jack didn't know what to say.
The tears continued to fall over Josh's still chest as Nadia tried to think of how to tell Charlie. How to tell him that his oldest son was dead. And then her head shot up and she stared down in shock.
Josh's chest had moved. No, she had imagined it. Then she saw it again. And this time his eyes fluttered open. He blinked and looked around.
"What happened?"
Nadia couldn't answer him and she just shook her head.
Josh's lifted his arm and ran it over his chest, "Why am I all wet?"
"I don't… I don't… You're okay."
Josh closed his eyes and sat up slowly, "Yeah I'm okay. I'm a little sore."
Nadia's eyes drifted to the pool of blood that was seeping into the dirt and then up to the cliff edge. Josh's followed her gaze upward and then he looked at her in shock.
"Did I fall off?"
She nodded and he looked back up, "How the hell did I survive that?"
Author's Note: I know that some things are a little confusing right now but I will explain them, I promise. I was going to dive into all the answers but I think I'm going to spend a little bit of time trying to develop the characters a little bit more. Now we know some more about what makes Nadia different. In the next chapter I'll reveal some more about Adam…
Please read and review!
