"Walt... Walt..." Michael moaned. He was floating out at sea beside his precious raft. His precious raft that had cost him his son.
"Walt..." he moaned again. He didn't even have the energy to open his eyes. He was tired, he was hungry. He was heartbroken. He was angry with himself.
"Hey, Mike!"
Sawyer. Michael groaned. The last thing Michael wanted to do right now was listen to Sawyer make one of his usual, Sawyer-like comments.
"Not now..." Michael mumbled. "Walt... he's gone... they took him."
Sawyer groaned. "Hey, you!" he called. Jin turned. "Yeah, you! Get Michael and bring him here."
Sawyer was sitting on top of a rather large piece of wreckage. He wasn't going to die out here. No. He'd spent enough time hating himself to realize that he had something to live for.
"Wa-a-lt," Michael whimpered. Jin swam over and put Michael's arm around his shoulder. He began to swin over to Sawyer.
"Whatever you say, man," Michael said deliriously. Jin rolled his eyes. Sawyer and Jin lifted Michael onto the piece of floating wood.
"Wa-a-lt," Michael moaned again. "My son... he's gone..."
Sawyer handed Jin a piece of bamboo and motioned rowing. "Row." he commanded.
They began to row. They rowed into the night. Michael came around eventually.
"Do you mind?" said Sawyer. "he's about to pass out. Can you take his place for a while?"
"Huh?"
"Row, dummy!"
"Ohhh," said Michael. He took the piece of bamboo from Jin. Jin smiled. Then Michael rowed.
They rowed for what seemed like days. They barely stopped. By the next morning they reached the island they had hoped to never call home again.
"Waaaaalt," Michael sobbed.
Jin and Sawyer helped him up. They set him down on the beach.
Sun saw her husband and ran up to him. "I'm so glad to see you again!" she cried in Korean, hugging him. "But what went wrong? What's wrong with him?" she pointed to Michael.
Jin motioned for her not to ask.
"Waaaalt," Michael moaned again. "My son... he's gone... gone..."
"Can it, will ya?" said Sawyer.
-CHAPTER FIVE-SAYWER-
Jack woke up with Kate beside him. He smiled when he saw her. She was still asleep.
"Better let her sleep," Jack thought. "She needs the rest."
Jack picked up his knapsack and made his way to the spring to fill his and Kate's water. While he wandered, he drowned in his thoughts.
I'm going to be a father.
This scared him. It really did. Most of him was immensely excited. But there was a tiny part of him that wished he could just have Kate and no responsibilities of a kid.
"Hello, Jack," said Charlie. Charlie was also filling his water.
"Hi Charlie," said Jack. He bent down. "How's Claire?"
"Fine. Oh, guess what? We're engaged."
"What?"
"Me and Claire," said Charlie excitedly. "Once we get off this sodding island, we're getting married." he smiled. "She says Turnip Head- I mean, Aaron- needs a good father, and she's found him."
"Congratulations," said Jack. The word "father" made him a bit nervous. Would a rock star, ex-drug addict, skinny British guy always with a smile on his face really make a better father than Jack?
Jack wanted help. He figured people would find out about Kate's pregnancy soon enough- he might as well tell him.
"Listen, Charlie," said Jack. "you're getting pretty good with this baby stuff, right?"
"Yeah, I suppose you could say," said Charlie. "cute little stinker, that Turnip Head is... when he isn't screaming... or taking a dump..."
Jack smiled, then it faded away.
"Something wrong?" asked Charlie.
"Sort of," he said. "Kate's going to have a baby."
Charlie spilled water all over himself. "Kate? What?" he sputtered. "Did you... did you?"
"Me? Oh, yeah." said Jack, smiling sheepishly. "But I wanted to ask you, I mean... it sounds pretty pathetic, the doctor asking advice about this... but you know, you're more- um- expreienced, I guess you could say, with kids, and-"
"I understand what you're saying," said Charlie. "even though Aaron isn't really my baby, I still expect myself to be able to take care of him and Claire."
"I'm just... I'm sort of nervous," said Jack. He almost didn't want to show any emotion ever for fear of him scaring someone- the leader getting too personal.
"Nervous? Why?"
Jack half wanted to keep it all inside him. Then, before he knew it, he heard himself spilling out the whole story:
"I mean, come on, Charlie. I'm supposed to be acting like the leader here, and here I am, getting the only person I really ever loved in my life pregnant, and I'm on a deserted island, and, I mean... I'm not married or anything... but that isn't even the point, the point is Kate, and Kate is having my baby, and I don't want Kate to get hurt or worse or..." Jack stopped.
Charlie looked worried. But he hid his worry. "Jack. You love her. That's all that matters."
Jack said, "I guess you're right." he picked up his knapsack. "Thanks, Charlie."
"Hey, no problem. See you around."
Jack waved. Charlie left.
-CHAPTER FIVE-SAYWER-
"Well, hey there, Freckles!"
That's the first thing Kate heard upon waking up. And the last thing she wanted to hear.
"Go away," she mumbled. "I'm sleeping."
"Not anymore," said Sawyer.
Kate sat up. "What do you want?"
"I was just wondering when you were gonna tell me."
"Tell you what?"
"Well, that you're pregnant, of course."