Chapter #2-

For a long time, Walt didn't realize that he wasn't like other people. That other people didn't see images flash in their heads when they shook somebody's hand. That other people didn't hear snatches of unseen conversation when they picked up something another person had touched. Walt simply didn't know that it wasn't normal.

He was four or five the first time it happened. He and his step father had been in the grocery store when they met a lady that they knew from church. The lady's hand gripped Walt's chin hard, raising his face up so she could see him, and Walt had a flash of a powerful impact and a crushing pain. Later, when they were standing in the bright afternoon sunlight outside, he told his step father that the lady was going to be hit by a car. Walt was quickly scolded for making up stories, but the next day the newspaper told them both that Walt was right.

Walt knew that his step father first thought he was just looking for attention, but as the things he told him actually happened, Walt started to feel distance between them.

Walt found out soon enough that he had better keep his big mouth shut about the things he saw. It just seemed to make people mad if he told them that they were going to fail the history test they'd just taken or that their father was going to move out of the house.

It wasn't fun knowing things about his friends, even the deep personal things.

Each image that flashed into his head was different.

Not everyone had a happy ending.

Sometimes, Walt didn't see just the future, but events that had already happened.

The problem was that he usually couldn't tell which was which. Is the crossing guard an alcoholic because his wife left him or is his wife going to leave him because he's an alcoholic?

There wasn't much rhyme or reason to the things Walt had seen. He had given up trying to figure it out, but he did know that it had something to do with people's emotions. When emotions are strong, it was like they left some kind of electrical charge, and when he touched somebody or something, it was like getting a shock of them.

The ironic thing was that Walt only got flashes about other people. When it concerned him, he was clueless. Walt only regretted not getting some picture of his future once, the time his mother first got sick, maybe then he could have told her goodbye. Apparently, it didn't work that way.

By the time Walt was eight, he was used to keeping his little secret. He'd had years of practice at keeping the thoughts to himself, controlling the stray shudder when someone touched him. If they hadn't crashed on the island he could have kept on hiding.

Although Jack was no longer tending to Walt's injuries he was still there in his old beach hut concentrating on organizing his medical supplies. After the hectic morning tending to Walt his supply case had become a disaster pile.

As time passed Walt's boredom grew. "Jack?" Walt asked getting his attention. "Can I walk around?"

"Sure, if you feel up to it. This is your recovery room now." Jack said with a nod.

His own recovery room, Walt thought with a smile as he stood, careful to not disturb his hand bundled with cloth and sticks.

Only after a few moments of wandering Walt soon found his recovery room to still be a boring place. He considered sneaking out, but just as the thought passed Walt's mind Jack looked up from the medical case and shook his head with a firm look of 'Don't even think about it.'

'Wow,' Walt thought, 'that was almost creepy.' Walt knew Jack didn't have the same ability to see things, but it made him laugh to think that was what others must feel when he did the same thing to them.

Luckily Kate entered then to save the day. Things were never boring when both Kate and Jack were around.

The energy they both reflected was usually fun for Walt to decipher.

"Welcome to my recovery room." Walt said with a smile to greet her in.

"Hey Walt," she said kindly approaching him, "How are you feeling?"

Walt shrugged, "Fine, I guess."

Kate nodded; she was so easy to read. Walt felt uneasiness in her, a hesitation she was having about what she was about to do. Then with a bit of reluctance she pulled something from her pocket. "Here. I thought you might like this."

Extending her hand toward Walt, Kate held out a miniature toy plane. "Don't lose it, I'll need it back," She quickly added, "but I thought it might give you something else to think about."

Glancing at Kate and the tiny plane Walt felt Jack smile. Turning to look Walt sees a look pass between them that he cannot read, and he feels like a stranger there in his own recovery room.

The plane did look cool, although, Walt had no idea what it meant, but when he took it out of Kate's hand, it felt like an electric current ran through him. Image after image crashed over him like rough waves: hands pressing down on a bleeding chest, the wet sound of running steps escaping, and blood. So much blood.

Walt's stomach heaved, and he stumbled to the sand, catching himself with his good hand. The images still exploding like ugly fireworks in his head. The emotion the plane carried was strong, too strong. He sat with his face resting against the sand, as he tried to isolate the details of what he had seen.

Sometimes Walt wished he could just shut it all out, tell the images to go to hell and never again touch a thing. Sometimes he'd give anything not to see the things he saw, but, it just didn't work that way.

Both Kate and Jack lunged for him after he fell, but Walt pushed them away.

The last thing he needed was another wave of images to come crashing in on him.

Independently but under the eyes of both Jack and Kate, Walt stood and crept back to the makeshift bed to rest. As Kate picked the plane back up from the sand Walt sees Jack glance at her when he doesn't think she'll notice, but Walt senses her constant awareness of him. There is a strain between them that perhaps is always there; push and pull, come together and break away.

That was what made them so interesting to observe.

"That's a good idea Walt," Jack said following Walt to the row of seat cushions, "just keep resting there until you feel better."

Sitting up on the padding Walt hung his pounding head between his knees, all the while watching them out of the corner of his eye.

They seem uncomfortable with each other, somehow awkward and connected all at once.

As they look to one another Walt sways a bit being hit with an ache deep inside, another image comes to him, and he sees them clinging together in the middle of the island, wet with rain and fear, and full of longing and need. For some reason this time the image cheers him up. Sometimes having this gift was fun, when there was a happy ending.

Eyeing them both Walt wonders if this scene image had already happened.

Walt understood their feelings towards each other better than they did, yet he could see them in that situation already without having to come out and admit it to one another. Both afraid for their lives clinging onto one another for protection and yet finding comfort there.

With Walt's ability he had experienced far more than regular kids his age.

Through the eyes of another he had experienced intense pain, and desire, and misery.

It didn't embarrass him like it used to, he was familiar with the feelings now.

And in an odd way, was proud of them as well.

Walking towards Jack, Kate lowered her pack off her back. "I brought you some water." She said unzipping the large zipper. "Thank you." Jack replied taking it casually from her.

The monotony of it all amused Walt. How they could so casually treat each other yet still harbor such strong unsaid feelings. Kate stood near Jack even after the bottle of water had been passed between them, waiting again for something Walt knew Jack was still not ready to give.

A voice came to Walt's mind mumbling at first then loudly, he heard the voice as it played through Jack's thoughts. They were Jack's many excuses; excuses to not fall in love again, or to trust Kate, or get comfortable. One name kept on repeating over and over. . . Sawyer. Walt knew that Jack was not afraid of Sawyer physically, he had punched him before and it felt good to Jack to see Sawyer flail back like that, it was Kate that made him nervous. Sawyer's feelings were obvious towards her. But with Kate Jack was not so sure.

Sadly Jack stepped backed away from Kate.

Kate understood, "I'm going to go." she replied apologetically.

Walt shook his head disappointed. They were so close he thought now watching Kate back away slowly to gather her backpack. He knew if they had more moments like this that their walls would break down, and they would make it work.

He had to keep her there, Walt thought, thinking quickly he screamed with all his might and fell, it was dramatic he knew, but something had to keep Kate there.

They had to keep talking; the tension between them was not only becoming repetitive but old too.

With his eyes closed Walt felt them both run to his side.

"Are you going to be okay?" Kate asked. Both Jack and Kate reach out to steady him as Walt sways again. As their hands touch him at the same time, he is jolted with an impression of such passionate lovemaking that Walt feels his face flush. Fierce kisses, lips bruising against lips; hands roaming, and hungry and pounding, driving, aching need all overwhelm Walt's senses as his eyes shut tight.

When he opens them again, Walt sees worried looks on Jack and Kate's sober faces, and he has to force himself not to grin. They would make it work; he knew sensing that it was an image flash of the future seeing that they didn't seem like lovers yet.

The feeling that came with the image was something he hadn't felt from Kate in a long time, or Jack for that matter either. A feeling of completeness.

They would be happier if they had each other now, Walt knew. Have the other to rely on, and to care for, but the way things were going now it would take forever until they built up that kind of trust and dependency on one another. There was nothing to do for them, but wait. . . . or was there?

Suddenly an idea hit him, one day in recovery had already been so boring, having to lie down all afternoon, and according to Jack he was going to be spending a lot of time there recovering. Who's to say he couldn't have a little fun while he was at it? With his gift and through the help of the island perhaps, Walt thought, He could move things along much quicker between Jack and Kate.

Through Mr. Locke's eyes Walt had seen into the eye of the island, although he didn't entirely trust it, he knew he could get it to help with his scheme. It would at least give him something fun to do.

As a clear plan began to form in his mind Walt laughed aloud, this was going to be fun, Walt thought. Suddenly that image of the future did not seem so far away.