Exodus 3.5 – Chapter 8

Shower The People


You can play the game and you can act out the part
Though you know it wasn't written for you
But tell me how can you stand there with your broken heart
Ashamed of playing the fool
One thing can lead to another; it doesn't take any sacrifice
Oh father and mother, sister and brother
If it feels nice, don't think twice

Charlie and Claire entered the caves hand-in-hand. They seemed to arrive in the middle of Hurley's rendition of what had happened at the Black Rock and then the hatch.

"…so we, Arnst and me, were waiting for Locke, Jack and Kate to come out of the Black Rock, which is a ship…"

All the people in the caves were gathered around Hurley as he told the story. Many were wide-eyed and had expressions of awe on their faces. Charlie and Claire walked around the group and put their bags down against the cave wall. Aaron had fallen asleep and Claire set him into his cradle. She bent over, kissed him on the forehead, and pulled the blanket up around his chin. His little fists were all curled up and his head moved in his sleep, dreaming little baby dreams.

"…and then they brought out the dynamite in a box and Arnst started to yell at them…"

Hurley's audience was totally entranced with his story. Charlie and Claire sat down at the back of the group. He put his arm around her and she leaned into his shoulder. He kissed the top of her head and sighed. He was happy – probably the happiest he'd been in a long time. He had once and for all kicked his drugs and pronounced his love for Claire. Could anything be better? Hurley's voice buzzed in his ear and he tried to keep better attention.

"…and then he just blew up!" There was a collective catch in the throat from the group.

"He just exploded?" asked Anna, the red-headed woman in the center of the group.

Hurley paused and nodded his head. "Dude, it was like there were pieces of him all over everywhere!"

Claire pulled back in disgust at this statement.

"Hurley, please…" pleaded Charlie holding Claire closer to him, cupping her head with his hand.

Hurley dropped his head to his chest. "Sorry, dude – but that's how it happened." He shook his head "Man, that was messed up…"

Claire looked up at the rocker, "Charlie – can we not be here?" There was a questioning look on his face. She started to get to her feet "I don't want to listen to this anymore…"

"Scared?" Charlie said softly. Claire nodded her head and pulled him towards the back of the caves near Aaron's cradle. They sat down with a soft plop on the floor. Charlie started to put his arm around her again but she shook him off. She looked nervously around the rest of the cave.

"I wonder where Jack is?" She tapped the stone floor with her finger. "He should be here! I mean Hurley's here…"

Charlie put his hand on her shoulder "Don't worry, luv. He'll be back soon and when…."

Claire turned and glared at Charlie, knocking the hand from her shoulder "Don't tell me not to worry!"

Charlie put both hands on her shoulders again, "Look - I know you're scared. I know…"

She tried to push him off again, but this time he held his grip. She stared at him first with anger, then frustration and finally gave in to tears. She put her head against his chest and let it all out. All the fright, all the sadness, all the hopelessness – it all soaked Charlie's shirt as he held her close to him. He patted her on the back and whispered reassurances to her, wishing he could believe them himself.

Just shower the people you love with love
Show them the way that you feel
Things are gonna work out fine if you only will
Shower the people you love with love
Show them the way that you feel
Things are gonna be much better if you only will

Hurley continued with his story, wrapping it up with the blowing off the hatch. Everyone had questions and he tried to answer as many of them as he could. What about the monster? What's with the numbers? Why did Locke light the fuse? Are we going to hide inside hatch? All these questions and more peppered the large man and he finally had to put up his hands and asked them to stop.

"Dudes! I don't know anymore, Okay?" He stood up and went to get some water from the spring. A woman grabbed his sleeve and started a frantic conversation. He nodded his head and then shrugged his shoulders. The woman walked away mumbling to herself and Hurley went back to getting his water.

Shannon sidled up to Hurley after all the others had gone back to their places in the cave. She looked around to see if anyone was in earshot and put her hand on Hurley's arm.

"About this hatch…" her voice was low, "Is it dangerous?"

Hurley could tell by the sound of her voice and the way she returned to hugging herself that she was worried about Sayid. He put his arm around her slender shoulders and gave her a squeeze.

"He's gonna be alright, Shannon" he said reassuringly. He brought her face up to look at him and smiled "Hell, he's probably better equipped for this kinda stuff than any of us." He pulled her into a hug and let her head rest on his chest for a moment.

Shannon gave him a little squeeze back and then broke out of the embrace. He had made her feel a little better, but the longer Sayid was gone, the more she worried about him. She smiled back at Hurley and went over to sit next to Sun. The Korean woman put her arm around the young girl and rocked her gently.

You can run but you cannot hide
This is widely known
And what you plan to do with your foolish pride
When you're all by yourself alone
Once you tell somebody the way that you feel
You can feel it beginning to ease
I think it's true about the squeaky wheel
Always getting the grease

Charlie watched as the people in the cave disbursed to their respective spaces. He continued to hold Claire, who had finally stopped crying, and laid his head to rest on hers. He would do anything in his power to protect her, keep her safe, and love her. But the question was would she let him do it. She broke from his embrace when she heard the baby start to cry. He reluctantly let her go and watch as she picked the infant up from his cradle. She cooed at him and checked to see if he was wet. With a nod of her head she went over to her bag to get a new diaper.

The young rock star sat with his back against the cave wall and surveyed his surroundings. There was a hushed quality to the atmosphere, but everywhere he looked, people were holding hands, hugging or just sitting quietly next to each other. They were scared but they were not alone. Each felt strength from the other. They were all in this together, and as Jack had said long ago, they either worked together or they died alone. And, as Charlie observed, no one here was going to die alone.

Claire finished changing Aaron and sat next to Charlie while she nursed him. The Australian girl felt very comfortable leaning against Charlie while she nursed, but he felt that he was intruding on her privacy. He started to rise.

"Where are you going?" asked Claire grabbing his thigh.

"Um…er ..."Charlie blushed and looked away from her. "I thought, you know – maybe you…" he took a quick glance at her "…wanted to be alone while you did, you know…that"

Claire smiled up at him and pulled him back down beside her. "If I had wanted you to go…" she said leaning into his shoulder again, "I would have said so." Aaron suckled making little baby noises and Claire shifted him in her arm. "Now" she said, her face inches away from Charlie's, "What seems to be all the fuss?" She stretched up and kissed him on the mouth.

Charlie responded to the kiss and started to break it, but Claire wouldn't let him go. He closed his eyes and kissed her back with more fervor. He enveloped her in his arms and in doing so found his hand underneath her shirt. The feel of her swollen breast was both wonderful and frightening at the same time. He quickly started to pull away, but Claire locked his arm there with her elbow. He opened his eyes and pulled back his head.

"What are you doing?" he said breathlessly. He wasn't sure if this is what she wanted him to do. I mean, this is Claire, he thought.

She removed the sleepy baby from her breast and placed him between her and Charlie. He lay cradled between their thighs as they pressed each to the other. Charlie started to remove his hands from her stomach and she covered his hand with hers, pulling them back. She looked up at him and smiled.

"You make me feel safe, Charlie" she let go of his hand and gave him a hug, holding him close to her. Her hands crept underneath the back his shirt and she caressed his bare skin.

Charlie sighed and buried his face into her hair. "I love you, Claire." He pulled her back so he could look at her face. Tears sprinkled her cheeks.

"I know," she whispered. She held him to her again. "I love you too."

Better to shower the people you love with love
Show them the way that you feel
Things are gonna be just fine is you only will
Shower the people you love with love
Show them the way that you feel
Things are gonna be much better if you only will