A pretty face don't mean a pretty heart

Chapter 8

The price of sin

"Oh jesus, somebody get Jack." Shouts Sawyer, Connor and Sayid sprint over the figure slumped against the tree stump.

"I'll go." Locke hurriedly goes back up the trail.

Her breathing is short and rapid. Kate stares at her abdomen, the blood seeping from the bullet wound. She tries to focus, Connor says something, removes his shirt, folds, and presses it into the wound. Sayid watches, numb with shock, Sawyer detached as always watches from a distance.

"Stay with me." She whispers, her hand covered in blood reaches out and touches Connor's tear stricken face. "I'm not leaving." He replies. "Stay with me Kate, you hear me?" Blood seeps through Connor's shirt. A trickle of blood appears at the side of Kate's mouth. In the distance she sees Nathaniel running into the jungle.

Charlie watched by Boone and Shannon lights the firework. It shoots off into the early evening sky.

It explodes in a shower of green.

They see the firework.

For a moment there is silence. Then a wave of euphoria, sweeps through the beachside camp. Hurley hugs Michael in a bear hug.

"Stay with me." Shouts Jack. "You never gave up on any of us, Kate." He carefully moves the press, blood trickles from the wound. "Is there still a pulse?" He asks across to Connor. He nods. "Regular?"

Connor shakes his head in reply. "It's dropping."

"A bullet's probably severed an artery." He whispers. "I can remove it, but I need blood, antibiotics, stuff that we don't have at the caves." He looks grimly. "I heard that bastard mention he had medical supplies."

"We found none at the caves." Connor whispers back angrily. "Nathaniel must have another hidy-hole."

"I don't even know what blood type Kate is!"

"O negative." Connor softly clasps her hand. "It's the same as mine."

Jack looks at Connor. "I'm going to need some."

"Take as much as you want." Connor thinly smiles. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Charlie – I need you to go back to the caves, get my medical bag, everything."

"Right Jack." Charlie nods and starts to run down the trail. "Get a few more bodies up here as well, Nathaniel is still about." Connor shouts after him.

"We can't move her, we do, and she'll go into shock."

There is a rumble of thunder in the distance. Jack and Connor trade looks, one of hopelessness, the other of despair.

"In less than an hour, this is not a place I'd want to operate in." Locke says at the edge of the group. "We have to get Kate back to the caves up in the ridge."

"You may not have been keeping up with current events, Locke." Growls an angry Connor. "She could die if we move her." Jack adds.

"She could die here!" Locke despairing feels the venom of their anger.

Kate opens her eyes. Her breathing is shallow. "It's my life." She weakly says. "Move me!"

The rain falls in torrents outside. The scene and mood is grim. A couple of figures soaking wet, stumble in. Charlie, and Sun-yin, carrying medical supplies, blankets, and what is left of the torches. A corner of the cave has been cleared for Kate, the flattest and driest part. People everywhere look over, in fleeting glances, stares of curiosity.

"I could with some of that." Connor watches Jack sterilise what meagre surgical equipment he has at hand, with a miniature bottle of Jack Daniels. "Sun yin going to assist me, I don't need your help." Connor shrugs his shoulders. "Kate does, I'm staying."

"No you're not." Jack snaps back.

"He stays." Whispers Kate. Connor looks at her, then Jack. "Gonna throw your rattle out of the pen?"

The hours pass by slowly, the light of the torches begins to fade, in the few remaining minutes, Jack stitches Kate up. He looks over to Connor.

"She's breathing and still has a pulse!" Connor's voice is a whisper. "She passed out an hour ago."

Jack looks away. "I've done the best I can, it's a mess in there. I need whatever Nathaniel has."

Not a word is said or breath uttered. "She's dying, and the last time this happened, a man died."

Sun yin looks at Connor then Jack. She touches Jack's shoulder. Jack looks at her, she makes a face to mean somebody sleeping, then points to Connor, and back to Jack.

"You'll keep a watch over her." Sun-yin nods. "We both need the rest."

Morning comes.

"How is she?" Shannon watches Sun-yin with a sleeping Kate. "Resting." Boone replies. "Where's Connor and Locke?"

Locke runs ahead of Connor, stopping every hundred metres or so. Both have knifes, a pistol, and an assault rifle. From first light, they have worked their way from were they found Kate, Nathaniel has left a trail. Locke urges caution, he remembers Ethan all too well!

Locke crouches down to examine twisted leaves. Nathaniel has been here. He must be close by.

He is right.

Nathaniel watches from a dense under grove. These two are different, they have patience. He takes aim with his assault rifle. He flicks off the safety.

Locke hears it. "Down" He shoves Connor down and he quickly follows. Milliseconds later, bullets fly overhead. They both remain motionless, as a continuous volley of fire is loosed in their direction.

Die. Nathaniel grins, as he blasts away. Caring for little, and showing no remorse. He squeezes the trigger again, the rifle clicks, it is empty, and he has no spares.

On cue, Locke runs to flank him, and Connor crouches up and opens fire on semi automatic, firing, correcting his aim, and firing again.

It works.

Nathaniel screams in agony, as a bullet hits him in the left shoulder. He drops his rifle and starts to run, as another hits him this time in his right hand. The big bulk of a man roars in agony.

"No you don't" A fist in the face knocks him flying into the mud. Locke stands over him, in contemplation, not saying a word. Connor joins him, his mood is grim. He slings his rifle, and unsheathes a knife.

"You have in you the look of satan." Nathaniel whispers. Connor walks over, crouches down, until his face is inches from Nathaniel's. "The medicine, where is it?"

"The whore lived through the night then." Nathaniel grins. "She has much strength." Nathaniel screams as Connor sticks the knife into his shoulder wound and twists for a few moments. Then he pulls it out.

"The medicine where is it?"

"She told me what she has done to two men in her life. She is beyond redemption." He smiles again, taunting.

The knife is plunged directly into his left hand. Locke winces, as Connor leaves it pinned to the ground. Nathaniel's scream is terrible. Connor doesn't budge, and remains unmoved.

"The medicine where is it?" He asks more firmly this time. The knife is not withdrawn. Nathaniel starts to panic.

"I can turn your body into a pin cushion, and leave you to whatever is in the jungle. This is the last time. Where is the medicine?"

Connor pulls out his pistol, and aims it at his abdomen. "She shot me in the gut, it's a very slow agonising death, not pretty nor pleasant. You bleed out very slowly." Connor smiles directly into his face. "One last time, where is the medicine?" Nathaniel looks down, Connor has only to release the trigger, he is now trembling.

"One kilometre from here, in a small cave beside a stream." He gasps. Connor flicks off the safety on the pistol. "We'll be back for you." Locke says.

"You are going to leave me here?"

"We'll come back for you, pray that we do find the medicine stash." Connor grins. "You don't want to be around if we don't."

Locke and Connor walk off. Leaving Nathaniel pinned to the jungle floor, cursing them in an ever whimpering voice.

"He wasn't lying!" Locke says relieved. "Surgical equipment, blood plasma, some antibiotics, clamps." Connor says excitedly. "Storage packs for blood transfusions." Locke nods. "What are we waiting for then?" He smiles.

"No need to tell me twice John." Connor grins. Then in the distance, there is a roar from deep within the jungle. Locke recognises it, Connor stands up and looks in the direction. Trees sway and get felled. There is another roar. "That's coming from where Nathaniel is." Locke stands up, shakes his head. "There is nothing we can do for Nathaniel, Kate is our priority!"

Nathaniel stares at it, eyes wide in terror, as it advances towards him. It roars again. He weeps; his god has deserted him, why? He mouths to God, and stares up at the sky. Why!

The scream is guttural, like the sound of one's own internal organs being ripped apart. There is a scream, and then silence. The jungle is quiet once again.

A few days later, there is a memorial service and burial for Emma, Claire reads a very moving poem that Emma composed, she is laid very carefully to rest. Afterwards at the other end of the beach camp, Mary, Peter, Saul, Daniel and Miriam are buried. Locke, Boone, and Connor see to this, once it is done, all go about their separate ways as best they can.

This is a good spot. Connor sits and watches the waves gently roll in, as the sun begins to make its descent. Palm trees rustle behind him.

"Kate's doing fine." Jack sits down beside him. Connor thinly smiles, and says nothing in reply. "She's asking for you."

"I'll see her tomorrow." Connor stares at the sunset. "She needs her rest."

"You too have a history together I believe." Jack nervously questions.

"Has Kate told you her history?" Connor replys.

"To a point!"

"Then I must ask you to respect both of our silence." Connor turns and faces him. "What stays between us, remains between us!"

Jack goes to say something, decides against it, gets up and walks away.

There's still a chance Connor. Connor thinks. But we have to survive here first.