But then he couldn't resist it anymore, he wanted to sneak a look at Jack. It was like some kind of torture sleeping this far away from him. Sure, he was only in the next bed, but Boone was used to being snuggled in his arms. His strong, muscular but oh so caring and gentle arms. Boone opened his eyes with a dreamy smile on his lips. The bed next to his was empty. Boone sat up slightly and looked around the ward. No Jack. There was Sawyer reading a magazine with his half-and-half glasses, Walt and Hurley playing backgammon and Charlie quietly strumming his guitar, but no Jack. He laid back down. Jack used to work here so he was probably just catching up with some old friends, Boone rationalised. In fact, knowing Jack, he was probably trying to talk them into letting him perform spinal surgery.
"Boone!"
He heard Shannon's voice and rolled over to see her coming towards him, an excited look on her face and a brown envelope in her hand. He sat up.
"Hey, Shan," he said. "What's up?"
She came and sat on the edge of his bed, forcing him to move up. "I've got something to show you, check this out." She pulled a sonogram out of the envelope and held it up to him. "Check it out, it's my baby!" she said excitedly.
Boone smiled as he took the picture off a very proud Shannon. "Wow, Shannon, that's awesome," he said.
"I know!" said Shannon. "And it's a girl."
"So, pink dresses and finishing school all the way?" Boone teased.
"No, I want her to be more grounded than I was. I am not gonna raise a brat like my parents did. Not that it's all their fault, I was a brat cos I wanted to be a brat..." she trailed off. "Anyway, like Sayid would ever raise a brat. He can be a pushover, sure, but he makes people stand on their own two feet. I'm evidence of that."
"Hey, have you seen Jack?" Boone asked.
Shannon rolled her eyes. "What, we can't talk about me for more than five seconds before it comes back to the doctor?"
"I just wondered where he was, he wasn't here when I woke up," Boone explained.
"God, you got it bad, Boone," Shannon smiled.
"Have you seen him?" Boone asked.
Shannon shook her head. "He's probably chatting up a nurse somewhere."
"Shut up," Boone retorted lamely.
"Come on, you wanna go hit the vending machine?" Shannon suggested.
"I'm not hungry," Boone replied.
"Well I am and you're paying so get out of bed," Shannon said with a friendly shove.
"Should have seen that one coming," said Boone as he followed Shannon out to the hall.
As he reached the hall he saw that Shannon had frozen to the spot, looking at something a little edgily. Visions of monsters and savages and out of control boar ran through his head before he reminded himself that they were back in the real world now and those things were extremely unlikely.
"Shannon, what's wrong?"
But then he saw what Shannon was looking at. Sabrina. He wasn't quite sure how to process seeing her. Not yet. And judging by the way that Sabrina was looking at he and Shannon, the feeling was mutual.
"Mom," he said, a little blindly. "Hi."
"Hello," she said blankly. She then suddenly rushed forward and pulled Boone into a hug. He was surprised enough that it took him a moment to hug back. He couldn't remember the last time his mom gave him a hug. It's not that she was a particularly cold mother, well not lovey-dovey or anything but not the wicked witch of the west either, but she had certainly deemed him too old to be hugged many years ago. She then pulled Shannon into the embrace too which really did throw him for six. He couldn't ever remember her hugging Shannon, not even when she and Adam first got married and Shannon was still a kid. Shannon was obviously suffering the same confusion as Boone as they exchanged a look. Sabrina then released them and took a step back, it was almost as if it had never happened.
"So you two are okay?" Sabrina asked. "You look okay. You look good actually." Boone then saw her eyes go down to Shannon's pregnant belly. Shannon instinctively placed her hands over her bump protectively. "You're pregnant," Sabrina stated.
"Little bit, yeah," Shannon replied, quieter than Boone was used to.
"That's, erm, congratulations," Sabrina said.
"Thanks." Shannon gave a little smile but Boone could tell she was still on edge. "His name's Sayid."
Sabrina looked at her blankly. "The baby?"
"My boyfriend," Shannon replied. "Or fiancé. Husband. He would be my husband if we weren't on an island. We would have been married by now, I mean. I think."
"So, what about you Boone? You find yourself a girlfriend?" Sabrina asked.
Boone noticed Shannon looking at him but refused to make eye-contact with her. "No," he replied. "No girlfriend."
"Well..." Sabrina began, but she was cut off by Boone.
"Mom, I have to tell you something," Boone rushed out.
Sabrina looked concerned. "What?"
"Let's, erm, let's go get a drink, okay?" he suggested.
Sabrina nodded and they headed to the cafeteria. "Good luck," he heard Shannon say quietly as he walked past her.
Boone stood in line at the hospital cafeteria, trying to think of a way to come out to his mother, which was not an easy task.
"There you are."
He looked up to see Jack stood by his side. He quickly glanced at his mother but she was looking out the window.
"I went to look for you on the ward," Jack continued. "Apparently you were last seen heading to the vending machines with Shannon."
"Erm, yeah," Boone stalled, trying to think of a polite way to get rid of him for the time being.
"Oh well, found you now," Jack said as he leaned in and kissed Boone tenderly on the lips. Boone jerked away quickly. Jack gave him a look. "Are you okay?"
Boone looked back over to the table where his mother was sitting and, to his horror, she was looking back. And judging by the look on her face, she'd seen the kiss. Jack followed Boone's gaze.
"Who's that?" He asked.
"That's my mom," Boone replied, not taking his eyes off Sabrina.
"Oh."