Fever Ch. 3

For once, Jack recognized his own exhaustion as he crossed the clearing to deal with Rose and Claire. He knew if he didn't get some sleep soon, he wouldn't be any good to anyone. He glanced up to see Kate walking toward him.

"You need to rest, Jack," she said.

"You going to drug me again, Kate?" Seeing the hurt on her face he reached out and took her hand, squeezing it. "Sorry, I've been snapping at everyone. As soon as I check on Rose and Claire, I'll rest. Promise."

"Sun is with them," Kate told him. "She made some tea, something to bring the fever down she said."

"Sayid and Sawyer could use some of that."

Kate followed Jack into the cave. Sun was sitting with Claire, supporting the girl so that she could nurse her son.

"He was hungry," Sun explained, "It will not hurt him to nurse. He shows no signs of being sick."

"No," Jack said, "It's fine. He has to be fed." He looked around. Rose was sleeping, and Charlie was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Charlie?" Jack asked, surprised the man would leave Claire for even a minute.

"I am not sure where he went," Sun said.

"What's in the tea you made?"

" Borage, yarrow, and ginger root, for fever," Sun said.

"Can you make more? Sayid's not improving, and Sawyer could use some, too."

"Yes," she said, rising and taking the baby from Claire, "I'll do it now."

"I'll take Aaron," Kate said stepping forward. Sun handed him to her. The baby fussed at first, but his stomach full, he soon snuggled into Kate's shoulder.

Jack knelt beside Claire, who was at least awake and aware.

"How do you feel?" Jack asked, brushing the hair from her face and holding her wrist to take her pulse."

"Weird," Claire said. "Floaty...like my bones are made of water."

"That's the fever," Jack told her, "But I think it's down a bit." Jack made a sudden decision. "I'm going to move you and Rose to the bigger cave next to the infirmary with Sayid and Sawyer. It will be easier to keep an eye on everyone that way."

Why hadn't he thought of this sooner? He looked up at Kate. "Can you grab one or two of the guys out there to help? I can carry Claire, but we'll need to bring the blankets and we'll need help with Rose.

"Sure," Kate, having turned Aaron over to Libby, was back a moment later with Steve and another man whose name Jack couldn't recall.

"You can use the blankets as a stretcher as long as someone walks along side. It isn't that far," Jack said. He watched as the men lifter Rose carefully and with Kate walking beside her, made their way out.

Just as Jack stooped to pick up Claire and follow them, Charlie walked in. His face was flushed, and he was sweating.

"Charlie, I wondered where you were," Jack said. Then noticing Charlie's appearance he asked, "Are you feeling sick?"

"No. No. I feel fine. I'm fine Jack, really." Charlie nervously licked his lips. "Where are you taking Claire? Is she worse? Where's Aaron?"

Jack suddenly recalled that he had seen Charlie act this way before. "Charlie, are you sure you're okay?"

His eyes darted right and left. "I said I'm fine, Jack. Bloody hell...just believe me. Now where are you taking Claire?"

"We're setting up a hospital, just next to the infirmary. Sayid and Sawyer are already there. This will make it easier for me to keep tabs on everyone."

Hurley stuck his head into the cave, "Hey, Jack," he said with a snort, "Sullivan thinks he's sick, too."

"What else is new?" Jack retorted, "Tell him to come to the infirmary. I'll take a look as soon as I get Claire settled." Charlie's strange behavior temporarily forgotten, Jack carried the girl with very little effort to the newly established hospital. Kate and Steve had thought to move Sawyer closer to Sayid, and place Rose on the other side of the room.

"Separating the girls from the boys, I see," Jack said, laying Claire down next to Rose. "Good idea, we can even rig a blanket up if we have to, divide the room for more privacy."

"Just like in 'It Happened One Night'," Kate laughed.

"What?" Jack looked at her, puzzled.

"Not an old movie buff, huh, Jack?" she smiled.

"Not much time for movies, new or old," Jack grinned back. "You'll have to tell me about it sometime."

"I could probably recite the lines by heart," Kate said, "Diane loved old movies."

"Hey, Doc," Sullivan interrupted as the doctor was settling Claire and Rose into their new quarters and Jack groaned, just loud enough for Kate to hear and suppress a giggle.

"I don't feel so good." With that pronouncement, Sullivan teetered back and forth and collapsed on the floor. This time, he hadn't been imagining it. The island hypochondriac was actually sick.

Kate helped Jack set up another make-shift bed for Sullivan and then insisted that he do as he had promised and rest.

"Shannon's with Sayid, Steve and I can handle the others. Sun will be here soon with the tea. Go next door and lie down," she pushed him gently toward the doorway. "Please?"

"Wake me up. One hour. Two, tops," he told her. On his way out, he stopped to check on first Sawyer, who was still feverish, but sleeping, and Sayid, who was once again mumbling incoherently and seemed no better.

"Sun's made some tea for the fever," Jack told Shannon, "Can you get him to drink it?"

Shannon stared at him, her face a mask. "I think I can manage it."

"Kate's here, if you need help, okay?" Jack knelt beside her. "Shannon, once he's had the tea, you should probably go and get some rest. You aren't going to be any good to him if you're exhausted."

"All right." she nodded.

Jack left, and Kate came to sit by Shannon. "He's going to be okay," she said softly.

"You don't know that." Shannon glanced worriedly at Sayid.

"No, but Claire is getting better, and so is Sawyer. Sun's tea will help. You'll see."

"He doesn't even know I'm here," Shannon's voice broke.

"I'm sure he does."

She looked at Kate uncertainly. "He keeps saying a woman's name...not mine...or Rousseau...Nadia. The rest is all in Arabic. The name is the only damn thing I can understand."

"Shannon, he doesn't know what he's saying."

"But who is she? He's never mentioned her."

"Then she can't be too important, right? "

"Maybe he just doesn't want me to know about her. Maybe she's his girlfriend. Hell, maybe she's his wife. Maybe he's married."

Kate shook her head. "No, Sayid wouldn't do that. If he were married, he wouldn't be with you."

"You don't know men very well, do you?" Shannon scoffed.

"You know Sayid better than that, don't you?" Kate said getting up. "Think about it Shannon. Is he really like all the other men you've known?"