Disclaimer: The characters and locations of Lost are owned by JJ, Damon, and the folks of ABC. I am making no profit from this.

Pain and Pomegranates

Part 2: Fear

Assured that Shannon's condition had not worsened, Sayid turned to face his pomegranate-armed assailant. "I see you are feeling better," he said dryly.

Sawyer grinned impishly, if tiredly, up at him from the other mattress a few feet away. For the past few days, Sawyer had been drifting through varying levels of consciousness. This was the first Sayid had seen him fully alert. "It seems I'm not gonna die after all. Sorry to disappoint ya, Captain Falafel." Sayid was far past the point of caring what Sawyer called him. He couldn't manage to find even the smallest amount of anger towards the man who normally could push his buttons as easily as Locke entered the code into the computer. Shannon was dieing. Nothing else mattered. He turned back to watch her, which earned him another pomegranate seed to the head. "You ain't much of a companion," Sawyer huffed. Sayid ignored him and stroked the back of Shannon's hand. "Say, where did these mattresses come from anyways? Pretty comfy by Craphole Island standards," Sawyer asked.

"Jack had Hurley and Charlie bring them up from the Hatch," Sayid answered wearily. Her hand was ice cold. It drove a wave of terror through him.

"Oh yeah, the hatch. What was in that thing? It still wasn't opened when the raft left."

Sayid sighed. "I am not really in the mood for a conversation right now. I am sure someone will be happy to tell you all about it later."

"Well, I want to know now. And you're the only person around at the moment."

"Fine. Among other things, a Scottish man, a shower, a record player, some assault rifles, and a computer that supposedly will end the world. If you wish to know more, I suggest you ask Locke the next time he is here. He loves to talk about the Hatch. Now please be quiet."

"Oh, you can not just leave me with that, Al-Jazeera." Sayid turned and gave Sawyer a look. Had he really resurrected that nickname, after Charlie had laughed at him? "What?" responded Sawyer. "It's a news network. And you're bein' about as informative as one of those." Sayid turned back to Shannon. "You've gotta give me something. Think I'm better off not knowing about that computer. What happened to the Scotsman?"

"Jack shouted and pointed a gun at him, and he ran off into the jungle. He has not been seen since."

Sawyer chewed a pomegranate seed thoughtfully. "Yeah, that sounds about right."

Shannon had been thrilled with the discovery of the Hatch. She had immediately signed the two of them up for Hatch duty when Locke had come looking for volunteers. "Enjoying a little piece of civilization for just pushing a button? Sounds like a deal to me. " she had said. Once there, she had claimed, "It's like the friggin Hilton of Craphole Island," and immediately sprinted for the shower. He had considered joining her, but wasn't sure how she feel about that. She had come out looking more radiant than ever. Afterwards, she had thrown their laundry in the washing machine, and teased him about his rather scant island wardrobe. She had watched him input the code, and then wandered off to inspect the record collection, as he went to take his own shower. When he had returned, she had a mischievous grin, and said she had a surprise. She had turned the record player on and "Beyond the Sea" started playing. Their song. Although it had been a copy of the English version, she had sung it in French, her beautiful voice filling the concrete bunker. That day, she had been too excited by the change of scenery to put up her usual defenses. She had kissed him freely, without first searching his face for confirmation that he wanted it as much as she did. She had been so vibrant and full of life that day. And today…

He looked at her pale, fragile body, and his breath caught. Would he ever hear her singing "La Mer" again? Would he ever see her eyes full of light and laughter? Would he ever feel her warm lips pressed against his? Ever since he had heard the gunshot in the jungle, a black terror had seized him. It had infiltrated his heart and threatened at every moment to consume him. True, he had not given up on Shannon at any time. Rather than taking out vengeance on Ana-Lucia, he had raced her to Jack, and he had stayed by her side every moment since then. But he was a rational man, and he knew all too well what a bullet wound to the abdomen could do to a person. He had seen many fellow Guardsmen as well as many enemies go down that way. It was a slow, painful way to die. He couldn't think of any that had survived. It wasn't logical to believe that Shannon would. But the thought of her dieing seemed just as absurd. If she died, she would lose the precious second chance at life the island had given her. They both would lose it. Why would they have survived the plane crash, only to have their new lives taken away?

Sayid shut his eyes tight as a new wave of pain and fear hit him. He had been listening to Locke too much. He knew better than to think like that. She would die, and he would watch, and then he would be alone again, just like he deserved. There was no second chance. No new life. That was the ramblings of an old fool. His hands clenched into tight fists, and tears pricked at his eyes.

Bwip! A pomegranate seed bounced off his shoulder.

His eyes opened. The fear lost its strangle hold on him. Shannon was alive at the moment. As long as she was, he would stay with her. He had sworn he wouldn't leave her, and he intended to keep that vow. Even if it meant putting up with Sawyer.