Chapter 7
He felt something soft and warm underneath him, and when he opened his eyes, he realized that he was lying on Kate's lap. He saw that that it was night time and they were among some tall bushes. Sawyer was about to open his mouth to say something when Kate put a finger to her lips to silence him. She was peeping out from a small hole among the dense bushes.
Sawyer listened and he could make out some people talking from outside the bushes. He recognized one of the voices as Henry's. Slowly he pushed himself to a sitting position, taking care not to stir the bushes around them. He was thankful that the pain in his tummy was holding out at the moment.
"They could not have run far, with the Ford guy having taken our test" one of the voices said. Suddenly a gunshot rang out. "We know you are out there! Show yourself before we shoot you!"
Sawyer could see Kate's worried eyes. He shook his head slightly at her. They have to risk it.
"Don't blame us, it's your decision!" Henry shouted, followed by sounds of gunshots shooting randomly around them. Sawyer instinctively used his body to cover Kate's protectively, pulling her close in his arms, with both their heads bent low. It was frightening to hear the bullets whizzing so close all around them.
After about 5 minutes, they heard Henry giving orders to leave. Kate raised her eyes to look at Sawyer and he shook his head slightly, indicating to her to keep still. True enough, they heard the sounds of footsteps a few minutes later. Those people were just making a false retreat.
Just then, Kate felt a warm fluid on her hands. She couldn't make out its colour in the dark. They were both still couched low in the bushes, with Sawyer's body protectively around Kate's.
"You're hurt!" Kate whispered. Sawyer immediately covered her mouth with his hand. He peeped out from the hole in the bushes, checking the surroundings.
The blood in Kate's hands get more and more. She looked at Sawyer worriedly. It was too dark and cramped to make out where was he hurt, she just hope it wasn't serious.
A few more gunshots were fired randomly around them, and then everything went quiet. Kate wanted to get up quickly to check Sawyer's wound, but he wouldn't let her move, still peeping out from the hole in the bushes.
"Why didn't you leave with good old Doc when they asked you to?" Sawyer suddenly asked in a soft voice. They were still couched behind the bushes.
"I….." Kate stammered. She doesn't know the answer to that question herself. Why? Why didn't she leave with Jack? Why?
"Let me check your wound." Kate changed the topic.
"Aww, that…." Sawyer groaned and reluctantly got up slowly to his feet. Both he and Kate crawled out of the bushes and walked to the clearing where Sawyer had collapsed earlier. He sat down gingerly on a rock.
"Looks like your shoulder has taken a bullet again, only that this time it's on your right side and it went in from the back" Kate was examining the hole. "The bullet is still inside"
"Well it looks like you have to help me dig it out this time, my hands ain't long enough to reach my back, Freckles" Sawyer said. He was trying to sound light-hearted but Kate could hear that he was in much pain. And he has lost a lot of blood judging from the amount on his shirt and on her hands.
The thought of digging out a bullet with her bare hands doesn't appeal to Kate though. "Why don't we bandage this up and try to get back to Jack quickly? I'm sure he can perform a better surgery than me."
"Anything you say, Freckles" Sawyer tilted his head and smiled at her, flashing his killer dimples. Kate looked away quickly and tore off a sleeve from Sawyer's shirt, tying it round the shoulder. Sawyer hissed in pain when the knot was tightened.
"Let's go." Sawyer said. He was starting to get up when suddenly the pain in his stomach struck again. "Aarrgh… son-of-a….." he fell to the ground and gritted his teeth.
"It's not time for your second injection yet, the woman says to wait for 24 hours…" Kate started. She doesn't know what to do. She has no way to ease the man's pain, yet it broke her heart to see him like this.
"Look, Freckles" Sawyer hissed between his gritted teeth. " I ain't in no position to run from the Others now…….. these attacks will slow us down….. plus now the damn bullet in the shoulder…." He was sweating profusely as he spoke. The bullet wound has started to bleed again beneath the makeshift bandage and his face was turning pale from the loss of blood. "Go without me, rather than the two of us……"
"No! Sawyer, listen, I'm not going to leave you behind!" Kate hissed at him. "Ever since you left on the raft, I was regretting every moment of it, letting you go without me. No way am I going to go through that again.. you understand?"
Before Sawyer has a chance to reply, they heard the sound of footsteps and rustling leaves through the jungle from the direction of where they escaped from.
TBC…