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Chapter 5

"Does any of you know anything about tracking?" Ana's voice sounded weird in the strangely quiet jungle "Because it seems to me that we're just wandering around without any logical aim… or maybe I'm wrong? Jack?"

Jack stopped and looked at her for a moment, then he nodded slowly. "We should've taken someone who knows his way around the jungle, Kate gave me once some advices about tracking but I guess I'm not even half as good as she was…"

"She is, Jack, she is" There was something in Sawyer's voice that made Jack look at him closely, it was hard to notice but his tone was strangely similar to the one he used that night when he was dying…

When he said he loved her

Those words in Sawyer's lips were so out of place. It didn't sound like him. If he knew what he had said, he would probably not believe it either. But he did say it, and he did have that expression on his tough-guy face sometimes… just like now.

"You're both talking about her as if she was already dead" Sawyer quickly replaced his anxiety with anger.

Jack shook his head in disbelief, if that man had some hidden feelings underneath his toughness, he had concealed it very good.

But Sawyer was nervous. Kate had been out there for one and a half day and every minute it was getting more and more dangerous.

She couldn't have been that upset about what I said… I acted like a complete moron but…
What if she decided to live alone like that French Chick? No, she wouldn't have done that...
Then where is she?

Thoughts fought in Sawyer's mind… he felt as if he was getting crazy... He wanted to find her, he would do everything just to see her, touch her. She could go and kiss Doc then, he didn't care as long as she was safe. In fact, he didn't change his mind, she would be happier with Jack.

"Shit… how the hell are we suppose to find her when she is our only damn tracker, except Locke?" He was getting flustered and couldn't deny it.
"Maybe I could help you" Out of sudden they heard a deep, low voice coming from the bushes and within a second an impressive man appeared right in front of them.
"Eko" Ana smiled, obviously pleased to see him "We should've thought about you in the first place, but we were in such a rush, besides I didn't see you back there on the beach"
"I've been already looking for her traces in the forest". Everyone stared at him, waiting for him to continue.
"And did you find anything? Sawyer asked quickly to interrupt Jack, who was already opening his mouth to speak.

Eko smiled delicately and looked straight into his eyes. Sawyer suddenly got unpleasant feeling that he was being judged. He must've had passed the test, because Eko grinned and responded "Not a long way from here in the forest I found her tracks" But then his expression became serious again, the smile vanished from his face "We must hurry though, I think she was lying on the ground for quite some time, and Jack…" Eko paused for a moment "There was blood on the ground"

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"Leave her alone you sonovabitch! How can you do this to her?" Katie's voice grew louder and louder, eventually it turned into cry. "She's your damn wife!"
"Yes sweetcheeks, but you're my daughter and you are supposed to do what I tell you" Wayne responded silently, with anger and a bit of satisfaction in his voice. "And now, I'm telling you to shut up, cause I didn't finish with your mother yet. But don't worry I will find time to take care of my beautiful daughter later"
"You're not my father" Katie was desperate, on the edge of breakdown
"My father is a hero, he is someone you will never be, and you're only a piece of trash Wayne, that's all you are!"

"So you think I'm not you're father?" Something in Wayne's tone made Katie stop crying, she felt a gulp in her throat, suddenly the rage disappeared , she was waiting for a sentence now and when Wayne spoke again she knew what he was going to say
"I'm sorry to disappoint you honey, but…"

"Kate!" The noise was muffled but still disturbing. Kate heard it but it sounded like someone was shouting from a long distance.

Why don't they let me sleep, he almost said that, he almost revealed the truth…

"Kate, where are you?"

That voice… so familiar…

"Here she is! Come quickly!"

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Eko led them through the bushes to the place where he found Kate's traces. They started searching, moving slowly towards the beach, because it looked that she was heading back to the camp. With every minute dread rose in their hearts. They knew that they would find her eventually, but what if it would be too late?

"Kate!" Sawyer couldn't stand it anymore, he knew that she probably had passed out somewhere near and deep in his heart he hoped that maybe she would hear him, give a sign. "Kate, where are you!".

Jake was about to silence Sawyer but at the same time Ana Lucia gasped loudly and cried "Here she is! Come quickly!" She was evidently terrified.
Jack and Sawyer run to her immediately but the sight stiffened them to the ground and for a second they just couldn't move.

Kate was lying on the ground on her back, her shirt was soaked with blood, partly from the cut on her arm, but they all knew that the wound was too shallow to cause so much bleeding. Kate's face was covered with mud and grass, she looked so delicate, so helpless.

Jack was the first who moved. He sat by Kate's side and checked her pulse. At the same time he felt both a flicker of relief and panic. She was still alive but her pulse was weak, too weak. And there was too much blood on her tank top. Just as he was looking at her chest, she coughed loudly and few more red dots appeared on her lips.
"We need to take her to the hatch, now!" Jack's voice was shaking, during his whole career as a doctor he never felt so terrified about anything or anyone. That wasn't just another case, it was Kate now, and everything was different.

"Eko, you will make stretcher with Sawyer…" but he didn't finish the sentence, because Sawyer, who until then was standing motionlessly moved quickly, kneeled by Kate and took her body gently in his arms.

For a moment he just stared at her with mellowness in his eyes. Jack, Ana, even Eko watched him in bewilderment. They had never seen him behaving like that.
Then in a second all the walls that surrounded his heart and his soul broke down. Tears started streaming down his face, his rough features softened. He stood up slowly and moved into direction of the hatch with Kate's body in his arms. His lips were moving slowly. No one knew whether he was praying for the first time in his life, trying to drive Death away or just renewing his promise… "If you die, I will follow"…Maybe even he didn't know the answer.

Silently Ana, Jack and Eko followed Sawyer, none of them dared to speak, knowing how fragile Kate's life was now. They didn't let themselves think that maybe it was already too late…