Author's Note: the story continues…sorry that it took so long to update but my computer had a breakdown then I didn't have time. Regardless here's more. This story is mainly inspired by 'Whatever the case may be' and 'The Greater Good.'
Octobersky: Thank you for the immediate review, it really help to know that at least one person wants to read it. :)
The birth of Esther did cause a bit of a stir on the island, but soon everything resumed as it was. The only difference was that Sayid abandoned a large amount of his projects in order to be beside his wife, and to look after her and their daughter.
It was clear to all on the island that Esther Inara Daniel was the most beautiful gift to her parents, they absolutely doted on their daughter. Sun was also very fond of the child, she would often visit Sayid and Minta in their hut with herbs that are supposedly to help the young mother's recovery, but she would always end up spending most of her time cradling the child during her visit. Sawyer too, adored the baby girl. Sayid detected a secret gentle smile whenever his best friend held Esther in his arms. On one occasion, he even caught Sawyer baby talked to his daughter.
Sometimes Danielle came and Minta was always willing to grant the Frenchwoman's every request because she fully understand Danielle's pains. Sometimes there'd be tears in Danielle's eyes as she cradled the child and whispered "Alex" but other then that, the French woman seemed to have fitted in quit well. Though she still kept mostly to herself, the other survivors would greet her: a sign of acceptance.
If Sayid had any want, then it would be that his wife could spend more time with him and Esther instead of having to sleep half the day in order to recover her strength.
But he was happy, today he was taking a stroll on the island with the two that he loved best: his wife had her arm looped around his, while his other hand carried his daughter.
"So Sinbad stands up bravely and pushes away the stone, prepared to race the dangers of the dancing snakes outside…" Sayid was telling his favourite story to Esther in Arabic, as the words came more naturally in his first language. He wasn't sure that she could understand any words yet but she was smiling so he continued the tale.
The story of Sinbad had always been his favourite tale. He remembered how he would gather around the alcove with his three little sisters and wait for their father to unravel their bed time story. It was always a tale from 'A thousand nights and a night'.
Sinbad the sailor was from Baghdad, thus this became his favourite tale. As his father described the grandeur and splendour of the city Sayid would turn to his mother: "Mama, is Baghdad really like that?"
Minta smiled as she let the alien Arabic words washed over her, she couldn't understand any of them but yet they soothed her because Sayid spoke them. Unlike her husband, she was not surprised at the effect it had on their child.
"Sinbad have only taken a few steps away from the cave when he heard a loud 'WOOSH!' as an object flies down right in front of him! He…" Sayid had barely finished his sentence when an object did literally flew down with full impact. His first thought was: Can this be Sinbad's island?
But Esther's cries soon distracted Sayid from that magical world. As Minta took their daughter into her arms to rock her, Sayid saw with his usually sharp eyes that instead of any unworldly item, it was merely a metal suitcase.
"Sorry about that!" Sawyer yelled as he made his way down the tree with a rope of twisted vein. "I'm trying to open the case. Michael told me: full impact and velocity."
"Or you can be trying to kill us." Sayid muttered as he bent down to examine the metal suitcase. His hand tapped the cool metal before resting on the combination lock.
"I have seen such a case and lock before, the only way to open it is to get the right combination." he said easily. "You'll get there one day, it is not as if you have a pressing engagement to make on this island."
"There's ten digits. You'd notice that I stopped at 0000001000." Sawyer muttered dryly. "So what happened? You said that you encountered such a case before."
"The combination was given after three days of torture and the lose of both hands and an ear." Sayid said darkly, purposely evading the sympathetic eyes of his wife and friend. "The case had contain resistance secrets. The resistance member was caught with the case and for two days the government tried to open the case by technology. When this failed they decided to get the combination number out of him instead.
"I don't think you can succeed in what the Iraqi government failed."
Kate watched the trio leave, all this time Sawyer clutched to the case tightly. She thought about assaulting Sawyer, or at the very least, stalking him. But decided against it. Sayid was there.
"It's not even yours." Minta was saying. "And what good are money or document on this island?"
"I just want to know what it is." Sawyer answered, rattling the case in great frustration. "What can be so important that Freckles would…"
"Sneak into your tent in the middle of the night," Sayid laughed. "You don't sound sorry about it Sawyer!"
"Or maybe he's hoping that it'll be some wondrous jewel." Minta added, she then smiled shyly at Sawyer. "Thank you for the 'arrival' present to Esther Sawyer, although giving a baby girl a golden bracelet…"
"Her mother can wear it too." Sawyer replied good naturally, referring to the golden bracelet he had found, and gave to Esther as a present of her arrival into this world.
Kate stopped listening, she thought about all her possibilities and finally decided that she couldn't do it herself. She needed Jack's help.
(SPACE)
Ironically Jack was troubled by the discovery of a new object too. Kate found him sitting cross-legged in front of a coffin, staring at it.
"Jack?" she asked gently.
At her voice Jack turned around to smile tightly at her. It was no secret that the two of them were almost lovers but the strange thing was that they weren't yet. Jack still stayed in the cave while Kate remained at the beach.
"Kate…I think I found it…my father's coffin." he whispered.
"Jack…" Kate began, remembering how he almost had a breakdown when he opened a coffin and found it empty.
"It must be it! How many other coffins would there be?" Jack tried to reason logically. "It's just…I'm afraid of opening it. I know I need to so I can say my last farewell to my father and bury him as he deserved but I just…"
"I know." Kate squeezed his hand gently. "I know how hard it is to let go of the past."
They sat together for a long time before Jack nodded.
"Alright, I'll do it now."
(SPACE)
When Jack screamed, Sayid and Minta had already walked back to their hut. It was late afternoon and Sun was playing with Esther, the light in her eyes revealed her longing of having a child with her husband. Danielle and Sawyer were both there.
"I'm sure you will be a mother too, Sun." Minta said to the Korean woman.
"I really do wish so." Sun said, smiling at her younger companion. "Thank you Minta, if it isn't for you then Jin and I would never have made up, I will not be in a position of thinking about having children."
"Can I come in?" Claire called out from outside. "Aaron spent the morning crying so I thought he might be a bit happier if he plays with Esther."
"Of course!" Minta said cheerfully. "Come in Claire!"
She was already lying down, the long walk she had in the morning with Sayid completely exhausted her. But she could still take pleasure in watching her daughter gurgling with Claire's slightly older child even though she had no strength herself to play with Esther.
This pleasant interlude was interrupted by Hurley.
"Yo Sayid, I just got a message from Jack and Kate! They told me to ask you whether you had bring a…a um…some one who was related to you once but unfortunately is not anymore as they are gone with you."
"You mean whether Sayid took a coffin with him on the airplane?" Sawyer asked, failing to notice the sudden change in Sayid's face. "Why don't you just say so?"
"Well dude, it's more polite to say it as I have!" Hurley protested. "But yeah, they found a coffin with a dead woman in it. They want to know if she is your relative."
"Have you seen the body? Do you know why they think she is related to me?" Sayid asked, his voice very tense.
"No." Hurley replied. "But Jack told me that it is a woman who look as if she is middle eastern. Kate then described the woman's clothing to me. A pair of blue jeans with a…"
"A long sleeved shirt that is green with a dark green cuff made from lace?"
At the nod Sayid chocked and buried his face into his hands. Minta forced herself to sit up in order to put her arms around her husband.
"Sayid…is she…" Sawyer began.
"They found her," Sayid whispered to himself, completely oblivious to the rest of the world around him. "My God, they found her."