Thanks for the reviews, as usual. Sorry this took so long, but this wasn't the most exciting chapter to write, so I kind of kept putting it off. Still, I hope you like it! Please note that I am NOT a doctor and therefore have no idea what I'm talking about in medical terms. Sorry if I'm wrong.
Disclaimer: I don't own Lost. You'd know if I did—the whole show would be based on Charlie.
Chapter Eight: Misery
The Beach
No one knew what to say. Andrew had burst into tears, grabbing Jenny and screaming at the sky, demanding why they had done this. Most of the people on the beach had tears trickling down their cheeks, and the man who had pushed the couple aside in the first place, Harris, stood rigid, completely shell-shocked and mortified. Sawyer glanced sadly at Kate, knowing how desperate she had been to stop something like this from happening, and inched a little closer to her. He felt terrible for her. Kate, however, didn't cry. She looked sad for Jenny, but she looked furious at everyone else.
"Jack," Andrew finally said, "it didn't hit her straight in the heart. Do you think you could try to save her?"
Jack peeled his eyes away from Kate. He felt terrible that he had continued to stall her and demand that she give a stupid public speech. He looked doubtful that he could save Jenny, but he knew it was the best thing he could do.
"I'll do my best," he said, and ran over to Jenny. Her frail body was tense, and her arms jerked around a little in pain. She was suffering, Jack could tell, but he couldn't put an end to it. He'd have to try to save her.
He lifted her shirt to examine the wound. The bullet had hit her in the ribs.
"She pierced her ribs," Jack said, "and the bullet probably pierced her lungs."
Just as he said "lungs," Jenny burst into a spout of short, strangled coughs and deep, choppy breathing. Her eyes were wide and panic-stricken, and it hurt Jack just to see her. She didn't deserve this. The poor, innocent girl had been the happy face of the islanders, and she'd never even talked about the Others. Why would they repay her by trying—and probably succeeding—to kill her?
But Jack knew why. They were cruel people, the Others. Jenny was the one who was pushed out of the circle, and for that she was shot.
"Is she going to die?" Andrew whispered. His young, intelligent face was wrinkled and creased with worry and depression.
Jack took a deep breath. "I'll do everything I can to stop the pain, Andrew, but yes, I'm almost certain that she'll die."
Andrew's face fell and his head went downcast. He stroked Jenny's cheek, and her body slowly calmed.
This wasn't right. It was completely unfair.
"Charlie," Ellie said, running up to him. Claire followed with Aaron in her arms, and Jake glanced at them from next to Michael.
"Should…should we go over there?" Charlie asked uncertainly, gripping his gun tightly.
Ellie shook her head. "No, they need space," she said. "I just…" She took a deep breath. "Did you see him? The shooter?"
Charlie shrugged. "Only for a second. I'm sorry—you know I would've tried to shoot if I could, but he was so far away, and he was moving so fast, and I thought I might shoot someone—"
"Calm down," Ellie ordered. "I'm not mad at you. I just thought that maybe if we could say what he looked like, we could tell someone, and they'd use it to find him."
Kate walked over to them. Her eyes looked dull, but her face was set in a determined, angry way.
"You saw him?" she asked Charlie, obviously having heard their conversation.
Charlie nodded slowly. "Uh, yeah…but only for a second. I mean, I'm not sure if…"
"Just describe him," Kate said. Charlie was slightly hurt that the two of them had gone on quite a few adventures shortly after the plane crash, and now she seemed like a total stranger. Still, he couldn't blame her for being angry.
Charlie described the shooter the best he could: tall, not overweight or muscular, dark hair, good aim. Kate nodded and started to leave, not bothering to thank him.
"Wait," Ellie said, causing Kate to stop. "So that's it?" Ellie asked when Kate turned around.
"What's it?" Kate asked.
"They shoot, you go after them? You're just going to end up getting yourself killed," Ellie said. "I know this is about revenge, but you have to understand, going after them isn't going to save Jenny."
"Yeah, but it might save anyone else here," Kate retorted grimly, "so if you don't mind, I'm leaving."
"But what about Jenny?" Claire asked. "You've always been good help to Jack in a crisis. Even to me." She rocked Aaron. "And him."
Kate gulped. "I don't know what there is to do," she said. "Henry said that the island cures, but apparently not gunshots."
"Wait," Claire said. "If the island cures, why is there a vaccine?"
Ellie and Charlie listened closely. Kate looked annoyed, like she wanted to leave, but she sighed and kept her focus on Claire. "Sorry," she said, "but what vaccine?"
Charlie butted in next. "There's a pack of needles and chemicals I found in the hatch. It's a vaccine, and we're not sure what it does, but me, Claire, and Aaron have used it, and we're all fine. But if the island cures, why would they have a vaccine?"
Kate sighed. "I don't know, for gunshots?" she asked sarcastically, but then her face softened and brightened. "Actually, yeah. Try giving her a shot of the vaccine."
Claire nodded. "Ellie," she said, "could you take Aaron?"
Ellie turned bright red. She obviously wasn't used to children, but she nodded and carefully took Aaron. Charlie laughed and helped Ellie rearrange herself to hold him better. Even though Ellie couldn't face any more complications with Charlie at the moment, she found it nice to laugh together and talk civilly. He had a charm that brought up her spirits, and Aaron wasn't hurting, either.
Claire ran back to her tent while Kate stepped from foot to foot.
"Kate," Ellie said while rocking Aaron, "I know that this is important to you, but out of all of us, you did the most to save Jenny. Okay? You should be the last person beating herself up about it."
Kate didn't smile, though, and Ellie sighed.
"I don't get it, Kate," she said. "Things with Jenny are terrible, and I'm furious at the Others, too. But what made you so determined to go after them? What did they do to you? I thought they just talked and then you escaped. With their leader."
Kate shook her head. "It's not that, Ellie. It's why we're here, why they put us here. Those cruel people brought us here, and they brought you here, not caring about your lives or families. They kidnapped, murdered, and hurt us." She faced Ellie, green eyes matching green eyes. "Ellie, don't you get it? If they don't want us off the island, then no matter what we do, we're staying on this island."
And suddenly it was all real.
"Jack," Claire said, "I've got something that might work."
Jack shook his head distractedly, applying alcohol to Jenny's wound and beginning to remove the bullet. "No, Claire, not now. Just give us some space."
"No, this could cure her," Claire objected, but she was ignored. She turned to Andrew, who was still cradling Jenny. "Andrew," she said, tears streaming down her face. She held up the briefcase. "This has some vaccines in it. They could help…"
Andrew shook his head. "She's in enough pain," he said. "Jenny has a serious phobia of needles. Every time she gets her blood drawn, she ends up with a huge scar from tension. You can't give it to her."
Jack didn't look up at them, but he spoke as he pulled the bullet free, trying to mute out Jenny's shrieks of pain. "It won't work anyway, Claire," Jack told her. "Vaccines will only help if they're injected before the illness. And besides that, she doesn't have a disease. She has a wound."
Claire shook her head. "Just try it," she begged. "This is the island. Nothing's normal."
Jack took a deep breath, setting the bullet down next to him and applying pressure to the wound. "Claire, I appreciate the concern, but at this point, a needle will only make things worse. If she really has a phobia of needles, her veins will tense up. Any added tension could send her into a state of absolute shock, and she could have dangerous spasms that could cause bodily failure at any second."
"She's already having bloody bodily failure!" Claire shouted. "Jack, Jenny got shot because you wouldn't listen to Kate. Do you want her to die because you wouldn't listen to me?"
Jack took another deep breath, keeping pressure on the open wound. "Sawyer!" he shouted, and Sawyer ran over to them.
"Yeah?" he asked attentatively. Jack was surprised at how Kate's good was rubbing off on him.
"Go get any relaxing pills you can find. We're talking high-class, instant medicine. They should relieve tension and spread her veins. The needle should enter."
Claire exhaled after what felt like hours of holding her breath. "Thank you," she said.
Jack nodded to her.
"Got any brand names?" Sawyer asked, turning to leave.
Jack shook his head. "I don't know. Anesthesiologists always handled these kinds of situations at the hospital. Just look for relaxers."
Sawyer nodded and ran off.
Kate had gone to join Claire and Jack, and once again, Ellie and Charlie were left alone.
"Don't let it get to you," Charlie said, sitting down next to Ellie. "I honestly don't think Kate's right. We'll all be rescued some day." He grinned. "Remember what I said? We'll be in a band. We'll be famous because we're plane crash survivors."
Ellie shook her head. Even Charlie's cute positivism couldn't help her now. "We're not going to get rescued," she said, her eyes watching the waves roll in and out. She felt like those waves had been taunting her for her entire life, and it had only been four days. "The Others are capable of anything, including keeping us here."
Charlie shook his head. "No," he said, "they're not. They have guns, and they have homes. But think about the big picture. Police and SWAT members? Search parties? They're better armed, trained, and funded than the Others. I'd put my money on them any day."
Ellie shook her head again. There wasn't a question in her eye. "You don't get it, Charlie. I've only been here for four days, but I understand it. The island, the monster, the hatch, and the Others—they're all connected. They're this huge thing weaving around us like a spider web, trapping us and torturing us before eventually killing us. And that spider web is one tiny sprinkle in the huge world." Her emerald eyes focused on him sadly. She was glad he was positive, but all she could bear right now was what Kate had told her: "The Others want us here forever, Charlie, which means we're staying on the island. Forever."
She got up and left, but Charlie didn't follow her. He couldn't. Her words had hit him hard, and finally he realized it, too.
Sawyer's Tent
Sawyer felt his jaw clench and loosen as he threw pill containers and liquid medicines over his shoulder, searching for any relaxation medicine he could find. He still couldn't decide whether to be thrilled or miserable. On the one hand, he had the girl of his dreams. On the second hand, she was probably going to get herself killed by continuously hunting down Others. On the one hand, he was on an island where he wasn't struggling for money or a get-out-of-jail-free card. On the second hand, he was struggling for life.
Was Kate right? Were they stuck on the island forever? Somehow it seemed comforting to him, to be able to be with Kate for the rest of his life. But he knew that they wouldn't survive that long. It was a wonder that the majority of them had made it this far. The Others were after them, the monster was sometimes after them, and apparently no one was looking for them.
Okay, he thought to whoever was out there, you helped me out a ton. You got an amazing girl to like me back, and we had a hell of a lot of bonding time. Now you can take me back home.
But he silently scolded himself as he pulled out a jar of "INSTANT RELAXATION" pills. No one was listening, and no one was out there. Or if they were, they sure weren't looking at the island.
Somewhere South of the Beach
Ellie had been walking for at least twenty minutes in her bare feet, letting her toes squish in the sand. She tried to tell herself that it wasn't so bad. The Others would probably let them off the hook eventually—when they were done assuring themselves they weren't insane, probably—and when they did, she would finally be able to return home to Allison and the good old Sunlots Apartment Complex. But until then, she could just enjoy the paradise she had been given. After all, they were on a beautiful beach with an endless supply of food and water, and she had the charming (but very fluctuating) company of Charlie Pace.
But no matter how much she tried to look at it on the bright side, it came back around to peril and depression. Sure, they were on a beautiful beach, but they couldn't leave it. There was an endless supply of food and water, but the food came marked with a questionable and possibly dangerous "Dharma" symbol, and the water came from a waterfall that could also be questionable. Charlie would get sick of her eventually, just like Jake had, and the Others would always be torturing them.
Something hard washed in and brushed over her foot. She glanced down at it, pulling her long, matty red hair off her face to see it. She was disappointed to see that it was only a religious statue, probably of the Virgin Mary. She kicked it aside, making a mental note to bring it back when she returned, in case Charlie and Eko wanted it for their church.
But then another of the statues washed in, followed by a third. She piled them all together, looking at the stack curiously. She rolled up her worn-out jeans and waded into the water to find two more washing into shore. What was this, some kind of sign?
The thought crossed her mind that it was a god or a spirit's way of sending her hope. Ellie wasn't sure if she believed in God, spirits, or any other religious symbols, but if she did, she knew she was furious at them. How could they harm an innocent girl like Jenny and let cruel people like the Others live?
"You want to make me faithful?" she shouted at the sky. She grabbed one of the statues, feeling ridiculous but enraged at the same time. "Then give us some damn justice!" she shouted, ramming the statue into the ground and crushing it. She knew it wasn't very good payback to whoever sent it, but it was a way to let out the pain and anger she was feeling, so she did it. When she looked down, she saw that the broken pieces shifted to reveal what she knew was… heroin.
She gulped, feeling like she was choking, but her throat hurt from a sudden spout of dryness. Her body became stiff, and her mind and heart began racing. She had smoked cigarettes and had alcohol sometimes before, but neither enough to get her addicted. But she'd never had anything illegal, and she had a sinking feeling that one snort of even a few crumbs of the dust would get her addicted.
But wasn't it supposed to relieve her? Ellie mused for a second that this was what Jack should've used on Jenny, but she instantly felt a protectiveness for it, like she didn't want Jenny to have it. What was going on? It wasn't like she was going to use it.
Then again, why not? It was just an experience, and anything to relieve her rush of anguish would help. She would probably just die on the island, anyway. She might as well die addicted.
She glanced up the beach to where the others were. None of them could see what she was doing, and she doubted they would notice even if she was in sight range. But her eyes caught on the familiar face of Charlie, and she immediately sank to her knees, taking the small bags of heroin in her hands.
She wasn't sure if he was coming, but she felt like it was too late to back away from the drugs. She stuffed them into her jeans' pocket and stood up, brushing off her legs. She shakily headed back. This didn't mean anything, did it? She was just taking it, not using it. And it wasn't like anyone could blame her. Everyone had their own ways of dealing with depression. Ellie had a pretty big mound of depression heaved on her for her entire life. The island was just the thing that put her over the edge.
She glanced forward to see Charlie breaking into a run. She crossed her arms self-consciously, hoping frantically that he hadn't seen anything. She didn't want to be questioned. She just wanted to have her own choices and make them on her own time.
"Ellie," Charlie said, slowing to a walk and coming over to her. "Uh, what've you got in your pockets? I saw you put something there."
Her arms stayed crossed over her chest, and her knees stiffened. "Nothing," she said softly, feeling her eyes start to water. How was that possible? Ellie never cried, not even at her parents' funeral. Then again, just as she had thought, maybe the island was just pushing her over the edge.
Charlie glanced behind her and saw the Virgin Mary statues. He immediately backed away from Ellie, but she knew he was probably just backing away from the drugs.
"No bloody way," he muttered. "I threw those into the sodding ocean!"
Ellie shrugged. "Current," she said, her voice still about the tone of a whisper. "It was flowing this way."
Charlie nodded, looking nervous, frustrated, and frantic. "Listen to me, Ellie," he said, facing her. "I…" He looked like he was struggling. "I was addicted for a long time, and it all started because of Liam. Or I should say, a big depression."
Ellie didn't want to hear this. Why was he caring about her again? She was reading past the stopping her part and right into the caring about her part. It was sweet and compassionate, but it was more scary than when Jake didn't care about her, and it sent yet another wave of emotions over her that also brought on a whole new wave of tears welling up in her eyes. But she refused to let herself cry, because she felt that it was a defeat. Crying would be like surrendering to the cruel world.
"But once it starts, it doesn't stop. And I always needed another fix, but every time I had one, I regretted the day I started. Because if I hadn't started, I wouldn't have kept going."
Ellie placed her hands in her pockets, feeling the bag mold where she touched it. But she didn't break it or take it out. Instead she felt her body sit. Her body sat, but her mind didn't. Her mind stayed in her pocket, focusing on the heroin and nothing else. Was it worth it?
Was what worth it? What was she risking? The only person who would suffer from this was herself, and she knew that this would be nothing in comparison with what she had already suffered.
"Ellie," Charlie said, his blue eyes boring into hers. But her eyes were so clouded over with tears, she couldn't see anything. Still, she refused to let herself blink. She wouldn't admit defeat.
"Ellie," he said again, "there are better things. Better ways to make yourself feel better than…" He gestured to her pockets. "…that." He let out a small grin despite his misery. "Besides, you were supposed to keep me off drugs, not the other way around! You don't want us both to be hopeless, do you?"
She glanced down at her pockets, ignoring his joking comment for the moment, and a small tear fell astray as she did so. She quickly looked back up, spreading her eyes wide. She wouldn't blink or look down. She wouldn't let life take any more.
"Ellie," he said softly, "we're in this together. We'll face it together."
No one had ever said something so reassuring. His words were more comforting than anything anyone had ever said to her before, and them alone made her feel like she had a reason to live again. Because it wasn't just her. For once in her life, she was with someone who actually wanted to be with her, to face things with her. And when she blinked, she didn't see defeat. She saw hope. Along with many, many tears. But they were tears of hope. And as she took out the heroin and ripped the bags open, stomping on the powder, she smiled with Charlie. Her smile collapsed and was overshadowed by tears, but she still couldn't be happier as she hugged him warmly, tears streaming and heart leaping. Because as miserable as she was, she wasn't alone. And she didn't have to torture herself any more.
The Beach
Sawyer handed the pills to Jack the second he returned. Jack didn't look up or thank him, but Sawyer didn't mind. He hadn't expected him to.
Jack gently opened Jenny's mouth, which she was still wheezing out of, and placed two of the round white pills on her tongue. He took a water bottle from Jin, who was lurking nearby, and tried to give some to her. But she coughed and turned her head, still in obvious pain.
"Kate," Jack said, "I need your help."
Kate stopped pacing and glanced at him nervously. "How?"
"Remember when you had to get Sawyer to take the pills?" Jack asked, wincing at the memory. It was probably the first time Jack had noticed that the two had feelings for each other. "I need you to get Jenny to take these."
Kate shook her head. "No, I knew Sawyer," she said quickly. "I don't even know Jenny. She won't accept them from me."
"It wasn't because," Sawyer said, "she knew me. It was because I liked her." He wanted to say loved, but he couldn't bring himself to admit that he was in love, at least not out loud. "She just needs Glasses over here to talk her into it."
Andrew, or "Glasses," nodded and looked down at his dying fiancé. His eyes were still red from crying, but he focused on her. "Jenny, there's still hope for you," he said softly. Kate couldn't believe how calm he was being—crying on his own, but not being mad or even frustrated at anyone else. "You can still make it. You can't leave me here. Just hold on. And if you swallow these pills, you'll be able to be helped. You've got to swallow them." He continued whispering reassuring things into Jenny's pale, freckled ears until, finally, she gulped down the pills with the water. Kate breathed out and smiled at Sawyer.
"That's why you swallowed them?" she asked fondly.
He snorted. "'Course," he said, and Kate realized that it probably was pretty obvious. But she had been so caught up in these adventures and risks that they were taking, she'd never found time to sort out her relationships. At least, not until now.
But when she thought about her "adventures" again, she was reminded of her latest quest: she had to find the Other that shot Jenny. She didn't want to kill any of the Others—well, she wanted to, but she wouldn't let herself—but only to capture them and make them let the survivors free. Kate couldn't stand waking up to the island every morning, each morning losing another day's hope of being rescued.
"Jack," she said, "do you need me any more?"
Jack shook his head. "No, I guess not," he said distractedly.
"Why?" Sawyer asked quickly, his cloudy blue eyes questioning Kate. "Where do you think you're goin', Freckles?"
Kate sighed. "You know where I'm going, Sawyer. I've got to find him."
Claire's Tent
After delivering the suitcase with the vaccine in it, Claire had returned to her tent, knowing she wouldn't be able to bear it if Jenny still died. Now she was intently Aaron sleep. During all the trouble and problems with the caves, the hatch, the Others, the Expedition survivors, and now Jenny (not to mention Jake), she hadn't ever had much time to just admire her son. She spent so much time being with others that she momentarily forgot who she was: the mother of Aaron. And he was the sole creature that mattered most to her in the world.
He was all she had for certain, and she clung to that fact with all her heart. Her parents had never cared about her—they were ashamed of her. Thomas had left her, Charlie had moved on to Ellie (although she wasn't sure she could handle the relationship with the ex-pop-star/junkie, anyway), and Jake was just another landmine waiting to be triggered.
Why had she let such petty things get into the way of her relationship with her child? Things with Charlie had endangered Aaron, and things with Jake were making Claire think of Thomas, which made her revert to thinking about Thomas all over again, which was never good. But Aaron didn't remind Claire of Thomas. The little baby was all hers. As the psychic had said, "The father doesn't matter." It was Claire who mattered, and that sense of importance was like a contract with herself. She wouldn't let herself be a bad parent for Aaron. And if raising him on an island was the way she'd do it, that was fine.
So why couldn't she stop thinking about Jake? He wasn't good for her or Aaron. In fact, she highly doubted he was good for anyone on the island, except perhaps Jack and his errands and Michael and his construction. He started fights, he'd treated Ellie like dirt, and he'd been a total bully to all the other college students, despite the fact that he was twenty-two and much too old to be acting so immature.
Claire looked back down at her sleeping child. "They don't matter," she whispered to him. "It's you and me, Aaron." And despite her problems, she truly meant it.
The Beach
"Okay, we're ready to use the vaccine," Jack said when Jenny lost her tension and softened, molding further into Andrew's arms.
Kate was sure to listen to everything that was going on, but she was mostly focused on getting out of there and finding the Other who shot Jenny.
"You can't just go again," Sawyer said plainly.
Kate snorted. "No offense, Sawyer, but you really can't stop me."
He considered this and nodded. "You're right," he said, "I sure can't. But that doesn't mean I can't come with." He winked at her as he lifted his gun.
Kate sighed. She wanted him to come, but she had started this by herself, and she planned on finishing it the same way. "Sawyer," she said, "you're not coming."
"Freckles," he said in response, "I sure am."
She put her hands on her hips. "Just stay here!" she said, but not in a mad way—just an exasperated way. Were they really already nagging at each other like an old married couple? Couldn't that at least hold off until they'd had a third kiss?
He shrugged. He still looked too tired and miserable to smile, but his words didn't bite or hurt her. "As you said, you really can't stop me."
She considered arguing with him more, but she decided against it. It would be great quality time with him, and she knew that without a friendly face there to support her, she'd probably do something she'd later regret.
"Fine," she said with a sigh, "you can come. But you can't kill anyone unless you're going to die, okay?"
Sawyer shrugged. "Fair's fair," he agreed.
Kate took a deep breath. "So…into the jungle?"
Sawyer nodded, looking just as regretful about it as she did. "Yeah," he said, "but you know what, Freckles? We got each other."
She knew that that small change from being alone to being with Sawyer would alter the entire expedition, but she was willing to take that risk. For Sawyer. And for herself.
"Did it work?"
Jack didn't answer Andrew's question right away. He didn't know anything about the vaccine, and he wasn't sure it would help, but he was relying on it at this point. He'd stitched up her wound, but she had lost so much blood that he doubted her survival was possible.
"Did it work?" Andrew repeated anxiously.
Jack scanned Jenny's mouth, ribs, and stomach. They looked the same, though she did look more calm. Then again, Jack was pretty sure that was from the relaxers.
"I don't think it had any effect," Jack said apologetically. "I'm sorry, Andrew, but I don't think Jenny can be saved."
Andrew shook his head, too sad for words, and pounded a fist against the ground. "Then do something," he begged. "Anything! We can't lose her."
Jack's temple pulsed. He looked angry, but not with anyone besides himself. He blamed himself completely for what had happened. If he had just listened to Kate… He knew he was the unofficial leader of the island. The people listened to him, and no matter how hard she had tried, they wouldn't listen to Kate. If he'd been saying what Kate had been saying, they would have all been fine.
Please don't die, Jack thought desperately, his mind spinning. If you do, I'll never be able to forgive myself.
Heading Into the Jungle
"I came with you to be with you and to save your ass, Freckles, but just to make sure… are you sure you want to be doing this?"
Kate sighed. She was glad he'd come, and he was making her trip a lot more positive than her last one, but she still couldn't stand the thought of Jenny, who was probably dead by now, dying for no reason. And the thought of getting off the island—or at least getting more of the Others captivated—was enough to keep her going.
"Sawyer," she said, "it's dangerous. And we might die. It probably won't end well. But it's something I have to do, and if you have to do it with me, then I'm glad."
Sawyer's eyes flickered in admiration, but he still looked worried. "I know I don't know you well enough to question your motives," he said in a serious, intelligent way, "and I know I'm not some psychologist or whatever, but are you sure there aren't other reasons for you doing this?"
Kate raised her eyebrows. "Other reasons? Like what?"
He shrugged. "Like you running away from something. I get the impression you do that a lot." He didn't sound hurtful; he sounded worried.
"I did that a lot," she corrected him, "but not any more. This isn't me running away from something. It's me running to something, and once I find it, I'm coming back."
And it was true: she wasn't running from anything. She was going to beat the Others and get back to her old life. And once she got there, she still wouldn't run. She'd face whatever she had coming and hope for the best.
The Beach
Jack considered his options. He'd done all that was possible with the wound, and he couldn't give her any more of the vaccine. All that was left was to wait it out, but he was almost certain that at this point the vaccine wouldn't work.
Jack stood up, and Andrew looked at him, eyebrows narrowed.
"You're leaving?" Andrew demanded.
Jack gulped. "I've got to run this off," he said. "I'll stop by Sawyer's tent and see if there's anything that can further set the vaccine into her bloodstream." Andrew nodded in agreement, so Jack raced across the beach to Sawyer's tent.
I never even knew you, Jack thought, like many others on the island. I've been so concerned about the hatch and the Others, I haven't been concerned about being with anyone else. Not talking, not listening… that's probably why I lost Kate, too.
His hands brushed against a container filled with liquid. It was a liquid medicine to be injected through the skin that surrounded the vaccine in the bloodstream. He wasn't sure if it would work, but the relaxation pills would still have effect, so he decided to give it a try. He raced back to Jenny, who was hardly breathing, her bright eyes nearly shut.
He took the needle and poured the correct amount of the medicine into it. Taking a deep breath, he injected it. Whoever put us on the island, he thought, take pity and save this girl.
A few seconds later, Jenny's bright hazel eyes fluttered back open. Her breathing steadied, showing that her ribs had healed.
Jack gaped at her for what felt like too long. He had considered what happened with Sarah to be a miracle, but this? This wasn't even a miracle. It was magic. That was the only thing that could possibly explain it. Or was it just the island?
He lifted her shirt again and gently tore her bandages. Her wounds were still there and bloody, but the bones from her ribs weren't in the wrong places any more. The only damage she had was on the outermost layer of her skin. The vaccine had worked miracles.
Jenny blinked twice, and her hazel eyes settled on Andrew. "They're evil," she whispered, "but the island isn't on their side any more."
And amidst all the misery and sorrow that had surrounded the survivors, Jenny's survival and now her quote were true signs of hope. Because she was right: they had the island on their side now.
END OF CHAPTER EIGHT
I know it's kind of confusing, but basically it means things will be picking up nicely for the survivors and not so much for the Others. Sorry that this chapter was so depressing, and I wasn't sure if I liked the Ellie-drugs thing, but I needed a bonding moment that sent the Chellie (heehee) relationship back into gear, hopefully permanently.
As usual, thanks for the reviews that keep me going. Sorry that this chapter wasn't very energetic or fun, but THE NEXT FOUR CHAPTERS ARE GOING TO BE FULL OF ACTION AND FUN. So look forward to them, read them, and review them!
Here are my beautiful reviewers' review responses:
CowboyswithDimples: The ass-kicking Kate returns in the next chapter, as you read. Come back and read it! (I love your penname by the way. It's awesome.)
astronomylover: You rule. You review every time! My next chapter will be dedicated to you. ANYWAY, yes, Jenny turned out to be okay. I was planning on killing her off, but I couldn't bear it. She was too sweet. Plus the whole island-on-their-side thing fit in with it. And the next chapter: SKATE POWER as they go into the jungle together. Hee.
xlostangelx: I love having you here, my biggest Skate fan. Anyways, I didn't kill Jenny, so HA! (sticks tongue out) jk. Thanks, keep reviewing!
Push the button please!
>KISSBANGX3!
Pushy pushy!
