Chapter 2: The miracle of life

Shannon laid back down and just stared at the sky. Claire looked for Boone.

"I'll tell Boo.." started Claire.

"NO!" interrupted Shannon. "You can't tell anyone."

"Okay so when you start to get fat people will just start to think you have a secret stash of food, they're going to want the food so they'll..." Claire was interrupted again.

"Okay, I got it," Shannon sat up and looked at Claire helplessly. "I guess I should tell you."

"Tell me what?" Claire looked extremely confused.

"The night before we got on the plane, well you know Boone and I aren't blood related," Claire nodded. Shannon continued. "Well I had a boyfriend in Australia. Every boyfriend I had I pretended beat me, Boone would pay him off and I would get some of the money."

"Wow that's awkward, some guy you paid got you pregnant," Claire seemed disgusted.

"No, there's more. After Boone paid him he rented a hotel room. I got very drunk that night and stopped by that hotel. You have to know the only reason Boone paid off my boyfriends was because, well because he was in love with me. Anyway I went to his hotel room completely stoned and," Shannon stopped. She wore an ashamed expression on her face.

"Oh my god, you and Boone, that's very awkward, very awkward indeed," this time Claire was the one staring. Shannon was shaking. Claire embraced her and Shannon began to whimper. She was soon balling on Claire's shoulder. "Don't worry your secret is safe with me," Claire whispered.

Shannon had cried herself to sleep and Claire told Sayid to sit with her again. Claire stared even harder at her baby cradle now. "I'll ask Locke to make me another when the time comes," she whispered to herself. "But now is not that time."

The next morning Shannon was feeling better than she had the day before. The vomiting stopped and the constant urinating stopped, but the swelling and the aching were still there. The beach was almost empty this morning. Almost. A few men were standing around, one of them being Sayid. He ran over to Shannon with a smile on his face.

"Claire is in labor! She's having her baby in the caves, I was waiting for you come on!" Sayid helped her up and both of them power walked to the caves.

"Claire just squeeze my hand if it hurts, ow okay your hurting me more then your hurting!" Charlie was panicking.

"Sorry Charlie," said Clarie was lying on the ground waiting for instructions from Jack.

"Okay Claire it's time," Jack said cooled and calm.

"Oh my gosh, that looks painful," Shannon was staring at Claire's face, which was as red as a tomato.

"I'm guessing you don't want children," Sayid said.

"Well no, I just don't want to have them," Shannon looked at the ground. "Then again I have no choice do I,"she thought.

"Okay Claire you're doing awesome, and it's a ...boy, a baby boy," Jack grabbed a towel. "Okay Locke cut the cord." Locke took a knife and cut the umbilical cord.

"Here you are Clarie," Jack handed the baby bundle to Claire. She held her baby so close smiling and chanting a name.

"Charles, Charles, Charles..." Claire drifted off into a deep sleep and even though her baby left her arms, her smile went nowhere. Charlie placed little Charles into his tiny cradle and soon the new family member was also asleep. Charlie held Claire and he too soon fell asleep.

"Sayid can we go back to the beach now?" asked Shannon anxiously.

"Sure," Sayid said as he lifted her. He ran her back to the shore just in time. This time she was only in the water for two minutes.

"I hate seeing you like this," Sayid said sympathetically.

"Then don't look," Shannon said giving Sayid an annoyed look.

"Okay then I'll leave you, and don't come to me if you need to go somewhere fast, get your brother." Sayid walked off a little angry, but he knew Shannon wasn't trying to be mean.

"Jack," Sayid found Jack to ask him about Shannon. "Shannon has stopped vomiting so much and urinating a lot, but she is still aching."

"Well I can only tell you what you already know, but you should get her some aspirin for her head. She should be sleeping more than she is, will you just keep an eye on her?" asked Jack.

"I can't she's a little mad right now, but I will try." Sayid walked but not in the direction where Shannon was.

A few hours later Claire woke up startled. She looked at her belly. "Where is my baby!" she screamed. A few people crowded around her, smiling. Charlie woke up.

"Claire? Shhhhh," Charlie whispered pointing to the cradle. Claire crawled over to it. Inside lied her adorable baby Charles.

"What is his name?" Claire asked Charlie.

"You don't remember giving birth?" Charlie said.

"No," Claire said staring at her baby. "Did I name him?"

"Yes, you named him Charles," Charlie beamed.

"Charles Pace Junior, I like it," Claire smiled at Charlie and then embraced him in a huge bear hug. Charlie was smiling his brilliant smile again and blushing a little.