Author's Notes/Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this story, nor do I own any rights to the television show "Lost". They were created by JJ Abrams and Damon Lindelof and they belong to them, Touchstone, and ABC. No pairings as of yet, except Locke and Helen in flashbacks.
John Locke had just agreed to let two people carry him on to the plane and had gone over to the terminal to wait for the men who would load him on the plane. Load him as if he was a piece of luggage, he thought rather bitterly. This trip was not turning out anything like he thought it would.
A young lady walked past him, and bumped his wheelchair with her duffel bag. "Oops! I'm so sorry!" She apologized; changing hands and hoisting the bag up on her other shoulder.
"No problem," he replied.
She moved on as her cell phone rang. "Hello? Who is this?"
There was something familiar about her voice, and John turned to get a better look at her, but she was already disappearing through the crowd.
FLASHBACK
John finally screwed up the courage to dial the number Helen had pressed into his hand after the counseling meeting.
"Hello?" A girl's voice answered.
"May I speak to Helen March?" he asked.
"Who is this?"
"John Locke. We met at the anger management group."
"Hold on," she sighed heavily, and then yelled, "MOM! PHONE!"
A few seconds later, Helen picked up. "Hello?"
"Helen? It's John Locke."
END FLASHBACK
Kayla March sighed and ran her hand through her hair. "Yeah, I know I'm going to be late, but what can I do? I can't make the planes fly any faster." She paused, listening to the party on the other end of the phone lines. "Well, listen, when he calls, tell him my plane to Sidney was delayed and I'm now on my way. I will be on Oceanic Flight 815 now. I was lucky to get a ticket on this flight. I should make it back just in time."
She closed the cell phone, dropped her bag off at the luggage check and continued onto the plane. Just before she entered the gate, she turned and looked at the man in the wheelchair. She shook her head, and thought, "It can't be him. That would be too freaky."
She put the thought that she knew him out of her mind as she settled in for the sixteen-hour flight.