What can I say?Y'all fans are awesome!...Alot will be happening in these next few chapters,so I should be updating some...I'm on an updating craze, so who knows?Thanks for the reviews...they mean more than you know!
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Claire opened her eyes to see Charlie staring down at her. "Hi.How are you feeling?"He asked with a smile.
"I've...been better.Is something wrong?"Claire asked.
"Oh...No...Jack just went out for a while...Do you need anything?"
Claire drew a breath, trying to look around. She felt like she needed to move, like she needed to move.
She didn't know how long she had been there, but to her it felt like ages. "I'm kind of hungry..."
"That's...That's good.Um..."Charlie said, scanning the room. "Well...we don't have any peanut butter but..."He said, grabbing a bag off of a shelf. "We've got crackers."
"No."She said, firmly. "I..I mean...well..."She closed her eyes, clearing her throat. The last thing she'd want to do would be to upset Charlie, and she hoped that she wasn't. "Charlie..."She said, catching his attention.
"I didn't mean to offend you but...well,I was hoping for something more...you know...liquid...My...my throat..."
Charlie nodded as a sound came from a bed nearby. "That's...That's Kate. I should probably-"
"Kate's in here?"Claire asked, worried.
"Yes...she was brought in a few days ago."
"Is she alright?Charlie-"
Charlie reassured her, telling her that Kate would be fine before leaving her side to check on Kate.
"Kate...Kate, it's Charlie...are you awake?''
"Jack?"Kate whispered groggily.
Charlie laughed, kneeling beside her bed. "No, it's Charlie...is everything alright?"
When no answer came, he became worried. For a split second, he thought about running after Jack, but knew that at the moment, that was out of the question. Because if something happened to them when he was gone-well, he wouldn't let his mind go there.
"Kate?''Charlie asked, this time a little louder.
She wrinkled her forehead, seemingly fighting something. She had been fighting to stay awake, lingering somewhere between concious and nonconcious. Somewhere just about delirium. "Charlie?"
"Yes...Yes, that's...that's me.What's the problem?Is something wrong?"
Kate drew a breath, her hand shakily grasping the sheet the covered her bed. "No.I'm...fine.Yes...I'm..fi...fi..."She stopped speaking, trying hard to breathe.
Fearing that something was happening, Charlie peaked his head out the door, running down the hallway.
"Sayid!Sayid, are you still-"
He spotted the man sitting in front of the computer, the alarm was set to go off sometime soon, and he was in the habit of being prepared. "What's wrong?"
"It's...It's Kate."
Sayid stood up at Charlie's word, wondering what happened.
"She...She woke up and-"
"Kate woke up?"Sayid asked, glancing first at the computer, then at the nervous man standing before him. "Charlie..."He said, hoping to calm him down. "What...happened?"
"She's...well, she started to talk and...she started...shaking...having trouble talking.I would have asked Jack but-"
Without further word, Sayid headed towards the hallway the held the sick room.
"Sayid, wait."Charlie said, staring back at the computer. "The-the alarm..."
He stared at the computer, then at the sleeping man on the couch. "Wake Hurley up..."Sayid said, before continuing down the long hallway.
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"Haven't you been down here already, Doc?"Saywer said, peeling a piece of fruit with his pocket knife.
"I need to speak to you."Jack said, standing before the other man.
Tossing a piece of the fruit in his mouth, feebly, he chewed it a moment before answering Jack. "About?"
Jack sighed, feeling desperate. He knew that Sawyer knew exactly what he was there for. And even more, he knew Sawyer knew it was getting on his nerves.
"We're dividing the medicine...it's spreading thin.I know it's only been two days...plus a few hours since you gave it to us but..."He said, tracing something in the sand. "One of the medicines was for us caring for the ill.If we don't get more of that-we could get sick, too."
Sawyer stared at out the water, thinking about what Jack was saying. If he helped him, it would get him into Jack's good graces. If he didn't, the doctor would probably end up holding this insane grudge that he held against him. Either way, Sawyer knew that he was the one who held the choices.
"How's your arm?"Jack asked, feeling that maybe if he changed the subject, Sawyer might change his mind.
"It's in pain...generally what happens after being sprained."
Jack sighed, knowing full well what Sawyer was trying to do. "You'll need to take pain medication.I'm sure there's some of that in the medical supplies."
"Yep."Sawyer replied, tossing a piece of fruit into his mouth. "There is...anything else you want, Doc?"
"I need to look into the medical supplies, Sawyer.It's not that hard...I'm a doctor...I know what i'm looking for.It would take me a few minutes at the most."
Sawyer shrugged, knowing that he was grating on Jack's nerves. "Isn't Sun down there with y'all?I'm sure she could come up with some natural way to fix all this."
"She is down there...and she's tried."Jack sighed, knowing it was no use. The only way Sawyer would let him into the medical supplies was if he had something Sawyer wanted. A thought crossed his mind.
"Kate's down there, you know that right?"
"I carried her to the hatch...of course I know."Sawyer retorted. He smiled, sitting back in one of the few remaining airline seats scattered across the island.
"What if-what if something happened to her?What if she became worse?Sawyer...we need medication.We need it...it shouldn't matter wether or not it's for you.After all, "live together or die alone"-right?"Jack stopped, screening his eyes from the sun.
"I'll be back later...I'll have...something.I don't know what but..."With that, Jack turned to wak away.
Ana was a few feet away, occupying herself by going through the few remaining things she had. Upon seeing Jack walking away, she stood up, brushing herself off.
"Hey Jack-"
He turned around, letting her catch up. "What?"
"You want something from him, don't you?"She asked, tilting her head back towards Saywer.
Jack stared back at him, squinting in the sunlight. "Yeah.But it doesn't matter...I can get it later.I just...well, it doesn't matter."
Ana stared at his face for a moment, wondering what was going on inside his head. She had only been a part of the group for a while, but she was starting to understand why he was considered 'leader'-why everyone looked up to him.
"What if I could get it?"
"You don't even know what it is that I want."Jack protested.
Ana rolled her eyes, placing her hands on her hips. "You wanna look in the meds, don't you?"
"Am I that transparent?"
"Yep.I mean come on, Jack...you an' I both know that the king of arrogance over there has a weakness.You know what it is...you want any help?"
Jack knew Ana was right. While he doubted it would work, there was a chance. And right now, Jack was willing to take a chance.
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Jack made his way back to the hatch, finding the current situation with Kate.
"She's fine...she will be."Sayid assured him, seeing the look on his face.
He started to talk, but changed his mind. He knelt down, checking her pulse. "Did you give her-"
"Yes."Sayid assured, stealing a glance over at Charlie, who was currently at Claire's side.
Sayid held up the vial that held the medication that Jack had said to use in the event of any 'episodes'. Jack breathed in relief, hoping that everything would work out fine.
"Claire?"He asked, focusing on her now.
"Am I going to be able to get out of here?"She asked, smiling weakly.
"Not yet...but-"Jack said, checking her chart. While he had been afraid for Kate, Claire's condition had been improving. While she wasn't anywhere near full health, Jack still hoped.
"I would like to try something."
He watched Charlie and Claire exchange nervous glances.
"Claire...can you sit up?"Jack asked.
Claire gripped the mattress, first lifting her head, then her neck. Charlie went to assist her, but Jack protested. "She needs to do it on her own."
She then shook a little, but managed to actually be in a sitting position. Staring up at Jack, she hoped she was doing good.
"Why are you doing this?''Charlie asked.
"Do you feel weak at all...any specific pain?"
Claire shook her head negatively. "Well...yes...but...I've felt worse." She smiled, hoping she'd lightened the mood. "Can I ask a question?...While I've been in here...who's been watching Aaron?How is he?"
Jack seemed happy by her asking this. A sign that she was returning from the fog that had held her.
"For the most part...Aaron has been with Hurley.Locke's watched him some.Sun volunteered to wtach him...but then this came up and...well..I'm going to ask you to do something."
Claire studied his expression, wondering what Jack meant.
"I'll be right here..."He said, standing up off of her bed. "Charlie...will be right there.And Sayid..."He said, motioning for him to come over. "Will be right...there."
"You want her to stand, don't you?"Charlie asked.
Jack looked at him, then Claire. "If you don't think you're ready, you don't have to."
She tried to swing her legs around, at long last, placing her feet on the floor. "You guys will..."
"Catch you, yes...we will."Jack assured. Casting a glance at Sayid, he nodded. Sayid then looked at Charlie, who was staring at Claire. Begging her, pleading with her to atleast stand. To atleast try.
She did, or atleast she tried. Weak, but attempting to stand, she used Charlie and Jack's arms as leverage. "Can you let go?"
She looked unsure. Blinking, she breathed deeply.Slowly, she let go of Charlie's arm.
"Walk towards me."Sayid suggested, hoping he was helping. Claire tried to do as she was asked, stumbling a little along the way. She was a few inches away when her ankle collapsed underneath her.
Sayid caught her, as Charlie and Jack assisted her back into the bed. To anyone else, it might not have been much. But in reality, it was hope. An right now, any sign of hope was worth checking into. "How do you feel?Is your ankle alright?"
"Yes...I...I'm tired."
Sayid got her a glass of water while Jack tended to Shannon.
Jack was concerned. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't bad, either. Claire was allowed to sleep, and had been doing so for nearly and hour and a half. Ana had come in, rather, Charlie had come in with the medication, and a warning from Sawyer.
"What's happening?"Sayid asked.
"Kate's getting worse..."Jack said, scribbling something on her chart. "If the medication...as little of it as there is...doesn't help...she'll need blood."
"Blood?How-"Sayid seemed worried.
"Look-I've got the supplies here...I saw her file from the plane."
"From the plane?Jack...what are you saying?"
Jack stared closely at Kate, hoping he wouldn't regret it. Looking back at Sayid, he read the look in his eyes. Right now, he was desperate. It was a natural choice. "Sayid...I need you to do something.Like I said...I've seen her file.I know her blood type. And...well...it's the same as mine."