Jackson felt like he was being cooked from the inside out but he couldn't remember everything that had happened. He remembered being at breakfast but he didn't eat much. Eric had been too close to Mel for his liking and then he'd given her that seashell. She'd been so happy about it and given Eric that radiant smile she had when she was really excited about something. That was supposed to be his smile.
He put all of his anger into cutting down more trees, not stopping when his arms ached with the effort or when his throat went dry with thirst. The sun had gotten hotter and all of a sudden he'd gotten dizzy. He'd tried to shake it off but the sudden movement had made him stumble forward, his foot catching on something and forcing him down to his knees. Before long, he was overcome by a wave of nausea. The next thing he knew, a pair of soft hands had been feeling his forehead and then he was being lifted off the ground. The whisper of voices broke through the haze in his mind as something cold was placed on his head.
The ability to focus on anything was gone, all he could do was twist and turn as he tried to speak, though nothing came out except incoherent ramblings. Each time he tried to get up, someone was there to gently push him back down and put a cool hand to his burning cheek. Eventually, he drifted off to sleep. When he finally woke, the sun was almost finished setting and stars had made their appearance in the sky. He tried to move but he was so tired his body didn't want to listen. He forced his eyes open and looked around, seeing that he was in the tent that he and the others shared. A second sweep of the tent showed that he wasn't alone. His heart stilled as he saw Mel curled on her side, her hair falling out of her ponytail to frame her face. Her face was peaceful with sleep and Jackson hated to wake her but he needed answers.
"Mel," Jackson tried to talk but his voice was raspy. He reached his arm out and tugged on Mel's hand. Her long lashes fluttered open and her gaze settled on his face.
"Jackson!" Mel's eyes widened and she sat up, scooting over to Jackson's side. She placed her hands on his face, peering into his eyes as she looked him over. Jackson was frozen in place at how close she was, her eyebrows pulled together and worry in her eyes.
Jackson tried to speak again but his dry throat wouldn't allow it. Mel understood and helped him sit up, holding a bottle of water to his lips for him to drink from. Frustration filled him as his arms shook from simply trying to lift them. After moving the bottle away, Jackson took a breath before looking at Mel again, "What happened?"
Jackson was surprised when Mel frowned at him, "You were an idiot and didn't eat or drink during the hottest day we've had on the island. No one had seen you all day and we went looking for you. Nathan and I found you passed out in the grove of trees you found and we carried you back to camp."
"So, I just passed out?"
"Heat exhaustion," Mel said simply.
"And you all took turns helping me?"
Mel shook her head, "I stayed in the tent to take care of you and the others stayed nearby in case I needed anything for you."
Jackson was struck silent at the thought that Mel had spent the entire day caring for him. He tried to come up with something to say but couldn't and he was momentarily distracted when he saw two buckets in the tent. He saw that one held water in it so he knew that had been the one she put the cloths into. He silently prayed that the other bucket wasn't for what he thought.
"What's the other bucket for?"
"Heat exhaustion can make you nauseous and you got sick a few times," Mel shrugged as if it was nothing but embarrassment flared in Jackson's chest and burned in his cheeks. The beautiful girl sitting in front of him had not only been witness to him repeatedly getting sick, but she had held the bucket for him.
"Th-thanks," Jackson mumbled. He desperately needed to focus on something else so he continued with his questions, "How long have I been out of it?"
"About four hours."
"How did you guys know what was wrong with me?"
"My parents are doctors. My Dad works in the emergency room and my Mom works in the ICU. They've come home a dozen times every Summer talking about the number of people they treat for heat stroke and stuff. They wanted to make sure I knew how to take care of myself and what to do if someone else got sick. Looks like it paid off," Mel grinned.
Jackson would never be able to tell Mel how amazing she was, not without giving away how he felt about her and he wasn't ready for that rejection yet. "Is everyone else alright?"
"Yeah. After we found you, we decided to stop working for the rest of the day. We kept getting water, but other than that…" Mel let her words drift off. Jackson let her words sink in before he started to move towards the opening of the tent.
"Where are you going?"
"I've been cooped up in this tent, sweating and throwing up. I don't exactly smell good and I want some fresh air." Jackson crawled through the opening and Mel scrambled after him. He tried to push himself off his knees but his legs buckled.
Mel hurried over to him, "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," he muttered. "Guess I'm still kinda weak." Jackson's heart skipped a beat as Mel wrapped his arm around her shoulders and helped pull him to his feet. He had to put part of his weight on her as they walked and he was surprised that her slender build could handle it. If things were different, he'd be allowed to wrap his arm around her shoulders anytime he wanted. He shook his head to clear it and looked up to see five heads swivel in his direction. Mel helped him to sit and she dropped down beside him.
"Jackson, are you feeling better!" Daley looked at him with worry and Mel hid a smile. She wished Daley would let loose more and show that she wasn't the person she wanted people to think she was.
"Yeah, thanks," Jackson didn't like being the center of attention but knew it was unavoidable in this instance.
"Dude, you were totally out of it," Eric raised an eyebrow at him.
"I, like, totally thought you were gonna die," Taylor said, making Nathan drop his head in disbelief. Taylor had a tendency to say the worst thing possible at any given moment.
"Well, I knew you'd be fine," Nathan rushed to cover Taylor's comment. "Especially with Dr. Wu on the case," Nathan smirked at Mel who just made a face at him.
"Seriously, I can't believe you knew what to do," Eric threw a friendly arm around Mel's shoulders. "Didn't even need that little medicine book Lex found."
Jackson cringed at the familiar way Eric acted towards Mel, but then realized he'd shown his distaste in front of the group. They all looked at him and Mel grabbed his chin and turned him to face her, "Are you getting sick again? Do you need to go back to the tent?"
Jackson thought he might pass out from lack of air. The way Mel's eyes scanned his face as her hands cupped his jaw made it hard to breathe. He finally forced himself to answer, "N-no. Must have hit something when I passed out in the forest, my leg hurts a little."
Mel seemed satisfied with his response and turned back to the fruit Daley had handed her. Jackson gave a quick sigh of relief that turned into a scowl when he saw Taylor beaming at him. She'd seen his reaction to Mel's concern and knew without a doubt that she'd been right all along. Thankfully she was the only one and the others slowly drifted off to bed over the next hour. Mel stayed behind, waiting until it was just her and Jackson before she stood up and offered him her hand, "Come on, you should get some more rest."
Jackson smiled gratefully at her, Mel knew he didn't want the others to know he had to depend on someone just to help him stand up. He let her pull him to his feet and didn't protest when she wrapped his arm around her shoulders while hers went to his waist so he could lean on her. "Thanks, Mel," he gave a rueful smile but was almost struck immobile when Mel grinned back at him. To anyone else, Mel's smile looked like any of dozens she gave during the day. But Jackson knew the differences between them. The one she'd just given him was his favorite, it lit up her whole face and made her eyes appear to glow. This smile appeared every now and again. It was like watching for a shooting star, you had to be patient. But when you saw one, it was completely worth the wait.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
"Did it feel colder out last night?" Nathan looked around the group as they ate their breakfast. A week had passed since Jackson had gotten sick, but he'd bounced back quickly and was nearly back to normal the next day. The others had taken care since then to stay hydrated while they worked, not wanting a repeat of the incident.
"Felt the same to me," Taylor shrugged as she reached for another mango.
"I'm sure it did, you kept stealing my blanket," Eric scowled at her.
Lex ignored them and spoke up, reminding everyone why he was called the 'boy-genius', "It is getting colder. During the day the sand absorbs the sun's heat and then radiates it out. Once it gets dark, the sand can't hold the heat anymore so it gets colder. The hotter the day is, the more your body has to adjust to the temperature change at night. That's why you felt colder last night, cause it was so hot out yesterday." Lex bit into a banana as the others stared at him. The kid was twelve years old but would most likely be in college by the time he was sixteen.
"Uh, thanks Lex," Nathan recovered himself and grinned at the boy.
Eric leaned over to mutter something for only Mel to hear, "That kid's a little scary sometimes."
Mel snorted and waved him to be quiet. She loved having Lex around and when Daley's eyes flashed with pride each time he figured out how to help the group, Mel knew she felt the same. Although Daley and Lex had only known each other a short time before their parents got married, they'd quickly developed a bond. Mel especially loved that when they introduced each other to people, they never said 'stepbrother' or 'stepsister', they said 'brother' or 'sister'. It was nice to see them accept one another so readily.
"Alright, chore time," Daley broke into Mel's thoughts. She knew Daley took the distribution of chores very seriously but Mel was okay with that, at least she was fair. Daley never gave anyone else a chore that she wasn't willing to do or hadn't already done herself.
"Nathan, you're on laundry duty. Eric, you're chopping the firewood. Lex, you keep finding uses for stuff from the wreck," Daley gave a brief glance to each person as she said their name. Mel hoped with everything she had that Jackson wouldn't get a chore that paired him with Taylor.
Daley continued talking, completely ignorant of Mel's thoughts, "Jackson, oysters and fish. Mel and Taylor, food gathering. I'll be on water duty." Daley hopped up and grabbed up the nearby water jugs. Everyone pushed themselves to their feet, heading in the direction of their job. Mel and Taylor exchanged quick looks before standing up. Mel picked up a bucket to help hold the food they'd find and started on the well-worn path into the trees.
They walked in silence, the only sound was the crunch of sticks under their shoes and the rustle of leaves as they brushed against branches. Every now and again, they'd come upon a spot they'd visited since their arrival on the island and collected any remaining food that they had missed the first time. After an hour of this, Mel heard Taylor let out a huff.
"Ok, are you ever gonna forgive me, or what?" Taylor demanded as she put her hands on her hips.
"What?" Mel frowned.
"Look, I'm sorry I blasted your video diary for the whole island to hear, okay? I know it was mean but I was angry at the time and I didn't put a whole lot of thought into it."
Understanding dawned on Mel, "I'm not mad at you for that anymore."
Taylor's eyebrows rose in surprise, "You aren't?" Mel shook her head, which only made a frown appear on Taylor's face. "Then why don't you like me? You almost never talk to me and I can't stand working in silence anymore. It's creepy!"
Mel was swarmed with guilt, Taylor was right. Mel didn't really talk much to her, but it wasn't because she didn't like her. It was because Mel knew Jackson liked her, though she knew it wasn't fair to blame Taylor.
"I'm sorry," Mel sighed. "It's not you, Taylor, it's me."
"Are you, like, breaking up with me or something?" Taylor looked at her and Mel laughed.
"No. I mean, I was mad at you for the diary thing but you apologized and now I'm over it."
"So, what then?"
Mel hesitated, Taylor didn't strike her as someone who could keep a secret but she didn't want her to keep thinking that she'd done something wrong. "I'm jealous," Mel blurted out. It wasn't exactly how she wanted to phrase it but it got her point across.
Taylor, however, looked confused, "Of what?"
"Of you."
"Why?"
Mel looked at her like she was crazy, "Because you're pretty and because...Jackson likes you."
Taylor's mouth dropped open, "What? No, he doesn't."
Mel sighed, "I've seen how close you guys have gotten since we've been here and no boy has ever turned you down."
"Okay, first of all, I am so not into Jackson and he is not into me. Like, ew. That'd be like dating my brother. Second of all, you are beautiful so don't even try that one."
"Oh, come on. You're every guy's dream-girl: blonde hair, blue eyes," Mel gestured towards Taylor as she talked.
"Have you, like, looked in a mirror lately? You look like Pocahontas if she was a real person."
"Um, she was a real person."
Taylor frowned, "Whatever, you know what I mean."
"Look, I'm sorry if I haven't been nice to you. I was just jealous because Jackson seemed so into you and I lo—" Mel clamped her mouth shut before she said anything else, but it was too late. Taylor's eyes lit up and a wide smile broke across her face.
"I knew it!"
"Knew what?" Mel feigned ignorance.
"I knew you were in love with him!"
Mel could see Taylor's excitement growing and knew she had to abandon her plan to deny Taylor's conclusion in favor of begging, "Please, Taylor? Please, don't say anything to anyone?"
"Oh, come on! Nothing fun ever happens on this island!"
"Please?"
Taylor must have seen the panic on Mel's face because she got quiet for a minute before pursing her lips, "Alright. But I don't get why you won't tell him."
Mel's eyes burned as she held back tears. "He made his feelings pretty clear after hearing my video diary," she whispered.
Taylor's lips were pressed together as if she was holding something back. After a second she let out a huff and let her arms flop to her sides, "Oh, alright. I won't say anything."
Mel smiled at her before she straightened her shoulders and started walking again. The air between them had been cleared and Mel found that conversation with Taylor came surprisingly easy. They gathered food as they traveled on the path and Mel finally asked a question that had been nagging at her, "Hey, Taylor?"
"Mm-hmm?"
"What do you and Jackson talk about when you're together?" Mel gave a sheepish smile as Taylor grinned.
"Most of the time it's just him listening to me rant. One time we talked about music."
"Did you tell him you play the cello?"
Taylor stopped walking and turned wide eyes on her, "You know I play the cello?"
"Yeah."
"How?"
"I walked by the music room in school one day and heard someone playing. I looked in and saw it was you. You're really good."
Mel could see that Taylor was a little uncomfortable about her secret being known, "How come you never said anything?"
"It wasn't my secret to tell," Mel shrugged. "I figured if you waited until the music room was empty to play then you didn't want people to know."
Taylor actually looked speechless for once but she recovered quickly, "Thanks. Maybe you're not so bad." Taylor smirked.
Smiling, Mel shifted the bucket full of food in her arms, "Come on, let's get back to camp. And, if you ever want to talk about stuff that you don't want the others to know, you can tell me."
"Thanks, Melissa. And if you need advice about getting Jackson to admit he's in love with you, just come find me," Taylor bounced away before Mel could respond.
