CHAPTER 11
"So then freckles, a convict who digs the moral type, I never would have guessed…" Sawyer smirked – mocking her – as Kate placed a wet towel to his forehead. He had first shown signs of fever several hours ago, and was, by now, soaked with sweat.
"Just lay still." She signed – she had seen all this coming even before Jack had asked her to tend to Sawyer whilst he went to check on Locke. "Jack says you need to rest." She told him.
"Who are you two kidding?" Sawyer spat at her – and Kate wasn't sure whether it was the fever or genuine hate which fuelled his spiteful words. "It'll never last. Once we get rescued…"
"If we get rescued!" Kate reminded him.
"When we get rescued…" Sawyer grinned, seemingly pleased by the fact that his words seemed to have upset her. "Jack will go back to being the all high and mighty hero doctor, and, there's no escaping it Kate – you're going to jail."
Sawyer paused for just a brief moment to allow these harsh words of truth time to sink in. He wanted to catch a glimpse of the look on Kate's face. There was something perverse about the pleasure he was taking in making her feel as miserable and worthless as he felt at the moment. She was the first woman he had ever truly loved… and she had turned her back on him… Or maybe it was just the sickness that was making him feel sorry for himself.
Either way he liked the way his biting words felt as they tripped off the cold, hard edge of his tongue.
"Jack won't be able to deal with the stigma of dating a convict." Sawyer told her. "Sure he will visit you at first, he will promise you the world, he will fill your ears with all the usual crap such as how he will always love you, how he will always be there for you, but sooner or later he will tire of having to comfort you. He will tire of waiting for you. You're a murderer Kate, there's no guarantee once they catch up with you, once you hear the sound of those prison gates closing behind you, that you will ever come out."
"And what makes you think a life with you would be any different Sawyer? Any better?" Kate growled, tears welling up in her eyes. "Maybe on this island where there is a limit to how many one night stands you can have. You might have convinced yourself that you love me, but once you get out into that big wide world…"
"You're forgetting that I am a murderer too Kate…" Sawyer cut in. "You see we're cut from the same mould you and me, we understand each other. At least you know your fate, my actions haven't caught up with me yet… maybe they never will, but then again maybe…" Suddenly Sawyer's whole body was overcome by mini convulsions and he began to shiver. "We're from the same mould you and me Freckles, we understand each other." He reiterated.
"I love Jack!" She snapped.
All of a sudden Sawyer's eyes bulged, and he reached out helplessly for Kate – his chest heaving with the effort it was taking him to breathe…
"Sawyer? Sawyer what's happening?" Kate asked him, all of her anger immediately evaporating as it was replaced by stone cold fear.
"K… Kate!" He wheezed, triggering a violent coughing fit.
"Don't worry…" Kate's voice came out firm but reassuring, she was surprised she could still appear so much in control of herself when in reality all her insides had turned to jelly. "Don't talk, just breathe."
"I'm OK." Sawyer said after a while, the cough had slowly subsided and to Kate's relief whatever it was that had appeared to afflict him had faded as suddenly as it had started. "Don't tell me you were worried?" He asked her with a smile.
"Don't do that to me again!" She glared back at him, although there was a faint flicker of relief on her face as she said it.
Her relief was short lived however when Sawyer suddenly paled. He quickly flung himself over onto his side facing away from Kate and vomited… again… and again.
"That's it I'm going to fetch Jack." Kate jumped up.
"…It won't last…" She heard Sawyer mumble under his breath as he gasped for air.
"Not for me, for you." She called back at him as she hurried from the caves, afraid to leave him but driven by the sound of Sawyer retching as she ran.
