The two stood awkwardly on either side of the neatly made bed. Aaron was asleep in a brand new plastic crib, another Oceanic-funded purchase. The room was tinted gold from the glow of the bedside lamp.
"I'll just umm…" Desmond motioned roughly behind him to a shady-looking sofa. Both of them laughed lightly more to fill the silence than at anything funny.
"Umm, yea, that umm… should work." Claire realized how little she'd actually thought this through before she'd agreed to it. They both started stiff and jerky motions getting to their chosen places. They looked more like they were miming the actions of getting into the bed and onto the sofa, and doing a poor job of it. Neither made eye contact for a full five minutes until they had both fidgeted in their spots long enough to seem comfortable.
"Well, umm, g'night." Claire's voice was nothing but hesitant and clumsy as she reached to turn out the lamp.
""Night, sista, sleep well." Desmond seemed more comfortable with the situation, but his voice was still more hushed than usual.
With the light off, Claire found herself staring, as she did every night, at Aaron's crib. It was situated in the way of the thin beam of moonlight let in by the crack in the curtains. She felt some safety, watching the rise and fall of her son's chest, but even more when she saw the moonlight also illuminated Desmond. He was shifting his weight on his awkwardly bent legs. The couch really was too short for him, and likely too filthy for anyone, but still he stayed. Claire started at him a moment before her days without sleep made themselves remembered and she fell about as deeply asleep as she ever had.
Desmond watched her lay almost perfectly still, facing his side of the room, and watched as she relaxed and her breathing became steady with sleep.
He wouldn't have guessed that Claire would be one to snore. The rough snort of her exhaling through her nose made him smile as he thought about the small woman sleeping near him.
His eyes were well adjusted to the lack of light, and he could see her curled up on her side, facing him and the baby. He was grateful to be able to help her reach a state peaceful enough to sleep. The night on the island after Charlie had given his life to save them, it seemed as though Claire had lost her safety net, and spent the night in Kate's tent. Desmond didn't know if she'd really slept since before he'd taken Charlie out to face his fate. She was sleeping now and for the first time since he'd rejoined the group with his devastating news, she looked truly calm. She had smiled when the rescue planes came, no one had ever seen her cry, only some one paying very close attention would have seen that something was wrong. One would have to watch her every second to see that her bright blue eyes didn't light up the same or catch the glazed look she got when she thought no one was watching.
Desmond felt terribly responsible for anything that happened to Claire now that Charlie was gone. He felt a surge of guilt everytime he saw her finger Charlie's note in her pocket. His stomach and throat felt full of rocks anytime her cheeks were pailer than usual or her eyes were slightly red.
Now, watching her relaxed and at peace, he felt a weight lifted from his shoulders, knowing he was doing right by his friend. Seeing her feel safe created a feeling of warmth in him, a feeling he hadn't felt since he heard Penny's voice at the undersea hatch, and he too was finally able to sleep.