Chapter Four

Diseased

AN- Thanx 2 everyone who reviewed, && srry 4 the wait. Im not the best or most dedicated writer out there, so thanx 4 dealing w that. Please review && as a reminder I am looking 4 a beta if anyone is interested !

I didn't realize how much I really liked this guy until I talked to Claire. Sure I've only been on the island for a couple of days, and yeah sure I barely know the guy, but it was like the plague. You get bit in the ass by some diseased rat once then it spreads like wildfire. And eventually you die.

That may not be exactly how the black plague went down, but how much do I really have to know about American diseases anyways? Point is Sawyer is the diseased, mangy old rat, and I've been bitten.

When you know you're on your death bed there's a few options one can take. You can sit around and wait for the disease to get you, or you can fight it with all your might. There's also a third, less popular option. You can embrace it. Guess which path I took.

"Well Claire-Bear, you're right. I do have a thing for Tommy." She raised her eyebrow at me.

"Tommy?"

"I've been calling him Cowboy Tom. Not once have I heard him use somebody's real name." She snickered.

"I could say the same for you."

"Well I guess that's one thing we have in common." She laughed again. This girl is awfully cheerful for someone who could quite possibly have to give birth on a deserted island. Usually I would find someone like that excruciatingly annoying, but she was just too adorable.

"So what are you going to do about your little crush?" She asked with a grin. I shrugged.

"What I always do, I suppose." She gave me a look that plainly said, 'and what exactly is that strange little girl?'

"Which is basically whatever I feel like at the time," I replied to her questioning look.

She nodded, apparently satisfied with my answer.

"What about you, Claire-Bear?" She looked confused.

"What about me?"

"Don't play little miss innocent, you know that I know that you know that big brother has a thing for you." In turn, she looked at me blankly. I sighed, I suppose I could have said that a bit more plainly.

"Charlie likes you." I said simply.

"Oh. Right, that." She giggled like a nervous school girl. And not the good kind. "I don't know, Audrey. I've kind of had a bit of trouble with the boys lately." She glimpsed at her oversized stomach then looked back at me.

"Well my brother isn't like most guys Claire. And like every good American romance movie will tell you, a good guy comes with a price."

"What's the price, exactly?" She asked nervously.

"You don't treat him good, and someone will break your face," I replied with a smile.

She really did look quite frightened, so I figured it might be a good time to leave her with her thoughts, I really didn't want to have to break another face today.

"Well, see you around Claire-Bear," I said with a final nod and smile before heading back over to the doctors tent.

"You're the famous doctor, aren't you?" I asked a man headed out of the tent I knew Sawyer was in.

"Well, I don't know about famous," he said, "but yeah I'm the doctor."

"When you're the only doctor on an island that needs a whole army of them, you become famous pretty quick."

"Well hopefully I can use that to my advantage." He said with a twinkle in his eyes.

Blech. I hate that word, advantage. Why would people ever want to use something to their advantage? Its leverage is what that is.

"Right. Well, er, is Sawyer awake?" I asked awkwardly, trying not to explode again until I made sure he was ok.

Grinning, he said, "Not yet. You knocked him out pretty good. Broke his nose too."

"Two elder brothers," I replied, and walked inside his little operating room, not bothering to see if he minded.

He was lying in the sand with a bandage covering most of his face. He looked pathetic, but in a beautiful kind of way. Like a lost dog. Or Johnny Cade in that American movie. Although the two really are pretty much the same.

I kneeled next to the pathetic, bandaged hillbilly.

It was a pretty good punch. He was completely out of it. But I wasn't gonna leave without getting this whole crush thing off my chest. I find that, if you trick yourself into thinking they already know that it's much easier to not be nervous around said crush.

"Hey there, Cowboy Tom. I came here to tell you that I am somewhat sorry I punched you. You did deserve it, but I am worried that I might have messed up that face of yours, which really would be a shame. At least you'll still have you're American charms. And by the way, I really don't like Americans all that much. At all, really. I hope that's not going to be a problem, because you see, you're as American as they come. And somehow, against my better judgment, I like you. You're the best damned disease I've ever had."

I heard a chuckle. I quickly turned to the entrance, ready to murder whoever laughed at my little one-sided conversation.

But no one was there.

I rubbed my eyes.

Still nothing.

"I think I'm finally going crazy," I muttered before turning back to face Sawyer, who was sitting up at this point. Eyes, and, probably ears, wide open.

"Well, Rainbows, I'm starting to see a whole new side of you." So fucking predictable.

"Don't think you know me just yet." I said then hurried out.

I punched a tree. And another. I kept punching trees. That was unbelievably embarrassing. I mean really, best damned disease? He probably doesn't even know that was my comparison to him being a stinky old sewer rat.

I screamed, punching tree after tree.

I hate Sawyer.

Stupid fucking doctor couldn't even tell he was only pretending to be asleep.

I'd be a better doctor than him, and I'm barely out of college.

Fucking prick.