Chapter Fifteen: "Ticking away…"
Ana, Sawyer and Kate have their guns raised to Alex.
Ana: Who are you?
Alex: Is she alive?!
Jack motions for them to lower their weapons.
Jack: Barely.
Alex: Can you help her?
Jack: I'm gonna try. But I don't have everything I'd need. She'll probably need surgery. And out here with no anesthetic or sterile instruments…it wouldn't be good.
Alex looks around, as if making sure they're alone.
Alex: I think I can help you.
Ana: Come of it, you're one of them. Let's move.
Sayid: No, wait. (to Alex) What do you mean?
Alex moves forwards.
Alex: I know where we can go. But we have to move fast. And you have to trust me.
Sawyer: Why should we trust you?
Alex: Because I'm the only one who can save Andie.
Flashback.
Shot of Sawyer and Gordy in an apartment. They are looking over a number of papers of women with information about them.
Sawyer: This is a lot of cold, hard ladies.
Gordy: Hey, man, you agreed to the challenge. Don't wuss out on me.
Sawyer: I ain't wussing out on anything. Just don't know how to pick. (Beat) This contact of yours. Who is he? Another confidence man?
Gordy: Former. Branched out into his own sort business. Danny's, his name.
Sawyer: And he's cool with us riflin' through his ladies?
Gordy: Sawyer, would you calm it down. It's all good. I know this guy like the back of my hand. Would you just pick a lady?
Sawyer sighs and starts sifting through the paper in front of him.
Sawyer: Angela Langley. 58. Married 32 years to an stock market CEO. Three kids. Five grandkids. (he looks at her picture) Doesn't look like a hard ass to me.
Gordy: She spent fifteen years in Iran serving in a special forces team to infiltrate terrorist gangs. Trust me; she ain't the baking cookies kinda Nana.
Sawyer: Still, I'll pass. Ain't too big on the over-fifty's.
Gordy: Picky, picky.
Sawyer: Rachel Denison. 44. Married twenty years to business tycoon. Holidays in the Bahamas every year. Was in the army for fifteen years. Sergeant.
Gordy: There's a definite maybe.
Sawyer reaches for a loose photograph.
Sawyer (looking at the photo): Ohh…hello indeed.
Gordy: Who's that?
Sawyer: Dunno, just got a photo.
Gordy: You ain't that shallow, are ya?
Sawyer: How well do you know me?
Gordy: Oh here it is.
Gordy grabs at another loose sheet of paper.
Gordy: Oh yeah. Danny told me about her. Unmarried, but involved with the son of a Texan ranch millionaire. 31…no kids…she was an only child. Arrested in her early twenties for tax evasion; spent six months in the clink.
Sawyer: What's her name?
Gordy: Andrea Parker.
Shot to the photo Sawyer's holding. It's a mug-shot of Andie.
Sawyer: I'd say we got a winner.
Shot back to the island.
Close up on Sawyer's face. He can see Andie's head hanging over Sayid's arms. He's watching her face as he walks.
Alex stops them.
Alex: Wait here.
She swings left into the dense jungle.
Ana: I don't like this; this is stupid. She's one of them.
Jack: She wants to help save Andie.
Ana: So she says. How do we know she's not getting that blonde from before to kill us all?
Sayid: She won't.
Kate: How can you be sure of that?
Sayid: Because I'm doing as she asked. (He looks at Kate) I trust her.
The sound of someone approaching can be heard. Ana and Kate ready their guns. Alex re-appears with something in her hand that the other can't see. She moves to a large growth of shrubbery. She pulls it away and it reveals a metal door. It is revealed that she has a key in her hand. Alex unlocks the door and turns, holding it open for the others.
Alex: Come on. It's okay. I promise.
Sayid takes Andie in through the door. Sawyer follows. Then Jack and Kate. Ana brings up the rear, with a suspicious look to Alex as she does. Alex closes the door.
Shot to inside the room. It's very dark. Suddenly a light flicks on. Alex has a torch in her hand. She moves to the front of the pack.
Alex: Follow me.
Kate: What is this place?
Alex: We don't use it anymore.
Kate: It looks like the medical hatch Claire and I found.
Alex: They're connected.
Alex keeps walking. Shot of a door to a room from the inside. You can see Alex appear at the door and open it. She enters and flicks on a light. Jack is the first one to come in. He looks stunned. Sayid follows with Kate right behind him.
Shot reveals what looks like a room in any other hospital. There are some chairs tipped over and a few cupboards raided. There's a bed and a lot of old monitors and equipment.
Alex: Will this do?
Sayid lays Andie down on the bed. Jack uses the sink in the corner and washes his hands. Kate and Ana search around the room. Alex keeps guard at the door.
Kate: Is this a hospital or something?
Alex: Or something.
Jack comes back over to Andie.
Sayid: How can I help?
Jack: She needs to get out of those clothes.
Alex moves from the door and goes over to a cupboard. She opens it and pulls out a white gown. She hands it to Jack.
Alex: Here.
Kate steps up.
Kate: I'll do it. Guys, wait outside.
Sawyer: What?
Kate: Come on.
Jack: Fine, but don't move her because the wound could tear. Keep her on her back if you can.
Kate ushers the guys out of the room. Ana stays with her. Alex stays guard at the door. Sayid looks further down the hall.
Sayid: There's hasn't been people in here for years. The dust is undisturbed.
Sawyer: The girl said it was connected to the medical hatch, right?
Jack: Yeah, but that place was empty. Cleared out. This place just looks abandoned. Probably wasn't even used when they had Claire here.
They are silent for a few moments.
Sawyer: Can you save her? Andie?
Jack: Better chance here than at the beach. But if she bleeds out…I don't know if I can help her.
Sayid: Is there anything we can do to help?
Jack: Make sure They don't find us in here.
Sayid: I'll stand guard at the entrance.
Jack: No. I need you here. After me, you're the only person who has any kind of medical training. (He turns to Sawyer) You go.
Sawyer: But Ana-
Alex suddenly opens the door.
Alex: Something's wrong with her!
Shot of Andie, now dressed in the gown, who has started convulsing. Jack rushes into the room and goes over to her. Kate and Ana stand back. Sawyer watches from the doorway.
Sawyer: What's happening?
Jack (to Sayid): Sayid.
Sayid comes over.
Jack: Hold down her shoulders.
Sawyer: What's going on?
Sayid does so. Jack holds her head and uses a penlight to look into her eyes.
Jack: She's in shock. She's lost a lot of blood, but the bleeding's stopped.
Kate: That's good, right?
Jack: I don't know yet. She could have an infection that's poisoning her blood.
Jack rips a hole in the gown to reveal Andie's wound. He turns to Alex.
Jack: What kinda drugs do you have? Any anesthetic or painkillers?
Alex goes over to a shelf and pulls down a small black suitcase covered in dust. She takes it over to Jack and brushes it off. It has the Dharma logo on the top. She opens it and reveals a pneumatic injector and half a dozen vials of medicine.
Jack: What is this?
Alex: A vaccine. It'll help.
Jack: A vaccine? For a bullet wound? Are you kidding?
Alex: It will help her, I promise.
Jack regretfully takes the medicine and loads the injector. Sayid continues to hold Andie still as Jack prepares to inject her upper arm.
Alex: No, in her stomach. It has to go in her stomach.
Jack: Why?
Alex: It just does.
Jack sighs and then injects the needle into Andie's abdomen. Seconds later, she stops convulsing. Sayid loosens his grip. Jack check's her pulse.
Jack: She's okay. (He turns to Alex) What the hell is this stuff?
Alex: It's medicine. It'll help but it won't cure her. What can you do?
Jack: I need to see how badly the wound is damaged. But that's dangerous considering I can't check her vitals.
Sawyer looks around and sees the monitors. He goes over to them.
Sawyer: What about these?
Jack looks up and sees them.
Jack (to Alex): Do they still work?
Alex: Maybe.
Jack (to Sawyer): Bring that big one over here.
Sawyer does. Jack takes the two small heart monitor pads and sticks them to Andie's chest. Sayid flicks on the machine. Jack presses a few buttons. A moment later, Andie's heart rate appears on the screen.
Jack: Good…good. Okay. Sawyer, go keep watch.
Sawyer: But I-
Jack: Go!
Jack starts to inspect Andie's wound. Sawyer backs away before quickly getting out of the room. He storms down the hallway.
Leads into FLASHBACK.
Shot of Sawyer and Gordy sitting in a black SUV parked across the road from a café. Through the window Andie is sitting with her boyfriend, Nick. They're laughing.
Gordy: Another reason this is gonna be hard? They ain't unhappy. Word around Texas news is that an engagement is right around the corner.
Sawyer: How long are they in town?
Gordy: A month. But they've already been here two weeks. Visiting his folks. They live in Sydney, Australia. Andrea was born there and that's where she works for Danny.
Sawyer: Doing what?
Gordy: I dunno. Whatever. Now, you need to figure out how you're gonna approach this. She is likely to blow you off seeing how she's in a happy relationship.
Sawyer: People are never as happy as they seem.
Camera stays focused on Sawyer as Gordy continues.
Gordy: Still, it ain't wise to approach her while she's with him. You need her alone. Her favourite bar is a Texan legend, The Rider, couple of streets away. And that boy of hers will be out hunting with his Papa for the next two days. My suggestion to you is that's where to make your move.
Close up of Sawyer. Shot to Andie laughing. Shot back to Sawyer.
Flash out.
--