Chapter 2

Jack's eyes shot open, the sky-touching trees around him swarming dizzily as he blinked rapidly, fighting to get his pairings. Climbing to his feet, he swayed, completing an automatic glance-over of his body, finding no signs of serious injury. As his ears stopped ringing, he heard screams, and took off running.

The sight of the beach froze him in his tracks. Twisted metal and wire, sparks and smoke, blood and bodies. "We crashed," Jack whispered in shock, and as the realization hit him, so did the memory of Matt's blood rushing down the aisle. "Matt!" Running towards the wreckage, Jack strained to see through the smoke and flames, fighting his way past the still-spinning jet engine. "Matt!"

A tall brunette woman emerged from the smoke, the red tints in her hair catching the light from the fire, and Jack's eye. He tore towards her, grabbing her arm to get her attention. "I'm looking for someone!" he yelled, and she turned towards him, her eyes clear and focused. "Man, about six feet tall, brown hair, brown eyes, blue shirt and jeans! Have you seen him?"

"I just saw him!" she quickly replied, taking his arm and pulling him back towards the wreckage. "I was trying to find someone to help. He has a nasty head wound."

"Damnit!" Jack sprinted towards where the woman was pointing, and dropped to his knees beside an unconscious Matt. "I need antiseptic, gauze, bandages, and a sewing needle and thread!"

"On it," the woman said, immediately turning and running back into the smoke. Jack's gaze had never left Matt, and his hand reached out to gently smooth back Matt's hair, fingers softly probing the wound. A wince escaped Matt's lips, and he blinked groggily, his eyes opening.

"Hey," Jack said softly. "Don't try to move." Shrugging out of his jacket, Jack wrapped it around Matt before returning his hands to Matt's face. "I'm going to fix you up, okay? You're going to be fine."

"You okay?" Matt asked, eyes half closing again.

"I'm fine, and you need to stay awake." The woman came running back through the smoke, a bundle of items clutched in her muscular arms. She handed them to Jack before taking up a position on Matt's left. "You love to ask people questions, right? Here's a new person to meet." Jack forced a laugh, but his hands were shaking slightly as he glanced at the wound again.

"I'm Mia," the woman said, smiling down at Matt before glancing back at Jack. She lay a hand on his arm and twisted slightly, so she was speaking directly into Jack's ear. "Your friend will be fine. I've seen far worse than this."

"He just met me on the flight," Matt said with a grin. "And he's already so attached."

"He was running all over the place trying to find you," Mia grinned back. "You must be quite the charmer." A scream sounded from beyond their vision, and Mia and Jack met eyes.

"Go check that out," Jack said with a nod. "Let me know if they need a doctor, and I'll be there as soon as I can." Mia took off running, and Jack turned back to Matt.

"A doctor, huh?" Matt murmured, as Jack threaded the needle and leaned over him. "My mother would be so happy right now."

"Well, you can introduce us when we get off this island," Jack said, the smile slipping off his face as he lay his hand next to the wound. "Matt, this could hurt, okay? I don't have time to let any painkillers take their effect, and they could thin out your blood, which would not be good since I need to stop this bleeding."

"I trust you," Matt whispered, closing his eyes and balling his fists under the jacket. Taking a deep breath, Jack lightly touched Matt's cheek before inserting the needle into his skin. Pain etched its way across Matt's face, but he didn't cry out, a single tear slipping its way down his face.

"Is it too much?" Jack asked, face scrunched up in concern as he gently extracted the needle.

"I've had much worse," Matt answered, refusing to meet Jack's eyes. "Go ahead." Jack hesitated, staring down at Matt's face, but the blood dripping onto his fingers forced his gaze away, and he returned to sewing up the wound. The stitches finished, and the wound clean, he attached gauze and bandages before leaning back onto his heels. Matt started to sit up, and Jack was instantly at his side, wrapping his arm around Matt's waist and assisting him to a sitting position.

"Well now I've even more embarrassed," Matt laughed, his head cradled against Jack's sweat-stained chest. "Injured person in need of babying wasn't exactly the impression I was looking for, especially not after guy who's terrified of flying."

"I don't think any less of you, I promise," Jack assured him with a smile. Mia suddenly emerged from the smoke again, and hurried towards them.

"There's a very pregnant woman a few meters up the beach," she said quickly, and Jack nodded, eyes still on Matt.

"I'll be fine," Matt said, offering up a smile. "Go be a hero for someone else."

"First I'm getting you up somewhere safe," Jack said, glancing at Mia. She moved to Matt's other side, and together, acting as his crutches, they got him up to a tree, far enough away from the smoke and flames. Leaning Matt against the tree, Jack knelt before him. "You had better still be awake when I get back."

"I wouldn't throw away all that special treatment, I promise," Matt said, pulling a laugh from Jack's still-tense lips. Jack stood, and turned.

"Hey Jack?" Matt said softly, and Jack turned back, almost staggering under the pain suddenly pulsating from Matt's wide-open eyes. "You're the nicest doctor I've ever known." Kneeling in the sand at Matt's feet, Jack stretched his hand out and gripped Matt's.

"I'll be right back," Jack promised. "I'll look after you."