Chapter 4

The other survivors of the plane crash had already begun the process of collecting wood when Jack, Matt, and Claire entered the area. "No closing your eyes, no moving," Jack instructed, his voice stern, but his eyes smiling.

"Yes Doctor Jack," Matt bantered back, and Jack laughed as he settled Claire into the sand.

"I'll keep a close eye on him," Claire said with a wink, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Deputy Claire it is," Matt said, and smiled, sliding his hands behind him, bracing himself in the sand. As Jack walked away he heard Claire say, "First law is, pregnant blonde women get everything they want. Like peanut butter. If you see peanut butter, it's mine."

As Jack moved among the other passengers, smiles and names were exchanged, and a communal fire pit started where Matt and Claire already sat. As soon as Jack turned his back, Matt slid forward to start shaping the pile of wood, while Claire stifled a giggle.

Spotting a group of dry driftwood near a large rock, Jack trudged over. As he reached for the wood, so did another hand, which brushed his briefly. "Sorry," a woman said, retracting her hand and using it to brush her brunette waves off her face.

"Hey, no problem," Jack said, offering up a smile. "I'm Jack."

"Kate." She shook his hand before standing up with a large pile of the driftwood, following Jack to the fire pit.

"He's coming!" Jack heard Claire say, and spotted Matt trying to scoot back to his place as quickly as possible.

"You are definitely busted," Jack said, dropping what he was carrying and crouching before Matt. "You don't take directions well, do you?"

"I wanted to help," Matt said quietly and Jack's gaze softened.

"I know," Jack said, "but please wait to help until tomorrow. There'll be plenty to do, and I don't want to have to worry about your wound opening up. Please," he added, and Matt moved back to his sitting position, nodding his head, then wincing.

"Try just saying yes next time," Jack urged gently. "Let me take a look at you." Carefully taking Matt's face between his hands, he tilted it towards the newborn light, Kate having started the fire blazing.

"Verdict?" Matt asked, a smile playing across his lips.

"What's this scar from?" Jack asked, lightly touching the raised redness riding along Matt's hairline. Matt instantly pulled away, bringing his knees up to his chest and hugging them tightly.

"It's getting cold," Matt mumbled, his gaze on the flames.

"Matt, hey," Jack tried. "Hey, I'm sorry I asked. It's none of my business. I'm always asking questions I shouldn't." This got a soft laugh out of Matt, and Jack moved closer, drawing something out of the pile he had been carrying. "This should help with the cold." Jack leaned over, wrapping an airplane-issue blanket around Matt's shoulders.

"Funny, I've been looking for one of these for a while," Matt said, the laughter seeping back into his eyes as he turned back to Jack.

"Just returning the favor," Jack grinned back, nudging Matt's shoulder gently. Kate suddenly sat down on Jack's other side, and he turned, his shoulder still touching Matt's. "Kate, this is Matt, Matt, Kate." Twisting slightly, he pointed a few inches away, where Claire was laughing, deep in conversation with a shorter man sporting a goatee. "And that is Claire, who seems to have made a new friend."

"This is Charlie," Claire said, scooting closer to the group again, bringing Charlie with her. "Charlie, this is Jack, Matt, and-"

"Kate," Kate said, a smile peeking at the corners of her mouth as she shook Matt and Claire's hands. "You have quite the group here, already."

"Jack's our personal doctor, and I'm the deputy," Claire giggled, and Matt bit his lip, his shoulders shaking with laughter. Jack rolled his eyes, but grinned broadly.

"I'm not going to ask," Charlie chimed in, sending Claire into a fit of giggles, leaving Charlie looking highly pleased.

With those around them distracted, Jack lay a hand on Matt's arm. "I never got to finish looking at your head. Is it okay if I take another look?" Matt laced his fingers together for a second, and Jack noticed the knuckles turning white, but pretended not to, keeping his eyes on Matt's face. Nodding, Matt tilted his cheek into Jack's hand, and Jack cupped it gently, twisting his position to get more light.

"It's looking good," Jack said, smiling broadly. "Everything looks good. You just need to stay up tonight, in case you do have a concussion."

"Oh great," Matt sighed. "After a plane crash, the first thing I want to do is stay awake all night thinking about how my plane just crashed."

"I'll keep you distracted," Jack promised with a grin.