Hey everyone, sorry for the long delay. The end of the semester got away from me. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it, thank you to everyone who is still reading!
Queen24824: Usually I don't like to give stuff away when responding to reviews, but I promise that is not the case here. I hate that trope lols. Thank you for reviewing.
Guest: Thank you for your condolences. I am glad you enjoy this story, dialogue is the most fun to write, so I am glad you enjoy how I wrote it. Thank you for your review!
AsukaHyuga: One spoiler I will give away is that Sam is not pregnant, for the rest you'll have to wait and see :). I'm glad you liked this chapter and I always appreciate your reviews and thoughts.
TW: Vomiting, only in the beginning
I can't tell what time it is when I wake up with a start. It is still dark outside and Sawyer is quiet in the cage across from me. My stomach is twisting painfully and I heave myself up, only barely able to sit up before I vomit. My body aches with the effort, and I throw up again. And again. And again. Every time I think it is over, I can barely catch my breath before more liquid comes out of me. And it hurts. The muscles in my stomach feel like they are on fire, and my throat and mouth burn from acid.
When I finally stop, it is only for a few minutes. Because when I see the contents of my stomach in front of me, and when the smell hits me, I gag and throw up again. This time I can tell it is just bile, but that doesn't make it any better.
Faintly I can hear someone calling me Sawyer, probably, but I am not sure. Is he even awake? It still seems dark out, so I ignore the sound and lean against the concrete slabs. Every few minutes, I vomit again, still only bile, and wait for the sun to come up. I know I should be concerned, but I don't remember why.
I must drift off at some point because when I open my eyes to vomit again, this time I am sure Sawyer is calling my name. I wonder faintly when he got in my tent. And why he seems so far away.
"I'm sure it will pass," I tell him. My voice is low and scratchy, and I am not sure if I am answering his question. But my head is pounding and I want to go back to sleep. "You don't have to stay with me. I don't want you to get sick." A shiver goes through me and I reach for my blanket but find only dirt and leaves. I sit up in confusion, but a wave of dizziness immediately hits me and I lay back down. My mind is jumbled and slow, and I wrap my arms around my body to try to conserve some warmth.
When I wake up, I don't remember going to sleep. The light tells me it is morning, but the sun pierces my skull painfully. It must be afternoon now, and I groan when I hear voices shouting. Jack and Locke must be fighting about something again. My head pounds with the noise.
Somebody is yanking me upwards, fast. I barely register that I am awake before they let go, and my legs collapse beneath me. My muscles feel like jelly, and someone shouts something at me. The two sets of arms lift me up, moving me from the bed.
Flashback
I wake up in a hospital bed, with monitors beeping around me. The lights are dimmed around me, and a male figure sits in a seat near me. I squint my eyes. "Patrick? What happened? Why are you here?"
Patrick lets out a relieved breath. "What, I can't come visit my sister in the hospital? I was worried about you, you know."
I frown. Patrick hates hospitals. That was one thing he never got over after our mom died. In all the time we've lived in the same city together, he's never met me at work. "I told you it would be fine. I was just getting some gallstones removed. It's not a dangerous procedure."
"Well, I didn't want you to wake up alone. You know, most people would just say thank you by now."
I roll my eyes. "Thank you. I do really appreciate it. How long have you been here?"
"Well, I got here at four..." He pulls out his phone and checks the time. "And it's a little after eight now."
Already too long for him to just be sitting in a hospital. I plaster a fake smile on my face. "Have I ever told you that you're the best brother in the world?"
Patrick raises his eyebrows. "What do you want?"
"Well, besides your heartwarming presence, could you get me some food? Not hospital food. I have some leftovers at home that would be good."
He sighs. "Well, you just had surgery. I can't exactly say no."
I smile genuinely now. "You're the best! My keys should be in my hospital bag somewhere."
Present Day, Earlier that Night: Sawyer's POV
When Sawyer woke up, it wasn't because it was morning but because he heard an awful sound coming from the cage across from him. He rubbed his eyes to adjust to the dark and saw Sam hunched over, hurling her guts up.
"Grey eyes, you alright?" he asked tentatively. When her only response was to throw up again, Sawyer decided to wait until she was at least not actively vomiting to check on her. It took a while, but after 10-15 minutes, she finally stopped and leaned against the concrete in her cage.
"You okay now?" he asked her. She didn't respond. "Grey eyes?" he asked. "Hey, are you alright?"
Sam vomited again. Concern shot through Sawyer. This had to me too much.
"Alright, I guess not then. Hey, maybe we should try and get their attention out here. I know it seems crazy, but you really don't look so hot. You need some help."
When Sam didn't object, Sawyer's worry grew. But she seemed to have drifted off. Still uneasy, Sawyer didn't go back to sleep.
Not even an hour could have passed before Sam threw up again. It seemed more violent this time. Sawyer groaned with frustration and stood up.
"Alright, sweetheart. I know you don't like it, but we need to get you some help. At this rate, you aren't going to last until morning."
Sawyer didn't expect a response from her, and when she spoke, he barely heard her. "What?"
"You don't have to stay with me. I don't want you to get sick."
"Well, I don't really have a choice, now do I?" he replied. "It will be alright, we are just going to get you some help."
"Why are we in the jungle?" she asked him. "Where is everyone?"
Sawyer crouched down and lowered his voice. "Don't worry about it, alright. Just try to get some rest."
Sam hugged her arms around herself, and Sawyer noticed she was shaking. She muttered something that he couldn't make out and then closed her eyes again.
Sawyer stood back up and started banging against his cage. "Hey! Hey! We need some help here!"
He kept shouting until his voice was sore, but nobody came.
Sawyer was never so relieved to see the others as he was by morning. The sun had barely started lighting the sky, but here they came, ready to put them to work.
Sawyer put his best cocky smile on as they arrived at the cages. "Hey there boss, happy to report to duty, but she's going to need to be taken to whatever doctor y'all have. If you don't have one, you've got ours, so you should be able to work something out."
The blockhead barely glanced at her before shrugging. "She looks fine to me." He turned to one of the other guards. "Get her up."
"Are you crazy?" Sawyer shouted, losing his cool. "You can't make her work! She needs help!"
The blockhead grinned at Sawyer maliciously. "We can do whatever we want."
The others ignored him, and one guy went into her cage to get her up. "Hey!" he shouted, but they didn't pay any attention.
The guard lifted Sam up, and as soon as he let go, she collapsed to the ground.
"She seems pretty out of it, Danny," the guard said.
"She can't even stand! Just get her help! She ain't gonna be able to work, anyway."
"Fine," Pickett agreed. "You two," he gestures to two of the others, "take her. You," he points at Sawyer. "Are coming with me."
Anger coursed through Sawyer at the way the others practically dragged Sam away and took him away to work.
What seemed like the most meaningless task possible seemed even more pointless today. Sawyer felt restless from the moment he started, and after less than an hour had passed, he couldn't stand it anymore. He assessed the others who were watching him. They were the same from yesterday, and none of them seemed very focused on him; but he knew it wouldn't matter. If he made a move. If he tried to run, they'd stop him. And there was no way he could find Sam on his own.
Sawyer must have stopped working for too long because the blond woman walked over to him with a frown on her face. "Yeah, yeah, get back to work. I know the drill," he told her.
"That's not what I was going to say," she said calmly. "Do you want me to take you to see your friend, James?"
Sawyer raised his eyebrows. "What's the catch?"
"No catch, you just need to see how serious this is."
Sawyer didn't know why he was arguing. Even if this was just another trick in their game, this was his golden ticket. "Alright, let's go then."
The walk to see Sam was quiet. Two guards accompanied them as the blond led Sawyer to their medical facility. Most of the paths were similar to the ones Sawyer already knew from going from his cage to work. It changed when they entered a building and walked through narrow white hallways. Eventually, the woman stopped at a door and turned to Sawyer's guards. "You can wait out here."
The guards nodded, and the blond opened the door and led Sawyer in. It appeared to be a simple hospital room. All that was inside was a bed and some hospital equipment. Sam was in the bed, asleep.
Sawyer crossed the room to stand next to the bed. She was covered by only a few blankets, and she looked deathly pale. An I.V. was hooked up to her arm, and a few monitors appeared to be attached to her. She looked light enough to carry, but Sawyer didn't know how far he could get running with her in his arms.
"She should make a full recovery... if she stays here."
Sawyer looked up to see the blond standing next to him.
"Is that why you brought me here? To try to scare me into not running?!"
"It's just a comment on your history. Your friend is very sick, James. Without the fluids and the antibiotics we are giving her, she would probably already be dead."
"Yeah, and your people didn't even want to help her," Sawyer accused. "If you are looking for a thank you, you can save it."
"I am not expecting you to thank me, just to understand what we are doing for her right now. If you were to remove her from that I.V., her odds of survival would be low."
Sawyer looked at Sam's frail body. He wanted to touch her, to make sure she was really okay, but he knew he was already showing too much emotion to these people. "When will she wake up?"
"She should be conscious by the end of the day. You'll have to go back to work. You can't stay with her."
"Alright, fine then," Sawyer retorted. "You wish is my command."
"There's one more thing I want you to think about before we do. If this happened to her at your camp, what would you be able to do for her?"
Sawyer tried to ignore her words as he walked out of the room.
Sam's POV
When I wake up again, I miss my brother. I am in a bed and the dream I had about him is fresh in my mind. I blink back tears at the memories of him. There is an I.V. in my arm when I move to rub my eyes.
I groan as I attempt to sit up and get my bearings. The last I remember I was in the cages with the Sawyer, vomiting up my guts. Surely the others can't be far. Sure enough, there is someone else in the room with me. Right next to my bed sits the blond woman who had a gun to my head when Sawyer tried to escape.
"Careful," she warns gently. "You've been through a lot. You don't want to move too fast."
"What happened? How did I get here? What are you doing to me?" The first question comes out like a croak, but I recover my voice as I fire the last two questions off.
"You could start with thank you. We did save your life."
I let out a dry life. "Yeah, and I'm going to be the next president."
The woman gives me a small smile. "I thought you might have trouble believing me." She hands me a manilla file. "You had meningitis. These are the tests that confirm it. As well as everything we did for you."
I open the file, and sure enough, she's not lying. Blood tests confirm the presence of meningitis and they match my blood tests. The steroids, antibiotics, and fluids they gave me saved my life. Unless they made up these tests. Even then, I knew I was sick. I don't even know how much time I lost from when I was last sick in the cages. It was nighttime, is it still? Is it the next day or has it been multiple days?
I had the file back to the blond. "Alright, I believe you. But you and your people kidnapped me, so don't expect a thank you."
"I don't need a thank you. I just need you to talk to your friend about something for me."
"And what makes you think I would do that?"
"You may be awake now, but you and I both know you could still easily make a turn for the worse. Without medical support, you might not last. I'm just asking you to have a conversation. Seems worth the price."
I glare at her. "Fine, I'll talk to Sawyer. But I'm not promising results, just the conversation."
She smiles again. "I'm glad you've agreed Samantha, but it isn't James we want you to talk to. It's Jack."
I sit up fully now, my heart racing. Jack's still here, he's alive, and they are going to let me talk to him. It's too good to be true, so I keep my voice neutral. "What do you want me to say?"
Shortly after the blond finishes explaining things, they bring Jack into the room. He looks the same except maybe more tired, which I didn't think was possible.
Jack barely looks at me before he is yelling. "What happened to her? If this is your twisted way of getting leverage against me, then you can forget about any surgery."
"Relax Jack, she was sick, and we helped her. Now I didn't bring you here to talk to you. I brought you here so you could talk to her," the woman tells him. She nods at me.
"I want to talk to him alone," I say.
She raises an eyebrow at me.
"Relax, we're not going to kill each other. You can wait outside, but I'm not talking to him with you here."
The woman sighs and stands up. "If you insist. You have 15 minutes. Make it count."
When she leaves, Jack sits in the chair she left. "What's going on? Are you okay? Where are they keeping you? Is Sawyer with you?"
"I'm alright. Sawyer's with me. They're keeping us in these cages outside. They look like they used to hold animals. What about you? Is Kate with you? Are you guys alright?"
Jack nods. "We're in these glass cells. Kate's right across from me. They're feeding us. I know why they took us. They want me to perform this surgery. I assume that's why they brought me to see you. They want you to convince me."
I nod and lower my voice to a whisper, meeting his eyes. "Don't do it, Jack, or if you do, kill him while he's on the table," I whisper this quickly before returning my voice to its normal tone. I look at his forehead now, breaking eye contact. "They do, and I think you should."
A wave of emotions flickers across Jack's face before he lands on suprise. "Sam-"
"No, I mean it. I know they are awful but you're a doctor, you took an oath. This is the right thing to do, and you know it. And if it could save us all, isn't it worth the price?"
"It's not if it's a trap. How can you trust them?" I can't tell how much of Jack's anger is feigned and how much is genuine.
I shake my head. "Do we have a choice? Right now we have two options: stay here forever and wait for them to start killing us, or you do the surgery and we might get to leave." I meet his eyes again, hoping he's understanding me. "Unless you find a third option, but that doesn't seem likely."
Jack hesitates. "Did they threaten you?"
"Not exactly. They just wanted me to talk to you. Soon I'll be alright and I won't need their medical treatment anymore."
Jack picks up the file from where the blond left it on the bedside table. I see him frown as he glances over the tests. "They only helped you so they could use it against me."
"I know. I'm not telling you to do this blindly, just at least think about it."
The woman comes in before Jack can say anything else. "Your time is up."
I lean forward and pull Jack into a hug. "I meant what I said at first," I whisper, barely moving my lips for fear she'll notice. "We just have to find a third option."
I break away. "Stay safe Jack, and tell Kate I said hi."
Jack nods. "You too, and say hi to Sawyer for me."
The woman eyes me. I stare back unflinchingly.
"Productive conversation?" she asks.
"I guess we'll see," I tell her. "You know Jack's pretty stubborn. I don't think he'll change his mind about this."
She smiles and echoes my words. "I guess we'll see. You should get some rest. I'll check on you in the morning."
She leaves and I lie back in my bed with a sigh. I am happy that I got a chance to see Jack, to know that he and Kate are okay. But this complicates things. There is no running away without them, no rationalizing leaving without them when I know they are here with us. And maybe that was the real reason they wanted me to talk to Jack. I may have told Jack to find a third option, but short of killing all of them, I can't think of a way out of here. Despite having been unconscious all day, I feel tired. Sleep doesn't take long to come, but I am uneasy as I fall asleep, not sure what tomorrow will bring.
End of chapter. A fun fact about this chapter. About meningitis, there are three types: bacterial, viral, and fungal. Viral is the most common, and it is also prevented by a vaccine. Fungal is pretty rare, so if someone is vaccinated against viral meningitis, which Sam would be, they likely have the bacterial kind. Anyways all of Sam's symptoms are accurate to meningitis, it is actually a very deadly disease. If you don't get treatment and hospitalization it is easy to die from it. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I had fun writing it. Please review and leave your thoughts. - K
