Chapter 4.

Kate found a suitcase that nobody was using, opened it up, emptied it on the beach, laid down a cushion from the plane and gently set Aaron down. With nothing else available to hold the infant, improvisation came second nature to Kate. She grabbed a t-shirt that she had thrown down, whipped off the sand, and soaked it with ocean water. Oh so carefully and gently, Kate began to clean the blood off of Aaron. The t-shirt stained instantly, and Kate's mind intrusively brought up Claire and the amount of blood she lost giving birth to Aaron. The images jolted Kate, and her hand slipped from the baby's forehead to his nose, and Aaron began to cry once again.

"Looks like you've got your work cut out for ya, freckles." A southern voice floated through the air.

"You've got that right," Kate mumbled under her breath. Looking at the man walking past her she noted he was strong and handsome. Shaggy dirty blonde hair and dimples to die for. Sawyer, she had learned his name was. But from what Charlie had said outside the tent before Claire died, Sawyer had already been digging around the dead bodies, looking for goodies.

"If you wanna make one of your own I'm just down the beach!" Sawyer called over his shoulder.

"Prick." Kate mumbled again, but she continued to wipe the blood off the baby.

After Kate was done, she snuggled the freshly clean infant to her chest. He was so small. Kate supported Aaron's head as she knew to do, but his little mouth was moving back and forth searching for milk Kate didn't have.

Kate's heart sank to the floor of her stomach and shattered into little pieces. This baby is doomed, the demon on Kate's shoulder stated matter-of-factly. But the angel appeared too, sad and insecure, it was a big plane… there must have been one baby on the plane who used formula…

Scrambling up as quickly as she could with a baby in her arms, Kate set out to search for Jack. The angel was right, it was a big plane and there must have been one screaming baby on it. Nearing the tent, Kate didn't know if she could enter, or if Jack was even in there. Bracing herself, she moved the curtain aside and glanced around for Jack. He wasn't there, nor was Claire's body. But the blood was. The cushions, once blue, were a deep red, so dark they almost looked black. The gore of the afterbirth still lay in the sand, as did Claire's necklace. Scanning the tent only took two seconds, but Kate felt she had been frozen for hours, staring at where her life had changed.

"He's burying her…"

Kate flinched out of her reverie and turned to see Charlie behind her, hooded and red eyed. Kate's own tears dared to fall, but she blinked them back. Don't break down. Kate had cried enough in front of these strangers, she had to be stronger than this. The angel on her shoulder nodded reassuringly, for the baby, you have to be strong. Straightening her shoulders, and glancing down at the precious infant in her arms, she let the angel's voice repeat in her head. For the baby.

"I need your help,"

"You're going to need more than help, Kate. You need a miracle," Charlie sighed, his voice echoing the demon's.

"Charlie, how many people were on this plane?"

"I dunno, loads"

"How many times have you flown on a flight this big, and there wasn't one screaming baby on the plane?"

Charlie's eyes lit up. There was a chance, a small one, but a chance.

"Find everyone willing to help, and start searching the wreckage. If there is any formula on the plane, we have to find it soon. Anything baby related, diaper bags, whatever you can find. Can you do this, Charlie?"

Charlie took off as an answer. Kate watched him run straight to a group of survivors and they all rose from the beach and walked towards the remnants of the plane. The baby was already four hours old, but his fussing had been less than Kate expected. He wailed for a while after he was born, but since then had only given out a few cries of frustration when Kate's chest didn't yield any sustenance. He had to be getting hungry.

Not knowing where Jack was, Kate walked along the edge of the forest, bouncing Aaron, hoping Jack hadn't gone far. Kate's mind was an endless swirl of fear and doubt. She shushed the baby though he wasn't making any noise. She was trying to soothe herself, as much as she was soothing Aaron. You can't do this…. You'll be just like your mother… even IF he survives, he'll hate you…. But he'll die before that happens….

"Shhhhhh…." Kate breathed slowly and tried to gain control of her brain. A list, she needed a list. One: The baby needed food. Two: Charlie and the others were looking. Three: Jack might know what to do if we can't find formula. Four: babies survived without their mothers all the time, back in the day… I can figure this out.

Just then a loud metallic sound broke through the white noise of the crashing waves. Kate froze. The metallic sound bellowed louder and louder from within the jungle Kate stood at the edge of. Almost like the noise was knocking and hissing and blowing a train whistle all at once, Kate slowly backed away from the treeline. Aaron fussed as she gripped him tightly. One foot dragged through the sand, as the jungle in front of Kate clicked and roared. Another foot back, and slowly Kate put yards between her, the baby, and the dark looming trees ahead.

The clicking noise sped up and then suddenly, the waves were all she heard. Momentarily, Kate hesitated. There was nothing in the universe that sounded like that. Was it dangerous? Kate immediately cursed herself for the idiotic thought, of course it was. Nothing that sounded like that was safe…

Kate turned to look down the beach, to see a man approaching her. He had dark skin and dark curls framing his face. He wore a short sleeve shirt unbuttoned to reveal a once white tank top.

"You heard that?" The man asked with an accent Kate couldn't place.

"Who didn't?" Kate responded, figuring everyone on the island must have heard it.

"What was that thing?"

The question was rhetorical. The man looked at Kate, then glanced at the infant in her arms and his face fell.

"We were searching the wreckage as you asked. I was stopping to get water, when the… when we heard… well… whatever it was."

"Have you found anything?" Kate's heart was pounding, knowing it had only been 15 minutes, and with the state of the wreckage, it would be unlikely to find anything this soon.

"Not yet, but don't give up hope. Before boarding, I saw a woman with a baby in line at our gate…"

Kate hadn't thought of the repercussions of finding formula she could use… what it meant.. Shaking her head, she thought once more, don't break down. For the baby.

"Thank you…." She trailed off, prompting the man to answer.

"Sayid,"

"Thank you, Sayid"

"Of course…"

"Kate. And this is Aaron"

Sayid smiled sadly at the baby, and turned to resume the search.