Stepping out of my tent for the first time in a few days, I was at the point where I wanted to venture beyond the same walls I had been staring at for the past forty-eight hours. After tossing and turning most of the night, I was feeling a little stir-crazy and found I needed a desperate change of scenery before I completely lost my mind.

Breathing in the tropical humid air, I took a few small collective steps through the sand. It was

mostly to test how steady I was after lying in bed for hours at a time and not walking around.

After a few minutes, I realized I had found a pace where I wouldn't pull out my stitches or fall flat on my face in front of everyone. Instead, I acted like this was just another day on the island, waving to a few people as I walked by.

I ignored their somewhat surprised looks and focused on reaching the edge of the beach where sand and water met. It felt like it took a lot longer to get there considering my body felt stiffer than usual from lack of movement. As I made my way down towards the beach, I could feel the slight tug against the bandage. I had injured myself a number of times throughout the years, although this was my first surgery where someone removed one of my organs.

Casting my blue eyes toward the endless water was more of a view than I had been expecting. How calming the water could be despite how many times I had looked, swam, and rowed a boat around an island that could either heal or fatally injure you.

I was feeling the latter, which was oddly concerning since we were preparing to leave all of this behind. There would be no more time jumping, living in tents, scavenging, planting our own food, or killing each other to protect ourselves.

"Good, you're up." James greeted, his dirty blonde hair blowing across his shoulders. I should have been surprised he had found me standing there, but somehow I wasn't. It seemed like on this island you were never really alone even when you thought you were. "Except I'm pretty sure you're supposed to be resting." His lips pulled into an amused smile as he teased me. I wasn't really in the mood to smile, but I appreciated him for trying. "I kind of feel like I threw you under the bus the other night."

"You didn't." It took me a minute to recall what he was going on about when I recalled a slight image of me being in pain and him telling Kate and Jack where he had found me. I held up a hand to stop him from talking while placing my hand back by my side to steady myself. "I kind of walked into that one when I walked away from camp."

"I wish you would have told me what was going on," James muttered under his breath, following behind me as I made my way back up the beach. I half expected him to follow me into the tent. Instead, he headed off in the other direction while shaking his head. I didn't think much of it as I worked my way towards my bed.

"Juliet, can you hear me?" The next thing I knew, Jack was beside me. I couldn't seem to respond to him, his voice floating through temporary darkness. I felt his fingers tenderly pressing against my wrist for a pulse. "Her pulse is thready and her blood pressure is low" He seemed to be talking to somebody else in the tent now as he unwrapped the cuff from my arm. My brain seemed extremely foggy and I couldn't make out who it was at first.

"What caused her low blood pressure?" Luckily, I didn't have to wait too long to find out. I could pick that drawl out from almost anywhere. James' tone was laced with apprehension while posing the question to Jack. At the same time, I was having this sort of out-of-body experience while listening to their conversation and not having the energy to open my eyes and

communicate with them.

"She refused pain medication after her surgery. I'd say there's a pretty high chance she's in more pain than she's letting on. That and standing up after days of lying down in her bed is a sure way to get yourself to pass out. Help me get her back into bed." It was quiet for a few seconds before they shuffled around me. I felt them grasp my arms and legs as they gently lowered me back into bed. By the time the blanket had been placed over me, I could feel myself no longer able to stay conscious. By the time I stirred again, I was at a loss for how much time had passed. This time I could open my eyes, even though it took a few minutes before I woke up enough to move around in bed.

"Hey, take it easy." Jack pushed against my shoulders and I tried to sit up. " You passed out while you were up, so I want you resting until the medication I gave you brings your blood pressure back up.

"I'm beginning to understand why you couldn't stay still after your surgery." Fighting the urge to tell him I was fine, I tapped my fingers against the blanket instead. It was just as well. I knew the advice he was telling me was true. I knew it well with my own patients. "Why you had to chase down that chopper. It's not easy to stay still when you're limited in what you can do while recovering."

"Were you feeling any dizziness or pain when you walked down to the beach?"

"Only when I stared out at the ocean. The more I watched the waves drawing back and forth, the more nauseated they made me feel, so I decided to go back to my tent and lie down."

"What about when you first woke up?"

"No, I was fine." My voice came out quieter this time. Maybe it was my adrenaline failing me after having surgery, the anticipation of wanting to recover so I could see my family again, or the drugs pumping through my veins as I stared up at the ceiling. "It was like the island was warning me I wasn't leaving.