dimples, james "sawyer" ford

thirteen

the journey through the jungle was long and grueling, especially for sawyer, whose condition was worsening by the minute. every step felt heavier than the last, the pain in his shoulder radiating through his entire body. jin and michael had to help him walk, their pace slowing as they moved deeper into the forest.

ana lucia led the way, her pace quick and purposeful, as though she had no patience for weakness. she didn't say much, and when she did speak, it was in short, clipped sentences. there was a hardness to her, a soldier's edge, and sawyer could tell she was someone who had seen her share of suffering.

after what felt like hours, they finally reached a clearing in the jungle. in the middle stood a small, rundown station, half-buried in the ground. it had the same eerie, industrial look as the hatch back at their camp—the kind of place that didn't belong on an island.

"the arrow," ana lucia said, gesturing to the station. "we've been staying here. safe enough for now."

sawyer scanned the faces of the people moving around the station. they looked ragged, like they'd been through hell, but alive. he searched each one, his eyes scanning for someone—anyone—who might be lana. his heart pounded in his chest, his pulse quickening with a mixture of hope and fear.

but there was no sign of her. none of these people looked familiar. he felt the pit in his stomach widen as the possibility that lana might still be alive dwindled.

"she's not here, is she?" he muttered under his breath.

ana lucia turned to him, her brows furrowing. "who?"

sawyer shook his head, not wanting to explain. his mind was swimming with the possibility of her being with other survivors, but it was crushed. how the hell could she be gone?

"there was a girl," he said finally, his voice low. "on the plane. she was with me. brunette, mid-20s, lana carlson. did any of you see her?"

ana lucia's face was unreadable, but she shook her head slowly. "no. i'm sorry." she spoke quietly.

sawyer felt a wave of nausea hit him, the mixture of pain and despair almost too much to bear. his vision blurred, the heat of the jungle pressing in on him. he stumbled forward, his hand clutching his shoulder as the pain flared again.

michael caught him just before he collapsed, his face full of concern. "sawyer, we need to get you to a doctor."

ana lucia glanced at sawyer's wound, her expression unreadable. "there's someone back at your camp—a doctor?"

sawyer nodded weakly. "jack."

"then we move," ana lucia said firmly, already turning to lead the way.

the journey back to the main camp felt like a blur. sawyer was barely conscious, the fever burning through him as they carried him through the jungle. his mind wandered in and out of dark places, memories of lana haunting him with every step.

why hadn't he protected her? why hadn't he found her? the guilt gnawed at him, twisting the knife even deeper.

by the time they reached the camp, sawyer was barely able to stand. jack and kate were already rushing toward them, their faces a mixture of shock and relief. jack knelt by his side, immediately assessing the wound.

"he's lost a lot of blood," jack said, his voice tense. "we need to get him into the hatch, now."

the low hum of machinery echoed through the dimly lit hallway as sawyer was carried into the hatch. jack and kate were quick and methodical, setting him down on the bottom bed of the bunk in the main room.

sawyer's breathing was shallow, his skin pale, beads of sweat clinging to his forehead. the wound on his shoulder had become infected, red and angry, a clear sign that time was running out.

jack worked swiftly, gathering supplies to clean and close the wound, while kate hovered nearby, her eyes filled with concern. the tension in the room was palpable, but jack remained calm, his hands steady as he prepared to treat sawyer.

"he's burning up," jack muttered, frowning as he felt sawyer's feverish skin. "i need to cool him down before this infection gets any worse."

as jack started to clean the wound, sawyer stirred, his body jerking slightly as if reacting to the pain, even in his unconscious state. his lips moved, barely audible at first, just soft murmurs, but then, as jack worked deeper into the wound, his voice grew louder.

"no... lana..."

kate stiffened, her brow furrowing. jack looked up, his face a mixture of curiosity and focus. "lana?" he glanced back at kate as he pressed a hand gently on sawyer's chest, keeping him still as he continued to treat the wound. "was that the girl on the plane with him?"

"yeah." kate said simply, sadness lacing her tone.

jack pressed his lips together as he finished stitching the wound. "there. that should do it. but we're not out of the woods yet. he's going to need antibiotics, and we need to keep the wound clean." he glanced at kate, his expression serious. "he's tough, but we'll see how his body handles it."

hours passed, and the fever slowly began to break. jack checked on sawyer periodically, making sure the wound was healing properly and the infection wasn't spreading.

at one point, sawyer stirred again, this time groaning softly as his eyelids fluttered open. he blinked against the dim light, his head swimming as he tried to make sense of where he was.

"easy," jack's voice came from somewhere beside him. "you're in the hatch. you're safe."

sawyer groaned again, his hand instinctively moving to his shoulder. the pain was still there, duller now, but enough to remind him of what had happened. he glanced around, his vision still blurry.

kate walked forward, her face coming into view. "you had us worried."

he grunted, attempting to sit up, but jack was quick to stop him. "not so fast," jack said firmly, pushing him back onto the bed. "you need to rest."

sawyer's eyes narrowed, his natural stubbornness flaring up even in his weakened state. "rest is for the weak," he muttered, his lips curling into a faint, familiar smirk.

kate let out a small laugh, relieved to see that some of his usual attitude had returned. "same old sawyer."