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Post by Skinner Jones on Jun 13, 2008 20:58:07 GMT -5
Skinner chuckled, pausing with Jack to let the group pass. "Well I'm more of Scotch myself," she said, chuckling a bit. Her besty back in Sydney, Skeeter (that was entertaining enough, Skinner and Skeeter) had always bar hopped with Skinner on Saturday nights. That was until she got married. That was a bachelorette party Skinner would never forget.
Skinner watched the people chat and make talk and she sighed. She looked over at Jack with solemn eyes, knowing he was thinkign the same thing. "We should be gone by now," she said in an undertone.
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Post by Jack Shephard on Jun 13, 2008 21:11:54 GMT -5
Jack nodded. "Yep, but, we aren't, so I'm not going to dwell on it anymore. I'm sure everyone else is doing enough dwelling for us all. I'd rather find ways to keep going until rescue does get here, yeah?" Jack let the branch go and they continued to walk near the back of the group. He felt like he had been really antagonistic towards her, and unfairly. He wracked his brain for something else to talk about.
"So, I was only in Sydney long enough to pick up my Dad and get on another plane back. Besides the home life, how would you appraise Australia? The people seem friendly enough anyhow." Jack figured Skinner wasn't stupid enough to just fall for a change of subject, but thought, like earlier, she might at least appreciate the effort.
Jack wondered where Sarah was now. If she was with the man that had driven them apart. The faded jealousy still left it's scorched mark on him, but it was just a dull glowing ember now, not really anything violent, as it had once been. He had led her astray. It was his own fault. He had pushed her further and further until she fell right in to some one else's arms. He sighed deeply, waiting for Skinner's response.
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Post by Skinner Jones on Jun 13, 2008 21:18:25 GMT -5
Skinner nodded and swallowed, looking around. Teh air was so humid you could drown in it, and she felt the beads of sweat trail over her scar on her back. That scar that broke her and then made her stronger. She dashed the thoughts, cocking her head at his change of subject and chuckling at it.
"Australia is amazing," she mused. "Great surfs. Greater people. Wonderful lifestyle. I would have loved to stay." And she would have. The thoughts flashed her back to Erik. Where was he now? What was he doing? Probably in a bed somewhere, an Aussie blonde wrapped around him tighter than a spring. The thought made her want to puke and she felt her face darken with the thoughts.
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Post by Jack Shephard on Jun 13, 2008 21:25:22 GMT -5
"Ah, well, that's good, I suppose." Jack had only surfed once in his life, in Thailand. The thought made his mood darken, and the same seemed to have happened to Skinner, oddly. He kept walking in silence, and before long they were at the water source again, which at least lightened his own mood.
"I really am starting to think everyone should move and set up camp here, if rescue doesn't come soon." Jack went to fill his own bottles and yelled at a couple teenagers who were drinking straight from the river. Well, at least we'll know now, he thought, looking at Skinner and shrugging.
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Post by Skinner Jones on Jun 13, 2008 22:45:52 GMT -5
Skinner flinched at the two teens, but it was true that they'd at least now know if the water was contaminated or not.
"Perhaps we should. It would make it easier for everyone and it's cooler here too, better for us with all the sweet food." She was no expert, but actually she sort of was. Hot fruit and heated water and jsut everything hot did nothing for the digestive system, especially when the system wasn't used to the foreign food.
She noticed the change in Jack's mood and sighed softl.y It seemed both of them had a few parts of their pasts they had to confront. Like it or not.
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Post by Jack Shephard on Jun 13, 2008 23:09:01 GMT -5
Jack nodded. "Yeah, I think this could work really well. We should check out the caves all the same, make sure that no animals or anything are in there first, you know?" Jack hopped quickly across the stream at one of it's smaller areas and walked towards the open cave mouth, turning to locate Skinner at the last moment.
"Well, you coming or what? I might need someone to protect me if there's a tiger or something." Jack laughed and it echoed in the cave, coming back to him. This sobered him up a bit, and he looked in to the cave gravely. He wouldn't say it out loud or ever admit to it later, but if Skinner or anyone else didn't volunteer to come with, he probably would not have gone in.
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Post by Skinner Jones on Jun 14, 2008 9:19:52 GMT -5
Skinner chuckled and nodded. "I'll be your fearless companion on the near death trip then, Indiana Jones." She laughed and shook her head, but she would have insisted to go whether or not he asked. There was no point in letting someone go out there alone, especially when the territory was unknown. Plus, he was the doctor and the group wouldn't last long without a doctor.
"So, I've pretty much spilled my guts to ya, mate. What about yourself?" she asked, prepared to be rejected. Jack, like herself and her father, gave that 'don't-sh*t-with-me' vibe, but Skinner knew how to handle herself. She had for 20 odd years. How ironic.
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Post by Jack Shephard on Jun 14, 2008 10:49:26 GMT -5
Jack had told only one other person on the island about his past. Kate. Of course Kate. He wasn't sure if he was ready to tell someone else, although he felt obligated now that she had done the same for him, so he opened his mouth to give her the short version. "Well, I was a young idiot, and a woman came in with massive spinal injuries... All she asked me was to fix her so she could dance on her wedding day. She was engaged. Guy ran off when I told him what would more likely be the case, that she'd be paralyzed for the rest of her life. In comes that miracle and suddenly she's fine."
"She's fine and I am the only one there to comfort her, and... and we fall in love, and she does dance on our wedding day." Jack had a far off look in his eyes as he remembered how special the day had been, even if everything that followed had been dark. "I... let her slip away. I was too busy, came home late, I pushed her away. She started seeing someone else, and when she told me, I somehow got it in to my head that it was my dad."
Jack laughed at how stupid he sounded, but pushed on. If she wanted to know, she'd know. "So we got a divorce, and then my dad is so slobbering drunk that he goofs up a surgery, and it's my job to report him. He loses his license and takes off for Australia out of nowhere, then we get a call a few days later that he's dead."
Jack took a few tentative steps in to the cave.
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Post by Jack Shephard on Jun 14, 2008 10:54:43 GMT -5
Jack had told only one other person on the island about his past. Kate. Of course Kate. He wasn't sure if he was ready to tell someone else, although he felt obligated now that she had done the same for him, so he opened his mouth to give her the short version. "Well, I was a young idiot, and a woman came in with massive spinal injuries... All she asked me was to fix her so she could dance on her wedding day. She was engaged. Guy ran off when I told him what would more likely be the case, that she'd be paralyzed for the rest of her life. In comes that miracle and suddenly she's fine."
"She's fine and I am the only one there to comfort her, and... and we fall in love, and she does dance on our wedding day." Jack had a far off look in his eyes as he remembered how special the day had been, even if everything that followed had been dark. "I... let her slip away. I was too busy, came home late, I pushed her away. She started seeing someone else, and when she told me, I somehow got it in to my head that it was my dad."
Jack laughed at how stupid he sounded, but pushed on. If she wanted to know, she'd know. "So we got a divorce, and then my dad is so slobbering drunk that he goofs up a surgery, and it's my job to report him. He loses his license and takes off for Australia out of nowhere, then we get a call a few days later that he's dead."
Jack took a few tentative steps in to the cave.
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Post by Skinner Jones on Jun 14, 2008 10:55:10 GMT -5
Skinner listened to his story and nodded, biting her lip a tad. She looked over, then walked forward some more, thinking of what to say. Should she comfort him? Or not? She was never a good comfort, even before Erik and that whole mess made it worse. She knew that. And besides, Jack probably didn't want pity or sympathy, just acknowledgement of what had happened, like her.
She rested a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it lightly, then removed it. "I'm sorry, but I'm no good at this sympathy and emotional sh*t. I know I'm a girl and should be better, but I'm really not. My own mother said I have the emotional span of a teasthingy. But, I'm sorry. I'm not giving you pity, cause I know that's prolly not what you want. I'm just a....wall with an ear if you ever want to talk," she said, offering a bit of a smile.
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Post by Jack Shephard on Jun 14, 2008 20:55:02 GMT -5
"It's all good. I didn't really want to talk about it anyhow, but you asked, so I figured I would, since you opened up to me so nicely before." Jack smiled but it was erased by the darkness of the cave. He felt his way along the wall and called out, feeling and hearing his voice echo back to him.
"Seems abandoned," he said, shrugging and looking back at Skinner. As he said it his hand came upon something hard and grimy feeling, small and round. He turned to see himself holding a bone, which was connected to one of two full skeletons.
"HOLY..." It wasn't that skeletons scared him, he had obviously seen more than one, being a surgeon. It had certainly caught him off guard. "Well, looks like there was SOMEone here, I don't think they'll mind if we all move out here, how about you?"
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Post by Skinner Jones on Jun 14, 2008 21:02:13 GMT -5
Skinner laughed a bit, watching him jump at the skeleton. "Scared are we?" she teased, walking over. They looked rahter recently, which freaked her out a tad, but not enough to bother her. "I would what decomposed these fellas," she asked, peering at them. Suddenly however, her stomach wrenched.
She swallowed, but felt that salty feeling arise and she ran to the mouth of the cave, puking in a nearby bush. What was going on? She wasn't a squeamish person by far, and she knew it. She never puked, but the was the second time in a week. She trembled a bit, but then walked back to Jack. She shook a bit, but leaned on the cave wall. She racked her brain, trying to figure it out. Then her face paled, or what color was left.
"Jack, it's the third week of September isn't it?" she asked in a soft shaky voice.
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Post by Jack Shephard on Jun 14, 2008 23:10:37 GMT -5
Jack pushed through some thoughts on what that question might mean and tried to just answer her with a simple yes, but he had heard the wretching, and as it had immediately followed her making fun of him for making fun of her, he had other ideas.
"Yeah, obviously Skinner. So then, you let the bruiser give you one last going away gift before you left for your new life, huh?" Jack shook his head on disbelief. The injuries had been one thing. He hadn't even read about delivering babies in God knows how long. Not that it mattered he realized. Well not for her. Claire was a different story though. She could go any day now.
"Come on, let's get you back to the beach, Skinner. You should get some rest and get out of the Sun, are your bottles filled? Give me your pack, I'll carry it."
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Post by Skinner Jones on Jun 14, 2008 23:15:08 GMT -5
"What? WHAT?!" Skinner growled, shaking her head. "It's nothing. I'm not...I'm..." she could say the word. "Look. i've been stressed. It's perfectly normal. Give me my pack back."
She snatched the pack, a rather hasty and angry manner. She wasn't. Couldn't' have been. She was on the pill anyways. Well, until....Oh God. The panic set in and she grasped the pack tight to her back, walking hastily out of the cave. She couldn't be. It wouldn't happen. She wouldn't let it.
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Post by Jack Shephard on Jun 15, 2008 8:00:57 GMT -5
Jack growled frustratedly as Skinner walked out, insisting on carrying her pack. If she was their second pregnant woman on the island, there was a whole new list of crap to deal with. Jack was worried enough about having to deliver Claire's baby, and more worried that Claire's baby would be stillborn. It still hadn't kicked, and the meaning of that was looming larger and larger to Jack with each passing day.
Jack followed Skinner out of the cave and put a hand on the bag, unceremoniously yanking it from her grasp, and continuing to walk. "I insist." He said through gritted teeth. He walked on at a better clip to put a bit of distance between them, swinging this new bag around his arm so he could carry it in front of his body, oddly enough like one of those baby carriers you see in Los Angeles all day. He had the other bag on his back, which personally made him think he looked a bit like a tortoise, but he was in no mood to laugh at the moment.
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