The Bridge

“Jack?….” She doesn’t believe it at first. She doesn’t believe it now. He’s pulling at the oxygen mask around his face, she can see his growing frustration as the white bands tangle in his hand. She tries to shout for help, as she reaches over and pulls the mask away from his face with ease, but her voice wont come. Then suddenly she’s ushered out of the room, she cant remember how Doctor Williams came in, but she did, and she led her our of the door, she could see her lips moving but couldn’t make out the words as she gazed from her to Jack. Then suddenly she’d left her side and she was left in the isolated corridor that seemed to go on forever.

The nurses and doctors now surround his bed and all she can do is watch, and wait. The window she’s looking through seems smaller, as she struggles to see what exactly is happening. She tilts her head to see more but of course it doesn’t work, it’s a subconscious movement and as she pulls away from the window- almost as if she was trying to look at the bigger picture, not a close up version, a nurse leaves the room. She turns and tries to ask what’s happening but she hasn’t heard and is already down the corridor that’s just as dimly lit as the first day she came.

Sighing she sits back down on the row on cushioned seats and waits.

Apparently he can see visitors and for a brief second she contemplates just leaving and going home; her son his waiting, but it just doesn’t seem right, after all they’ve been through together she owes him this.

The door creaks open and she sees his head turn swiftly; he doesn’t say anything at first, she doesn’t move from the door and she knows all he can see is her shadowed figure. The room is unusually dark, the blinds down and with the only light coming from the corridor she knows he doesn’t recognise her.

Taking a few steps forward though and it seems that everything comes back to him, every memory of her, every scent, every touch. He looks away; ashamed, but not sorry. Then the words are falling out of her mouth, and the words make a sentence and the sentence an impact as his face turns back, crumpled, and he looks so young and lost. So she repeats them;

“Why did you do it?...why did you jump?” Her words are more forceful this time, not a jumbled mess, that was racing to get out. She needs an answer, an explanation, a reason.

His head turns slowly, his eyes met hers, locking in a forceful glare and she knows he doesn’t want to tell her, she knows he has changed and this is not the same man that talked so easily on the island. But, to her surprise he does speak, the words are dripping with truth and honesty and she turns away. She cant face it, she knows it’s the truth but she also knows that with it comes lies. She knows there has to be a balance between these two things, and there is. For she is the lie and he is the truth, but its hard coping with it, and it shows on him, on his actions. Who’d have thought a lie was so easily kept?

She stares for a few seconds and sighs, he turns away again, her head is in her hands and the room is silent, just the ticking of the outside clock disrupts the peace, but still, its too quiet for her and that only makes her go over his words.

“Why did you do it?...why did you jump?”

“…because were living a lie…Aaron’s not your son, were not the only survivors. We left people behind and I-I was supposed to save them all! I was supposed to convince people that the boat was safe and it was- it was our way home. Kate, we have to find them.”

“Kate…Kate!” His voice breaks her thoughts and she turns to him, words waiting on his lips but she cant look into his eyes. They were supposed to leave. “We have to find them, Kate. Kate? We have to do this….are you even lis-”

“But they don’t want to be found!” She’s practically screaming the words now. Why cant he understand? Why cant he see what she sees; a life, a fresh start?

The door opening breaks her thoughts and the first thing that does come to mind is Aaron, and that’s when she knows that he’s wrong. She is that little boys mother, she loves him like a mother. She walks towards him and although she wants to fight the thought of not giving him that kiss on the cheek, she does it anyway. “Goodbye Jack” Her words are simple, the stone cold look on her face says it all; this is goodbye.

He nods and now he realises that he was too stubborn, he was always to busy and he now does realise that still; he doesn’t have anything to live for. He doesn’t have her. He cant do it without her either, he cant find them alone, because he isn’t the hero. In the worlds eyes, she is.

She hears that he’s gotten better and has been realised from hospital, she doesn’t call or even think of calling. Neither does she visit or even think of visiting. The only thing she does do is nod at the car that sits across the road when she’s taking Aaron to school. Its never there when she comes back, but someday she would like to think it is. She has a very good coffee machine and before she leaves for the school run she sets two mugs on the worktop just in case. She doesn’t know how this started, it still puzzles her as everyday she performs this act, this ritual.

Though only one is ever drank from, and now only one gets placed out, as she herself begins to wake up from the fairy tales that she’s never believed in.

He’s not going to come. He never was. He never is.

Its Saturday today, which means no school, but a car is parked on the other side of the road. A person is sat waiting inside of it, is sat contemplating whether or not to come in. Though Kate doesn’t know this yet. All she knows is that he’s coming. That he says he’s coming.

“Hey, that looks good…” Kate bends down to Aaron and ruffles his hair as she looks at the colouring he’s doing, apparently deep in concentration as his tongue points out one side of his mouth. “…your doing a great job colouring in the lines”

“….There are no lions” He points out, as his head turns to the sound of the door bell, before turning back puzzled to his colouring. Nope, no lions, just spaceships.

“Okay honey, you keep colouring, mommy has a friend coming” Getting up from her current position, by the coffee table in the living room, she hurries to the door before pulling it back and smiling at the person standing there. “Hi, come on in”

“Thanks, so erm, how’s…”

“Aaron? Yeah he’s great, he’s just colouring…” It feels weird to her, although probably even more to him, and as she looks him up and down, she thinks to herself; he looks good. Better than she expected. She knows it hard to start again, but he seems fine. “So …how do you like your coffee?” She glances sideways at the man now leaning against the worktop, words rolling effortlessly off his tongue as she picks up the large pot and pours the black mixture into the mugs.

“Black, no sugar” He speaks although he knows she‘ll never hear him. She cant, and its not her fault. He’s the only one to blame.

“I heard about Jack…I’m sorry y’know I di-”

“Like me? Yeah, I know” He smiles to himself. He can listen in on every conversation and no one will know, but there are still some he doesn’t like to hear. Like the ones on a Friday night, when she puts Aaron to bed and returns back to the empty living room. Just her and the TV that screams blaring noise out, but she likes it like that, it drowns out her sobs. He also hates the ones when he hears her wishes and all he can do is kick himself that he didn’t make them come true. He wasn’t her fairytale.

“Sawyer please, I don’t want to talk about it” She smiles as she hands the mug to him and he simply nods. He understands. Aaron immediately runs in, clutching his colouring book with both hands before proudly showing off the masterpiece.

“Wow!” Kate gasps, “You did a great job colouring in all those lines”

“There are no lions! There are no lions!...Just spaceships” Aaron shouts, looking up at Kate, face scowled before stomping out. Kate rolls her eyes at Sawyer, who is grinning at the little boy.

And now this really isn’t an illusion or a dream, he really is asleep, in which he will be forever, never dreaming or never waking.

They say the reason why someone comes back from the dead it for unfinished business; a restless soul. And he is. He’s supposed to fix this, to make it better, but now, for some reason its harder than before. Its personal and he cant unattach himself from the person; from her, as soon as he’s made her whole again. He has to watch over her, to make sure that she’s safe and cared for. And he could have done this, if he didn’t…but he did, and he supposes this ended were it began; the bridge.

He doesn’t sway this time, he doesn’t even try and make sense of what he’s about to do, but he does let that lingering fear in, but just before it goes and he steps down- which he doesn’t want to do, he falls.

“One… two… three… four…” He doesn’t hear his body hit the pavement with the most haunting thud and crack, but the women on the bridge does and every time she closes her eyes, she sees him stood counting. Then she blinks, and he’s gone. Her voice breaks as she runs to were he once stood, cursing herself for closing her eyes for the briefest of seconds. She cant bring herself to look down at the mangled and broken body that lies motionless. But as she walks away, her legs shaking and mind racing, she does think to herself; this really did end were it began. The Bridge.

Ok, I know you probably all hate me now :P But there was nothing going on between Sawyer and Kate. I promise. It was to say that they found the islanders. But if you’re a skater, you can always wonder ;) So…that’s the end. How was it? Yes Jack jumped off the bridge and died, I know, but nothing ever ends happily ever after does it? Any questions don’t hesitate to ask, I will answer the best I can. Thanks to everyone that has read and who has reviewed this. Your great :D