Jack/Sawyer fic 'Swoon' (PG)
Hey, I wrote a silly little J/S fic. Thanks so much to zelda_zee for the beta!
Title: Swoon
Pairing: Jack/Sawyer (Lost)
Synopsis: Jack can't figure out why Sawyer keeps fainting
The first time Sawyer fainted was shortly after he moved out of the hatch. Jack had given him the all-clear to return to his tent and he seemed just fine, his brush with death a fading memory.
Until he keeled over onto Hurley's tent, bringing the whole thing down with a dramatic thud.
It took so long for Sawyer to come around that he was still out by the time Charlie had dragged Jack to the beach. Jack had to push through the crowd of people to get to his patient, who blinked in confusion as he came to.
Jack cleared his throat and glared at everyone, but it wasn't until Charlie gave a loud whistle and waved the onlookers away that he was able to give his full attention to Sawyer.
"What happened?" Jack asked.
Sawyer, who was fully conscious now and grumpy as hell, snapped, "How the hell should I know? One minute I'm walkin’ down the beach, the next I'm starin’ up at your ugly mug."
Jack laughed that wry laugh of his, and carefully examined Sawyer's head for any damage as Sawyer tried to push his hands away.
"I'm fine, Doc, honest," he muttered as he sat up, brushing his hair back from his forehead, like fixing his hair would set everything right.
But Jack wasn't done with him yet. He checked if Sawyer's eyes could focus, making him shut one eye first and then the other. He leaned in close to make sure the pupils were the same size. They were.
"No sign of a concussion," Jack said as he patted Sawyer on the shoulder.
After assuring him that no, he didn't remember feeling dizzy and no, he wasn't dizzy now, Sawyer attempted to stand up. Jack reached out a hand and, gripping Sawyer's arm, helped him to his feet.
Sawyer swayed a little, but waved Jack away. "I'm fine, I'm fine," he said with an exasperated sigh. "Great job, Doc. I'm all better now." And then he stalked down the beach, away from the lingering crowd of onlookers, tossing his head, as if to say, “Yes, I am walking this off.”
Jack watched Sawyer's retreating form, noting his sure, steady stride. It was probably just the heat of the day, Jack decided, and shrugged it off as surely as Sawyer was doing.
Until the next time.
When Sawyer face-planted right into the sand disturbingly close to the ocean’s edge, Jack - who had to be called away from the hatch again - subjected him to an even more thorough examination.
"This is twice now," Jack said, forehead pursed with concern. "And you have no idea…?"
"Nope," replied Sawyer, as he rolled his eyes. "Not a one." He didn't seem particularly troubled by how often he was losing consciousness, which made Jack worry even more.
He forced Sawyer to drink some water and sit for about 20 minutes and then he half dragged, half pushed his very uncooperative patient back to the hatch.
As Sawyer sat in the bottom bunk, Jack ran him through all the tests he could think of. They didn't have a blood pressure cuff, but Jack counted off Sawyer's systolic and diastolic pressure the old-fashioned way, with his finger on Sawyer's wrist.
"Well?" Sawyer asked when he finally got his hand back.
"Seems normal," Jack admitted. He rubbed the back of his neck, which always helped him concentrate. "But just the same, I think you better stay here tonight so I can keep an eye on you."
Sawyer grumbled but in the end, he relented. He even took the food Jack insisted he eat, in case all this fainting was because of hypoglycemia.
“Quit askin' me how I feel,” Sawyer snapped at one point as Jack offered him another cookie. “I feel fine. You're like a damn mother hen, you know that?”
As the hours ticked by and Sawyer still hadn't swooned dead away, Jack suggested they both get some rest.
"Jesus, now you're tellin' me my bedtime too?" Sawyer groused. But he did seem genuinely sleepy. He shucked off his boots and shirt - keeping only his jeans on - and laid on the bed like a good boy. He closed his eyes again and was soon out. His breath came in little agitated puffs as if even in sleep he was trying to shoo Jack away.
Sawyer still slept on his good side, the one where he hadn’t been shot, Jack noticed. He couldn't help but remember the last time Sawyer was lying in this bunk, shivering and sweating in his delirium. He hadn't been at all sure of Sawyer's prognosis then and now he was arguably even less sure. Then he'd known how to read the signs, how to tell that Sawyer was improving.
Now he had no idea what the hell was going on.
Jack spent the night in a chair opposite the bunk, keeping a watchful eye on his patient. He wanted to be there if Sawyer got up and fainted in the middle of the night, but also because he wanted to make sure that Sawyer stayed put and didn't try sneaking back to the beach.
///
Jack woke to find the bunk empty. And to the aroma of freshly made coffee. He stretched, more than a little sore from spending the night in the chair. He hadn't gotten much sleep, so he hurried to the kitchen, eager for that first cup.
But instead of finding Sawyer leaning lazily against the counter, casually sipping his coffee, he saw a shock of blond hair and an outstretched hand still half-gripping a broken mug.
"Sawyer! Goddammit!" Jack rushed to his side and turned him over to check for any injuries. He cradled his unconscious patient in his arms, trying to determine if he'd hit his head or done any other damage in his fall.
Sawyer's hair was wet, but not from the coffee he'd spilled. He smelled like strawberries, which happened to be the only kind of shampoo in the hatch. Jack was beyond glad that Sawyer had somehow managed to faint on the one area rug in the kitchen.
Fortunately, he hadn’t hit his head, not that Jack could see. He wasn’t bleeding. He was just out. Again. Jack put Sawyer’s slack arm around his shoulders and dragged him back to the bunk.
He deposited a still-out Sawyer on top of the blankets and gave him another once-over. He saw now that Sawyer had cut the palm of his hand on the shards of his coffee cup. It wasn’t a deep cut and Jack felt a sense of relief that he was able to deal with at least one of Sawyer’s troubles. If only he could treat this bizarre fainting thing with as much ease.
Jack sank back into the chair where he’d spent the night, running over all the possible reasons Sawyer could be losing consciousness so frequently.
“Cleaned up your mess in the kitchen,” Locke sighed as he deposited himself in the chair opposite Jack. “Mind telling me what…”
Jack gestured toward Sawyer. “He fainted. Again.”
“Oh.” Locke looked thoughtful. “Haven’t got that figured out yet?”
“No. I haven’t,” Jack said, more than a little annoyed at the judgmental tone in Locke’s question. “At least he hasn’t seriously hurt himself so far.”
“True.” Locke took a beat before offering his own theory. “Could it be the hatch itself?”
Jack considered the idea. “But he was fine last night. He slept here all night and he was perfectly fine.”
Jack looked up to see that Hurley had joined them, along with Charlie, Jin, and Sayid who all regarded Sawyer with furrowed brows.
“Maybe it’s ley lines.” Hurley said, undaunted by Locke’s dismissive huff. “You know, they’re all over the world and they have this crazy energy and you just know this island is full of them…”
“I highly doubt that,” Locke said, shaking his head. “Pure pseudoscience. But it could be the electromagnetism in the hatch. And maybe Sawyer is just more sensitive to it than the rest of us.”
“But he was OK the whole time he was recovering from the gunshot,” Jack insisted.
“He was unconscious for most of that time,” Sayid gently pointed out. “And afterward, he moved back to the beach.”
“That’s right,” Charlie chimed in, nodding vigorously. “He didn’t start all this fainting stuff until he was back on the beach.”
“Yeah, maybe I’m allergic to sand, short stuff. You’ve cracked the case.” Sawyer had woken up and evidently been listening to them discussing his recent penchant for passing out.
Jack smiled to see Sawyer awake again, but he didn’t feel like laughing. “Let’s be serious here for a second. I can’t figure it out. Your blood pressure is fine, you don’t get dizzy, you don’t have a fever, you aren’t in any pain.”
“Well, I wouldn’t go that far, Jacko.” Sawyer said. “I’ve got all you pains in my ass hoverin’ over me 24/7 now.”
Sayid, whose calm, cool voice always carried an air of “do what I say” authority: “I have an idea. We each take turns watching Sawyer. In different parts of the island.”
“So I’m some kinda island experiment?” Sawyer huffed.
Sayid was already writing up a schedule in his Dharma notebook. “I’ll take the first watch by the caves,” he began, giving everyone their assignments without waiting for anyone else to weigh in.
Sawyer groused about being handed around like a hot potato, but in the end he threw up his hands and said, “Yeah. Whatever. Sure. If it’ll get you all off my back.”
///
Sayid reported with appropriate gravity the next morning that Sawyer had fainted again, luckily, right into Sayid’s arms. He’d kept watch over him and no harm had to come to him, he said as he handed Sawyer off to his next observer.
So it went: Every single night, and sometimes during the day, Sawyer keeled over like clockwork. It didn’t matter if he was at the beach, near the wreckage of the plane, up on the hill or anywhere else on the island.
The mood of the group grew grimmer as even Sawyer himself had to admit that he had a problem. “All I got so far is blisters from all this hikin’,” he grumbled when the What the Hell Is Going On With Sawyer group convened again. Sawyer had said he didn’t want the women commenting on his condition, thank you very much, and for once, Kate did not show up uninvited.
The Sawyer watch fell to Jack again that night, and Jack had to admit that he didn’t really trust anyone else to do the job right. Sure, Sawyer had passed out on him in the hatch, but if anyone could solve this, it was going to be him. Sawyer was his responsibility, after all.
That night, he and a very grumpy Sawyer hiked to the edge of the jungle and made camp as the last rays of the sun vanished. Jack started a fire without any help as Sawyer reached into his duffel bag and brought out a tiny bottle of tequila. He downed it in one gulp. “Cheers,” he said, handing Jack a bottle and opening another one for himself.
“Before you start lecturin’ me, hell, tell me one good reason why I shouldn’t be drinkin’. Don’t think I can fuck myself up any more ‘n’ I already am.”
“You know what I’m going to say to that.” Jack sighed and sipped from his own bottle. “I know it’s been hard. But we’ll figure it out.”
Sawyer eased his boots off, settling into his sleeping bag. “You better. Cuz this has been enough togetherness to last me a lifetime.”
Jack kept watch as Sawyer nodded off, making the tequila last as long as possible. Letting Sawyer sleep might not solve anything, but at least he’d be safe. He’d intended to stay up all night to do his duty, but his eyelids seemed to close of their own accord. He’d just rest for a few minutes.
///
A sharp cry from the jungle depths woke Jack. He sat up, heart pounding as he tried to figure out where or what the sound was and if whatever it was meant to hurt them. He glanced at Sawyer’s sleeping bag, but Sawyer wasn’t there. Shit!
Jack leapt to his feet, in a panic now. Even if it wasn't the smartest thing to do, he called Sawyer’s name, first barely above a whisper and then a little louder.
“Yeah, what, you have a nightmare, Doc?” The voice came from behind him. Jack turned to see a perfectly conscious and upright Sawyer, standing there, grinning at him. The flicker of the campfire danced in his eyes and Jack couldn’t help but shiver. It was really fucking creepy here. Why did he agree to camp out here, alone with Sawyer?
“I’m fine, by the way,” Sawyer shrugged. “Just had to take a leak.”
“How far did you go?” Jack asked, sounding like a worried parent.
“Not far. You miss me?”
“Let’s get back to the fire,” Jack suggested, beckoning for Sawyer to join him. “Sorry I dozed off there.”
“Fallin’ down on the job?” Sawyer laughed softly. “That’s supposed to be me, remember?”
The two men huddled near the fire. Jack was suddenly aware of how cold it was as he rubbed his hands together. “Here,” he said, motioning for Sawyer to come closer. “Why don’t you lean on me? I’ll stay awake for the both of us.”
Sawyer shrugged, but inched over. “You’re the boss.”
The rest of the night passed without event. Sawyer snored softly in Jack’s lap while Jack stared into the inky darkness of the jungle until it grew light.
Daybreak brought more welcome sounds to the jungle, the birds and insects emerging as the sun began to warm the ground.
Sawyer, still comfortably snoozing against Jack, gradually came to. “You make a good pillow,” he smiled as he stretched and stood up.
Jack watched his patient closely, but Sawyer never as much as swayed. “I think you fixed me, Doc,” Sawyer said as they packed up and headed back to the beach camp. “Either that or the tequila.”
Jack was a little punchy, having sacrificed sleep once again to watch over Sawyer... who was actually whistling as he walked. Jack couldn’t help shooting an envious look at him.. Surely he knew Jack was feeling that booze from the night before and was just trying to irritate him.
If he hadn’t been sleep-deprived and more than a little pissed off, he probably wouldn’t have stumbled over that tree branch and found himself eating dirt.
“What the hell, is this thing contagious?” Sawyer sounded too amused for Jack’s liking, but he let the bastard help him up.
Jack winced as he tried to stand. “Fuck, I think I twisted my ankle,” Jack sighed. “Dumb fucking luck.”
“You really oughta take better care of yourself,” Sawyer said with a grin as he put his arm around Jack’s neck. “Here, lean on me.”
Jack did as he was told and let Sawyer support him as he awkwardly tried to match his hopping with Sawyer’s loose-limbed gait. Every few steps, he tried putting weight back on the bad ankle with the same result. A sharp jolt of pain and a “tsk” from Sawyer. “Now, Doc, don’t make me carry you,” Sawyer chided him.
“Fat chance,” Jack replied through gritted teeth, before deciding the idea wasn’t a bad one. “But listen, if you want to carry me, you’ll need help.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. Can you make it back on your own and get Sayid or Hurley or someone?”
“And leave you to the jungle beasties?” Sawyer shook his head. But Jack kept insisting, so finally he left Jack leaning against a tree while he made his way back alone. He glanced over his shoulder, but Jack waved him on.
///
Jack must have dozed off while waiting for his rescuers. He didn’t know how long he’d slept, but the sun was now directly overhead. Hours must have passed he realized, and panic set in. What was he thinking, to let Sawyer walk back alone? He’d probably fallen again and cracked his head open in the middle of nowhere with no one to help him.
Jack mentally kicked himself for once again falling asleep and got to his feet. He spotted a bamboo patch not too far away. As he hobbled over to it, he was glad to see a few fallen stalks. He grabbed one and found that, with some effort, he could use it as a cane. He made steady but sure progress, cursing himself all the while for being such an idiot.
He was covered in sweat by the time he spotted the tents on the beach. “Hey!” he yelled. “Over here!” He could see a small knot of people some distance away and he waved to them. “Is Sawyer here? Is he OK?”
“Yeah,” Hurley yelled back. “He’s here. He’s OK, but he fainted again.”
Jack let out a breath of relief, followed immediately with a litany of new reasons why he was an idiot and the worst doctor of all time.
Sayid and Jin came running over. Jack’s twisted ankle was all too evident to bother explaining. The two men helped him back to the rest of the group and he saw for himself that Sawyer was out like a light. Besides a dusting of sand on his face, he looked none the worse for wear.
“And here I thought it might be over,” he sighed, sinking onto his knees to get a better look at Sawyer. He brushed some of the sand off Sawyer’s cheeks and mouth. “He was fine all last night. Not one spell. And now this…”
“Maybe it really is the beach,” Hurley said, squinting up and down the shoreline as if the cause of Sawyer’s problems were visible to the naked eye.
“He didn’t faint last night?” Sayid said thoughtfully. “But the moment he came back to the beach, he was out.”
“Right?” Hurley nodded vigorously.
Charlie sat down next to Jack and glanced from him back to Sawyer. “You know,” he began. “Maybe it’s a daylight thing. Or maybe…” he said, eyes growing big as he continued. “It’s Jack. He doesn’t ever faint around Jack.”
The men murmured and exchanged glances, each weighing the validity of Charlie’s theory.
“That’s not true,” said Jack as he settled into a more comfortable position next to Sawyer. “That night at the hatch, he passed out in the kitchen.”
“And where were you when that happened?” Sayid asked Jack.
“In the chair by the bunk bed,” Jack said. “I fell asleep and he got up before me and headed into the … oh hey, he’s awake..”
Sawyer groaned as he opened his eyes to see another group of concerned faces above him. “Figures,” he sighed, sitting up and shaking the sand out of his hair. “Lights out again, huh?”
Sayid rubbed his beard thoughtfully. “We seem to have a working theory. Jack, for some reason, Sawyer does not have these fainting spells when you’re near him. But if you are separated by even a few yards, it would seem…”
Jack scoffed, “How is that even possible?”
“Wait, Ali, you’re sayin’ that Jack is the cure to all my troubles?” Sawyer looked from Jack’s puzzled face to Sayid’s serious one and burst into laughter. “Great, I’ll just tether myself to the Doc here and I’ll be right as rain.”
Jack shook his head, also collapsing in laughter. And then something occurred to him. “Wait a minute. What was that Locke said about electromagnetism?”
“That it’s in the hatch, dummy,” Sawyer said as he stood up and continued to de-sand himself.
Jack closed his eyes. “What if it is some kind of electromagnetic thing? I’ve never been able to wear a watch.” He looked first at Sawyer, then at Sayid as the idea took hold in him. “You know how watches just don’t work on some people? It’s because of electrical currents in the body…”
“You’re sayin’ you and me got some kind of animal magnetism thing goin’ on?” Sawyer said with a smile as he sat back on his heels. “Cuz, I’m flattered, but…”
“Yes! Didn’t I say it was ley lines?” Hurley interrupted him excitedly. “They must be in people too. I said it was some kind of energy thing, didn’t I?” He and Charlie argued about exactly how that might work, their voices growing increasingly louder.
Sawyer raised his hand, signaling that he was bowing out of the discussion and retreated to the relative quiet of his tent. Slowly the group dispersed, still hotly debating the ins and outs of Jack’s apparently healing energy field.
Jack was glad to see them go, feeling possibly even more ridiculous than Sawyer had about being the center of attention. Well, it was his own theory, wasn’t it? He wished he’d kept his mouth shut. He could have just kept an eye on Sawyer, hovering discreetly in the background, if this electrical thing was true.
Sun wrapped Jack’s bad ankle and Jin helped him back to their tent, which they offered for the night so he wouldn’t have to walk all the way back to the hatch. He could also use some quiet. And sleep. He really needed to sleep. Although he really should go check on Sawyer… who had just poked his head into the tent.
Sawyer held out another airplane bottle of booze. “Figured you could use a nightcap. Even if it ain’t exactly night yet.”
Jack laughed. “Sure, why not?” He should really say something to Sawyer about this bizarre situation, but instead he just accepted the bottle and downed the tequila.
“I was gonna offer you my tent.. Or my airplane seat, seein’ as you’re injured and all,” Sawyer said as he sat next to Jack. “And seein’ as how you’re my goddamn electrical guardian angel or whatever.”
“Am I?” Jack couldn’t help grinning. “I know it’s pretty weird, but…”
“But, shut up,” Sawyer said as he ran one finger over Jack’s lips, a gesture that sent a jolt to every nerve in Jack’s body. “How about you get some sleep and I’ll watch over you this time?”
“Yeah.” Jack breathed just the one word before Sawyer’s lips met his.