he's going the distance, he's going for speed

[new_ophelia]

"Sam!"

She knew this day would come, but it seems too early. He's still so little and she should have more time to prepare, mentally and strategically. It shouldn't be this way. She's supposed to have more time.

There's just no way Sam should be able to unclip his leash already.

It's like every bad made for TV movie Kate's ever seen. She only left him

Comments

[legendarymadman]

It isn't exactly a rare thing to find Kate flailing around in the jungle, but that doesn't mean Geoffrey doesn't pay attention to it. After all, she's Kate, and she'll never not be Kate. He might tease, but he always pays attention.

"What's wrong?" he says when he finally locates her by the sound of her voice. "What's he done?"

Geoffrey suspects it involves a hammer.

[new_ophelia]

She whirls around, no doubt looking crazy as hell as she manages to grit out, "He unclipped his leash and he ran off and now he is gone. He was in the yard and now he's just gone and there are beasts in the jungle, Geoffrey."

[legendarymadman]

He thinks about telling her that most of the beasts of this particular jungle are actually small enough to creep into their houses at night, but that's probably not helpful. Especially when Sam is small enough to be eaten by a snake.

"Okay, well, Duck went thattaway this morning," he says, pointing up the path, "so I'd say odds are good Sam wandered in that direction."

They'll find him, or someone nearby will. After all, he's small and can't have gotten far.

"How long's he been gone?"

[new_ophelia]

"Like twenty minutes," she moans, scrubbing her hands over her face. "I tried your place and the rec center and off the path some and I keep calling for him and when we get him back I'm having Duck build me a pen for him."

[moraldyslexic]

Lennox wasn't exactly in any shape to carry Sam with him, not when he was still struggling with the crutches, but he had managed to convince the little boy that following him was a great game and was hobbling down the boardwalk when he heard Kate's voice.

"It's okay!" he called back, stumbling to a stop when Sam made a grab for one of the crutches. "Kate, I found him! We're on the boardwalk. He's playing with my crutches."

[new_ophelia]

Kate sprints at a dead run when she hears Jim calling. She skitters to a stop a couple of yards away, eyes wide as she takes in her intact and not-eaten son.

"Jesus," she moans, dropping to a crouch, face buried in her hands. "Jesus."

[moraldyslexic]

Sam looked at his mom, his eyes a little wide and Lennox tried to drop a hand to his head, trying to be reassuring. "Hey, it's okay," he said, wishing he could just go to her, but he was still having enough trouble with the crutches that he wasn't sure he wouldn't just fall on her. "Kate, it's okay. He's fine. Come on. Come over here."

[new_ophelia]

Kate takes another moment to mutter the most creative curse words into her hands as she can think of before straightening back up.

It won't do any good if she strangles Sam after having finally found him.

"Sam," she forces out, kneeling down next to him. She pushes a hand through his curls and takes a deep breath. "You do not leave the yard without me. You know that. You do not do that."

Sam stares, bottom lip starting to jut out as he does a perfect impression of Jack when he was in trouble.

[aminorkey]

Peter isn't sure that a young boy by name of Sam Crew ought to be part of the wildlife and so when he discovers him amidst the trees, he crouches down and picks him right up. "And where do you think you're going, hm?" he wonders, adjusting him in his arms and heading towards the sound of shouting. "Kate," he shouts right back. "Kate, we're right here."

[new_ophelia]

"Oh Christ," Kate breathes, running towards the sound of Peter's voice. "Oh god. Where was he? Where did you find him?"

She immediately runs her hands all over Sam until she's absolutely certain that he hasn't been mauled or something.

[aminorkey]

Peter comes out of the woods and extends Sam with both strong hands, giving him a light wiggle to try and elicit a smile from both mother and son. "He's perfectly fine. I think he was merely contemplating the wildlife. A true jungle boy, this one."

[new_ophelia]

"Oh my God he was in the jungle?" she cries, voice growing higher in pitch with each word. "He could have been mauled by a boar! Sam that is so bad."

[the_nsa_agent]

Casey found the kid on the trail of a bird. He didn't see any adults around and hoped he hadn't shown up on the island alone, though he wouldn't say such a thing would be a surprise.

"Hey, little guy," he said, taking the kid's attention once the bird had flown away. He heard the yelling then, and added, "I'm guessing you're the 'Sam' in question here, huh?"

[new_ophelia]

Sam is a little hesitant about the stranger but manages a tiny wave and a quiet, "Hi."

Kate, on the other hand, is still crashing around, yelling her head off as she grows more and more frantic with every passing second. Sam could be mauled by a boar.

[the_nsa_agent]

"Hi." Casey kind of liked kids, when they weren't obnoxious. This one seemed to have a sense of adventure, wandering on his own in the jungle like he was, and Casey approved of that. "Is that your mom yelling for you?"

"I've got a stray kid over here!" he yelled back.

[new_ophelia]

Sam nods after a moment, pointing out in the direction of Kate's frantic shouting and says, solemnly, "Momma."

"Oh God, Sam!" Kate pants, skidding to a stop in front of a guy she doesn't know. She drops to her knees and looks him over. "What are you doing out here, huh?"

[vendettaevey]

Rollo didn't walk on a leash, but Evey did tend to take him for walks every day, if only to make sure he didn't decide to be highly mischevous and begin chasing cats again. Today they were walking near the small waterfall so Rollo could splash in the water if he liked.

"You really are an overgrown puppy," she told him affectionately, then stopped short as he dashed off into the undergrowth barking. Generally that meant he'd spotted a cat, so she followed him, only to find nothing resembling a cat.

"Sam Crew, where is your mother?" she asked the little boy, who was currently giggling as Rollo sniffed him.

[new_ophelia]

Kate's throat is almost raw from screaming her head off. The worst idea she can come up with is that he's gone to the waterfall so her feet turn at take her that way.

She can deal with anything but that.

"Sam!" she yells, feet pounding along the path.

[vendettaevey]

Rollo perked up at the faint voice, which caused Evey to do so as well. If Rollo heard something, he generally meant it.

"Kate! We're over here," she called back as loud as she possibly could. "He's safe!!"

[new_ophelia]

A familiar voice and safe is all she needs to hear. She sprints up the path and into the jungle, coming to a dead stop when she sees them.

"God, was he in here?" she asks with a horrified moan.