A Friend In Need [Desmond]

[leandra]

Leandra was walking through the jungle. It was one of the many places they tried to avoid alone, but she had been having a bad moment and felt she needed some time away from the rest of the survivors camp. It was warm, the sun was shining down on her. If she found a nice spot of clear area she may even consider lying in the sun for a while.

She had no real idea how long they had been stuck on the Island for. She knew Jack who'd taken control of everything probably knew how long they had been there for, but she tended to not take it in. She wasn't happy at being stranded on the Island. Her initial reaction was of complete horror. The thought of not being able to buy new clothes and make-up when she felt like horrified her. However she wasn't totally insensitive, and she knew that everybody was in the same position as she was. So she didn't make her feelings openly known, at least not that often. In fact it was during these moments when she took off on her own, much like now.

However lost in her own thoughts, she wasn't exactly watching where she was going, and soon her feet tripped over something. She tried to steady herself but it was no use, down she went hard, hitting her arm and her forehead off one of the trees with a force. She ended up in a heap on the ground with her left leg twisted under her right leg. The pain was unimaginable. She tried to stand up, but winced and slumped back to the ground again.

Then she noticed the blood running down her arm, and tried to wipe it away then she saw the wound was a lot worse than she thought and her head started to ache, she went all dizzy and everything turned black.

[Desmond Hume]

It was probably mid-day when Desmond left the group of survivors back at the beach to go collect some more wood for a fire later. They had been running low, and Desmond decided he'd try and go search for some alone. He didn't mind being alone. The beach was full of craziness and people always were running around complaining about something, or just causing commotions. Desmond hadn't ever longed for rescue as much as he had this week. Everything was hectic. So walking through the jungle seemed like a good idea.

As he wandered through the thick grass and trees, he stumbled upon a broken branch. It had snapped off the tree, falling nearly 30 feet or so. It wasn't very thick, probably just had a 5 inch diameter, and had broke off into several pieces. Desmond had gotten lucky. He picked up some of the wood, and continued on through the jungle. It wasn't much fun, though. There was something very scary and frightening about it that sent chills down Desmond's spine everytime he heard grass moving from the wind or leave cracking because of some tiny rodent.

It wasn't long before Desmond found another source of wood. This time, however, the wood hadn't been broken into smaller pieces. Luckily, Desmond was able to hit it against a large tree and break off some thin pieces for more firewood. It was also good that the wood seemed very dry, and able to burn better. His hands were somewhat full of heavy wood, so he grabbed his backpack and stuffed it inside, leaving only two small pieces of wood for him to carry. From there, Desmond went off to find good twigs and extremely thin wood to help start the fire. After he finally had enough wood, he began to head back.

He walked a few hundred yards when he heard a loud noise. He quickly turned his head to the direction of the sound, but it was useless. The huge weeds and trees blocked any sight of what it was. He continued on, but heard someone moaning. He hurried over through the jungle, knocking down bamboo sticks and other tall bushes of grass as he did. He'd finally reached whoever was moaning. It was a woman As he drew near, he recognized her as someone from back at the camp. She had blonde hair, and was somewhat tall by the looks of it.

It didn't take long for Desmond to realize that she was injured. Her arm was bleeding, and her head had a little blood dripping down it as well. She must have hit it on something and busted it. He dropped his bag and pile of wood in his arms, rushing to her side to help get her back to the beach. "Are you alright? C'mon, we need to get you back to camp. It's a pretty far walk, I'll have to carry you. What happened?" His main concern for the woman was to get her to Jack, who was a doctor. Her arm definitely needed some stitches, and her head might need a few as well. Desmond didn't even know her, but he felt very worried.

[leandra]

Leandra had no idea how long she had blacked out for obviously, but the first thing she remembered after she had fallen was some guy's voice asking some questions. She was still dazed by the smack to her head, and she tried to focus on who was leaning over her. After a couple of attempts she noticed it was Desmond Hume. The lovely Scottish guy who joined the camp after a few days. She didn't know much about him other than he was found manning one of the Hatches Locke had found. But she remembered that he seemed a nice guy and always seemed to be looking out for the other survivors.

She tried to speak to him to answer his questions, but her throat was dry from lying in the heat blacked out for however long it had been. She coughed a couple of times and then licked her lips to try and get some saliva worked up, so she could find her voice again. She smiled as he lifted her up into his strong arms. The kind lovely man she thought.

"I feel sick and dizzy" was her reply to his question about how she was feeling. She didn't know if it were the pain from her arm, her head or her ankle which was making her feel sick, or if it was the whole lot, but she just knew that she might not come walking through the jungle again unless she was with someone, or was at least watching where she was going.

What happened he asked, what had happened? All she knew was she was walking through the jungle thinking about how she wished she was back home and the next thing she knew she was on the ground. "I..I'm not sure, was walking, tripped, that's all I remember" she said in a rusty voice as her throat still seemed very dry. "Thank you for helping me" she finished as she continued to lie in his arms and closed her eyes to dry and close out some of the pain she was feeling.

[Desmond Hume]

Desmond reached in the side pocket of his bag, pulling out a bottle of water that he thought he might need after carrying a lot of wood and hiking for a while. He opened it, and propped her up so that he could pour some water in her mouth and make sure she didn't dehydrate from the heat. As he let her drink some water, he smiled and said, "You must've fallen pretty hard. You probably need several stitches on your arm and head. Is anything else hurt?" He looked at the blonde-haired woman and smiled, trying to make her feel better and not worry about her injuries. She must have tripped and cut her arm on a tiny branch from a tree. After asking her if she hurt anything else, he realized that her ankle was swollen, and very bruised.

Desmond knew that he needed something to prevent further bleeding. He ripped off the end of his shirt, and then tied it around her would. He helped lift her up, and put her arm around his shoulder so that he could help her walk back to the beach. As he began walking with her, he realized that he didn't even know her name. "If you don't mind me asking, what is your name. You seem familiar, but I can't put my finger on it." He smiled at her again, continuing on with her as he waited for her to reply. She seemed a bit dizzy, probably caused from a concussion. He didn't want her to lose conscience again, but he figured she would be able to stay with him.

[leandra]

Leah was really grateful for Desmond's kind help, if he hadn't come along when he had, she could have been there for hours without any help. She was also grateful he gave her his water, because her mouth had become so dry. She sipped some until she felt her mouth feeling moist and her thirst was quenched. She smiled up at him when he asked her the questions. "I did fall really hard, it hurt like hell" she replied and then laughed a little and then winced when the laugh hurt her head. When he asked if anything else was hurt, she nodded her head and looked down toward her ankle. "I think I sprained my ankle badly too"

He ripped his shirt so that he could tie it around the wound on her arm. She felt safe and secure with Desmond helping her to walk, he had his arm quite strongly wrapped around her, and she was able to hobble along with him. When he asked her name, she smiled, it was easy to forget everybody's names at the beach, as most days it was crazy. "I'm Leandra" she began softly, and coughed again "Leandra Mason" she continued, "And I know you're Desmond Hume, I've heard Jack talk about you" she explained with a smile.

She thought back to what he said before "do you really think I need stitches?" she asked in worried tones, because she wasn't too keen on the idea, but she knew if it needed doing, then she'd have to go along with it.

[Desmond Hume]

"Well, I'm no doctor, but I'd say your cut is fairly deep. But don't worry, Jack will take care of you. He is very good at what he does." Desmond gave Leandra a reassuring smile and continued helping her walk through the thick jungle of the island. The vines and tall bamboo sticks often got very annoying after a while. Everybody on the island probably agreed to that. Everything in the jungle was practically concealed by all of the tall grass, plants, and huge trees, so if you got off track from your group, it was very difficult to find them.

Desmond looked back at Leandra. "Jack's been talking about me, then, eh? What did he say?" Desmond grinned. He was just being curious, trying to keep Leandra from thinking about the pain in her head and arm. Her ankle probably hurt pretty bad too. Desmond looked forward, only seeing thick jungle in front of him. They still had a while to go before they would get back to the beach, but Desmond was hurrying as much as he could so that Leah's arm could be souchered {sp?} and so that she could lay down to keep from being more dizzy.

"So, what was a girl like you doing out in the jungle all by herself? Most people don't like coming out here alone. It is pretty dangerous, you know," Desmond said after a few moments of silence. He didn't think that Leandra would be the type of woman who would walk around in thick grass and trees, nevertheless be attacked by the "monster." But then again, Desmond wasn't one to assume things; perhaps this girl was different from all of the other classy blondes on the island. That seemed reasonable. Maybe she just liked to get away sometimes like he did.

[leandra]

[ooc: Are we going to need Jack to post in this thread? Or cuz its a flashback just speak for Jack instead? Not sure how it works - oh and you spell it sutured - since you had a spelling check ]

Leah shuddered when Desmond confirmed she'd need stitches, but she knew herself that Jack would take good care of her. But it was also nice to hear Desmond say it as well. She looked up at him and smiled when he spoke. "I know Jack will take care of me, he took care of everybody when we first crashed" she said in rusty tones, her throat still very dry and sore.

She gave a small smile as he asked what Jack had been saying about him, "I can't remember everything, but just that you were a great guy who had been more than welcome to join camp and help us" she said again voice still very dry. She knew he was continuing to ask her questions to keep her conscious, but her throat was very sore from the dryness in her mouth.

He had asked the inevitable question she knew he would ask, how come she was out in the jungle by herself, when nobody usually dared venture out. She didn't know if telling him she was fed up with life on the Island would make her come across as one of these pampered bitches. But she realised that she couldn't lie to him. "I was just having an off day. I know everybody is in the same situation" she began and had to cough a couple of times, "But sometimes I wish I were back in civilisation and rather than bring anybody down, I come away to be with my own thoughts" she finished coughing again.

She really hoped he wouldn't think any less of her for needing to get away from the other survivors from time to time. It was just something she felt she had to do. It was great that Jack had taken control of everything, but sometimes it was just complete chaos at the beach, and you did just need to get away. She could see that they still had quite a way to go, and as much as Desmond was helping her to walk, her ankle was getting sorer and sorer, now she wasn't sure if she had cracked a bone as well as sprained it. Suddenly her ankle gave way and down she went with a cry of pain. "My ankle, I don't think I can walk on it anymore, I need to stop"

[Desmond Hume]

[Nah, I don't think we need Jack to be in the thread. Besides, by the time Desmond and Leah make it back to the beach, the thread will probably be ending soon.]

Desmond knew exactly what Leah meant when she said that she needed to get away from the rest of the island. After all, isn't that what he had been doing when he left to get firewood? He smiled at Leah. She seemed different from the rest of the women on the island. Desmond liked that. "I understand. Besides, I do the same thing when I have a lot on my mind. You know, although the jungle is filled with wild polar bears, boars, and a destructive monster, it is rather peaceful. It helps you get stuff off your mind, and lets you think about other things. Plus, there are a lot of people who do the same thing we do. Everything's just...hectic." He continued walking with her for a while, enjoying her company. Leah made Desmond feel comforted. He could tell that they could be friends.

He heard Leah tell him that her ankle gave way, and she came to a halt, nearly falling to the ground. Desmond caught her, and gently lay her down. He took another look at her ankle. It was purple, and very swollen. He didn't realize how much it had swelled until now. The sun was scorching, even though the tall trees gave some shade. He didn't want Leah to dehydrate, so he handed her a bottle of water. "Drink some more water. We need to keep ourselves hydrated. I'll take another look at your ankle." Desmond didn't want to scare Leah or anything, but from the looks of it, the ankle must've been broken. Sprains wouldn't be this bad. "Leah, your ankle looks like it might be broken. I'm sorry, I didn't realize that it must be very painful walking on it." He felt a little guilty for making her walk such a long time on an ankle that was practically black. He reached down to Leandra's shoe, pulling it off to release any pressure that might cause more pain.

[leandra]

[ooc: That's cool with me Desmond]

Leah felt comforted when Desmond said he did the same, come out to the jungle to be with his own thoughts. It made her feel good knowing that he felt the same way about things. Yes the jungle could be dangerous, but for all it's dangers it could be very peaceful at the same time.

"I'm glad you understand, although if I were to see any of those, or hear that monster, I'd likely run a mile" She was being serious too. It was alright to come out here and be with your thoughts, but it was another thing to be here when the creatures or smoke monster was about. She was at least thankful that she never bumped into any of them.

She felt as if she had really bonded with Desmond while he was helping her out of the jungle back to Jack for medical attention. He seemed very nice and had a calming affect, he also had the most wonderful smile. Yes she could see them becoming very good and close friends, which was wonderful, Leah never had a friend like that before and she didn't have any siblings either. Desmond could be like a brother for her.

She winced in pain as he lowered her down onto the grass, even though he had done it gently, her ankle was now giving her so much pain. She took some of the water that he handed to her, she was really thirsty, so she really needed it. "Thanks Desmond" she said simply as she sipped away at the water bottle. She blanched when he said it looked like she had broken her ankle, but she was beginning to wonder, because it was more painful than a sprain ought to be. "I thought it was getting too painful for a sprain" she replied, as some tears smarted at her eyes again.

"It's really painful" she said again as he removed her shoe, and she cried out with the pain again as he took the shoe off. "I'm sorry" she said, through her frustration and tears, "I'm sorry you're having to deal with all this" she said gently.

[Desmond Hume]

"Its no problem, really. I just want to help. Sometimes, I just feel useless back at the beach," he said as he lay the shoe on the ground. There was no ice to slow the swelling, nor were there any water bottles that were cold. The heat made the water in his backpack warm. He looked around, but he saw nothing that he could use to help her wounds. Then again, their wasn't much in the jungle that could help a broken ankle. And he definitely wasn't an expert on herbs and other plants. All he could think to do was keep her foot propped up on something. He saw a log, and rolled it over toward Leandra. "Here. I know this won't do much, but you should try and keep your foot rested. Walking on it or putting pressure on it will just make it worse." He gently pulled her ankle up onto the top of the large chunk of wood, and stood up.

He wasn't sure whether or not he should go back to the beach for help. It was still a long distance away, and he decided not to leave Leandra by herself. After thinking for a bit, he just continued talking with her, to get her mind off the pain. "Keep drinking water. That's what Jack would say." Desmond smiled, laughing a bit. Jack was right, though. Drinking water was essential. It was far too easy to get dehydrated on the island. The humidity in the air made sweat stream down the side of Desmond's face. He was shocked that he didn't ever have a sunburn from the heat.

Desmond looked up, but the sky was covered with the canopy of the trees. Still, Desmond had a strange feeling that it was going to rain. And on this island, it never sprinkled. The water droplets came down like a waterfall, soaking a person in a matter of seconds. "I think it might rain soon." Even though it was a bad time for a shower, Desmond really enjoyed the rain, and it felt good as it touched his skin. He reached down and picked up his water bottle, taking a few sips from it before he put it back in his backpack. "Personally, I really like the rain. It feels...good," he said, staring up at the sky that was covered by leaves. He smiled at Leandra. She was very easy to talk to.

[leandra]

She couldn't help but smile at him. He was doing so much to help her and didn't seem to let any of it bother him one little bit. He really was an easy going guy. She could definitely relate to him she thought. She could see herself introducing Desmond as her brother. "Well I just want you to know I really appreciate it" she said smiling, but saying it through gritted teeth as the pain was continuing to take hold of her.

He pulled a log over and told her to rest her ankle on it, which she did, still continuing to smile at him. The pain was pretty unbearable, but what could they do? She couldn't walk very far, and well by the looks of it, he wasn't for leaving her, so she just had to put up with it, at least until she was able to walk on it again, although it seemed unlikely. "You're amazing" she said softly to Desmond, between taking sips of the water.

Yeah Jack would say that too, keep drinking water. You can't dehydrate. She managed to laugh a little when Desmond said that about Jack. "Yeah, that's true" she replied and laughing a little again. She felt so comfortable and at ease with Desmond, it really was like she was with her big brother who was being very protective of her. Something she had always wanted.

"Right now I'd relish rain, I'm so hot" she said when he spoke of rain possibly coming. She knew that when it rained on the Island, it rained. I came down in sheets and you were soaked through within seconds. Normally she would be hating it, she never liked going anywhere at home in the rain, but on this Island she relished it.

She leaned against Desmond, "So have you any siblings?" she asked him with a smile, thinking she should try and keep the conversation going between them, because the pain being so severe she was worried she'd pass out.

[Desmond Hume]

"Three. All brothers, though. I haven't seen them since--" Desmond froze. He hadn't talked to them in over 4 to 5 years. He felt ashamed, but continued. "Well, in a long time." He looked down, but looked up at Leandra with a reassuring smile. The swelling in her ankle was going down, but not by much. But a little was a lot in Desmond's mind. He was glad to see that just resting her foot helped. As Desmond cared for er ankle, he realized that she still had two other wounds. Her head had a small bump, but luckily the bleeding had stopped. The side of her head had a streak of dried blood. He took a look at her arm. If they stayed in the forest too long, there was a chance that her cut could be infected, which wouldn't be good.

"How's your arm?" Desmond didn't realize how much of a stupid question that was until he asked it. Her arm needed stitches. It obviously wasn't just okay. He needed to get her back to the beach, but by the looks of it, they still had a little ways to go before they would get back to the other castaways and find Jack to sew her wounds. Desmond opened the cap of his bottled water and took another drink. It was almost empty, and as he looked over at Leandra he realized hers was too. If they waited any longer, they would drink all of their water before they made it back to the beach.

"We should probably get going again before we run out of water. Wouldn't want to dehydrate before we got you to Jack. Do you think you can manage to walk on your ankle a little bit longer?" He didn't want to rush her, but it was important that they continued back to the beach. As he took another small sip of water, he realized how dirty he was. Sweat rolled down the side of his face, and he knew that his face probably had a streak of dirt across it. But, that was the price he paid for wandering in the jungle. It was always so hot and humid, and you could never make a trip through it without nearly overheating. When he got back and helped Leandra get treated for her wounds, he'd definitely go to the caves and bathe himself with the freshwater. And his clothes.

[leandra]

She smiled when he said how many brothers he had, it must have been nice to have siblings to grow up with she thought. She was an only child and she felt it in many ways. It would have been nice to have at least one older brother looking out for her, but she didn't have that luck.

"You're lucky, I don't have any siblings, always wanted a big brother to protect me and look out for me" she said with sad eyes and a sad smile. She looked up at him with much admiration, if she could, she would take him as a brother in a heartbeat. But right at this moment, she didn't think it was the right time to say so for fear of scaring the poor bloke half to death.

She winced a little when he asked how her arm was, she knew he was only asking to be kind, and she thought it was very sweet of him the way he had taken care of her so far. "It's still very painful" she replied honestly, even though she was trying not to show the pain. Her head was aching also, she put her hand up to where she'd smacked it, and although the blood seemed to have stopped her head was painfully sore.

She knew he was right about being out there too long, it was very bad to dehydrate and they had finished all their water, so they really ought to be making a move again. When he asked if she would be able to walk some more, she weakly nodded her head. "I think that should be alright, if you can support me again" she said to him gently and looking up at him as if in total awe of the man who had been her saviour.

[Desmond Hume]

"Believe me, its definitely not the greatest thing in the world. But brothers do make you tough, I guess." He smiled when he finished, and then started to help Leandra up. They could probably make it back in decent time if they hurried. It would be getting dark soon, and would be difficult to find their way through the jungle if they didn't get back to camp. Putting his arm around her back, he helped her again as they wandered on through the trees.

As they started back to the beach again, Desmond's prediction came true. Nearly in a split second, a rush of rain began pouring onto Desmond and Leandra. Almost immediately, the two of them were soaked, covered in water. Desmond's long hair lay flat now, but still matted. A few large strands of hair came forward, covering over his eyes. He pushed it aside, and started talking. "Well, look on the bright side. It isn't as hot anymore. Just wet." He laughed a bit.

Desmond had to admit, he rather enjoyed the fact that it was raining again. He wasn't too big on the heat, or even warm weather for that matter. The cool droplets of water hitting his skin felt good. His soaking clothes made him want to jump in a pool of water. As he continued conversing with Leandra, his shoes trekked through many puddles, and an occasional mud pit. Within the first few minutes, his shoe was nearly covered in mud. Luckily, the rain washed it off over a matter of seconds.

He was anxious to get back to the beach now. Leandra needed to be treated, but with her wounds, it was hard for each of them to go at a speedy pace. He didn't mind, though. Leandra was different from the others. She helped Desmond get his mind off of things. And somebody to talk to. Of course, there were some of his other friends, such as Charlie, Jack, and Hurley. And even Kate as well. But he enjoyed the fact that he had made a new friend.

[leandra]

"Well maybe for you it wasn't such a great thing" Leandra started to say with a small smile, "but I always wondered if I would have turned out slightly different and more sure of myself if I had an older brother looking out for me" she tried to explain, as she kept wincing at the pain she was in from just about everywhere on her body. Her head ached, her arm ached and her ankle was basically throbbing. It was difficult to try and ignore it.

They started to make moves back to the beach again, while the pain in Leandra's ankle wasn't quite so sore from the rest she had, but even still every step caused her to wince, but she realised the sooner they got back to the beach to Jack the better she would feel when he could treat her. Just as Desmond predicted the rain started soaking them through in a matter of minutes. She laughed a little at his remark about it not being so hot anymore, just wet. Actually the rain was rather refreshing and welcoming to her. She had been so very hot and so sore, the rain seemed to be soothing her if that was possible.

"It's fine, actually I feel as if the rain is helping slightly" she replied with a small smile. Her hair had come loose from the tied back pony tail she had in and was now slapping against the sides of her face.

Even though she was hurt and soaked through to the skin, it was fun being with Desmond, getting to know somebody knew and building a relationship with him. After what he had done for her he would be one of her closest friends from now on, that she was almost sure of.