Work Text:
The plane lurched, bouncing to and fro in the turbulent air. Airplanes had always made Shannon feel sick and anxious, but after her last flight she truly could not get off of this plane fast enough. The turbulence subsided, but her panic continued to escalate. Sure, she’d been on plenty of flights, especially as a teenager. She’d bummed all around the world on planes because there was always somewhere else to run to and more cash to burn.
However, now she silently vowed to herself to never take another flight again as long as she could help it. The only things she could think of were the sounds of Flight 815 as it broke in half–the awful shriek of the metal being torn apart from itself, the screams, the awful sound of the rushing wind as they fell… she shut her eyes as tightly as she could, trying to force air into her lungs. When the plane had fallen, she’d had a really hard time getting the oxygen bag over her nose and mouth. Boone had had to help her, but not without an irritated scowl at her for his trouble. There had been a few awful moments where she’d truly thought she would suffocate.
Crap. She’d packed her inhaler in her suitcase, not her purse. And of course she’d stored her suitcase in the compartment above the aisle. How could she have been so stupid?! Same old Shannon, not thinking things through. This realization only served to make her panic even more as she slipped into more of her old habits. Her breathing became irregular and shallow as she started to hyperventilate.
Sayid spoke quietly, knowing she would not want attention called to her fear. “Shannon, take my hand.”
She shook her head. “I can’t,” a tear slid down her cheek as she gripped the armrest.
“You can,” he gently pulled her fingers off of the armrest and interlaced his fingers with hers, pushing the armrest out of the way. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. “You need to breathe, sweetheart.”
“I know,” she wheezed. “Help me. Please.”
“Just like that time on the island. Remember how Jack showed you to breathe then? In through your nose and out through your mouth, like this,” he demonstrated. “You can do it.”
Shannon nodded and sucked in a shuddering breath through her nose. She felt a little better as she exhaled, squeezing Sayid’s hand. Her breathing calmed slowly but surely and she offered him a weak smile. “Thank you.”
He smiled back thinly, unnerved by the plane as well. His thumb stroked the back of her hand. He had his eyes shut tight, his face in a grimace. “Of course. Did you bring your inhaler?”
“Yeah. But it’s in the overhead compartment.”
He forced his eyes open, swallowed hard, and moved to stand. “I’ll get it. Which pocket is it in?”
Maintaining her grip on his hand, she pulled him back down into his seat. “Don’t get up.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Why not? You could use it.”
“Do you remember what happened to the people in the aisle when we crashed?” Her voice was shaky and her eyes wide.
Oh. That was what had her so concerned. He nodded, understanding her trepidation. “I do.”
She sighed. “I guess I’ll just have to wait. I can do it.”
“All right.” He sat down and pulled her close, stroking a hand up and down her arm as she rested her head on his shoulder. Sayid closed his eyes, leaning his head atop hers, each taking comfort in the other’s presence.