"Desmond?"
"Can I have a word, sir?"
"Walk with me," Charles says, and they go into the rest room. As Charles relieves himself, he says, "Your word, let's have it."
"I need to get in touch with Penny. I don't know how to reach her and her phone's been disconnected."
"There was a time when if you'd have asked her to marry you, I'm certain she would have said yes." He zips up. As he washes, he says, "I take it you've had second thoughts, you'd like her to give you another chance."
"Why do you hate me so much?"
"It's not me who hates you. Here's her address. I'll let her tell you herself." He hands Desmond a card with Penny's address on it and leaves the men's room without turning off the water.
Desmond reaches for the faucet, but there is nothing there.
"Desmond," George says and puts a hand on his shoulder, "I know, it's getting harder. It starts happening faster, too."
The three of them move through the hall and Desmond asks George how this happened to him.
"We were anchored here, waiting for our orders, bored out of our minds. Me and Brandon, he's one of the crew members, we took out the ship's tender. We just wanted to see the island. But Brandon started acting crazy, so we had to turn around."
"Where is he?" Desmond asks.
"In a body bag."
They go into the radio room and find the destroyed equipment.
"Who did this?" Sayid asks.
"You got me," George says. "But when the captain finds out, I feel sor-" George collapses. Desmond goes to him.
"After your call," Sayid says, "someone is going to have to tell me precisely what is going on." Sayid goes over the equipment.
"Can you fix it?" Desmond asks.
"I need a minute." Sayid sees a red phone. "Do you have the number to make the call?"
George starts seizing.
"Desmond," Sayid says, "do you know the number?"
Desmond says no.
"Well you better remember it." Sayid connects the phone to a flashlight battery.
Desmond sees a calendar with X'd out days. "It's 2004?"
"I didn't realize it was almost Christmas." Sayid notices that Desmond's nose is bleeding.
George seizes again and says, "I can't get back," then dies.
"What happened to him?" Sayid asks.
"The same thing that's going to happen to me."
The Phone Number
Water overflows the sink in the bathroom and Desmond gets up off the floor and turns it off. He splashes water on his face and picks up the card with Penny's address.Desmond goes to 423 Cheyne Walk and bangs on the door. Penny answers and asks what he's doing there.
"I tried to call you, but you disconnected your phone."
"Yeah, because I moved. I don't know if you're getting the signals, but I'm trying to make a clean break from you, Desmond, so if you don't mind," she tries to close the door, but Desmond stops her.
"Penny, wait, I just need to get your new phone number."
"Why would I give you that?"
"I made a huge mistake. I never should have broken up with you. I know that now and I'm sorry."
"Don't," Penny says and tries again to shut the door.
"I know it's too late to change things, but I need to tell you something. I want you to listen to me. I know it sounds ridiculous. Please, Pen, I need you to listen to me."
She lets him in and says, "Just say what you need to say and go."
"I know this doesn't make any sense, because it doesn't make sense to me. Look, eight years from now, I need to call you and I can't call you if I don't have your number."
"What?"
"Look, Penny, just give me your number. I know I've ruined things. I know you think things are over between us, but they're not. If there is any part of you that still believes in us, just give me the number."
"What's to say you won't call me tonight or tomorrow?"
"I won't call for eight years, December 24, 2004, Christmas Eve. I promise. Please, Pen."
"If I give you the number will you leave?"
"Aye."
"79460893"
Desmond begins repeating the number and Penny says, "All that and you're not going to write it down?"
"It wouldn't do any good. You have to keep that number, you can't change it."
Penny throws him out and he says, "I'm not crazy, Penny, you have to believe me! You have to trust me!"
"I do trust you," Sayid says, "but you still have to remember that number."
"79460893, it's a London number."
"Excellent timing," Sayid says. "The patch is done, but I don't know how long the battery will last."
Sayid gives Desmond the phone. It rings several times. Penny anxiously picks up.
"Penny?"
"Desmond?"
As Desmond walks away from Penny's house, he smiles.
"Pen, you answered."
"Des, where are you?" There is a fancy Christmas tree and lots of present behind Penny.
"I'm on a boat. I've been on an island. Oh my God, Pen, is that really you?"
"Yes, it's me."
"You believed me. You still care about me."
"I've been looking for you for three years. I know about the island. I've been doing research." The connection begins to break up. "And then when I spoke to your friend, Charlie, I knew you were still alive. That's when I knew I wasn't crazy. Des, are you still there?"
"Yes, yes I'm here. Can you hear me?"
"Yeah, yeah, that's better."
"I love you, Penny. I've always loved you. I'm so sorry. I love you."
"I love you too."
"I don't know where I am."
"I'll find you, Des."
"I won't give up."
"I promise."
"I promise."
"I love you," they both say at the same time. The phone goes dead.
"I'm sorry, power source went dead. That's all we have," Sayid says.
"Thank you, Sayid," Desmond says and shakes his hand. "It was enough."
"Are you alright now?"
"Aye. I'm perfect."
