Hurley helps Richard make his peace with Isabella, says they must stop the man in black

Back in the present, Richard makes his way back to the ruins where he digs up Isabella's gold cross. He looks up and starts yelling that he was wrong and that he changed his mind. He's opening that the man in black (Locke in this time) will hear him.

He turns around to find Hurley instead who tells him that Isabella sent him and she wants to know why he buried her cross. Hurley says that she is standing right next to Richard and that he'll tell Richard what she says. She wants him to close his eyes, just like she told him to do when she was dying.

She tells Richard that it is not his fault that she died and it was just her time. She says that he has suffered enough and when he says that he misses her, she says that they are already together. Isabella then disappears.

Hurley then tells Richard that she said one more thing. She said that they have to stop the man in black from leaving the island or "We all go to hell." We then see an extra-wide shot where we can see Locke looking over the valley where the are.

Again the question is, what havoc will be unleashed if Locke (the man in black) successfully leaves the island?

Richard gives the man in black a white stone, buries Isabella's gold cross

Richard returns to the ruins where the man in black is waiting. The man immediately knows that Richard didn't kill Jacob and then Richard gives him a white stone from Jacob. The stone is like the one the man in black (Locke) threw into the ocean in "The Substitute."

The man in black tells Richard that if he ever changes his mind, the deal he offered to give him Isabella back will still stand. He then gives Richard Isabella's gold cross which he says he found in the Black Rock. When Richard looks back up, the man in black has disappeared.

Richard goes over to an old stone bench and digs a small hole in front of it and buries the gold cross.

Richard is in jail, Father Suarez denies forgiveness after confession

We next see Richard in a jail cell reading a Bible. A priest named Father Suarez enters and brings him some food. Suarez asks to see his Bible and then realizes that it is in English. Richard reveals that he has been teaching himself English and he and Isabella were planning to travel to the New World to start a family and a new life.

Father Suarez then asks for Richard's confession. Richard confesses to killing the doctor and asks for forgiveness, but Suarez refuses to grant him absolution. Richard declares that the incident was an accident, but the Father says that it was not. He continues saying the only way to return to grace is through penance, which Richard does not have time for because he is going to be hanged. Father Suarez ends with "I'm afraid the devil awaits you in hell."

It's an interesting bit of info that Richard was planning to go to America. We can see in the scene that Richard is wearing Isabella's gold cross which is important throughout this episode. We also start to see why Richard calls the island hell, because he was supposed to end up in hell according to the priest.

Richard accidentally kills doctor, gets medicine for Isabella

Richard rides through the rain in the night until he reaches the doctor's house. Richard enters the house against the wishes of the servant. The doctor is sitting at a table eating and refuses to go see Richard's wife because they live near El Socorro, which is a half day journey away.

The doctor says that he has medicine that will help though, but it is expensive. He goes to the cabinet to get the medicine, but then realizes that Richard does not have enough money. Richard offers him Isabella's gold cross and tells him "now you have everything." The doctor throws it on the ground as says that it is worthless. Richard grabs it from the floor and begs the doctor for help.

They struggle as Richard grabs the medicine and he pushes the doctor who hits his head on the table. As the doctor bleeds on the floor, Richard panics and runs out of the house with the medicine past the servant.

So we see here, that Richard is another person who came to the island with a dark past. He is another person that Jacob hopes will show the man in black that all people are not corruptible once they are given a fresh start. Later in the episode, we see that struggle pull Richard between dark and light.

Richard in Tenerife, Canary Islands, 1867, Isabella is very sick

In Richard's first official flashback, we are taken to Spanish island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands in the year 1867. He is riding a horse to his modest home where is wife Isabella is.

When he enters his home, his wife Isabella is sick in bed. He dampens a cloth to cool her head and when she coughs on the cloth, he sees blood on it. He tells her that he's going to get a doctor and he'll be back before dawn.

Richard gathers all the coins they have and says that he hopes it will be enough. Isabella takes the necklace from around her neck with a cross and tells him to give it to the doctor. Richard resists, but takes it. She tells him to closes his eyes and that they will always be together. He kisses her cheek and tells her "I will save you," then leaves.

Isabella telling him to close his eyes will be revisited and will be pivotal later in the episode when Hurley is talking to Richard.