'Twas a quiet day on sleepy Montressor. Up at the Doppler mansion, Amelia and Delbert were playing games with their children, while down at the Benbow Inn, Jim Hawkins and his mother, Sarah-as well as John Silver-were busy serving their customers.
Now, the reason Silver was now working at the Benbow was due to the fact that everyone-including Captain Amelia, amazingly enough-had finally forgiven Silver his past. Jim had to talk-and rather quickly at that-with Amelia (as well as holding her back from trying to kill him at first) for over an hour to finally have her see reason. Eventually, she overcame her suspicions and decided to make peace with the likeable ex-pirate. That was not to say that she hadn't been quite the skeptic in the first few weeks of his stay. But that was soon put aside, after a rather harrying incident where Silver had saved her daughter, Amanda, from being bitten by a Montressor pit viper. Silver now was gainfully employed as the chief cook down at the Benbow Inn, a job he was most suited to and heartily enjoyed.
At the Inn that moment, Silver made his way over to a table, carrying a steaming dish on a tray. "Ah now… here yeh go, lass. Try that now," he said to the pretty girl who sat at the table as he lay the dish before her. She took up her spoon, and took a dainty bite. "Mmmm! Lovely as always, Mr. Silver," she told the cyborg, giving him the benefit of her winsome smile.
Jim appeared a moment later, and sidled up to the now beaming Silver. "Flirting with Miss Catherine again, Silver?" he asked, grinning.
"Why, what's this yer sayin'? I'll have yeh know I was just servin' me customers, Jimbo," Silver declared piously. He grinned, giving Jim a wink, before returning to the kitchen.
Later, after the Inn had closed for the day, Sarah sat down wearily, yet satisfied. "What a day," she remarked, smiling as Silver thoughtfully gave her a glass of cool water. Jim then entered the room, wiping his hands on a towel. "It seems that the Doctor will be arriving tomorrow, Mom," he informed them, looked down at a letter he now held in his hand.
"Oh? An' just why might that be?" Silver inquired, just a bit suspicious.
"Oh, just a routine visit for our annual check-ups, Silver. You know, to make sure we´re all 'right as rain' as the Captain might put it," Jim assured his big friend.
"Huh. This doctor o' your's… is he any good?" Silver asked, frowning.
"Of course! The very same one who looked after Amelia after her injuries on Treasure Planet," Jim said. "The Captain was up walking around in only a week, although it was with a crutch, mind you."
"Speak o' the devil," Silver said with a grin, and hooked a thumb toward the door, where the Dopplers had just arrived.
"Evening, Captain!" Jim said brightly.
Amelia nodded shortly in reply. "Good evening, Mr. Hawkins," she said.
"Oh, Amelia… care to guess which doctor is coming by tomorrow?" Sarah teased.
"Ah, but it wouldn't be our Dr. Dana Dunkley now would it, by chance?" Amelia guessed.
"Glory be… yer Doc's a woman?" Silver sputtered, looking over at Sarah in near panic.
"What? She´s a good doctor, Mr. Silver, I assure you," Amelia assured him, pausing to touch her left side gently. "However, I do think that I should inform you that she is quite strict. Allow me to give you an example: The good Doctor said I wasn't allowed to move out of the house for a week. I assure you that I protested this most vehemently with the her. Most strenously indeed, in fact. Do you know what she did? Why, she waited patiently until I had stopped arguing, then kindly yet firmly asked me if I cared to have these pains for the rest of my life.
"When I-rather brusquely, I am forced to admit-informed her that no, I would not… she looked at me and said-and I quote-'Then you will do precisely as I say' and then gave me as chilling a stare that could of easily of challenged my own."
Delbert laughed softly in rememberance. "Oh yes… Amelia wasn't up from her bed for a whole week. To this day, I'm not quite sure if it was because of Dr. Dunkley's bedside manner, or if was because Amelia nearly had heart failure each and ever time she had a look in my many unused room within this house."
"Delbert, kindly don´t remind me of that dreadful time! I still have nightmares some nights," Amelia groaned, but her eyes twinkled.
Sarah smiled. "Well, Delbert… you do have to admit that you were just a bit untidy before you met Amelia. Sarah came quickly to Delbert's defense… he was her friend, after all. "But he did manage to clean the house a bit while she was recovering."
"Well then! Tomorrow, we´ll all shall come down for our usual check-up," Delbert announced, changing the subject quite nicely, thank you.
The Dopplers and the Hawkins talked for a quite a while longer. As this went on, Amanda made her way over to Silver, and crawled up into his lap. "Thank you again for saving me from that mean old snake, Uncle Silver," she told him, leaning into his big belly.
"Ah now… yer welcome, so yeh are, me wee lass," Silver said, hugging the little felind girl softly.
The conversation continued on for quite some time. Amelia was deep in discussion with Sarah, when she felt a gentle pat upon her arm. She looked over to see Silver looking at her, his expression oddly gentle.
"Something wrong, Mr. Silver?" Amelia asked.
"Ah no, Ma'am, nothing be wrong at all. It's just I thought yeh'd might like to know that your wee lassie here is sound asleep," Silver told her, indicating the peacefully sleeping little girl on his lap.
Amelia smiled and then shot a look at the clock. "My, it has become late now, hasn't it? Delbert, we really should be going home now," she said and gently lifted Amanda into her own strong (but gentle) arms. She smiled and nodded shortly to say good-bye before heading out the door, her husband and drowsy children in tow.