After a while, Niki came back with some water, antiseptic liquid and some homemade antibacterial paste for Jack's wound. She sat on the right side of his bed on a chair. She then very slowly took his right arm in hers, as if, if she handled it roughly it might break. It made Jack smile. She was being very gentle with him and his injuries. She dipped a clean cloth in the antiseptic liquid and started cleaning his cut gently.
'Are you this gentle with every patient of yours love, or am I a special case?', Jack asked her mischievously. She looked up at him frowning in confusion. She was so engrossed in her job of cleaning the cut that she became startled to hear his voice suddenly.
'I… I don't know Captain!... Maybe this is something you should ask to my patients', she said with a small smile and returned her attention back to the cut. Jack just kept looking at her while she worked expertly on his cut, blowing in between to soothe the burning. She then applied the antibacterial paste on the cut. Finally when she looked up at him their eyes met, and she couldn't help but get lost in them. They were deep chocolate brown with jet black pupils and held an attraction she had never experienced before in her life. She gulped visibly and said,
'The swelling should lessen considerably by tomorrow. I haven't bandaged it purposely, because if you let the cut remain open in some fresh air, it will heal more quickly'. Jack smirked and it broke her out of the eye-lock.
'Sure it will, love. After all I have got a very good doctor', he said with a wink. Niki couldn't help the little blush crawl up her cheeks.
'I will change your head bandage and the rib wraps tomorrow. For now you must get as much rest as you can Captain Sparrow. Hope the rum will help you have a good sleep', she said with a smirk. 'And you still have a fever Captain, I might check up on you later in the night'.
She got up from the chair and was about to leave when Jack held her wrist. She looked at his hand on her wrist and then at him with a raised eyebrow. He let go of her wrist immediately and looked at her.
'Thank you… For everything, Miss Jay', he said gratefully.
'Niki… You can call me Niki', she smiled at him. 'Good night Captain', she said and left from the room while Jack said,
'Good night Niki'.
Niki came to check on Jack's fever sometime after midnight. She tiptoed in the room so as not to wake him from the sleep. She came close to his bed and stopped dead looking at him. He looked devilishly handsome in the mixed light of moon, and the candle that she was holding. He looked so peaceful and calm when he slept. That painfully attractive smirk on his face. He didn't look less than a Greek god in her opinion. His jet black hairs, his dreadlocks, his straight long pointed nose, his beard braids with the colourful beads, all of it made him one of a kind. And probably, no most certainly, the most handsome man she had met in her life. And his eyes, ohh his eyes! When looking at her, they had the power to make her drown in them.
She chuckled softly at the way he slept like a child, open mouthed. She went closer to him, put the candle stand on the table and checked his fever by touching his forehead.
'Huh', she gasped audibly at how hot his body felt. He was burning. His fever had increased in the last couple of hours. She quickly ran to the bathroom and got a mug full of cold water and some clean strips of clothes. She sat down on the floor beside his bed, dipped a strip of cloth in the cold water, and put the wet strip on Jack's forehead. Thankfully due to the medicines and rum, Jack was fast asleep and didn't flinch with the sudden coldness on his forehead. Niki then wet another cloth strip and started gently rubbing his palms with it. She was really worried for him now. She kept changing the wet strips on his forehead till very late in the night. Finally in the early hours of dawn her eyelids became heavy and she fell asleep, with her head on the edge of his bed and with her hand on his forehead.
Jack woke up as the morning sun rays filtered through the window and fell on his eyes. He opened his eyes and blinked a few times to adjust to the vision. Just then he felt a fabric on his forehead. Doctor Niki must have put wet strip on my head. He put it aside and was about to get up from the bed, when he felt something on his shoulder. Quickly he looked aside and was surprised to see Niki sleeping there. Sitting on the ground with her head resting on the edge of the bed and her hand on his shoulder. She looked very innocent and beautiful while sleeping. But he could see a line of worry on her forehead. Was she having a nightmare? Should I wake her up? Maybe not… I should give her some privacy. He thought and decided to leave from there and let her sleep. But as soon as he shifted carefully to get up intending to not wake her up, she woke up startled.
'Jack!', she exclaimed worriedly as she stood up and looked at him sitting on the bed. She quickly touched his forehead and checked his temperature. It was normal. His fever had finally broken. She heaved a long sigh of relief.
'Ohh...Thank goodness. You really scared me Captain Sparrow', she said with a small sigh.
'Did I really?', Jack asked her with a smirk.
'Not in a... piratey way', she giggled a bit. 'Because of your fever'.
'So you were awake all night, just to bring down my fever? Were you love?', he asked looking in her eyes seriously. She flushed at that.
'Uhh… technically I fell asleep... trying to bring down your fever', she replied to break the embarrassment.
'But you didn't need to', he countered her gently.
'I had to. You are my patient… I couldn't possibly let you die of a fever, Captain… what would have happened to my reputation!', she said with a smile. He grinned back at her. Jack then started to get up from the bed when she held him back.
'Where do you think you are going?', she asked him.
'Well doctor… a captain also needs some morning moments', Jack said with a smirk.
'Ohh… ohh yeah… sorry', she stuttered and let go of his hand. 'Just… just be careful about your foot… It's sprained… it will pain', she warned him out of concern. Jack couldn't help but smile at that. He looked at her.
'Don't worry doctor… this is not the first time that I am injured…. I will manage', he said and stood up from the bed. She looked at his foot in anticipation as he started to walk towards the bathroom. 'Doctor…', he was about to say but she cut him off.
'Yes..?', and she quickly walked over to him looking concerned. He grinned at her.
'Don't worry Niki, it's just a minor pain… nothing that will bother me', he said and she sighed in relief.
'That's good', she said with a small smile. 'Okay Captain, you get freshen up… till then I will make something for breakfast', she said and started to walk away but stopped midway and turned to look at him.
'Mr. Sparrow, would you like some warm water for bath?', Niki asked him.
'Aye, I would love that Miss Jay', he replied and she smiled at him.
'Maggie… MAGGIE…MARGARET...', she called out and a moment later a girl came running up the stairs towards the room.
'Yes Madam', she said standing before her. Niki huffed at that.
'How many times have I told you not to call me Madam, Maggie?!', Niki exasperated.
'Maybe a thousand times, but you know I like to tease you Niki', she said with a grin.
'Well tease me later Maggie, but first could you please bring some warm water for Captain Sparrow for his bath, while I go make some breakfast?', she asked her in a dramatically polite tone.
'Sure… I will just be back with the water', Maggie said and dashed down to get the warm water.
'Who is she, love? Your maid?', Jack asked curiously.
'More like a helper', Niki replied with a smile. But when Jack still looked confused, she clarified, 'She is a friend of mine, Margaret. She wanted to learn the basics of medicine, so she assists me with my patients'. Jack nodded in appreciation. Maggie came back with a couple of buckets of warm water. She put the water in the bathroom and left the room.
'I will put some clean clothes for you on the bed…. See you downstairs for breakfast Captain', Niki said with a smile and left the room.
A/N: Hey everyone... thank you so much for your reviews. So Niki is doing a great job as a doctor, but is it just because she is doctor? Staying up all night to take care of him, is it just professional, or you think something else is brewing up which even she doesn't know yet? Oh and Margaret doesn't have much of a role in this one, I introduced her just because I felt like. That's it for today.
So please leave your valuable opinions, suggestions, ideas, corrections if needed... They all help me become more efficient writer. Thanks for reading. :-)
