A Boy

Jim heard his mother call and went downstairs to see what she wanted, but before he got to the bottom of the stairway, his mother came out of a room with a very concerned look on her face. She grabbed his arm and told him in a very serious tone, "Jim, I need to send for Dr. Livesey. Please go in and make sure Mrs. Darling is comfortable." Jim's mother was perfectly capable of birthing a baby, she had done it at least five times to Jim's recollection, but apparently something was not going right. Alice quickly composed a message for the doctor and ran out to give it to the stable hand along with some very specific instructions. Jim opened the door to check on Mrs. Darling and he saw that her husband was at her side. Tears were streaming down his cheeks while he was trying to console her. Her exhaustion was apparent, but she seemed unusually quiet and still at the moment. Her skin had a grey, pale look which made the dark circles under her eyes seem even more distinct. Her breathing was shallow and her lips looked dry and cracked. Mr. Darling suddenly rose and ran out the door, knocking Jim very hard in his efforts to leave quickly. Jim went to Mrs. Darling and picked up her hand as David had done. Her eyes opened a bit and she notice that it was Jim at her side. She looked so tired and weak; she gazed up into his eyes and with a voice no stronger than a whisper, she said, "James, please….. please….." Her strength was nearly spent and she could not finish her request. Jim told her that she would be okay and that the doctor was on his way, but she didn't seem to hear. " watch over Peter and help him James, please help him… he is going to need your help" she said. Jim squeezed her hand and said " Of course I will. I will do what ever it takes until you get better." But she just shook her head ever so slightly and continued to beg him to care of Peter and to help David. Jim promised that he would. He took the wet cloth that his mother had laid across her forehead, and he gently wiped the tears and sweat from her face. In a voice as delicate as a summer breeze, she thanked him and then her eyes became vacant and her breathing became faint. Mr. Darling came back into the room; he had attempted to gain some composure, but nearly lost it at the first glance towards his wife. Jim backed away and let Mr. Darling take his spot at his wife's side. Alice came back in and told Jim to put fresh water on the stove, and to bring the doctor into the room immediately when he arrived.

Time seemed to drag on for an eternity, and Jim wondered what was taking the doctor so long. The moans and whimpering coming from the room tore into Jim's soul. He wiped his own tears away and he prayed that Margaret would be okay. Jim heard the door open and then the sound of the doctor's voice. As his mother had instructed, Jim brought Dr. Livesey straight into the room. He waited outside the door and listened to what was happening. He could hear the doctor asking Alice questions and assessing the situation, and then the voices became hushed and Jim could not make out what they were saying. Soon after, Alice shouted for Jim to bring hot water and to tear up some clean sheets for bandages. Margaret started screaming, but it was different than the screaming other woman did when they were having a baby. David Darling burst out of the room between the wailing screams of his wife, and his eyes looked wide and crazy; his hands were covered in blood. Jim brought him a towel to clean his hands, and then not knowing what else to do, Jim poured him a healthy measure of rum. With trembling hands Mr. Darling raised the glass to his lips and downed the entire amount. Jim gently took his arm and led him into the parlor where Mr. Darling collapsed in a chair and stared off into the distance. After a few minutes, the screams ceased and a moment after that the soft cry of a baby could be heard. Jim's hopes were raised at the welcome sound, but when his mother came out of the room and Jim saw the look on her face, he understood that the news was bad. Mr. Darling did not need to hear it either; he buried his face in his hands and sobbed. Alice went to console him and reached out her hand and gently laid it on his shoulder. "I'm sorry" she said. Mr. Darling bolted up and ran out the door into the night, slamming the door behind him.

The baby boy had survived and Alice, Jim and Dr. Livesey needed to figure out what to do next. The Doctor wanted to make arrangements to have the child boarded at the Admiral Benbow until the father was sufficiently recovered from the tragedy. He said that he knew a wet nurse in town who owed him a substantial sum of money and he would make arrangements to have her come this very night and feed the child as a way of paying that debt. Since the debt was fairly large, the Doctor felt that her services could be employed for as long as was necessary. "Hopefully it won't be for too long, I expect the father will come around soon" said the doctor. "The poor man is crushed; he never even asked about the child". They stood there for a moment and the cries of the infant became more noticeable in the awkward silence. Alice thought of the baby lying next to his lifeless mother and she could not listen to its wails any longer. She went back into the room, scooped him up, wrapped him in a cloth and held him close. In a strange way the touch of the warm baby against her chest was as comforting for Alice as it was for the baby. She stroked his head and whispered soothing sounds in his ear. He began to quiet down and eventually fell into a deep sleep. Dr. Livesey told Jim that he would make arrangements with the undertaker for someone to come out and take care of Margaret. He would make sure that she was brought back to town and prepared for a proper funeral. The Doctor moved into the parlour and asked for a brief moment to sit and gather his thoughts. Jim did not know what to do or say, but he wanted to break the tension in the room so he told Dr. Livesey that he had finished the account of their adventures. The doctor looked up with his bright black eyes and an agreeable smile on his lips, and gestured for Jim to come join him for some quiet conversation. Jim was very fond of the doctor, who always seemed at ease no matter where he was or what was happening. Nothing ever seemed to rattle the man. Jim remembered the way Dr. Livesey had fearlessly handled Captain Bones when the he pulled out a knife in a threatening manner. The doctor spoke in a clear and commanding voice and simply informed the captain that he would hang if the knife was not put away immediately. The doctor had gone on to inform the Captain that he was a magistrate and would not hesitate to pursue a swift and severe punishment if the Captain so much as disturbed the peace again. Jim thought about his father and wished he had been as strong as Dr. Livesey. Alice brought in some food and a small glass of port, and they talked for a bit while the doctor's horse was prepared for the ride back into town. When the doctor departed and his mother attended to the baby, Jim went up to his room. He was shivering very hard and the cold that he felt seemed to reach the very marrow of his bones. Collapsing on his bed, he buried his face in his pillow and wept.

That night, the surf pounded against the cliffs and the wind shook the house. Jim had nightmares of the island again. Surrounded by pirates on the shore, he held a baby up over his head. They wanted to take it from him, but Jim wouldn't give him up. Then, the pirates became enormous crocodiles chasing him through the marshes and bogs. His legs would not move fast enough and he kept falling forward into wet stagnant water.

Jim felt as if he were sinking, and was struggling to keep the baby out of the water. Unable to catch his breath, he tried to scream but his voice was gone. When he awoke, he was tangled in a wet blanket drenched in sweat. In the darkness of the room, Jim's eyes were open wide but he could see nothing and the only sound was the clock on the dresser ticking loudly.