Wow.

Just wow.

It's amazing what good feedback can do. thank you for the reviews, they really do keep me chugging. So im trying hard now, to fit in as much typing time as I can before school starts up again and im whisked off to no-free-time land again.

Thanks again for the reviews. I'm flattered!

Chapter 11 : Recovery

The Venture was quite still. Our work, at last, seemed to be done. The men (under Denham's order), had pulled the planks up from the deck of the old steamer, emptied the belly of the ship of it's cages into the water, and hoisted the huge beast into the space, replacing the planks afterwards. Denham was the only one who ever saw the beast after that, and only to give him his usual dose of chloroform.

My duties in the kitchen were harsher without Lumpy around. Of course, we had many fewer crew members, but the moment we were ready to set off, a large dinner was wanted by all after our trying time on Skull Island.

I did my best to serve the crew while peeking into Lumpy's old room every once in a while, where Jimmy had been set to recover.

He had run into a fierce fever not long after the Venture set back into the open seas, still unconcious and turning about in his bed.

Once the men were fit and happy with their meagre meal of walnut porridge and fish, I stationed myself next to Jimmy, sitting on a small crate. Cold compresses for his forhead, warm blankets for everything else. I knew little about treating the sick and injured, but knew that you were to cover the feverish, although they may be hot, for when the fever breaks.

Cold compresses didnt seem to help Jimmy. He continued to sweat, his face growing paler all the time, reminding me of my mother's complexion shortly before she died, which sent my stomach into sour knots. His thrashing in his sleep made his blankets impossible to keep straight, try as I might.

The occasional moan was usual coming from Jimmy in this state, although it had frightened me the first few times. It was probably an appropriet response to everything he was feeling, but I hushed him anyhow, everytime he made a sound.

After nearly an hour of pressing cold, damp cloths against Jim's face and tucking in the blankets around him he grew still. His steady breathing a reassurance, I sat back and let my eyes glide shut. It had been a long, hard day, and it was catching up to me.

The ship was quiet, save for that comforting heartbeat of the Venture. The seas were calmer than they had been yet on this voyage, a smooth sheet of water stretching for miles on every side of us. I was thankful for the silence that enveloped the ship, but I found myself aching for laughter at the same time. That was the usual result of sharing company with Jimmy; laughter. And without that easy, comfortable sound, the ship seemed even more weighted down than it already was.

A short cough followed by a moan shook me from my uneasy relaxation. Raising my head off Jim's bedside, I saw him tense up. His hands gripped the sheets tightly, and his eyes shot open, staring at the ceiling. He sucked in a quick, sharp breath, and said very hoarsely, so quietly that I almost missed it, 'Hayes,'

I frowned, clasping one of his hands in mine.

His eyes shot to mine, almost surprised. He blinked, repeatedly, and then looked down at our hands instead.

I reached up around his shoulders, and pulled him against me. I held him tightly for a few moments before fetching him a cup of water from the galley. He thanked me quiety, and drained it quickly, in one gulp.

I sat on the side of his narrow bed, placing the tin cup on the floor when he had finished it.

'I'm happy youre awake,' I said quietly, 'You were starting to scare me.'

He nodded, frowning. 'How long was I asleep?'

I thought, and sighed. 'Almost 24 hours. It's almost 3 am now. You had a really strong fever for a good chunk of time...I couldent cool you down for a long while.'

His expression softened. 'You've been here the whole time?'

I blushed in spite of myself. 'Whenever I could be.'

He looked at me in a strange way for a while then, and I turned away, staring at my clasped hands for something to look at, pursing my lips awkwardly.

A shout from the galley made me look up to the door. Someone was shouting; arguing. I was quite sure it was the men who had set up a very slow poker game a number of hours earlier. A bottle smashed.

I stoop up with a sigh and looked at Jimmy. He was rubbing his eye blearily.

'Get some rest, I know you're tired.' I said to him.

He smiled sleepily and mumbled something under his breath. I stepped out of the room.

In the mess hall, a whiskey bottle had crashed to the floor, slivers of glass litering the wooden floorboards at the feet of a crewmember who stood, fists clenched, starting incredulously at his crewmates.

He was staring at Hamish, an old scottish man who had obviously had too much to drink and had let his mouth run again. He stared daggers right back at the man opposite him.

I stiffened my back, preparing for the possible fight I'd be facing with my first word and cook of the ship.

I gathered my breath and prepared my best authoritative voice. 'Alright, everyone, clearout.' My voice cracked and wavered as I spoke, betraying me brutally.

The standing man, now revealed as being Peter, spun around, and he glared at me with eyes that blazed with anger. But, as he set eyes on me, they almost immediately softened. His eyes shot to the floor.

'Sorry, June,' he said quietly, 'It is late. We'll be off.'

They were out in no time flat - even Hamish had picked his drunken self up and vacated. I grabbed my mop and swept up the broken glass, tossing it out the small, circular window and into the sea. I imagined it washing up on shore as those polished, smooth peices of glass I used to find at the beach as a child.

The sea air was cool and fresh and I let it fill my lungs for a short moment. I was thrilled to be back on the steamer, it's hearbeat welcoming me back, the gentle waves of the still sea rocking me comfortably.

A long, loud growl interrupted me. The haunting of the great beast perpetually under our feet was the only I wasnt so happy about. Unlike other, more curious crew members, I happily heeded Mr Denham and stayed away from the deep hull of the ship. All I could hope for was that we didnt run out of chloroform.

With one last breath of fresh air, I peeked back into Jimmy's room for a last check on his sleeping form before settling into my own quarters, where I fell asleep quickly.

It was the voices in the hall that woke me not long after that. A quick glance at my small trusty clock told me it was not long after 4 am. I stood from my bed, tip-toeing to the door to see if i could hear who it was in the hall.

'...can't go down there, Anne.'

'I just want to make sure he hasn't got him drawn up or -'

'Anne, just come back to bed.'

I stepped back from the door, giving the privacy Mr Driscoll and Miss Darrow deserved.

I took my oppurtinuty to glance in on Jim once more. His face was turned in the direction of the small windown in the room, illuminated by what I was sure was a full moon outside. The cool blue-white light cast shadows over his sharp, even features.

It wasnt until those features turned in my direction that I noticed he was awake.

I shied from the doorframe in embarrasment, retreating back to my own room.

'June, come back.'

The voices in the lit hallway stopped then, and I listened to the two sets of footsteps retreating.

I then stepped back into Jimmy's room, clutching my arm.

'Hiya, Jim,' I started, uneasily. 'Was just checking on you is all.'

He smiled and shifted on the small bed, pushing himself against the wall. He then patted the space next to him.

'Come here and look out the window.'

I walked over to the bed, sitting on the side of it. I looked out the window to a dark, purple-blue night sky, illuminated by a freckling of stars.

'No, June, lay down.' Jim said.

I threw him a glance and lay my head down on the pillow I had provided Jimmy with when he was put in this room to recover. I looked through the window.

'Wow,' I whispered.

The full moon was perfectly fitting within the small, circular window, no more than half an inch of night sky separating the night sky from the metal of the window casing.

'Neat, eh?'

Jimmy was propped up on his elbow, examinig the face, looking for my response, looking much like I must have when I saw his face earlier in the moonlight.

I smiled and nodded, turning my face back to the window.

'You're feeling better?' I asked.

I saw his nod from the corner of my eye.

We lay like this for a number of minutes, starting out the perfect, moon-fit window together.

A shiver ran down my back then, and I moved to get up from the bed and head for my own.

'Here, get under the covers,' Jimmy said, 'God knows I have enough for two.

He said the words with no implications. He was being Jimmy, and that was that. Apart from the slightly lower pitch he had adopted since Mister Hayes' death, he was proving to be the same Jimmy I had first gotten to know.

And so I go under the blankets, joining him on the plucky narrow bed, which was warmer and cosier than I could have expected. I pulled the covers up under my chin, and sighed.

Jimmy was still on his elbow, staring at me.

My eyelids were heavier than full rum barrels. The fact that I had been awake for almost 36 hours hit me like bricks when combined with nestling into the cosiest bed I'd been on in months. I fell asleep almost immediately.

Rather random ending, but i loved writing this chapter.

i hope you enjoyed it as much as i did!

thanks again for all the great reviews last chapter...i'll try to post again soon, although im sure it wont be as promt as this one.