The next morning, Saoirse woke up before Tommy and used the stool to slide down from her bed, being sure to bring Rogan with her. Once her feet were securely on the ground, she looked for her slippers so she wouldn't wake anyone up. She didn't know what time it is, nor was she able to tell time if she had the means.
Tucking Rogan under her arm, she slid out the door to her cabin and padded to the stairs that led to the main deck, which she took slowly. Once on the top step, she put Rogan on the side of the opening so she could have both hands to climb onto the deck safely and picked him up again.
"Oy! Go figure the li'l one is awake already! Thought she'd sleep in later!" Another man laughed.
"You don't know kids, do ya, mate? Put 'em to bed at four in the mornin' and the nippers'll awake at six!" Saoirse didn't like being teased like this and quickly padded towards the space under the stairs near Captain Jack's door but her way was blocked. Tilting her head back as far as it could, she winced in the harsh sunlight that shadowed the person's face.
"Who said you could come up here?" It was the mean man who yelled at her and slapped her for waking everyone up! Saoirse bit her lip and leaned over to look around his towering form and saw the door to Captain Jack's quarters. She sidestepped, trying to get away from him but he blocked her way. "Answer me, girl! You think just because you're the niece of some highborn jackass that you're allowed to go anywhere ye please?" He snatched Rogan from her grasp and held it high over her head. "Who said you could come up alone?"
"No one! Give him back! He's mine!" The man grabbed Rogan's head in one big hand and his body in the other and started to twist the bear's head. Saoirse knew what he intended to do. "NO! Please! No!" She forgot her fear for a moment and rushed forward to try and knock him over so she could reach her precious bear.
As if swatting a fly, the man pushed her aside and with one horrible sound of ripping fabric, the bear's head separated from its body. "Nooooooo!" Wailed Saoirse as she watched another toy get cruelly destroyed by someone who hated children. "I hate you! You're a big meanie!"
Scrambling to her feet, she balled up her fists and held them tightly at her sides as she glared up at the man. "Go hifreann leat!" She had no idea what it meant, only that she'd heard it somewhere and it had been spoken and anger so she figured it was something horrible that would portray how much she hated him. He was no longer shadowed by the bright, early morning sun so she could see his face turn as red as the sky on the horizon. Grabbing her arm, he cast the broken bear on the decks and hauled her to the Captain's door but it flew open before they could get there.
Saoirse stared in awe and shock. Captain Jack didn't have a shirt on! She'd never seen a man without a shirt on and she stared in awe at him. She knew that even though he was bigger than her, he wasn't as big as some of the men on his crew but with his shirt off, she could see that he did have muscles. Looking at her feet, she felt her cheeks grow warm. She had been scolded in the past for running out of her room in her undergarments. Surely it was wrong to see a grown up man without a shirt if just running around in one's underclothes was wicked!
"What's the meaning of this? Anderson? How the hell did you get out of the bloody brig?"
"What's a brig?" Captain Jack looked down at her and she hoped he wouldn't be mad at her for coming up alone.
"The ship's jail, darlin'." He reached out and pulled her to his side, pushing her behind him. "Where this yeasty codpiece belongs." Saoirse tugged on his hand.
"Captain Jack? The yeashty cogpiece hurted Rogan!" She noticed that several of the crew covered their mouths all at once except for Mr. Turner who dropped to one knee to pick up Rogan's body and head in separate hands before carrying them over to Captain Jack. "See?" He nodded and handed the parts back to Mr. Turner.
"Mr. Turner."
"Aye, Captain?" Captain Jack didn't look at him as he spoke, just at Mr. Anderson.
"Take the lass into me quarters and see what you can do about the bear while I deal with Mister Anderson. I'll come and relieve you when all's clear." Tucking the parts of Rogan into a pocket, Mr. Turner bent to pick Saoirse up in his arms and carried her into the cabin, shutting the door behind him. Setting Saoirse on the floor, he turned to lock it.
"But how will Captain Jack get in?" Mr. Turner smiled at her.
"He's got a key."
"Oh." Mr. Turner pulled Rogan's head and body out of his pocket and sat down in a chair. Saoirse stood at his knees and looked at her bear with tears welling in her eyes. Swiping at her eyes with the back of her hand, she pouted and sniffed. "He killed Rogan, Mr. Turner!" Watching as he held the two parts together with some stuffing poking out, she let the tears fall. One splashed on Mr. Turner's hand and he looked up from Rogan. Patting her hair like he and Captain Jack always did, he smiled at her.
"No tears, Miss Saoirse," Mr. Turner soothed in his deep and soft voice. "This can be fixed and your bear will be as good as new."
"Will it hurt him?"
"Perhaps but I'm sure if you hold his hand, he'll feel better. Maybe we'll even let him have a ration of rum to make him feel better!" Saoirse giggled.
"But Mr. Turner, he's just a bear! He can't drink anything!" Mr. Turner chuckled and shook his head.
"Silly me." Standing up, he went to Captain Jack's cabinets and found some thread and a needle before returning to his seat with Rogan on his lap. "Will you help me, nurse Saoirse?" She nodded solemnly.
"Yes, Dr. Turner!" She saw the corners of his lips twitch.
"Now, I need you to hold his head onto his body so I can sew it on properly." Saoirse took her beloved bear's head in one hand and his body in the other and held them together as Mr. Turner began to sew.
Had you scared with the chapter title, didn't I? hehe so evil. Special thanks to Mypiratecat1 for her knowledge of Gaelic language resources and her own story that gave me the phrase "Go hifreann leat". Check out her stories...they're lovely and brilliant!