The Frenchmen were among them at once, and Horatio found himself fighting for his life, pistol in one hand, sword in the other, blood splattering across his white shirt, stinging his eyes. He cried words that he would not be able to recall after the battle, and time seemed to slow down, leaving him to scream his wordless screams, as he heard nothing else but the beating of his own heart. He turned suddenly, as if warned by a sixth sense, only to just manage to block the wide swing of a sword coming down upon his head. He shoved the Frenchmen with his foot, sending him sprawling onto the floor, and shoved his sword through the body with one quick strike. And then he was back into the battle again. He could not tell if the battle lasted hours or mere seconds, but suddenly it was over, and a horse cry went up from the crew.

"Horatio!" A blood-speckled man ran up to him, his blue eyes dancing and his reddish blond hair glinting in the sun. Archie. "Did you see?? Did you see?? I killed two!! Well . . . one . . . sadly. But where were you?"

And then he was gone. As quickly as Horatio's friend had been before his eyes, he was gone again.

Horatio hadn't realised that he had collapsed to the floor until Matthews was helping him sit up, and Bush was kneeling by his feet, his face wreathed with worry.

"Are you alright, sir?" Matthews asked.

"Where is the doctor??" Asked Bush impatiently, "MR. THOMPSON!!"

"I'm fine." Horatio said, but his voice sounded weaker than he expected it to be,

"I'm unhurt."

"Unhurt??" Cried Matthew, unable to hold the smile, "Sir, you have a gash half way up your arm!"

Horatio looked down, and indeed, his right arm was soaked in his own blood. "Oh." He said weakly.

Mr. Thompson arrived, his apron bloodied from head to toe as he approached.

"Sir?" He asked Bush.

"Good god, man." Lieutenant Bush said, quite frustrated, "Your captain is on the ground! See to him, man!"

"Aye aye, sir. Out of the way, now." He pushed the small crowd that had gathered around Horatio out of the way as he tended to his arm.

Horatio sat patiently, dully noting to himself that his arm didn't hurt. He looked up at Bush, who stood, obviously more than a little worried, a few paces away.

"It never hurts, does it, in the beginning?"

Horatio frowned, and tried to focus on the man that had somehow appeared beside Bush.

"Mine didn't. It wasn't for a few minutes that it started hurting. Not until I talked to you."

"Archie . . . " Horatio mumbled, frowning. The doctor didn't hear him, but Horatio saw Bush's worried frown deepen. And then Archie was gone again.

"He'll mend find." The doctor said after a moment, after he had bandaged Horatio's arm. Styles and Matthews helped their captain to his feet, and dusted him off.

"There you go, sir," Matthew said in the kind tone that Horatio had heard many times before, "On your feet now."

"I suggest, Captain Hornblower, that you get some rest." Mr. Thompson said as he moved on to the next patient. Horatio nodded, and excused himself, making his way to his cabin.

He opened his door, and almost shut it, before he saw Bush in the doorway, the worried frown still upon his face.

"Why did you collapse, Horatio?"

"It must have been shock . . ."

"Why did you collapse, Horatio?" Bush asked again. Horatio frowned, but didn't reply.

"I heard you mutter." Bush continued, "You saw him, didn't you?"

Horatio sniffed. "I don't know what you are talking about, Mr. Bu- - "

"You know very well what and who and I am talking about, Horatio." Bush said sternly, "Did you or did you not see Archie Kennedy on the deck?"

There was a long pause.

"I'm not insane, Bush."

"I know you aren't." Bush said quietly, "But you haven't slept in five days. Oh, don't even start arguing with me; I've had the boys keep an eye out. And you snore like a pig, so I'd know if you were sleeping; I live in the next room, remember?"

Horatio didn't answer.

"Did you see him?" Bush repeated.

"Yes." Horatio said stiffly, though he couldn't tell if the expression upon Bush's face was relief or despair. "Three times."

Bush didn't say a word, urging his friend to continue with silence.

"The first . . . " Horatio's voice cracked, but he swallowed, and his voice continued with more strength. "The first was early this morning . . . right before the battle. He was speaking gibberish . . . something about being Captain Pellew in disguise, and then laughing and calling me daft because I could not tell if he was real . . ." He paused, and looked at Bush, but the first Lieutenant had washed the emotion from his face and only watched Horatio. Hornblower took a deep breath and continued. "The second time was right after the battle . . . he came up to me, just like on the Indy, saying that he had killed two Frenchmen - or was it one? - With that joyful look on his face. I suppose that's where I collapsed. And then just now . . . Beside you. He said that it never hurt right after. It always hurt later. His did, he said."

There was a minute or two of silence, and Horatio saw Bush's brows furrow slightly.

"Three times . . . " he repeated to himself, "Three times in the last . . .what . . . four hours?" He looked at Horatio, squinting ever so slightly, looking as if he was trying to see through Horatio. "You need to sleep."

"I can't."

"You can. And you will."

"I. Can't." Horatio repeated.

"Why, then?"

"He won't let me." Horatio said quietly.

"No, Horatio. You won't let yourself sleep. Archie would never do that to you." There was a sparkle of knowing in Bush's eyes, and Horatio frowned slightly, but didn't question upon it.

"You cannot know what the dead would do, sir." He said stiffly.

"Aye, the dead, but I know what Archie would do, and I know what you always do. It wasn't your fault, so stop taking the blame for it and sleep, man!"

"It's not that simple."

"Oh, aye, not that simple. It's called closing your eyes- - "

"It makes it worse."

Bush's eyes focused even harder upon his friend's face.

"You are impossible." He said, "And if you weren't my captain, I'd also say you were bloody stubborn. Go to sleep, Horatio. You're killing yourself this way."

And with that, Bush was gone, the door shutting behind him.