Chapter 23 - Don't Touch The Gold.
Adam recovered enough to be transported back to London. The Black Pearl set sail for home. Jack had his brother set up in his quarters. Doctor Jack Sparrow was a mother hen, forbidding Adam to leave the bed and ordered him waited on like a king. He allowed him to leave the bed only to join him at the table and to use a chamber pot. Adam was recovering quickly and getting quite frustrated and bored..
Adam sat the mug of rum down. "Jack I'm fine." he complained one day at lunch. "I feel as if I am in prison." Jack continued to eat. "Ain't no good ta 'ave you sick again." He pried his mug from Adam's hand and pushed over a cup of tea.
"Can I just go up for a little while?" he begged. Jack smiled. "Alright Mate.. a little while." Adam was jubilant and hurried to dress after lunch. He tagged along behind as Jack gave him the grand tour of the boat and proudly introduced him to a few members of the crew. Jack headed back to his quarters when the time he allotted Adam had expired. Exhausted, Adam laid down. It's a great boat Jack. Dad was very specific as to what he wanted in it for you. I know he did. I had it built. I put the guns on!
Jack smiled. "Go to sleep."
Adam didn't like having Jack as a father. " Stop telling me what to do. I'm older than you remember? "
"Five weeks ain't older." Jack laughed.
"Only if you're the one five weeks younger. Don't forget its worth ten percent!" Adam countered. He suddenly felt very tired and realized he wasn't as strong as he thought he was. He fell asleep. Jack watched him sleep peacefully and soon his body started to twitch and move as he began to dream. He waited a few minutes and leaned over.
"Adam" he said in a quiet voice.
"mm" Adam grunted in his sleep.
"Will I ever be free of Charles, Adam?" He sustained the low quiet voice.
"Yeah" was Adam's sleepy reply. He mumbled something Jack could not hear. Jack leaned closer.
"Don't touch the gold Jonathan. Please don't" He was getting agitated in his sleep and started to thrash and claw at the air. Jack grabbed him by the arms and started to shake him. Adam, wake up. You're dreaming. Wake up. Adam started to struggle against him terrified of what was engaging him in the nightmare. He started to yell. Jack shook harder and yelled back. Finally, bathed in sweat and shaking Adam opened his eyes and tried to catch his breath. Whining sounds escaped his throat.
"You said, Don't touch the gold. What does that mean? What did you see?"
"I don't know!." was Adam's choppy answer as he gulped air.
"Yes you do know." Jack insisted.
"Why did you do that?" Adam yelled. "Why did you do that to me?"
"What gold Adam? Tell me before you forget!" He snapped
"I don't know. I don't know. It was in a big box." Adam howled.
"Oh that really 'elps. What gold ain't in a damned box ya motherless fool! What else?"
"Go to the devil" Adam bellowed.
"What else Adam?!" Jack demanded his voice taking on an edge..
"Dead people. It was guarded by dead people." The look of betrayal on Adam's face cut into Jack. He started to feel guilty.
"Well there ya go" Jack put his arm around his brother's shoulders realizing he had no right to do what he did and tried to be less harsh. "I 'ave to be careful of big ole boxes of gold guarded by dead people. No worries. Ain't soundin' too 'ard." Adam didn't laugh.
"Awe come on Adam. I didn't ask ye 'bout no gold. Me inquiry was 'bout workin' for Charles. You brought up the gold not me." He massaged Adam's shoulders. "Lighten up mate. Get some sleep." Adam relaxed and started drifting off to sleep. Jack sat at the table with a mug of rum and paperwork. Adam lay peaceful and still. Jack krept over, knelt beside his sleeping sibling and whispered; "Why are dead people guarding the gold?" Adam's fist swung back and caught Jack hard in the mouth.
"I don't know you brazen-throated wanker." There was nothing sleepy in his voice. Jack was thrown backward crashing headfirst into the lunch table then into a wall. Pain filled his mouth as he spit out teeth and blood.
"Oh my God Jack! I didn't mean it. I'm so sorry!" Adam rushed over to help the ailing Captain. "Oh God!"
"Ah ga biih oo ih ee ow.." Jack said.
"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry" Adam grabbed a napkin and dipped it in the dry sink basin and dabbed his mouth
.. "id ih baa?" Jack's hands were waving furiously in the air. Hs mouth had started to swell rapidly.
"Its bad. I'm going to get Bill" Adam was distressed. He handed over the napkin.
"No. No Woowy. I go. oo weh"
"Are you sure?" Adam started to feel much better as his brother seemed to blow the incident off. Jack walked out the door. Adam fell back onto his pillow and broke into a fit of hysterical laughter.
"Oh, This will be as good as drink to my friend Bill!" *
Later Bill found Jack sitting alone on the main deck. His mouth was swelled like a puffer. He was in pain. No one dared approach him as his mood was foul. Bill sat beside him.
" I think it a plan if we return to Virginia an get ye looked at. What sez you to that?"
" Da koo aah gih ho"
Bill laughed. "With what you're paying them Jack they'll go on forever. We be in accord mate." Bill looked up. A broad smile crossed his face when Adam appeared and sat with them. Jack glared at him.
"Guh uh- aye"
Adam smirked.. "The crew sent me to tell you that they have decided its nothing but the best for our Captain so we've decided to stop in Tortuga and get you to a good tooth-puller. But until then." He hung a small schoolhouse chalkboard around his neck and handed him chalk. " They thought perhaps you could use this?"
Bill tried not to enjoy the situation too much. Jack was still his Captain. He had to show respect.
Jack was not amused. The pain was getting worse. It was getting hard not to show it. He put his head in his hands.
Adam touched his shoulder and handed his brother a bottle of rum and three little black pills. "Take this."
Jack looked at the pills in his hand. "Eh oo eh ihh??" "Just take it Jack. You'll feel better"
"Eeea ahk A-er" The Captain said seriously as he eyed the medication suspiciously. He swallowed the pills and within a short time the pain was gone. The Black Pearl headed back to Virginia and Captain Jack was in an opium induced euphoria.
* Treasure Island
Adam recovered enough to be transported back to London. The Black Pearl set sail for home. Jack had his brother set up in his quarters. Doctor Jack Sparrow was a mother hen, forbidding Adam to leave the bed and ordered him waited on like a king. He allowed him to leave the bed only to join him at the table and to use a chamber pot. Adam was recovering quickly and getting quite frustrated and bored..
Adam sat the mug of rum down. "Jack I'm fine." he complained one day at lunch. "I feel as if I am in prison." Jack continued to eat. "Ain't no good ta 'ave you sick again." He pried his mug from Adam's hand and pushed over a cup of tea.
"Can I just go up for a little while?" he begged. Jack smiled. "Alright Mate.. a little while." Adam was jubilant and hurried to dress after lunch. He tagged along behind as Jack gave him the grand tour of the boat and proudly introduced him to a few members of the crew. Jack headed back to his quarters when the time he allotted Adam had expired. Exhausted, Adam laid down. It's a great boat Jack. Dad was very specific as to what he wanted in it for you. I know he did. I had it built. I put the guns on!
Jack smiled. "Go to sleep."
Adam didn't like having Jack as a father. " Stop telling me what to do. I'm older than you remember? "
"Five weeks ain't older." Jack laughed.
"Only if you're the one five weeks younger. Don't forget its worth ten percent!" Adam countered. He suddenly felt very tired and realized he wasn't as strong as he thought he was. He fell asleep. Jack watched him sleep peacefully and soon his body started to twitch and move as he began to dream. He waited a few minutes and leaned over.
"Adam" he said in a quiet voice.
"mm" Adam grunted in his sleep.
"Will I ever be free of Charles, Adam?" He sustained the low quiet voice.
"Yeah" was Adam's sleepy reply. He mumbled something Jack could not hear. Jack leaned closer.
"Don't touch the gold Jonathan. Please don't" He was getting agitated in his sleep and started to thrash and claw at the air. Jack grabbed him by the arms and started to shake him. Adam, wake up. You're dreaming. Wake up. Adam started to struggle against him terrified of what was engaging him in the nightmare. He started to yell. Jack shook harder and yelled back. Finally, bathed in sweat and shaking Adam opened his eyes and tried to catch his breath. Whining sounds escaped his throat.
"You said, Don't touch the gold. What does that mean? What did you see?"
"I don't know!." was Adam's choppy answer as he gulped air.
"Yes you do know." Jack insisted.
"Why did you do that?" Adam yelled. "Why did you do that to me?"
"What gold Adam? Tell me before you forget!" He snapped
"I don't know. I don't know. It was in a big box." Adam howled.
"Oh that really 'elps. What gold ain't in a damned box ya motherless fool! What else?"
"Go to the devil" Adam bellowed.
"What else Adam?!" Jack demanded his voice taking on an edge..
"Dead people. It was guarded by dead people." The look of betrayal on Adam's face cut into Jack. He started to feel guilty.
"Well there ya go" Jack put his arm around his brother's shoulders realizing he had no right to do what he did and tried to be less harsh. "I 'ave to be careful of big ole boxes of gold guarded by dead people. No worries. Ain't soundin' too 'ard." Adam didn't laugh.
"Awe come on Adam. I didn't ask ye 'bout no gold. Me inquiry was 'bout workin' for Charles. You brought up the gold not me." He massaged Adam's shoulders. "Lighten up mate. Get some sleep." Adam relaxed and started drifting off to sleep. Jack sat at the table with a mug of rum and paperwork. Adam lay peaceful and still. Jack krept over, knelt beside his sleeping sibling and whispered; "Why are dead people guarding the gold?" Adam's fist swung back and caught Jack hard in the mouth.
"I don't know you brazen-throated wanker." There was nothing sleepy in his voice. Jack was thrown backward crashing headfirst into the lunch table then into a wall. Pain filled his mouth as he spit out teeth and blood.
"Oh my God Jack! I didn't mean it. I'm so sorry!" Adam rushed over to help the ailing Captain. "Oh God!"
"Ah ga biih oo ih ee ow.." Jack said.
"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry" Adam grabbed a napkin and dipped it in the dry sink basin and dabbed his mouth
.. "id ih baa?" Jack's hands were waving furiously in the air. Hs mouth had started to swell rapidly.
"Its bad. I'm going to get Bill" Adam was distressed. He handed over the napkin.
"No. No Woowy. I go. oo weh"
"Are you sure?" Adam started to feel much better as his brother seemed to blow the incident off. Jack walked out the door. Adam fell back onto his pillow and broke into a fit of hysterical laughter.
"Oh, This will be as good as drink to my friend Bill!" *
Later Bill found Jack sitting alone on the main deck. His mouth was swelled like a puffer. He was in pain. No one dared approach him as his mood was foul. Bill sat beside him.
" I think it a plan if we return to Virginia an get ye looked at. What sez you to that?"
" Da koo aah gih ho"
Bill laughed. "With what you're paying them Jack they'll go on forever. We be in accord mate." Bill looked up. A broad smile crossed his face when Adam appeared and sat with them. Jack glared at him.
"Guh uh- aye"
Adam smirked.. "The crew sent me to tell you that they have decided its nothing but the best for our Captain so we've decided to stop in Tortuga and get you to a good tooth-puller. But until then." He hung a small schoolhouse chalkboard around his neck and handed him chalk. " They thought perhaps you could use this?"
Bill tried not to enjoy the situation too much. Jack was still his Captain. He had to show respect.
Jack was not amused. The pain was getting worse. It was getting hard not to show it. He put his head in his hands.
Adam touched his shoulder and handed his brother a bottle of rum and three little black pills. "Take this."
Jack looked at the pills in his hand. "Eh oo eh ihh??" "Just take it Jack. You'll feel better"
"Eeea ahk A-er" The Captain said seriously as he eyed the medication suspiciously. He swallowed the pills and within a short time the pain was gone. The Black Pearl headed back to Virginia and Captain Jack was in an opium induced euphoria.
* Treasure Island