Aftermath
By: L'Morgan
Disclaimer: I guess I really do need to remind you all that anything and everything related to Pirates of the Caribbean, their characters and settings are all the property of Disney - Disney - Disney - nobody - but -Disney ---- I-just-borrowing-to-play-with-and-giving-back. Only Disney can make money on anything to do with Pirates of the Caribbean. NOT ME!
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Summary: Port Royal lies in ruins and the Black Pearl sits in the bay... What is Jack Sparrow up to now?!!
Chapter 6: Whispers in the Night
William rowed the boat as hard as he could through the darkness. He just hoped they were headed for the right spot and that the ship hadn't moved. He frowned as he watched Elizabeth before him. She sat in the front, while Jack lay in the bottom of the small row boat, his head in her lap. Gently she was stroking his cheek, but the pirate was still utterly unconscious and unmoving.
Finally, finally they found the ship. He yelled as loud as he could and after what seemed like an eternity, one of the crew came and shortly the boat was hauled to the deck. Quickly he leapt out to find Gibbs and AnaMaria there with worried looks.
"What happened boy?" Gibbs demanded gruffly as he knelt by the boat with its' so still occupant and the young man shook his head.
"He came to see us - we talked about getting your castaways safely to shore - then he left. Then not even an hour later, Commodore Norrington was at our door, covered in blood. He said Jack was out by the cliffs, and that he needed our assistance. We found him. He's alive, but it looks like Norrington ran into him on his way back to the boat." Will said all in one breath and watched as Gibbs felt at the pirate's chest and neck and touched the wrapping on his arm.
"Get a blanket" he commanded gruffly, and in a flash AnaMaria was back with one. They watched as the older man covered Jack with the blanket, then, proceeded to lift the limp figure up in his arms as if he were a nothing more than a small child. It was not possible for Will to miss the angry, dark looks the woman pirate was sending their way during the entire process.
"I've got you lad," the older sailor reassured in a low tone as he shifted his burden so Jack's head rested heavily on his shoulder. Nobody thought to protest Will and Elizabeth following them down the deck and into Jack's cabin.
"Clear the table" Gibbs ordered, of the large mahogany one that sat to the left of the doorway, and quickly Elizabeth and William helped AnaMaria clear the things off. They watched as Gibbs very gently laid the unconscious man out on it. Ana turned up a lantern and brought it over. The other two gasped as the light revealed the pirate's extremely pale features. His face and neck were smeared with bloody fingerprints, his sleeve thickly coated and his shirt smeared as well.
Gibbs felt at Jack's wrist on his injured side, then on his good side, then at his neck and gently removed the bandana to feel at his forehead.
"Is he going to be alright?" Elizabeth asked anxiously and he shook his head.
"Can't tell. He won't be with only my bits and pieces kind of know how. He's lost a lot of blood. I've seen that kill more men than the wound itself." He said, and at his words AnaMaria turned on her heel and left the room in a sudden rush.
She was back in just a few more, and this time she brought with her a man in his later 50s or so, with grayish hair. who was clad in a fancier type of shirt and grey trousers. Yet his feet were bare. Instantly the man crossed to the table and felt at the pirate captain's neck. Elizabeth and William both did strong double takes at seeing him.
"Doctor Cook?" Elizabeth breathed and he nodded without looking up. It was the doctor who had been missing from Port Royal since the disaster! He also happened to be the only fully qualified doctor the town had had among its residents.
Gently the Doctor lifted the pirate's eyelids one at a time, then felt at his forehead and his wrists and saw the makeshift bandage on his arm.
'I'll need bandages, a good needle and sewing thread, alcohol, a lot of blankets, and have the cook start making up some broth." He said gruffly as he pulled the lantern closer and began unwrapping Jacks' arm and Ana left again. Gibbs said nothing as he brought a basin of water and cloths over to the table and set them at hand. In a few minutes Ana was back with everything he had asked for.
Will and Elizabeth intertwined hands with quick looks. AnaMaria was making them decidedly uneasy with her silent, cooperative air. They both knew good and well that she was more than likely absolutely livid with the situation and just keeping it well hid for the moment. They watched rather anxiously as the doctor had her hold his patient's arm.
"We - everyone thinks you were killed in the earthquake." Will observed in the silence, and the doctor nodded, not taking his eyes off his work.
"So did I - and a lot of other folks. Would have been if it wasn't for this scallywag and his friends. Try to clean him up Mr. Gibbs. Not his arm though, that's my area." He said and the old sailor nodded.
For the next hour and a half, Elizabeth and Will sat silently as they watched the doctor and his two makeshift assistants undress and re-blanket the figure. They saw that the physician had them hold the lamp very, very close to his patient. First he poured a very liberal amount of alcohol into the wound, and then worked on what looked like the inside of the gash on the pirates arm. Cloth after bloody cloth was dropped into the basin before finally he was making his stitches on the outer skin. Then he soaked the pirates wound again in alcohol and used quite a number of bandages in wrapping it up.
Finally he had Gibbs help him clean the rest of Jack's arm, then finally he supervised the transferring of the figure to the bed where he made sure he was well covered up with several layers of blankets. Then he felt at the pirate's forehead again before finally sighing and giving them all a small smile.
"I think the Captain will be alright. Good thing I was here though. That gash was a nasty one. He'll be sore for awhile." He said and Gibbs smiled widely.
"Sore we can manage good 'nough." He said with relief and the man nodded and seemed amused.
"Well, that means no strenuous activity for awhile. He'll tear those stitches out and be in for a world of trouble if he does." He warned and the two pirates nodded.
"When will he wake up?" Ana asked and the man frowned mildly and shook his head.
"Hard to say dear. And you didn't want him awake for the repairs part anyway. Probably won't be too long. When he does wake, don't let him up. I doubt he'll be feeling well enough to stand, but I can promise you that if he tries, he will end up flat on the floor again. Get some broth in him, and as much water as you can, and yes, he can have a little diluted rum if he wants - but only AFTER the broth." He said and she nodded and he smiled now and seemed pleased with his work.
"Thank ye' Doctor" Gibbs said and the man sighed and shook his head.
'No, thank you Mr. Gibbs and you AnaMaria, and your illustrious Captain. Without you and yours being here, I wouldn't be around to see the last few days - a lot of us wouldn't. You take good care of this young fellow here. I want you to come and get me if he starts to develop a high fever. He will somewhat - can't help that. But you come and get me right away if he starts shivering or seems chilled." He said and they nodded and watched him leave.
Elizabeth and Will both started cleaning off the table and slowly replacing the items. When they finally were done, they looked over to see that Gibbs had left and AnaMaria now sat on the side of the bed beside Jack. Very hesitantly she reached out, stopped, then reached again and risked gently stroking the dark locks away from his face.
"I should just out n' out strangle you, Jack Sparrow" she half hissed, none too kindly.
A few minutes later and to their surprise as well as hers, the dark lashes on his cheek fluttered briefly and she quickly snatched her hand back away. A few moments more, then his eyes cracked open and he blinked groggily at her several times.
"Wer - where am uh?" he muttered thickly and she repressed a quick smile at seeing him wake.
Then she considered him and frowned darkly, leaning forward over him some for a short moment.
"On the Pearl, you fool... You're lucky you not dead, Jack." She snapped in stern reprisal and he smiled vaguely and seemed extremely groggy still.
"Cap'n... thas Cap'n to you." He murmured with a not-quite-all-here teasing lilt and she rolled her eyes in half exasperation as she sat back abruptly.
'You get yourself almost killed and first thing still remindin' me to call you Cap'n?" she demanded rather hotly, and he sighed shallowly and tried to rise up on his elbows. Quickly he stopped with a heavy grimace and collapsed back.
"You - stay - put - Captain." She said with a heavy hand to his chest - stressing the last word forcefully and he nodded as his eyes closed. She hesitated, and then frowned deeply at his completely uncharacteristic submission.
"Awful dizzy." He murmured vaguely as he brought his good hand up and it limply covered hers that rested on his chest.
"You should be dizzy - bleedin' all over like that." She reproved rather sternly and he opened his eyes for only a moment to consider her, and then let them close again. Absently he rubbed his thumb over the smooth skin of her hand under his. She could feel his heartbeat very plainly under her hand.
His heartbeat was unusually fast, but that was in reaction to losing so much blood, she knew. She'd much rather have it be for another reason entirely. However right now she was too angry with him to bother. If he wasn't so groggy, first thing she probably would have done was slap him for scarin' her like he'd done - damn fool of a man. And he'd have deserved it too, she thought as she watched him closely to see if he was pretending at all.
"You turnin' this into a regular hobby here lately Jack. I for one, am getting' tired of cleaning your blood off the deck! Can't you put your attention to something safer? Alligator ridin'? Shark breedin'? Snake charmin? Rate you been going here, it'd be hard to find anything more - 'messy' if you ask me." She said gruffly.
Her eyes grew unaccountably misty as she watched him just drift in a groggy daze, eyes closed and not answering. She roughly wiped at her eyes with her free hand. Damn if he would make her cry!
He continued the slow, soft, stroking of her hand with his one thumb and she allowed him the liberty without comment. He was still so pale that it was instinctively alarming and the contrast with his dark hair only made it seem more pronounced. She truly wished he was pretending right about now.
"Here, see if you can get him to drink something?" Elizabeth asked as she brought over a small glass of water. AnaMaria accepted it with a softly muttered 'thanks'.
She had to lift her patient's head to get him to take a sip, and he made a face of disgust and shuddered. At her insistence, he took a few more sips before she laid him back and he reclaimed her hand as his eyes quickly closed again. She decided to allow it - for now. He was far too quiet and far too submissive for there not to be something seriously wrong with him. That was the part that worried her the most.
'I need to tend to things Jack." She said after a while and he shook his head even more slowly, not bothering to open his eyes at all.
"No don' - feels like the whol' rooms spinning. Y' the only thing thas' not.. Pl'se stay?" he murmured very softly and brought her fingers up for a gentle kiss. His gesture made her eyes widen, and then quickly fill with dangerous tears and she had no voice to answer with. She was eternally grateful that he still had his eyes closed.
After a long moment, again, she very hesitatingly reached out and now dared to slowly stroke his cheek, knowing he was conscious to some degree and doing it anyway. He didn't seem to object, although his being so foggy troubled her.
"Only 'til you're asleep then." She finally told him in a rough tone.
He gave a barely observable nod, a vague smile coming to his features. He sighed shallowly and turned his cheek into her caress more. It wasn't very long at all until his breathing had slowed and deepened and his hand had stilled and grown limp over hers.
Then and only then did she lean forward and deliver a quick kiss to his forehead and then gently she drew the blankets up over his hand and chest and tucked the several layers securely around him. She rose, and looked rather uncomfortable to find them still there and realized that they had been witness to the entire scene.
"He just gets kinda - funny in the head when he's been hurt is all." She said in excuse and Elizabeth smiled at her warmly.
"Yes, of course. That's only to be expected." She agreed and the pirate gave her an awkward, uneasy half smile.
"You'll be wantin' the boat to take you back now I suppose?" she asked and Elizabeth frowned.
"Not if it's a trouble. Dawn isn't far off." She said and the woman nodded.
"All the more reason to get you back now, before that fool Commodore starts playing with his cannon balls again. Jack won't be happy if you end up stuck out here with that loon lobin' shot at us all day again. Um - and thanks t' ye both for bringing Jack home. We do appreciate it." She said, the last rather shyly. Will and Elizabeth both smiled awkwardly and nodded, and got ready to leave the vessel.
If the missing doctor was aboard the Pearl, they were most anxious to see who else it was that the ship was trying to return to the town! They would need to see Elizabeth's father to arrange for that. Neither one of them would dare to approach the Commodore anytime soon.
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Disclaimer: I guess I really do need to remind you all that anything and everything related to Pirates of the Caribbean, their characters and settings are all the property of Disney - Disney - Disney - nobody - but -Disney ---- I-just-borrowing-to-play-with-and-giving-back. Only Disney can make money on anything to do with Pirates of the Caribbean. NOT ME!
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Summary: Port Royal lies in ruins and the Black Pearl sits in the bay... What is Jack Sparrow up to now?!!
Chapter 6: Whispers in the Night
William rowed the boat as hard as he could through the darkness. He just hoped they were headed for the right spot and that the ship hadn't moved. He frowned as he watched Elizabeth before him. She sat in the front, while Jack lay in the bottom of the small row boat, his head in her lap. Gently she was stroking his cheek, but the pirate was still utterly unconscious and unmoving.
Finally, finally they found the ship. He yelled as loud as he could and after what seemed like an eternity, one of the crew came and shortly the boat was hauled to the deck. Quickly he leapt out to find Gibbs and AnaMaria there with worried looks.
"What happened boy?" Gibbs demanded gruffly as he knelt by the boat with its' so still occupant and the young man shook his head.
"He came to see us - we talked about getting your castaways safely to shore - then he left. Then not even an hour later, Commodore Norrington was at our door, covered in blood. He said Jack was out by the cliffs, and that he needed our assistance. We found him. He's alive, but it looks like Norrington ran into him on his way back to the boat." Will said all in one breath and watched as Gibbs felt at the pirate's chest and neck and touched the wrapping on his arm.
"Get a blanket" he commanded gruffly, and in a flash AnaMaria was back with one. They watched as the older man covered Jack with the blanket, then, proceeded to lift the limp figure up in his arms as if he were a nothing more than a small child. It was not possible for Will to miss the angry, dark looks the woman pirate was sending their way during the entire process.
"I've got you lad," the older sailor reassured in a low tone as he shifted his burden so Jack's head rested heavily on his shoulder. Nobody thought to protest Will and Elizabeth following them down the deck and into Jack's cabin.
"Clear the table" Gibbs ordered, of the large mahogany one that sat to the left of the doorway, and quickly Elizabeth and William helped AnaMaria clear the things off. They watched as Gibbs very gently laid the unconscious man out on it. Ana turned up a lantern and brought it over. The other two gasped as the light revealed the pirate's extremely pale features. His face and neck were smeared with bloody fingerprints, his sleeve thickly coated and his shirt smeared as well.
Gibbs felt at Jack's wrist on his injured side, then on his good side, then at his neck and gently removed the bandana to feel at his forehead.
"Is he going to be alright?" Elizabeth asked anxiously and he shook his head.
"Can't tell. He won't be with only my bits and pieces kind of know how. He's lost a lot of blood. I've seen that kill more men than the wound itself." He said, and at his words AnaMaria turned on her heel and left the room in a sudden rush.
She was back in just a few more, and this time she brought with her a man in his later 50s or so, with grayish hair. who was clad in a fancier type of shirt and grey trousers. Yet his feet were bare. Instantly the man crossed to the table and felt at the pirate captain's neck. Elizabeth and William both did strong double takes at seeing him.
"Doctor Cook?" Elizabeth breathed and he nodded without looking up. It was the doctor who had been missing from Port Royal since the disaster! He also happened to be the only fully qualified doctor the town had had among its residents.
Gently the Doctor lifted the pirate's eyelids one at a time, then felt at his forehead and his wrists and saw the makeshift bandage on his arm.
'I'll need bandages, a good needle and sewing thread, alcohol, a lot of blankets, and have the cook start making up some broth." He said gruffly as he pulled the lantern closer and began unwrapping Jacks' arm and Ana left again. Gibbs said nothing as he brought a basin of water and cloths over to the table and set them at hand. In a few minutes Ana was back with everything he had asked for.
Will and Elizabeth intertwined hands with quick looks. AnaMaria was making them decidedly uneasy with her silent, cooperative air. They both knew good and well that she was more than likely absolutely livid with the situation and just keeping it well hid for the moment. They watched rather anxiously as the doctor had her hold his patient's arm.
"We - everyone thinks you were killed in the earthquake." Will observed in the silence, and the doctor nodded, not taking his eyes off his work.
"So did I - and a lot of other folks. Would have been if it wasn't for this scallywag and his friends. Try to clean him up Mr. Gibbs. Not his arm though, that's my area." He said and the old sailor nodded.
For the next hour and a half, Elizabeth and Will sat silently as they watched the doctor and his two makeshift assistants undress and re-blanket the figure. They saw that the physician had them hold the lamp very, very close to his patient. First he poured a very liberal amount of alcohol into the wound, and then worked on what looked like the inside of the gash on the pirates arm. Cloth after bloody cloth was dropped into the basin before finally he was making his stitches on the outer skin. Then he soaked the pirates wound again in alcohol and used quite a number of bandages in wrapping it up.
Finally he had Gibbs help him clean the rest of Jack's arm, then finally he supervised the transferring of the figure to the bed where he made sure he was well covered up with several layers of blankets. Then he felt at the pirate's forehead again before finally sighing and giving them all a small smile.
"I think the Captain will be alright. Good thing I was here though. That gash was a nasty one. He'll be sore for awhile." He said and Gibbs smiled widely.
"Sore we can manage good 'nough." He said with relief and the man nodded and seemed amused.
"Well, that means no strenuous activity for awhile. He'll tear those stitches out and be in for a world of trouble if he does." He warned and the two pirates nodded.
"When will he wake up?" Ana asked and the man frowned mildly and shook his head.
"Hard to say dear. And you didn't want him awake for the repairs part anyway. Probably won't be too long. When he does wake, don't let him up. I doubt he'll be feeling well enough to stand, but I can promise you that if he tries, he will end up flat on the floor again. Get some broth in him, and as much water as you can, and yes, he can have a little diluted rum if he wants - but only AFTER the broth." He said and she nodded and he smiled now and seemed pleased with his work.
"Thank ye' Doctor" Gibbs said and the man sighed and shook his head.
'No, thank you Mr. Gibbs and you AnaMaria, and your illustrious Captain. Without you and yours being here, I wouldn't be around to see the last few days - a lot of us wouldn't. You take good care of this young fellow here. I want you to come and get me if he starts to develop a high fever. He will somewhat - can't help that. But you come and get me right away if he starts shivering or seems chilled." He said and they nodded and watched him leave.
Elizabeth and Will both started cleaning off the table and slowly replacing the items. When they finally were done, they looked over to see that Gibbs had left and AnaMaria now sat on the side of the bed beside Jack. Very hesitantly she reached out, stopped, then reached again and risked gently stroking the dark locks away from his face.
"I should just out n' out strangle you, Jack Sparrow" she half hissed, none too kindly.
A few minutes later and to their surprise as well as hers, the dark lashes on his cheek fluttered briefly and she quickly snatched her hand back away. A few moments more, then his eyes cracked open and he blinked groggily at her several times.
"Wer - where am uh?" he muttered thickly and she repressed a quick smile at seeing him wake.
Then she considered him and frowned darkly, leaning forward over him some for a short moment.
"On the Pearl, you fool... You're lucky you not dead, Jack." She snapped in stern reprisal and he smiled vaguely and seemed extremely groggy still.
"Cap'n... thas Cap'n to you." He murmured with a not-quite-all-here teasing lilt and she rolled her eyes in half exasperation as she sat back abruptly.
'You get yourself almost killed and first thing still remindin' me to call you Cap'n?" she demanded rather hotly, and he sighed shallowly and tried to rise up on his elbows. Quickly he stopped with a heavy grimace and collapsed back.
"You - stay - put - Captain." She said with a heavy hand to his chest - stressing the last word forcefully and he nodded as his eyes closed. She hesitated, and then frowned deeply at his completely uncharacteristic submission.
"Awful dizzy." He murmured vaguely as he brought his good hand up and it limply covered hers that rested on his chest.
"You should be dizzy - bleedin' all over like that." She reproved rather sternly and he opened his eyes for only a moment to consider her, and then let them close again. Absently he rubbed his thumb over the smooth skin of her hand under his. She could feel his heartbeat very plainly under her hand.
His heartbeat was unusually fast, but that was in reaction to losing so much blood, she knew. She'd much rather have it be for another reason entirely. However right now she was too angry with him to bother. If he wasn't so groggy, first thing she probably would have done was slap him for scarin' her like he'd done - damn fool of a man. And he'd have deserved it too, she thought as she watched him closely to see if he was pretending at all.
"You turnin' this into a regular hobby here lately Jack. I for one, am getting' tired of cleaning your blood off the deck! Can't you put your attention to something safer? Alligator ridin'? Shark breedin'? Snake charmin? Rate you been going here, it'd be hard to find anything more - 'messy' if you ask me." She said gruffly.
Her eyes grew unaccountably misty as she watched him just drift in a groggy daze, eyes closed and not answering. She roughly wiped at her eyes with her free hand. Damn if he would make her cry!
He continued the slow, soft, stroking of her hand with his one thumb and she allowed him the liberty without comment. He was still so pale that it was instinctively alarming and the contrast with his dark hair only made it seem more pronounced. She truly wished he was pretending right about now.
"Here, see if you can get him to drink something?" Elizabeth asked as she brought over a small glass of water. AnaMaria accepted it with a softly muttered 'thanks'.
She had to lift her patient's head to get him to take a sip, and he made a face of disgust and shuddered. At her insistence, he took a few more sips before she laid him back and he reclaimed her hand as his eyes quickly closed again. She decided to allow it - for now. He was far too quiet and far too submissive for there not to be something seriously wrong with him. That was the part that worried her the most.
'I need to tend to things Jack." She said after a while and he shook his head even more slowly, not bothering to open his eyes at all.
"No don' - feels like the whol' rooms spinning. Y' the only thing thas' not.. Pl'se stay?" he murmured very softly and brought her fingers up for a gentle kiss. His gesture made her eyes widen, and then quickly fill with dangerous tears and she had no voice to answer with. She was eternally grateful that he still had his eyes closed.
After a long moment, again, she very hesitatingly reached out and now dared to slowly stroke his cheek, knowing he was conscious to some degree and doing it anyway. He didn't seem to object, although his being so foggy troubled her.
"Only 'til you're asleep then." She finally told him in a rough tone.
He gave a barely observable nod, a vague smile coming to his features. He sighed shallowly and turned his cheek into her caress more. It wasn't very long at all until his breathing had slowed and deepened and his hand had stilled and grown limp over hers.
Then and only then did she lean forward and deliver a quick kiss to his forehead and then gently she drew the blankets up over his hand and chest and tucked the several layers securely around him. She rose, and looked rather uncomfortable to find them still there and realized that they had been witness to the entire scene.
"He just gets kinda - funny in the head when he's been hurt is all." She said in excuse and Elizabeth smiled at her warmly.
"Yes, of course. That's only to be expected." She agreed and the pirate gave her an awkward, uneasy half smile.
"You'll be wantin' the boat to take you back now I suppose?" she asked and Elizabeth frowned.
"Not if it's a trouble. Dawn isn't far off." She said and the woman nodded.
"All the more reason to get you back now, before that fool Commodore starts playing with his cannon balls again. Jack won't be happy if you end up stuck out here with that loon lobin' shot at us all day again. Um - and thanks t' ye both for bringing Jack home. We do appreciate it." She said, the last rather shyly. Will and Elizabeth both smiled awkwardly and nodded, and got ready to leave the vessel.
If the missing doctor was aboard the Pearl, they were most anxious to see who else it was that the ship was trying to return to the town! They would need to see Elizabeth's father to arrange for that. Neither one of them would dare to approach the Commodore anytime soon.
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