AN: I lied. This isn't the last chapter. This is the second to last chapter. I'm currently working on the last chapter and hope to post it within four days (you'll probably be able to figure out most of what shall happen based on this one, but ah well). This would've been posted earlier save for the problems that ff.net has had. Hope you enjoy.
To Love and Protect
Part 28
The crew of the Intrepid worked quickly and efficiently, assessing damages and doing what they could to repair them, but there was a marked difference in their mood. Even before the battle with the Defender, there had been a sense of camaraderie, a feeling of unity that had shown itself in brief conversations and comments, in quick grins and quiet laughs.
Silence was now the rule of the day. There were no songs, no laughs, no victory cheers, no friendly ribbing about who had and had not done what in the battle. Officers found that no yelling was needed to make orders carry the length of the ship.
Their commander was fighting what was in all likelihood a losing battle for his life. Their own futures were uncertain at best. It was a heavy pall that hung over the damaged ship as wounded were tended and the gun deck cleared of debris as survivors were gently moved to a safer location.
"Oh, God . . ." Will more breathed than spoke the epithet . . .or was it a prayer? . . .as he watched one of the marines carry a sailor up from below, a splinter that was easily the size of Will's fist embedded in the man's chest.
Only Jack's hands planted firmly on his shoulder kept him from bolting down below decks. Ana-Maria kept Elizabeth in a similar hold, though the dazed expression on his wife's face caused the blacksmith to doubt exactly how much of what had happened was registering with her.
"Let them do their job, Will."
"But Jack and Ana . . .my children . . ."
"You can't do anything for them."
"Jack, please . . .you don't understand . . .I have to . . .they're my children . . ." Will suddenly found himself unable to draw a full breath, panting slightly as he watched the efficient work of the rescue team. His children were down there somewhere, in need of his help . . .
"Will . . .William!" The pirate captain sighed in relief as Will's eyes finally snapped back to his. "Will, you can't do anything to help."
Jack frowned as Will simply stared at him, misery, pain and fear starkly evident in his eyes.
"You don't understand . . ."
"Then show me." The pirate captain braced his feet and half-closed his eyes before once again dropping the carefully placed defenses in his mind.
Even prepared, Jack still found himself dropping his hands from Will's shoulder and using them to cradle his head, just barely resisting the urge to scream as the onslaught of thoughts and emotions swept through his mind. Guilt, anger, grief, fear, pain, sorrow . . .
The pirate captain wavered and nearly fell as Will slammed his own mental barriers shut with a snarl that was belied by the concerned hand he placed on Jack's arm.
"Mental autonomy is not a bad thing, remember? That works both ways, Jack."
"You're the one who said I didn't understand . . ." Jack rubbed at his forehead, still dazed by everything he had seen and sensed in Will's mind.
"What are you two doing?" Ana-Maria's low hiss was filled with suspicion and exasperation that nearly cloaked the touch of fear also present.
"Deciding I'm never going to be a father. It's far too much stress."
Both Will and Elizabeth nearly smiled . . .not quite, but nearly, and Elizabeth finally made her way into her husband's arms where she should have been, at least in Jack's opinion, from the first.
The quartet waited with at least pseudo-patience as the rescue and damage control work continued.
Finally, after what seemed like forever but could barely have been a quarter-hour, the cry they had been waiting for sounded.
"We've found them! Sir, we've found them!"
The hoarse cry was followed by a quick shuffle of men and the sound of quiet sobbing as a small form was quickly passed up onto the deck and into Will and Elizabeth's waiting arms.
"Ana . . .oh, Ana, thank God . . ."
Jack and Ana-Maria hung back as the two parents embraced their daughter, both of them quickly checking her over for injuries. A gash on her temple had caused blood to congeal in her hair and trickle down her face, and small splinters of wood were caught in her clothing, a few obvious in the skin of her lower arms and hands.
"Mama . . .papa . . ." The sobbing intensified as Ana grabbed both her parents in a tight hug. "Jack . . .where's Jack . . .I can't feel him, Mama, he was trying to protect me and now I can't . . .I can't . . ."
Whatever else the girl was going to say was drowned out by harsher sobs and another cry from the marines working rescue detail.
"We've got him!"
Once again the hoarse cry heralded the arrival of a small form . . .but this time there were no sobs emanating from it. The small body was utterly still as it was passed up into the sunlight. Blood stained the trousers and loose white shirt, splinters and other dust turning the dark brown hair a chalky gray and giving him the complexion of a corpse.
No . . .no, not a corpse, not a corpse . . .
The marine gently laid the boy flat on the deck, leaning down to check him over before shaking his head.
"He's not breathing . . ."
Something inside Will seemed to die as those simple words threatened to bring his world crashing down.
* * *
He's not breathing . . .He's not breathing . . .
Jack turned away, his hands clenching into fists as the red-coated marine shook his head and stood. Will didn't move from his spot, standing in front of his wife and daughter, staring unblinkingly at his child. Only numbness made its way across the link now, a hurt too deep to feel instantly, one that would build slowly, would fester and burn . . .
It wasn't fair. He was just a child, a stubborn, strong-willed, good-hearted child.
Life was never fair, though. He should be used to it by now.
"Jack . . .?" All eyes turned as if of their own volition to the young girl standing hesitantly over her twin, reaching out as if to touch him only to pull back again, finally settling on brushing a stray lock of hair off his too-still face. "Jack . . .wake up . . .please . . ."
"Jack! Jack, not now, not after hangin' on for so long! Jack, stay with me!" She was trying to breathe for him again . . .
She was trying to breathe for him again . . .
He had only tried the air-sharing with Ana-Maria before, first in play and lately in deadly earnest. Would it work with a child . . .?
Jack pushed his way through the frozen tableau of sailors and marines to kneel beside the boy. Will followed a second later, a faint glimmer of hope making itself known over the link, a glimmer which the pirate captain pointedly ignored, not wanting to raise hopes only to dash them.
It took a few precious seconds to find the weak pulse of life in the boy's neck, a pulse that was slowing and growing more erratic with every second.
Once he had that reassurance, Jack leaned down and sealed his lips firmly over his god-nephew's mouth before exhaling slowly, careful not to breathe too quickly or to force too much into the lad's chest. The boy was younger, smaller, not used to diving underwater and staying there or to running for his life . . .
Rough hands grabbed him by one shoulder and his hair, breaking his concentration.
"Get off him, you bloody—"
Before Jack could respond to the threat himself, Will's fist had silenced the marine.
"Let him work. Let him try." Will's voice nearly broke over the last phrase, and Jack doubted anyone really understood what he was getting at, but as the father, and as a known fighter . . .the pirate captain doubted there would be any more interruptions.
A quick check at the boy's neck showed that his pulse was still strong.
"C'mon, son, breathe for me. I can't keep doin' this for you." Contrary to his words, Jack leaned in and again breathed fresh air into the child's lungs.
Still no response.
"Jack . . .Jack, please . . ." Ana was crying openly as she clasped her twin's hand tightly.
The pirate captain fought the urge to turn away, becoming more and more certain that it was a hopeless fight he was facing. One more time, one more try . . .
"Ana . . ." Elizabeth knelt beside her daughter, pulling her close, trying to hush her daughter's sobs. It was weary eyes that met Jack's as he shook his head.
"I'm sorry . . ."
A harsh cough interrupted the apology or condolences. Jack backed up swiftly to prevent himself from being caught in the middle of the family affection as Will dropped down to touch his son on one side and Elizabeth and Ana crowded closer on the other.
"Jack? Jack, wake up!" The tears still stood on Ana's cheeks, but it was a bright smile that crossed her face as her twin finally followed her command.
"Ana? Mama? Papa?" The boy's voice was scratchy, barely above a whisper, and quickly degenerated into more coughing.
"Right here, Jack. We're right here." Will ran a hand slowly down his son's face.
The boy nodded and smiled before closing his eyes again and passing out, his breathing still steady if a bit harsh.
"Jack." The pirate captain raised one eyebrow in silent query as Will gathered his son into his arms and stood. "Thank you."
Jack smiled and shrugged, wrapping his arms around Ana-Maria.
It was only after Will and his family had moved away to find somewhere safe to lay their son that Jack spared a glance at the crewman around him . . .sailors and marines that viewed him with looks ranging from awe to suspicion.
Now might be a good time to start planning how he was getting out of here . . .
* * *
Dusk had stolen quietly over the sea, a dusk that was quickly deepening to full night as Jack made his way over to the Defender.
The same repair work that had occupied the crew of the Intrepid all day had also occupied the crew of the larger ship. As the only ship not seriously damaged, the Jade had swept out a wide protective circle around her sisters all afternoon before finally dropping anchor off the port side of the Defender, her crew eager for news of their captain.
From the silence and the morose expressions on the faces of the men aboard the Defender, Jack sincerely doubted that the news had been good.
It didn't take the pirate captain long to find the doctor. Francis was leaning against the rail, his eyes closed but his head tilted back as though he were gazing at the darkening sky, watching the constellations slowly form. Blood stained his clothing, especially the cuffs of his sleeves, but he had obviously taken time to wash his hands.
"Did someone take care of your shoulder?"
Jack reared back slightly, unnerved both by being identified by a man who hadn't even looked at him and by the doctor's knowledge of his injury.
"Ana-Maria took care of it. It wasn't bad at all."
"Good." Francis finally moved, straightening slowly and turning weary eyes toward Jack. "Then I suppose you're here to ask about the Captain."
Jack nodded. "I'd like to see him."
"He isn't conscious." Francis locked his gaze onto Jack's, and the pirate got the distinct impression that the man was searching for something . . .though what the doctor was searching for was beyond Jack. "I don't expect him to regain consciousness."
"I'd still like to see him."
The doctor continued as though he hadn't heard. "It took me too long to stop the bleeding, and Lord only knows what damage has been done inside that I can't see and can't fix. He's already feverish. There's nothing more I can do to help him."
"I'd like to see the lad." Jack spoke softly, only his hands moving, keeping a respectful distance between himself and the other man.
Francis finally dropped his gaze, wrapping both arms around his chest as though he were cold. When he spoke, his voice was a monotone just barely above a whisper. "I didn't let Rollin and Jordan see him. I didn't even let Jenkin see him."
Jack stood perfectly still now, watching the doctor sway in place and turn too-weary blue eyes to the sky again.
Jack waited as patiently as he could, but the doctor seemed content to simply stand there. It was possible the man had fallen asleep . . .he had looked exhausted, and it wouldn't be the first time the pirate captain had seen someone sleep standing. Just as he was about to speak or, if needed, shake the man gently back into wakefulness, Francis lowered his eyes once again.
"He trusts you. He cares about you, for some daft reason. He's got two scars because of you."
"I know." Jack nodded, struggling to decipher where the doctor's thought process was heading.
Francis studied the pirate for what seemed to Jack to be forever. "You want to see him."
"Aye."
"All right. I'll show you where he is."
"Thank you."
Francis shook his head. "Don't thank me. This isn't for you. This is for him."
* * *
Hallson's cabin.
Of all the places on the Defender that they could have put him, they chose Hallson's cabin.
It made sense, of course. It was the one place where there was a guarantee that no one would need it anytime soon. It was just . . .
If Gibb's had been here, Jack knew he would have said it was bad luck on account of ghosts.
Jack wasn't entirely certain that he believed in ghosts, but still . . .
The soft click of the door closing told him that Francis had left, and the pirate captain moved slowly towards the still figure on the bed. A single lantern with the wick turned down low gave most of the illumination in the cabin.
Brian's naval uniform had been removed, and in its place a large white bandage swathed his upper abdomen and lower chest. Only a sheet covered the young man below the bandaging, but sweat was still beading on his forehead before trickling slowly down to either drip into his blond hair or onto the bedding. The scar on his right cheek and the half-healed gash on his left stood out badly against skin that was an ashen white beneath the deep tan.
Jack hesitated a moment more before moving over to stand by the bed, purposefully ignoring the chair that had been set by the bed, knowing that he wouldn't be there for long.
He looked so young . . .
Without the naval uniform, without the strong aura of authority that he had learned to exude, without the sharp eyes that displayed the quick intelligence . . .Brian Lanebridges looked young.
Very, very young.
Jack opened his mouth to speak, but for once no words would come. It was like standing on that parapet after Will had saved his life. Saying goodbye had been a necessity, but the proper words hadn't wanted to form.
Then he had settled on "nice hat".
It was sincerely doubtful that "nice scar" would have anything near the desired effect.
"Well, son . . .I guess I just came in here t' tell you that I'm leavin'. You probably won't like the way I'm plannin' on leavin', but hey . . .that Lieutenant of yours has been lookin' at the yardarm and then at me far too much lately. I think he's tryin' to size me up for a noose."
Jack grinned slightly, though it faded as no answer was forthcoming.
"I'm grateful for what you did. You're a good man, Brian, a smart man. James would be proud. I . . .I'm proud of ye. And in your debt."
Jack paused again, reaching out to clasp the young man's limp, sweaty, too-hot hand.
"You keep fighting this, lad. Wherever you are, you listen to me and you fight this. Those men of yours are countin' on you. You can't give up on them now."
"I'm not . . .giving up . . ." Brian's voice was weak, so weak that Jack could barely hear it.
"It's not polite t' let someone think you're unconscious if you're not. How long've you been awake, mate?" Jack tried to admonish the younger man, but he couldn't help grinning from ear to ear anyway. Having someone awake and coherent was usually a good sign.
"Long . . .'nough . . ." Brian smiled slightly, his eyes still closed, and tried to draw a deeper breath. He cried out as he did, his back arching against the pain. "Oh, God . . .hurts . . ."
Jack grimaced as a bloodstain began to grow on the bandaging, placing his hands gently on the younger man's shoulders to restrain him. "Don't try t' breathe so deeply, and don't move, no matter how bad it hurts. C'mon, Brian, just relax. I know it's hard, and it hurts, but you've got to, son."
A single tear forced its way past the young captain's tightly clenched eyelids as he tried to relax, every muscle in his body trembling violently.
"I'm . . .going t' . . .die . . .aren't I . . ." More tears followed the first.
Jack studied the younger man's face for a moment, quickly reaching a decision.
The feel of a pistol underneath his chin caused Brian to finally open his eyes.
"If you want to die, say the word and I'll pull the trigger. I'm in your debt, and if that's how you want it repaid I'll do it."
Jack could feel the heat rolling off the military man and a fever-bright glaze covered the bright blue eyes, but the pirate captain still didn't back down.
"Do you want to die, Brian?"
The pirate captain's breath hitched slightly as the younger man still didn't answer, his eyes roving between the ceiling and Jack's face. Maybe he had misjudged how strong the boy was . . .
"No . . ."
Jack relaxed and pulled back. "Then you won't. Just keep fighting, just keep saying no to the darkness, and you'll be fine."
Jack hesitated a moment before pulling his shirt down, exposing the two scars on his right chest.
"I should've died when I got these. Probably would've made a great many people happy if I had. I didn't, though. Moving hurt, breathing hurt, even thinking hurt, but I didn't give up, and I made it. You understand, Brian?"
"I . . .think so . . ." Brian's eyes were only half-open as they followed Jack's movements. Once he stopped speaking, the blue eyes lost their focus, roaming randomly about the room.
Every hair on Jack's neck and arms seemed to stand on end as the young captain suddenly stiffened, his eyes snapping open wide and focusing on a point just beyond Jack's left shoulder, his lips moving in what seemed to be a very familiar name though no sound came out.
Jack turned around slowly, his hand automatically going for his sword. Standing slightly behind him and to the left was an officer of the Royal Navy, in partial dress uniform, his wig and coat absent but his sword and pistol still present. As Jack watched, the man undid his cufflinks and sat down on the chair that was positioned next to the bed, obviously planning on a long vigil, a small smile vying with worry on his face.
"Norrington?"
The man turned to Jack at the whispered question and nodded, the small smile disappearing only to reappear a moment later. Jack stepped back, realizing he could make out the slats that formed the back of the chair through the once-commodore's form. Lips that hadn't spoken in over five years went through the motions of a silent thanks.
"Captain Sparrow?"
Jack quickly snapped his mouth shut and turned to face the doctor standing in the doorway. When he turned back to the chair, he could no longer see James Norrington's form.
"Did you see . . .?"
"See what?"
The dead man who decided he still wants to guard his protégé?
Somehow Jack doubted that would go over well, and as a quick glance at Brian was enough to show that he was once again lost in the folds of unconsciousness, the pirate captain decided to do the only sane thing for once.
He lied.
"Nothing."
Jack didn't need any urging from Francis to leave the cabin, certain that no matter what happened the young captain wouldn't be alone to face it.
