Chapter Six: To few good men left
A/N: soooo tired... so why am I compelled to write....?
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Jack vaguely remembered stumbling along and into the Turners' house. He heard Will's panicked voice and Marie's startled outcry as Richard all but dragged him into the house. He mustered enough strength to look up and catch Will's eyes as he approached the injured captain. He pulled away from Richard, and promptly pitched forward.
Will caught his elder friend and eased him over to the couch. Jack groaned as he lay there, hand pressed firmly against his blood soaked bandana. "Pratt's gonna use Richard's place on the jury against us," he managed between grimaces.
"Shh... that doesn't matter right now," Will soothed. "Jack, you've got to tell me what all hurts so I can help."
Jack shook his head. "No. We've gotta get Ana out now. When 'e finds me gone...."
"Jack, he can't do anything to her yet."
"An' 'e wasn't 'spose to do anythin' to me either, lad, but 'e did. We 'ave to get 'er out now."
Jack struggled to sit up, but Will pushed him back down as gently as he could. "Marie, get me a clean cloth and water, would you?" he asked. "Richard, would you tell Elizabeth to keep the kids in their room?" He turned back to the struggling pirate. "Jack, lie still. You'll do Ana Maria no good if you're dead."
"Ye sound jus' like yer ol' man, ye know tha'?" Jack mumbled with a smile. "'m sorry 'e died the way 'e did. Sorry 'e died at all."
"Jack..." Will begged, voice pained with emotion. "Just rest, Jack, please?"
The two men jumped slightly as a wail came from the other room. Bill flew past Richard who was trying to chase him down and Elizabeth who had Katherine in her arms. The lad came to the room and strait to the couch. "Uncle Jack?" he asked, tugging very gently on the pirate's tattered shirt. "You okay, Uncle Jack?"
Jack turned two pain-filled eyes towards the boy. "'m fine, lad," he managed.
"Mr. Bruckworth said you're sick," the boy argued, scrunching his small nose up and pointing one small finger back to the injured man's stepfather. "He said Momma should keep us in our room, but I got scared. You won't die, huh, Uncle Jack?"
The boy's words all meshed together in Jack's mind as he struggled to figure out how he was supposed to respond. "I'll be fine, lad," he mumbled. "Won't die on ye, I guarantee tha'."
"Promise?" the boy asked.
Jack chuckled. "Guarantee means promise, lad."
Bill nodded and gave his "uncle" a hug. Jack reached an unsteady arm around the boy and then ruffled his hair. "Go on back to yer mum," he said quietly. "She needs 'elp with yer li'll sister."
"Aye aye, Cap'n!" Bill answered with an clumsy salute as he ran back to his mother.
Will looked down on his friend as he took a towel offered from Marie. "Jack, I'm going to fetch the doctor."
"No," the pirate said quickly, struggling once again to sit up. "Then 'e'll know where to look for me an' you'll be puttin' yer family in danger, Will."
"He'll not know," Will said firmly. "You sleep and let me take care of it. Trust me, Jack, we're safe here."
Jack thought vaguely that he'd heard those words before, and those were his last thoughts before falling into oblivion.
"He'll look through the records at the doctors'," Richard said.
Will shook his head. "He won't have to. Everyone in Port Royal knows Jack is a welcomed friend at this house. He'll come, but we'll be ready for him."
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The doctor stepped out of the room that they had moved Jack into and closed the door softly behind him. Dr. Charles Edman sighed and leaned against the wall. "He is the worst patient I've ever-"
"Tell us something we don't know," Will grumbled. "Will he be all right?"
The doctor nodded. "Yes, but with rest. You must tell him that he can't run off to go after that girl right now."
"Does everyone know about Ana Maria?" Will mumbled under his breath.
"I checked on her yesterday. I told your pirate friend that she is in good health and that Commodore Norrington is keeping her in top condition there. That settled him down for a while."
Will nodded. "Thank you."
Dr. Edman raised a white eyebrow. "Good luck to you, Will Turner. You're going to need it with him."
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"I 'eard you an' me mum arguing," Jack said as he leaned against the door.
Richard spun on his heals, his vivid blue eyes locking on Jack's dark ones. "Young men shouldn't eavesdrop."
"I wasn't. Anyone in the 'ouse could 'ear the two of ye. Wha' did ye 'ave to do with me father's death, Richard?"
The elder man glared. "That's non of your concern."
"I think it's every bit of my concern."
Richard backhanded the young teen hard across the face. "Get out."
"Tell me!"
The second strike sent him to tumbling to the ground and Richard turned and left him alone in the large room.
"Jack?"
Jack's eyes flew open and he found himself staring at Will Turner. "'allo," he managed.
"How are you feeling?"
"Terrible." He looked behind him to see Richard lingering there, as if he weren't sure if he should find somewhere else – anywhere else – to be. Jack struggled to sit up a bit. "Let me talk with Richard a moment, eh?"
Will looked at him funny before nodding.
Richard inched closer to the bedside as the young blacksmith left the room. He eyed Jack carefully and watched the pirate captain sink back against the pillows again. "I asked you somethin' once," he said slowly. "An' I dunno if ye remember."
"Ask it again and we shall see."
Jack opened his eyes slowly and stared strait at his stepfather. "What part did ye play in me father's death?"
Richard stared at him a moment before sighing, sitting himself down on the edge of the younger man's bed. "I was engaged to Marie since we were children. She was supposed to be over in the Caribbean for a couple to three years then she had planned to return to England where we would be married. She never planned on meeting Jonathan Sparrow, and when she did things went awry." He stopped a moment, gathering his thoughts. "Marie's father – Matthew Eddington – sent me a letter that explained that Marie had been raped by a pirate and forced to marry him, and at that time she was bringing him back to England. I was to alert the local authorities and have him hung." Richard looked at the younger man who was still watching him intently. "I received a letter from Marie the following day, though I believe it was only by coincidence and she had no idea what her father and I were plotting to do, saying that she had fallen in love and that she was sorry and so on and so on. I had quite a role in your father's death, Jack. I cared very little about good men and the such when I was younger."
"And now?"
"There are too few to kill off so quickly."
Jack nodded. "Then yer gonna 'elp me."
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A/N: Got in from the funeral and decided to write. I slept WAAAAY too much in the car. I'll be twitchy all night now. Lol. Oh well, I'll go watch Sleepy Hollow or Pirates of the Caribbean or some really good movie like that.
Kungfuchick: Hey, we're authors, we should all be hauled off and locked away for life, but hey, that's the fun of it. Hopefully they'll pay us money someday to write down our insanity for a living. ::grins:: Yeah, Richard's having a bit of a tough time trying to figure out HOW to be a good guy. I'm trying to redeem him just a little
LaVieSansAmour: Ah! Don't yell at me! ::hides:: oh... you're not going to yell anymore b/c I got him out? ::comes out sheepishly:: okay then. Anyway, yes, the Pratts are messing everything up! I don't like them. And the scar that Jack hides under his bandana is explained in my story "My Father's Son" chapter 5. That might have been in that time that you were gone, b/c I think I came out with that story pretty fast. Hmm... ::goes back to check::
JackFan2: Nah... You don't need a shrink. I've been the same way for as long as I can remember. Hehe... Murtogg and Mullroy... Those two needed to get together with Pintel and Reghetti! ::grins:: All of 'em were funny! I'm glad you liked the flashback, I've been coming up with a bit more details about how it all happened in my mind. You see, I have a habit of creating my own little world for each story line I write. My Gundam Wing fics are probably one of the best examples of that. But I have to have every minor detail strait in my head or it'll drive me up the wall.... Don't ask, I'm strange. A friend of mine and I have been working on a fic for over three years, its over 400 pages long, and I went back probably a year ago (it was probably only 300 pages then) and reread everything and charted out what happened on what days in the fic so that we wouldn't say it was the wrong day. I'm really picky about that kind of stuff. ::looks back:: I'm not quite sure how I got onto that little ramble.... Shows you how coherent I am, right? lol! Oh, one last thing. Did you ever read that chapter I sent you over email?
Thanks very much for reading, everyone! I don't know if I'll be able to post tomorrow b/c I'm goin' to me cousin's graduation thing. Wish me luck. :(
A/N: soooo tired... so why am I compelled to write....?
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Jack vaguely remembered stumbling along and into the Turners' house. He heard Will's panicked voice and Marie's startled outcry as Richard all but dragged him into the house. He mustered enough strength to look up and catch Will's eyes as he approached the injured captain. He pulled away from Richard, and promptly pitched forward.
Will caught his elder friend and eased him over to the couch. Jack groaned as he lay there, hand pressed firmly against his blood soaked bandana. "Pratt's gonna use Richard's place on the jury against us," he managed between grimaces.
"Shh... that doesn't matter right now," Will soothed. "Jack, you've got to tell me what all hurts so I can help."
Jack shook his head. "No. We've gotta get Ana out now. When 'e finds me gone...."
"Jack, he can't do anything to her yet."
"An' 'e wasn't 'spose to do anythin' to me either, lad, but 'e did. We 'ave to get 'er out now."
Jack struggled to sit up, but Will pushed him back down as gently as he could. "Marie, get me a clean cloth and water, would you?" he asked. "Richard, would you tell Elizabeth to keep the kids in their room?" He turned back to the struggling pirate. "Jack, lie still. You'll do Ana Maria no good if you're dead."
"Ye sound jus' like yer ol' man, ye know tha'?" Jack mumbled with a smile. "'m sorry 'e died the way 'e did. Sorry 'e died at all."
"Jack..." Will begged, voice pained with emotion. "Just rest, Jack, please?"
The two men jumped slightly as a wail came from the other room. Bill flew past Richard who was trying to chase him down and Elizabeth who had Katherine in her arms. The lad came to the room and strait to the couch. "Uncle Jack?" he asked, tugging very gently on the pirate's tattered shirt. "You okay, Uncle Jack?"
Jack turned two pain-filled eyes towards the boy. "'m fine, lad," he managed.
"Mr. Bruckworth said you're sick," the boy argued, scrunching his small nose up and pointing one small finger back to the injured man's stepfather. "He said Momma should keep us in our room, but I got scared. You won't die, huh, Uncle Jack?"
The boy's words all meshed together in Jack's mind as he struggled to figure out how he was supposed to respond. "I'll be fine, lad," he mumbled. "Won't die on ye, I guarantee tha'."
"Promise?" the boy asked.
Jack chuckled. "Guarantee means promise, lad."
Bill nodded and gave his "uncle" a hug. Jack reached an unsteady arm around the boy and then ruffled his hair. "Go on back to yer mum," he said quietly. "She needs 'elp with yer li'll sister."
"Aye aye, Cap'n!" Bill answered with an clumsy salute as he ran back to his mother.
Will looked down on his friend as he took a towel offered from Marie. "Jack, I'm going to fetch the doctor."
"No," the pirate said quickly, struggling once again to sit up. "Then 'e'll know where to look for me an' you'll be puttin' yer family in danger, Will."
"He'll not know," Will said firmly. "You sleep and let me take care of it. Trust me, Jack, we're safe here."
Jack thought vaguely that he'd heard those words before, and those were his last thoughts before falling into oblivion.
"He'll look through the records at the doctors'," Richard said.
Will shook his head. "He won't have to. Everyone in Port Royal knows Jack is a welcomed friend at this house. He'll come, but we'll be ready for him."
--------------------
The doctor stepped out of the room that they had moved Jack into and closed the door softly behind him. Dr. Charles Edman sighed and leaned against the wall. "He is the worst patient I've ever-"
"Tell us something we don't know," Will grumbled. "Will he be all right?"
The doctor nodded. "Yes, but with rest. You must tell him that he can't run off to go after that girl right now."
"Does everyone know about Ana Maria?" Will mumbled under his breath.
"I checked on her yesterday. I told your pirate friend that she is in good health and that Commodore Norrington is keeping her in top condition there. That settled him down for a while."
Will nodded. "Thank you."
Dr. Edman raised a white eyebrow. "Good luck to you, Will Turner. You're going to need it with him."
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"I 'eard you an' me mum arguing," Jack said as he leaned against the door.
Richard spun on his heals, his vivid blue eyes locking on Jack's dark ones. "Young men shouldn't eavesdrop."
"I wasn't. Anyone in the 'ouse could 'ear the two of ye. Wha' did ye 'ave to do with me father's death, Richard?"
The elder man glared. "That's non of your concern."
"I think it's every bit of my concern."
Richard backhanded the young teen hard across the face. "Get out."
"Tell me!"
The second strike sent him to tumbling to the ground and Richard turned and left him alone in the large room.
"Jack?"
Jack's eyes flew open and he found himself staring at Will Turner. "'allo," he managed.
"How are you feeling?"
"Terrible." He looked behind him to see Richard lingering there, as if he weren't sure if he should find somewhere else – anywhere else – to be. Jack struggled to sit up a bit. "Let me talk with Richard a moment, eh?"
Will looked at him funny before nodding.
Richard inched closer to the bedside as the young blacksmith left the room. He eyed Jack carefully and watched the pirate captain sink back against the pillows again. "I asked you somethin' once," he said slowly. "An' I dunno if ye remember."
"Ask it again and we shall see."
Jack opened his eyes slowly and stared strait at his stepfather. "What part did ye play in me father's death?"
Richard stared at him a moment before sighing, sitting himself down on the edge of the younger man's bed. "I was engaged to Marie since we were children. She was supposed to be over in the Caribbean for a couple to three years then she had planned to return to England where we would be married. She never planned on meeting Jonathan Sparrow, and when she did things went awry." He stopped a moment, gathering his thoughts. "Marie's father – Matthew Eddington – sent me a letter that explained that Marie had been raped by a pirate and forced to marry him, and at that time she was bringing him back to England. I was to alert the local authorities and have him hung." Richard looked at the younger man who was still watching him intently. "I received a letter from Marie the following day, though I believe it was only by coincidence and she had no idea what her father and I were plotting to do, saying that she had fallen in love and that she was sorry and so on and so on. I had quite a role in your father's death, Jack. I cared very little about good men and the such when I was younger."
"And now?"
"There are too few to kill off so quickly."
Jack nodded. "Then yer gonna 'elp me."
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A/N: Got in from the funeral and decided to write. I slept WAAAAY too much in the car. I'll be twitchy all night now. Lol. Oh well, I'll go watch Sleepy Hollow or Pirates of the Caribbean or some really good movie like that.
Kungfuchick: Hey, we're authors, we should all be hauled off and locked away for life, but hey, that's the fun of it. Hopefully they'll pay us money someday to write down our insanity for a living. ::grins:: Yeah, Richard's having a bit of a tough time trying to figure out HOW to be a good guy. I'm trying to redeem him just a little
LaVieSansAmour: Ah! Don't yell at me! ::hides:: oh... you're not going to yell anymore b/c I got him out? ::comes out sheepishly:: okay then. Anyway, yes, the Pratts are messing everything up! I don't like them. And the scar that Jack hides under his bandana is explained in my story "My Father's Son" chapter 5. That might have been in that time that you were gone, b/c I think I came out with that story pretty fast. Hmm... ::goes back to check::
JackFan2: Nah... You don't need a shrink. I've been the same way for as long as I can remember. Hehe... Murtogg and Mullroy... Those two needed to get together with Pintel and Reghetti! ::grins:: All of 'em were funny! I'm glad you liked the flashback, I've been coming up with a bit more details about how it all happened in my mind. You see, I have a habit of creating my own little world for each story line I write. My Gundam Wing fics are probably one of the best examples of that. But I have to have every minor detail strait in my head or it'll drive me up the wall.... Don't ask, I'm strange. A friend of mine and I have been working on a fic for over three years, its over 400 pages long, and I went back probably a year ago (it was probably only 300 pages then) and reread everything and charted out what happened on what days in the fic so that we wouldn't say it was the wrong day. I'm really picky about that kind of stuff. ::looks back:: I'm not quite sure how I got onto that little ramble.... Shows you how coherent I am, right? lol! Oh, one last thing. Did you ever read that chapter I sent you over email?
Thanks very much for reading, everyone! I don't know if I'll be able to post tomorrow b/c I'm goin' to me cousin's graduation thing. Wish me luck. :(