Disclaimer: Not mine. Wishes it could be.
"Good news and bad news, Captain." Ana says, coming back into the room with a tray in her hands. "Good news is, I found out what kind of poison that bastard put on the knife. And the broth isn't that bad either, considering Mister Gibb's previous culinary efforts." She wrinkles her nose at the smell of vomit. "She's fighting hard, is she Jack? Well, as long as this poison gets out of her system, she'll be better off."
"And the bad news?" Jack says warily.
Ana sighs, then sits next to Squirrel and begins gently ladling the soup into the young girl's mouth. "Bad news is, that Smith knew what he was doing. That poison was something impossible to find out what it was, and then…" Ana shakes her head, scowling. "There's no cure."
Jack sits bolt upright. "What?"
"You heard me." Ana says, putting down the spoon to wipe Squirrel's face again. "No cure. If Squirrel wants to live, she'll have to pull herself through this."
"Damn Smith and his vengeance to the deepest circle of hell!" Jack swears loudly. "If he wants to hurt me, he should come after me, not my… not Squirrel!"
"Vengeance?" Ana raises an eyebrow. "So you know Smith?"
"Indirectly." Jack's hand movements are subdued.
"And Bella?" Ana says, recalling the mangy pirate's words.
Jack's mouth becomes a hard line. "Just some girl from Tortuga." He looks away. Squirrel mumbles and tosses slightly in her sleep.
"Don't worry, Jack." Ana squeezes Squirrel's hand. "Squirrel'll be back. You'll come back, won't you, lass? You can fight this. You won't leave Jack all heart-broken, will you?" Jack rises to his feet.
"Take care of her, Ana." He says, leaving the cabin. "I need a drink."
Ana looks up, confused. "But what about…"
"She can take care of herself." Jack says shortly. "If she doesn't want to be weak and useless, she can do this." He pauses at the door, but doesn't look back. "But tell me when she comes around, aye?" His voice is soft, and filled with an emotion Ana has never known Jack to express. She pretends not to have seen his tears.
"Aye, Captain." She says slowly. Jack shuts the door quietly behind him.