CHAPTER 6: Him Again!
Katherine spied Mr. Gibbs by the mast waving his sword triumphantly. "Mr. Gibbs!" she yelled, "Jack's been wounded!"
Gibbs turned sharply and seeing Jack lying motionless on the deck rushed to his Captain's side. Jack had been shot in the left shoulder and thankfully the bullet had exited through his back. The wound was serious however. "Anamaria!" Gibbs yelled.
Anamaria's eyes widened when she saw that Jack was hurt. "We've got to get him inside," she said.
"Aye," Gibbs agreed, "Gently now."
Together Katherine, Anamaria and Gibbs lifted Jack and carried him into his cabin and lay him on the bed. "Ana, hot water, rags," he ordered briskly tearing Jack's shirt open.
Katherine winced at the sight of the angry wound. "This is my fault," she whispered shamefully.
"Stop that," Gibbs ordered, "Jack made his choice and you were not to blame. The only one to blame 'ere is Murdock. Jack needs you. Are ye goin' to be lettin' him down?"
Katherine shook her head, "No."
"Good. Now," Gibbs continued tearing strips from Jack's shirt, "We've got to stop the bleeding." He wadded one strip up and rolled Jack to the side and placed it under him so that Jack's weight would provide the needed pressure. He then wadded the second one and placed it in Katherine's hand and then placed her hand over the wound, "Press down hard, Katherine. That's a good lass."
Katherine kept one hand pressed against the wound and Jack's hand held in the other. "Just hold on, Jack," she whispered, "Please."
Anamaria returned with the water and rags and they went to work cleaning and bandaging the wound. Ana shook her head, "Jack'll never make it aboard the Pearl," she stated flatly, "We need to get him on land."
Gibbs sighed. He knew she was right. "But where, Ana? His chances are better here than in Tortuga."
Katherine's eyes lit up, "Take us to Port Royal."
"What?" Gibbs and Ana exclaimed.
"Yer daft!" Ana added rather loudly.
"You heard me," she snapped, "Take us to Port Royal. I'll take him to Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann. It's our only option."
Ana didn't like it but Katherine was right; they had no other choice. "There's nothing more to do here," she said standing up, "We're two days from Port Royal at most. I'll set course."
Katherine closed her eyes and prayed that Jack would make it that long. Gibbs left them alone to see to the crew and ship and Katherine allowed the tears to come. "Don't you dare die on me, Jack Sparrow," she whispered pressing his fingers to her lips as a tear dripped off her the tip of her nose and onto his hand.
Gibbs sighed in relief as Port Royal came into view. Jack hadn't opened his eyes at all in the last two days. Gibbs was worried about his captain. Jack had a high temperature and had lost a lot of blood. But at least they had made Port Royal and if they could get Jack to Will Turner without being caught and hung he stood a chance. Thankfully it was almost nightfall. With any luck darkness would give them the cover they needed. "Ana," Gibbs called, "Take the helm. I'm going to go get Jack ready."
"Aye."
Gibbs entered Jack's cabin to find things just as he had left it. Jack was laying in his bed still unconscious his breath shallow, his skin flushed with fever. Katherine sat in a chair by his bed holding his hand and she had hardly moved from his side since they had put him there. The girl had not eaten or slept in almost two days. Gibbs had a feeling that if Jack lived he'd have a hard time getting rid of the lass. He'd be a fool to want to. Having women on a ship being bad luck or not devotion like that was a hard thing to find.
Katherine turned her eyes to Gibbs. There were dark circles under those blue orbs. "We're there?"
"Aye," Gibbs nodded, "We'd best get Jack ready to go."
Together they placed a still shirtless Jack on a gurney making sure he was wrapped in blankets. Soon after they felt the Pearl dock. Anamaria appeared, "Let's go. We don't have much time."
Carrying a wounded man through Port Royal without being seen by the navy officers proved rather difficult. It took an hour of ducking into alleys and sneaking around guards before they reached the Governor's manner.
"Pray that Miss Elizabeth is home," Gibbs muttered as they approached the door "Or Jack is as good as dead." Taking a deep breath the gray haired pirate knocked on the large wooden door and waited. God had mercy on them and it was Elizabeth Swann herself that opened the door.
"Mr. Gibbs!" she exclaimed.
"Jack's hurt," he said dispensing with pleasantries, "Can we come in?"
Elizabeth's eyes widened and she flung the door open, "Of course! Dear God, what happened?"
Will, who had joined the Swanns for dinner walked into the foyer drawn by Lizzy's cry. Will's heart skipped a beat at the sight of Jack Sparrow lying pale and still on a gurney that was being carried by Anamaria and Gibbs. Jack was shirtless and Will could see the blood stained bandage wrapped around his chest. "Jack! What happened?"
"He's been shot," Ana explained, "It's pretty bad. We need you to look after 'im. If he stays aboard the Black Pearl he'll die for sure."
"Elizabeth, what's going on here?" Governor Swann asked walking primly into the room. He stared confused at the assembly until his eyes fell upon Jack. "Him again!"
"Father, please!" Elizabeth pleaded, "Of course we'll take him," she said turning back to Gibbs.
"Elizabeth!" the Governor cried.
"Father, Jack saved our lives!"
"But Commodore Norrington-"
"Is right here."
*AUTHOR'S NOTE
I didn't intend to stop here but if I would have kept going it would have been forever until I could have stopped. I really didn't want to end up with a twenty-page chapter. As always I wish to thanks those who have reviewed this story and please please continue to do so because it means so much to me.
Also my Jack muse is protesting that I've been very mean to him lately but I promised him that things would look better soon. Anyway here it is! Enjoy!
Katherine spied Mr. Gibbs by the mast waving his sword triumphantly. "Mr. Gibbs!" she yelled, "Jack's been wounded!"
Gibbs turned sharply and seeing Jack lying motionless on the deck rushed to his Captain's side. Jack had been shot in the left shoulder and thankfully the bullet had exited through his back. The wound was serious however. "Anamaria!" Gibbs yelled.
Anamaria's eyes widened when she saw that Jack was hurt. "We've got to get him inside," she said.
"Aye," Gibbs agreed, "Gently now."
Together Katherine, Anamaria and Gibbs lifted Jack and carried him into his cabin and lay him on the bed. "Ana, hot water, rags," he ordered briskly tearing Jack's shirt open.
Katherine winced at the sight of the angry wound. "This is my fault," she whispered shamefully.
"Stop that," Gibbs ordered, "Jack made his choice and you were not to blame. The only one to blame 'ere is Murdock. Jack needs you. Are ye goin' to be lettin' him down?"
Katherine shook her head, "No."
"Good. Now," Gibbs continued tearing strips from Jack's shirt, "We've got to stop the bleeding." He wadded one strip up and rolled Jack to the side and placed it under him so that Jack's weight would provide the needed pressure. He then wadded the second one and placed it in Katherine's hand and then placed her hand over the wound, "Press down hard, Katherine. That's a good lass."
Katherine kept one hand pressed against the wound and Jack's hand held in the other. "Just hold on, Jack," she whispered, "Please."
Anamaria returned with the water and rags and they went to work cleaning and bandaging the wound. Ana shook her head, "Jack'll never make it aboard the Pearl," she stated flatly, "We need to get him on land."
Gibbs sighed. He knew she was right. "But where, Ana? His chances are better here than in Tortuga."
Katherine's eyes lit up, "Take us to Port Royal."
"What?" Gibbs and Ana exclaimed.
"Yer daft!" Ana added rather loudly.
"You heard me," she snapped, "Take us to Port Royal. I'll take him to Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann. It's our only option."
Ana didn't like it but Katherine was right; they had no other choice. "There's nothing more to do here," she said standing up, "We're two days from Port Royal at most. I'll set course."
Katherine closed her eyes and prayed that Jack would make it that long. Gibbs left them alone to see to the crew and ship and Katherine allowed the tears to come. "Don't you dare die on me, Jack Sparrow," she whispered pressing his fingers to her lips as a tear dripped off her the tip of her nose and onto his hand.
Gibbs sighed in relief as Port Royal came into view. Jack hadn't opened his eyes at all in the last two days. Gibbs was worried about his captain. Jack had a high temperature and had lost a lot of blood. But at least they had made Port Royal and if they could get Jack to Will Turner without being caught and hung he stood a chance. Thankfully it was almost nightfall. With any luck darkness would give them the cover they needed. "Ana," Gibbs called, "Take the helm. I'm going to go get Jack ready."
"Aye."
Gibbs entered Jack's cabin to find things just as he had left it. Jack was laying in his bed still unconscious his breath shallow, his skin flushed with fever. Katherine sat in a chair by his bed holding his hand and she had hardly moved from his side since they had put him there. The girl had not eaten or slept in almost two days. Gibbs had a feeling that if Jack lived he'd have a hard time getting rid of the lass. He'd be a fool to want to. Having women on a ship being bad luck or not devotion like that was a hard thing to find.
Katherine turned her eyes to Gibbs. There were dark circles under those blue orbs. "We're there?"
"Aye," Gibbs nodded, "We'd best get Jack ready to go."
Together they placed a still shirtless Jack on a gurney making sure he was wrapped in blankets. Soon after they felt the Pearl dock. Anamaria appeared, "Let's go. We don't have much time."
Carrying a wounded man through Port Royal without being seen by the navy officers proved rather difficult. It took an hour of ducking into alleys and sneaking around guards before they reached the Governor's manner.
"Pray that Miss Elizabeth is home," Gibbs muttered as they approached the door "Or Jack is as good as dead." Taking a deep breath the gray haired pirate knocked on the large wooden door and waited. God had mercy on them and it was Elizabeth Swann herself that opened the door.
"Mr. Gibbs!" she exclaimed.
"Jack's hurt," he said dispensing with pleasantries, "Can we come in?"
Elizabeth's eyes widened and she flung the door open, "Of course! Dear God, what happened?"
Will, who had joined the Swanns for dinner walked into the foyer drawn by Lizzy's cry. Will's heart skipped a beat at the sight of Jack Sparrow lying pale and still on a gurney that was being carried by Anamaria and Gibbs. Jack was shirtless and Will could see the blood stained bandage wrapped around his chest. "Jack! What happened?"
"He's been shot," Ana explained, "It's pretty bad. We need you to look after 'im. If he stays aboard the Black Pearl he'll die for sure."
"Elizabeth, what's going on here?" Governor Swann asked walking primly into the room. He stared confused at the assembly until his eyes fell upon Jack. "Him again!"
"Father, please!" Elizabeth pleaded, "Of course we'll take him," she said turning back to Gibbs.
"Elizabeth!" the Governor cried.
"Father, Jack saved our lives!"
"But Commodore Norrington-"
"Is right here."
*AUTHOR'S NOTE
I didn't intend to stop here but if I would have kept going it would have been forever until I could have stopped. I really didn't want to end up with a twenty-page chapter. As always I wish to thanks those who have reviewed this story and please please continue to do so because it means so much to me.
Also my Jack muse is protesting that I've been very mean to him lately but I promised him that things would look better soon. Anyway here it is! Enjoy!