Disclaimer: I don't own POTC. Title is a poem by Dylan Thomas.

A/N: So, who's seen the preview for POTC 2? What's up with Jack having a mark on him? That was my idea! Lol. Well anyway, now that it's coming out in July I've got a deadline to make so that people don't get confused as to which movie I'm making a sequel to.

Chapter 19: Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night

"We'll wait until it's over. I don't want a bunch of sick women on my ship," Jack said, taking his hat off and scratching beneath the bandana.

"Your patience with us is much appreciated. Captain," Priscilla added.

"Young lady, your manners will be a blessing compared with being able to put up with your sister," Jack complimented. Priscilla just smiled, and Camille thought she could see a faint pink blush on her cheeks through the rain.

Jack pressed his hat onto her head. "Have you ever ridden on horseback, Camille?"

"No," she replied, wondering where the question had come from.

"Well I think it may be the time for you to learn."

She looked out through the rain carefully, following his gaze. She could see torches far off, and her jaw dropped. "Oh, my God."

Priscilla turned around and looked. "I've ridden one," she said, turning around to face them. "It's quite simple, really."

"Good," Jack said, standing up. "Ana Maria!" he called out to the coach that was in front of him. She leaned out and nodded. "Miss Thatcher, you go with Camille."

"Right," said Priscilla, climbing up.

"When you get on, cut anything that is connecting you to the coach," Jack instructed them. "Go, now!"

Camille leapt down, landing a bit painfully on one of the horses. Priscilla followed, and she sat right in front. She took the reins while Camille cut the thoroughbrace. Jack did the same, much quicker, and instructed them to head for the Pearl.

It was very hard to see through the rain, and the ride was terrifying. Camille kept looking behind, seeing how close the rest of the horsemen were. Jack had disappeared, and all she could see was the horse that carried Gabriel and Gretchen quite a ways in front of them. The rain was coming down very hard now, and Priscilla was having trouble guiding the horse because it was becoming muddy and slippery out.

Priscilla screamed when a bullet whizzed past them. "It's all right," Camille assured her, taking Gerudo's old pistol out and aiming carefully behind them. She was able to unhorse at least one man.

That was all the trouble they had before taking a shortcut through the woods. The horses couldn't run as fast, but they managed to lose whoever was following them. Finally, they reached the Pearl. It looked like they were the first ones, so they dismounted and sent the horse on its way.

The two ladies made it below deck, soaked. Priscilla seemed to stiffen a little, but Camille assured her that it would be okay as they neared the noise. Mr. Gibbs greeted them, drunk as usual. But it was a warm greeting. The two sat down in blankets and waited for the others, a bit impatiently. Camille looked around. There were a lot of new faces, and some of them were very young. She didn't have time to feel sympathy for them.

"Someone's been shot! Is there a ship's doctor among us?" a voice rang out, causing the crew to stir.

Camille stood up. "Stay here, Priscilla," she commanded before making her way on deck. She squinted though the rain, and sure enough there were Gretchen and Gabriel and a third man, coming towards the Pearl in a rowboat. Gabriel had been wounded.

Some of the crew were wandering on deck and were beginning to point out that some of the men with torches were on the shore. Obviously they were less safe than had been assumed. Camille stood on a barrel.

"Gentlemen!" she roared in a tone that she had only learned from Jack, "Weapons at the ready! Get to your stations! You!" she cried, pointing at one of them. "Bring me a belt, a bucket of water, and a pair of tweezers."

"Salt water or freshwater?" the sailor asked.

"I don't care if you have to piss in a bucket, bring me something to clean a gunshot wound!" she hollered, getting down off the bucket. "Amateurs," she muttered as they hoisted the boat up.

"Get him to the captain's cabin!" she commanded.

The man she was bossing around was a big, burly man with too many piercings AND too many tattoos. He leered at her. "Nobody's got permission to access the captain's cabin 'cept the captain heself."

"Do it, or I'm tossin' you back to shore with one less limb! And I don't mean an arm or a leg!" she threatened.

His eyes widened in surprise. Then he picked up Gabriel, mumbling something like "how unladylike" and took him inside Jack's cabin. Camille had no time to reminisce about how good it felt to be in there again. Gretchen was hovering about, panicking as Gabriel was placed on the large dining table.

"Gretchen, go down below deck and stay with Priscilla," Camille said calmly. "And you, Mr…"

"Noyes," he said in deep voice.

"Mr. Noyes, I'll need you to help me hold down his body-" a window to the cabin was broken and she excused herself.

"What the bloody hell is going on out here?" she demanded. "Do you boys need a nanny to watch over you? Grow a backbone, for God's sake!"

She ran back to Gabriel and leapt on the table, kneeling. The man came in with her tools, and she thanked him. "All right, Mr. Noyes I'll need you to hold him steady. Gabriel, shh," she said, changing the tone of her voice completely. "Don't worry, you're going to be just fine."

She unbuttoned his bloodstained shirt, revealing a huge gash across his chest. She could also see the bullet wound near the lower abdomen. "I need to get this musketball out of you first. This is going to sting just a bit, I'm going to clean it out first."

Gabriel nodded. He didn't thrash around much, and didn't make much noise either. Camille gently rinsed it, dropping the cloth back in the bucket as she climbed back on the table and knelt next to him. "All right, then. Mr. Noyes, could you please light a candle or two and bring them to me?"

Noyes nodded. "Yes'm."

She took it. "Thank you. Now this may hurt quite a bit. That's why we have this," she said, sticking it between Gabriel's teeth. Bite down on it when you feel pain. I'll make this as quick as possible. And don't worry, I've done this before," she assured him.