"You're going to cut off his leg?" Angelica roared, marching back into the tent angrily.
"It's not goin' to heal, lass." Teague responded calmly. "His knee's destroyed."
"Let me look." She pushed Grogan aside and observed the injured man's knee. A sickening feeling took over her and she just nodded, backing away. "But how will he survive it?"
"He'll be fine." Grogan assured her. "He'll be in a lot of pain, but it won't kill 'im."
"What won't kill who?" Jack asked weakly, having regained consciousness.
"Jackie." Teague sighed. "We're cuttin' off your leg."
"Why are ye cuttin' off me leg?" His brow furrowed in confusion. "It's not that bad, is it?"
"Afraid so." Grogan told him. "That knee in't gonna work properly again, Sparrow."
"What do ye mean?" He asked, gasping in pain as he propped himself up on his elbows.
"He means it won't heal right, boy." Teague responded, slightly irritated.
"Ah...I see." He nodded in understanding. "So where ye cuttin' it at?"
"Right above the knee." Grogan explained. "We're not cuttin' the 'hole thing off."
Thoughtfully, Jack ran a hand across the side of his head before wincing. "That's definitely bruised…"
"Are you alright, Jack?" Angelica finally asked, looking at him.
"Me? Oh, I'm fine." He chuckled sarcastically. Then he sighed as she glared at him. "What do ye think? Of course I'm hurtin'."
"Jackie." Teague spoke up sternly.
"Aye?" He looked up at him.
"Lay back and relax, Grogan's gettin' to work." The older man warned him.
"Oh, this is gonna be great…" He mumbled, lying back with an annoyed grumble.
Grogan took a pair of scissors and cut off the pant leg just lower than Jack's mid thigh. He pulled it out of the way and threw it to the floor. He took a tourniquet and tied it around the same spot, cutting off blood flow to the right leg. He took a long bone saw from the floor and lifted it up. The injured pirate captain glanced at it nervously.
"Relax, Jack." Angelica told him quietly, holding his shoulders down.
"Relax…" He muttered sarcastically to himself.
He clenched his jaw shut, but he could never had fully braced himself from the pain that he was about to feel. The saw connected with his already torn flesh and a gasp escaped from behind his gritted teeth. He felt it moving back and forth across his thigh, like a rope sliding in between fingers. Except much more painful. There was almost no noise inside the tent besides the sound of cutting flesh and his groans. He tried to yank his left shoulder from Angelica's grasp, but she pushed it back against the wooden table. He squeezed his eyes shut as he endured the pain, trying to hold back the groans and whimpers of suffering. Then the saw struck his bone.
Jack's eyes snapped open briefly and a louder yelp burst from him. His eyes fell closed again, but this time he wasn't squeezing them shut. He'd simply lost the energy to keep them open. A sweat broke on his forehead. The air was filled with the sound of metal on bone, a horrible grating noise. He had to breath quickly and shallowly to stay conscious.
"Jack!" Angelica murmured urgently.
"Keep going." Teague order Grogan, looking unphased.
The other man nodded solemnly. "Best it be done with."
When the sounds of grating bone finally stopped, the pain was much greater. He felt the saw digging into the flesh on the other side of the bone. He once again tried yanking his shoulder from Angelica's grasp, but he was so weak that she didn't have to struggle to hold him down. He let out a growl of frustration and pain. The last of the ripping flesh sound faded and soon the a good portion of the pain was gone. He knew why. His lower leg was gone.
With a trembling gasp of pain, Jack opened his eyes. He lay there for a few moments, catching his breath, as the others watched him.
"Ye alright, Jackie?" Teague asked after a couple of minutes.
"N-not really…" He responded, stuttering hoarsely, after giving a soft, bitter chuckle at the man's words. He cleared his throat before he continued. "Thanks for bloody askin' though."
Angelica's look of horrified worry slowly faded. She released her hands from his shoulders, moving back to give him space.
Grogan quickly wrapped the newly cut leg in several layers of bandages before turning. The doc fumbled with something stored in one of the crates in the corner of the tent. He pulled out a few leather straps and a pre-cut wooden peg-leg. He laid it against Jack's, cutting off the unneeded excess wood off the top and tossing it to the side. Then he pressed it up against the the new wound, making the injured man grimace. The leather straps were nailed into the peg-leg before Grogan made sure that the fake leg was against the stub of the flesh of the cut one. He strapped the two together, ignoring Sparrow's complaints and groans.
"Ouch! That hurts, mate." He growled at him.
"Hold on, Sparrow." Grogan responded gruffly. He tightened the straps as far as they'd go, securing them. "There. All done."
"Thanks." The other man muttered, something he rarely ever said. He managed to sit up, bending his only knee to rest his chin on it. His eyes moved to look down at the black peg-leg and straps, which weren't comfortable at all. He saw the blood staining his pants and the bandages, sighing. "How long will it take to heal?"
"Weeks, a couple months at most." Grogan told him. "An' walkin' 'round like that won't help it either."
"Hurry up with him, Grog, we've got to get back out there." Teague barked.
"Aye, Cap'n Teague." The doc responded with a nod as he began to clean and bandage the injured man's other wounds.
"What?" Jack asked. "How many men are left?"
"Less than half o' 'em, Jackie." The man told him. "Only two ships left. The Pearl and the Troubadour are holdin' up well, but they won't last much longer."
"Glad the Pearl's still doin' fine." He responded, not surprising anyone.
Angelica rolled her eyes. "For now." She repeated what Teague had said.
"We've held up well." Teague sighed, before continuing. "But it will never be enough. We have to leave, to get out of 'ere before the British kill us all."
"And where will we go?" Jack asked, after snorting in bemusement. "They know where Shipwreck Cove is, Tortuga's been reduced to ash...there's nowhere left!"
"We have to go into hidin'." The older, more experienced man admitted reluctantly.
"What? Like undercover? Into proper civilization?" The younger man asked, not liking the mere idea of it. "We're pirates for a reason. It's freedom. But goin' into hidin' isn't freedom."
"Things are changin', Jackie." Teague told him reluctantly. "We need to change too, b'fore those changes wipe us all out."
Grogan sighed. "He's right, Sparrow. It's either change or be killed in these days."
"And what if I choose neither?" He tried, with a slight smirk.
"Then it's back to the Locker with ye, boy." The Keeper responded. "I already said, it's change or be killed. Don't think the second option suits ye, Jackie, ye know what it's like to not be among the livin'."
That wiped the smirk off Jack's face. It was momentarily replaced with a look of fear before he got himself under control. He glared at the man, his teeth clenched, and answered in a low voice. "I am never goin' back there. Mock me words, but it ain't happenin'."
"What do you mean? Have you already been there?" Angelica nearly glared at the injured man.
"Aye. Once." He admitted with a heavy sigh. "The worst thing anyone could experience."
"But the only way to get there...is to die." She realized. Her eyes narrowed. "How are you here, Jack?"
"An old friend." The injured pirate responded, memories of Barbossa racing through his head. "Ye may know him as someone who…" What was the right word for this? "...ruined your life."
"The one-legged man?" She guessed.
"Aye. Barbossa." Jack nodded with a small smile. "He got a crew an' they sailed far for me. But it's thanks to me that they're even back here." He sighed, thoughtfully. "Good man, Hector was."
"Was? What happened to that fool now?" Teague growled.
"He drowned savin' me, the youngest Turner, an' his own daughter." He explained simply. "Never knew he had a heart big as that; thought he was a selfish git, always takin' the Pearl from me…We would've done well to have him 'ere to help out."
"I would kill him before he even got close." Angelica told him, her chocolate brown eyes darkening menacingly.
"Blackbeard would've died anyway had he not drank from either of the chalices." Jack told her, meeting her gaze. He smirked before continuing. "Barbossa didn't kill your father, 'Gelica. I did. I tricked him into drinkin' the wrong chalice to save ye. Ye know that." He gave a soft chuckle before adding,"I'm surprised you haven't tried to kill me yet."
"I could never kill you, Jack," She murmured quietly. "Even I am not that cruel, mi gorrión."
"They've broken through!" Someone screamed from outside the tent.
Teague drew his sword. "That's not good…" He turned to the Doc. "Clean up in 'ere, salvage what ye can from the camp. Evacuate an' head toward the beach. We need to get off of this island."
"Aye, Cap'n Teague." Grogan nodded. "Good luck out there, sir."
"Same to all of ye." The Keeper responded before exiting the tent and vanishing into the crowds of fighting men. He looked to the injured pirate. "See ye on the other side, Jackie."
"Bet." He smirked in reply.
"We need to move." The Doc told Jack and Angelica.
"Aye, that be true." The injured pirate agreed, slowly turning. He slipped off of the wooden table, gasping as the wood of the peg-leg smashed into his torn flesh. "That has a punch to it…" He lowered himself to kneel on his remaining knee, his peg-leg sticking out awkwardly. Angelica moved to assist him, but he shook his head. "Help Grog pack up his supplies and get out of 'ere. I'll be right behind ye."
"How do I know I can trust you saying that, Jack?" She asked.
"Jus'...just trust me, savvy?" He sighed in exasperation. "We don't have time for this."
"Promise you'll be behind us?" She looked at him.
"I promise on return to Jones' Locker." Jack met her gaze, knowing now that she'd listen.
Angelica gave a small smile, knowing she could trust him. She'd seen the look of fear in his eyes when Teague had mentioned the Locker. If she knew him at all, when that man was afraid of something he'd do anything to avoid it. She nodded, turning to help Grogan finish packing the medical supplies. They finished quickly and the man hefted the large medical bag onto his shoulders. The two of them left, Angelica making sure the bag didn't fall over.
*X*
Now alone, Jack sighed. All he felt in his damaged body was pain, loads of it. Especially in the stub of his right leg and the thigh. Walking wouldn't be fun. But he couldn't sit there, either. The camp was under attack and he'd made a promise to Angelica. He'd follow them. He wasn't about to break his deal and go back to Jones' Locker for it.
He grabbed the wooden table beside him and pulled himself into a standing position, not moving for a moment as he absorbed the extra burst of pain. Then he walked over to where his effects were. He pulled on his shirt, not bothering to button it- there was no time. Then he pulled the vest on over it before grabbing his baldric and sword. He fastened them aligned with his belt. Snatching his hat and pistol, he adjusted the tricorn comfortably. He drew his sword as well, expecting a fight on the way out.
He jumped back from the entrance as an exhausted, overwhelmed man entered and slumped to the ground to catch his breath. It was Teague.
"Ye alright, Dad?" Jack asked, recovering from the sudden surprise.
"Aye, I'm fine, Jackie." The older man sucked in a deep breath as he looked up at him. "Ready to leave, eh?"
"Aye. Was jus' about to." He admitted. Then he had to ask the one question tugging at him. "We're losing out there, aren't we?"
The Keeper nodded. "Badly. There are more of 'em than before. Believe they broke through by reinforcements from one o' the ships."
"Makes sense." Jack answered, tucking away his pistol and reaching a hand down to held the other man up.
Teague took the hand, being pulled to his feet. He grabbed his sword again and looked at the younger man. "Your mother would've been proud of ye, boy."
The injured captain's eyes met the other man's. "Wish she were 'ere."
"So do I, Jackie. So do I." He put a hand on the younger man's shoulder.
"Ye lied to me when ye told me she died of sickness." Jack knew. "All those years ago when ye told me, I've known it was a lie."
"I had to. It was for the best." The Keeper assured him.
"How did she really die?" He questioned, his gaze forceful.
"It's best ye don't know." Teague sounded uncertain.
"Tell me, Dad." Jack demanded, his voice softening to a pleading tone. "Please. I need to know the truth."
"She was killed." The man admitted.
"By who?" He asked, a dangerous glint in his eyes. "I'll kill the one who killed her, I swear."
He didn't expect the answer he got.
"I killed her." The Keeper told him, a look of pity in his dark eyes.
"What?" The younger man couldn't believe it. He refused to. "No...ye're lyin' again."
"I'm not, I promise ye, Jackie. It's the truth." He replied quietly.
"Look me in the eyes and tell me ye killed her." Jack ordered, coldly. "Go on."
"I killed your mother, my wife." Teague confirmed, his eyes bearing into the other man's.
"No...ye didn't." The pirate captain's lips formed a gut-wrenching frown. "No, jus'...no way."
"Jackie." The older man gave him a shake.
"...Why?" Jack asked, his eyes accusing as he pulled from the other man's grasp. "Why'd ye do it?" When the other man didn't answer, his voice grew more demanding and had a harshness added to it. "Tell me! Why did ye kill her? What'd she ever do to ye?"
"I knew ye wouldn't be able to handle it." The Keeper sighed, retrieving his sword, which he'd dropped.
"Why did ye do it?" He repeated.
"There's some things that shouldn't ever be said, and that is one of 'em." He told him, turning to leave.
Jack's anger boiled and he stabbed his sword into the dirt beside him with such ferocity that the leaving man turned back around. He looked at the younger man sympathetically, understanding his anger and impatience.
"I'm sorry, Jackie. It's for the best." Teague murmured, withdrawing from the tent.
The injured pirate sank to the ground, head in his hands. "I can't believe it…"