CHAPTER 7

FLASHBACK

As Hepplewhite made his way silently out of Horatio's room a few days later Archie noticed how tired and pale the surgeon looked. Archie himself was both physically and emotionally exhausted and feeling the effects of severe sleep deprivation. Even so he slipped below deck for a few moments of peace in the hope of receiving an update on his friend's condition before having to return to duty. The news that Horatio's fever had finally broken the day before had come as a relief to everyone aboard the Indefatigable, and even Captain Pellew had struggled to contain an open gesture of cheer when he'd heard the news – but the crew's unexpected revelry was still somewhat dulled by the knowledge that their young commander was still far from out of the woods yet and their inner despondency continued to weigh heavily upon their shoulders.

Archie had found very little time to concern himself with his own steadily deteriorating state of health as he continued to loyally divide his time between his duties to his Captain and his loyalty to his friend – lying awake most nights next to Horatio's bedside until the early hours of the morning. He felt too troubled to allow his exhausted body to succumb to the encroaching sleep which was now constantly threatening his every waking moment. Now as he descended the wooden stairs to where the crew's sleeping quarters and the sick berth were located upon the magnificent vessel in which they sailed he stumbled on the final step, alerting the approaching Hepplewhite to his presence.

"Mr Kennedy?" The surgeon smiled wearily as he looked up.

"How's Mr Hornblower?" Archie asked anxiously, forgetting the common courtesy afforded to most polite conversation in his urgency. He still harboured some resentment towards the man when he remembered how it was he who had jeopardised the life of one of the British Royal Navy's best officers, and one of his closest friends.

"No change I'm afraid." He explained with a gravity which struck dread into Archie's heart. They were all hopeful that Horatio – having survived this long - would eventually make a full recovery, but all were aware that the longer he remained unconscious the less likely it was that the outcome would be a good one. "His fever's still down which is a good sign… at least that's one less thing his body has to cope with, but he still hasn't regained consciousness."

"May I see him?" Archie asked.

"For a while." Hepplewhite agreed, and Archie followed him down a long corridor towards Horatio's room – still trying to ignore the resentment and anger which burnt within his heart.

Over the past few days he had seen some of the crew stand hesitantly outside the closed wooden door to Horatio's room before anxiously turning away. Most were younger, lower ranking males who under normal circumstances would have had very little to do with the officer – but Archie had been pleased to see that both Mathew's and Style's had paid him frequent visits as soon as they had been able.

Horatio was sleeping soundly when he entered. It was hard getting nourishment into an unconscious and unresponsive man, and so, his body now severely malnourished, he lay stretched out on the bed in the corner of the room, covered by a thin sheet. Archie reasoned that Hepplewhite must have continued to administer him with a fairly heavy dose of opiates as the fabric was stained with blood from his still raw surgical wound. The stitched incision in his abdomen was seeping bodily fluids through his bandages, and there would have been no way he would have been able to sleep through the pain without it. As he pulled up a chair beside the cot his heart gave a little leap as Horatio let out a murmur of pain - he hissed sharply as he gritted his teeth and, finally, to Archie's immeasurable relief, stirred from unconsciousness for the first time in days.

"Horatio?" He whispered, his voice barely audible as he almost refused to allow himself to believe that what he was seeing was real – he felt sure that it must be some cruel trick of the candlelight.

"Archie?" Horatio groaned. He blinked in the darkness.

"Horatio..." Tears of relief now glistened in Archie's eyes as he looked down at the man before him, grinning as he leaned over to touch Horatio's pale and icy hands. Eventually the young Lefttennant turned his head stiffly to look up at his friend and forced a smile. Although the gesture was strained the emotion felt by him upon seeing Archie's face clearly for the first time since he'd been shot was anything but fraudulent and there was no doubting its genuineness.

"I thought we may have lost you." Archie's voice was hoarse when he spoke, "But I must admit it does seem that you are invincible – bulletproof as well as stubborn."

"I'm afraid there have been many moments over the past week where I thought I may not make it… and I fear that my ordeal is not over yet." Horatio rasped, his voice painfully quiet as he struggled to talk, despite the weakness of his own body. "I am not quite out of danger yet though it would seem."

At that moment there came a loud clatter as Horatio's door was opened and both men turned as Hepplewhite entered. The surgeon's cheeks were flushed with recent exertion, and he looked as though he had returned to the sick berth in haste after completing whatever unknown errand he had been setting out to run when Archie had met with him in the corridor.

"I'm afraid they need you back on deck Mr Kennedy." He informed the Lefttennant as he approached Hornblower's bedside, failing at first to notice that his young charge had regained consciousness. Suddenly Horatio let out a low groan however as he began to gasp frantically for breath. His eyes rolled backwards into his head as – to Archie's distress – their lids began to close once more, and Hepplewhite recognised immediately what must have just happened.

"How long has he been awake?" He asked, a suitable note of urgently in his tone. Archie jumped from his seat in shock of the sudden turn his friend appeared to have taken.

"Not long… only a few minutes." He faltered. "What's wrong with him? He was just talking to me." He explained.

"He's burning up again." The surgeon determined as he placed his palm to Hornblower's pale forehead, before beginning to prise back the bloodied bandages around his abdomen to reveal a large area of angry red flesh beneath – the wound encrusted with green and yellow puss. "The infection's spreading." He sighed.

"Horatio?" Archie pressed his sick friend with concern as he continued to groan and writhe upon the bed before them.

"I'll see to him Mr Kennedy, don't you worry." Hepplewhite reassured him. "Return to your duty."

"But…"

"Those are your orders sir." The surgeon insisted – although not unsympathetically. "There is nothing more you can do here. No point risking a court martial on a fool's errand."

Archie thought about this, and reasoned reluctantly that he was probably right. He would not be doing himself or Horatio any favours. It was despite his reservations at leaving his friend's side however that he pulled the door shut on his room that afternoon, as, in a daze, he returned to his position aboard deck. Finding himself out in the open again he breathed in the fresh, salty sea air hungrily – wondering how anyone was expected to recover when the air was so heavy and stagnant down there.

"What's going on Mathews?" He asked, noticing the old seaman as he became aware of a commotion coming from the bow of the ship. The deck was a hive of frantic activity and Archie noticed some of the crew looking out to sea. The diamond gleam of the water's shimmering surface reflected in their eyes – as Archie imagined it may very well have done when, as mere boys, they had boarded a ship for the first time – their childish hearts no more prepared for service then than a new born baby is prepared for life itself.

"It's land sir!" Mathews grinned, his cheeks rosy as he joined in with the crew's hearty cheers of elation. "We've spotted land!"

"That's brilliant." Archie beamed back hopefully.

"Portsmouth we think Sir." Styles informed his superior officer, as he joined the two men.

The air caught in Archie's lungs as he breathed a sigh of relief, his stomach churning as his limbs burned with the adrenaline now flowing through his veins.

The moment was to be short lived however.

Suddenly he felt a hand upon his shoulder and turned to see Hepplewhite. The man had appeared behind him, a grave expression upon his face.

"Oh God… no." Archie gasped – seeing the sadness within the man's tired eyes and realising immediately what it must mean.

"There's nothing more I can do for him Mr Kennedy. I'm afraid he doesn't have much time." Hepplewhite explained with painful bluntness, finding no way of softening the blow he knew this news would deal. "The Captain should be informed. The infection has spread to his blood."

"How long?" Archie asked.

"I can't tell for sure," He shook his head, "He's still very much in and out of consciousness, but in his current condition I would say that he has a matter of hours at the most if we don't reach land soon. The fever will take him before the day is out."

"Right." Archie nodded. "How long till we dock?" He asked Matthews as he purposefully began to make his way back below deck.

"It's hard to tell… a couple of hour's maybe." Mathews replied. "Where are you going?" He asked.

"To be with him…" Archie explained, swallowing the hard lump in his throat. "I might not be able to stop him from dying, but if this really is the end I'm not going to let him die alone. Mathews, do as Hepplewhite says and inform the Captain, see if you can't get him to speed us up a little."

"Aye aye sir." The older seaman nodded.

"Hepplewhite come with me" He choked, baying the doctor to follow him without even turning back. "I'm not going to let Horatio give up that easily."

Archie heard the surgeon's footsteps close behind him as together they descended into the bowls of the ship and he closed his eyes in another silent prayer. He hoped that Horatio still had some fight left in him yet… he had come too far to give up now, and he found himself pleading with God, not for the first time that week, that he might help to guide them all home.