Chapter 3: Inshore
"Mrs. Carmichel!"
Elisabeth turned back from the window of the house she rented out in Port Cat's Paw from the plentitude of booty she managed to gather over the last few years, startled by the loud voice. Her subconscious had registered somebody calling that name a few times before, but as she was lost in conflicting emotions, worry over Jack and those lots of highflying thoughts and desires she had about and for him, she didn't realize she was meant to react to the name she had chosen for while on land so that nobody could tell they were pirates, at least not from the name. "Oh, sorry! I was watching the furniture getting unloaded properly" She played the lady.
"I'm finished examining your husband Mrs. Carmichel! Now that you're safe and sound on dry land and out of pirate captivity I'm confident your husband will recover soon. You're both very lucky. Not many people survive such ordeal and with their belongings mainly intact! I can't tell all that precisely, but I don't think the wound was that deep to start with. He's very, very weak given what he'd been through and with no fresh food or clean water on board of a ship for so long, I'm not surprised by that."
"Thank you so much," Elisabeth said noticeably relieved. Jack will live! "I really appreciate your help so quickly since we have just arrived and you don't know us at all." She smiled at him, this time really meaning it and not just to enchant him with her appearance.
The doctor nodded, "my pleasure! Your husband's a lucky man that way too, to have such a caring and capable wife! Do exactly what you've been doing so far. I'll come over with some brews later on, those will give him strength to be able to start eating. Keep him away from any outside influences, let him rest and he should start getting better," he moved towards the doorway.
Elisabeth walked back in the already furnished double bedroom to find Jack trying to sit up. His head, heavy, but as if hung up somewhere in the air, wavered even a few inches from the pillow. He could not support its weight. What the hell was happening? His hallucinations happened on board, or on shore at most lately, but a house?? On land??
"Easy Jack, I don't want you to fall out of bed on top of it all!" She shook her head a little compassionately, repositioned the pillow and slowly helped him into more of a sitting position.
Jack waited for his head to stop spinning around and faced her in protest, "aye, I'm landsick, that's what it is! Two days already? I scarcely e'er spend the night on land, this is way too overmuch! And what the bloody hell was that? I awaken to find m'self bein poked around by a man, all clean-shaven and smellin like a charwoman tellin me me better half sent him! I don't have a wife! I mean I doh, around four or five if I'm no mistaken, but no hither!"
Elisabeth sat down on the side of his bed, smiling. She welcomed the long, admonitory speech, it meant he had the strength to oppose. "He only meant well, Jack. He's not like an on board surgeon who's the carpenter at the same time you know!" She laughed, "there are things to be said about being in a certain position as an average lady in a port as well! We won't stay for long, just till you're strong enough to hold the wheel," she explained, "but till then, you need to behave. We're supposed to be merchants, timber and tarragon to be exact. Just it happens those were my last prizes you see. My ship was a merchant ship once, it wasn't hard to change it back looking like that...Jack...do you know how to comport without raising suspicion you're a pirate at all?"
"Do I have to jump into the water for you? Cause then I can't. I don't like this Lizzie. What are you up to? You're endangering yourself? For me? Not tying me up to the mast to sink? That doesn't make sense darling! Where do your interests lie?"
"Do you not think I blame myself for what I've done to you every day? This time, I will take care of you Jack Sparrow, I promise," she looked him in the eyes for effect.
"I perchance lie back so?" He sighed, closing his eyes. Not because he trusted her, but because that was enough adventure for one day. Changed times...
tbc