Disclaimer: (Looks around) Shh! I'm hunting for Jack Sparrow! This means he's not mine…yet.
AN: Okay, I know that people want a lot of Jack taking care of Rose, so I'm going to try and make it happen. Also, someone commented that Jack's "out of character," but we should all know by now how little we truly know about our dear Captain Sparrow. So, for the sake of the story, we'll just have Jack be sweet, savvy? On with the chapter, and please review!
Chapter 17: Cabin Hay-fever:
I awoke the next day to something tickling my nose. Automatically, I sneezed…hard. My eyes flew open and began watering so much I thought I was going blind. Again, something tickled my nose and my body reacted with another sneeze.
"Sorry, luv, sorry!" Jack's voice exclaimed from someplace close by. However, I couldn't see him because of my watery eyes.
"Jack?" I called, though my voice sounded a bit nasal due to my sneezing.
"In a moment, luv," he called back, and I could hear the sound of…something being done, though I couldn't tell what. Suddenly, I heard something hit the ground. "Damn it!"
"Jack?" I cried, sitting up straight in the bed. "Oh!" A sudden pain shot through my left shoulder, and I immediately fell back upon the bed.
"Rose, don't you dare move!" Jack ordered as he shuffled around the cabin.
I heard the sound of footsteps approaching the bed and the soft feel of cloth gently absorbed the tears from my eyes. Jack's firm, but gentle hand was holding my head still as he helped me see again. I sniffed slightly and felt the cloth move over to cover my nose.
"Blow, darling," Jack said, his voice as soft and gentle as his hands.
I obeyed, blowing until my nose was clear. Happy that I could breathe again, I opened my eyes…and looked straight into Jack's. My lungs stopped working, and I suddenly felt light-headed. Inside my chest, I could fell my heart pounding away as I looked deep into Jack's amazing brown eyes.
I would have gladly stayed this way forever, were it not for a bit of something that flew up my nose at that very moment.
A lump swelled in Jack's throat as he gazed at the woman before him, her brown eyes staring into his own. She was so helpless lying there on his bed, defenseless against any advances he might make, and yet, he didn't want to make them; all he wanted to do was make sure that she was alright and that she hadn't harmed herself while sitting up.
Suddenly, Rose closed her eyes and looked away, just in time to let out a violent sneeze that caused her eyes to once again fill with tears. Inwardly, Jack winced in sympathy, his hands once again performing the task of clearing her eyes and her nose so she could see and breathe.
'Nice job,' he lectured himself. 'As though the lass isn't suffering enough, you had to go ahead and try to straighten up your cabin with dusty rugs!'
He honestly hadn't meant to wake her like that, especially in such an unpleasant manner; he had merely been trying to shake the dust from several rolls of carpet that he'd stored away under his bed and hadn't used since the day he'd plundered them. The rugs were quite valuable (like all things he plundered), but Jack hadn't yet found a reason to use the darned things. Now that Rose would be lying here for a while, in the only decent room and bed the Pearl had to offer, the room need to look nice, just so she wouldn't become bored and claustrophobic within the first few days of her recovery.
Meanwhile, he had some serious groveling to do.
"Sorry, darling," Jack apologized as he wiped the last bit of moisture from her face. "I was trying to tidy up the place and make it a bit nicer for your stay, and I'm afraid I didn't see how dusty those damned rugs were." He looked into her slightly reddened eyes. "Had I known, I'd have had Gibbs or another crewman take the darned things out on deck and beat the tar out of them."
To his surprise, Rose erupted into giggles. Puzzled, he cocked his head to the side and stared down at her. Whether or not it was a good idea, he wanted to know why she was suddenly laughing.
"What's so funny?" The words slowly left his mouth, and as soon as they did, he almost regretted it.
"You are," she replied, giggling. "You…you're all covered in dust bunnies!"
Now she was full-out laughing at him, and Jack wasn't sure if he wanted to look in the mirror and join in or just roll his eyes in annoyance. Her laughter sounded nice, though, and since it was a vast improvement to make her laugh instead of sneeze, he decided to let her keep going.
"Be sure to breathe once and a while, savvy?" he asked, smiling down at her as she clamped her right hand over her mouth in an effort to calm down.
"I'm sorry!" she gasped once she'd managed to stifle her laughter. "It's just…you look so funny!"
Jack couldn't hold back a sigh as he went to go fetch the rugs from the rear balcony outside his cabin; he had dropped them there when Rose had started sneezing, shutting the door so that no more dust could get in. Now that things had settled down, though, he was able to go back to his task, this time keeping a barrier between the dust and Rose.
Giving his smiling patient a mock salute, Jack headed back out to the balcony, carefully shutting the door behind him.
I bit back another bout of laughter as Jack went outside to finish his newest project. The fact that he was trying to make his cabin more appealing just for me was sweet and thoughtful, and certainly not something one expected in a pirate captain, much less the Captain of the Black Pearl!
At that moment, Ivory jumped up onto the bed, quickly making her way over to my right hand to beg for a scratch. I happily obliged, enjoying the feel of my cat's silky fur running over and around my fingers. The feel of her purr was soothing, and I let my eyes fall shut in contented bliss, despite all that had happened to me so far this morning.
'Is it morning?' I thought to myself.
My eyes slowly opened and I glanced around the cabin for any clue as to what time of day it was. The cabin was rather warm, so I judged it to be either late morning or just about noon. My stomach rumbled, asking for it to be fed, but there was nothing that could be done about it until my pirate caretaker came inside; I would have to wait for Jack to finish his chores first. Sighing, I turned and looked down at my cat.
"Well, it looks like I'm going to have to wait for my meal," I muttered to Ivory, who merely closed her eyes and purred as I continued scratching her head. "You can eat anything you find, but unfortunately, I'm not like you. Knowing Captain Sparrow, he isn't going to let me eat anything remotely solid until I get better from this wound."
"Darned right I'm not," Jack's voice declared from the rear of the cabin.
I turned my head and saw that, somehow, he had entered without making a sound. In his arms were the rugs, all neatly rolled up, though they still looked slightly dusty. I could feel my nose beginning to itch all over again.
"Jack, could you please take those out of here until they're clean?" I pleaded, wincing as I removed my right hand from Ivory's head and placed it over my nose, hoping to block out any excess dust and grime that could be floating around.
Before I could say another word, Jack was rushing his load out the front door and pushing them into the arms of the nearest crewman. I could hear muttering going on outside, and a moment later, Jack returned, a bright smile on his face.
"Well, luv, I've got lunch coming up here soon, fresh from the galley, so it'll be nice and hot for you," he said, taking a seat on the bed.
Suddenly, a frown pulled at his lips. Raising his left hand, Jack placed it on my forehead and left it there for a moment. I said nothing to interrupt him, knowing that he was checking to see if I had a fever, one which would have resulted if I had an infection spreading through my body. It was touching to know that Jack cared so much about me and my health…
"Well, you've got no fever," he said, smiling and sighing in relief. "You're a bit flushed, though I think that's more from the heavy sneezing and dust than from anything else."
It most certainly wasn't the dust that had caused me to flush, but I would let him think it was…for now. I merely smiled up at him as he removed his hand and patted my arm with it, though he seemed reluctant to remove it. For a moment, it looked as though he were going to say something, but a knock on the door prevented him from doing so. Instead, Jack cleared his throat and pulled his hand back.
"Enter!" he called, turning away so that he didn't have to face me.
Inside, it felt as though my heart has sunk to the lowest depth of the sea. As Mr. Gibbs entered with the midday meal, I did my best to not reach over and slap the man upside the head for his interruption. However, my stomach growled, informing me that if I were going to get better, I would need to eat something, first. Biting back a sigh and my frustration, I pasted a smile on my face to greet my visitor. Jack busied himself arranging the tray so that it was easier for me to manage my eating utensils without knocking anything over onto the floor.
"Hello, Gibbs," I said as the first mate moved to help hold me up and arrange my pillows so that I could prop myself up and eat.
"It's good to see you awake and smiling, Rosie," commented the man I considered an uncle. "You had me right worried when you took that bullet."
While he talked, Gibbs kept one careful hand around my waist as his free hand stacked and positioned the pillows. Once he'd finished, he gently laid me back, keeping a firm eye on me to be sure that he wasn't causing me any sort of pain. I gave him a reassuring smile, which seemed to melt away the tension that seemed to be on his shoulders.
"Thank you, Gibbs," I said, reaching out my right hand and patting him on the arm.
"My pleasure, Rose," he replied, giving me a fond smile.
"Yes, thank you, Gibbs," Jack's voice stepped in. "Now if you don't mind, the lass needs to eat before she faints from hunger."
For a moment, Gibbs looked extremely guilty. "Aye, sir, sorry," he said, nodding his respect to both me and to his captain.
"Oh, it's alright, Gibbs," I said, my smile turning into a grin. "Actually, if I should faint from hunger, it'll be because Jack didn't get my meal here fast enough!"
"What!" Jack exclaimed in disbelief.
I looked at him calmly. "If you hadn't been so busy dusting those carpets, you would have remembered that there was poor little me lying here without breakfast." I couldn't hold back the smug, teasing smirk that appeared on my face.
"What…you…" Jack proceeded to stutter for a moment before I burst into giggles.
"I'm only joking, Jack," I said, giving him a sweet smile. "Now, will you kindly help me to the privy before I eat? It's been forever!"
After he and Gibbs had helped Rose to use the privy and settle her back onto the bed, Jack dismissed his first mate so that he could keep a careful eye on the crew while his captain helped Rose eat her meal. Today her lunch consisted of a thick soup, a thin slice of bread with melted butter on it, and water; she seemed particularly happy that there was something solid to eat, besides the mushy vegetables in the soup.
Jack watched as Rose happily dug in, him sitting in his chair and eating his lunch along with her, his tray draped across his lap as hers was over her own knees. Once and a while, he would sneak glances over at her to be sure that she finished her food, only to catch her peeking enviously at his own meal of roasted meat and small potato halves. Once he was sure that her soup and bread were gone, Jack moved his nearly-empty plate closer to her, the only remnants of his meal a few bites of potato.
"Alright, luv, help yourself," he said, shaking his head. For a moment, she hesitated. "No, I mean it, you need your strength. Go ahead and finish it off."
Rose didn't wait for another invitation. She reached out with her spoon and maneuvered the utensil until she'd scooped up a mouthful. Satisfied with her success, she put it in her mouth and chewed happily. She repeated her actions until she was too tired to continue, in which case Jack took over and fed her the rest, setting aside the empty dishes and leaving them on his desk.
"Thank you, Jack," she said, smiling as she yawned. "That was very kind of you."
"No trouble, darling," he replied, laying his hand over her forehead again.
He'd never admit it aloud, but he wasn't really feeling for her temperature. No, he did this simply to be able to touch her and get away with it. It was a underhanded type of action, but he couldn't resist; the compulsion to be able to freely touch the woman before him was irresistible, and as a pirate, he would use every trick he could remember just so he could get away with it without arousing suspicion.
Slowly, Jack stroked her forehead with his thumb, feeling its warmth and smoothness. The line where her hair began lay under his small finger, both tickling and soft to the touch. Thinking that she wouldn't mind, he ran his pinky over her hair, savoring the feel of it as he did so. After counting to twenty, Jack slowly lifted his hand away before placing it on her wrist, pretending to feel her pulse.
'Oh, Lord,' he thought as the sensitive skin of his fingertips brushed the incredibly smooth silk that was Rose's wrist. 'She's so warm…so soft…'
Glancing up at her face, Jack saw her watching him intently, her lips parted as she licked them. Inwardly, Jack smirked…outwardly, he merely gave her a friendly smile as he slowly released her from his gentle grasp.
I did my best to savor the sensation of Jack touching my face and my wrist. I had no idea how warm his skin was, nor how it could be both rough and soft at the same time. He did work a great deal, which would account for the roughness, but how could it also be so soft at the same time?
'I suppose its just part of the enigma that is Captain Jack Sparrow,' I though to myself as Jack let go of my arm and pulled back slightly.
"Well, you're still not feverish, even after eating, so that's a good sign," he said, smiling down at me. "Shall I help you lie down again, milady?" he asked with a mock bow.
"Yes, please," I replied, leaning forwards.
Wordlessly, Jack rearranged the pillows, placing them so that I could comfortably lie back down. Suddenly, I felt incredibly tired, and yawned as I threw a small smile at Jack before falling asleep.
Closing his eyes in relief, Jack watched as she fell into a deep sleep. The poor girl had been through too much today, even if it was just a bit of sneezing and sitting up. She truly needed her rest, and he vowed to make sure that she got it. He couldn't push her too hard, or else she would sicken.
"I won't let that happen," he whispered, his hand reaching out to stroke her forehead once more.
He wasn't doing this because of the debt he owed her, though. No, he was doing this for his own…personal reasons. Soundlessly, Jack resumed his position in his chair to keep watch.
Lying in his hammock, Gibbs shook his head. 'Daft like Jack' was usually a compliment he gave to clever people who thought like his Captain. However, he had seen the way Jack looked at Rose, and if Jack didn't realize his feelings for the girl and do it soon, Gibbs' words would soon be turning into an insult. Sighing, he took a drink from his flask and stared at the ceiling, deep in thought.
AN: Was this too sappy or too boring for everyone? Please let me know by reviewing! Thanks!