Chapter 16

Elizabeth Swann hated hospitals. She had ever since she was seven years old, when she had watched her mother die in one. The hallways and waiting rooms were sterile, barren, impersonal. It made her feel cold.

"Miss Swann?"

Elizabeth jumped slightly, looked up at the nurse who stood in the doorway of the small waiting room.

"Yes?"

"There are no emergency contacts on record for William Turner. Can you think of anyone we should notify?"

Tears pricked at Elizabeth's eyes, and she blinked rapidly until the feeling went away. Will, you idiot, why don't you have emergency contacts? She swallowed hard. "I'll do it. I'll… I'll call them."

The nurse nodded silently and left.

Elizabeth reached into her pocket, pulled out a phone. It was Will's. She had forgotten hers in her car, back at the Pearl. After the shooting, she had used Will's own phone to call for an ambulance. It would have the only two numbers she needed now in it. She scrolled slowly through the contacts until she came to 'D' and found the listing labeled 'Dad.' Reluctantly, she pressed the call button.

Bill answered quickly. "How'd it go, kid?"

Elizabeth was silent for a second, uncomprehending. Her mind felt so scrambled and confused. He thinks this is Will.

"Th-this is Elizabeth," she managed finally. "Will… Will's been shot."

There was a brief pause, and then Bill asked urgently, "Where are you?"

"London Bridge Hospital."

"I'll get there as soon as I can." The line went dead.

Elizabeth returned to the contacts list. There was one more person Will would want her to call.

Jack answered on the first ring. "Wha's th' word, mate?"

All she could do was repeat the same message: "This is Elizabeth. Will's been shot. We're at London Bridge Hospital."

Jack's concise response was just three words: "On my way." Then he too hung up.

Elizabeth also ended the call, looking at the phone in her hand properly for the first time. The back of the case was splattered with dried blood. Her hands and clothes were soaked with it as well. All she could think was that she needed to get it off. But again, a voice from the doorway startled her.

"Are you Elizabeth Swann?" Two policemen stood there looking at her.

"Yes."

They entered the room, one of them pulling out a notepad and pen as he did so. "We have some questions for you regarding the events of this evening…"

She had answered all of their questions, told them everything she could remember, even given them enough of a description of the shooter for them to have a sketch done. And now all she wanted was for them to leave.

"Are you sure that's everything, Miss Swann?"

"Yes."

"You can't think of anything else we might need to know?"

She sighed. "No."

A familiar voice spoke suddenly from behind the two officers. "Somebody wanna tell me wot th' 'ell 'appened t' my friend?"

The two men turned to look at Jack. "And you would be…?"

"Jack Sparrow," he replied shortly. "Will's my bes – my brother."

"I thought you said he was your friend," one of the officers put in.

Jack glared irritably at the man. "Close enough." He glanced behind them at Elizabeth. "Now if yer done annoyin' Miss Swann, 'ere, I'm sure she'd appreciate it if you'd leave. Now."

The two policemen looked at each other, shrugged, and made their way to the door. One of them paused just outside. "You'll call us if you think of anything else?"

Elizabeth nodded, and he left.

Jack came and sat next to her, silently waiting for her to speak. She had never seen him so quiet, so obviously effected by what was happening.

"You told them Will is your brother," she remarked quietly.

Jack shrugged. "I've known 'im 'is entire life. I moved 'ere from Scotland for 'im after 'is mum died. And 'e's prob'ly th' best friend any man could ever 'ave. So yeah, we're brothers. Or near enough, anyways." They sat in silence as Jack stared at the blood on Elizabeth's hands and clothes. "That all 'is?"

Elizabeth nodded slowly. "I haven't even had a chance to wash it off yet."

"There's a restroom righ' down th' 'all. Go wash yer 'ands. I'll be 'ere if anythin' 'appens."

Elizabeth nodded gratefully and left. In the restroom, she began to scrub her hands and forearms, watching the water turn red as it ran down the sink. She hadn't realized just how much blood there was until she tried to wash it off. She shivered. How much did he lose?

Once her hands were as clean as she could get them, she splashed some cold water on her face, looking at her reflection in the mirror over the sink as the dried herself with a paper towel. She was strikingly pale, and there was a worried, frightened look in her eyes.

What if he dies? The thought seemed to come from nowhere, but she knew it had been in the back of her mind since the moment the bullets had hit him. What if he dies?

No, she thought, shaking her head vehemently. No, don't think like that. He won't. He can't…

Jack had his phone out when she finally returned to the waiting room.

"I jus' called Ana. We were workin' when you called. She's gonna close up th' Pearl an' then come 'ere. I asked 'er t' bring some clean clothes fer you," he added, glancing once again at her bloodstained attire.

"Thanks, Jack," Elizabeth whispered weakly.

Jack nodded, then finally asked the question that he'd been waiting to since his arrival at the hospital. "So what 'appened?"

Elizabeth's hands started to shake slightly, so she folded them in her lap. "We had dinner at the same restaurant he took me to for our first date… then afterwards we went for a walk by the river just like we did then. He was being so sweet and romantic…" She stared at the floor, trying not to relive what had happened next. "Would you believe I never learned to dance?" she asked quietly. "Will said he would teach me. And then we heard a noise, and there was this kid standing there behind us. Kept asking for our wallets… and then he pulled a gun. He looked so – so scared, so young. I don't think he would have used it, but… there was this siren, and it suddenly, somewhere nearby, and it startled him… He fired three times and ran." Her eyes filled with tears. "Thing is… he was aiming at me when he fired. Will pushed me out of the way, but – but he couldn't move fast enough…"

Jack leaned across and squeezed her clasped hands. She couldn't help wondering if he had ever been so serious and sincere in his entire life.

"He loves you," Jack said softly.

She nodded. "I know."

After a while, Jack said, "Yeh know we'll prob'ly be 'ere fer a long time. I'm gonna try t' find th' cafeteria, get us somethin' t' eat. Okay? I'll bring yeh some coffee."

"Thanks, Jack," Elizabeth said for the second time, trying to give him a weak smile.

Jack nodded and left, making his way down the hall to a reception area. "'scuse me…" he said to get the attention of the nurse behind the desk.

"Can I help you, sir?" she asked politely.

"I hope so. My friend was brought in a while ago, see, with gunshot wounds – "

"I'm afraid he's still in surgery, sir."

Jack shook his head. "I know tha'. Thing is, 'is girlfriend came in with 'im, an' 'e was plannin' on proposin' t' 'er t'night, so 'e would've 'ad th' ring on 'im."

"I see."

"Since 'e didn' get th' chance t' propose, I was hopin' I could get th' ring an' 'old onto it for 'im, without 'is girlfriend findin' out."

The nurse eyed him critically for a minute, before finally responding, "I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you."

The nurse nodded, picking up a phone. "It'll take me a few minutes."

"Tha's fine. Can I 'ead down t' th' cafeteria an' stop 'ere on th' way back?"

"Sure. Just take that elevator down there to the ground floor, then follow the signs. You can't miss it."

"Thanks."

Jack returned to the reception area fifteen minutes later with two sandwiches in a paper bag and two large Styrofoam cups of coffee. The nurse, seeing him coming, pulled a small box from under the desk.

"This was in the pocket of his jacket."

Jack opened it briefly to make sure the ring was there, then closed it again, scraping a few flecks of blood off of it with his fingernail.

"'e's gonna get a chance t' use this, right?"

The nurse smiled sympathetically. "I hope so."

Jack slipped the box into his pocket, frowning grimly. "Me, too."

Ana arrived at the hospital ten minutes later, bringing the promised change of clothes for Elizabeth, and Bill came just over an hour and a half after that, forcing Elizabeth to repeat her story two more times. After relating to Bill all that had happened – the fourth time she'd repeated the information that evening – she fell silent, not saying another word as they sat together in the small room, waiting to find out what would become of a son, a love, a best friend.

Yes, I know, I'm a terrible person. But hey, if you think this chapter's depressing, just wait til you read the next one.

...oops, did say that out loud? *laughs nervously*