Caroline grasped Archie's hand from under the table, she wasn't sure why. Maybe she wanted him to do something...but no, what could he do? The scars and bruises in his back were just starting to heal. No, no this was Caroline battle.

Maybe she grabbed the hand because she didn't want to be alone, she didn't want him to take her out of the room and....and do what he did. She wanted to stay, she wanted Simpson to go drown somewhere, she wanted to be back home with her brothers and her sister. She wanted Archie there with her.

Yet, those were all wants, not needs. On the other hand, she needed to be here to get money for her family, she needed to withstand the treatment with a quiet voice....but she needed Archie there with her.

Out of the blue, Jack smile and turned, whacked Caroline in the face with his arm. She felt the flash of pain across her cheek then fell to the floor.

A clutter arose as Hornblower and Clayton bravely tried to hold Simpson back from beating Caroline into a bloody pulp and worse. He swore at them, shooting out rows and rows of oaths that even surprised Caroline, she new quiet many, so this man must be making up new ones. What a great surprise.

Meanwhile, Caroline was cowering against the wall, curled in a ball, except for her leg that was lying out strait. She was crying into he arms which was held around her head.

"You little-" Simpson swore again, then stuck his foot out and slammed in onto Caroline's leg, hard. She cried out and grabbed at her leg, trying to pull it away. It stung with great intensity, so much that she cried even harder, and that it cracked the wooded splint.

"What in Gods name is going on here!?"

The room seems to immediately quiet down at Lieutenant Eccleston voice, Simpson stopped struggling, Caroline tried to hold back her tears and look up at him, Horatio, Clayton and Archie (Who had decided to try to defend Caroline) slowly released their death grip on Simpson. The other five, Heather, Cleveland, Hitchcock, Neil and Burke; all whom had been to dumbfounded to do anything, were frozen, starring at Eccleston with wide eyes.

"Nothing, Sir" Clayton said quickly, not looking the Lieutenant in the eye.

Eccleston look less then convinced, "Nothing you say? I'm walking down the hall when I here people yelled bloody murder and someone crying. Nothing happened?"

"We're just getting a little rowdy, Sir" Simpson said in a dignified tone, "And Miss Finny fell and snapped her splint, 'is all Sir"

"Thats all?"

"Yes, Sir" Simpson replied, Eccleston looked at everyone else, they all said a 'yes, sir' all except Hornblower and Caroline.

"Mr. Hornblower, Miss Finny?"

"Yes, Sir" Hornblower sighed finally. Caroline closed her eyes and said though her sobs,

"Y-y-yes-s, S-sir"

"Alright" Eccleston still didn't look convinced, though he let it slide, "Miss Finny, when you find it convenient, I'd suggest you go visit the good Doctor to get that leg fixed up"

"Y-Yes, S-ir"
"And please be careful" He said sternly, "We wouldn't want any more accidents, would we?"

"N-no, Sir"

"Good" Then he turned to Jack, "Mr. Simpson, the captain would like to see you in his quarters posthaste"

"Yes, Sir. I'll go right away" Jack saluted Eccleston, whom hesitantly solute back, then left.

There was a silence as everyone sighed, re leaved that they didn't get in trouble. Caroline was still on the floor trying not to cry.

Jack walked over to where his coat was hanging, picked it up and put it on. Then he walked over to her,

"I'll see you later, you little piece of puke" Then he walked away out the door.

Horatio watched him go, then they all waited till they couldn't hear his steps any more.

Clayton and Archie almost simultaneously keeled down next to where Caroline was curled up, Archie placed a hand on her shoulder, she flinched and pulled away from him, curling tighter.

"Caroline.." Clayton tried to cox her out to talk to them, she just plugged her ears with her arms gaped over her head and said two simple words, that were muffled by her arms,

"Go-go away"

()()()()

Caroline's eyes fluttered open, she blinked against the darkness; more appropriately into the side of the ship. She felt the boards pressing up against her side, she must still be curled up by the table.

She sighed and sat up, rubbing her eyes and looking around at all the midshipmen lying in there hammocks. Stretching her arms, she looked around to see her crutched sitting on the floor by the table, right where she left them.

Crawling, she reached the crutched and lifted herself to her feet, gently moving a piece of chestnut brown hair from her face.

Mostly everything was silent in the berth, besides the quiet breathing of her fellow Midshipman. She could plainly tell which breath belong to whom since she had called this ship home for two years, sleeping in the same room with these men for a year and a half made her able to tell them apart. She could also hear the ship's creaking and the occasional voice from above; she smiled a bit.

Caroline limped over to her swinging hammock and slowly sat down, placed the crutched on the post and hooked them there with a leather belt.

Thats when she remembered what had happened that evening, and it made her shudder with her remaining fear. Whispering a prayer, she curled over and straitened her leg, realizing that the splint was broken was slightly painful. But she was to tired to do anything now, she would go to Hepplewhite in the morning.

The slow rocking of the hammock nearly put her to sleep, its drifting back and forth was like a lullaby in motion. Her eyes were sinking and she was barely asleep when a cry broke the silence.

Caroline flinched in surprise at the cry, followed by a thud, she quickly look around to see Archie on the floor, convulsing in a seizure. Oh God, not again.

The competition also woke the other midshipman, and greatly shocked Hornblower,

Hornblower whispered loudly,"Kennedy! Archie!"

"Kennedy" Simpson yelled from across the room, his voice making in obvious of his annoyance, "I told you to wake up Hornblower, not the whole damn ship."

"Somethings wrong he's sick!" Hornblower quickly jumped out of his hammock and fell next to Archie, trying to hold him down; not very well succeeding. Caroline didn't watch the whole ordeal, she had since buried her head in her blanket and was trying to block out Archie's moans; she couldn't stand to hear his cries, especially not now. She felt like crying, but didn't have any tears left.

Simpson replied with more annoyance then previous, "I don't care if he's dying, keep quiet!" .

Clayton had since jumped out of his hammock and was holding down Archie with Hornblower, he had a dreadful look on his face.

"Its started again....Damn, I feared as much.".

"Clayton, If Kennedy is unfit, you take over his duties of waking Hornblower" Simpson called from his hammock. "You hear?"

Clayton sighed "As you please Jack, as you please".

".....your hiding again, aren't you" Simpson's chuckled, "You don't think know you'd come here, we have a lot of fun here, don't we?"

Caroline curled tighter against the wall, closed eyes, praying for mercy. For anything that would keep her from the inevitable. From what was bound to happen. For a miracle.

"You crying about that piece of meat that fell over the side?" Simpson's steps got closer, maybe four feet away. Caroline prayed harder.

"He had it coming, Lord knows we wouldn't want anyone to take away our fun, would we......would we Caroline?"

Caroline slowly looked up into the face of Jack Simpson, who was kneeling down two feet in front of her, her dark blue eyes starring into her dark brown ones. She didn't shiver, she didn't run, she didn't even move for a minute which they starred at each other,

Then when the minute was up, she ran.

With all the strength she had, she spun and ran though the barrels knocking them all down, they fell with a thundering crash. She heard Jack swear as they fell on top of him, she ran faster, and faster. Caroline ran out of the storage room and made a break for the stairs.

Then, she heard Jack running behind her, his breath and the curses that were under it. His steps got closer.

Then, they hit her.

Caroline wasn't but six feet from the stairs, from freedom; when Jack Simpson grabbed her around the waist and pulled her to a stop. Her body jerked, then fell to the ground, the breath knocked out of her.

Simpson scowled, then grabbed her arms, heaving her over into a shadow; but Caroline could see.

She saw Simpson glaring at her, she saw his feet come crashing down on her leg, she felt the bone snap, she felt the pain. She tried to blank out what he did next, as he told her what a bad girl she was. What he did to her. To her body, to her heart, and to her soul.

When Caroline allowed her mind back Jack had left, she was lying on the shadows, flat on her back. Her leg hurt so bad, but not as much as her heart, it ached more then ever. Her cheeks were wet with tears, her pants were wet with blood.

"What tha...Pass the 'ord for 'tha Doctor!"