A PIRATES TREASURE

Disclaimer:- POTC belongs to the Disney Corporation along with it's characters. I have no claim to any of their work and make no money out of my stories. I have introduced some characters that belong to me to fit with the story.

A Pirates Treasure

Chapter 13

Hours crept slowly by, seeming to bypass the virtually catatonic man waiting outside the sickroom, curled in an almost upright foetal position, hands clasped about his legs, head bowed onto his knees, unaware of the passage of time, unaware of anything around him, unresponsive to the concern of Gibbs and Tai Huang, every sense tuned into the woman battling against death on the other side of the door. His very essence seemed lost, his soul transported beyond the walls, to the woman he loved so completely, urging her to fight, to destroy the infection raging in her body, to return to him and make him whole again.

Suddenly, he heard her voice, as clear and pure as if she were standing beside him.

"I'm sorry, Jack. I didn't mean for this to happen."

His mind sprang alive, hope and relief flowing in equal measures through his body.

"Lizzie! Thank God! 'Thought I'd lost ye, luv! Ye did it. Ye pulled thro'! Oh…darlin'. I love ye so much!"

"Oh…Jack! No! Please don't! I love you too…so much…so very, very much…but I must go. My father's here! He's come for me, Jack!"

The blood in Jack's veins instantly froze, his heart contracting painfully as he realised that she was preparing to join her father in the afterlife, preparing him for her release, telling him that she was giving up, was slipping away, was leaving him behind.

"No! Lizzie! No! Don't go to him! Please don't leave me! 'm sorry m' didn't list'n to ye. 'm only wanted ye t' be safe, luv. Don't go! Don't leave m' here. Ye can't leave me! Lizzie! Listen! Fight, luv…fight with every breath ye have! Savvy?"

"I'm sorry, Jack. I'm tired. So tired. He wants me to go with him. I can't stay, Jack. I can't…"

Jack could feel her drifting away from him, becoming lost in the mists of time.

"Elizabeth!" he silently screamed. "Don't ye dare! Ye belong wit' me! On The Pearl! Remember? Capt'n Swann! Yer The Pirate King! Ye can't jus' give up! Ye can't! Think of ev'rythin we've been thro'. It's not too late! Come t' me, Lizzie, luv! Tell yer father tis too soon fer ye t' go! Fight, Lizzie!"

"It's too late, Jack. I can't get back to you."

"Ye can, luv! Fight it! Think of all t' things ye want t' do! Sail wit' m' on The Pearl…have m' children…grow old together! Ye can't jus' give up an' leave m'! Ye can't! It's not over yet…it can't b'!" Jacks thoughts dwindled to nothing…totally bereft he had no words left to say…except…"I love ye, Lizzie…I can't go on without ye!"

"Jack! Jack…Where are you! No! No…I can't…Jack! Please…!"

"Lizzie!" Jack heard himself shout, before his body crumpled and sobs tore from his throat, rendering him incapable of speech, overwhelming in their intensity, confirmation that she had left him, had passed over and was no more.

Mr Gibbs, unaware of what had occurred, startled by the sudden explosive re-awakening of his good friend and Capt'n, sprang to Jack's side, aware also of a flurry of activity within Jack's cabin and unsure where to go first. A glance at Tai Huang, sent the other man into the room to find out what was happening, while he stayed with Jack, who was, quite obviously incapable of movement or speech and was completely inconsolable.

"Jack! What in God's name? Jack! What's happened?" he asked, shaking Jack's shoulder and then forcing him from the floor to sit upright. "Fer the love of God, Jack! What?"

Tears rolled down Jack's white, gaunt face, his soul bared for all to see, he looked into his dear friends face. "Gone." he mumbled. "She's gone."

Kneeling before him, Gibbs grasped Jack's shoulders while searching his face, worry etched into every line. "No Jack. Listen to me! I'll find out how she is! Ye must be strong fer her. She's a good lass. Stay here! I'll b' just a moment."

Gibbs quickly stood and entered the cabin. He stared at the frantic efforts at the bedside. It seemed that the little Chinese man was pummelling the lifeless body of Miss Elizabeth whilst Tai Huang held a struggling Cotton away from the bed. The man turned and, reaching to the medicine chest, once again brought forth a bottle of opaque liquid and an even bigger needle that the one he had used before. Gibbs was astounded. Dimly, he heard the heavy footfall of boots running away from the cabin and up the stairs to the deck but was so completely immersed in the terrifying scene being played out before him that it faded into insignificance. The man attached a tube to the bottle and plunged the needle into Elizabeth, then once again started the strange pummelling movement.

Gibbs looked to Tai Huang. "It is the crisis. We shall know in the next few minutes if she lives or dies." he explained.

The little man continued his ministrations, taking no heed of the other men in the room, concentrating solely on his patient. After a while, he took her arm, felt for a pulse…and smiled. Turning to his Captain, he chattered away, seemingly pleased with the results of his actions.

Releasing Cotton, Tai Huang turned to Gibbs. "She will recover." he said. "It was a close call and her heart stopped but now she is back with us and much stronger."

Gibbs closed his eyes, his body sagging in relief. Quickly, he turned to relay the news to his friend and found that he had disappeared. No sign of him remained outside his cabin. Realising what Jack believed had happened, Gibbs moved quickly onto the deck to relieve his fears, to tell him that Elizabeth was passed the worst and would recover.

He scanned the deck but could see no sign of Jack. He grabbed hold of the nearest crew member. "Where's t' Capt'n?" he asked.

The man pointed up into the rigging and continued on his way. Gibbs looked up to see Jack climbing the rigging at speed, careless of his safety, paying no heed to the tilting of the ship as she battled against the wind. Slowly, his hat lifted from his head and floated down to the deck.

"Dear God…No!" he muttered, before springing to life and starting to climb after him. "Jack!" he bellowed. "It's alright! She's going to recover! Jack!" The words were whipped from his mouth by the wind and he knew that Jack hadn't heard him. He redoubled his efforts to reach his Captain before any harm befell him. Knowing what he believed, he knew that Jack wouldn't care what happened to him. Believed his life to be over.

Jack, meanwhile had gained the crows nest and, reaching over, pulled the crew member out its security and onto the rigging. "Go down!" he barked at the frightened man, before flinging himself carelessly across the gap and gaining the highest point. His heart thundered in his chest, hammered in his ears, drowning out the sounds of the wind and the men below him. His tears dried upon his face and his eyes smarted in the raw wind causing all images to blur and cutting him off from the world around him.

Frantically, he called for Elizabeth but received no response. In reality, he hadn't expected one. She was no longer earth bound. She had been released from her earthly bonds and now soared free…as he soon would. They would be together. Fresh sobs tore from him as he once again slumped to the floor. He couldn't believe it had ended like this, that she had left him alone and that all of the plans he had made over the last few weeks had turned to ashes in his hands. Grief overwhelmed him, held him in its vortex and allowed nothing else in. His world shrunk down to a feeling – a vast expanse of time and space with no-one else in it – a return to his own private hell of the Locker – only this time there would be no hope of escape…no Elizabeth to rescue him. It left him with one option…one way out.

Slowly, he stood, sucked in a deep breath and threw his leg over the side of the crows nest. He sat on the edge and lifted his foot free of the floor, feeling a wild exuberance fill him as the wind buffeted his unstable body. Slowly, he lifted his leg over the parapet, the only thing now holding his body aloft the thickness of the wood as he sat on it, truly now a sparrow at the mercy of the elements. Momentarily, he sat there, arms outstretched, pushed this way and that by the force of nature, before bringing his arms to his side in preparation to push himself free and begin his flight. How apt, he thought, that it was all to end in the same manner that he had first met Elizabeth…a fall from a great height.

There was panic below as the crew finally realised what he was planning to do. Men rushed in all directions to fetch spare sails to break his fall with and organised themselves into groups to hold them.

"I'm coming to you, Lizzie, luv!" he said as he took the final step and pushed himself free.

As his body finally gave flight and became free from its tenuous hold on the crows nest, he felt a hand punch him in the back with enough force to push the breath from his lungs, as that same hand grabbed a mixture of clothing and hair to stop his crazy fall.

"Not today Jack!" he heard Gibbs say.

"No! No!" Jack cried, wriggling wildly to free Gibbs' hold. "Let me go!"

Gibbs was struggling to hold onto his Captain and was relieved to see the heads of other men appear over the edge and hands reach down to help him.

"Jack! Stop struggling!" he shouted. "Elizabeth's going to be alright. Her heart stopped but they've started it again. They say she'll be fine an' I'm not about t' be the one who tells her that ye threw yerself t' yer death. Fer God's sake man, stay still."

And he did! Unbelievably, the words penetrated his grief fuelled brain and he went quiet, allowing the men to haul him back up to safety.

As soon as his feet met the boards of the crows nest, Gibbs sent the other men below. They cleared the area as quickly as rats deserting a sinking ship leaving Jack and Gibbs alone.

"Did ye hear m' Jack? She'll b' alright!"

Jack turned to his friend, hope lighting up his face before the enormity of his actions overwhelmed him and his knees gave way, once more depositing him on his backside. He sat there for a few moments, while the shaking stopped and his heart found its proper place within his chest.

Slowly, he looked up at his dear friend. "I don't su'pose ye have a bottle o' rum about yer person, do ye?" he said with a feeble grin.

Well…that was a close call!

I managed to get this typed and posted before going away but there won't be any more for at least a week. I promise to get some more posted as soon as I can when I get back.

Please review! Thanks!