“Aye.”
“Then let’s raise anchor.”
* * *
Back on the ship, the crew begins to prep to leave port. The faster we are gone the sooner we can get to the island where the treasure is and I can figure out what’s really going on with my life. The secret must have to do with that map and coin. I just have no clue what it would be.
This time scares the hell out of me, yet I don’t think I would want to go back to my own pathetic time. Here, there is adventure and excitement, with no televisions telling me that the world is an awful place to live. Here, things are simple. You live life to the fullest because you don’t know what is coming next. You explore by doing, not by looking it up online.
As I watch the crew I notice how well they all work together. They all have a job and seem to act like a well-oiled machine. I think back to all the jobs I’ve had at different hospitals back home. Yes, we worked together, but not like this. I’ve never felt that I belonged anywhere. And now with my parents gone, what do I have to go back to? I’m alone in the world.
“Are ye all right?” William asks as he comes to sit beside me on a crate.
I wipe a tear away that I hadn’t realized was running down my cheek. “I’m fine. Everyone works well together.”
“Aye. They be the best crew I’ve had. Why do ye cry, love? Were ye scared?”
“I’m not crying about that. Yes, it was nerve wracking but exciting at the same time. I don’t know what will happen with me once you take me to where the map leads.”
“Ah, Demetrius knows that we will stop on our way to Boston. He’ll man the ship as ye and I go to land.”
“Do people live on this island?”
“No, it’s deserted. We came across it soon after I met the man with the chest.”
“What I don’t understand is why he didn’t bury it himself. Why did he ask you out of all the pirates in the area?” This is one part of the story that I don’t understand. William didn’t know this man, so why give him the chest?
“I do not know, and after he left us, I’ve not seen him since.”
“How long ago did you bury it?”
“About two moons.”
“You said we are a day away from the island?”
“Aye.” We sit and watch Port Royal fade away in the distance. I’ll be happy to never have to go back there again. Although, if I stay in this time, I may not have a choice. Learning to use weapons is on my to-do list.
“I think I’ll turn in for the night. I’m tired.”
“Before ye go…” He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a beautiful butterfly charm necklace with three butterflies surrounding a flower with a shiny brown stone against a copper background. Something about the necklace seems familiar but I can’t think why. “I thought of ye when I saw this and thought ye might like it.”
“It’s beautiful, but I can’t accept this.”
“I want ye to have it.” He stands facing me. “I’ve never felt these feelings that ye bring out of me. I’ve never loved anyone, Cassy. I think ye may be me first.” He reaches up and caresses my cheek. “So, aye, the necklace is yers.”
His hazel eyes look so sincere and it breaks my heart to think that I may wake from this dream at any moment. I stand, lean in, circling my arms around his neck, and kiss him. “Thank you, I shall wear it forever. Will you put it on me?”
“Aye.” William steps behind me and I sweep my hair up so he has an easier time putting it around my neck. When he is done, he gives me a sweet kiss on my neck.
Looking down at my new necklace, I whisper, “Thank you.”
“Ye be welcome, love.”
Stepping away from William, I walk to his quarters. The night is cooler than it has been and it feels a bit more humid. I hope we don’t have a storm coming. I look through the trunk of clothing for something warmer to wear to bed. I grab out what feels heavier than what I’ve been wearing and slip into it and then into bed. This has been a long day and I just want to sleep and forget about it. At least certain parts of it.
Chapter 8
Weathering the Storm
I moan as I roll over in bed. My stomach doesn’t feel so good. I roll over onto my other side and that doesn’t feel right either. I open my eyes and everything in the room is swaying. I sit up and look around, feeling a bit disoriented, and realize the ship is tilting to and fro. The ship is rolling so badly, I almost fall when I stand. I throw on my coat and boots and open the cabin door. As the door opens, I get hit in the face with salt water.
I wipe the water from my eyes and try to assess what’s going on when I see another wave come crashing on the deck. I step out onto the deck and shut the door behind me.
“Batten down the hatches!” I hear someone yell. Once my eyes clear, I see all hands on deck, trying to tie down what keeps moving around.
I feel my stomach roll and realize what I was starting to feel in bed was sea sickness. Not cool. I rush to the side of the ship and hang my head over to vomit. But this was a bad move on my part as a wave comes up and hits me. Pushing me onto my back, it sends me skidding across the deck, where I bump my head on something hard. Then everything turns black.
* * *
“Demetrius, is everything secure?” I holler over the noise of the sea when he joins me at the helm.
“Aye, this be a bad one.”
“Aye.” I look out over the sea as wave after wave crashes on deck. The men all know what to do since this is not our first storm. “I’m hoping that we can get around the storm fast.”
The ship rides the waves, cresting the top of a wave before crashing down on the other side. Demetrius and I both take the helm as the wheel is fighting just one of us. It feels like hours that we have been battling these waves. Me arm muscles begin to burn from overuse.
I hear a faint call from the crow’s nest so I look up. The man has his hands cupped, calling down to me. “Cap’n…” I can’t hear what he’s saying then he points behind us.
I turn to see what he’s pointing at and see someone is laying outside of me quarters. “Blimey! Demetrius, take the helm.” Patrick, who is close by, joins Demetrius at the wheel as I rush to the limp form. “Cassy?” I kneel and lift her as gently as I can, kicking me door open and setting her inside on the bed.
The door reopens a few moments later and the doc rushes in. “What’s happened?” he asks as he joins me by the bed.
“I’m not sure. She was on the deck. Knocked out I think.”
James, the ship’s doctor, opens her eyes and slaps her on the cheeks. “Lass, can ye open yer eyes?” Cassy doesn’t answer.
“What do we do?” I ask.
“Get us out of the storm would be a good start. I’ll stay with her.”
“Take care of her, James. I can’t lose her.” I kiss Cassy’s forehead before I head back out on deck.
“What happened?” Demetrius asks when I get back to him.
“Cassy is hurt. We need to get out of this storm, now!”
“Aye.”
We struggle with the wheel for a while longer, but we finally get it straightened out. Off in the distance, I see sun. “Look!” I call. I hope that we will be out of it and not in its path. We manage to get to where the sun is shining and out of the storm. The seas have finally calmed down. The worst is over now.
“When the men are rested, get us shipshape. When we are sure that the storm is behind us then, we shall get back on track.”
“Aye, Cap’n,” Demetrius says as I walk toward me quarters.
I’m exhausted as I know me men be as well. I open the cabin door and see that Cassy is still asleep. “Has she woken at all?” James shakes his head. “I wish I knew why she was out there?”
“Now that ye be here, I will go down and check on the others. If ye need me, have someone find me.”
“Aye.” James takes his leave as I start to strip out of me wet clothes. I be soaked to the bone and I be sure to catch a chill from the cold air. I slip into a dry shirt
. I notice that Cassy is still in her wet clothes and the bedding and floor are wet. I gently begin to strip her of her wet clothes and notice that she’s shivering. Damn, James should have known to get her out of her wet clothes. I shake me head. Once I get her out of the clothes, I gently move her to the dry part of the bed. Removing the damp bedding and pulling dry blankets to pile on her, I gently crawl into bed with her and pull her close. When our combined body heat warms us up, I drift off to sleep as she finally stops shivering.
* * *
I wake warm and with a killer headache. I look around the room and notice it’s not swaying as it was before. I lift my hand and rub the back of my head, feeling a good-sized knot. I look in bed next to me and see that William had joined me at some point and is sound asleep. I roll onto my side and watch him sleep. He looks so young when he’s relaxed; his dark facial hair has grown a bit since I’ve been here. He is one sexy man. I bring my hand up to his cheek and run the back of my knuckles down his beard.
His eyes spring open and he looks at me. “How do ye feel?” he asks in a groggy voice.
“I have a headache but I’ll be fine. Just a bump on the head.” I take his hand and bring it to the back of my head so he can feel the bump. I wince.
“That must hurt. Why were ye on deck?”
“When I woke, I felt sick, so I went outside. When I leaned over the side of the ship, a wave knocked me back and I hit my head.” I shrug. “I’ve never been on any size boat during a storm before. It was a bit rocky.”
“Ye be lucky the sea pushed ye back on board, otherwise ye’d be with Davey Jones now. It was a bad storm but we pulled through it.” He explains. “Are ye hungry?”
“Yes, please.” I sit up in bed and feel a bit woozy. I grab onto the bed to keep from falling over.
“Are ye all right?”
“I must have bumped my head pretty hard. Would you mind bringing me some broth and bread? I need to stay in bed a bit longer.”
“Of course.” He dresses in a pair of trousers, boots, and his coat before heading out of his quarters.
I lay back gently and take account of how I’m feeling. I feel dizzy, tired, and a bit nauseous...not good. What I wouldn’t do to be on solid ground right now. William comes back with a tray of food and sets it on the bed with me. I sit up and take the broth he offers me to drink. “Thank you. Are we any closer to the island? Might be nice to get off this moving ship for a bit.”
“Not too far. The storm took us off track but with the wind, we are picking up speed so we should be there before nightfall.”
“Good.” William and I talk through our meal. I’m really just trying to keep my food down and trying not to fall asleep. As long as I keep us talking, it will keep my mind off my headache. I’m feeling better now that I have some food in my stomach. The days and nights here seem to be running together and I can’t even remember how long I’ve been away from home.
“I will go and see if land is in sight yet. Will ye be all right if I leave ye?”
“I’ll be fine. Thanks for the food. I feel much better now.”
He takes the tray out with him as he leaves his quarters. For the first time since I arrived on the ship, I take a good look around the room. It takes up the width of the ship, so the room is very spacious. A desk is close to the back windows. I imagine William sitting in his chair facing the windows, enjoying the sun and sway of the waves. Off to the left of his desk is a table with eight chairs around it. Where I sit is the bed. There are a few trunks scattered about the room. I know that one of them holds the clothing that he thought was treasure. I’m starting to believe what he said about it being a sign that I was coming. How and why are the questions I want answers to. I’m not sure if I will ever get those answers. I’m a lonely nurse from Boston, so how and why am I here?
I get out of bed and find that I feel much better than I did during the storm. Pulling items from the trunk, I find a black pair of bloomers with a ruffle at the bottom, an off-white long sleeved peasant blouse, and a brown waist leather corset. I lay the items out on the bed and begin to dress. I tug on my boots, weapons, and my coat before making my way out on deck to see what damage the storm caused.
The deck looks as if it weathered the storm well. I see a few of the crew with swords out, clanging them in a fight. The rest of the crew has gathered around to watch. I walk up to William and ask, “Are they really fighting?”
“No, just practice. We must stay in shape in case we come across a fight.”
“I need to learn to how to use the weapons you lent me.”
“No better time than now,” William suggests.
“Really?” I look at William for confirmation.
“Aye.” He walks over to the men and they stop their sword play. “I think it be time our lass learns to fight. What say ye?”
All the men laugh and yell in unison, “Aye, aye, Cap’n”
“Come, Cassy, and I shall teach ye the basics before ye fight the crew.” William reminds me of a pirate from a funny eighties movie where the Pirate King teaches the young lad to sword fight.
It takes a moment for what he just said to sink in. I look at William stunned. “Fight the crew?” I back away where I bump into a hard body. I turn to see who I’ve run into.
Demetrius is standing behind me with his arms crossed over his chest, staring me down. “There be nowhere to hide,” he smirks.
Shit, I wasn’t expecting to fight the crew. I was hoping that William would teach me in his own sexy way, in the privacy of his quarters. Not out on deck where I’d fight everyone.
“Come, Cassy. We be takin it slow.”
I walk over to William. I’m beyond nervous with everyone staring at me. “William, I can’t do this in front of everyone.”
“Cassy, look at me.” I look into his beautiful hazel eyes. “I won’t let ye get hurt. Ye raised a sword to a pirate Cap’n to save yer Cap’n. Ye ‘ve the instinct when ye need it the most, now you must learn to use it properly.”
“It was a reaction. I didn’t have a clue what I was doing.”
“Aye, but ye did it anyway. I have a feeling ye will pick it up faster than ye think.” William pulls his cutlass from its sleeve and lifts it at me. “Pull yer sword, love.”
I pull my cutlass from its sleeve and raise it in the way that William has his. He lowers his and walks around my back. He lifts his free hand to change the way I’m holding the cutlass. Then he steps in front of me. “The trick is to stay calm and relaxed.”
“How do you do that with a sharp object coming at you?”
“The cutlass is a defensive weapon. Ye use it to defend yerself. Ye must keep yer body lose but make sure to keep hold of yer weapon. When ye fight, listen to yer gut. Take it slow.”
William raises his sword and swings it toward me and I deflect it. The more we play, the faster we get. Without me noticing, Demetrius steps in to attack me as William backs off. He takes a swing and I’m able to use what I learned in some of my defense classes to ward him off each time. I’m finding the more they move, the more I can use my other training to keep from getting hurt. Soon, Patrick, another crew member, steps in. By this time, my movements are slowing a bit from fatigue. I go to block a swing and miss. The sword comes across my upper arm, cutting through my coat. I drop my cutlass and grab at my arm.
Blood slowly oozes out of the coat. Shit. William comes for me as Demetrius goes for Patrick. “Demetrius, it was my fault, leave Patrick alone,” I call. I won’t be able to help Patrick if I’m hurt.
“Is it bad?” William asks.
“Not sure. I need to get inside and out of my coat.”
“Aye.” William guides me to his quarters where he leads me to a chair.
“Help me take my coat off.” He slides the coat gently off my shoulders. Once off, I see the cut in my shirt. William walks over to his stash of alcohol and pours some rum then brings it over to me. “Not yet. I need to see how bad it is with a clear head. Right now, it doesn’t hurt that much.�
� I tug the waist corset off and pull my blouse off. Looking at the wound, I can see that it isn’t very deep. Thank God, it’s nothing like what William had. I know that Patrick didn’t do it on purpose. I should have known I was getting tired and stopped it before this happened. William brings a blanket to me so I can wrap it around my chest before anyone else joins us, to protect from the cold and from their eyes.
Demetrius joins us in the room with James, the ship doctor. “How are ye, Lass?” James asks as he looks at the cut.
“It’s just a scratch, but it’s deep enough that I could get an infection. Can you gather a few things for me?” I’m so glad I’m up to date on all my shots.
“Aye.” I list off the items I need. This is going to be very unpleasant. It’s one thing to do this to someone else, it’s completely different when you have to do it to yourself. Doctors and nurses always make the worst patients.
Once the items are in front of me, I say, “We need to get the wound cleaned out. Once that’s done, then I’ll need a clean bandage. William, I’ll need that drink now.” He passes me the drink. I take a gulp then look at James. “This is what I want you to do. You must pour some of the gin into the wound to clean it out.” The bleeding has slowed and luckily, it’s not deep enough to require stitches.
“Ye better have more rum,” William suggests.
William pours more of the rum and walks to stand next to me after handing me the mug. This is going to suck. I nod to James and, just before he pours the alcohol on my wound, William places his hands on my shoulder to hold me in place. As the liquid hits my open arm, I scream, “Fuck!”
“Ye have the mouth of a pirate after all.” William laughs as he pours more rum into my mug.
* * *
While William is off carrying out his Captain duties, I step out on deck and enjoy the sun that is shining and warm against my face. The ocean breeze is still on the chilly side. My face still feels flushed from all the rum I drank, but the pain in my arm has dulled. Stepping over to the starboard side of the ship, I stand with my hands braced on the railing and look over the horizon. It’s beautiful out here. I can see why pirates prefer the open seas to the crowded land. I bet William would be surprised by what the world looks like in my time. We will be taking a dinghy to land in search for the buried treasure. I still can’t imagine what might be in the chest that William wouldn’t know what it was.
Raise The Jolly Roger: Somewhere In Time Page 7