Ice Queen - A Pirates Of The Caribbean Love Story

Chapter Twenty-Two

I started to make improvements. Slowly, I felt my strength returning to me. My limbs grew stronger.

They still wouldn’t let me get out of bed. So, I took to sneaking out at nights. Standing on the deck of The Black Pearl with no one but dolphins for company.

My legs were still very wobbly, and I couldn’t stay on deck for as long as I would have liked

Once, when I was returning, my legs gave way, and I collapsed onto the floor, making a terrible noise.

Jack rushed on deck. Seeing me, he half-sighed, half-smiled. “I might have guessed.” He picked me up and put me back on my feet. “What am I to do with you, Cathy?”

“I feel so trapped when I’m down there,” I confessed. “I crave freedom.”

“How do you define freedom?” asked Jack, dreamily.

“Freedom,” I said, slowly. “Is standing on the prow of this boat with the wind in your hair.”

He smiled. “Maybe it is.” He looked at me, his face suddenly serious. “Cath, you must stay in bed. You…”

But his face seemed to be leering towards me, then spinning round. All my sense of perspective was lost. I had a terrible sensation that the world was turning, and I was the only thing standing still. Or maybe I was turning, and the world was standing still. It was hard to tell. I swayed over to Jack and clutched at him, but I missed. I was falling again…

*

Last time I was unconscious, I had dreams. This time, there was nothing. It was as if I was in a chasm of blackness. A void. Nothing. I could have been there for minutes, or months. All sense of time was lost.

I could hear voices, but it was as if they were coming from a long way away.

And then I woke up. Jack was standing over me.

“Love, you have to stop doing this,” he said, grinning. “It strains my nerves.”

“You don’t have any nerves. What’s going on?”

“The needle they used to sew you was contaminated or something,” Jack said, waving his hands. “Blood poisoning? Some modern stuff. Anyway, it’s dangerous. Could have killed you.”

“Did it?” I asked, wearily. I wasn’t sure if I was alive or dead anymore. I felt dead.

“No. Want to know why?”

“Amaze me.”

“Because you’re a survivor. Think about it. In the past few months, you’ve survived being attacked by pirates, being attacked by the East India Trading Company, hanging upside down from a rope, being stabbed by a madman and blood poisoning.”

“Yes. And these things only started happening after I met you,” I teased.

He leaned down and kissed me. “It can only get better, love.”

“When can I get up?”

“If you’d just recovered like a normal person and not got yourself poisoned, you could be up by now. As it is, probably three more weeks. Oh, and someone wants to see you. I’ll send him in, shall I?”

Jack left my room, and Jack Turner walked in. He looked awkward and ill at ease. I smiled reassuringly at him. “You OK?”

“Cathy…” His eyes slid past my face. He was looking anywhere except at me. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s OK,” I said, kindly. “You didn’t mean to do it.”

“I just feel so guilty… You won’t be able to…” he coughed.

“Have children?” I said, helpfully, amused at the embarrassment it was causing him. “Jack, I don’t mind. I don’t like children anyway.”

He half-smiled. “Look, I’m leaving today. They’re putting me down in Spain. I’m going to make a new life there. Maybe even learn that knife-throwing move you did.” He grinned. “I just wanted to give you this back…” He handed me my knife. Someone had cleaned it, for there was no blood on it, and the blade shone, silver and dangerous. “…And ask your forgiveness before I left,” went on Jack.

“I forgive you,” I said, quickly.

“Thank-you.” Jack Turner smiled at me and backed out of my room. That was the last I ever saw of him.

Jack Sparrow and Barbossa came back into my room.

“So…” I said, propping myself up on my elbow. “What happened with the treasure?”

“We got the treasure!” grinned Barbossa, his face alight.

“Great!”

“No… It isn’t…” Jack said.

“Why not? It isn’t cursed, is it?” I sat up in bed, anxiously.

“No, it’s not cursed. It’s just… We had to give it all to the doctor to get him to sew you up.”

I stared at him. “You mean… You gave up all that just for me?” I looked from one to the other.

“Aye. Yer worth it, darlin’.”

“Yes.” Jack nodded, looking serious.

I couldn’t believe it. “And the whole crew did it too?”

They nodded.

“For me?” OK, I was starting to sound really drippy here. But, honestly, I couldn’t get my head round the fact that these men cared so much about me, they’d give up all their worldly goods just to keep me alive. It was so touching.

“I’d better be going to the helm,” Barbossa said, reluctantly. “I’ll be back to see you soon, darlin’.” He walked stiffly out of the room, limping a little.

“And…” Jack said. “I promised myself… If you got out of this alive… I’d...” He broke off, stammering a little.

“You’d what?” I prompted.

Jack seemed to be having a fight with himself. He hesitated and stuttered. “Did you mean what you said?” he asked, finally.

I frowned. “What did I say?”

“Just before you went unconscious…”

“I said I loved you,” I remembered. “Uh… Yes, I meant it. The truth is, I never thought I’d be able to say it again. I thought I was going to die.”

“Me too… I was so worried, Cathy. Because… Well…” He coughed, nervously. “I’ve never said this before to anyone, and… I never will again, but… I do think I lo… like you too.”

He leaned in to kiss me and I sighed with happiness. I wrapped my arms round his neck, enjoying the feel of his hands stroking my hair and his soft, sweet lips on mine…

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