I Am Jessamine

Getting the little fishing boat, the Merry Molly underway had been a bit of a nerve-wracking, heart attack-inducing problem until Willy had climbed into the engine compartment, wrapped tubes in duct tape, and bashed here and there with a wrench the size of Jessie’s forearm.

The dash from their cover to their awaiting getaway transport had not gone as smoothly as expected and they now had to move quickly and smartly. They had stood up and seen no sign of drones nearby or even heard the little black buzzards until it had been too late and they were already committed to running across the harbor wall. Jess had been the first to hear the irritating buzzing of the drone before she could see it, but by then it had picked up on their movement and zoomed in on them quite rapidly.

“Damn it to hell! Run!” She shouted to her dad and Willy who, by now, had heard the drone and they made a sprinting match out of it to get to the Merry Molly. Obviously whoever was controlling the drones had picked them up on the camera and a short while later the roaring of vehicle engines and screeching of brakes could be heard in the distance.

The boat was small and had a simple little cabin for the helm and a few nautical necessities on a dashboard. The engine hatch had been open and the smell of fuel and oil was quite strong. Willy had turned the key and pressed the green button to start the engine, but they only got a spluttering sound, a mild shake of her hull, and then nothing. Willy tried again, but still, the engine stubbornly refused.

“Stand there and turn the key and push the start button when I tell you.” He shouted to Ben while he clambered down the small hatch and stood waist-deep in the engine compartment. Grabbing the roll of duct tape nearby he taped up tubes and god only knows what else, but finally, it appeared as though he had wrapped fifty percent of the engine in new and shiny tape. “Right, give her a go!” he shouted up to Ben who turned the key and pushed the start button as he had been told and the engine roared, shuddered, and idled for a short while and then cut out.

Grunting and swearing beautifully from sheer frustration Willy hefted the nasty-looking spanner and started bashing the engine around here and there and then shouted for Ben to give it another try. Again Ben turned the key and pushed the green button, but this time the engine rattled, rumbled, and then kept rumbling. A chorus of “Yays’” went up and Ben started maneuvering the Merry Molly away from the harbor wall. Jessie noticed the black drone moving in closer and she waited until it was over water before stooping down quickly, grabbing hold of the very big and very heavy wrench, swinging it around with two hands and aiming carefully before she swung round once more and then let go.

The spanner flew out of her hands true and straight. They heard the wrench connect with the drone and they watched it topple jerkily towards the ocean and then flounder as it appeared the controller tried to turn it around before it finally plunged with a splash into the ocean.

“Why can’t things just go smoothly?” Jessie groaned miserably and swore under her breath.

“Builds character, lass.” Laughed Willy and patted her shoulder.

“We had better stop calling Jessie ‘lass’, Willy. Maybe we ought to just say Jess from now on?” said Ben with concern in his voice while he was checking the coordinates on the map and his compass. He turned the wheel and gunned the already clattering and spluttering engine. “We just need to get around that point of land jutting out there,” Ben said pointing in the direction he spoke of, “and then pull in to a small little cove. According to Nick if you don’t know it is there you will miss it. We will have to idle there for a while and when the sun is a hand above the horizon we head out straight, directly into the blaze and as Nick told me, the sun quite literally hides you.” Ben looked up and then turned to look at Willy and Jess with a smile on his face that made him look years younger. Jess thought that he clearly missed his son and was as eager to get to him as she or Willy was.

Willy looked at him with a frown across his forehead and an uncertain look on his face and Jess knew she must have looked quite the same. But too much had happened for her to doubt now. She walked to the stern of Merry Molly and kept her eyes on the horizon behind them, searching.

“If they’re aware of us and where we are I am quite certain we will have to tail it and we have nothing to defend ourselves with either should they catch up with the little boat? What if they follow us, dad?” Jess called and looked back towards Ben. “I don’t mean from the harbor. I mean if they travel through on our heels. We could all end up in the same place at the same time and I am bloody sure that will be more than just a bit of a problem. They could make things very difficult for us.”

“I’ve thought of that and Willy and I know what we will have to do to protect us all from whatever it is they may have planned. We don’t know what Nick has done or where he has gone. All we know is he used this area as his jump spot, so we know more or less where he will end up. What we don’t know is why and that is where we are at a disadvantage. Perhaps if they do follow we can hold on to whoever comes through and get the information from them. Take advantage of being the first through” Ben glanced at Willy, who looked doubtful, as he said this.

Jess looked from her dad to her godfather and knew then that they must have done something similar before. Were they talking about interrogating someone or even killing them, she wondered. She wanted to ask but before that happened she caught sight of movement from the direction of where they came. Running back to the helm she grabbed the binoculars off the consul and headed back to the stern looking through them in the direction of the movement and shape Jess made out a small boat that was bouncing off the ocean leaving a foamy wake. “Shit! Dad, they’re coming!” she shouted to her father and Willy came running to her and had a look as well. “Fuck it!” then glancing at her, “Sorry Jess.” Jessie simply shrugged as she felt the same and would have expressed her anger in much the same way.

“They will be on us in less than twenty minutes, Ben. We need to haul arse and get the hell out of here. One of these nitwits has an automatic rifle which means they’re going to take us by force. Bastards, who the hell do they think they are? We have no allegiance to the syndicate. Fuck them! Let’s go! Now!” Willy yelled at Ben as Merry Molly’s engine roared and gave all she had.

As Ben maneuvered the little boat towards the coordinates left by Nick, Jess knew that the very fast speed boat flying towards them will catch up in no time and she started to look around for some sort of weapon. Glancing about the boat Jess realized they were like sitting ducks, but there just had to be something they could do. Spotting a fire extinguisher beside the small consul she grabbed it, checked the service date and weight, then went looking for the duct tape with a plan forming in her mind. Finding the duct tape and a piece of plastic piping she smiled and nodded. Sitting on the deck she taped the tube onto the nozzle of the extinguisher and broke the metal seal so she could pull the hand trigger and a blast of extinguishing powder blew out of the plastic barrel with incredible force.

Willy had been watching her and soon figured out what she was doing and went in search of screwdrivers, nails, and any metal object that could fit in the plastic barrel, including a knife and spoon he found in a lunch ice box. Tossing everything else out of the box they threw their ammunition in and Jess crawled to the stern and climbed up on the ledge and lay flat watching the speeding boat inch its way closer. She could see three men in the boat. One steering and the other two holding on for dear life. The boat was small but fast as a bullet and just as Jess thought this the man in the rear hefted his automatic, aimed, and pulled the trigger. The sound was clear as day over the sound of little Merry Molly’s straining engine and several bullets hit their port side and wood splintered. Willy fell flat on the deck as Ben hunkered down as the second man sent a round of bullets spraying the small cabin housing the helm and consul, sending wood splinters flying in every direction. Jess glanced back and saw Ben holding the helm firm and she sent up a prayer to whoever was watching over them and giving thanks that he was not hit.

Looking back over at the boat Jess saw that they had managed to get a lot closer so she packed nails, a screw driver, and the knife into the plastic tube barrel and then decided to take the knife out just in case it was too heavy for the pressure from the extinguisher, leaned on her left elbow, brought up her hand made weapon and took aim. The speed boat was now close enough for her projectiles to hit their mark, but Jess had no idea how effective it would be but, by god, she’d give it her best shot.

Pulling the tight trigger Jess felt the extinguisher jerk in her hand and saw only the cloud of white powder, but as the powder wafted away what she did see made her stomach tighten and she clenched tightly on her teeth and reminded herself that these men had guns, they didn’t. The boat’s pilot toppled forward and they veered violently away from the Merry Molly. Jess knew she had aimed true and her flying nails and screwdriver hit their mark. Falling back down and breathing heavily Jess closed her eyes and only opened them when she felt a hand on her knee. Willy was lying next to her with what looked like a small water balloon balanced on the palm of his hand. “You’re doing well, lass, but we need them off our tails. We still have to tie ourselves together and get ready to jump. This,” he said referring to the little balloon with liquid in it, “is a little fuel in a condom I found and this,” he said bringing a thin metal rod with a fuel-soaked rag wrapped around the top, “is the little make-shift match stick. Send the bubble over and let it splat and spread its joy and then send this little torch and let the wind do the rest.” He grinned at her and Jess saw that Willy was actually enjoying the craziness of the situation and she couldn’t help but grin back at him because her adrenalin was coursing furiously through her and the need to get rid of these men who started shooting first, she reminded herself, were quite obviously a threat to their lives. She wasn’t yet ready to admit that she was actually enjoying what she was doing, not yet.

A fresh round of gunfire erupted and the port side of the Merry Molly started to look like Swiss cheese so they all had to cover their heads as more splinters flew at great speed past their heads. Jess was worried that the pressure inside the extinguisher was running low and decided to risk being shot while the speed boat was close enough to see a body behind the two front seats and the other passenger with a bloodied face and hand. Grabbing the bubble and shoving it down the tube Jess jumped up and ran to what was left of the rail, hefted the extinguisher and pulled hard on the trigger and watched the little bubble fly through the air and hit the small windscreen, and saw the spray of fuel hit the two men. Grabbing the lit ‘match’ from Willy, and without losing much time, she did the same thing with as much accuracy as she could muster and she pulled the stiff little trigger just as the passenger in the speed boat pulled the trigger on his automatic gun.

Jessie saw the flames engulf the little speed boat and she heard the screaming of the men and then watched, without any emotion, as they bailed overboard into the ocean. She turned her head to watch as the speed boat continued, unmanned, not unlike a Viking pyre on its path to nowhere. Feeling shaky and a little nauseous Jessie allowed her legs to fold beneath her as she flopped onto the deck and closed her eyes.

“Jessie! Jess, look at me!” she opened her eyes to see Willy standing over her. His hair flying every which way in the wind and his blue eyes filled with concern. She tried to sit up, but he stopped her. “You’ve been shot, lassie. It looks like a flesh wound, but we don’t have time to check properly.” He leaned down and pulled her shirt and vest up and that’s when Jess felt the sting and then the throbbing pain.

“Oh, sweet heavens! That hurts so much.” She groaned as Willy turned her slightly. “Ah, no need to worry. It’s just a graze, Jess.” He said with a grin and a wink. “Just like that time you went flying over the handlebars of your bicycle and you went skidding down the drive on your legs.” He reminded her laughingly. Jess recalled that horrible mishap and remembered she ached for weeks afterward and the grazes took forever to heal. This did not feel like that, it felt worse.

Ben had started to slow the boat down and he set the course and ran from the helm to where Jess lay, his face like white wax. “Oh, my Jess, you crazy, clever, brave girl.” He picked her up and held her against his chest and she held him tight. “Are you okay, dad?” she whispered.

“Am I okay?” he asked incredulously. “Are you okay, my sweetheart? That was some super quick thinking and so smart too. You’re an ace Jessie and I am so proud of you.” Jessie saw he had some blood on his face and neck and when she asked he said it had probably been bits of the wood that had blown off the cabin from the rain of bullets.

Helping her to her feet Ben and Willy started getting their gear together. Ben pulled what was left of the door off the helm cabin and tied one end of the rope through a hole and around Jessie’s waist, careful of her injury on her right side just below her ribs. He pulled her leather satchel over her arm and head so that it lay across her chest and wrapped the rope again holding the satchel close to her and then Willy stood beside Jess on her left and wrapped the other rope around the door and then himself as Ben stood on her right side and did the same. Holding the door horizontally in front of them with their satchels attached Ben and Willy tied the ropes one more time securely around each other and Jess. “There’s no way this rope is coming loose,” Jessie muttered under her breath.

Looking out to sea Jess noticed the sun was about a hands width above the horizon and noticed also that there was a strange green glow on the surface of the water. She frowned at this and just as she was about to ask she heard humming and then what sounded like a thousand voices whispering. She turned to Ben, who had been watching her, and opened her mouth to ask, but instead, she sighed and looked back at the ocean totally lost in what she was hearing and seeing that she did not feel the blood running down her side and soaking her clothing. There was an area that appeared to be a different color, almost like a mottled jade and there was an odd glow to the water like a light shining from beneath the water. Jess did not feel afraid, only drawn to the sound and the sight of it. A strong desire to get into the water and go to the sound and be a part of it filled her, to become the sound, become the color, and just lose herself.

Climbing up onto the edge of the starboard side they stood for a short while as Merry Molly spluttered and chugged along closer to the humming and whispering, mottled jade-colored patch in the ocean. Willy put his right arm around her shoulders and Jess held onto the ropes while Ben wrapped his left arm around her waist gently and as one, without a word, they stepped off the side of the fishing boat, with their door as a float, leaving Merry Molly to clatter off on her merry way.

Without much effort, they were drawn slowly closer to the unusual circular patch of sea and Jess thought for a moment that she was floating on air, but the sting in her side reminded her that she was still in salt water. Her stomach started to feel like it was heading up into her throat and it brought back the memory of her first experience on a roller coaster and she was reminded of that weightless feeling just as the roller coaster crested and then dropped into its vomit-inducing plummet. That unfamiliar weightlessness made her involuntarily shut her eyes and grip the safety rope in front of her so tightly her fingers hurt.

The humming and murmuring got louder and Jess thought her blood had started to bubble. She felt fine electric prickling shocks from the tips of her toes to the hair on her head and she thought of Nick and how he must have felt the same way when everything went black and Jess felt as though she were floating weightlessly in space with stars behind her eyes. It was not an uncomfortable feeling at all, but it was also not pleasant. It was nothing. If anyone had to ask her what nothing was, how she felt at that moment would be the perfect description for that word.

Jess was roused by the warmth she felt on her face and a gentle rocking motion beneath her. Cautiously she opened her eyes into little slits and looked around her through her eyelashes. What she saw made her catch her breath. She was lying on a hammock that was swinging gently from side to side. She realized she was on a ship and closed her eyes again and began to take stock of her body. Clearly, she was still wearing her clothes, but her boots and stockings were gone. She couldn’t feel her satchel or her little sword, but she did feel her dagger inside her vest though and that gave her some comfort.

A little more confident she opened her eyes and turned her head and nearly fell out of the hammock when she saw a young, impish little face staring at her.

“Oi, slowly there.” A dirty, broken nailed hand reached out to stop the hammock from swinging over. “You been out for a whole day after we found you an’ Johnno said I had to watch you an’ give you a little bit of water. Want some now?” Jessie frowned at the young boy and pulled away slightly. “Don’t you speak English? The other two do and they say you do too. You mustn’t be scared of me. My name is Tad, well Thaddeus really, but folks prefer to just say, Tad. I think it is easier for them. Do you have a name?” he asked eagerly still holding the mug of water.

Jessie reached over and took the mug gently out of his hands, feeling the stiffness and a jolt of pain in her side made her clench her teeth and she said in a hoarse voice, “My name is Jess. Where are the other two who were with me?” The water tasted stale, but it was the best taste in the whole world. She was just about to ask for more when Tad started speaking again.

“Jess? Is that a real name or is your name also too long for others to say?” He had the most alarmingly bright blue eyes Jess had ever seen and he seemed far too young to be on a ship.

“May I have more water, please?” she asked handing the mug back to Tad.

“You speak strange an’ you have good manners. I never hear the word please ’round here.” He said as he refilled the mug with water from a small pitcher he had on the floor next to his stool.

“Where am I and what ship is this?” she asked as she sipped slowly so as not to hurt her throat any further and leaned gently back in the hammock not wanting that jarring pain shooting up her side and down her leg. This is an injury not easily explained, thought Jess.

“This be the O’Murchadha, which means Sea Warrior, well Johnno says that’s what it means an’ it’s a private trade ship. There’s furs, copper pots, cloth, beads, whiskey, rum an’ lots of other things that I can’t remember right now.” Jess narrowed her eyes at him and wondered about the phrase private trader.

“Is this a slave ship?” she asked frowning feeling anger rising within her chest.

“Hell no! Cap’n Gray would never trade in slaves. He is not that kind of captain.” Tad said angrily standing up, knocking the stool over. “He knows how to use a whip an’ he can give a good lashing if need be, but he is a fair and honorable man. You must never say somethin’ like that ever again! The crew will not take kindly to that sort of questioning.” Jess saw she had upset the young boy and quickly made to apologize to young Tad.

“I did not mean to offend you or your captain, Tad. But I am sure you can understand why I asked you.” She quickly decided to change the subject. “The other two men that were brought on board with me, do you know where they are?”

“Oh aye, they are up on deck with the rest of the crew. They offered to work for the Cap’n for safe passage to the nearest port.” He said grinning, seemingly to have forgotten the previous insult he had perceived from her question about the slaves. He interrupted her thoughts, “But now I have to go tell Johnno you awake an’ speakin’ an’ drinkin’ water.” And he jumped up and ran for the stairs.

“Wait!” Jess called after him. “Where are my personal belongings? My leather satchel and my sword?”

Turning back with one foot on the first rung of the stairway Tad smiled, “Your friends have your bag an’ the Cap’n has your sword. He doesn’a allow for weapons to be freely kept by the crew. Sometimes the crew gets frustrated an’ they argue an’ then fight so the Cap’n says they can use fists but they not allowed to use swords or knives on each other.” Tad said all this without taking a breath and now he drew in a long breath and laughed, turned back to the stairway, and was gone before Jess could say another word or ask another question. He must be the happiest young boy alive, thought Jess.

It wasn’t long afterward that Jess heard footfalls on the stairs again and saw an extra pair of bare feet heading down to her. A boy taller than Tad came walking toward her and held out his hand to introduce himself, “My name is Johnathan James Weaks. Everybody just calls me Johnno.”

Jess reached out and shook his hand, “Pleased to make your acquaintance, Johnno, my name is Jess McKellie. That is short for Jessiah before you ask.” She said looking at Tad and he blushed beet red.

Johnno turned and looked at Tad and shook his head smiling. “Tad been filling you in, has he? He has a tendency to gab a bit, but it’s all harmless.” Looking back at Jess he frowned slightly, “Your name is the same as one of the men we rescued.”

“Yes, he is my father, Benjamin McKellie.” Jessie looked at Johnno and realized he was testing her. Smart kid, she thought.

“Yes, he said he was your father. The other fella, I forget his name, is an Irishman?” he asked smiling at her.

“That’s my godfather, Willy MacLeod,” Jess replied giving him the best forced bored look she had.

“Really? I can’t remember it all, but I’m quite certain that wasn’t it.” He said frowning and looking down at his bare feet with a serious look on his face.

“His name is William James Marshall MacLeod and he is my godfather,” Jessie said getting irritated now.

“You know, I do believe you’re quite right. That is, in fact, what he said his name was.” Johnno laughed and reached down to help her stand up and Jess took his hand and gingerly stood and gritted her teeth. “The Cap’n said that as soon as you’re awake I had to take you to him.” He motioned for her to follow him up the stairs and Tad brought up the rear.

The creaking wood of the ship was rather comforting, but the swaying motion had Jess holding onto the side ropes for dear life as she stepped out on deck with the two young boys. The bright sun caused blindness for a moment, but then she just scrunched up her eyes, squinted, and searched the crew for the familiar faces of her father and godfather. They walked over the main deck towards the captain’s cabin which was located under the quarter-deck. Jess ignored the blatant stares and whispered conversations of the crew and managed to keep her eyes hooded, but still saw no sign of Ben and Willy.

They reached a door where Johnno turned around and said, “This is the Captain’s quarters and no one enters here without permission. It is like hallowed ground so I will knock first and when he answers I will go in first and then you wait until I come to fetch you. Is that clear?” His face appeared so serious Jess almost started laughing. “No, I am hearing impaired as I did not just have a conversation with you below decks and I am rather partial to doing just what I want when I want.”

“What?” Johnno and Tad asked in unison and shared equally shocked expressions.

Jess burst out laughing at the sight of them as they both stood staring at her wide-eyed and slack-jawed. Just as she was about to explain that she was making a stupid joke the door they were standing in front of got jerked open roughly by an equally rough-looking man with black wavy hair tied loosely back and a frown on a broad forehead that brought dark eyebrows together and a ferocious glare from the most captivating green eyes Jess had ever seen. Her breath caught in her throat as the two of them stared at each other and her smile slipped from her lips. She felt as though she had been caught in a whirlpool and began drowning. Tearing his gaze from her to look at the two boys who had brought her to the captains’ quarters Jess quickly took a breath and lowered her head.

“What is the ruckus out here then?” he asked gruffly in a very clear Irish accent and she felt his hot glare fall on her.

“Sorry, sir. I was doing your bidding, sir, and bringing the rescued boy to you as soon as he was able to get up, sir.” Johnno said in a nervous rush and then added, “His name is Jessie, sir, and he was able to rightly say who his companions were that we rescued, sir.”

“No, it’s not,” interjected Tad. “His name is Jessiah, sir, but folks find that hard to say so they call him Jess, sir. Just like me and my name, sir.” Said Tad and Johnno bumped him with his elbow and all but growled at him under his breath and glared at the young boy. Both of them shifted from one foot to the other and Jessie rightly assumed that before them stood the captain of this vessel.

Stepping aside he motioned for Jess to enter the captains’ quarters and turned back to Johnno and Tad, “Thank you, lads. Now back to your chores and Tad,” he took the boy by the shoulder in one of his rather large hands, “I am grateful for your help. Go now, off with ye both.” And the two boys scurried away bumping each other in friendly camaraderie.

Turning back to Jess he saw that she had not moved a muscle and he arched an eyebrow and growled at her, “I am not in the habit of repeating myself, lad. In!” Jessie all but jumped and moved forward through the doorway into a rather large room that appeared to be an office, dining area, sleeping area, and storage area. She looked around her and took in the books on the shelves and charts on the table, open journals on his desk, and behind that was a bed which was on top of storage space which reminded Jess of the bay window at the ranch where she used to lounge and read. The views from these windows though were epic. Miles of the ocean and blue skies. Jessie soon realized that the captain had not spoken and she quickly turned to him and saw that he had been watching her closely as her cheeks grew warm she looked away again and stood with her hands behind her back so that he could not see how tightly she was gripping her fingers.

“Finished with your appraisal? I am assuming that this is your first time on a trading vessel?” he asked with a whisper of a crooked smile as he moved to a smaller round table where there were decanters and he pulled the stopper from a very beautiful crystal wine vessel.

Jessie quickly reminded herself of where she was and hurriedly thought of an appropriate response. She cleared her throat and said in a low voice, “No, sir.” And shook her head when he held the decanter up to her. It’s not that Jessie did not drink, she just remembered how booze made a person’s tongue get loose and spill truths.

He walked slowly to the chair behind the large desk and sat down and looked at Jess through narrowed eyes and then, taking a deep breath, he said, “I am Captain Grayson Murphy and this is my ship the O’Murchadha and I am quite certain young Tad has filled you in as to the meaning. I am a trader.” And Jess looked up at him. “But not a trader of flesh. I abhor that practice and it has made me many enemies. Being a part of my crew comes with a small amount of personal ire from shipmates of other vessels. You see, if I come upon a slave trader and it requires assistance I will assist and the cost of my assistance is the release of the slaves. They may not always end up back where they came from, but I make an effort to set them to shore where they can make a life for themselves or make their way to somewhere safer.” He leaned forward and put his well-toned forearms on the desk and stared into Jess’ eyes. “If this is not agreeable to you, best you speak now.” He said in a barely audible whisper.

“What? No. I mean yes, I agree with you. Slavery is an inhumane practice and I am all for abolishing it.” Jessie said with feeling and the utmost honesty.

The captain narrowed his eyes at her and cocked his head to one side, “Aye, I see you mean what you say. Good, now go and find Johnno and he will set you to a task.” He leaned back in his chair and watched Jess as she bowed slightly and turned away, but she did not see the chair beside her and she caught the back of the wing on her injury and a loud grunt escaped her lips and she could not help but double over and grab her side. Dammit, she thought savagely and stars glimmered behind her eyelids. God damn, it hurt so badly, Jessie thought. The floor of the cabin swam before her eyes as tears welled up and she dropped to one knee.

Before she could recover the captain was beside her, “What is it, lad? What ails you?’ he asked in a concerned voice and Jess drew her hand away from her side and saw the blood and felt all woozy again. With one swift movement, the captain picked her up and walked over to his bed behind the desk, and laid her down gently. Pulling up her vest and shirt he saw the wound she had just re-opened and asked angrily, “Why did you not say anything you little fool? That injury is very in flamed. You stupid boy!” he raised his voice angrily then turned on his heel and headed for the door. Pulling it open roughly he called to the nearest crew member, “Mr. McVane, go and fetch Mr. Tora on the double.” Without waiting for a reply he slammed the door shut and walked back to Jess.

The pain was starting to subside but there was a constant throb like a toothache. Jess tried to sit up but a large, strong hand pushed her back down. “Don’t be foolish lad. I’ve called for the ship surgeon. He will come and have a look and treat that nasty wound. It looks to me like you need a few stitches there.” He added eyeing her with that raised eyebrow. Jessie couldn’t help but marvel at the green of his eyes. They were similar to the color of the green shallow depths of ocean pools with a much darker green ring around them and they were clear and bright in his tanned face. His high cheekbones were slightly flushed and his square jaw and dimpled chin had a few days of stubble and made him appear roguish. He was breathtakingly handsome for a sea captain, thought Jess. They were eyeing each other when there was a knock at the door and upon the captain’s response the door was opened and a tall well-built man walked in carrying a small black leather bag. Motioning for the man to come forward the captain said, “Mr. Tora, it appears the lad has a nasty injury to his side that looks inflamed and in need of your healing touch.”

Mr. Tora moved in next to Jess and unbuttoned her vest and peeled it gently away from her side and then pulled her shirt and tight-fitting under vest up. Staring at the wound he shook his head and clicked his tongue. “Ye’s will be needin’ stitches for dat wound, boy. Ye be a skinny lad and your flesh has no fat so me stitches will be small. It will hurt, but we fix dat too for ye’s.” He sounded Jamaican to Jessie and when he palpated the wound gently sweat broke out on her forehead. Motioning to the captain for the flask on the desk he brought it to her lips and said kindly, “Drink deep, boy. Ye’s be needin’ dis so’s for me to clean an’ stitch to stop any fevers.” Jess started to feel the panic rise in her chest and worked very hard to keep it down. She looked up and saw the captain watching her closely again and as she closed her eyes a tear rolled out of the corner of her eye into her hair. Turning away he looked toward the door to where McVane was standing, “Fetch the lads’ father or godfather, whichever one is closest.”

How the hell did he know what she had been thinking, wondered Jess. Was she being so obvious? She heard voices outside the cabin and then the comforting sound of her father’s voice with Willy’s talking outside.

“Jess, are you alright, lad?” Ben moved in and sat so that her head was on his leg, he took her hand and squeezed. Mr. Tora handed the flask to Ben and he brought it to her lips and Jess swallowed a large measure of the harsh liquid and grimaced. “Drink Jessie, it will help with the pain. I am so sorry. I didn’t know your injury was so deep.” Jessie could hear the pain and guilt in her father’s voice and she squeezed his hand. “It’s not your fault. It was an accident and I thought it was just a scratch anyway.” She hissed through clenched teeth as the surgeon poured rum on the wound.

“Ye’s gon’ be airie, little one. Jes’ be strong now.” Mr. Tora said kindly as he began to clean the wound and as Jess opened her mouth to groan loudly he shoved a leather strap between her teeth and she bit down with all her might. He used a rough cloth dripping in rum to wipe away clotted blood and flesh that had to be cleaned away and seemed happy that what lay beneath was pink and the blood flowed freely. Motioning for the captain to hold her legs down and Ben to hold her arms crossed over her chest he said, “Now ye be needin’ to hold still. I be doin’ gods work here wit de needle.” And with the first puncture of the needle Jessie’s eyes flew open and her whole body shook. She tried very hard to keep as still as possible while Mr. Tora worked, but the pain was something else. She felt the sweat running through her hair and round her neck and pooling at the nape of her neck. It was an intense pain that became all of her consciousness. She grunted and bit down on the leather strap and moved her head from side to side with her eyes tightly shut, but it became too much and she finally gave in to the black hole behind her eyelids and sank into the comfort of unconsciousness.