Stolen Treasure

Chapter 16

"I'm so glad I found you and I would love to stay like this forever, but we should really get out of here," Jim insisted.

"You're right, let's go," I replied, pulling out of our embrace and wiping away my tears.

"Can you stand?" he asked, eyeing my injured arm and the amount of blood I had lost with concern.

"I think so," I said, starting to get up.

Jim helped support me as I slowly lifted myself up from the ground. It was slow-going and a little tricky because of the searing pain I felt if I moved my arm the wrong way. But working together we were able to get me to my feet. However, the moment I straightened up I felt dizzy and faint. My knees buckled and I started to fall, but luckily Jim's arms were ready to catch me.

"Okay, I guess not," I admitted, laughing weakly to try to lighten the mood.

"I'll carry you," Jim offered. I wanted to protest, but I was still feeling faint from my episode.

Gently, Jim slipped one arm under my shoulders and the other under my knees. In one smooth motion, he swept me off the ground and carried me bridal style. Still feeling shaky, I rested my head against his shoulder. I clutched the music box in my lap with the hand on my uninjured arm. I let my eyes slip shut, but remained conscious. I was so weak, not only from my injuries, but also because I hadn't had anything to eat in at least a day or maybe even two.

Jim took me out of the brig and to the upper deck. I heard someone walking towards us, but continued to rest against him with my eyes closed.

"Mr. Hawkins! You've found her! Is she alright?" a voice asked. I instantly recognized the British accent as Captain Amelia's.

"Yeah, she's really weak though. Blackmore injured her arm and she's lost a lot of blood. She needs a doctor," Jim replied.

"Very good. We have found what we came for. I suggest we set sail immediately and put as much distance from this place as fast as possible," she suggested.

Everyone loaded onto a longboat and we soared away from that dreadful ship. Jim held me in his arms the entire way back, softly rubbing his lips against my hair and pressing gentle kisses to my forehead. After we'd pulled into the launch bay, Jim carried me to the medical room. As soon as we stepped onto the ship, Morph flew up to my face and started chittering excitedly. He nuzzled my cheek lovingly and cooed. I smiled and held the little shape shifter closer to me.

"Hey Morph," I whispered, my eyes still closed. "I missed you too."

I opened my eyes when Jim gently set me down on the examination table. I slowly and cautiously got up into a sitting position. Jim stood nearby and watched me carefully, ready to catch me should I have another dizzy spell. Morph floated between us, observing my struggle with apprehension.

The ship's medical doctor walked in and started examining me. Using his many arms and eyes, he was able to look at several different parts of me at once. It unnerved me a bit, but I let him perform the basic tasks of monitoring my blood pressure and heart rate and so on. When he got down to business, he focused his full attention on my injury. He cut off what was left of my tattered sleeve so he could get a better look at the gash on my upper arm.

"It's a fairly deep cut, but not deep enough that you'll need stitches. Luckily it hasn't gotten infected, so it should heal on its own. You will have a small scar though," the doctor explained. I simply nodded my head in understanding.

He wiped some disinfectant on my arm to clean it. It stung immensely, but I just grit my teeth and toughed it out. He gave me a wet washcloth so I could scrub the rest of the dried blood off my body.

"I'll be right back with some bandages, food, and a new set of clothes," the doctor said. He left the room to get the items he mentioned, so I was alone with Jim.

He pushed himself off of the wall he had been leaning against and stood right in front of me at the table so that my knees were on either side of his body. He gently trailed his fingers up and down my uninjured arm. His touch tingled and tickled slightly, but I liked it. I looked up at him, but his gaze was focused on his fingers brushing my skin.

The doctor came back in and handed me a plate with some cheese and fruits on it. Morph tried to dive into the plate, but Jim caught him and held him back.

"I think you can handle it from here, Mr. Hawkins," the doctor said, handing Jim the bandages and placing the clothes next to me on the table.

Jim nodded and took the bandages, so the doctor left to attend to other things. I was starving, so I started stuffing my face with food as soon as the doctor handed me that plate. When I looked up after I had finished, Jim was grinning at me.

"What? I was hungry! I haven't eaten in a while!" I defended.

"I know," he said, chuckling softly.

He started to wrap the bandage around my arm. I whimpered a bit from the pain I felt when he tied it off above my elbow.

"Sorry," he apologized.

"It's fine, just sensitive. But I'll survive," I reassured him.

"So, do you want to change?" he asked, looking at my bloodstained clothing. "There's a bathroom over there."

"Yeah, I'll be right back," I said, taking the clothes and closing the door to the bathroom.

Before changing, I used the sink to wash off the dried blood from my face and neck. Then I stripped out of my clothing and put on a clean pair of brown pants and new black boots. I had some trouble taking off my shirt with my injured arm, so I looked around in the medical cabinet for something I could use to help me. I found a pair of scissors and decided to just cut it off. It was ruined anyway. I snipped the scissors' blades down the middle of the shirt, cleaving it in half. Then I was able to simply shrug the shirt off like a jacket. I carefully pulled on the new white shirt before returning to the room with Jim and Morph.

When I opened the door, Jim turned his head towards me. He gave me a strange look. There was so much emotion in his eyes. I wasn't exactly sure what it was, but it looked like a mix of sadness and love.

He walked up to me and enveloped me in a hug that I returned. He laid his cheek on top of my head and caressed my hair. I closed my eyes and breathed in his familiar scent, enjoying the warmth of his body against mine.

"I missed you so much," I finally whispered.

"Me too," he replied.

I took a deep breath and pulled out of the hug. He looked at me curiously, trying to decipher the expression on my face. He was probably confused because I was very nervous at the moment when I should be happy that I was finally safe.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, his voice etched with concern. I forced myself to look him in the eye before I continued.

"There's something I need to tell you; something...I've been keeping from you."