A Pirate's Love

Crash Against Wave Upon Wave

Two days passed with the mornings and evenings spent eating delicious food from Six, afternoons spent alone in my bunk reading, and Captain Blacksmoke avoiding my presence in all the time in between. Sam caught a fever and Smith advised me to stay away from him until he was better, but I desperately wanted to see him. Each night I walked to the deck to get some air and gaze at the stars, and every time I walked past Sam's doorway I could hear slight moaning as the fever ran through him. It worried me.

Tonight felt different. Something was in the air. The waves jostled the ship more aggressively than it had before. I felt more drawn to Sam than I had in the two days prior. Tonight I was going to see him.

Smith was tending to his needs and was keeping guard so I wouldn't go in. Sitting in my hammock, I chewed at my lip as the ship rocked back and forth. I looked out the window and saw the dark waves forming high peaks into the air. I lifted myself out of the hammock and tried to make my way out of the room without losing balance. I held onto the walls of the hallway and made my way up to the deck. The wind was howling and waves were splashing overboard. The sky was dark and the clouds were low. The wood of the ship groaned and quaked against the waves as I tried to hold onto the railings. The crew were shouting at each other over the noise of crashing waves.

"Reduce sail! Pull them up boys!" I heard the Captain growl at his men, his voice dry and hoarse. I looked to the upper deck and saw him standing there, his hair wet from the splashing waves and expression angry, yet focused. He suddenly saw me standing there and glared his eyes at me, the first time he acknowledged my presence in days.
"What the devil are you doing here!?" He screamed, "There's a storm brewing, get below deck, now!" I jumped as he directed his spitting words at me and tried to scramble back below deck without losing my bearings. Ocean spray drenched my hair and shoulders before I finally made it back to the hallway. Smith ran out of Sam's room and quickly brushed passed me.

"Go back to your room, miss!" He shouted back at me.

Suddenly, the ship was rocked by the waves and tilted quickly, the floor of the hallway nearly becoming as vertical as the walls were. I braced myself on the wall, trying to remain upright.

*THUD*

A noise came from Sam's room. "SAM!" I called after him. No reply. The ship suddenly moved to the opposite side and my shoulder hit the other wall. I winced in pain, feeling a bruise already forming. The sound of furniture scraping against the hardwood flooring was loud and unsettling. I quickly crawled across the wall to Sam's door, the ship still tilting against the wind. I opened the door and it quickly swung open with gravity pulling it down. Sam lay face down on the floor, unconscious from the fever. He obviously fell out of his hammock with the force of the ship leaning to and fro. The ship tilted more upright and the sound of rain pelted the wood and windows. I scrambled towards Sam and tried to lift him up, his body extremely warm, yet lifeless. I turned him over on his back and patted his face to try and wake him up. His cheeks were warm but his forehead was cold and clammy. "Oh God, you're burning," I said out loud, afraid he wasn't going to pull through at this rate. Unable to move him, I pulled blankets out of his hammock and brought them to the floor, quickly tucking them around his body. I lifted myself up to my feet and found a washing bowl with a rag. Smith must have been using them. I dowsed the rag in the cool water and wrung it out, leaving it damp. I brought the rag to Sam's forehead and dabbed lightly. His breathing was strained as his eyes stayed shut, his brow slightly furrowed. I caressed his cheek, wiping off the sweat, saddened by the sight of him. "Oh Sam," I cried.

The wind and rain beat against the ship's sides violently. The sound of the crew above deck was drowned out by the clashing waves. The turbulent wind rattled the windows. The unforgiving movement of the ship over the sea was making me nauseous. I was terrified. Tears streamed down my face as I prepared myself for the worst. It felt like the end.

Sam moaned as I took the rag off of him to wet it once again. I quickly abandon the thought of possible death and took a deep breath, deciding I needed to stay strong for Sam. His skin was glistening in the darkness from sweat. His eyes were moving back and forth underneath his lids, his mouth open and breathing shallow breaths. I quickly wrung out the rag and placed it on his forehead again. I put my hand on his chest for a moment, it instantly feeling like it was on fire. I pulled the blankets down from his chest and started unbuttoning his shirt. I pulled off his shirt and covered his chest with the blankets again, hoping it would give him more room to breathe.

The ship continued to rock side to side for what felt like hours, but eventually, The Mountain of the Sun started gliding over the waves more easily. She pulled through, her dark wood still groaning in agony as we escaped the horrors of the storm.

Sam's breathing became deeper and his expression softened. His body temperature began to go down and I pulled his blankets above his shoulders to prevent chills from starting. I laid down next to him on the floor and watched his chest rise and fall under the blankets. Suddenly feeling exhausted from the violence of the storm, I tried to keep my eyes open as the gentle patter of rain and light footsteps above filled my ears.

Not realizing I had fallen asleep, I awoke to a gentle touch on my arm. I opened my eyes and saw Sam staring back at me, the room now filled with the light of dawn.

"I thought you were an angel," he said softly, "I thought I was in heaven. I thought I died. I must have been dreaming."

I instantly sat up and put my hand gently on his forehead. Normal. I looked into his eyes and smiled down at him. "It's just me, Sammy. Your fever is broken." He took my hand in his and ran his thumb over the back of my hand. I tenderly squeezed his hand back, still smiling at him, relieved he was going to be okay.

"I'm parched," he suddenly said. I let out a small laugh.

"I'll get you something to eat and drink." I lifted his hand up to my lips and kissed it quickly. His eyes gazed back at me. "You've had a long two days. You slept through an entire storm."

"Two days!?" He whined, shocked. I let out another small laugh and got up from the floor, making my way to the door. Sam ran his hands through his sweat soaked hair and touched the light stubble growing in his chin and upper lip, sighing heavily.

"I'll be right back," I informed, and made my way towards the kitchen.