The Attainment of Evangeline

Chapter 39

"He looks awful bad," Pintel whispered from somewhere unseen, but Evangeline paid him no mind.

"The lad has come back from much worse," Barbossa assured them all.

Holding Jack's head in her lap, Geline evaluated the damage done to his face. His nose and eye were swollen; large, red, and bloodied, and dried blood lingered in his beard. Despite his battered appearance, he was still beautiful, and she caressed his face with her fingertips - careful to avoid any injured areas, praying he would wake soon. She had yet to inhale and she feared she never would, not after what she had just done. Shaking and unable to control it, she rested her head against the back of the cell and felt tears fall across her cheeks as she peered across the way at Gibbs, who had been watching her.

"He is gonna be just fine, dear," the first mate said to her.

Merely nodding her head, Evangeline knew that he would recover from the blows that Boone had dealt, but she was sure that her betrayal would kill him. She felt so tired, heavy, and ashamed, and as she closed her eyes, she wasn't even aware that she was falling asleep. The movement of the ship on the waves and the sound of Jack breathing lulled her into a place where she could no longer feel the humiliation of her broken promise nor any pain at all for that matter. She merely fell asleep.

Jack wriggled against her, his disruptive thrashing calling her to wake and her eyes shot open after an unidentified amount of time. Sun no longer poured in through the portholes, so she could only assume she had been asleep for quite a while. Looking down at the man whose head still lay in her lap, she adjusted herself and watched as he slowly opened his eyes. Jack groaned and brought his hand to his head.

"God...my head," he muttered as he tried to sit up.

"Whoa. Jack, easy," Evangeline said, helping him up.

Jack looked around, his hand still against his head and he stopped to look at her as if he needed a moment to regain his thoughts.

"How bad do I look, luv?"

Geline squint her eyes to get a better look at him in what little light shone from the lamps outside the cell. His face came into focus and she let her eyes relax on the tired face of her captain.

"The swelling has gone down," she replied, hesitantly reaching out to touch him. "But the bruising is worse. Do you remember what happened?"

"Aye. That bastard..."

"How are ye feelin', Jack?" Barbossa called out

"I'll get back to ya on that."

"Just take it slow, captain."

"You men better keep it quiet!" the guard shouted, threatening something unknown

"Lord, he broke my nose, too," Jack said, his fingers gently prodding the crooked thing.

"Aye, ya ought t' set it," Gibbs said.

"Well I'm already in pain, why not?"

"I said shut up!" the guard called.

Taking his thumb and index finger and placing them on either side of this nose gingerly, Jack reached out with his free hand and clutched Evangeline tightly.

"Oh, don't," she begged. "Just let it alone."

"Hush."

To prepare himself, Jack took in a long drink of air and gave Geline's hand a hard squeeze for good measure. It was over in a second and the sound of his nose setting back in place nauseated her. Jack rested his forehead against her shoulder and growled, waiting a few moments to show his face to his crew again. Better to hide it then to let them see him compromised with discomfort.