Chapter 10
Elle sat down in the sand pressing her hand to her bloody shoulder. She hissed at the pain the pressure caused. The beach seemed to cloud. Blood squished threw her fingers. The next thing she knew was that Harve was there.
"I'll fix ye up, lad." Harve said a moment later.
She looked up. Harve and the captain were walking over the sand toward her. She lay in the sand unsure how she got there. Harve knelt down and pulled back the shirt. He poured rum over the wound. Tears burned her eyes and she hissed.
He pulled the edges of skin together. Elle panted as the needle was pushed through her flesh. "Won't be pretty but it'll heal," he said.
Elle looked at the bloody line that was held together with nothing but a catgut stitch. He poured more rum over the wound and this time Elle passed out.
She woke in her tiny cabin. The sound of the waves slapping at the ship's hull.
She sat up and groaned. Someone had changed her bloody shirt. Her stomach grumbled. She went out on the deck. The sails bellowed in the wind. She found the captain and Harve on the poop deck.
"Ye look a mite better there lad." Harve said when he spotted her.
"Not sure i feel it." she replied testing the pain by moving her arm. She suppressed a groan of pain.
Harve laughed. "Ye got fifteen stitches and slept for two days," he said. He looked at her as if waiting for something.
She nodded. "Where's Miles?" She asked not really sure if she actually wanted the answer. A small part of her feared that Harv had killed him or that they left him on the island.
"The cell." Harv told her but didn't look at her face until he heard her relieved by.
"Good, I was scared you had killed him or left him on the island. Where are we going?" she asked and teasted her shoulder with a small movment.
In a clipped tone, the captain answered. "England."
Ell stared at him. "But we've only taken four ships." she countered. she took a step forward but stopped when he glared at her.
"I know that." he said in an angry clipped tone. He turned and walked away.
Her anger mounted at the harsh dismissal. She looked at Harv. "Because of me?"
Harve nodded. Ell turned and stomped after the captain. He was just lowering into his chair as she came in his cabin and she shut the door behind her. She glared at him.
"Bad luck to have a woman on board." he said.
She lifted an eyebrow. "I've been here two years. What bad luck has befallen us?" she demanded. Then she continued. "I cannot go back to England. Sir Travis will kill me if he finds i live."
She watched his eyes. Steal became anger.
"What the hell are you talking about?"
She went on to explain and his anger became rage.
"You've risked your life every time you've delivered my messages," he yelled at her. He slammed his fist down on the desk. She cringed. "Get out! I don't want to see you for the rest of the day."
Elle did as he said not caring to find out how angry he was. She move quickly carefully she closed the cabin door behind her.
For the next week, he glared at her. She tried to stay out of his way. She spent a lot of time in the galley working as much as the pain and cook would allow.