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bath, food, and pirates: not necessarily in that order
“Elsbeth.”My mother’s voice echoes through my mind. I fight to open my eyes, willing them to cooperate. “How is she?” she asks.
“She woke up yesterday and talked to me a little. Her color has returned,” a deep voice answers. Yesterday? How long have I been asleep?
“Bless you, sir. You didn’t have to stay with her the entire time. She could’ve come back to our room.”
Heavy boots move across a wooden floor. “How long has she had these…these convulsions?”
“Since she was a baby,” Mama answers.
“When she woke up, she told me the villagers thought she was possessed. Is that true?”
“Aye,” Mama answers softly. “She was an outcast and forbidden to marry.”
The sound of a deep sighfills the room. “That’s preposterous. She’s no more possessed than anyone else on the ship.”
“Aye. After…after her father died, we had no choice but to leave our home.”
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Abernathy.”
“Aye, me too.”
My eyes still refuse to open to join in the conversation that’s all about me. “If you’re okay with it, I’d like to keep her in here where I can watch her.”
“What about your position?” Mama asks.
“Smith can handle it. Elsbeth is more important at the moment.”
“Aye, she is. Thank you, Captain Rex.” I hear the door close, taking what I assume is my mother out of the room.
Heavy boots move closer. “Continue to heal, acushla.” I recognize the Gaelic term of endearment he uses for me. Why?
……
I have no idea how much time has passed when my eyes finally open again. Just as he promised, Thorne is still by my side, asleep in the chair. My father would sit with me after my fits. Seeing Thorne in the same position brings tears to my eyes and emotions I’m not prepared to deal with to the surface.
“Thorne?” I wake him.
“Elsbeth?”
“Aye. I’m better.” I sit up, using my own strength. “How long have I been in your room?”
“Three days,” he answers.
I stare at the giant man in front of me. A short beard has grown on his previously clean-shaven face. His hair is disheveled, and his clothes are a wrinkled mess. “Are you okay?”
A smile covers his face as he lifts one side of his mouth higher than the other. “Aye. Your mother has been by many times to check on you.”
“She worries about me.”
“She’s not the only one.”
I stretch my legs and slide them to the edge of his bed. “Thank you for taking care of me.” I stand, wobbling on my weak limbs. Thorne is at my side instantly, helping steady me.
“How about some fresh air?”
“I’d love that.” He wraps my arm through his, and we carefully move to a private deck off the back of the ship. The wind is just what I needed. I take a deep breath, filling my lungs with the sea air.
