Cordelia, Daughter of the Sea

style='font-size:16.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt'>Chapter 13

style='fonte:16e:16.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt'>“Off Me Ship!”<>

As much as she tried, Cordelia couldn’t sleep.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> Having come so close to being with Jack, her
mind reeled about what could have happened.
When she nodded off now and then, her dreams were either heated and
passionate or anger-filled. When the
sun rose, Cordelia decided to go back to Jack’s cabin; she needed to know why
Jack acted the way that he did the night before.

Thinking that Jack
would still be asleep, Cordelia quietly opened the door.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> She was mistaken about Jack being
asleep. In harsharsh light of the new
day, she saw Jack standing before a mirror in his room…without his shirt.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> Cordelia gasped without making a sound at
the sight before her. Jack’s chest was
every bit as stunning as she’d imagined, though there were two relatively large
scarred over wounds above his right breast – gunshot wounds.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> The arm that he claimed he pulled the night
before had several rather large, painful looking scars along his forearm.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> Poor man…

Jack caught a glimpse of Cordelia’s reflection behind
his. “Get out,” Jack said softly.

Cordelia stammered, “Jack, I…”

His face reddened and he yelled, gruffly, loudly,
“Get out!”

Cordelia turned and ran back to her cabin.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> She promptly woke Anamaria, shouting, “What
happened to him?”

Anamaria was groggy. “Wha’? Lass, are ye mad?”

“What happened to Jack? Why is he so badly scarred?
Why is he so self-conscious about it?”

“Yer askin’ the wrong person, lass.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> I’ve ne’er seen ‘is scars, I know of ‘em,
but I’ve ne’er seen ‘em. An’ I ne’er
asked ‘ow ‘e got ‘em either.”

Just then Jack came bursting through the door of the
cabin. He looked Cordelia harshly in
the eye. His voice was harsh and
strong, yet it trembled ever so slightly as he yelled, “Next piece o’ land we
come across, yer off me ship!”

“What did I do, Jack?” she asked, yelling back.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> “What crime have I committed?”

“Ye had no business coming in me cabin, none at
all! Tha’s enough o’ a crime!”

“It is not, Jack,” Anamaria yelled, joining the
fight.

“You stay out of this,” Jack hissed.

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“Jack…”

“Out o’ here, Anamaria, this doesn’ concern
ye!” Anamaria bowed her head and left
the cabin. Jack’s eyes went back to
Cordelia. “Ye couldn’ ‘ave left things
well enough alone, could ye?”

Cordelia refused to break down into tears.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> “I was coming back to talk to you.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> How was I supposed to know about…about
anything?”

Jack was at a loss for words.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> She didn’ know…I didn’ lead on to much of
anything last night. Why am I pushin’
‘er so damn far away from me? Pride
ain’ worth hurtin’ ‘er…but losin’ ‘er respect…tha’ I can’ do.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> “Ye jus’ shouldn’ be here, s’not right.”

Cordelia put her hand of Jack’s shoulder, but he
shrugged it away. “Jack, please don’t
make me go. Why does what I saw make
such a difference?”

“It jus’ does.
We’ll be docking soon and when we do…”

“Don’t say it,” Cordelia pleaded, finally breaking
down. “Just go.”style="mso-spacerun: yes"> And Jack did just that.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> He left her cabin, put Gibbs in charge of steering
the Pearl for the day, and began a long binge with his good friend, rum.