Crushing Desire (22 page)

9

Reena was in the cabin when the ship began to toss violently. The sounds of cracking and screaming had her heart thumping in her chest. Thomas, the young cabin boy, had come to sit with her during the storm. They waited for the order for them to tie themselves down or to come above. The ship rocked back and forth, and she held on to the bed, her stomach heaving in protest. Thomas looked slightly green himself, and she knew without asking that he had never been in so terrible a storm.

“All will be well.” Reena hoped that the words would comfort the shaking boy.

He held the bed tighter and kept his eyes closed. The ship tossed again, and the book that Reena had been reading earlier fell from the table and clattered to the floor. The boy yelped, but quieted a moment later when he saw that they were in no real danger.

The metal pitcher and basin clanged together, making Reena think of the church bells that chimed every Sunday near her home. Closing her eyes, she tried not to think about the home that she might never see again or of her uncle’s house where they might never know what had become of her. She especially tried not to think of Joshua, who was most certainly on deck in the hands of the demonic storm. Instead, she focused on the shouts from the sailors above, trying to decipher how bad it was.

A loud scream sounded outside the cabin door, jarring Reena into action. She ran to the door and threw it open. A massive sailor carried a smaller man with obvious breaks to his leg bones. The smaller sailor, whose name she thought was Smithy, was bloody and the bones of his leg could be seen through the material of his breeches. She had been young when the war raged, but the healer in her wouldn’t let this man suffer unattended. He would certainly die if the leg wasn’t set properly, and fast. She followed Smalls as he made his way to the hold, ignoring the pleas of the boy to return to the cabin. Thomas pulled at her arm, but when neither his words nor actions deterred her, his hand left her arm. She glanced back to see him running toward the deck.

The hold was a terrible sight. Three men lay trapped under fallen crates, screaming in pain. Reena ran to a pile of canvas and unfolded one swiftly, making a makeshift cot.

“Place him here and then tend to the others,” she said.

The brawny sailor started to speak, but Reena sent him a look that told him she was in charge now, and he was to listen. His eyebrows lifted for an instant, but when she held her expression, he nodded.

Placing Smithy on the cot, he turned to the trapped men as she made up more beds. By the time the last of the sailors had been freed, and the rigging was secured, Reena had set a few minor breaks and bandaged the head of an unconscious sailor. When the hulking sailor turned back to Reena, eyes shining with respect, she nodded to Smithy who was barely conscious.

“Help me set this bone,” she said, and Smalls hurried to her side.

“Pull straight, as hard as you can, and when I say so, you release.” She pulled a leather strap from the pile of canvas in the corner. “Bite this.” She put the strap between the injured sailor’s teeth. “This is going to hurt.”

9

 
Joshua was trying to untangle the rigging that had been caught up in the topsail. There was so much tangled rope and debris that it was making it hard for the crew to obey the captain’s orders. Joshua worked as the waves tossed the ship, and the wind tried to blow him over. The anger of the sea was evident, and Joshua could almost imagine the god Poseidon pointing his trident at them and ordering the sea to rebel. To hurl them all overboard.

Joshua knew that Reena was in an unlocked room with no more protection than that of a small cabin boy, and Thomas would take any sailor’s orders. He wanted nothing more than to go to the cabin and check on Reena, but he knew that if the ship wasn’t safe, she wouldn’t be safe, so he stayed. Joshua’s eyes searched the deck for Gregory and found him laboring to right a keg of fresh water with a few other men. The rigging snapped free of what was snaring it. Joshua watched as they gave a mighty heave to the keg, setting it on end. Their eyes met for a moment, and Gregory returned a malicious smile. It was then that Joshua knew that he’d better watch his back, or he might
accidentally
fall overboard during the storm.

The knowledge that Gregory was still thinking of revenge, even at a time like this, made Joshua worry for Reena. If the new captain got the key, he could lock her in the room, and she would be helpless. Joshua shook the thought from his mind, trying to focus on the task at hand.

Joshua’s gaze drifted back to where Gregory had been. A keg of powder rolled toward Gregory’s striding back as he headed down the deck of the ship. In seconds, it would hit the captain and knock him to the ground. A heavy keg like that could kill a man.

The ship pitched as though trying to hinder his motion, but Joshua rushed down the deck heedless of it and of the consequences of his actions. Gregory turned, hands coming up in fists as Joshua dove for him. His body smashed into Gregory’s. The captain flew backward from the impact and out of the path of the barrel. Joshua’s gaze snapped to the barrel which was now heading straight for him.

9

The cries of the wounded men were loud as the thunder and their pain bright as the lightening. Reena moved from bed to bed in the hold, healing injuries as she was able. Smalls had left her to help up on deck, but the men poured in, carried by their fellow sailors. She now had nearly half the crew in the cots waiting to be patched. Those that could return to the deck, she patched quickly and got them on their way. Those that couldn’t return waited on cots until the more seriously wounded had been treated.

Every time a new wounded sailor came to her, every time she turned to a new cot, she prayed that she wouldn’t see Joshua’s face and prayed that she would. She worried that he was dead on decks, and she worried that he would come to her seriously wounded and unable to be saved. Reena wanted to rush onto the deck, but she was needed where she was. These men needed her, and the men on decks needed her to stay out of the way. She threw herself into the work, into the saving of life and limb to keep her mind from filling with thoughts of Joshua.

“You,” she yelled at a sailor with a bound head wound. “Come here.” The man came to her side, a bit wobbly but steady enough. “Hold him down,” she ordered.

The man that lay on the cot before them had an enormous piece of wood through his shoulder, which had to be removed and cauterized before she could move on to the next patient. The heavy metal barrels that sat bolted to the floor of the hold had held rations of salt pork and tack, but now they held only fire sharpened knives and bloodied bandages.

Reena put her arms around the wood in the man’s shoulder and pulled with all her might. The man screamed and thrashed, but the weight of the sailor was enough to keep his shoulder still. Pulling a metal bar from the fire, she cauterized the wound, front and back. The stench of burning flesh filled her nostrils, and she flashed back to her mother doing the same thing in a tent full of soldiers. Reena, at the tender age of eight, had been frightened by the sounds of their screams and the reek of the blood and burned flesh, at least until she had been told that the treatment would save the men’s lives. After that, she had joined her mother in her ministrations. She had even snuck out and gone alone several times to heal the wounded and care for the healing. It had been reckless, but Reena couldn’t stand to see the wounded suffer, not when she could do something to ease their pain.

“Shh. It’s all right,” Reena whispered as she bandaged his injured shoulder.

A moment later, she moved on. Grabbing a pile of canvas, she prepared to make more of the makeshift cots for the men that were steadily being brought in. Reena tugged on the canvas, and the material fell open. She glanced down and her breath hitched. The captain lay in a pool of blood, his wounded head split open, and his neck at an angle that could never be achieved naturally. Reena placed her hand over his blank stare, closed his eyes, and then covered his head. What would this new development mean for her and Joshua? She discarded the thought and rushed to the next cot. Reena had men who were depending on her in this moment, no other thoughts could exist. She wouldn’t let them.

9

The weight of the barrel rolling over his legs, forced a grunt of pain from Joshua. His legs weren’t broken, he knew, but the metal that held the wood together had made a deep gash, cutting his flesh nearly to the bone. A stray chunk of wood flew from the barrel, slamming into his forehead and sending blood streaming into his eyes.

“Look out!” he screamed, warning other sailors of the rolling barrel in spite of the agony that filled him.

Trying to stand, Joshua ignored the pain and the crimson river rushing into his eyes. He took only two steps before he reeled backwards.

“Look out!” he screamed again as he fell. His mind fogged, sending him into a fit of laughter. Then he was being carried. He had no idea who carried him, but he felt like a small child. He fought the hands. Pain shot through him and he groaned. Wiping the blood from his eyes, his vision cleared for a moment. He was in the corridor near Reena’s room, but her cabin door was wide open and the room empty.

“Reena!” he yelled.

Joshua struggled against the hands holding him and managed to get himself free. His legs crumbled. Two sets of arms grabbed him as blood flooded his eyes afresh. It seemed as though his head might float away. He had to hold on. Where was Reena? Arms went under his shoulders. A burly sailor with a bald head and a tattooed neck carried him legs first into the hold.

Below it appeared as if an ocean of people had been struck down by the wrath of the sea. His chest seemed to expand with a scream which held in his throat. His vision swam, and the world spun.

He was dying.

Dear God, he couldn’t die. He had to live.

For Reena.

9

Reena stood over a young sailor, bandaging his bleeding head. A bald sailor came in carrying another body covered in blood. This one looked bad. She rushed to an empty cot and motioned for the tattooed man carrying him to set him down.

“You should be proud Miss, ‘e saved me life an’ many o’ me mates. A brave one that one is,” the sailor said in a thick accent that Reena couldn’t quite place.

Reena blinked, not sure she’d understood his words. She looked down at the bloody sailor on the cot, and her stomach heaved. The light faded, and then suddenly became too strong for her eyes. Reena plummeted to her knees.

“Joshua.” Her whisper was lost in the roar of the murderous storm.

He was delusional from the pain. Thrashing on the cot, he yelled for her and tried to get up and crawl toward the door. Tears welled in her eyes, but she turned off her emotions, letting the healer in her take over.

“Tie him to the cot!” she shouted to the burly sailor. “Keep him secure. I have to see his wounds.”

“Me name’s Gunner, lass, and what ye need, Gunner’ll do.”

He moved to the foot of the cot, grappling with Joshua’s legs but managed to tie them securely.

“Leave her alone, you bastard!” Joshua screamed, grabbing Reena’s arm in a painful grip. “I’ll kill you, you…” Joshua sent forth a string of obscenities in Reena’s face as Gunner wrestled her free from the hold he had on her arm.

“It is me, love. It’s Reena. I’m safe. You’re safe.”

Reena wiped the blood from Joshua’s face, praying that the damage wouldn’t be severe. There was a terrible bump, but she was relieved to find that the wound, about an inch above his left eye, wouldn’t require many stitches. She moved to his breeches and tore them to the knees. Out of the corner of her eye, she noted Gunner tying Joshua’s hands, and she busied herself with inspecting the rest of his wounds.

“Reena,” Joshua yelled. “I love you, Reena. Don’t be afraid. I’ll keep you safe.”

She fought the urge to breakdown. To throw herself in his arms and rain kisses on him. He as well as the others, needed her help now.

“I’m here, my love.” She tried to calm him, mopping at the oozing wounds. Joshua calmed for a moment, lying still as she looked at his injured legs. “This will hurt, love.” She eyed the sailor, her expression hard. “Give him rum.”

Gunner forced the bottle into Joshua’s mouth, holding it there until a good amount of the spirit had drained from it, and then he handed the amber liquid to her. Reena winced as she poured it over his legs.

All the muscles in Joshua’s neck tightened, and his body arched off the cot, but he made no noise. The deep wound seeped and bled onto the cot, turning the tan canvas red. Reena tried to ignore the sight as she inspected the wound. She couldn’t see the bone, but it would take many stitches, and if his concussion was serious, he might die. Even if all these things happened, he would have a hard time walking for a long while, and depending on the extent of the injury to his head, he might never be the same.

Focus on keeping him alive, first, and then worry about healing him.

She pushed at the wounded flesh when it was clean, trying to fit the skin together. Gunner brought her the needle she’d asked for, and she sewed the wounds closed. After dressing them, she hoped that would be enough for now.

“Wash his head,” she said to Thomas, who had returned an hour earlier to help her with the injured.