Second on the Right (48 page)

“It has been set in motion and cannot be
undone. It’s far too late for second chances, Robert,” Daria
replied simply.

James gave orders for dinner to be brought to
his quarters. A crewman entered with wine, cheese, dried meat,
bread, and some fruit. Once alone, James pulled out a chair for
Eileen and sat down next to her. Eileen looked over James. She had
always found him attractive, but seeing him now she thought,
Captaining at sea has certainly agreed with him
. Her eyes
traced down his body, taking in every inch of him. It wasn’t until
he cleared his throat that she realized how long she had actually
been lingering. She blushed with embarrassment. He grinned, pulling
her onto his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and looked
into his blue eyes.

"See anything you like?" he asked softly.

She brushed some of his hair from his
forehead. "No."

James squeezed her tightly and said, "Too
bad. I would gladly give it to you." Kissing and nibbling on her
ear, he finished his sentence in a whisper.

"James!" she gasped softly. She leaned in and
kissed him gently on the lips. This simple act ignited a fire
within him and he held her in a passionate embrace.

After a few caresses and kisses from James,
she pushed away, "I don't know if I can do this." She looked away,
biting her lip.

James frowned, "You feeling okay?"

She nodded, but said nothing.

"Eileen, I don't care that you and Benedict—"
He cleared his throat. "I mean, yeah, I do, sort of. But I
understand why it happened. You thought I was dead. Given the
circumstances and—" James paused for a moment, causing her to look.
A wry smile hinted at his lips, "Really though? I mean, there was
no one else aboard that ship you could have slept with? A deckhand,
the cook, Smythe, a random sailor or pirate, anyone other than
him?" He grinned.

Eileen couldn’t help but smile in return,
"And who would you have suggested?"

He looked around the cabin thinking, "Well, I
happen to know a devilishly handsome pirate captain. He’s quite the
gentleman and very good with the ladies." He continued to grin.
"Did I mention he's handsome?"

"Once or twice, perhaps." She folded her
arms. "His name?"

"Captain Hook," James replied, looking into
her eyes. "No doubt he is
very
interested in you."

"Really?" she whispered in feigned
excitement.

"You have no idea how much I've missed you."
He kissed her.

"I've missed you too."

He murmured, "Have I mentioned how much I've
missed you, how much I love you?" He squeezed her in his arms. "I
don't ever want to lose you again." He paused for a moment as he
looked into her eyes. "I love you more than words can express. You
are my life."

Sunlight shone through the glass pane, waking
Eileen from her restful sleep. She rolled over to find James
sitting at the table, head buried in his arms. She knew the
problem: they both were worried about the outcome on Neverland.
Would they be successful in defeating Peter? And, knowing their son
was alive, but possessed, would they be successful in saving him or
lose him in the process?

"James, what are you planning?" Eileen asked,
concern resonating in her voice.

James remained hunched over, his head buried
in his arms. At first Eileen thought perhaps he had not heard her.
She walked over and laid her hand gently on his shoulder. The
muscle underneath her fingers twitched at the touch. James may be
quiet, but she knew when he was stressed. His body always spoke
volumes.

"James?" she whispered, squatting down next
to him in order to catch his eye.

Taking in a deep breath, he sat up. His eyes
were red from exhaustion and grief. "I…I don't know," he answered
quietly, a slight quiver in his voice.

She wrapped her arms around him and gently
kissed his head. "Tell me everything. Leave nothing out. We can
figure this out, together."

He pulled up a chair for her to sit down.
"After I had lost you, that is, thought I had lost you and Robbie,
I fell into a deep depression. I was in the hospital for weeks
recovering from the loss of my—" He stopped, still unable to say it
aloud.

She took hold of his right arm, squeezing it
gently. "James, you know it doesn't bother me. Nor does the hook.
Please don't let it bother you."

He placed his left hand on hers and returned
the squeeze. With a nod, he continued, "Eventually, I found my way
to Patrick's apartment, where he had a map of Neverland. I had no
idea what it was. My guess was that it was some remote island off
the East Coast of New York. As I was looking over the map, it
disintegrated in my hands. The next thing I knew, I was in the
ocean. Thankfully, Benedict happened by and allowed me to board his
ship. He trained me, helped me acquire my own ship and crew. He
knew my purpose, to avenge your death, and he was all too happy to
help."

"Then there was Neverland," James’s eyes
glazed over. "I found the island, found Peter. I was so filled with
hatred; I did what I sought out to do. I killed Peter Pan. The odd
thing was, as soon as his weapon fell to the deck, I noticed it was
not a typical sword or dagger. There was a rounded spot just below
the blade, set in the hilt. As soon as Peter died and the knife
dropped, that rounded area glowed brightly.

"In my haste to kill Peter, I failed to
convince Robbie I was his father. He viewed me as the threat: evil
Captain Hook. When he saw Peter's weapon, he dove for it. I tried
to stop him, but he had been brainwashed by that evil creature and
was hell-bent on exacting revenge. I begged and pleaded to no
avail. Before my eyes, his demeanor changed. He became Pan."

"I was confused. I didn't understand what had
happened. I thought he was still Robbie, so I tried to reason with
him. He ended up fighting me. I lost my balance and fell into the
water. The crocodile that was so fixated on me was nearby. I could
hear its hisses and ticks. I swam like mad to the shore and ran for
cover in the forest. After a few days of hiding, I realized neither
the crew, Robbie, nor the lost boys, were aware I was still
alive."

"During those few weeks, I managed to set a
pit trap, capture and kill the crocodile. His carcass provided
enough meat to keep me alive. My wounds healed. I felt stronger. I
was ready to return to the
Jolly Roger
. With the help of the
handful of my crew left, and the young girl who had been held
captive by Pan, we took control of the ship and set sail for El
Tiburón. My goal was to rebuild my crew and enlist Benedict's help
in getting Robbie back. While in El Tiburón, I asked around about
Pan. I discovered that the knife was most likely a soul trap. I
imagine the purpose was to imprison Pan’s soul, but obviously that
hasn't worked. He’s a creature that kidnaps and feeds on the
energies of the young. Makes them grow up faster than normal. In
fact, our son no longer looks three. He looks more like, eight, I'd
guess. Even Wendy looks much older than thirteen. Eileen, something
happened to that girl. I fear the worst for her. She gives every
appearance of having been abused, but I’m afraid to ask. I can’t
imagine what she’s going through. Her brothers were lost. They
aren’t even part of the group of boys with Pan.”

"Robbie," Eileen said, saddened at the
thought of having missed the opportunity of seeing her son grow up.
"That would explain what was happening to the children I had cared
for. He continually brought them in for me to take care of. It was
an endless cycle of infants and toddlers. As he came to visit, the
child would seemingly grow overnight. Once of age, around five
years old, he would take them to the surface. From there, I have no
idea what happened. I was down there for quite some time. When
Robert found me, I swore there were still children to care for, but
when I looked, nothing. How long had it been, I wish I knew. I
would have made my escape. But it seemed every attempt I made; he
would be there to stop me. And the kids, those poor kids. I think
when they reached the age of sixteen…," her voice trailed off.

"What would happen?" he prodded.

"All I could learn was some ritual in which
he would take the boy home. Honestly, as much as we’ve witnessed of
this thing, Pan, he doesn't strike me as the type to just let these
boys return home. I think he kills them." She frowned, looking up
at him, "James, we need to get Robbie back. We need to save
him."

"We will. I promise," he said with a faint
smile. Even he was not able to truly convince himself.

Continuing his story, he looked down with a
deep sigh. "It was in El Tiburón that I tried to approach Benedict
for help. I thought his behavior was odd, but had no idea why. When
he hastily left me, I noticed he was arguing with someone on the
ship. Not until you removed your hat did I realize it was you. I
tried to call out to you, but he interfered. I was determined not
to lose you again. I knew he was headed to Saint Vincent Island. I
passed him during the night and waited for him on the island. The
rest you know.”

James left Eileen in his quarters, having to
confer with his bo'sun about their heading to Neverland. In his
absence, she thought about a possible solution to their
predicament.
The only way to get Robbie back was to convince Pan
to leave his body. But what possible reason would cause him to
leave?

She walked about the room, trying to think.
Pan seemed to pick young boys to feed on and even to use as a
host body. What if the body were no longer viable? What if Robbie
were to die? Would the soul leave?

She frowned. How could she kill her only son,
especially on a hunch? She turned with a start as she noticed James
standing next to her. "James!" she cried out in surprise, "Don't do
that! You scared me half to death." She crossed her arms, lip
sticking out in a pout.

"Oh, my dear. Don't be like that," he cooed
softly as he took her in to his arms. "I couldn't resist watching
the woman I love, deep in thought." He leaned in and gave her a
sweet kiss. She tried to resist, but his charm won her over and she
returned the sentiment.

"So, what has that pretty mind been thinking
up?" he asked, not letting her go.

She shrugged, resting her head against his
chest. "If the knife is truly a soul trap, perhaps we can trick Pan
to return to it. We need to convince him Robbie is dying or,
dead."

James' body tensed at the last few words,
"Dead? You mean, kill him?" He looked down at Eileen. "I don't know
if I can do that, even if it meant saving him.”

"Help me to gather various plant life on the
island. There must be something we could use. Something I would
recognize. At first, I thought perhaps poison would work, along
with an antidote. But what good is an antidote if Robbie is dead.
Then it hit me. What if it were a specific poison that, in a
certain quantity, would merely cause paralysis?"

James raised his eyebrow, "You know such a
plant?"

"I know of a few and would recognize them by
sight. Medical school does have its benefits from time to time. But
I need your help. Have your crew gather as many green-leafed plants
as possible. I can only hope one of them will be the plant we need.
One is Curare, a large heart shaped leaf with white hairs on the
underside. Possibly mandrake, a green plant with purple flowers.
Or, perhaps there might be another, less powerful poison that just
might do the same job, similar to the acmella oleracea, the
toothache plant. Even marijuana, belladonna and jimsonweed have
been used, but their effectiveness is less predictable."

"And you're sure it's safe? I mean if he were
to die, would you be able to, to bring him back?"

"Provided we take precautions. I would need
to perform a tracheotomy on him. We’d need a clean knife, some
alcohol, a reed or tube and a bellows to maintain respiration
artificially. Otherwise, there is the risk of asphyxiation." He
looked at her incredulously. "James, I want my son back. This may
be the only way."