Second on the Right (49 page)

With a nod, he left her alone in his cabin
and went to discuss the matter with Smee.

The
Jolly Roger
rocked back and forth
gently as it glided into Pirate Bay. The view of the island was
spectacular. A brilliantly white sandy beach lined the shore. The
backdrop was full of dense green foliage. In the forefront, clear
blue-green waters lapping up onto the beach. In the distance, the
sounds of a variety of animals echoed.

Eileen stood at the bow of the
Jolly
Roger
. Wrapping her arms across her chest, she tried to stop
shaking. She was nervous. Returning to Neverland brought flashbacks
of being kidnapped and imprisoned by Peter Pan. A few tears escaped
her eyes, which she quickly wiped away.

James gave the helm to his bo'sun. The closer
he got to Eileen, the more he could tell she was upset. Wrapping
his arms around her from behind, he held her in a comforting
embrace.

"Eileen. Is something wrong?" Eileen said
nothing. It was a silly question. James already knew the answer. He
could feel her shaking.

"Eileen, sweetheart." Eileen turned around,
burying her face in his chest, her sobs muffled. Rather than say
anything further, he simply held her tight. He knew the best thing
he could do was to hold her as long as she needed.

The crew headed for the shore to gather plant
life as instructed. They would remain on shore for the next several
hours. James swept Eileen off her feet and took her back to his
quarters. There, he insisted she rest. With one final kiss, he sat
next to her, stroking her hair until she fell asleep.

Eileen woke to a tender kiss placed on her
lips by James. She smiled and whispered, "Hi."

"Hi, beautiful," he smiled back, caressing
her face. "Feel better?"

She nodded. He helped her sit up. She swayed
from being lightheaded.

"I've left some food on the table. Please
eat. You should build up your strength. I need you by my side."

She nodded again.

James leaned against the table to watch her.
"The men brought back quite the load of green leafy plants. I hope
one of them is what you need. When you’re ready, we can bring them
in here for you to work."

"I'm ready now," she responded, though more
quietly than she had meant to do. She pushed the plate away,
feeling it was more important to work than eat.

James shook his head. "Oh, no you don't. You
will not play the martyr in front of me, not now. I need you
Eileen." He knelt beside her. "I cannot afford to lose you, not
now, not ever. Please?"

She smiled and nodded as she ran her fingers
through his hair. "All right, all right. I'll eat." Tracing her
fingers along his face, she grabbed his chin, leaned in, and kissed
him. "Can you at least have them bring the plants in while I eat?"
she whispered.

He returned her kiss. "No," he said firmly.
He knew she would end up working rather than eating.

She pushed to convince him, giving a longer
kiss, her hands running down his chest. "Please?" she whispered
again.

He resisted, though saying with a slight
quiver, "No."

"Please?" While pulling him into a passionate
kiss, she ran her hands farther down his chest. When he groaned,
she knew she had him. She suppressed a grin.

"Oh, all right," he sighed. He looked at her
sternly. "That's not fair, by the way." With a wink he gave her a
quick kiss. Heading towards the door he stopped for a moment. "I'll
expect payment for this later," and with a grin, he left to give
orders to bring the plants into his quarters.

A few minutes later, while Eileen was
absentmindedly pushing her food about her plate, the crewmen
brought in plant after plant, placing them wherever there was room.
The table filled with plants. The remainder had to be scattered
about the floor. Eileen pushed her food away, but was stopped by
the hook. James had a stern look, his eyebrow raised.

"You gave me your word," he said.

Eileen realized he was concerned. Between her
kidnapping in Neverland and her misery aboard the
Mistral
Thief
, she had lost a considerable amount of weight. She knew
he would push her to eat, because often she would easily go
without. Still, she was excited to start her work, the thought of
saving her son in the forefront of her mind. She gave a coy smile,
but the look on his face wiped it away. Taking the plate back, she
ate. With a kiss to the top of her head, he headed back out the
door to see if there were more plants to bring in.

Her eyes browsed over the piles of plants.
She gave a deep sigh.
This is going to be a lot of work.
Finishing her meal, she made room on the table and began to examine
each, one by one.

During the time that passed in the Cove,
James and the crew kept a watchful eye out for Pan. James sent out
a small group of pirates to investigate the hideout. They
determined all the lost boys were in their hideout, but Pan wasn’t
among them. James’ best guess was that the boy had flown off to
kidnap more children.

Days had passed as they continued to watch
the skies, but all remained quiet and still. Pan had not yet
returned. On one particular night, the only light was from the full
moon above and the candlelight which emanated from the captain's
quarters. James paced around the deck, on occasion tugging at his
harness. He had grown used to not wearing it with Eileen around. It
was taking some time to get used to it again.

Eileen had been up all day and night over the
past few days, examining and separating plants. The first pile was
plants that she knew were harmless and could be disposed of. The
second was smaller than the first and consisted of plants she was
not as familiar with and would have to examine further. The third
and final stack was the smallest of all of them, containing only
two that she recognized and that might work. Leaning back in the
chair, Eileen stretched out her muscles, feeling them protest from
a night of hunching over the table.

Taking a deep breath, Eileen worked on the
pile of unfamiliar and less familiar plants. She separated this
into two smaller piles. She hadn’t found exactly what she was
hoping for. She sighed in frustration.

"Hi." She looked over to see James entering
the cabin. She smiled at him.

"Have you been up all night?" he asked,
concerned for her wellbeing. When she nodded, he took her hand.
"Then it's time to get some rest. Come on." He led her to the bed,
but she resisted.

"James, I'm close. I-I just need some of
these plants cleared away. If I can clean up some of this mess, get
it organized again, I'll be able to think more clearly." She looked
up at him as sweetly as possible.

"Lie down," he said firmly.

"But James—" she started.

He forced her to sit on the bed. Softly he
said, "Lie down, please. I'll see to it the cabin is cleaned
up."

"But not the stacks there, only those over
there. The ones on the table I need to work with," she said,
worried all of her work would be thrown away.

"Shhh," he placed a finger lightly on her
lips. "I'll take care of it, personally. Don't worry, just relax
while I clean up. When I'm done, you can go back to work,
okay?"

"I'm not going to sleep," she said defiantly
to him.

"I know," he said, a smile playing at his
lips.

He secretly hoped her exhausted body would
make the decision over what her mind and heart wanted. As quietly
as possible, he disposed of the harmless plants and cleaned up the
excess dirt. By the time he was done, Eileen had fallen asleep.
With a smile, he placed a blanket over her to keep her warm. He sat
down in a nearby chair, wanting to watch her sleep for a while.

Muffled shouts drifted into the captain's
quarters. Eileen was fast asleep on the bed. James, who had been
watching her, had fallen asleep in the chair. A quick rap came at
the door and both jumped with a start.

"What's going on?" Eileen asked.

"I don't know. But I'm going to find out," he
said as he adjusted his harness. He slipped on his coat and grabbed
his hat. "Stay here," he instructed before leaving.

Eileen rose, fixing her clothes and grabbing
one of James' other coats. Peeking her head out the door, all she
could see was chaos as crewmen ran back and forth, securing lines,
maintaining their stations. With furrowed brow, her husband stared
through a spyglass pointed at the sky.

She was amazed at the transformation. She
hadn’t seen him in full dress, along with the jacket, hat and hook.
There he was: not the James Benedict she had married, but Captain
James Hook. She continued to stare until she caught his stern eye.
She closed the door, leaning her head against it, the image of him
still fresh in her mind.

Shaking her thoughts, she stepped up to the
table.
Please let one of them be what I need!
she thought.
Inspecting each in turn, she noted the flower and leaf of each and
placed aside any that were familiar. She organized the plants in
rows not unlike an assembly line. A mortar and pestle held the
crushed remains of one leafy victim. Nearby, the blade of a small
knife glistened with sap. Eileen had become lost in her work. The
only sounds in the cabin were squeaks and squeals emanating from
the caged rats in the corner of the cabin.

A few hours passed. James returned, the stern
look still on his face. "I told you to stay here!" he snapped.
Though it had been a false alarm due to stormy clouds, he was
nonetheless angry she had not listened to him.

Eileen looked up from her work in
surprise.

Her puzzled look pushed him to explain, "What
happened a while ago. I asked you to remain here, in the cabin,
safe from danger. When I give an order, I expect it to be
obeyed."

Her eyebrow rose along with her body, as she
stood up straight and confident, "Obeyed?"

James winced

Taking steps towards him, she repeated,
"Obeyed? Is that all I am? One of your crew? Am I to be the
ever-obedient wife?"

His mouth remained slightly opened.

"Are you even listening to me?" she snapped
at him.

"Yes, dear," was all he could muster.

She sighed, seeing the look of defeat on his
face. "James, I know you are just looking out for me."

He nodded.

"Next time? Just talk to me about it, please?
Your approach was less than admirable, not as captain, but as my
husband. Please don't forget that."

"Yes, dear," he nodded again. "I'm sorry," he
mumbled.

She smirked, "Pardon? What was that you
said?"

Clearing his throat while looking down, he
repeated, "I'm sorry."

She shook her head, "My dearest Captain Hook,
I simply cannot understand you. You mumble so."

He wrapped his arms around her. As he was
about to lean in for a kiss, she stopped him, "I believe I've found
a solution." At first, he had no idea what she was talking about.
"The plant. I know which one to use."