She gives my shoulders one more squeeze and lets go. “I’m going to see if I can annoy the shit out of Cookson in the galley. Lunch soon, hopefully, and then we’ll drop anchor and row over to the hideaway.”
“Okay.” I’m grateful for the break. I have a lot to think about. Not to mention, I need to regain feeling in my ass again.
“The captain is putting a great deal of trust in you.” Smee, the accountant, stands guard at Hook’s cabin door. “I hope it isn’t misplaced.”
“Good to know.”
“Lay off her, Smee.” Skylights, the ship’s quartermaster steps up behind me, his bag in hand. “Captain’s asked that I give you another checkup, especially after all your … exertion.” His mouth twitches as though he’s trying not to smile.
“Yes, I got my ass kicked.” I roll my eyes and push past Smee and into the captain’s quarters.
Skylights follows and closes the door on a glaring Smee.
“That guy is always giving me the stink eye.”
“Smee is very protective of the captain.”
“I don’t think Hook needs protecting.” I wince as I sit at the table.
“We all need protecting sometimes.” He slides his bag beside me and turns up the lantern. “Do you mind if I examine you?”
I shrug. “It’s fine.”
“Thank you.” He pulls out some sort of horn from his bag, then taps his chest. “I’d like to listen to your heart.”
I sit up straighter, and he presses the funnel-looking thing to my chest and listens for a while. “Good.” He puts that away, then kneels and lifts my baggy pantleg. “Huran did wonders on this bite. Great stitching, too. You’re healing nicely.” He moves his fingers around the wound, and I grit my teeth against the little sizzles of pain. “How does it feel?”
“It doesn’t hurt as bad. Still aches, though.”
“It will for a while. But soon you won’t even think about it.” He lowers my pantleg then stands. “How about the rest of you? Any pain? Any headaches?”
“No. I mean, I used to have them every morning when I was on the island. But I suppose after the bite, I was more focused on that? I don’t know.” I try to think back to the last time I had one of those pounding headaches. “Yeah, no headaches. I’m good.”
“Nightmares?” He closes his bag slowly.
“Why? Do you have a cure for nightmares in your bag?”
“No, but that would be grand, wouldn’t it?” He looks at me expectantly.
“Oh, you were serious. Um, no, I don’t remember my dreams. Well, I did sort of when I first got here, but now I’m back to just nothing.” I tap my temple. “Blank.”
“Good.” He seems relieved.
“Wait.”
“Hmm?” He hefts his bag.
“Why would you ask about my dreams?”
“Neverland can have strange effects, especially certain parts of it.” He looks down at me, his eyes studying my face. “When I first saw you, you were suffering from the mermaid bite, but you also had something else. Another sickness.”
“What? No, I didn’t.”
“You did. A wasting disease I’ve seen before. It’s peculiar to the island and to …” He clears his throat and lowers his bag again. “Don’t worry. It’s not active at the moment. You don’t seem drained like before. Your color is much better, your heart stronger.”
“What were you going to say? You didn’t finish your thought.” I’m tired of half-truths and hidden bullshit. Widow is only starting to open up, Hook never shoots straight with me, and everyone else on this ship is more or less a mystery. But Skylights strikes me as someone who might level with me.
“It’s just a guess on my part.” He shakes his head. “I can’t be certain, so I don’t want to say more.”
