Page 6 of Hired by Pirates

“Astor’s a bit high strung when it comes to these things,” he said dismissively. “You know what women are like.”

“I know that she was here on time first thing in the morning, and did her job perfectly,” I said gruffly. I didn’t trust myself to say more.

The doctor looked at me sharply, but wisely held his tongue.

“Are you finished with him?” I asked Astor, nodding toward Simon.

“Yes.” She pinned him with a stern glance. “But I insist that you rest. You lost a lot of blood. You’re to drink plenty of water, and fresh fruit if you can get it. And no liquor – that bit of lime in your grog doesn’t count as fruit.”

“Yes, Miss. Thank you very much,” Simon nodded, heading outside to wait with the boys.

Ignoring the doctor completely, I asked her, “Please give me your honest opinion. What are the odds of him getting an infection if we were to set sail right now, and not see a doctor again for a few weeks?”

Her nose crinkled as she considered, biting her lip as she stared into the distance for a moment. Her fingers tapped along her collarbone again, which I shouldn’t have found as arousing as I did.

“I can’t be certain. It’s hard to guess at such things. It depends how quickly your brother heals, and how clean the axe was, neither of which I know.”

She turned to stare up at me as I stepped closer. “I hate having to put a number on it, but if you insist, I’d say if you left now and didn’t receive any further treatment, there would be a thirty percent chance of infection, and maybe a five percent chance that he might end up losing the arm from the elbow down.”

She hesitated, then whispered, “I feel obligated to tell you that there is also a tiny chance that he could lose his life.”

Dr. Grenville rolled his eyes, harrumphing loudly. “It couldn’t have been as bad as all that, girl.”

“It was sliced almost to the bone,” she said firmly. “Honestly, it’s a miracle he didn’t nick a vein.”

“What does he need to do to ensure that he stays healthy?” I stepped cautiously closer, whispering. “He’s my only family, Miss.”

The kindness in those clear blue eyes touched me.

“He needs to rest it completely, and not jostle the stitches. He’ll also need the wound cleaned twice a day for at least the first four or five days, and I have an array of ointments and teas that will help prevent any infection from setting in.”

She seemed greatly relieved when I nodded. “Good,” she smiled. “So you’ll stay here in Toburg so that I can care for him?”

“No. I’d like you to come with us.”

“Sir?” Her lily white hand flew to her throat in surprise.

“I’ll pay anything you ask. You’ll get to see another nice town, and we’ll bring you back safe and sound in just over two weeks.”

Her mouth fell open with a choked gasping noise. “You expect me to live on a ship? With…with a crew of strange men?”

The door opened and Simon’s head peeked in. “She can have my bed, Captain. And I’ll pitch in to pay anything she wants to come with us. I need my hand.”

I gave him a dismissive wave so that he would shut the door again. “There you go. You’ll even have your own bed, and won’t have to bunk down with the crew.”

It wasn’t something that a proper young lady would ever consider. Yet most proper young ladies didn’t yearn to be a doctor, either. It was plain to see how much she enjoyed her work. If she were a man, her parents would have sent her to some sort of medical school by now, without question.

Out on the open sea, all hands were needed to make light work of the wide variety of daily tasks. It didn’t matter what sort of body was attached to those hands. We didn’t care.

Although, Astor’s delicate figure, with the sweeping curves of her bosom and glorious swell of her hips, was the sort of body I’d been sorely missing for a very long time.

With a slight twinge of shame, I realized that only half my concern was for my brother. After being in her presence for just a short time, the thought of leaving port and never seeing this girl again was far too much to bear.

“I’ll pay you anything you ask,” I said quickly, hoping that she might be caught up in my enthusiasm. “Name any amount, it’s yours.”

“Oh, sir… I couldn’t even imagine…”

“You don’t need to call me sir. Just Captain is fine. If you can’t think of a number, I will. For nearly three week’s work in accommodations that will be strange to you…” I leaned back and stroked my beard, trying to come up with a good price. Something that she couldn’t possibly refuse.

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