- Chapter Seven -

She would not even look at him. His outburst was unnecessary and unexpected. Tanya did not know that he had that welled up inside him from the time she first saw him, met him even. What had her father thought when he asked for her transportation to be carried out by the captain? Then again, why was she to run away from her engagement? Did her father know something that he could not tell anyone and it involved a darker side to her fiancée?

Tanya sat under the porthole window and rested her chin in her cupped hand, her other hand writing out her thoughts in midair. Boredom came so easily to her nowadays; ever since she vowed to her mother that she would lose her childhood curiosity and act more like the civilized young society woman she was supposed to be, growing up seemed to mean nothing to her. She was almost an adult and that came with responsibilities. Soon she would have to find a husband and start to have a family of her own. She did have a comfortable engagement with a guaranteed stability with finances and family life. The McFarlands were a cozy family with money and great prospects for her. Yet her father wanted her to cross the vast ocean to stay with him until she could sort out her life.

A knock on her door brought her from her thinking, making her look up from her position. She went to rise when she heard Captain call out that it was him. Unconsciously, her jaw clenched and she asked him to leave. When he did not, she stomped to the door, threw it open, and glared at him, her jaw hurting from its powerful strain against her muscles. For a few moments, they only looked at each other. Then Tanya began to get uneasy.

"Yes?" She was impatient.

"I understand that you are deeply upset with me, but we must get over that bridge. We should not dwell on that minute or so of hatred for each other.

"I want us to be friends. I don't want to get you angry at me for anything, nor the other way around; we should talk about things that we would not want to tell anyone else. We need to get over any obstacles that may get in the way of our friendship, like why we are angry at some things and not at others."

Tanya listened to his entire speech and took it into consideration. A friend on the ship was something that could be crucial when times get long and tiresome. Someone to talk to when there is nothing else to do and another person to gossip to on anything or nothing at all. It didn't seem like too bad of an idea. It was something to consider.

"I'll look into your offer. It seems like a decent request coming from the captain to his first class cargo. We may be good friends, then yet again, we may be poor acquaintances. I really hope we give it a try—"

"Miss Harris—"

The sound of many pairs of boots above their heads caught the attention of the Captain as he looked up at the ceiling of wood boards and a light dribble of dust fell into his hair.

"That doesn't sound too good," Tanya raised an eyebrow at him, hoping to give him a hint that conversation would have to wait until another, more convenient timing.

She closed the door as Captain opened his mouth to say something. With the wood between them, he felt himself deflate in defeat. Well that went over perfectly, he thought, the sarcasm thick in his thoughts. He had rather hoped he could ask for another chance at a nice dinner with her. After what happened the last time, he felt that she would be relatively reluctant to be alone with him.

He pulled himself away from her presence and bolted to the hatchway and leapt on-deck to attend to why his crew found it necessary to interrupt his apology. When he got atop, however, the sky had turned a dismal shade of green and the sea began to churn violently. Captain had not known the sea was going to turn against them and he cursed himself for it. It was unlike him to miss a sign given to him from the sea that it was turning for the worst. He gnashed his teeth in frustration and set to work ordering the crew to ready the ship for a dangerous squall.

Once Captain left, Tanya suddenly felt frightened. The way he left her, with the frustration in his eyes, she did not know how he was going to handle the crew. It may be a fluke in her thoughts, but she thought she sensed that he wanted nothing more than to scold the crew for a simple mistake. She wanted to go atop to see if her being there would help anyone stay out of trouble.

The ship lurched, sending Tanya to the floor next to her bunk. The chair scooted against the table, making a loud screech that scratched at her ears. Her ears cracked from the changing pressure and she shook her head to get the funny feeling from her head. She then looked up at the porthole window and saw the rain slash at the glass.

She knew storms were common on the sea, but the quickness surprised her. Just a couple of minutes ago, it seemed like a nice afternoon, and now it was strong winds and dangerously sharp rain. The vessel lurched and swayed on the rough sea, sending shockwaves of energy through all of the objects. This scared her a little and she tried to think of something else to get her mind away from the destruction.

A crash from the table broke her thoughts and she saw that the miniature of her mother had toppled to the floor and the glass protecting the paint was shattered. The two of her brother and her father were near the edge of the table and Tanya crawled cautiously across the floor to make sure they didn't end with the same fate as the other. Grabbing them up, she lifted the top of her trunk and set them in under one of her dresses she had not worn yet.

With that out of the way, she was able to worry about keeping herself out of harm's way. The ship continued to lurch this way and that, throwing the chair around with the motion. All she could do to occupy herself during the storm was look out the window at the slashing rain and think of the reception she would get from her father when she stepped onto the docks in America.

As she thought to herself, she happened to notice the rain calmed a little, signaling that the storm was getting less intense. She knew it was only a matter of time before she could get up and move around, letting the blood flow somewhat normally through her legs. The ship's lurching was slowing and the rain seemed to steady until Tanya thought it would be safe for her to move.

When she stood up, a wave rushed the side of the ship, causing it to lurch. With her legs not moving much for a while, Tanya was wobbly when it came to her standing, and now adding the lurch from the assumed-calm sea, the force sent Tanya across the room and impale her shoulder blade on the edge of the bolted-down table.

Her shoulder jolted forward and she hit the side of her face also, sending a headache through her head. She sat down heavily onto the floor, adding to her overall pain. A sharp gasp escaped her lips and she put her hand to the injured area. It smarted as she touched it, and when she pulled away, she saw the faintest trace of blood dotting her hand.

As she looked at the blood, the shock of her injury began to sink in and she felt herself slump down and begin to lose consciousness. She struggled to stay awake as the sea calmed down and the ship's lurching became that of the normal and calm sea. The place where her injury bled stung and she winced every time she had to move.

Footsteps sounded in the companionway, most likely coming toward her cabin. As she predicted, they stopped in front of her door and a light knock tapped at the door. She could only give a moan in response.

"Miss Harris?"

As it was Ky at the door, she wanted to see him personally to tell him she was not alright. She reached up and gripped the back of one of the chairs and tried to pull herself up, but the pain brightened and she lost grip of the wooden chair. The chair clattered to the floor, making Ky on the other side of the door jiggle the handle, calling to her once more. She did not respond as she slipped under a blanket of darkness.

She woke to the feeling of being lifted and set down softly. Her head still fuzzy, she opened her eyes a slit to see the face of the Captain, looking frantic and concerned, just inches from her own. Tanya went to open her mouth and say something, but Captain silenced her and said she would be alright.

Once set down, they rolled her carefully onto her side, making the wound visible to the men. Facing the far wall, Tanya winced as they tenderly prodded the area, seeing if it was as bad as an injury on a ship could be. At least twice she slipped under darkness when the pain was great. When she came to, they were bandaging the area, making her take in sharp breaths when it hurt.

She felt two pairs of hands at work; large, skilled hands that seemed to belong to Brennis, and the quick workings of Ky. After a time, she heard the sound of boots leaving the cabin, the pairs of hands maintaining their work. She didn't get a chance to think of who it could be as she felt herself tire and slip once more under darkness.

"She's bandaged and sleepin', Cap'n. The damage wasn't bad, but it'll still be a devil to work with. She's lucky she's not worse off."

Captain nodded his head once and breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you. I'll go and relieve Ky of watch in a short while. I want to try and get some rest; the storm really knocked the energy from me."

"Will do. The men are just as tired, so I'll get 'em somethin' to fill the bellies. Rest well, Cap'n."

Brennis let himself out and closed the door behind him. Captain gripped his right wrist—it was shaking uncontrollably and he had tried his hardest to keep it under control with his first mate in the cabin. Seeing the sight of her--wounded, unconscious--brought flashbacks of his father and brother. He could do nothing to help without being in the way and it put him in an awkward position. All he could do was leave her and hope Brennis and Ky could work miracles.

'I hope to see her treated with the utmost care. Not a scratch on her. I trust you, Christopher, so make sure she can, too.'

"I'm trying, Thomas. I'm so, so sorry. I believe I have dropped a rung on your list of trust."

Captain's eyelids felt heavy, but he could not close them. His mind was racing when it should be calming down from a rough storm. Though his hand had slowed, it still twitched in shock. He found that by the time he had to relieve Ky from his task, he had not slept a wink, and knew he would not when he was around her.

A.N. YAY!!!! I'm finished with this next chapter. It took me months to find time to write and what to write about. I'm sorry to you all, really, that you had to wait for another chapter of suspense. It kinda sucks, but I've hit that point in writing where you have no idea how to work with what you have and where you want to go. In the end, I've compiled something and it is the above bit of splat! I have no idea when the next chapter may be posted, so all I ask is that you hang tight and I'll hopefully have more time in the weeks ahead! With love!