Chapter 37: The Maw of the Serpent Part 2

Pentam looked down and saw his ankle raw and oozing blood. He winced as the pain hit him. Someone passed him a glass of brandy. He drank it down as Henrichs splashed more on his ankle. She wrapped it in white cloth until he couldn't see the blood seep through.
"Watch it carefully, keep it wrapped up unless the Purser or I am checking it. With the seawater, you should be good."
Pentam looked over and Cal had gone, leaving a smear of blood on the deck.
"She's just in shock. The Purser will treat her cuts and keep her warm. He'll let you know when you can visit. "I'm going to check on Sir Shillingsworth." Henrichs walked away, while Dan and Matt hauled him up and carried him to the mess.
"You won't want to sleep before you see Cal."
"I've never seen anything like it." Dan shivered. "She hit the water only a few seconds after you. The rope ran so fast it burned a gouge in the gunwale of the boat. When neither of you came up, Thomas wrapped another rope around him and dove in after you. Henrichs was yelling something about throwing him in the brig. He came up dragging both of you, and my heart about burst. I'd much rather attend your wedding than your funeral."
The brandy had hit Pentam's system and he let the word wedding float about in his consciousness. He'd wait until they were on shore and he could get a proper ring.
Dan shook him awake.
"Cal's ready to see you."
Pentam limped with Dan's help to the infirmary, next to the Purser's office.
"She's resting, but she wanted to see you before she slept." The Purser put a hand on Pentam's shoulder. "The whole time I was stitching her up, she was asking after you."
Pentam pushed through the door into the room where Cal lay, almost as white as the sheets. She smiled brightly at him when he entered, then winced.
"It will be a while before I can smile. I'll need to practice being as serious as Father."
"I've never seen him like he is on this trip."
"Me neither, I like it." Cal reached out and Pentam took her hand. He watched as her eyes fluttered closed. For a long time, he sat listening to her breathe. When exhaustion threatened to make him fall over, he brushed his lips over hers. Her lips twitched and she sighed.
***
Cal woke in a strange bed. Pain made her gasp when she sat up. The Purser stuck his head in the door.
"How are you feeling?"
She took inventory. Her face burned, and her hand ached.
"I'll live." Cal looked about. "I'd like to get dressed."
"No reason why not, I'll ask Henrichs to come and help. That hand will slow you down for a few days."
True to his word, Henrichs showed up with a dress over his arm. With a few twinges and a little awkwardness Cal exchanged her wrinkled underdress for fresh, then put her work dress over top. She wrinkled her nose at the blood on her underdress.
"We'll get it clean for you. Unfortunately, we have lots of experience cleaning blood out of whites."
Henrichs helped her stand and when her legs didn't fold Cal headed down to the mess.
The men rose when she entered and watched until she'd settled at a table. Pentam hobbled in a few minutes later and sat beside her.
"I guess it will be a while before you're drawing with that hand." He rubbed his finger feather-light across the bandage.
"I can draw left handed." Cal looked at her bandaged hand. "In a day or so it will be fine. I had worse scrapes as a kid."
"Why does that not surprise me?" Pentam leaned over and kissed her gently. "I couldn't believe when I looked up and you were coming down that rope with a knife in your mouth. You could have been a pirate."
"I didn't think. I had the knife open in my hand when you went over. It made sense to hold in my mouth and use my hands to get to you."
"You almost died." Pentam squeezed her left hand.
"So did you. When we were running out of air, I thought there would be worse things than dying with the man I loved." Heat ran through Cal's face, but she didn't turn her eyes away.
"I would hate to be the one to take you from this world."
Sir Shillingsworth walked into the mess.
"I've been talking with Captain Cully, and we've agreed we have all the samples we need." He held up his hand. "I know some of you wanted to get to the derelict ships, but this beast is an unknown and we have nothing on board to kill it." He looked around for argument, but no one spoke up. "Very well. Pack up your equipment. Finish with any samples you have. I want to be underway by dawn tomorrow." He spun and walked out.
"I think he's wise." Pentam said. "We can always return with a larger ship, maybe a whaler to take on the big one."
Cal's heart warmed when Pentam said we.
Stowing her drawing supplies was a simple matter of putting full books from her satchel into her locker.
Matt had insisted on packing the chemistry set-up, so Pentam was busy making his darkroom ready for travel.
Cal climbed up to the upper deck. Captain Cully waved at her as she passed. She took it as permission. A box made a good seat. She pulled out her sketchbook and took a pencil in her left hand. Despite her boast to Pentam, she hadn't seriously drawn with her left hand in years. The first couple of drawings were shaky, but by the time she'd been through several pages, her drawings were only imperceptibly different from her regular efforts.
Pentam walked out onto the stern deck where Thomas tidied the ropes preparing for the voyage home.
"The cook wanted me to catch a few fish for supper. It will be the last chance for a while unless they jump onto the ship on their own."