Fairie Rings - Chapter 7

Captain Hook let the door to his cabin close behind him quietly.  He stood watching Edward and wondered if it had been a wise decision to adopt the boy after all. Hook himself did not regret the decision, but Edward had been catching hell ever since.  His paternal role had brought more facets with it than he had expected; it had been so long since Hook had loved anyone or anything he had forgotten the pitfalls that accompanied the joys.  He had not missed the worrying, the fretting, the distress, the pain. But, he supposed, one did not come without the other and as hard as it had been to verbally admit, he did indeed love the boy.

Hook crossed the room as quietly as possible and stood beside Edward.  Boy? he asked himself.  He appeared to be an adult; he claimed to be twenty-eight, though he rarely behaved as such any longer.  He seemed to have regressed at least ten years.  Perhaps it was the mood swings and attacks Edward had spoken of, or maybe the lack of the medicine left behind in his other world.  No matter, Hook thought.  Better a boyish man as his son than no son to love him at all.-

“Edward,” he said softly.  

Edward sat up, a bit startled. He had not noticed when Hook had re-entered the room; had he dozed off?  “Sorry about that,” he mumbled. “I was just off in one of my fogs again.” He fidgeted with the bandage at his wrist.

Hook sat down and chuckled to himself.  “Do you think you can stay awake long enough for some tea? I heard Mike preparing the tray.”

“I could definitely go for a nice hot cup of tea. My throat is so damned tired and stiff again.” Edward looked up and found himself caught in the Captain’s piercing gaze again.  He smiled and ducked his head slightly.

That was it, Hook realized. That was what made Pan and Neverland so unimportant now in the grand scheme of things.  The fact that Edward had rescued him from a fate worse than death was not what had made him love the boy entirely;  he genuinely appreciated it and Hook was sure the boy’s actions had compromised his wall of hate severely. And of course, there was no denying that Edward loved him, quite fiercely.  But it had been the boy’s honest, gentle smile and his trusting manner that had finally smashed down the walls Hook had spent years building around himself.  He felt himself smile back into the steady eyes that watched him fearlessly and accepted him utterly, the first things he noticed when Edward had rolled the last dead redskin away and freed him on the glade.

“I’m sorry about all that,” Edward muttered.  “I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”

“Embarrass me?”  Hook blurted, incredulous.  “You did nothing of the sort. Don’t be ridiculous.  The old crone had no business treating you so roughly in the first place. Bloody savages.”

“Felt like she was trying to kill me for a moment,” Edward gingerly felt the new bandages at his throat. Initially they had been so hot they felt as though they would burn his skin, and whatever was in the poultice had made his wound sting. Now, though, the heat from the poultice seemed to have eased the aching, stiff muscles in his neck.

“I suppose she meant well,” Hook conceded.  

“Yeah, and there’s a freeway through Hell built by good intentions,” Edward chuckled.

“Freeway?”

“Oh,” Edward realized the Captain was not familiar with modern highway systems.  “A freeway is a very wide, paved road which is supposed to make travel quicker and easier.  Let me stress that supposed to again.”

The knocking at the door announced Mike’s arrival. “It’s me sir,” he called.  “I’ve brung your tea.”

Hook opened the door for him and ushered him in.  “On the table if you will.” he gestured in the general direction.

“I see Master Edward is up,” Mike busied himself pouring the tea.  “I hope you’re feeling better, sir.”

“That’s debatable,” Edward answered.  “I was until that old woman yanked half the skin off my neck.”

“Oof,” Mike winced.  “That must’ve smarted quite a bit.”

“No doubt.” Edward took a long drink of his hot tea.  The warm liquid running down his throat further eased the stiff surrounding muscles.  

“Will the redskins be coming back, sir?” Mike asked, trying to make small talk while served his Captain.

“Doubtful,” Hook mused after a sip of his tea.  “Edward’s wounds appear to be healing quite nicely.”  He glanced across the table and noticed Edward’s heavy eye lids. “That will be all, Mike.  You can come back later for the tray.”

Hook nodded to Mike’s salute as his boson exited the cabin.  He set his cup back in its saucer, barely making a clink with the fine bone china, and waited for the boy to finish his drink.  “If you’re that tired you should be back in bed,”  he said to Edward.

Edward nodded, though only slightly; the motion made his stitches sting.  “Yes sir,” he admitted.  “My head sure is pounding again.” Hook assisted him in standing and gestured for him to put his arm over the Captain’s left shoulder.  Edward, though, reached for his right shoulder again.

Hook marked this choice and slid his right arm around the boy’s shoulder blades, purposely pressing the flat side of his claw against Edward’s bare skin.  He waited for a
flinch but none appeared. He started to turn Edward towards the bed.  “Might I ask you something?”

Edward looked sideways into the blue eyes.  “Anything you like,” he smiled.

“Why do you favor my right side so?”  He let Edward grab his forearms to steady himself as he sat down on the bed.

“Does it bother you, sir?” he asked tentatively.

“No,” Hook admitted. “Not really.  However, most people tend to shy away from my….” his voice trailed off and he sat in his chair beside the bed.

“It doesn’t bother me none,” Edward snorted.  “And I ain’t most people.”  He rearranged his pillows to cradle his neck and left hand better and settled himself under the covers.  When he thought about it, the Captain was right; he did tend to go to Hook’s claw side rather than avoid it.  “I never really thought it about it, you know?”  He stared at Hook’s knee for several minutes, pondering his reasons.

Edward propped himself back up on one elbow.  “It’s just a part of you, you know?  I don’t find it repulsive or disgusting or whatever.  It’s you. That’s all.” He held Hook’s piercing gaze and watched the man swallow hard several times.  “Did I say something wrong?”

“No,” Hook cleared his throat.  “Again I am in awe of you.”

“Me?”

“Yes,” Hook leaned forward. “How is it you can accept that which repulses everyone else.  Why do you not fear me as all other men and children have?”

“Why would I be afraid of my best friend?” Edward asked softly.  “I know you so well.  You forget, I played with you practically every day of my childhood.  If only you knew the fun we had… and I never forgot you.”  He felt a lump trying to form in his throat and he thought for sure the pain would finish him off.  “I told you, I love you. I will not abandon you… ever.”

“You almost died,” Hook whispered hoarsely. “Did you realize that?”

“Yeah, I kind of figured that one out myself.”

“After we brought you back here, I watched you most of the night to see if you would wake,”  Hook hesitated, steadying his nerves.  “I was afraid you might not and my chance would be gone.”

“Chance?” Edward echoed.

“Yes,” Hook continued.  “On the beach, when the redskins came back and Shy Doe assisted you, she made me admit… that I loved you, before she would help you - I don’t know why.  But,  you were unconscious already and you didn’t hear me.  I was afraid you might die without knowing.”

“Oh, I heard you,” Edward smiled.  “It was all kind of weird and surreal, and I didn’t know everything that was going on, but I heard you. ‘Course I already knew…”

Hook raised one eyebrow.  “How?”

“I’m not as dumb as I look,” Edward chuckled. He sank back down onto the pillows, feeling as exhausted as he had when he’d run all over the island days before. “I hate feeling this tired all the time,” he muttered sleepily.

“It comes from the loss of blood,” Hook explained.  “Again, I know what you’re going through..  I remember.”  He watched Edward’s eyelids flutter as sleep overtook his son.  As soon as  Edward was well enough, Hook decided, he would take the old woman at her word and sail away, or at least try to.  

His own eyes were heavy with sleep, as he had not slept since the failed mutiny.  Quietly, Hook went to bolt his cabin door, then eased himself onto the bed beside Edward.  He curled himself around the boy protectively, his head resting against Edward’s.  He felt Edward nestle closer to him and smiled.  Now, Hook thought, maybe the boy would be warm enough and feel safe enough to get some healing rest; maybe he could get some rest as well.