Tom simply knelt for a moment, sobbing. He didn’t want to get up. He just knelt there, listening with the best of his senses, hoping against hope he would hear a heartbeat. Nothing, the kid was dead. “Oh Rupert!” Tom finally began to pull his head away. He’d just have to go on, somehow.
“T...o...h...m...”
Tom blinked. It had been very faint, extremely hoarse. He didn’t think anyone who hadn’t just been trying to hear every sound there was, would have heard it. He looked to Rupert’s face. Was there movement there? Had the gritted teeth parted slightly? The lips seemed stretched or burnt away from the teeth. Could he have heard something?
He put his ear down near Rupert’s mouth. There, a tiny indrawn breath?
“T...o...h...m, Tom.” Definitely! He knew he’d heard something. Rupert was alive! “Tom... please... take... take me down... to the cabin.”
“Rupert! Rupert, wait, I’ll get Maelen and Jenn, they can help you.” Tom was sure the captain was looking at him even stranger than before. He didn’t care though.
“No!” Rupert croaked emphatically. His whole body even twitched as Tom moved to pull away. “No, they mustn’t see me... like this. Please, just you... take me down to the cabin. Lock the door. Don’t let them see.”
“Rupert, you’re delirious! You need help. I’ll get it for you.”
“No... Thomas... Edward... Perkinje... if you care for me at all. Please, I beg you, take me down to the cabin, and don’t let anyone in.” Rupert could barely utter these words, yet he stilled seemed frantic, pleading.
Tom was torn. He shook his head. First he’d get the boy to the cabin, then he’d worry about healing. He knew it was a stupid thing to do, he should get Maelen. But the boy’s pleading stare, through nearly melted eyes-Tom had to. He’d just been so afraid of losing Rupert.
Carefully he gathered up the little boy. The captain was looking at him in fear from ten feet away. Ever so gently, he stood up with Rupert, hoping he wouldn’t drop a piece. Rupert moaned in pain. The agony had to be incredible. He tried to be gentle; he knew how much burns hurt to touch. Actually, Rupert seemed heavier now then he had when he’d been carrying him earlier. Of course, he’d been a demon then, not an Edwyrd.
Ever so slowly he edged his way down the ladder, his back to the stern. He didn’t know how he got down the ladder. At the bottom was the lad Evert. “Open the door.” He nodded to the door to the inside of the stern castle. Evert, eyes wide, obeyed. Tom spared a glance to the fore of the ship. Maelen, fortunately, was still busy with Gastropé and Jenn. He nodded Evert to go first. “Open the cabin door too.”
As Tom edged sideways into the room, carrying a softly moaning Rupert, Evert looked down at Rupert’s face in amazement. “Go stand guard up near the doors, make sure no one comes down here without my approval. Understand.” Tom looked Evert in the eyes. Evert nodded solemnly.
Tom carefully placed Rupert on the middle bunk, shutting the door with his foot behind him. Rupert squirmed as he was put down. Moaning a bit louder in pain, “on my side.”
“Your side? don’t you think...”
“Please.”
Tom sighed and helped Rupert to his side. Rupert then finally seemed to move some, curling into a fetal position. Tom stepped back to wipe his brow. He wasn’t sweating, it just seemed like the appropriate response. That bunk was small. Rupert’s fetal position covered the entire breadth of the bed, and stretched out, he would almost have touched the end. Funny, how one’s perspective changes. Earlier Tom had thought Rupert would be the only one comfortable in the tiny bunks. Now it looked just as bad for Rupert as anyone else.
“Tom, please hold my hand,” Rupert croaked.
Tom got back down on his knees and took Rupert’s hands in his own. “Rupert, I really need to get you help.”
“No, please, just let me lie here, please, no one must see me.”
“Oh Rupert,” Tom didn’t know what to do. The kid had never been particularly strong on common sense.
Rupert seemed to be breathing much stronger now, but in short gasps, as if in great pain. “I... huh... didn’t know... it would... ah... hurt-so much.”
