Chapter 24

Olivia really didn't know what to think of her new captain.

Truth be told, joining the small crew was pure impulse on her part. A large part of it was because the captain, Marshall D. Teach, looked at her and saw not a nurse, but a doctor. He looked passed the uniform and saw someone who knew what she was doing and decided that that person was worthy of trusting with the life of one of his crew. That single look and question ("Is he going to be alright, Doc?") was enough to shake her to the core of her soul, shattering the veil of distance she'd drawn around herself to keep the hurt of what she wasn't allowed to do from reaching her.

Her captain probably didn't know, but the Medical Island Asclepias had a law that stated that women could only be nurses, never doctors. All her life she'd raged and fought against everything she wasn't allowed to do - sneaking into doctor's classes, spying on study sessions between the doctoral students, going to the library in the dead of night to read the books reserved for doctors-in-training, learning everything she could about the human body and how it worked...

And it. Still. Wasn't. Enough!

Eliza Nathalie. Herman Jacob. Isa Demitrine. Bonaxew Trevorn and dozens of others, all people that could have been saved that weren't, all because she wasn't allowed to do what needed to be done.

The doctors at the hospital had been completely clueless! More concerned with appearance than skill, they were the ones with the power. Even after clawing her way to the position of head nurse in spite of all the obstacles in her way, all the power plays and backstabbing behind the scenes, she still hadn't been able to do anything!

Forced to turn her back, to look the other way when things that should have been done weren't, when Captain Marshall had brought the injured Wilde to her hospital something inside her had snapped. Thanks to the demands of the terrifying captain, the case was handed to her and the head doctor, and she refused to let this patient die.

The surgery was difficult, one of the hardest she'd ever performed, but she'd done it. Wilde had lived and fully recovered and a passion that she'd thought she'd buried had awakened and begun to burn anew.

It was that passion that drove her to sneak into Wilde's room that night to check on her patient. That was the start of it all as far as she was concerned, the first pebble of an avalanche. She packed everything she owned and met the three at the port, arguing and reasoning until she was allowed aboard. It was only when she was setting her bags down on the floor of the doctor's quarters attached to the infirmary (her infirmary) that it truly hit her what she'd done.

She was officially a ship doctor for a crew that may or may not be pirates, far from Asclepias and getting further by the second. Standing in the middle of a surprisingly well-stocked infirmary, she'd looked around and felt both physically and mentally adrift.

Ever since she was a little girl she'd wanted to heal people, and now she had a chance to actually do it.

Always taller than other girls her age yet born to shorter than normal parents, she'd been fascinated by the human body and how it worked, that fascination changing to a burning desire to learn how to help the body keep on working and repair itself when her parents were killed in a building collapse. To that end she studied, but now was the only chance she had to use the knowledge she'd gained.

Olivia could admit that at first she'd been unsure about her new captain, but after talking to Vertara and Wilde and then the birthday party...she made up her mind.

Looking down at her new bracelet while wearing her new boots with her new doctor's bag sitting next to her, eyes a bit misty as they traced the beautiful blend of colors, she smiled.

Her captain didn't know her past, but maybe, just maybe, she would decide to tell him.

Staring out at the darkened sea as he took his turn on watch, Marshall didn't react as Vertara leapt up to perch on the railing of the crow's nest next to him.

"I had a strange conversation with our doctor today," he said idly, voice bland as though he were commenting on the weather.

"Really?" Vertara asked, vivid gold eyes curious as she glanced at him, "what was it about?"

"Three hours ago, I didn't know her life story. Now I do." He responded.

"Oh."

A few minutes passed in silence before he said, "you don't seem surprised."

She shrugged. "We knew it was going to happen eventually."

"'We'?"

Vertara gave him a look and he shrugged. "I know, I know, you guys talk. Fair enough."

"So how'd it go?" Vertara asked after a moment.

"Don't you already know?" He wondered.

"Yeah, but I thought I'd ask how you thought it went." She shrugged.

He flashed her a quick smile and chuckled, "I thought it went pretty well, considering I said like four words through the entire conversation."

"You are a great listener," Vertara agreed.

"Thanks."

The rest of the watch passed in peaceful silence.

He knew it was going to happen, his crew meeting Rouge's, he just didn't think the meeting would be quite so...explosive.

In a good way, interesting enough.

He sat on the beach and leaned back, watching his crew and Rouge's light the fireworks made by one of her newest crew members, the explosions painting the night sky in a vibrant display of colors. It was incredible, and he made sure to applaud along with everyone else.

"They're getting along pretty well!" Rouge laughed, dropping down to sit beside him.

"Like a house on fire," he agreed, the two of them sharing a grin as the show continued, Wilde just drunk enough to attempt to match some of the smaller fireworks with his powers.

Both captains closed their eyes until the swearing stopped, laughing so hard they were in danger of spilling their drinks all the while.

("By the way, my name's Marshall-"

"Oh, we know who you are! The captain talks about you a lot!"

A beat, then helplessly.

"What do you tell people about me??"

Innocent whistling.)