Marriage is Murder

"Nobody blames Jack," Kate said. "Nobody knows how easy accidents can happen with werewolves than our family. It just is part of the curse. And nobody knows it better than Khaat and Robert. All we can do now is wait."

The sun was up and it was the normal tiime for breakfast. Nothing was cooking. They were holding it. They were all waiting on word from Robert or Brian. They'd been in surgery for five hours when Brian came out of the door of the dining room.

"She's alive," Brian said. "Robert is taking her out the other dining room door to our quarters. He's going to make sure she's in bed and stabilized. I'll go relieve him. She was stable when we finished. Hopefully moving her won't uproot that. She's still under anaesthesia, and she's almost totally covered in gauze. This just may take a bit of time. I'm going to stay with her. I've told the crew to start breakfast for everyone. Would you all keep the kids away from our quarters today, please? I don't want them to see this."

Jess sighed and nodded to Kate's words " still hurts for him though" she almost fell to her knees when Robert told them she was alive. " thank god " she said softly then nodded " cassidy and I will do that don't worry , taking about cassidy where is that woman?" she asked seeing her walk out of her room.

" what I miss ?" she asked and Jess shook her head as she walked over to her wrapping an arm around her shoulders she began to explain " Holy cow, jack did that to Khaat I slept through it didn't hear a thing, I wish now I hadn't fallen asleep I could have helped" she said and walked over to Kate " I'll keep the kids occupied so they will " she said trying to make up for her one night of deep sleep.

"Do me a favor?" Brian asked quietly. "Take care of yourselves like we need you all to do. Robert and I won't be on our game today. We're depending on you. All of you. And that means Jack too. I need him on duty. He's going to have to man up and deal with his feelings later. We dont' have time for feelings right now. I'm going to see my wife." He left them and went to his quarters.

"You heard the man," Michael said. "We're on duty. Someone needs to make sure the nannies have fed the kids. And then we need to eat. The crew will cover for us at least long enough to eat. And then we need to get to work."

Khaat's pain was getting out of control. It woke her sharply. Robert had turned his back long enough to put medical supplies away but within his reach. He heard a change in her breathing and then heard her try to move and then cry out in pain in a small voice. He turned and went to her.

"Lay still," he said softly to her. "You shouldn't hurt yet. Is the pain back already?" She reached for his hand and he took hers in his. She tried to use it to pull herself up, even though she wasn't awake, and the pain made her grip his hand so hard, he winced. Brian came in and he went over and laid her back gently.

"Not yet," Brian said gently.

"Did we win?" she asked.

"If you mean did anybody die, no," Robert said. "Everyone is alive. And unhurt--except you." He didn't mention Jacks cut. He left that alone. She nodded, satisfied.

"Where am I?" she frowned, trying to get her vision to clear.

"You're too weak," her father said. "Give it a rest. You're in your stateroom on the yacht. We just finished surgery to repair your scald burns. I want you to rest in a moment. Can you take a few sips of water for me? You need a great deal of fluids. Can you try?" She nodded. Robert and Brian fed her nearly half a cup of water before she got too weak. They laid her back. Robert explained he was going to cut her pain with a pain spell and he wanted her to sleep. She merely nodded, and he touched her forehead. She slipped into a deep restful sleep, now minus the pain.

"Thank you, Robert," Brian said. "That was excellent work. I don't see how she will even scar. That was some of the best work I've ever seen you do."

"She's my child. Why would I ever withhold my best from her?" Robert asked softly, brushing her hair.

"Can I get you some tea?"

"I'd prefer French Roast this morning, please" Robert said. Brian couldn't agree more. His fatigue was besting him. He called the stewards and ordered extra strong french roast.

Jim woke from his sleep washed and headed to the nursery he spoke with the head assistant and told her what she was to to , basically it was to keep the kid entertained while things got back to normal again. He then moved up to the main area and pored some coffee he found already out , tasting it he found it to be fresh poring two cups he headed down to Brian and Khaat state room, knocking he pushed open the door and walked over to Robert " thought you could use this " he said and handed him one cup while he gave the other to Brian " might keep you awake " he said smiling " nursery assistant said all the kids were washed and sat eating breakfast, maybe you should too" he told Brian glancing at Khaat " hows she doing today?" he asked softly so not to wake her though he knew she was probably under a sleep spell.

"Resting," Robert said. "Thank you. She's in a lot of pain. Her burns are quite severe. That water was hot. It was a pipe that fed the boiler. It was not designed to ever be felt by human skin. And she was right in front of where the pipe broke. I have her under a powerful pain spell right now. She's a bit dissoriented, but thats to be expected. The last she knew, she was in the engine room. She's been moved a couple times since then. She should sleep for some time. Brian, go get some food. I know you well enough to know you took care of the others. You gave them orders. And I can guess what orders you gave. Take a couple of them yourself. Go shower and shave and get some food while she's asleep and while I"m here. Then you can spare me for a bit. I know you don't want to go far. That's fine. But you do need to take care of your own needs too."

He nodded. He took a sip of his coffee and then set it aside so that he could go shower. "I'll be right back then," Brian said, excusing himself.

Robert sighed. "You'd think I'd be used to this by now," Robert said quietly to Jim. "But it never gets easier."

Jim looked and watched as Brian left for the galley to eat breakfast. Jim turned to listen to Robert and sighed " shes your daughter you never get use to it all you want is the best for her " he said and sighed " Robert rest now." he told him " shes resting and out of danger if it was one of my own I'd be the same my friend." he placed a light reassuring hand on his shoulder and smiled a little. " what of Jack?" he asked " has he left his room yet?" he was curious to know to his state of mind this morning.

"I don't have any idea," Robert said. "I've either been in surgery or with her. I haven't left her. I figured I'd leave him to you all. At least for now. It was an accident, and i know that. And when Khaat is coherient, she'll know that too. Remus used to forget once in a great while. I think Khaat is learning the power of the necklace. If anything good came of James, she is learning how to use that thing as a defensive weapon in order to protect not just herself but the people she loves. She knew that stone would stop him when perhaps we might not be able to. I won't fault her for continuing to stand between him and the rest of us. He's going to have to find a way to not be able to let that bottle leave his thinking. Remus got to the point where he put his bottle of wolfsbane on top of his underwear in his dresser so that he couldn't even get dressed in the morning without coming across it. But Jack will have to find his own system."

Jim nodded and chuckled at the underwear draw bit " hum, does Jack even were underwear?" he said softly but then he saw Jess walking up to them " hows he doing?" Jim asked and Jess shrugged her shoulders at him.

" well he still sleeping, I was wondering Robert if you could enchant a necklace with a vile on so he could not remove it so he could keep his potion on him all the time?" she asked " I can only do so much in reminding him and as of last night he's proven he can't remember it all the time, he is truly remorseful, I found him crying in his sleep. " she looked at Robert and held out the silver necklace with his potion bottle now attached to it " please even if you try its something" she said and gave a small smile.

Robert took the vial from Jess. "I could certainly do that and cast a spell similar to Remus's where I would be the only one to take it off. However, that makes it almost impossible to refill the vial. And--if I were to do it, I would never do it with a glass vial. Glass breaks. And the last thing I would want to hang around anyone's neck is forever is glass vial. Jack needs to think. I don't want you reminding him about taking it. That actually enables him to forget more often. If he has the sole responsibility to remember to take it, then it makes him face it very directly that if he forgets he places any other living creature at risk of being slaughtered at his hands.

"I appreciate your thought. But--I won't do anything until Jack has the opportunity to deal with his negative thoughts and feelings and what will probably be his feeling that he isn't capable of doing anything right. Once he gets through all that bullshit then he can begin to come to grips with what he can do and how he can best do it. Its an emotional journey that every werewolf has to take at some point. And as much as you love him, you have to let him do it for himself. Thats the only thing that is going to make him come out of this with the right answer. Am I making sense at all?" He put the vial on the chain into his pocket to hang onto it until Jack decided to talk to him himself.

Jess nodded and took a deep breath in " of course your right Robert he told me he'd be up in an hour " she said " he needed time to gather his thoughts " she said and moved to get food for herself. Jack washed and dressed and stood in front of the mirror he saw the scar on his arm from the pipe and was glad it was just that. He moved out of the room and down the corridor finding Robert walking towards him "would you thank Edward for me for what he did , if he had not done what he did I ...I would not have lived with myself , its bad enough Khaat got hurt as she did, all I can say is sorry. " Jack said softly shaking off his feeling a little stupid for his actions of not remembering his potion, he looked at Robert. " I'll get some food " he said and headed to the galley stepping in he saw the others there including Brian and moved to sit at one end of the table.