Aubrey: Dangerous Shoals

by Atonia

Part 6

Stephen was explaining about the bars and Dino was testing them. “Terry, see if you can push these bars out.”

Terry gave them a kick and the two loose ones gave way, Dino worked from the outside passing bits inside and soon an opening was made large enough for him to pass through.

“Who’s first?’ he asked brushing a bit of mortar off his sleeve.

“You mean to take us out through the window, but how?” Stephen asked.

“Doc we’ll strap you to a rope and let you down okay?” Dino looked him in the eye.

“But Jack will never fit though that opening.”

“He’s right, Dino, you take the good doctor down, I’ll get Jack out.”

“He’s very ill, Terry, and weak.”

“I can make it, show me the way.” Jack looked at Terry.

“Think you can go down a rope?” Terry asked him thinking he might get him out of the fourth floor window.

“Yes.”

“He can’t,” Stephen answered.

“God rot you, Stephen, I will do what I have to.” Jack shrugged on his coat.

“Max, sending the doc down.”  Dino had him strapped into the rope and helped him out of the window telling him what to do. Stephen was mortified but followed instructions.

From the ground Max and Toni watched Stephen begin down repelling here and there, dangling, swinging back and forth. It took him some time to get down to where Max grabbed his legs and he let go of the rope.

“Oh, thank you,” he said grabbing Max around the shoulders. Max unstrapped him and sent the rope back up.

“Dr. Maturin…Jack?” Toni asked pulling him into the juniper.

“He’s very ill, very weak, some kind of fever has set in, he coughs,” Stephen replied, still trying to catch his breath.

“He’ll never make it down from up there,” Toni looked up toward the window where Dino was pulling up the rope.

“No, Terry has him.”

Terry found out just how weak Jack was going down the narrow winding stairs, he stumbled several times and Terry had his arm around him supporting him until they reached the hallway. Silently they moved across the opening. It took longer going back to the bedroom because he had to practically carry Jack the last few feet.

“What are you doing?’ Jack wheezed once inside the bedroom and the door braced with a chair.

Terry hooked a rope to the huge bedstead, “getting’ you down, mate,” he began strapping Jack into the rope.

“I don’t need this I can climb down a damn rope.”

“Fuck you can, you listen to me, do what I tell you, use your legs okay you’re gonna repel down, you ain’t gonna fall Jack, I won’t let you…Toni’s down there waiting for you.”

“Toni?”

“Yeah and I got to get you down there in one piece you gotta help me.” They looked at each other for a moment and Jack moved to the window opening.

He came down good, but once Max had his legs he fell into him knocking Max to the ground. With his last bit of effort Jack rolled off of Max and passed out.

Stephen ran over to him, “He’s fainted, it was too much.”

“We have to move him…what was that?” Max stopped in his tracks and edged toward the corner of the house. He was back in a minute. “It’s a horse and carriage, Jack is never going to make it to the van, can we load him in the carriage, can you drive it, Stephen?”

“Yes of course I can.”  Max and Stephen got Jack to his feet and drug him along the side of the building with Toni following.

“Toni, you know the way to the van, go with them.” Max loaded Jack into the carriage and lifted Toni in with him. “Tell Connie to get the motor going.” He closed the door and Stephen took off at a clip.

Dino and Terry were on the ground by the time he got back.

“Where’s Jack?” Terry asked, “and Toni?”

“I put them in a carriage, Stephen is going to drive them to the van, there was no way Jack was going to make it, Terry, he fainted. It was an empty carriage waiting out front.”

“Okay, let’s move out, Jean Paul, we’re out.”

Once out of the gardens they ran toward the woods through the mist that seemed to linger over the bare ground. They tossed their gear in the back and waited for the carriage.

“Oh Max, I am so glad to see you,” Connie was kissing him all over his face.

“You’re okay?” he asked.

“Yes, I was worried, it took such a long time.”

“We got them out, Dr. Maturin is bringing Jack and Toni in a carriage. Toni knows the way.”

Terry was pacing back and forth over the narrow road smoking a cigarette waiting…waiting.

“That was a fine piece of work, mate.” Dino clapped him on the back.

“You think so?”

“What’s up, Tio?”

“I don’t know yet, how long does it take for a horse and carriage to make it to this road?”

“They’re coming, hey what’s that sound? Clip clop…”

Terry looked down the road as the horse and carriage approached. He also noted the mist across the road, “Come on….come on,” he tossed his cigarette down and ran toward the carriage. Stephen had stopped the carriage off the side of the road and jumped down and walked toward Terry.

“Oh…Christ!” Terry yelled. “TONI!”

Stephen turned and the mist surrounded the carriage swirled and lifted. 

TBC

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