As Delicate as a Rose
By: Raven in Red
Lorynn Benedict enters courtship with Commodore Norrington. Soon after the two are married, James must go to sea in pursuit of the pirates that have been attacking Port Royal. NorringtonOC
Chapter Seven: At Sea Again
I had trouble sleeping that night. I kept having nightmares about the pirates. In one of them, the pirates really did rape me. Fortunately, I was able to chase the horrid dream from my head as I slid closer to James. I laid my head against his chest and listened carefully to his breathing. It was slow and steady, and it comforted my nerves. Eventually, I was lulled back into a deep sleep.
I was woken up the following morning by the sound of James yawning. "Good morning, Lory," he said in a slightly sleepy voice. Laughing as he yawned again, I leaned over and kissed him. "Good morning, James." We then got out of bed and got dressed. I put on a simple brown laced dress, simply because I was too lazy to pick out anything fancy. Once the two of us had washed our faces and James had shaved, we went downstairs for breakfast. Two of the maids handed us each a large pitcher of juice and a plate of eggs, ham, and potatoes. As I ate, I stared blankly into space.
"James?" I said when I snapped back into reality.
"Yes, Lory?" he answered as he refilled his glass.
"When do we have to leave?" I asked as I continued eating.
"Today," he replied.
"Today?" I was a little surprised. "But we've just returned from England!"
James sighed. "I'm sorry, darling, but we've got to catch those pirates. They've attacked this town twice already, and I can't let it happen again."
"Alright," I said sadly. "I'll be ready." Suddenly, I became nauseous and leaned forward, clutching my belly.
"Lory!" James cried out, rushing to my side. "Are you alright? What's wrong?"
"I'm fine, James, just fi-" Without warning, I slipped from my chair and fell to the ground.
- - - - - - -
I woke up about an hour later, lying on one of the couches in our sitting room, with a doctor leaning over me.
"Well, Mrs. Norrington, you gave your husband quite a scare there," the doctor said as he put a few things into his bag. "But you should be feeling better by the end of the day."
I bolted upright. "What's wrong with me? Where's James?"
The doctor gently pushed me back onto the pillow he had used to prop up my back. "Shh, relax, madam. Your husband is downstairs."
"But what's wrong with me?" I repeated fearfully. I had about a million questions: Why had I fainted? Why wasn't James with me? Was he worried? I managed to calm myself down when the doctor replied,
"Nothing's wrong, madam." I sighed happily.
"Oh, thank goodness. I must've just had a dizzy spell." I leaned back and sighed with relief.
"However, you're with child," said the doctor.
"I am?" I asked with uncertainty.
"Yes, ma'am."
"Does James know?" I was getting nervous again.
"Oh, no, madam. You'll have to tell him yourself," the doctor smiled happily.
"Could you send him up here, please?" I asked.
"Of course, madam," with that, the doctor was gone. Within about ten seconds, James was kneeling next to the couch.
"Are you alright, darling? You had me worried sick," he took one of my hands and tenderly kissed it.
"I'm fine, sweetheart," I replied as I sat upright and faced him. "But I have the best news in the whole world!" When James looked on curiously, I grabbed both of his hands and exclaimed, "I'm having a baby!" James immediately pulled me into his arms and kissed me. "Yes, my love, you are to be a father!" When he finally let go of me, he was absolutely glowing with happiness.
"I can't believe it!" he exclaimed with tears in his eyes.
"Sweetheart, I've never seen you this emotional," I pointed out while laughing a bit. "Not even on our wedding night."
"I'm just happy to be the father of our first child," he said, calming down. He then pulled me into another hug. "Are you sure you don't want to stay home?" he asked with concern.
"I'm sure. I'm not going to let you leave home for God knows how long while I'm pregnant!" I exclaimed. "What if I need you?"
"There, there," he patted my hand. "I'll make sure you're perfectly safe, and I'll be with you as often as possible. Everything will be fine." I sighed with relief.
- - - - - - -
Later that afternoon, James and I boarded his ship, the Interceptor. It had been a gift to James when he was promoted to Commodore. It was small, but fast. Many people referred to it as the fastest ship in the Caribbean. As soon as we boarded, James brought me into the main cabin, which we would be sharing on the journey. As soon as the door was closed and locked, he pulled me to him and kissed me.
"If you need anything, anything, I'm here for you," James declared. I sighed and leaned my head on his shoulder.
"I'll try not to be a burden, sweetheart," I said with a hint of shame. I'd always heard that pregnant women required a lot of special care. I would have hated to put my new husband under such extreme pressure just to keep me happy.
"Don't worry, Lory," James reassured me, "Taking care of you is of my life's many joys." I didn't know what to say, so I simply smiled and gave him a small kiss.
"Thank you," I whispered.
"It's no trouble," he added as he squeezed my hands. Once I had let go, I sat down on the bed, which was quite a bit smaller than the one we had at home, but it would have to do. Yawning, I informed him, "I think I'm going to take a nice, long nap. I've been so tired lately, and I have no idea why."
"Sweetheart, it's probably from the fact that you're pregnant, and that you've just returned from a long trip. You need your rest." James leaned over and kissed my forehead as I took my shoes off and settled myself under the covers. "I'll be back to check on you in an hour or so."
Smiling, I pulled the covers to my chin and fell asleep.
- - - - - - -
