LAST TIME: …Dinah looked at Jack and got up. In walked a woman with her head down, a pushed out stomach and dark hair.
Dinah gasped and Jack got up, neither of them sure who they saw before their eyes. Then the woman lifted her head, her dark eyes meeting theirs and she said, "Hey guys…Surprised to see me?"
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"Ana, what are you doing here?" Ana asked, eyes widened, looking at her stomach to her face.
"And more importantly…what's that thing on your stomach…please tell me your hording food." Jack asked, trying to make light of the situation. Dinah reached out and pinched Jack's back side rather hard, eyes still wide and on Ana.
She sighed, "Guys, please. It's been a hard trip."
The both paused as the butler walked past, carrying Ana's trunks up to the other guest room. Ana walked past them and sat herself down on the couch and they followed. Jack sat across from her and Dinah sat next to her, and started rubbing her stomach just as Ana did.
"Ana, what happened?"
She sighed again, "Guys, to be honest, I'd rather tell you when Elizabeth and Will get home, so I won't have to tell it twice. It's hard to even think about it right now."
Dinah nodded, "Well they should be home soon. Do you want anything to eat while we wait?"
"Yes! I'm starved! And I really want some pickles and some wine…if Will has any…"
Dinah nodded and left to go get that and some things for herself.
Jack leaned back and said, "That's strange. I thought you hated wine and pickles."
"So did I…but these past couple of months I was just wan'in some. Elizabeth keeps wine in the house…right?"
Jack nodded, "I'm pretty sure. It's just the hard liquor she doesn't want."
Ana nodded and finally relaxed. There was an awkward moment until Jack said, "Its fine. Dinah has been havin' weird hankerings too. She wanted sugar on toast, which is good but really sweet…and she loads on the bloody stuff. And she's been drinkin' orange juice. Nothing but orange juice. Very strange if you ask me."
Ana shrugged. "I've heard worse."
"Oh yea- like Lizzy here wanted rum, but then refused to go buy some. Then finally she broke and bought some. But then right when the baby was born burn the stuff. I told her if she had waited, I would've drunk it, but you know Lizzy."
"Oh the baby's born?" Ana asked, but before she could answer Will and Elizabeth opened the door and a blast of cold air came through the house. Dinah greeted them as she walked into the living room with a little table. On it had a glass of white wine, sliced pickles and a mug of orange juice.
"Whew! It sure is cold out there!" Will said, as their new puppy ran up to meet them. "Down Maria…down."
"What?" Ana asked, thinking Will was talking to her. But Will or Elizabeth hadn't seen her yet.
They both looked up to see her sitting on the couch, "You're pregnant!" was the first thing to come out of Will's mouth. Elizabeth smacked him and handed him the baby, Jack laughed and covered his eyes with his hand.
"Just hold the baby, Will," Then walking over to Ana she said, "What's going on?"
"She just got here, and was waitin' for you two to come home," Jack explained, "So sit down and listen up."
"Alright! But is it okay if I feed Jackson while you talk?" Elizabeth said, taking back the baby.
Jack smiled and said, "Sure!" Both Will and Dinah smacked him. Elizabeth went to the back of the room, where Jack couldn't see her unless he turned around.
Ana smiled slightly as her friends got comfortable and then started her story.
"So after Evan and I left the Pearl, we went to Tortuga. Evan confessed that he had cheated on me with Giselle while he was waitin' for me to come. I got mad and blew up at him, naturally! But then that night I moved out and then woke up the next morning to find me and Evan on an island.
"It turns out the crew left us there because they thought we'd get our problems worked out if we were alone and didn't have to deal with raidin' and other pirates. But towards the end of our trip there I asked him a question…" She said, stopping to catch her breath. Tears were forming at the corners of her eyes and she took short breaths. Dinah reached over to hold her hand, realizing that while she was pregnant, this could seem a little more emotional than in reality.
"I kept beatin' myself up because I wasn't sure if he felt the same way about me as I felt for him…I mean, he did sleep with a prostitute. So I finally asked him where our relationship was leadin', and told him that I wanted to get married….Well he took awhile to answer…"
Uh-oh. Jack thought, you never take a long time…that just gets you into trouble.
"He said he didn't want to get married but he still wanted me, then he asked me if I was willing just to be lovers for the rest of my life," by this time, she had tears streaming down her face which no one in the room -except for Dinah- had ever seen, "I said no because I wanted a family and a real life outside being a pirate. Then he argued with me, saying being a pirate was all I needed and if we had a family, and then we'd have to give up being pirates. Then I said, look at Dinah and Jack. Their married and thinkin' on havin' kids and you don't see Jack backin' down like a coward.
"Well the coward comment really set him off and he got mad and said that if I wanted to get married, it wouldn't be to him." Ana sighed and the completion of her story, leaving out little bits and pieces of her trying to convince him it wouldn't be that bad. But nobody needed to know that.
"Well how'd you get here?" Will asked.
"Yea and where'd you get the baby?" Jack asked.
Ana laughed, surprised she forgot. She wiped away the tears, "Oh you know, I borrowed the baby for nine months…then I'll give it back to its owners…Jack, the baby is Evan's."
"That what I was thinkin'…but I didn't want to say it and then be wrong and get smacked.
Ana rolled her eyes, "And as to Will's question, Evan's crew picked us up after two days and then they dropped me off at my uncles in Puerto Rico which where my ship was. So I took the Daft Maiden to Barbados, thinking Dinah and Jack would be there…no such luck. She told me though of the baby and that you were at you mothers. So I sailed to Bermuda, but no! Dinah's mother said that you had left after a short two-day visit. So I figured the only other place was here. So I sailed here."
"And that took you four months?"
"Look mate- not every ship is as fast as the Pearl, savvy?"
Jack nodded, noticing the bite in her comment. Obviously hunger wasn't the only thing that was unbalancing Ana's mood and lifestyle.
She sighed, "Will, Elizabeth, can I please stay with you?"
"Oh you know you're always welcome here, Ana. I'll have Dinah's midwife take a look at you tomorrow."
"Dinah's midwife?"
"Well she was originally mine, but I stopped by her house and told her about Dinah and she'll be here once Jack leaves until the baby is born."
"Oh…Jack is leaving?"
He nodded, "Yep, the ships calls to me mate, and I'll be leaving during her eighth month…"
"When is it?"
Jack looked to Dinah and Dinah said, "Uhm…It's December 12th…and I'm about four months along…That's April. So sometime in May the baby is due…"
"Great! Then I can't be too far behind you. I think it's either May or June for me…" Ana said, smiling, thinking about having a baby instead of the man who left her."
"Do you have any names picked out?" Elizabeth asked, burping her baby, standing up and walking around.
Ana shook her head, "No. Not really. But I've been thinkin' 'bout naming the kid after either of me parents."
"Oh, that's nice. What were their names?" Will asked, leaning forward on his knees.
Ana was getting a bit uncomfortable, talking about her baby and being the center of attention. She would answer this question and then leave. "Well my papa's name was Robert and my mum's name was Roslyn."
"Roslyn is pretty." Elizabeth commented.
"Well, I'm afraid this babe is makin' me hit the sack pretty early lately…"
"Oh, I'll show you your room…" Dinah said getting up. The two walked up the stairs and turned into Ana's room. Dinah immediately enveloped Ana in a hug once she shut the door; Ana accepted the hug and wrapped her arms around her friend also. Their tummies pressed against each other as Dinah and Ana held on to each other tighter. Dinah felt Ana's whole body shiver and then feel her friend cry. She couldn't remember the last time Ana had ever cried, except when Dinah was getting married.
She stroked Ana's hair and tried to get her to calm down. No explanation was needed since she had basically told everyone everything. She only wished she could get a hold of Evan. Jack… Dinah thought. She panicked, thinking he was already setting up a plan to kill him or drag him to Port Royal.
Before Dinah left the room from helping Ana get into bed Ana said, "I just feel so vulnerable, you know? I love Evan to be quite honest…I still do. No matter what he's done to me…I love him."
Dinah went down stairs and found Will and Jack sitting in the living room and talking quietly. They stopped when they heard Dinah coming down the stairs. She sat next to Jack and he put his arm around her shoulders. "Elizabeth is putting the baby to sleep." Will explained.
Dinah nodded, "Will, are you sure that it's okay if Ana stays?"
"Yea, it's fine. Elizabeth likes having a lot of people around. That's one of the reason she wanted kids. This house just seems do empty."
"Okay, well we're going to have to be careful…Ana's not feeling the most stable that she's felt. And with the baby and her hormones all mixed up…it's going to be like walking on the water with her."
Jack groaned, "Great. Another dose of 'pregnant hormones' in the house. Just what we need."
Dinah glared at her husband, "Why Jack! I'm so happy that you're enthusiastic about it! Because with Will at work…you'll be the only man besides the butler in the house to deal with those hormones."
Jack smiled yet groaned through his teeth.
"But you can take it; I mean you are, after all, Captain Jack Sparrow- right?"
As Ana lay in bed that night she thought about everything that had happened. She started rubbing her stomach, knowing that there was something real and a live in her. Something that Ana had wanted for a long time, but now that she finally had it, didn't want it alone.
When she was a kid she never really planned on being a pirate. Yes, she broke the rules, but she was still in good society. But when her parents died that was the only option, so she thought. She wanted a family, husband, and kids. In a way Evan was right about pirates and family not mixing. For a while you have to give up pirating. But once the babe is old enough, it can surely come onto the ship, right?"
Please Evan, had echoed in Ana's ears since she had left him. It was probably the hardest thing she had to do, leaving him. She loved him. And in a small way, she thought that he loved her too. I guess that I was wrong. She thought now. She cursed herself for pleading with Evan. She hated people who begged unless for a good reason, like for your life. But other wise, it wasn't attractive and it was very annoying.
But she had pleaded, and begged for him to reconsider, reasoning that if he wanted to be with her, then he'd do this for her. But no such luck. Now she felt hurt and vulnerable. Like if he was to show up then she'd break like a twig. Her soul felt broken and dry. She had been a crying mess for weeks and wished there was some way to heal the hurt that Evan had inflicted on her, but she thought of nothing.
She knew that coming here with friends would help, but seeing her friends with their 'significant other' wasn't going to be pleasant. But Dinah knew exactly how she was feeling and so did Will. They had both been some what rejected by the person they loved the most. So if they were with them now, maybe there was hope for Ana.
Author's Note: Back then modern Medicine didn't know that Liquor could harm the baby. So that's why when Ana asks for wine, Dinah gives it to her without a fight.