"Treasure Can Be Misleading"

"Nine Months"

Chapter 12

"Are you feeling all right, luv?" Jack poked his head in through the cabin door, looking at the woman lying down on the bed.

"If you call being as big as a barn all right," Arcelia snapped at him, gently placing a hand over her swelled stomach, and rolling onto her other side with her back to the doorway. "If I ever find that Skylark, I'm going to tear that bastard's lungs out!" she growled.

"You look nice?" he offered.

"Ta," she said, a little thankful for Jack's faint compassion.  In fact, he'd been a smidge kinder to her since… this began. "Are you sure we're going to Port Royal?"

"Positive. I predict we'll be there tomorrow morning, or afternoon, whichever," he answered.

"Hmmm," she mumbled something under her breath, "At least I can get the right help there. I mean, how the Hell could I have the baby on this goddam boat?" she then began crying softly.

Bloody hell, not this again! Jack rolled his eyes, quickly making himself scarce from the doorway and shutting it subsequently.

"Is she crying again?" Pintel asked, seeing Jack's nervous face.  Jack nodded, making his way to the bridge to keep himself busy. "Hell, she's always bawling!" Pintel threw up his hands, nearly smacking Ragetti in the face. "Watch yourself!" he barked.

        "Is she in there?" Ragetti asked him.

        "Yeah. Bawling like a baby-" he started, but stopped as he spoke the last word.  He then promptly walked off, muttering something about he shouldn't have to be dealing with this.

Ragetti then proceeded to enter Arcelia's cabin.

        "Hello, Arcelia," he greeted.  She rolled back over onto her other side to see exactly who had now entered the room. "Do you need anything?" he offered.

She gave him a cock-eyed stare.

        "Did Ana Maria put you up to that statement?" she asked.

        "No. I was just asking is all," he said with a casual shrug.  She nodded, accepting his response, then turned positioned herself so she was now lying flat on her back.

"Christ, I must look like beached manatee," she remarked, sticking her tongue out as she looked down at her bulging tummy.

"But you're a pretty manatee," he said with a smile.

"Shut your face," she said back, unable to hold in her giggle.

It was thoughtful of him to come in and see her, being that almost all the other men onboard had made it their objective to steer clear of her all together.  Mostly this was because they didn't want to face her during any of her random emotional outbursts.

        "How's the baby?" he asked.

        "It's fine.  It could kick its way out of me if it really wanted, I tell you," she said with an amused laugh. "I still would adore killing that son-of-a-bitch, for what he's putting me through," she added, he laughter immediately ceasing.

        "But, weren't you the one who sent him away?" he pointed out.  She gave him a wicked glare, thought she knew he was entirely right.

"Stuff it," she hissed.  She hated being proven wrong.

They were quiet for a while, before she stared crying again.

        "Fucking bloody hell!" she cursed angrily, covering her eyes with her hands and she cried. "I bleeding hate this!"

She rolled over onto her left side, her back to him, mostly because she didn't want him to see her this way.  She hated being perceived as vulnerable.

She'd always strived to be strong, and look as such, but sometimes it wasn't always easy.  She was a woman, first and foremost, and couldn't help but act like one every once in a while.
He dragged a chair over to right next to the bed, turning it around backwards, and then sat down.  He reached over, placing a hand on her right shoulder and rubbed it gently in effort to calm her.

        "Everything's going to be all right," he said. "No need for this crying twaddle. You're better than that."

She looked back at him, blinking away the tears in her eyes, and smiling weakly.  She could remember, like it had been only yesterday, when she'd been only a little tyke and Ragetti had been like her best friend.  There'd been no girls aboard The Pearl in those days, of course.  And since he'd been somewhat of an outcast, for one reason or another, the two of them just somehow came together.  She'd been especially fond of him since then.

        "Tell Jack he best get us to Port Royal as fast as possible, or I'll swear I will swim to the shore," she tried to threaten, before wincing as the baby kicked hard at her stomach. "Give it a rest already, you little whelp!" she yelled, putting both her hands over her belly.

Ragetti reached down and put one hand on her as well, smiling as he felt the small thrust under his palm.

        "It's going to be a real tough one," he glanced up at her face.  She didn't notice. "… Just like its mother," he said softly, almost at a whisper.  She appeared to have not heard him, still preoccupied with the tiny-but-rough kicks from the baby within her.

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Author's Note ::   Damn! But ya'll didn't expect that, huh? Mmyeah… all there is now to think about is if it'll be a boy or a girl.  And will she ever see The Lieutenant Skylark again?  o.o  Will she go through with her numerous vows to kill him? : Who knows with Arcelia, she's a crafty lady…  -  Now for the normal routine: Read/Review/Flame [optional], savvy? ;)