Chapter 12: Delivered by a pirate

Three months after he left the Turner mansion, Jack turned up at Will's blacksmith's shop quite out of the blue. Will was the first one to arrive at the shop as usual, or so he had thought. When he had reached the door, he had found it was not locked like he had left it. Cautiously he had pushed the door open and peered inside ready to confront someone who was breaking in but instead he saw Jack asleep on a chair which was tilted back on two legs so that Jack could rest with his feet up on Will's anvil. Jack's hat was over his face shielding it from view. Recovering from the surprise Will walked in slowly.

"Er…Jack?" he said. Jack did not stir so Will crept closer.

"Jack?" he repeated more loudly. Jack suddenly jumped; the chair wobbled dangerously and then tipped over completely, dumping Jack unceremoniously on the floor with a thud. For a moment there was complete silence.

"Are you alright?!" Will asked finally, struggling to suppress his laughter. Jack looked up at him, he had fallen into the shadows but Will could see the pirate's dark eyes gleaming.

"Tha' wasn't very nice," he said sounding more than a little irritated.

"I'm sorry Jack, I didn't mean to startle you," said Will as he extended a hand to pull Jack to his feet. Jack accepted and stood up. As he did so he emerged into the light and Will's smile died immediately.

"What happened to you?" he asked horrified. Jack gave a lop sided smile. One side of his face was utterly dominated by a dreadful looking bruise, which ran from his right eye down to just above his jaw.

"Had a little accident," Jack said lightly his fingers delicately running over the affected area. Will found he was speechless. Jack looked at him and there was none of the usual bright light in his eyes. He didn't need to ask, the plea was clear, he needed somewhere to stay.

This time Jack stayed with the Turner's until his bruise began to fade which took almost a fortnight. He never once elaborated on how he had injured himself; in fact, he didn't talk much at all which was just one of the many worrying things Will and Elizabeth noticed during his stay. They presumed it was the injury that had caused this temporary change in Jack's behaviour but when Gibbs and AnaMaria came for dinner one night while Jack went to check on the Pearl they found out some more information. Elizabeth was determined to get to the bottom of the mystery and she wasted no time pouncing on Gibbs.

"How did Jack hurt himself?" she demanded with her hands on her hips. Gibbs looked taken aback.

"I thought we'd been invited fer a meal not fer a grilling lass," he said trying to be casual but Elizabeth could see the way he shifted on the spot and looked over at AnaMaria.

"You are invited for a meal," said Elizabeth, "But Jack is our friend and he has barely spoken a word to us, he won't even listen when we try and ask him how he hurt himself."

"That be his business," said Gibbs vaguely his eyes cast downwards now. Will frowned.

"Is he in trouble?" he asked. Gibbs looked up at him.

"No more than usual lad," he said and Will found he believed him.

"He's looks so unhappy," said Elizabeth with a sigh.

"Aye," said Gibbs his guard slipping, "He's been like tha' fer a while now."

"Even on the Pearl?" Elizabeth asked sharply. She had presumed that Jack would be happier at sea.

"Well, tha's not quite wha' I meant," began Gibbs but he found he had no where to back pedal to and he didn't like it, "It's because of the accident, tha's all." Elizabeth looked suspicious and was about to say something when AnaMaria clicked her tongue. Everyone turned to look at her.

"Cap'n's never been like this 'coz of an injury before," she said suggestively, "It be something else that be bothering him, mark my words."

"Like what?" pressed Will who had learnt to trust a woman's intuition.

"That I don't know," she said to his disappointment, "But I sure as hell hope he snaps out o' it soon." Gibbs smiled to himself. AnaMaria, despite being a woman, had never been one to indulge in matters of the heart. Their conversation came to an abrupt end when Jack returned, no one wanted him to know they had been talking about him.

Jack made another flying visit during Elizabeth's eighth month of pregnancy. She was big now, getting around was difficult and sleeping was uncomfortable. Will was spending more time at home leaving his blacksmith's in the charge of a few trustworthy apprentices. Jack's visit only lasted two days but Will was pleased to see him in much better spirits and, as far as Will could tell, he was completely unhurt. But Jack was still hurt, very much so. For a few months he had clung to the vain hope that he might see the Conqueror on the horizon but it had never happened. Even Gibbs now believed he was over the girl but the truth was Jack had grown tired of being depressed, he had returned to being the Captain Jack Sparrow everyone knew. Inside there may have been something missing but outside he was back to his normal self.

Elizabeth was sitting in the shade of the garden fanning herself. Jack was sitting next to her, looking completely comfortable. They had been silent for several minutes letting the sounds of the bees be the only thing to reach their ears.

"Are you going to tell me what was wrong with you the last time you came?" Elizabeth asked finally.

"I would a' thought tha' was obvious luv," said Jack in a relaxed voice, "Did ye not see the bruise?"

"Don't try that on with me, Jack. I know you better than that. Something else was wrong, are you going to tell me what it was?" Jack looked over at Elizabeth lazily.

"What makes ye think tha' I wouldn't a' told ye?" he asked. Elizabeth opened her mouth and then closed it again, thinking. Jack turned to look back out at the garden and smiled to himself. That woman talked too much.

It had been a boiling hot week in Port Royal but no one had suffered more than Elizabeth in the heat. She was only a week away from the expected arrival date of her first born but as she tossed and turned in the sweltering heat of the night she couldn't help praying that the child would be born early. Tears ran down her face as the discomfort drove her mad. Poor Will, ever the doting lover, tried everything from cold baths to fanning his wife all through the night but nothing seemed to keep her comfortable for long. He was close to tears himself as Elizabeth got more and more distressed.

"How about we take a little boat trip?" asked Will in desperation, "It'll be cooler out on the water, I'm sure of it." Elizabeth nodded, she was ready to try anything and a boat trip did sound promising.

"You want to?" asked Will, "Ok, I'll see what I can do." He literally sprinted down to the docks. He looked around but most of the boats were already on the water as it was such a clear and calm day.

"Is this boat for hire?" he asked again and again but he met the same shake of the head everywhere he turned. There was no way he could return and disappoint Elizabeth so he kept looking. At the very end of the wooden jetty was a small vessel that looked just big enough to carry two people. It had one sail which barely reached higher than the top of Will's head. Sitting in it was a very wizened old man. Will did not know whether Elizabeth would be happy in such a small boat but he really had no choice.

"Excuse me, sir?" The old man looked up slowly. Will got the impression that he was moving as fast as he could.

"Is there something I can do for you?" the man asked in a voice which sounded younger than he looked.

"I really need a boat," said Will, "Just for the day, I can pay you well for your troubles."

"I don't rent my boat out, she's too precious to me," said the man.

"Please," begged Will, "It's for my wife, she's pregnant and she really wants to get out on the water. I'll return your boat in perfect condition. Please."

"Your wife is with child?" the man asked as he considered the young man's request, "Hm…I guess I will let you have use of my boat for today as I'm not taking her out." He got to his feet. Will could not thank him enough.

Elizabeth felt the delicious sea breeze kissing her face. For the first time in weeks she did not feel like a beached whale. Her large brimmed hat protected her face from the fierce sun and Will had been quite correct, it was cooler out at sea. Will had unfurled the sail and they were now gliding gently across the water. Elizabeth watched her husband unpack the picnic lunch he had thoughtfully brought. He had his sleeves rolled up and the top bottoms of his shirt were undone. He really did look quite wonderful, and Elizabeth could not contain an appreciative smile. Will noticed and smiled back, his innocent face aglow with happiness now he had successfully put his wife at ease.

"Thank you Will," said Elizabeth as he came to sit beside her, "It feels so good out here." Will could not help breathing a sigh of relief, his wife had been a little hard to please recently. They spent the day sailing leisurely on the flat water. Will had to do the rowing for the soft breeze was not nearly strong enough to get them anywhere. Somewhere around two o'clock Elizabeth fell asleep, one hand resting on her bulging stomach. Will found a secluded cove and tied the boat to a rock before lying down himself. The movement of the water beneath them rocked him into a stupor. Being out on the water had reminded him how much he loved it, he wondered whether Elizabeth would like it if he bought a little boat for them both. Once the baby was born they could go out as a family. It was a delightful little dream. He would have to talk to Elizabeth about it when they got home, now was not the time for talking.

Will looked up at the blue sky. There were two tiny fluffy white clouds making slow progress across it. Will watched them until his eyes grew heavy and began to droop. Sleep gradually crept over him and he was on the border of unconsciousness when Elizabeth breathed in sharply. Will sat up, his head swimming due to the sudden movement.

"Are you alright?" he asked anxiously trying to shrug off the warm blanket of sleep that still surrounded him. Elizabeth's face was pale under her hat and her eyes were wide. She sat up gingerly with Will's help.

"I felt something," she said in a scared whisper.

"What kind of something?" asked Will, who didn't understand at all. Elizabeth just took a couple of short breaths. She was waiting. Maybe she had imagined the pain; she had been deeply asleep after all. After a minute or so she began to relax, as did Will who continued to watch her closely but with less alarm. Then, just as Elizabeth was about to laugh at herself, she felt it again, a stabbing pain so intense that it took her breath away.

"Will," she gasped, "I think the baby's coming."

Will struggled to untie the boat with shaking fingers. As soon as the knots came loose he grabbed the oars. There was still no wind to speak of so Will began to row furiously. He had not realised how far they had come, he cursed himself for not sticking closer to shore. Elizabeth was now clutching her stomach and gasping in pain and panic.

"It'll be alright," said Will in a puffed voice as he rowed ever faster, but he did not believe it. The dock suddenly seemed a million miles away and no matter how hard Will rowed he didn't seem to be getting anywhere at all.

"Will!" screamed Elizabeth and that note of terror told Will that he would never make it to Port Royal in time. Elizabeth had realised this too. She thought of the doctors and nurses that were on stand by just waiting for her to call them. She thought of the maids that would have been dashing backwards and forwards bringing hot water and cool, damp towels for her forehead. All of them were completely oblivious to what was happening; all of that preparation was useless now.

"Will?" breathed Elizabeth as her latest contraction wore off, "What's going to happen?" Will looked at her face that was already shining with sweat.

"Everything's going to be alright," he said but even he could hear the fright in his voice. Tears began to run down Elizabeth's cheeks. Will tried to wipe them away but as Elizabeth was gripped by another wave of pain he grabbed her hand instead. Her fingers gripped his so tightly that he had to bite his lip. He desperately cast his eyes in every direction, hoping to see another boat that could help them. There were no vessels close by, none within shouting distance either. As Elizabeth's grip on his hand loosened Will thought about resuming his rowing again, but then he saw her. A ship had appeared in the distance, a ship with black sails which were catching the slight breeze. A ship that could only belong to one man.

Jack was on deck, his hands lovingly gripping the helm, as the Black Pearl effortlessly slid into the sparkling blue waters of Port Royal. Jack had to admit he loved sunny days like this when everything was bathed in light, and the water glinted with a million splinters of gold. Speaking of gold, there had been a surplus of that recently. For the crew of the Black Pearl, pirating had indeed become very profitable. After their latest conquest, Jack had decided it was about time he paid Will and Elizabeth a little visit as the last one had been so very brief. By Jack's calculations he reckoned Elizabeth to be close to the day itself, maybe next time he came he would be visiting three people not two.

"Cap'n, there be something up ahead," shouted AnaMaria in her harsh voice. Jack looked over at where she was pointing, a telescope still held to her eye.

"What is it?" Jack asked who could not make out much of significance with the naked eye.

"It be a boat Cap'n," replied AnaMaria, "Right far in the distance it is, but it seems to be in some kind a' trouble."

"Take the helm luv," said Jack. AnaMaria leapt up at once. Jack looked out towards the Port and then he saw it. A tiny boat with one white sail. There was someone in it waving something that looked like a hat, a hat with a ridiculously large feather attached to it; oh god, Will's hat!

"Make a course fer the boat," said Jack at once. AnaMaria looked uncertain. If she followed his order they would be heading well into Port Royal waters, well within the sight of the Commodore and his marines. Jack saw her expression.

"That be Will," he said simply. AnaMaria wasted no more time. She swung the helm round and in mere minutes the Black Pearl was right up next to the small boat.

Will saw the Pearl turn towards them and felt relief run through him although he wasn't sure why. He just didn't want to be alone with Elizabeth; surely someone on the Pearl would be able to help. Elizabeth groaned so Will turned his attention back to her.

"Help's coming," he assured her, "It'll be here in no time." He didn't even know whether Elizabeth heard him. Her eyes remained closed and Will found himself urging the Pearl to hurry, there was no time to lose.

The Pearl cast a great shadow over the little boat which made Elizabeth open her eyes.

"What's happening?" she asked but before Will could answer Jack had landed expertly beside him without even rocking the boat. Will looked up at the pirate who was surveying the scene with apparent distaste. Elizabeth's closed were stained with sweat and blood, and there was a pool of red collecting at the bottom of the boat.

"Woah," was Jack's initial response.

"Jack, she's giving birth!" cried Will. Jack gave him an I-think-that's-pretty-obvious look.

"We need to get her to a doctor," Will continued his voice rather louder than he intended. The poor kid was quite beside himself.

"No time fer that lad," said Jack as he looked at Elizabeth, "She be too gone fer that."

"Then what do we do?" asked Will his voice now high and squeaky.

"The only thing we can do," said Jack rolling up his sleeves as he spoke, "We deliver the snipe right here, right now."

"What?" asked Will weakly.

"Come now Will," said Jack severely, "We don' have all bloody day." He bent down and saw Elizabeth was really struggling; it wasn't hard to see why. He removed a knife from his belt and slit her dress right they way up so it fell away from her completely. Will could only watch feeling slightly numb. Elizabeth suddenly felt cooler; she opened her eyes again to see what had changed and saw Jack Sparrow leaning over her.

"Jack?" she whispered.

"Aye luv," said Jack, "Ye jus' relax and ye'll be fine." Elizabeth saw him rolling something up, a coat or something, which he placed carefully behind her head. Elizabeth was about to say thank you when she felt the worst pain yet rip right up through her body. Through it she could hear Jack's voice.

"Breathe luv, keep breathing." She obeyed his command and gradually the pain faded away.

"Will, hold yer wife's hand fer Christ's sake," snapped Jack. Will, who had been watching gormlessly, jumped. He slid next to Elizabeth and grasped one of her hands in his own. Jack then barked orders at his crew who began passing down the things that had been requested. Elizabeth listened to him and unconsciously relaxed a little. As Jack wiped her forehead with a damp cloth she found that his rough hands were much more comforting than Will's right now, at least he seemed to know what he was doing. Pretty soon, however, she was in too much pain to notice these kinds of details at all.

"Yer doing great luv," said Jack half an hour later although it seemed like much longer to all of them. Jack wiped some of the blood off his hands with a rag. Elizabeth's face was the very picture of pain; her hair was sticking to her damp forehead. She was squeezing Will's hand so hard that he thought his fingers were going to break. He wondered how she had so much strength left when she looked so exhausted. Relative calm descended during the moments before Elizabeth's next contraction. Will took the opportunity to ask Jack something he had wanted to since he had landed in the boat.

"Have you done this many times before Jack?" he asked.

"Never done it before in me life lad," said Jack truthfully just as Elizabeth's face folded and another contraction hit her.

With Jack's careful coaching Elizabeth made progress but not before she had screamed and wanted to pass out from the pain. It actually felt like she was being torn in two and there the men were telling her to keep pushing. She cursed at them which made Will feel horribly guilty. Jack paid her no mind.

"That's it luv, jus' relax," said Jack for about the hundredth time. The crew of the Pearl were all looking down on the scene, anxiously waiting to jump into action should Jack need something but it seemed, that for the moment at least, he had everything under control. Elizabeth's scream ripped through the air again and Jack waited for it to subside before resuming his calm instructions. Will was watching and listening to it all until he saw just how much blood there was. It was covering Elizabeth's legs, Jack's arms, the boat…

"Will?" said Jack's voice as he noticed him pale suddenly, but it was the too late. Will had fainted.

"Bloody hell," said Jack under his breath. There wasn't much he could do for the kid now, Elizabeth was the priority. Fortunately, she hadn't even noticed her husband's current condition and was still squeezing his hand painfully tight.

"I can't do this Jack," she gasped. She didn't have the energy to push any longer.

"Yes, ye can lass," said Jack encouragingly, "Yer nearly there now. Jus' think wha' a story ye can tell the little snipe, not everyone gets delivered out at sea by a pirate." Elizabeth actually laughed a short burst of notes that was soon smothered by pain.

"Tha's it," said Jack, "Just one more push when I say, luv. Ye can do that fer me, can't ye?" Elizabeth nodded, and she bit her lip in preparation.

"Ok, luv. Push now." Elizabeth screwed up her eyes and pushed as hard as she could, she didn't even realise she was screaming.

"Tha's it luv, keep pushing."

Will came round just as Elizabeth stopped screaming and fell limp, her grip on his hand finally released. There was a new sound now, crying. A baby's crying. Will opened his eyes and sat up. Jack turned to him, a huge grin on his face. In his bloodied arms he held a tiny, screaming baby. Will felt his mouth go dry as Jack held the child out to him.

"It's yer son, Will."