CHAPTER TEN: SICKNESS OF BOTH SPOUSES

The days passed with Sunni's condition not improving much. She was hopelessly nauseated and constantly exhausted. The mother-to-be knew that it was just typical, early pregnancy sickness, but the father-to-be grew more worried by every passing day. He stayed up late into the night, thinking, checking on Sunni, and trying to figure out what he should do.

"She's still sick," Jack informed Gibbs when they were a day outside of Port Royal.

"It'll pass," Gibbs assured him.

"You sound so sure."

"I've seen it before," Gibbs shrugged.

"I'm rethinkin' my decision ta let her stay aboard."

"Where she gonna stay, Jack?" Gibbs asked quietly. "Will an' Elizabeth can't take her. They have a son of their own ta care for."

"One more person won't make a difference."

"Sunni'll be fine on board."

"You sound like ye want her ta stay."

Gibbs shrugged and shuffled his feet a bit. He pulled out his flask and took a swig. "Well, she ain't as much bad luck as I thought she would be. I like 'er. She's got spirit."

"That she does."

Gibbs sighed. "I was talkin' ta her yesterday when I checked ta see how she was doin'. She wants ta stay here. She loves it here."

"Gibbs, I'm-" he stopped, before he could say the word 'scared'. "I'm th' cap'n," he corrected. "An' she's my wife. What I say, goes."

"She'll fight like a cornered animal."

"If she can get out of bed," Jack countered, wryly.

Unbeknownst to Jack, Sunni was beginning to feel well again. This was the first morning she awoke without the immediate urge to heave. She was also able to eat the breakfast that Mr. Cotton and his parrot had brought her.

While she was up, moving about the room, changing and freshening up after days of sickness, the crew was frantically preparing for the approaching storm. Jack was running on his last ounce of energy when the wind picked up and the clouds rolled in.

Sunni wondered outside around lunchtime, when she heard feet running around outside on the deck.

"Ms. Sunni! What're ye doin' out 'ere? Jack said ye were still sick!" Gibbs demanded over the sound of the blistering wind.

"I'm feeling much better, thank God! I actually ate a meal an' kept it down! Th' storm finally caught us, I see."

"Aye, we may be a day later'n we planned gettin' ye home ta Port Royal!"

"That's okay." Sunni held back her mass of curls with one hand. "Where's Jack?"

"Barely hangin' on up by th' helm," he pointed.

"Wha'? Why?"

"He's been worrying somethin' terrible 'bout you, missy. Ain' slept a wink."

"He looks near exhaustion, ready ta collapse!" she cried.

"Aye, he does. Perhaps knowin' ye're better will convince him ta take a break."

Sunni readily agreed and made her way to Jack at the wheel. She had to clutch the railing to stay on her feet on the tossing ship. The rain started falling innocently as a spray from the ocean came over the ship.

"Jack!" Sunni called out.

"Sunni!" he thundered, his eyes falling on her. His voice was weary, though. "What in th' 'ell are ye doin'? Go back-"

"Jack, I'm feelin' much better," she shouted over the wind. "C'mon, ye need sleep!"

"Luv, are ye crazy? Ye could get hurt out 'ere! Or sicker. Ye need ta get ta Port Royal, an' I ain't leavin' th' wheel until we dock there."

"You're exhausted."

"Sunni, I won't have ye out here jeopardizin' yer health, savvy? Go ta th' cabin." Jack looked around as the rain began pouring down in angry torrents. "Go! Before ye get thrown overboard."

"I'm goin' ta get ye another coat," Sunni declared stubbornly, whipping around to make way for the cabin.

Anamaria ran by Sunni as they passed each other. Ana was headed toward Jack, so Sunni stopped to see what the panic was about.

Ana grabbed Jack's arm and exclaimed, "We're bein' blown right toward th' reef, Cap'n. It'll rip th' bottom right off th' Pearl in this storm!"

Jack nodded faintly. He staggered to the failing to shout an order down to the crew. As he opened his mouth, his eyes rolled back and he collapsed over the ledge onto the lower deck.

"Jack!" Sunni cried.

She, Ana, and Gibbs stormed down the stairs to the lower deck to find Jack sprawled out in a motionless heap.

"Jack!" Sunni screamed over the wind and rain. Water ran down her face as the storm continued.

Jack groaned and eased open his eyes.

"God, you're exhausted," Sunni cried as Gibbs helped her pull him up. She put his arm around her shoulders and supported him under his arm.

"What're we gonna do about th' ship an' th' reef?" Ana cried, following as Gibbs and Sunni carried Jack toward the cabin.

"Haul in th' sails an' drop anchor," Sunni ordered.

Ana paused. "Only th' cap'n can give that order."

Sunni turned to face her. "Th' cap'n can't give th' order right now, an' I'm his wife, therefore I'm the only conscious Sparrow aboard. It's my order or th' rocks," she said.

Gibbs nodded curtly in agreement. "C'mon. Let's pass it on ta the rest of the crew an' then let's batten down."

Sunni hauled Jack inside by herself and the dumped him unceremoniously on the bed.

Jack groaned and inched open his eyes upon feeling the soft bed underneath him. "Sunni. . ."

"Shh. . . ye took a nasty fall. An' ye're all wet," she said as she shrugged out of her coat. Then, she began undressing Jack.

"Sunni, don't strain yerself-"

"Jack, I tol' ye. I'm feeling much better," she answered as she tugged off his boots.

"Ye're gonna see a doctor as soon as we land at Port Royal."

"Good, then maybe he can convince ye that I'm perfectly capable of my everyday chores. Now take off yer pants."

"Luv, I'm hardly in any condition-"

Sunni cut him off his a playful smack on the shoulder.

"I don't know why yer changing me clothes. I gotta go back out there."

"Ye're not movin' from that bed, Jack Sparrow."

"Captain, luv. Captain Jack-"

"I'm yer wife, I can call ye whatever I want."

"Not th' point. The Pearl's headed fer a reef. We'll sink if we hit it."

Sunni waved a hand. "I already ordered th' crew ta lower th' canvas and drop anchor. We're ridin' this one out."

Jack shot her a look that bordered on amazement. "How'd ye know ta do that?"

Sunni's carefree smile appeared. She opened her arms. "I'm Mrs. Jack Sparrow," she said, mimicking Jack's cocky tone. "Now get out of those wet clothes."

She turned away from him to rummage in a trunk that was loaded from Isla de Muerta. Jack began pulling off his wet clothes and groaned. "Ah, my whole body hurts."

"'s cause ye fell quite a distance," she told him, looking over her shoulder. "An' cause ye ain't slept a wink since I fell sick."

"Ain't true," he protested, trying to hold in a yawn.

"Lay on yer stomach," Sunni ordered, pulling a vial of oil out of the trunk.

Jack grudgingly complied. Sunni climbed onto the bed and straddled her husband. She rubbed droplets of oil from the vile into her hands, and then slowly began to knead the knots out of Jack's shoulders and back.

Jack moaned out loud feeling his wife's small, soft, strong hands massaging his back and caressing his skin. He hadn't realized how tightly wound he was until he felt each muscle in him gradually relax at Sunni's command. Her weight on him was a reassuring force that relaxed him further until his eyelids became impossibly heavy.

"I don' wanna sleep," he mumbled. "Feels too good. . ."

"Th' whole point of this was ta help ye fall asleep," Sunni whispered softly in his ear, before kissing his neck. She applied a few more drops of oil to her hands and began gently massaging his neck.

"A man could die happy like this," he murmured.

Jack became so relaxed that the beating wind and thunder outside seemed to drift away. The light from the candles became dimmer and finally . . . he slept.

Sunni leaned over to kiss him once his breathing was deep and steady. She blew out the candle, wrapped a blanket tightly around the both of them, and curled up into Jack for the night. Her work was done.