Authors Note:

Ok I am so so so so so so so sorry that I haven't written in like a month. I wasn't dead, but I might as well have been! There is no excuse for me abandoning you so please take my peace offering and don't kill me! Part of the reason why it took so long is because I wrote this chapter a long time ago…infact most of my story was just to lead up to this…and I lost it! I lost it! So I got really upset and desperately tried to find it but couldn't…so I dug my self a hole and lay in it morning the loss of my wonderful story, knowing that I could never again recapture it's glory. But I'm over it know, and I this is a form of avoidance for me! (exams…) so please forgive me and here we go!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the characters… I do own my dreams!

Chapter 22: The day comes

Jack paced around the lamp lit deck, the moon was high in the sky but it's tiny presence as a sliver of light against the midnight black velvet didn't illumante the deck. So the lamps lit the deck in pools of golden light against the pale silver glow leaving dark patches between them. Jack paced from one golden glow to the next, and he had been for five hours now.

The Pearl had dropped anchor in the nearest port and called for as many midwives as could be spared. Four fat, middle aged women had come quickly, even in the growing, dangerous swell, in a small dingy rowed by a strong lad from the town.

Jack had met them on the deck a distraught, worried mess, his eyes betraying the worry that was eating at his stomach. Instead of being sympathetic they were extremely business like and stern, as they always were with men. The looked at him with their stern and critizing eyes, as if pitying him for his state of being male yet at the same time blaming him for the pain and misery in the world. They had no time for him.

He had wanted to kick their smart asses of his boat and call for another set of nurses but Lizzies agonized, but already weak scream had made him leave his pride behind. Instead he returned to his state of almost perpetual fear and lead them quickly to his cabin where Lizzie was in labor.

They had been in there now for five hours, and they had come about three hours after Lizzie had began.

Jack was worried

Jack was beyond worried. He was petrified. And the stern nurses wouldn't let him inside the cabin to comfort Lizzie. About two hours after they had been with her they had sent one of the younger nurses out. They required more nurses, more helping hands, the lady explained. Jack quickly obliged and let down two of the long boats, sent Gibbs with the lady to row back to town, and Martin and two others to follow them in to bring back what ever they needed.

On the way down Gibbs inquired about the purchasing of some good whisky and rum. Jack agreed that some was most definitely in order, but the look from the mid-wife, told him that that was not proper behavior on this blessed night.

Jack was left then to pacing around the deck. The crew had quickly disappeared bellow board, scared of the secrets women's business and had played cards. Being good crew they had invited Jack to play but he had declined.

To make matters worse a storm was coming in off the horizon, Jack could smell the rain and lightning on the strengthening wind as it blew in. He leaned against the railing, sick of his pacing and looked out to sea, watching the lightning play on the horizon. There was something familiar about that storm, not that a storm could be familiar, because the same one never occurred more than once. But this storm had a special feel to it…like Jack had experienced it before.

Frowning he leaned further over the ledge, as it to get closer to the storm, as if being closer would let him recognize the feel of the storm and why it was striking a fear in his stomach that he hadn't felt for some time…at least a year. This storm drove Lizzie and the birth of his son far from his thoughts as he concerntrated and got more confused about why a storm should feel familiar to him.

Realisation smacked him in the face. And with it, Jacks stomach clenched with a new type of fear and desperation. This was not the best time for which the Flying Dutchman to pay a visit to Captain Jack. Not the best time at all.

Jack pushed himself off, away from the railing, and stared terrified out at the storm which played on the horizon. Jack growled. Play wasn't an appropriate word for this storm…. More like danced the dance of death and destruction…of doom.

Jack shook himself and forced himself to look away from the mesmirzing storm. His mind was only trying to find something, anything to distract from Lizzie. He needed a problem that he could fix…Lizzie he couldn't help. He couldn't fix that problem. But if the flying Dutchman were after them, than he would be able to fix that. It was a fear he was used to and could handle. Lizzies pain bought on a fear that he had never experienced before, a gripping fear that he couldn't hide from, or fix.

He forced himself to concerntrate on Lizzie again. Just because he couldn't handle it didn't mean that he had to run away and create fansifical problems to escape this one. Jack stopped for a moment and just listened.

He could hear the gentle, yet slightly more desperate lap of the waves against the hull of the boat. It was a beautiful lullaby, it's soothing rhythm.

It struck at Jacks heart. The panic rose in his stomach, and up his throat.

He shouldn't be able to hear the waves lap against the hull. He hadn't be able to hear anything for the past eight hours but Lizzie. Lizzies screams had been like clock work for the last eight hours, he almost set the rhythm of his pacing to the screams that issued from that room. But they had become weaker and weaker and it was only know that Jack realized that he hadn't heard anything for at least ten minutes.

Going to the door he was determined to march in their no matter what those plump women were going to do to him. Just as he had his hand on the door it burst open and the eldest their looked up at him. Sorrow and pain filled her eyes, her whole deminer was down and she had blood smearing her arms and clothes.

"Mr. Sparrow. Please. Come in." she said in a soft, sorrowful, defeated voice. Jack just stared after her. Now to scared to enter the room. If he stayed out here on the deck than maybe he could pretend that he didn't see that defeated look in her eye. Everything would be fine. No. Noone could make him enter this room.

"She's fading Jack. She needs to be with you" The women said and placed a gently encouraging hand on Jacks arm and coazed him into the room. He looked at her, confused.

"What do you mean?" he chocked out.

"The birth has been difficult Jack. She might not make it." The woman said in this fantastic way that Jack almost simply accepted that as a fact, like he would let Lizzie slip away with out a fight. Well this woman may have lost hope, but Jack wasn't going to let Lizzie go again. He wouldn't lose her again.

He looked over to the bed where Lizzie lay amongst blood stained sheets, pale, sweat covered and exhausted. She really looked like she was fading. Something was lost in her.

Jack went quickly over to her and knealt next to the bed. Gently he took hold of her limp clammy hand and held it tightly in his own.

"Lizzie" he whispered to her, tears filling his eyes. "Lizzie" he whispered again but a little louder. Jack didn't want to admit to himself that her hands already felt like she was dead. There was no life in them. There was little life left in her. His son was killing the love of his life. He blinked away the tears and stroked the limp, cold hand that he held and looked at her desperately. Jack willed her to live, willed her to wake up. Willed her to do anything!

She stirred, She moved and her eyes fluttered open. She turned her head, weakly, slowly. She looked at Jack with tired, yet kind and love filled eyes. When she saw him a small smile crept onto her face. But it disappeared quickly as the effort was to much. She blinked lethargically at him as if even that movement was costing her strength.

Jack smiled at her, trying to blink away the tears so she wouldn't see them.

"Hey Jack" she said in a cracking voice. It was more like a hoarse whisper, a breath that came out of her, but Jack heard it clearly. "It seems that he doesn't want to come out just yet!" she said, coughed, smiled and closed her eyes again. Her head going limp against the pillows.

Jack couldn't help it. Tears welled in his eyes again, he swallowed down some of the fear that was coming up his throat and just looked at her, he cupped her face with his other hand and gently stroked it with his thumb. He wouldn't loose her again. They had been through so much together, that she couldn't give up this easily. He couldn't lose her again.

He couldn't.

P.S Next chapter up really really really soon! I promise! Sorry again that it took so long!